Book Review: “Neoliberalization” as Betrayal: State, Feminism, and a Women’s Education Program in India

Review of “Neoliberalization” as Betrayal: State, Feminism, and a Women’s Education Program in India by Shubhra Sharma

Podem os alunos eles mesmos diminuir a diferença no desempenho acadêmico de origem socioeconómico através de sua própria perseverança e aumentando o tempo de aprendizagem?

Despite decades of educational reforms, the achievement gap based on socioeconomic status (SES) persists in the United States. Not only does the SES-based achievement gap persist, it has also been widening. This study focused on the role of students, hypothesizing that students might reduce the SES-based achievement gap by increasing their learning time and persistence. I used both ANOVA and two-level hierarchical linear models (HLM) to analyze the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) United States data. The findings suggested that students viewing themselves to be persistent were likely to perform better than those viewing themselves to be less persistent. Also increased time learning in school was associated with increased achievement. However, high-SES students generally spent more time learning in school and viewed themselves to be more persistent. Thus learning time and persistence were not likely to address the SES constraint on achievement for a majority of low-SES students unless schools provided them extra classes and learning opportunities.A pesar de décadas de reformas educativas, la brecha en el logro académico por origen socioeconómico persiste en los Estados Unidos. No solo persiste sino que además se ha agrandado. Este estudio centrado en el papel de los estudiantes partía de la hipótesis de que ellos mismos podían reducir dicha brecha basada en el origen socioeconómico aumentando su tiempo dedicado al aprendizaje y su constancia. He utilizado ANOVA y modelos lineales y jerárquicos de dos niveles (HLM) para analizar los datos provenientes del Programa para la Evaluación Internacional de Alumnos (PISA) de Estados Unidos. Los hallazgos sugieren que aquellos estudiantes que se veían a sí mismos como más perseverantes eran más propensos a obtener mejores resultados que aquellos que se veían a sí mismos como menos constantes. Además, el aumento del tiempo dedicado al aprendizaje en la escuela se asocia con un mayor logro académico. Sin embargo, los estudiantes de origen socioeconómico alto tendían a pasar más tiempo dedicado al aprendizaje en la escuela, así como a verse a sí mismos como más persistentes. Por tanto, parece poco probable que el tiempo empleado para el aprendizaje y la perseverancia sean los responsables de las limitaciones para alcanzar el logro académico de la mayoría de los estudiantes de origen socioeconómico bajo, a menos que las escuelas les proporcionen clases y oportunidades de aprendizaje extras.Apesar de décadas de reformas educacionais, a diferença no desempenho acadêmico de origem socioeconômica persiste nos Estados Unidos. Não só persiste mas também foi alargada. Este estudo focaliza papel dos estudantes baseado na suposição de que eles poderiam reduzir a diferença no desempenho acadêmico de origem socioeconômica aumentando o tempo de aprendizagem e a perseverança. Eu usei ANOVA e modelos hierárquicos de dois níveis (HLM) para analisar os dados do Programa Internacional de Avaliação de Alunos (PISA) dos Estados Unidos. Os resultados sugerem que os alunos que se consideravam mais persistente eram mais propensos a melhorar do que aqueles que se viam como menos persistentes. Além disso, aumentando o tempo de aprendizagem na escola é associado com a melhora acadêmica. No entanto, estudantes de alto nível socioeconômico tendem a passar mais tempo de aprendizagem na escola, e ver-se como mais persistentes. Por conseguinte, parece improvável que o tempo gasto na aprendizagem e perseverança sejam fundamentais para superar as limitações de  desempenho acadêmico dos estudantes de estratos socioeconômicos mais baixos, a menos que as escolas proporcionem oportunidades de aprendizagem extras

Gender inequality and four generation of women's education in a rural Chinese village

"July 2014."Dissertation Supervisor: Dr. Peggy Placier.Includes vita.The purpose of this study is to contribute to scholarly understanding of generational change and individual variation in women's educational experiences when encountering gender inequality. The guiding framework is a feminist concept--intersectionality. I adopt a phenomenological multiple case design to examine 1) how women across four different generations from the 1930s to the 1990s experienced gender inequality in their educational experiences in Shancun (pseudonym), a rural village in southern China, 2) how these women interpret their experiences, and 3) how educational reforms and policies implemented between the 1930s and the 1990s shaped their experiences. Between May and August 2013, I interviewed 12 women from Shancun across four generations. I conducted two interviews with each participant, and each interview lasted about 40 to 65 minutes. I also relied upon informal conversations to gather supplemental information about the participants. In addition, in order to know the village history I conducted multiple interviews with a senior in the village. A focus on individuals reveals the complexity behind the macro level patterns and the agency exercised by parents and their daughters. In comparison with the previous generation, women who were born in the 1950s and 60s had better access to schooling. Little progress in increasing women's schooling was made between the second and third generation. The fourth generation witnessed a sharp increase of educational attainment over the third. The nonlinear progress of women's schooling was associated with the women's movement, government advocacy of gender equity driven by a nationalism discourse, the collective farming, and urbanization. Meanwhile, the impact of educational policies is invisible except Saomang (literacy education) provided an opportunity for one of the participants to gain some basic literacy.Includes bibliographical references (pages 155-165)

High Achievers from Low Socioeconomic Backgrounds: The Critical Role of Disciplinary Climate and Grit

The purpose of this study was to examine whether school disciplinary climate and grit predicted low socioeconomic status (SES) students being high achievers in mathematics and science with a representative sample of 15-year-old students in the United States. Our analysis, using a two-level logistic hierarchical linear model (HLM), indicated both disciplinary climate and grit were significantly associated with low-SES students’ high achievement in math and science. Low-SES students who perceived themselves as having a higher level of grit and whose classrooms had better disciplinary climate were much more likely to be high achievers. This finding provided supplemental evidence to the limited number of existing studies which suggest achievement gaps could be narrowed by addressing school climate and student grit. In conclusion, we discussed what implications this study could offer for future educational research and policy

A Comparison of Paper-based and Computer-based Formats for Assessing Student Achievement

Given the growing trend toward using technology to assess student learning, this investigation examined test mode comparability of student achievement scores obtained from paper-pencil and computerized assessments of statewide End-of-Course and End- of-Grade examinations in the subject areas of high school biology and eighth-grade English Language Arts and math. Propensity score matching was used to generate comparable groups of students who were assessed using paper-pencil or computer-based formats. T-tests and generalized linear models were further used to examine test mode effect. Analyses revealed a small test mode effect for all three subjects such that students using the paper-based format achieved higher scores than students using the computer- based format. The findings are germane to school districts transitioning to computerized assessments and investigating test mode comparability

Teacher Incentive Pay Programs in the United States: Union Influence and District Characteristics

This study examined the characteristics of teacher incentive pay programs in the United States. Using the 2007–08 SASS data set, it found an inverse relationship between union influence and districts’ incentive pay offerings. Large and ethnically diverse districts in urban areas that did not meet the requirements for Adequate Yearly Progress as defined under the No Child Left Behind Act are more likely to offer a larger number of economic incentives. Although rural districts are likely to reward teachers in hard-to-staff schools, they are not more likely to reward teachers who are certified by the National Board or who teach in the subject areas of shortage, nor are they more likely to offer multiple financial incentives

Programmable base editing of zebrafish genome using a modified CRISPR-Cas9 system.

Precise genetic modifications in model animals are essential for biomedical research. Here, we report a programmable "base editing" system to induce precise base conversion with high efficiency in zebrafish. Using cytidine deaminase fused to Cas9 nickase, up to 28% of site-specific single-base mutations are achieved in multiple gene loci. In addition, an engineered Cas9-VQR variant with 5'-NGA PAM specificities is used to induce base conversion in zebrafish. This shows that Cas9 variants can be used to expand the utility of this technology. Collectively, the targeted base editing system represents a strategy for precise and effective genome editing in zebrafish.The use of base editing enables precise genetic modifications in model animals. Here the authors show high efficient single-base editing in zebrafish using modified Cas9 and its VQR variant with an altered PAM specificity

An inventory of invasive alien species in China

Invasive alien species (IAS) are a major global challenge requiring urgent action, and the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity (2011–2020) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) includes a target on the issue. Meeting the target requires an understanding of invasion patterns. However, national or regional analyses of invasions are limited to developed countries. We identified 488 IAS in China’s terrestrial habitats, inland waters and marine ecosystems based on available literature and field work, including 171 animals, 265 plants, 26 fungi, 3 protists, 11 procaryots, and 12 viruses. Terrestrial plants account for 51.6% of the total number of IAS, and terrestrial invertebrates (104 species) for 21.3%. Of the total numbers, 67.9% of plant IAS and 34.8% of animal IAS were introduced intentionally. All other taxa were introduced unintentionally despite very few animal and plant species that invaded naturally. In terms of habitats, 64.3% of IAS occur on farmlands, 13.9% in forests, 8.4% in marine ecosystems, 7.3% in inland waters, and 6.1% in residential areas. Half of all IAS (51.1%) originate from North and South America, 18.3% from Europe, 17.3% from Asia not including China, 7.2% from Africa, 1.8% from Oceania, and the origin of the remaining 4.3% IAS is unknown. The distribution of IAS can be divided into three zones. Most IAS are distributed in coastal provinces and the Yunnan province; provinces in Middle China have fewer IAS, and most provinces in West China have the least number of IAS. Sites where IAS were first detected are mainly distributed in the coastal region, the Yunnan Province and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The number of newly emerged IAS has been increasing since 1850. The cumulative number of firstly detected IAS grew exponentially

A Large-Scale Zebrafish Gene Knockout Resource for the Genome-Wide Study of Gene Function

With the completion of the zebrafish genome sequencing project, it becomes possible to analyze the function of zebrafish genes in a systematic way. The first step in such an analysis is to inactivate each protein-coding gene by targeted or random mutation. Here we describe a streamlined pipeline using proviral insertions coupled with high-throughput sequencing and mapping technologies to widely mutagenize genes in the zebrafish genome. We also report the first 6144 mutagenized and archived F1’s predicted to carry up to 3776 mutations in annotated genes. Using in vitro fertilization, we have rescued and characterized ~0.5% of the predicted mutations, showing mutation efficacy and a variety of phenotypes relevant to both developmental processes and human genetic diseases. Mutagenized fish lines are being made freely available to the public through the Zebrafish International Resource Center. These fish lines establish an important milestone for zebrafish genetics research and should greatly facilitate systematic functional studies of the vertebrate genome