TPR-CONTAINING PROTEINS CONTROL PROTEIN ORGANIZATION AND HOMEOSTASIS FOR THE ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a complex, multifunctional organelle comprised of a continuous membrane and lumen that is organized into several functional regions. It plays various roles including protein translocation, folding, quality control, secretion, calcium signaling, and lipid biogenesis. Cellular protein homeostasis is maintained by a complicated chaperone network, and the largest functional family within this network consists of proteins containing tetratricopeptide repeats (TPRs). TPRs are well-studied structural motifs that mediate intermolecular protein-protein interactions, supporting interactions with a wide range of ligands or substrates. Nine TPR-containing proteins have been shown to localize to the ER and control protein organization and homeostasis within this multifunctional organelle. Here, we discuss the roles of SEL1L, ERdj6, FICD, TMTC1-4, TTC13 and TTC17 and how they contribute to controlling ER processes and organization. The crucial roles that TPR-containing proteins play in the ER are highlighted by diseases or defects associated with their mutation or disruption

Examining Teacher Advocacy for Full Inclusion

This critical ethnography examined the motivations of, and processes used by teachers to advocate for the inclusion of students with exceptionalities in their Catholic school. Because students with exceptionalities have been marginalized in K-12 Catholic schools, learning more about teachers who have been successful advocates on their behalf is essential to building more inclusive schools, as well as inclusive local and global communities. The findings of this study help to identify some key elements for teacher-led advocacy including practices that align with ethical leadership and that encourage teachers to take risks and pursue passions when there is potential for positive student outcomes. As a result, school culture may be transformed to include more fully those students who have been marginalized within the school or community

What Complicates or Enables Teachers’ Enactment of Leadership

This article presents findings from a case study that describes the ways that four teachers pursuing their master’s degree in teacher leadership engaged in leadership activities in their schools. In order to explore this purpose, this study examines two research questions: (1) How do teachers enact leadership in their schools and (2) What complicates or enables teachers’ leadership activity? Findings indicate that the norms of the teaching profession including equality and privacy affect teachers’ enactment of leadership in their schools. Teacher leaders limit their work based on their knowledge of these norms, their past experiences engaging in leadership, and the culture present in their schools

The Role Of Leadership Preparation In Teacher Leaders' Formation Of Critical Consciousness And Enactment Of Critical Teacher Leadership

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Indiana University, School of Education, 2008Research has shown that teachers feel alienated by conventional constructions of school leadership, and therefore, seek leadership opportunities that are collaborative; teachers are also more likely to become teacher leaders in environments where they feel appreciated and believe in the direction of current leadership structures and philosophy at their schools (Lambert, 2003). Conversely, it is possible that teachers who feel unsatisfied may seek teacher leadership opportunities in order to alter the current direction of the school or even the education system as a whole. Such teacher leaders are considered critical and work for a more equitable and just educational system. But whether critical teacher leaders exist and the nature of such leadership is yet to be determined. For these reasons, it is important to further study the critical nature of teacher leadership. Data was gathered for this study using critical qualitative methodology, a theoretical approach grounded in critical theory (Carspecken, 1996). Three data sources were collected for this study. First, participants were observed in four of the educational leadership courses. Second, assignments from three of the participants' educational leadership courses were collected as a check to determine if their written work reflected the ideas they expressed during class. Third, four key informants were interviewed three times to discover how class meetings and assignments affected individual teachers. Findings indicated that the formation of critical consciousness rests in course content, and professor and class member interactions. Not only do teacher leaders need to be exposed to readings that probe them to think critically, but they also need safe and collaborative opportunities to challenge their own and each other's thinking within courses. The preparatory experiences of teacher leaders affect their conception of teacher leadership as well as how they enact teacher leadership in their schools

Efficiency in the further education sector in England

Further education in England is a diverse sector which typically provides education for the 16 - 19 age group. This study investigates efficiency levels by subject of study within further education (FE) colleges. Mean overall technical efficiency is found to vary from 75% to 86% in the worst- and best-performing subject areas, respectively. Statistical analysis of efficiency reveals that, while student and teacher composition and regional characteristics affect efficiency in each subject, the strength of these effects can vary by subject. This has the clear policy implication that strategies to improve efficiency in English FE must be devised and operated at subject rather than provider level

Translational Research Design: Collaborating with Stakeholders for Program Evaluation

In this article, the authors examine researcher collaboration with stakeholders in the context of a translational research approach used to evaluate an elementary school program. The authors share their experiences as evaluators of this particular program to demonstrate how collaboration with stakeholders evolved when a translational research approach was applied to program evaluation. Beginning with a review of literature regarding stakeholder participation in evaluation and other qualitative research, the article reflects on a method for conceptualizing participant involvement and collaboration within the translational framework. The relationship between researchers and stakeholders is articulated according to this method. We interpose these descriptions with their alignment to Petronio’s (2002, 2007) five types of practical validity for translational research. The paper ends with a consideration of what was learned throughout the evaluation process, including both successes and challenges, by means of the translational model

Critical Theory and Catholic Social Teaching: A Research Framework for Catholic Schools

In this article, the authors share findings from an ethnographic study drawn from an evaluation of an after-school program directed by a Catholic diocese to meet the educational needs of children attending urban Catholic schools. The authors used critical research methods within the context of Catholic social teaching (CST) as a theoretical framework for the data presented in this article. Two themes emerged during this data collection and analysis. The first theme, student interactions, describes the helpful ways that students engaged with each other during the after-school program, and also the manner in which students exhibited a need for greater supports. The second theme, staff-student and staff-families interactions, explains how staff members connected with students in the after-school program, and their families and experiences. The focus on relationships emerged as an explicit connection to the CST themes of care, solidarity, and community within the after-school program sites. These findings have implications for researchers and educators working in Catholic and/or urban schools, or their respective after-school programs. Résumé Dans cet article, les auteurs évoquent les conclusions d’une étude ethnographique tirée de l’évaluation d’un programme d’activités après les cours organisé par un diocèse catholique pour répondre aux besoins éducatifs des enfants fréquentant des écoles catholiques en milieu urbain. Les auteurs ont utilisé des méthodes de recherche critique dans le contexte de la doctrine sociale de l’Église catholique (DSE) pour servir de cadre théorique aux données présentées dans cet article. Deux thèmes sont ressortis pendant le recueil des données et l’analyse. Le premier thème, les interactions parmi les élèves, décrit les moyens efficaces par lesquels ils sont entrés en relation au cours du programme d’activités après les cours, et de quelle manière des élèves ont montré qu’ils avaient besoin d’être davantage aidés. Le deuxième thème, les interactions personnel – élèves, personnel - familles, explique comment les membres du personnel ont communiqué avec les élèves au cours du programme d’activités après les cours, et avec leurs familles, et ce qu’ils ont ressenti. Le fait de se concentrer sur les relations entre les personnes est explicitement lié aux thèmes de la DSE, le souci des autres, la solidarité et l’appartenance à une communauté, sur les lieux des activités après les cours. Ces constatations ont des incidences pour les chercheurs et les éducateurs qui travaillent dans des écoles catholiques ou en milieu urbain, ou les programmes d’activités après les cours de ces établissements. Resumen En el presente artículo, los autores comparten hallazgos de un estudio etnográfico extraídos de una evaluación de un programa extraescolar dirigido por una diócesis católica para lograr las necesidades educativas de los niños que asisten a escuelas católicas. Los autores emplean métodos de investigación crítica en el contexto de la enseñanza social católica (ESC) como marco teórico para los datos presentados en este artículo. Durante la recolección y análisis de datos emergieron dos temas. El primero, las interacciones entre estudiantes, describe las maneras útiles de cómo se relacionaron los estudiantes durante el programa extraescolar y también el modo en el que los estudiantes mostraron la necesidad de mayor apoyo. El segundo tema, las interacciones estudiantes-personal y familias-personal, explican cómo el personal del centro se conectó con los estudiantes en el programa extraescolar, así como con sus familias y experiencias. El foco en las relaciones surgió como conexión explícita a los temas de la ESC de cuidado, solidaridad y comunidad en el centro del programa extraescolar. Estos hallazgos tienen implicaciones para los investigadores y educadores que trabajan en escuelas católicas y/o urbanas, o en sus respectivos programas extraescolares

Examination of the New Tech Model as a Holistic Democracy

Using the Degrees of Democracy Framework (Woods & Woods, 2012), we examined eight New Tech (NT) high schools to determine the extent to which they demonstrated characteristics of holistic democracy. We collected qualitative data, including observations and interviews during the fourth year of implementation. Findings indicated that the eight NT schools demonstrated many features of holistic democracy with a few exceptions. This study has implications for researchers and school communities interested in measuring holistic democracy in other schools and within school models

Culturally Competent Evaluation for Aboriginal Communities: A Review of the Empirical Literature

uch of program evaluation is concerned with understanding and improving social programs so that they are ultimately more responsive and more reflective of program participant needs. At the same time, these programs exist and are embedded within specific social, cultural and historical contexts which impact program development, implementation, and eventual outcomes. Evaluations that attempt to address responsiveness to contextual and cultural specificity are often referred to as culturally competent, culturally responsive, inclusive, multicultural, or cross-cultural, among other terms. While there are no agreed upo

Water source dynamics influence macroinvertebrate communities across groundwater‑fed streams in a glacierized catchment

Groundwater contributions to streamflow significantly influence the structure and function of riverine ecosystems, particularly in glacierized catchments where there are marked differences in water sources and subsurface flow paths. Here, we investigated spatial and temporal variation in relationships between water sources, flow paths, physical and chemical processes, organic matter, microbial biofilms, and macroinvertebrates across groundwater-fed streams in the glacierized Toklat River catchment of Denali National Park, Alaska. Streams fed predominantly by seepage from the valley sides were perennial, whereas streams sustained by glacial meltwater seepage were ephemeral. Differences in environmental conditions between flow regimes appeared to influence spatial and temporal patterns of organic matter, linking to macroinvertebrate community dynamics. Macroinvertebrates in perennial streams were supported by fine particulate organic matter from subsurface flow paths during summer, transitioning to a combination of fine particulate matter and leaf litter in autumn. In comparison, macroinvertebrates inhabiting ephemeral streams, which only flowed during autumn, were supported by leaf litter. Some macroinvertebrate taxa were unaffected by turnover in organic matter, indicating potential plasticity in organic matter resource use. Findings highlight the importance of considering spatial and temporal variation in groundwater-fed streams, considering that projected hydrological changes under a changing climate may have significant implications for these systems