Secondary school leadership preparation and development::Experiences and aspirations of members of senior leadership teams

In England, school leadership preparation has shifted from the National College and local authorities to teaching schools, their alliances and multi-academy trusts. Against this changing educational landscape, we investigate opportunities presented to men and women in secondary school leadership teams (SLTs). Drawing on interview data from a British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society funded investigation, we report on leadership preparation and development opportunities, aspiration to headship, headteachers’ support of ‘in house’, regional and national preparation programmes, coaching and mentoring involvement as well as access to formal and informal networks. Our analysis of SLTs as sites of potential for headship demonstrated some variability in women’s and men’s reported experiences. Accredited courses, higher degrees and workplace-based preparation provided access to leadership preparation and development opportunities; access was not transferrable from school to school. We identified a fragmented system and suggest policy and cultural changes to allow SLTs to offer inclusive and sustainable opportunities for succession planning

Developing the Role of the Clinical Academic Nurse, Midwife and Allied Health Professional in Healthcare Organisations

Clinical academics provide key contributions to positive outcomes in the delivery of high-quality health and social care; however, building capacity and capability for these roles for Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Professionals (NMAHPs) within contemporary healthcare settings is often complex and challenging. Accessing funding and training, such as that provided by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), can remain beyond the reach of NMAHPs at point-of-care delivery because of limited structural empowerment, practical support and a culture inhibiting the growth of clinical academic careers. This article will discuss strategic developments and partnerships from two organisations, both with a positive track record of supporting clinical academic career development for NMAHPs. We aim to provide practical and applicable examples showing how NMAHPs have been supported from foundational to post-doctoral level and outline these under three key headings: strategic commitment; structures to engage, enthuse and empower clinical academic careers; and realising the benefits for staff and patient experience. We contend that a wide-ranging level of support is required to encourage aspiring clinical academics to navigate this complex journey, often where the development of personal confidence, and access to early career models combining clinical and research activity are pivotal. We conclude that when crafted and created effectively with sustainable commitment by organisations, NMAHP clinical academics provide an innovative workforce solution with the knowledge and skills essential for a contemporary NHS healthcare system

Programming to meet the needs of commuter students

Commuter students are defined as those who live with their parents, spouse, family, or by themselves (Flanagan, 1976) in housing not provided by the institution. They comprise eighty percent of the undergraduate population in American colleges (Stewart and Rue, 1983). Commuters have been dubbed the neglected majority (Slade and Jarmul, 1975), because academic and personal counseling, campus activities, and special services have not been provided for these students on a consistent basis

Bonded Fabrics.

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ZINC-FINGER interactions mediate transcriptional regulation of hypocotyl growth in Arabidopsis

Integration of environmental signals and interactions among photoreceptors and transcriptional regulators is key in shaping plant development. TANDEM ZINC-FINGER PLUS3 (TZP) is an integrator of light and photoperiodic signaling that promotes flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here we elucidate the molecular role of TZP as a positive regulator of hypocotyl elongation. We identify an interacting partner for TZP, the transcription factor ZINC-FINGER HOMEODOMAIN 10 (ZFHD10), and characterize its function in coregulating the expression of blue-light–dependent transcriptional regulators and growth-promoting genes. By employing a genome-wide approach, we reveal that ZFHD10 and TZP coassociate with promoter targets enriched in light-regulated elements. Furthermore, using a targeted approach, we show that ZFHD10 recruits TZP to the promoters of key coregulated genes. Our findings not only unveil the mechanism of TZP action in promoting hypocotyl elongation at the transcriptional level but also assign a function to an uncharacterized member of the ZFHD transcription factor family in promoting plant growth

Investigating the impact of a specialist CPD training programme for Teaching Assistants, related to supporting children with English as an Additional Language

This research emerged from education practice, specifically from the experiences of one local authority area within the North East of England. Akin to experiences across Europe (Koehler & Schneider, 2019), increasing numbers of economic migrants and asylum seekers in the area presented schools with a variety of new challenges, for which many felt ill equipped. Not only were schools required to support an increasing range of language repertoires and the needs of vulnerable groups, but specialist provision and training was sparse for teachers and even less for Teaching Assistants, who were regularly expected to care for, and educate, these children. There were also concerns over equality of opportunity in education for these children who had English as an addition language (EAL). The local authority area reflected the national pattern of a reduction in such specialist provision for schools. In response to a request for partnership working, a university in the North East of England developed a specialist Certificate of Education Practice with a focus upon offering continuous professional development (CPD) to Teaching Assistants to support EAL learners. This CPD was followed up by a real-time work-based project which aimed to consolidate the learning and effect relevant change within the area. To determine the impact of the programme, a small-scale evaluation was conducted by way of questionnaire and semi-structured interviews, aiming to glean responses from course attendees, their work-based advisors and Head Teachers or managers. The findings identified three themes: motivation, personal and professional development and impact on school. While the impact of the CPD from the perspectives of the teaching assistants is now more clearly defined, the wider impact from the perspectives of colleagues in other school roles remains anecdotal and unconfirmed

What fooled us in the knee may trip us up in the hip: Lessons from arthroscopy

EditorialC

Oligomeric state study of prokaryotic rhomboid proteases

AbstractRhomboid peptidases (proteases) play key roles in signaling events at the membrane bilayer. Understanding the regulation of rhomboid function is crucial for insight into its mechanism of action. Here we examine the oligomeric state of three different rhomboid proteases. We subjected Haemophilus influenzae, (hiGlpG), Escherichia coli GlpG (ecGlpG) and Bacillus subtilis (YqgP) to sedimentation equilibrium analysis in detergent-solubilized dodecylmaltoside (DDM) solution. For hiGlpG and ecGlpG, rhomboids consisting of the core 6 transmembrane domains without and with soluble domains respectively, and YqgP, predicted to have 7 transmembrane domains with larger soluble domains at the termini, the predominant species was dimeric with low amounts of monomer and tetramers observed. To examine the effect of the membrane domain alone on oligomeric state of rhomboid, hiGlpG, the simplest form from the rhomboid class of intramembrane proteases representing the canonical rhomboid core of six transmembrane domains, was studied further. Using gel filtration and crosslinking we demonstrate that hiGlpG is dimeric and functional in DDM detergent solution. More importantly co-immunoprecipitation studies demonstrate that the dimer is present in the lipid bilayer suggesting a physiological dimer. Overall these results indicate that rhomboids form oligomers which are facilitated by the membrane domain. For hiGlpG we have shown that these oligomers exist in the lipid bilayer. This is the first detailed oligomeric state characterization of the rhomboid family of peptidases