Shocks to the System: The Micropolitics of Communities in Economic Shock When Determining the Outcome of Local Education

It is estimated that the United States lost almost eight million manufacturing jobs in total from its peak in 1979 to 2010, which not only resulted in job loss, but wage depression and higher welfare spending in the US (Dubner, 2017, DeSilver, 2017). These losses were exacerbated in small rural mill towns where up to 70% of a town’s revenues, at some point, had depended on the exiting industry. Too often, affected workers, if they did find work, were reallocated to jobs with dramatic wage reductions, leaving communities with substantially reduced funding revenues and rising welfare, disability, public service expenditures, and reduced school funding (Dubner, 2017). These industry closures represent economic shocks. As public schools are funded by local taxes, and often account for over 50% of a town’s revenues, communities in economic distress are often prompted to examine the necessity of their schools in order to determine what is financially feasible. In this qualitative study, three communities are examined to determine how the micropolitics within the communities addressed the sudden loss of funding after a paper mill closure and what the mill’s closure meant to their local public schools. Thirty-five interviews and three written responses are analyzed, and the findings are supported and verified through the use of descriptive statistics and secondary sources. Two additional interviews were conducted and transcribed in order to gain information on school funding and mill valuation. This study highlighted three key elements that be used to address the financial distress of the community and its schools: a local capacity to recognize and implement the work needed to financially prepare for the economic shock, the collaborative ability to work towards a common vision, and the establishment of a purpose where the school is integrated as an essential component of the community. Communities where individuals, small groups, and informal leaders worked in conjunction with the formal leadership resulted in increased success in achieving those three elements. In communities where the informal and formal leadership groups were unable to achieve those three elements, communication was found to be weak, trust was lacking, and progress in overcoming the financial crisis was stymied

XASH genes promote neurogenesis in Xenopus embryos

Neural development in Drosophila is promoted by a family of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors encoded within the Achaete Scute-Complex (AS-C). XASH- 3, a Xenopus homolog of the Drosophila AS-C genes, is expressed during neural induction within a portion of the dorsal ectoderm that gives rise to the neural plate and tube. Here, we show that XASH-3, when expressed with the promiscuous binding partner XE12, specifically activates the expression of neural genes in naive ectoderm, suggesting that XASH-3 promotes neural development. Moreover, XASH-3/XE12 RNA injections into embryos lead to hypertrophy of the neural tube. Interestingly, XASH-3 misexpression does not lead to the formation of ectopic neural tissue in ventral regions, suggesting that the domain of XASH proneural function is restricted in the embryo. In contrast to the neural inducer noggin, which permanently activates the NCAM gene, the activation of neural genes by XASH-3/XE12 is not stable in naive ectoderm, yet XASH-3/XE12 powerfully and stably activates NCAM, Neurofilament and type III β-tubulin gene expression in noggintreated ectoderm. These results show that the XASH-3 promotes neural development, and suggest that its activity depends on additional factors which are induced in ectoderm by factors such as noggin

Steric regulation of tandem calponin homology domain actin-binding affinity.

Tandem calponin homology (CH1-CH2) domains are common actin-binding domains in proteins that interact with and organize the actin cytoskeleton. Despite regions of high sequence similarity, CH1-CH2 domains can have remarkably different actin-binding properties, with disease-associated point mutants known to increase as well as decrease affinity for F-actin. To investigate features that affect CH1-CH2 affinity for F-actin in cells and in vitro, we perturbed the utrophin actin-binding domain by making point mutations at the CH1-CH2 interface, replacing the linker domain, and adding a polyethylene glycol (PEG) polymer to CH2. Consistent with a previous model describing CH2 as a steric negative regulator of actin binding, we find that utrophin CH1-CH2 affinity is both increased and decreased by modifications that change the effective "openness" of CH1 and CH2 in solution. We also identified interface mutations that caused a large increase in affinity without changing solution "openness," suggesting additional influences on affinity. Interestingly, we also observe nonuniform subcellular localization of utrophin CH1-CH2 that depends on the N-terminal flanking region but not on bulk affinity. These observations provide new insights into how small sequence changes, such as those found in diseases, can affect CH1-CH2 binding properties

21st Century Learning Ecosystem Opportunities: Research and Findings

The 21st Century Learning Ecosystem Opportunities (21 CLEO) research was launched to increase understanding of the complexities of learning ecosystems. This report is a summary that aims to share insights about working learners employed in frontline service work, the types of education and training initiatives offered to them, and the outcomes from participating in such employer supported education and training initiatives. The findings shared here are drawn from the collection of presentations, blog posts, and other publications through which we have shared our insights along the way (cited throughout), as well as new material developed as part of our final write-up. More detailed information is available on our Web Report and in the 21 CLEO blog series. All of the materials from our research are archived at PDXScholar. Graphics and annotations are available in the report’s interactive synthesis

Critical Race Theory: Convening 2

We seek to identify the factors that incentivize frontline service workers to engage in workplace-sponsored learning activities that support development of 21st century skills, including specific workplace skills, digital literacy, English language and literacy, problem solving, and adult basic skills. Central to this study is elevating the voice of the working learner

Final Report: The Ecosystem of 21st Century Employer Supported Education and Training Initiatives

The 21st Century Learning Ecosystem Opportunities (21 CLEO) research was launched to increase understanding of the complexities of learning ecosystems in employer-supported education and training initiatives. This work envisions workplace learning as ecosystems shaped by a constellation of factors that operate in dependent and independent ways

What Factos Shape 21st Century Workplace Learning?

Adult learners take part in many different kinds of learning (in the workplace and beyond) Find out....what opportunities learners are offered and are taking part in. Encourage and Support….sustained participation and connections between and across settings

Understanding Learners through Personna: Convening 1

We seek to identify the factors that incentivize frontline service workers to engage in workplace-sponsored learning activities that support development of 21st century skills, including specific workplace skills, digital literacy, English language and literacy, problem solving, and adult basic skills. Central to this study is elevating the voice of the working learner