The school improvement planning framework: its impact on leadership and Every Child Matters in six case study schools

The school improvement planning framework (SIPF) is a tried and tested suite of tools and techniques, developed and improved during a two-year process involving more than 200 schools. The framework is one of the ways that the National College for Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services (National College) and the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) is supporting local authorities and school leaders to improve their planning and strategic thinking. It prioritises the needs of children and their families in their local context, with the ultimate aim of improving their wellbeing and attainment. Between November 2009 and February 2010, six schools were visited, consisting of one special, three primary and two secondary schools. All had recently made effective use of the SIPF as a school improvement planning tool, selecting modules and activities that matched their needs at the time. The case studies that follow examine the various ways in which the schools have made use of the SIPF. They also explore the extent to which the SIPF has impacted on the work of the schools, with particular emphasis on changes in leadership, improvement planning and delivery of the five outcomes of Every Child Matters (ECM)." - Page

An Alternate Use of the Uses of Argument: A Feminist/Perceptive Adaptation of the Toulmin Model

Though a segment of feminists have questioned the combative, logical, objective nature of academic writing and presentation, their critique has seldom extended to the most widely used model in composition and communication, Stephen Toulmin’s Informal Model of argument (1958), which terminologically relates to combative, logical and legal terminologies (staking or possessing legal and ‘warranted’ ‘claims’ on ‘data’). Toulmin’s model, however, adapted to a visual rather than legal metaphor, fits well with the less confrontational, more personal and contextual approach espoused by some feminists and many argument theorists. This essay offers an adaptation of Toulmin’s six-part model based in a visual metaphor, adding three more parts: ‘Interrelated Perceptions’ (to partially account for argument complexities; ‘Field Specific Horizons’ (similar to Toulmin’s ‘fields,’ context of evaluation); and ‘Historical/Cultural Horizon,’ (using Gadamer’s, 1989, hermeneutical historical concept to further contextualize arguments. The model then responds to two key feminist and argumentation theorist concerns, replacing the argument-as-war metaphorical mapping of argument relations, and personalizing and contextualizing arguments as to historical, social, and cultural situation

Educational factors affecting the continued establishment of young farm operators in Iowa

The purpose of this investigation was to determine what educational factors influenced changes in the farming programs of young farm operators and how these factors contributed to the continued establishment of the young farm operators who were studied by Crawford in 1968;More specifically, the objectives of this study were to (1) assess or determine the current educational status of selected Iowa young farmers, (2) relate current educational factors to current agricultural, economic and social conditions of selected Iowa young farmers, (3) establish a relationship between educational change and the change in farming status of Iowa young farmers, and (4) assess and determine agricultural education programs and techniques that should be used to strengthen and promote enterprises of Iowa young farmers;The population of the study included all farm operators in Iowa who were between the ages of 18 and 30 inclusive, as of December 31, 1968, who were studied by Dr. Harold Crawford;Three hundred and seven persons were interviewed in the original study of Crawford\u27s in 1968. Of these 307 individuals, it was found that 234 or 76.3 percent, were known to be farming in 1978. Of this group, interviews were completed on 93.6 percent or 219 persons;The majority of the 219 respondents interviewed in this study were found to be high school graduates;Educational programs, especially young or adult farmer classes, and Iowa State University short courses, were not participated in by a majority of the respondents in this study. Extension meetings and clinics were seldom attended by the majority of the respondents;Commercial companies had wide acceptance from farm operators both in attendance at meetings and as a source of information for farming;Farm magazines were reported by the respondents as their most valued source of technical information for farming;Crop and livestock production as areas of instruction was rated the highest value by the respondents in this study;Area short courses was the teaching approach favored most by the respondents followed by closed circuit television agriculture programs;Participation in programs designed to meet the educational needs of young and adult farmers according to this study is slight. Vocational agriculture instructors, extension personnel, land grant college personnel, and area school teachers, have a task ahead of them in utilizing all available resources in meeting this challenge

EC67-1512 Nebraska Insect Control Guide for Dairymen

Extension Circular 67-1512 is about insect control guide for dairymen

EC71-1507 Insect Control Recommendations for Vegetables in the Home Garden in Nebraska

Extension Curricular 71-1507 Insect control recommendations for vegetables in the home garden

Teaching, tradition and thaumaturgy : a sociological examination of the polemic of the Pastorals.

Much historical-critical work on the opponents in the Pastoral Epistles has resulted in sweeping generalisations concerning their Jewish and/or Gnostic nature. Literary analyses have been somewhat more promising in focusing on the stereotypical nature of the polemic but either fail to do justice to the urgency of the language in the Pastorals or fail to provide a convincing description of the opponents. This thesis approaches the problem of the opponents from a social-scientific perspective. Utilising labelling theory and social control theory from the sociology of deviance, the thesis argues that the Pastorals function as a literary version of a status degradation ceremony whereby previously influential insiders within the communities addressed are transformed into outsiders. Following a survey of approaches to the problem of institutionalisation, the thesis argues that the scholarly consensus (that the Pastorals reflect the institutionalisation of initially charismatic Pauline communities) needs to be revised. It suggests a developmental model for charismatic communities which involves both the process of institutionalisation and the simultaneous, thaumaturgical subversion of that process. This model arises out of the sociological analysis of the development of a contemporary charismatic community and it is argued that developments in the second century CE church, particularly the rise of Montanism, yield results which are consistent with this model. The thesis examines the Pastorals in the light of this developmental model and argues that they reflect a power struggle within the communities between those who advocate an ecstatic spirituality rooted in the memory of a thaumaturgical Paul and the author, who appeals to Pauline tradition and sees Paul as primarily a great teacher

Living in fear: Low-cost avoidance maintains low-level threat

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Excessive avoidance of potential threat is a hallmark of anxiety and is thought to maintain fear by preserving the perceived high-threat value of avoided situations. Previous research has shown that the availability of avoidance maintains low-level threat. Here, we investigated whether an opportunity to engage in avoidance in the presence of a low-threat value safety cue would maintain its perceived threat value when avoidance was unavailable. METHODS: In a threat conditioning procedure, one conditional danger stimulus (CS+; A+) was followed by an aversive unconditioned stimulus (US; electric shock), and two safety stimuli (CS-; B- and C-) were never followed by the US. Next, clicking a button present during A+ avoided the scheduled US. Avoidance was then made available during C- for participants in the Experimental group but not in the Control group. In the test, all stimuli were presented without the opportunity to avoid. Threat expectancy, eyeblink startle electromyography (EMG), and skin conductance responses (SCRs) were measured. RESULTS: Findings showed an increase in threat expectancy for only C- in the Experimental group during the test phase following avoidance learning to similar levels as during threat conditioning. Compared to the Control group, threat expectancy for both B- and C- remained higher in Experimental group. SCR and startle EMG data did not corroborate these findings. LIMITATIONS: Further research is needed to test the commonly held clinical assumption that avoidance can increase threat value. CONCLUSIONS: Low-cost avoidance maintains low-threat value of safety cues.status: publishe