Who Wants to be an Environmental Justice Advocate?: Options for Bringing an Environmental Justice Complaint in the Wake of Alexander v. Sandoval

The Supreme Court’s decision in Alexander v. Sandoval significantly altered options for bringing an environmental justice claim. Several causes of action still remain, however, that can be an effective means of achieving environmental justice. This Article will explore these causes of action and show that each has unique characteristics and can present distinct opportunities. This Article will also address the importance of tailoring environmental justice claims to best suit the plaintiff. Finally, this Article will present a case study of a proposal to build a geothermal power plant in an area of California that is sacred to Native Americans, and suggest an effective strategy for bringing an environmental justice claim

Pleistocene Equus Sp. from Sandusky Co., Ohio

Author Institution: Department of Geology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohi

Uma união fracassada entre padronização e incentivismo: Perspectivas divergentes sobre os objetivos da compensação baseada em desempenho em Xangai, China

The Chinese province of Shanghai has gained international recognition as a high performing education system with strong teaching and learning outcomes. One accountability mechanism in Shanghai’s education reform strategy is statewide performance-based compensation (PBC), also known as performance- or merit pay. Providing a first time account of PBC in the Shanghai context, this study investigated variance in stated and perceived aims of this policy instrument. To explore this variance, the study drew on data from national, state, and school level policy documents, and data from interviews with 20 teachers and the principal in a high performing elementary school. The analysis revealed that PBC was intended to improve teaching quality. However, the teachers’ perceived merit pay was meant to increase teacher enthusiasm, job satisfaction, and participation in teacher and student development activities. Importantly, the teachers perceived these aims as tangential from instructional improvement goals. Based on these findings, I argue that this particular PBC policy, as a manifestation of the marriage of standardization and incentivism, is unable to fulfill the promises of this marriage – to link incentives with homogenous, uniform metrics associated with a generic and shared notion of teaching quality.La provincia china de Shangai ha ganado reconocimiento internacional como un sistema educativo de alto rendimiento con fuertes resultados de enseñanza y aprendizaje. Un mecanismo de responsabilización en la estrategia de reforma de la educación en todo el estado de Shangai es la compensación basada en el desempeño (PBC), también conocido como rendimiento o pago por mérito. Proporcionar una primera cuenta de época del PBC Shanghai en el contexto, este estudio investigó Dicho y varianza en AIMS percibidos de este instrumento de política. Para explorar esta variación, el estudio se basó en datos de documentos de política nacional, estatal y escolar, y datos de entrevistas con 20 profesores y el director en una escuela primaria realizando alta. El análisis reveló que la PBC pretendía mejorar la calidad de la enseñanza. Sin embargo, percibido pago por mérito de los profesores fue significada de aumentar el entusiasmo de profesores, satisfacción en el trabajo y alumno y profesor participación en actividades de desarrollo. Importante, los profesores percibieron esos objetivos como tangentes a los objetivos de mejora instruccional. En base a estos resultados, y argumenta que esta política PBC particular, como una manifestación del matrimonio de estandarización e incentivismo, es incapaz de cumplir las promesas de este matrimonio - para vincular incentivos con métricas homogéneas y uniformes asociadas a una noción genérica y compartida de la calidad docente.A província chinesa de Xangai ganhou reconhecimento internacional como um sistema educacional de alto desempenho com fortes resultados de ensino e aprendizagem. Um mecanismo de responsabilização na estratégia de reforma da educação em todo o estado de Xangai é a compensação baseada no desempenho (PBC), também conhecido como desempenho- ou pagamento por mérito. Proporcionar um primeiro conta época do PBC Shanghai no contexto, este estudo investigou Dito e variância em AIMS percebidos de este instrumento de política. Para explorar esta variação, o estudo baseou-se em dados de documentos de política nível nacional, estadual e escolares, e dados de entrevistas com 20 professores e o diretor em uma escola primária realizando alta. A análise revelou que a PBC pretendia melhorar a qualidade do ensino. No entanto, percebida pagamento por mérito dos professores foi significada de aumentar o entusiasmo de professores, satisfação no trabalho e aluno e professor participação em atividades de desenvolvimento. Importante, os professores perceberam esses objetivos como tangentes aos objetivos de melhoria instrucional. Com base nestes resultados, e argumenta que esta política PBC particular, como uma manifestação do casamento de padronização e incentivism, é incapaz de cumprir as promessas de este casamento - para vincular incentivos com métricas homogêneos e uniformes associadas a uma noção genérica e compartilhada dos qualidade docente

A Devonian Brachiopod with Epifauna

Author Institution: Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio 43402Recognition of epifauna-host relationships are difficult to ascertain in fossil material. Distribution and orientation of epifaunal elements, repair of the host shell, deformation of the host by the epifauna, and continued growth of the host provides evidence of the type of relationship. Brachiopods in the Devonian Silica Formation of northwestern Ohio commonly have abundant epifauna. A specimen of Paraspirifer bownockeri Stewart, collected from this formation shows evidence of a parasitic, in part antagonistic, relationship with the boring sponge Clionoides thomasi Fenton and Fenton and commensal relationships with the worm Cornulites cingulatus? Hall, the inarticulate brachiopod Lingulodiscina marginalis Whitfield, and possibly the bryozoans Hederella canadensis (Nicholson) and H. cirrhosa (Hall). Distribution of the epifaunal elements indicate the life position of the host to be vertical, with the beaks down, or possibly lying on the posterior portion of the pedicle valve after atrophy of the pedicle had taken place

Incentives in the classroom: performance-based compensation implementation and impact in high performing schools in Shanghai, China

Performance-based compensation is gaining traction in the education systems of countries that lead in the world economy and in comparative international assessments of student achievement. Longstanding and contemporary debates in educational policy and research question the potential of this incentivist policy to improve teaching. Some scholars warn that decades of experimental research have found bonuses yield little or no improvement in various measures of teaching quality and student achievement. Yet, policymakers and performance-pay advocates maintain that financial bonuses will lead to better teaching, student learning, and educational markets. As PBC persists, we remain unaware of how financial bonuses are enacted and shape teaching. To better understand how financial bonuses shape teaching, recent qualitative research has investigated exactly how performance-based compensation unfolds inside of complex school settings. Building on this emerging scholarship, this research examined the implementation of merit pay and its effects on teaching from the perspectives of teachers at School M1, a high performing elementary school in Shanghai. Those who aspire for high ranks in comparative international assessments and other proxies of global economic leadership are turning to regions such as Shanghai for lessons on “what works.” Shanghai thus provided the opportunity to investigate incentivism in a system that has gained global influence yet whose policies and corresponding practices remain understudied. A principal and 20 teachers were interviewed, and a range of policy documents were collected in This qualitative case study. Data were coded according to theory on incentivism, policy enactment, and teacher development. Responses were then further analyzed to determine recurring themes and patterns. I find that state and national policymakers and the M1 Principal intended for PBC to improve teaching quality. However, the M1 teacher participants perceived bonuses were intended to augment base pay, compensate teachers for their existing effort, and to provoke teachers to exert additional effort. Teachers had little understanding of merit pay implementation processes. While merit pay did not erode teacher relationships, and norms of respect and deference to authority guided teachers’ silence on and acceptance of the policy and shaped their participation in policy enactment. They perceived high expectancy, low instrumentality and valence, and they held mixed views on fairness. The majority of teachers suggested their sense of motivation and self-efficacy was driven by a sense of personal responsibility for collective good and by public displays of recognition from their peers and superiors. Teachers suggested that social relationships, professional community, and trust were more efficacious ways to get to improved teacher quality. Overall, teachers perceived bonuses neither inspired instructional improvement compelled their low performing peers to leave the school or the profession. Advocates suggest bonuses motivate educators to behave in desirable ways, incentivize strong teachers to join and stay in the workforce, and force weak teachers to exit. While compelling, this lens ignores how financial incentives operate in the cultural foundations of schools. Additionally, teacher perceptions of bonuses bear directly upon how bonuses are levied in schools. To assess the efficacy of PBC as a school improvement mechanism, this research offers a sorely needed school-level investigation of PBC that explores the perspectives of teachers and is founded in sociocultural lenses on school improvement. In doing so, this research builds on an emerging body of qualitative research that helps assess the prevailing hypothesis that there is a neat relationship between an incentive, teacher practice, and student learning

Shippers’ choice behaviour on choosing transport mode: a case of ASEAN region

Using South East Asia as a case study, shippers’ choice of transport modes taking into consideration their economic and environmental impacts was examined in this research. A triangulation of both quantitative and qualitative methods was deployed. First, a quantitative analysis using secondary data was conducted to establish the index score, which includes four quantitative factors (transport distance, cost, time, and CO2 emission), for each transport mode. In addition, in order to examine at what level of the importance weight shippers would change their decision on transport mode, a sensitivity analysis involving the four aforesaid factors was also conducted. Next, an in-depth interview with a major shipper in Singapore was also carried out to qualitatively validate the aforesaid four quantitative factors as well as two additional qualitative factors, namely, customer service and shipper-forwarder relationship in relation to shipper’s choice. The results from this study indicate that shippers might change to the short-sea shipping (SSS) mode when the importance weights of cost and CO2 emission increase, and to trucking mode when the weight of time decreases. It was also found that cost is the most important factor when shippers choose carriers/forwarders, whereas CO2 emission is not an important factor at the current stage. However, if the government imposes financial measures such as fine and/or tax for CO2 emission, shippers would choose eco-friendlier transport modes. This research is the first study considering the environmental issue as one of important factors that influence shippers’ choice behaviour. This research also facilitates managers’ understanding on how shippers may select LSPs taking into account important factors including the environmental consideration