An updated key to the Horsetails (Equisetaceae, Pteridophyta) of the Flora of Germany

Es wird ein völlig neu konzipierter Bestimmungsschlüssel für alle in Deutschland vorkommenden Schachtelhalm- Sippen vorgelegt, der sowohl Erstnachweise von zwei interspezifischen diploiden Hybriden als auch drei erst in jüngerer Zeit bekannt gewordene triploide Taxa berücksichtigt. Mit enthalten ist auch eine umfangreiche fotografische Dokumentation der Sprossmorphologie aller behandelten Sippen sowie eine bebilderte Kurzdarstellung von makro- und mikromorphologischen Merkmalen, welche für die Bestimmung relevant sind.A completely new developed identification key for all German horsetail taxa is presented, which includes new additions of two interspecific diploid hybrids as well as three triploid hybrids only recognized recently. It also contains a comprehensive photo documentation of shoot morphology for all taxa treated and an illustrated brief description of macro- and micromorphological characters relevant to determination

Children in disadvantaged neighborhoods are more likely to see their local schools close.

Shrinking public finances have meant many cities and municipalities have looked to cut costs, with education not being spared. In new research, Jin Lee and Christopher Lubienski examine the effects of Chicago’s school closures, which have been justified by falling enrollment numbers. They write that schools in poorer areas are often likely to be the first targets for closure, a trend which means that there are fewer schools available for children – often African American and Latino – in less advantaged neighborhoods

Examining instruction, achievement, and equity with NAEP mathematics data.

The purpose of this article is two-fold. First, it reports on a study of the distribution of reform-oriented instructional practices among Black, White and Hispanic students, and the relationship between those practices and student achievement. The study identified many similarities in instruction across student groups, but there were some differences, such as Black and Hispanic students being assessed with multiple-choice tests significantly more often than were White students. Using hierarchical linear modeling, this study identified several significant positive—and no negative—relationships between reform-oriented practices and 4th-grade student achievement. Specifically, teacher emphasis on non-number mathematics strands, collaborative problem solving, and teacher knowledge of the NCTM Standards were positive predictors of achievement. An analysis of interaction effects indicated that the relationships between various instructional practices and achievement were roughly similar for White, Black and Hispanic students. The second purpose of this article is to make comparisons with another study that used the same NAEP data, but drew very different conclusions about the potential for particular instructional practices to alleviate inequities. A study published in EPAA by Wenglinsky (2004) concluded that school personnel can eliminate race-related gaps within their schools by changing their instructional practices. Similarities and differences between these two studies are discussed to illuminate how a researcher's framing, methods, and interpretations can heavily influence a study's conclusions. Ultimately, this article argues that the primary conclusion of Wenglinsky's study is unwarranted. Keywords: equity, hierarchical linear modeling; mathematics achievement; mathematics instruction; NAEP

NEPC Review: On the Public-Private School Achievement Debate

This report claims that private schools outperform public schools. According to a review by the Think Tank Review Project, the report applied inappropriate models to account for the demographic differences between students.</p

"Quasi-Märkte" und Innovationen im Bildungsbereich

Policymakers around the globe have looked to quasi-market mechanisms such as choice and competition to promote greater levels of innovations in the way children are educated. Innovation is seen as an important route to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of schools, as well as to provide new and better opportunities for disadvantaged children and communities. This review of research synthesizes evidence on educational innovation in such school systems where policies promote at least one of three factors: (1) greater levels of consumer choice of schools, (2) greater levels of school-level autonomy, and/or (3) greater levels of competition between schools. [The authors] conclude that quasi-market mechanisms are succeeding in a number of areas, but a closer examination of patterns suggests significant distinctions in how innovations can be generated at different levels of educational organizations, and points to the importance of the institutional conditions in which incentives may be more effective. (DIPF/Orig.)Politiker auf der ganzen Welt haben "Quasi-Markt"-Mechanismen wie freie Schulwahl und Wettbewerb eingeführt, um im Bildungsbereich mehr Innovationen zu erreichen. Innovationen werden als wichtig erachtet, um die Effizienz und Effektivität von Schulen zu steigern und benachteiligten Kindern und Regionen neue und bessere Chancen zu eröffnen. Dieser Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über Forschungsergebnisse zu Bildungsinnovationen in Schulsystemen, die mindestens einen der drei folgenden Faktoren erfüllen: (1) größere Entscheidungsfreiheit der "Verbraucher" bei der Schulwahl, (2) mehr Autonomie auf der Ebene der Einzelschule und (3) mehr Wettbewerb zwischen Schulen. Es kann gezeigt werden, dass Quasi-Markt-Mechanismen in vielen Bereichen wirkungsvoll sind. Ein genauerer Blick auf die Wirkungsmuster zeigt jedoch bedeutende Unterschiede hinsichtlich der Entstehensbedingungen von Innovationen auf den einzelnen Ebenen von Bildungsorganisationen; er macht die institutionellen Bedingungen deutlich, unter denen solche Anreize tatsächlich Wirkung zeigen können. (DIPF/Orig.

Como as familias marginalizadas dentro de paisajes urbanas desiguales envolvidos en la escolha de la escuela? Uma abordagem crítica geográfica

The normalization of school choice in the education system is purported to provide more schooling options for all families, particularly those who do not have the means to move into affluent areas with ‘better’ schools. Nonetheless, it is still unclear to what extent the policy of school choice has been effective in achieving the goal of providing more choices for marginalized families. This paper aims to fill this gap by examining the K-12 school choice practices and patterns of marginalized urban families, with a focus on their spatial positions and dispositions, in what is arguably one of the most rapidly diversifying and polarizing cities in the world, Vancouver, Canada. An innovative mixed-methods critical geographic approach is used to better understand the families’ school choice participation and related mobility patterns geo-spatially, while exploring their choices phenomenologically.   La normalización de la elección de escuela en los sistemas educativos supuestamente proporciona más opciones de enseñanza para todas las familias, especialmente aquellos que no tienen los medios para entrar en las zonas ricas con 'mejores' escuelas. Sin embargo, todavía no está claro hasta qué punto la elección de la política de la escuela ha logrado el objetivo de proporcionar más opciones está marginada familias. El presente trabajo pretende llenar este vacío mediante el examen de los K-12 prácticas de elección de escuela y los patrones de las familias urbanas marginadas, con un enfoque en sus posiciones y disposiciones espaciales, en Vancouver, Canadá. Un innovador enfoque de métodos mixtos es fundamental utilizado geográfica para entender mejor la participación escolar elección de las familias y los patrones de movilidad relacionados geo-espacialmente, mientras que la exploración de sus opciones de vista fenomenológico.La normalización de la escolha en el sistema de educación es supuesta para proporcionar más opciones para todas las familias, especialmente aquellos que no tienen los medios para entrar en las zonas ricas con 'mejores' escuelas. Sin embargo, todavía no está claro en qué medida las familias elección de la política de la escuela ha sido eficaz para alcanzar el objetivo de proporcionar más opçãos se marginadas. El presente trabajo pretende llenar este vacío mediante el examen de los K-12 prácticas de elección de escuela y los patrones de las familias urbanas marginadas, con un enfoque en sus posiciones espaciales y disposiciones, en Vancouver, Canadá. Un innovador enfoque de métodos mixtos es fundamental utilizado geográfica para entender mejor la participación escolar elección de las familias y los patrones de movilidad relacionados geo-espacialmente, mientras que la exploración de sus opçãos de vista fenomenológico

Respostas estratégicas da Escola à concorrência em áreas urbanas segregados: Padrões na localização das escolas na Região Metropolitana de Detroit

School choice is intended to generate competition between schools largely to leverage new and better educational opportunities for disadvantaged students. Yet we know very little about how competition impacts whole populations of schools, or different types of schools, in distributing different educational options across segregated social landscapes. This analysis maps new educational options for families, as different types of charter schools respond to market competition within a highly competitive and segregated environment examining school and organizational strategies in positioning themselves within metropolitan Detroit in order to measure the overall impact of these strategies on alternatives for disadvantaged students. Dynamic mapping illuminates the kinds of charter schools that have opened, relocated, and closed relative to socioeconomic and demographic distributions in neighborhoods, providing a comprehensive picture of supply-side responses to competition since the emergence of choice policies. We offer a brief outline of the policy context, considering the primary equity impetus for choice, and the policy implications as they are expected to reverberate through the organizational behavior of schools. Then we present a more complex theoretical framework for understanding likely strategic responses from organizations in competitive education markets. In doing this, we draw on theories from the literatures on industrial organizations and locational theories as they apply to what we are calling local education markets. We then describe the geo-spatial analyses, providing graphic maps to represent the patterns evident in this case. The concluding discussion offers a brief overview of the equity implications for employing the profit motive to expand educational access.La libre eleccin de escuelas tiene la intencionalidad de aprovechar la competencia entre las escuelas para obtener mejores oportunidades educativas para estudiantes con desventajas. Sin embargo, sabemos muy poco acerca de cmo la competencia impacta poblaciones enteras de escuelas de diferentes tipos en la distribucin de opciones educativas en espacios sociales segregados. Basandonos en las teoras sobre medio ambiente institucional, comportamiento organizacional, y estrategias de posicionamiento investigamos cmo los diferentes tipos de escuelas (pblicas, privadas y charter) responden a la competencia de mercado en el entorno altamente competitivo y segregado del rea Metropolitana de Detroit. El mapeamiento ilustra los patrones de tipos de escuelas que abrieron, se mudaron, y cerraron en relacin a los contextos socioeconmicos y demogrficos barriales. Nuestro anlisis explora la nocin de incentivo de tasas elevadas de vacancia como una aproximacin a la existencia de los espacios adecuados para nuevas escuelas. Los resultados sugieren que los incentivos competitivos tienen efectos similares en los diferentes tipos de organizaciones.A escolha escolar tem como inteno a concorrncia entre as escolas para gerar melhores oportunidades educacionais para alunos desfavorecidos. No entanto, sabemos muito pouco sobre como a competio impacta populaes inteiras de escolas de diferentes tipos na distribuio de opes educacionais em contextos segregao social. Baseados nas teorias da literatura sobre o ambiente institucional, comportamento organizacional e estratgias de posicionamento para investigar como os diferentes tipos de escolas (pblicas, privadas e charter) respondem concorrncia no mercado dentro da area Metropolitana de Detroit que um ambiente altamente competitivo e segregado. O mapeamento ilustra os padres de tipos de escolas que abriram, mudaram, e fecharam em relao ao bairro contextos socioeconmicos e demogrficos. Nossa anlise explora o incentivo da localizao de taxas altas de vacncia de espaos como proxy sobre espaos acessvel adequados para novas escolas. Os resultados sugerem que os incentivos competitividade tm efeitos similares em diferentes tipos de organizaes

How do learning environments vary by school sector and socioeconomic composition? Evidence from Australian students

We examine how students’ perspectives of their learning environments vary between private and public schools in Australia. Previous research has shown that educational outcomes do not vary by school sector in most countries after controlling for student social background. Little is known, however, about the ways in which different students’ educational experiences vary across sectors. Australia is a good case study for examining this question, because it has one of the largest private school sectors in the world. We used a large and nationally representative dataset to compare sector differences across five measures of learning environments while accounting for the average socioeconomic composition of the school. Very few differences large enough to be considered educationally substantive were found between sectors. On two measures, however, student perspectives varied substantially within sectors and across school socioeconomic contexts. Overall, classroom disciplinary climate varied the most across school sectors and socioeconomic contexts, and teacher scaffolding and structuring strategies varied the least