On Certain Large Random Hermitian Jacobi Matrices with Applications to Wireless Communications

In this paper we study the spectrum of certain large random Hermitian Jacobi matrices. These matrices are known to describe certain communication setups. In particular we are interested in an uplink cellular channel which models mobile users experiencing a soft-handoff situation under joint multicell decoding. Considering rather general fading statistics we provide a closed form expression for the per-cell sum-rate of this channel in high-SNR, when an intra-cell TDMA protocol is employed. Since the matrices of interest are tridiagonal, their eigenvectors can be considered as sequences with second order linear recurrence. Therefore, the problem is reduced to the study of the exponential growth of products of two by two matrices. For the case where $K$ users are simultaneously active in each cell, we obtain a series of lower and upper bound on the high-SNR power offset of the per-cell sum-rate, which are considerably tighter than previously known bounds

Comparative and International Perspectives on Environmental Education

Environmental education (EE) is a global pedagogical movement that is closely related to the environmental movement. It encourages schools to raise awareness for the inter-dependency of the environment, society, and economic growth. It also motivates learners to adopt sustainable behaviors and practices. EE is seen as a long-term strategy to address environmental challenges such as climate change and pollution. In this Keynote presentation at the Research Symposium of the North American Association for Environmental Education, I discuss the global nature of the EE movement. The presentation begins with a brief introduction to the field of Comparative and International Education (CIE). Then, I outline and demonstrate four contributions the CIE field can offer to EE research: (1) Analysis of emergence and development of transnational discourses that link education, environment, and more recently sustainability; (2) Analysis of impact of transnational discourses on countries worldwide; (3) Analysis of the role of local context in shaping environmental education policy and practice; and (4) Critical view on global diffusion of policy and practice. I conclude the presentation with lessons from another educational movement: International Large-Scale Assessments. Video of the Keynote is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-7NY-0vKDc&t=881

Politics of Education and Teachers’ Support for High-Stakes Teacher Accountability Policies

Although educators are at the center of contentious high-stakes teacher accountability policies, we know very little about their attitudes toward these policies. This research gap is unfortunate because teachers are considered key actors in successful implementation of educational reforms. To what extent do the politics that accompany the introduction of high-stakes teacher accountability policies affect teachers’ support for the policies themselves? To address this gap, we used data from an experimental survey of teachers in New Jersey (n=444), where a new reform—Teacher Effectiveness and Accountability for Children of New Jersey Act (TEACHNJ)—was signed into law in 2012 and implemented shortly after. The cornerstone of the reform is a new evaluation system that ties student performance on standardized tests to teachers’ evaluation. We found that the majority of teachers oppose the new evaluation system. Teachers’ attitudes were shaped by the politics of the key actors advocating for the policy, perceptions of implementation efforts, and beliefs in the potential outcome of the policy. Open-ended responses indicated that teachers question the validity of the evaluation system and are concerned about the negative intended and unintended consequences of the system. We conclude this paper by discussing the implications of these findings for policy studies and policymaking

Política educativa e professores em apoio às políticas de prestação de contas

Although educators are at the center of contentious high-stakes teacher accountability policies, we know very little about their attitudes toward these policies. This research gap is unfortunate because teachers are considered key actors in successful implementation of educational reforms. To what extent do the politics that accompany the introduction of high-stakes teacher accountability policies affect teachers’ support for the policies themselves? To address this gap, we used data from an experimental survey of teachers in New Jersey (n=444), where a new reform—Teacher Effectiveness and Accountability for Children of New Jersey Act (TEACHNJ)—was signed into law in 2012 and implemented shortly after. The cornerstone of the reform is a new evaluation system that ties student performance on standardized tests to teachers’ evaluation. We found that the majority of teachers oppose the new evaluation system. Teachers’ attitudes were shaped by the politics of the key actors advocating for the policy, perceptions of implementation efforts, and beliefs in the potential outcome of the policy. Open-ended responses indicated that teachers question the validity of the evaluation system and are concerned about the negative intended and unintended consequences of the system. We conclude this paper by discussing the implications of these findings for policy studies and policymaking.Aunque los educadores están en el centro de las polémicas políticas de responsabilidad de los maestros, sabemos muy poco acerca de sus actitudes hacia estas políticas. Esta brecha de investigación es desafortunada porque los maestros son considerados actores clave en la implementación exitosa de las reformas educativas. ¿Hasta qué punto la política que acompaña a la introducción de políticas de responsabilidad de maestros de alto riesgo afecta el apoyo de los profesores a las políticas mismas? Para abordar esta laguna, utilizamos datos de una encuesta experimental de maestros en New Jersey (n = 444), donde una nueva reforma -La Ley de Eficacia y Rendición de Cuentas de los Maestros de Niños de New Jersey (TEACHNJ) poco después. La piedra angular de la reforma es un nuevo sistema de evaluación que vincula el desempeño de los estudiantes en las pruebas estandarizadas con las evaluaciones de los maestros. Encontramos que la mayoría de los maestros en nuestro estudio se oponen al nuevo sistema de evaluación. Las actitudes de los maestros fueron moldeadas por la política de los actores claves que abogaban por la política, las percepciones de los esfuerzos de implementación y las creencias en el resultado potencial de la política. Las respuestas abiertas indican que los docentes cuestionan la validez del sistema de evaluación y están preocupados por las consecuencias negativas y no intencionales del sistema. Concluimos este trabajo discutiendo las implicaciones de estos hallazgos para los estudios de políticas y la formulación de políticas.Embora os educadores estejam no centro das controvertidas políticas de responsabilidade dos professores, sabemos muito pouco sobre suas atitudes em relação a essas políticas. Esta lacuna de pesquisa é lamentável porque os professores são considerados protagonistas da implementação bem-sucedida de reformas educacionais. Em que medida a política que acompanha a introdução de políticas de responsabilidade de professores de alto risco afeta o apoio dos professores às próprias políticas? Para abordar esta lacuna, utilizamos dados de uma Pesquisa de Professores Experimentais em New Jersey (n = 444), onde uma nova reforma - Lei de Responsabilidade e Responsabilidade dos Professores de Nova Jersey (TEACHNJ) pouco depois. A pedra angular da reforma é um novo sistema de avaliação que relaciona o desempenho do aluno em testes padronizados com avaliações de professores. Achamos que a maioria dos professores em nosso estudo se opõe ao novo sistema de avaliação. As atitudes dos professores foram moldadas pela política dos principais atores que defendiam políticas, percepções de esforços de implementação e crenças sobre o resultado potencial da política. As respostas abertas indicam que os professores questionam a validade do sistema de avaliação e estão preocupados com as conseqüências negativas e não intencionais do sistema. Concluímos este artigo discutindo as implicações desses achados para estudos de política e elaboração de políticas

The Public Matters: Technical Note

Citizen preferences play a key role in a democracy, and there is a substantial body of work that tries to understand the role that public preferences play in the policy process. Despite the important role public opinion plays, there are only limited efforts to document public opinion about education, psychology, and health. The Public Matters project seeks to address this gap by providing reliable, valid public opinion data to inform public debate. The Project includes a series of public opinion surveys on a variety of issues related to governance, policies, and practice that have the potential to affect human development

Who Opts Out and Why? Results from a national survey on opting out of standardized tests

During the past few years the opt out movement, in which parents refuse to have their school-aged children take federally mandated educational assessments, has gained momentum. Yet many important questions about opting out remain unanswered: Who is actually opting out? What motivates parents who opt their children out of the tests? Are those who opt out trying to protect their children, or do they have broader political aims? These are some of the questions that we aim to address in this study. Data for this study come from the National Survey on Opting Out, which was conducted from January 20, 2016 through March 31, 2016. We recruited respondents online, through links on the webpages and social media channels of opt out groups. The survey was administered electronically. The sample consisted of a total of 1,641 respondents from 47 states

From Policy Networks to Policy Preferences: Organizational Networks in the Opt-Out Movement

Organizational networks shape education policy by influencing power holders and elites, but do they have similar effects on grassroots activists? We use data from the National Survey on Opting Out (2016 and 2018; n = 2,909) to examine the role of organizational networks in mobilizing activists in the opt-out movement (a movement in which parents and caregivers refuse to have their children sit for standardized tests). Despite characterizations of the opt-out movement as a bunch of “soccer moms” disappointed with their children’s tests scores, our findings show that opt-out is in fact a structured movement reliant on social movement organizations (SMOs) with agendas that go beyond standardized tests. Further, we demonstrate a small but significant correlation between contact with SMOs and individual policy preferences. These patterns suggest that organizational networks may inform education policy by creating a social space for activists to learn about different policy ideas in education. We discuss implications for research and practice

Americans Endorse Climate Change Education

Scientists and the international community agree: Climate change is a defining issue of our time and we are at a defining moment. Whether referred to as "global warming" or "climate change," these patterns have already had observable effects on our planet, including loss of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise and longer, more intense heat waves. Education, from classrooms to boardrooms, is seen as a critical tool for boosting both resilience and the capacity to carry out the enormous social and technological changes necessary to cut risks as the human surge meets accelerating climate disruption. By engaging students with climate science, energy history and related subjects, schools can help young people grasp reality amid today’s noise and polarization, and shape academic, civic and career paths that can help build a climate-safe future. Public opinion polling on teaching about global warming and climate change is a relatively limited. This research brief examines Americans' views of teaching about global warming and climate change in primary and secondary schools. The brief provides detailed analysis by socio-demographic groups and open-ended reflection from respondents

Pro-Environmental Attitudes and Behaviors in Higher Education: Investigating the Role of Formal and Informal Factors

Scholars have documented the growing presence of environmental and sustainability education in higher education institutions around the world. However, we know little about how colleges and universities mobilize students to adopt pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors. Drawing on the whole student framework, this study examines the extent to which curricular and co-curricular factors are associated with students’ engagement with environmentalism. Using survey data from 539 students at Indiana University and multivariate analysis, we demonstrate that (a) hearing about environmentalism and sustainability in class and (b) membership in campus-based environmental groups have positive and significant effects. These factors are associated with increased levels of care for the environment and increased levels of private and public pro-environmental behaviors. We discuss the implications of these findings in relation to the role of higher education institutions as incubators for the development of competent social actors