Huck Finn and (Still) Racist America

The purpose of this paper is to explore the ways in which the infamously banned book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn can be used in contemporary society and, more importantly, in schools. Ever since Mark Twain wrote the book, Huck Finn has received bombardments of criticism, both positive and negative. Unfortunately, for the most part the negative criticism has made itself more easily heard, causing the book to be banned from countless libraries and public and private schools. Given the ill treatment of the book, this paper will argue that the race discussion inherent in Mark Twain\u27s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a powerful source of learning and self-reflection. By examining the content of the novel, arguments from critics on both sides, and an educational classroom perspective of the novel, this paper will show that Mark Twain\u27s Huck Finn should not be dismissed or removed from public education

Improving The Social And Emotional Education Curriculum In A Middle School, School Within A School Gifted And Talented Program

The research question addressed in this capstone project was, how can staff address the social and emotional needs of gifted and talented students in a middle school, school within a school gifted and talented program? It documents a gifted and talented middle school teacher’s development of a social and emotional curriculum for 6th-8th grade students in a homogeneous gifted and talented program. The program includes lessons on social-emotional learning that is beneficial to all middle school students, as well as topics that are directed towards the specific needs of gifted learners. The author shares her research and the successes and limitations of the curriculum. The conclusions that the author reaches based on her research are that 1) gifted and talented students have unique social and emotional needs due to their asynchronous development; 2) there is not a curriculum that has been developed that can fully meet the specific social and emotional needs of gifted students; and 3) lessons on social and emotional needs must be authentic and related to the lives of the students that are using them

How Does Offender Rehabilitation Actually Work? Exploring Mechanisms of Change in High-Risk Treated Parolees

Offender rehabilitation is typically thought to have been successful if a higher proportion of a sample of treatment completers avoids being reconvicted for an offence than a comparison sample. Yet, this type of evaluation design tells us little about what brings about these outcomes. In this study, we test whether change in dynamic risk factors during treatment is a recidivism-reducing mechanism in a sample of high-risk offenders. We also examine the extent to which change after treatment-in the period of reentry from prison to the community-mediates this relationship. We found that although individuals made statistically significant change during treatment, this change was not significantly related to recidivism. We did, however, find tentative support for an indirect relationship between treatment change and recidivism, through change that occurred during reentry. These findings signal the importance of the reentry period for understanding how change in treatment is related to long-term outcomes

High-Risk Violent Prisoners' Patterns of Change on Parole on the DRAOR's Dynamic Risk and Protective Factors

Few studies have examined change after treatment completion; such investigations can enhance our understanding of how a rehabilitative intervention leads to reduced recidivism. The current study uses growth curve modeling to investigate change in dynamic risk factors in the community, following two samples of high-risk violent men for up to 12 months on parole. While in prison, one sample had completed intensive psychological treatment, whereas the other completed no programs or briefer programs. As expected, based on Dynamic Risk Assessment for Offender Re-Entry (DRAOR) scores, intensive program completers entered the community with higher protective and lower stable and acute dynamic factors, and showed less variability on acute risk factors, as did all of those with better initial scores. But the two samples improved at a similar rate over the course of parole. Those with initially poorer scores changed less on parole except for protective factors; those with stronger initial protective scores showed less change

A Year Without a Conviction: An Integrated Examination of Potential Mechanisms for Successful Reentry in High-Risk Violent Prisoners

Some high-risk prisoners on parole “beat the odds”: remaining in the community through their first year without incurring even minor reconvictions. What makes the difference? We investigated three potential mechanisms for postrelease survival—lower dynamic risk, greater readiness for parole, and earlier and longer parole oversight—in two samples: 120 men who had completed 8 to 12 months in an intensive treatment unit for high-risk prisoners, and 151 comparison prisoners who had received less or no treatment. Based on structural equation modeling, results indicated that treatment status (completer or comparison), and readiness for release each directly predicted when and for how long a prisoner would be on parole, which in turn predicted reconviction. Significant indirect pathways indicated that lower dynamic risk, better release readiness, and longer/earlier parole oversight all contributed to the lower rates of reconviction in high-risk prisoners, whether treated or not

The Australian and New Zealand dialysis workforce

Aim: To capture a &quot;snapshot&quot; of the current Australian and New Zealand dialysis workforce in order to contribute to the future renal workforce challenges. Methods: A web-based survey of dialysis managers (n=221) were asked fifteen questions relating to demographics, age, full-time equivalent information, workforce designation, post-registration qualifications, subjective perceptions of staffing levels, staffing strategies and future dialysis research recommendations Results: In Australia in 2008 there were 2433 registered nurses, 188 enrolled nurses and 295 dialysis professionals (technicians) and 327 registered nurses (RNs), 8 enrolled nurses (ENs) and 64 dialysis professionals in New Zealand. There were significant variations in staff/patient ratios, workforce profiles and post-registration qualifications. There is a significant association between staff/ patient and home dialysis ratios. A high proportion of renal staff worked part-time, particularly in Australia. The dialysis workforce reflects the aging nature of the general nursing population in Australia and New Zealand. The majority of dialysis nurse managers perceived they had sufficient staff. Conclusion: Workforce variations found in this study may be useful to identify future workforce challenges and strategies. <br /

High Risk, Not Hopeless: Correctional Intervention For People At Risk For Violence

Across the United States, jurisdictions are working to reduce absurdly high incarceration rates without jeopardizing historically low crime rates. Well-validated risk assessment can identify people at low risk who can be managed safely in the community. But what about high-risk people? In this Article, we synthesize research on effective ways to identify and reduce risk of reoffending among people at high risk of recidivism, including people with psychopathic traits. To maximize the impact of criminal justice reform, we recommend that policymakers prioritize high risk clients for treatment, provide treatments most likely to work with these clients, and reframe incarceration as an opportunity for excellent service provision

The Wiley International Handbook of Correctional Psychology

[Publisher's description]: With contributions from an international panel of experts in the field, The Wiley International Handbook of Correctional Psychology offers a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the most relevant topics concerning the practice of psychology in correctional systems. The contributors explore the theoretical, professional and practical issues that are pertinent to correctional psychologists and other professionals in relevant fields. The Handbook explores the foundations of correctional psychology and contains information on the history of the profession, the roles of psychology in a correctional setting and examines the implementation and evaluation of various interventions. It also covers a range of topics including psychological assessment in prisons, specific treatments and modalities as well as community interventions. This important handbook: Offers the most comprehensive coverage on the topic of correctional psychology Contains contributions from leading experts from New Zealand, Australia, Europe, and North America Includes information on interventions and assessments in both community and imprisonment settings Presents chapters that explore contemporary issues and recent developments in the field Written for correctional psychologists, academics and students in correctional psychology and members of allied professional disciplines, The Wiley International Handbook of Correctional Psychology provides in-depth coverage of the most important elements of the field

A computer program for statistically-based decision analysis

The majority of patients with coronary artery disease do not fall into the well defined populations from randomized clinical trials. Observational databases contain a rich source of information that could be used by practicing physicians to evaluate treatment alternatives for their patients. We describe a computer system, the CABG Kibitzer, which uses an integrated approach to evaluate the treatment alternatives for CAD patients. We combine a statistical multivariate model for calculating survival advantages with DA techniques for assessing patient preferences and sensitivity analysis, to create one tool that physicians find easy to use in daily clinical practice. The development of tools of this kind is a necessary step in making the data of outcome studies accessible to practicing physicians

A Fresh Start or the Devil You Know? Examining Relationships Between Release Location Choices, Community Experiences, and Recidivism for High-Risk Parolees

This study investigated the effects of residential relocation in a sample of 282 high-risk male offenders paroled from New Zealand prisons. Initially we compared those returning to their old neighborhoods (devil you know) and those released to a new location (fresh start). This second category was then further divided: those released to a new location voluntarily (fresh start-voluntary) versus those forced to start anew at the behest of the parole board that was releasing them (fresh start-duress). All three categories were then compared on the quality of their community experiences and recidivism. Results indicated that parolees returning by choice to either their old neighborhood or a new location each were reconvicted in the first year after release at approximately the same rate; however, parolees relocating to a new area at the direction of the parole board (under duress) were reconvicted at a higher rate than those in either of the voluntary location categories. Significant group differences in ratings of community life quality were few, but there were some indications that compared with those choosing to return to a familiar location, making a voluntary residential relocation may lead to better parole experiences, particularly in terms of avoiding criminal peers, and that making a residential relocation under duress may lead to poorer parole experiences than for those returning to a familiar location