Understanding quality professional development: Effects on teacher practice

This quantitative study explored the degree to which three systems of quality professional development (PD) design synthesized from the literature contribute to teachers\u27 perceived use of student-centered instructional practice (SCIP) in the context of Reading Apprenticeship. The three systems used to define quality PD were professional community, support system, and delivery system. The goal of this study was to determine what impact PD had on SCIP and what teacher characteristics had an impact on SCIP. Interaction effects were also explored. The study utilized survey data from teachers in Livingston and Washtenaw Counties in the State of Michigan and analysis was conducted at three levels. The first level of analysis utilized descriptive statistics of the population and sample pertaining to central tendencies and frequencies of quantitative variables. The next level of analysis was a factor analysis to assist in reducing the larger number of variables with each system to a smaller one. This analysis allowed conceptually and statistically related survey items to be grouped together. The last level of analysis was a path analysis of the sample-generated components and teacher characteristics. This study found that the core professional development practices variable has a powerful positive influence on SCIP. The proposed theoretical framework that emerged from the literature review was not supported, but a new, potentially useful framework evolved. Implications for theory, practice, and research are presented

When College Students Start Behind

Almost two thirds of students who enter community colleges every year are judged to be academically not ready to engage in college-level coursework. In order to enroll, these students typically must take one or more “remedial” or “developmental” math or English courses that will not count toward their college degree. The bulk of the evidence, however, suggests that the $4 billion annual investment in services to help underprepared students is having little positive impact on the success of those students in community colleges. This report for The Century Foundation's College Completion Series reviews that research, describes findings from studies on four types of reforms underway at various colleges, and concludes with the argument that a wholesale redesign of the student experience at community colleges is needed to make a real difference in the outcomes of underprepared students

A Wolf in Sheep\u27s Clothing: The Plastics Industry\u27s Public Interest Role in Legislation and Litigation of Plastic Bag Laws in California

In recent years, single-use plastic bag reduction ordinances have emerged as a lasting icon for the environmental movement. Despite fierce resistance from the plastics industry, premised primarily on the argument that such ordinances could potentially have harmful effects on the environment, the momentum to pass these ordinances remains strong. The plastics industry has spent millions lobbying against local ordinances and for statewide preemption of local ordinances, engaged in epic public relations campaigns, and sued or threatened to sue virtually every California municipality that has recently taken steps to adopt a plastic bag ordinance. Plastic bag manufacturers also sued a reusable bag manufacturer for “talking trash” about plastic bags. The seriousness with which the plastics industry is taking environmentalists’ attempts to restrict plastic bags demonstrates that this is a “tipping point” issue for the plastics industry, and the battle is far from over. Part II of this Article explores the idea of plastic bag ordinances as an icon for a greater movement. Part III discusses types of plastic bag ordinances and briefly examines the most notable locations that have pursued each type. Part IV discusses how the plastic bag industry has used CEQA to defeat and delay local plastic bag ordinances in California. Part V examines the Manhattan Beach decision in detail and discusses what effect the decision may have on similar ordinances going forward. The Article concludes by discussing the social climate when the court decided the Manhattan Beach case, including legislation introduced at state and local levels, mobilization of advocacy groups focusing on plastic pollution, and concurrent litigation

Directing Convergent and Divergent Activity through Design Feedback.

Design education across design disciplines prioritizes project-based courses to support student learning about design processes and strategies (Eastman, Newstetter, & McCracken, 1999; Smith, Sheppard, Johnson, & Johnson, 2005). Success in teaching these courses relies on the ability of instructors to mentor and guide students\u27 design paths, allowing students some freedom to determine design decisions on their own, while facilitating a structure where they can learn successful design strategies

A Wolf in Sheep\u27s Clothing: The Plastics Industry\u27s Public Interest Role in Legislation and Litigation of Plastic Bag Laws in California

In recent years, single-use plastic bag reduction ordinances have emerged as a lasting icon for the environmental movement. Despite fierce resistance from the plastics industry, premised primarily on the argument that such ordinances could potentially have harmful effects on the environment, the momentum to pass these ordinances remains strong. The plastics industry has spent millions lobbying against local ordinances and for statewide preemption of local ordinances, engaged in epic public relations campaigns, and sued or threatened to sue virtually every California municipality that has recently taken steps to adopt a plastic bag ordinance. Plastic bag manufacturers also sued a reusable bag manufacturer for “talking trash” about plastic bags. The seriousness with which the plastics industry is taking environmentalists’ attempts to restrict plastic bags demonstrates that this is a “tipping point” issue for the plastics industry, and the battle is far from over. Part II of this Article explores the idea of plastic bag ordinances as an icon for a greater movement. Part III discusses types of plastic bag ordinances and briefly examines the most notable locations that have pursued each type. Part IV discusses how the plastic bag industry has used CEQA to defeat and delay local plastic bag ordinances in California. Part V examines the Manhattan Beach decision in detail and discusses what effect the decision may have on similar ordinances going forward. The Article concludes by discussing the social climate when the court decided the Manhattan Beach case, including legislation introduced at state and local levels, mobilization of advocacy groups focusing on plastic pollution, and concurrent litigation

AGENT-BASED MODELING AND SIMULATION APPROACHES IN STEM EDUCATION RESEARCH

The development of best practices that deliver quality STEM education to all students, while minimizing achievement gaps, have been solicited by several national agencies. ABMS is a feasible approach to provide insight into global behavior based upon the interactions amongst agents and environments. In this review, we systematically surveyed several modeling and simulation approaches and discussed their applications to the evaluation of relevant theories in STEM education. It was found that ABMS is optimal to simulate STEM education hypotheses, as ABMS will sensibly present emergent theories and causation in STEM education phenomena if the model is properly validated and calibrated

Returning to Graduate School: Expectations of Success, Values of the Degree, and Managing the Costs

Background Limited research exists on the experiences of engineering returners – those with undergraduate degrees who work for at least five years and return to academia for graduate degrees. Returners bring a different perspective to their graduate studies and postgraduate work than direct‐pathway students but face additional challenges. Purpose Our aim was to understand practitioners' decisions to return to graduate school and complete graduate degrees. Guided by expectancy value theory, we investigated their beliefs about their ability to succeed; the interest, attainment, and utility values returners placed on graduate school; the costs they experienced in returning; and the personal, programmatic, and cultural factors that mitigated these costs. Design/Method We employed a qualitative interpretivist approach to investigate the returning experience through semi‐structured interviews with 10 returners. We analyzed the results deductively, using expectancy value theory to understand participants' expectations of success and the values of those experiences, and inductively, to understand the types of costs that influenced the decision to return and complete graduate school. Results Utility value drove participants' decisions to return and complete graduate programs, and participants had a high expectancy of success in earning their graduate degrees. Four types of costs emerged from analysis of the interviews: intellectual, balance, cultural and environmental, and financial. Participants employed various strategies to mitigate these costs. Conclusions With the results of our study, potential returners can more effectively plan for success in the graduate environment, and universities can develop initiatives to better recruit returners and support their success.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/99102/1/jee20012.pd

A Study on NGO Services for Children in Mumbai, India

The present research was conducted to study NGOs services for children in Mumbai through a child rights perspective. The study was exploratory in nature and aimed to assess the implementation of child rights by the NGOs. 35 NGOs working for children in the city of Mumbai comprised the sample and were studied using a questionnaire and rating scale as tools. Findings revealed that education (74 percent) and health (54 percent) were the most common concerns of the organizations. Only 17 percent of the NGOs considered child rights to be a concern. The NGOs implemented the right to participation better than any other right. The right to survival was, however, grossly neglected. It was concluded that there are several gaps and areas of lack in the services offered to children. There is also an urgent need to spread awareness amongst the NGO workers themselves to make child rights a part of organizational mandates