Gender Grouping and its Initial Effect on a Title I Upper Elementary School during the Pilot Year of Implementation

Studies have documented challenges in meeting No Child Left Behind (NCLB) expectations as well as gender differences that contribute to the achievement gaps between boys and girls. In response to increased NCLB accountability and achievement gaps between boys and girls, several experts have promoted single-sex education as a possible strategy to improving student achievement. The purpose of this study was to examine data that were gathered from an economically disadvantaged Title I federally-assisted upper elementary school with respect to the implementation of single-gender classrooms. This study was guided by the following two research questions: First, what were the perspectives from teachers, students, and parents with the initial year of implementation of single-gender classrooms? Second, what school level data could be analyzed and summarized with respect to student behaviors during the initial year of implementation? Unlike previous studies, which focused on private or parochial schools at the secondary school level, this study focused on an economically disadvantaged school within an upper elementary setting. In addition, limited previous research has examined the perspectives of teachers, students, and parents. As research continues to show an ever-increasing achievement gap between students in poverty and those who are not, many educators seek alternative ways to educate students in economically disadvantaged schools. While single-gender classrooms are by no means a cure-all for the adversity faced by disadvantaged students in public schools, an analysis of the aforementioned research data indicated salient benefits for such students in that they can provide a learning environment where affective and cognitive learning outcomes could be realized. The results from this study revealed that teachers and parents considered single-gender classrooms provide a positive learning environment for students. Teachers, students, and parents emphasized that single-gender classrooms allowed students to be more productive, removed the largest distractions for male and female students, and allowed them to concentrate on their schoolwork. In addition, the data revealed that single-gender classrooms had a positive impact on girls as viewed by teachers, female students, and parents of female students in terms of feeling comfortable enough to ask questions when they did not understand something

The Housing Affordability Gap for Extremely Low-Income Renters in 2013

This brief provides information on national trends in housing affordability for ELI renter households, as well as insights into which major counties are making the most and least progress on closing the housing affordability gap. The findings are based on data from the 2000 Census as well as three-year averages from the 2005, 2006, and 2007 and the 2011, 2012, and 2013 1-year American Community Surveys. For the sake of simplicity we refer to data averaged from 2011 -- 13 estimates as 2013.This brief is the first publication on housing affordability to combine detailed county-level data on ELI renter households (those with incomes at or below 30 percent of the area median) and the impact of US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rental assistance

Self-transcendence : A salutogenic process for well-being

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Electronic Theses & Dissertations (ETD) Formatting & Copyright workshop

This is the recording of the December 3, 2015 Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Formatting & Copyright workshop. See the links used in the presentation, as well as information updated since the presentation, in the Additional Resources file in this record. Note: The Copyright section of the ETD Release Form referred to in the latter part of the presentation has since changed to include a third choice: "Copyrighted material used with owner’s permission (provide documentation of permissions)."This workshop is for graduate students at any stage of the thesis or dissertation process. If you're just starting out, you can build your own template for future use. If you’re nearing the end, come join us for some quick tips that will save you some time and trouble as you move forward. Here are the ETD Formatting topics covered: 1. General information about the thesis/dissertation process, 2. Content order, 3. Title and acceptance pages, 4. Page numbering, 5. Building an automatic table of contents using heading styles, 6. Generating a table of contents, 7. Captioning figures, equations, tables and more, 8. Embedding fonts, and 9. Converting to PDF. The workshop also covers the basics of copyright for grad students as scholars and teachers, including copyright considerations for theses and dissertations, and resources in the KU Libraries that can help. Here are the Copyright topics covered: 1. General information about copyrights in the U.S., 2. Copyrights and scholarly publications, including theses and dissertations, 3. Fair Use and scholarly work, 4. The Copyright Decision Tree – A tool developed at KU to help users decide whether they are using copyrighted materials in compliance with U.S. copyright law and/or fair use, 5. Copyright services provided by the Libraries’ Shulenburger Office of Scholarly Communication & Copyright

Pioneering Access for Those with Environmental Sensitivities: An Interview with Susan Molloy

Chemical and electrical sensitivities are often invisible disabilities. Those with electrical hypersensitivity experience symptoms that result from exposure to a variety of sources of electromagnetic fields and radiation, including electrical appliances, florescent lights, computers, and cell phones and their towers. Most research has been conducted in the area of chemical sensitivity; persons with chemical sensitivities experience a wide range of negative disabling reactions to common chemicals such as fragrances, pesticides, paints, cleaners, and exhaust fumes. Recent findings indicate that chemical sensitivity is found world-wide and crosses lines of gender, race, and age. Susan Molloy has been advocating for persons with environmental sensitivities since 1983. In this interview, Lauren Sledd put questions to Molloy to illuminate the history of her pioneering advocacy

Research Issues in Genetic Testing of Adolescents for Obesity

Obesity is often established in adolescence, and advances are being made in identifying its genetic underpinnings. We examine issues related to the eventual likelihood of genetic tests for obesity targeted to adolescents: family involvement; comprehension of the test’s meaning; how knowledge of genetic status may affect psychological adaptation; minors’ ability to control events; parental/child autonomy; ability to make informed medical decisions; self-esteem; unclear distinctions between early/late onset for this condition; and social stigmatization. The public health arena will be important in educating families about possible future genetic tests for obesity

Access to Community Based Advocacy Services for Persons with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

This paper describes results of an online survey of directors of Centers for Independent Living regarding customers with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS). Described are knowledge and perceptions regarding MCS, number of customers seen with MCS, accommodations and advocacy actions taken on their behalf, and resources needed to serve this population

Studies on luteinizing hormone and gonadal steroids in male and female llamas (Lama glama)

A series of studies was performed to more clearly evaluate gonadal function in llamas. Luteinizing hormone (LH) and progesterone (P₄) concentrations were compared following natural or hormone-induced ovulation. Luteal regression was evaluated following administration of the prostaglandin F₂α analog cloprostenol. The interaction of age, season and castration on testosterone (T) and LH concentrations in the male llama were examined in peripubertal and adult animals. Study I. Progesterone increased (P < 0.05) following treatment with 1 or 5μg GnRH/kg ; 1.25, 6.25 or 31.25 IU hCG/kg; vasectomized or fertile mating. Peak P₄ concentrations were found on d 8 (4.4 ± 0.4 ng/ml, mean ± SEM) post-treatment with return to basal concentrations (< 0.5 ng/ml) by d 12 after all treatments except fertile matings. No treatment differences in time course of rise and decline, magnitude released or peak concentrations of P₄ were noted. Release of LH was examined following treatment with 1μg GnRH/kg and breeding to a vasectomized or a fertile male. While the magnitude and duration of the LH peak (4.3 ± 0.6 ng/ml) was similar for all 3 treatments, GnRH caused LH to peak approximately 1 h sooner than mating. Study II. Six llamas treated with cloprostenol aborted and underwent a 2 phase decline in P₄: 1) an initial rapid phase to half of pretreatment levels within 1 h of treatment and 2) a slower phase to basal levels (< 0.5 ng/ml) over the succeeding 48 h. Study III. In 5 peripubertal males studied at 2 mo intervals from 8 to 20 mo of age, 24 h mean T concentrations increased with age, except for a decline at 14 mo. Basal LH and response to GnRH did not change as a function of age while response of T to GnRH increased with age. Although all animals were producing sperm at 20 mo of age, 3 of 5 had preputial-penile adhesions. In 6 adult male llamas, season had no effect on basal T or response to GnRH or on testicular dimensions. Study IV. Although 24 h basal LH concentrations rose (0.7 ± 0.1 to 1.2 ± 0.1 ng/ml) 1 mo following castration in 4 male llamas, response to GnRH did not differ pre-or post-castration. While mean T in hourly samples for 12 h following 0.1, 1.0 or 5.0 μg GnRH/kg BW in 4 male llamas increased relative to the 12 h control period, there was no difference in T concentrations between dosages of GnRH. After castration, T in male llamas decreased sharply by 15 min and was undetectable by 3 h, exhibiting a 2phase clearance pattern. Llamas appear to have similar responses within the hypothalamo- hyophysealgonadal axis to other species, but with a lower "setpoint". Basal LH is low in the llama and small increases of LH are capable of causing ovulation and stimulating T production

Student Physical Activity Patterns: Grade, Gender, and Activity Influences

The purpose of this study was to determine how physical education students\u27 cardiovascular responses as determined by mean heart rate, standard deviation of heart rate, and percentage of time in target heart rate zone varied according to student characteristics. Participants were 505 students in Grades 3 through 12. The Polar Accurex Plus heart rate telemetry system was used to measure the physiological load on the cardiovascular system. Three-way ANOVA results suggested that heart rate patterns in physical education varied according to gender, grade, and activity. For example, secondary school girls were more active in individual activities while secondary school boys were more active in team sport activities. Elementary students were the most active group and had the most variability in their heart rate patterns