The American-States and the Age of School Systems

This paper advances a series of propositions outlining a model of educational change in American state school systems. It is argued that the enactment of compulsory school attendance laws marks the formal beginning of a state school system and determines a system\u27s institutional and practical development and change. Once the previously unassociated parts of a state\u27s educational system are linked, an institution is formed that, in part, undergoes self-generating change. Numerous aspects of this system are measurable, and the statistics that result reflect its development and progress. State school systems must mature sufficiently before they are able to review their own practices and affect change. Also, a state\u27s geographical location, whether in the core of a group of states or at the periphery, influences the development of its educational system

Democratic Transformations: Eight Conflicts in the Negotiation of American Identity by Kerry T. Burch

Despite that fact that the subtitle of the book informs one directly of its content, more so than the primary title, this titular confusion is irrelevant, for this is an excellent work. Democratic Transformations [hereafter DT] is eminently readable, both in terms of the writing, and in terms of its substantive depth. And the depth is considerable

Extension Information Delivery Methods: Detecting Trends Among Users

The primary purpose of this study was to (a) determine what communications channels are used by agricultural producers who obtain information from the North Carolina Agricultural Extension Service; (b) identify the five most frequently used channels for receiving Extension information at the present time; and (c) determine what channels farmers expect to use most frequently in the future

Developing and Communicating Effective Program Success Stories for Enhanced Accountability

This article examines the use of concise success stories to communicate program impacts to identified audiences who require or need accountability information from the North Carolina Cooperative Extension System. In this case study, anecdotal evidence is given for key groups desiring brief and concise reports of agency impacts. The procedures for developing such stories as well as faculty training needs are also discussed. The World-Wide-Web-based reporting system developed by NCCES is described in regard to its being the entry and access location for success story data. Actual examples of success stories that have been written by field and campus faculty of NCCES are also provided, with one dissected to describe the key components of such stories. While the Extension accountability system in North Carolina does not depend solely on success stories for meeting accountability requirements, such stories have been found to be quite popular with county, state and federal officials as well as to other audiences such as Extension clientele and advisory groups. The information is made available via brochures, printed fact sheets, computer presentations and the Internet

Settlement-Patterns and the Governing Structures of 19th-Century School Systems

This paper examines the governing structures of state and local school systems as reported for 1880. Three distinctive models of governance are identified for the Northeast, the South, and the Midwest in the method of appointment or election of school officers at the state and local levels. An explanation for these patterns is presented that centers on the structural relationship between local, corporate communities and the methods of choosing education officials at the state and local levels of government. The northeastern town, the southern county, and the midwestern township are seen as historical antecedents to the specific regional pattern of school governance

Introduction to the Special Issue of the Journal of Educational Controversy

This issue addresses the uneasy relation between \u27best practices\u27 in educational research and the consequences that often follow from efforts to implement practices deemed best. This relation is often complicated by the social phenomenon long recognized as unintended consequences . It is proposed that controversies in education, as well as practices advanced as best, are shaped as the consequences -subsequently revealed as the very product of the good intentions that underlie prevailing theory and methods

Propagation of the 2012 March Coronal Mass Ejections from the Sun to Heliopause

In 2012 March the Sun exhibited extraordinary activities. In particular, the active region NOAA AR 11429 emitted a series of large coronal mass ejections (CMEs) which were imaged by STEREO as it rotated with the Sun from the east to west. These sustained eruptions are expected to generate a global shell of disturbed material sweeping through the heliosphere. A cluster of shocks and interplanetary CMEs (ICMEs) were observed near the Earth, and are propagated outward from 1 AU using an MHD model. The transient streams interact with each other, which erases memory of the source and results in a large merged interaction region (MIR) with a preceding shock. The MHD model predicts that the shock and MIR would reach 120 AU around 2013 April 22, which agrees well with the period of radio emissions and the time of a transient disturbance in galactic cosmic rays detected by Voyager 1. These results are important for understanding the "fate" of CMEs in the outer heliosphere and provide confidence that the heliopause is located around 120 AU from the Sun.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

SOIL CONSERVATION OR COMMODITY PROGRAMS: TRADE OFFS DURING THE TRANSITION TO DRYLAND CROP PRODUCTION

Predicted crop yields and wind erosion rates from a multi-year/multi-crop growth simulation model provided input into a multi-period recursive QP model to evaluate erosion implications during the transition to dryland crop production on the Texas Southern High Plains. Three farm-program participation options were considered in this study. Participation in an extension of the current farm program resulted in an increase in net returns and wind erosion rates above nonparticipation. Imposition of a soil loss limit without consideration of a flexible base option can significantly reduce discounted present values. Increasing risk aversion across producers affects crop mix selection which can result in lower per acre wind erosion rates for this particular region.Crop Production/Industries,

Agricultural Cooperatives and Unions of Cooperatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Opportunities for Improvement

Given the breakup of Yugoslavia and the ensuing war, there has been massive changes in the agricultural structure in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In particular, the remade cooperatives and the unions of cooperatives that are supposed to serve them are struggling. This paper examines the needs of the agricultural cooperatives to be more successful and identifies what support will likely come from the unions of cooperatives and what must come from other sources. Data was obtained in three ways: 1) questionnaires to a large group of cooperatives, 2) focus groups with a smaller number of cooperatives, and 3) personal interviews with union of cooperatives representatives. The findings indicated that the unions of cooperatives are working on institutional issues such as registering and auditing cooperatives, and resolving land ownership conflicts. However, since the cooperatives are not familiar with the market economy, they also need help in business management, marketing, legal services, and organizational effectiveness. It is not likely that the unions will be able to help the cooperatives with these issues. New partners such as the Ministry of Agriculture, colleges of agriculture, or non-governmental organizations should be tasked with providing this educational support.Bosnia and Herzegovina, agricultural cooperatives, union of agricultural cooperatives, agricultural development, Agribusiness,