Pathways for School Finance in California

Simulates school finance reforms to equalize core program funding rates, shifting categorical programs to unrestricted support, raising funding for high-poverty districts, and adjusting regional rates. Focuses on special education and Economic Impact Aid

Funding Formulas for California Schools III: An Analysis of Governor Brown's Weighted Pupil Funding Formula

Outlines the policy priorities of the weighted pupil funding formula proposed in the state's 2012-13 budget. Analyzes the revenue districts with high percentages of disadvantaged students would receive compared to other districts and 2010-11 allocations

The Effects of Menstrual Phase on the Response of Cutaneous Microvasculature

Estrogen is well-known to be protective against cardiovascular disease in women. In addition to improving lipid metabolism, it also decreases vascular resistance and enhances vascular reflexes, thereby improving vasomotor stability and increasing the arterial capacity for dilatation. Laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) has demonstrated these changes in research trials, and is emerging as having potential application in many clinical and surgical situations. In this study, our aim was to examine the impact of estrogen upon baseline blood flow as well as the response to vasodilatory interventions and to further evaluate the utility of laser Doppler as a clinical non-invasive measurement of blood flow in such contexts. We compared blood flow in the forehead cutaneous microvasculature of women during both high and low estrogen states of their menstrual cycle, and compared this to the flow in male subjects. To evaluate differences in vascular reactivity, we subjected the microvasculature to two challenges: the cutaneous application of nitroglycerin to the site of the probe; and transient occlusion of flow to evince a hyperemic response. Furthermore, to investigate the reproducibility of laser Doppler data, we examined both temporal and spatial variability, and used each subject as his/her own control. We found significant spatial variability in the LDF measure of baseline flow rates. Temporal variability was also seen within subjects, but was decreased by using median baseline values. Hormone state in females did not significantly affect baseline flow, response to topical nitroglycerin, or hyperemic response to occlusive pressure. In males, the difference between session 1 and session 2 LDF readings was not significant. Although LDF has potential clinical applications, the clinical scenarios and patient populations must be further defined. Furthermore, the most practical technique with consistent reproducibility must be developed

The mental unfoldment of the child

Citation: McCoy, Rose Margaret. The mental unfoldment of the child. Senior thesis, Kansas State Agricultural College, 1903.Morse Department of Special CollectionsRepeated reversals of stress, alternate tension and compression, is less common. A familiar example is the reciprocating parts of an engine, piston rod and connecting rod. The most important case of such stresses in structural work is in the end posts and end top and bottom chords of a draw span truss. For instance, the end posts are in tension when the span is swung, and in compression when the span is closed and a train passes over. Some of the best engineering authorities specify in the case of tension and compression occurring in the same member, that their sum shall be taken in obtaining the allowable working stress. Other engineers hold that the effect of alternate stresses of opposite sign is not equivalent to a stress in either direction equal to their sum, and such a rule involves an excess of material. Without discussing the case in question, or any of the many formulas used for obtaining the working stress; it is sufficient to say that the elastic limit and the ultimate strength are the bases of them all. The effect repeated tension and compression have in lowering the elastic limit or ultimate strength of the material must be determined by trial. In this test the object has been to approach the conditions of the members in the truss of a draw span as nearly as possible. It is not practical to apply to a test specimen the number of repetitions of stress that would occur in the life of a bridge, so in this test a greater stress was applied with a fewer number of repetitions, thus working the metal as hard, or nearly so, as actual service would do. We tried to bring the stress in tension as near as possible to the elastic limit without reaching it

Gender and Persistence in STEM Careers: Predictors and Barriers

In recent years, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on increasing students’ interest in math and science. Specifically, interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) has been low among students in the United States, and interest seems to be lower among girls than boys. Additionally, increased emphasis has been placed on increasing female representation in STEM careers, as numbers of women in these fields remains disproportionately low compared to men. A variety of factors have been found to increase young people’s interest in STEM, including parent and teacher factors, informal STEM experiences, self-efficacy in math and science, and individual differences such as curiosity and persistence. Previous research also indicates, however, that women may face specific barriers in STEM training related to their gender. The current study was an attempt to examine how predictors of STEM interest relate to each other and serve as predictors of pursuing a career in STEM. Further, the current study examined how pathways between these variables differ by gender. Finally, the current study explored the barriers experienced by students pursuing careers in STEM in an attempt to identify factors that deter women from entering these professions. For both men and women parental educational involvement predicted higher frequency of informal STEM learning experiences and lower ratings of persistence. For men only, parental educational involvement predicted higher curiosity and higher curiosity predicted lower persistence. For both men and women, higher frequency of informal science experiences predicted higher self-ratings of curiosity. For women only, frequency of informal science learning experiences in childhood was predictive of higher STEM self-efficacy. For both men and women, positive math and science high school teacher influence predicted higher curiosity as well as higher STEM self-efficacy. For women, math and science teacher influence was also predictive of higher likelihood of career selection involving STEM, whereas for men only, childhood informal science learning experiences were predictive of higher likelihood to pursue a STEM career. Lastly, higher likelihood of STEM career selection was predicted by higher ratings of STEM self-efficacy for both men and women. Exploratory models examining the influence of inquiry-based learning (IBL) experiences in high school science classrooms indicated that IBL predicted higher curiosity, STEM self-efficacy, and intentions to pursue a STEM career for both men and women. For women only, higher frequency of IBL in high school was predictive of lower self-ratings of persistence. This study adds to the current literature examining predictors of STEM career choice and explains how parental and family factors, school factors, and individual differences interact to explain differential pathways to STEM career interest for men and women

That Was Then, This Is Wow: A Case for Critical Information Literacy Across the Curriculum

This article applies a Writing across the Curriculum approach to Critical Library Instruction. The information landscape has drastically shifted over the past ten years, altering the ways we perform, interact with, access, and understand research. These changes call for critical library instruction programs that are more robust and sustained than the one- or two-shot critical library instruction lesson I had described in 2010. However, college classroom practices, due to a variety of challenges, have been slow to adapt to this need. In this article written from my perspective as an English teacher, I identify the central place of critical information literacy (CIL) in higher education, aligning it with calls for a new educational approach for the 21st century. As one possible way forward, I draw on insights from writing across the curriculum to recommend a collaborative critical information literacy across the curriculum model that would provide students with sustained and increasingly advanced exposure to CIL throughout their undergraduate years

A Spatial Approach to the Search for Life

Scientists interested in the study of life in the context of the cosmos have limited resources to dedicate to missions. The use of these resources can be made more effective by applying spatial reasoning to projects. If you were to collect data on Earth with the hope of finding life, you probably would not search the Sahara Desert first. You could search the Pacific, but even given the bounty of life in our planet’s waters there would be significant difficulties asosciated with landing in the middle of the ocean. Accordingly, astrobiologists use the discipline of geography to inform their search, a dicipline with a rich history of visualizing data about the universe. This essay will discuss that history, address the spatial reasoning involved in more current projects at NASA, and inquire into breaking applications for astrobiologists extending farther than our own solar system

To speak or not to speak: The implications of silence in Shakespeare\u27s Hamlet

This thesis explores the function and importance of silence throughout William Shakespeare\u27s play Hamlet. Along with analysis of Shakespeare\u27s text, this thesis also reviews and analyzes three film versions of the play: Laurence Olivier\u27s 1948 production, Kenneth Branagh\u27s 1996 production, and Michael Almereyda\u27s 2000 production. All of these showcase various depictions of silence while working with the same Shakespearian text and plotline. Throughout the text and film analyses this thesis explores three areas in which silence plays an important role: refusal to join a conversation, emotional distress rendering someone silent, and societal limitations placed on the individual. This thesis attempts to examine silence in its most natural forms. Throughout this examination, it is the moments without words that aid in the shaping of our understanding of Hamlet