Henri Temianka Photographs, Professional Acquaintances

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West Virginia principals\u27 knowledge and application of school law

Public school principals must be prepared to apply knowledge of school law in a variety of situations. An electronic survey examined West Virginia principals\u27 knowledge and application of school law in five areas: separation of church-state, faculty issues, special education, student issues and tort liability. The study extended previous school law survey research of Brabrand (2003), Littleton, Hiram and Styron (2001), Power (2007) and Schlosser (2006), and utilized adapted or actual survey items from those studies with additional items constructed by the researcher. The purpose of the study was to determine if a relationship existed among West Virginia principals\u27 ability to accurately answer school law questions, given application scenarios and fact-based statements, compared with seven selected independent variables: programmatic level of the school; experience as a teacher; experience as an administrator; type of credentialing program; type of school law course taken; number of school law courses taken; and reported pedagogical construct of course delivery. Open-ended questions allowed principals to list likes/dislikes of university level school law coursework, recommendations for university preparation, recommendations for professional development, and areas of school law not included in the survey. A quantitative causal comparative research design utilized nonparametric measures to analyze quantitative data. Qualitative data was categorized and reported. The study identified six statistically significant differences. Principals\u27 recommendations for university credentialing programs and professional development indicated a compelling need to include coursework and ongoing professional development in knowledge and application of special education law

The Influence of Population Knowledge and Concern on Acceptable Family Sizes and Expected Family Size

This study focused on the influence of population knowledge and population concern on acceptable family sizes and expected family size. Analysis of the responses of 212 students in Introductory Sociology classes to a questionnaire survey revealed that the greater the student\u27s population knowledge, the greater the degree of concern over population growth. Furthermore, the study revealed a stronger relationship between general knowledge of population processes and population concern than between specific knowledge of population sizes and growth rates and population concern. Analysis of the relationship between population concern and acceptable family sizes revealed that the greater the degree of concern over population growth, the greater the disapproval of large families and the approval of small families and childlessness. Programs designed to create concern over population problems through information-giving may, then, have implications for the development of new family size norms. A negative relationship was found between population concern and expected family size, indicating that the greater the degree of concern over population growth, the smaller the expected family size. In addition, the relationship between population concern and expected family size was found to be stronger among those students who located responsibility for population growth within their own group than among those students who located responsibility for population growth within some other racial, income, or religious group

Imagining a Non-Violent World The Be the Peace, Make a Change Project : A Rural Community Peacebuilding Initiative to End Gender-Based Violence

This article will profile the innovative community engagement process initiated by the Be the Peace, Make a Change project to end gender-based violence in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, and conclude with lessons learned. These lessons were summarized as headlines to imagine a future with new narratives for interpersonal relationships. This project was a three-year grassroots initiative of Second Story Women’s Centre, funded by Status of Women Canada. It engaged the rural communities of Lunenburg County to develop a coordinated response to violence against women and girls. It focused on the engagement of all genders, youth, and adults in exploring and implementing the visions, hopes and actions identified as priorities by the community within a peacebuilding framework. Community was broadly defined to include: survivors of relationship violence; professional service providers in healthcare, community services, policing and justice; municipal and provincial government; community-based services; educators and schools; clergy; and any interested citizens. The need to alter the cultural and social roots that sustain violence was recognized. A focus on building trusting partnerships both locally and provincially, inclusion of men and boys, engaging schools and youth and the justice systems, as well as survivors were hallmarks of the project

Ungrading in Art History: Grade inflation, student engagement, and social equity

Traditional academic pedagogies require that professors assign students grades in a system that creates hierarchies of power of professor over student. This system assumes that grades serve as an intrinsic motivator for students to improve in an academic setting. Many studies suggest that professor-assigned grades do not function as assumed. This article explores one alternative to the traditional system, known as ungrading, a practice whereby students assign themselves grades after a semester of frequent feedback and reflective assignments. This study offers a thematic literature review of ungrading in many disciplines and a small study of ungrading in upper-division art history courses using both quantitative and qualitative data to determine effectiveness. We posit that in ungrading, students do not inflate their grades and they do take responsibility for their learning in a way that returns agency to students

Elasticity of plagioclase feldspars

AbstractElastic properties are reported for eight plagioclase feldspars that span compositions from albite (NaSi3AlO8) to anorthite (CaSi2Al2O8). Surface acoustic wave velocities measured using Impulsive Stimulated Light Scattering and compliance sums from high‐pressure X‐ray compression studies accurately determine all 21 components of the elasticity tensor for these triclinic minerals. The overall pattern of elasticity and the changes in individual elastic components with composition can be rationalized on the basis of the evolution of crystal structures and chemistry across this solid‐solution join. All plagioclase feldspars have high elastic anisotropy; a* (the direction perpendicular to the b and c axes) is the softest direction by a factor of 3 in albite. From albite to anorthite the stiffness of this direction undergoes the greatest change, increasing twofold. Small discontinuities in the elastic components, inferred to occur between the three plagioclase phases with distinct symmetry ( , , and ), appear consistent with the nature of the underlying conformation of the framework‐linked tetrahedra and the associated structural changes. Measured body wave velocities of plagioclase‐rich rocks, reported over the last five decades, are consistent with calculated Hill‐averaged velocities using the current moduli. This confirms long‐standing speculation that previously reported elastic moduli for plagioclase feldspars are systematically in error. The current results provide greater assurance that the seismic structure of the middle and lower crusts can be accurately estimated on the basis of specified mineral modes, chemistry, and fabric

Everyone should be able to choose how they get around : How Topeka, Kansas, passed a complete streets resolution

BACKGROUND: Regular physical activity can help prevent chronic diseases, yet only half of US adults meet national physical activity guidelines. One barrier to physical activity is a lack of safe places to be active, such as bike paths and sidewalks. Complete Streets, streets designed to enable safe access for all users, can help provide safe places for activity. COMMUNITY CONTEXT: This community case study presents results from interviews with residents and policymakers of Topeka, Kansas, who played an integral role in the passage of a Complete Streets resolution in 2009. It describes community engagement processes used to include stakeholders, assess existing roads and sidewalks, and communicate with the public and decision-makers. METHODS: Key informant interviews were conducted with city council members and members of Heartland Healthy Neighborhoods in Topeka to learn how they introduced a Complete Streets resolution and the steps they took to ensure its successful passage in the City Council. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by using focused-coding qualitative analysis. OUTCOME: Results included lessons learned from the process of passing the Complete Streets resolution and advice from participants for other communities interested in creating Complete Streets in their communities. INTERPRETATION: Lessons learned can apply to other communities pursuing Complete Streets. Examples include clearly defining Complete Streets; educating the public, advocates, and decision-makers about Complete Streets and how this program enhances a community; building a strong and diverse network of supporters; and using stories and examples from other communities with Complete Streets to build a convincing case

Professional Judgment and Emergency Fund Programs: An Opportunity to Improve

In Spring 2020, during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of students facing financial hardships increased as job losses mounted and schools closed their campuses. Schools, the federal government, and other organizations stepped in to help students deal with emergencies; but there are often hurdles to quickly getting emergency aid into the hands of students. While Title IV of the Higher Education Act provides a viable response mechanism through its emergency aid provisions, these provisions are underutilized. In this paper, we discuss ways in which schools can more effectively use professional judgment authority to quickly get emergency aid to students when they need it. We also discuss ways in which Congress can improve federal policy by removing needless restrictions