Factors for Influencing Intervention for Dyslexia

Although instructional leadership and transformational leadership styles of elementary school principals have been found to be effective variables in increasing academic progress for students, the integration of instructional and transformational leadership behaviors has proved to be the most effective form of leadership. However, many students in elementary schools have difficulty learning to read despite good leadership by the principal, with 5-20% of students being diagnosed with dyslexia. While these students need phonetic, multisensory intervention to build necessary reading skills, many principals report lack of knowledge of this specialized instruction. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to explore variables that determine the school-based level of appropriate intervention for students with dyslexia. A questionnaire assessing leadership skills, knowledge and beliefs about dyslexia, preparation in reading disorders and/or dyslexia received from degree programs and professional development, and services provided to students with dyslexia was given to principals serving in K-2 elementary schools across the United States. Results indicate the variables of leadership style of the school principal, knowledge received from the principal’s degree program, and knowledge received from professional development provided outside of the local school district do not significantly influence the school-based level of intervention for students with dyslexia. However, this study found that principals who have greater knowledge and more correct beliefs about dyslexia, along with those who received more knowledge from internal professional development, are those who provide more appropriate services for students with dyslexia

Analytically divergence-free discretization methods for Darcy's problem

Radial basis functions are well known for their applications in scattered data approximation and interpolation. They can also be applied in collocation methods to solve partial differential equations. We develop and analyse a mesh-free discretization method for Darcy's problem. Our approximation scheme is based upon optimal recovery, which leads to a collocation scheme using divergence-free positive denite kernels. Besides producing analytically incompressible flow fields, our method can be of arbitrary order, works in arbitrary space dimension and for arbitrary geometries. Firstly we establish Darcy's problem. To introduce the scheme we review and study divergence-free and curl-free matrix-valued kernels and their reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces. After developing the scheme, we find the approximation error for smooth target functions and the optimal approximation orders. Furthermore, we develop Sobolev-type error estimates for target functions rougher than the approximating function and show that the approximation properties extend to those functions. To find these error estimates, we apply band-limited approximation. Finally, we illustrate the method with numerical examples

Transitioning from Children\u27s Mental Health to Adult Care: Stakeholder Perspectives and Tracking Service Use into Adulthood

Transitioning youth from Children’s Mental Health (CMH) services to adult care poses a major challenge for our mental health and health care systems. This dissertation used a mixed-methods approach to explore the challenges of caring for youth with ongoing mental health problems into young adulthood. A Grounded Theory qualitative study consisted of interviews with youth (i.e., ages 12 to 15) treated in CMH, their parents, CMH providers, and family physicians. Using administrative health record and CMH data in the province of Ontario, a complementary quantitative study examined the likelihood of receiving mental health services within the medical sector after the age of transfer (18 years old). In Chapter 2, perceptions from youth and their parents revealed that common CMH disorders were viewed as long-lasting, but not necessarily persistent problems over time. Parents feared their children would disengage from needed mental health services after CMH treatment. Chapters 3 and 4 shed light on provider perspectives, specifically those of CMH providers and family physicians. The consensus view of participating youth, parents, CMH providers, and family physicians themselves was that family physicians were “out of the loop” or not involved with a youth’s mental health care. Chapter 5 presents the first longitudinal, case-control study in Canada to focus on the problem of transition to mental health adult care. Two key findings were: (1) youth treated in CMH were more likely than the general population to have a mental health visit in the medical system during and after CMH treatment; (2) most factors that significantly predicted having a mental health related visit in the medical system after age 18 were related to prior service utilization in either CMH or the medical system. Overall, youth treated in CMH continued to receive mental health services in the medical sector as young adults. The combined findings presented across this dissertation revealed two common themes. First, the ongoing mental health needs of some children and youth are unlikely to be met within the CMH system. Second, there is uncertainty about the role of family physicians in caring for youth who are treated in CMH. Implications for policy and practice are discussed

Why Wait? The Effects of Waiting Time on Subsequent Help-Seeking Among Families Looking for Children’s Mental Health Services

The influence of wait-list duration for child and adolescent mental health services on families seeking help elsewhere was examined. Survival analyses, modelling time from being initially placed on a wait-list to when a family contacted a new agency, were conducted separately for families that did not receive help prior to contacting a new agency (n=159) and those that received help (n=114). Survival analyses examined effects of wait-time along with predisposing (e.g.,age), need (e.g.,child psychopathology), and enabling (e.g.,number of agencies) factors on time to contact a new agency. Almost half of families contacted a new agency after having been wait-listed. Of those that had not yet received help, 25% contacted a new agency within one month of being wait-listed. Parents with previous treatment experience and families living in areas with 10 or more agencies waited less time to contact a new agency. Implications for service delivery in the children’s mental health system are discussed

Impact of Inquiry-Based, Question-and-Answer Instruction in High-Enrollment Classes

Lecturing is a common way to teach large classes, especially in mathematics. Other styles of instruction have been proven to be more effective in small classroom settings, but those styles are not always practical (or even feasible) in classes with 200+ students. The lecturing dialogue primarily exists at the intersection of Spectrum Theory and the Socratic Method, utilizing inquiry-based learning within the realm of active learning, experiential learning, and constructivism to appeal to learners with various learning styles, which helps students to discover new information (specifically, why things occur in the way that they do) and make connections between old and new material. Spectrum Theory outlines different teaching styles, based on how much a specific style is teacher-centered versus student-centered. The lecturing dialogue combines several of the different approaches from the Spectrum of Teaching Styles, specifically lecture, tutoring, instructional conversation, inquiry-based learning, and guided discovery. It utilizes the Socratic Method to turn students into active learners through constructivism and experiential learning. A high-enrollment, college algebra class using a standard lecture significantly outperformed a class using the lecturing dialogue on labs, surveys/questionnaires, and final grade, but not on final grades without the labs. The labs could be worked on outside of the class, so factors beyond the teaching style may have influenced the results. There was not significant difference between the classes in regards to attitude (enjoyment, motivation, value, and self-confidence). Overall, it appears as though the teaching style has no real impact on either student performance or student attitude in large college algebra classes

Being Black While Leading: A Mixed Methods Study Of Black Administrators\u27 Experiences In U.S. Public Schools

This transformative explanatory sequential mixed methods design study framed by the theories of Critical Race Theory and Community Cultural Wealth used a survey and semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of Black administrators in PK-12 public schools in the United States. Within the first, quantitative, phase of the study participants completed a survey that collected demographic data and responses related to the six forms of cultural capital via Likert Scale style and opened ended questions. There were 65 responses, with 42 (N = 42) of the responses being complete. In the second, qualitative, phase of the study two participants were interviewed to gather data related to their experiences as Black administrators. The study found participants were able to use cultural capital to navigate barriers encountered during their attempts to create culturally responsive practices and policies. Black administrators are competent, servant leaders who are driven to persevere to create equitable experiences for Black, Indigenous and Latinx students. Professional development related to cultural competence and culturally responsive teaching practices and policies must take priority and systemic racist and biased policies that exist in public schools in the United States must be addressed. An increase in the number of Black administrators who are able to form relationships with Black, Indigenous and Latinx students based on shared lived experiences will increase the likelihood of students’ success through the implementation of culturally responsive practices and policies

An Overview of Recent Trends in Incentive Pay Programs

This article examines recent trends and developments in an increasingly popular HR practice--incentive pay programs. In addition to highlighting major developments in recent empirical studies, this article also synthesizes recent research pertaining to general guidelines or strategies for design, implementation, and the utilization of incentive pay programs. Counter arguments pointing out potential pitfalls and precautions will also be discussed. The article concludes by offering some recommendations for future research

Die Universitätsreform in Frankreich - ein gelungener Auftakt

"Die Hochschulreform ist eines der erfolgreichsten Felder der Reformpolitik unter Nicolas Sarkozy, stellt jedoch keine Revolution der französischen Hochschulpolitik dar. Die Stärkung der Autonomie der einzelnen Hochschulen in Personal- und Budgetfragen, die Erhöhung des Hochschulbudgets sowie die Einführung eines Systems unabhängiger Qualitätssicherung können als erfolgreiche Anpassungen an internationale Standards gewertet werden. In weiten Bereichen, beispielsweise der Neustrukturierung der Hochschulleitung, der Organisation der Forschung sowie der künftigen Rolle von Universitäten und 'Ecoles' bewegt sich die Reform innerhalb der Grenzen, welche die spezifischen Strukturen der französischen Forschungs- und Hochschullandschaft setzen. Um im internationalen Vergleich langfristig zu bestehen, müssen weitere Entscheidungsbefugnisse vom Staat auf die Hochschulen übertragen und die Autonomie der Bildungseinrichtungen deutlicher gestärkt werden, als es die aktuelle Reform vorsieht." (Autorenreferat)"The university reform is one of the most successful fields of policy reform under Nicolas Sarkozy, though it does not represent a revolution of French university policy. One can see the strengthening of the universities' autonomy regarding questions of staff and budget, the raise of the budget of universities as well as the implementation of an independent quality assurance system as a successful adaptation to international standards. In large areas, the reform remains within the limits set by the specific structures of the French research and academic landscape – for instance the restructuring of university administration, the organization of research as well as the future role of universities and 'Ecoles'. In order to stand one's ground in international comparison in the long run, more decision-making powers must be delegated from the state to the universities and the autonomy of educational institutions needs to be strengthened more than the current reform allows." (author's abstract

The Functions of Management as Mechanisms for Fostering Interpersonal Trust

The central purpose of this article is to draw attention to ways that interpersonal trust between supervisors and employees can be fostered through activities associated with the four functions of management.  Interpersonal trust has received increasing attention as an important variable for effective management and the success of organizations.  Further, managers serve a critical role in promoting organizational success.  Practical insights regarding activities that promote interpersonal trust within each of the four functions of management is briefly discussed.  Emphasizing these insights within management education venues is also addressed.  These insights are offered with the intent of encouraging a more deliberate focus on trust within the functions of management.