Vanishing species

Let me quote from Stevens in attempting to introduce my poetry. When speaking about the nature of poetry, I think he sings the right thing in these lines from "The Idea of Order at Key West." It was her voice that made The sky acutest at its vanishing. She measured to the hour its solitude. She was the single artificer of the world In which she sang. And when she sang, the sea, Whatever self it had, became the self That was her song, for she was maker. Then we As we beheld her striding there alone Knew that there never was a world for her Except the one she sang, and singing, made

A case study of the supports that foster teachers’ awareness of students with disabilities experiencing homelessness

Students with disabilities experiencing homelessness are a growing and vulnerable population in the United States (Bassuk et al., 2014). They have a myriad of unique and complex needs, many of which teachers are ill prepared to meet. In this study, the researcher conducted a case study (Yin, 2014), set within the context of Ecological Systems Theory (EST; Bronfenbrenner, 1979), to investigate existing school and district level supports for teachers of students with disabilities experiencing homelessness, and teachers’ and other school personnel’s perceptions of those supports. The researcher interviewed six school and district level personnel, and analyzed several school and district level documents and web resources regarding homeless education to triangulate the data. Data were coded at three levels, the first two employing deductive logic and a priori codes based on the EST theoretical framework (Level I) and extant literature (Level II; Fereday & Muir-Cochrane, 2006). The third level of analysis was conducted using an inductive process, during which codes emerged from the data (Leech & Onwuegbuzie, 2007). Results from Level I coding indicated microsystem supports (to students and families) were provided most frequently, followed by exosystem supports (to teachers and other school professionals). Level II coding revealed teachers and other school professionals have drastically different perceptions of the absence or presence of teacher supports. Furthermore, the roles of teachers and other school professionals are concentrated on providing supports to students and families far more frequently than providing them to teachers. Level III analysis resulted in four overarching themes: homeless education norms, perceptions of the experience of homelessness, assumptions about teacher awareness and supports, and culture of support. While other school professionals often worked together formally and informally, they rarely involved teachers in their teams, but reported they provide adequate teacher support. The special educator’s perceptions indicated a lack of knowledge and support as well as a desire to improve both. Although the majority of participants held a deficit perspective of students with and without disabilities experiencing homelessness, overall they conveyed the importance of establishing a culture of support for those students and their families. Implications for future research include an investigation of the descriptive (the way things are done) and injunctive (the way things ought to be done) norms (Cialdini et al., 1990) within schools and districts. Specifically, the siloed nature of homeless education appears to be an emerging descriptive norm, when existing research supports homeless education ought to be carried out in a coordinated, team-based manner (i.e., injunctive). Professionals from other systems must be included in future research, as the norms from various systems can result in further contradictions. Similarly, additional investigations of rural homeless education are warranted to further unveil norms that impact the education of rural students with disabilities experiencing homelessness. Finally, considerations for practice include overhauling professional development to include teacher leadership and coaching as valid and sustainable options for improving the supports for teachers of students with and without disabilities experiencing homelessness

Eating disorders, sex role identification, and assertion

The current study was designed to investigate the possible connection between the eating disorder bulimia, women's sex roles in Western culture, and assertion. Literature was reviewed which suggested that a lack of assertion may be important in understanding the development of bulimia. Hence, the first purpose of the current study was to assess the relationship between bulimia and assertion. The literature also suggested that women's roles in Western society may be important in understanding the disorder. In this regard it was noted that three competing points of view exist in the' literature: (1) That bulimic women over identify With the traditional feminine role; (2) That they reject the traditional role; and (3) That they attempt to perfectly fulfill both the role of mother and the role of career woman, thus attempting to be "superwomen." The second purpose of the present study was to determine which, if any, of these theoretical positions was supported. Subjects for the study were randomly selected undergraduate females living in the residence halls at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. They were asked to fill out (1) the College Self-Expression Scale (CSES), a measure of assertion; (2) the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI), a measure of eating concerns, behaviors and attitudes; (3) the Social Performance Survey Schedule (SPSS), a measure of social skills; and (4) the Job-Child (J-C) and Level of Involvement (LI) Scales, two measures of women's future plans for work and family

Examining collegiality: practices of faculty in early childhood teacher preparation programs

The purpose of this research is to examine teacher preparation program faculty’s incorporation of collegial content/practices into their preparation of pre-service teachers. Collegiality is a complex construct that describes the peer cohesion of employees, or the extent to which they trust and support one another (Jorde-Bloom 1988B; Harris & Anthony, 2001; Shah, 2011). As collegiality has been established as a significant component of in-service teachers' work experience, it is an also important consideration for teacher preparation. The current exploratory study describes teacher preparation programs' faculty members' beliefs related to collegiality, the implementation of collegial practices in teacher preparation, and influential factors to these beliefs and implementation. Forty-one faculty in Early Childhood Education program completed surveys and nine participated in follow-up interviews focused on current practices related to collegiality. Findings indicated that faculty believe collegiality to be very important to the preparation of pre-service teachers but the implementation of collegial content and practices within teacher preparation courses is quite variable. Implications and future directions for teacher preparation are discussed

D. H. Lawrence's neglected art : his theory and practice of drama

Between 1908 and 1913 D. H. Lawrence wrote six plays: The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd, A Collier's Friday Night and The Daughter-In-Law, three naturalistic dramas; and The Merry-Go-Round, The Married Man, and The Fight For Barbara, three comedies of manners. After a lapse of several years, in 1918 Lawrence wrote Touch and Go, a political drama of ideas followed after another interval by David (1925), also a play of ideas using a Biblical framework. Largely neglected until recently, Lawrence's drama spans his writing career and reflects what he was doing in his other work. Although publication of The Complete Plays in 1966, the Peter Gill production in London of Lawrence's three naturalistic dramas in 1968, and the American production of The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd in 1973 resulted in an increased interest in Lawrence's playwriting, only three full-length studies of Lawrence's drama have appeared. Devoted primarily to either the biographical material in his drama or to the ideological similarities between Lawrence's drama and his work in other genres, none of the three studies examines the plays from the point of view of Lawrence's ideas about the distinction between drama and fiction

State Agency Promising Practice: Shifting Resources Away from Sheltered Workshops in Vermont

Over six years, regulations in Vermont gradually restricted and eventually prohibited the use of state funds for sheltered workshops or enclaves. Concurrent with the change in funding regulations, the state worked with providers to convert the remaining sheltered workshops in Vermont

Service Provider Promising Practice: Fading Supports at SEEC

SEEC (Seeking Equality, Empowerment, and Community) is a Maryland-based provider of employment, community living, and community development supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Originally established in 1987, SEEC started converting from facility-based to exclusively community-based supports in 2005, and closed down its center-based program completely in 2009. Currently all of SEEC’s supports are individualized and community-based, in keeping with the organization’s mission “to support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to direct their lives with dignity, choice, authority, and responsibility.” SEEC provides supports to over 200 people with IDD throughout Montgomery County and the District of Columbia. Like many providers of individualized supports, SEEC has had to find creative ways to individualize supports even though its funding structures do not support 1:1 staffing. One way they do this is by deliberately building both human capital (community living skills) and social capital (relationships in the community). As skills and relationships are built, paid supports can be faded, thus making more efficient use of resources in the longer term

The unaccompanied trumpet music of Stanley Friedman

1. Solo Recital: Thursday, April 4th, 2013, 5:30 P.M., Recital Hall, UNCG. Credo (Barnes-Chance); Sonata for Trumpet and Piano (Stephenson); Paths (Takemitsu); Da Tchas Nastal (Tchaikovsky); None But the Lonely Heart (Tchaikovsky); Evening Op. 46 (Tchaikovsky); Ave Maria (Carrillo) 2. Solo Recital: Monday, November 18th, 7:30 P.M., Recital Hall, UNCG. Origins (O'Loughlin); Sonata for Trumpet and Piano (Hindemith); Sonata for Trumpet and Piano (Stevens); Slavische Fantasie (Höhne) 3. Solo Recital: Monday, April 14th, 7:30 P.M., Organ Hall, UNCG. 7 Arias for Trumpet and Soprano (Scarlatti); Fresh Air (Levy); Vignettes (Stephenson); Six-Pack (Meador) 4. D.M.A. Research Project. THE UNACCOMPANIED TRUMPET MUSIC OF STANLEY FRIEDMAN. This document is a methodical analysis of the five published compositions for unaccompanied trumpet composed by Dr. Stanley Friedman. The purpose of this document is to illuminate the necessary information for readers interested in unaccompanied trumpet performance. The document is organized into five chapters and four appendices. Chapter 1 is a brief biography of the composer. Chapters 2, 3, and 4, contain biographical and analytical information about each of the compositions. Chapter 5 contains conclusions about all five compositions. Appendices of publishable program notes, explanations of extended techniques, preparatory studies, and permissions are included as supplemental material

State Agency Promising Practice: Working Together to Convert the Last Sheltered Workshop in Vermont to Individualized Supports

Vermont’s Division of Disability and Aging Services (DDAS) and Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) worked with a local service provider to convert its congregate day services to community employment. Implementation Between 1987 and 2002, DDAS and DVR worked with several providers to close down sheltered workshops and move people into community supports

Does internal mental imagery help maintain muscle strength and force steadiness during immobilization?

Research has shown that immobilization such as that which occurs during treatment to an injury can results in significant muscle strength and force steadiness loss within the first week (Lundbye-Jensen & Nielsen, 2008; Newsom, Knight, & Balnave, 2003). Research has examined the efficacy of imagery in minimizing strength-loss during a period of immobilization (Newsom, Knight, & Balnave, 2003; Stenekes, Geertzen, Nicolai, De Jong, & Mulder, 2009). While promising, limitations remain with regards to type of imagery used and structures immobilized. This study assessed the effectiveness of using internal kinesthetic mental imagery to maintain thenar muscle group strength during immobilization of the thumb. Participants' thenar muscle group strength was measured pre- and post-immobilization period in adduction, abduction, opposition and flexion. Force steadiness was also evaluated pre- and post-immobilization at 5%, 25% and 50% of maximum thumb flexion force. All participants were immobilized for seven days on their non-dominant hand in a thumb spica cast. During the immobilization period, both the control and experimental groups were instructed to limit the use of their non-dominant hand. The experimental group completed a daily 8-minute imagery script. Results of separate repeated measure 2 (group) x2 (pre/post) ANOVAs failed to support the effect of imagery to maintain muscle strength or force steadiness following 7-days of immobilization. Future research should add a familiarization session to the protocol to allow participants to become more accustomed to the unique testing procedures