Hope Works: Student Use of Education Tax Credits

Surveys University of California students on their use of Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning tax credit programs. Explores the debate over whether federal aid should emphasize incentives to attend college or relief to those already planning to attend

Do Higher State Test Scores in Texas Make for Better High School Outcomes?

Making schools accountable through state testing was the pre-eminent educational reform of the 1990s. Thirty-nine states now administer some form of performance-based assessment, 24 states attach stakes to their tests, and 40 states use test scores for school accountability purposes (Stecher and Barron, 1999). Proponents argue that using student scores on curriculum-based tests as a measure of school effectiveness encourages teachers to teach the curriculum. The test results set a minimum standard by which schools can be judged; they quantify school quality in a way that parents and politicians can easily understand. By setting student improvement goals for schools, states can motivate school personnel to reach continuously higher, while also identifying those schools that are unwilling or unable to meet the prescribed goals. Indeed, some analyses of national test results suggest that those states, such as North Carolina and Texas, that implemented standards and testing to standards in the early 1990s, showed large, positive gains in mathematics between 1992 and 1996 (Grissmer and Flanagan, 1998). Other analyses show that low-performing schools made significantly larger gains than higherperforming schools in states with strong accountability systems, although it is difficult to attribute causal effects. (For a summary of recent studies, see Carnoy, 2001). However, many disagree with these positive analyses of the new accountability systems. Critics argue that such testing does not promote real improvement in student learning

Dialogic and Generative Reflection: An Application of the Critical Appreciative Process in Program Evaluation

Background: Even though the positive potential of reflective practice is widely acknowledged across professional fields, it has been recognized that reflective practice may be carried out primarily as an individual-based exercise, and at the technical or descriptive level without generative impact. Dialogic reflective processes involving both evaluators and program directors are far from being systematically implemented or examined. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to share our experiences engaging in dialogic and generative reflections as the project director and program evaluators of a K-12 teacher education program using the critical appreciative process. Building upon the reflective practice traditions in both disciplinary areas, we introduce the use of the critical appreciative process as a promising model to guide dialogic and generative reflection to support the co-design and improvement of the program and accompanying evaluation efforts. Setting: The project director and evaluators are engaged in a grant-funded teacher preparation project designed to prepare teachers for K-12 English learners and dual language learners. The project builds upon partnerships between the university teacher preparation program and two local school districts. The evaluation plan was designed based on culturally responsive, collaborative, and use-focused evaluation approaches and theory. In 2020, the project team faced critical decisions in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Intervention: Not applicable. Research Design: We applied self-study methodology to guide data collection and analysis in this study. The primary data source included individual written reflections and group critical friend dialogues guided by the critical appreciative process. Both the reflections and meeting notes were analyzed to identify convergent and divergent perspectives shared throughout the critical appreciative process and to highlight implications for both the evaluation and the program moving forward. Findings: Convergent and divergent perspectives from both the project director and the evaluators were shared based on the 4-D critical appreciative process: Discover, Dream, Design, and Deliver. Based on this shared experience, we illustrate how the dialogic reflective process entails reflexivity and requires pausing; how reflective practice in program evaluation situates our dialogues as learning-oriented rather than a mere accountability discussion; and how reflective action can create a dialogic and generative virtuous cycle. Keywords: reflective practice; evaluation; critical appreciative proces

Otago Exercise Program in the United States: Comparison of 2 Implementation Models

Author(s): Shubert, TE; Smith, ML; Goto, L; Jiang, L; Ory, M

Functional equivalence of stem cell and stem cell-derived extracellular vesicle transplantation to repair the irradiated brain.

Cranial radiotherapy, although beneficial for the treatment of brain tumors, inevitably leads to normal tissue damage that can induce unintended neurocognitive complications that are progressive and debilitating. Ionizing radiation exposure has also been shown to compromise the structural integrity of mature neurons throughout the brain, an effect believed to be at least in part responsible for the deterioration of cognitive health. Past work has shown that cranially transplanted human neural stem cells (hNSCs) or their extracellular vesicles (EVs) afforded long-term beneficial effects on many of these cognitive decrements. To provide additional insight into the potential neuroprotective mechanisms of cell-based regenerative strategies, we have analyzed hippocampal neurons for changes in structural integrity and synaptic remodeling after unilateral and bilateral transplantation of hNSCs or EVs derived from those same cells. Interestingly, hNSCs and EVs similarly afforded protection to host neurons, ameliorating the impact of irradiation on dendritic complexity and spine density for neurons present in both the ipsilateral and contralateral hippocampi 1 month following irradiation and transplantation. These morphometric improvements were accompanied by increased levels of glial cell-derived growth factor and significant attenuation of radiation-induced increases in postsynaptic density protein 95 and activated microglia were found ipsi- and contra-lateral to the transplantation sites of the irradiated hippocampus treated with hNSCs or hNSC-derived EVs. These findings document potent far-reaching neuroprotective effects mediated by grafted stem cells or EVs adjacent and distal to the site of transplantation and support their potential as therapeutic agents to counteract the adverse effects of cranial irradiation

Evidence for southward subduction of the Mongol-Okhotsk oceanic plate: Implications from Mesozoic adakitic lavas from Mongolia

A combination of new 40Ar/39Ar dating results, major- and trace-element data, plus Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotope data, are used to investigate the petrogenesis of Triassic high-Si adakite (HSA), Cretaceous low-Si adakite-like (LSA) lavas, and Cretaceous high-K and shoshonitic trachyandesite lavas, from eastern and south-central Mongolia. All samples are light rare-earth element and large-ion lithophile element enriched but depleted in some high-field strength elements (notably Nb, Ta and Ti). Two alternative models are proposed to explain the petrogenesis of the HSA samples. (1) A southward-subducting Mongol-Okhotsk slab underwent partial melting in the Triassic during the closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean, with the resultant melts assimilating mantle and crustal material. Alternatively (2), a basaltic underplate of thickened (>50 km; >1.5 GPa), eclogitic lower crust foundered into the underlying mantle, and underwent partial melting with minor contamination from mantle material and some shallow-level crustal contamination. The LSA samples are interpreted as melts derived from a lithospheric mantle wedge that was previously metasomatised by slab melts. Similarly, the trachyandesite lavas are interpreted as melts deriving from a subduction-enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle. The spatial distribution of these samples implies that metasomatism likely occurred due to a southward-subducting Mongol-Okhotsk slab associated with the closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean. When this interpretation is combined with previous evidence for a northward-subducting Mongol-Okhotsk slab it advocates that the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean closed with double-sided subduction

Clinician Perspectives on the Need for Training and Caring for Pregnant Women with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities [poster]

Background: Women with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experience disparities in obstetric care access and quality, in addition to communication gaps with healthcare providers. Many obstetric providers are untrained and uneducated about critical aspects of providing care to persons with IDD. Objectives: The present study was conducted (1) to describe obstetric clinicians’ training experiences related to providing obstetric care to women with IDD, (2) to assess obstetric clinicians’ perceived need for formalized training, and (3) to identify recommendations for training content and dissemination. Methods: This study involved qualitative individual interviews (n=9) and one focus group (n=8) with obstetric clinicians who self-reported experience caring for women with IDD during pregnancy. Descriptive coding and content analysis techniques were used to develop an iterative codebook related to education and training; codes were applied to the data. Coded data were analyzed for larger themes and relationships. Results: Analysis revealed three main themes: 1. Need for obstetric training and education: No participant reported receiving any training in caring for pregnant women with IDD. Participants expressed a need for formal education. 2. Recommendations for formal training: Participants noted a dearth of clinical practice guidelines, the need for pregnancy-specific training during residency and beyond, and all healthcare staff should be included in training opportunities. 3. Training outcomes should increase knowledge, enhance attitudes, and develop practical skills related to communication and care for pregnant women with IDD. Conclusion: Study results indicate a need for and interest in systematic training efforts regarding obstetric care for women with IDD. Improved training and education may decrease health inequities and improve the quality of obstetric care, and thus pregnancy outcomes, for women with IDD