Middle School Parent Involvement: Perceptions in Two South Carolina School Districts

This study was created to explore the parent involvement perceptions of teachers and parents of middle school students in two South Carolina districts. The study is grounded in Epstein et al.’s (2019) theory of overlapping spheres and six typologies of parent involvement. An exploratory mixed methods study was used to gather research. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to determine the perceptions of teachers and parents at five different sites. Cronbach’s alpha was used to test reliability, and a MANOVA test was used to test for mean differences of dependent variables. Univariate ANOVA tests were used to further explore differences in quantitative data. Qualitative data were coded to determine themes and opinions of stakeholders. Student achievement data were analyzed, and all data were triangulated to determine correlations. The findings showed that all six typologies had significant differences in responses from parents and teachers. Qualitative data further showed that parents and teachers had similar opinions regarding some typologies of parent involvement and differing opinions with others. After triangulating data, a detailed discussion of the findings found specific relationships. Recommendations for practice and future studies were reported

Fabrication of Essex EVA ratchet wrenches

The extravehicular activity (EVA) ratchet wrench was developed. Shortly after Space Telescope (ST) maintenance simulations began, the need for a specialized maintenance tool arose. With inputs of tool requirements and design recommendations, several development model wrenches were tested in conjunction with ST neutral buoyancy simulations. The wrench design was modified and refined

The design, fabrication and delivery of a spacelab neutral buoyancy Instrument Pointing System (IPS) mockup

Underwater simulations of EVA contingency operations such as manual jettison, payload disconnect, and payload clamp actuation were used to define crew aid needs and mockup pecularities and characteristics to verify the validity of simulation using the trainer. A set of mockup instrument pointing system tests was conducted and minor modifications and refinements were made. Flight configuration struts were tested and verified to be operable by the flight crew. Tasks involved in developing the following end items are described: IPS gimbal system, payload, and payload clamp assembly; the igloos (volumetric); spacelab pallets, experiments, and hardware; experiment, and hardware; experiment 7; and EVA hand tools, support hardware (handrails and foot restraints). The test plan preparation and test support are also covered