Complete communities: green space and affordable housing

When advocates for affordable housing and parks join forces, both are more likely to accomplish their goals. The authors describe successes that are inspiring replication nationwide.Housing ; Community development ; Conservation of natural resources

Is the Water Sector Lagging behind Education and Health on Aid Effectiveness? Lessons from Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Uganda

A study in three countries (Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Uganda) assessed progress against the Paris Principles for Aid Effectiveness (AE) in three sectors – water, health and education – to test the assumption that the water sector is lagging behind. The findings show that it is too simplistic to say that the water sector is lagging, although this may well be the case in some countries. The study found that wider governance issues are more important for AE than having in place sector-specific mechanics such as Sector-Wide Approaches alone. National political leadership and governance are central drivers of sector AE, while national financial and procurement systems and the behaviour of actors who have not signed up to the Paris Principles – at both national and global levels – have implications for progress that cut across sectors. Sectors and sub-sectors do nonetheless have distinct features that must be considered in attempting to improve sector-level AE. In light of these findings, using political economy approaches to better understand and address governance and strengthening sector-level monitoring is recommended as part of efforts to improve AE and development results in the water sector

Exploring cell type diversity by comprehensive epigenome and transcriptome analysis

The mammalian organism comprises hundreds of different, and highly specialized cell types. They share identical DNA sequences and yet differ in their phenotypes and functionalities. This cellular diversity is governed by regulatory mechanisms and is imprinted in the epigenome of each cell. This work focused on the epigenomic profiles of astroglia subpopulations from adult murine brain, as well as the methylomes of a multitude of B-cell subpopulations and integrated gene expression profiles to unravel regulatory mechanisms in the establishment of cell diversity. The comprehensive analysis of transcriptomes, methylomes and open chromatin sites of astroglia populations from the cortex and the cerebellum revealed shared epigenetic programs but also highlighted strong differences in chromatin organization and local epigenetic signatures connected to specific regionally expressed transcription factor networks. The molecular characterization of Lag3-expressing and Lag3-non-expressing plasma cells confirmed the immuno-regulatory function of Lag3-expressing plasma cells and outlined unique transcriptional and epigenetic signatures. Moreover, DNA methylation signatures shed light on the cell ontogeny of Lag3-expressing plasma cells. In summary, this work showcases approaches for the characterization and interpretation of epigenetic signatures to enhance our understanding of epigenetic gene regulation.Ein Säugetierorganismus besteht aus hunderten von unterschiedlichen und hochspezialisierten Zelltypen. Diese besitzen dieselbe DNA Sequenz, unterscheiden sich jedoch in ihrem Phänotyp und in ihrer Funktionalität. Diese zelluläre Diversität wird durch regulatorische Mechanismen bestimmt und ist im Epigenom jeder Zelle eingeprägt. Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit epigenomischen Profilen von astroglialen Subpopulationen aus dem adulten Mausgehirn, sowie einer Vielzahl von B-Zell Subpopulationen zusammen mit den jeweiligen Genexpressionsprofilen. Die umfassende Analyse der Transkriptome, Methylome und offenen Chromatinstellen von astroglialen Zellen aus der Großhirnrinde und dem Kleinhirn enthüllte gemeinsame epigenetische Programme aber auch Unterschiede in der Chromatinorganisation und lokalen epigenetischen Signaturen, die mit Regionen-spezifischen Transkriptionsfaktor Netzwerken verbunden waren. Lag3-exprimierende und Lag3-nicht-exprimierende Plasmazellen wurden auf molekularer Ebene charakterisiert. Dies bestätigte zum einen die immuno-regulatorische Funktion der Lag3-exprimierenden Plasmazellen und enthüllte deren einzigartige Signaturen. Des Weiteren beleuchten die DNA-Methylierungsprofile die Zellontogenese der Lag3-exprimierenden Plasmazellen. Zusammengefasst demonstriert diese Arbeit Möglichkeiten und Herangehensweisen zur Charakterisierung und Interpretierung von epigenetischen Profilen, um unser Verständnis der epigenetischen Genregulierung zu erweitern

School Leadership Training under Globalisation: Comparisons of the UK, the US and Norway

In common the three countries see a need for increased quality of schooling as necessary because of globalisation. Leadership is crucial to achieve quality. However, there are distinct critiques in all countries fearing ineffective bureaucratization. There is resistance among education researchers towards the market orientation and the application of the language of business. Universities have played a conservative role. In terms of differences, the UK is uniformby its centrally organised National College, while the US with over 500 programmes and no national coordination shows complexity, if not chaos. Norway, with its National Network gives much freedom to individual institutions, although the diversity leads to tensions when the municipalities now can choose the training providers. All three nations are attempting to ‘reframe and reform’. Some educators think the defining factors will be quality of performance and quality of collaboration, while others believe that there must be a shift from focus on performance to focus on learning.globalisation, school leadership, training, policy

Monitoring performance or performing monitoring? The case of rural water access in Ethiopia

Performance monitoring is commonly portrayed as providing a uniquely objective, rational foundation for decisions, based on a single-stranded feedback loop between setting objectives and measuring results. In this thesis, I investigate whether this portrayal is accurate. I analyse whether the linear model underlying performance monitoring provides an adequate basis for understanding decisions about access to rural water supply in Ethiopia. My examination focuses primarily on the politics of knowledge production from three angles. First, I examine whether the assumptions underlying the definition of ‘access’ to rural water used in performance monitoring in Ethiopia, adequately represent the divergent notions of access among the relevant actors. My findings show that formal framings of access, codified in national and international guidelines and benchmarks, focus on technical aspects of the water supply infrastructure. I bring to light that the goal of performance monitoring in relation to achieving ‘access’ is driven by the methods used to measure it, mainly the parameters of infrastructure, volume, distance and quality, suggesting a circularity between framings of the inputs to and objectives of appraisal. In this self-referential process, a particular image of the world determines the meaning of performance, which is used as a yardstick. The power of this dynamic is apparent in Ethiopian stakeholders’ characterisations of access, which, even when critical, revolve narrowly around these dominant parameters. This one-dimensional and technical framing of access, constantly reproduced in self-referential monitoring circles, contrasts starkly with the multi-dimensional and dynamic nature of the water access experiences of local residents in Ethiopia. Second, I test whether, in reality, monitoring processes conform to the linearity assumed by the feed-back function of performance monitoring. The process tracing method used to illuminate the political and power dynamics of monitoring processes, shows that sector government actors at different administrative levels, with different rationales, provide different stories of ‘access’. Viewed from this perspective, performance monitoring can be seen not, as conventionally asserted, as a uniquely rational appraisal of performance, but rather as being about ‘performing monitoring’ – the playing out on a management stage of certain politically-necessary performances. At the same time, I find that numerous less formalised monitoring practices proceed in parallel with the formal PM process, which, together, form a body of largely ‘tacit’ knowledge that informs sector stakeholders’ daily work. It is this wider body of knowledge, rather than only formalised PM results, that informs decisions. Third, I investigate the mechanisms that led to the formulation of specific decisions associated with rural water access and the role in these of performance monitoring. I find that particular decisions, such as repairs to rural water schemes, have multiple causes, among which performance monitoring is a contributory and necessary, but not sufficient factor. My investigation of criteria affecting budget allocations highlights that sector offices’ limited control over them contributes to making strategic planning a rubber stamping exercise whose processes can be characterised as ‘muddling through’ as opposed to adhering to the linear model suggested by Results-based Management. My findings highlight the need to break the self-referential cycle of narrowly framed performance monitoring exercises. They suggest greater attention to the ‘tacit’ monitoring practices in local settings, and a focus on the process of monitoring and the power relations within it, to complement the dominant focus on monitoring targets and indicators

The Lexile Framework: Lexile Score and Student Reading Attitude

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The Effects of Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol on Student Content Knowledge and Teacher Performance in the Art Classroom

The intent of the research was to determine the effects of teaching with the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol on student content knowledge and teacher performance in the art classroom. The research study took place in one middle school art classroom of 25 7th grade students, ranging in ages from 12-13. The data showed an overall increase in student performance and participation in relation to the amount of time spent focused on explicitly taught art content and vocabulary through their projects and improved performance from pretests to posttests. The results of this research indicate that using Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol may be an effective way to increase art teacher performance due to deeper focus on planning on preparation with SIOP strategies to explicitly teach vocabulary while promoting a deeper understanding of and participation in thevisual arts