High-Stakes Accountability Systems: Creating Cultures of Fear

A phenomenological case study by Counsell (2007) explored and investigated the phenomenon of what happened as Florida’s A+ Plan intersected with the life histories of one beginning African American female third grade teacher and one veteran White female third grade teacher at demographically different school communities in one Florida school district. Habermas’ theory of communicative action served as an instructive framework used to examine and contemplate two key emerging trends based on lived experiences of the various social (communicative) actors. In addition to the beginning and veteran third grade teachers, other participating social actors included third graders, their parents, other third grade teachers and school principals at the beginning and veteran teachers’ schools as well as urban school teachers and personnel at urban schools in the same school district. Across the different social actors at each respective middle-income, low-income, and high-poverty school community, the emerging trends and patterns revealed: (a) a continuum of moral and ethical dilemmas specifically and (b) an overall continuum of fear in general. Social actors’ varied lived experiences with fear in relation to high-stakes testing illuminated the following: (a) a fear of speaking out; (b) a fear regarding children’s emotional welfare; (c) fear as it intersects with race; and (d) a fear of taking the test. From these testimonials, the continuum of fear toward the FCAT (according to third grade student reflections), proved to be the most serious (if not detrimental) consequence of Florida’s high-stakes accountability system. These insights can help guide and inform future accountability decisions under the new Every Student Succeeds Act

Historical Perspective on How and Why Switchgrass was Selected as a "Model" High-Potential Energy Crop

A review of several publications of the Biofuels Feedstock Development Program, and final reports from the herbaceous crop screening trials suggests that there were several technical and non-technical factors that influenced the decision to focus on one herbaceous "model" crop species. The screening trials funded by the U.S. Department of Energy in the late 1980's to early 1990's assessed a wide range of about 34 species with trials being conducted on a wide range of soil types in 31 different sites spread over seven states in crop producing regions of the U.S. While several species, including sorghums, reed canarygrass and other crops, were identified as having merit for further development, the majority of institutions involved in the herbaceous species screening studies identified switchgrass as having high priority for further development. Six of the seven institutions included switchgrass among the species recommended for further development in their region and all institutions recommended that perennial grasses be given high research priority. Reasons for the selection of switchgrass included the demonstration of relatively high, reliable productivity across a wide geographical range, suitability for marginal quality land, low water and nutrient requirements, and positive environmental attributes. Economic and environmental assessments by Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Biofuels Feedstock Development Program staff together with the screening project results, and funding limitations lead to making the decision to further develop only switchgrass as a "model" or "prototype" species in about 1990. This paper describes the conditions under which the herbaceous species were screened, summarizes results from those trials, discusses the various factors which influenced the selection of switchgrass, and provides a brief evaluation of switchgrass with respect to criteria that should be considered when selecting and developing a crop for biofuels and bioproducts

Lessons from wolves: stakeholder perspectives and experiences with northern rocky wolf reintroduction

The gray wolf, Canis lupus, inhabited all parts of the North American continent for at least 300,000 years prior to European colonization (Wilson, et al. 2000). Lopez (1978) estimated the species population to have been around several hundred thousand in just the western United States and Mexico. In the short time span of 150 years, Euro-Americans fiercely eradicated this predator to the brink of extinction for preying on domesticated livestock during American colonization. By the mid 1900\u27s the gray wolf was absent from this land with the exception of rumored howls in the northernmost states. Then, in 1995, only sixty years after the completion of one of the most aggressive species eradications in U.S. history, the U.S. Federal government reintroduced Canis lupus into Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, despite extreme protests from these Rocky Mountain States. My research seeks information pertaining to the human element that essential to co-existing with wolves. I hypothesize that human-human conflicts about wolves are more prevalent than actual conflicts between humans and wolves, such as attacks or property damage. This hypothesis was examined while conducting fieldwork in Central Idaho. I utilized formal, informal, and unstructured interviews, as well as participant observation, with ranchers, conservationists, and the Nez Perce. The research sample consisted of seven individuals, three ranchers, three conservationists, and one Nez Perce man. My findings indicate that human-wolf conflicts do exist, but that conflicts more often are between different groups of people regarding control over management of valued natural resources. Additionally, I found that people vary in terms of where they derive their authority on such issues, such as number of generations spent on the land versus formal education

High-Stakes Accountability Systems: Creating Cultures of Fear

A phenomenological case study by Counsell (2007) explored and investigated the phenomenon of what happened as Florida’s A+ Plan intersected with the life histories of one beginning African American female third grade teacher and one veteran White female third grade teacher at demographically different school communities in one Florida school district. Habermas’ theory of communicative action served as an instructive framework used to examine and contemplate two key emerging trends based on lived experiences of the various social (communicative) actors. In addition to the beginning and veteran third grade teachers, other participating social actors included third graders, their parents, other third grade teachers and school principals at the beginning and veteran teachers’ schools as well as urban school teachers and personnel at urban schools in the same school district. Across the different social actors at each respective middle-income, low-income, and high-poverty school community, the emerging trends and patterns revealed: (a) a continuum of moral and ethical dilemmas specifically and (b) an overall continuum of fear in general. Social actors’ varied lived experiences with fear in relation to high-stakes testing illuminated the following: (a) a fear of speaking out; (b) a fear regarding children’s emotional welfare; (c) fear as it intersects with race; and (d) a fear of taking the test. From these testimonials, the continuum of fear toward the FCAT (according to third grade student reflections), proved to be the most serious (if not detrimental) consequence of Florida’s high-stakes accountability system. These insights can help guide and inform future accountability decisions under the new Every Student Succeeds Act

Short-Term Soil Organic Matter and Carbon Responses to Contrasting Grazing Intensities in Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems

Combining integrated crop-livestock systems under no-till management may improve soil organic matter (SOM) build up and improve soil C sequestration. Grazing cover crops appears as a possibility to combine crops and livestock in a farm system. Further SOM and soil C increase can be achieved by adding perennial grasses into crop rotations. However, the effect of grazing intensity in such systems are not fully understood. This 2-yr study investigated short-term effects of cropping system [winter cover crops-summer cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and winter cover crops-summer bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flüggé) rotations], grazing intensity (no grazing, heavy, moderate, and light grazing), and N fertilization (34 and 90 kg N ha-1 ), on OM and soil C of the soil-surface (0-15 cm) and deep-soil (0-90 cm) under no-till. Preliminary results indicate that treatments containing bahiagrass improved SOM in 1.5 g kg-1 compared to winter grazing on cover crops-cotton systems (P = 0.017). There were no differences among treatments for soil total C stock (15.4 Mg ha-1) and particulate OM-C (4.8 Mg ha-1) at the 15-cm depth (P \u3e 0.1). Carbon concentration increased from 8.0 to 12.6 g kg-1 as aggregate fraction decreased from 250 – 2000 to \u3c 53 µm (P \u3c 0.001). Nonetheless, C stock was not affected by aggregate fraction, with each fraction containing 3.8 Mg C ha-1, on average. Carbon stocks from 0-15, 15-30, 30-60, and 60-90-cm depths did not differ among treatments (P = 0.743), totalizing 30.4 Mg C ha-1 in the soil profile. Long-term studies are necessary to better understand the role of cropping system and grazing intensities on soil OM and C responses on surface and deep soil

Lymphocyte Subpopulation Number and Function in Infancy

Normal values for percentages of lymphocyte subpopulations and functional responses to mitogen stimulation in infancy are not well established. In the present study, lymphocyte subpopulations were examined in umbilical cord blood samples and in peripheral blood samples drawn before 7 and 24 months of age (mean age 10.4 months) from a healthy population of infants born in Tucson, Arizona. Results indicate significant increases occurred from birth to later infancy in the percentages of total T cells (CD3), T-cell subsets (CD4, CD8) and B cells (CD20). The CD4/CD8 ratio and the functional responses to ConA and PWM mitogens significantly decreased from birth to later infancy. PHA responsiveness did not show a significant change. Results from cross-sectional analyses (n=271) were supported in a smaller longitudinal subset (n=37). There were no detectable ethnic- or gender-related differences in cord blood or samples obtained in later infancy. The normal values established in this study will be useful in studies of immune-system maturation and in the clinical evaluation of newborns, infants, and toddlers suspected of either acquired or congenital immune-deficiency states

Biomass Energy Data Book: Edition 4

The Biomass Energy Data Book is a statistical compendium prepared and published by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) under contract with the Biomass Program in the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) program of the Department of Energy (DOE). Designed for use as a convenient reference, the book represents an assembly and display of statistics and information that characterize the biomass industry, from the production of biomass feedstocks to their end use, including discussions on sustainability. This is the fourth edition of the Biomass Energy Data Book which is only available online in electronic format. There are five main sections to this book. The first section is an introduction which provides an overview of biomass resources and consumption. Following the introduction to biomass, is a section on biofuels which covers ethanol, biodiesel and bio-oil. The biopower section focuses on the use of biomass for electrical power generation and heating. The fourth section is on the developing area of biorefineries, and the fifth section covers feedstocks that are produced and used in the biomass industry. The sources used represent the latest available data. There are also two appendices which include frequently needed conversion factors, a table of selected biomass feedstock characteristics, and discussions on sustainability. A glossary of terms and a list of acronyms are also included for the reader's convenience

Object Relations in the Museum: A Psychosocial Perspective

This article theorises museum engagement from a psychosocial perspective. With the aid of selected concepts from object relations theory, it explains how the museum visitor can establish a personal relation to museum objects, making use of them as an ‘aesthetic third’ to symbolise experience. Since such objects are at the same time cultural resources, interacting with them helps the individual to feel part of a shared culture. The article elaborates an example drawn from a research project that aimed to make museum collections available to people with physical and mental health problems. It draws on the work of the British psychoanalysts Donald Winnicott and Wilfred Bion to explain the salience of the concepts of object use, potential space, containment and reverie within a museum context. It also refers to the work of the contemporary psychoanalyst Christopher Bollas on how objects can become evocative for individuals both by virtue of their intrinsic qualities and by the way they are used to express personal idiom

Biomass Energy Data Book: Edition 1

The Biomass Energy Data Book is a statistical compendium prepared and published by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) under contract with the Office of the Biomass Program and the Office of Planning, Budget and Analysis in the Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) program. Designed for use as a desk-top reference, the book represents an assembly and display of statistics and information that characterize the biomass industry, from the production of biomass feedstocks to their end use. This is the first edition of the Biomass Energy Data Book and is currently only available online in electronic format. There are five main sections to this book. The first section is an introduction which provides an overview of biomass resources and consumption. Following the introduction to biomass is a section on biofuels which covers ethanol, biodiesel and BioOil. The biopower section focuses on the use of biomass for electrical power generation and heating. The fourth section is about the developing area of biorefineries, and the fifth section covers feedstocks that are produced and used in the biomass industry. The sources used represent the latest available data. There are also three appendices which include measures of conversions, biomass characteristics and assumptions for selected tables and figures. A glossary of terms and a list of acronyms are also included for the reader's convenience