Quality Teacher Evaluation in Alaska: Voices from the Field

This brief focuses on the results of research regarding teacher evaluation policy and practice among a pilot group of Alaska Superintendents. The results of this report are intended to guide policy makers on creating and supporting policies which enable school leaders to effectively evaluate and support classroom teachers, helping to elicit the best from teachers on behalf of Alaska students. As Darling‐Hammond (1999) states, “Despite conventional wisdom that school inputs make little difference in student learning, a growing body of research suggests that schools can make a difference, and a substantial portion of that difference is attributable to teachers.” It is critical that we identify how to enable teachers to increase desired performance for every student

Comment on the biological effects of cosmic rays from nearby supernovae

Biological effects of cosmic ray propagation from explosions of nearby supernova

Hedge funds and systemic risk.

A hedge fund is a privately offered investment vehicle that pools the contributions of investors in order to invest in a variety of assets, such as securities, futures, options, bonds and currencies. Hedge funds have attracted growing attention from policy makers, financial market participants and the general public due to their rapid growth and substantial scale, their importance to banks as clients and the impact of their trading activity on global capital markets. Because of their rapid growth and the market disruptions caused by Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM) in 1998, some analysts believe that hedge funds pose systemic risks. However, this is unlikely. A thorough review of the avenues through which hedge funds could cause systemic problems indicates that, although a major disruption emanating from the hedge fund sector is possible, it would be diffi cult for the sector to be highly disruptive to fi nancial markets. Post-LTCM, regulatory authorities have encouraged banks to monitor their hedge fund clients through constraints on their leverage. This has thus far proven effective, as the recent failure of Amaranth demonstrates. That failure, the largest yet, caused hardly a ripple in the wider financial markets. Hedge funds support the robustness of markets in many ways. They provide attractive investment alternatives and improve economy-wide risk sharing. In addition, they promote fi nancial market stability by assuming risks that other market participants are unwilling or unable to bear; by providing liquidity; and by placing trades that move mispriced assets toward their “fundamental” values. Of course, hedge funds could raise problems through their dominant role in some markets, active trading strategies, use of leverage and relative lack of transparency. Counterparties must therefore be cognizant of the risks they bear from hedge funds. Also, regulators must continue to promote better hedge fund risk management and transparency through their regulation of counterparties while remaining vigilant about potential systemic risks emanating from the sector. On balance, however, hedge funds enhance market stability and are unlikely to be the source of a systemic failure.

Has the stock market grown more volatile?

The record number of fifty-point daily moves in the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1996--forty-five in the first three quarters alone--has attracted considerable media attention. An analysis traces this phenomenon to two basic causes: the record level of the Dow and the return of price volatility to post-World War II norms following several years of low volatility.Stock market ; Stock - Prices

Are high-quality firms also high-quality investments?

The relationship between corporate reputation and investment results is the subject of ongoing debate. Some argue that high-quality firms ultimately provide superior stock price performance; others counter that stock prices already reflect these firms' prospects for growth and profitability. This study advances the debate by providing fresh evidence that investing in high-quality firms yields above-average returns and that these superior returns continue for up to five years.Investments ; Stock - Prices ; Corporate profits

The Secret Is Out: Patent Law Preempts Mass Market License Terms Barring Reverse Engineering for Interoperability Purposes

As patent protection has emerged to protect software, courts and commentators have mistakenly focused on copyright law and overlooked the centrality of patent preemption to limit contract law where a mass market license which prohibits reverse engineering (RE) for purposes of developing interoperable products leads to patent-like protection. Review of copyright fair use cases on RE and Congress’s policy favoring RE for interoperability purposes in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act reinforce the case for patent preemption. Also, the fundamental freedom to RE embodied in state trade secret law, coupled with federal patent and copyright law and policies, cumulatively should override a contract barrier on RE based upon the public policy exception to contract enforcement. If courts fail to consider patent and public policy limits on contract, the anomalous result is potential outsourcing of interoperability development to one of the increasing number of foreign jurisdictions where interoperability policy overrides contract law. Ironically, that would harm the U.S. economy and thereby frustrate the purpose of the Intellectual Property Clause of the Constitution. Finally, the patent preemption/public policy invalidation approach to mass market contracts outlined in this article may also provide a new lens whenever a mass market contract results in a de-facto monopoly on useful data

Implementing a Three-Minute Foot Exam for Diabetic Patients in Primary Care

Problem- One in four U.S. Veterans have Diabetes Mellitus, and one in four U.S. Veterans with diabetes will develop a diabetic foot complication. There is currently no protocol for healthcare providers to perform foot screenings on diabetic patients at each visit. Utilizing a foot screening at each visit for high risk diabetic patients may help to recognize problems sooner, making treatment easier and less aggressive. Methods- This quality improvement initiative was a retrospective and prospective record review before and after evidence based three-minute foot exams were implemented. A convenience sample of 50 patient medical records were reviewed to collect demographical, clinical indicators, and to establish the frequency of foot exams, education, detection of complication and treatment or referral with the current standard of care. A convenience sample of 20 patients, who were seen in a primary care face to face visit, had a retrospective chart review to collect the same data set as the standard of care baseline group. Results- No differences between the standard group and the intervention group were found in comparing age, gender, war era, agent orange exposure, or Hbg-A1C lab values. The Fisher’s Exact test showed statistical significance of documented foot exams and documented patient education in the intervention group, pre- and post-implementation with a p value of 0.001. Two patients (10%) had an undiagnosed diabetic foot complication identified on the foot exam and treatment or referral initiated. Implications for Practice- Implementing an easy to use foot exam for diabetic patients at every visit is significant in improved patient outcomes. Timely recognition of diabetic foot complications also entails easier and less aggressive treatment

What is Fast Fashion?

When most people think of fast fashion, they probably picture a company like Shein or Forever21. But what exactly is fast fashion? And when did it first emerge as a term? I tracked the evolution of what is called fast fashion by examining different sources in which the term has been mentioned. Many have accepted that the New York Times coined the term in 1989, but I discovered even earlier mentions, suggesting the importance of fact-checking widely accepted attributions. In total, I gathered 75 definitions of fast fashion and combined them into a composite definition: fast fashion is when designers copy other brands, and the clothing itself is made quickly, cheaply and tailored to consumer needs, which then allows consumers to buy and throw their clothing out, impacting the environment. By analyzing many definitions of fast fashion, we come to a deeper understanding of what we are talking about when we are talking about fast fashion

Skin cancer screening program and analysis

Includes bibliographical references.Skin cancer is the most common and the most preventable form of cancer. Nonmelanoma skin cancers are associated with cumulative exposure to ultraviolet radiation, while melanoma is associated with intense episodes of ultraviolet exposure resulting in sunburns. Numerous risk factors are associated with the development of skin cancer. These include exposure to ultraviolet radiation; phenotypic factors such as skin type, eye and hair color, tendency to bum and tan and having freckles and moles; a personal or family history of skin cancer; and occupational sun exposure. Primary prevention behaviors include applying SPF 15+ sunscreen 30 minutes before exposure, reapplying SPF 15+ sunscreen every 1 V%-2 hours or after swimming or sweating, dressing in protective clothing, using shade limiting exposure during peak sun hours, and avoiding artificial sources of ultraviolet radiation. Secondary prevention behaviors include screening and early detection in combination with education on the primary prevention behaviors. Interventions designed to increase sun protective behaviors have resulted in increased knowledge and attitudes. Skin cancer screenings focus on developing effective strategies for making sun protective behaviors routine and effective. To inform approaches to the prevention and control of skin cancer, this paper will summarize key primary and secondary preventive behavior, highlight primary and secondary prevention programs, and identify key unanswered questions in the area of skin cancer prevention and control.B.S. (Bachelor of Science