Administrator Perceptions of the Teacher Evaluation Process and Professional Development Programming in New Jersey Independent Schools

This study examines administrator perceptions of the teacher evaluation process and professional development programming in New Jersey independent schools. Despite the contentious topic of teacher evaluation within the national landscape today, there is currently little research available concerning administrator perceptions of teacher evaluation and professional development within independent schools. In this study, I ask a) What teacher evaluation processes or tools are being used in the independent schools in the state of New Jersey? b) What types of professional development programs are provided for teachers in these schools? and c) How do independent school administrators perceive the relationship between the teacher evaluation system and the professional development programs? This explanatory sequential mixed methods study examined data from New Jersey independent school administrators, including surveys (N = 25) and interviews (N = 6). Results show a) New Jersey independent school administrators perceive the evaluation process has an above-average impact on teacher professional growth goals and school improvement goals; b) oftentimes, administrators allow teachers to tailor their own professional development goals; c) majority of the administrators utilize either the Danielson model or a school-created model for teacher evaluation; and d) administrators view the teacher evaluation process as a tool to foster growth in teachers and ensure teachers are mission-focused, but they are averse to using rating scales and tying evaluation to performance. The findings of this study suggest there is great value in the teacher evaluation process as long as it is grounded in professional growth, reflection, and teaching excellence

Nanostructured targets irradiation by ns-laser for nuclear astrophysics applications: First results

The studies discussed in this work are related to a scientific program that aims to reproduce astrophysical-plasmas in laboratory in order to better understand the nuclear processes involved in the stellar burning. An experimental campaign aiming to investigate the effects of innovative nanostructured targets based on Ni, Fe and Co nanowires on laser energy absorption in the ns time domain has been carried out at the LENS (Laser Energy for Nuclear Science) laboratory of INFN-LNS, Catania. Nanowires structures are tuned to increase the light absorption in the visible and infrared range due possibly to plasmonic excitation driven by the incoming photons. Different diagnostics techniques permit to monitor the plasma and to determine its reproducibility. Targets were then irradiated by Nd:YAG 2J, 6 ns infrared laser (λ = 1064 nm) at different pumping energies. Some preliminary results will be illustrated

Achieving Control of Coating Process in your Foundry

Achieving control of coating thickness in foundry moulds is needed in order to guarantee uniform properties of the mould but also to achieve control of drying time. Since drying time of water based coatings is heavily dependent on the amount of water present in the coating layer, a stable coating process is prerequisite for a stable drying process. In this study, we analyse the effect of different variables on the coating layer properties. We start by considering four critical variables identified in a previous study such as sand compaction, coating density, dipping time and gravity and then we add centre points to the original experimental plans to identify possible non-linear effects and variation in process stability. Finally, we investigate the relation between coating penetration (a variable that is relatively simple to measure in production) and other coating layer thickness properties (relevant for the drying process design). Correlations are found and equations are provided. In particular it is found that water thickness can be directly correlated to penetration with a simple linear equation and without the need to account for other variables

Gather: The Art and Science of Effective Convening

This guidebook is for people who want to change the world. It's for social change leaders who understand the power of convening the right group of people, and who believe that collective intelligence trumps individual smarts when it comes to solving shared problems. It's for those who know that there is an art and a science to convening and want to get better at both. Ultimately, this guidebook is a practical toolkit to help a world-changer who is taking on the role of lead convening designer.This guidebook is organized around the most common building blocks of constructing any convening: deciding whether to convene, clarifying a "north star" purpose, and making a bevy of design choices that flow from that purpose. It offers a set of design principles, key questions, and critical issues to be considered and customized for your situation

La teoria economica dell'equilibrio

The real economy is predominated by the non neutrality of monetary variables in the economic system and by the existence of underemployment equilibria and growing forms of environmental damage. The theory of general economic equilibrium revisited by monetarists conduced to the full employment equilibrium that must produce a natural unemployment rate,not dipending from the money supply existing in the system, not realizing that the equilibrium of the economic system is a mere illusion. In fact there can be multiple equilibria and ecomic cycles due to instables models who consider the caos theory in economics. The neoclassical paradigm however regenerate itself studying the environmetal economics as mere analisys of negative externalities and pervese effects into the environment, with the aim to reintroduce the environment variable into a scheme of general economic equilibrium. The orthodox economist see the world as a machine, while the environment is a leaving organism and the analitical approach must be decidedly non linear. The behaviour of the system can be absolutely different fron which could be forecasting by extrapolation of an individualistic behaviour model. It is too complex to be explaned trough a mechanic approach. In conclusion, the equilibrium approach is fallacious and the classic economic policies haven't efficacy, due tho the imprevedibility of the economic system on the long period. Thus, the orthodox environmental ecomomics proposing taxes and subsidies to compensate negative externalities is limited by the insufficience of its theoretical basis

«L’opposta faccia di ciascuna cosa» : Luigi Antonio Villari umorista. Tra Capuana e Pirandello

peer reviewedSe concentrant sur les principales théories fin de siècle concernant l’humour, sur le dispositif autobiographique et sur l’esthétique de la réception, et incluant une référence spécifique aux opinions critiques exprimées au sein d’une lettre ou d’une revue par Luigi Capuana et Luigi Pirandello, cet essai propose une interprétation de Mutamondo, le deuxième des cinq volumes du roman Memorie di Oliviero Oliverio (1900) de Luigi Antonio Villari

«Qualche maggior valore di una semplice raccolta». Considerazioni su "Vagabondaggio" a partire dall’edizione critica di Matteo Durante

peer reviewedStarting with a review of Vagabondaggio’s critical edition by Matteo Durante, this paper aims to offer a critical consideration about the short story collection as an autonomous literary form. The paper focuses on some procedures of Verga’s Writing as well as on the building strategies of the macrotext