Continuous Improvement in Education

In recent years, 'continuous improvement' has become a popular catchphrase in the field of education. However, while continuous improvement has become commonplace and well-documented in other industries, such as healthcare and manufacturing, little is known about how this work has manifested itself in education.This white paper attempts to map the landscape of this terrain by identifying and describing organizations engaged in continuous improvement, and by highlighting commonalities and differences among them. The findings classify three types of organizations engaged in continuous improvement: those focused on instructional improvement at the classroom level; those concentrating on system-wide improvement; and those addressing collective impact. Each type is described in turn and illustrated by an organizational case study. Through the analysis, six common themes that characterize all three types of organizations (e.g., leadership and strategy, communication and engagement, organizational infrastructure, methodology, data collection and analysis, and building capacity) are enumerated. This white paper makes four concluding observations. First, the three case studies provide evidence of organizations conducting continuous improvement work in the field of education, albeit at different levels and in different ways. Second, entry points to continuous improvement work are not mutually exclusive, but are nested and, hence, mutually informative and comparative. Third, continuous improvement is not synonymous with improving all organizational processes simultaneously; rather, research and learning cycles are iterative and gradual in nature. Fourth, despite being both iterative and gradual, it is imperative that improvement work is planned and undertaken in a rigorous, thoughtful, and transparent fashion

CEDAW\u27s Promise for Strengthening Law-Enforcement Accountability to Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence in the United States

Article published in the Michigan State Law Review

Relating nursing theory to students’ life experiences

Nursing is a dynamic field involving an interaction between scientific research and human need. Theoretical discussions often involve a complex of issues which are difficult to explore adequately in a typical lecture. This paper presents a teaching method which is highly interactive, moving students far beyond rote memorisation toward a deeper understanding of both the theory and practice of nursing. Numerous examples are given of the technique's application

Preliminary investigation of a major high-strain zone in the Caledonian Highlands, southern New Brunswick

A major ductile high-strain zone up to 5 km in width can be traced for at least 70 km diagonally across the Avalonian Caledonia terrane of southern New Brunswick. A study of the northeastern part of this zone from the Prosser Mountain area in the northwest to the Point Wolfe River area west of Fundy National Park shows that both the ca. 630-620 Ma Broad River Group and associated plutons and the 560-550 Ma Coldbrook Group contain similar structural elements, related to a largely shared deformational history. Some of this history is apparent also in the 560–550 Ma plutonic rocks. A pervasive foliation (S1) lies parallel to bedding (S0), and although evidently composite (S0-1) in the Broad River Group, this fabric is very heterogeneous in the younger Coldbrook Group, where low strain enclaves are widespread. No folds have been seen of an F1 generation, and no reversals of facing or vergence are apparent. A mineral lineation (L1m) is locally prominent. The plutonic rocks have early fabrics, including a foliation (S1) producing augen-gneiss with a prominent L-tectonite (L1m). S1 also includes a schistosity associated with the growth of white mica and breakdown of feldspar. Geometry suggests that S1 in the granites is related to S0-1 in the supracrustal rocks, and L1m in both units shares a common orientation. S1 and S0-1 are crenulated by a strong second cleavage (S2) axial planar to folds (F2), the large-scale expression of which is an asymmetric synform containing a belt of Coldbrook Group rocks. Kinematic indicators suggest an overall top-to-the-SE motion along thrusts that stack units of Broad River Group, Coldbrook Group, and plutonic rocks. Fabric development in the plutonic rocks implies a history of exhumation beginning under hot, anhydrous conditions, followed by hydration during retrogression as plutonic rocks were tectonically emplaced into this crustal stack. The age of these tectonic events is not yet well constrained, but could be as young as Carboniferous. RÉSUMÉ Il est possible de retracer une importante zone de forte contrainte ductile ayant jusqu’à cinq kilomètres de largeur sur une distance de 70 kilomètres en diagonale à travers le terrane avalonien de Caledonia, dans le Sud du Nouveau-Brunswick. Une étude de la partie nord-est de cette zone à partir du secteur du mont Prosser, dans le nord-ouest, jusqu’au secteur de la rivière Pointe Wolfe, à l’ouest du parc national du Canada Fundy, révèle que le groupe d’environ 630 à 620 Ma de la rivière Broad, les plutons connexes et le groupe de 560 à 550 Ma de Coldbrook abritent des éléments structuraux similaires, apparentés à des déformations passées largement partagées. Une certaine partie de ce passé est également apparente dans les roches plutoniques de 560 à 550 Ma. Une foliation intense (S1) se manifeste parallèlement à la stratification (S0) et, même si cette fabrique est nettement composite (S0-1) dans le groupe de la rivière Broad, elle est très hétérogène dans le groupe plus récent de Coldbrook, où les enclaves de faible contrainte sont répandues. On n’a observé aucun pli d’une production F1 et aucune inversion du regard ni de la vergence n’est apparente. Une linéation minérale (L1m), définie par des agrégats de biotite, est localement bien visible. Les roches plutoniques possèdent des fabriques qui se sont constituées pendant et peu après la cristallisation, notamment une foliation (S1) produisant du gneiss oeillé avec L-tectonite (L1m) en évidence. S1 à l’intérieur des roches plutoniques comporte en outre une schistosité associée à la croissance de mica blanc et à la décomposition de feldspath. La géométrie permet de supposer que S1 dans les granites est apparentée à S0-1 dans les roches supracrustales et que la linéation minérale (L1m) dans les deux unités partage une orientation commune. S1 et S0-1 sont crénelés par une seconde schistosité (S2) prononcée, de plan axial par rapport aux plis (F2), dont l’expression à grande échelle est une synforme asymétrique renfermant une ceinture de roches du groupe de Coldbrook. Les indicateurs cinématiques des structures F2 permettent de supposer un mouvement général du sommet vers le sud-est le long des chevauchements qui empilent les unités du groupe de la rivière Broad, du groupe de Coldbrook et des roches plutoniques. Le développement de la fabrique dans les roches plutoniques plus âgées suppose une exhumation passée ayant commencé dans des conditions très chaudes et anhydres pendant et peu après la cristallisation, vers 620 Ma, suivie par une hydratation pendant la rétrogression au moment où les roches plutoniques se sont tectoniquement mises en place à l’intérieur de cet éperon crustal. L’âge des événements tectoniques tardifs n’est pas encore bien circonscrit, mais ils pourraient remonter au Carbonifère. [Traduit par la redaction

Physiotherapy and related management for childhood obesity: A systematic scoping review

IntroductionDespite targeted efforts globally to address childhood overweight/obesity, it remains poorly understood and challenging to manage. Physiotherapists have the potential to manage children with obesity as they are experts in movement and physical activity. However, their role remains unclear due to a lack of physiotherapy-specific guidelines. This scoping review aims to explore existing literature, critically appraising and synthesising findings to guide physiotherapists in the evidence-based management of childhood overweight/obesity.MethodA scoping review was conducted, including literature up to May 2020. A review protocol exists on Open Science Framework at https://osf.io/fap8g/. Four databases were accessed including PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Medline via OVID, with grey literature searched through google via "file:pdf". A descriptive synthesis was undertaken to explore the impact of existing interventions and their efficacy.ResultsFrom the initial capture of 1871 articles, 263 intervention-based articles were included. Interventions included qualitative focused physical activity, quantitative focused physical activity and multicomponent interventions. Various outcome measures were utilised including health-, performance- and behaviour-related outcomes. The general trend for physiotherapy involvement with children who are obese appears to favour: 1) multicomponent interventions, implementing more than one component with environmental modification and parental involvement and 2) quantitative physical activity interventions, focusing on the quantity of bodily movement. These approaches most consistently demonstrated desirable changes across behavioural and health-related outcome measures for multicomponent and quantitative physical activity interventions respectively.ConclusionWhen managing children with obesity, physiotherapists should consider multicomponent approaches and increasing the quantity of physical activity, given consistent improvements in various obesity-related outcomes. Such approaches are well suited to the scope of physiotherapists and their expertise in physical activity prescription for the management of childhood obesity. Future research should examine the effect of motor skill interventions and consider the role of environmental modification/parental involvement as factors contributing to intervention success