The Legal Framework for States as Employers-of-Choice in Workplace Flexibility: A Case Study of Arizona and Michigan

Outlines the statutes, regulations, executive actions, and collective bargaining agreements that authorize flexible work arrangements, time off, and career flexibility in the two state workforces; the elements of model programs; and their benefits

Use of Tracers and Isotopes to Evaluate Vulnerability of Water in Domestic Wells to Septic Waste

In Nebraska, a large number (\u3e200) of shallow sand-point and cased wells completed in coarse alluvial sediments along rivers and lakes still are used to obtain drinking water for human consumption, even though construction of sand-point wells for consumptive uses has been banned since 1987. The quality of water from shallow domestic wells potentially vulnerable to seepage from septic systems was evaluated by analyzing for the presence of tracers and multiple isotopes. Samples were collected from 26 sand-point and perforated, cased domestic wells and were analyzed for bacteria, coliphages, nitrogen species, nitrogen and boron isotopes, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), prescription and nonprescription drugs, or organic waste water contaminants. At least 13 of the 26 domestic well samples showed some evidence of septic system effects based on the results of several tracers including DOC, coliphages, NH4+, NO3–, N2, δ15N[NO3–] and boron isotopes, and antibiotics and other drugs. Sand-point wells within 30 m of a septic system and \u3c14 m deep in a shallow, thin aquifer had the most tracers detected and the highest values, indicating the greatest vulnerability to contamination from septic waste

Promover a partir do interior: o papel do facilitador no apoio a formas dialógicas e reflexivas de auto-avaliação

Resumo Este artigo apresenta uma abordagem reflexiva e dialógica para a avaliação que tem sido desenvolvida ao longo de cerca de vinte anos por um grupo de pesquisa em educação na Universidade de Pavia e que foi testado em campo em várias experiências e pesquisas realizadas na Itália, em que educadores de creches e escolas de educação infantil estiveram diretamente envolvidos. A abordagem, inspirada na avaliação de quarta geração de Guba e Lincoln e na teoria do pensamento reflexivo de Dewey, considera a avaliação como um processo pelo qual as pessoas que trabalham em uma instituição de ensino podem refletir em grupo sobre suas crenças e práticas educacionais, a fim de planejar e implementar ações de melhora. Depois de delinear brevemente os principais benefícios da abordagem, vou me concentrar no papel desempenhado nela pela figura dofacilitador, alguém de fora da realidade educacional objeto de avaliação, cuja principal tarefa é ajudar os participantes a reconstruir uma imagem compartilhada da realidade em que operam, o que torna possível prever o futuro, pensando em por que você faz o que você faz e como você pode melhorar isso. O principal objetivo dessa figura é “promover a partir de dentro” provocando, através da reflexão, o “empoderamento” de grupos de educadores e professores. Com base em uma pesquisa recente, as estratégias comunicativas e maiêuticas utilizadas por essa figura na promoção de processos de auto-avaliação em grupos de educadores e professores também serão apresentados

Time\u27s causes

What is time? St. Augustine knew: “I know what time is”, he said, “but if someone asks me, I cannot tell him” (Landes, 1983, p. 1). Not much help. It is the business of scientists to tell, and another ancient philosopher tells us how to tell: Aristotle sought to understand phenomena—and communicate that knowledge— by identifying their four [be]causes , which he called material, final, efficient, and formal. We have interpreted these as questions about what (description/definition and substrate), why (function), how (mechanism), and like (analogs and models). These four causes organize our analysis of time and timing

The Legal Framework for States as Employers-of-Choice in Workplace Flexibility: A Case Study of Arizona and Michigan

The Legal Framework for States as Employers-of-Choice in Workplace Flexibility: A Case Study of Arizona and Michigan examines the legal frameworks Arizona and Michigan utilize for flexible work arrangements, time off, and career flexibility in their state workforce. Specifically, it provides an overview of the statutes, regulations, executive actions, and collective bargaining agreements that authorize workplace flexibility in the state workforce. After laying out this framework for both states, this paper makes several key observations: • Flexibility provides multiple benefits to states as employers, to state employees, and to the community at large. The business case for workplace flexibility is clear—flexibility helps states as employers with the recruitment and retention of top talent, addresses an aging workforce, reduces absenteeism and real estate costs, and improves disaster and emergency preparedness, among other things. Flexibility also allows employees to better balance work and personal responsibilities, and improves morale, health and wellness. For the community, providing flexibility decreases wait time for state responses and improves customer service. Flexibility also allows more employees to volunteer in the community, improves the environment and offers a range of other societal benefits. • Flexibility helps the government respond to problems as they arise. Arizona and Michigan have created and used new workplace flexibility to address emerging problems like rising gas prices and traffic congestion. In addition, the current economy provides states with opportunities to maintain—and even increase—flexibility through the creation and use of low or no cost innovative strategies for flexibility, which allow states to “do more with less.” Using preexisting authority, Arizona and Michigan have also encouraged the use of flexibility to combat the H1N1 pandemic and address other public health concerns. • Successful model flexibility programs exist and can be replicated by others. Existing programs are useful models for other state agencies and employers to learn from. As other states and employers look for solutions to assist with these and other emerging problems—be it working to improve operations in a difficult economy, responding to an emerging public health concern, or addressing a multi-generational workforce—considering the experiences of Arizona and Michigan with model programs is a useful way to help other state departments, other states, and other employers become employers-of-choice. • Leadership is a critical component of successful flexibility options. Strong leadership and support from governors, agency heads, managers, unions and others is a critical component to full implementation of workplace flexibility. Governors need to promote these policies, oversee their implementation, and continued success and applicability. Managers, in turn, need to educate and train colleagues on the available workplace flexibility. Through such leadership at all levels, state workforces can more effectively implement workplace flexibility and reap all of the benefits it offers. Assessing, evaluating, and understanding the flexibility frameworks used by Arizona and Michigan as well as the elements that make these states employers-of-choice bolsters support for all states to further develop workplace flexibility options that work for their work. In turn, these workplace flexibility options support the dynamic multi-generational state workforce, resulting in a more productive and diverse workforce that helps states be employers-of-choice

‘The evaluation of community arts projects and the problems with social impact methodology’

This article focuses on the evaluation of participatory community arts programmes and analyses the shift in educational emphasis from aesthetic to social outcomes. It considers a range of theoretical models and practices in the field which includes my own experience. The history of evaluative methodology highlights procedural concerns which are applied to current strategies of evaluating social impact. This is critiqued with regards to consent and participant intention, lack of discrimination between ‘natural’ and ‘synthetic’ instrumentality, and issues surrounding measurement and the validation of impact through social auditing. This foregrounds broader debates concerning the politics of evaluation. An ideal democratic method is suggested that encourages participant involvement, empowerment and self-management. This is compared to normative bureaucratic and autocratic approaches steeped in top-down agendas which may exacerbate social problems