Changes in the Indicator Properties of Narrow Monetary Aggregates

Although many countries have abandoned monetary targeting in recent decades, monetary aggregates are still useful indicators of future economic activity. Past research has shown that, compared with other monetary aggregates and expressed in real terms, net M1 and gross M1 have traditionally provided superior leading information for output growth. Yet financial innovations and the elimination of reserve requirements over the past two decades have made it increasingly difficult for financial institutions to differentiate between demand and notice deposits, suggesting the need to re-examine the information content of narrow monetary aggregates that depend on such a distinction. Based on an analysis over a sample period from 1975Q1 to 2005Q1, the authors determine that the leading-indicator properties of the narrow monetary aggregates for output growth have shifted over time and that, since 1993, real M1+ has become a better indicator of future output growth than real gross and net M1.

Teacher Depth of Knowledge as a Predictor of Student Achievement in the Middle Grades

Schools strive to hire highly qualified teachers to educate and empower students to become high performers (NCEE, 1983; Erickson, 1995). As a part of this effort, teachers are required to obtain specific skills and certification to meet students’ academic needs. While the intent is recognized, there continues to be a discrepancy between highly qualified teachers in the middle grades and student achievement (The Nations Report Card, 2005; Turner-Bissett, 1999). Therefore, it is imperative to examine teachers’ perceptions and instructional strategies that may influence students’ achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a correlation between high-performing and low-performing teachers’ perceptions and observations of their instructional strategies as a predictor of student achievement. To achieve this, the study was conducted using quantitative and qualitative research methodology in three steps. First, teachers (n = 67) of middle grade students within a South Mississippi school district completed a survey to identify their perceptions about their instructional strategies. Second, the researcher categorized the participants as high-performing or low-performing teachers based on their students’ achievement scores to assess if there is a relationship between their performances and student achievement. Last, the researcher conducted observations of the teachers’ classroom performance to examine if a relationship exists between perceived and observed instructional strategies. Sixty-seven teachers completed perception surveys and 22 of the 67 participants agreed to classroom observations by the researcher. Perception surveys and observations were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results indicated 98.5 % of the teachers participating in the study perceived that they were able to engage students in learning and were comfortable with the content-specific concepts to meet academic standards. The hypothesis could not be tested to compare high-performing and low-performing teachers due to the lack of participants willing to volunteer for observations. High-performing, or depth of knowledge teachers (100%), were observed to actively engage their students in the classroom. However, low-performing, or acquisition teachers (79%), were observed to engage students in the learning process. The results of this study imply that teachers’ perceptions may play a role in the dissemination of instructional strategies that engage students in active learning

School Counseling Program Models Utilized By School Districts

School counseling district supervisors find themselves at the center of selecting and implementing comprehensive school counseling program models for their school districts. It is important to examine the selection of models to determine if proper services are being extended to students. The purpose of this study was to explore district supervisors\u27 selection of comprehensive school counseling program models. Model selection was assessed by examining district supervisors\u27 ratings of the degree to which their school district\u27s comprehensive school counseling program was associated with traits of the most popular models, and if school district and personal characteristics influenced the selection process. The characteristics listed in the instrument was based on existing literature and frameworks regarding comprehensive school counseling models. Results revealed that components from the three most popular frameworks, The ASCA National Model, the Eight Components of College and Career Readiness Counseling, and the New Vision for School Counselors were reported as being implemented in school districts. District supervisors reported implementing the ASCA National Model most often

TOOLS TO EDUCATE THE NEXT GENERATION OF STORYTELLERS TO HELP THEM DOCUMENT PAST CONFLICTS TO BUILD A MORE PEACEFUL FUTURE

Uncovering where we came from may help the human race avoid past mistakes and build a more peaceful future. Multimedia oral histories, period photographs, and photographic exploration of historic locations are tools that allow us to educate future generations and work to prevent conflicts. The power of storytelling runs deep within us as a society, and discovering the tools to help us tell these stories is vital for young people to create a voice for themselves. Visual journalism can be at the forefront of this education. This project focuses on three educational resources young storytellers can use to capture historical accounts from past conflicts. These tools include documenting locations with historical significance, utilizing archival photographs, and capturing first-hand accounts of past conflicts. This body of work will focus on telling the story of WWII. However, the concepts are relevant for any past conflict providing the next generation of storytellers with the skills to document history

Impact of financial incentives on the implementation of asthma self-management in primary care in Northern Ireland: a mixed methods programme of work

Introduction: Asthma is a common chronic respiratory condition which is responsible for substantial morbidity and economic impact. Supported self-management including asthma action plans improves asthma control, minimises exacerbations and reduces the use of emergency healthcare resources. Despite this evidence an Asthma UK survey (2013) identified that less than a quarter of people with asthma owned an action plan. The exception is Northern Ireland, where a Local Enhanced Service (LES) introduced in 2008 has provided financial incentives to primary care practices for providing asthma action plans; ownership was reported by 63% of individuals with asthma surveyed. Aims and objectives: The aim of this PhD was to 1) systematically review the evidence investigating the impact of financial incentives on implementation outcomes, health outcomes and individual behaviour outcomes for individuals with asthma or diabetes 2) observe trends in implementation and health outcomes associated with the introduction of the LES and 3) explore the process by which organisational change was implemented in primary care in Northern Ireland from the perspective of primary care staff. Methods: The programme of work proceeded in three phases: 1. Following Cochrane methodology, I systematically reviewed the evidence investigating the impact of financial incentives on provision of supported self-management in asthma and diabetes (another long-term condition with a robust evidence base) on implementation outcomes (action plan ownership); health outcomes (asthma control/attacks) and individual behaviour outcomes (self-efficacy). I used a Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome and Setting (PICOS) search strategy and duplicate screening, data extraction and Downs’ and Black’s (1998) quality assessment. Studies were weighted by robustness of design, number of participants and the quality score. Narrative synthesis was conducted due to heterogeneity of studies. 2. I explored the context of Northern Ireland and its healthcare system using routine data to observe trends in: asthma-related hospitalisations; asthma-related deaths and asthma action plan provision across Northern Ireland over a five-year period. 3. In the qualitative phase, I conducted telephone interviews with a representative involved with delivering the LES in up to 20 primary care practices and undertook four case studies involving in-depth interviews with clinical and administrative staff members and document analysis. The Adams et al (2014) financial incentives framework underpinned the topic guide; interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using two approaches: a. Grounded Theory approach to explore primary care staff perceptions of the LES and self-management for asthma. b. Framework approach informed by the Normalization Process Theory (NPT) (May et al., 2009). Results: 1. I included 12 studies (from 2,541 initial hits) in the systematic review. Results were mixed. Delivery of care improved in three diabetes studies; was unchanged in six and deteriorated in one. There were fewer hospitalisations/emergency department visits in one diabetes study. In the one asthma study, the proportion of patients receiving an action plan increased from 4% to 88%, but health outcomes were not measured. Authors highlighted the importance of context when implementing a financial incentive scheme. 2. Routine LES data were available from 2011; deaths since 2008. Asthma action plan provision has remained high in Northern Ireland since 2011/2012 with primary care reporting 76% of eligible patients having been provided an asthma action plan. Asthma related hospital admissions have increased between 2011/12 and 2015/16 by over 300 admissions/year. There were 31 deaths in 2008 and this has fluctuated over the years with no clear trend. 3. Fifteen semi-structured telephone interviews, six individual in-depth interviews and two group interviews were conducted with 23 participants (five general practitioners; five nurses; 13 administrative staff) from 15 primary care practices. Four of the participants in the scoping semi-structured interviews also took part in either an individual in-depth interview or a group interview. Themes were agreed in discussion with a multi-disciplinary group which included contributions from the primary care, secondary care and patient perspective. a. Themes clustered around targeting poor asthma control; communicating with patients; strategies for achieving targets; financial incentives. All participants highlighted the difficulty of getting patients with asthma to attend appointments, with some expressing feelings of frustration at lack of patient involvement and uncertainty of how to improve patient engagement, particularly in patients with poorly controlled asthma. b. Processes created since the introduction of the LES appear successfully embedded into primary care practice routines. Working together in multi-disciplinary teams was frequently discussed by participants in relation to the scheme, from inception to implementation and delivery in primary care practices. Significant support from the Public Health Agency and pharmaceutical companies in providing funding and training for nurses was acknowledged as a key to the successful embedding of new processes for asthma self-management, but there was concern regarding reduction in funding from both of these sources and the impact on the future provision of asthma self-management education in primary care. Asthma care was identified as a nurse-led process. Participants were generally positive about receiving financial incentives for the extra work undertaken, however the payments were viewed as necessary in able to complete the additional work required by the financial incentive scheme. Providing the best quality of care for patients, however, was the frequently cited as the main motivator for clinical staff. Conclusions: Financial incentive schemes have inconsistent impact on implementation and health outcomes; context is likely to be an important factor in determining success. In Northern Ireland, three quarters of people with asthma have been provided with an action plan over the last five years of the LES; alongside a possible trend to an increase in asthma-related hospital admissions and deaths. The financial incentives of the LES were received positively by primary care staff; however patient health was the highest priority when delivering care. Primary care staff identified multi-disciplinary teamwork throughout the lifespan of the LES as key to its “normalization”, which was now so embedded that concerns were expressed regarding threats to funding and withdrawal of external support. Understanding how practices reacted to the LES and normalized this healthcare scheme could inform further policy on similar initiatives

Removing Obstacles for African American English–Speaking Children Through Greater Understanding of Language Difference

Language difference among speakers of African American English (AAE) has often been considered language deficit, based on a lack of understanding about the AAE variety. Following Labov (1972), Wolfram (1969), Rickford (1999), Green (2002, 2011), and others, we define AAE as a complex rule-governed linguistic system and briefly discuss language structures that it shares with general American English (GAE) and others that are unique to AAE. We suggest ways in which mistaken ideas about the language variety add to children’s difficulties in learning the mainstream dialect and, in effect, deny them the benefits of their educational programs. We propose that a linguistically informed approach that highlights correspondences between AAE and the mainstream dialect and trains students and teachers to understand language varieties at a metalinguistic level creates environments that support the academic achievement of AAE-speaking students. Finally, we present 3 program types that are recommended for helping students achieve the skills they need to be successful in multiple linguistic environments

Involving carers in risk assessment: a study of a structured dialogue between mental health nurses and carers

© The Author(s) 2019. Background: Involving carers is a key priority in mental health services. Carers report the sharing of service users’ safety information by mental health nurses is problematic and seldom takes place. Aims: The impact of an intervention on consensus between nurses and carers on perceptions of risk was investigated. Methods: Carer–nurse risk consensus scores were measured pre- and post-introduction of a structured dialogue (paired t-test/ANOVA). Carer experience with involvement was surveyed pre-test (n = 60) and compared with the post-test intervention group (n = 32) (chi-square tests of linear-by-linear association). Results: Consensus and perceptions regarding type and severity of risk did not change significantly for carers or nurses after engaging in a structured dialogue. Statistically significant differences were found with carers reporting higher levels of satisfaction with services in four out of six areas surveyed. Conclusions: Findings provide support for increasing carer contribution to discussions regarding risk. Further work to embed carer involvement in clinical practice is warranted

Evaluation of Organic Carbon Loadings in Two Reservoirs

To effectively control TOC concentrations in the two reservoirs serving the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA), the sources of TOC must be known. This study used a simplified steady-state mass balance approach to compare the main sources of TOC in the University Lake and the Cane Creek Reservoir. The main TOC sources were the TOC which is directly loaded to the reservoirs from the watershed (allochthonous TOC) and the TOC which is produced in the reservoirs by algae generated as a result of nutrient influxes to the reservoirs (autochthonous TOC). To determine the allochthonous TOC load, existing TOC and flow data was used along with TOC data from the sampling program. The sampling program involved monthly sampling of the tributaries of the University Lake and Cane Creek Reservoir for TOC over a five-month period. The autochthonous TOC load was determined by estimating the amount of algae which would grow in the reservoir due to the existing nutrient loadings. The results of this study indicate that allochthonous TOC is the primary source of TOC in the reservoirs. The TOC load from the watershed accounts for 72 to 90 percent of the total TOC concentration in the reservoirs. The autochthonous TOC load accounts for only 10 to 28 percent of the in-lake TOC concentration.Master of Science in Environmental Engineerin