Schools on the Frontlines of Governance: How the Convergence of Criminal Justice and Education Shapes Adolescent Perceptions and Behavior

Theories of legal socialization posit that individuals’ interactions with both nonlegal (e.g., teachers) and legal (e.g., police officers) authorities impact our broader orientation towards governance our compliance with rules and laws. Examining the process of legal socialization in adolescents is critical for understanding individuals’ relationships with major institutions of social control, and further, predicting delinquency. Extant literature tends to consider legal socialization in the school and in interactions with the police as distinct processes related to offending, neglecting the potential influence of school contextual factors; and yet, because the incorporation of carceral features (e.g., exclusionary discipline, restrictive security, and enhanced presence of police) can expose youth to a convergence in criminal justice and education institutions, the school context may have a critical influence on how individuals’ perceptions of authorities as procedurally just or unjust influence their beliefs concerning authorities’ legitimacy, their broader assessments of fairness in American society, and in turn, their behavior. The dissertation unifies two disparate lines of research considering individuals’ perceptions of procedural justice in policing and criminalizing school environments to develop a novel theoretical model. First, the model outlines two distinct processes of legal socialization regarding the school and the criminal justice system in which youth perceptions of school personnel and police (i.e., the authority figures of each of these domains) affect youth delinquency through two different intervening mechanisms—authority legitimacy and perceptions of fairness in the US. Second, the model considers how youth exposure to a carceral school environment, as an indicator of criminal justice and school authorities’ control, may condition these processes. Third, the model outlines several paths in which youth perceptions of one type of authority may influence their noncompliance or delinquency in another domain. Using individual- and school-level data from the University of Missouri- St. Louis Comprehensive School Safety Initiative, a series of path models are estimated to test the components of the theoretical argument

Variation in the southern short-tailed shrew, Blarina Carolensis

The southern short-tailed shrew (Blarina carolinensis) inhabits the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, the Gulf Coastal Plain, Florida, and the Atlantic Coastal Plain as far north as Virginia. Since its description by Bachman in 1837, this species has been widely studied and has a long and convoluted taxonomic history. Many of the morphometric studies were performed in different geographic locations and used different methodologies. These differences have made it difficult to make broad statements about the relationships within this species. Recently, a study of cranial measurements of specimens from the three subspecies of B. carolinensis found in Florida, identified a small population whose measurements were significantly different from other populations of Blarina in the state, which resulted in the recognition of another species, B. shermani. Thus, I examined the species as a whole and described how cranial morphology varied geographically. My study examined B. carolinensis in North Carolina and Virginia; compared the three subspecies to determine the amount of difference between them; and also tested for the presence of populations that exhibited noticeably different morphology from the bulk of the species. Specimens were borrowed from 28 museums. The following cranial measurements were recorded for each specimen: occipito-premaxillary length, cranial breadth, maxillary breadth, interorbital breadth, height of mandible, breadth of the condyloid process, and length of molariform tooth row. Principle Components Analysis, Discriminant Function Analysis, and Multivariate Analysis of Variance showed that B. c. peninsulae was often more different than not from B. c. carolinensis and B. c. minima; and there were mixed results for the type and amount of difference between B. c. carolinensis and B. c. minima. These results indicate the existence of two subspecies rather than three. One subspecies, B. c. peninsulae, is retained and is located in peninsular Florida. Blarina carolinensis minima is synonomized under B. c. carolinensis and is located throughout the rest of the species’ range

UPGRADING AN INTERMITTENT & BRANCHED WATER NETWORK TO A CONTINUOUS & LOOPED NETWORK: A CASE STUDY IN COASTAL PERU

This case study sought to determine how the potable water network of Cerro Prieto, Peru could be improved. The network as it exists now is branched and operated intermittently, exposing residents to water contamination risks and inconvenience. Using EPANET, it was found that the as-built network can support continuous water service, all points could stay over 10 psi, and the current water consumption rate could be maintained. To keep all points over 20 psi, the height of elevated water tank must be increased 6 feet, and the pump switched on whenever the tank drains. It was also found that almost the entire community would benefit from several possible closed loops in the network, but the high cost gives downstream loops higher priority. Due to the scarcity of water in the region, the first action must be assessing the well capacity, and a water conservation plan that may include water meters

Status of veterinary care for organic livestock producers in Iowa and suggestions for improvement

From 1997 to 2008, organic food sales in the United States have seen average yearly increases of over 18%. Producers are responding to this consumer demand, but one challenge is the need for alternative veterinary care options for livestock production, as antibiotics and a variety of other conventional treatments are excluded by National Organic Program (NOP) standards. This study assessed access to and education about veterinary care for organic livestock systems, with the goal of identifying areas for potential improvements. Two surveys were conducted to address the issue. The first was mailed to all USDA certified organic livestock producers in Iowa, and the second was mailed to all production animal veterinarians in the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association (IVMA). The producers surveyed handled most routine herd health needs without veterinary consultation and indicated that herd health was not a significant challenge. The biggest reason producers cited for their self-reliance was lack of herd health problems. However, the veterinarians surveyed indicated widespread health challenges within organic systems, and stressed the importance of veterinary involvement. While most veterinarians expressed some reservations about organic production, the majority indicated interest in it and recognized consumer demand for organic products. Most believed information related to organic systems is difficult to access and favored increased educational options, such as continuing education credits and/or increased information within veterinary medicine programs. The veterinarian survey showed a high degree of misunderstanding regarding the definition and rules of organic production, existence of national organic standards, and where to access authoritative information. This indicates that available information regarding organic standards does not always make its way into the hands of veterinary professionals

Evidence-Based Classroom and Behaviour Management Content in Australian Pre-service Primary Teachers\u27 Coursework: Wherefore Art Thou?

Beginning teachers often report feeling less than adequately prepared by their teacher education programs in the area of classroom and behaviour management (CBM). This article reports the prevalence of evidence-based practices in the coursework content on offer in Australian undergraduate primary teacher education programs. First a set of CBM practices supported by empirical research was established. Models of CBM in CBM courses and prescribed texts were then examined for the inclusion of these practices. We found that evidence-based practices in CBM were not commonly included in either models of CBM covered in courses, or in the prescribed texts used to support courses. The implications of this phenomenon on beginning teachers’ knowledge and confidence in CBM are discussed

Classroom behaviour management preparation in undergraduate primary teacher education in Australia : A web-based investigation.

Classroom behaviour management is an essential skill required by all teacher graduates to facilitate instruction in curriculum content. This article describes the classroom behaviour management (CBM) content on offer in Australian undergraduate primary education programs. To date, no nationwide studies exist that report the CBM instruction on offer in pre-service teacher education programs. Thirty-five primary teacher preparation programs were reviewed. Thirty programs (85.7%) contained mandatory course-work in CBM, 108 units contained relevant content, 33 of those were stand-alone CBM units (30.6%). More units were found with CBM content embedded within methods or inclusion units than stand-alone CBM units. The mean hours of CBM instruction per mandatory stand-alone unit was 31.46 hours, 25.5 for stand-alone electives, and 2.3 hours within embedded units. The content of CBM units is reported as well as the research interests of the unit convenors and instructors. Implications of the major findings are discussed

Improving veterinary care for organic livestock producers

Organic producers and Iowa veterinarians were questioned about the existing veterinary systems and care available to organic livestock producers

Teaching Students with Disabilities: A Web-based Examination of Preparation of Preservice Primary School Teachers

With increasing expectations that preservice teachers will be prepared to teach students with special needs in regular classrooms, it is timely to review relevant units in teacher education courses. Units relevant to special education/inclusion in primary undergraduate teacher preparation courses in Australian tertiary institutions, delivered in 2009, were examined. Information was gathered through a series of Google searches, and available information was very limited for some units. Sixty-one units in 34 courses met criteria for inclusion. Units typically ran for one semester with 30-40 hours of instruction. Just under half the instructors for whom relevant information was available had an active interest in special education/inclusion of students with disabilities. The most commonly included content was on instructional strategies, with few units aimed at promoting positive attitudes to people with disabilities and only 10% stating that the content was evidence or research-based