Moving Towards Educational Equity?: How is New York State's School Funding Reform Impacting Educational Equity on Long Island?

This report identifies the 11 Long Island districts with the most student poverty and compares them with the 11 districts with middle student poverty, and the 11 districts with the least student poverty. In addition to poverty, this report looks at the demographic composition of these districts, and percentage of English language learners. Historically on Long Island, as elsewhere, there has been a large funding gap between school districts with high poverty and those with little poverty. The funding gap, as examined by The Education Trust and others, documents the difference in educational opportunity between school districts. In order to make this calculation it is necessary to both examine expenditures per pupil and student need (as measured by the proportion of student poverty). Policy makers and researchers across the spectrum agree that it generally costs more to provide equivalent educational opportunity to students from poor households as those from middle class or wealthier households. This report factors student poverty into the measurement of the funding gap. The report examines the effectiveness since 2007 of different state school aid categories at closing the funding gap--specifically looking at foundation aid, high tax aid and all state operating aid as a whole. In addition, this report looks at student outcomes according to 8th grade English Language Arts and Math exams, graduation rates, Regents diploma rates, and college enrollment rates in order to evaluate whether there has been progress at closing the achievement gaps since funding reforms were instituted

The use of Bioceramics as root-end filling materials in periradicular surgery: a literature review

Introduction: Periradicular surgery involves the placement of a root-end filling following root-end resection, to provide an apical seal to the root canal system. Historically several materials have been used in order to achieve this seal. Recently a class of materials known as Bioceramics have been adopted. The aim of this article is to provide a review of the outcomes of periradicular surgery when Bioceramic root-end filling materials are used on human permanent teeth in comparison to “traditional” materials. Methods & results: An electronic literature search was performed in the databases of Web of Science, PubMed and Google Scholar, between 2006 and 2017, to collect clinical studies where Bioceramic materials were utilised as retrograde filling materials, and to compare such materials with traditional materials. In this search, 1 systematic review and 14 clinical studies were identified. Of these, 8 reported the success rates of retrograde Bioceramics, and 6 compared treatment outcomes of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and traditional cements when used as root-end filling materials. Conclusion: Bioceramic root-end filling materials are shown to have success rates of 86.4–95.6% (over 1–5 years). Bioceramics has significantly higher success rates than amalgam, but they were statistically similar to intermediate restorative material (IRM) and Super ethoxybenzoic acid (Super EBA) when used as retrograde filling materials in apical surgery. However, it seems that the high success rates were not solely attributable to the type of the root-end filling materials. The surgical/microsurgical techniques and tooth prognostic factors may significantly affect treatment outcome

Covering the vote: UK coverage of Brexit, Jeremy Corbyn, and the 2017 General Election

The need to examine how news media (print, broadcast, and online) cover political events rests in no small part on journalism’s role as a 'fourth estate' or a 'watchdog'. Both terms refer to the role of journalists in keeping government to account, through reporting in a manner that produces a knowledgeable and critical electorate. This paper argues that the current political climate in the UK, Brexit, the ensuing 2017 General Election, and the introduction of controversial political figures make the need for this re-assessment of print, broadcast, and online journalism in the UK ever more pertinent

Attitudes of HIV positive patients in South Africa to African traditional healers and their practices

This study explores the use of African traditional healers by people using Antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in South Africa. It focuses on the insights and? opinions of two different populations: HIV positive patients attending ARV services and lay healthcare workers (patient advocates and ARV counsellors) providing counselling services parallel to ARV treatment. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to explore the attitudes of patients to African traditional healers and their practices. This was complemented by in depth interviews with patients who reported use of traditional healing systems in the past year. The responses show that the majority of respondents had never accessed a traditional healing service. Only two patients were found to be actively crossing between ARV treatment facilities and traditional healing services at the time of their interview. The study also included two focus group discussions with lay health workers (i.e. ARV counsellors and patient advocates) at two ARV sites. On the whole it showed that lay health workers support an ARV roll out process that effectively underplays the role of traditional healers and therefore actively discourages their patients from using traditional healing services while taking ARV treatment

The applicability of the NEO-PI-R and the CPAI-2 in a South African context.

The trait approach to personality is one of the most influential theories in personality psychology and underlies the development of most objective personality instruments. However, considerable debate exists around the number of traits that adequately describe human personality as well as which traits adequately describe personality universally. Evidence seems to suggest that personality is adequately described by five factors, and currently the Five Factor Model (FFM) of personality is widely accepted within personality psychology. Other evidence suggests that, while applicable, the FFM is not wholly replicable in Asian and African cultures. Situated within these debates, this study explored the applicability of two personality instruments, namely the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and the Cross-Cultural Personality Assessment Inventory - 2 (CPAI-2), in the South African context. Thus internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, face validity, construct validity, and aspects of construct, method and item bias were examined for each instrument. A non-probability sample consisting of 425 university students who were in their second or subsequent year of study was used. The research took the form of a non-experimental, cross-sectional research design. A questionnaire incorporating the NEO-PI-R, the CPAI-2, and demographic information – namely age, gender, religious affiliation, population group, home language, English comprehension, and test wiseness – was used. From the results it was evident that both instruments had adequate internal consistency reliability for the domain/factor scales but some reliability coefficients for facet/subscales were low. Test-retest reliability for both instruments was not ideal but this was conducted on a sample of 10 students. Construct validity for the NEO-PI-R was very good, with the five factor structure replicating in line with that proposed by Costa and McCrae (1992). Some differences were noted at the facet level but this did not detract unduly from the overall suitability of the FFM. Construct validity evidence for the CPAI-2 was more questionable. The four factor model proposed by Cheung et al. (2008) was not replicated. Instead support was better for a five factor model. There were also more subscales in the CPAI-2 than in the NEO-PI-R that were problematic. Evidence for construct and item bias across gender, population group and home language was found in both instruments. These for the most part mirrored findings from other African and South African studies. Some aspects of method bias were also examined in both instruments. The results suggest that response bias may have been influencing responses in both instruments but the effect sizes were too small to merit much attention. Finally, a thematic content analysis was conducted on the responses to the open-ended questions after each instrument. These results indicate that issues of language, culture, level of education, length of questionnaire and general appropriateness were identified by almost all of the respondents in this study. All the results obtained in this study were discussed in relation to the etic-emic debate, issues of acculturation, national identity and ethos, as well as the FFM and Five Factor Theory

From novice to expert: assessment of the levels of expertise of South African Chartered Accountants and Auditors in an academic and professional programme using the Dreyfus's Five-Stage Model of Skills Acquisition

Knowledge in professional and business related courses are grounded in real-world business contexts, which influence the theoretical aspects of an academic programme. Most students in South Africa lack prior business and auditing knowledge, which makes it difficult for them to transfer the theoretical business knowledge, skills and attributes acquired in an educational setting, to the workplace setting. The challenge for auditing educators is to facilitate the acquisition and transfer of theoretical auditing knowledge in preparation of and application for the workplace. Research studies suggest that there is a key dilemma within continuing professional education and development, which mainly relates to the tension between the academic knowledge, skills and attributes and the knowledge, skills and attributes required in professional auditing practice. The purpose of this qualitative study was to assess and compare the development of professional competencies and related expertise of different individuals at different stages in their professional auditing careers. The Dreyfus's five-stage model of skill acquisition (Dreyfus's model) offers a useful theoretical framework for understanding how individuals acquire knowledge and skills through formal instruction and experience. The five stages of the Dreyfus model are identified as novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient and expert. In this study, the adapted Dreyfus's model was used to assess the knowledge and skills needed of auditors at various stages in an academic and professional training programme in South Africa. Using ten semi-structured interviews, this study highlights the differences in the levels of expertise between experienced auditors and auditors at the novice stage of proficiency. Participants in this study included audit graduates, audit trainees and audit managers. The study found that there were distinct stages in skills development, generally in line with those suggested by the Dreyfus's model, and that there were major shifts in individuals' practice with the development of professional expertise. Central to the movement from one stage to the next is the way in which meaningful connections are made between what is already known (theory) and its application (practice). In developing a framework for understanding what auditing knowledge, skills and experiences are required at various stages, this study informs further development plans for educational workplace settings that are specifically designed for individuals to progress from one developmental stage to another

Rethinking the design for palliative care : exploring the concept of multigenerational living in Durban.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.“Architecture creates the places where human time takes place” (Harrison,2012) The process of death and dying is an aspect of our society that greatly influences our social context. That being said, the terminally ill are not often accommodated in the way that they need to be. The institutions that house the terminally ill tend to be too clinical in both the built environment and their processes. The terminally ill and their families need a chance to emotionally prepare themselves for the processes ahead of them. Even though the concepts around death and dying are often taboo, the design process should be sensitive while tackling palliative care. In the hope to ensure that the patients are exposed to nature, protection, sensory stimulation and a sense of sanctuary in a home-like environment which encourages social interaction. This dissertation proposes to focus on the physical environment of hospice care that facilitates the dying process, through the design of integrated living and palliative care. The objective is to reintroduce life within the architectural environment through the embodiment of movement, visual interest, meaning, memory, choice and integration. It focuses on ultimately understanding perception while focusing on the senses to induce a sense of wellness

The impact of African traditional healers on Antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in South Africa

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 90-93).There are few studies on the impact of African traditional healing on HIV/AIDS care and treatment in South Africa. There is a need for concrete data on the subject as many people across the African continent are thought to be accessing these kinds of healing services. This study which consists of three inter-related sub studies, investigated the impact of African traditional healers on Antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in South Africa. Each of the sub studies focused on the insights and opinions of three different populations, i.e. health care workers, traditional healers (who were affiliated with HIV/AIDS care services) and HIV positive patients. The first of the sub studies used in- depth interviews to explore the attitudes and approaches often health care professionals (nurses, doctors, ARV counsellors and a pharmacy assistant) working in ARV roll out sites in South Africa to their patients taking traditional medicine and accessing traditional healing paradigms. The sub study also probed their opinions of collaborating with traditional healers to strengthen ARV care. Furthermore, this sub study included two focus group discussions with lay health workers at two ARV sites (i.e. ARV counsellors and patient advocates). On the whole the study showed that health care professionals are concerned about the possibility of traditional healers undermining an ARV roll out programme. These perceptions are based on concerns that traditional healers may provide untested substances to HIV positive patients that could interact adversely with ARV drugs. They also believed that traditional healers could discourage patients from adhering to their ARV regimen. However, despite these concerns, most of the health care professionals were willing to collaborate with traditional healers but the partnership would have to be formed on the basis of the principles of the biomedical paradigm of healing. Health care professionals preferred to be solely in charge of the ARV drug regimen with (biomedically) trained traditional healers supporting them. They preferred traditional healers to concentrate solely on symbolic rituals. The focus groups with the ARV counsellors and patient advocates show that these lay health workers support an ARV roll out process that effectively underplays the role of traditional healers and therefore actively discourage their patients from using traditional healing services while taking ARV treatment. The second sub study complements the first and used in-depth interviews to explore the attitudes and approaches of five female traditional healers (working in HIV/AIDS organizations in the Western Cape) towards the use of ARV treatment by their clients. This study also explored their attitudes towards a partnership with the formal public health sector with regard to HIV/ AIDS care. The sub study showed that traditional healers are concerned about the wellbeing of HIV positive people. All of the traditional healers who were recruited into this study were in favour of a partnership with health care workers as long as such a partnership is based on mutual collaboration and respect. The third sub study was a study of HIV positive patients attending health facilities that provide ARV care. A semi structured questionnaire was adapted from instruments used in previous studies and was complemented by in depth interviews with patients who reported use of traditional healing systems in the past year. This sub study explored the attitudes of the respondents towards African traditional healers and their practices. The responses of the patients show that the majority of respondents have never accessed a traditional healing service. Some of the patients recruited in the study said they had accessed a traditional healing service before they had begun ARV treatment or before they were recruited into this study. They expressed the reasons for their choice. Only two patients were found to be actively crossing between ARV treatment facilities and traditional healing services at the time of their interview. A public health and human rights analysis suggests means of incorporating a traditional healer in ARV care, whereby an ARV treatment policy can respect cultural rights of patients and traditional healers while simultaneously improving ARV treatment infrastructure. Limitations encountered in the study such as location of the research sites, nature of the respondents and the ways in which the questions were worded to the respondents were addressed through efforts by the researcher. The study concludes that a partnership between traditional healers and the formal public health sector is feasible but must incorporate respect for cultural rights