Genus six curves, K3 surfaces, and stable pairs

A general smooth curve of genus six lies on a quintic del Pezzo surface. In \cite{AK11}, Artebani and Kond\=o construct a birational period map for genus six curves by taking ramified double covers of del Pezzo surfaces. The map is not defined for special genus six curves. In this paper, we construct a smooth Deligne-Mumford stack $\mathfrak{P}_0$ parametrizing certain stable surface-curve pairs which essentially resolves this map. Moreover, we give an explicit description of pairs in $\mathfrak{P}_0$ containing special curves.Comment: This is v2. Exposition has been improved due to referee comments. To appear in IMR

Socially and Emotionally Competent Leadership: Practices That Shape the Sources of Collective Efficacy

Thesis advisor: Raquel MuñizResearch has shown that collective efficacy, school-based leadership, and social and emotional (SEL) competencies positively contribute to student success. In the context of education, collective efficacy refers to whether teachers believe in the ability and capacity of their colleagues to support the achievement of all students. Limited research has examined the bridge between leadership practices and the primary sources of collective efficacy: mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, verbal/social persuasion, and affective states. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify leadership practices and determine how they shaped the sources of collective efficacy. Findings indicated that leadership practices – meeting time, professional development, positive praise, coaching, feedback, and sharing expertise – modeled the SEL competencies of social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Implications of these findings further establish the sources of collective efficacy as influential factors that shape adult interactions, actions, reflections, and ultimately, student achievement.Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2020.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education

Leadership Practices that Support Marginalized Students: District and School Leaders' Support for LGBTQ Youth

Thesis advisor: Lauri JohnsonLesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth are a marginalized student population in school settings. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine whether and how district and school leaders’ knowledge, attitudes/beliefs, and practices regarding LGBTQ students affected school policies for advocacy, anti-discrimination, and proactive care for this marginalized population. It was part of a larger group case study of how leaders support marginalized students in a Massachusetts urban school district. Data was gathered and analyzed from eight semi-structured interviews, document reviews, and observation of a student organization meeting. Results showed that leaders created and sustained safe environments in schools for LGBTQ youth, made efforts to urge the normalization of LGBTQ advocacy and discourse, and afforded opportunities for LGBTQ student-led activism. The study also found that district and school leaders need to further their systemic efforts toward establishing and implementing inclusive LGBTQ curriculum and instruction. Implications of this study reveal that district and school leadership practices must be explicitly designed, implemented, and sustained in order to effectively support LGBTQ youth.Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2020.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education

Border States: Destroying Partition and Defending the Realm, 1949-1961

Thesis advisor: Oliver P. RaffertyThesis advisor: Robert J. SavageIrish Republicans found themselves at a crisis moment in 1949. Legislation enacted by each state on the island affirmed the political reality of Ireland’s partition. The Southern state declared an Irish Republic while the Northern state affirmed Northern Ireland’s continuing integration with the United Kingdom. The partition of island between these two governments was reinforced by the Irish border in the 1950s as it had been for the previous three decades. The Irish Republican Army remained committed to ending the separation through force while the Northern Ireland security apparatus steadfastly safeguarded the realm against any foreign incursion or domestic insurrection. Irish Republicanism reorganized and the IRA launched a disastrously planned and under-resourced Border Campaign between 1956 and 1962. The IRA was fully repelled by the Northern security forces: the Royal Ulster Constabulary supported by the Special Constabulary with security assistance from the governments in Belfast, London and, eventually, Dublin. The militant aspect was accompanied by political measures that reaped electoral gains and signs of public support peaking in the mid-1950s before a clear repudiation of the movement by the end of the decade. By the start of the 1960s, the IRA had been defeated and Irish Republicanism was reeling, unsure of its future political vitality and social relevance. Northern Ireland and the Irish border was more secure than at any point in its previous 40 years of existing, ruled by a strong, confident British Unionist hegemony. For Irish Republicans living on the frontier of the Northern Ireland state, new modes of political thinking and confrontational actions with the state had been attempted and ultimately abandoned. This project examines the main dynamics at play along the Irish border between 1949 and 1961. Focus will be on the Sinn Féin, the IRA and Liam Kelly’s Republican splinter group Saor Uladh, the RUC, B-Specials and militant-political Unionism, and the role of governments in Belfast, Dublin and London during the costly decade of the 1950s.Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2020.Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: History

Leadership Practices That Support Marginalized Students: Culturally Responsive Discipline for African American, Hispanic, and Latinx Students

Thesis advisor: Lauri JohnsonTraditionally, schools have suspended students of color at significantly higher rates than White students. Culturally responsive classroom practices have been found to reduce these disparities. This exploratory case study examined whether or not teachers with low discipline referrals for African American and Hispanic/Latinx students from a midsized urban Massachusetts district report using culturally responsive discipline practices, and how their principal fosters these practices. It was part of a larger group study that examined how school and district leaders support marginalized students. Data was collected over a four-month period using semi-structured interviews with two principals and nine teachers in two schools. Interview questions were based on the Double-Check Framework (Hershfeldt etl al., 2009) which identifies culturally responsive discipline practices. Data showed that teachers with low office discipline referrals might embrace culturally responsive practices, at least to a limited degree. Additionally, while principals reported that they provided culturally responsive professional learning activities for teachers, teachers interviewed did not attribute their practices to these efforts. Results suggest that school leaders should cultivate positive relationships between students and staff to reduce discipline disparities.Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2020.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education

Socially and Emotionally Competent Leadership: School-based Leadership Practices That Shape Adult Collaboration

Thesis advisor: Raquel MuñizDue to opportunity and achievement gaps in schools, leaders face the challenge of monitoring student expectations related to academic rigor and emotional health. As a result, social and emotional learning (SEL) has gained traction for students in the field of education. However, SEL competencies are rarely developed with the adults who work with these students. In this dissertation in practice, interviews, observations and questionnaires were used to collect data about the practices of school-based leaders in a qualitative case study at the elementary and middle school levels. Research revealed what leadership practices modeled SEL competencies, practices such as those involving time and resources, relationship building and sharing of expertise; and how they shaped the ways in which adults collaborate, including honest and authentic dialogue, adult learning, and the improvement of practices. This is important due to the many leadership practices employed in schools that influence adult behaviors. The findings suggest that socially and emotionally competent leadership considers both an awareness of self and other, as it cultivates individual capabilities, collaborative relationships, and a greater capacity in the schools in which it exists.Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2020.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education

How Accurate are Retirees' Assessments of Their Retirement Risk?:

Thesis advisor: Peter IrelandRetirees with limited financial resources face numerous risks, including out-living their money (longevity risk), investment losses (market risk), unexpected health expenses (health risk), the unforeseen needs of family members (family risk), and even retirement benefit cuts (policy risk). This study systematically values and ranks the financial impacts of these risks from both the objective and subjective perspectives and then compares them to show the gaps between retirees’ actual risks and their perceptions of the risks in a unified framework. It finds that 1) under the empirical analysis, the greatest risk is longevity risk, followed by health risk; 2) under the subjective analysis, retirees perceive market risk as the highest-ranking risk due to their exaggeration of market volatility; and 3) the longevity risk and health risk are valued less in the subjective ranking than in the objective ranking, because retirees underestimate their life spans and their health costs in late life.Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2020.Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: Economics

Leadership Practices That Support Marginalized Students: Cultural Awareness and Self-reflection

Thesis advisor: Lauri JohnsonThis qualitative case study, part of a larger group study about how leaders support marginalized student populations in a Massachusetts school district, explored how leaders develop and maintain cultural awareness and self-reflection for themselves and for their teachers. The study asked: 1) How, if at all, does the leader develop and maintain critical self-reflection to support marginalized populations? And 2) What leadership practices does the leader enact, if at all, to engage teachers in cultural awareness and self-reflection? Data was gathered and analyzed from 20 semi-structured interviews, including the superintendent, two assistant superintendents, director of bilingual education, two secondary level principals, two elementary level principals, and 12 teachers, and document reviews. Findings indicate that almost all of the leader participants exhibited cultural awareness and reflectiveness which was attributed to either feeling marginalized themselves, or through childhood and professional experiences. Leaders utilized a variety of leadership practices to maintain their awareness, engage in self-reflection, and create more equitable environments for marginalized students, but these practices were not consistent, embedded, or persistent. Implications of this study reveal that district and school leadership practices to enact cultural awareness and self-reflection of leaders and teachers are critical to effectively address inequities and to support marginalized students.Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2020.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education

Socially and Emotionally Competent Leadership: Making Sense of a District-wide Focus on SEL

Thesis advisor: Raquel MunizTraditionally, district leaders are the initiators of large-scale reform efforts including the establishment of social emotional learning (SEL) initiatives. However, school-based leaders also bear the responsibility of implementing the programs and practices associated with such district-wide initiatives. While there is a significant body of research on strategies leaders can use during the implementation process, as well as the content of those strategies that enable sensemaking, there is little information about what district and school leaders should do to ensure successful implementation of social emotional learning (SEL) initiatives. Further, no research to date has focused on the manner in which district leaders support school-based leaders as they make sense of a district-wide focus on SEL, and how such a focus on SEL shapes school-based leadership practices. This study is part of a larger qualitative case study about leadership practices that model SEL competencies for adults or, promote the social and emotional learning for teachers and other staff, and the way those leadership practices shape a district and its schools in a Massachusetts public school district. The purpose of this individual study was to examine, through the lens of sensemaking, how district leaders supported school-based leaders as they made sense of a district-wide focus on SEL, how a district-wide focus on SEL shaped school-based leadership practices, and which school-based leadership practices, if any, modeled SEL competencies. Findings indicate that district leaders supported school-based leaders’ sensemaking by articulating a clear mission and goals, providing structures that fostered collaboration, and supporting professional development. However, the school-based leaders’ sensemaking could be deepened through greater opportunities to share their learning through collaboration. School-based leaders acknowledged that a district-wide focus on SEL shaped their leadership practices, namely that SEL serves as the foundation from which they lead. More specifically, all respondents mentioned leadership practices associated with the competencies of social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Implications suggest successful implementation of district-wide SEL initiatives relies on district leaders creating and supporting interactions that will support school-based leaders’ sensemaking of a district-wide focus on SEL.Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2020.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education

Emigrants, Immigrants and the State: The role of Individual States in Fostering Migration - A Swiss and American Case Study

Thesis advisor: Heather Cox RichardsonThesis advisor: Marilynn JohnsonEmigrants, Immigrants and the State: The Role of Individual States in Fostering Migration – A Swiss and American Case Study analyzes the role that individual American states (in opposition to the nation state) played in fostering migration during the long nineteenth century. The paper argues that individual states played a crucial role in fostering migration because of different economic challenges and that in order to create a more complex, and more inclusive narrative of American immigration history, scholars must pay closer attention to the individual states in Europe and the United States. Emigrants, Immigrants and the State uses a variety of primary source documents from Switzerland and the United States and provides two case studies that explain the different economic reasons that induced states to foster migration, and the ways in which they did it. The main goal of transnational state migration authorities was to provide migrants with information, financial and organizational resources, and protection along their journey. In order to achieve their goals they cooperated with different migration agencies, corporate entities, migrant aid societies, and previous migrants. The beginning of the twentieth century brought on a lot change. The Swiss federal government took on the matter of regulating emigration, and thus the Swiss cantons’ involvement became less important. In the United States, the beginning of the twentieth century brought on the rise of nativism, and eventually the federal government took control of immigration and implemented a growing number of restrictive policies. Nevertheless, the states continued to play an important but somewhat different role in migration. While some US states focused on Americanization, other American states continued to promote immigration but became more selective. In other states, such as Wisconsin, immigrant colonies and immigrant groups were able to resist the Americanization efforts.Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2019.Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: History