(2013). The World Report on Disability and People with Intellectual Disabilities. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, v10 n2 p86-88 Jun. The "World Report on Disability" was requested by the World Health Assembly, the governing body of the World Health Organization (WHO). Because disability is broader than health, WHO partnered with the World Bank. The "World Report" was published in 2011 and provides a comprehensive scientific analysis on the global situation of people with disability that can support the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability. Progress since the global launch of the Report in June 2011 has shown areas of awareness raising, policy development, funding, research, and technical support. Yet gaps exist, and there is a need to better inform policy and practice with particular reference to intellectual disability. The "World Report on Disability" makes nine recommendations: enable access to mainstream policies, systems, and services; invest in specific programs and services for people with disabilities; adopt a national… [Direct]
(2011). Retrieving the Grounding for Teacher Education Programs. AILACTE Journal, v8 p53-65 Fall. This essay argues the importance of teacher preparation programs establishing holistic programs that have a solid intellectual, philosophic foundation that goes beyond a set of prescribed outcomes. In holistic programs, understanding \why\ becomes as important as knowing \how.\ Teacher education students have a right to expect to go beyond learning a narrowly defined set of strategies; they should expect to have their world views challenged so that they can dig into the philosophic ideas that are a part of their intellectual heritage and learn to engage in the moral and ethical debates that are a vital component of being human…. [Direct]
(2016). The Role of Educational Leadership in Participation in the National Program of Science and Technology Fairs at Escuela Universitaria in the Nacional Region of Costa Rica. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of Southern California. This study applied four frameworks from academic literature in the areas of leadership, change process, 21st-century skills, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) project-based learning (PBL) to understand the various factors providing for success and participation of a school in the national science fair initiative (Programa Nacional de Ferias de Ciencia y Tecnologia [PRONAFECYT]) in Costa Rica. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of leadership in the success of and participation in PRONAFECYT at a primary school in Costa Rica, known as Escuela Universitaria. The study also reviewed instructional practices and necessary skills for preparing global workers of the future. This study was conducted in Costa Rica in cooperation with the Ministry for Public Education. Participants included government officials, business partners, site administrators, teachers, and primary students. Observations in Grade 1–6 classrooms, along with surveys of 125… [Direct]
(2017). Third Place Impact on Students' Creativity and a Comparison between Measurement Tools: An Experimental and Comparative Study. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Auburn University. Learning spaces play an important role in the learning process, as the surrounding environment helps to shape human behavior. Specifically, researchers have suggested that, as a social species, humans interacting in open and social spaces improves their behavior and interaction. Moreover, creativity is one quality that might change depending on the learning environment. The social spaces that encourage students to collaborate and interact are called 'third places' (Waxman, 2006; Oldenburg, 1989). This study hypothesizes that, in an educational setting, students who are exposed to knowledge and are involved in learning in a third place environment will demonstrate more improvement in their creativity levels than those in traditional and high-tech spaces. This is the first study to compare three types of learning spaces in terms of their effect on creativity by trying to measure the differences empirically. In addition, this research will compare the two most common assessment tools,… [Direct]
(2019). Migration, Education and Translation: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives on Human Mobility and Cultural Encounters in Education Settings. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group This multidisciplinary collection examines the connections between education, migration and translation across school and higher education sectors, and a broad range of socio-geographical contexts. Organised around the themes of knowledge, language, mobility, and practice, it brings together studies from around the world to offer a timely critique of existing practices that privilege some ways of knowing and communicating over others. With attention to issues of internationalisation, forced migration, minorities and indigenous education, this volume asks how the dominance of English in education might be challenged, how educational contexts that privilege bi- and multi-lingualism might be re-imagined, what we might learn from existing educational practices that privilege minority or indigenous languages, and how we might exercise 'linguistic hospitality' in a world marked by high levels of forced migration and educational mobility. As such, it will appeal to scholars across the… [Direct]
(2012). Thomas L. Griffiths: Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology. American Psychologist, v67 n8 p630-631 Nov. Presents a short biography of one of the winners of the American Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology (2012). Thomas L. Griffiths won the award for bringing mathematical precision to the deepest questions in human learning, reasoning, and concept formation. In his pioneering work, Thomas L. Griffiths has used probabilistic models and Bayesian learning methods to illuminate an extraordinarily wide range of problems in areas including causal reasoning, high-level hierarchical thinking, cultural evolution, theory formation, and cognitive development while also showing that thinking probabilistically can provide a genuine resolution of the age-old tension between nativism and empiricism. His rigorous mathematical and computational abilities are accompanied by an immensely creative imagination, a sure sense of the important problem, and an unerring touch for the right experiment. Griffith's Award citation and a selected… [Direct]
(2012). Plasticity of Lateralization: Schooling Predicts Hand Preference but not Hand Skill Asymmetry in a Non-Industrial Society. Neuropsychologia, v50 n5 p612-620 Apr. Considerable variation in the frequency of left-handedness between cultures has been reported, ranging from 0.5 to 24%. This variation in hand preference may have evolved under natural or cultural selection. It has been suggested that schooling affects handedness but as in most human societies only a selected and minor part of the population does not attend school this is difficult to test. We investigated to what extent schooling affects both hand preference and asymmetry in hand skill in a non-industrial population in the highlands of New Guinea. This provided unique opportunities because of the relatively recent establishment of a primary school in this population, and where people still live a non-industrial traditional life reflecting conditions in which handedness may have evolved. We interviewed 620 inhabitants (aged 5-70y) to collect demographic data and school history, tested hand preference on 10 ecologically relevant activities, and measured performance of each hand on… [Direct]
(2012). Teacher Bargaining Structures. A Brief to the Ministry of Education from the British Columbia Teachers' Federation. British Columbia Teachers' Federation Collective bargaining has evolved as a recognized way of creating a system of fairness and equity in the workplace. Full free collective bargaining is the fruition of the evolution of labour management relations. It is the mechanism that balances the power of the employer and prevents injustice and exploitation. The Supreme Court of Canada has stated that the "…right to bargain collectively with an employer enhances the human dignity, liberty and autonomy of workers by giving them the opportunity to influence the establishment of workplace rules and thereby gain some control over a major aspect of their lives, namely their work …." While not perfect, collective bargaining has proved the best mechanism for resolving disputes between management and labour. It also establishes humane and dignified working conditions and adequate remuneration for workers. It has brought relative peace to labour relations previously subject to unpredictable disruptions, hostility, and even… [PDF]
(2013). Development of a Domain Analysis Model for Electronic Institutional Review Board Systems: A Feasibility Study. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of Utah. Clinical research plays a vital role in producing knowledge valuable for understanding human disease and improving healthcare quality. Human subject protection is an obligation essential to the clinical research endeavor, much of which is governed by federal regulations and rules. Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) are responsible for overseeing human subject research to protect individuals from harm and to preserve their rights. Researchers are required to submit and maintain an IRB application, which is an important component in the clinical research process that can significantly affect the timeliness and ethical quality of the study. As clinical research has expanded in both volume and scope over recent years, IRBs are facing increasing challenges in providing efficient and effective oversight. The Clinical Research Informatics (CRI) domain has made significant efforts to support various aspects of clinical research through developing information systems and standards. However,… [Direct]
(2024). Exploring Liberatory Possibilities of Anti-Racist and Anti-Colonial Elementary Science Education across a School District. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Washington. Background: This dissertation examines the pervasive influence of the white and colonial imaginary in shaping educational narratives that promote neoliberal success and capitalism, impacting the minds of successive generations. Contemporary youth perceive these narratives as detrimental, contributing to racial violence, climate-induced displacement, and ecological degradation. The growing disillusionment among young people calls for a shift towards cultivating authentic, responsible, and reciprocal narratives prioritizing critical eco-relational significance and fostering sustainable futures (Fowler, 2023; Vamvalis, 2022; Han, 2022; Whyte, 2018). The design research shared in this dissertation not only illuminates the intricate eco-relational brilliance and radical care exhibited by some of our youngest geologists, engineers, scientists, and critically conscious citizens, but it also unveils liberatory trajectories for teacher (un)learning and pedagogical commitments associated with… [Direct]
(2001). Barriers to Equal Education for Aboriginal Learners: A Review of the Literature. A BC Human Rights Commission Report. Education is a fundamental right of all people but, for the Canadian Aboriginal community it is particularly critical for overcoming historical disadvantages. This document reports on a review of barriers to equal education for Aboriginal people. Key barriers to educational equity include issues of control, keepers of knowledge (teachers versus community), the role of curriculum in reproducing social and cultural inequalities, poverty, and overrepresentation of Aboriginal students in special education. The report makes recommendations for achieving educational equity and social justice in the public school system. Shared decision making is needed in the areas of jurisdiction and control of Aboriginal education programs, and for effective Aboriginal parental involvement in the public education system. A forum for Aboriginal youth to have input into their education should be created. The underrepresentation and role of Aboriginal teachers and support staff in the public education… [PDF]
(2012). Promoting Positive Youth Development in the Face of Contextual Changes and Challenges: The Roles of Individual Strengths and Ecological Assets. New Directions for Youth Development, n135 p119-128 Fall. Contemporary developmental theory is framed by relational developmental systems models that emphasize that change across life occurs through mutually regulative relations between individuals and their contexts (represented as individual [left arrow][right arrow] context relations). Within these models, all contextual levels are involved in these individual [left arrow][right arrow] context relations, including the institutions of society, culture, the designed and natural environment, and history (temporality). Given that temporality is the superordinate contextual level, the \arrow of time\ permeates all other levels of organization within the developmental system. As such, social change is not only a ubiquitous but a necessary feature of the relational developmental system. When individual [left arrow][right arrow] context relations are beneficial to both individual and context, they may be termed adaptive developmental regulations. In adolescence, adaptive developmental… [Direct]
(2021). Making Sense of Conflict: A Case Study for Educational Leaders. International Journal of Educational Management, v35 n7 p1445-1457. Purpose: Sensemaking is the difficult art which lies at the heart of academia. Academics bring their own ways of examining and explaining things they see. A key challenge for Carrie is how to make sense of complex and challenging situations, recognize available solutions, choose the best path moving forward, and convey all of the above to the different stakeholders, in a clear and compelling manner. According to Bolman and Gallos (2011), sensemaking involves three steps: (1) noticing something, (2) deciding what to make of it and (3) deciding what to do about it. Humans are known to be good at all three of these steps. In fact, we do it so automatically, all the time, that we often tend to overlook some important aspects of this process. Design/methodology/approach: Academics in colleges and universities attain levels of autonomy and collective power beyond employees in most other industries, which not only create challenges for administrators but also for colleagues who find… [Direct]
(2005). Funding Federal Civil Rights Enforcement: The President's 2006 Request. US Commission on Civil Rights The year 2005 marks 40 years since Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was signed into effect by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. But impediments to voting rights still exist, along with other civil rights problems. It is thus imperative that agencies be given the authority and adequate funding to carry out their civil rights responsibilities. At the same time, agencies must be accountable for achieving results that can justify continued expenditures. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, over a period of years, has collected and disseminated data relevant to civil rights enforcement funding, staffing and workload levels. This year, the Commission has also collected and reviewed data relevant to agency goals and output evaluation factors for 2003 to 2005, in order to assess whether each program is producing its intended results. Specifically, the Commission requested and obtained data representing fiscal years 1994 to 2006… [PDF]
(1998). The Holocaust and Education for Citizenship: The Teaching of History, Religion and Human Rights in England. Educational Review, v50 n1 p75-83 Feb. Interviews with a small sample of British teachers indicated the following: too little time spent teaching about the Holocaust; the Holocaust used largely as context for understanding World War II; teachers lacking perception of it as unique; and lack of clarity about the cognitive and affective goals of such instruction. (SK)…