(1995). Focus on Human Rights. Canadian Social Studies, v29 n4 p2-4 Sum. Maintains that educators have been at the forefront in the quest for equal opportunity. Asserts, however, that there is resistance to recognizing and removing bias from the curriculum and instructional materials. Discusses challenges in implementing inclusive education in Canadian schools. (CFR)…
(2021). Rethinking Neoliberal Fascism, Racist Violence, and the Plague of Inequality. Communication Teacher, v35 n3 p171-177. After decades of a savage global capitalist nightmare both in the United States and around the globe, the mobilizing passions of fascism have been unleashed unlike anything we have seen since the 1930s. The denial of the most basic elements of neoliberal fascism appears more difficult in the age of mass pandemics. Neoliberal violence now takes place under the assumption that it has escaped all control. How else to explain the collapse of public health systems underfunded for years as a result of neoliberal rule; the language of hate and violence aimed at people of color, especially under the former Trump administration; and the staggering increase in inequality in American society and its shameless counterpoint in massive increases in wealth among the ruling financial elite in an era of growing unemployment, and humans suffering in the age of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Immediate solutions such as defunding the police and improving community services are important, but they… [Direct]
(2021). Examining the Cultural Elements in Story Books Used in Teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language: Sample of Dede Korkut Stories. Online Submission, European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching v5 n6 p1-19. Language is a vital part of human connection. All people need language in order to build relations with other people. Besides this, language encodes culture and provides the means through which culture is shared and passed from one generation to the next. In this sense, language is the basis of social and communicative ability. Communication is the transmission of signals or messages through verbal or nonverbal linguistic signs. Throughout this process, effective use of cultural signs positively affects the communication cycle. Especially, the use of texts including rich cultural elements helps the learner understand the nuances of meaning. With rich motifs, fantastic fiction, elements of curiosity and rich cultural content, Dede Korkut stories are in this sense among the rare works that are suitable for in the field of teaching Turkish as a foreign language. To this end, it is of great importance to find cultural patterns embedded in Dede Korkut stories and take advantage of these… [PDF]
(2018). From the Professoriat to the Precariat: Adjunctivitis, Collegiality, and Academic Freedom. International Journal of Adult Vocational Education and Technology, v9 n4 Article 1 p1-22. Social class lies at the core of much that Marx said about the "laws of history." Class conflict was to be the means whereby capitalism would be overthrown, superseded by a revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat and, subsequently, by a communist society in which alienation and exploitation would be replaced by emancipation and the full flowering of human potential as both individuals and a species. The capitalist system, however, has proven remarkably resilient and resourceful. The welfare state ameliorated extreme economic distress, popular culture sapped revolutionary energy, and "identity politics" fragmented political radicalism. Meanwhile, the definition of social class itself became problematic. A reorganized labor market produced divisions between the traditional working class and precarious workers and, in colleges and universities, the old "professoriat" was joined by a new "precariat" that now does over two-thirds of the… [Direct]
(2015). Domestic Violence and Abuse Prevention Programmes in the Early Years Classroom: A Pastoral, Academic and Financial Priority?. Pastoral Care in Education, v33 n4 p205-213. Prevention programmes underpin every child's right to "feel" safe and to "be" safe from all forms of harm. Delivered in schools across the globe, they aim to equip children with knowledge about safety and the skills to seek help early. By drawing upon international prevalence and impact research, as well as the legal, policy and curriculum context, this short study argues that preventative education should be both a pastoral and academic priority in the early years classroom and that the cost of violence and abuse, in both human and economic terms, is so significant that even marginally effective intervention programmes could be viewed as cost-effective…. [Direct]
(1987). The Quest for Human Rights: Human Paradox. Journal of Intergroup Relations, v15 n1 p18-22 Aug. The dream of equality for blacks is being challenged by reversion to former prejudices and practices, by new legislation which retards forward movement, by law enforcement officers allowed any means to achieve their objectives, by gradual and half-hearted commitment to change, by a new global perspective, and by religion. (PS)…
(2016). Functional Brain Organization for Number Processing in Pre-Verbal Infants. Developmental Science, v19 n5 p757-769 Sep. Humans are born with the ability to mentally represent the approximate numerosity of a set of objects, but little is known about the brain systems that sub-serve this ability early in life and their relation to the brain systems underlying symbolic number and mathematics later in development. Here we investigate processing of numerical magnitudes before the acquisition of a symbolic numerical system or even spoken language, by measuring the brain response to numerosity changes in pre-verbal infants using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). To do this, we presented infants with two types of numerical stimulus blocks: number change blocks that presented dot arrays alternating in numerosity and no change blocks that presented dot arrays all with the same number. Images were carefully constructed to rule out the possibility that responses to number changes could be due to non-numerical stimulus properties that tend to co-vary with number. Interleaved with the two types of… [Direct]
(2014). Doing the Right Thing for Children: Eight Qualities of Leadership. Redleaf Press Maurice Sykes has made advocating for and advancing high-quality early childhood education his life's work. Through mentorships, presentations, and personal example, Maurice challenges and inspires educators to become effective leaders who make a difference in children's lives. He does the same in "Doing the Right Thing for Children: Eight Qualities of Leadership," as he shares stories of the hills and valleys of his personal and professional journeys throughout the presentation of eight core leadership values: human potential, knowledge, social justice, competence, fun and enjoyment, personal renewal, perseverance, and courage. Use this book to develop the skills, knowledge, and habits of mind you need to be a successful leader–and do the right thing for children, whether you serve at the individual, organizational, or classroom level…. [Direct]
(2019). Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Genotype-Specific Differences in Cortical Activation in Chronic Aphasia. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, v62 n11 p3923-3936 Nov. Purpose: The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene has been shown to be important for synaptic plasticity in animal models. Human research has suggested that BDNF genotype may influence stroke recovery. Some studies have suggested a genotype-specific motor-related brain activation in stroke recovery. However, recovery from aphasia in relation to BDNF genotype and language-related brain activation has received limited attention. We aimed to explore functional brain activation by BDNF genotype in individuals with chronic aphasia. Consistent with findings in healthy individuals and individuals with poststroke motor impairment, we hypothesized that, among individuals with aphasia, the presence of the Met allele of the BDNF gene is associated with reduced functional brain activation compared to noncarriers of the Met allele. Method: Eighty-seven individuals with chronic stroke-induced aphasia performed a naming task during functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning and… [Direct]
(2019). Wording Their Own Worlds: A Phenomenological Exploration of Teachers' Lived Experiences of Teacher Leadership. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Maryland, College Park. Teacher leadership remains prominent in policy, career ladder programs, research, and professional discourse, yet few studies center what teacher leadership is like for teachers or what teachers are seeking when they construct their own career pathways. This gap is important to address. Teacher dissatisfaction certainly leads to recruitment and attrition challenges, but there is also an imperative for education as a human institution to attend to teachers' needs. This study describes the lived experiences six teachers and the author had of teacher leadership. Following the methodology of hermeneutic phenomenology as articulated by Heidegger, Gadamer, and van Manen, participant descriptions and other lifeworld texts are analyzed to render themes that evoke the lived bodies, time, spaces, and relationships of teacher leadership. Metaphorically, teacher leaders travel into between-spaces, across borders, and over edges in response to their callings. Teachers experience teacher… [Direct]
(2020). Predicting the Future in Child and Family Social Work: Theoretical, Ethical and Methodological Issues for a Proposed Research Programme. Child Care in Practice, v26 n2 p196-209. Social workers are constantly predicting the future. In England and Wales there is a legal duty on them to do so, as the 1989 Children Act requires workers to assess not only whether children "have" suffered significant harm, but also whether they are "likely" to do so. Similarly, in Northern Ireland social workers are required by The Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 to do the same. On a more mundane level, social workers are constantly making predictions about whether a parent might use and benefit from a particular service, whether there will be a further incident of domestic violence or even whether a family will be in (or not) for a home visit. Yet predicting the future is hard and doing so with complete accuracy is impossible. Social work is not the only area where prediction is necessary. In the "Good Judgment Project," forecasts made by experts were found, over relatively long timeframes, to be no better than chance. On the other hand, some… [Direct]
(2013). A Human Capital Framework for a Stronger Teacher Workforce. Advancing Teaching–Improving Learning. White Paper. Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Building a stronger teacher workforce requires the thoughtful orchestration of multiple processes working together in a human capital system. This white paper presents a framework that can be used to take stock of current efforts to enhance the teacher workforce in school districts or educational organizations, as well as their underlying theories of how the teacher workforce improves over time. The paper refines and provides evidentiary support for a human capital system framework composed of four subsystems that ideally work together to build a stronger teacher workforce: (1) getting the right teachers in the right positions on time (Acquire); (2) supporting professional growth in school-based learning communities (Develop); (3) nurturing, rewarding, and challenging high-performing teachers (Sustain); and (4) informing evidence-based personnel decisions (Evaluate). Attention to this framework will engender a corps of teachers with the capacity and expertise to collectively… [PDF]
(1994). 1994 State Legislation on Native American Issues. This report includes state-by-state summaries of 1994 legislation pertaining to Native American issues. Of 344 bills introduced in the state legislatures in 1994, 92 were enacted and 20 are still pending. Major issues addressed in 1994 legislation included Native American education; history, language, and culture preservation; sovereignty; law enforcement and jurisdiction; land rights; tribal gaming; health and human services; water and fishing rights; taxation of tribal property; state-tribal relations; Native American affairs groups; sacred burial site preservation; housing authority; appropriations (general); economic and natural resource development; and tribal status recognition. Appendices include an overview of all bills proposed in each state, a list of Native American state legislators, a list of federally recognized tribes of each state, and Native American population by state. (LP)… [PDF]
(2007). Military Famine, Human Rights, and Child Hunger: A Cross-National Analysis, 1990-2000. Journal of Conflict Resolution, v51 n6 p823-847. Discussions of world hunger have focused on economic growth and international food aid, assuming that food supply is the critical issue. The authors show that food access rooted in social stratification and military power is the central problem. Synthesizing the entitlement and military famine approaches to hunger, the authors examine the effects of food supply, economic growth, social stratification, and military power on child hunger in less developed countries (1990-2000) using a cross-national analysis. Child hunger is largely due to gender stratification, militarization, and armed conflict. Halting wars, expanding political rights, and improving gender equity reduce child hunger. Economic growth and programmatic international food aid reduce child hunger, but there are no benefits from increased total food supply or international emergency relief. Child hunger is an access problem best addressed by expanding social and political rights, reducing armed conflict and… [Direct]
(1980). Desegregation in the 80's: Concerns and Challenges for Public Education. The underlying reason for the failure of United States schools to provide equal educational opportunity to black children can be found in the Brown v Board of Education decision, which was unwanted and written from the perspective that blacks are an inferior group. This discriminatory basis has caused resistance to school desegregation economically, politically, and socially. Statistics demonstrate that reluctant integration has resulted in a loss of role models and leadership positions within schools for black students. Change will be effected only if the underlying assumption that differences imply superior and inferior groups is abandoned. Americans should reaffirm their respect for human dignity and recommit themselves to American principles of the equality and inalienable rights of all human beings. (MK)… [PDF]