Contextual research for educational improvement: A collaborative process in Northern California

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 237-250
Author(s):  
Hadar Baharav ◽  
Elizabeth Newman
Keyword(s):  
School Improvement ◽  
College Readiness ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Informed Decision Making ◽  
Northern California ◽  
Collaborative Approach ◽  
Educational Improvement ◽  
Structure Framework ◽  
Insight Into

Using an inquiry-based approach to address the challenge of improving schools provides opportunities for informed decision making and carries great promise for return on investment. Taking a collaborative approach toward improvement can be complex, yet also rewarding because of the opportunity to leverage the knowledge and capacity of multiple entities. The article presents an example of an education collaborative in Northern California that took an inquiry-based approach to their regional school improvement challenge of improving rates of college readiness and completion. The article provides insight into the structure, framework, and tools that were used to build and support the work of the collaborative, and reflects on the conditions that promote successful implementation of an inquiry-based approach to drive system change. Moreover, because each partner in the collaborative progressed through a unique process of inquiry and improvement, the article affords an opportunity to consider school improvement in multiple settings.

Moving teachers to the center of school improvement

2020 ◽  
Vol 101 (6) ◽  
pp. 29-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edit Khachatryan ◽  
Emma Parkerson
Keyword(s):  
School Improvement ◽  
Social Organization ◽  
National Writing Project ◽  
Educational Improvement ◽  
Writing Project ◽  
The Social ◽  
Insight Into

Teachers have historically been at the margins of educational improvement, and they are just beginning to drive improvements in the profession. Networked improvement communities (NICs) are one approach for collective reprofessionalization of teaching, where practice is defined and managed by practitioners. Edit Khachatryan and Emma Parkerson offer insight into the social organization of a NIC and use two real and mature networks — the Network to Transform Teaching and the National Writing Project — to describe how NICs structure roles and relationships and foster vital norms and identities among professionals.

Effects of Group Cohesiveness on Attitude Polarization and the Acquisition of Knowledge in a Strategic Planning Context

1983 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Whitney ◽  
Ruth A. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Group Membership ◽  
Strategic Plan ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Group Cohesiveness ◽  
Attitude Polarization ◽  
The Social ◽  
Transmission Of Information ◽  
Persuasive Arguments ◽  
Effective Transmission ◽  
Insight Into

Successful implementation of a corporate strategic plan requires the support of all individuals in the organization, some of whom play different, and possibly conflicting, roles. Cohesiveness within groups that favor different sides of an issue was examined to determine its effect on attitude polarization. The findings suggest that cohesiveness can result in greater polarization, thereby impeding the successful implementation of the strategic plan. The study findings also afford insight into the attitude polarization process brought about by group interaction. The social comparison and persuasive-arguments theories, which make different predictions about this process, are not necessarily competing as has been previously suggested. The results suggest that the relative validity of the explanation offered by each theory is determined by the environment in which interaction between groups occurs. Specifically, when group cohesiveness was enhanced, information was not transmitted effectively as predicted by the persuasive-arguments theory. However, when the value of group membership was de-emphasized, an effective transmission of information occurred during intergroup discussions.

scholarly journals Cleaning up our water: reducing interferences from nonhomogeneous freezing of “pure” water in droplet freezing assays of ice-nucleating particles

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 5315-5334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Polen ◽  
Thomas Brubaker ◽  
Joshua Somers ◽  
Ryan C. Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Pure Water ◽  
Freezing Temperature ◽  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Ice Nucleation ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Water Control ◽  
Temperature Spectra ◽  
Droplet Sizes ◽  
Mixed Phase Clouds ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract. Droplet freezing techniques (DFTs) have been used for half a century to measure the concentration of ice-nucleating particles (INPs) in the atmosphere and determine their freezing properties to understand the effects of INPs on mixed-phase clouds. The ice nucleation community has recently adopted droplet freezing assays as a commonplace experimental approach. These droplet freezing experiments are often limited by contamination that causes nonhomogeneous freezing of the “pure” water used to generate the droplets in the heterogeneous freezing temperature regime that is being measured. Interference from the early freezing of water is often overlooked and not fully reported, or measurements are restricted to analyzing the more ice-active INPs that freeze well above the temperature of the background water. However, this avoidance is not viable for analyzing the freezing behavior of less active INPs in the atmosphere that still have potentially important effects on cold-cloud microphysics. In this work we review a number of recent droplet freezing techniques that show great promise in reducing these interferences, and we report our own extensive series of measurements using similar methodologies. By characterizing the performance of different substrates on which the droplets are placed and of different pure water generation techniques, we recommend best practices to reduce these interferences. We tested different substrates, water sources, droplet matrixes, and droplet sizes to provide deeper insight into what methodologies are best suited for DFTs. Approaches for analyzing droplet freezing temperature spectra and accounting and correcting for the background “pure” water control spectrum are also presented. Finally, we propose experimental and data analysis procedures for future homogeneous and heterogeneous ice nucleation studies to promote a more uniform and reliable methodology that facilitates the ready intercomparison of ice-nucleating particles measured by DFTs.

A Study of User Participation in Information Systems Development

1994 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Y.W. Wong ◽  
Graham Tate
Keyword(s):  
System Development ◽  
User Involvement ◽  
User Participation ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Implementation Success ◽  
Future Developments ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Participation Process ◽  
Insight Into

User participation in information system development is considered to be an important factor influencing implementation success or failure. The ETHICS (Effective Technical and Human Implementation of Computer-based Systems) method was developed as a guide to user involvement in system design. A case study of successful implementation which did not use the ETHICS method explicitly is described. The case study and the ETHICS methodology are then compared and contrasted in an attempt to gain greater insight into user participation and to understand why the implementation was successful. Furthermore, techniques of software process modelling are applied to both ETHICS and the case study with the intention of more closely defining the user participation process and potentially also guiding it in future developments. The case study is used as a vehicle both to examine user participation and also to investigate the modelling of user participation.

E-maintenance research: a multifaceted perspective

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 606-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Gamal Shehata Aboelmaged
Keyword(s):  
Operations Management ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Science And Engineering ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Adoption And Implementation ◽  
Maintenance Process ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a multifaceted perspective on e-maintenance research and practice over 12 years from 2002 to 2013. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative research approach is conducted through analysing e-maintenance literature published in peer-review journals from 2002 to 2013 in operations management, information systems, computer science and engineering disciplines. Findings – A multifaceted perspective that reflects evolutionary, managerial, and technological domains of e-maintenance research has been emerged and explained. In addition, stages of e-maintenance process (i.e. integration, aggregation, and prediction) tend to synchronize with organizational levels (i.e. strategic, tactical, and operational) and stimulate the value of e-maintenance practices across the enterprise. However, there are many managerial and technological challenges that inhibit successful implementation of e-maintenance system. Practical implications – The present research offers managers and vendors a frame of reference that facilitates e-maintenance adoption and implementation. In addition, there is a need for theoretical as well as empirical research in the future to validate the multifaceted perspective in the present study and to obtain more insight into the nature of e-maintenance issues in various settings. Originality/value – The present paper is one of the first attempts to bridge the gaps in a currently cluttered field of e-maintenance research. It also provides both academics and practitioners with a useful framework that sustains rigorous e-maintenance research and practice.

School improvement plans, a tool to improve the quality of education

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 440-450
Author(s):  
Ignacio Hernan Gonzalez Escobar
Keyword(s):  
School Improvement ◽  
Quality Of Education ◽  
Direct Impact ◽  
Educational Improvement ◽  
Different Characteristics ◽  
The Impact

Much has been said about school improvement plans (SIPs), which have been implemented in many countries, with different characteristics and with different results in each of them. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate, through the research carried out, the impact of SIPs on students’ learning and, from that perspective, to determine what characteristics the research should have in order to have a direct impact on students’ learning. To this end, an exhaustive bibliographic review will be carried out to show the effects of the improvement plans in the communities, counties or countries that have implemented them. The result of the above will be to determine, according to the few existing investigations, the elements that SIPs must have in order to have an impact on student’s learning. Keywords: School improvement plans, improving the quality of education, educational improvement, accountability.

scholarly journals BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY IN THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION: NEW APPROACHES TO AGE-OLD QUESTIONS

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela L Clark ◽  
Charlotte L King ◽  
Hallie R Buckley ◽  
Catherine J Collins ◽  
Neha Dhavale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Modern Human ◽  
Biological Anthropology ◽  
Pacific Region ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Collaborative Approach ◽  
Subsistence Change ◽  
Anthropological Research ◽  
Archaeological Models ◽  
The Many ◽  
Insight Into

<p>Biological anthropological research, the study of both modern and past humans, is a burgeoning field in the Indo-Pacific region. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the unique environments of the Indo-Pacific have resulted in an archaeological record that does not necessarily align with those in the northern hemisphere. New, regionally-specific archaeological models are being developed, and biological anthropological research has an important role to play in establishing past human experience within these models. In the Indo-Pacific, research using ancient and modern human tissues is adding insight into global processes of prehistoric settlement and migrations, subsistence change and human biosocial adaptation. This review synthesises current themes in biological anthropology in this region. It highlights the diverse methods and approaches used by biological anthropologists to address globally-relevant archaeological questions. In recent decades a collaborative approach between archaeologists, biological anthropologists and local communities has become the norm in the region. The many positive outcomes of this multi-disciplinary approach are highlighted here through the use of regionally-specific case studies. This review ultimately aims to stimulate further collaborations between archaeologists, biological anthropologists and the communities in the region, and demonstrate how the evidence from Indo-Pacific research may be relevant to global archaeological models. </p>

scholarly journals Class teachers’ experiences in implementing innovative teaching methods within the in-service training programmes

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 234-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milja Vujacic ◽  
Rajka Djevic ◽  
Jelena Stanisic
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Methods ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Pedagogical Beliefs ◽  
Innovative Teaching ◽  
Teachers Experiences ◽  
Innovative Solutions ◽  
Service Training ◽  
Training Programmes ◽  
Insight Into

Teacher in-service training is one of the ways to introduce innovative solutions to teaching, whereby obtaining an insight into teachers? experiences proves to be vital for understanding this process. In our country, the studies dealing with this problem are fairly rare. Using this as a starting point, the aim of our study was to obtain an insight into class teachers? experiences in implementing innovative teaching methods during the in-service training programmes whose focus was on encouraging the cooperation and creativity of students during classes. This study is a part of a more extensive experimental research that was conducted at a primary school in Belgrade within the Trefoil educational model. The sample included eight first-grade and second-grade class teachers, whose conversations, which took place during ten meetings of the teachers? board, were analysed. A qualitative thematic content analysis was used in data processing. The results indicate that the previous knowledge and experience of class teachers, as well as their implicit pedagogical beliefs, are important factors which determine the successfulness of the implementation of innovative solutions in teaching. The implementation of innovative methods in teaching and the exchange of experiences with colleagues and the facilitator during the in-service training have contributed to the re-examination of class teachers? implicit pedagogical beliefs and the shift in their work with respect to motivation, effectiveness, cooperation with colleagues and implementing a differentiated approach in teaching. Class teachers? perceptions also point towards the positive changes when it comes to students? motivation and their more active positioning during classes. The key implications of the current study refer to the necessity of intensifying the long-term programmes in our in-service teacher training system that would create the necessary conditions for a more successful implementation of innovative solutions in teaching. Finally, it is also pointed out to the limitations of the current study.

scholarly journals Tipping the balance: intricate roles of the complement system in disease and therapy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard B. Pouw ◽  
Daniel Ricklin
Keyword(s):  
Complement System ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Effector Functions ◽  
Complement Inhibitors ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The Complement System ◽  
Excessive Activation ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractThe ability of the complement system to rapidly and broadly react to microbial intruders, apoptotic cells and other threats by inducing forceful elimination responses is indispensable for its role as host defense and surveillance system. However, the danger sensing versatility of complement may come at a steep price for patients suffering from various immune, inflammatory, age-related, or biomaterial-induced conditions. Misguided recognition of cell debris or transplants, excessive activation by microbial or damaged host cells, autoimmune events, and dysregulation of the complement response may all induce effector functions that damage rather than protect host tissue. Although complement has long been associated with disease, the prevalence, impact and complexity of complement’s involvement in pathological processes is only now becoming fully recognized. While complement rarely constitutes the sole driver of disease, it acts as initiator, contributor, and/or exacerbator in numerous disorders. Identifying the factors that tip complement’s balance from protective to damaging effects in a particular disease continues to prove challenging. Fortunately, however, molecular insight into complement functions, improved disease models, and growing clinical experience has led to a greatly improved understanding of complement’s pathological side. The identification of novel complement-mediated indications and the clinical availability of the first therapeutic complement inhibitors has also sparked a renewed interest in developing complement-targeted drugs, which meanwhile led to new approvals and promising candidates in late-stage evaluation. More than a century after its description, complement now has truly reached the clinic and the recent developments hold great promise for diagnosis and therapy alike.

Scientific Contributions of Within-Person Research in Management: Making the Juice Worth the Squeeze

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 321-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian W. McCormick ◽  
Cody J. Reeves ◽  
Patrick E. Downes ◽  
Ning Li ◽  
Remus Ilies
Keyword(s):  
Great Promise ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Temporal Precision ◽  
Person Perspective ◽  
Perspective Drawing ◽  
Correlational Data ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Level Of Analysis ◽  
Made In

A multitude of studies in the management literature are focusing on within-person phenomena. The study of such phenomena offers great promise as within-person research facilitates the capacity to enhance temporal precision, show change over time, and reveal the kinds of novel insights that are not possible if relying solely on a traditional between-person perspective. Drawing on the features of within-person research that comprise its unique value proposition, we conduct a quantitative and narrative review of within-person studies to ascertain the degree to which these studies are maximizing the contribution and impact that they can make to the field of management. We pose three research questions that we present as a holistic framework for assessing the contributions of within-person research. To answer our questions, we synthesize across studies and analyze variability data, correlational data, and researchers’ hypothesizing to show (a) the degree to which hypotheses in within-person studies incorporate temporality; (b) the differential within-person fluctuation and variability that exists based on construct, theoretical, and measurement-related factors; and (c) the degree to which within-person relationships are different from equivalent between-person relationships. While our data and conclusions offer insight into the contributions being made by the within-person literature at large, we also propose that our framework can be used at the individual study level of analysis to help optimize the contributions made in future within-person research.

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