scholarly journals From G.E.D. to Ph.D.: Eric Thomas as a Model of Educational Success

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Cassandra D. Chaney ◽  
Nia Nicks ◽  
Conial Caldwell
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
The United States ◽  
Work Life ◽  
School Level ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Educational Success ◽  
High School Level ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Academic Challenges ◽  
Educational Challenges

Since the General Educational Development (GED) Program was established in 1943, more than 17 million people have received a GED Credential. According to the American Council on Education (ACOE), the GED test is considered an alternative option to the US High school diploma, HiSET and TASC tests; the GED test verifies whether the test taker has the United States or Canadian high school-level academic skills (Larson et al., 2016; Rice, 2016). The GED tests entail five subject contents such as writing skills, reading skills, social studies, science, and mathematics—and although the standards required for passing the tests vary across states, these standards are generally similar (Larson et al., 2016; Rice, 2016). This chapter will examine the words Dr. Eric Thomas uses during an interview on the day that he obtained his Ph.D. (Philosophy in Education) from Michigan State University. During this interview with Glenn Twiddle, Dr. Thomas discusses the various factors that motivated him to pursue and earn a Ph.D. In particular, this content analysis will determine the themes Dr. Thomas believes are essential catalysts for educational success. Qualitative analysis of Dr. Thomas’s interview reveals four themes related to (a) The Habit of Avoiding Challenges; (b) The Value of Facing Challenges; (c) The Importance of Receiving Encouragement and Accepting Help; (d) The Fragility of Work-Life Balance. Essentially, these themes highlight Dr. Thomas’s initial habit of running from academic challenges, the reasons why he faced educational challenges in his life, what he learned about himself after facing academic challenges, the importance of receiving encouragement and accepting help from others, as well as how he manages work-life balance.

Differences in Career Satisfaction, Work–life Balance, and Stress by Gender in a National Survey of Pharmacy Faculty

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 415-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric J. Ip ◽  
Tristan A. Lindfelt ◽  
Annie L. Tran ◽  
Amanda P. Do ◽  
Mitchell J. Barnett
Keyword(s):  
Career Satisfaction ◽  
Pharmacy Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
Work Life ◽  
School Level ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Academic Rank ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Web Based ◽  
The Impact

Introduction The percentage of women pharmacy students and pharmacy faculty has greatly increased over the last 40 years. However, it is not known whether gender differences exist in terms of career satisfaction, work–life balance, and stress in the pharmacy academia workplace. Methods Results from a national web-based survey administered to American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) members were utilized. Bivariate analyses were conducted to compare differences among faculty according to gender (men vs women). A series of multivariate models controlling for demographic and other faculty and school-level factors were created to explore the impact of gender on satisfaction with current position, satisfaction with work–life balance, and perceived stress. Results Among the 802 survey respondents, 457 (57.0%) women were more likely to be younger, hold a lower academic rank, and be in a pharmacy practice department, relative to 345 (43.0%) men. In adjusted results, men pharmacy faculty were more likely to report being extremely satisfied with their current job, more likely to report being extremely satisfied with their work–life balance, and score lower on a standardized stress measure relative to women. Conclusion While primarily descriptive, the results suggest women pharmacy faculty in the United States are less satisfied with their current academic position, less satisfied with their current work–life balance, and have higher stress levels compared to men even after controlling for age, academic rank, and department (along with other factors). Further research is needed to explore and address causes of the observed gender-related differences among pharmacy faculty.

Considerations Regarding Anthropology in High School Curricula

1961 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 134-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Leeds
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Rice Paddy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cultural Relativism ◽  
School Level ◽  
Western World ◽  
Total System ◽  
High School Level ◽  
Or Economics ◽  
School Curricula

Few courses in anthropology have been taught as such at the high school level in the United States. Nevertheless, both in high schools and in elementary schools, and more particularly in the private schools, information which the anthropologists consider their own special interest has been used. Thus, children may be taught information about the Eskimo, apparently the favorite culture to represent the non-Western world and almost undoubtedly the only primitive one existing in the curriculum-makers' Baedeker, although an occasional bow in made to the American plains or Southwest. Now and then, studies of the major Asian countries are made whose focus is cultural rather than properly geographical. Other cultures, ranging up to the most complex, ordinarily appear to be brought into a curriculum more as functions of the description of the locations inhabited by humans than as descriptions, informed by some conception as to the nature of culture, of the specific cultures themselves. In short, one may safely assert, I believe, that the students get some sense of the variations exhibited by societies but mostly as curiosa and oddities of peculiar peoples. They do not get a sense of the cultural necessities of variation and differences as these derive from the technological articulations with environment. Rather, variation and differences are presented as if they were more or less accidentally associated with particular kinds of geographic features. Children appear rarely to be taught that there is such a class of events as technologies which can systematically be studied like geography or economics. Rather, they become familiar only with technical activities which they see as scattered hither and yon rather planlessly on the earth's far-away surfaces, activities such as camel-herding here, rice-paddy planting there. Certainly they get no sense of the effects of technology as a formal determinant of social structure and as conditioners of ideologies; far less are they presented, or do they achieve, a notion of culture as a total system. Much less are they led to see culture as a system which operates by its own laws, which has its own distinguishing characteristics and process, and whose variants cannot be reduced to any known ultimate value hierarchy. Thus, by learning mere esoterica, they are prevented from learning the fundamental first step required of all anthropologists, the scientific and ethical principle of cultural relativism. Consequently, too, they are prevented from learning the kind of perspective on world, culture, and self which anthropology can afford.

scholarly journals Comparing the Performance on the MI and SAT/PSAT for the Purpose of Monitoring Student Achievement

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 590-596
Author(s):  
Michael McDonald ◽  
◽  
Yulei Pang
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High Schools ◽  
High School Teachers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Student Growth ◽  
School Level ◽  
High School Level ◽  
School Year ◽  
School Time ◽  
Math Problems

This paper will discuss the correlation between the SAT and the Math Inventory Test. Many school districts adopted the Math Inventory as a tool to measure student growth from grades kindergarten through high school. The Math Inventory is a computer-administered test that gives students math problems spanning from counting to high school level math. When completed, the students are given a quantile measure, much like a Lexile score for reading skill. The purpose of this study is to figure out if success on the Math Inventory is a good indicator for performing well on the SAT. For most high schools around the United States, objectives and lessons are aligned with those of the SAT. The goal of high school teachers is for students to excel on the SAT so that they can go to college, which means the tests used in middle school should be aligned with that goal. If the Math Inventory is not, then it might not be a very good use of school time and resources. Data was analyzed from the 2017-2018 school year from ten different high schools in an urban school district to determine the correlation between Math Inventory score, and the math score/sub scores of SAT/PSAT. The value of the Pearson’s correlation coefficient is used to suggest a fairly moderate positive relationship between these two variables.

Are You in Balance!!

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Supriya Jha
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Personal Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Home Life

The expression "work-life balance" was first used in the late 1970s to describe the balance between an individual's work and personal life. In the United States, this phrase was first used in 1986. As the separation between work and home life has diminished, this concept has become more relevant than ever before.

scholarly journals Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Nephrology Fellow Training and Well-Being in the United States: A National Survey

2021 ◽  
pp. ASN.2020111636
Author(s):  
Kurtis A. Pivert ◽  
Suzanne M. Boyle ◽  
Susan M. Halbach ◽  
Lili Chan ◽  
Hitesh H. Shah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
United States ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Preparedness For Practice

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic’s effects on nephrology fellows’ educational experiences, preparedness for practice, and emotional wellbeing are unknown.MethodsWe recruited current adult and pediatric fellows and 2020 graduates of nephrology training programs in the United States to participate in a survey measuring COVID-19’s effects on their training experiences and wellbeing.ResultsOf 1005 nephrology fellows-in-training and recent graduates, 425 participated (response rate 42%). Telehealth was widely adopted (90% for some or all outpatient nephrology consults), as was remote learning (76% of conferences were exclusively online). Most respondents (64%) did not have in-person consults on COVID-19 inpatients; these patients were managed by telehealth visits (27%), by in-person visits with the attending faculty without fellows (29%), or by another approach (9%). A majority of fellows (84%) and graduates (82%) said their training programs successfully sustained their education during the pandemic, and most fellows (86%) and graduates (90%) perceived themselves as prepared for unsupervised practice. Although 42% indicated the pandemic had negatively affected their overall quality of life and 33% reported a poorer work-life balance, only 15% of 412 respondents who completed the Resident Well-Being Index met its distress threshold. Risk for distress was increased among respondents who perceived the pandemic had impaired their knowledge base (odds ratio [OR], 3.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.00 to 4.77) or negatively affected their quality of life (OR, 3.47; 95% CI, 2.29 to 5.46) or work-life balance (OR, 3.16; 95% CI, 2.18 to 4.71).ConclusionsDespite major shifts in education modalities and patient care protocols precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, participants perceived their education and preparation for practice to be minimally affected.

The Impact of Personal Electronic Communications on Work-Life Balance and Cognitive Absorption

2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pruthikrai Mahatanankoon
Keyword(s):  
Instant Messaging ◽  
The United States ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Absorption Data ◽  
Electronic Communications ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Cognitive Absorption ◽  
The Impact ◽  
E Mail

E-mail and instant messaging (IM) are essential ingredients of workplace communication. The study examines how the hedonic use of electronic communications influences worklife balance and cognitive absorption. Data collected from white-collar employees in the United States show that work-life balance mediates the relationship between personal e-mail and cognitive absorption, and that personal instant messaging has no impact on work-life balance but has a direct influence on employees’ cognitive absorption. The findings suggest that work-life balance may eventually increase cognitive absorption and reduce employees’ productivity. The findings provide insight into how different types of personal communication can influence work-life balance as well as into how to manage non-work-related electronic communications in the workplace.

Curricular Choice and Adolescents’ Interest in Math: The Roles of Network Diversity and Math Identity

2015 ◽  
Vol 117 (11) ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Brian V. Carolan ◽  
Jamaal S. Matthews
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Missing Values ◽  
Math Achievement ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Level ◽  
High School Level ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Network Diversity ◽  
Curricular Choice

Background/Context Over the last two decades, school districts in the United States have increasingly allowed students and their families to choose the schools they attend and, at the high school level, the courses they take. While the movement to provide more curricular choice for students and families has accelerated, so, too, has the policy emphasis on increasing students’ math achievement. The increased emphases on curricular choice and math achievement provide an opportunity to examine how students draw on their social capital when making curricular choices and whether the diversity of their relational resources is associated with math achievement. Purpose We build from a social capital framework to examine how students who are able to exercise curricular choice do so by drawing on their social networks and how the resources accessible through these networks, operationalized as network diversity, are associated with math achievement. We also examine how this relationship varies by students’ math interest; an important individual-level characteristic that we hypothesize moderates the influence of network diversity on math achievement. Setting Data for this study are from the restricted-use version of the High School Longitudinal Survey of 2009 (HSLS: 09), the fifth in a series of National Center for Education Statistics’ multisource, secondary longitudinal studies. For this study, we rely on cross-sectional base-year data (2009) when all students were in Grade 9. Participants Our analytic sample consists of those students who: (1) were enrolled in and able to select their fall 2009 math course; (2) have valid scores on the dependent variable; and (3) have no missing values on items that constitute the independent variable-of-interest, network diversity. This subsampling strategy resulted in a final weighted, analytic sample of 5,570 students in 920 schools. Research Design Secondary analysis of cross-sectional observational survey data. Data Analysis Multilevel models with random intercepts are used to estimate students’ math achievement and properly adjust for the nested nature of the data. The models include controls for the HSLS stratified sampling design and for the probability of selection for individuals. Results After controlling for student- and school-level covariates, results indicate that our operational measure of social capital, network diversity, is significantly associated with math achievement. We also find that math interest significantly moderates this relationship, indicating that the presumed returns of social capital vary by this important non-cognitive characteristic. Conclusions Social capital in the form of network diversity helps all students reach resource-or information-rich contacts, such as teachers and counselors. However, by examining how math interest moderates the relation between network diversity and math achievement, we directly locate our work within an underappreciated theoretical niche that explicitly links how the presumed returns of social capital vary by student-level non-cognitive characteristics (e.g., math interest). Network diversity helps all students reach resource- or information-rich contacts including teachers and counselors. However, this does not guarantee that all students will see comparable returns. Results are further discussed in relation to schools’ curricular choice policies.

scholarly journals Creating opportunities for science PhDs to pursue careers in high school education

2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (21) ◽  
pp. 3292-3296
Author(s):  
Kari M. H. Doyle ◽  
Ronald D. Vale
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
National Research Council ◽  
The United States ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
School Education ◽  
High School Education ◽  
School Level ◽  
High School Level ◽  
National Research Council Report ◽  
K 12

The United States is confronting important challenges at both the early and late stages of science education. At the level of K–12 education, a recent National Research Council report (Successful K–12 STEM Education) proposed a bold restructuring of how science is taught, moving away from memorizing facts and emphasizing hands-on, inquiry-based learning and a deeper understanding of the process of science. At higher levels of training, limited funding for science is leading PhDs to seek training and careers in areas other than research. Might science PhDs play a bigger role in the future of K–12 education, particularly at the high school level? We explore this question by discussing the roles that PhDs can play in high school education and the current and rather extensive barriers to PhDs entering the teaching profession and finally suggest ways to ease the entrance of qualified PhDs into high school education.

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