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Latino Student Success: The Power of Parent Engagement
No full textPurpose: Relatively little is known about how rural schools with high Latino populations effectively engage parents in their children’s education. This article uses mixed methods to examine the attitudes, beliefs, and expectations of administrators, teachers, and parents, looking for commonalities as well as dissimilarities in their perceptions. Research Methods: Data were gathered using a mixed method approach, including both a Likert type scale and open-ended questions on a survey with a representative sample of seven principals, 54 teachers, and 169 parents in a rural school district of Oklahoma. Data analysis techniques included qualitative analysis by coding, looking for patterns and themes and quantitative analysis using Observation Oriented Modeling and descriptive statistics to examine variations between the elementary and secondary levels as well as between teacher and parent responses. Findings: Results indicate that this rural school district can improve on successful strategies to engage Latino parents, particularly by utilizing culturally relevant techniques and social network theory as Latino parents, in particular, look for ways to engage on a more personal level. Implications: The findings of this study validate the importance of increasing Latino parent engagement in schools to better address student achievement levels. As the Latino population continues to grow and as more rural schools undergo these demographic shifts, this research will give current and future administrators and teachers better information to help shape parental engagement practices to ensure success for all students
The Role of Spirituality in Leadership
No full textInteractive Qualitative Analysis (IQA) research study design (Bargate, 2014).A critical question within the field of education exists that has long been considered taboo and even unworthy of serious conversations among educational scholars. Exacerbated by the recent onslaught of a world-wide pandemic that has truly changed the face of teaching, teacher education, and educational leadership, perhaps now is the appropriate time to explore the question: What role, if any, does spirituality play in the leadership practices of educators? The objective of this proposal is to encourage conversations and studies grounded in a novel Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA) research study design (Bargate, 2014) conducted with school leaders about their spiritual practices (Richardson, J. and Hindman, J. T., 2021). The IRB approved research study sought to define the characteristics of spiritual leadership in schools, and the role spiritual practices play in the influence of the behavior of others. Findings of the study revealed participants' unique points of view about spiritual leadership as practicing educators in the field. This proposal distinguishes itself by shifting the focus from what educators do to who they are as leaders through an examination of spirituality as a leadership practice. For the purpose of this proposal with various connotations often interconnected with religion, the concept of spirituality will transcend denominational doctrine and practice. Key words: teaching, teacher education, educational leadership, spirituality, spiritual leadership, leadership practic
A YEAR IN CRISIS: EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITY AND COVID-19
Get PDFPurpose: The current work seeks to answer the question, “Do principals perceive that COVID-19 has created or exacerbated inequalities in education?” Research Method: In this mixed methods research design, 83,941 K-12 public school principals in the United States were surveyed about crisis management plans, the impact of COVID-19 on these plans, and if inequalities in education were created or exacerbated by the pandemic. Closed-ended questions were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and open-ended questions were analyzed using the constant comparative process of grounded theory. Results: Results from 1,106 responses indicated that COVID-19 exacerbated gaps in existing school inequalities specifically associated with the use and availability of technology, parental involvement, and basic needs lacking at home. Leaders in suburban, urban and rural school settings all agreed that COVID-19 had a disproportionate educational effect by race and/or ethnicity. However, leaders in urban and suburban more strongly agreed that there were disproportionate education effects. Principals of schools with greater African American populations more strongly agreed to the statement pertaining to the disproportionate impact of the pandemic than schools that had a smaller African American population. Conclusion: This study gives a voice to practicing school principals as they discuss how COVID-19 impacted or created inequities in schools. Technology, parental involvement, and the lack of basic needs of students were major themes; however, the socio-economic makeup of the school (Title I status), and the geographical location (suburban, urban, rural) did not impact the responses, while the racial/ethnic makeup (percent of African American students served) did
EVALUATING THE RISK OF VERTEBRATE PATHOGEN TRANSMISSION VIA RIPARIAN RESTORATION
No full textRiparian restoration frequently involves planting native species sourced from plant nurseries or other riparian areas. This presents an opportunity for the introduction of novel plant pathogens; however, it is unknown if these practices could transmit pathogens affecting other taxa, such as aquatic and semi-aquatic vertebrates. I investigated the occurrence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and ranavirus in plant nurseries and the Gila and Mimbres rivers in southwestern New Mexico using eDNA methods. Positive detections of Bd were sequenced to examine isolate diversity. Bd was only detected in one plant nursery wetbed actively used by Spea tadpoles. Ranavirus was not detected in plant nurseries. Both Bd and ranavirus were detected in the field. Bd isolates found in the plant nursery differed genetically from those found in either the Mimbres or Gila rivers. Thus, managers should be aware of the potential to introduce novel varieties to local host populations. My findings suggest that the risk of transmission is minimal and likely non-existent depending on the restoration methods employed. Finally, I make suggestions to effectively mitigate the risk of transmission if concerns are raised for restoration projects in sensitive habitats
LEADERSHIP IN HIGHER EDUCATION: BUSINESS-MANAGEMENT VERSUS VISIONARY-SERVANT
No full textPurpose: For much of the 20th century, a neoliberal form of governance that views students as customers has existed in much of higher education. But as the demographics of college students in the United States have changed over time, there has been a growing call for a different type of educational leadership, one that sees all stakeholders – students, families, staff, faculty, etc. – as partners. This study explored and explained undergraduate students’ self-reported preference for either a business-management (BML) or a visionary-servant (VSL) leadership approach at one institution in the southwest United Stated. Research Methods: An explanatory sequential mixed-methods study was conducted using research on the characteristics of BML and VSL. A survey with 12 answer pairs which pitted the two styles against one another was administered. The instrument was dispensed to undergraduate students (n = 190) at one Hispanic-serving institution. Descriptive and comparative statistical analyses were performed, and follow-up interviews (n = 11) were conducted to expound upon the results. Findings: Descriptive statistics show a higher undergraduate student preference for VSL over BML. Additionally, interview data explained this preference as aligning with a “nurturing” ideal thought to be of importance to educational systems. Three themes emerged from this data: transformational vision, service and supportive leadership, and personal/relational skills. Implications: These findings can better inform educational leaders about their leadership practices as it relates to the latest generation of college students, especially those from underrepresented demographics and those who attend minority-serving institutions
For the Player or the Team? Exploring Media Framing of High-Profile NBA Players' Injury Decisions
No full textThe study used Atlas.ti to conduct a thematic content analysis of three high-profile players' injury coverage by espn.com, nba.com, and nbcsports.com during the 2018-2019 NBA season. The headlines and paragraphs referencing injuries in 141 online news stories were coded using thematic categories developed by Nixon (1993) as well as additional codes derived from the study.The study explores journalistic coverage of potential season-ending and actual season-ending injuries of high-profile NBA players including Kevin Durant, Lebron James and Klay Thompson. This study assesses how media coverage of high profile athletes injuries influence sports culture and health by examining the nature and implications of media messages about high profile sports injuries and comebacks
EXPERIMENTAL AND COMPUTATIONAL EVALUATION OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF BAMBOO FIBER REINFORCED MORTARS
Get PDFMortar is a structural material with wide range of applications in the construction industry and provided good performance for bedding unit masonry and plastering over bricks [1, 2]. However, plain mortars are usually brittle, often cracks, and fails more suddenly than reinforced mortars [1]. To overcome the shortcomings of plain mortar, bamboo fibers are added to enhance its mechanical properties. Bamboo fibers demonstrate enormous potential as the reinforcement phase in composite materials [3]. The bamboo fiber was treated with 5% of caustic soda (NaOH) solution for 48 hours for ease of separation of the bamboo fibers. The mechanical properties of reinforced mortars containing 0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2% of bamboo fibers were evaluated by experimental and computational methods. In addition, the tensile test was conducted on single bamboo fiber to determine the average tensile strength of fibers. To understand the effect of bamboo fiber on the compressive strength, bamboo fiber reinforced mortar cubes have been tested at three different ages: 7, 14, and 28 days. The addition of bamboo fibers resulted in decreasing the compressive strength and effective Young’s modulus of mortar cubes for 7, 14, and 28 days. The reduction in strength could be attributed to the poor bonding strength between the fiber and mortars mixed. The results of this study also confirmed that the bamboo fibers were able to control crack widening with higher fiber content compared to the plain mortars. Further research is required to obtain the compressive stress-strain curve for plain mortars and assess the bond strength between fiber and mortar mixed by treating the bamboo fibers properly
Effects of parenteral or intranasal respiratory vaccination and revaccination in auction-derived feedlot heifers
No full textFurther understanding of the safety and efficiency of live-attenuated bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) vaccines is important due to the discovery of BRSV infection enhancing Histophilus somni (H. somni) prevalence and because the utility of revaccination in the feedlot is controversial. The study objectives were to determine the effect of route of modified-live virus (MLV) vaccine administration (intranasal vs. parenteral) and intranasal MLV revaccination on d 14 upon growth and health outcomes and to determine if vaccination strategy influenced frequency of carriage of BRSV and H. somni in the nares. Auction-derived beef heifers (n = 3,517; initial BW = 275 ± 0.9 kg) were received in 12 arrival blocks and gate sorted into 4 treatment groups. Treatments included: 1) parenteral MLV vaccination on d 0 (INJ), 2) intranasal MLV vaccination on d 0 (INT), 3) parenteral MLV vaccination on d 0 and revaccination with intranasal on d 14 (INJ-R), 4) intranasal MLV vaccination on d 0 and revaccination with intranasal on d 14 (INT-R). Pen was the experimental unit, with a total of 12 pens per treatment and 65 to 76 heifers per pen in a randomized complete block design. Performance, morbidity, mortality, carcass traits, and BRSV and H. somni frequency of carriage in revaccinated groups on d 0 and 60 was determined. All data was analyzed in SAS 9.4 (SAS Inst., Cary, NC) and differences were determined significant when P ≤ 0.05 and a tendency was observed for a P-value of 0.05 < P ≤ 0.10. Morbidity (P = 0.95), mortality (P = 0.80), and other health variables (P > 0.74) did not differ. However, an improvement in G:F (P = 0.04), increased REA (P ≤ 0.01), and percentage of edible livers (P ≤ 0.01) was noted for INJ and INJ-R. Likewise, severely abscessed livers (P ≤ 0.01) were decreased for INJ and INJ-R. There was a day effect for both BRSV and H. somni frequency of carriage in the naris (P = 0.09 and P < 0.01, respectively) such that these pathogens increased in frequency from d 0 to 60, but no treatment effect (P = 0.23 and P = 0.71, respectively) or treatment x day interaction (P = 0.29 and P = 0.44, respectively) was evident. Results indicate that revaccination with an intranasal MLV in feedlot heifers did not impact health or growth, and intranasal vaccination on arrival resulted in less G:F and REA concomitant with increased liver abscessation. Furthermore, the frequency of carriage of H. somni was abundant on d 60, suggesting important prevalence of this bacterial pathogen in the southern U.S. cattle population
Investigation of Fermi Surface Properties of Type-II Dirac Semimetal NiTe2 Using High Field Torque Magnetometry
No full textTorque MagnetometryTopological phases of materials have attracted enormous attention recently due to their potential applications in quantum computing and fast electronic devices. In this project, we have studied NiTe2, which is one of the topological compounds, using torque magnetometry. The torque signal measured under an applied field of 35 T shows clear de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) oscillations. The oscillations are well-defined and consist of two major frequencies at F1 = 100 T and F2 = 400 T. Both frequencies vary as the angle between the sample surface and the magnetic field increase. Additionally, the amplitude of the oscillations decreases at higher temperatures. The Berry phase calculations and analyses of temperature-dependent dHvA data using the Lifshitz-Kosevich theory will also be presented
Dendrite
No full textMy thesis exhibition, “Dendrite”, explores the complexity of interpersonal connections by using images of tree branches and the local environment as a visual metaphor. The relationships that humans form with one another have the potential to last anywhere from an instant to an entire lifetime, and its effects can be instantly forgettable or remembered for generations. We create, maintain, and break these connections constantly. To illustrate these concepts, I use a combination of painting and digital media to explore specific relationship dynamics. The backgrounds of my images are taken from photos of my family’s ranch, which is a canyon-like environment specific to the Texas Panhandle. These images provide context for the relationship dynamics themselves. Interpersonal relationships are living, evolving creations represented by tree branches in my work. Like these relationships, tree branches are constantly growing and changing organically, but can be changed artificially. The form of a branch is dictated by a combination of intent, random chance, and predisposition. Tree branches provide a visual map of these relationship dynamics while alluding to the natural tendency of humans to form bonds with one another. By superimposing the branches over my backgrounds, these natural forms create a solid ground onto which I build my exploration of the complex web of interpersonal connections