4449 research outputs found
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Police Officers Should be U.S. Citizens
Get PDFLaw enforcement agencies across the country have been suffering police officer hiring crisis and simultaneously agencies are challenged to attract and hire highly qualified police officer candidates. This has raised questions about the requirements and standards set for police officer applicants. While departments are working towards more lenient prerequisites to attract suitable candidates, there is one requirement that should be held sacred; All police officers should be citizens of the United States before being hired and before pursuing becoming a Texas peace officer. U.S. citizenship requirement is fundamental for the integrity of the profession, and to build trust with the public and in the communities the police officers serve. Allowing foreign nationals to have police powers to arrest and intervene with citizen�s constitutional rights, are exceptional, the allegiance to the U.S. is essential and all police officers should be U.S. citizens before being hired.LEMI
Making Waves in Your LMS: Using Content Resources In Your Course
No full textThis session will explore creative ways to use content resources, sources for finding content resources on the Web, the concept of "context making", QM alignment, and modeling academic integrity when using found content resources
EXAMPLE: Application for Faculty Development Leave
No full textThe project description from a completed and successful application for faculty development leave.Applicant from the Dept. of Art (CAM
Accessible Course Materials 101: What You Need to Know to Ensure Equal Digital Access
No full textEqual access to course content and materials is the responsibility of institutions of higher education, under the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act. Universal Design (UD) is a concept from architecture that has many applications in higher education as it relates to accessibility under the ADA’s requirement to ensure effective communication. As universities become increasingly diverse, it is important to consider the details of course design that may present barriers to a wide range of users. Digital accessibility involves the creation and maintenance of websites, mobile applications, electronic documents, and instructional media that can be readily navigated and understood by students of all learning styles, including those with disabilities. This session will discuss UD in Learning as a paradigm, and the application of those principles to courses. We will demonstrate the difference between accessible and inaccessible materials, discuss common pitfalls of creating accessible content, and provide information to instructors to assist with creating or repairing course materials
EXAMPLE: Application for Faculty Development Leave
No full textThe project description from a completed and successful application for faculty development leave.Applicant from the Dept. of Biological Sciences (COSET
ASSESSING U.S. RESPONSE SYSTEM CAPABILITIES TO ADDRESS FUTURE THREATS OF BIOWEAPONS: MEDICAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH SECTOR
No full textThis Thesis examines the future threat of a bioweapons attack upon the United
States and the determination of the level of preparedness of the Medical and Public
Health Sectors to combat a biological weapon. In the aftermath of the COVID-19
Pandemic, there is much evidence and research to speak to the ability of these
departments to slow the spread of an infection, which can be applied to the large number
of resources and key decisions to prevent or respond to an intentional biological release.
By researching response capabilities to previous biological outbreaks, a parallel can be
drawn to the preparedness status of the Medical and Public Health Sectors to respond to a
bioweapons attack.
Incorporating evidence and research from the history of biowarfare, the response
to previous natural outbreaks, and the After-Action Reviews of various states responses
to COVID-19 in the Post-Pandemic Era, this Thesis seeks to identify positive and
negative implementations in Homeland Security response to the threat of bioweapons and
how to improve capabilities for a bioweapons attack within the United States. This study
argues that the preparation for natural pandemics can foreshadow the capabilities in
response to a bioweapons attack and therefore can be utilized by agencies to identify
strengths and weaknesses to prepare for a future bioweapons attack
A PRE- AND POST-PANDEMIC ANALYSIS OF THE READING PERFORMANCE OF TEXAS GRADE 8 EMERGENT BILINGUAL STUDENTS AS A FUNCTION OF THEIR ECONOMIC STATUS, SPECIAL EDUCATION STATUS, AND ETHNICITY/RACE: A STATEWIDE MULTIYEAR INVESTIGATION
No full textThe purpose of this journal-ready dissertation was to examine the extent to which
differences were present in the reading achievement of Texas Grade 8 Emergent
Bilingual students by their economic status, special education status, and ethnicity/race. In the first article, the extent to which economic status (i.e., in poverty, not in poverty) was related to the reading achievement of Texas Grade 8 Emergent Bilingual students was addressed. In the second article, the degree to which the reading performance of Texas Grade 8 Emergent Bilingual students differed by their special education status (i.e.,Not Special Education and Special Education) was ascertained. In the third article, the extent to which ethnicity/race (i.e., Black, White, Asian, and Hispanic) was related to the reading performance of Texas Grade 8 Emergent Bilingual students was determined. Trends for each article were also addressed.
A non-experimental causal-comparative research design was utilized in this multiyear examination (Johnson & Christensen, 2020). Archival data from the Texas
Education Agency Public Education Information Management System for the 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2020-2021, 2021-2022, and 2022-2023 school years were analyzed. Data for the 2019-2020 school year were excluded due to school closures during the global pandemic.
Lower percentages of Emergent Bilingual students in poverty met grade level
performance standards than Emergent Bilingual students who were not in poverty. For four of the years examined, lower percentages of Emergent Bilingual students in poverty met the Grade 8 STAAR Reading Approaches Grade Level standard than Emergent Bilingual students not in poverty. For the Meets Grade Level and Masters Grade Level standards, lower percentages of Emergent Bilingual students in poverty met these grade level standards than their peers. Regarding special education status, lower percentages of Emergent Bilingual students in special education met the three grade level standards across all five school years than Emergent Bilingual students not in special education. With respect to ethnicity/race, higher percentages of Asian students met all three grade
level standards than White, Black, and Hispanic students for all five school years
examined. In all three studies, post-pandemic outcomes were higher than pre-pandemic outcomes, except for the 2020-2021 school year
LINEAR MORPHOMETRICS OF THE SPECIES SPHAERODACTYLUS GRANDISQUAMIS (GEKKOTA, SPHAERODACTYLIDAE) BASED ON X-RAY DATA
No full textRecent phylogenetic studies of Sphaerodactylus geckos from Puerto Rico recognized S. grandisquamis as a valid species. We can better understand evolutionary processes within and surrounding the Puerto Rican Islands with an available phylogeny for this species, distributed across the island.
In the most recent phylogenetic analysis of Sphaerodactylus geckos, S. macrolepis was reorganized into three species: 1) S. macrolepis, occurring in the American and British Virgin Islands and the eastern part of Culebra Island; 2) S. inigoi, occurring in Vieques Island and the western part of Culebra; and 3) S. grandisquamis, which is distributed across parts of Puerto Rico and some of the satellite islands such as Isla Piñeros. This taxonomic arrangement maintains the S. grandisquamis complex, which includes seven subspecies with more or less parapatric distributions.
Molecular studies have revealed that diversity within S. grandisquamis is greater than the morphological data indicated. In the mitochondrial DNA tree for the species, S. g. spanius formed two separate clusters. To investigate this issue, I derived anatomical data from digital X-rays of the skeletons of representative specimens from all the subspecies of the S. grandisquamis group. This group included the two clusters identified as S. g. spanius, were collected and compared in specimens from Puerto Rico and some from Isla Piñeros. After X-raying formalin-preserved specimens, 12 morphological measurements were obtained using ImageJ and further analyzed using a Multivariate Principal Component Analysis implemented in R. These measurements provided sufficient data to show a statistical difference between the larger known group of S. g. spanius and all other subspecies, indicating elevation-driven morphological variation. Results from a clinal analysis of elevation and temperature showed that specimens collected from high elevations and lower temperatures had larger limb bones, contradicting Allen’s revised rule, whereas an increase in size along an elevational cline fit with Bergmann’s ecogeographical rule. This study did not support recognition of specimens from Divisoria as a separate subspecies of S. g. spanius
Ordinance Requirements for Human Trafficking Awareness Training for the Lodging Industry
No full textHuman trafficking is a very important and pervasive crime in society. Thousands of victims are trafficked every year, often young women, who are forced into labor or sex trafficking (Mletzko et al., 2018). Research has shown that most victims of human trafficking are trafficked through a lodging establishment at some point during their victimization (Mletzko et al., 2018). Several states have enacted laws requiring lodging establishment employees to receive training in human trafficking awareness, prevention, and reporting. In Texas, this training is mandatory by state law and consists of a video provided to lodging establishment employees by the Attorney General�s website. This training is inadequate to face all of the challenges inherent in the fight against human trafficking. Local jurisdictions should institute ordinances requiring in-person human trafficking awareness training by local law enforcement agencies. This would increase the likelihood of meaningful training to combat human trafficking. Research has shown that training in human trafficking awareness, especially in-person training, leads to earlier detection and reporting of human trafficking by those who have received the training (Lee et al., 2021). This, in turn, leads to shorter periods of victimization for the survivors of human trafficking, resulting in fewer negative outcomes for victims (Lee et al., 2021). Training employees can also benefit lodging establishments by ensuring their employees recognize the signs and symptoms of criminal activity on their properties. This awareness could result in lower civil and criminal liability and less reputational loss due to publicized incidents on their property or lawsuits. Ensuring lodging establishments are properly trained can help lead to the reduction of human trafficking in the state of Texas and the United States as a whole.LEMI
A Pre- and Post-Pandemic Analysis of Reading College Readiness as a Function of Economic Status, Ethnicity/Race, and Language Status: A Statewide Analysis
No full textThe overarching aim of this journal-ready dissertation was to investigate the
degree to which differences existed in performance on the STAAR English I End-ofCourse exam by student economic status, race/ethnicity, and language status. The objective of the first article was to ascertain the extent to which the economic status of boys and girls was related to reading college readiness. The focus of the second article was on the reading college readiness of students of color. In the third article, reading college readiness was compared by student language status (i.e., Emergent Bilingual, Non-Emergent Bilingual). The final purpose of these articles was to investigate whether trends were present in student performance on the STAAR English I End-of-Course exam
by economic status, race/ethnicity, and language status over five years.
Present in this journal-ready dissertation was a causal-comparative research
design (Johnson & Christensen, 2020). Five years of archival data (i.e., 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2020-2021, 2021-2022, and 2022-2023) from the Public Education Information Management System were analyzed. Achievement data were analyzed across three performance standards (i.e., Approaches Grade Level, Meets Grade Level, and Masters Grade Level) to determine the extent to which differences were present by student economic status, ethnicity/race, and language status.
Statistically significantly lower percentage of boys and girls in poverty met any of the three grade level standards (i.e., Approaches Grade Level Standard, Meets Grade Level standard, Masters Grade Level standard) than their peers who were not economically disadvantaged across all five school years. Similarly, statistically significantly lower percentages of Black and Hispanic students met any of the three grade level standards than were met by White and Asian students across all five school years. With respect to language status, statistically significantly lower percentages of Emergent Bilingual students met any of the three grade level standards than were met by Non-Emergent Bilingual students across all five school years. In each of the three articles, a clear stair-step effect was present (Carpenter, 2006) with marginalized populations underperforming their White, Asian, Non-Emergent Bilingual, and peers not in poverty. Clearly, more efforts are needed to address the needs of these groups of students