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Legislating Learning: What Happened in the Process?
Get PDFv, 138 leaves. Advisor: Annette M. LiggettThe Problem: The intent of this qualitative research is to explore policymakers' perceptions of lowa's House File 2272 (1998), the Accountability for Student Learning Act, This study describes the policy process as it applied to enactment of HF2272, and is guided by three central questions: What factors led
legislators to pass HF2272? What did policy makers hope to accomplish with HF2272? How do policy makers perceive the legislation four years later?
Procedures: Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 26 policymakers at the state level, as well as through review of documents related to the Act (HF2272). The document reviews and interviews were transcribed, coded, analyzed, and findings developed.
Findings: Policy makers identified several factors that led to the need for educational accountability legislation, but they were not in agreement about the intent of the bill. In hindsight, policy makers expressed several impressions - both negative and positive - about the policy process and the impact of HF 2272.
Conclusions: Analysis of the findings led to four conclusions. First, factors outside of lowa had significant impact on the lowa educational policy climate. Second, when threatened with the danger of losing lowa's reputation as a leader in education, policy makers responded with a bill they felt would help to restore lowa's educational status. Third, educational policy making isn't just about education. Fourth, policy makers spent more time analyzing the impact of HF 2272 after its enactment than before voting to support the bill.
Recommendations: Suggestions for improving the policy process included the need for accurate information in policy design, as well the need for foresight regarding theories of action and possible impacts of policy. Increased communication with policy implementers would assist policy makers in developing educational accountability legislation that can more effectively meet educational goals
"The Axis of war and mischief in the Middle East"
Get PDFIsmael Hossein-zadeh is a professor of economics at Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa. His email address is [email protected] articles was subsequently reposted on a number of other e-journals, including: http://edstrong.blog-city.com/read/176412.htm and http://www.bnfp.org. A slightly modified version was published in "Against the Current" (Vol. 18, no. 5, November/December 2003: 26-33 under the title, "The Neocon-Zionist Alliance for War
"Gastroesophageal reflux disease"
Get PDFGeoffrey C. Wall is an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. He can be contacted at [email protected]: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a pathologic condition of injury to the esophagus caused by regurgitation of gastric or gastroduodenal contents into the lumen of the
esophagus. Histopathology of the esophageal mucosa may or may not be present. Gastroesophageal reflux of acid and gastric contents often causes a condition commonly referred to as heartburn. This is characterized as a retro-sternal burning
sensation that radiates to the throat and interscapular region. It may be confused, even in the emergency room, with anginal pain or the onset of myocardial infarction; therefore its rapid
diagnosis is important. In many patients GERD should be considered a chronic and lifelong illness and maintenance therapy is often needed. Repeated exposure of the esophagus to stomach contents leads to esophagitis. In severe cases, this can actually erode esophageal tissue (erosive esophagitis). In the last five to seven years several new treatment options for GERD have become available. These include antise-cretory agents such as the proton pump inhibitors, and new surgical techniques that have improved Nissen fundoplication safety and efficacy rates(3-4). Clinicians caring for patients with this
common disorder need to understand the pathology behind GERD, its common (and uncommon) clinical manifestations, and current treatment options as recommended by the American College of Gastroenterology
Equity in Funding for Iowa's Public Schools
Get PDFiii, 182 leaves. Advisor: A.P. JohnstonThe problem. The problem of this study was to describe, analyze, and compare the education finance laws of three states, with particular attention to infrastructure and facility funding. Ohio and Texas entered the courts due to
questions of equity in school facility funding and were selected for this study. lowa faced litigation in March 2002 from a coalition of school districts concerned about equity in school infrastructure funding due to the Local Option Sales Tax Bill passed in 1988.
Procedures. Several states and their funding systems have been determined unconstitutional by State Supreme Courts in the past decade. Ohio
continued to remain in litigation through February 2002 while Texas went through major finance reform to create a fully equalized system. A content analysis was completed on legal documents, state finance descriptions, property tax data, and governmental annual reports.
Findings. The analysis of data indicated several common factors were in place prior to court rulings of unconstitutionality. County-based revenue in the form of credits or taxing authority were specifically noted in State Supreme Court rulings. Initial lawsuits were based on the single issue of school facility funding but created a comprehensive review of the entire school finance plans. The heavy reliance on property tax at the local level was a specific component of the Court's rulings. Constitutional language was specific in Ohio and Texas but
limited in lowa causing debate for constitutionality.
Conclusions / Recommendations. It was concluded that because there were similarities in the financial systems of all three state, the lowa system was in jeopardy of a court-based redress of their school funding system. If the case
were to go to court, the proceedings would be predictably long and costly. It was
recommended that an additional cent of sales tax for school infrastructure and property tax relief would provide equity over time in replacing local property tax to fund capital projects. Continued equalization efforts in the State Foundation
plan to reach the 100 percent level would begin to level the playing field for low property wealth districts. A regional high school concept was suggested for revenue sharing between small districts. A sales tax clearinghouse for collection would recoup lost revenue due to Internet sales
A Study of Central Iowa High School Seniors' Computer Literacy and Word Processing Skills
Get PDF[x], 121 leaves. Advisor: Janet McMahill.The problem: The purpose of this study was to determine the computer literacy and word processing skill level of central Iowa high school seniors. Computer literacy was defined as computer terminology, troubleshooting, and appropriate use of technology, legal and ethical issues in technology, and Internet research and evaluation. Word processing was defined as the ability to create documents using word processing software and incorporate tables and graphs from other applications (TekXam Manual, 2001) Procedures: The study employed 113 central Iowa high school seniors, randomly selected from a stratified sample of districts by size, during the spring semester of their graduating year. Several questions were asked to determine if differences existed in test scores between students with various levels of access to computers at school and home, gender, and school size. Students and administrators completed demographic sheets to gain insight regarding computer usage and availability. Student demographic variables included gender, computer availability at home, and computer courses taken beyond the basic keyboarding. Administrator demographic variables included technology money available for each building and district, student: computer ratio, number of computers in the building with access to the Internet, and the comfort and skill level of teachers with various computer applications.
Findings: The findings included statistically significant results on the General Computing Concepts module for those students who had access to a computer to complete schoolwork and those who did not and the Word Processing module between medium and large and non-public schools. No statistically significant differences were reported in regard to gender, having a computer at home, or taking a computer course beyond basic keyboarding. Seven of 113 students passed the general computing concepts module; while forty-one of 113 students passed the word processing module.
Conclusions: The findings reject conclusions that central Iowa high school seniors have the necessary computer literacy and word processing skill to pass the TekXam assessment evaluation.
Recommendations: Recommendations for future research include: expanding the study to include a larger sample; conducting a study on the type of technology and connectivity available to the various districts; conducting a study to ask employers if a passing score on the TekXam assessment evaluation would make a difference in hiring an employee and conducting a study of the comfort and skill level of teachers teaching technology skills
Academic service quality and instructional quality
Get PDFThe text is published here with the permission of the "Journal of the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition." Pages in the published version are identified with the symbols, “[ ].”
Additional information is at the end of this document.
Keith Greiner is a Drake graduate and can be contacted at [email protected]. Tom Westbrook is a Professor of Education in the Leadership and Adult Development program at Drake University and can be contacted at [email protected] article reports a study of the relationship between academic service quality and instructional quality in higher education. The study included 360 students enrolled in first-year biology course. Eighty-two percent of the participants were in the first semester of their college. Academic service was an adaptation of five business dimensions; instructional quality was measured by nine dimensions. The use of business dimensions suggested that the instructor/student
relationship may be seen in the marketing context of an exchange between two parties. The study found a high correlation between academic service and instructional quality. Academic service quality overlapped instructional quality in three dimensions: enthusiasm, organization, and rapport. The findings suggest relationships exist at
both an overall level and at subscale levels across a variety of demographic variables. The factor constructs of instructional quality are clearly distinguished from academic service quality, but there is an overlap in constructs describing interpersonal relationships. The study
has major significance for the blending of academic and student personnel concerns in the academy. The authors recommend longterm studies of [8] relationships between expected and observed
quality, long-term relationships between instruction and service quality, and adaptation of the instruments to distance-learning
Iowa High Schools: Meeting the Challenges of Educating Limited English Proficient Students
Get PDFiii, 132 leaves. Advisor: Kathy Fejes.The recent influx of immigrants and refugees in Iowa has caused an increase in the population of Limited English Proficient (LEP) students in the schools of Iowa. The condition of education of Iowa secondary LEP students in mainstream classrooms has not been studied extensively. Valid and reliable tools for studying the education of LEP students have not been developed.
In this study, the author developed a survey tool that measures how much mainstream teachers perceive themselves to be following the best practices as suggested by research in the areas of school policies and organization, curriculum issues, and instructional techniques.
The survey was sent to nine high schools in five school districts in Iowa. One hundred twenty-two teachers responded to the survey.
The results of the survey indicated that the participating Iowa high school teachers perceive themselves to be making efforts to accommodate LEP students in the area of instruction, whereas some improvement needs to be made in the area of curriculum accommodation. Needed most in Iowa secondary schools are curriculum articulation and collaboration between mainstream and ESL teachers, staff development opportunities for mainstream teachers, and a school system and structure that allows for these practices.
Content validity, parallel form reliability, and construct validity of the research tool were established in this survey. The results indicated that the survey tool is fit to be used for identifying the areas that need improvement in education of LEP students, and should be used in further educational research
Journey From the Statehouse to the Schoolhouse: A Study of the Implementation of State Policy
Get PDFv, 168 leaves. Advisor: A. Perry Johnston.The problem: The problem of this study was to identify and analyze factors
that assist in the creation of meaning at the local level of state school
improvement mandates and determine what assisted in implementation at the
classroom level.
Procedures: Qualitative methodology was chosen because of the
naturalistic and contextual perspective it provides. Twenty-eight teachers and
administrators were selected from two nominated districts and asked three
research questions. Case study methodology was chosen as the research design
because it provides a picture of what is happening and can capture the individual
differences from one site to the next.
Findings: While the efforts of the two school districts to implement the
school improvement mandates were different, six common themes emerged from
the interviews with administrators and teachers and the classroom observations.
The common themes included: (1 ) district culture and structures, (2) characteristics
of information provided and received, (3) support provided to staff and the broadbased
involvement of staff, (4) the impact at the classroom level, (5) the multiple
dimensions of time, and (6) suggestions for legislators/policy makers.
Conclusions: Five conclusions were drawn from this study: (1 ) Leading
school reform is everybody's business. (2) Good policy design is worth the effort.
(3) Useful policy design reflects the complexity of implementation reality. (4) Time
matters. (5) Rewriting the rules is not cool!
Recommendations:
1 . Bring educators into the process when decisions about design,
funding , and implementation strategies are being discussed because these are
the issues that most concern them.
2. Consider the processes, strategies, and timelines needed for
successful implementation because effective change does not occur overnight
nor in an atmosphere of frequent modification of the rules.
3. Link mandates to existing work in the district and previous
improvement efforts to reduce fragmentation and overload.
4. Establish and support structures in the district to encourage
professional learning, risk-taking, and open communication
"Effects of timber harvest on forest lepidoptera: community, guild, and species responses"
Get PDFKeith S. Summerville is a professor of Environmental Science in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy. He can be contacted at [email protected]. Two pressing questions for forestry and conservation biology are whether periodic logging in forest ecosystems significantly changes biodiversity and whether the changes can be mitigated through appropriate harvest methods. Such questions of timber resource management, however, are rarely applied to nonpest insect species, particularly in temperate forest systems. We studied the effects of timber harvest on species richness, abundance, and community composition of forest Lepidoptera (moths). Moths were sampled in 16 forest stands occurring in two watersheds (managed and wilderness) in southeastern Ohio during summer 2000. Stands were chosen from one of four management categories:
clear-cut, selectively logged, unlogged, and wilderness. Specifically, we tested the following
predictions: (1) shifts in moth community composition would be affected by postharvest
changes in stand structure and floristic composition, (2) variation in species richness would be determined by the magnitude of the logging disturbance, and (3) unlogged stands within managed landscapes would contain different species assemblages compared to wilderness stands.
Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) revealed significant compositional differences among moth communities sampled from forest stands differing in harvest regime. Variation among moth communities was mainly attributable to postharvest changes in stand floristic composition rather than stand structure. Postdisturbance shifts in moth community composition were related to the magnitude of displacement of a given forest stand to earlier successional stages. We also found that both species richness of the overall moth community and several feeding guilds were significantly lower in clear-cut stands, but species richness did not differ between selectively logged and unlogged stands. Thus, selective logging appears to be a better strategy for timber harvest when concern is for maintaining species richness of Lepidoptera within stands. Finally, although no differences were detected in
overall species richness or abundance of moths sampled from stands in managed or wilderness
watersheds, the CCA suggested that the surrounding landscape influenced the variation in community composition within and among forest stands. Therefore, we suggest that the long-term maintenance of lepidopteran species diversity and community composition within temperate deciduous forests managed for timber may ultimately depend on successful regeneration of harvested stands to precut floristic composition as well as the
preservation of larger areas of unlogged forests.Funding for this research was provided by grants from the Ohio Board of Regents Research Challenge Program, the Ohio Biological Survey, and Sigma Xi
Impact of a Mentoring Program on Occupational Stress, Personal Strain, and Coping Resources of Newly Appointed U.S. Magistrate Judges
No full textviii, 125 leaves. Advisor: Thomas WestbrookProblem. Judges experience occupational stress that manifests itself in physical and mental strain. Stress can be reduced by actual or perceived social support, such as mentoring.
Procedures. Using a quasi-experimental design, this research investigated the results of a project that offered paired mentoring to newly appointed United States Magistrate Judges for a five-month period as part of their orientation
program by the Federal Judicial Center. Judges in the experimental group (n=20) were mentored by six experienced judges who received training in social support mentoring. The comparison group (n=17) was not offered mentoring. The mentoring program consisted of regular contact and discussions on suggested topics, including concerns raised by the new judges. Osipow's Occupational Stress Inventory-Revised was used as a pre-treatment and post-treatment measure. Noe's Mentoring Function Scale was used to demonstrate that social support mentoring was received.
Findings. The trends in scores for the experimental group were primarily downward in the areas of stress and strain, and upward in coping skills. Compared to male judges, female judges in both the experimental and comparison groups reported significantly higher levels of stress and strain in several domains, accompanied by significantly lower levels of coping skills.
Conclusions. This study supports social support mentoring as an addition to traditional judicial orientation skill-building programs.
Recommendations. Future studies should examine different types of mentoring, the different levels of stress reported by male and female judges, and the impact of the program on mentors