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Montana School Leaders Knowledge of a P-3 Framework and Developmentally Appropriate Practice.
No full textNationally, fourth-grade reading scores have stagnated since 1992 (NAEP, n.d.). Offering Pre-K in public schools, including Montana’s early literacy interventions for four-year-olds under H.B. 352, is one method to address this. District leaders, as policymakers, are crucial in implementing developmentally appropriate Pre-K classrooms that prioritize child development, early learning, and supportive environments (Takanishi, 2016; NRC, 2015). Yet, many lack formal early childhood training, limiting their ability to lead effectively (Brown et al., 2014).
A systematic review by Little et al. (2022) found a critical need for research on principal leadership within the P-3 continuum, highlighting gaps in quantitative and qualitative data. This study seeks to address these gaps and provide actionable insights for professional learning, university preparation programs, and policy reforms to enhance early childhood leadership and student outcomes.
This explanatory sequential mixed methods study employs a pragmatic framework to examine the knowledge and competencies of Montana school administrators regarding a comprehensive P-3 Framework and Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP). The focus is on districts implementing Early Literacy Intervention classrooms authorized by Montana House Bill 352. Existing literature highlights a gap in understanding how leaders of Pre-K programs within elementary schools influence student outcomes.
Phase 1 involves surveying superintendents, curriculum directors, and principals, informed by the P-3 Framework developed by the University of Colorado Denver and Leading Learning Communities: A Principals’ Guide to Early Learning and the Early Grades (Pre-K–3rd Grade). Phase 2 builds on survey findings to develop interview questions, employing purposeful, stratified sampling to explore how leaders acquire early childhood education knowledge and identify professional learning opportunities. Results will guide the creation of targeted interventions using the Knowledge to Action Process and can inform policy and university administrator training programs
K12 students as reliable and trustworthy groundwater monitors in Missoula, Montana.
No full textCitizen scientists, which includes K-12 students, is defined as the general public participation of nonscientists in the collection and analysis of data to be used by professionals in scientific research. More citizen science programs are starting to arise to monitor surface water in rivers and lakes, however there are fewer programs that monitor groundwater due to not being able to access monitoring wells. The data being collected by K-12 students must be evaluated for trustworthiness and reliability. This study analyzed the accuracy between K-12 students’ groundwater level data compared to data collected by professional organizations at the same wells. Two comparisons were completed with one well located in Greenough Park in Missoula, Montana, while the second well comparison is located at Gilcrest Elementary in Gilcrest, Colorado. The study showed that K-12 students’ data had similar results to the data collected by professionals. Other studies on this topic have shown that youth citizen science programs need to be carefully trained on how to use the testing kits and collect data. The results from evaluating the trustworthiness of K-12 students will be used to help support the feasibility study for creating a K-12 groundwater monitoring program within Missoula, Montana
Myofibrillar Proteomics of Sustained Load-Carriage Hiking
No full textLoad-carriage hiking is a popular recreational activity and an integral part of daily tasks for military personnel and wildland firefighters. Investigation is therefore warranted into myofibrillar responses to such activities. PURPOSE: To evaluate myofibrillar adaptations to acute load-carriage hiking. METHODS: Thirty-two recreationally active adults (12M, 20F; 28±6 yr; VO₂peak: 47.7±8.2 mL･kg-1･min-1) participated in a 5-day load-carriage study. Participants consumed 50ml deuterated water(2H2O) thrice daily for the 10 days prior to and twice daily during the five consecutive days of hiking for the measurement of fractional protein synthesis rates (FSR) of myofibrillar proteins. Participants completed two 1-hour ascents (distance 3.3±0.6 km; elevation 431±86 m) on an out-and-back dirt trail with 15 minutes of rest in between. Intensity during the ascents was set at 70% age-predicted HRmax (135±4 bpm) with descents completed at a comfortable pace (42.5±0.08 min/descent) without HR prescription. Participants carried packs weighing 30% of their DXA-derived fat-free mass (15.2±3.8 kg). Muscle biopsies were taken pre- (day 10) and post-hiking (day 16) from the vastus lateralis and analyzed for myofibrillar protein dynamics. RESULTS: Myofibrillar protein kinetics data were calculated for 37 proteins. There were increases in FSRs of skeletal muscle troponin C, troponin I and tropomyosin β-chain, as well as decreases in myosin-9 & 10, myosin light chain 1 & 3, and myosin binding protein C (p \u3c 0.05). 29 myofibrillar proteins were not altered (p \u3e 0.05). CONCLUSION: The present data highlight that acute load-carriage hiking elicited observable myofibrillar adaptations within a relatively short timeframe in men and women.
Support by the United States Department of Defense, United States Army (22-02-MPAI-007
Situating Standing in Environmental Litigation
No full textControversies over issues of standing in federal civil litigation are hotly contested, as they strike at the heart of separation of powers issues and broader notions of the intent of civil action. Here I identify two competing theories of the purpose of standing and its requirements as such. Restrictive standing, as argued by Professor Ann Woolhandler, seeks to inherently link civil redress with an injury-in-fact requirement for both public and private law claims. Expansive standing, as argued by Professor Cass R. Sunstein, seeks to ground civil redress largely within violations of Congressionally designated causes of action. I argue that the current interpretation by the Supreme Court of standing doctrine largely in accordance with a more restrictive view has left environmental litigation in a particularly dangerous place, as the often collective and diffuse injuries that are the subject of such litigation frequently fail to neatly match the requirements crafted by the Court. In this paper, I will specifically situate the needs of environmental litigation within this discourse over standing doctrine, asserting that the expansive standing position and its dependence upon Congressionally designated causes of action is best able to accommodate the often multifaceted nature of environmental litigation
Adaptation and Resilience: How Beginning Farmers Navigate Land and Climate Crises in Western Montana
No full textMontana is home to a growing number of beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers (BSDFRs), yet they face substantial barriers to accessing resources, from farmland to federal farm support programs. Rising land prices and climate-induced drought further exacerbate the challenges that farmers already face, posing a “twin crisis” that is especially severe for beginning farmers who have operated their farms for fewer than 10 years. This research draws on ethnographic data, including 24 in-depth interviews with BSDFRs and five informational interviews with farm service providers in Western Montana. I find that while federal USDA programs support farmers on paper, they often fall short in providing support to those most in need. Many BSDFRs are not aware of USDA support programs and do not receive outreach from, or have relationships with, local USDA staff. BSDFRs also often face program eligibility barriers that stem from operating on leased land. Many farmers frame access to both land and federal support as the product of luck, rather than the structural (in)effectiveness of programs administered by the USDA. As climate change intensifies, farmers increasingly rely on informal community networks and local nonprofits as mediators for support. Using access theory, I argue that this framing of “luck” is both a pivot away from structural reform efforts and an everyday resistance strategy in a landscape of exacerbating challenges
