Why Teaching Faculty Diversity (Still) Matters

Students in schools, colleges, and universities are rapidly becoming more diverse while the teaching workforce has failed to keep pace. The underrepresentation of minority teachers on school faculties persists despite efforts by successful national teacher recruitment programs, such as the Institute for Recruitment of Teachers, to redress this persistent gap. Several factors influencing this gap, including retention, job satisfaction, and working conditions of teachers of color, are briefly summarized. However, the current economic conditions and academic job market retrenchment as well as the dramatic and ever-rising costs of graduate education in the United States threatens to affect the enrollment and aspirations of students of color interested in careers in education, despite the long-standing efforts and successes of these programs.     

Why mission matters more for (some) charter principals

Reflecting post-bureaucratic organisation theory, education reformers intended charter schools to empower school-level leaders, most typically principals, with autonomy to pursue clear, student-centred missions. Yet little research explores whether charter school principals have more power than traditional public school counterparts. We summarise the limited literature addressing the issue. Second, we present findings from interviews with nine charter leaders from six US states who have experience in leading both charter and traditional public schools, a unique data set. Both prior research and our findings suggest that generally, leaders feel more likely to be held accountable for results in charter schools than in traditional public schools. Furthermore, without oversight from school boards and central office administrators, charter leaders report having more power over budget and personnel, and more ability to collaborate with teachers. At the same time, standalone charter leaders report needing business support and training, while those from charter management organizations feel free to focus on academic success.     

科举制为何需要平反昭雪

在现代中国人对传统事物的看法中,科举是被误解最深的制度之一。科举制不等于专制制度。考试选官方式与专制统治制度之间并没有必然的联系,它既可以为帝制时代所采用,也可以为共和体制所采用,还可以为当代中国所采用。我们不应以西化后的现代的尺子,去度量中国古代的民族的历史,科举是传统社会相时最公平的一种选才制度。     

鱼为什么会笑?(印度传说)

As a fisherwoman passedby the palace hawking herfish,the queen appeared atone of the windows andbeckoned her to come nearand show her what she had.At that moment a very big fishiumped about in the bottom ofthe basket. “Is it a male or a female?”asked the queen. “I’d like tobuy a female fish.”On hear—     

Why We (Usually) Don't Have to Worry About Multiple Comparisons

Abstract

Applied researchers often find themselves making statistical inferences in settings that would seem to require multiple comparisons adjustments. We challenge the Type I error paradigm that underlies these corrections. Moreover we posit that the problem of multiple comparisons can disappear entirely when viewed from a hierarchical Bayesian perspective. We propose building multilevel models in the settings where multiple comparisons arise. Multilevel models perform partial pooling (shifting estimates toward each other), whereas classical procedures typically keep the centers of intervals stationary, adjusting for multiple comparisons by making the intervals wider (or, equivalently, adjusting the p values corresponding to intervals of fixed width). Thus, multilevel models address the multiple comparisons problem and also yield more efficient estimates, especially in settings with low group-level variation, which is where multiple comparisons are a particular concern.     

函数y=f(x)的反函数为何要表示成y=f-1(x)形式

现行中学数学试验教材中反函数是这样定义的: 函数y=f(x)(x∈A)中,设它的值域为C.我们根据这个函数中x、y的关系,用y把x表示出,得到x=φ(y).如果对y在C中的任何一个值,通过x=φ(y),x在A中都有唯一的值和它对应,那么,x=φ(y)就表示y是自变量,x是自变量y的函数.这样的函数x=φ(y)(y∈C)叫做y=f(x)(x∈A)的反函数.记作x=f-1(y).     

Selected schedules of reinforcement in the black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus)

Wild black-tailed prairie dogs were run on FR, FI, VR, and VI schedules for Noyes pellet reinforcement. Cumulative barpress responses, postreinforcement pause lengths, and responses per second were recorded. The highest response rates occurred in the VR schedules, with the lowest response rates coming in the FI schedules. Fixed-ratio schedules had the longest postreinforcement pauses, VI schedules had the shortest. At the upper levels of the fixed-ratio schedules (FR 90–100), the animals ceased to respond consistently. Generally, data from prairie dogs were consistent with data reported in studies from other mammalian species.     

In my own time: tuition fees,class time and student effort in non-formal (or continuing) education

We develop and empirically test a model which examines the impact of changes in class time and tuition fees on student effort in the form of private study. The data come from the European Union’s Adult Education Survey, conducted over the period 2005–2008. We find, in line with theoretical predictions, that the time students devote to private study increases with tuition fees but decreases with class time, other things being equal.     

The Contested Nature of Empirical Educational Research (and Why Philosophy of Education Offers Little Help)

This paper suggests that empirical educational research has not, on the whole, been treated well by philosophers of education. A variety of criticisms have been offered, ranging from triviality, conceptual confusion and the impossibility of empirically studying normative processes. Furthermore, many of those who criticise, or dismiss, empirical research do so without subjecting any specific examples to careful scholarly scrutiny. It is suggested that both philosophy of education, and the empirical research enterprise, stand to profit if philosophers pay more attention to real cases—and this attention is especially important at present, when research funding is being based on spurious scientistic criteria such as the use of 'gold standard' randomised experimental research designs.