The Law of Unintended Consequences: The ‘Real’ Cost of Top-Down Reform

In most jurisdictions around the world,governments, in the name of economiccompetitiveness, have imposed comprehensive andquite dramatic changes on state schools. Mostchanges require a more centralized and rigorouscurriculum for pupils, a plethora ofaccountability measures and mandatoryin-service for teachers, and carefully definedand more onerous responsibilities for schoolleaders. The province of Ontario is nodifferent. Since 1995, its educational systemhas experienced quite revolutionary changes– all instituted with break-neck speed. At thesame time most schools in Ontario are employinginternal change strategies to address theseoutside pressures. These change forces havecoalesced to redefine the work and lives ofteachers and school leaders in many intendedand unintended ways. There is a substantialliterature on both external and internal changeforces, but very little has been written aboutthe conjunction of these change forces with thepersonal side of change for teachers andleaders. Based on two studies undertaken by theInternational Centre for Educational Change atthe Ontario Institute for Studies inEducation/University of Toronto, this paperexamines the unintended consequences of thesechange forces on the teachers and principals ofone secondary school in Ontario, Canada. Theteachers and leaders of Lord Byron High Schoolare not averse to change and are generallyquite content to do whatever is in the bestinterests of their students. The school has along history of innovation and change and areputation for attending to a wide diversity ofstudent needs.Through the use of multiple conceptual lenses,this paper addresses the unintendedconsequences of systemic change to the schooland its teachers and principals. At a time whenteacher shortages and teacher morale aregrowing problems for many educationaljurisdictions, this investigation will point toan urgent need to build better bridges ofunderstanding between policy makers and policyimplementers, and for researchers to provideresearch that is more sensitive to the work andlives of real people in real schools.     

用法治理性建构校园和谐

建设校园和谐关系,以法治理性的价值判断和价值选择审视并优化校园环境,是坚持以人为本、以民主法治原则建设校园和谐关系的关键所在。以民主法治原则构建现代校园和谐关系是法治理性的基本要求;尊重人权是法治理性的真谛;校园和谐需要法治理性的宽容精神;法治理性包含对法制的敬畏和行使自由权利的节制;校园和谐关系呼唤体现法治理性的校园文化。学校教育通过尊重和保护青年学生的正当权利并使其自觉践行义务的过程,使他们长期浸润在崇尚法治的文化氛围里,培养并形成他们未来人生中自觉的、理性的遵纪守法和护法精神。     

Effects of a two-phase reading intervention on three orthographic-phonological code connections

According to the Multiple Connections Model, children bring to the task of learning to read varying degrees of skill in three orthographic coding procedures for written words (whole words, single letters, and letter clusters) and in three phonological coding procedures for spoken words (phonetic or name codes, phonemes, and syllables) and thus in ability to form connections between corresponding orthographic and phonological codes: whole word-phonetic/semantic code, letter-phoneme, and letter cluster-syllable/subsyllable. In Phase I of this intervention study only orthographic and phonological coding were remediated. In Phase II explicit teaching in reading was provided that emphasized the multiple orthographic-phonological connections above. Overall the group improved from about one standard deviation below the mean to approximately the mean standard score for grade in reading real words (whole word and subword connections) and in reading nonwords (subword connections only) after an average of 28.7 sessions of about 40 minutes each. Overall 70% of the individuals showed significant gains in reading real words and 90% of the individuals showed significant gains in reading nonwords. The intervention was most effective in creating whole word-phonetic/semantic connections and least effective in creating letter-phoneme connections. These results demonstrate that theory-driven intervention during a critical developmental period in reading acquisition may prevent more serious reading disabilities.     

公司治理结构有关问题的理论探讨

以建立现代企业制度为根本目标的国企改革自上世纪 90年代启动 ,迄今已有十多年。宏观和微观环境决定了没有现成模式可以照搬 ,摸索中前进的企业改革历程充满矛盾和艰辛。本文力图运用现代企业理论 ,对国企改革确立公司治理结构过程中所涉及的产权问题 ,股东会、董事会、经理人之间相互制衡的机制 ,对经理 (代理人 )人员的激励机制作一梳理 ,检视其利弊 ,分析其得失 ,并尝试给出改良的方法。     

Using Blackboard in Library Instruction: Addressing the Learning Styles of Generations X and Y

Studies show that recent generations of college students have a learning style with identifiable characteristics. Library instruction efforts must adapt to these learning styles. Course management software (CMS), such as Blackboard, is one resource available to academic librarians to meet the challenges posed by the "Net Generation." At Stetson University, the use of Blackboard courseware in library instruction sessions successfully addressed the unique learning styles of students.     

The influence of crank rate on peak oxygen consumption during arm crank ergometry

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of three imposed crank rates on the attainment of peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) and other physiological responses during incremental arm crank ergometry. Twenty physically active, although non-specifically trained, males volunteered for the study. They completed an exercise protocol using an electrically braked arm ergometer (Lode Angio, Groningen, Netherlands) at crank rates of 60, 70 and 80 rev x min(-1). The order of tests was randomized and they were separated by at least 2 days. Peak VO2 was significantly higher (P < 0.05) at 70 and 80 rev x min(-1) than at 60 rev x min(-1). Peak ventilation volume increased as a function of crank rate and was higher (P < 0.05) at 80 than at 60 rev x min(-1). Peak heart rate was higher (P < 0.05) at 70 and 80 rev x min(-1) than at 60 rev x min(-1). Furthermore, 70 and 80 rev x min(-1) resulted in an extended test time compared with 60 rev x min(-1). The greater physiological responses observed during the tests at the two faster crank rates might have been the result of a postponement of acute localized neuromuscular fatigue, allowing for more work to be completed. We recommend, therefore, that an imposed crank rate between 70 and 80 rev x min(-1) should be used to elicit VO2peak and other physiological responses in arm crank ergometry.