A Review of the Research: Common Core State Standards for Improving Rural Children’s School Readiness

Although a plethora of research focuses on economically at-risk preschool children in general across the United States, little can be found that investigates methods for improving rural children’s academic outcomes. This review of research is intended to provide a contextual understanding of the background and current conditions that exist for rural preschool children and their families in America, and to recommend strategies for improving adverse cognition and learning conditions, including a lack of early literacy skills, and low high school completion rates that frequently are found in this population, utilizing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) as a framework. Attention will be given to demographics, academic performance and scientifically-based practices proven to impact both teaching and learning for rural preschool children, particularly those from minority households, incorporating the newly developed CCSS. A comparison will be made between rural white and African American children’s learning and cognition, highlighting significant disparities for African American students, despite the fact that they make up less than 10 % of all rural preschool children. For the scope of this study, rural communities will be defined as those with varying qualities situated outside of metropolitan areas. Results from this study reveal the conditions for rural preschool children, especially those from African American families with low-income levels. Findings indicate that providing training for teachers, administrators and families linked to rural schools; and infusing CCSS into the rural preschool curricula significantly improves school readiness, and decreases dropout rates.     

Synchronization of biological neural network systems with stochastic perturbations and time delays

With advances in biochemistry, molecular biology, and neurochemistry there has been impressive progress in the understanding of the molecular properties of anesthetic agents. However, despite these advances, we still do not understand how anesthetic agents affect the properties of neurons that translate into the induction of general anesthesia at the macroscopic level. There is extensive experimental verification that collections of neurons may function as oscillators and the synchronization of oscillators may play a key role in the transmission of information within the central nervous system. This may be particularly relevant to understand the mechanism of action for general anesthesia. In this paper, we develop a stochastic synaptic drive firing rate model for an excitatory and inhibitory cortical neuronal network in the face of system time delays and stochastic input disturbances. In addition, we provide sufficient conditions for global asymptotic and exponential mean-square synchronization for this model.     

Ethics and paediatric exercise science: issues and making a submission to a local ethics and research committee.

Research with children presents issues beyond those normally encountered in adult exercise science research. This paper explores the specific ethical issues that are encountered when conducting paediatric research in the exercise sciences. We identify the historical, moral and philosophical underpinnings of ethical conduct. The issue of consent and children's ability to provide informed consent is discussed, as is the nature of therapeutic and non-therapeutic research. Finally, we examine the information that is required by a local ethics and research committee and provide guidance material to help in the formulation of an application to such a committee.