Comparing State and District Test Results to National Norms: The Validity of Claims That "Everyone Is Above Average"

Are all states and nearly all districts claiming that their students are above the national average? If so, are the test results “inflated and misleading?” What are the factors that contribute to the abundance of “above average” scores?     

Revisioning professionalism from the periphery

Abstract

The issue of who should be included and recognised as professionals in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) service system is both contested and pressing in the current policy climate. At stake is a high-quality early childhood care and education service system that is both responsive and appropriate to the constituency it serves. A review of the history of ECEC professionalism reveals complex entanglements and debates regarding professional belonging. Services that deliver education and care to children and families living in high poverty contexts are often excluded from ECEC professionalism debates. Drawing on notions of rationality, emotionality and criticality presented in recent accounts of ECEC professionalism, we use data collected from interviews with service providers delivering services to children and families living in high poverty contexts in Australia to develop an account of criticality that is pertinent to current funding and policy contexts. We argue that these service providers’ perspectives about their own professionalism have much to offer broader debates.     

Superior Detection of Faces in Male Infants at 2 Months

Females generally attend more to social information than males; however, little is known about the early development of these sex differences. With eye tracking, 2-month olds’ (N = 101; 44 females) social orienting to faces was measured within four-item image arrays. Infants were more likely to detect human faces compared to objects, suggesting a functional face detection system. Unexpectedly, males looked longer at human faces than females, and only males looked faster and longer at human faces compared to objects. Females, in contrast, looked less at human faces relative to animal faces and objects, appearing socially disinterested. Notably, this is the first report of a male face detection advantage at any age. These findings suggest a unique stage in early infant social development.     

Assessing University Library Print Book Collections and Deselection: A Case Study at The National University of Ireland Maynooth

This article discusses an assessment and deselection project of the modern print book collections in the John Paul II Library, National University of Ireland Maynooth. Following a contextual introduction and literature review, the article outlines the methodology, presents and discusses the results, and concludes with lessons learned. Although this project had its origins in planning for a major extension to the Library, its main aim was to ensure current and relevant print book collections. The purpose of the article is to share experience in the hope of it being useful to other libraries considering a review of print book collections.     

The impact of coworker support and stigma on breastfeeding after returning to work

This study assessed the impact of coworker support on lactating mothers’ breastfeeding self-efficacy after maternity leave. A cross-sectional survey of 1000 working adults assessed effects of perception of fairness, coworkers’ support for breastfeeding colleagues, and ick response on willingness to help mothers needing breaks to pump breastmilk at work. The study also examined how coworker support affected mothers’ self-efficacy to continue breastfeeding. One out of four coworkers showed moderate to strong stigma, saw breaks to pump breastmilk as unfair, and showed less intention to help new mothers. These results suggest that while the majority of coworkers are generally supportive, lactating women are likely to encounter disapproving coworkers who may discourage them from continuing to breastfeed. The data showed that the majority of organizations included in this study have only passively fostered mother-friendly workplaces and could do more to encourage employees to be supportive of lactating colleagues.     

Neglected and abused children of mentally retarded parents

Sixty-four neglected and abused children with a mentally retarded parent seen from one to seven years earlier, were followed to determine placement outcomes. At the time of follow-up, 11 of 64 children remained with their low functioning parents. Six children had been relinquished voluntarily for adoption and courts had terminated parental rights for 34, resulting in a total of 40 who had been adopted. Nine children were in foster care at the time of the study; two had been awarded to their nonretarded parent following divorce; and two had died. All families had received public financial assistance and medical care and used an average of 10 other services per family. Because of their cognitive limitations, most of these retarded parents were unable to benefit sufficiently from community services to enable them to care for their children. These findings point up the need for a mechanism whereby the retarded adult's right to parent and the child's right to nurturance and protection may both be preserved. Until this dilemma can be resolved, decisions to terminate parental rights in such cases should be made more quickly.     

A theory of self‐perception in preferences for public figures

This content analysis reveals that men and women network news correspondents differed in how they covered 4 presidential elections (1992–2004). There were fewer women than men reporters involved in election coverage, but on average, women reported more stories than men and were tonally tougher watchdogs than men. In terms of framing candidates, male reporters were strongly associated with a masculine approach that emphasized the competitiveness of campaigns. By contrast, women correspondents employed both more feminine and gender-neutral frames than their male colleagues. These findings were interpreted against the backdrop of information derived from in-depth interviews with 5 women reporters who appeared in the sampled content.     

Print Media

Elizabeth L. Eisenstein, The Printing Press as an Agent of Change (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1979---$49.50 for the two volume set)

Roy Harley Lewis' Antiquarian Books: An Inisder's Account (New York: Arco, 1979---$10.00)

Jack Lindsay's William Morris: His Life and Work (New York: Taplinger, 1979---$14.95)

Thomas Weyr's Reaching for Paradise: The Playboy Vision of America (New York: Times Books, 1979---$12.50)

Book Publishing Worldwide, A Publisher's Weekly Extra (New York: R.R. Bowker, 1979---S6.95, paper)

Scholarly Communication: The Report of the National Enquiry (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1979---$3.95, paper)

Charles B. Osburn's Academic Research and Library Resources: Changing Patterns in America (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1979---$18.95)

Robert Egan's The Bookstore Book: A Guide to Manhattan Booksellers (New York: Avon Books, 1979---$5.95, paper)