Measuring the ethnic diversity of the museum workforce and the impact and cost of positive-action training,with particular reference to the Diversify scheme

This paper attempts to determine the ethnic profile (sometimes called “cultural diversity”) of the museum sector workforce. It sets the museum sector workforce in the context of the population as a whole and makes some comparisons to the diversity of the wider cultural sector workforce. It looks also at positive action training schemes, targeted at under-represented minority groups, in particular the Museums Association's Diversify scheme, looking at their cost and effectiveness in securing employment. It also describes other positive action schemes such as Arts Council England's Inspire programme and Diversify management-level traineeships and traineeships for deaf and disabled people. It tentatively considers the impact and value for money of positive-action training. It also sets out the legal and policy context for workforce diversification, in particular the implications for data collection of section 37 of the Race Relations Act 1976.

The headline finding is that the proportion of people from minority-ethnic backgrounds in the UK museum sector increased from 2.5% in 1993 to about 7% in 2006–2008. This varies between 1.3% and 10.4% depending on the type of museum and the type of job and compares to an overall minority-ethnic working age population of 12.6% in England in 2008.

There is a significant under-representation of most (but probably not all) minority-ethnic groups in most areas of museum work. The paper concludes by making brief suggestions about how policy makers and researchers might respond.     

Gay-Lussac (1778–1850): A view of chemistry,industry and society in post-revolutionary France

This year marks the bicentenary of the births of two distinguished chemists, Joseph Gay-Lussac and Humphry Davy. This study of the life of Gay-Lussac shows how his work was related to that of Davy as well as to that of his French contemporaries. His keen interest in the application of chemistry earned him some criticism in his lifetime, but in retrospect can be seen to have contributed to his professional stature.     

Optimising the front foot contact phase of the cricket fast bowling action

ABSTRACT

Cricket fast bowling is a dynamic activity in which a bowler runs up and repeatedly delivers the ball at high speeds. Experimental studies have previously linked ball release speed and several technique parameters with conflicting results. As a result, computer simulation models are increasingly being used to understand the effects of technique on performance. This study evaluates a planar 16-segment whole-body torque-driven simulation model of the front foot contact phase of fast bowling by comparing simulation output with the actual performance of an elite fast bowler. The model was customised to the bowler by determining subject-specific inertia and torque parameters. Good agreement was found between actual and simulated performances with a 4.0% RMS difference. Varying the activation timings of the torque generators resulted in an optimised simulation with a ball release speed 3.5 m/s faster than the evaluation simulation. The optimised technique used more extended front ankle and knee joint angles, increased trunk flexion and a longer delay in the onset of arm circumduction. These simulations suggest the model provides a realistic representation of the front foot contact phase of fast bowling and is suitable to investigate the limitations of kinematic or kinetic variables on fast bowling performance.     

Benchmarks Curricular Planning and Assessment Framework: Utilizing Standards Without Introducing Standardization

The national early learning community faces the challenge of using early learning standards and assessments to improve learning environments while preserving educators’ freedom to plan early childhood curriculum that accord with a child-centered focus and developmentally appropriate practices. Drawing on recent developments in approaches to undergraduate assessment, this article introduces an approach to curricular planning and assessment that uses state benchmarks as an umbrella structure to support curricular planning, assessment, and feedback among them. The benchmarks have a hierarchical structure that allows educators to think about benchmarks as embedded within educational goals, spanning different age-ranges, and involving activity across multiple domains of child development. The framework prompts educators to identify benchmarks for particular activities and to assess the age-appropriateness of activities and the degree to which they incorporate multiple domains of development. There are two primary curricular measures: (1) the match measure between educator predictions and observed activity, which provides timely feedback about the accuracy of educator predictions for different age-groups and across developmental domains, and (2) an open-ended measure, which provides information about the ways the children surprised educators by using the activity in an unpredicted manner. Both of these measures inform the development of classroom activities and curriculum. This article reports on the pilot implementation of this approach within an early learning program.     

Making It Work for Everyone: An Evolving Reference Service

At an academic health science center, librarians identified problems, weaknesses, and strengths in reference services. The on-call reference schedule was discontinued and a question flowchart was developed for circulation staff. Only research questions were referred to librarians, who would respond if available. Circulation staff perceived the unscheduled, voluntary model was not working well for the patrons or the staff. After two months, the schedule was reinstated with a hybrid version of the previous on-call format. In the process of changing the service model, the library staff also underwent a cultural change.