Education and poverty in affluent countries

This article reflects on the desire to defend and claim public education amidst the educational policy effects of contemporary neoliberal politics. The defence of public education, from schools to higher education, undoubtedly provides a powerful counter-veiling weight to the neoliberal policy logic of education-as-individual-value-accrual. At a time of intense global policy reform centred on marketisation in education, the public education institutions of the post-war welfare state are often characterised as being lost, attacked, encroached upon and dismantled. In this paper, I contend it is important to avoid mobilising a memory of public educational pasts that do not account for their failings and inequalities. Turning to a historical engagement with the emergence of neoliberal politics, the paper explores how challenges and contestations surrounding ‘the public’ from multiple standpoints converged in the rise of neoliberalism. Recognition of these convergences and contestations, I suggest, assists to provide a more nuanced account of the relationship between neoliberal reform and the welfare state, and thus of the complex task of imagining, claiming and working towards a just and equitable public education.     

Strengthening the Preparation of Early Childhood Teacher Candidates Through Performance-Based Assessments

Performance-based assessments require teacher candidates to demonstrate proficiency on specific teaching tasks and apply knowledge in authentic settings. This article describes the development and use of performance-based assessments (PBAs) for advancing the learning and evaluation of teacher candidates in an early childhood special education teacher preparation program. Teacher candidates completed PBAs under supervision during culminating practica experiences at three age levels (infant/toddler, preschool, and primary practicum). Methods for determining proficiency on national (Council for Exceptional Children) and state (Colorado teacher licensure) standards are described, along with the challenges and opportunities presented by the use of PBAs. Performance-based assessment data over a 5-year period indicate teacher candidate performance meeting and exceeding national standards and state licensure requirements.     

The effect of inquiry teaching and advance organizers upon student outcomes in science education

Two areas of research were explored in this meta-analysis: comparison of inductive versus deductive teaching approachs, and the use of advance organizers. This study involved the coding of 128 characteristics for 39 studies which spanned the period from 1957 through 1980. The coding variables included 57 which were concerned with features of the treatment while 12 were concerned with outcome attributes. Aspects such as research methodology, sample characteristics, and instructional experiences were examined quantitatively in terms of their relationships to the treatment effects through the use of a common metric for all studies. Mean effect sizes were calculated and reported.     

Normal versus abnormal genital findings in children: How well do examiners agree?

In order to determine how well medical examiners agree on the significance of certain anogenital findings in children, preselected colposcopic photographs of the anogenital area of 16 patients were shown to 170 medical examiners (82% pediatricians) who were blinded as to the history on each patient. Findings rated most frequently as being suggestive or indicative of penetrating injury included immediate anal dilatation with no stool present (85%), hymenal transection (84%), marked narrowing of the hymenal rim with notching (81%), and a posterior fourchette scar (75%). The agreement between the participants and the experts on the abnormal cases (mean 81%) was significantly higher than on the normal cases (mean 71%, p < .001) and on genital findings (78%) than on anal findings (63%, p = .000). Higher experience level (more cases seen per month) was associated with significantly higher agreement between the participants and the experts on five of eight normal cases and two of four abnormal cases. Use of a colposcope was also associated with higher overall agreement with the experts (74% vs. 44%, p < .0001).     

排名前10的与预防运动和体育活动猝死相关的关键问题

参加有组织的体育运动和休闲活动存在发生严重伤病甚至死亡的内在风险。虽然造成体育运动或体育活动中猝死的原因有很多,但运动医学和循证标准治疗方面的进展已使临床医生得以更有效地预防、发现和治疗可能致死的伤患。随着研究与技术不断发展进步,当前的治疗标准正在不断发展以更好地改善患者的治疗效果。本文提出了10个与运动和体育活动中猝死的主要原因及其治疗手段有关的关键问题,未来开展的研究将提高运动员和休闲运动爱好者参与运动的安全度。当前证据表明,如采取正确的预防策略或最佳治疗方案,绝大多数的死亡案例是可以避免的。     

Acute effects of intense interval training on running mechanics

The aims of this study were to determine if there are significant kinematic changes in running pattern after intense interval workouts, whether duration of recovery affects running kinematics, and whether changes in running economy are related to changes in running kinematics. Seven highly trained male endurance runners (VO 2max = 72.3 +/- 3.3 ml kg -1 min -1 ; mean +/- s) performed three interval running workouts of 10 X 400 m at a speed of 5.94 +/- 0.19 m s -1 (356 +/- 11.2 m min -1 ) with a minimum of 4 days recovery between runs. Recovery of 60, 120 or 180 s between each 400 m repetition was assigned at random. Before and after each workout, running economy and several kinematic variables were measured at speeds of 3.33 and 4.47 m s -1 (200 and 268 m min -1 ). Speed was found to have a significant effect on shank angle, knee velocity and stride length (P ? 0.05). Correlations between changes pre- and post-test for VO 2 (ml kg -1 min -1 ) and several kinematic variables were not significant (P > 0.05) at both speeds. In general, duration of recovery was not found to adversely affect running economy or the kinematic variables assessed, possibly because of intra-individual adaptations to fatigue.     

Testing Literacy Educational Software to Develop Design Guidelines for Children with Autism

Multimedia computer programmes have been found to facilitate learning in children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD). However, the effectiveness of these resources is limited due to poor design or a lack of consideration of the ASD cognitive profile, particularly at the lower functioning end of the spectrum. This article attempts to tackle the problem of the lack of design guidelines, with the aim of facilitating the development of effective educational programmes for children with severe ASD. The case study reported here evaluated two literacy educational computer programmes, by observing five low-functioning children with ASD, compared to five neurotypical children (control cases). The two types of reading-support software contrasted in the study presented different characteristics. The children’s data analysed here concern observations of child–software interactive sessions based on video recordings and coded for attention deployment to each programme, including motivation and engagement indicators.