School Psychologists as Systems-Level Consultants: Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Since its inception, large-scale school reform has been an integral part of the U.S. educational system. Although school reform is commonplace, educators continue to grapple with how to bring about effective systems-level change. School-based consultants (e.g., school psychologists) are in an ideal position to help facilitate the implementation and evaluation of systems-level reform to ensure substantive change (see Illback, 2014 Illback, R. J. (2014). Organizational development and change facilitation in school settings: Theoretical and empirical foundations. In W. P. Erchul & S. N. Sheridan (Eds.), Handbook of research in school consultation (2nd ed., pp. 276–303). New York, NY: Routledge. [Google Scholar]). However, there is a paucity of research on how school psychologists can serve as systems-level consultants to actualize reform. Therefore, the purpose of this double issue is to identify high-quality research that demonstrates the implementation of school-based, systems-level reform in which school psychologists were instrumental in working with other professionals. The articles represent a wide range of school reforms that are occurring across diverse school contexts and collectively address implications for future research, training, and practice.     

Startup size and the mechanisms of external learning: increasing opportunity and decreasing ability?

An important area of investigation in the field of entrepreneurship examines how people and organizations exploit technological opportunities. Prior research suggests that alliances, the mobility of experts, and the informal mechanisms associated with geographic co-location can present firms with useful opportunities to source technological knowledge. This paper uses insights from strategic management and organizational theory to suggest that organizational size may have an important impact on the extent of external learning, since it differentially affects the likelihood of learning via formal and informal mechanisms.Examining a cross-section of semiconductor startups, we find that external learning increases with startup size. With regard to the specific mechanisms of learning, we find that firms learn from alliances regardless of their size. For the informal mechanisms of mobility and geographic co-location, however, learning decreases with firm size. These results suggest that as startups grow, they may have increasing opportunities to access and exploit external knowledge, but their motivation (and hence ability) to learn from more informal sources may decrease.     

Communication about science in a traditional museum: visitors’ and staff’s perceptions

This study investigated visitors’ and staff’s perceptions about the communication of science in a traditional natural history museum. The research examined the science-related outcomes for adult visitors and explored visitors’ and staff’s ideas of science and how it is portrayed at the museum. Data were collected by questionnaire and interview from 84 staff and 102 visitors. Both groups held positive views about science, its importance and the need for everyone to understand it. Comparison of visitors’ pretest and posttest scores on the questionnaire revealed some significant changes, several suggesting a change to views about science that were less “scientific.” Most visitors thought that their ideas about science had not changed as a result of their visit, but they were positive about the museum as a place for learning science. Staff held more “scientific” views about the nature of science than did visitors; they recognized the potential of the museum to educate people about science, but felt it needed to be presented as more relevant and accessible, particularly in terms of science as a cultural practice. Neither staff nor visitors perceived that the museum stimulated visitors to think critically about science. While acknowledging that interpreting complex scientific knowledge into exhibits readily understood by lay visitors and displaying controversy are difficult, these challenges must be addressed if visitors are to be encouraged to think about science and the social, cultural and political contexts which shape it. Léonie J. Rennie is professor of science and technology education and Dean, Graduate Studies at Curtin University of Technology in Australia. Her research interests include adults' and children's learning in science and technology and the communication of science in a range of out-of-school contexts. Currently, she is working on research projects relating to integrated curriculum in science, mathematics and technology, and a statewide program to enhance scientific literacy in the community. Gina F. Williams currently is a stay-at–home mother of two and pursuing a master’s degree in science communication from the Australian National University. At the time of the research, she was working as a Research Associate with Léonie J. Rennie at Curtin University of Technology in Australia. Gina was involved in a number of projects with a focus on the communication of science, in particular research into the learning experiences of adults in free- choice learning environments. With a background in science, Gina became interested in the issues involved in communicating science whilst working as an explainer at a science center. Her research interests include the wider community’s engagement with science in their everyday lives, and the development of community-based science projects.     

Asset Ownership and Academic Achievement Among Youth in Ghana: Examining Associations Based on Asset Type and Academic Subject

This cross-sectional study examined the relationships between asset type and academic achievement among Ghanaian junior high school students. Results suggest that the positive relationship between asset ownership and academic achievement depends on the type of asset and academic subject. Homeownership was positively and significantly associated with math achievement. Ownership of transport-related assets was positively and significantly associated with English achievement. Findings have implications for asset-building programs to promote academic proficiency and progress for all youth.     

Recruitment of men and women as academics by Australian universities

Entry of men and women to an academic career was studied through a survey of 230 men and women who in 1991 held a full-time appointment at lecturer level or above in Arts and Science disciplines in an Australian university. The women more often than the men had learned about the position they obtained from a source inside the department in which the job was being filled, had been encouraged by senior members of the department to apply, and had gained a position that was filled without advertisement. However, these differences arose because more of the women than the men had been a tutor in the department where they gained a lectureship. There were no differences in terms of how men and women had been recruited when allowance was made for this factor and whether a person had been residing within Australia immediately prior to appointment. The results are discussed with reference to why men have in the past and now do substantially outnumber women among academics in Australian universities. Although the survey suggests men and women who gained positions were recruited on similar bases, successful applicants need to be compared with unsuccessful applicants to obtain comprehensive understanding whether selection practices have disadvantaged women.The survey reported in this article was undertaken while Ray Over held an appointment as Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Education at Griffith University.     

Improving comprehension online: effects of deep vocabulary instruction with bilingual and monolingual fifth graders

This quasi-experimental study investigated the effects of an Internet-delivered universally designed depth of vocabulary intervention that targeted both English-speaking and Spanish–English-speaking students. Two hundred forty students, 49% of whom were Spanish–English bilinguals, participated in the 16-week intervention. Intervention students read eight multimedia texts with embedded instruction on 40 words and reading strategy support. Students could access all texts and activities in Spanish and English. In comparison to a control group, there were significant intervention effects on a standardized measure of vocabulary knowledge, but effects were non-significant for comprehension. Similarly, significant effects on researcher-developed measures of vocabulary depth were detected, but not for a researcher-developed measure of breadth.     

Exploring representations of Black masculinity and emasculation on NBC’s Parenthood

Here, representations of Black masculinity and emasculation are explored on NBC’s Parenthood. We question whether depictions of Black masculinity represented through Parenthood’s character, Alex, are empowering or stereotypical; how do they reflect, destabilize, and/or reinforce heteronormative depictions of Black community members? Two seasons were analyzed using Owen’s thematic analysis. Ultimately, Black males are portrayed as being societal failures, criminals, violent, and hypersexualized through his character. This embodiment ultimately preserves long-held images of Black men as “Toms, coons?…?bucks?…?as oversexed, aggressive, violent, animalistic, or emasculated” (Jackson, R. L. II. 2006. Scripting the black masculine body: Identity, discourse, and racial politics in popular media. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press). Practical recommendations and suggestions for researchers and media practitioners are provided.     

Acute effects of Kinesio taping on muscle function and self-perceived fatigue level in healthy adults

This study investigated the acute effects of Kinesio taping (KT) on muscular power, strength, endurance, and self-perceived fatigue level. This is a randomized, partial double-blind, crossover trial. Eighteen healthy adults (7 males [23.86?±?1.68 years] and 11 females [24.82?±?3.71 years]) were enrolled in this study. All subjects underwent three different trials which included no tap (NT), placebo tap (PT), and KT. Idividuals were assessed for peak and mean power, muscular strength and endurance, and self-perceived fatigue after each condition. The results revealed no significant differences in all variables (p?>?0.05) except muscular endurance (F?=?5.775, p?=?0.007). Muscular endurance in the NT (58.28?±?12.18?reps/min) condition was significantly higher than that in the KT (52.83?±?11.76?reps/min) condition. These results suggest that KT on rectus femoris and the patella of the lower limb does not improve muscular function and self-perceived fatigue level. KT is unlikely to enhance exercise performance capacity in healthy adults.     

Spatial assimilation effects and error detection in rapid overlapping and sequential bimanual movements.

This study verified earlier anecdotal evidence indicating that spatial assimilations could be reduced by offsetting movements in time. In Experiment 1, 40 right-handed participants (ages 18-23 years) made single and dual quick lever reversals of 20 degrees and 60 degrees with the left and right limbs, respectively. Participants were assigned to either the Overlapping (O) group, in which one limb began when the other limb reached the reversal point, or to the Sequential (S) group in which one limb followed the other with a delay of 114 ms, on average. The shorter-distance limb of the O group overshot relative to the S group. Short-distance spatial assimilations were also shown in the S group in Experiment 2, when the delay was increased to 250, 500, or 1,500 ms (N = 30), suggesting that assimilation effects can be caused by command interactions at both the planning and the execution levels.