Understanding mathematical literacy: The contribution of research

Amid the current ‘math wars’ in the United States, research evidence is being both demanded and attacked by all sides. A recent study designed to synthesize the literature on mathematics learning and to provide research-based recommendations, advice, and guidance developed an elaborated view of mathematical literacy, termed mathematical proficiency in the study report. Mathematical proficiency can serve as a focus for both research and practice, avoiding the extreme positions with respect to the goals of mathematics learning that are so often found in disputes over school mathematics. The study also demonstrated how research could be synthesized so that evidence from research might be used more productively for changing school mathematics in ways that would yield greater mathematical literacy for all.     

“Score-for-Credit”: An Analysis of AP Chemistry Policies at Medium-Sized,Full-time, 2-Year Undergraduate (MFT2) Institutions

This study aimed to identify a consensus Advanced Placement (AP) chemistry exam score among MFT2 institutions, and determine how this value compared against target schools within the State of Alabama. AP Credit Policies for MFT2 institutions and popular destination schools were researched using The College Board website (https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/creditandplacement/search-credit-policies). The resulting data was analyzed using simple statistical approaches to gain generalized information. Most MFT2 schools were found to offer college credit when the student obtained a 3/5 or higher on the AP chemistry exam. This outcome is one point lower than popular destination universities for our students at Central Alabama Community College. Community colleges can use lower AP chemistry exam scores to attract students who are likely to be college ready, but may not have the ability (academic, financial, social, or otherwise) to thrive at popular destination schools. A word of caution is included.     

Dyads at risk: methadone-maintained women and their four-month-old infants

As part of a longitudinal study of offspring born to substance abusers, we videotaped 17 methadone-exposed and 23 comparison 4-month-old infants interacting with their mothers. Using a scale we developed, we rated communicative functioning in dyadic interaction and related mothers' interactive performance to their psychological and psychosocial resources and infants' interactive performance to their motor functioning as assessed on the Bayley Infant Behavior Record. We found, cutting across drug groups, that mothers who performed poorly on interaction were likely to have poor maternal resources and that infants showing poor communicative functioning were likely to show problematic motor functioning--namely, greater tension and poorer coordination relative to activity level; it was the opposite for mothers or infants who communicated well. Methadone was only one among several risk factors affecting interaction.     

What drives failed policy at the World Bank? An inside account of new aid modalities to higher education: context,blame, and infallibility

This article analyses recent World Bank interventions aimed at improving higher education and local research capacity in low-income countries. Our empirical entry point is a critical analysis of the Development and Innovation Grant (DIG) scheme the Bank rolled out in Cambodia (2010–2015), a virtual carbon copy export of its Academic Initiative Fund in Bangladesh. Offering a rare insider perspective, we argue that the DIG scheme ultimately failed because the Bank so glaringly misunderstood the Cambodian context. We use this case to contemplate the deeper flaws in how the Bank ‘thinks’, highlighting how the world’s most powerful development institution manages to maintain faith in its own infallibility despite failure.     

Socioeconomic status, parental investments, and the cognitive and behavioral outcomes of low-income children from immigrant and native households

The current study examines the effects of socioeconomic status (SES) on preschool children's cognitive and behavioral outcomes and if these relations are mediated by the quality of children's home environment and moderated by family nativity status. Data come from 1459 low-income families (n = 257 and 1202 immigrant and native families, respectively). Results indicated that among both immigrant and native households, maternal education, as compared to household income or welfare receipt, was the strongest predictor of a composite of SES. Path analyses estimated direct and indirect effects of SES and revealed greater similarity than difference in the processes by which SES influences immigrant and native children's preschool outcomes. Language/literacy stimulation and maternal supportiveness mediated the relations of SES to children's cognitive outcomes among both immigrant and native families. In contrast, parenting stress mediated the effects of SES on children's aggressive behavior among native, but not immigrant, households.     

Professional learning among specialist staff in resourced mainstream schools for pupils with ASD and SLI

Supporting pupils with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in mainstream schools is a challenging task. This article proposes a professional development framework for educational psychologists (EPs) to consider when supporting the development of specialist ASD staff. The framework focuses on training content, educator characteristics and organisational elements. Nine mainstream schools developing additional provision to support children with ASD and specific language impairment (SLI) participated in the research. Specialist staff were provided with training and took part in follow up interviews about their developing practice. A pre- and post-questionnaire of participants (N = 30) attending the specialist training is supplemented with longitudinal interview data from specialist staff (N = 20). A paired sample t-test of questionnaire data showed that staff self-efficacy significantly increased pre- to post-training with a large effect size (0.61). Thematic analysis of interviews provided evidence of sustained professional development over time, underpinned by supportive organisational factors.     

Academic Libraries and Quality: An Analysis and Evaluation Framework

The paper proposes and describes a framework for academic library quality to be used by new and more experienced library practitioners and by others involved in considering the quality of academic libraries' services and provision. The framework consists of eight themes and a number of questions to examine within each theme. The framework was derived from a detailed content analysis of two major sources of information: the content of a recent book on quality and academic libraries edited by the author; the content of the journal articles, books and conference proceedings identified for the various literature reviews included in the book. To illustrate the development of the framework, some of the main activities, processes, and issues defined within each theme are described, and extensive references from the literature are included.