Establishing a Learning Mentor Service within a Cluster of Primary Schools: Learning from Evaluation

This paper describes a learning mentor service commissioned by the Children's Fund that has been established in a cluster of primary schools, offering a possible model for the provision of pastoral care to support children at risk of underachieving. In particular, it explores issues relevant to the implementation of the service, namely communication, co-ordination and time, and identifies benefits and outcomes of the service, as perceived by the various stakeholders. Evaluation of this service, on which the paper reports, highlights the importance of developing a clear quality care pathway, and putting systems in place to obtain information regarding the outcomes of the service.     

The Benefits of Non-Library Professional Organization Membership for Liaison Librarians

Although liaison librarians have two important professional identities - librarian and subject specialist - the library literature has paid scant attention to their membership and participation in non-library professional organizations. This article analyzes a study of ten librarians who joined non-library associations and concludes that membership in such organizations has significant benefits.     

The Mississippi Community College Story: From Humble Beginnings to Extraordinary Outcomes

ABSTRACT

Mississippi has the oldest state-wide system of public 2-year colleges in the USA. The story of the creation of the community college system in Mississippi is both complex and powerful. Founded upon the combination of the needs of rural students, the challenge of poor transportation, and a serendipitous conference side-trip, the college system has faced and overcome many challenges. During the systems infancy, there was a struggle to define what role the colleges were to play in society, which is a struggle that continues today. Beginning as an outgrowth of a state K-12 system with agricultural roots, the system became an independent higher education entity that supported all the people of the state. The colleges of Mississippi experienced all of the transitional challenges common to the community college movement and navigated these challenges against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving view of segregation and race relations. The purpose of this paper is to present a concise picture of the history and development of the community college movement in Mississippi.     

The effects of teacher support,parental monitoring,motivation and self-efficacy on academic performance over time

European Journal of Psychology of Education - This study aimed to investigate the contribution of teacher support and parental monitoring to academic performance over three years, testing the...     

The Adult Parental Acceptance–Rejection Questionnaire: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Italian and American Short Forms

Objective. The aims of this article were to test the measurement invariance of the Italian and American versions of the Adult Parental Acceptance–Rejection Questionnaire and to compare adults’ remembrances of parental acceptance–rejection across the two nations. Design. The Adult Parental Acceptance–Rejection Questionnaire was administered to 564 Italian adults (M = 23.04 years) and 509 U.S. American adults (M = 22.09 years), matched by gender and age. The measurement invariance of the Parental Acceptance–Rejection Questionnaire was first established by means of multi-group confirmatory factor analyses. Results. The Parental Acceptance–Rejection Questionnaire is fully invariant across the two cultures, and adults organize their remembrances of mothers’ and fathers’ parenting around the same four classes of behavior in both nations. Italian and American adults tend to remember their parents as having been quite loving, with Italian parents being remembered as slightly less warm and more hostile than American parents. Conclusions. The full invariance of the Parental Acceptance–Rejection Questionnaire across the two populations represents additional strong evidence for the universality of interpersonal acceptance–rejection theory. Measurement invariance also confirmed that the Adult Parental Acceptance–Rejection Questionnaire (short form) can be used to measure adult remembrances of parental acceptance–rejection across these two populations.     

Supporting Parents in Early Literacy through Libraries (SPELL): An Evaluation of a Multi-Site Library Project

ABSTRACT

The Supporting Parents in Early Literacy through Libraries (SPELL) project was initiated to evaluate the effectiveness of early literacy programs in libraries. Eight Colorado libraries developed and implemented year-long early literacy programs targeting parents of children ages zero to three. Pre- and post-surveys were conducted to determine the effect of these programs on the early literacy habits of participating parents. The survey results indicated that after participating in the SPELL prototype programs, respondents reported increased knowledge of and engagement in early literacy activities.     

Cross-curricular skills development in final-year dissertation by active and collaborative methodologies

European Frame for Higher Education has led universities to adapt their teaching schemes. Degrees must train students in competences including specific and cross-curricular skills. Nevertheless, there are important limitations to follow skill improvement through the consecutive academic years. Final-year dissertation (FYD) offers the opportunity to assess these aspects so linked to the professional requirements. The experience reported here offers an alternative methodology for the FYD in order to reinforce cross-curricular skills and substitute the classic final evaluation schemes. A new protocol for the FYD was defined and tested in the Degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics, with the participation of students and lecturers from different disciplines. The new methodology included collaborative activities that required students active implication and participation. New cross-curricular skills not considered before were included and evaluated in a continuous way: analysis and critical attitude, as well as team working. Obtained data revealed an improvement over cross-curricular skills. Student–student cooperation resulted in significant contributions to enhance FYD quality. The new methodology was satisfactorily valued by students. The main keys for the successful implementation of this protocol were the followings: encouragement of teachers and students, coordination, information and communication technologies, and clear guidelines.