The Letterbox Club: the impact on looked-after children and their carers of a national project aimed at raising achievements in literacy for children aged 7 to 11 in foster care

This paper considers the initial impact of a national project funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families which provides books, number activities and stationery items (once a month over a 6-month period) directly to children aged 7–11 in their foster homes. The context of the project, established against a background of low attainment in literacy among looked-after children in foster care in the UK, is explored. This paper focuses explicitly on the impact of the reading materials on the children who received them and on other people within the children's foster care environment. Particular reference is made to issues of ownership, textual preference and use of or engagement with the reading books, together with the implications that these findings may have for future work in this field both nationally and internationally.     

Bullying and victimisation rates among students in general and special education: a comparative analysis

Bullying and victimisation remains a pervasive problem within the nation’s schools. International research has indicated that students who are enrolled in special education curricula are victimised and perpetrate more bullying than their general education peers. Few empirical studies have examined bullying and victimisation rates among American schoolchildren within special education programmes. The current study examined rates of bullying and fighting perpetration and victimisation among middle‐school students (n = 7331) and high‐school students (n = 14,315) enrolled in general education and special education programmes. As hypothesised, students in special education reported greater rates of bullying and fighting perpetration, and victimisation than general education students. Students who were in self‐contained classrooms reported more perpetration and victimisation than those in inclusive settings. Fighting perpetration was similar for younger and older students in special education settings, whereas fighting perpetration was lower for older students, versus younger students, in general education.     

AN EMERGING FIELD OF STUDY

If we can trust to the lessons of the history of the human mind, of the history of habits of life, development does not take place chiefly by imperceptible changes but by revolutions. -Charles Sanders Peirce With the death of Martin Burnham, the hostage held by Muslim kidnappers in Mindanao, the southern island of the Philippines, one would expect more than 1,200 American troops (including 160 Special Forces, plus FBI and CIA personnel) training Filipinos for that rescue mission to be heading for home. No dice. Despite the most tenuous links with al-Qaeda, the Abu Sayyaf bandit group of less than a hundred men has been elevated to incredible prominence by the U.S. media.     

Parental or policy maker misunderstandings? Contextual dilemmas of pre-schooling for poverty reduction in Malawi

With the move towards achieving universal primary education, focus is increasingly shifting towards early childhood development. Within this, debates are apparent between those who view education at this stage holistically, with concern that it should not be directly linked with primary schooling, and those who view it more explicitly as contributing towards achieving universal primary completion by ensuring that children will be appropriately prepared for studying at this level. Moreover, it is apparent that views of different stakeholders vary. Evidence from Malawi indicates that national policies are closely linked with the international agenda, with a focus on holistic approaches. However, parents view pre-schooling in a narrower way, as an important step towards preparing their children for studying successfully at the primary level. Rather than considering this as parental ‘misunderstanding’, we argue that this perspective shows a greater awareness of local realities and is, therefore, more likely to support an escape from poverty.     

Strategies for managing resources in a declining resource situation

Medium- and long-term strategies for deploying resources in Higher Education are discussed in the context of avoiding any reduction in the quality and quantity of educational provision, and, at the same time, meeting appropriate financial criteria. The paper emphasises the need to maximise the use of existing staff through redeployment, retraining and staff development. New appointments should be strictly controlled through part-time and fixed-term contracts. Staffing levels may be reduced through early retirement and redundancy, although in some situations, the sharing, movement or exchange of staff between institutions may be an alternative possibility. Non-staff costs are analysed in relation to teaching, administration, accommodation and ancillary activities. The principal of good house-keeping is advocated in relation to these costs, with a clear recognition of those costs which relate to academic standards and legal obligations.     

Leaving the Lecture Behind: Putting PubMed Instruction into the Hands of the Students

This column describes the development of a one-shot PubMed instruction class for medical students at a health sciences library. Background information on the objective is presented and discussed in the context of educational practice literature. The new course design centers on a guided group method of instruction in order to integrate more active learning. Surveyed students reported that the method was an effective way to learn how to search PubMed and that they preferred it to a traditional lecture. Pros and cons of the method are offered for other health sciences libraries interested in presenting PubMed instruction in a similar manner.