The Benefit of Educational Inclusiveness for Early School Leavers in the European Labour Market

Previous research suggests that the ongoing educational expansion is a negative development for early school leavers (ESLrs) in the European labour market, since it increases the level and educational attainment of their competition, and in the worst case creates credential inflation. Findings from the 2005 cross-sectional EU-SILC data show, however, that the negative effect of early school leaving on income is reduced by educational inclusiveness at the country level. The explanation, it is said, is that educational expansion decreases the influence of a disadvantaged family background, which accounts for the net interacting effect of educational inclusiveness itself. Results from two-level hierarchical analyses indicate that the influence of family background is indeed conditional upon the level of educational inclusiveness at country level. This is true for all but one of the indicators of family background included in this article.     

Creating original knowledge in and for the workplace: evidence from a practitioner doctorate

The workplace is becoming acknowledged, if not without some contention, as a site of knowledge production that can have equal validity with academic and other research-oriented contexts. One way of investigating practice-based knowledge generation is through doctoral work that is based on research and development in the workplace. Examination of a selection of outputs from a doctorate geared specifically to work-based candidates confirms the workplace as a site of valid knowledge production, and also indicates that real-life projects concerned with development and change rather than explicitly with research can, if pursued with intellectual rigour and critical reflection, be a powerful source of new knowledge.     

The Impact of the IDEA 2004 on Transition to College for Students with Learning Disabilities

Abstract The newly reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 contains several significant changes that will directly impact students with learning disabilities (LD) who are preparing for transition to postsecondary education. These modifications include transition planning, reevaluations, new criteria for the diagnosis of LD, and the summary of performance requirement. This article presents an overview of pertinent changes in each of these key areas, as well as discussion of how these modifications will impact students in transition. Recommendations are offered for secondary and postsecondary personnel regarding these changes.     

The Professional Accreditation of Conservator-Restorers: Developing a competence-based professional assessment system

The accreditation and registration systems used by professional bodies serve a number of purposes including offering clients a measure of confidence, creating or maintaining a market niche, and raising the profile of the profession. The currently dominant technocratic model of professional accreditation normally places a high value on examining knowledge, with sometimes a secondary assessment of practice. A few UK professional associations are beginning to accept practice-based accreditation, generally as an alternative to their mainstream systems. Conservators and restorers represent a small occupational group in the process of professionalising. A recent project has seen agreement on a practice-based system as the primary route to professional accreditation. This system draws on some of the principles established through UK occupational standards and National Vocational Qualifications, while incorporating modifications to aid clarity, improve the ease and rigour of assessment, and reflect intelligent, reflective practice. The approach used raises some issues and questions about how and on what grounds professional practitioners are accredited, and how occupational standards can be applied and assessed in a professional context.     

Bone mineral density in triathletes over a competitive season

There is evidence from previous cross-sectional studies that high volumes of certain sports, including running, swimming and cycling, may have a negative impact on bone mineral density. The aim of the present study was to evaluate prospectively the effects of high athletic training in individuals who engage in high volumes of all three of these activities (triathletes). Bone mineral density for the total body, arms and legs was determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 21 competitive triathletes (9 men, 12 women) at the beginning of the training season and 24 weeks later. Age, body mass index, calcium intake and training volume were also recorded to examine potential mediators of bone mineral density change. Men had greater bone mineral density at all sites than women. No significant changes were observed over the 24 weeks for either total body or leg bone mineral density. Bone mineral density in both arms increased by approximately 2% in men (P < 0.03), but no change was observed for women. Change in bone mineral density at all sites was unrelated to age, body mass index, calcium intake and training volume. The results suggest that adverse changes in bone mineral density do not occur over the course of 6 months of training in competitive triathletes.