Radio Frequency Identification: Transforming the Dynamics of Supply and Demand in Publishing

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a mature technology used across many industries. However, beyond satisfying industry mandates, many in the publishing industry have stepped back from pursuing the potential of RFID. Why? Publishing was first introduced to RFID in 2003 through retailer mandates which created a negative cloud around RFID. Many focused exclusively on the technology and the cost of compliance, rather than the business benefits. Since then, the primary focus has continued to be on the technology. For a publishing industry facing new sources of competition and serious supply-chain issues, the time has come to stop focusing on the technology and start thinking about the benefits. RFID is really all about lowering costs and achieving greater efficiencies. The potential for RFID to reduce warehouse and distribution costs, in-store theft and out-of-stock conditions is exciting, as are the larger opportunities to improve forecasting, customer experience and planning. RFID is new to the book industry and there is still a lot to learn. Understanding the technology is important. But, RFID is not just a technology. It is an enabler for reducing costs, improving profitability and enhancing competitiveness. It is essential that the industry go beyond the technology and start realizing these opportunities.     

Compliance and Resistance: Showing Future Teachers How to Navigate Curriculum

Teacher educators needing to meet requirements of state licensing bodies and accrediting organizations are in a position similar to that of K-12 teachers: they must adhere to externally imposed standards and curricular requirements while keeping their courses rigorous, interesting, and critical. This article reports results from a self-study exploring (1) how a teacher educator used a state-mandated course with prescribed curriculum to model adhering to the curriculum while also challenging it, and (2) how a teacher educator encouraged critical evaluation of state policy while adhering to the prescribed state curriculum. Drawing from data collected during a pre-service ESL methods course, the key assertion of the study is that it is both possible and desirable to model critical teaching in courses that require strict adherence to standards and may include a prescribed scope and sequence, mandated topics, or time allotment requirements.     

Environmental education in transition: A critical review of recent research on climate change and energy education

Abstract

The transition from centralized energy systems based on fossil fuels to renewable-based systems is a macro-level societal shift necessitated by climate change. This review of recent environmental education (EE) research identifies gaps and opportunities for promoting environmental action in this new context. We found that environmental educators and researchers are currently focused on researching and promoting energy conservation behavior with an emphasis on children and youth. We also found an emerging research focus on energy transitions at the regional and national levels. We recommend that environmental educators and researchers adopt a vision and strategy for climate change and energy education that more explicitly addresses the role of collective action, multiactor networks, and sociotechnical innovation in shaping energy transition processes.     

Intensifying instruction: Does additional instructional time make a difference for the most at-risk first graders?

Research is clear on the benefit of early intervention efforts and the importance of intensive instructional supports; however, understanding which features to intensify is less clear. General intervention features of group size, instructional delivery, and time are areas schools can consider manipulating to intensify instruction. Also, each of these features can vary along a continuum making them easier or more challenging for schools to implement. What is unclear is if implementing very intensive interventions early in school (first grade), which require significantly more school resources, provides accordingly accelerated student learning. This article investigates the role of intensifying instructional time for the most at-risk first graders in schools implementing research-based instructional and assessment practices within multitiered instructional support systems. Results indicate that students receiving more intensive intervention made significantly more progress across a range of early reading measures. Intervention features, limitations, recommendations for practice, and implications for treatment resisters are discussed.     

Breaking the cycle of intergenerational abuse: the long-term impact of a residential care program

OBJECTIVE: The number of youth in residential care programs who have been abused is high. The relationship between childhood abuse victimization and adult intimate partner violence (IPV) is well documented. This study compared the rates of IPV 16 years after individuals had participated in a long-term residential care program with individuals accepted to the program who did not participate. The IPV rates for these two groups were also compared to national normative data. METHOD: Information on adult functional outcomes was obtained from former residential care and comparison youth via a confidential survey that was administered either by telephone or by mail. Analysis was limited to respondents who were currently married or involved in a marriage-like relationship (n=131; 92% male). RESULTS: The IPV rates for the sample were 9.3% for those who stayed in the residential program less than 18 months and 6.5% for those who stayed more than 18 months, neither of which were significantly different from the national norm of 8.4%. The IPV rate for the comparison group was 26.1%, which was significantly higher than the national norm. Regardless of length of program stay, respondents who were maltreated in childhood had a 14.5% IPV rate, which was significantly lower than the estimated 36-42% rate projected for individuals with similar backgrounds. CONCLUSION: We conclude that time spent in a treatment-oriented residential care program was associated with lower adult IPV rates. Specifically, the skills taught in a long-term, treatment-based residential program (e.g., healthy interpersonal relationships, self-government) may have a long-term beneficial impact for adolescents at high risk of adult IPV.     

Predicting reading success in a multilevel schoolwide reading model: a retrospective analysis

Despite recent research findings that implicate a long list of student variables that predict reading success or failure, these predictor variables have not been considered in the context of contemporary models of multitiered schoolwide reading intervention. This longitudinal, retrospective study follows 668 kindergarten and first-grade students identified as at risk for later reading difficulties through third grade. Key predictor variables were examined to determine their validity for predicting initial status and growth on oral reading fluency, third-grade oral reading fluency, and third-grade performance on a standardized test of reading. Results are provided in light of the instructional model provided. Implications for instruction and assessment are discussed.     

Publishers,authors, and technology: A look backward and forward

New technology is not always used to its full potential. Economic and market considerations, issues of quality, and the social and political setting may impose barriersto the exploitation of new inventions. This article describes the impact of the typewriter on the division of labor between author and publisher and analyzes the reasons for the general delay in its adoption. It then reviews obstacles to greater use of the computer and offers some predictions for the near future. Beth Luey, senior lecturer and director of historical editing and publishing at Arizona State University, writes frequently on author/publisher relations. She is the author ofHandbook for Academic Authors (Cambridge, 1987) and editor ofBook Research Quarterly.