Facilitators of and barriers to school psychologists' social–emotional/behavioral practices

Using data from a national survey of school psychologists we investigated (a) the extent to which school psychologists supported students' social–emotional and behavioral well-being using data and evidence-based practices programming, (b) how facilitators and barriers impacted school psychologists' service delivery in these areas, and (c) how participants' demographic characteristics predicted facilitators to these practices. The survey was administered to randomly selected National Association of School Psychologists' members. One hundred ninety-nine full-time, school-based school psychologists (24% response rate) completed the survey. Results indicated more practitioners reported using data to design, implement, and evaluate evidence-based strategies for social–emotional and behavioral supports (M = 3.32, SD = 0.90) than reported using evidence-based strategies themselves in these same areas (M = 3.10, SD = 1.05). School psychologists who reported more facilitators were more likely to use data and engage in evidence-based practices related to social–emotional and behavioral supports for students. Results also indicated certain barriers impeded school psychologists' practices in these areas. Few demographic characteristics predicted the presence of facilitators or barriers. Findings from the current study extend the extant literature by providing empirical data on facilitators of and barriers to services related to school psychologists' use of data and evidence-based practices in these areas.     

Mountains and Molehills: egocentricism in recent research

Abstract

The paper describes, on a comparative basis, the approaches to, and the methods and effects of, academic restructuring in the universities of the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany, which has become necessary in the light of dwindling resources. The aim is to rationalise provision in order to achieve greater efficiency. To that effect courses and departments have been, or may be, closed or combined, and institutions may have to merge or even close. On the other hand, selective steps have been taken in both countries to protect and strengthen science and technology, especially research in these areas. The article also analyses the differences and similarities of such measures, given the underlying different traditions and conditions. It highlights, in particular, the role of the governments or their agencies in the implementation of such policies.     

Mapping world-class universities on the web

A visual display of the most important universities in the world is the aim of this paper. It shows the topological characteristics and describes the web relationships among universities of different countries and continents. The first 1000 higher education institutions from the Ranking Web of World Universities were selected and their link relationships were obtained from Yahoo! Search. Network graphs and geographical maps were built from the search engine data. Social network analysis techniques were used to analyse and describe the structural properties of the whole of the network and its nodes. The results show that the world-class university network is constituted from national sub-networks that merge in a central core where the principal universities of each country pull their networks toward international link relationships. The United States dominates the world network, and within Europe the British and the German sub-networks stand out.     

Foot strike pattern in preschool children during running: sex and shod–unshod differences

Purpose: This study aims to determine the foot strike patterns (FSPs) and neutral support (no inversion [INV]/eversion [EVE] and no foot rotation) in preschool children, as well as to determine the influence of shod/unshod conditions and sex. Methods: A total of 1356 children aged 3–6 years (673 boys and 683 girls) participated in this study. A sagittal and frontal-plane video (240?Hz) was recorded using a high-speed camcorder to record the following variables: rearfoot strike (RFS), midfoot strike (MFS), forefoot strike (FFS), inversion/ eversion (INV/EVE) and foot rotation on initial contact. Results: There were no between-sex significant differences in both shod and unshod conditions in RFS. In the unshod condition, there was a significant reduction (p?Conclusion: In preschool children, no between-sex differences were found in relation to prevalence of RFS and neutral support (no INV/EVE). Shod running alters FSP of running barefoot, producing a significant increase of RFS prevalence.     

Design and calibration of a drill-guided system by laser for structural strengthening of historic bridge

Restoring the spans of a historic bridge requires installing tensors to ensure the structural and mechanical stability of the rows of stones that form the resistant body of the bridge. Once the positions where the structure-crossing tensors should be installed have been determined, the entry and exit points of each drill hole must be marked on both sides of the bridge. However, the exit point of each drill hole is not visible from the entry point, making it impossible to drill precisely. Here, we present a method based on a calibrated system that combines precision topography with laser technology. Using this method, drill holes longer than 12 m can be achieved with centimetric precision.     

Linking university and industry: An organizational experience in Mexico

This paper describes the experience gained in the Center for Technological Innovation since its creation three years ago within the National Autonomous University of Mexico. By offering the services of locating clients, drafting and negotiating contracts, providing specialized information services, and project follow-up, the Center pursues the establishment of effective ties between University projects and industrial production. In so doing, its staff informally assumes the critical “dgate-keeper” and “entrepreneur” roles, not easily accepted in other areas of the University.The main difficulties encountered so far have been in developing interdisciplinary projects, providing due academic recognition for technological activities and extending knowledge about innovation throughout the University. On the other hand, a great advantage is the interest shown by the academic community; likewise is UNAM's stability and autonomy, structural characteristics which have stimulated the development of technically sound teams over several decades. To date, the Center has provided support services for 125 projects and has participated in establishing 44 contracts between the University and industry.     

Transparency in policy making: A complexity view

The literature on transparency in participatory policy making is flourishing. With the increased digitization of our world, recent work suggests that the digitally-enabled relationships of how policy makers and citizens observe each other may transform policy making in a fundamental way. In this paper, we use complexity theory to examine how digitally-enabled transparency affects the effectiveness of policy making in aligning citizens with the policy goal to improve collective human welfare. We map Kauffman's NKC fitness landscape model, a generalizable theory of co-evolutionary complexity, to the phenomenon of transparent policy making in order to explain how transparency as an enabling generative mechanism encourages citizens to align with the policy goal without exercising central control. In our framework, citizens are agents who co-evolve by adapting to information available in their citizen landscapes. These landscapes represent the citizens' decision context, which policy makers observe and modify throughout an iterative policy cycle. In our study we identify three types of transparencies that relate to three properties of the citizens' decision context: (1) individual decision interdependence; (2) decision bias; and (3) collective decision interdependence. Using conceptual modeling, a form of inquiry combining formal representation with empirical sense making in three policy domains (e-health, smart transportation, and smart energy), we articulate and empirically validate two generative mechanisms that explain transparency effects for each of the three transparencies: (1) orchestration via iterative landscape “tuning” to reduce ambiguity and simplify citizens' alignment with the policy goal; and (2) social learning via information sharing, a co-evolutionary social “nudge” that encourages citizens to be more open to behavioral changes. Our findings have implications for the literature on transparency in participatory policy making as well as the literature on complexity in public policy and public administration.     

Developing student voice and participatory pedagogy: a case study in a Spanish primary school

This article describes a case study that is part of a broader research project in which schools set up processes of school improvement inspired by the proposals put forward by students. The project furthers the initiatives of the student voice movement and seeks to implement more participative pedagogical models. This as a whole represents a novel opportunity in the context of Spanish schools. Specifically, in the text we describe an experience in which students work as researchers (SAR) and in which we describe and discuss this process carried out in a primary school through ethnographic tools. The findings allow us to discover in this experience a learning opportunity for the members of the school community and for the school itself. Likewise, the research permits us to verify the existence of certain changes in the preexisting practice architectures that affect the cultural–discursive dimension, the material–economic dimension and the social–political dimension of schools.