A Fish Out of Water: New Articulations of U.S.–Latino Identity on Ugly Betty

This essay examines representations of U.S.–Latino identity on the ABC television program Ugly Betty. The analysis argues that the show articulates a tension between ethnic “otherness” and cultural assimilation that symbolizes current negotiations of individual and collective identities among young, English-speaking Latinos in the United States. Furthermore, the essay argues that Ugly Betty symbolically endorses a new conceptualization of Latino identity in the United States. The conceptual framework of the analysis is the relationship between media representation and identity.     

The Mood and Intent of Liberal Education

Today's technology-based society and the vast influx of new information make leadership development a necessity. Many of the world's finest and most successful leaders have trusted mentors. Mentoring has emerged as a means to cultivate the leadership skills of current and future leaders. Mentoring has a rich history and harbors immense learning potential, which is supported by the theories and concepts of prominent researchers and philosophers such as Vygotsky, Rogoff, and Bruner. Mentors take on various roles and, like chameleons, transform their roles to fit the needs of their mentees, including becoming coaches, supporters, counselors, educators, and sponsors. The benefits of both mentors and mentees are extensive, ranging from increased self-esteem, awareness, insight, and professional skills to reduction of stress. While the benefits to mentoring are immense, personal and societal constraints such as time, incompatibility, and inadequate training show that engaging in mentoring takes immense time, effort, and commitment in order to obtain the desired results.     

Imitative Youth (Russian and American Youth Movements)

Through a leadership for learning approach, a school–university partnership in a large, urban district was able to recruit, develop, and retain new and existing school leaders. Two cohorts of new leaders were trained while existing leaders enhanced their skills through professional development. Data indicated that the school–university partnership increased the overall percentage of new district leaders by over 19 percent, and met or exceeded all seven of its established targets for leadership development and sustainability.     

“Profound Levels of Learning” Through Brain-Based Teaching: A Tribute to Roland Barth

This article is a tribute to the writings of Dr. Roland Barth through a personal story spanning over two decades. It explores Dr. Barth's personal vision of an effective school through recent brain-based principles. It revisits Barth's axioms and uses recent implications from the neurosciences as new supporting evidence for their success in helping students and their teachers reach profound levels of learning in the classroom and in staff development experiences.     

Keys to Successful Leadership: High Support for Capable and Versatile Principals

What are the prerequisites for principals’ success within a decentralized and deregulated Swedish-policy environment characterized by democratic equity values and neo-liberal practices? Twenty-four secondary school principals identified internal and external factors that promote or inhibit principals’ success. The discussion concerns whether the current crossfire of demands produces superficiality and threats to democracy due to the working conditions described by the principals.     

Learner-centred education and ‘cultural translation’

This paper contests the proposal that learner-centred education (LCE) may simply be a western construct, irrelevant to the current educational needs of developing countries, by arguing that its specific forms will be more effective when introduced through small-scale institutional relationships than through large-scale contracts with national governments. LCE initiatives are more likely to impact successfully if their professional language has been ‘culturally translated’, a process which relates features of the surface level of an intervention to its underlying social relations of production as part of a dialogue which respects addressees not merely as listeners but also as active agents.     

Using a Comprehensive Case‐Based Examination To Evaluate and Integrate Student Learning in Social Work Administration

While the case method has been used in teaching social work practice for many years, its use as an evaluation tool is less common. This analysis describes the use of the case method in a comprehensive examination for MSW students in an Administration concentration. After a brief review of the issues related to student outcome assessment and the curriculum of the Administration concentration, a case debriefing framework is described, along with examples of student responses. The analysis concludes with a discussion of issues and implications for future research.     

Framework for Developing a Social Administration Concentration

Abstract

Alternative curriculum models for implementing social administration concentrations are useful in Schools of Social Work for selecting options from an array of alternatives. This article presents the conceptual design and framework for developing a concentration in social administration based on a curriculum model that pools knowledge between macro disciplines. Educational outcomes based on this curriculum model focus on training and educating social workers to become incisive, analytical thinkers, as well as skilled practitioners, who can lead, manage, collaborate, and create change in both organizational and community settings. Today's social administrators need to be prepared to assume strong leadership roles in communities and to advocate for social change.     

Social Work Education

Abstract

Migration across national borders has resulted in demographic changes in the United States, causing the country to become more multi-ethnic. This presents considerable challenges for graduate level educators who need to be responsive to the unique academic needs of diverse populations by considering students' previous experiences, values, and beliefs. This change requires educators to incorporate various teaching styles and to create a classroom atmosphere where security, trust, and openness can be achieved. Developing cultural competence and creating a transformative learning environment is essential for social work educators teaching in multicultural environments in the 21st century. This article provides a brief overview of Burchum's (2002) Evolutionary Perspectives that will help to assist readers in obtaining a clear understanding of cultural competence. It also presents Blunt's Model of Cultural Competence for Transformative Education, which can promote both transformative learning and assist social work educators in fostering a transformative learning environment.     

推进中小企业战略绩效管理的探讨

企业的生存、发展必须要有明确的战略目标。企业战略的实现,归根到底是由所有员工共同完成的。绩效管理与战略管理的有机集合能有效地保障企业战略目标的实现,促进企业的持续发展。基于此,在分析中小企业绩效管理的现状、推进战略绩效管理的必要性和难点基础上,提出推进中小企业战略绩效管理的几点建议。