The Nation's Report Card Mathematics 2011 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Dallas Public Schools. Grade 4, Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education Statistics, 2011

2011-01-01

This one-page report presents overall results, achievement level percentages and average score results, scores at selected percentiles, average scores for district and large cities, results for student groups (school race, gender, and eligibility for National School Lunch Program) in 2011, and score gaps for student groups. In 2011, the average…

The Nation's Report Card Mathematics 2011 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Dallas Public Schools. Grade 8, Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education Statistics, 2011

2011-01-01

This one-page report presents overall results, achievement level percentages and average score results, scores at selected percentiles, average scores for district and large cities, results for student groups (school race, gender, and eligibility for National School Lunch Program) in 2011, and score gaps for student groups. In 2011, the average…

The Nation's Report Card Reading 2011 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Dallas Public Schools. Grade 4, Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education Statistics, 2011

2011-01-01

This one-page report presents overall results, achievement level percentages and average score results, scores at selected percentiles, average scores for district and large cities, results for student groups (school race, gender, and eligibility for National School Lunch Program) in 2011, and score gaps for student groups. In 2011, the average…

The Nation's Report Card Reading 2011 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Dallas Public Schools. Grade 8, Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education Statistics, 2011

2011-01-01

This one-page report presents overall results, achievement level percentages and average score results, scores at selected percentiles, average scores for district and large cities, results for student groups (school race, gender, and eligibility for National School Lunch Program) in 2011, and score gaps for student groups. In 2011, the average…

The Nation's Report Card Mathematics 2011 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Grade 4, Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education Statistics, 2011

2011-01-01

This one-page report presents overall results, achievement level percentages and average score results, scores at selected percentiles, average scores for district and large cities, results for student groups (school race, gender, and eligibility for National School Lunch Program) in 2011, and score gaps for student groups. In 2011, the average…

The Nation's Report Card Reading 2011 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. San Diego Unified School District. Grade 8, Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education Statistics, 2011

2011-01-01

This one-page report presents overall results, achievement level percentages and average score results, scores at selected percentiles, average scores for district and large cities, results for student groups (school race, gender, and eligibility for National School Lunch Program) in 2011, and score gaps for student groups. In 2011, the average…

The Nation's Report Card Mathematics 2011 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. San Diego Unified School District. Grade 8, Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education Statistics, 2011

2011-01-01

This one-page report presents overall results, achievement level percentages and average score results, scores at selected percentiles, average scores for district and large cities, results for student groups (school race, gender, and eligibility for National School Lunch Program) in 2011, and score gaps for student groups. In 2011, the average…

The Nation's Report Card Mathematics 2011 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. San Diego Unified School District. Grade 4, Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education Statistics, 2011

2011-01-01

This one-page report presents overall results, achievement level percentages and average score results, scores at selected percentiles, average scores for district and large cities, results for student groups (school race, gender, and eligibility for National School Lunch Program) in 2011, and score gaps for student groups. In 2011, the average…

The Nation's Report Card Reading 2011 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. San Diego Unified School District. Grade 4, Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education Statistics, 2011

2011-01-01

This one-page report presents overall results, achievement level percentages and average score results, scores at selected percentiles, average scores for district and large cities, results for student groups (school race, gender, and eligibility for National School Lunch Program) in 2011, and score gaps for student groups. In 2011, the average…

The Nation's Report Card Reading 2011 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Austin Independent School District. Grade 4, Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education Statistics, 2011

2011-01-01

This one-page report presents overall results, achievement level percentages and average score results, scores at selected percentiles, average scores for district and large cities, results for student groups (school race, gender, and eligibility for National School Lunch Program) in 2011, and score gaps for student groups. In 2011, the average…

The Nation's Report Card Reading 2011 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Austin Independent School District. Grade 8, Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education Statistics, 2011

2011-01-01

This one-page report presents overall results, achievement level percentages and average score results, scores at selected percentiles, average scores for district and large cities, results for student groups (school race, gender, and eligibility for National School Lunch Program) in 2011, and score gaps for student groups. In 2011, the average…

The Nation's Report Card Mathematics 2011 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Austin Independent School District. Grade 8, Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education Statistics, 2011

2011-01-01

This one-page report presents overall results, achievement level percentages and average score results, scores at selected percentiles, average scores for district and large cities, results for student groups (school race, gender, and eligibility for National School Lunch Program) in 2011, and score gaps for student groups. In 2011, the average…

The Nation's Report Card Mathematics 2011 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Austin Independent School District. Grade 4, Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education Statistics, 2011

2011-01-01

This one-page report presents overall results, achievement level percentages and average score results, scores at selected percentiles, average scores for district and large cities, results for student groups (school race, gender, and eligibility for National School Lunch Program) in 2011, and score gaps for student groups. In 2011, the average…

The Nation's Report Card Reading 2011 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Albuquerque Public Schools. Grade 4, Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education Statistics, 2011

2011-01-01

This one-page report presents overall results, achievement level percentages and average score results, scores at selected percentiles, average scores for district and large cities, results for student groups (school race, gender, and eligibility for National School Lunch Program) in 2011, and score gaps for student groups. In 2011, the average…

The Nation's Report Card Reading 2011 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Albuquerque Public Schools. Grade 8, Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education Statistics, 2011

2011-01-01

This one-page report presents overall results, achievement level percentages and average score results, scores at selected percentiles, average scores for district and large cities, results for student groups (school race, gender, and eligibility for National School Lunch Program) in 2011, and score gaps for student groups. In 2011, the average…

The Nation's Report Card Mathematics 2011 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Albuquerque Public Schools. Grade 4, Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education Statistics, 2011

2011-01-01

This one-page report presents overall results, achievement level percentages and average score results, scores at selected percentiles, average scores for district and large cities, results for student groups (school race, gender, and eligibility for National School Lunch Program) in 2011, and score gaps for student groups. In 2011, the average…

The Nation's Report Card Mathematics 2011 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Albuquerque Public Schools. Grade 8, Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education Statistics, 2011

2011-01-01

This one-page report presents overall results, achievement level percentages and average score results, scores at selected percentiles, average scores for district and large cities, results for student groups (school race, gender, and eligibility for National School Lunch Program) in 2011, and score gaps for student groups. In 2011, the average…

Selling students short: Racial differences in teachers’ evaluations of high, average, and low performing students

PubMed Central

Irizarry, Yasmiyn

2015-01-01

Education scholars document notable racial differences in teachers’ perceptions of students’ academic skills. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort, this study advances research on teacher perceptions by investigating whether racial differences in teachers’ evaluations of first grade students’ overall literacy skills vary for high, average, and low performing students. Results highlight both the overall accuracy of teachers’ perceptions, and the extent and nature of possible inaccuracies, as demonstrated by remaining racial gaps net literacy test performance. Racial differences in teachers’ perceptions of Black, non-White Latino, and Asian students (compared to White students) exist net teacher and school characteristics and vary considerably across literacy skill levels. Skill specific literacy assessments appear to explain the remaining racial gap for Asian students, but not for Black and non-White Latino students. Implications of these findings for education scholarship, gifted education, and the achievement gap are discussed. PMID:26004478

Gender Gaps in Achievement and Participation in Multiple Introductory Biology Classrooms

PubMed Central

Brownell, Sara E.; Wenderoth, Mary Pat

2014-01-01

Although gender gaps have been a major concern in male-dominated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines such as physics and engineering, the numerical dominance of female students in biology has supported the assumption that gender disparities do not exist at the undergraduate level in life sciences. Using data from 23 large introductory biology classes for majors, we examine two measures of gender disparity in biology: academic achievement and participation in whole-class discussions. We found that females consistently underperform on exams compared with males with similar overall college grade point averages. In addition, although females on average represent 60% of the students in these courses, their voices make up less than 40% of those heard responding to instructor-posed questions to the class, one of the most common ways of engaging students in large lectures. Based on these data, we propose that, despite numerical dominance of females, gender disparities remain an issue in introductory biology classrooms. For student retention and achievement in biology to be truly merit based, we need to develop strategies to equalize the opportunities for students of different genders to practice the skills they need to excel. PMID:25185231

Closing the social-class achievement gap: a difference-education intervention improves first-generation students' academic performance and all students' college transition.

PubMed

Stephens, Nicole M; Hamedani, MarYam G; Destin, Mesmin

2014-04-01

College students who do not have parents with 4-year degrees (first-generation students) earn lower grades and encounter more obstacles to success than do students who have at least one parent with a 4-year degree (continuing-generation students). In the study reported here, we tested a novel intervention designed to reduce this social-class achievement gap with a randomized controlled trial (N = 168). Using senior college students' real-life stories, we conducted a difference-education intervention with incoming students about how their diverse backgrounds can shape what they experience in college. Compared with a standard intervention that provided similar stories of college adjustment without highlighting students' different backgrounds, the difference-education intervention eliminated the social-class achievement gap by increasing first-generation students' tendency to seek out college resources (e.g., meeting with professors) and, in turn, improving their end-of-year grade point averages. The difference-education intervention also improved the college transition for all students on numerous psychosocial outcomes (e.g., mental health and engagement).

Selling students short: Racial differences in teachers' evaluations of high, average, and low performing students.

PubMed

Irizarry, Yasmiyn

2015-07-01

Education scholars document notable racial differences in teachers' perceptions of students' academic skills. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort, this study advances research on teacher perceptions by investigating whether racial differences in teachers' evaluations of first grade students' overall literacy skills vary for high, average, and low performing students. Results highlight both the overall accuracy of teachers' perceptions, and the extent and nature of possible inaccuracies, as demonstrated by remaining racial gaps net literacy test performance. Racial differences in teachers' perceptions of Black, non-White Latino, and Asian students (compared to White students) exist net teacher and school characteristics and vary considerably across literacy skill levels. Skill specific literacy assessments appear to explain the remaining racial gap for Asian students, but not for Black and non-White Latino students. Implications of these findings for education scholarship, gifted education, and the achievement gap are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Playing with Mathematics: How Play Supports Learning and the Common Core State Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zosh, Jennifer Mary; Hassinger-Das, Brenna; Toub, Tamara Spiewak; Hirsh-Pasek, Kathy; Golinkof, Roberta

2016-01-01

International rankings show children in the United States perform well below average in mathematics. There are also large mathematics achievement gaps between children of lower- and higher-socioeconomic status. As today's teachers face these challenges, they are also faced with the pressures of sweeping educational reforms that arrived with the…

Closing the N-use efficiency gap to achieve food and environmental security.

PubMed

Cui, Zhenling; Wang, Guiliang; Yue, Shanchao; Wu, Liang; Zhang, Weifeng; Zhang, Fusuo; Chen, Xinping

2014-05-20

To achieve food and environmental security, closing the gap between actual and attainable N-use efficiency should be as important as closing yield gaps. Using a meta-analysis of 205 published studies from 317 study sites, including 1332 observations from rice, wheat, and maize system in China, reactive N (Nr) losses, and total N2O emissions from N fertilization both increased exponentially with increasing N application rate. On the basis of the N loss response curves from the literature meta-analysis, the direct N2O emission, NH3 volatilization, N leaching, and N runoff, and total N2O emission (direct + indirect) were calculated using information from the survey of farmers. The PFP-N (kilogram of harvested product per kilogram of N applied (kg (kg of N)(-1))) for 6259 farmers were relative low with only 37, 23, and 32 kg (kg of N)(-1) for rice, wheat, and maize systems, respectively. In comparison, the PFP-N for highest yield and PFP-N group (refers to fields where the PFP-N was within the 80-100th percentile among those fields that achieved yields within the 80-100th percentile) averaged 62, 42, and 53 kg (kg of N)(-1) for rice, wheat, and maize systems, respectively. The corresponding grain yield would increase by 1.6-2.3 Mg ha(-1), while the N application rate would be reduced by 56-100 kg of N ha(-1) from average farmer field to highest yield and PFP-N group. In return, the Nr loss intensity (4-11 kg of N (Mg of grain)(-1)) and total N2O emission intensity (0.15-0.29 kg of N (Mg of grain)(-1)) would both be reduced significantly as compared to current agricultural practices. In many circumstances, closing the PFP-N gap in intensive cropping systems is compatible with increased crop productivity and reductions in both Nr losses and total N2O emissions.

Enhancing the Vocabulary Knowledge of First-Grade Children with Supplemental Booster Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Puhalla, Eve M.

2011-01-01

This study examined the effects of instructional intensity on the acquisition of storybook vocabulary in first graders who were at risk of early reading failure. It also measured whether the intervention was effective for closing the vocabulary knowledge gap between students who were at risk and their average-achieving peers. A total of 66…

Early Childhood Behavior Problems and the Gender Gap in Educational Attainment in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owens, Jayanti

2016-01-01

Why do men in the United States today complete less schooling than women? One reason may be gender differences in early self-regulation and prosocial behaviors. Scholars have found that boys' early behavioral disadvantage predicts their lower average academic achievement during elementary school. In this study, I examine longer-term effects: Do…

Student Background and Student Achievement: What Is the Right Question?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heyneman, Stephen P.

2005-01-01

For half a century there have been reports that children of the poor or of some ethnic minorities on average perform worse in school. Some have suggested that these findings demonstrate a failing of education to reduce gaps in adult income and differences in adult socioeconomic status. This article reviews the research internationally and…

Closing the Educational Achievement Gap between Blacks and Whites: Nobody Wants to Be Black

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Austin L.; Kronick, Robert

2006-01-01

This research study attempts to explain the educational achievement gap between blacks and whites, the factors that cause the achievement gap, the consequences of the achievement gap for the black race, and possible solutions to the achievement gap. The data collected for this study has shown that the educational achievement gap between blacks and…

Teachers' perceptions of students' mathematics proficiency may exacerbate early gender gaps in achievement.

PubMed

Robinson-Cimpian, Joseph P; Lubienski, Sarah Theule; Ganley, Colleen M; Copur-Gencturk, Yasemin

2014-04-01

A recent wave of research suggests that teachers overrate the performance of girls relative to boys and hold more positive attitudes toward girls' mathematics abilities. However, these prior estimates of teachers' supposed female bias are potentially misleading because these estimates (and teachers themselves) confound achievement with teachers' perceptions of behavior and effort. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (ECLS-K), Study 1 demonstrates that teachers actually rate boys' mathematics proficiency higher than that of girls when conditioning on both teachers' ratings of behavior and approaches to learning as well as past and current test scores. In other words, on average girls are only perceived to be as mathematically competent as similarly achieving boys when the girls are also seen as working harder, behaving better, and being more eager to learn. Study 2 uses mediation analysis with an instrumental-variables approach, as well as a matching strategy, to explore the extent to which this conditional underrating of girls may explain the widening gender gap in mathematics in early elementary school. We find robust evidence suggesting that underrating girls' mathematics proficiency accounts for a substantial portion of the development of the mathematics achievement gap between similarly performing and behaving boys and girls in the early grades. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Combining satellite remote sensing and surveys to understand persistent yield variation--- a case study in North China Plain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Y.; Lobell, D. B.; Chen, X.

2015-12-01

A large gap between maize yields on average farmers' fields and the highest yields achieved by either experiment or farmers is typical throughout the developing world, including in the North China Plain (NCP). This maize yield gap as identified by previous studies indicates large opportunities for raising yield by improving agronomy. Quzhou county is typical of the winter-wheat summer-maize system in NCP where the average plot size is as small as 0.25 hectares. To analyze this cropping system amidst the challenge of substantial heterogeneity, we identified fields that were either persistently higher or lower yielding according to the remote sensing yield estimates, and then conducted detailed field surveys. We found irrigation facility to be a major constraint to yield both in terms of irrigation water quality and farmers' access to wells. In total, improving the access to unsalty water would be associated with a 0.32t/ha (4.2%) increase in multi-year average yield. In addition, farmers' method of choosing cultivar, which likely relates to their overall knowledge level, significantly explained yield variation. In particular, those choosing cultivars according to technician advice, personal experiences and high yielding neighbors' advice had on average higher yield than farmers that either followed seed sellers' advice or collectively purchased seeds. Overall, the study presents a generalizable methodology of assessing yield gap as well as its persistent factors using a combination of satellite and survey data.

Comparing Students With and Without Reading Difficulties on Reading Comprehension Assessments: A Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Collins, Alyson A; Lindström, Esther R; Compton, Donald L

Researchers have increasingly investigated sources of variance in reading comprehension test scores, particularly with students with reading difficulties (RD). The purpose of this meta-analysis was to determine if the achievement gap between students with RD and typically developing (TD) students varies as a function of different reading comprehension response formats (e.g., multiple choice, cloze). A systematic literature review identified 82 eligible studies. All studies administered reading comprehension assessments to students with RD and TD students in Grades K-12. Hedge's g standardized mean difference effect sizes were calculated, and random effects robust variance estimation techniques were used to aggregate average weighted effect sizes for each response format. Results indicated that the achievement gap between students with RD and TD students was larger for some response formats (e.g., picture selection ES g = -1.80) than others (e.g., retell ES g = -0.60). Moreover, for multiple-choice, cloze, and open-ended question response formats, single-predictor metaregression models explored potential moderators of heterogeneity in effect sizes. No clear patterns, however, emerged in regard to moderators of heterogeneity in effect sizes across response formats. Findings suggest that the use of different response formats may lead to variability in the achievement gap between students with RD and TD students.

Development of the literacy achievement gap: a longitudinal study of kindergarten through third grade.

PubMed

Foster, Wayne A; Miller, Merideth

2007-07-01

The major goal of this study was to specify the developmental trajectories for phonics and early text comprehension skills of children from kindergarten through third grade. Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (N = 12,261) were used in this study. The participants were divided into 3 school readiness groups based on an assessment of literacy skill development at the time of entrance into kindergarten. The different groups were tracked on phonics and text comprehension development through the third grade. Students in the average and high literacy readiness groups achieved high scores in decoding (phonics) by the end of the first grade. Students in the low readiness group did not match these scores until the third grade. Although the phonics gap was essentially closed in the third grade, a second, very significant text comprehension gap was exposed. The 3 readiness groups were analyzed to assess the relative contributions of parent education, income, and kindergarten literacy score to third-grade literacy achievement. The results of this study stress the need for speech-language pathologists to assess emergent literacy skills in their speech and language clients and to include appropriate literacy goals in the treatment regimen as a means for reducing the potential need for identification as learning disabled in reading in the later years of elementary school.

The 1996 High Schools That Work Assessment: Good News and Bad News for Health Occupations Programs. Research Brief.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bottoms, Gene; Presson, Alice

The academic achievement of students in health occupations programs at High Schools That Work (HSTW) sites in 1996 was compared to academic performance levels at HSTW sites in 1994. Health occupations students at HSTW sites improved their average reading scores from 269 in 1993 to 278 in 1996. During the study period, the gap widened between HSTW…

Yield Gap, Indigenous Nutrient Supply and Nutrient Use Efficiency for Maize in China.

PubMed

Xu, Xinpeng; Liu, Xiaoyan; He, Ping; Johnston, Adrian M; Zhao, Shicheng; Qiu, Shaojun; Zhou, Wei

2015-01-01

Great achievements have been attained in agricultural production of China, while there are still many difficulties and challenges ahead that call for put more efforts to overcome to guarantee food security and protect environment simultaneously. Analyzing yield gap and nutrient use efficiency will help develop and inform agricultural policies and strategies to increase grain yield. On-farm datasets from 2001 to 2012 with 1,971 field experiments for maize (Zea mays L.) were collected in four maize agro-ecological regions of China, and the optimal management (OPT), farmers' practice (FP), a series of nutrient omission treatments were used to analyze yield gap, nutrient use efficiency and indigenous nutrient supply by adopting meta-analysis and ANOVA analysis. Across all sites, the average yield gap between OPT and FP was 0.7 t ha-1, the yield response to nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) were 1.8, 1.0, and 1.2 t ha-1, respectively. The soil indigenous nutrient supply of N, P, and K averaged 139.9, 33.7, and 127.5 kg ha-1, respectively. As compared to FP, the average recovery efficiency (RE) of N, P, and K with OPT increased by percentage point of 12.2, 5.5, and 6.5, respectively. This study indicated that there would be considerable potential to further improve yield and nutrient use efficiency in China, and will help develop and inform agricultural policies and strategies, while some management measures such as soil, plant and nutrient are necessary and integrate with advanced knowledge and technologies.

Yield Gap, Indigenous Nutrient Supply and Nutrient Use Efficiency for Maize in China

PubMed Central

Xu, Xinpeng; Liu, Xiaoyan; He, Ping; Johnston, Adrian M.; Zhao, Shicheng; Qiu, Shaojun; Zhou, Wei

2015-01-01

Great achievements have been attained in agricultural production of China, while there are still many difficulties and challenges ahead that call for put more efforts to overcome to guarantee food security and protect environment simultaneously. Analyzing yield gap and nutrient use efficiency will help develop and inform agricultural policies and strategies to increase grain yield. On-farm datasets from 2001 to 2012 with 1,971 field experiments for maize (Zea mays L.) were collected in four maize agro-ecological regions of China, and the optimal management (OPT), farmers’ practice (FP), a series of nutrient omission treatments were used to analyze yield gap, nutrient use efficiency and indigenous nutrient supply by adopting meta-analysis and ANOVA analysis. Across all sites, the average yield gap between OPT and FP was 0.7 t ha-1, the yield response to nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) were 1.8, 1.0, and 1.2 t ha-1, respectively. The soil indigenous nutrient supply of N, P, and K averaged 139.9, 33.7, and 127.5 kg ha-1, respectively. As compared to FP, the average recovery efficiency (RE) of N, P, and K with OPT increased by percentage point of 12.2, 5.5, and 6.5, respectively. This study indicated that there would be considerable potential to further improve yield and nutrient use efficiency in China, and will help develop and inform agricultural policies and strategies, while some management measures such as soil, plant and nutrient are necessary and integrate with advanced knowledge and technologies. PMID:26484543

State-Level Progress in Reducing the Black–White Infant Mortality Gap, United States, 1999–2013

PubMed Central

Goldfarb, Samantha Sittig; Wells, Brittny A.; Beitsch, Leslie; Levine, Robert S.; Rust, George

2017-01-01

Objectives. To assess state-level progress on eliminating racial disparities in infant mortality. Methods. Using linked infant birth–death files from 1999 to 2013, we calculated state-level 3-year rolling average infant mortality rates (IMRs) and Black–White IMR ratios. We also calculated percentage improvement and a projected year for achieving equality if current trend lines are sustained. Results. We found substantial state-level variation in Black IMRs (range = 6.6–13.8) and Black–White rate ratios (1.5–2.7), and also in percentage relative improvement in IMR (range = 2.7% to 36.5% improvement) and in Black–White rate ratios (from 11.7% relative worsening to 24.0% improvement). Thirteen states achieved statistically significant reductions in Black–White IMR disparities. Eliminating the Black–White IMR gap would have saved 64 876 babies during these 15 years. Eighteen states would achieve IMR racial equality by the year 2050 if current trends are sustained. Conclusions. States are achieving varying levels of progress in reducing Black infant mortality and Black–White IMR disparities. Public Health Implications. Racial equality in infant survival is achievable, but will require shifting our focus to determinants of progress and strategies for success. PMID:28323476

Defining the Lower Limit of a "Critical Bone Defect" in Open Diaphyseal Tibial Fractures.

PubMed

Haines, Nikkole M; Lack, William D; Seymour, Rachel B; Bosse, Michael J

2016-05-01

To determine healing outcomes of open diaphyseal tibial shaft fractures treated with reamed intramedullary nailing (IMN) with a bone gap of 10-50 mm on ≥50% of the cortical circumference and to better define a "critical bone defect" based on healing outcome. Retrospective cohort study. Forty patients, age 18-65, with open diaphyseal tibial fractures with a bone gap of 10-50 mm on ≥50% of the circumference as measured on standard anteroposterior and lateral postoperative radiographs treated with IMN. IMN of an open diaphyseal tibial fracture with a bone gap. Level-1 trauma center. Healing outcomes, union or nonunion. Forty patients were analyzed. Twenty-one (52.5%) went on to nonunion and nineteen (47.5%) achieved union. Radiographic apparent bone gap (RABG) and infection were the only 2 covariates predicting nonunion outcome (P = 0.046 for infection). The RABG was determined by measuring the bone gap on each cortex and averaging over 4 cortices. Fractures achieving union had a RABG of 12 ± 1 mm versus 20 ± 2 mm in those going on to nonunion (P < 0.01). This remained significant when patients with infection were removed. Receiver operator characteristic analysis demonstrated that RABG was predictive of outcome (area under the curve of 0.79). A RABG of 25 mm was the statistically optimal threshold for prediction of healing outcome. Patients with open diaphyseal tibial fractures treated with IMN and a <25 mm RABG have a reasonable probability of achieving union without additional intervention, whereas those with larger gaps have a higher probability of nonunion. Research investigating interventions for RABGs should use a predictive threshold for defining a critical bone defect that is associated with greater than 50% risk of nonunion without supplementary treatment. Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Causes of and Solutions to the Achievement Gap: Teachers' Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ratcliff, Nancy J.; Costner, Richard H.; Carroll, Kimberly L.; Jones, Cathy R.; Sheehan, Heather Chase; Hunt, Gilbert H.

2016-01-01

Survey results from 874 educators regarding the achievement gap are shared. The importance of the achievement gap, causes of and solutions to the achievement gap, and performance expectations for students in their schools are explored. Implications for teacher educators are discussed as related to both pre-service and in-service training programs.

Excellence Gaps in Education: Expanding Opportunities for Talented Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plucker, Jonathan A.; Peters, Scott J.

2016-01-01

In "Excellence Gaps in Education," Jonathan A. Plucker and Scott J. Peters shine a spotlight on "excellence gaps"--the achievement gaps among subgroups of students performing at the highest levels of achievement. Much of the focus of recent education reform has been on closing gaps in achievement between students from different…

Pushing Past the Achievement Gap: An Essay on the Language of Deficit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ladson-Billings, Gloria

2007-01-01

Despite the intense focus on the achievement gap that exists between African American, Latino, and other students of color and their White counterparts, the achievement gap discourse keeps us locked in the deficit paradigm. This article challenges us to look at the inherent fallacies of the achievement gap discourse and place students' academic…

Reaching the healthy people goals for reducing childhood obesity: closing the energy gap.

PubMed

Wang, Y Claire; Orleans, C Tracy; Gortmaker, Steven L

2012-05-01

The federal government has set measurable goals for reducing childhood obesity to 5% by 2010 (Healthy People 2010), and 10% lower than 2005-2008 levels by 2020 (Healthy People 2020). However, population-level estimates of the changes in daily energy balance needed to reach these goals are lacking. To estimate needed per capita reductions in youths' daily "energy gap" (calories consumed over calories expended) to achieve Healthy People goals by 2020. Analyses were conducted in 2010 to fit multivariate models using National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 1971-2008 (N=46,164) to extrapolate past trends in obesity prevalence, weight, and BMI among youth aged 2-19 years. Differences in average daily energy requirements between the extrapolated 2020 levels and Healthy People scenarios were estimated. During 1971-2008, mean BMI and weight among U.S. youth increased by 0.55 kg/m(2) and by 1.54 kg per decade, respectively. Extrapolating from these trends to 2020, the average weight among youth in 2020 would increase by ∼1.8 kg from 2007-2008 levels. Averting this increase will require an average reduction of 41 kcal/day in youth's daily energy gap. An additional reduction of 120 kcal/day and 23 kcal/day would be needed to reach Healthy People 2010 and Healthy People 2020 goals, respectively. Larger reductions are needed among adolescents and racial/ethnic minority youth. Aggressive efforts are needed to reverse the positive energy imbalance underlying the childhood obesity epidemic. The energy-gap metric provides a useful tool for goal setting, intervention planning, and charting progress. Copyright © 2012 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Closing the gaps in child health in the Pacific: An achievable goal in the next 20 years

PubMed Central

Duke, Trevor; Kado, Joseph H; Auto, James; Amini, James; Gilbert, Katherine

2015-01-01

It is not inconceivable that by 2035 the substantial gaps in child health across the Pacific can close significantly. Currently, Australia and New Zealand have child mortality rates of 5 and 6 per 1000 live births, respectively, while Pacific island developing nations have under 5 mortality rates ranging from 13 to 16 (Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga) to 47 and 58 per 1000 live births (Kiribati and Papua New Guinea, respectively). However, these Pacific child mortality rates are falling, by an average of 1.4% per year since 1990, and more rapidly (1.9% per year) since 2000. Based on progress elsewhere, there is a need to (i) define the specific things needed to close the gaps in child health; (ii) be far more ambitious and hopeful than ever before; and (iii) form a new regional compact based on solidarity and interdependence. PMID:25586845

Closing the Achievement Gap: Challenges and Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robards, Shirley N.

2008-01-01

Closing the achievement gap between low- and high-achieving public school students is an important goal of public education. This article explores background information and research and discusses examples of best practices to close the achievement gap. Several plans have been proposed as ways to enhance the achievement of under-represented…

An Empirical Study of Design Parameters for Assessing Differential Impacts for Students in Group Randomized Trials.

PubMed

Jaciw, Andrew P; Lin, Li; Ma, Boya

2016-10-18

Prior research has investigated design parameters for assessing average program impacts on achievement outcomes with cluster randomized trials (CRTs). Less is known about parameters important for assessing differential impacts. This article develops a statistical framework for designing CRTs to assess differences in impact among student subgroups and presents initial estimates of critical parameters. Effect sizes and minimum detectable effect sizes for average and differential impacts are calculated before and after conditioning on effects of covariates using results from several CRTs. Relative sensitivities to detect average and differential impacts are also examined. Student outcomes from six CRTs are analyzed. Achievement in math, science, reading, and writing. The ratio of between-cluster variation in the slope of the moderator divided by total variance-the "moderator gap variance ratio"-is important for designing studies to detect differences in impact between student subgroups. This quantity is the analogue of the intraclass correlation coefficient. Typical values were .02 for gender and .04 for socioeconomic status. For studies considered, in many cases estimates of differential impact were larger than of average impact, and after conditioning on effects of covariates, similar power was achieved for detecting average and differential impacts of the same size. Measuring differential impacts is important for addressing questions of equity, generalizability, and guiding interpretation of subgroup impact findings. Adequate power for doing this is in some cases reachable with CRTs designed to measure average impacts. Continuing collection of parameters for assessing differential impacts is the next step. © The Author(s) 2016.

Poststapedectomy hearing gain: comparison of a Teflon (fluoroplastic ASTM F 754) prosthesis with a Schuknecht-type wire/Teflon prosthesis.

PubMed

Zepeda-López, Emilia Guadalupe; Bello-Mora, Antonio; Félix-Trujillo, Manuel Martín

2005-11-01

We conducted a retrospective study to compare poststapedectomy hearing gain in study-eligible patients who had received a Teflon (fluoroplastic ASTM F 754) prosthesis (study group; n = 76) with hearing gain achieved in a matched group (by age, sex, and degree of hypoacusis) of patients who had received a Schuknecht-type wire/Teflon prosthesis (control group; n = 70). All procedures had been performed by the authors at our institution between Jan. 2, 1994, and Dec. 31, 1997. Airway averages at low, medium, and high frequencies were estimated on the basis ofpre- and postoperative audiologic evaluations, as were total air-bone gaps at 7 frequencies between 125 and 8, 000 Hz. We found that the study group achieved a significantly greater degree of hearing gain at 125 and 250 Hz and significantly better closure of the air-bone gap at 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 Hz. The hearing outcomes among patients in the study group were excellent.

Which Achievement Gap?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Sharon; Medrich, Elliott; Fowler, Donna

2007-01-01

From the halls of Congress to the local elementary school, conversations on education reform have tossed around the term "achievement gap" as though people all know precisely what that means. As it's commonly used, "achievement gap" refers to the differences in scores on state or national achievement tests between various…

Gender gaps in achievement and participation in multiple introductory biology classrooms.

PubMed

Eddy, Sarah L; Brownell, Sara E; Wenderoth, Mary Pat

2014-01-01

Although gender gaps have been a major concern in male-dominated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines such as physics and engineering, the numerical dominance of female students in biology has supported the assumption that gender disparities do not exist at the undergraduate level in life sciences. Using data from 23 large introductory biology classes for majors, we examine two measures of gender disparity in biology: academic achievement and participation in whole-class discussions. We found that females consistently underperform on exams compared with males with similar overall college grade point averages. In addition, although females on average represent 60% of the students in these courses, their voices make up less than 40% of those heard responding to instructor-posed questions to the class, one of the most common ways of engaging students in large lectures. Based on these data, we propose that, despite numerical dominance of females, gender disparities remain an issue in introductory biology classrooms. For student retention and achievement in biology to be truly merit based, we need to develop strategies to equalize the opportunities for students of different genders to practice the skills they need to excel. © 2014 S. L. Eddy et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2014 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Equal Access to Content Instruction for English Learners: An Example from Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Zoe Ann; DiRanna, Kathy

2012-01-01

Equal access to content instruction is the foundation of educational equity--it reduces opportunity gaps that lead to achievement gaps. Achievement gaps lead to gaps in college and career access, which lead to income gaps. Income gaps lead to language gaps, thus perpetuating one of the most critical gaps we face in education. This paper is about…

The Opportunity Gap Achievement and Inequality in Education. Harvard Educational Review Reprint Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

da Silva, Carol DeShano, Ed.; Huguley, James Philip, Ed.; Kakli, Zenub, Ed.; Rao, Radhika, Ed.

2007-01-01

"The Opportunity Gap" aims to shift attention from the current overwhelming emphasis on schools in discussions of the achievement gap to more fundamental questions about social and educational opportunity. The achievement gap looms large in the current era of high-stakes testing and accountability. Yet questions persist: Has the…

Teaching a lay theory before college narrows achievement gaps at scale.

PubMed

Yeager, David S; Walton, Gregory M; Brady, Shannon T; Akcinar, Ezgi N; Paunesku, David; Keane, Laura; Kamentz, Donald; Ritter, Gretchen; Duckworth, Angela Lee; Urstein, Robert; Gomez, Eric M; Markus, Hazel Rose; Cohen, Geoffrey L; Dweck, Carol S

2016-06-14

Previous experiments have shown that college students benefit when they understand that challenges in the transition to college are common and improvable and, thus, that early struggles need not portend a permanent lack of belonging or potential. Could such an approach-called a lay theory intervention-be effective before college matriculation? Could this strategy reduce a portion of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic achievement gaps for entire institutions? Three double-blind experiments tested this possibility. Ninety percent of first-year college students from three institutions were randomly assigned to complete single-session, online lay theory or control materials before matriculation (n > 9,500). The lay theory interventions raised first-year full-time college enrollment among students from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds exiting a high-performing charter high school network or entering a public flagship university (experiments 1 and 2) and, at a selective private university, raised disadvantaged students' cumulative first-year grade point average (experiment 3). These gains correspond to 31-40% reductions of the raw (unadjusted) institutional achievement gaps between students from disadvantaged and nondisadvantaged backgrounds at those institutions. Further, follow-up surveys suggest that the interventions improved disadvantaged students' overall college experiences, promoting use of student support services and the development of friendship networks and mentor relationships. This research therefore provides a basis for further tests of the generalizability of preparatory lay theories interventions and of their potential to reduce social inequality and improve other major life transitions.

Teaching a lay theory before college narrows achievement gaps at scale

PubMed Central

Yeager, David S.; Walton, Gregory M.; Brady, Shannon T.; Akcinar, Ezgi N.; Paunesku, David; Keane, Laura; Kamentz, Donald; Ritter, Gretchen; Duckworth, Angela Lee; Urstein, Robert; Gomez, Eric M.; Markus, Hazel Rose; Cohen, Geoffrey L.; Dweck, Carol S.

2016-01-01

Previous experiments have shown that college students benefit when they understand that challenges in the transition to college are common and improvable and, thus, that early struggles need not portend a permanent lack of belonging or potential. Could such an approach—called a lay theory intervention—be effective before college matriculation? Could this strategy reduce a portion of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic achievement gaps for entire institutions? Three double-blind experiments tested this possibility. Ninety percent of first-year college students from three institutions were randomly assigned to complete single-session, online lay theory or control materials before matriculation (n > 9,500). The lay theory interventions raised first-year full-time college enrollment among students from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds exiting a high-performing charter high school network or entering a public flagship university (experiments 1 and 2) and, at a selective private university, raised disadvantaged students’ cumulative first-year grade point average (experiment 3). These gains correspond to 31–40% reductions of the raw (unadjusted) institutional achievement gaps between students from disadvantaged and nondisadvantaged backgrounds at those institutions. Further, follow-up surveys suggest that the interventions improved disadvantaged students’ overall college experiences, promoting use of student support services and the development of friendship networks and mentor relationships. This research therefore provides a basis for further tests of the generalizability of preparatory lay theories interventions and of their potential to reduce social inequality and improve other major life transitions. PMID:27247409

Reducing the White-Nonwhite Achievement Gap.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramey, Madelaine

It is well documented that there continues to be a gap between white and nonwhite student achievement. A study develops and tests a measure of white-nonwhite achievement gap reduction. The ultimate purpose is to use the measure as the dependent variable in a qualitative study of what works in reducing the gap. The strategy used in addressing this…

Test Format and the Variation of Gender Achievement Gaps within the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reardon, Sean; Fahle, Erin; Kalogrides, Demetra; Podolsky, Anne; Zarate, Rosalia

2016-01-01

Prior research demonstrates the existence of gender achievement gaps and the variation in the magnitude of these gaps across states. This paper characterizes the extent to which the variation of gender achievement gaps on standardized tests across the United States can be explained by differing state accountability test formats. A comprehensive…

Two Models of Learning and Achievement: An Explanation for the Achievement Gap?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeh, Stuart S.

2015-01-01

Background/Context: Despite decades of research, the persistence of the gap in student achievement between disadvantaged minority students and their middle-class peers remains unexplained. Purpose/Objective: The purpose of the current article is to propose a new model of the achievement gap. Research Design: Data were analyzed from three…

Determining Quantity and Strength of Relationships between STEM Camp Participants and the Math Student Camp Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reding, Tracie Evans; Squires, Amelia; Grandgenett, Neal; Keller, Sydney; Grandgenett, Hanna; Hodge, Angie; Argo, Christina; Jacobberger, Katrina

2017-01-01

There is a global issue concerning the disparity in educational achievement associated with the socioeconomic status of students, known in the U.S. as the Achievement Gap. This Achievement Gap highly correlates with what has been called the Opportunity Gap for professional careers. This paper discusses this Opportunity Gap and how the University…

Impact of climate change on maize potential productivity and the potential productivity gap in southwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Di; Wang, Jing; Dai, Tong; Feng, Liping; Zhang, Jianping; Pan, Xuebiao; Pan, Zhihua

2014-12-01

The impact of climate change on maize potential productivity and the potential productivity gap in Southwest China (SWC) are investigated in this paper. We analyze the impact of climate change on the photosynthetic, light-temperature, and climatic potential productivity of maize and their gaps in SWC, by using a crop growth dynamics statistical method. During the maize growing season from 1961 to 2010, minimum temperature increased by 0.20°C per decade ( p < 0.01) across SWC. The largest increases in average and minimum temperatures were observed mostly in areas of Yunnan Province. Growing season average sunshine hours decreased by 0.2 h day-1 per decade ( p < 0.01) and total precipitation showed an insignificant decreasing trend across SWC. Photosynthetic potential productivity decreased by 298 kg ha-1 per decade ( p < 0.05). Both light-temperature and climatic potential productivity decreased ( p < 0.05) in the northeast of SWC, whereas they increased ( p < 0.05) in the southwest of SWC. The gap between light-temperature and climatic potential productivity varied from 12 to 2729 kg ha-1, with the high value areas centered in northern and southwestern SWC. Climatic productivity of these areas reached only 10%-24% of the light-temperature potential productivity, suggesting that there is great potential to increase the maize potential yield by improving water management in these areas. In particular, the gap has become larger in the most recent 10 years. Sensitivity analysis shows that the climatic potential productivity of maize is most sensitive to changes in temperature in SWC. The findings of this study are helpful for quantification of irrigation water requirements so as to achieve maximum yield potentials in SWC.

Gazing Past the Gaps: A Growth-Based Assessment of the Mathematics Achievement of Black Girls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Jemimah L.; Young, Jamaal R.; Capraro, Robert M.

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to proffer the idea to "gaze" past gender and racial achievement gaps by providing a growth-based assessment of the achievement of Black girls. The study aims to elucidate how alternatives to traditional achievement gap analyses can yield information relevant to addressing classroom challenges. This…

Urban Schools that Have Narrowed the Achievement Gap: Middle School Math Achievement in an Urban Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sagun, Theodore

2010-01-01

The achievement gap is a persistent academic disparity between White and Asian students and ethnic minorities, English Language Learners, and low-income students. The academic disparity exists within the realm of mathematics. Although many factors are cited for contributing to the achievement gap, this study reviews institutional racism, meager…

The Global Increase in the Socioeconomic Achievement Gap, 1964-2015. CEPA Working Paper No. 17-04

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chmielewski, Anna K.

2017-01-01

The existence of a "socioeconomic achievement gap"--a disparity in academic achievement between students from high- and low-socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds--is well-known in educational research. The SES achievement gap has been documented across a wide range of countries. What is unknown in most countries is whether the SES…

Minding and mending the gap: Social psychological interventions to reduce educational disparities.

PubMed

Spitzer, Brian; Aronson, Joshua

2015-03-01

Achievement gaps continue to garner a great deal of attention both in academic and in popular circles. Many students continue to struggle despite broad educational reforms aimed at narrowing these gaps in learning and performance. In this article, we review a number of social psychological interventions that show promise in reducing gaps in achievement, not by addressing structural barriers to achievement, but by helping students cope with threats to their identity that impair intellectual functioning and motivation. For example, interventions involving meditation, role models, emotional reappraisal, growth mindsets, imagining possible selves, self-affirmations, belongingness and cooperative learning have been shown to ameliorate threats to identity and raise achievement. We describe and evaluate these social psychological interventions. Many achievement gaps involve a psychological predicament: a threat to one's social identity or to one's sense of belonging. Students' implicit theories - how they mind the gap - can act as barriers to their success. By helping students cope with these threats, these theory-based interventions represent a genuine advance in the way schools may reduce gaps in achievement. These interventions show how students' educational success depends partly on fluid aspects of context - how tasks are framed, who else is in the room, or what they believe about intelligence. Because of this fluidity, these interventions may not work in all settings. Achievement gaps are ultimately caused by a variety of factors, both objective and subjective that produce inequality. The research reviewed here suggests that even without changes in objective barriers to success, brief psychological interventions can narrow what many see as intractable gaps in academic achievement. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

Narrowing the Achievement Gap: A Case Study of an Urban School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lugo, Rosalinda

2010-01-01

The goal of this case study was to identify the cultural norms, practices, and programs of an urban school that narrowed the achievement gap. The reason for identifying these factors in a successful school was to add to the body of literature regarding the achievement gap and what a struggling school was able to do to narrow the gap. This case…

The Development of Gender Achievement Gaps in Mathematics and Reading during Elementary and Middle School: Examining Direct Cognitive Assessments and Teacher Ratings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Joseph Paul; Lubienski, Sarah Theule

2011-01-01

Using K-8 national longitudinal data, the authors investigate males' and females' achievement in math and reading, including when gender gaps first appear, whether the appearance of gaps depends on the metric used, and where on the achievement distribution gaps are most prevalent. Additionally, teachers' assessments of males and females are…

Superintendents' Responses to the Achievement Gap: An Ethical Critique.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sherman, Whitney H.; Grogan, Margaret

2003-01-01

Uses multidimensional ethical framework to critique 15 Virginia superintendents' responses to the achievement gap as measured by the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests. Questions majority of superintendents' readiness to deal with moral and ethical issues related to achievement gap. (Contains 24 references.) (PKP)

Ultra-stable high average power femtosecond laser system tunable from 1.33 to 20  μm.

PubMed

Steinle, Tobias; Mörz, Florian; Steinmann, Andy; Giessen, Harald

2016-11-01

A highly stable 350 fs laser system with a gap-free tunability from 1.33 to 2.0 μm and 2.13 to 20 μm is demonstrated. Nanojoule-level pulse energy is achieved in the mid-infrared at a 43 MHz repetition rate. The system utilizes a post-amplified fiber-feedback optical parametric oscillator followed by difference frequency generation between the signal and idler. No locking or synchronization electronics are required to achieve outstanding free-running output power and spectral stability of the whole system. Ultra-low intensity noise, close to the pump laser's noise figure, enables shot-noise limited measurements.

Surface-micromachined magnetic undulator with period length between 10μm and 1 mm for advanced light sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrison, Jere; Joshi, Abhijeet; Lake, Jonathan; Candler, Rob; Musumeci, Pietro

2012-07-01

A technological gap exists between the μm-scale wiggling periods achieved using electromagnetic waves of high intensity laser pulses and the mm scale of permanent-magnet and superconducting undulators. In the sub-mm range, surface-micromachined soft-magnetic micro-electro-mechanical system inductors with integrated solenoidal coils have already experimentally demonstrated 100 to 500 mT field amplitude across air gaps as large as 15μm. Simulations indicate that magnetic fields as large as 1.5 T across 50μm inductor gaps are feasible. A simple rearranging of the yoke and pole geometry allows for fabrication of 10+ cm long undulator structures with period lengths between 12.5μm and 1 mm. Such undulators find application both in high average power spontaneous emission sources and, if used in combination with ultrahigh-brightness electron beams, could lead to the realization of low energy compact free-electron lasers. Challenges include electron energy broadening due to wakefields and Joule heating in the electromagnet.

The Hispanic-Asian Achievement Gap in Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinez, Lina Maria

2012-01-01

There is little research of Hispanic and Asian children's educational outcomes; in particular, the achievement gap between these two racial/ethnic groups has not been fully explored. The objective of this investigation is to analyze the Hispanic-Asian achievement gap in elementary school using the ECLS-K, a longitudinal nationally representative…

The "Developing" Achievement Gap: Colombian Voucher Reform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stern, Jonathan M. B.

2014-01-01

The achievement gap in many developing countries is defined in terms of rich/poor and public/private. The prevailing explanation for the "developing" achievement gap is an underfunded, inefficient, and/or inadequately supplied public school sector. Via an analysis of a Colombian voucher experiment, this article examines the extent to…

School accountability and the black-white test score gap.

PubMed

Gaddis, S Michael; Lauen, Douglas Lee

2014-03-01

Since at least the 1960s, researchers have closely examined the respective roles of families, neighborhoods, and schools in producing the black-white achievement gap. Although many researchers minimize the ability of schools to eliminate achievement gaps, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) increased pressure on schools to do so by 2014. In this study, we examine the effects of NCLB's subgroup-specific accountability pressure on changes in black-white math and reading test score gaps using a school-level panel dataset on all North Carolina public elementary and middle schools between 2001 and 2009. Using difference-in-difference models with school fixed effects, we find that accountability pressure reduces black-white achievement gaps by raising mean black achievement without harming mean white achievement. We find no differential effects of accountability pressure based on the racial composition of schools, but schools with more affluent populations are the most successful at reducing the black-white math achievement gap. Thus, our findings suggest that school-based interventions have the potential to close test score gaps, but differences in school composition and resources play a significant role in the ability of schools to reduce racial inequality. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A comparative study of the accuracy between plastic and metal impression transfer copings for implant restorations.

PubMed

Fernandez, Monica A; Paez de Mendoza, Carmen Y; Platt, Jeffrey A; Levon, John A; Hovijitra, Suteera T; Nimmo, Arthur

2013-07-01

A precise transfer of the position and orientation of the antirotational mechanism of an implant to the working cast is particularly important to achieve optimal fit of the final restoration. This study evaluated and compared the accuracy of metal and plastic impression copings for use in a full-arch mandibular edentulous simulation with four implants. Metal and plastic impression transfer copings for two implant systems, Nobel Biocare™ Replace and Straumann SynOcta®, were assessed on a laboratory model to simulate clinical practice. The accuracy of producing stone casts using these plastic and metal impression transfer copings was measured against a standard prosthetic framework consisting of a cast gold bar. A total of 20 casts from the four combinations were obtained. The fit of the framework on the cast was tested by a noncontact surface profilometer, the Proscan 3D 2000 A, using the one-screw test. The effects of implant/system and impression/coping material on gap measurements were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA. The findings of this in vitro study were as follows: plastic copings demonstrated significantly larger average gaps than metal for Straumann (p = 0.001). Plastic and metal copings were not significantly different for Nobel (p = 0.302). Nobel had significantly larger average gaps than Straumann for metal copings (p = 0.003). Nobel had marginally smaller average gaps than Straumann (p = 0.096) for plastic copings. The system-by-screw location interaction was significant as well (p < 0.001), indicating significant differences among the four screw locations, but the location differences were not the same for the two systems. A rank transformation of the data was necessary due to the nonnormal distribution of the gap measurements. No adjustments were made for multiple comparisons. The metal impression copings were more accurate than plastic copings when using the Straumann system, and there was no difference between metal and plastic copings for the Nobel Replace system. The system-by-screw location was not conclusive, showing no correlation within each system. © 2013 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Will Public Pre-K Really Close Achievement Gaps? Gaps in Prekindergarten Quality between Students and across States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valentino, Rachel

2018-01-01

Publicly funded pre-K is often touted as a means to narrow achievement gaps, but this goal is less likely to be achieved if poor and/or minority children do not, at a minimum, attend equal quality pre-K as their non-poor, non-minority peers. In this paper, I find large "quality gaps" in public pre-K between poor, minority students and…

The Black-White Achievement Gap: Do State Policies Matter?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Braun, Henry I.; Wang, Aubrey; Jenkins, Frank; Weinbaum, Elliot

2006-01-01

A longstanding issue in American education is the gap in academic achievement between majority and minority students. The goal of this study is to accumulate and evaluate evidence on the relationship between state education policies and changes in the Black-White achievement gap, while addressing some of the methodological issues that have led to…

Racial Differences in Mathematics Test Scores for Advanced Mathematics Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minor, Elizabeth Covay

2016-01-01

Research on achievement gaps has found that achievement gaps are larger for students who take advanced mathematics courses compared to students who do not. Focusing on the advanced mathematics student achievement gap, this study found that African American advanced mathematics students have significantly lower test scores and are less likely to be…

The Importance of Physical Activity in Closing the Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burton, Laura J.; VanHeest, Jaci L.

2007-01-01

The most significant concern within the US educational community is the academic achievement gap. Investigation of the achievement gap reveals that minority students across all levels of education are not meeting the same academic measures as their non-Hispanic White peers. In addition, a disproportionate number of minority children are identified…

School Choice and the Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeynes, William H.

2014-01-01

The possibility is examined that school choice programs could be a means to reducing the achievement gap. Data based on meta-analytic research and the examination of nationwide data sets suggest that school choice programs that include private schools could reduce the achievement gap by 25%. The propounding of this possibility is based on research…

The Academic Achievement Gap: The Suburban Challenge. CSR Connection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alson, Allan

Suburban schoolchildren of color, in the aggregate, do not perform as well as their white counterparts. In fact, the academic achievement gaps in many suburban communities are actually greater than those in urban school districts. This research brief looks at the achievement gap in suburban schools, offering preliminary answers to the following…

Closing Achievement Gaps: Lessons from the Last 15 Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Joseph

2009-01-01

At first glance, closing the achievement gap seems fairly straightforward. It is a difficult task to accomplish, but it does not seem an especially complex one to conceptualize. How educators look at achievement gaps will determine their success in reducing them. When designing interventions, the author suggests that educators need to remember the…

The New Literacies of Online Research and Comprehension: Rethinking the Reading Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leu, Donald J.; Forzani, Elena; Rhoads, Chris; Maykel, Cheryl; Kennedy, Clint; Timbrell, Nicole

2015-01-01

Is there an achievement gap for online reading ability based on income inequality that is separate from the achievement gap in traditional, offline reading? This possibility was examined between students in two pseudonymous school districts: West Town (economically advantaged) and East Town (economically challenged; N = 256). Performance-based…

The Relationship between the Minority Student Achievement Gap and Collective Teacher Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Hara, Jane A.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between Collective Teacher Efficacy and minority student achievement gap over and above that explained by socioeconomics, school size, and prior achievement gaps for Black and Hispanic students with White students. Forty-seven Virginia middle schools were selected to participate in the…

Decision Points and Considerations for Identifying Rural Districts That Have Closed Student Achievement Gaps. REL 2016-130

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Culbertson, Michael J.; Billig, Shelley H.

2016-01-01

Rural districts have long faced challenges in closing achievement gaps between subgroups of students. This brief report describes key decision points and considerations for decision-makers interested in identifying rural districts that have closed academic achievement gaps. Examining practices in these districts may suggest activities associated…

Solving the Achievement Gap: Overcoming the Structure of School Inequality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeh, Stuart S.

2017-01-01

This book examines the cause of the student achievement gap, suggesting that the prevailing emphasis on socioeconomic factors, sociocultural influences, and teacher quality is misplaced. The cause of the achievement gap is not differences in parenting styles, or the economic advantages of middle-class parents, or differences in the quality of…

School Administrators' Perceptions of the Achievement Gap between African American Students and White Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Royle, Jonathan; Brown, Casey Graham

2014-01-01

This study included an analysis of principal perceptions of the achievement gap between African American and White students. School administrators from campuses with a substantial number of African American students within the subgroup were interviewed to explore their perceptions of the achievement gap. The study revealed factors within the…

Closing the Achievement Gap as Addressed in Student Support Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, Vincent Hoover Adams, Jr.

2012-01-01

This research will focus on three components: (1) factors contributing to the achievement gap, (2) common errors made by policy makers with regard to school reform, and (3) recommendations to educators, policy makers, and parents on closing the achievement gap through results-based student support programs. Examples of each of the three components…

Confronting the Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardner, David

2007-01-01

This article talks about the large achievement gap between children of color and their white peers. The reasons for the achievement gap are varied. First, many urban minorities come from a background of poverty. One of the detrimental effects of growing up in poverty is receiving inadequate nourishment at a time when bodies and brains are rapidly…

School Composition and the Black-White Achievement Gap. NCES 2015-018

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bohrnstedt, G.; Kitmitto, S.; Ogut, B.; Sherman, D.; Chan, D.

2015-01-01

School Composition and the Black-White Achievement Gap explores public schools' demographic composition, in particular, the proportion of Black students enrolled in schools (also referred to "Black student density" in schools) and its relation to the Black-White achievement gap. This NCES study, the first of its kind, used the 2011 NAEP…

The Black-White Achievement Gap through the Lens of Central Office Administrators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baskin, Roger S., Sr.

2013-01-01

This study investigated the perceptions of Black and White central office administrators regarding the Black-White achievement gap. Four research questions (RQ) were explored: RQ1: How do central office administrators understand the causes of the Black-White achievement gap? RQ2: How do central office administrators perceive their role in…

Once, Sometimes, or Always in Special Education: Mathematics Growth and Achievement Gaps

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schulte, Ann C.; Stevens, Joseph J.

2015-01-01

This study used a statewide longitudinal sample to examine mathematics achievement gaps and growth in students with and without disabilities and to examine the impact of different methods of determining disability group membership on achievement gaps and growth. When disability status was determined on the basis of special education placement each…

Trends in Education Excellence Gaps: A 12-Year International Perspective via the Multilevel Model for Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rutkowski, David; Rutkowski, Leslie; Plucker, Jonathan A.

2012-01-01

A recent study in the USA documented the existence and growth of "excellence gaps" among students. These gaps are similar to the minimum competency achievement gaps that proliferate in policy discussions in many Western countries, but excellence gaps focus on the highest level of achievement rather than minimum competency. We extend this…

Minority Gaps Smaller in Some Pentagon Schools. The Achievement Gap.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Viadero, Debra

2000-01-01

This third in a four-part series on why academic achievement gaps exist explains how U.S. Department of Defense schools for children of military families offer lessons on how to raise academic achievement among minority students. Minority students in these schools do better than their counterparts almost anywhere in the United States on…

Experiences and Challenges of Middle and High School Teachers Who Implement Differentiated Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harman, Pamela

2014-01-01

Within a suburban school system, an achievement gap exists since not all students are meeting state and national educational benchmarks. Despite the efforts of the school system, the achievement gap is endemic and persistent. To address the achievement gap, the school system instituted a Differentiated Instruction (DI) initiative. However, it was…

K-8 Charter Schools: Closing the Achievement Gap. Innovations in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

US Department of Education, 2007

2007-01-01

This guide is part of a series produced by the U.S. Department of Education, and it builds on two previous works: "Successful Charter Schools" (ED493615) and "Charter High Schools Closing the Achievement Gap" (ED494482). It profiles seven K-8 charter schools that are making headway in narrowing gaps in achievement. It examines…

A Social Structural Reinterpretation of "The Burden of Acting White": A Hermeneutical Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mocombe, Paul C.

2011-01-01

This essay explores how social psychologically the social structure of capitalist inequality has given rise to the Black-White achievement gap. This critical understanding is a reinterpretation of the "burden of acting White" hypothesis, and suggests that research on the achievement gap should focus on how the Black-White achievement gap is more a…

The Effects of Reading Recovery™ on the American Indian/Non-American Indian Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Mary L.

2012-01-01

Despite the attention being paid to the achievement gap of minorities, the regulations and laws being enacted, the research being conducted, and the funding made available to narrow the achievement gap, there is evidence that shows it still exists for American Indians. This study examined the effects of Reading Recovery, an early literacy…

Subgroup Achievement and Gap Trends: Idaho, 2010

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center on Education Policy, 2010

2010-01-01

This paper profiles the student subgroup achievement and gap trends in Idaho for 2010. Idaho showed improvement in reading and math in grade 8 at the basic, proficient, and advanced levels for Latino and white students, low income students, and boys and girls. The state has also made progress in narrowing achievement gaps between Latino and white…

Behaviors of Teachers and Their Students in Schools with and without an Achievement Gap: An Observational Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ratcliff, Nancy J.; Carroll, Kimberly L.; Jones, Cathy R.; Costner, Richard H.; Sheehan, Heather C.; Hunt, Gilbert H.

2017-01-01

This research shares findings from a year-long observational study to determine if there were significant differences in the identified behaviors of teachers and students in fourth and seventh grade classrooms in schools with an achievement gap versus those with no achievement gap. Specific research questions addressed types of instructional…

School Segregation and Racial Academic Achievement Gaps. CEPA Working Paper No. 15-12

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reardon, Sean F.

2015-01-01

Although it is clear that racial segregation is linked to academic achievement gaps, the mechanisms underlying this link have been debated since Coleman published his eponymous 1966 report. In this paper, I examine 16 distinct measures of segregation to determine which is most strongly associated with academic achievement gaps. I find very clear…

Parental Characteristics and the Achievement Gap in Mathematics: Hierarchical Linear Modeling Analysis of Longitudinal Study of American Youth (LSAY)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shoraka, Mohammad; Arnold, Robert; Kim, Eun Sook; Salinitri, Geri; Kromrey, Jeffrey

2015-01-01

One of the most salient problems in education is the achievement gap. The researchers investigated the effects of parental education and parental occupations in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or medical professions (STEMM) on the achievement gap in mathematics. Because students were nested within schools, two-level Hierarchical…

The Achievement Gap in Reading: Complex Causes, Persistent Issues, Possible Solutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horowitz, Rosalind, Ed.; Samuels, S. Jay, Ed.

2017-01-01

In this volume prominent scholars, experts in their respective fields and highly skilled in the research they conduct, address educational and reading research from varied perspectives and address what it will take to close the achievement gap--with specific attention to reading. The achievement gap is redefined as a level at which all groups can…

Connecting Social Disorganization Theory to African-American Outcomes to Explain the Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madyun, Na'im H.

2011-01-01

African-American student achievement outcomes have been and continue to be a critical concern for education researchers. Much of the framing of African-American student outcomes centers on what is known as achievement gaps that exist between African-American and White students. Unfortunately, these gaps have remained roughly the same since the…

Educating the African American Male College Student: The Achievement Gap Factor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moyo, Tawonga Timothy

2013-01-01

The academic achievement gap persists in spite of much concern and talk in both the educational and political arenas. Moreover, literature on the education of African American male students at the college level is scarce; the existing literature is on the achievement gap issue in general. In this phenomenological study, the academic achievement…

Beating the Odds: The Real Challenges behind the Math Achievement Gap--And What High-Achieving Schools Can Teach Us about How to Close It

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldberger, Susan

2008-01-01

One of the most persistent inequities in U.S. education is the gap in math achievement along income and race lines. Yet some secondary schools beat the odds, producing consistently strong math performance with students who likely would fail in traditional settings. This report advocates that the math achievement gap is not the result of poor and…

Eliminating the Achievement Gap: A White Paper on How Charter Schools Can Help District Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lake, Robin; Hernandez, Alex

2011-01-01

A staggering achievement gap exists between minority and white students in America. The gap is unjust, and it is constraining the country economically, socially, and politically. Intense political pressures, labor contracts, and other forces prevent urban superintendents from closing those gaps. However, partnerships with high-performing charter…

Closing the Gap: An Overview. The Achievement Gap: An Overview. Info Brief. Number 44

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poliakoff, Anne Rogers

2006-01-01

Persistent gaps between the academic achievements of different groups of children are thoroughly documented by the U.S. National Assessment of Educational Progress and other statistical analyses of state assessments, grades, course selection, and dropout rates. Despite improvements in some years, the gap endures as a consistent and disturbing…

Closing the Achievement Gap: Four States' Efforts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wixom, Micah Ann

2015-01-01

The achievement gap separating economically disadvantaged students from their more advantaged peers disproportionately affects students of color and has been the focus of discussion, research and controversy for more than 40 years. While the gap between black and white students narrowed considerably from the 1950s to the 1980s, that gap has…

Why do vulnerability cycles matter in financial networks?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, Thiago Christiano; Tabak, Benjamin Miranda; Guerra, Solange Maria

2017-04-01

We compare two widely employed models that estimate systemic risk: DebtRank and Differential DebtRank. We show that not only network cyclicality but also the average vulnerability of banks are essential concepts that contribute to widening the gap in the systemic risk estimates of both approaches. We find that systemic risk estimates are the same whenever the network has no cycles. However, in case the network presents cyclicality, then we need to inspect the average vulnerability of banks to estimate the underestimation gap. We find that the gap is small regardless of the cyclicality of the network when its average vulnerability is large. In contrast, the observed gap follows a quadratic behavior when the average vulnerability is small or intermediate. We show results using an econometric exercise and draw guidelines both on artificial and real-world financial networks.

Schools in Violent Neighborhoods: The Impact on African American Elementary School Students' Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ingram, Brenda

2013-01-01

The academic achievement gap between African American and Caucasian students continues to be a major concern for policymakers and educators. This gap started to shrink in the 1970s and 1980s with integration, but the 1990s showed the achievement gap was on the rise again. The characteristics of the neighborhoods where children live and attend…

Special Education--Non-Special Education Achievement Gap in Math: Effects of Reporting Methods, Analytical Techniques, and Reclassification

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thurlow, Martha L.; Wu, Yi-Chen; Lazarus, Sheryl S.; Ysseldyke, James E.

2016-01-01

Federal regulations indicate that the achievement gap must be closed between subgroups, including the gap between special education and non-special education students. We explored the ways in which achievement trends are influenced by three methods of reporting (cross-sectional, cohort-static, and cohort-dynamic). We also investigated (a) the ways…

Instructional Strategies and Best Practices to Narrow the Mathematics Achievement Gaps between African American, Hispanic, and European American Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bolden, Felicia Mickles

2012-01-01

A persistent mathematics achievement gap between African American, Hispanic, and European American students at one elementary school was the focus of this investigation. The research questions of this single site case study involved understanding why an achievement gap exists, and to identify the instructional strategies and best practices used to…

Explaining the Achievement Gap between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Students: An Analysis of PISA 2009 Results for Australia and New Zealand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Song, Steve; Perry, Laura B.; McConney, Andrew

2014-01-01

This study investigates the relative roles of home and school variables in accounting for achievement gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in Australia and New Zealand. Using data from the Programme for International Student Assessment [PISA] 2009, our findings show that achievement gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous…

Are Boys Left Behind? The Evolution of the Gender Achievement Gap in Beijing's Middle Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Fang

2010-01-01

Using one cohort of 7235 middle school students in Beijing, China, we examined the evolution of the gender achievement gap in middle school. Our study found a more significant female dominance than in U.S. studies: even though boys gradually caught up during middle school, especially in Math and Science, and the gender achievement gap decreased…

Technology Enhanced Learning Environments for Closing the Gap in Student Achievement between Regions: Does It Work?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cakir, Hasan; Delialioglu, Omer; Dennis, Alan; Duffy, Thomas

2009-01-01

Student achievement gap between urban and suburban regions are a major issue in U.S. schools. Technology enhanced learning environments that support teaching and learning process with advanced technology may close this achievement gap. This paper examines the impact of student and school factors with an emphasis on schools' geographic location on…

A Meta-Analysis on the Factors That Best Reduce the Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeynes, William H.

2015-01-01

A meta-analyses was undertaken to determine the factors that are most related with reducing the achievement gap. The meta-analysis included 30 studies that examined attempts to bridge the achievement gap between White students on one hand and Black and Latino students on the other. The results indicate that several factors are associated with a…

The Earnings Gap: Research Needs and Issues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sawhill, Isabel V.

As almost everyone knows, the earnings gap between men and women is very large. In 1972, the average woman earned only 58 percent as much as the average man when both worked full time. The author directs her discussion toward the large volume of research on the topic of the earnings gap and points to areas where further work might be done. She…

Flight Test of a 40-Foot Nominal-Diameter Disk-Gap-Band Parachute Deployed at a Mach Number of 1.91 and a Dynamic Pressure of 11.6 Pounds per Square Foot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eckstrom, Clinton V.; Preisser, John S.

1968-01-01

A 40-foot (12.2 meter) nominal-diameter disk-gap-band parachute was flight tested as part of the NASA Supersonic Planetary Entry Decelerator Program (SPED-I). The test parachute was ejected by a deployment mortar from an instrumented payload at an altitude of 140,000 feet (42.5 kilometers). The payload was at a Mach number of 1.91 and the dynamic pressure was 11.6 pounds per square foot (555 newtons per square meter) at the time the parachute deployment mortar was fired. The parachute reached suspension line stretch in 0.43 second with a resultant snatch force loading of 1990 pounds (8850 newtons). The maximum parachute opening load of 6500 pounds (28,910 newtons) came 0.61 second later at a total elapsed time from mortar firing of 1.04 seconds. The first full inflation occurred at 1.12 seconds and stable inflation was achieved at approximately 1.60 seconds. The parachute had an average axial-force coefficient of 0.53 during the deceleration period. During the steady-state descent portion of the flight test, the average effective drag coefficient was also 0.53 and pitch-yaw oscillations of the canopy averaged less than 10 degrees in the altitude region above 100,000 feet (30.5 meters).

Is the California Special Education Achievement Gap Really Closing?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fearn, Emilene Johnson

2012-01-01

The achievement gains of California students with disabilities (SWDs) on the California Standards Test (CST)-English Language Arts have surpassed the achievement gains of students with no reported disabilities in recent years, and so the special education achievement gap seemed to be closing. However, the reported achievement for SWDs has not…

A Phenomenological Study of Practicing Educators' Personal and Collaborative Experiences within a Climate of High Stakes Individual Accountability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Kathy L.

2016-01-01

With the national focus in education turning to increasing student achievement and closing achievement gaps between demographic groups, federal and state policy has extended responsibility and high stakes accountability for student growth and achievement. Overall, student achievement status and elimination of achievement gaps between…

Trajectories of Achievement within Race/Ethnicity: "Catching Up" in Achievement across Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis-Kean, Pamela E.; Jager, Justin

2014-01-01

The achievement gap has long been the focus of educational research, policy, and intervention. The authors took a new approach to examining the achievement gap by examining achievement trajectories within each racial group. To identify these trajectories they used the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort, which is a nationally…

Can Within-Race Achievement Comparisons Help Narrow Between-Race Achievement Gaps?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duke, Daniel L.

2017-01-01

Reports on the low achievement of African American students tend to focus on Black-White achievement gaps. This study draws from official reports that also consider within-race achievement differences. An argument is presented that within-race comparisons are likely to reveal important causal factors that may go unnoticed when between-race…

No Student Left Behind: A Collaborative and Competitive Game-Based Learning Environment to Reduce the Achievement Gap of EFL Students in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hung, Hui-Chun; Young, Shelley Shwu-Ching; Lin, Chiu-Pin

2015-01-01

How to close the achievement gap in the classroom so that no student is left behind becomes one of the most important issues nowadays. This study aims to construct a collaborative and competitive game-based learning environment to improve English proficiencies and reduce the achievement gap for disadvantaged students. The Wireless Crossword…

Classroom-Based Inequalities and Achievement Gaps in First Grade: The Role of Classroom Context and Access to Qualified and Effective Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palardy, Gregory J.

2015-01-01

Background: An enduring question about achievement gaps is, which aspects of schools contribute most? At the early grade levels, when children spend the vast majority of their school day in a single classroom with a single teacher, school inequities that correlate with achievement gaps likely originate within the classroom. This study examined the…

Band structure of comb-like photonic crystals containing meta-materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weng, Yi; Wang, Zhi-Guo; Chen, Hong

2007-09-01

We study the transmission properties and band structure of comb-like photonic crystals (PC) with backbones constructed of meta-materials (negative-index materials) within the frame of the interface response theory. The result shows the existence of a special band gap at low frequency. This gap differs from the Bragg gaps in that it is insensitive to the geometrical scaling and disorder. In comparison with the zero-average-index gap in one-dimensional PC made of alternating positive- and negative-index materials, the gap is obviously deeper and broader, given the same system parameters. In addition, the behavior of its gap-edges is also different. One gap-edge is decided by the average permittivity whereas the other is only subject to the changing of the permeability of the backbone. Due to this asymmetry of the two gap-edges, the broadening of the gap could be realized with much freedom and facility.

Have Gender Gaps in Math Closed? Achievement, Teacher Perceptions, and Learning Behaviors across Two ECLS-K Cohorts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cimpian, Joseph R.; Lubienski, Sarah T.; Timmer, Jennifer D.; Makowski, Martha B.; Miller, Emily K.

2016-01-01

Studies using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (ECLS-K:1999) revealed gender gaps in mathematics achievement and teacher perceptions. However, recent evidence suggests that gender gaps have closed on state tests, raising the question of whether such gaps are absent in the ECLS-K:2011 cohort.…

Closing Achievement Gaps: Roles and Tasks of Elementary School Counselors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trusty, Jerry; Mellin, Elizabeth A.; Herbert, James T.

2008-01-01

Achievement gaps among racial-ethnic and socioeconomic status groups are an enduring, pervasive, and multifaceted phenomenon. Therefore, efforts aimed at understanding and addressing these gaps must be developmentally and environmentally broad, involving numerous school counselor roles and tasks, including leadership, advocacy, collaboration, and…

Alcohol molecules adsorption on graphane nanosheets - A first-principles investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagarajan, V.; Chandiramouli, R.

2018-05-01

The geometric structure, electronic and adsorption properties of methanol, ethanol and 1-propanol molecules on hydrogenated graphene (graphane) were investigated using first-principles calculations. The stability of graphane base material is confirmed using formation energy and phonon band structures. The adsorption of alcohol molecules on bare graphane and hydrogen vacant graphane nanosheet is found to be prominent and the selectivity of alcohol molecules can be achieved using bare or hydrogen vacant graphane nanosheet. Moreover, the interaction of alcohol molecules on bare and hydrogen vacant graphane nanosheets is studied using the adsorption energy, energy band gap variation, Bader charge transfer and average energy band gap variation. The adsorption energy ranges from -0.149 to -0.383 eV upon alcohol adsorption. The energy gap varies from 4.71 to 2.62 eV for bare graphane and from 4.02 to 3.60 eV for hydrogen vacant graphane nanosheets upon adsorption of alcohol molecules. The adsorption properties of alcohol molecules provide useful information for the possible application of graphane nanosheet as a base material for the detection of alcohol molecules.

Judging Student Achievement: Why Getting the Right Data Matters. An MPR/NCEA Policy Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Sharon; Fowler, Donna; Klein, Steve

2005-01-01

States are engaged in serious efforts to raise student achievement, paying particular attention to narrowing the achievement gap between high- and low-performing students that has persisted in public schools for decades. The achievement gap is particularly troubling because, all too often, those at low achievement levels are minority, special…

Differentiated Instruction in Developmental Mathematics Classes and Achievement of Ethnic Minority Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hood, Otis D., Jr.

2012-01-01

National educational assessment organizations present statistical information that an achievement gap exists between White students and students of color. This achievement gap closely relates to students representing lower SES conditions. This study examined the lack of achievement for ethnic minorities in the field of mathematics using an…

The Economic Benefits of Closing Educational Achievement Gaps: Promoting Growth and Strengthening the Nation by Improving the Educational Outcomes of Children of Color

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lynch, Robert G.; Oakford, Patrick

2014-01-01

Our nation is currently experiencing growing levels of income and wealth inequality, which are contributing to longstanding racial and ethnic gaps in education outcomes and other areas. This report quantifies the economic benefits of closing one of the most harmful racial and ethnic gaps: the educational achievement gap that exists between black…

Contactless efficient two-stage solar concentrator for tubular absorber.

PubMed

Benítez, P; García, R; Miñano, J C

1997-10-01

The design of a new type of two-mirror solar concentrator for a tubular receiver, the XX concentrator, is presented. The main feature of the XX is that it has a sizable gap between the secondary mirror and the absorber and it still achieves concentrations close to the thermodynamic limit with high collection efficiencies. This characteristic makes the XX unique and, contrary to current two-stage designs, allows for the location of the secondary outside the evacuated tube. One of the XX concentrators presented achieves an average flux concentration within +/-0.73 deg of 91.1% of the thermodynamic limit with a collection efficiency of 96.8% (i.e., 3.2% of the rays incident on the primary mirror within +/-0.73 deg are rejected). Another XX design is 92.5% efficient and receives 95.1% of the maximum concentration. These values are the highest reported for practical concentrators, to our knowledge. The gap between the absorber and the secondary mirror is 6.8 and 10.5 times the absorber radius for each concentrator. Moreover the rim angle of the primary mirror is 98.8 and 104.4 deg in each case, which is of interest for the collector's good mechanical stability.

[Response of forest bird communities to forest gap in winter in southwestern China].

PubMed

Zhao, Dong-Dong; Wu, Ying-Huan; Lu, Zhou; Jiang, Guang-Wei; Zhou, Fang

2013-06-01

Although forest gap ecology is an important field of study, research remains limited. By plot setting and point counted observation, the response of birds to forest gaps in winter as well as bird distribution patterns in forest gaps and intact canopies were studied in a north tropical monsoon forest of southwestern China from November 2011 to February 2012 in the Fangcheng Golden Camellia National Nature Reserve, Guangxi. The regression equation of bird species diversity to habitat factor was Y1=0.611+0.002 X13+0.043 X2+0.002 X5-0.003 X8+0.006 X10+0.008 X1 and the regression equation of bird species dominance index to habitat factor was Y3=0.533+0.001 X13+0.019 X2+0.002 X3-0.017 X4+0.002 X1. There were 45 bird species (2 orders and 13 families) recorded in the forest gap, accounting for 84.9% of all birds (n=45), with an average of 9.6 species (range: 2-22). Thirty-nine bird species (5 orders and 14 families) were recorded in non-gap areas, accounting for 73.6% of all birds (n=39), with an average of 5.3 species (range: 1-12). These results suggested that gap size, arbor average height (10 m from gap margin), arbor quantity (10 m from gap margin), shrub quantity (10 m from gap margin), herbal average coverage (1 m from gap margin) and bare land ratio were the key forest gap factors that influenced bird diversities. On the whole, bird diversity in the forest gap was greater than in the intact canopy. Spatial distributions in the forest gaps were also observed in the bird community. Most birds foraged in the "middle" and "canopy" layers in the vertical stratification. In addition, "nearly from" and "close from" contained more birds in relation to horizontal stratification. Feeding niche differentiation was suggested as the main reason for these distribution patterns.

School Counselors: Closing Achievement Gaps and Writing Results Reports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartline, Julie; Cobia, Debra

2012-01-01

Charged with closing the achievement gap for marginalized students, school counselors need to be able to identify gaps, develop interventions, evaluate effectiveness, and share results. This study examined 100 summary results reports submitted by school counselors after having received four days of training on the ASCA National Model. Findings…

Caring Closes the Language-Learning Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borba, Mary

2009-01-01

The gap in academic achievement between English speakers and English learners continues to concern educators, parents, and legislators. Rising expectations for literacy and the increasing number of students from diverse backgrounds contribute to this achievement gap. In this article, the author discusses a variety of strategies for reaching out to…

The Education of English Language Learners in Arizona: A Legacy of Persisting Achievement Gaps in a Restrictive Language Policy Climate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia, Eugene E.; Lawton, Kerry; Diniz de Figueiredo, Eduardo H.

2010-01-01

This report reviews achievement gaps in both reading and math between ELL and non-ELL students in Arizona over the post-Proposition 203 period 2005-2009 and during the first year of implementation of the 4 hour ELD block, 2008-09. The study finds that Arizona has made little to no progress in closing the achievement gap between ELL and non-ELL…

Making the Case for the Outlier: Researcher Reflections of an African-American Female Deputy Superintendent Who Decided to Close the Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beard, Karen Stansberry

2012-01-01

This article presents researcher reflections of a case study of a Black female deputy superintendent who made the value-driven decision to close the achievement gap in her district. I posit that she is an outlier because she is Black and female in a predominantly white male field of practice, she effectively closed the achievement gap through her…

Healthier Students Are Better Learners: High-Quality, Strategically Planned, and Effectively Coordinated School Health Programs Must Be a Fundamental Mission of Schools to Help Close the Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basch, Charles E.

2011-01-01

Objective: To discuss implications for educational policy and practice relevant to closing the achievement gap based on the literature review and synthesis presented in 7 articles of the October 2011 special issue of the "Journal of School Health". Methods: Implications for closing the achievement gap are drawn from analyses of current literature.…

Achievement Gaps: How Hispanic and White Students in Public Schools Perform in Mathematics and Reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Highlights. NCES 2011-485

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education Statistics, 2011

2011-01-01

This report provides a detailed portrait of Hispanic and White academic achievement gaps and how students' performance has changed over time at both the national and state levels. The report presents achievement gaps using reading and mathematics assessment data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for the 4th- and 8th-grade…

Quantifying trade-offs between future yield levels, food availability and forest and woodland conservation in Benin.

PubMed

Duku, Confidence; Zwart, Sander J; van Bussel, Lenny G J; Hein, Lars

2018-01-01

Meeting the dual objectives of food security and ecosystem protection is a major challenge in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). To this end agricultural intensification is considered desirable, yet, there remain uncertainties regarding the impact of climate change on opportunities for agricultural intensification and the adequacy of intensification options given the rapid population growth. We quantify trade-offs between levels of yield gap closure, food availability and forest and woodland conservation under different scenarios. Each scenario is made up of a combination of variants of four parameters i.e. (1) climate change based on Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs); (2) population growth based on Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs); (3) cropland expansion with varying degrees of deforestation; and (4) different degrees of yield gap closure. We carry out these analyses for three major food crops, i.e. maize, cassava and yam, in Benin. Our analyses show that in most of the scenarios, the required levels of yield gap closures required to maintain the current levels of food availability can be achieved by 2050 by maintaining the average rate of yield increases recorded over the past two and half decades in addition to the current cropping intensity. However, yields will have to increase at a faster rate than has been recorded over the past two and half decades in order to achieve the required levels of yield gap closures by 2100. Our analyses also show that without the stated levels of yield gap closure, the areas under maize, cassava and yam cultivation will have to increase by 95%, 102% and 250% respectively in order to maintain the current levels of per capita food availability. Our study shows that food security outcomes and forest and woodland conservation goals in Benin and likely the larger SSA region are inextricably linked together and require holistic management strategies that considers trade-offs and co-benefits. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Subgroup Achievement and Gap Trends: Wyoming, 2010

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center on Education Policy, 2010

2010-01-01

This paper profiles the student subgroup achievement and gap trends in Wyoming for 2010. Wyoming's demographic profile is such that achievement trends could only be determined for white, Latino, male and female, and low-income student subgroups. In grade 8 (the only grade in which subgroup trends were analyzed by achievement level), the white,…

Black-White Differences in Achievement: The Importance of Wealth.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orr, Amy J.

2003-01-01

Argues that wealth can affect academic achievement, as well as help to explain the gap in black-white test scores and the racial achievement gap. Reveals that wealth affects achievement through its effect on the amount of cultural capital to which a child is exposed. Implications of the findings are discussed. (CAJ)

Gender and Minority Achievement Gaps in Science in Eighth Grade: Item Analyses of Nationally Representative Data. Research Report. ETS RR-17-36

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Qian, Xiaoyu; Nandakumar, Ratna; Glutting, Joseoph; Ford, Danielle; Fifield, Steve

2017-01-01

In this study, we investigated gender and minority achievement gaps on 8th-grade science items employing a multilevel item response methodology. Both gaps were wider on physics and earth science items than on biology and chemistry items. Larger gender gaps were found on items with specific topics favoring male students than other items, for…

Gap formation following climatic events in spatially structured plant communities

PubMed Central

Liao, Jinbao; De Boeck, Hans J.; Li, Zhenqing; Nijs, Ivan

2015-01-01

Gaps play a crucial role in maintaining species diversity, yet how community structure and composition influence gap formation is still poorly understood. We apply a spatially structured community model to predict how species diversity and intraspecific aggregation shape gap patterns emerging after climatic events, based on species-specific mortality responses. In multispecies communities, average gap size and gap-size diversity increased rapidly with increasing mean mortality once a mortality threshold was exceeded, greatly promoting gap recolonization opportunity. This result was observed at all levels of species richness. Increasing interspecific difference likewise enhanced these metrics, which may promote not only diversity maintenance but also community invasibility, since more diverse niches for both local and exotic species are provided. The richness effects on gap size and gap-size diversity were positive, but only expressed when species were sufficiently different. Surprisingly, while intraspecific clumping strongly promoted gap-size diversity, it hardly influenced average gap size. Species evenness generally reduced gap metrics induced by climatic events, so the typical assumption of maximum evenness in many experiments and models may underestimate community diversity and invasibility. Overall, understanding the factors driving gap formation in spatially structured assemblages can help predict community secondary succession after climatic events. PMID:26114803

The Achievement Gap and the Discipline Gap: Two Sides of the Same Coin?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gregory, Anne; Skiba, Russell J.; Noguera, Pedro A.

2010-01-01

The gap in achievement across racial and ethnic groups has been a focus of education research for decades, but the disproportionate suspension and expulsion of Black, Latino, and American Indian students has received less attention. This article synthesizes research on racial and ethnic patterns in school sanctions and considers how…

Racial/Ethnic Test Score Gaps and the Urban Continuum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gagnon, Douglas J.; Mattingly, Marybeth J.

2018-01-01

Research is just beginning to describe with precision determinants of racial and ethnic achievement gaps. Work by Reardon, Kalogrides, and Shores found that factors such as parental income, parental education, and segregation are the strongest predictors of achievement gaps. In this study we expand this line of inquiry to examine the role of…

Connecting to Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kane, Thomas J.

2016-01-01

In the half century since James Coleman and his colleagues first documented racial gaps in student achievement, education researchers have done little to help close those gaps. At the dawn of the War on Poverty, it was necessary for Coleman and his colleagues to document and describe the racial gaps in achievement they were intending to address.…

The Black-White "Achievement Gap" as a Perennial Challenge of Urban Science Education: A Sociocultural and Historical Overview with Implications for Research and Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norman, Obed; Ault, Charles R., Jr.; Bentz, Bonnie; Meskimen, Lloyd

2001-01-01

Explores how sociocultural factors involved in the manifestation and eventual disappearance of the gap for these groups may shed light on how to address the achievement gap for African American students in urban science education. (Contains 47 references.) (DDR)

Closing the Achievement Gap with Culturally Relevant Technology-Based Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joseph, Roberto

2009-01-01

The most significant educational problem of our time has been the achievement gap. The author discusses the need for the field of educational technology to join in the social movement to close this gap. He provides background on the significance of incorporating culture throughout the design and development of technology-based learning…

Standing in the Gap: Theory and Practice Impacting Educational Opportunity and Achievement Gaps

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beard, Karen Stansberry

2018-01-01

This case study is the first known employing flow in educational administration in the United States. Using Csikszentmihalyi's flow theory and Dantley's purpose-driven leadership, an administrator's practices were examined with respect to two guiding questions: (a) is purposefulness integral to closing extant gaps in achievement, and (b) are the…

Building a Bridge to Span the Minority-Majority Achievement Gap.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lanasa, Philip J., III; Potter, Jane Hopkins

A number of hypotheses have been advanced to explain why black students lag behind whites in school achievement. In the 1950s and 1960s, an environmental hypothesis emerged which attributed the achievement gap to environment. Environmentalists at this point were divided between those who felt the family determined achievement and those who felt…

Teachers' Beliefs about Students' Social Disadvantage and Student Achievement. CEPA Working Paper No. 15-03

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rochmes, Jane

2015-01-01

While progress to close racial achievement gaps has stagnated and income achievement gaps have grown, recent case studies enthusiastically describe "transformational" schools, which claim to establish conditions that enable students--primarily poor students of color--to achieve at levels far higher than their social background predicts.…

The Academic Achievement of Immigrant Children in Japan: An Empirical Analysis of the Assimilation Hypothesis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ishida, Kenji; Nakamuro, Makiko; Takenaka, Ayumi

2016-01-01

In this study, we test the assimilation thesis by comparing the academic achievement between native students and first and second generation immigrant pupils. It is the first empirical study that systematically analyzes the native-immigrant achievement gap in Japan. Although numerous studies have examined the achievement gap, most of them are…

Educational Achievement Gaps between Immigrant and Native Students in Two “New Immigration Countries”: Italy and Spain in comparison

PubMed Central

Azzolini, Davide; Schnell, Philipp; Palmer, John

2013-01-01

We use PISA 2009 data to determine how immigrant children in Italy and Spain compare with native students in reading and mathematics skills. Drawing on the vast empirical literature in traditional immigration countries, we test the extent to which the most well-established patterns and hypotheses of immigrant/native educational achievement gaps also apply to these new immigration countries. Findings show that both first- and second-generation immigrant students underperform natives in both countries. Although socioeconomic background and language skills contribute to the explanation of achievement gaps, significant differences remain within countries. While modeling socioeconomic background reduces the observed gaps to a very similar extent in the two countries, language spoken at home is more strongly associated with achievement in Italy. School-type differentiation, such as tracking in Italy and school ownership in Spain, do not reduce immigrant/native gaps, although in Italy tracking is strongly associated with students’ test scores. PMID:23493944

The Dialectical Problematic of Resolving the Black-White Academic Achievement Gap and Climate Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mocombe, Paul C.

2018-01-01

In this article, I argue that resolving the Black-White academic achievement gap is incompatible with the emerging issues of global climate change. That is, solutions (equitable funding of schools and resources, school integration movements, and after-school and mentoring programs) for closing the gap in order so that Blacks in America and…

The Geography of Racial/Ethnic Test Score Gaps. CEPA Working Paper No. 16-10

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reardon, Sean F.; Kalogrides, Demetra; Shores, Ken

2017-01-01

We estimate racial/ethnic achievement gaps in several hundred metropolitan areas and several thousand school districts in the United States using the results of roughly 200 million standardized math and reading tests administered to public school students from 2009-2013. We show that achievement gaps vary substantially, ranging from nearly 0 in…

Geographic Variation of District-Level Gender Achievement Gaps within the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reardon, Sean; Fahle, Erin; Kalogrides, Demetra; Podolsky, Anne; Zarate, Rosalia

2016-01-01

Gender achievement gaps on national and state assessments have been a popular research topic over the last few decades. Many prior studies examine these gaps in different subjects (e.g., mathematics, reading, and science) and grades (typically kindergarten through eighth grade) for students living in various regions (typically states or countries)…

Closing the Social Class Achievement Gap for First-Generation Students in Undergraduate Biology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harackiewicz, Judith M.; Canning, Elizabeth A.; Tibbetts, Yoi; Giffen, Cynthia J.; Blair, Seth S.; Rouse, Douglas I.; Hyde, Janet S.

2014-01-01

Many students start college intending to pursue a career in the biosciences, but too many abandon this goal because they struggle in introductory biology. Interventions have been developed to close achievement gaps for underrepresented minority students and women, but no prior research has attempted to close the gap for first-generation students,…

Are We Pushing for Greatness?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duke, Daniel L.

2013-01-01

Have efforts to improve schools neglected high achievers? A growing chorus of critics is voicing concern for the achievement gap, but not the gap between well-to-do and poor students, or white and non-white students. The gap that most worries them is the one between U.S. students and students in other industrialized nations. Among the 34 nations…

Is the Black-White Achievement Gap a Public Sector Effect? An Examination of Student Achievement in the Third Grade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simms, Kathryn

2012-01-01

Prior research has suggested private school education in middle school and high school as a solution for the Black-White achievement gap. However, more recent research calls this solution into question. Additionally, research increasingly implicates third grade as being of preeminent importance in driving students' subsequent academic achievement.…

Addressing Achievement Gaps: The Language Acquisition and Educational Achievement of English-Language Learners. ETS Policy Notes. Volume 16, Number 2, Summer 2008

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McBride, Amanda

2008-01-01

The eighth "ETS Addressing Achievement Gaps Symposium" provided a public forum for educators, policymakers, and researchers to forge productive relationships that will advance their efforts to enhance the educational achievement of America's five million English-language learners (ELLs). The conference was held at ETS world headquarters in…

Understanding and Reversing Underachievement, Low Achievement, and Achievement Gaps among High-Ability African American Males in Urban School Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ford, Donna Y.; Moore, James L., III

2013-01-01

This article focuses on the achievement gap, with attention devoted to underachievement and low achievement among African American males in urban school contexts. More specifically, the article explains problems and issues facing or confronting these Black male students in urban education settings. A central part of this discussion is grounded in…

Is No Child Left Behind "Wise Schooling" for African American Male Students?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMillian, M. Monique

2004-01-01

To improve achievement among African American students, education professionals must pay special attention to African American male achievement and reframe the academic achievement gap as a treatment gap. Engagement studies suggest that African American students, and African American boys in particular, are susceptible to academic disengagement.…

School Personnel-Student Racial Congruence and the Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Allison B.; MacGregor, Cynthia; Cornelius-White, Jeffrey

2017-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the relationship between student achievement and racial congruence of school personnel and students to help educators and policy makers narrow the achievement gap. Design/methodology/approach: This quasi-experimental, correlational study used publicly available data from 158 elementary schools in the Houston…

Healthier students are better learners: high-quality, strategically planned, and effectively coordinated school health programs must be a fundamental mission of schools to help close the achievement gap.

PubMed

Basch, Charles E

2011-10-01

To discuss implications for educational policy and practice relevant to closing the achievement gap based on the literature review and synthesis presented in 7 articles of the October 2011 special issue of the Journal of School Health. Implications for closing the achievement gap are drawn from analyses of current literature. During the past several decades, school reform efforts to close the achievement gap have focused on various strategies, yielding very limited progress. Educationally relevant health disparities influence students' motivation and ability to learn, but reducing these disparities has been largely overlooked as an element of an overall strategy for closing the achievement gap. If these health problems are not addressed, the educational benefits of other school reform efforts will be jeopardized. Healthier students are better learners. School health programs and services that are evidence based, strategically planned to influence academic achievement, and effectively coordinated warrant validation as a cohesive school improvement initiative for closing the achievement gap. National, state, and local responsibilities for supporting school health are outlined, including shared strategies; leadership from the U.S. Department of Education; policy development; guidance, technical assistance, and professional development; accountability and data and software systems; and a research agenda. To date, the U.S. Department of Education has not provided leadership for integrating evidence-based, strategically planned, and effectively coordinated school health programs and services into the fundamental mission of schools. Now is an opportune time for change. © 2011, American School Health Association.

Urban-rural inequality regarding drug prescriptions in primary care facilities - a pre-post comparison of the National Essential Medicines Scheme of China.

PubMed

Yao, Qiang; Liu, Chaojie; Ferrier, J Adamm; Liu, Zhiyong; Sun, Ju

2015-07-30

To assess the impact of the National Essential Medicines Scheme (NEMS) with respect to urban-rural inequalities regarding drug prescriptions in primary care facilities. A stratified two-stage random sampling strategy was used to sample 23,040 prescriptions from 192 primary care facilities from 2009 to 2010. Difference-in-Difference (DID) analyses were performed to test the association between NEMS and urban-rural gaps in prescription patterns. Between-Group Variance and Theil Index were calculated to measure urban-rural absolute and relative disparities in drug prescriptions. The use of the Essential Medicines List (EML) achieved a compliance rate of up to 90% in both urban and rural facilities. An overall reduction of average prescription cost improved economic access to drugs for patients in both areas. However, we observed an increased urban-rural disparity in average expenditure per prescription. The rate of antibiotics and glucocorticoids prescription remained high, despite a reduced disparity between urban and rural facilities. The average incidence of antibiotic prescription increased slightly in urban facilities (62 to 63%) and reduced in rural facilities (67% to 66%). The urban-rural disparity in the use of parenteral administration (injections and infusions) increased, albeit at a high level in both areas (44%-52%). NEMS interventions are effective in reducing the overall average prescription costs. Despite the increased use of the EML, indicator performances with respect to rational drug prescribing and use remain poor and exceed the WHO/INRUD recommended cutoff values and worldwide benchmarks. There is an increased gap between urban and rural areas in the use of parenteral administration and expenditure per prescription.

A paradigm shift for socioeconomic justice and health: from focusing on inequalities to aiming at sustainable equity.

PubMed

Garay, Juan E; Chiriboga, David E

2017-08-01

To measure the 'best possible health for all', incorporating sustainability, and to establish the magnitude of global health inequity. Observational, retrospective. We identified countries with three criteria: (1) a healthy population-life expectancy above world average; (2) living conditions feasible to replicate worldwide-per-capita gross domestic product (GDP-pc) below the world average; and (3) sustainability-per-capita carbon dioxide emissions lower than the planetary pollution boundary. Using these healthy, feasible, and sustainable (HFS) countries as the gold standard, we estimated the burden of global health inequity (BGHiE) in terms of excess deaths, analyzing time-trends (1950-2012) by age, sex, and geographic location. Finally, we defined a global income 'equity zone' and quantified the economic gap needed to achieve global sustainable health equity. A total of 14 countries worldwide met the HFS criteria. Since 1970, there has been a BGHiE of ∼17 million avoidable deaths per year (∼40% of all deaths), with 36 life-years-lost per excess death. Young children and women bore a higher BGHiE, and, in recent years, the highest proportion of avoidable deaths occurred in Africa, India, and the Russian Federation. By 2012, the most efficient HFS countries had a GDP-pc/year of USD$2,165, which we proposed as the lower equity zone threshold. The estimated USD$2.58 trillion economic gap represents 3.6% of the world's GDP-twenty times larger than current total global foreign aid. Sustainable health equity metrics provide a benchmark tool to guide efforts toward transforming overall living conditions, as a means to achieve the 'best possible health for all.' Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

QuickSmart: a basic academic skills intervention for middle school students with learning difficulties.

PubMed

Graham, Lorraine; Bellert, Anne; Thomas, Jenny; Pegg, John

2007-01-01

QuickSmart is a basic academic skills intervention designed for persistently low-achieving students in the middle years of schooling that aims to improve the automaticity of basic skills to improve higher-order processes, such as problem solving and comprehension, as measured on standardized tests. The QuickSmart instructional program consists of three structured, teacher- or teacher aide-directed, 30-minute, small-group lessons each week for approximately 26 weeks. In this study, 42 middle school students experiencing learning difficulties (LD) completed the QuickSmart reading program, and a further 42 students with LD took part in the QuickSmart mathematics program. To investigate the effects of the intervention, comparisons were made between the reading and mathematics progress of the intervention group and a group of 10 high-achieving and 10 average-achieving peers. The results indicated that although the standardized reading comprehension and mathematics scores of QuickSmart students remained below those of comparison students, they improved significantly from pretest to posttest. In contrast, the standardized scores of comparison students were not significantly different from pretest to posttest. On measures of response speed and accuracy gathered using the Cognitive Aptitude Assessment System (CAAS), QuickSmart students were able to narrow the gap between their performance and that of their high- and average-achieving peers. Implications are drawn regarding the importance of interventions that emphasize the automaticity of basic academic skills for students with learning difficulties.

Equity Traps Redux: Inequitable Access to Foreign Language Courses for African American High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schoener, Herbert Joseph, III; McKenzie, Kathryn Bell

2016-01-01

Although much of the current educational research literature on achievement gaps has focused on core curricular areas in public schools, few have focused on racially identifiable gaps in non-core areas such as high school foreign languages. These achievement, and thus advancement, gaps often result in the under-representation of students of color…

Reassessing the Achievement Gap: Fully Measuring What Students Should Be Taught in School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rothstein, Richard; Jacobsen, Rebecca; Wilder, Tamara

2008-01-01

This presentation summarizes two products of the ongoing work the authors are doing for the Campaign for Educational Equity. Part 1 of this presentation is a summary of "A Report Card on Comprehensive Equity: Racial Gaps in the Nation's Youth Outcomes." This report estimates the black-white achievement gaps in each of these aspects of…

The Achievement Gap, Revisited: An Empirical Assessment of What We Can Learn from East Asian Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Czehut, Katherine Jessica Drake

2012-01-01

International mathematics assessments have established students in East Asia as among the best in the world and their U.S. counterparts as mediocre. What is not clear is why this "achievement gap" exists. The last major study to address this question, Stevenson and Stigler's (1992) "The Learning Gap," was published prior to…

Instructional Strategies and Best Practices for Improving the Achievement Gap in Mathematics: An Exploratory Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lord, Joey

2017-01-01

This qualitative exploratory case study focused on the achievement gap in mathematics that exists in one urban North Carolina middle school and the strategies used by school personnel to narrow this gap. The goal of this research was to determine effective instructional strategies and best practices used to engage students in learning that will…

School and Individual Factors That Contribute to the Achievement Gap in College Admissions Tests in Chile

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perez Mejias, Paulina

2012-01-01

In Chile, reports and research papers have shown that there is an achievement gap in college admissions tests mostly associated to students' gender, socioeconomic status and type of school attended. This gap represents a barrier for low-income and female students to access higher education, as well as for graduates of public schools. Prior studies…

Income Inequality and the Online Reading Gap: Teaching Our Way to Success With Online Research and Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leu, Donald J.; Forzani, Elena; Kennedy, Clint

2015-01-01

A recent study in "Reading Research Quarterly" provided evidence that an online reading achievement gap, based on income inequality, exists that is separate and independent from the well-known achievement gap in offline reading. This column briefly reviews the evidence and provides an initial set of instructional suggestions that may be…

Decreasing the Gap: Understanding the Role of READ 180 in Helping to Decrease the Achievement Gap for Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neubert, Emily Sarah

2017-01-01

As federal mandates continue to emphasize the use of standardized tests, academic research is needed to determine if reading intervention programs are helping to close the achievement gap between struggling readers and their grade level peers. Although previous research indicated that reading intervention can be an effective tool for increasing…

Exploring the Gender Gap in the Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henderson, Rachel; Stewart, Gay; Stewart, John; Michaluk, Lynnette; Traxler, Adrienne

2017-01-01

The "gender gap" on various physics conceptual evaluations has been extensively studied. Men's average pretest scores on the Force Concept Inventory and Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation are 13% higher than women's, and post-test scores are on average 12% higher than women's. This study analyzed the gender differences within the…

Stereotyped: investigating gender in introductory science courses.

PubMed

Lauer, Shanda; Momsen, Jennifer; Offerdahl, Erika; Kryjevskaia, Mila; Christensen, Warren; Montplaisir, Lisa

2013-01-01

Research in science education has documented achievement gaps between men and women in math and physics that may reflect, in part, a response to perceived stereotype threat. Research efforts to reduce achievement gaps by mediating the impact of stereotype threat have found success with a short values-affirmation writing exercise. In biology and biochemistry, however, little attention has been paid to the performance of women in comparison with men or perceptions of stereotype threat, despite documentation of leaky pipelines into professional and academic careers. We used methodologies developed in physics education research and cognitive psychology to 1) investigate and compare the performance of women and men across three introductory science sequences (biology, biochemistry, physics), 2) document endorsement of stereotype threat in these science courses, and 3) investigate the utility of a values-affirmation writing task in reducing achievement gaps. In our study, analysis of final grades and normalized learning gains on content-specific concept inventories reveals no achievement gap in the courses sampled, little stereotype threat endorsement, and no impact of the values-affirmation writing task on student performance. These results underscore the context-dependent nature of achievement gaps and stereotype threat and highlight calls to replicate education research across a range of student populations.

Stereotyped: Investigating Gender in Introductory Science Courses

PubMed Central

Lauer, Shanda; Momsen, Jennifer; Offerdahl, Erika; Kryjevskaia, Mila; Christensen, Warren; Montplaisir, Lisa

2013-01-01

Research in science education has documented achievement gaps between men and women in math and physics that may reflect, in part, a response to perceived stereotype threat. Research efforts to reduce achievement gaps by mediating the impact of stereotype threat have found success with a short values-affirmation writing exercise. In biology and biochemistry, however, little attention has been paid to the performance of women in comparison with men or perceptions of stereotype threat, despite documentation of leaky pipelines into professional and academic careers. We used methodologies developed in physics education research and cognitive psychology to 1) investigate and compare the performance of women and men across three introductory science sequences (biology, biochemistry, physics), 2) document endorsement of stereotype threat in these science courses, and 3) investigate the utility of a values-affirmation writing task in reducing achievement gaps. In our study, analysis of final grades and normalized learning gains on content-specific concept inventories reveals no achievement gap in the courses sampled, little stereotype threat endorsement, and no impact of the values-affirmation writing task on student performance. These results underscore the context-dependent nature of achievement gaps and stereotype threat and highlight calls to replicate education research across a range of student populations. PMID:23463226

Personality Types of Illinois Elementary Principals in High-Poverty, High-Performing Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hollowell, Daniel R.

2016-01-01

The socio-economic achievement gap is prevalent in schools across the country. There are many high-poverty, high-performing schools that have been successful in closing this achievement gap. This study investigated 30 Illinois elementary school principals from high-poverty, high-achieving schools. Principals were given the Myers-Briggs Type…

Language Diversity, School Learning, and Closing Achievement Gaps: A Workshop Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welch-Ross, Melissa

2010-01-01

The Workshop on the Role of Language in School Learning: Implications for Closing the Achievement Gap was held to explore three questions: What is known about the conditions that affect language development? What are the effects of early language development on school achievement? What instructional approaches help students meet school demands for…

A Better Way to Motivate Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Dennis

2012-01-01

Many low income, minority schools in California are within 100 points of closing the achievement gap, a prize worth working for no matter how inconvenient, uncomfortable, or risky. In this article, the author describes a better way to motivate educators to try new things that will accelerate student learning and close the achievement gap. The…

Narrowing the Achievement Gap: A Review of Research, Policies, and Issues. Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hertert, Linda; Teague, Jackie

Student achievement tests consistently show that certain groups of children score far below children in other groups. The data document a strong association between poverty and students' academic success. The achievement gap begins early in children's lives as the result of physical, social, and emotional deprivations. California is attempting to…

Racial and Gender Gaps in Academic Achievement. Report Summary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dulaney, Chuck; Banks, Karen

This report summarizes the level of academic achievement, and the extent of racial and gender gaps in that achievement, of students in North Carolina's Wake County Public School System (WCPSS). The comparison was conducted using 1993 End-of-Grade (EOG) tests; low income group EOG test performance; 1993 writing tests and high school writing…

From "Struggling" to "Example": How Cross-Age Tutoring Impacts Latina Adolescents' Reader Identities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drake, Dustin H.

2017-01-01

Educators and policy makers have shown a consistent concern over the achievement gap. In academic assessments, Latino students have demonstrated lower achievement than their peers, particularly in reading scores. Many researchers attribute the existence of the achievement gap to a school system that ignores Latino culture or perpetuates struggles…

Subgroup Achievement and Gap Trends: New Hampshire

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center on Education Policy, 2009

2009-01-01

This year the Center on Education Policy analyzed data on the achievement of different groups of students in two distinct ways. First, it looked at grade 4 test results to determine whether the performance of various groups improved at three achievement levels--basic and above, proficient and above, and advanced. Second, it looked at gaps between…

Science Achievement Gaps Begin Very Early, Persist, and Are Largely Explained by Modifiable Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, Paul L.; Farkas, George; Hillemeier, Marianne M.; Maczuga, Steve

2016-01-01

We examined the age of onset, over-time dynamics, and mechanisms underlying science achievement gaps in U.S. elementary and middle schools. To do so, we estimated multilevel growth models that included as predictors children's own general knowledge, reading and mathematics achievement, behavioral self-regulation, sociodemographics, other child-…

Closing Achievement Gaps and Beyond: Teachers' Reactions to the Remedial Education Policy in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Hsiao-Lan Sharon; Yu, Patricia

2016-01-01

Educators have increasingly implemented remedial education in elementary and secondary schools throughout Taiwan as a systemic approach toward closing achievement gaps. However, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and those in remote areas have shown little improvement in academic achievement. This issue raises the question of how…

Understanding Science Achievement Gaps by Race/Ethnicity and Gender in Kindergarten and First Grade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curran, F. Chris; Kellogg, Ann T.

2016-01-01

Disparities in science achievement across race and gender have been well documented in secondary and postsecondary school; however, the science achievement gap in the early years of elementary school remains understudied. We present findings from the recently released Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-2011 that…

Rural-Urban Gaps in Academic Achievement, Schooling Conditions, Student, and Teachers' Characteristics in Pakistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tayyaba, Saadia

2012-01-01

Purpose: Recent educational research has demonstrated rural-urban gaps in achievement and schooling conditions. Evidence from developing countries is still sparse. This study seeks to report rural-urban disparities in achievement, student, teacher, and school characteristics based on a nationally representative sample of grade four students from…

Comprehensive School Reform: Meta-Analytic Evidence of Black-White Achievement Gap Narrowing.

PubMed

Gorey, Kevin M

2009-12-30

This meta-analysis extends a previous review of the achievement effects of comprehensive school reform (CSR) programs (Borman, Hewes, Overman, & Brown, 2003). That meta-analysis observed significant effects of well endowed and well-researched programs, but it did not account for race/ethnicity. This article synthesizes 34 cohort or quasi-experimental outcomes of studies that incorporated the policy-critical characteristic of race/ethnicity. compared with matched traditional schools, the black-white achievement gap narrowed significantly more among students in CSR schools. In addition, the aggregate effects were large, substantially to completely eliminating the achievement gap between African American and non-Hispanic white students in elementary and middle schools. Title I policies before or after the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 seem to have had essentially no impact on the black-white achievement gap. Curricular and testing mandates along with the threat of sanctions without concomitant resource supports seem to have failed. This study suggests that educational achievement inequities need not be America's destiny. It seems that they could be eliminated through concerted political will and ample resource commitments to evidence-based educational programs.

Instruction, Teacher–Student Relations, and Math Achievement Trajectories in Elementary School

PubMed Central

Crosnoe, Robert; Morrison, Fred; Burchinal, Margaret; Pianta, Robert; Keating, Daniel; Friedman, Sarah L.; Clarke-Stewart, K. Alison

2010-01-01

Children enter elementary school with widely different skill levels in core subjects. Whether because of differences in aptitude or in preparedness, these initial skill differences often translate into systematic disparities in achievement over time. How can teachers reduce these disparities? Three possibilities are to offer basic skills training, to expose students to higher order instruction, or to provide socioemotional support. Repeated measures analyses of longitudinal data from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development revealed that children with low, average, or high math skills prior to elementary school followed different but parallel trajectories of math achievement up through fifth grade. When enrolled in classes with inference-based instruction, however, the initially least skilled children narrowed the achievement gap as long as they did not have conflictual relations with their teachers. They did not make this kind of progress if they were in classes focused exclusively on basic skills instruction or if they were in inference-focused classes but had conflictual relations with teachers. PMID:20657743

Ultra-small (r<2 nm), stable (>1 year) copper oxide quantum dots with wide band gap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Talluri, Bhusankar; Prasad, Edamana; Thomas, Tiju

2018-01-01

Practical use of quantum dots (QDs) will rely on processes that enable (i) monodispersity, (ii) scalability, (iii) green approaches to manufacturing them. We demonstrate, a green, rapid, soft chemical, and industrial viable approach for obtaining quasi-spherical, ultra-small (size ∼2.4 ± 0.5 nm), stable (>1 yr), and monodispersed copper oxide QDs (r < 2 nm) based on digestive ripening (DR). These QDs show wide band gap (Eg∼5.3 eV), this substantial band gap increase is currently inexplicable using Brus' equation, and is likely due to surface chemistry of these strongly confined QDs. Capping with triethanolamine (TEA) results in reduction in the average particle diameter from 9 ± 4 nm to 2.4 ± 0.5 nm and an increase of zeta potential (ξ) from +12 ± 2 mV to +31 ± 2 mV. XPS and electron diffraction studies indicate that capped copper oxide QDs which have TEA chemisorbed on its surface are expected to partly stabilize Cu (I) resulting in mixed phase in these QDs. This result is likely to inform efforts that involve achieving monodisperse microstructures and nano-structures, of oxides with a tendency for multivalency.

Structure of Black Male Students Academic Achievement in Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rascoe, Barbara

Educational policies and practices have been largely unsuccessful in closing the achievement gap between Black and White students "Schwartz, 2001". This achievement gap is especially problematic for Black students in science "Maton, Hrabrowski, - Schmitt, 2000. Given the fact that the Black-White achievement gap is still an enigma, the purpose of this article is to address the Black female-Black male academic achievement gap in science majors. Addressing barriers that Black male students may experience as college science and engineering majors, this article presents marketing strategies relative to politics, emotional intelligence, and issues with respect to how science teaching, and Black male students' responses to it, are different. Many Black male students may need to experience a paradigm shift, which structures and enhances their science achievement. Paradigm shifts are necessary because exceptional academic ability and motivation are not enough to get Black males from their first year in a science, technology, education, and mathematics "STEM" major to a bachelor's degree in science and engineering. The conclusions focus on the balance of truth-slippery slopes concerning the confluence of science teachers' further ado and Black male students' theories, methods, and values that position their academic achievement in science and engineering majors.

Gender and Student Achievement in English Schools. CEE DP 58

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Machin, Stephen; McNally, Sandra

2006-01-01

In the UK, there is a marked gender gap in the educational attainment of boys and girls. At the end of compulsory education, 10 per cent fewer boys achieve 5 or more good GCSEs. This gap is by no means confined to GCSE. It is evident at all Key Stages. Furthermore, some indicators suggest that the gap has widened over time. In this paper, we…

Mind the Gap: 20 Years of Progress and Retrenchment in School Funding and Achievement Gaps. Policy Information Report. ETS RR-16-15

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Bruce D.; Farrie, Danielle; Sciarra, David G.

2016-01-01

Although there has been significant progress in the long term, achievement gaps among the nation's students persist.Many factors have contributed to the disparities in outcomes, and societal changes can explain progress, or lack thereof, over the past few decades.This is well documented in the 2010 Educational Testing Service (ETS) report…

Marginal Accuracy and Internal Fit of 3-D Printing Laser-Sintered Co-Cr Alloy Copings.

PubMed

Kim, Myung-Joo; Choi, Yun-Jung; Kim, Seong-Kyun; Heo, Seong-Joo; Koak, Jai-Young

2017-01-23

Laser sintered technology has been introduced for clinical use and can be utilized more widely, accompanied by the digitalization of dentistry and the development of direct oral scanning devices. This study was performed with the aim of comparing the marginal accuracy and internal fit of Co-Cr alloy copings fabricated by casting, CAD/CAM (Computer-aided design/Computer-assisted manufacture) milled, and 3-D laser sintered techniques. A total of 36 Co-Cr alloy crown-copings were fabricated from an implant abutment. The marginal and internal fit were evaluated by measuring the weight of the silicone material, the vertical marginal discrepancy using a microscope, and the internal gap in the sectioned specimens. The data were statistically analyzed by One-way ANOVA (analysis of variance), a Scheffe's test, and Pearson's correlation at the significance level of p = 0.05, using statistics software. The silicone weight was significantly low in the casting group. The 3-D laser sintered group showed the highest vertical discrepancy, and marginal-, occlusal-, and average- internal gaps ( p < 0.05). The CAD/CAM milled group revealed a significantly high axial internal gap. There are moderate correlations between the vertical marginal discrepancy and the internal gap variables ( r = 0.654), except for the silicone weight. In this study, the 3-D laser sintered group achieved clinically acceptable marginal accuracy and internal fit.

Marginal Accuracy and Internal Fit of 3-D Printing Laser-Sintered Co-Cr Alloy Copings

PubMed Central

Kim, Myung-Joo; Choi, Yun-Jung; Kim, Seong-Kyun; Heo, Seong-Joo; Koak, Jai-Young

2017-01-01

Laser sintered technology has been introduced for clinical use and can be utilized more widely, accompanied by the digitalization of dentistry and the development of direct oral scanning devices. This study was performed with the aim of comparing the marginal accuracy and internal fit of Co-Cr alloy copings fabricated by casting, CAD/CAM (Computer-aided design/Computer-assisted manufacture) milled, and 3-D laser sintered techniques. A total of 36 Co-Cr alloy crown-copings were fabricated from an implant abutment. The marginal and internal fit were evaluated by measuring the weight of the silicone material, the vertical marginal discrepancy using a microscope, and the internal gap in the sectioned specimens. The data were statistically analyzed by One-way ANOVA (analysis of variance), a Scheffe’s test, and Pearson’s correlation at the significance level of p = 0.05, using statistics software. The silicone weight was significantly low in the casting group. The 3-D laser sintered group showed the highest vertical discrepancy, and marginal-, occlusal-, and average- internal gaps (p < 0.05). The CAD/CAM milled group revealed a significantly high axial internal gap. There are moderate correlations between the vertical marginal discrepancy and the internal gap variables (r = 0.654), except for the silicone weight. In this study, the 3-D laser sintered group achieved clinically acceptable marginal accuracy and internal fit. PMID:28772451

Why the racial gap in life expectancy is declining in the United States

PubMed Central

Firebaugh, Glenn; Acciai, Francesco; Noah, Aggie J.; Prather, Christopher; Nau, Claudia

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND Blacks have lower life expectancy than whites in the United States. That disparity could be due to racial differences in the causes of death, with blacks being more likely to die of causes that affect the young, or it could be due to differences in the average ages of blacks and whites who die of the same cause. Prior studies fail to distinguish these two possibilities. OBJECTIVE In this study we determine how much of the 2000–10 reduction in the racial gap in life expectancy resulted from narrowing differences in the cause-specific mean age at death for blacks and whites, as opposed to changing cause-specific probabilities for blacks and whites. METHOD We introduce a method for separating the difference-in-probabilities and difference-inage components of group disparities in life expectancy. RESULTS Based on the new method, we find that 60% of the decline in the racial gap in life expectancy from 2000 to 2010 was attributable to reduction in the age component, largely because of declining differences in the age at which blacks and whites die of chronic diseases. CONCLUSION Our findings shed light on the sources of the declining racial gap in life expectancy in the United States, and help to identify where advances need to be made to achieve the goal of eliminating racial disparities in life expectancy. PMID:25580083

Increasing Persistence in Undergraduate Science Majors: A Model for Institutional Support of Underrepresented Students

PubMed Central

Toven-Lindsey, Brit; Levis-Fitzgerald, Marc; Barber, Paul H.; Hasson, Tama

2015-01-01

The 6-yr degree-completion rate of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors at U.S. colleges and universities is less than 40%. Persistence among women and underrepresented minorities (URMs), including African-American, Latino/a, Native American, and Pacific Islander students, is even more troubling, as these students leave STEM majors at significantly higher rates than their non-URM peers. This study utilizes a matched comparison group design to examine the academic achievement and persistence of students enrolled in the Program for Excellence in Education and Research in the Sciences (PEERS), an academic support program at the University of California, Los Angeles, for first- and second-year science majors from underrepresented backgrounds. Results indicate that PEERS students, on average, earned higher grades in most “gatekeeper” chemistry and math courses, had a higher cumulative grade point average, completed more science courses, and persisted in a science major at significantly higher rates than the comparison group. With its holistic approach focused on academics, counseling, creating a supportive community, and exposure to research, the PEERS program serves as an excellent model for universities interested in and committed to improving persistence of underrepresented science majors and closing the achievement gap. PMID:25828403

Interindustry Wage Differentials and the Gender Wage Gap.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fields, Judith; Wolff, Edward N.

1995-01-01

Wages of female workers differ significantly by industry. The average woman earns about 65% as much as the average man; 12%-22% of the gap is explained by differences in patterns of interindustry wage differentials and 15%-19% by differences in gender distribution of workers. Combined industry effects explain about one-third of the gender wage…

Achievement, Assessment, and Learning: A Study of Emergent Bilingual Students in Mainstream Content Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Logan-Terry, Aubrey Elizabeth

2012-01-01

This dissertation investigates and problematizes emergent bilingual students' achievement gaps in an existing corpus of middle-school science assessment data. I first characterize achievement gaps across national data, state data, and the corpus of approximately 27,000 students as an analytic backdrop. I then sample a subset of the 6th grade…

Disproportionality Fills in the Gaps: Connections between Achievement, Discipline and Special Education in the School-to-Prison Pipeline

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Annamma, Subini; Morrison, Deb; Jackson, Darrell

2014-01-01

The focus on the achievement gap has overshadowed ways in which school systems constrain student achievement through trends of racial disproportionality in areas such as school discipline, special education assignment, and juvenile justice. Using Critical Race Theory, we reframe these racial disparities as issues of institutionalized racism.…

The Home/School Connection and Its Role in Narrowing the Academic Achievement Gap: An Ecological Systems Theoretical Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blandin, Allyson

2017-01-01

This literature review seeks to evaluate previous studies on the topic of the home/school connection and its role in enhancing students' academic achievement and narrowing the academic achievement gap. The ecological systems theory framework will facilitate the discussion of the importance of the home/school connection phenomenon. Perspectives…

The Achievement Gap: Factors That Influenced the Achievement of Successful Black Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morton, Kwame R., Sr.

2011-01-01

The academic underperformance of Black students when compared to their White peers has confounded educators nationwide. This discrepancy in academic performance commonly referred to as the achievement gap has become a national crisis which has led to one of the most significant educational reforms undertaken in the United States of America in the…

An Examination of Tri-Level Collaboration around Student Achievement Using the Gap Analysis Approach: School Site Leadership Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salinas, Esther Charlotte

2013-01-01

Using the Gap Analysis problem-solving framework (Clark & Estes, 2008), this project examined collaboration around student achievement at the school site leadership level in the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD). This project is one of three concurrent studies focused on collaboration around student achievement in the PUSD that include…

An Examination of Tri-Level Collaboration around Student Achievement Using the Gap Analysis Approach: Central Office Leadership Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Llamas, Sonia Rodarte

2013-01-01

Using the Gap Analysis problem-solving framework (Clark & Estes, 2008), this study examined collaboration around student achievement at the central office leadership level in the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD). This study is one of three concurrent studies focused on collaboration around student achievement in the PUSD that include…

Social Support and Socioeconomic Status Predict Secondary Students' Grades and Educational Plans Indifferently across Immigrant Group and Gender

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ulriksen, Robin; Sagatun, Åse; Zachrisson, Henrik Daae; Waaktaar, Trine; Lervåg, Arne Ola

2015-01-01

Social support and socioeconomic status (SES) have received considerable attention in explaining academic achievement and the achievement gap between students with ethic majority and immigrant background, and between boys and girls. Using a Structural Equation Modeling approach we examine (1) if there exist a gap in school achievements between…

An Examination of Tri-Level Collaboration around Student Achievement Using the Gap Analysis Approach: Teacher Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carruthers, Anthony Steven

2013-01-01

Using the Gap Analysis problem-solving framework (Clark & Estes, 2008), this project examined collaboration around student achievement in the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) from the teacher perspective. As part of a tri-level study, two other projects examined collaboration around student achievement in PUSD from the perspectives of…

The Effects of an Extended-Day Online Math Program on Math Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, Kathryn Mary-LaCroix

2013-01-01

Despite No Child Left Behind mandates, the math achievement gap is still prevalent in schools in the United States, and efforts to address this problem have demonstrated little documented progress. The purpose of this study was to evaluate an intervention strategy used to address the math achievement gap. In this study, social capital theory,…

Pre and post annealed low cost ZnO nanorods on seeded substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nordin, M. N.; Kamil, Wan Maryam Wan Ahmad

2017-05-01

We wish to report the photonic band gap (where light is confined) in low cost ZnO nanorods created by two-step chemical bath deposition (CBD) method where the glass substrates were pre-treated with two different seeding thicknesses, 100 nm (sample a) and 150 nm (sample b), of ZnO using radio frequency magnetron sputtering. Then the samples were annealed at 600°C for 1 hour in air before and after immersed into the chemical solution for CBD process. To observe the presence of photonic band gap on the sample, UV-Visible-NIR spectrophotometer was utilized and showed that sample a and sample b both achieved wide band gap between 240 nm and 380 nm, within the UV range for typical ZnO, however sample b provided a better light confinement that may be attributed by the difference in average nanorods size. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) of the samples revealed better oriented nanorods uniformly scattered across the surface when substrates were coated with 100 nm of seeding layer whilst the 150 nm seeding sample showed a poor distribution of nanorods probably due to defects in the sample. Finally, the crystal structure of the ZnO crystallite is revealed by employing X-ray diffraction and both samples showed polycrystalline with hexagonal wurtzite structure that matched with JCPDS No. 36-1451. The 100 nm pre-seeded samples was recognized to have bigger average crystallite size, however sample b was suggested as having a higher crystalline quality. In conclusion, the sample b is recognized as a better candidate for future photonic applications due to its more apparent of photonic band gap and this may be contributed by more random distribution of the nanorods as observed in FESEM images as well as higher crystalline quality as suggested from XRD measurements.

Using Factors of Socioeconomic Status, Family Support, and Academic Preparation to Explain the Black-White Gap in Mathematics Achievement and Participation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Charity Noel

2012-01-01

The Black-White achievement and participation gap in mathematics is a major concern for educators in America. In order to understand why these gaps exist and have continued to exist over the years, it is important to identify some of the factors that may contribute to them. However, one of the limitations in identifying factors that influence the…

Why Do Boys and Girls Perform Differently on PISA Reading in Finland? The Effects of Reading Fluency, Achievement Behaviour, Leisure Reading and Homework Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torppa, Minna; Eklund, Kenneth; Sulkunen, Sari; Niemi, Pekka; Ahonen, Timo

2018-01-01

The present study examined gender gap in Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) Reading and mediators of the gender gap in a Finnish sample (n = 1,309). We examined whether the gender gap in PISA Reading performance can be understood via the effects of reading fluency, achievement behaviour (mastery orientation and task-avoidant…

The Academic Achievement Gap between African American and White Students: An Exploratory Study on Reading Achievement and Intrinsic Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herron-McCoy, La-Monica

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the academic achievement gap between upper elementary African American and White students. This study sought to assess any relationships between whether academic reading, students attitudes toward reading, and academic intrinsic motivation related to ethnicity. This study also sought to assess whether…

Effects of a Culturally Responsive Teaching Project on Teachers and Students in Selected Kanawha County, WV, Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Georgia K.; Cowley, Kimberly S.; Copley, Lisa D.; Finch, Nicole L.; Meehan, Merrill L.; Burns, Rebecca C.; Kusimo, Patricia S.; Keyes, Marian C.; Orletsky, Sandra R.; Holdzkom, David

2004-01-01

Differences in academic achievement among ethnic and socioeconomic groups, called achievement gaps, have been an issue in education for many years. Achievement gaps exist between upper- and lower-class students and between students of differing races and ethnic backgrounds. As a group, Black and Hispanic students perform less well on many…

Unfulfilled Potential: High-Achieving Minority Students and the High School Achievement Gap in Math

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kotok, Stephen

2017-01-01

This study uses multilevel modeling to examine a subset of the highest performing 9th graders and explores the extent that achievement gaps in math widen for high performing African American and Latino students and their high performing White and Asian peers during high school. Using nationally representative data from the High School Longitudinal…

Racial and Gender Gaps in Academic Achievement: An Updated Look at 1993-94 Data. Report Summary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dulaney, Chuck; Bethune, Ginger

This second annual report for the Wake County (North Carolina) Public School System examined students' achievement indicators among groups that vary in gender, race, and economic status. The graphic format displays the extent of some of the gaps in academic achievement among the groups examined that existed in the 1993-94 school year, and compares…

Ethnicity, Gender, Social Class and Achievement Gaps at Age 16: Intersectionality and "Getting It" for the White Working Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strand, Steve

2014-01-01

Perhaps the most prevailing inequalities in educational achievement in England are those associated with socio-economic status (SES), ethnicity and gender. However, little research has sought to compare the relative size of these gaps or to explore interactions between these factors. This paper analyses the educational achievement at age 11, 14…

Lessons along the Cultural Spectrum: Educators Can Build on the Variety of Cultures and Daily Experiences to Shape Students' Learning and Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Belinda

2006-01-01

Although economically disadvantaged and minority students made some gains in their academic achievement performance, education reforms still fail to close the academic achievement gap between them. A discussion of the factors that influence the achievement gap is presented and provides some professional development implications. According to the…

The Role of Collective Efficacy in Closing Student Achievement Gaps: A Mixed Methods Study of School Leadership for Excellence and Equity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goddard, Roger D.; Skrla, Linda; Salloum, Serena J.

2017-01-01

Previous research demonstrates that collective efficacy positively predicts students' academic achievement (e.g., Bandura, 1993; Goddard et al., 2000). However, unaddressed by the current literature is whether collective efficacy also works to reduce inequity by closing achievement gaps. To learn about the operation of collective efficacy, we…

Comprehensive School Reform: Meta-Analytic Evidence of Black-White Achievement Gap Narrowing1

PubMed Central

Gorey, Kevin M.

2016-01-01

This meta-analysis extends a previous review of the achievement effects of comprehensive school reform (CSR) programs (Borman, Hewes, Overman, & Brown, 2003). That meta-analysis observed significant effects of well endowed and well-researched programs, but it did not account for race/ethnicity. This article synthesizes 34 cohort or quasi-experimental outcomes of studies that incorporated the policy-critical characteristic of race/ethnicity. Findings: compared with matched traditional schools, the black-white achievement gap narrowed significantly more among students in CSR schools. In addition, the aggregate effects were large, substantially to completely eliminating the achievement gap between African American and non-Hispanic white students in elementary and middle schools. Title I policies before or after the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 seem to have had essentially no impact on the black-white achievement gap. Curricular and testing mandates along with the threat of sanctions without concomitant resource supports seem to have failed. This study suggests that educational achievement inequities need not be America’s destiny. It seems that they could be eliminated through concerted political will and ample resource commitments to evidence-based educational programs. PMID:27453681

Understanding Adherence and Prescription Patterns Using Large-Scale Claims Data.

PubMed

Bjarnadóttir, Margrét V; Malik, Sana; Onukwugha, Eberechukwu; Gooden, Tanisha; Plaisant, Catherine

2016-02-01

Advanced computing capabilities and novel visual analytics tools now allow us to move beyond the traditional cross-sectional summaries to analyze longitudinal prescription patterns and the impact of study design decisions. For example, design decisions regarding gaps and overlaps in prescription fill data are necessary for measuring adherence using prescription claims data. However, little is known regarding the impact of these decisions on measures of medication possession (e.g., medication possession ratio). The goal of the study was to demonstrate the use of visualization tools for pattern discovery, hypothesis generation, and study design. We utilized EventFlow, a novel discrete event sequence visualization software, to investigate patterns of prescription fills, including gaps and overlaps, utilizing large-scale healthcare claims data. The study analyzes data of individuals who had at least two prescriptions for one of five hypertension medication classes: ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, and diuretics. We focused on those members initiating therapy with diuretics (19.2%) who may have concurrently or subsequently take drugs in other classes as well. We identified longitudinal patterns in prescription fills for antihypertensive medications, investigated the implications of decisions regarding gap length and overlaps, and examined the impact on the average cost and adherence of the initial treatment episode. A total of 790,609 individuals are included in the study sample, 19.2% (N = 151,566) of whom started on diuretics first during the study period. The average age was 52.4 years and 53.1% of the population was female. When the allowable gap was zero, 34% of the population had continuous coverage and the average length of continuous coverage was 2 months. In contrast, when the allowable gap was 30 days, 69% of the population showed a single continuous prescription period with an average length of 5 months. The average prescription cost of the period of continuous coverage ranged from US$3.44 (when the maximum gap was 0 day) to US$9.08 (when the maximum gap was 30 days). Results were less impactful when considering overlaps. This proof-of-concept study illustrates the use of visual analytics tools in characterizing longitudinal medication possession. We find that prescription patterns and associated prescription costs are more influenced by allowable gap lengths than by definitions and treatment of overlap. Research using medication gaps and overlaps to define medication possession in prescription claims data should pay particular attention to the definition and use of gap lengths.

Perceiving and acting upon spaces in a VR rugby task: expertise effects in affordance detection and task achievement.

PubMed

Correia, Vanda; Araújo, Duarte; Cummins, Alan; Craig, Cathy M

2012-06-01

This study used a virtual, simulated 3 vs. 3 rugby task to investigate whether gaps opening in particular running channels promote different actions by the ball carrier player and whether an effect of rugby expertise is verified. We manipulated emergent gaps in three different locations: Gap 1 in the participant's own running channel, Gap 2 in the first receiver's running channel, and Gap 3 in the second receiver's running channel. Recreational, intermediate, professional, and nonrugby players performed the task. They could (i) run with the ball, (ii) make a short pass, or (iii) make a long pass. All actions were digitally recorded. Results revealed that the emergence of gaps in the defensive line with respect to the participant's own position significantly influenced action selection. Namely, "run" was most often the action performed in Gap 1, "short pass" in Gap 2, and "long pass" in Gap 3 trials. Furthermore, a strong positive relationship between expertise and task achievement was found.

Pay Inequities for Recently Hired Faculty, 1988-2004

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porter, Stephen R.; Toutkoushian, Robert K.; Moore, John V., III

2008-01-01

The national media and academic journals have reported a sizable wage gap between men and women in academe--a gap that has persisted over time. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics for 2004-2005 show that the average salary for all male faculty ($69,337) exceeded the average salary for female faculty ($56,926) by almost 22%.…

The "Big Bang" in Public and Private Faculty Salaries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rippner, Jennifer A.; Toutkoushian, Robert K.

2015-01-01

The gap between average faculty salaries at public and private institutions has been growing wider over the past 40 years, yet little is known about the nature and causes of the gap. This study uses data on more than 1,000 institutions to examine institutional average faculty salaries and how they have changed for public and private institutions.…

Giant topological nontrivial band gaps in chloridized gallium bismuthide.

PubMed

Li, Linyang; Zhang, Xiaoming; Chen, Xin; Zhao, Mingwen

2015-02-11

Quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect is promising for achieving dissipationless transport devices but presently is achieved only at extremely low temperature. Searching for the large-gap QSH insulators with strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is the key to increase the operating temperature. We demonstrate theoretically that this can be solved in the chloridized gallium bismuthide (GaBiCl2) monolayer, which has nontrivial gaps of 0.95 eV at the Γ point, and 0.65 eV for bulk, as well as gapless edge states in the nanoribbon structures. The nontrivial gaps due to the band inversion and SOC are robust against external strain. The realization of the GaBiCl2 monolayer will be beneficial for achieving QSH effect and related applications at high temperatures.

Gender gap on concept inventories in physics: What is consistent, what is inconsistent, and what factors influence the gap?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madsen, Adrian; McKagan, Sarah B.; Sayre, Eleanor C.

2013-12-01

We review the literature on the gender gap on concept inventories in physics. Across studies of the most commonly used mechanics concept inventories, the Force Concept Inventory and Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation, men’s average pretest scores are always higher than women’s, and in most cases men’s posttest scores are higher as well. The weighted average gender difference on these tests is 13% for pretest scores, 12% for posttest scores, and 6% for normalized gain. This difference is much smaller than the average difference in normalized gain between traditional lecture and interactive engagement (25%), but it is large enough that it could impact the results of studies comparing the effectiveness of different teaching methods. There is sometimes a gender gap on commonly used electricity and magnetism concept inventories, the Brief Electricity and Magnetism Assessment and Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism, but it is usually much smaller and sometimes is zero or favors women. The weighted average gender difference on these tests is 3.7% for pretest scores, 8.5% for posttest scores, and 6% for normalized gain. There are far fewer studies of the gender gap on electricity and magnetism concept inventories and much more variation in the existing studies. Based on our analysis of 26 published articles comparing the impact of 30 factors that could potentially influence the gender gap, no single factor is sufficient to explain the gap. Several high-profile studies that have claimed to account for or reduce the gender gap have failed to be replicated in subsequent studies, suggesting that isolated claims of explanations of the gender gap should be interpreted with caution. For example, claims that the gender gap could be eliminated through interactive engagement teaching methods or through a “values affirmation writing exercise” were not supported by subsequent studies. Suggestions that the gender gap might be reduced by changing the wording of “male-oriented” questions or refraining from asking demographic questions before administering the test are not supported by the evidence. Other factors, such as gender differences in background preparation, scores on different kinds of assessment, and splits between how students respond to test questions when answering for themselves or for a “scientist” do contribute to a difference between male and female responses, but the size of these differences is smaller than the size of the overall gender gap, suggesting that the gender gap is most likely due to the combination of many small factors rather than any one factor that can easily be modified.

The role of planning skills in the income-achievement gap.

PubMed

Crook, Stephen R; Evans, Gary W

2014-01-01

The pervasive income-achievement gap has been attributed in part to deficiencies in executive functioning (EF). The development of EF is related to children's planning ability, an aspect of development that has received little attention. Longitudinal data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development study of early child care show that early childhood poverty (1 and 24 months) is significantly related to fifth grade, math, and reading achievement (n = 1,009). The ability to plan in Grade 3, indexed by the Tower of Hanoi task, mediates the income-achievement gap in math and to a lesser extent in reading. IQ was incorporated as a statistical control throughout. © 2013 The Authors. Child Development © 2013 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

The Los Alamos Gap Stick Test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Preston, Daniel; Hill, Larry; Johnson, Carl

2015-06-01

In this paper we describe a novel shock sensitivity test, the Gap Stick Test, which is a generalized variant of the ubiquitous Gap Test. Despite the popularity of the Gap Test, it has some disadvantages: multiple tests must be fired to obtain a single metric, and many tests must be fired to obtain its value to high precision and confidence. Our solution is a test wherein multiple gap tests are joined in series to form a rate stick. The complex re-initiation character of the traditional gap test is thereby retained, but the propagation speed is steady when measured at periodic intervals, and initiation delay in individual segments acts to decrement the average speed. We measure the shock arrival time before and after each inert gap, and compute the average detonation speed through the HE alone (discounting the gap thicknesses). We perform tests for a range of gap thicknesses. We then plot the aforementioned propagation speed as a function of gap thickness. The resulting curve has the same basic structure as a Diameter Effect (DE) curve, and (like the DE curve) terminates at a failure point. Comparison between experiment and hydrocode calculations using ALE3D and the Ignition and Growth reactive burn model calibrated for short duration shock inputs in PBX 9501 is discussed.

Community Colleges in the South: Strengthening Readiness and Pathways. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blanco, Cheryl; Spence, Dave

2015-01-01

Community colleges are essential to achieving state goals--increasing the educational attainment of the population, increasing access and completion, eliminating achievement gaps, closing opportunity gaps, and addressing workforce and economic development objectives. These institutions are flexible, adaptable, affordable, community-based,…

Social Identity and Achievement Gaps: Evidence from an Affirmation Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dee, Thomas S.

2015-01-01

One provocative explanation for the continued persistence of minority achievement gaps involves the performance-dampening anxiety thought to be experienced by minority students in highly evaluative settings (i.e., "stereotype threat"). Recent field-experimental studies suggest that modest, low-cost "buffering" interventions…

Self-Regulation and the Income-Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, Gary W.; Rosenbaum, Jennifer

2008-01-01

The pervasive income-related achievement gap among children has been partially explained by parental investments. Wealthier parents provide more cognitively enriched environments (e.g., books, informal learning opportunities such as music lessons) and converse more with their children relative to low-income parents. However parental investment…

Unseen WEIRD Assumptions: The So-Called Language Gap Discourse and Ideologies of Language, Childhood, and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blum, Susan D.

2017-01-01

Claiming to rely on "science," many well-intentioned "experts" offer advice on how to "close the gap"--word gap, language gap, achievement gap--between disadvantaged and advantaged children. Based on both research and personal experience, this advice promises magic solutions to apparently complex and intractable…

Second-harmonic generation at angular incidence in a negative-positive index photonic band-gap structure.

PubMed

D'Aguanno, Giuseppe; Mattiucci, Nadia; Scalora, Michael; Bloemer, Mark J

2006-08-01

In the spectral region where the refractive index of the negative index material is approximately zero, at oblique incidence, the linear transmission of a finite structure composed of alternating layers of negative and positive index materials manifests the formation of a new type of band gap with exceptionally narrow band-edge resonances. In particular, for TM-polarized (transverse magnetic) incident waves, field values that can be achieved at the band edge may be much higher compared to field values achievable in standard photonic band-gap structures. We exploit the unique properties of these band-edge resonances for applications to nonlinear frequency conversion, second-harmonic generation, in particular. The simultaneous availability of high field localization and phase matching conditions may be exploited to achieve second-harmonic conversion efficiencies far better than those achievable in conventional photonic band-gap structures. Moreover, we study the role played by absorption within the negative index material, and find that the process remains efficient even for relatively high values of the absorption coefficient.

An Examination of the Achievement Gap and School A-F Letter Grades in a Southwest County in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobson, Jason A.

2016-01-01

Research has suggested the "No Child Left Behind Act" passed in 2001 has resulted in narrowed curriculum and a failed attempt at its primary objective to close the achievement gap. Understanding changes that have occurred in student achievement from 2011 to 2014 of the NCLB requirements is the focus of this quantitative ex-post facto…

Quality Education in Idaho: A Case Study of Academic Achievement in Three High-Poverty Rural Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Christine

2017-01-01

The focus of this research is bridging the achievement gap for students living in poverty through quality education. Such a study is important because the percentage of students affected by poverty is increasing and the persistent gap in achievement evidences that the right to quality education for students in poverty is not being met. This is…

Gaining on the Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Robert G.

2010-01-01

About three-quarters of the 2009 graduates of the highly diverse Arlington, Virginia, Public Schools completed one or more Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses during their high school careers. That figure serves as one indicator of a decade-long initiative to eliminate achievement gaps while raising achievement for all…

Closing the Achievement Gap on ACT & SAT

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, David

2010-01-01

Research has focused on four groups of factors and the achievement gap: (1) student characteristics (high school GPA, attendance patterns, courses taken in high school, participation in extra-curricular activities, etc.); (2) family characteristics (family structure, in home, parents' level of education, mobility, etc.); (3) school-based…

Closing the yield gap could reduce projected greenhouse gas emissions: a case study of maize production in China.

PubMed

Cui, Zhenling; Yue, Shanchao; Wang, Guiliang; Meng, Qingfeng; Wu, Liang; Yang, Zhiping; Zhang, Qiang; Li, Shiqing; Zhang, Fusuo; Chen, Xinping

2013-08-01

Although the goal of doubling food demand while simultaneously reducing agricultural environmental damage has become widely accepted, the dominant agricultural paradigm still considers high yields and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity to be in conflict with one another. Here, we achieved an increase in maize yield of 70% in on-farm experiments by closing the yield gap and evaluated the trade-off between grain yield, nitrogen (N) fertilizer use, and GHG emissions. Based on two groups of N application experiments in six locations for 16 on-farm site-years, an integrated soil-crop system (HY) approach achieved 93% of the yield potential and averaged 14.8 Mg ha(-1) maize grain yield at 15.5% moisture. This is 70% higher than current crop (CC) management. More importantly, the optimal N rate for the HY system was 250 kg N ha(-1) , which is only 38% more N fertilizer input than that applied in the CC system. Both the N2 O emission intensity and GHG intensity increased exponentially as the N application rate increased, and the response curve for the CC system was always higher than that for the HY system. Although the N application rate increased by 38%, N2 O emission intensity and the GHG intensity of the HY system were reduced by 12% and 19%, respectively. These on-farm observations indicate that closing the yield gap alongside efficient N management should therefore be prominent among a portfolio of strategies to meet food demand while reducing GHG intensity at the same time. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Tracking Achievement Gaps and Assessing the Impact of NCLB on the Gaps: An In-Depth Look into National and State Reading and Math Outcome Trends

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jaekyung

2006-01-01

This study offers systematic trend analyses of NAEP national and state-level public school fourth and eighth graders' reading and math achievement results during pre-NCLB (1990-2001) and post-NCLB (2002-2005) periods. It compares post-NCLB trends in reading and math achievement with pre-NCLB trends among different racial and socioeconomic groups…

An Analysis of Mathematics Achievement Disparities between Black and White Students and Socioeconomically Disadvantaged and Advantaged Students across Content Strands by Elementary and Middle School Level in a Diverse Virginia School District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Benjamin L.

2013-01-01

Student achievement gaps between Black and White students, and socioeconomically disadvantaged and advantaged students, have been observed and formally documented since the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) began in the 1970s. In particular, the mathematics achievement gap between these historically disadvantaged populations has…

The Impact of Resources on Education: A Position Paper on How Theories of Social Capital Provide Insight on the Achievement Gap in the United States Education System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zeisler, Kayla

2012-01-01

Research has shown that there is a gap in educational achievement between socioeconomic and racial groups in the public education system in the United States. This paper identifies the link between resources and academic achievement. Through examining educational resources, from in-school factors, such as facilities and teacher quality, to…

[Good agricultural practice (GAP) of Chinese materia medica (CMM) for ten years: achievements, problems and proposals].

PubMed

Guo, Lan-Ping; Zhang, Yan; Zhu, Shou-Dong; Wang, Gui-Hua; Wang, Xiu; Zhang, Xiao-Bo; Chen, Mei-Lan; He, Ya-Li; Han, Bang-Xing; Chen, Nai-Fu; Huang, Lu-Qi

2014-04-01

This paper aims to summarize the achievements during the implementation process of good agricultural practice (GAP) in Chinese Materia Medica (CMM), and on basis of analyzing the existing problems of GAP, to propose further implementation of GAP in TCM growing. Since the launch of GAP in CMM growing ten years ago, it has acquired great achievements, including: (1) The promulgation of a series of measures for the administration of the GAP approval in the CMM growing; (2) The expanded planting area of CMM; (3) The increased awareness of standardized CMM growing among farmers and enterprises; (4) The establishment of GAP implementation bases for CMM growing; (5) The improvement of theory and methodology for CMM growing; (6) The development of a large group of experts and scholars in GAP approval for CMM production. The problems existing in the production include: (1) A deep understanding of GAP and its certification is still needed; (2) The distribution of the certification base is not reasonable; (3) The geo-economics effect and the backward farming practices are thought to be the bottlenecks in the standardization of CMM growing and the scale production of CMM; (4) Low comparative effectiveness limits the development of the GAP; (5) The base of breeding improved variety is blank; (6) The immature of the cultivation technique lead to the risk of production process; (7) The degradation of soil microbial and the continuous cropping obstacle restrict the sustainable development of the GAP base. To further promote the health and orderly GAP in the CMM growing, the authors propose: (1) To change the mode of production; (2) To establish a sound standard system so as to ensure quality products for fair prices; (3) To fully consider the geo-economic culture and vigorously promote the definite cultivating of traditional Chinese medicinal materials; (4) To strengthen the transformation and generalization of basic researches and achievements, in order to provide technical support for the CMM production; (5) To deepen the understanding of GAP, to vigorously promote ecological planting and precision agriculture, in order to overcome the continuous cropping obstacle. The authors think that despite the fact that we are still facing with a huge array of management and technological problems, the GAP in the CMM growing has already enjoyed widespread support and showed great potential. In the future, with people's deeper understanding of GAP and the great progress of the science and technology, the GAP will constantly be fused with the theory, methodology and technology in the modern agriculture like precision agriculture, eco-agriculture and etc.

Health and Academic Achievement: Cumulative Effects of Health Assets on Standardized Test Scores Among Urban Youth in the United States*

PubMed Central

Ickovics, Jeannette R.; Carroll-Scott, Amy; Peters, Susan M.; Schwartz, Marlene; Gilstad-Hayden, Kathryn; McCaslin, Catherine

2014-01-01

Background The Institute of Medicine (2012) concluded that we must “strengthen schools as the heart of health.” To intervene for better outcomes in both health and academic achievement, identifying factors that impact children is essential. Study objectives are to (1) document associations between health assets and academic achievement, and (2) examine cumulative effects of these assets on academic achievement. Methods Participants include 940 students (grades 5 and 6) from 12 schools randomly selected from an urban district. Data include physical assessments, fitness testing, surveys, and district records. Fourteen health indicators were gathered including physical health (eg, body mass index [BMI]), health behaviors (eg, meeting recommendations for fruit/vegetable consumption), family environment (eg, family meals), and psychological well-being (eg, sleep quality). Data were collected 3-6 months prior to standardized testing. Results On average, students reported 7.1 health assets out of 14. Those with more health assets were more likely to be at goal for standardized tests (reading/writing/mathematics), and students with the most health assets were 2.2 times more likely to achieve goal compared with students with the fewest health assets (both p < .001). Conclusions Schools that utilize nontraditional instructional strategies to improve student health may also improve academic achievement, closing equity gaps in both health and academic achievement. PMID:24320151

Closing the Achievement Gap with Curriculum Enrichment and Differentiation: One School's Story

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beecher, Margaret; Sweeny, Sheelah M.

2008-01-01

This article summarizes a unique approach to reducing the achievement gap that strategically blended differentiated curriculum with schoolwide enrichment teaching and learning. The theories of enrichment and instructional differentiation were translated into practice in an elementary school that had previously embraced a remedial paradigm. This…

The Effects of Teachers' Gender-Stereotypical Expectations on the Development of the Math Gender Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Joseph P.; Lubienski, Sarah T.; Copur, Yasemin

2011-01-01

Scholars have identified mathematics gender gaps favoring males as early as kindergarten or first grade, particularly at the top of the achievement distribution (Penner & Paret, 2008; Rathbun, West & Germino-Hausken, 2004; Robinson & Lubienski, 2011). These relatively small achievement disparities precede larger differences in…

Turnaround in Texas: How One District Closed Its Minority Achievement Gap.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cook, Glenn

2003-01-01

Describes how one district closed its minority achievement gap by employing the Brazosport model, a combination of effective-schools research and Total Quality Management principles. The model includes an eight-step "plan-do-check" instructional cycle for teachers and emphasizes teacher training and tracking data. Student-achievement…

Values Affirmation Intervention Reduces Achievement Gap between Underrepresented Minority and White Students in Introductory Biology Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jordt, Hannah; Eddy, Sarah L.; Brazil, Riley; Lau, Ignatius; Mann, Chelsea; Brownell, Sara E.; King, Katherine; Freeman, Scott

2017-01-01

Achievement gaps between underrepresented minority (URM) students and their white peers in college science, technology, engineering, and mathematics classrooms are persistent across many white-majority institutions of higher education. Attempts to reduce this phenomenon of underperformance through increasing classroom structure via active learning…

The Effect of Community Linguistic Isolation on Language-Minority Student Achievement in High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drake, Timothy Arthur

2014-01-01

Research on language-minority student outcomes has revealed sizeable and persistent achievement gaps. The reasons for these gaps are often closely linked with other factors related to underperformance, including generational status, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Using sociocultural second-language acquisition theories and community…

Resisting Social Justice in Leadership Preparation Programs: Mechanisms that Subvert

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hernandez, Frank; McKenzie, Kathryn Bell

2010-01-01

It is well documented that the achievement gap between affluent students and economically disadvantaged students and between White students and students of color continues to widen. In addition to these achievement gaps, marginalizing practices are often imbedded in the structures of schooling. These challenges require educational leadership…

Income Segregation between School Districts and Inequality in Students' Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owens, Ann

2018-01-01

Large achievement gaps exist between high- and low-income students and between black and white students. This article explores one explanation for such gaps: income segregation between school districts, which creates inequality in the economic and social resources available in advantaged and disadvantaged students' school contexts. Drawing on…

Can Professional Development Programs Help Close the Achievement Gap?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brahler, C. Jayne; Bainbridge, William L.; Stevens, Margaret

2004-01-01

This paper explores the question of whether it is possible to design professional development programs for teachers that can significantly improve student test results and reduce the achievement gap for students. The Dayton (Ohio) Foundation and the Montgomery County (Ohio) Educational Service Center, sponsors of The Miami Valley Teacher/…

Assessing the Cultural Proficiency of Teachers: A Critical Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dennie, Deborah A. G.

2013-01-01

This critical case study addressed how the achievement gap reflects the culture gap between teachers and historically underrepresented students. This study allows educators to consider how attitudes on culture and diversity impact student achievement. It makes visible existing teacher and student relationships in a rural school system through the…

Gender Gap Linked to Differential Socialization for High-Achieving Senior Mathematics Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, James R.; Beaudry, Jeffrey S.

1998-01-01

Examined whether 11th-grade girls and boys enrolled in advanced mathematics courses nationwide were socialized in similar ways, using Campbell's differential socialization paradigm. Results uncovered a gender gap favoring boys. Self-imposed pressure and persistence had important direct effects on achievement. Self-concept had important direct…

Web-Based Interactive System for Analyzing Achievement Gaps in Public Schools System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Kening; Mulvenon, Sean W.; Stegman, Charles; Xia, Yanling

2010-01-01

The National Office for Research on Measurement and Evaluation Systems (NORMES) at the University of Arkansas developed a web-based interactive system to provide information on state, district, and school level achievement gaps between white students and black students, socioeconomically disadvantaged students and non-disadvantaged students, male…

Making the Grade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Pearl

2012-01-01

At San Diego State University, retention and graduation rates garner national attention. The author discusses SDSU's intensive efforts to improve its graduation and retention rates and to close the achievement gap. San Diego State has been lauded nationally for its success on closing the achievement gap. An article titled "Walking the Walk on…

Decomposing Achievement Gaps among OECD Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Liang; Lee, Kristen A.

2011-01-01

In this study, we use decomposition methods on PISA 2006 data to compare student academic performance across OECD countries. We first establish an empirical model to explain the variation in academic performance across individuals, and then use the Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition method to decompose the achievement gap between each of the OECD…

Narrowing the Achievement Gap: A Case Study of One Outperforming Urban School Making A Difference

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garner, Dionne M.

2017-01-01

Despite efforts to positively impact educational outcomes for underrepresented youth, the achievement gap persists in the United States. Underrepresented youth are students representing lower socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, or language minority populations that are underrepresented in higher educational attainment relative to their numbers in the…

Providing Early Childhood Teachers with Opportunities to Understand Diversity and the Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meece, Darrell; Wingate, Kimberly O'Kelley

2010-01-01

High quality teaching--providing children with support, feedback, and positive communication--is associated with closing the achievement gap between minority and majority children. It is important for students in teacher preparation programs to understand changes in curricular approaches to diversity--from the color-blind approach, to…

Bridging the Great Divide: Broadening Perspectives on Closing the Achievement Gaps.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Viewpoints, 2002

2002-01-01

This booklet presents information on the achievement gaps in education between white, Asian, and economically advantaged students and their African American, Hispanic, Native American, and economically disadvantaged peers. It provides examples from higher education, district, and school levels and summarizes available resources and tools to help…

European innovation partnership on active and healthy ageing: triggers of setting the headline target of 2 additional healthy life years at birth at EU average by 2020.

PubMed

Lagiewka, Karolina

2012-10-22

The objective of this paper is to provide analytical research that supported the European Commission in setting the global target of additional two healthy life years (HLY) at birth by 2020 in the EU on average, within the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (the EIP on AHA). It produces a straightforward analysis of HLY projections that helped the European Commission set a firm, politically sound, target. In order to reach that goal, policy makers need to commit to redefining health priorities and goals and developing and implementing relevant strategies and programmes. The study computes a simple simulation of the HLY at birth based on three demographic scenarios: compression of morbidity, expansion of morbidity and an intermediary scenario, the dynamic equilibrium, given the expected 2.1 year gain in male and 1.6 in female life expectancy (LE) by 2020. Data on HLY and projections of life expectancy were obtained from Eurostat and 2008 was taken as a baseline. For consistency and given data gaps, EU27 average values of HLY were calculated. In the EU27 as a whole, the difference between LE and HLY in 2008 was nearly 15 years for men and 20 years for women. The developments of healthy life expectancies across the EU Member States (MSs) are even more diverse that makes it difficult to model any robust EU level trends.Under compression of morbidity, life expectancy and HLY would increase by 2020 on average by 2.1 and 2.0 years for men and by 1.6 and 1.4 years for women respectively. The expected years with disability would remain unchanged while the HLY/LE ratio would improve leading to a 0.5% gain for both genders. Under expansion of morbidity, life expectancy would increase by 2.1 years for men and 1.4 years for women by 2020, while HLY would remain unchanged and the expected years with disability would increase by 2.1 years and 1.6 years in women. This would imply the deterioration of the HLY/LE ratio for both men and women generating a 2.2% and 1.4% loss of health for men and women accordingly. Under dynamic equilibrium, the HLY would increase but to a lesser extent as the rise in life expectancy. The HLY would increase by 1.6 and 1.2 years for men and women respectively. HLY/LE ratio would remain unchanged for both men (+0.1%) and women. The study shows that the first scenario would reduce the HLY gap between the EU MSs by 1.4 years in men and 1.2 years in women, the second would generate no change, while the third one would reduce the gap by 0.9 years in men and increase it by 0.7 years in women. The results of the study triggered the political decision of setting the global target of 2 additional HLY for the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing to be achieved by 2020. It is a 'grand' goal but can be achieved. Statistics clearly show that EU countries characterise very different levels of health progress, with a gap of 2 decades and diverging trends. With this in mind, the EU HLY target should be complemented by national HLY targets for men and women, set by MSs.

European innovation partnership on active and healthy ageing: triggers of setting the headline target of 2 additional healthy life years at birth at EU average by 2020

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The objective of this paper is to provide analytical research that supported the European Commission in setting the global target of additional two healthy life years (HLY) at birth by 2020 in the EU on average, within the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (the EIP on AHA). It produces a straightforward analysis of HLY projections that helped the European Commission set a firm, politically sound, target. In order to reach that goal, policy makers need to commit to redefining health priorities and goals and developing and implementing relevant strategies and programmes. Methods The study computes a simple simulation of the HLY at birth based on three demographic scenarios: compression of morbidity, expansion of morbidity and an intermediary scenario, the dynamic equilibrium, given the expected 2.1 year gain in male and 1.6 in female life expectancy (LE) by 2020. Data on HLY and projections of life expectancy were obtained from Eurostat and 2008 was taken as a baseline. For consistency and given data gaps, EU27 average values of HLY were calculated. Results In the EU27 as a whole, the difference between LE and HLY in 2008 was nearly 15 years for men and 20 years for women. The developments of healthy life expectancies across the EU Member States (MSs) are even more diverse that makes it difficult to model any robust EU level trends. Under compression of morbidity, life expectancy and HLY would increase by 2020 on average by 2.1 and 2.0 years for men and by 1.6 and 1.4 years for women respectively. The expected years with disability would remain unchanged while the HLY/LE ratio would improve leading to a 0.5% gain for both genders. Under expansion of morbidity, life expectancy would increase by 2.1 years for men and 1.4 years for women by 2020, while HLY would remain unchanged and the expected years with disability would increase by 2.1 years and 1.6 years in women. This would imply the deterioration of the HLY/LE ratio for both men and women generating a 2.2% and 1.4% loss of health for men and women accordingly. Under dynamic equilibrium, the HLY would increase but to a lesser extent as the rise in life expectancy. The HLY would increase by 1.6 and 1.2 years for men and women respectively. HLY/LE ratio would remain unchanged for both men (+0.1%) and women. The study shows that the first scenario would reduce the HLY gap between the EU MSs by 1.4 years in men and 1.2 years in women, the second would generate no change, while the third one would reduce the gap by 0.9 years in men and increase it by 0.7 years in women. Conclusions The results of the study triggered the political decision of setting the global target of 2 additional HLY for the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing to be achieved by 2020. It is a ‘grand’ goal but can be achieved. Statistics clearly show that EU countries characterise very different levels of health progress, with a gap of 2 decades and diverging trends. With this in mind, the EU HLY target should be complemented by national HLY targets for men and women, set by MSs. PMID:23088612

The male-female gap in physician earnings: evidence from a public health insurance system.

PubMed

Theurl, Engelbert; Winner, Hannes

2011-10-01

Empirical evidence from US studies suggests that female physicians earn less than their male counterparts, on average. The earnings gap does not disappear when individual and market characteristics are controlled for. This paper investigates whether a gender earnings difference can also be observed in a health-care system predominantly financed by public insurance companies. Using a unique data set of physicians' earnings recorded by a public social security agency in an Austrian province between 2000 and 2004, we find a gender gap in average earnings of about 32%. A substantial share of this gap (20-47%) cannot be explained by individual and market characteristics, leaving labor market discrimination as one possible explanation for the observed gender earnings difference of physicians. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Disappearing Gender Gap: The Impact of Divorce, Wages, and Preferences on Education Choices and Women's Work. NBER Working Paper No. 17508

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fernandez, Raquel; Wong, Joyce Cheng

2011-01-01

Women born in 1935 went to college significantly less than their male counterparts and married women's labor force participation (LFP) averaged 40% between the ages of thirty and forty. The cohort born twenty years later behaved very differently. The education gender gap was eliminated and married women's LFP averaged 70% over the same ages. In…

How Large Is the Gap in Salaries of Male and Female Engineers? SRS Issue Brief.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lal, Bhavya; Yoon, Sam; Carlson, Ken

This issue brief examines the gender salary gap in engineering, an occupation in which women held 10% of the jobs in 1995. Using multivariate regression analysis, various potential explanations for the salary gap in this field are explored. It was concluded that the salary gap is primarily explained by the fact that female engineers, on average,…

Closing the Knowledge Gap on Effective Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guskey, Thomas R.

2009-01-01

Achievement gaps concern educators at all levels today. Educators recognize the threats these gaps pose to education quality and equity, and they are working hard to close them--but an equally threatening gap in education with consequences just as serious is largely ignored. It influences every educational-improvement effort and seriously…

Association Between Local Bipolar Voltage and Conduction Gap Along the Left Atrial Linear Ablation Lesion in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

PubMed

Masuda, Masaharu; Fujita, Masashi; Iida, Osamu; Okamoto, Shin; Ishihara, Takayuki; Nanto, Kiyonori; Kanda, Takashi; Sunaga, Akihiro; Tsujimura, Takuya; Matsuda, Yasuhiro; Mano, Toshiaki

2017-08-01

A bipolar voltage reflects a thick musculature where formation of a transmural lesion may be hard to achieve. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between local bipolar voltage and conduction gap in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) who underwent atrial roof or septal linear ablation. This prospective observational study included 42 and 36 consecutive patients with persistent AF who underwent roof or septal linear ablations, respectively. After pulmonary vein isolation, left atrial linear ablations were performed, and conduction gap sites were identified and ablated after first-touch radiofrequency application. Conduction gap(s) after the first-touch roof and septal linear ablation were observed in 13 (32%) and 19 patients (53%), respectively. Roof and septal area voltages were higher in patients with conduction gap(s) than in those without (roof, 1.23 ± 0.77 vs 0.73 ± 0.42 mV, p = 0.010; septal, 0.96 ± 0.43 vs 0.54 ± 0.18 mV, p = 0.001). Trisected regional analyses revealed that the voltage was higher at the region with a conduction gap than at the region without. Complete conduction block across the roof and septal lines was not achieved in 3 (7%) and 6 patients (17%), respectively. Patients in whom a linear conduction block could not be achieved demonstrated higher ablation area voltage than those with a successful conduction block (roof, 1.91 ± 0.74 vs 0.81 ± 0.51 mV, p = 0.001; septal, 1.15 ± 0.56 vs 0.69 ± 0.31 mV, p = 0.006). In conclusion, a high regional bipolar voltage predicts failure to achieve conduction block after left atrial roof or septal linear ablation. In addition, the conduction gap was located at the preserved voltage area. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison of an Electromagnetic Middle Ear Implant and Hearing Aid Word Recognition Performance to Word Recognition Performance Obtained Under Earphones.

PubMed

Chang, C Y Joseph; Spearman, Michael; Spearman, Brian; McCraney, Anna; Glasscock, Michael E

2017-10-01

To report the results of patients with the Maxum middle ear implant (MEI) and compare word recognition scores (WRS) and speech perception gap (SP Gap) of Maxum versus optimally fit hearing aids (HA). Case series with chart review. Single, private otology clinic. Eleven ears, in nine adult patients (two women; average age 62.7 yr). Twelve consecutive ears with moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) underwent implantation of the Maxum system. One patient was not included due to inadequate preoperative testing. Primary outcome measures included word recognition score (WRS) and SP Gap (maximum word understanding [PB max] - WRSaided) improvement compared with HAs. The average Maxum WRS was 64.7% (range, 28-94%), a 41.6% improvement (range, 10-66%) over HAs (p < 0.001). The average Maxum SP Gap was 6.6% (range, -8 to 24%), a 41.6% improvement (range, 10-66%) over HAs (p < 0.001). These data demonstrate that the Maxum provides superior WRS than HAs for patients with significant aided SP Gaps. There is a significant, very strong correlation between Maxum WRS and PB max (r = 0.85, p = 0.001). This implies that PB max may reasonably predict WRS outcomes with Maxum before implantation, and the SP Gap can reasonably predict the degree of additional potential benefit with Maxum. In advising patients who may be candidates for both a CI and MEI, PB max and SP Gap measurements will provide useful predictive information to help clinicians counsel patients on their choice of hearing technology. 4.

Increased structure and active learning reduce the achievement gap in introductory biology.

PubMed

Haak, David C; HilleRisLambers, Janneke; Pitre, Emile; Freeman, Scott

2011-06-03

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics instructors have been charged with improving the performance and retention of students from diverse backgrounds. To date, programs that close the achievement gap between students from disadvantaged versus nondisadvantaged educational backgrounds have required extensive extramural funding. We show that a highly structured course design, based on daily and weekly practice with problem-solving, data analysis, and other higher-order cognitive skills, improved the performance of all students in a college-level introductory biology class and reduced the achievement gap between disadvantaged and nondisadvantaged students--without increased expenditures. These results support the Carnegie Hall hypothesis: Intensive practice, via active-learning exercises, has a disproportionate benefit for capable but poorly prepared students.

A Comparison of 2 Tibial Inserts of Different Constraint for Cruciate-Retaining Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty: An Additional Tool for Balancing the Posterior Cruciate Ligament.

PubMed

Emerson, Roger H; Barrington, John W; Olugbode, Seun A; Alnachoukati, Omar K

2016-02-01

Frequently, a normal posterior-cruciate ligament (PCL) is removed at the surgeon's discretion, converting the normal 4-ligament knee to a 2-ligament knee, thus eliminating the need to balance all 4 ligaments. The development of modular tibial components has led to the availability of differing polyethylene inserts that permit adjustment to the flexion gap independent of the extension gap, permitting PCL balancing not previously available. The purpose of this study is to analyze a specific cruciate-retaining (CR) prosthesis which has 2 polyethylene inserts intended for CR knee use. Between February 2004 and February 2013, the senior author (R.H.E.) has performed 930 total knee arthroplasties using the CR flat insert and 424 knees using the CR lipped insert. The inserts were selected during surgery, based on the assessed tension and function of the PCL. The patients were followed up as part of a prospective total joint program with the Knee Society clinical scoring, range of motion, complications, revisions, preoperative coronal deformity, gender, body mass index, and status of the anterior-cruciate ligament intraoperatively. The average Knee Score was 92.4 for the flat group and 92.1 for the lipped group. Average knee flexion was 116.2° for the flat group and 114.4° for the lipped group (P=.2). Average knee extension (flexion deformity) was 2.1° for the flat group and 0.9° for the lipped group The results reported here show that clinical outcomes and survivorship were no different for either insert option, leading to indirect evidence that appropriate soft tissue balance had been achieved. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Focus on Teacher Salaries: Update for 1998-99.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaines, Gale F.

For the third consecutive year, Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states narrowed the gap between national average teacher salaries and the region's average. The regional average for 1998-99 was 88.2 percent of the national average. A year earlier, it was 87.3 percent of the national average. The average increase for SREB states was 4…

Estimating Achievement Gaps from Test Scores Reported in Ordinal "Proficiency" Categories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Andrew D.; Reardon, Sean F.

2012-01-01

Test scores are commonly reported in a small number of ordered categories. Examples of such reporting include state accountability testing, Advanced Placement tests, and English proficiency tests. This paper introduces and evaluates methods for estimating achievement gaps on a familiar standard-deviation-unit metric using data from these ordered…

Minority Achievement Gaps in STEM: Findings of a Longitudinal Study of Project Excite

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olszewski-Kubilius, Paula; Steenbergen-Hu, Saiying; Thomson, Dana; Rosen, Rhoda

2017-01-01

This longitudinal study examined the outcomes of Project Excite on reducing minority students' achievement gaps in STEM over 14 years. Project Excite was designed to provide intensive supplemental enrichment and accelerated programming for high-potential, underrepresented minority students from third through eighth grades to better prepare them…

Teachers and the Gender Gaps in Student Achievement. NBER Working Paper No. 11660

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dee, Thomas S.

2005-01-01

In the United States, girls outperform boys in measures of reading achievement while generally underperforming in science and mathematics. One major class of explanations for these gaps involves the gender-based interactions between students and teachers (e.g., role-model and Pygmalion effects). However, the evidence on whether these interactions…

Opportunity to Learn: The Role of Prompting Cognitive Shifts in Understanding and Addressing Educational Inequities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allwarden, Ann F.

2014-01-01

This dissertation examines how district- and school-level leaders' understanding of achievement gaps influences the work of leadership in addressing educational inequities and broadening students' opportunity to learn. While the reporting of disaggregated data by student subgroup confirms that achievement gaps exist, reports from high-stakes…

Closing the Achievement Gap: Rural Schools. CSR Connection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Doris Terry

Twenty percent of the children enrolled in rural and small-town schools are non-Caucasian, children of color. As in nonrural schools, rural schools have yet to close the achievement gap across various racial and economic subgroups of this diverse population. Overall, rural students perform as well as or better than their nonrural peers on…

Five Social Disadvantages That Depress Student Performance: Why Schools Alone Can't Close Achievement Gaps. Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morsy, Leila; Rothstein, Richard

2015-01-01

That students' social and economic characteristics shape their cognitive and behavioral outcomes is well established, yet policymakers typically resist accepting that non-school disadvantages necessarily depress outcomes. Rather, they look to better schools and teachers to close achievement gaps, and consistently come up short. This report…

Bridging English Language Learner Achievement Gaps through Effective Vocabulary Development Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibson, Charles

2016-01-01

Despite a well-documented history of immigration in the United States of America and rise in population of students that speak a language other than English, academic achievement gaps between English Language Learners and their native English language speaking counterparts from Grades Pre-Kindergarten through the college/university level still…

Equal Knowledge Is the Strong Root of Democratic Egalitarianism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palumbo, Anthony; Levitt, Roberta

2011-01-01

This article considers how to bridge the achievement gap by showing that reading methodology influenced American educational philosophy, primary-grade curricula, and American schools. It considers the impact of the romantic movement on progressive education and notes that the current academic achievement gap has two roots. The first can be traced,…

The Widening Income Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reardon, Sean F.

2013-01-01

Has the academic achievement gap between high-income and low-income students changed over the last few decades? If so, why? And what can schools do about it? Researcher Sean F. Reardon conducted a comprehensive analysis of research to answer these questions and came up with some striking findings. In this article, he shows that income-related…

The Role of Planning Skills in the Income-Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crook, Stephen R.; Evans, Gary W.

2014-01-01

The pervasive income-achievement gap has been attributed in part to deficiencies in executive functioning (EF). The development of EF is related to children's planning ability, an aspect of development that has received little attention. Longitudinal data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development study of early child…

Stereotyped: Investigating Gender in Introductory Science Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lauer, Shanda; Momsen, Jennifer; Offerdahl, Erika; Kryjevskaia, Mila; Christensen, Warren; Montplaisir, Lisa

2013-01-01

Research in science education has documented achievement gaps between men and women in math and physics that may reflect, in part, a response to perceived stereotype threat. Research efforts to reduce achievement gaps by mediating the impact of stereotype threat have found success with a short values-affirmation writing exercise. In biology and…

Kagan Cooperative Learning Model and Mathematics Achievement of Economically Disadvantaged Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mourning, Erica

2014-01-01

Economically disadvantaged students are being outperformed by their non-disadvantaged peers in middle school mathematics. This problem is evidenced by 2013 data from a national middle school mathematics assessment which revealed an achievement gap of 27 scale score points. Closing this gap is important to schools with high populations of…

School Composition and the Black-White Achievement Gap: Methodology Companion. NCES 2015-032

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bohrnstedt, G.; Kitmitto, S.; Ogut, B.; Sherman, D.; Chan, D.

2015-01-01

The School Composition and the Black-White Achievement Gap study was undertaken by the National Center for Education Statistics to present both descriptive and associative information on the relationships among the percentage of students in a school who were Black (referred to as "Black student density" or "density"), the…

Closing the Math Achievement Gap: Institutions Find Success with MyMathLab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Pearl

2012-01-01

Institutions find success with Pearson Education's MyMathLab. The Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Memphis (UM) reported a narrowing of the achievement gap between Black and White students. According to the study conducted by UM professors and titled "The Effectiveness of Blended Instruction in Postsecondary General…

Expanding METCO and Closing Achievement Gaps. White Paper No. 129

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Apfelbaum, Katherine; Ardon, Ken

2015-01-01

School systems around the United States are heavily segregated by income and race. At the same time, an achievement gap between white and nonwhite students persists despite many efforts to close it. Against this background, in this white paper the authors explore the history and successes of the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity…

More than Sanctions: Closing Achievement Gaps through California's Use of Intensive Technical Assistance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strunk, Katharine O.; McEachin, Andrew

2014-01-01

One of the enduring problems in education is the persistence of achievement gaps between White, wealthy, native English-speaking students and their counterparts who are minority, lower-income, or English language learners. This study shows that one intensive technical assistance (TA) intervention--California's District Assistance and Intervention…

Closing the Student Achievement Gap in California's Elementary Schools: A Lead Teachers' Perspective on Transformational Instructional Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hays, Kelli

2010-01-01

This study has tackled the thorny problem of closing the Student Achievement Gap (SAG) in California's elementary schools. To address that problem, an "Integrated" form of educational leadership called Transformational Instructional Leadership (TIL), a form grounded in "best practices" of Transformational and Instructional…

Seasonal Dynamics of Academic Achievement Inequality by Socioeconomic Status and Race/Ethnicity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quinn, David M.; Cooc, North; McIntyre, Joe; Gomez, Celia J.

2016-01-01

Early studies examining seasonal variation in academic achievement inequality generally concluded that socioeconomic test score gaps grew more over the summer than the school year, suggesting schools served as "equalizers." In this study, we analyze seasonal trends in socioeconomic status (SES) and racial/ethnic test score gaps using…

An Exploration of Community Capital, Student Composition of Schools, and Achievement Gaps

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Chuang; Algozzine, Bob; Porfeli, Erik

2015-01-01

"Closing the achievement gap" (i.e. reducing differences in performance across racial and ethnic groups) has been the rallying cry and holy grail for reform efforts in American education for some time. In addition to influences associated with school and teacher factors, researchers have now turned their attention to characteristics in…

Closing the Obesity Achievement Gap: Evidence-Based Practices that School Counselors Can Help Implement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perusse, Rachelle; Kailimang, Lukas; Krell, Megan

2009-01-01

School counselors are charged with helping students in the personal/social, academic, and career development domains. Obesity creates adverse educational outcomes for students along these three domains, suggesting an obesity achievement gap. Thus, school counselors can benefit from knowing which interventions have been shown to be successful in…

NetWork News. Number 21, Fall 2005

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Learning Point Associates / North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL), 2005

2005-01-01

An Interview With Kiley Walsh In her ground-breaking study, titled "After the Test: How Schools Are Using Data to Close the Achievement Gap", researcher Kiley Walsh shows clear evidence of specific work being done to close achievement gaps. Walsh selected 32 schools across six counties in the San Francisco Bay Area and compared those…

Interrogating the Language Gap of Young Bilingual and Bidialectal Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

García, Ofelia; Otheguy, Ricardo

2017-01-01

This article describes how the belief in the existence of a language gap has negative educational consequences for bilingual and bidialectal children from minoritized communities. This article first positions the idea of the language gap within the "achievement gap" discourse that has long been prevalent in educational circles. We then…

The neglected role of adolescent emotional well-being in national educational achievement: bridging the gap between education and mental health policies.

PubMed

Sznitman, Sharon R; Reisel, Liza; Romer, Daniel

2011-02-01

Although child poverty is recognized as a critical determinant of poor educational achievement in the United States, policy discussions on raising academic achievement rarely include the importance of the effects of poverty on the mental health of adolescents. This article examines the role of adolescent emotional well-being (indicators of depression) as a mediator of the effects of poverty on differences in educational achievement at the national and U.S. state levels. Differences in standardized adolescent academic achievement across 23 developed countries and 39 U.S. states were analyzed using path analytic techniques to test the hypothesis that indicators of adolescent emotional well-being mediate relations between child poverty rates and academic achievement. Child poverty rates were related to both adolescent emotional well-being and educational achievement across both U.S. states and developed countries. Path analyses showed that the status of a country's or state's adolescent emotional well-being is a strong predictor of its educational achievement and that emotional well-being mediates the relationship between poverty and educational achievement. Policies designed to ameliorate the adverse effects of poverty on mental health are critical as they are likely to improve both average educational achievement and student emotional well-being. Attention to improving mental health care not only has the potential to reduce societal and individual costs directly related to health but also to reduce the indirect costs of poor educational achievement. Copyright © 2011 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Factors affecting the achievement of Japanese-style deep knee flexion after total knee arthroplasty using posterior-stabilized prosthesis with high-flex knee design.

PubMed

Niki, Yasuo; Takeda, Yuki; Harato, Kengo; Suda, Yasunori

2015-11-01

Achievement of very deep knee flexion after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) can play a critical role in the satisfaction of patients who demand a floor-sitting lifestyle and engage in high-flexion daily activities (e.g., seiza-sitting). Seiza-sitting is characterized by the knees flexed >145º and feet turned sole upwards underneath the buttocks with the tibia internally rotated. The present study investigated factors affecting the achievement of seiza-sitting after TKA using posterior-stabilized total knee prosthesis with high-flex knee design. Subjects comprised 32 patients who underwent TKA with high-flex knee prosthesis and achieved seiza-sitting (knee flexion >145º) postoperatively. Another 32 patients served as controls who were capable of knee flexion >145º preoperatively, but failed to achieve seiza-sitting postoperatively. Accuracy of femoral and tibial component positions was assessed in terms of deviation from the ideal position using a two-dimensional to three-dimensional matching technique. Accuracies of the component position, posterior condylar offset ratio and intraoperative gap length were compared between the two groups. The proportion of patients with >3º internally rotated tibial component was significantly higher in patients who failed at seiza-sitting (41 %) than among patients who achieved it (13 %, p = 0.021). Comparison of intraoperative gap length between patient groups revealed that gap length at 135º flexion was significantly larger in patients who achieved seiza-sitting (4.2 ± 0.4 mm) than in patients who failed at it (2.7 ± 0.4 mm, p = 0.007). Conversely, no significant differences in gap inclination were seen between the groups. From the perspective of surgical factors, accurate implant positioning, particularly rotational alignment of the tibial component, and maintenance of a sufficient joint gap at 135º flexion appear to represent critical factors for achieving >145º of deep knee flexion after TKA.

Summer learning and its implications: insights from the Beginning School Study.

PubMed

Alexander, Karl L; Entwisle, Doris R; Olson, Linda Steffel

2007-01-01

There is perhaps no more pressing issue in school policy today than the achievement gap across social lines. Achievement differences between well-to-do children and poor children and between disadvantaged racial and ethnic minorities and majority whites are large when children first begin school, and they increase over time. Despite years of study and an abundance of good intentions, these patterned achievement differences persist, but who is responsible, and how are schools implicated? The increasing gap seems to suggest that schools are unable to equalize educational opportunity or, worse still, that they actively handicap disadvantaged children. But a seasonal perspective on learning yields a rather different impression. Comparing achievement gains separately over the school year and the summer months reveals that much of the achievement gap originates over the summer period, when children are not in school. The authors review Beginning School Study research on differential summer learning across social lines (that is, by family socioeconomic level) and its implications for later schooling outcomes, including high school curriculum placements, high school dropout, and college attendance. These studies document the extent to which these large summer learning differences impede the later educational progress of children of low socioeconomic status. Practical implications are discussed, including the need for early and sustained interventions to prevent the achievement gap from opening wide in the first place and for high-quality summer programming focused on preventing differential summer learning loss.

Gender gap or program gap? Students' negotiations of study practice in a course in electromagnetism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andersson, Staffan; Johansson, Anders

2016-12-01

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Gender in Physics.] This study of achievement differences, as reflected by course grades, on a third-semester electromagnetism course at a Swedish research university was motivated by instructor concerns about gender inequalities. Quantitative analysis showed a gender gap in course grades between female and male students for the period of fall 2007 to spring 2013. Dynamics behind this gap were explored through interpretative discourse analysis on interviews of 21 students who had recently passed the course. A recurring pattern was identified in the interviews. Students described studying electromagnetism as either studying to pass or studying to learn. Their choice of practice was influenced by the significance recognized in the course, which primarily was discussed in relation to program affiliation. Students stressed that perceived differences, in their study context, were larger between students affiliated with different programs than between male and female students on the same program. This was supported by quantitative analysis of course grades in relation to study programs, where the grade difference between female and male students on the same program in most cases were not statistically significant. The gender gap in grades for the whole course was related to different achievements on different programs. Programs further from the discipline of physics had lower mean grades and also enrolled a larger fraction of female students. Society-wide gender differences in interest and study choice are reflected in the grades on this single course. These results displace the achievement gap from the level of individuals to that of programs, and the gender gap from a difference in achievement to a difference in study choice. We discuss the implications of this shift of perspective in relation to gender differences for both research and teaching.

Facile fabrication of silver nanoparticles with temperature-responsive sizes as highly active SERS substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Jing; Fang, Jinghuai; Cheng, Mingfei; Gong, Xiao

2016-12-01

In our work, large-scale silver NPs (nanoparticles) are successfully synthesized on zinc foils with controllable size by regulating the temperature of the displacement reaction. Our results show that when the temperature is 70 °C, the average size of silver NPs is approximately 88 nm in diameter, and they exhibit the strongest SERS activity. The gap between nanoparticles is simultaneously regulated as near as possible, which produces abundant "hot spots" and nanogaps. Crystal violet (CV) was used as probe molecules, and the SERS signals show that the values of relative standard deviation in the intensity of the main vibration modes are less than 10%, demonstrating excellent reproducibility of the silver NPs. Furthermore, the high surface-average enhancement factor of 3.86 × 107 is achieved even when the concentration of CV is 10-7 M, which is sufficient for single-molecule detection. We believe that this low cost and rapid route would get wide applications in chemical synthesis.

Solitary haemangioma of the shaft of long bones: resection and reconstruction with autologous bone graft.

PubMed

Li, Zhaoxu; Tang, Jicun; Ye, Zhaoming

2013-04-01

Bone haemangiomas are uncommon lesions, occurring in the skull or spine. A solitary haemangioma in the diaphysis of a long bone is rare. We retrospectively investigated six patients who presented with a solitary haemangioma in a long bone diaphysis. After segmental bone resection, the bone defect was replaced by a bone autograft. Patients were reviewed clinically and with radiographs. The mean follow-up was 6 years (range : 1-20 years). At the time of latest follow-up, no patient had a recurrence. Postoperative complications were one wound necrosis and one superficial wound infection. Union of the gap filling graft with the host bone was achieved in all patients at an average of 4 months (range: 3-8 months). The average Musculoskeletal Tumor Society functional score was 77% (range: 53%-90%) of normal at 6 months postoperatively, and 97% (range: 95%-99%) at the last follow-up evaluation. Segmental resection for solitary haemangioma and reconstruction with autologous bone graft can be considered as a suitable treatment option.

Neuroanatomical correlates of the income-achievement gap.

PubMed

Mackey, Allyson P; Finn, Amy S; Leonard, Julia A; Jacoby-Senghor, Drew S; West, Martin R; Gabrieli, Christopher F O; Gabrieli, John D E

2015-06-01

In the United States, the difference in academic achievement between higher- and lower-income students (i.e., the income-achievement gap) is substantial and growing. In the research reported here, we investigated neuroanatomical correlates of this gap in adolescents (N = 58) in whom academic achievement was measured by statewide standardized testing. Cortical gray-matter volume was significantly greater in students from higher-income backgrounds (n = 35) than in students from lower-income backgrounds (n = 23), but cortical white-matter volume and total cortical surface area did not differ significantly between groups. Cortical thickness in all lobes of the brain was greater in students from higher-income than lower-income backgrounds. Greater cortical thickness, particularly in temporal and occipital lobes, was associated with better test performance. These results represent the first evidence that cortical thickness in higher- and lower-income students differs across broad swaths of the brain and that cortical thickness is related to scores on academic-achievement tests. © The Author(s) 2015.

Attacking the Achievement Gap in a Diverse Urban-Suburban Community: A Curricular Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alson, Allan

2006-01-01

The persistent and significant achievement gap between black and Latino students and their white and Asian counterparts at Evanston (Illinois) Township High School (ETHS) has existed for as long as anyone can remember. Stories real and apocryphal abound about the institutional barriers that have denied fairness and opportunity for minority…

Achievement Inequalities in Hamburg Schools: How Do They Change as Students Get Older?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caro, Daniel H.; Lehmann, Rainer

2009-01-01

A handful of studies have found evidence of a gap in academic achievement between students of high- and low-socioeconomic status (SES) families. Furthermore, some scholars argue that the gap tends to widen as students get older. Evidence is, however, inconclusive and relies mostly on limited methodological designs. Drawing on the Hamburg School…

Single Sex Math Classes: What and for Whom? One School's Experiences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Durost, Richard A.

1996-01-01

Presque Isle (Maine) High School has offered a section of all-girls algebra for seven years. The intent was to narrow the gap between 11th-grade boys' and girls' math achievement scores and create a more comfortable learning atmosphere for girls. The achievement score gap has decreased from 72 to 16 points. (MLH)

Minding the Achievement Gap One Classroom at a Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pollock, Jane E.; Ford, Sharon; Black, Margaret M.

2012-01-01

Do teachers have the power to close achievement gaps? Here's a book that boldly claims they do and lays out a blueprint for how to do something now to help students who are falling short of standards. Regardless of the student population you need to address--English language learners, special education, or just the unmotivated and hard to…

In Their Own Voices: Adolescent African American Males' Experiences of the Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moon, Natasha S.; Singh, Anneliese A.

2015-01-01

The authors use a phenomenological research tradition grounded in CRT tenets to describe the daily lived experiences that 12 male African American youth had in relation to the achievement gap. Researchers collected individual semi-structured interviews and focus group data related to the study phenomenon. There were five themes identified in…

The Impact of Early Childhood Education upon the Black-White Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zane, Linda M.

2009-01-01

It can be argued that the current Black-White achievement gap provides evidence for a long-standing history of racial inequity within American society, as well as an informative barometer of progress toward educational parity. By all accounts, the measurements registered by this barometer continue to be cause for alarm. The disturbing Black-White…

Subgroup Achievement and Gap Trends: New Hampshire, 2010

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center on Education Policy, 2010

2010-01-01

This paper profiles the student subgroup achievement and gap trends in New Hampshire for 2010. New Hampshire's demographic profile is such that, with the exception of Latino students at the elementary level, there are fewer than 500 students in the racial/ethnic subgroups at the various grade levels, and therefore these groups are too small to…

Prospective Teachers from Urban Environments Examine Causes of the Achievement Gap in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morales, Erik E.

2016-01-01

This study analyzes the educational achievement gap between low and high socioeconomic students from the perspective of sixty-two prospective teachers in an undergraduate educational foundations course at a public majority minority urban university in the northeastern United States. The majority of these college students come from, and plan to…

Religiosity, Religious Schools, and Their Relationship with the Achievement Gap: A Research Synthesis and Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeynes, William H.

2010-01-01

A research synthesis was conducted including three meta analyses, a review of the relevant literature, and supplemental analyses examining the relationship between personal faith and the reduction of the achievement gap. Personal faith included belief and adherence to any religion. The results of the three meta-analyses indicated that: (a)…

The Role of the Superintendent in Closing the Achievement Gap in Diverse Small School Districts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Howell, Jr.; Harris, Sandra

2010-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative, narrative study was to investigate the role of the superintendent in leading the district to be more culturally proficient, resulting in the narrowing of the achievement gap in culturally diverse small districts. Eight superintendents of small school districts were purposefully selected based on their district size…

The Educational Achievement Gap as a Social Justice Issue for Teacher Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collopy, Rachel; Bowman, Connie; Taylor, David A.

2012-01-01

The educational achievement gap is a critical social justice issue. Catholic and Marianist conceptions of social justice in particular call people to work with others in their spheres of life to transform institutions in order to further human rights while promoting the common good. Drawing on key elements of Catholic teaching on social justice,…

Diverging Experiences during Out-of-School Time: The Race Gap in Exposure to After-School Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hynes, Kathryn; Sanders, Felicia

2011-01-01

There is considerable interest in identifying ways to close the Black-White achievement gap. This study examines race differences in children's participation in after-school programs, an out-of-school time experience that may influence children's achievement. Using nationally representative data spanning 1995-2005, the authors find that African…

Subgroup Achievement and Gap Trends: Hawaii

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center on Education Policy, 2010

2010-01-01

Hawaii showed improvement in reading and math in grade 8 at the basic, proficient, and advanced levels for Asian and white students, low income students, and boys and girls. Gains in math tended to be larger than in reading. Trends in closing achievement gaps were mixed. Comparable data were available from 2007 through 2009. (Contains 9 tables.)…

Understanding the Gender Gap in Mathematics Achievement: The Role of Self-Efficacy and Stereotype Threat

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwery, Denise; Hulac, David; Schweinle, Amy

2016-01-01

This literature review provides school psychologists with an understanding of the important issues related to the gender gap in mathematics achievement. The extant literature suggests that girls tend to receive lower scores than boys on standardized math tests, but in general these differences tend to be small. However, girls have better classroom…

Tackling Disadvantage: What Works in Narrowing the Achievement Gap in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demie, Feyisa; Mclean, Christabel

2015-01-01

This study examines the success factors behind narrowing the achievement gap of disadvantaged pupils who are entitled to free school meals. A complementary methodological approach including a case study and focus group were used to explore performance and the views of teachers, parents and pupils. The key criteria for the selection of schools were…

More Than One Million Children Served: Reading Recovery Results, 2000-2001.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reading Recovery Council of North America, Columbus, OH.

A key premise of Reading Recovery is that early intervention in first grade is critical in long-term literacy achievement because the gap between lowest- and highest-achieving children is narrow in lower grades but widens in later elementary school. Reading Recovery closes this gap at the critical time in children's literacy learning before the…

College for All: Gaps between Desirable and Actual P-12 Math Achievement Trajectories for College Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jaekyung

2012-01-01

This study addresses missing links in "college for all" debates by investigating gaps between actual and desirable math achievement trajectories for students' college readiness. Linking multiple national data sets across P-16 education levels, the study estimates college readiness benchmarks separately for two-year and four-year college…

Why Race and Culture Matter in Schools: Closing the Achievement Gap in America's Classrooms. Multicultural Education Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard, Tyrone C.

2010-01-01

While race and culture remain important variables in how young people experience schools, they are often misunderstood by educators and school personnel. Building on the work of three studies that investigated schools successful in closing the achievement gap, Tyrone Howard shows how adopting greater awareness and comprehensive understanding of…

The Gender and Race Composition of Jobs and the Male/Female, White/Black Pay Gaps.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomaskovic-Devey, Donald

1993-01-01

Analysis of North Carolina survey data indicates that females' average hourly wages were 71% of males', and blacks' wages were 78% of whites'. Human capital factors (educational attainment and occupational experience) explained 31% and 3% of the racial and gender gaps, respectively. Job gender composition explained 56% of the gender gap; job…

Giant Enhancement in Radiative Heat Transfer in Sub-30 nm Gaps of Plane Parallel Surfaces.

PubMed

Fiorino, Anthony; Thompson, Dakotah; Zhu, Linxiao; Song, Bai; Reddy, Pramod; Meyhofer, Edgar

2018-06-13

Radiative heat transfer rates that exceed the blackbody limit by several orders of magnitude are expected when the gap size between plane parallel surfaces is reduced to the nanoscale. To date, experiments have only realized enhancements of ∼100 fold as the smallest gap sizes in radiative heat transfer studies have been limited to ∼50 nm by device curvature and particle contamination. Here, we report a 1,200-fold enhancement with respect to the far-field value in the radiative heat flux between parallel planar silica surfaces separated by gaps as small as ∼25 nm. Achieving such small gap sizes and the resultant dramatic enhancement in near-field energy flux is critical to achieve a number of novel near-field based nanoscale energy conversion systems that have been theoretically predicted but remain experimentally unverified.

Behind the Pay Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dey, Judy Goldberg; Hill, Catherine

2007-01-01

Women have made remarkable gains in education during the past three decades, yet these achievements have resulted in only modest improvements in pay equity. The gender pay gap has become a fixture of the U.S. workplace and is so ubiquitous that many simply view it as normal. "Behind the Pay Gap" examines the gender pay gap for college graduates.…

High Altitude Flight Test of a Reefed 12.2 Meter Diameter Disk-Gap-Band Parachute with Deployment at Mach Number of 2.58

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grow, R. Bruce; Preisser, John S.

1971-01-01

A reefed 12.2-meter nominal-diameter (40-ft) disk-gap-band parachute was flight tested as part of the NASA Supersonic High Altitude Parachute Experiment (SHAPE) program. A three-stage rocket was used to drive the instrumented payload to an altitude of 43.6 km (143,000 ft), a Mach number of 2.58, and a dynamic pressure of 972 N/m(exp 2) (20.3 lb/ft(exp 2)) where the parachute was deployed by means of a mortar. The parachute deployed satisfactorily and reached a partially inflated condition characterized by irregular variations in parachute projected area. A full, stable reefed inflation was achieved when the system had decelerated to a Mach number of about 1.5. The steady, reefed projected area was 49 percent of the steady, unreefed area and the average drag coefficient was 0.30. Disreefing occurred at a Mach number of 0.99 and a dynamic pressure of 81 N/m(exp 2) (1.7 lb/ft(exp 2)). The parachute maintained a steady inflated shape for the remainder of the deceleration portion of the flight and throughout descent. During descent, the average effective drag coefficient was 0.57. There was little, if any, coning motion, and the amplitude of planar oscillations was generally less than 10 degrees. The film also shows a wind tunnel test of a 1.7-meter-diameter parachute inflating at Mach number 2.0.

Implementation of the peer-led team-learning instructional model as a stopgap measure improves student achievement for students opting out of laboratory.

PubMed

Snyder, Julia J; Carter, B Elijah; Wiles, Jason R

2015-03-02

In entry-level university courses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields, students participating in associated laboratory sessions generally do better than those who have no related lab classes. This is a problem when, for various reasons, not enough lab sections can be offered for students and/or when students opt out of optional available lab courses. Faced with such a situation, this study evaluated the efficacy of the peer-led team-learning (PLTL) instructional model as a potential method for narrowing the achievement gap among undergraduate students electing not to enroll in an optional laboratory component of an introductory biology course. In peer-led workshops, small groups of students participated in solving problems and other activities that encouraged active learning. Students led by peer leaders attained significantly higher exam and final course grades in introductory biology than comparable students not participating in PLTL. Among the introductory biology students who opted not to enroll in the optional lab course, those who participated in PLTL averaged more than a letter grade higher than those who did not. This difference was statistically significant, and the PLTL workshops almost entirely closed the achievement gap in lecture exam and final grades for students who did not take the lab. © 2015 J. J. Snyder et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2015 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

The nursing workforce in Kuwait to the year 2020.

PubMed

Al-Jarallah, K F; Moussa, M A A; Hakeem, S K; Al-Khanfar, F K

2009-03-01

The study addresses the supply and demand for nurses in Kuwait in the light of emerging variables such as increasing population, economic growth, changes in healthcare strategies and expansion of healthcare facilities. To project the future demand for nurses in Kuwait for the years 2007-2020 based on the period 1994-2006. Population projections were derived using the average annual natural increase rate of the 1994-2006 populations. The future demand for nurses was projected using the average nurse to population ratios for the years 1994-2006. The number of Kuwaiti indigenous nurses is declining at an average decrement rate of 3.3% per annum. There is a gap between the numbers of native and migrant nurses, which will be wider with time. In 2006, native nurses constituted only 6.6% of the nursing workforce; this affects the quality of provided health care owing to language, religions and socio-cultural barriers between foreign nurses and patients. The supply of indigenous nurses in Kuwait should be increased in order to deliver effective nursing care with shared culture and language in the modern healthcare system of Kuwait. This can be achieved through an improvement in recruitment and retention of indigenous nurses and nursing students.

[Effects of forest gap size on the architecture of Quercus variablis seedlings on the south slope of Qinling Mountains, west China].

PubMed

Yu, Bi-yun; Zhang, Wen-hui; He, Ting; You, Jian-jian; Li, Gang

2014-12-01

Typical sampling method was conducted to survey the effects of forest gap size on branch architecture, leaf characteristics and their vertical distribution of Quercus variablis seedlings from different size gaps in natural secondary Q. variablis thinning forest, on the south slope of Qinling Mountains. The results showed that gap size significantly affected the diameter, crown area of Q. variablis seedlings. The gap size positively correlated with diameter and negatively correlated with crown area, while it had no significant impact on seedling height, crown length and crown rates. The overall bifurcation ratio, stepwise bifurcation ratio, and ratio of branch diameter followed as large gap > middle gap > small gap > understory. The vertical distribution of first-order branches under different size gaps mainly concentrated at the middle and upper part of trunk, larger diameter first-order branches were mainly distributed at the lower part of trunk, and the angle of first-order branch increased at first and then declined with the increasing seedling height. With the increasing forest gap size, the leaf length, leaf width and average leaf area of seedlings all gradually declined, while the average leaf number per plant and relative total leaf number increased, the leaf length-width ratio kept stable, the relative leaf number was mainly distributed at the middle and upper parts of trunk, the changes of leaf area index was consistent with the change of the relative total number of leaves. There was no significant difference between the diameters of middle gap and large gap seedlings, but the diameter of middle gap seedlings was higher than that of large gap, suggesting the middle gap would benefit the seedlings regeneration and high-quality timber cultivation. To promote the regeneration of Q. variabilis seedlings, and to cultivate high-quality timber, appropriate thinning should be taken to increase the number of middle gaps in the management of Q. variabilis forest.

A National Study of the Relationship between Home Access to a Computer and Academic Performance Scores of Grade 12 U.S. Science Students: An Analysis of the 2009 NAEP Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coffman, Mitchell Ward

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the relationship between student access to a computer at home and academic achievement. The 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) dataset was probed using the National Data Explorer (NDE) to investigate correlations in the subsets of SES, Parental Education, Race, and Gender as it relates to access of a home computer and improved performance scores for U.S. public school grade 12 science students. A causal-comparative approach was employed seeking clarity on the relationship between home access and performance scores. The influence of home access cannot overcome the challenges students of lower SES face. The achievement gap, or a second digital divide, for underprivileged classes of students, including minorities does not appear to contract via student access to a home computer. Nonetheless, in tests for significance, statistically significant improvement in science performance scores was reported for those having access to a computer at home compared to those not having access. Additionally, regression models reported evidence of correlations between and among subsets of controls for the demographic factors gender, race, and socioeconomic status. Variability in these correlations was high; suggesting influence from unobserved factors may have more impact upon the dependent variable. Having access to a computer at home increases performance scores for grade 12 general science students of all races, genders and socioeconomic levels. However, the performance gap is roughly equivalent to the existing performance gap of the national average for science scores, suggesting little influence from access to a computer on academic achievement. The variability of scores reported in the regression analysis models reflects a moderate to low effect, suggesting an absence of causation. These statistical results are accurate and confirm the literature review, whereby having access to a computer at home and the predictor variables were found to have a significant impact on performance scores, although the data presented suggest computer access at home is less influential upon performance scores than poverty and its correlates.

Closing the Social Class Achievement Gap for First-Generation Students in Undergraduate Biology

PubMed Central

Harackiewicz, Judith M.; Canning, Elizabeth A.; Tibbetts, Yoi; Giffen, Cynthia J.; Blair, Seth S.; Rouse, Douglas I.; Hyde, Janet S.

2014-01-01

Many students start college intending to pursue a career in the biosciences, but too many abandon this goal because they struggle in introductory biology. Interventions have been developed to close achievement gaps for underrepresented minority students and women, but no prior research has attempted to close the gap for first-generation students, a population that accounts for nearly a fifth of college students. We report a values affirmation intervention conducted with 798 U.S. students (154 first-generation) in an introductory biology course for majors. For first-generation students, values affirmation significantly improved final course grades and retention in the second course in the biology sequence, as well as overall GPA for the semester. This brief intervention narrowed the achievement gap between first-generation and continuing generation students for course grades by 50% and increased retention in a critical gateway course by 20%. Our results suggest that educators can expand the pipeline for first-generation students to continue studying in the biosciences with psychological interventions. PMID:25049437

Patterns and Trends in Achievement Gaps in Malaysian Secondary Schools (1999-2011): Gender, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saw, Guan Kung

2016-01-01

Educational inequality is a highly debated yet empirically understudied topic in Malaysia. This paper examines the patterns and trends of academic achievement gaps by student social groups in Malaysia, drawing upon nationally representative data for the most recent four cohorts (1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011) of eighth-grade Malaysian students from…

State Test Score Trends through 2008-09, Part 2: Slow and Uneven Progress in Narrowing Gaps

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kober, Nancy; Chudowsky, Naomi; Chudowsky, Victor

2010-01-01

After eight years of implementing the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and other school reforms, how much progress have states, school districts, and schools made in raising achievement for students from all backgrounds and closing achievement gaps based on race, ethnicity, income, and gender? To help answer this question, the Center on…

The Teachers' Perspectives on Effective Strategies for African American Students Embedded in the GO Math Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sumter, Jeremiah, Jr.

2016-01-01

Research and history has demonstrated the overwhelming disparity and gap of mathematical achievement between African Americans and their White counterparts. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the achievement gap on a national level is prevalent. The USA jurisdiction has Black 8th grade math students results at 12%…

The Black-White Achievement Gap: When Progress Stopped. Policy Information Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barton, Paul E.; Coley, Richard J.

2010-01-01

This report is about understanding the periods of progress and the periods of stagnation in changes in the achievement gap that have occurred over the past several decades. The authors try to understand what might have contributed to the progress as well as probe the reasons that may account for the progress halting, in the hope of finding some…

The Narrowing Gap in New York City Teacher Qualifications and Its Implications for Student Achievement in High-Poverty Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyd, Donald; Lankford, Hamilton; Loeb, Susanna; Rockoff, Jonah; Wyckoff, James

2008-01-01

Understanding what makes an effective teacher, as well as how teachers sort by their effectiveness across schools, is central to understanding and addressing student achievement gaps. Prior studies have found substantial sorting of teachers across schools, with the schools with the highest proportions of poor, non-white, and low-scoring students…

Whites Aren't Bad, Asian Americans Are Just Better: Asymmetrical Attributions for the White-Asian American Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sperling, Rick; Zwahr-Castro, Jennifer; Cruz, Felicia; Montalvo, Jason

2017-01-01

Previous research has shown that people often engage in cultural-deficit thinking when reasoning about racial/ethnic achievement gaps. However, it is unclear whether culture-blaming explanations are best thought of as group-level internal attributions, expressions of prejudice against a lower status group, or self-serving bias. In this study,…

Beyond Popular Cultural and Structural Arguments: Imagining a Compass to Guide Burgeoning Urban Achievement Gap Scholars

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Sherick A.; North, Connie E.

2012-01-01

This manuscript begins by distinguishing the common structural and cultural arguments that tend to guide popular urban achievement gap research. It highlights Jencks and Phillips, and Payne, as two cases of popular texts followed by critical responses to them. It concludes by imagining a compass to guide burgeoning scholars toward reading into…

New Mexico's Academic Achievement Gaps: A Synthesis of Status, Causes, and Solutions. A White Paper

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinez, Joseph P.

2017-01-01

The Center for Positive Practices (CPP) conducted an analysis and synthesis of K-12 educational achievement gaps in New Mexico. The white paper was requested by the New Mexico based Coalition for the Majority, which includes various institutions, organizations and individuals supporting the New Mexico English Learner Teacher Preparation Act. The…

Closing the Achievement Gap: A Summer School Program to Accelerate the Academic Performance of Economically Disadvantaged Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzalez, Ramon Michael

2013-01-01

With the increasing disparity in educational outcomes among economically and racially different groups of students, summer school has received attention from school reformers as a means to close the achievement gap. Given the interest in this topic by educators, researchers, and policymakers, there is little research on the impact of summer school…

From Noncompetence to Exceptional Talent: Exploring the Range of Academic Achievement within and between Grade Levels

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gagne, Francoys

2005-01-01

This article analyzes the magnitude of individual differences in academic achievement and their growth over the first 9 years of schooling. The author anchors the widening-gap phenomenon on the theoretical recognition of large individual differences in learning pace, which logically leads over time to an increasing gap in knowledge and skills…

Black-White Achievement Gap and Family Wealth. National Poverty Center Working Paper Series #07-02

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeung, W. Jean; Conley, Dalton

2006-01-01

This paper examines the extent to which family wealth affects the race-child achievement association for young children based on data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. We found little evidence that wealth mediates the black-white test scores gap. However, liquid assets, particularly holding in stocks and mutual funds, are positively…

Gender Gaps in Mathematics, Science and Reading Achievements in Muslim Countries: Evidence from Quantile Regression Analyses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shafiq, M. Najeeb

2011-01-01

Using quantile regression analyses, this study examines gender gaps in mathematics, science, and reading in Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Jordan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Qatar, Tunisia, and Turkey among 15 year-old students. The analyses show that girls in Azerbaijan achieve as well as boys in mathematics and science and overachieve in reading. In Jordan,…

Gender Gaps in Mathematics, Science and Reading Achievements in Muslim Countries: A Quantile Regression Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shafiq, M. Najeeb

2013-01-01

Using quantile regression analyses, this study examines gender gaps in mathematics, science, and reading in Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Jordan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Qatar, Tunisia, and Turkey among 15-year-old students. The analyses show that girls in Azerbaijan achieve as well as boys in mathematics and science and overachieve in reading. In Jordan,…

Reforms that Could Help Narrow the Achievement Gap. Policy Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rothstein, Richard

2006-01-01

Americans have concluded that the achievement gap is the fault of "failing schools" because it makes no common sense that it could be otherwise. After all, how much money a family has, or a child's skin color, should not influence how well that child learns to read. If teachers know how to teach and if schools permit no distractions, children…

Trends in Academic Achievement Gaps in the Era of No Child Left Behind

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reardon, Sean F.; Greenberg, Erica; Kalogrides, Demetra; Shores, Kenneth A.; Valentino, Rachel A.

2012-01-01

The authors' goals in this study are to use both the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and state accountability test score data to (1) provide a detailed description of the magnitude and trends of state-level academic achievement gaps among cohorts of students entering school in the 1990s and 2000s; (2) investigate the extent to…

The Relationship between Gender, Ethnicity, and Technology on the Impact of Mathematics Achievement in an After-School Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Xudong; Craig, Scotty D.; Xie, Jun; Graesser, Arthur C.; Okwumabua, Theresa; Cheney, Kyle R.; Hu, Xiangen

2013-01-01

The gap among ethnicities and gender in mathematics achievement is a well-known problem. While the gap has been shrinking over the past three decades, it has not completely diminished (Jencks & Phillips, 1998; McGraw, Lubienski, & Strutchens, 2006). The ALEKS, Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces, tutoring system is one promising…

Examining the Achievement Gap: The Effectiveness of African American Teachers Instructing African American Students in Kansas City Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Judith Jordan

2013-01-01

Over several years the American public educational system has failed to address one of the most infuriating problems faced by our nation, narrowing the achievement gap in urban districts with urban learners. Historically, minority students have not paralleled the academic performance of their White counterparts. This holds true with standardized…

Leadership and Collaboration in Complex Organizations: Principals' Interactions with Central Office in Two Large School Districts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marietta, Geoff Eckman

2015-01-01

There is increasing pressure on the central office, particularly in large school districts, to improve student outcomes across schools and to close large achievement gaps between groups of students based largely on race and income (Louis, 2008; Honig 2012). Reforms intended to "raise the bar and close the gap" in student achievement are…

Advocacy and Alternative Settings as Intervention Strategies for Reducing the Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Dominique

2013-01-01

The academic achievement gap between African Americans and their White counterparts has been an issue that has been discussed and dissected for several decades. In 2010, the Schott foundation released a report on Black males in school. It was reported that for the 2007-08 school year, there was only a 47% high school graduation rate for Black…

Evaluating the Efficacy of the High Point Curriculum in the Coastline Unified School District Using CST, CAHSEE, and CELDT Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peralta, Aaron A.

2012-01-01

The academic achievement gap between ethno-linguistic minority students and other students, as represented by test scores, dropout rates, and college admissions and completion rates, is the most persistent and pressing challenge facing public schools nationwide. The existing achievement gap indicates that many of our students are not receiving the…

Gender Grouping and Its Initial Effect on a Title I Upper Elementary School during the Pilot Year of Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simon, Pamela Reed

2013-01-01

Studies have documented challenges in meeting No Child Left Behind (NCLB) expectations as well as gender differences that contribute to the achievement gaps between boys and girls. In response to increased NCLB accountability and achievement gaps between boys and girls, several experts have promoted single-sex education as a possible strategy to…

Urban School Achievement Gap as a Metaphor to Conceal U.S. Apartheid Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cross, Beverly E.

2007-01-01

This article uses the metaphor of the achievement gap to make transparent, discuss, and critique the analytical frame/lens used in the articles to analyze urban education. Doing such an analysis is essential to producing an additional lens that has utility in theory and practice. It facilitates a historical analysis of urban education and leads to…

Effects of Single-Sex and Coeducational Schooling on the Gender Gap in Educational Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibb, Sheree J.; Fergusson, David M.; Horwood, L. John

2008-01-01

This study examined the effects of single-sex and coeducational schooling on the gender gap in educational achievement to age 25. Data were drawn from the Christchurch Health and Development Study, a longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1265 individuals born in 1977 in Christchurch, New Zealand. After adjustment for a series of covariates…

Electrical transmission between mammalian neurons is supported by a small fraction of gap junction channels.

PubMed

Curti, Sebastian; Hoge, Gregory; Nagy, James I; Pereda, Alberto E

2012-06-01

Electrical synapses formed by gap junctions between neurons create networks of electrically coupled neurons in the mammalian brain, where these networks have been found to play important functional roles. In most cases, interneuronal gap junctions occur at remote dendro-dendritic contacts, making difficult accurate characterization of their physiological properties and correlation of these properties with their anatomical and morphological features of the gap junctions. In the mesencephalic trigeminal (MesV) nucleus where neurons are readily accessible for paired electrophysiological recordings in brain stem slices, our recent data indicate that electrical transmission between MesV neurons is mediated by connexin36 (Cx36)-containing gap junctions located at somato-somatic contacts. We here review evidence indicating that electrical transmission between these neurons is supported by a very small fraction of the gap junction channels present at cell-cell contacts. Acquisition of this evidence was enabled by the unprecedented experimental access of electrical synapses between MesV neurons, which allowed estimation of the average number of open channels mediating electrical coupling in relation to the average number of gap junction channels present at these contacts. Our results indicate that only a small proportion of channels (~0.1 %) appear to be conductive. On the basis of similarities with other preparations, we postulate that this phenomenon might constitute a general property of vertebrate electrical synapses, reflecting essential aspects of gap junction function and maintenance.

Flowable resin and marginal gap on tooth third medial cavity involving enamel and radicular cementum: a SEM evaluation of two restoration techniques.

PubMed

Lo Giudice, G; Cicciù, M; Cervino, G; Lizio, A; Visco, A M

2012-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the presence and the extent of a possible marginal gap after the interposition of a flowable composite between the composite restoration and the dental structures (enamel and cementum). This technique is also used to eliminate the infiltration in a zone of the cavity preparation that is frequently at a risk of secondary decay. Fifteen human premolars extracted for orthodontic reasons were used for the study. A cavity with mesial and distal margin in enamel and cementum was realized in every tooth. The cavities were then restored with an adhesive system (ScotchBond 3MÔ) and composite (Filtek Supreme 3MÔ); and, a fine layer of flowable composite was applied in the distal margin of each cavity. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in secondary electron imaging (S.E.I.) modality was used for the study and identifying the marginal gaps in the composite restorations. Data was investigated on the mesial and distal margin of each cavity at the restoration-enamel interface, and at the restoration-cementum interface. The interfaces were divided in four groups: Group A (enamel/composite); Group B (enamel/flow/composite); Group C (cementum/composite); and, Group D (cementum/flow/composite). By the comparison of the gap's average width found in each group, it is evidenced that the average width of the gap increases when the interface moves from the coronal to the radicular end (Group A 0,1 ± 0,4 μm Vs Group C 12,3 ± 11,6 μm; Group B 0,2 ± 0,8 μm Vs Group D 2,8 ± 6,6 μm). Correlating the measurements of the marginal gap's average width among the Group A and Group B, no significant variations were obtained; and instead, on comparing Group C with Group D, the gap's average width decreases. The interposition of a low elastic modulus composite between the adhesive layer and the composite resin allows an improvement of the cementum-restoration interface by the means of a lower shrinkage stress during polymerization.

High efficiency GaP power conversion for Betavoltaic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sims, Paul E.; Dinetta, Louis C.; Barnett, Allen M.

1994-09-01

AstroPower is developing a gallium phosphide (GaP) based energy converter optimized for radio luminescent light-based power supplies. A 'two-step' or 'indirect' process is used where a phosphor is excited by radioactive decay products to produce light that is then converted to electricity by a photovoltaic energy converter. This indirect conversion of beta-radiation to electrical energy can be realized by applying recent developments in tritium based radio luminescent (RL) light sources in combination with the high conversion efficiencies that can be achieved under low illumination with low leakage, gallium phosphide based devices. This tritium to light approach is inherently safer than battery designs that incorporate high activity radionuclides because the beta particles emitted by tritium are of low average energy and are easily stopped by a thin layer of glass. GaP layers were grown by liquid phase epitaxy and p/n junction devices were fabricated and characterized for low light intensity power conversion. AstroPower has demonstrated the feasibility of the GaP based energy converter with the following key results: 23.54 percent conversion efficiency under 968 muW/sq cm 440 nm blue light, 14.59 percent conversion efficiency for 2.85 muW/sq cm 440 nm blue light, and fabrication of working 5 V array. We have also determined that at least 20 muW/sq cm optical power is available for betavoltaic power systems. Successful developments of this device is an enabling technology for low volume, safe, high voltage, milliwatt power supplies with service lifetimes in excess of 12 years.

Estimating agricultural yield gap in Africa using MODIS NDVI dataset

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luan, Y.; Zhu, W.; Luo, X.; Liu, J.; Cui, X.

2013-12-01

Global agriculture has undergone a period of rapid intensification characterized as 'Green Revolution', except for Africa, which is the region most affected by unreliable food access and undernourishment. Increasing crop production will be one of the most challenges and most effectual way to mitigate food insecurity there, as Africa's agricultural yield is on a much lower level comparing to global average. In this study we characterize cropland vegetation phenology in Africa based on MODIS NDVI time series between 2000 and 2012. Cumulated NDVI is a proxy for net primary productivity and used as an indicator for evaluating the potential yield gap in Africa. It is achieved via translating the gap between optimum attainable productivity level in each classification of cropping systems and actual productivity level by the relationship of cumulated NDVI and cereal-equivalent production. The results show most of cropland area in Africa have decreasing trend in cumulated NDVI, distributing in the Nile Delta, Eastern Africa and central of semi-arid to arid savanna area, except significant positive cumulated NDVI trends are mainly found between Senegal and Benin. Using cumulated NDVI and statistics of cereal equivalent production, we find remarkable potential yield gap at the Horn of East Africa (especially in Somalia), Northern Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia). Meanwhile, countries locating at the savanna area near Sahel desert and South Africa also show significant potential, though they already have a relatively high level of productivity. Our results can help provide policy recommendation for local government or NGO to tackle food security problems by identifying zones with high potential of yield improvement.

High efficiency GaP power conversion for Betavoltaic applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sims, Paul E.; Dinetta, Louis C.; Barnett, Allen M.

1994-01-01

AstroPower is developing a gallium phosphide (GaP) based energy converter optimized for radio luminescent light-based power supplies. A 'two-step' or 'indirect' process is used where a phosphor is excited by radioactive decay products to produce light that is then converted to electricity by a photovoltaic energy converter. This indirect conversion of beta-radiation to electrical energy can be realized by applying recent developments in tritium based radio luminescent (RL) light sources in combination with the high conversion efficiencies that can be achieved under low illumination with low leakage, gallium phosphide based devices. This tritium to light approach is inherently safer than battery designs that incorporate high activity radionuclides because the beta particles emitted by tritium are of low average energy and are easily stopped by a thin layer of glass. GaP layers were grown by liquid phase epitaxy and p/n junction devices were fabricated and characterized for low light intensity power conversion. AstroPower has demonstrated the feasibility of the GaP based energy converter with the following key results: 23.54 percent conversion efficiency under 968 muW/sq cm 440 nm blue light, 14.59 percent conversion efficiency for 2.85 muW/sq cm 440 nm blue light, and fabrication of working 5 V array. We have also determined that at least 20 muW/sq cm optical power is available for betavoltaic power systems. Successful developments of this device is an enabling technology for low volume, safe, high voltage, milliwatt power supplies with service lifetimes in excess of 12 years.

Why "Gender" Disappeared from the Gender Gap: (Re-)Introducing Gender Identity Theory to Educational Gender Gap Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vantieghem, Wendelien; Vermeersch, Hans; Van Houtte, Mieke

2014-01-01

Educational gender gap research tries to explain the differential achievement of boys and girls at secondary school, which manifests in many western countries. Several explanatory frameworks are used for this purpose, such as masculinities theory. In this review article, the history of educational gender gap research in Anglo-Saxon literature and…

Comparing Novel Multi-Gap Resistive Plate Chamber Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stien, Haley; EIC PID Consortium Collaboration

2016-09-01

Investigating nuclear structure has led to the fundamental theory of Quantum Chromodynamics. An Electron Ion Collider (EIC) is a proposed accelerator that would further these investigations. In order to prepare for the EIC, there is an active detector research and development effort. One specific goal is to achieve better particle identification via improved Time of Flight (TOF) detectors. A promising option is the Multi-Gap Resistive Plate Chamber (mRPC). These detectors are similar to the more traditional RPCs, but their active gas gaps have dividers to form several thinner gas gaps. These very thin and accurately defined gas gaps improve the timing resolution of the chamber, so the goal is to build an mRPC with the thinnest gaps to achieve the best possible timing resolution. Two different construction techniques have been employed to make two mRPCs. The first technique is to physically separate the gas gaps with sheets of glass that are .2mm thick. The second technique is to 3D print the layered gas gaps. A comparison of these mRPCs and their performances will be discussed and the latest data presented. This research was supported by US DOE MENP Grant DE-FG02-03ER41243.

Method and apparatus for controlling electrode gap during vacuum consumable arc remelting

DOEpatents

Fisher, R.W.; Maroone, J.P.; Tipping, D.W.; Zanner, F.J.

During vacuum consumable arc remelting the electrode gap between a consumable electrode and a pool of molten metal is difficult to control. The present invention monitors drop shorts by detecting a decrease in the voltage between the consumable electrode and molten pool. The drop shorts and their associated voltage reductions occur as repetitive pulses which are closely correlated to the electrode gap. Thus, the method and apparatus of the present invention controls electrode gap based upon drop shorts detected from the monitored anode-cathode voltage. The number of drop shorts are accumulated, and each time the number of drop shorts reach a predetermined number, the average period between drop shorts is calculated from this predetermined number and the time in which this number is accumulated. This average drop short period is used in a drop short period electrode gap model which determines the actual electrode gap from the drop short. The actual electrode gap is then compared with a desired electrode gap which is selected to produce optimum operating conditions and the velocity of the consumable error is varied based upon the gap error. The consumable electrode is driven according to any prior art system at this velocity. In the preferred embodiment, a microprocessor system is utilized to perform the necessary calculations and further to monitor the duration of each drop short. If any drop short exceeds a preset duration period, the consumable electrode is rapidly retracted a predetermined distance to prevent bonding of the consumable electrode to the molten remelt.

Drop short control of electrode gap

DOEpatents

Fisher, Robert W.; Maroone, James P.; Tipping, Donald W.; Zanner, Frank J.

1986-01-01

During vacuum consumable arc remelting the electrode gap between a consumable electrode and a pool of molten metal is difficult to control. The present invention monitors drop shorts by detecting a decrease in the voltage between the consumable electrode and molten pool. The drop shorts and their associated voltage reductions occur as repetitive pulses which are closely correlated to the electrode gap. Thus, the method and apparatus of the present invention controls electrode gap based upon drop shorts detected from the monitored anode-cathode voltage. The number of drop shorts are accumulated, and each time the number of drop shorts reach a predetermined number, the average period between drop shorts is calculated from this predetermined number and the time in which this number is accumulated. This average drop short period is used in a drop short period electrode gap model which determines the actual electrode gap from the drop short. The actual electrode gap is then compared with a desired electrode gap which is selected to produce optimum operating conditions and the velocity of the consumable error is varied based upon the gap error. The consumable electrode is driven according to any prior art system at this velocity. In the preferred embodiment, a microprocessor system is utilized to perform the necessary calculations and further to monitor the duration of each drop short. If any drop short exceeds a preset duration period, the consumable electrode is rapidly retracted a predetermined distance to prevent bonding of the consumable electrode to the molten remelt.

What determines the income gap between French male and female GPs - the role of medical practices

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background In many OECD countries, the gender differences in physicians’ pay favour male doctors. Due to the feminisation of the doctor profession, it is essential to measure this income gap in the French context of Fee-for-service payment (FFS) and then to precisely identify its determinants. The objective of this study is to measure and analyse the 2008 income gap between males and females general practitioners (GPs). This paper focuses on the role of gender medical practices differentials among GPs working in private practice in the southwest region of France. Methods Using data from 339 private-practice GPs, we measured an average gender income gap of approximately 26% in favour of men. Using the decomposition method, we examined the factors that could explain gender disparities in income. Results The analysis showed that 73% of the income gap can be explained by the average differences in doctors’ characteristics; for example, 61% of the gender income gap is explained by the gender differences in workload, i.e., number of consultations and visits, which is on average significantly lower for female GPs than for male GPs. Furthermore, the decomposition method allowed us to highlight the differences in the marginal returns of doctors’ characteristics and variables contributing to income, such as GP workload; we found that female GPs have a higher marginal return in terms of earnings when performing an additional medical service. Conclusions The findings of this study help to understand the determinants of the income gap between male and female GPs. Even though workload is clearly an essential determinant of income, FFS does not reduce the gender income gap, and there is an imperfect relationship between the provision of medical services and income. In the context of feminisation, it appears that female GPs receive a lower income but attain higher marginal returns when performing an additional consultation. PMID:22998173

What determines the income gap between French male and female GPs - the role of medical practices.

PubMed

Dumontet, Magali; Le Vaillant, Marc; Franc, Carine

2012-09-21

In many OECD countries, the gender differences in physicians' pay favour male doctors. Due to the feminisation of the doctor profession, it is essential to measure this income gap in the French context of Fee-for-service payment (FFS) and then to precisely identify its determinants. The objective of this study is to measure and analyse the 2008 income gap between males and females general practitioners (GPs). This paper focuses on the role of gender medical practices differentials among GPs working in private practice in the southwest region of France. Using data from 339 private-practice GPs, we measured an average gender income gap of approximately 26% in favour of men. Using the decomposition method, we examined the factors that could explain gender disparities in income. The analysis showed that 73% of the income gap can be explained by the average differences in doctors' characteristics; for example, 61% of the gender income gap is explained by the gender differences in workload, i.e., number of consultations and visits, which is on average significantly lower for female GPs than for male GPs. Furthermore, the decomposition method allowed us to highlight the differences in the marginal returns of doctors' characteristics and variables contributing to income, such as GP workload; we found that female GPs have a higher marginal return in terms of earnings when performing an additional medical service. The findings of this study help to understand the determinants of the income gap between male and female GPs. Even though workload is clearly an essential determinant of income, FFS does not reduce the gender income gap, and there is an imperfect relationship between the provision of medical services and income. In the context of feminisation, it appears that female GPs receive a lower income but attain higher marginal returns when performing an additional consultation.

Reducing the racial achievement gap: a social-psychological intervention.

PubMed

Cohen, Geoffrey L; Garcia, Julio; Apfel, Nancy; Master, Allison

2006-09-01

Two randomized field experiments tested a social-psychological intervention designed to improve minority student performance and increase our understanding of how psychological threat mediates performance in chronically evaluative real-world environments. We expected that the risk of confirming a negative stereotype aimed at one's group could undermine academic performance in minority students by elevating their level of psychological threat. We tested whether such psychological threat could be lessened by having students reaffirm their sense of personal adequacy or "self-integrity." The intervention, a brief in-class writing assignment, significantly improved the grades of African American students and reduced the racial achievement gap by 40%. These results suggest that the racial achievement gap, a major social concern in the United States, could be ameliorated by the use of timely and targeted social-psychological interventions.

Ecological intensification of cereal production systems: yield potential, soil quality, and precision agriculture.

PubMed

Cassman, K G

1999-05-25

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), rice (Oryza sativa L.), and maize (Zea mays L.) provide about two-thirds of all energy in human diets, and four major cropping systems in which these cereals are grown represent the foundation of human food supply. Yield per unit time and land has increased markedly during the past 30 years in these systems, a result of intensified crop management involving improved germplasm, greater inputs of fertilizer, production of two or more crops per year on the same piece of land, and irrigation. Meeting future food demand while minimizing expansion of cultivated area primarily will depend on continued intensification of these same four systems. The manner in which further intensification is achieved, however, will differ markedly from the past because the exploitable gap between average farm yields and genetic yield potential is closing. At present, the rate of increase in yield potential is much less than the expected increase in demand. Hence, average farm yields must reach 70-80% of the yield potential ceiling within 30 years in each of these major cereal systems. Achieving consistent production at these high levels without causing environmental damage requires improvements in soil quality and precise management of all production factors in time and space. The scope of the scientific challenge related to these objectives is discussed. It is concluded that major scientific breakthroughs must occur in basic plant physiology, ecophysiology, agroecology, and soil science to achieve the ecological intensification that is needed to meet the expected increase in food demand.

Negotiating new literacies in science: An examination of at-risk and average-achieving ninth-grade readers' online reading comprehension strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sevensma, Kara

In today's digital world the Internet is becoming an increasingly predominant resource for science information, rapidly eclipsing the traditional science textbook in content area classrooms (Lawless & Schrader, 2008). The shift challenges researchers, educators, administrators, and policy makers to reconsider what it means to read and comprehend online science information. The research on digital literacy is still in its infancy and little is known about the strategies and processes students use when reading science content on the Internet. Even less is known about how at-risk readers comprehend digital science content. Therefore, this study addresses three research questions: (1) What strategies and processes do at-risk and average-achieving readers use as they locate information and generate meaning from science websites? (2) What navigational profiles emerge as at-risk and average-achieving readers construct traversals (unique online paths of information) they locate information and generate meaning from science websites? (3) What individual characteristics influenced students' strategies as they locate information and generate meaning from science websites? Participants were six ninth-grade students in general education biology classrooms. Three were average-achieving readers and three were at-risk readers based on assessments of reading comprehension in traditional print-based texts. The students engaged in a three-day research project about the rainforest biome, locating information online, taking notes, and constructing an information brochure about the rainforest for peers. Data measures prior to and during the research included an Internet use survey, verbal protocols, screen captures of online activity, oral reading fluency assessments, and prior knowledge and topic engagement surveys. Quantitative descriptive and univariate analyses as well as qualitative abductive coding were employed over multiple phases to analyze the data. First, the results suggest that students employed a variety of online reading comprehension strategies in complex and dynamic ways. Among the many strategies revealed, the group of self-regulatory strategies (planning, predicting, monitoring, and evaluating) played a significant role, influencing students' use of all other strategies for locating and generating meaning from science websites. Second, the results also suggested that patterns of strategy use could be examined as unique navigational profiles. Rather than remaining fixed, the navigational profiles of each student altered in response to tasks and research methods. Importantly, all at-risk readers revealed more effective navigational profiles on Day 3 when they were forced by design of the task to attend to project goals and employ more self-regulatory strategies. Third, the results revealed that traditional reading comprehension strategies and prior knowledge of the rainforest also influenced online reading comprehension. Specifically, the at-risk readers with the lowest reading comprehension, oral reading fluency, and prior knowledge scores were more likely than the average-achieving readers to encounter issues in online texts that resulted in constructing ineffective traversals, or online reading paths, and spending significant time investing in online reading that was irrelevant to the research project. Ultimately, this study advanced the understanding about online reading comprehension for average-achieving and at-risk readers in science classrooms, contributing to a gap in the research, suggesting implications for practice, and promoting future research questions.

SU-F-T-306: Validation of Mobius 3D and FX for Elekta Linear Accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nelson, C; Garcia, M; Calderon, E

2016-06-15

Purpose: Log file based IMRT and VMAT QA is a system that analyzes treatment log files and uses delivery parameters to compute the dose to the patient/phantom. This system was previously commissioned for Varian machines, the purpose of this work is to describe the process for commissioning Mobius for use with Elekta machines. Methods: Twelve IMRT and VMAT plans (6×) were planned and delivered and dose was measured using MapCheck, the results were compared to that computed by Mobius. For 10x and 18x, plans were generated, copied to a phantom and delivered, the dose was measured using a single ionmore » chamber. The difference in measured dose to computed dose (Mobius) was used to adjust the dynamic leaf gap (DLG) in Mobius to achieve optimal agreement between measurements, Mobius and treatment plans. Results: For the measured dose comparison, the average 3%/3mm gamma 97.1% of pixels passed criteria using MapCheck where Mobius computed 96.9% of voxels passing. For 10×, a DLG of −5.5 was determined to achieve optimal results for TPS and measured ion chamber data with an average 0.1% difference and −1.7% respectively. For 18×, a DLG of −3 was determined to achieve optimal results from the TPS and measured data with an average of −0.7% and −1.4% difference on average from a set of IMRT and VMAT plans. The 6x data needed no DLG correction to arrive at agreement with the TPS and the MapCheck measured data. Conclusion: We have validated with measurements for IMRT and VMAT cases the use of Mobius FX with Elekta treatment machines for IMRT and VMAT QA. For 6×, no adjustments to the DLG were required to obtain good results utilizing Mobius whereas for 10× and 18×, the DLG had to be adjusted to obtain optimum agreement with measured data and our TPS.« less

An Examination of Effective Practice: Moving Toward Elimination of Achievement Gaps in Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Carla C.

2009-06-01

This longitudinal study of middle school science teachers explored the relationship between effective science instruction, as defined by the National Science Education Standards (NRC in National science education standards. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1996), and student achievement in science. Eleven teachers participated in a three year study of teacher effectiveness, determined by the LSC Classroom Observation Protocol (Horizon Research, Inc. in Local Systemic Change Classroom Observation Protocol. May 1, 2002) and student achievement, which was assessed using the Discovery Inquiry Test in Science. Findings in this study revealed the positive impact that effective science teachers have on student learning, eliminating achievement gaps between White and Non-White students. Case studies of three teachers, both effective and ineffective explore the beliefs and experiences that influence teachers to change, or not to change practice. This study provides justification for teaching science effectively to narrow achievement gaps in science and provides insight to stakeholders in science education as to how to support teachers in becoming more effective, through addressing existing teacher beliefs and providing experiences that challenge those beliefs.

Closing the Academic Achievement Gap on the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) through Professional Learning Communities (PLC) Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buenrostro, Samuel

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of importance that DuFour's nine characteristics of highly effective schools have on closing the academic achievement gap on the California High School Exit Exam, as perceived by high school principals. The study also examined the strategies believed to be most important in developing…

Science Achievement Gaps by Gender and Race/Ethnicity in Elementary and Middle School: Trends and Predictors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quinn, David M.; Cooc, North

2015-01-01

Research on science achievement disparities by gender and race/ethnicity often neglects the beginning of the pipeline in the early grades. We address this limitation using nationally representative data following students from Grades 3 to 8. We find that the Black-White science test score gap (-1.07 SD in Grade 3) remains stable over these years,…

The Importance of Segregation, Discrimination, Peer Dynamics, and Identity in Explaining Trends in the Racial Achievement Gap. NBER Working Paper No. 16257

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fryer, Roland G., Jr.

2010-01-01

After decades of narrowing, the achievement gap between black and white school children widened in the 1990s--a period when the labor market rewards for education were increasing. This presents an important puzzle for economists. In this chapter, I investigate the extent to which economic models of segregation, information-based discrimination,…

Working More Productively To Produce Similar Patterns of Educational Performance among Racial/Ethnic Groups in the United States. Urban Diversity Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, L. Scott

This monograph in the Urban Diversity Series takes an in-depth look at the nature of academic achievement gaps and the efforts since the 1960s to close these gaps. The monograph provides a comprehensive analysis of achievement data from pre-school through higher education. It concludes with recommendations for developing evidence-based educational…

WWC Review of the Report "Daily Online Testing in Large Classes: Boosting College Performance While Reducing Achievement Gaps." What Works Clearinghouse Single Study Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2014

2014-01-01

The 2013 study, "Daily Online Testing in Large Classes: Boosting College Performance While Reducing Achievement Gaps," examined the impact of frequent online testing and immediate feedback on the academic performance of college students. The study was conducted at the University of Texas in the fall of 2008 and 2011. Researchers found…

Postindustrial Capitalism and the Problems with Bourdieu's Social and Cultural Capital in Understanding the Black/White Achievement Gap in the United States and United Kingdom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mocombe, Paul C.

2015-01-01

This hermeneutical essay demonstrates why and how Pierre Bourdieu's social reproduction theory is neither an adequate explanation for understanding praxis nor the Black/White academic achievement gap in contemporary postindustrial economies like that of the United States and the United Kingdom. The underlining hypothesis of the work is that the…

WWC Review of the Report "Closing the Social-Class Achievement Gap: A Difference-Education Intervention Improves First-Generation Students' Academic Performance and All Students' College Transition." What Works Clearinghouse Single Study Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2014

2014-01-01

For the 2014 study, "Closing the Social-Class Achievement Gap: A Difference-Education Intervention Improves First-Generation Students' Academic Performance and All Students' College Transition," researchers investigated the impact of attending a moderated panel on incoming freshmen's adjustment to college. The panel featured…

Tackling the Achievement Gap Head on: A Background and Discussion Paper for Community Groups Interested in Helping All Children Succeed in School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mueller, Dan

2005-01-01

The achievement gap is clearly visible throughout the school years, from grade-school test scores through high school graduation and higher education. It divides American Indian, Asian, Black, Latino, and White students, and it divides the economically advantaged from the disadvantaged regardless of their race/ethnicity. Under the federal No Child…

The New State Achievement Gap: How Federal Waivers Could Make It Worse--or Better. Education Sector Reports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chubb, John; Clark, Constance

2013-01-01

With the adoption of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2002, the federal government signaled its intention to close achievement gaps in K-12 education, particularly for minority students. While there has been surprising progress in educating disadvantaged students since the law was passed, according to a new report released today by Education…

School Administrators' and Teachers' Perceptions of Single-Gender Classrooms in Coeducational Public Middle Schools within South Carolina

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Shemmicca M. B.

2015-01-01

The academic achievement gap between male and female students set in motion a flurry of initiatives to help address male underachievement. The amendments made to Title IX allowed single-gender education to become a viable option for addressing those gaps in achievement. After the adjustments made to Title IX, South Carolina led the nation in the…

In One Voice: Mainstream and ELL Teachers Work Side-by-Side in the Classroom, Teaching Language through Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pardini, Priscilla

2006-01-01

Narrowing the achievement gap between students who are native English speakers and those learning English as a second language is one of the biggest challenges facing U.S. educators. This article discusses the approaches used by the Saint Paul (Minn.) Public Schools in narrowing this achievement gap. Saint Paul (Minn.) Public Schools has one of…

Exposing Gaps in/between Discourses of Linguistic Deficits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Eric J.; Avineri, Netta; Johnson, David Cassels

2017-01-01

Hart and Risley's (1995) concept of a "word gap" (aka "language gap") is widely used to describe inferior cognitive development and lower academic achievement as by-products of the language patterns of families from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. In recent decades, this line of deficit research has proliferated and…

Reaching Students Where They Are

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teaching Tolerance, 2009

2009-01-01

The "achievement gap" is one of the most disturbing phenomena in American education. Teachers want to close the gap in their own schools--but because the gap is rooted in longstanding and widespread problems, the task sometimes feels like a monumental undertaking. This fall, Teaching Tolerance launched the Teaching Diverse Students Initiative…

Excellence Gaps: What They Are, Why They Are Bad, and How Smart Contexts Can Address Them … or Make Them Worse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardesty, Jacob; McWilliams, Jenna; Plucker, Jonathan A.

2014-01-01

Every country--and even every community--has populations of students who severely underperform relative to other groups and to their own potential. These performance differences are generally called achievement gaps, and they tend to focus on gaps at basic levels of academic proficiency. But such gaps also exist among the highest levels of…

Characteristics and distributions of atmospheric mercury ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Continuous measurements of speciated atmospheric mercury (Hg), including gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), particulate mercury (PHg), and reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) were conducted in Guizhou Province, southwestern China. Guiyang Power Plant (GPP), Guiyang Wujiang Cement Plant, Guizhou Aluminum Plant (GAP), and Guiyang Forest Park (GFP) in Guiyang were selected as study sites. Automatic Atmospheric Mercury Speciation Analyzers (Tekran 2537A) were used for GEM analysis. PHg and RGM were simultaneously collected by a manual sampling system, including elutriator, coupler/impactor, KCl-coated annular denuder, and a filter holder. Results show that different emission sources dominate different species of Hg. The highest average GEM value was 22.2 ± 28.3 ng·m−3 and the lowest 6.1 ± 3.9 ng·m−3, from samples collected at GPP and GAP, respectively. The maximum average PHg was 1984.9 pg·m−3 and the minimum average 55.9 pg·m−3, also from GPP and GAP, respectively. Similarly, the highest average RGM of 68.8 pg·m−3 was measured at GPP, and the lowest level of 20.5 pg·m−3 was found at GAP. We conclude that coal combustion sources are still playing a key role in GEM; traffic contributes significantly to PHg; and domestic pollution dominates RGM. Mercury (Hg) is a persistent hazardous pollutant with adverse effects on human health and wildlife due mainly to bioaccumulation and biomagnification in aquatic food webs (Lindqvist et al. 1991; Schroeder and Munt

New model of the average neutron and proton pairing gaps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madland, David G.; Nix, J. Rayford

1988-01-01

By use of the BCS approximation applied to a distribution of dense, equally spaced levels, we derive new expressions for the average neutron pairing gap ¯gD n and average proton pairing gap ¯gD p. These expressions, which contain exponential terms, take into account the dependencies of ¯gD n and ¯gD p upon both the relative neutron excess and shape of the nucleus. The three constants that appear are determined by a least-squares adjustment to experimental pairing gaps obtained by use of fourth-order differences of measured masses. For this purpose we use the 1986 Audi-Wapstra mid-stream mass evaluation and take into account experimental uncertainties. Our new model explains not only the dependencies of ¯gD n and ¯gD p upon relative neutron excess and nuclear shape, but also the experimental result that for medium and heavy nuclei ¯gD n is generally smaller than ¯gD p. We also introduce a new expression for the average residual neutron-proton interaction energy ¯gd that appears in the masses of odd-odd nuclei, and determine the constant that appears by an analogous least-squares adjustment to experimental mass differences. Our new expressions for ¯gD n, ¯gD p and ¯gd should permit extrapolation of these quantities to heavier nuclei and to nuclei farther removed from the valley of β stability than do previous parameterizations.

Use of modern contraception by the poor is falling behind.

PubMed

Gakidou, Emmanuela; Vayena, Effy

2007-02-01

The widespread increase in the use of contraception, due to multiple factors including improved access to modern contraception, is one of the most dramatic social transformations of the past fifty years. This study explores whether the global progress in the use of modern contraceptives has also benefited the poorest. Demographic and Health Surveys from 55 developing countries were analyzed using wealth indices that allow the identification of the absolute poor within each country. This article explores the macro level determinants of the differences in the use of modern contraceptives between the poor and the national averages of several countries. Despite increases in national averages, use of modern contraception by the absolute poor remains low. South and Southeast Asia have relatively high rates of modern contraception in the absolute poor, on average 17% higher than in Latin America. Over time the gaps in use persist and are increasing. Latin America exhibits significantly larger gaps in use between the poor and the averages, while gaps in sub-Saharan Africa are on average smaller by 15.8% and in Southeast Asia by 11.6%. The secular trend of increasing rates of modern contraceptive use has not resulted in a decrease of the gap in use for those living in absolute poverty. Countries with large economic inequalities also exhibit large inequalities in modern contraceptive use. In addition to macro level factors that influence contraceptive use, such as economic development and provision of reproductive health services, there are strong regional variations, with sub-Saharan Africa exhibiting the lowest national rates of use, South and Southeast Asia the highest use among the poor, and Latin America the largest inequalities in use.

The Persistent Gap: Understanding Male-Female Salary Differentials amongst Canadian Academic Staff. CAUT Equity Review. Number 5

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canadian Association of University Teachers, 2011

2011-01-01

There has been a long-standing concern amongst policymakers, economists, and trade unions over the persistent earnings gap between men and women in the Canadian labour market. Although this gap has narrowed over time, women's average hourly wages still remain about 16% lower than that earned by men. The reasons for this inequality in male and…

How Higher Education Shuts the Door on the Racial Poverty Gap.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 2003

2003-01-01

For the past 35 years, U.S. Blacks on average have been three times as likely as Whites to live below the poverty line. A large factor in the overall black poverty gap is the huge number of black children being raised in poverty. However, but the poverty gap shrinks when college-educated blacks are compared to college-educated whites. (SM)

Laxity Profiles in the Native and Replaced Knee-Application to Robotic-Assisted Gap-Balancing Total Knee Arthroplasty.

PubMed

Shalhoub, Sami; Moschetti, Wayne E; Dabuzhsky, Leonid; Jevsevar, David S; Keggi, John M; Plaskos, Christopher

2018-05-14

The traditional goal of the gap-balancing method in total knee arthroplasty is to create equal and symmetric knee laxity throughout the arc of flexion. The purpose of this study was to (1) quantify the laxity in the native and the replaced knee throughout the range of flexion in gap-balancing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and (2) quantify the precision in achieving a targeted gap profile throughout flexion using a robotic-assisted technique with active ligament tensioning. Robotic-assisted, gap-balancing TKA was performed in 14 cadaver specimens. The proximal tibia was resected, and the native tibiofemoral gaps were measured using a robotic tensioner that dynamically tensioned the soft-tissue envelope throughout the arc of flexion. The femoral implant was then aligned to balance the gaps at 0° and 90° of flexion. The postoperative gaps were then measured during final trialing with the robotic tensioner and compared with the planned gaps. The native gaps increased by 3.4 ± 1.7 mm medially and 3.7 ± 2.1 mm laterally from full extension to 20° of flexion (P < .001) and then remained consistent through the remaining arc of flexion. Gap balancing after TKA produced equal gaps at 0° and 90° of flexion, but the gap laxity in midflexion was 2-4 mm greater than at 0° and 90° (P < .001). The root mean square error between the planned gaps and actual measured postoperative gaps was 1.6 mm medially and 1.7 mm laterally throughout the range of motion. Aiming for equal gaps at 0° and 90° of flexion produced equal gaps in extension and flexion with larger gaps in midflexion. Consistent soft-tissue balance to a planned gap profile could be achieved by using controlled ligament tensioning in robotic-assisted TKA. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electronic transport in Thue-Morse gapped graphene superlattice under applied bias

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Mingjing; Zhang, Hongmei; Liu, De

2018-04-01

We investigate theoretically the electronic transport properties of Thue-Morse gapped graphene superlattice under an applied electric field. The results indicate that the combined effect of the band gap and the applied bias breaks the angular symmetry of the transmission coefficient. The zero-averaged wave-number gap can be greatly modulated by the band gap and the applied bias, but its position is robust against change of the band gap. Moreover, the conductance and the Fano factor are strongly dependent not only on the Fermi energy but also on the band gap and the applied bias. In the vicinity of the new Dirac point, the minimum value of the conductance obviously decreases and the Fano factor gradually forms a Poissonian value plateau with increasing of the band gap.

Structural Dynamics of Tropical Moist Forest Gaps

PubMed Central

Hunter, Maria O.; Keller, Michael; Morton, Douglas; Cook, Bruce; Lefsky, Michael; Ducey, Mark; Saleska, Scott; de Oliveira, Raimundo Cosme; Schietti, Juliana

2015-01-01

Gap phase dynamics are the dominant mode of forest turnover in tropical forests. However, gap processes are infrequently studied at the landscape scale. Airborne lidar data offer detailed information on three-dimensional forest structure, providing a means to characterize fine-scale (1 m) processes in tropical forests over large areas. Lidar-based estimates of forest structure (top down) differ from traditional field measurements (bottom up), and necessitate clear-cut definitions unencumbered by the wisdom of a field observer. We offer a new definition of a forest gap that is driven by forest dynamics and consistent with precise ranging measurements from airborne lidar data and tall, multi-layered tropical forest structure. We used 1000 ha of multi-temporal lidar data (2008, 2012) at two sites, the Tapajos National Forest and Ducke Reserve, to study gap dynamics in the Brazilian Amazon. Here, we identified dynamic gaps as contiguous areas of significant growth, that correspond to areas > 10 m2, with height <10 m. Applying the dynamic definition at both sites, we found over twice as much area in gap at Tapajos National Forest (4.8 %) as compared to Ducke Reserve (2.0 %). On average, gaps were smaller at Ducke Reserve and closed slightly more rapidly, with estimated height gains of 1.2 m y-1 versus 1.1 m y-1 at Tapajos. At the Tapajos site, height growth in gap centers was greater than the average height gain in gaps (1.3 m y-1 versus 1.1 m y-1). Rates of height growth between lidar acquisitions reflect the interplay between gap edge mortality, horizontal ingrowth and gap size at the two sites. We estimated that approximately 10 % of gap area closed via horizontal ingrowth at Ducke Reserve as opposed to 6 % at Tapajos National Forest. Height loss (interpreted as repeat damage and/or mortality) and horizontal ingrowth accounted for similar proportions of gap area at Ducke Reserve (13 % and 10 %, respectively). At Tapajos, height loss had a much stronger signal (23 % versus 6 %) within gaps. Both sites demonstrate limited gap contagiousness defined by an increase in the likelihood of mortality in the immediate vicinity (~6 m) of existing gaps. PMID:26168242

Structural Dynamics of Tropical Moist Forest Gaps.

PubMed

Hunter, Maria O; Keller, Michael; Morton, Douglas; Cook, Bruce; Lefsky, Michael; Ducey, Mark; Saleska, Scott; de Oliveira, Raimundo Cosme; Schietti, Juliana

2015-01-01

Gap phase dynamics are the dominant mode of forest turnover in tropical forests. However, gap processes are infrequently studied at the landscape scale. Airborne lidar data offer detailed information on three-dimensional forest structure, providing a means to characterize fine-scale (1 m) processes in tropical forests over large areas. Lidar-based estimates of forest structure (top down) differ from traditional field measurements (bottom up), and necessitate clear-cut definitions unencumbered by the wisdom of a field observer. We offer a new definition of a forest gap that is driven by forest dynamics and consistent with precise ranging measurements from airborne lidar data and tall, multi-layered tropical forest structure. We used 1000 ha of multi-temporal lidar data (2008, 2012) at two sites, the Tapajos National Forest and Ducke Reserve, to study gap dynamics in the Brazilian Amazon. Here, we identified dynamic gaps as contiguous areas of significant growth, that correspond to areas > 10 m2, with height <10 m. Applying the dynamic definition at both sites, we found over twice as much area in gap at Tapajos National Forest (4.8%) as compared to Ducke Reserve (2.0%). On average, gaps were smaller at Ducke Reserve and closed slightly more rapidly, with estimated height gains of 1.2 m y-1 versus 1.1 m y-1 at Tapajos. At the Tapajos site, height growth in gap centers was greater than the average height gain in gaps (1.3 m y-1 versus 1.1 m y-1). Rates of height growth between lidar acquisitions reflect the interplay between gap edge mortality, horizontal ingrowth and gap size at the two sites. We estimated that approximately 10% of gap area closed via horizontal ingrowth at Ducke Reserve as opposed to 6% at Tapajos National Forest. Height loss (interpreted as repeat damage and/or mortality) and horizontal ingrowth accounted for similar proportions of gap area at Ducke Reserve (13% and 10%, respectively). At Tapajos, height loss had a much stronger signal (23% versus 6%) within gaps. Both sites demonstrate limited gap contagiousness defined by an increase in the likelihood of mortality in the immediate vicinity (~6 m) of existing gaps.

Review of a single surgeon's stapedotomy cases performed with a nickel titanium prosthesis over a 14-year period.

PubMed

Justicz, Natalie; Strickland, Kaitlyn F; Motamedi, Kevin K; Mattox, Douglas E

2017-04-01

Stapes surgery with a nickel titanium prosthesis is a safe and well-tolerated procedure that leads to a significant improvement in hearing outcomes. To identify the efficacy and safety of stapedotomy procedures performed with a nickel titanium prosthesis for patients with otosclerosis. A review of 431 unique stapedotomies performed over 14 years by a single surgeon at an academic tertiary care center yielded 312 cases with nickel titanium prosthesis that met inclusion criteria of otosclerosis diagnosis, initial surgery in operative ear, and presence of pre-operative and post-operative audiograms. Pure-tone averages (PTA) at baseline and 8 weeks after surgery were calculated over four frequencies; 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz. Average air-bone gaps (ABG) were calculated from pre-operative and post-operative audiograms. Average pre-operative baseline PTA was 56.7 dB in the affected ear. Post-operative PTA was 30.1 dB, a 26.6 dB improvement. Initial average ABG was 29.7 dB, while post-operative ABG averaged 5.4 dB, a 24.2 dB improvement. Surgical success (closure of ABG within 10 dB) was achieved in 263 (84%) patients. Rate of surgical success was not correlated with age, gender, race, or affected ear. Complications included recurrent conductive hearing loss (14), progressive SNHL (4), and post-operative BPPV (3).

Deterministic multidimensional nonuniform gap sampling.

PubMed

Worley, Bradley; Powers, Robert

2015-12-01

Born from empirical observations in nonuniformly sampled multidimensional NMR data relating to gaps between sampled points, the Poisson-gap sampling method has enjoyed widespread use in biomolecular NMR. While the majority of nonuniform sampling schemes are fully randomly drawn from probability densities that vary over a Nyquist grid, the Poisson-gap scheme employs constrained random deviates to minimize the gaps between sampled grid points. We describe a deterministic gap sampling method, based on the average behavior of Poisson-gap sampling, which performs comparably to its random counterpart with the additional benefit of completely deterministic behavior. We also introduce a general algorithm for multidimensional nonuniform sampling based on a gap equation, and apply it to yield a deterministic sampling scheme that combines burst-mode sampling features with those of Poisson-gap schemes. Finally, we derive a relationship between stochastic gap equations and the expectation value of their sampling probability densities. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Resolution acuity versus recognition acuity with Landolt-style optotypes.

PubMed

Heinrich, Sven P; Bach, Michael

2013-09-01

International standards define acuity as the reciprocal of the threshold gap size of a Landolt C optotype. However, the literature is inconsistent as to what type of acuity is measured with Landolt Cs. The present study addresses this question more directly than previous studies by quantifying the effect of an inherent luminance artifact in Landolt-style optotypes. Two groups of modified optotypes were used. In the first group, each optotype had a single gap structure with the same average luminance. Between optotypes, the gap structures differed in their degree of fineness. In the second group of optotypes, a standard gap was always present, defining the orientation of the optotype. Additional gap structures of the same average luminance, but different fineness, were inserted at the remaining potential gap locations, thereby balancing luminance across potential gap locations. Visual acuity measures were obtained for each optotype variant, using a computer-based test employing a staircase procedure. Similar acuity values were obtained for all optotypes of the first group, and for standard Landolt Cs, irrespective of the fineness of the gap structure. With luminance-balanced optotypes of the second group, measured acuity was halved, compared to standard optotypes. The results support the view that it is recognition acuity, rather than resolution acuity, which is measured with standard Landolt-style optotypes, with the imbalanced luminance distribution serving as a cue. Luminance-balanced optotypes may help to obtain a more veridical estimate of resolution acuity, although recognition acuity may be more relevant in daily living.

Focus on Teacher Salaries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaines, Gale F.

This report presents teacher salary data from the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). There is a gap between SREB states' average teacher salaries and the national average. Over the last 5 years, SREB teacher salaries increased by an average of 14.4 percent; the national increase was nearly 2 percentage points lower. Georgia and North…

No More Profiling in the Classroom: A Midsize Urban School District's Efforts to Close the Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith-Evans, Leticia Victoria

2010-01-01

For approximately a third of this decade, a mid-size urban school district took a bold step in its continuing efforts to battle what has been a persistent problem plaguing this Nation's education system for decades or possibly for as long as it has existed--the achievement gap between students of color and their White peers. The district has…

Personnel Allocation in Middle Schools in the State of New Jersey: An Examination of School Context, Accountability Pressure, and Teacher Assignments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirk, Kelly L.

2013-01-01

The key focus of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was to improve public education for all students in the United States, with an emphasis on closing the achievement gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students (Kantor & Lowe, 2006; Linn, Baker & Betebenner, 2002). The notion behind NCLB, to close the achievement gap, was praised,…

Leveling the Playing Field: Using a One-to-One Laptop Initiative to Close the Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Luke Andrew

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine how the one-to-one laptop initiative affected student achievement gaps for students at a single high school in Mooresville, NC. The variable in this study was the preexisting End of Course exams for Algebra I and English I for the two school years prior to the one-to-one laptop implementation year…

Narrowing the Achievement Gap in a (Re) Segregated Urban School District: Research, Policy and Practice. The Achievement Gap, Research, Practice, and Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ikpa, Vivian W.; McGuire, C. Kent

2009-01-01

The interplay between sociopolitical forces and economic agendas becomes apparent when one examines the June 28, 2007 United States Supreme Court Decision, Parents Involved In Community Schools v. Seattle School District . In a reversal of the 1954 Brown Decision, the United States Supreme Court ruled that public schools could not use race as a…

Addressing Achievement Gaps: Educational Testing in America: State Assessments, Achievement Gaps, National Policy and Innovations. ETS Policy Notes. Volume 17, Number 1, Winter 2009

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yaffe, Deborah; Coley, Richard J., Ed.; Pliskin, Richard, Ed.

2009-01-01

Annual standardized testing lies at the heart of the accountability system that American education reformers and policymakers have established during the past decade in an effort to ensure equal opportunity for all students, no matter their race, ethnicity or wealth. The new testing regime has brought national attention to the schooling of…

The American Family in Black and White: A Post-Racial Strategy for Improving Skills to Promote Equality. NBER Working Paper No. 16841

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heckman, James J.

2011-01-01

In contemporary America, racial gaps in achievement are primarily due to gaps in skills. Skill gaps emerge early before children enter school. Families are major producers of those skills. Inequality in performance in school is strongly linked to inequality in family environments. Schools do little to reduce or enlarge the gaps in skills that are…

A Capstone Project Using the Gap Analysis Model: Closing the College Readiness Gap for Latino English Language Learners with a Focus on School Support and School Counseling Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jimenez, Evelyn

2013-01-01

This capstone project applied Clark and Estes' (2008) gap analysis framework to identify performance gaps, develop perceived root causes, validate the causes, and formulate research-based solutions to present to Trojan High School. The purpose was to examine ways to increase the academic achievement of ELL students, specifically Latinos, by…

Effects of Resection of Posterior Condyles of Femur on Extension Gap of Knee Joint in Total Knee Arthroplasty.

PubMed

Seo, Seung-Suk; Kim, Chang-Wan; Seo, Jin-Hyuk; Kim, Do-Hun; Kim, Ok-Gul; Lee, Chang-Rack

2017-06-01

When evaluating the effects of the preparation of the flexion gap on the extension gap in total knee arthroplasty (TKA), the effects of posterior condylar resection and osteophyte removal on the extension gap should be differentiated. Although the amount of osteophytes differs between patients, posterior condylar resection is a procedure that is routinely implemented in TKA. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of the resection of the posterior condyle of the femur on the extension gap in posterior-stabilized (PS) TKA. We enrolled 40 knees that underwent PS TKA between July 2010 and February 2011 with no or minimal osteophytes in the posterior compartment and a varus deformity of <15°. We measured the extension gap before and after the resection of the posterior condyle of the femur using a tensor under 20 and 40 lb of distraction force. Under 20 lb of distraction force, the average extension gap was 13.3 mm (standard deviation [SD], 1.6) before and 13.8 mm (SD, 1.6) after posterior condylar resection. Under 40 lb of distraction force, the average extension gap was 15.1 mm (SD, 1.5) before and 16.1 mm (SD, 1.7) after posterior condylar resection. The resection of the posterior condyle of the femur in PS TKA increased the extension gap. However, this increase was only by approximately 1 mm. In conclusion, posterior condylar resection does increase the extension gap by approximately 1 mm. However, in most case, this change in unlikely to be clinically important. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Collaborative Professional Development in Chemistry Education Research: Bridging the Gap between Research and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Szteinberg, Gabriela; Balicki, Scott; Banks, Gregory; Clinchot, Michael; Cullipher, Steven; Huie, Robert; Lambertz, Jennifer; Lewis, Rebecca; Ngai, Courtney; Weinrich, Melissa; Talanquer, Vicente; Sevian, Hannah

2014-01-01

Professional development that bridges gaps between educational research and practice is needed. However, bridging gaps can be difficult because teachers and educational researchers often belong to different Communities of Practice, as their activities, goals, and means of achieving those goals often differ. Meaningful collaboration among teachers…

Understanding the Fourth-Grade Slump: Our Point of View

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanacore, Joseph; Palumbo, Anthony

2009-01-01

Educators know that an achievement gap exists between students of low-income and middle-income families, a gap that is especially evident in fourth grade and beyond. This essay explores issues related to this gap, including primary-level children being immersed in narrative text and, therefore, unprepared for the challenges of informational text…

A diffusive atmospheric pressure glow discharge in a coaxial pin-to-ring gap with a transverse magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, YongSheng; Ding, WeiDong; Yan, JiaQi; Wang, YaNan

2017-09-01

Atmospheric pressure glow discharge (APGD) has been widely used in the industrial field. The industrial applications are based on achieving stable and diffusive APGD in a relatively large space. The existing sources only achieved stable and diffusive APGD between a short inter-electrode distance within 5 millimeters. In this paper, the effect of a transverse stationary magnetic field on the diffusion of filamentary APGD was studied in a pin-to-ring coaxial gap. The APGD was driven by a high-voltage resonant power supply, and the stationary magnetic field was supplied by a permanent magnet. The stable and diffusive APGD was achieved in the circular area, which diameter was 20 millimeters. The experimental results revealed that more collision ionization occurred and the plasma was distributed diffusively in the discharge gap by applying the external transverse magnetic field. Besides, it is likely to obtain more stable and diffusive APGD in the coaxial pin-to-ring discharge gap when adjusting the input voltage, transverse magnetic flux density and resonant frequency of the power supply.

Why are Mexican American boys so much taller now?

PubMed

Delajara, Marcelo; Rodríguez-Segura, Melissa

2010-07-01

Using NHANES data we find that the difference in average height between non-Hispanic White and Mexican American boys of ages 2-14 years has decreased 1.7 cm on average during the last quarter of the twentieth century in the United States. Our hypothesis is that the narrowing of the height gap is related to a larger gain in maternal height among Mexican Americans in relation to Whites. We estimate a child's height equation and find that on average about 38% of the reduction in the gap for boys of ages 2-5 years is attributed to this factor. The evidence of a secular trend for height is weak for the case of girls. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fullerene-Free Organic Solar Cells with an Efficiency of 10.2% and an Energy Loss of 0.59 eV Based on a Thieno[3,4-c]Pyrrole-4,6-dione-Containing Wide Band Gap Polymer Donor.

PubMed

Hadmojo, Wisnu Tantyo; Wibowo, Febrian Tri Adhi; Ryu, Du Yeol; Jung, In Hwan; Jang, Sung-Yeon

2017-09-27

Although the combination of wide band gap polymer donors and narrow band gap small-molecule acceptors achieved state-of-the-art performance as bulk heterojunction (BHJ) active layers for organic solar cells, there have been only several of the wide band gap polymers that actually realized high-efficiency devices over >10%. Herein, we developed high-efficiency, low-energy-loss fullerene-free organic solar cells using a weakly crystalline wide band gap polymer donor, PBDTTPD-HT, and a nonfullerene small-molecule acceptor, ITIC. The excessive intermolecular stacking of ITIC is efficiently suppressed by the miscibility with PBDTTPD-HT, which led to a well-balanced nanomorphology in the PBDTTPD-HT/ITIC BHJ active films. The favorable optical, electronic, and energetic properties of PBDTTPD-HT with respect to ITIC achieved panchromatic photon-to-current conversion with a remarkably low energy loss (0.59 eV).

The American Family in Black and White: A Post-Racial Strategy for Improving Skills to Promote Equality

PubMed Central

Heckman, James J.

2012-01-01

In contemporary America, racial gaps in achievement are primarily due to gaps in skills. Skill gaps emerge early before children enter school. Families are major producers of those skills. Inequality in performance in school is strongly linked to inequality in family environments. Schools do little to reduce or enlarge the gaps in skills that are present when children enter school. Parenting matters, and the true measure of child advantage and disadvantage is the quality of parenting received. A growing fraction of American children across all race and ethnic groups is being raised in dysfunctional families. Investment in the early lives of children in disadvantaged families will help close achievement gaps. America currently relies too much on schools and adolescent remediation strategies to solve problems that start in the preschool years. Policy should prevent rather than remediate. Voluntary, culturally sensitive support for parenting is a politically and economically palatable strategy that addresses problems common to all racial and ethnic groups. PMID:22605880

Educational standardization and gender differences in mathematics achievement: A comparative study.

PubMed

Ayalon, Hanna; Livneh, Idit

2013-03-01

We argue that between-country variations in the gender gap in mathematics are related to the level of educational system standardization. In countries with standardized educational systems both genders are exposed to similar knowledge and are motivated to invest in studying mathematics, which leads to similar achievements. We hypothesize that national examinations and between-teacher uniformity in covering major mathematics topics are associated with a smaller gender gap in a country. Based on Trends of International Mathematical and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003, we use multilevel regression models to compare the link of these two factors to the gender gap in 32 countries, controlling for various country characteristics. The use of national examinations and less between-teacher instructional variation prove major factors in reducing the advantage of boys over girls in mathematics scores and in the odds of excelling. Factors representing gender stratification, often analyzed in comparative gender-gap research in mathematics, are at most marginal in respect of the gap. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electronic properties of hexagonal gallium phosphide: A DFT investigation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kumar, Vipin; Shah, Esha V.; Roy, Debesh R., E-mail: drr@ashd.svnit.ac.in

2016-05-23

A detail density functional investigation is performed to develop hexagonal 2D gallium phosphide material. The geometry, band structure and density of states (total and projected) of 2D hexagonal GaP are reported in detail. It is heartening to note that the developed material is identified as an indirect band gap semiconductor. The indirect gap for this material is predicted as 1.97 eV at K-Γ, and a direct gap of 2.28 eV at K point is achieved, which is very close to the reported direct band gap for zinc blende and buckled structures of GaP.

Clinical outcomes with the corticotomy-first technique associated with the Ilizarov method for the management of the septic long bones non-union.

PubMed

Hosny, Gamal Ahmed; Ahmed, Abdel-Salam Abdel-Aleem; Hussein, Mohamed Abd-Elaal

2018-04-07

Corticotomy is an integral part of the Ilizarov method on management of infected nonunited fractures that are challenging orthopaedic surgeons. However, the presence of active draining sinuses may contaminate the operative field with the potential of developing corticotomy site infection. The authors present a surgical technique aiming at minimizing or avoiding the risk of surgical site infection (SSI) in the corticotomy zone. A total of 144 cases of draining infected nonunions were treated by Ilizarov fixator using the corticotomy-first technique. The study included humeral (18 cases), femoral (52 cases), and tibial (74 cases) nonunions. The mean age was 44.48 years with 87 males and 57 females. The mean duration of nonunion was 28.69 months. After debridement, the combined shortening and nonunion gap averaged 5.98 (range 3-10) cm. Evaluation of bone and functional results was done according to Association for the Study and Application of the Method of Ilizarov (ASAMI) criteria. The follow-up period averaged 51.05 (range 36-72) months. None of the cases developed corticotomy site or distraction gap infection. Union was successfully achieved in 141 cases (97.92%). Nonunion persisted in three cases (2.08%) in the distal tibia. Infection was eventually controlled in 138 cases (95.83%). Bone grafting was not needed in any case. The Ilizarov fixator with the corticotomy-first technique was effective in the management of draining infected non-united fractures of long bones while avoiding the SSI in the corticotomy site in all cases.

Efficient frequency downconversion at the single photon level from the red spectral range to the telecommunications C-band.

PubMed

Zaske, Sebastian; Lenhard, Andreas; Becher, Christoph

2011-06-20

We report on single photon frequency downconversion from the red part of the spectrum (738 nm) to the telecommunications C-band. By mixing attenuated laser pulses with an average photon number per pulse < 1 with a strong continuous light field at 1403 nm in a periodically poled Zn:LiNbO3 ridge waveguide an internal conversion efficiency of ∼ 73% is achieved. We further investigate the noise properties of the process by measuring the output spectrum. Our results indicate that by narrow spectral filtering a quantum interface should be feasible which bridges the wavelength gap between quantum emitters like color centers in diamond emitting in the red part of the spectrum and low-loss fiber-optic telecommunications wavelengths.

National differences in gender–science stereotypes predict national sex differences in science and math achievement

PubMed Central

Nosek, Brian A.; Smyth, Frederick L.; Sriram, N.; Lindner, Nicole M.; Devos, Thierry; Ayala, Alfonso; Bar-Anan, Yoav; Bergh, Robin; Cai, Huajian; Gonsalkorale, Karen; Kesebir, Selin; Maliszewski, Norbert; Neto, Félix; Olli, Eero; Park, Jaihyun; Schnabel, Konrad; Shiomura, Kimihiro; Tulbure, Bogdan Tudor; Wiers, Reinout W.; Somogyi, Mónika; Akrami, Nazar; Ekehammar, Bo; Vianello, Michelangelo; Banaji, Mahzarin R.; Greenwald, Anthony G.

2009-01-01

About 70% of more than half a million Implicit Association Tests completed by citizens of 34 countries revealed expected implicit stereotypes associating science with males more than with females. We discovered that nation-level implicit stereotypes predicted nation-level sex differences in 8th-grade science and mathematics achievement. Self-reported stereotypes did not provide additional predictive validity of the achievement gap. We suggest that implicit stereotypes and sex differences in science participation and performance are mutually reinforcing, contributing to the persistent gender gap in science engagement. PMID:19549876

Inverted File Compression through Document Identifier Reassignment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shieh, Wann-Yun; Chen, Tien-Fu; Shann, Jean Jyh-Jiun; Chung, Chung-Ping

2003-01-01

Discusses the use of inverted files in information retrieval systems and proposes a document identifier reassignment method to reduce the average gap values in an inverted file. Highlights include the d-gap technique; document similarity; heuristic algorithms; file compression; and performance evaluation from a simulation environment. (LRW)

Closing the Achievement Gap by Improving Reading Instruction. Hearing before the Committee on Education and the Workforce. House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventh Congress, First Session (Orlando, Florida, November 13, 2001).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

A field hearing of the United States House of Representatives' Committee on Education and the Workforce, entitled "Closing the Achievement Gap by Improving Reading Instruction," was held at Lancaster Elementary School in Orlando, Florida, on November 13, 2001. The hearing begins with welcoming statements by the committee chairman and one…

Summer Regression & Rural Students: The Effects of The Extended School Year on Mathematics & Reading for Elementary-Age Students with a Low-SES Background

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zajic, Justin E.

2017-01-01

The extensive body of research into summer learning loss and the expanding achievement gap is a well-known issue in education. Summer learning loss has been shown to significantly contribute to the achievement gap and have a more noticeable effect on students from a low-SES household when compared with higher income peers. The effects of summer…

Achievement Gap Patterns of Grade 8 American Indian and Alaska Native Students in Reading and Math. Issues & Answers. REL 2009-No. 073

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Steven; Greenough, Richard; Sage, Nicole

2009-01-01

Focusing on student proficiency in reading and math from 2003-04 to 2006-07, this report compares gaps in performance on state achievement tests between grade 8 American Indian and Alaska Native students and all other grade 8 students in 26 states serving large populations of American Indian and Alaska Native students. In response to a request by…

Flexible thin-film black gold membranes with ultrabroadband plasmonic nanofocusing for efficient solar vapour generation.

PubMed

Bae, Kyuyoung; Kang, Gumin; Cho, Suehyun K; Park, Wounjhang; Kim, Kyoungsik; Padilla, Willie J

2015-12-14

Solar steam generation has been achieved by surface plasmon heating with metallic nanoshells or nanoparticles, which have inherently narrow absorption bandwidth. For efficient light-to-heat conversion from a wider solar spectrum, we employ adiabatic plasmonic nanofocusing to attain both polarization-independent ultrabroadband light absorption and high plasmon dissipation loss. Here we demonstrate large area, flexible thin-film black gold membranes, which have multiscale structures of varying metallic nanoscale gaps (0-200 nm) as well as microscale funnel structures. The adiabatic nanofocusing of self-aggregated metallic nanowire bundle arrays produces average absorption of 91% at 400-2,500 nm and the microscale funnel structures lead to average reflection of 7% at 2.5-17 μm. This membrane allows heat localization within the few micrometre-thick layer and continuous water provision through micropores. We efficiently generate water vapour with solar thermal conversion efficiency up to 57% at 20 kW m(-2). This new structure has a variety of applications in solar energy harvesting, thermoplasmonics and related technologies.

The climb to break the glass ceiling in surgery: trends in women progressing from medical school to surgical training and academic leadership from 1994 to 2015.

PubMed

Abelson, Jonathan S; Chartrand, Genevieve; Moo, Tracy-Ann; Moore, Maureen; Yeo, Heather

2016-10-01

There have been many efforts to increase the number of women surgeons. We provide an update of women surgeon representation along the pathway to surgical academia. Data was extracted from Association of American Medical Colleges FACTS and Faculty Administrative Management Online User System as well as GME annual reports starting in 1994 until the last year available for each. The proportion of graduating women medical students has increased on average .5% per year from 1994 to 2014. Women general surgery trainees have more than doubled in number over the same period but represented 38.3% of all general surgery trainees in 2014. Women Full Professors increased on average .3% from 1994 to 2015 but still make up less than 10% of all Full Professors. Despite improvements over the past 20 years, there are still large gender gaps in surgery for trainees and academic leadership. At the current rate of increase, women Full Professors will not achieve gender parity until in 2136. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Flexible thin-film black gold membranes with ultrabroadband plasmonic nanofocusing for efficient solar vapour generation

PubMed Central

Bae, Kyuyoung; Kang, Gumin; Cho, Suehyun K.; Park, Wounjhang; Kim, Kyoungsik; Padilla, Willie J.

2015-01-01

Solar steam generation has been achieved by surface plasmon heating with metallic nanoshells or nanoparticles, which have inherently narrow absorption bandwidth. For efficient light-to-heat conversion from a wider solar spectrum, we employ adiabatic plasmonic nanofocusing to attain both polarization-independent ultrabroadband light absorption and high plasmon dissipation loss. Here we demonstrate large area, flexible thin-film black gold membranes, which have multiscale structures of varying metallic nanoscale gaps (0–200 nm) as well as microscale funnel structures. The adiabatic nanofocusing of self-aggregated metallic nanowire bundle arrays produces average absorption of 91% at 400–2,500 nm and the microscale funnel structures lead to average reflection of 7% at 2.5–17 μm. This membrane allows heat localization within the few micrometre-thick layer and continuous water provision through micropores. We efficiently generate water vapour with solar thermal conversion efficiency up to 57% at 20 kW m−2. This new structure has a variety of applications in solar energy harvesting, thermoplasmonics and related technologies. PMID:26657535

Closing Achievement Gaps with a Utility-Value Intervention: Disentangling Race and Social Class

PubMed Central

Harackiewicz, Judith M.; Canning, Elizabeth A.; Tibbetts, Yoi; Priniski, Stacy J.; Hyde, Janet S.

2015-01-01

Many college students abandon their goal of completing a degree in STEM when confronted with challenging introductory-level science courses. In the U.S., this trend is more pronounced for underrepresented minority (URM) and first-generation (FG) students, and contributes to persisting racial and social-class achievement gaps in higher education. Previous intervention studies have focused exclusively on race or social class, but have not examined how the two may be confounded and interact. This research therefore investigates the independent and interactive effects of race and social class as moderators of an intervention designed to promote performance, measured by grade in the course. In a double-blind randomized experiment conducted over four semesters of an introductory biology course (N = 1040), we tested the effectiveness of a utility-value intervention in which students wrote about the personal relevance of course material. The utility-value intervention was successful in reducing the achievement gap for FG-URM students by 61%: the performance gap for FG-URM students, relative to CG-Majority students, was large in the control condition, .84 grade points (d = .98), and the treatment effect for FG-URM students was .51 grade points (d = 0.55). The UV intervention helped students from all groups find utility value in the course content, and mediation analyses showed that the process of writing about utility value was particularly powerful for FG-URM students. Results highlight the importance of examining the independent and interactive effects of race and social class when evaluating interventions to close achievement gaps and the mechanisms through which they may operate. PMID:26524001

Toward Excellence with Equity: An Emerging Vision for Closing the Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferguson, Ronald F.

2007-01-01

For the past 15 years, economist Ronald Ferguson has investigated the myriad factors that combine to create racial disparities in academic performance. Beginning with his analysis of the impact of test scores in predicting racial wage gaps, Ferguson has explored how rates of progress in narrowing gaps have varied over the recent decades, the roles…

Public Perceptions of the Pay Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Catherine; Silva, Elena

2005-01-01

Women have made gains toward closing the gender pay gap during the past two decades. Much of the progress occurred during the 1980s, with smaller gains in the 1990s (Institute for Women's Policy Research 2004). Women's achievements in higher education are partly responsible for narrowing the pay gap in the 1980s and 1990s. As more women earned…

Black-White Achievement Gap and Family Wealth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeung, W. Jean; Conley, Dalton

2008-01-01

This article examines the extent to which family wealth affects the Black-White test score gap for young children based on data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (aged 3-12). This study found little evidence that wealth mediated the Black-White test scores gaps, which were eliminated when child and family demographic covariates were held…

Trends in Income-Related Gaps in Enrollment in Early Childhood Education: 1968 to 2013

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magnuson, Katherine; Waldfogel, Jane

2016-01-01

The academic achievement gap between children from the lowest- and highest-income families appears to have risen in recent decades in the United States. Such income-related disparities in academic skills are already present when children enter elementary school, suggesting that the explanation for changing gaps can be traced to changing…

Promising Practices and Unfinished Business: Fostering Equity and Excellence for Black and Latino Males

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tung, Rosann; Carlo, Vivian Dalila; Colón, Melissa; Del Razo, Jaime L.; Diamond, John B.; Raynor, Alethea Frazier; Graves, Daren; Kuttner, Paul J.; Miranda, Helena; St. Rose, Andresse

2015-01-01

Boston Public Schools (BPS) commissioned companion studies as part of its efforts to address achievement gaps for Black and Latino males. The first study revealed the increasing diversity of Black and Latino males and stark opportunity gaps throughout the system that contribute in large part to wide attainment gaps for these students. We…

Working the Crevices: Granting Students Authority in Authoritarian Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodman, Joan F.; Hoagland, Jessica; Pierre-Toussaint, Nadel; Rodriguez, Celeste; Sanabria, Christina

2011-01-01

Schools are beset with a serious "alienation gap" between teachers and students that is no less a problem than the "achievement gap." Increasing student voice is thought to be one means to fill the gap, for it activates agency and thereby decreases passivity. The extent of agency ranges from attentive adult listening to strong student leadership.…

Pakistan’s Nuclear Future: Reining in the Risk

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

Pakistan has developed gaps between average yields and yields obtained by the best farmers; between the best farmers and those obtained by research... yield gap —outputs of the current livestock population compared with the output obtained in more developed systems—at between 60 to 80 percent. The...unprecedented increase in rate of inflation, a significant increase in the incidence of poverty, a widening in the already large regional income gap

A novel compact heat exchanger using gap flow mechanism.

PubMed

Liang, J S; Zhang, Y; Wang, D Z; Luo, T P; Ren, T Q

2015-02-01

A novel, compact gap-flow heat exchanger (GFHE) using heat-transfer fluid (HTF) was developed in this paper. The detail design of the GFHE coaxial structure which forms the annular gap passage for HTF is presented. Computational fluid dynamics simulations were introduced into the design to determine the impacts of the gap width and the HTF flow rate on the GFHE performance. A comparative study on the GFHE heating rate, with the gap widths ranged from 0.1 to 1.0 mm and the HTF flow rates ranged from 100 to 500 ml/min, was carried out. Results show that a narrower gap passage and a higher HTF flow rate can yield a higher average heating rate in GFHE. However, considering the compromise between the GFHE heating rate and the HTF pressure drop along the gap, a 0.4 mm gap width is preferred. A testing loop was also set up to experimentally evaluate the GFHE capability. The testing results show that, by using 0.4 mm gap width and 500 ml/min HTF flow rate, the maximum heating rate in the working chamber of the as-made GFHE can reach 18 °C/min, and the average temperature change rates in the heating and cooling processes of the thermal cycle test were recorded as 6.5 and 5.4 °C/min, respectively. These temperature change rates can well satisfy the standard of IEC 60068-2-14:2009 and show that the GFHE developed in this work has sufficient heat exchange capacity and can be used as an ideal compact heat exchanger in small volume desktop thermal fatigue test apparatus.

Assessment Results and Student Achievement; a Correlation Study Regarding Ability Grouping

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slonaker, Richard V.

2013-01-01

School leaders face increased pressure to identify instructional and administrative practices that increase student achievement. However, achievement gaps persist between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged student groups. This study highlighted relationships between ability grouping and academic achievement in a suburban school district.…

The CACAO Method for Smoothing, Gap Filling, and Characterizing Seasonal Anomalies in Satellite Time Series

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Verger, Aleixandre; Baret, F.; Weiss, M.; Kandasamy, S.; Vermote, E.

2013-01-01

Consistent, continuous, and long time series of global biophysical variables derived from satellite data are required for global change research. A novel climatology fitting approach called CACAO (Consistent Adjustment of the Climatology to Actual Observations) is proposed to reduce noise and fill gaps in time series by scaling and shifting the seasonal climatological patterns to the actual observations. The shift and scale CACAO parameters adjusted for each season allow quantifying shifts in the timing of seasonal phenology and inter-annual variations in magnitude as compared to the average climatology. CACAO was assessed first over simulated daily Leaf Area Index (LAI) time series with varying fractions of missing data and noise. Then, performances were analyzed over actual satellite LAI products derived from AVHRR Long-Term Data Record for the 1981-2000 period over the BELMANIP2 globally representative sample of sites. Comparison with two widely used temporal filtering methods-the asymmetric Gaussian (AG) model and the Savitzky-Golay (SG) filter as implemented in TIMESAT-revealed that CACAO achieved better performances for smoothing AVHRR time series characterized by high level of noise and frequent missing observations. The resulting smoothed time series captures well the vegetation dynamics and shows no gaps as compared to the 50-60% of still missing data after AG or SG reconstructions. Results of simulation experiments as well as confrontation with actual AVHRR time series indicate that the proposed CACAO method is more robust to noise and missing data than AG and SG methods for phenology extraction.

How can we further improve the LDL-cholesterol target level achievement rate based on the Hungarian MULTI GAP 2011 study results and considering the new European dyslipidemia guidelines?

PubMed

Mark, Laszlo; Paragh, György; Karadi, Istvan; Reiber, Istvan; Pados, Gyula; Kiss, Zoltan

2012-09-08

Despite the continuous improvement of the quality of lipid lowering therapy the achievement of target values is still not satisfactory, mainly in the very high cardiovascular risk category patients, where the goal of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is 1.80 mmol/l. The trends in lipid lowering treatment of 17420 patients from different studies conducted between 2004 and 2010 were compared to that of 1626 patients of MULTI GAP (MULTI Goal Attainment Problem) 2011 treated by general practitioners (GPs) and specialists. In MULTI GAP 2011 the mean LDL-C level ± SD) of patients treated by GPs was found to be 2.87 ±1.01 mmol/l, the target value of 2.50 was achieved by 40% of them, in the specialists' patients the mean LDL-C level proved to be 2.77 ±1.10 mmol/l and the achievement rate was 45%. In the 2.50 mmol/l achievement rate of GPs' patients a satisfactory improvement was observed in the studied years, but the 1.80 mmol/l LDL-C goal in 2011 was attained only in 11% of very high risk cases. There was a linear correlation between the patient compliance estimated by the physicians and the LDL-C achievement rate. As the number of very high risk category patients has been increased according to the new European dyslipidemia guidelines, growing attention needs to be placed on attainment of the 1.80 mmol/l LDL-C level. Based on the results of the MULTI GAP studies, improving patients' adherence and the continuous training of physicians are necessary.

Reducing the socio-economic status achievement gap at University by promoting mastery-oriented assessment.

PubMed

Smeding, Annique; Darnon, Céline; Souchal, Carine; Toczek-Capelle, Marie-Christine; Butera, Fabrizio

2013-01-01

In spite of official intentions to reduce inequalities at University, students' socio-economic status (SES) is still a major determinant of academic success. The literature on the dual function of University suggests that University serves not only an educational function (i.e., to improve students' learning), but also a selection function (i.e., to compare people, and orient them towards different positions in society). Because current assessment practices focus on the selection more than on the educational function, their characteristics fit better with norms and values shared by dominant high-status groups and may favour high-SES students over low-SES students in terms of performances. A focus on the educational function (i.e., mastery goals), instead, may support low-SES students' achievement, but empirical evidence is currently lacking. The present research set out to provide such evidence and tested, in two field studies and a randomised field experiment, the hypothesis that focusing on University's educational function rather than on its selection function may reduce the SES achievement gap. Results showed that a focus on learning, mastery-oriented goals in the assessment process reduced the SES achievement gap at University. For the first time, empirical data support the idea that low-SES students can perform as well as high-SES students if they are led to understand assessment as part of the learning process, a way to reach mastery goals, rather than as a way to compare students to each other and select the best of them, resulting in performance goals. This research thus provides a theoretical framework to understand the differential effects of assessment on the achievement of high and low-SES students, and paves the way toward the implementation of novel, theory-driven interventions to reduce the SES-based achievement gap at University.

[Research progresses of the completed pediatrics projects funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China from 2002 to 2006].

PubMed

Xu, Ling; Hao, Jie; Deng, Min; Xu, Yan-ying

2009-05-01

To understand the projects completion and research progresses in pediatrics which were funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), and evaluate the accomplishment objectively and justly. The completion status of projects in pediatrics funded by department of clinical medicine II from 2002 to 2006 was analysed retrospectively, and important research achievement and outstanding development in some projects were reported. During the period between 2002 and 2006, 420 articles were published, and the average was 8.1 papers per project, which included 56 papers that were published in journals indexed by SCI (the average was 1.1 papers per project). The completion of general project was better than that of "the Young Researchers Fund" and small grant project. Ten post-doctors, 102 doctors and 109 masters were trained. Two projects were awarded with the first grade prize and another 2 with the second grade prize at the provincial and ministerial level, 4 items applied for patent and 1 was granted. These completed projects, which were mainly related to 7 of 12 subspecialties in the field of pediatrics, such as the respiratory disease, nephrology, neurology, cardiology, endocrinology, hematology, neonatology, are the major portion of the application projects and subsidized projects funded by NSFC, and achieved great research progresses. During the period between 2002 and 2006, the 52 completed projects in pediatrics showed difference in the distribution and quality of accomplishment among subspecialties and among types of supported projects; there are some gaps between pediatrics and some other clinical basic subspecialties II, this situation released the research status and problems in development of pediatrics in China. The general projects completion was good, and many projects obtained research achievements, which reflect the leading function of NSFC in pediatric research.

Inequalities in non-communicable diseases between the major population groups in Israel: achievements and challenges.

PubMed

Muhsen, Khitam; Green, Manfred S; Soskolne, Varda; Neumark, Yehuda

2017-06-24

Israel is a high-income country with an advanced health system and universal health-care insurance. Overall, the health status has improved steadily over recent decades. We examined differences in morbidity, mortality, and risk factors for selected non-communicable diseases (NCDs) between subpopulation groups. Between 1975 and 2014, life expectancy in Israel steadily increased and is currently above the average life expectancy for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. Nevertheless, life expectancy has remained lower among Israeli Arabs than Israeli Jews, and this gap has recently widened. Age-adjusted mortality as a result of heart disease, stroke, or diabetes remains higher in Arabs, whereas age-adjusted incidence and mortality of cancer were higher among Jews. The prevalence of obesity and low physical activity in Israel is considerably higher among Arabs than Jews. Smoking prevalence is highest for Arab men and lowest for Arab women. Health inequalities are also evident by the indicators of socioeconomic position and in subpopulations, such as immigrants from the former Soviet Union, ultra-Orthodox Jews, and Bedouin Arabs. Despite universal health coverage and substantial improvements in the overall health of the Israeli population, substantial inequalities in NCDs persist. These differences might be explained, at least in part, by gaps in social determinants of health. The Ministry of Health has developed comprehensive programmes to reduce these inequalities between the major population groups. Sustained coordinated multisectoral efforts are needed to achieve a greater impact and to address other social inequalities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

WWC Review of the Report "Closing the Achievement Gap through Modification of Neurocognitive and Neuroendocrine Function: Results from a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of an Innovative Approach to the Education of Children in Kindergarten." What Works Clearinghouse Single Study Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2015

2015-01-01

In the 2014 report, "Closing the Achievement Gap Through Modification of Neurocognitive and Neuroendocrine Function: Results from a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of an Innovative Approach to the Education of Children in Kindergarten," researchers examined the impacts of "Tools of the Mind" on cognitive and academic…

Examining the Perceptions of Gwinnett and Cobb County Georgia Principals to Determine the Strategies Needed to Improve Performance and Graduation Rates of African-American Males in Metropolitan U.S. Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henderson, Darren L.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of high school administrators in Gwinnett and Cobb Counties, Georgia that have successfully narrowed the achievement gap for high school African-American males as to: (a) why the achievement gap continues to occur in other metropolitan high schools in the United States; (b) what successful…

Perovskite-perovskite tandem photovoltaics with optimized band gaps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eperon, Giles E.; Leijtens, Tomas; Bush, Kevin A.; Prasanna, Rohit; Green, Thomas; Wang, Jacob Tse-Wei; McMeekin, David P.; Volonakis, George; Milot, Rebecca L.; May, Richard; Palmstrom, Axel; Slotcavage, Daniel J.; Belisle, Rebecca A.; Patel, Jay B.; Parrott, Elizabeth S.; Sutton, Rebecca J.; Ma, Wen; Moghadam, Farhad; Conings, Bert; Babayigit, Aslihan; Boyen, Hans-Gerd; Bent, Stacey; Giustino, Feliciano; Herz, Laura M.; Johnston, Michael B.; McGehee, Michael D.; Snaith, Henry J.

2016-11-01

We demonstrate four- and two-terminal perovskite-perovskite tandem solar cells with ideally matched band gaps. We develop an infrared-absorbing 1.2-electron volt band-gap perovskite, FA0.75Cs0.25Sn0.5Pb0.5I3, that can deliver 14.8% efficiency. By combining this material with a wider-band gap FA0.83Cs0.17Pb(I0.5Br0.5)3 material, we achieve monolithic two-terminal tandem efficiencies of 17.0% with >1.65-volt open-circuit voltage. We also make mechanically stacked four-terminal tandem cells and obtain 20.3% efficiency. Notably, we find that our infrared-absorbing perovskite cells exhibit excellent thermal and atmospheric stability, not previously achieved for Sn-based perovskites. This device architecture and materials set will enable “all-perovskite” thin-film solar cells to reach the highest efficiencies in the long term at the lowest costs.

Gap Analysis for Chinese Drug Control Institutes to Achieve the Standards of World Health Organization Medicine Prequalification.

PubMed

Mao, Xin; Yang, Yue

2017-02-01

The study aims to explore the challenges and the gaps faced by Chinese Drug Control Institutes in achieving the standards of World Health Organization (WHO) Medicine Prequalification. The study was undertaken with 6 Provincial Drug Control Institutes in China from November 2012 to November 2013. The study assessed key elements required to comply with WHO Good Practices for Pharmaceutical Quality Control Laboratories (GPPQCL). For GPPQCL, the study found gaps in quality management system, control of documentation, data-processing equipment, premises and equipment, contracts, reagents (water), reference substances and reference materials, calibration, verification of performance and qualification of equipment, instruments and other devices, analytical worksheet, evaluation of test results, personnel, and validation of analytical procedures. The study indicates that gaps are attributed to differences between the standards of Chinese Accreditation Standards and WHO-GPPQCL. Copyright © 2017 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dual echelon femtosecond single-shot spectroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shin, Taeho; Wolfson, Johanna W.; Teitelbaum, Samuel W.

We have developed a femtosecond single-shot spectroscopic technique to measure irreversible changes in condensed phase materials in real time. Crossed echelons generate a two-dimensional array of time-delayed pulses with one femtosecond probe pulse. This yields 9 ps of time-resolved data from a single laser shot, filling a gap in currently employed measurement methods. We can now monitor ultrafast irreversible dynamics in solid-state materials or other samples that cannot be flowed or replenished between laser shots, circumventing limitations of conventional pump-probe methods due to sample damage or product buildup. Despite the absence of signal-averaging in the single-shot measurement, an acceptable signal-to-noisemore » level has been achieved via background and reference calibration procedures. Pump-induced changes in relative reflectivity as small as 0.2%−0.5% are demonstrated in semimetals, with both electronic and coherent phonon dynamics revealed by the data. The optical arrangement and the space-to-time conversion and calibration procedures necessary to achieve this level of operation are described. Sources of noise and approaches for dealing with them are discussed.« less

Method for obtaining large levitation pressure in superconducting magnetic bearings

DOEpatents

Hull, John R.

1997-01-01

A method and apparatus for compressing magnetic flux to achieve high levitation pressures. Magnetic flux produced by a magnetic flux source travels through a gap between two high temperature superconducting material structures. The gap has a varying cross-sectional area to compress the magnetic flux, providing an increased magnetic field and correspondingly increased levitation force in the gap.

Method for obtaining large levitation pressure in superconducting magnetic bearings

DOEpatents

Hull, John R.

1996-01-01

A method and apparatus for compressing magnetic flux to achieve high levitation pressures. Magnetic flux produced by a magnetic flux source travels through a gap between two high temperature superconducting material structures. The gap has a varying cross-sectional area to compress the magnetic flux, providing an increased magnetic field and correspondingly increased levitation force in the gap.

A Counternarrative Autoethnography Exploring School Districts' Role in Reproducing Racism: Willful Blindness to Racial Inequities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khalifa, Muhammad A.; Briscoe, Felecia M.

2015-01-01

Background: Racialized suspension gaps are logically and empirically associated with racial achievement gaps and both gaps indicate the endurance of racism in American education. In recent U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Office of Civil Rights data, it was revealed that nationally, Black boys are four times more likely to be suspended…

Gender Gap or Program Gap? Students' Negotiations of Study Practice in a Course in Electromagnetism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andersson, Staffan; Johansson, Anders

2016-01-01

This study of achievement differences, as reflected by course grades, on a third-semester electromagnetism course at a Swedish research university was motivated by instructor concerns about gender inequalities. Quantitative analysis showed a gender gap in course grades between female and male students for the period of fall 2007 to spring 2013.…

Promising Practices and Unfinished Business: Fostering Equity and Excellence for Black and Latino Males. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tung, Rosann; Carlo, Vivian Dalila; Colón, Melissa; Del Razo, Jaime L.; Diamond, John B.; Raynor, Alethea Frazier; Graves, Daren; Kuttner, Paul J.; Miranda, Helena; St. Rose, Andresse

2015-01-01

Boston Public Schools (BPS) commissioned companion studies as part of its efforts to address achievement gaps for Black and Latino males. The first study revealed the increasing diversity of Black and Latino males and stark opportunity gaps throughout the system that contribute in large part to wide attainment gaps for these students. We…

The Discipline Gap: Teachers' Views on the Over-Representation of African American Students in the Discipline System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gregory, Anne; Mosely, Pharmicia M.

2004-01-01

While the achievement gap between African American students and white and Asian students is discussed widely in the media (e.g. Schemo, 2003), the gap in discipline between African Americans and these groups has gained much less attention. Few studies have explored teacher processes that affect the over-representation of African American students…

District Allocation of Human Resources Utilizing the Evidence Based Model: A Study of One High Achieving School District in Southern California

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane, Amber Marie

2013-01-01

This study applies the Gap Analysis Framework to understand the gaps that exist in human resource allocation of one Southern California school district. Once identified, gaps are closed with the reallocation of human resources, according to the Evidenced Based Model, requiring the re-purposing of core classroom teachers, specialists, special…

Does stapes surgery improve tinnitus in patients with otosclerosis?

PubMed

Ismi, Onur; Erdogan, Osman; Yesilova, Mesut; Ozcan, Cengiz; Ovla, Didem; Gorur, Kemal

Otosclerosis (OS) is the primary disease of the human temporal bone characterized by conductive hearing loss and tinnitus. The exact pathogenesis of tinnitus in otosclerosis patients is not known and factors affecting the tinnitus outcome in otosclerosis patients are still controversial. To find the effect of stapedotomy on tinnitus for otosclerosis patients. Fifty-six otosclerosis patients with preoperative tinnitus were enrolled to the study. Pure tone average Air-Bone Gap values, preoperative tinnitus pitch, Air-Bone Gap closure at tinnitus frequencies were evaluated for their effect on the postoperative outcome. Low pitch tinnitus had more favorable outcome compared to high pitch tinnitus (p=0.002). Postoperative average pure tone thresholds Air-Bone Gap values were not related to the postoperative tinnitus (p=0.213). There was no statistically significant difference between postoperative Air-Bone Gap closure at tinnitus frequency and improvement of high pitch tinnitus (p=0.427). There was a statistically significant difference between Air-Bone Gap improvement in tinnitus frequency and low pitch tinnitus recovery (p=0.026). Low pitch tinnitus is more likely to be resolved after stapedotomy for patients with otosclerosis. High pitch tinnitus may not resolve even after closure of the Air-Bone Gap at tinnitus frequencies. Copyright © 2016 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Differences in Occupational Earnings by Sex.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Derek

1998-01-01

This analysis of the female/male wage gap in diverse countries looks at pay scales/job rates, average wage/salary rates, and average earnings in medical, public service, banking, and finance occupations. Explanations for differences and discussion of methodological issues are offered. (SK)

Gap-Balancing versus Measured Resection Technique in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Comparison Study.

PubMed

Churchill, Jessica L; Khlopas, Anton; Sultan, Assem A; Harwin, Steven F; Mont, Michael A

2018-01-01

Proper femoral component alignment in the axial plane during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) depends on accurate bone cuts and soft tissue balancing. Two methods that are used to achieve this are "measured resection" and "gap balancing." However, a controversy exists as to which method is more accurate and leads to better outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate: (1) implant survivorship, (2) patient outcomes, (3) complications, and (4) radiographic analysis comparing patients who underwent TKA with either gap-balancing or measured resection techniques. A total of 214 consecutive patients (221 knees) underwent primary TKA by a single surgeon between 2011 and 2012. Component alignment was achieved by using measured resection in 116 knees and gap balancing was used in 105 knees. The patients had a mean age of 66 years (range, 44-86 years) and a mean body mass index of 32 kg/m 2 (range, 22-52 kg/m 2 ). Patient range-of-motion (ROM) and Knee Society (KS) function and pain scores, and radiographic assessment, were assessed preoperatively and postoperatively at ∼6 weeks, 3 months, 1 year, and then annually. The mean follow-up time was 3 years. A Kaplan-Meier's analysis was performed to calculate the survivorship. The aseptic survivorship was 98% in both the measured resection and gap-balancing groups. The mean ROM was not significantly different between the measured resection and gap-balancing groups (123 vs. 123 degrees, p  = 0.990). There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of the KS function scores (86 vs. 85 points, p  = 0.829) or the KS pain scores (93 vs. 92 points, p  = 0.425). Otherwise, the radiographic evaluation at latest follow-up did not demonstrate any evidence of progressive radiolucencies or loosening, of any prosthesis. The results of this study found that at a mean follow-up of 3 years, both the measured resection and gap-balancing techniques achieved excellent survivorship and postoperative outcomes. This demonstrates that both methods can be used to achieve accurate femoral component alignment with similar short-term outcomes. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Dual-test monitoring of hyperglycemia using daily glucose and weekly fructosamine values.

PubMed

Carter, A W; Borchardt, N; Cooney, M; Greene, D

2001-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of using a dual-test blood glucose/fructosamine home monitoring system to assist individuals identified as having the potential for poor glycemic control to achieve values closer to normal. Forty-eight subjects found to have a fasting blood glucose value of > or = 126 mg/dL, casual blood glucose value of > or = 140 mg/dL, and/or blood fructosamine value of > or = 310 micromol/L, agreed to perform daily self testing for 90 days and were provided a dual-test blood glucose/fructosamine home monitoring system and testing supplies at no charge to them. Medication changes/compliance along with dietary and exercise habits were compared to testing results by the principle investigator at approximate 30-day intervals. The desired goal of this project was to achieve and/or maintain a fasting blood glucose value of < or = 110 mg/dL, a casual blood glucose value of < or = 140 mg/dL and a blood fructosamine value of < or = 310 micromol/L by encouraging each individual to realize the effect of dietary intake and exercise habits, and understand the importance of medication compliance, if appropriate, in achieving better overall glycemic control. Four subjects withdrew from the study prior to completion, 11 of the remaining 44 completed 60 days of testing and 33 of 44 completed 90 days of testing. Regular monitoring and counseling achieved an average reduction in blood glucose of 27.5% and a 16.6% reduction in average blood fructosamine when compared to original screening results of these 44 individuals. This study indicates that the addition of weekly fructosamine values to daily blood glucose values provides both the patient and clinician valuable information to evaluate the impact of dietary, exercise, and medication therapy changes on glycemic control by bridging the existing gap between daily blood glucose values and quarterly HbA1c confirmation of intervention results.

Emotional Intelligence and Academic Achievement in 11th Grade At-Risk Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Patricia Diane

2009-01-01

As the emphasis on measures of student academic achievement increases, educational researchers and practitioners are interested in identifying factors that demonstrate effectiveness in supporting student achievement. This quantitative, correlational study explored the influence of emotional intelligence on closing the achievement gap. A study of…

Internal maxillary distraction with a new bimalar device.

PubMed

Kahn, David M; Broujerdi, Joseph; Schendel, Stephen A

2008-04-01

Distraction osteogenesis of the Le Fort I segment is advocated for patients who require significant advancement of the maxilla or who have a soft tissue envelope compromised by scar tissue. We present a technique for maxillary distraction using an interconnecting intraoral device anchored to the malar prominences above the osteotomy and either the maxilla and/or the dentition below the level of the osteotomy. Ten patients with nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate, mean age of 18, underwent Le Fort I maxillary distraction osteogenesis for management of maxillary hypoplasia. A Le Fort I osteotomy is performed and a Spectrum Intraoral Midface Multi-Vector Distractor (OsteoMed, Addison, TX) is placed leaving a 1 mm to 2 mm distraction gap. After a 2 to 4 day latency period, distraction begins at a rate of 1 mm a day. Once the desired occlusion is achieved the device is left in place for a minimum of 2 months for consolidation. Preoperative Sella-Nasion-A point measurements from lateral cephalograms averaged 74 degrees (range, 70-76 degrees). Postoperative Sella-Nasion-A point averaged 81 degrees (range, 75-89 degrees). Preoperative overjet averaged -7.4 mm (range, -3 to -13 mm). Postoperative overjet averaged 2.6 mm (range, 1-3 mm). Average distraction was 9 mm (range, 6-16 mm). The average vertical movement was 7.2 mm in an inferior direction (range, 0-15 mm). The results remained stable at a follow-up of 30 months. We report on distraction of the Le Fort I segment using an internal device. The device design allows the forces of distraction to be shared across a larger surface area delivering a uniform and reliable vector of distraction with increased stability.

Closing achievement gaps with a utility-value intervention: Disentangling race and social class.

PubMed

Harackiewicz, Judith M; Canning, Elizabeth A; Tibbetts, Yoi; Priniski, Stacy J; Hyde, Janet S

2016-11-01

Many college students abandon their goal of completing a degree in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) when confronted with challenging introductory-level science courses. In the U.S., this trend is more pronounced for underrepresented minority (URM) and first-generation (FG) students, and contributes to persisting racial and social-class achievement gaps in higher education. Previous intervention studies have focused exclusively on race or social class, but have not examined how the 2 may be confounded and interact. This research therefore investigates the independent and interactive effects of race and social class as moderators of an intervention designed to promote performance, measured by grade in the course. In a double-blind randomized experiment conducted over 4 semesters of an introductory biology course (N = 1,040), we tested the effectiveness of a utility-value intervention in which students wrote about the personal relevance of course material. The utility-value intervention was successful in reducing the achievement gap for FG-URM students by 61%: the performance gap for FG-URM students, relative to continuing generation (CG)-Majority students, was large in the control condition, .84 grade points (d = .98), and the treatment effect for FG-URM students was .51 grade points (d = 0.55). The UV intervention helped students from all groups find utility value in the course content, and mediation analyses showed that the process of writing about utility value was particularly powerful for FG-URM students. Results highlight the importance of intersectionality in examining the independent and interactive effects of race and social class when evaluating interventions to close achievement gaps and the mechanisms through which they may operate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Electromagnetic Saturation of Angstrom-Sized Quantum Barriers at Terahertz Frequencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahk, Young-Mi; Kang, Bong Joo; Kim, Yong Seung; Kim, Joon-Yeon; Kim, Won Tae; Kim, Tae Yun; Kang, Taehee; Rhie, Jiyeah; Han, Sanghoon; Park, Cheol-Hwan; Rotermund, Fabian; Kim, Dai-Sik

2015-09-01

Metal-graphene-metal hybrid structures allow angstrom-scale van der Waals gaps, across which electron tunneling occurs. We squeeze terahertz electromagnetic waves through these λ /10 000 000 gaps, accompanied by giant field enhancements. Unprecedented transmission reduction of 97% is achieved with the transient voltage across the gap saturating at 5 V. Electron tunneling facilitated by the transient electric field strongly modifies the gap index, starting a self-limiting process related to the barrier height. Our work enables greater interplay between classical optics and quantum tunneling, and provides optical indices to the van der Waals gaps.

Electromagnetic Saturation of Angstrom-Sized Quantum Barriers at Terahertz Frequencies.

PubMed

Bahk, Young-Mi; Kang, Bong Joo; Kim, Yong Seung; Kim, Joon-Yeon; Kim, Won Tae; Kim, Tae Yun; Kang, Taehee; Rhie, Jiyeah; Han, Sanghoon; Park, Cheol-Hwan; Rotermund, Fabian; Kim, Dai-Sik

2015-09-18

Metal-graphene-metal hybrid structures allow angstrom-scale van der Waals gaps, across which electron tunneling occurs. We squeeze terahertz electromagnetic waves through these λ/10 000 000 gaps, accompanied by giant field enhancements. Unprecedented transmission reduction of 97% is achieved with the transient voltage across the gap saturating at 5 V. Electron tunneling facilitated by the transient electric field strongly modifies the gap index, starting a self-limiting process related to the barrier height. Our work enables greater interplay between classical optics and quantum tunneling, and provides optical indices to the van der Waals gaps.

Gap-Mode Surface-Plasmon-Enhanced Photoluminescence and Photoresponse of MoS2.

PubMed

Wu, Zhi-Qian; Yang, Jing-Liang; Manjunath, Nallappagar K; Zhang, Yue-Jiao; Feng, Si-Rui; Lu, Yang-Hua; Wu, Jiang-Hong; Zhao, Wei-Wei; Qiu, Cai-Yu; Li, Jian-Feng; Lin, Shi-Sheng

2018-05-22

2D materials hold great potential for designing novel electronic and optoelectronic devices. However, 2D material can only absorb limited incident light. As a representative 2D semiconductor, monolayer MoS 2 can only absorb up to 10% of the incident light in the visible, which is not sufficient to achieve a high optical-to-electrical conversion efficiency. To overcome this shortcoming, a "gap-mode" plasmon-enhanced monolayer MoS 2 fluorescent emitter and photodetector is designed by squeezing the light-field into Ag shell-isolated nanoparticles-Au film gap, where the confined electromagnetic field can interact with monolayer MoS 2 . With this gap-mode plasmon-enhanced configuration, a 110-fold enhancement of photoluminescence intensity is achieved, exceeding values reached by other plasmon-enhanced MoS 2 fluorescent emitters. In addition, a gap-mode plasmon-enhanced monolayer MoS 2 photodetector with an 880% enhancement in photocurrent and a responsivity of 287.5 A W -1 is demonstrated, exceeding previously reported plasmon-enhanced monolayer MoS 2 photodetectors. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Increasing prosocial behavior and academic achievement among adolescent African American males.

PubMed

Martin, Don; Martin, Magy; Gibson, Suzanne Semivan; Wilkins, Jonathan

2007-01-01

African American adolescents disproportionately perform poorly compared to peers in both behavioral and academic aspects of their educational experience. In this study, African American male students participated in an after-school program involving tutoring, group counseling, and various enrichment activities. All students were assessed regarding their behavioral changes using attendance, discipline referrals, suspensions, and expulsions reports. The Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (KBIT) and the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement (KTEA) were used to assess the adolescents' improvement in their skills in reading and mathematics. After the end of the two-year program, initial results showed that the adolescents had increased their daily attendance, decreased discipline referrals, and had no suspensions or expulsions. These results also indicated that although the students entered the program at different skill levels, they were assessed to have the ability to function at their appropriate grade level. Their average improvement in basic skills was at least two grade levels. Implications drawn from the findings include: (a) there is a need to emphasize appropriate assessment prior to beginning a skill improvement program; (b) a need to emphasize the use of individualized learning plans and tutors; and (c) a need to further investigate the role of assessment and intervention in after-school programming in order to close the achievement gap.

Ultra-high-resolution inelastic X-ray scattering at high-repetition-rate self-seeded X-ray free-electron lasers

PubMed Central

Chubar, Oleg; Geloni, Gianluca; Kocharyan, Vitali; Madsen, Anders; Saldin, Evgeni; Serkez, Svitozar; Shvyd’ko, Yuri; Sutter, John

2016-01-01

Inelastic X-ray scattering (IXS) is an important tool for studies of equilibrium dynamics in condensed matter. A new spectrometer recently proposed for ultra-high-resolution IXS (UHRIX) has achieved 0.6 meV and 0.25 nm−1 spectral and momentum-transfer resolutions, respectively. However, further improvements down to 0.1 meV and 0.02 nm−1 are required to close the gap in energy–momentum space between high- and low-frequency probes. It is shown that this goal can be achieved by further optimizing the X-ray optics and by increasing the spectral flux of the incident X-ray pulses. UHRIX performs best at energies from 5 to 10 keV, where a combination of self-seeding and undulator tapering at the SASE-2 beamline of the European XFEL promises up to a 100-fold increase in average spectral flux compared with nominal SASE pulses at saturation, or three orders of magnitude more than what is possible with storage-ring-based radiation sources. Wave-optics calculations show that about 7 × 1012 photons s−1 in a 90 µeV bandwidth can be achieved on the sample. This will provide unique new possibilities for dynamics studies by IXS. PMID:26917127

A Program Aimed toward Inclusive Excellence for Underrepresented Undergraduate Women in the Sciences

PubMed Central

Katz, Laura A.; Aloisio, Kathryn M.; Horton, Nicholas J.; Ly, Minh; Pruss, Sara; Queeney, Kate; Rowen, Cate; DiBartolo, Patricia Marten

2017-01-01

Created to foster inclusive excellence, Smith College’s Achieving Excellence in Mathematics, Engineering, and Science (AEMES) Scholars program provides early faculty-mentored research opportunities and other programming as a way to foster success in academic outcomes for underrepresented women in science. Using academic record data, we compared Scholars’ outcomes over time with those of underrepresented students before program launch and to relevant peer comparison groups. Since its launch, AEMES Scholars have achieved significantly higher gateway life sciences course grade point averages (GPAs), rates of persistence in life and natural sciences, and participation in natural sciences advanced research relative to baseline. Gains for Scholars in gateway course GPA eliminated the significant gap that previously existed between science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-underrepresented and other students, whereas gains in natural sciences persistence now has Scholars continuing in STEM at significantly higher rates than all other students. Many of the gains for AEMES Scholars were echoed in findings of improved outcomes for our STEM students overall since AEMES’ launch. Underrepresented students who were not part of the Scholars program also evidenced increased gateway course GPA over this same period. We discuss potential explanations for these outcomes and ongoing work aimed at achieving further inclusive excellence for women in the sciences. PMID:28213581

Ultra-high-resolution inelastic X-ray scattering at high-repetition-rate self-seeded X-ray free-electron lasers

DOE PAGES

Chubar, Oleg; Geloni, Gianluca; Kocharyan, Vitali; ...

2016-03-01

Inelastic X-ray scattering (IXS) is an important tool for studies of equilibrium dynamics in condensed matter. A new spectrometer recently proposed for ultra-high-resolution IXS (UHRIX) has achieved 0.6 meV and 0.25 nm ₋1spectral and momentum-transfer resolutions, respectively. However, further improvements down to 0.1 meV and 0.02 nm ₋1are required to close the gap in energy–momentum space between high- and low-frequency probes. It is shown that this goal can be achieved by further optimizing the X-ray optics and by increasing the spectral flux of the incident X-ray pulses. UHRIX performs best at energies from 5 to 10 keV, where a combinationmore » of self-seeding and undulator tapering at the SASE-2 beamline of the European XFEL promises up to a 100-fold increase in average spectral flux compared with nominal SASE pulses at saturation, or three orders of magnitude more than what is possible with storage-ring-based radiation sources. Wave-optics calculations show that about 7 × 10 12 photons s ₋1in a 90 µeV bandwidth can be achieved on the sample. Ultimately, this will provide unique new possibilities for dynamics studies by IXS.« less

Direct band gap measurement of Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S){sub 2} thin films using high-resolution reflection electron energy loss spectroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heo, Sung; College of Information and Communication Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Cheoncheon-dong 300, Jangan-gu, Suwon 440-746; Lee, Hyung-Ik

2015-06-29

To investigate the band gap profile of Cu(In{sub 1−x},Ga{sub x})(Se{sub 1−y}S{sub y}){sub 2} of various compositions, we measured the band gap profile directly as a function of in-depth using high-resolution reflection energy loss spectroscopy (HR-REELS), which was compared with the band gap profile calculated based on the auger depth profile. The band gap profile is a double-graded band gap as a function of in-depth. The calculated band gap obtained from the auger depth profile seems to be larger than that by HR-REELS. Calculated band gaps are to measure the average band gap of the spatially different varying compositions with respectmore » to considering its void fraction. But, the results obtained using HR-REELS are to be affected by the low band gap (i.e., out of void) rather than large one (i.e., near void). Our findings suggest an analytical method to directly determine the band gap profile as function of in-depth.« less

The Math Gap: a description of the mathematics performance of preschool-aged deaf/hard-of-hearing children.

PubMed

Pagliaro, Claudia M; Kritzer, Karen L

2013-04-01

Over decades and across grade levels, deaf/hard-of-hearing (d/hh) student performance in mathematics has shown a gap in achievement. It is unclear, however, exactly when this gap begins to emerge and in what areas. This study describes preschool d/hh children's knowledge of early mathematics concepts. Both standardized and nonstandardized measures were used to assess understanding in number, geometry, measurement, problem solving, and patterns, reasoning and algebra. Results present strong evidence that d/hh students' difficulty in mathematics may begin prior to the start of formal schooling. Findings also show areas of strength (geometry) and weakness (problem solving and measurement) for these children. Evidence of poor foundational performance may relate to later academic achievement.

Black-white achievement gap and family wealth.

PubMed

Yeung, W Jean; Conley, Dalton

2008-01-01

This article examines the extent to which family wealth affects the Black-White test score gap for young children based on data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (aged 3-12). This study found little evidence that wealth mediated the Black-White test scores gaps, which were eliminated when child and family demographic covariates were held constant. However, family wealth had a stronger association with cognitive achievement of school-aged children than that of preschoolers and a stronger association with school-aged children's math than on their reading scores. Liquid assets, particularly holdings in stocks or mutual funds, were positively associated with school-aged children's test scores. Family wealth was associated with a higher quality home environment, better parenting behavior, and children's private school attendance.

Achieving Health Equity: Closing The Gaps In Health Care Disparities, Interventions, And Research.

PubMed

Purnell, Tanjala S; Calhoun, Elizabeth A; Golden, Sherita H; Halladay, Jacqueline R; Krok-Schoen, Jessica L; Appelhans, Bradley M; Cooper, Lisa A

2016-08-01

In the United States, racial/ethnic minority, rural, and low-income populations continue to experience suboptimal access to and quality of health care despite decades of recognition of health disparities and policy mandates to eliminate them. Many health care interventions that were designed to achieve health equity fall short because of gaps in knowledge and translation. We discuss these gaps and highlight innovative interventions that help address them, focusing on cardiovascular disease and cancer. We also provide recommendations for advancing the field of health equity and informing the implementation and evaluation of policies that target health disparities through improved access to care and quality of care. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Electronic, elastic and optical properties of divalent (R+2X) and trivalent (R+3X) rare earth monochalcogenides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, V.; Chandra, S.; Singh, J. K.

2017-08-01

Based on plasma oscillations theory of solids, simple relations have been proposed for the calculation of bond length, specific gravity, homopolar energy gap, heteropolar energy gap, average energy gap, crystal ionicity, bulk modulus, electronic polarizability and dielectric constant of rare earth divalent R+2X and trivalent R+3X monochalcogenides. The specific gravity of nine R+2X, twenty R+3X, and bulk modulus of twenty R+3X monochalcogenides have been calculated for the first time. The calculated values of all parameters are compared with the available experimental and the reported values. A fairly good agreement has been obtained between them. The average percentage deviation of two parameters: bulk modulus and electronic polarizability for which experimental data are known, have also been calculated and found to be better than the earlier correlations.

Treatment gaps in Parkinson's disease care in the Philippines.

PubMed

Jamora, Roland Dominic G; Miyasaki, Janis M

2017-08-01

Neurological services and resources are scarce in low-income and developing countries, such as the Philippines. We looked into the treatment gaps in Parkinson's disease (PD) care in the Philippines in the following areas: epidemiology, healthcare, financial coverage, pharmacotherapy, surgical treatment and manpower. We collected relevant data on the above-mentioned areas. There is no available Philippine data on PD prevalence. Philippine healthcare is paid through user fees at the point of service. The average consultation fee in Manila ranges from US$10.57-31.74. The average minimum daily wage is US$9.39-10.17. Philippine healthcare is devolved to the local government units. Deep brain stimulation surgery is only available in Manila. Most PD medications are available in the Philippines. There are only nine movement disorder specialists for a population of 100.98 million. Gaps and challenges in PD care in the Philippines still exist.

Achievement and Equity in Catholic and Public Secondary Schools: Gender Gap Comparisons from 1972 to 1992.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riordan, Cornelius; Galipeau, Kim

Recent reports have confirmed that boys, not girls, are increasingly on the unfavorable side of the gender gap in education and developmental matters. This paper provides an analysis of trends in the gender gap among students in Catholic and public schools during the period from 1972 to 1992 for a select set of variables. Although the gender gap…

A Capstone Project: Closing the Achievement Gap of English Learners in Literacy at Sunshine Elementary School Using the Gap Analysis Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herrera, Juan Carlos

2013-01-01

This project was an alternative capstone dissertation conducted by a team of three doctoral students. The project focused on systematic and long-term underachievement of the English Language (EL) population of a single school, Sunshine Elementary, using the gap analysis model (Clark and Estes, 2008). More specifically, the purpose of the analysis…

A Capstone Project: Closing the Achievement Gap of English Language Learners at Sunshine Elementary School Using the Gap Analysis Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mingo-Long, Enyetta

2013-01-01

This project was an alternative capstone dissertation conducted by a team of three doctoral students. The project focused on systematic and long-term underachievement of the English Language Learner (ELL) population of a single school, Sunshine Elementary, using the gap analysis model (Clark and Estes, 2008). More specifically, the purpose of the…

Method for obtaining large levitation pressure in superconducting magnetic bearings

DOEpatents

Hull, J.R.

1997-08-05

A method and apparatus are disclosed for compressing magnetic flux to achieve high levitation pressures. Magnetic flux produced by a magnetic flux source travels through a gap between two high temperature superconducting material structures. The gap has a varying cross-sectional area to compress the magnetic flux, providing an increased magnetic field and correspondingly increased levitation force in the gap. 4 figs.

Method for obtaining large levitation pressure in superconducting magnetic bearings

DOEpatents

Hull, J.R.

1996-10-08

A method and apparatus are disclosed for compressing magnetic flux to achieve high levitation pressures. Magnetic flux produced by a magnetic flux source travels through a gap between two high temperature superconducting material structures. The gap has a varying cross-sectional area to compress the magnetic flux, providing an increased magnetic field and correspondingly increased levitation force in the gap. 4 figs.

School Choice, Racial Segregation, and Test-Score Gaps: Evidence from North Carolina's Charter School Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bifulco, Robert; Ladd, Helen F.

2007-01-01

Using panel data that track individual students from year to year, we examine the effects of charter schools in North Carolina on racial segregation and black-white test score gaps. We find that North Carolina's system of charter schools has increased the racial isolation of both black and white students, and has widened the achievement gap.…

Getting It Right from the Start: The Case for Early Parenthood Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sticht, Thomas G.

2012-01-01

Hearing language is the first step in learning to read, write, and make sense of the world. The language gap that results in the achievement gap begins at home. Schools can and should do their part to close this gap, but parents, by reading to children and interacting with them in positive and encouraging ways, need to do their part, too. The idea…

Decomposing the Gender Gap in Cognitive Skills in a Poor Rural Economy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alderman, Harold; And Others

1996-01-01

Data from Pakistani cohorts, ages 20-24 and 30-44, show that local school availability accounts for one-third of the gender gap in cognitive achievement and two-fifths of the gender gap in numeracy. Most schools in rural Pakistan are single sex and in some areas only boys' schools are available. In the schools available to them, girls do not…

Wilderness Schooling: A Controlled Trial of the Impact of an Outdoor Education Programme on Attainment Outcomes in Primary School Pupils

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quibell, T.; Charlton, J.; Law, J.

2017-01-01

Gaps in education attainment between high and low achieving children in the primary school years are frequently evidenced in educational reports. Linked to social disadvantage, these gaps have detrimental long-term effects on learning. There is a need to close the gap in attainment by addressing barriers to learning and offering alternative…

Sex, Class, and Physical Science Educational Attainment: Portions due to Achievement Versus Recruitment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simon, Richard M.; Farkas, George

Nationally representative data from the National Education Longitudinal Study are used to investigate why males (rather than females) and children of parents with advanced degrees (rather than those from less-educated parents) are more highly represented among physical science bachelor's degrees and graduate students. Parental education is measured by three categories: neither parent has a bachelor's degree, at least one parent has a bachelor's degree, or at least one parent has a degree beyond the bachelor's. Physical science is defined as students majoring in physics, engineering, mathematics, or computer science. The effects of mathematics achievement and effects not accounted for by mathematics achievement (what the authors call "recruitment" effects) are isolated for parental education categories and for sex, allowing inequality in physical science degree attainment to be decomposed into portions due to achievement and portions due to recruitment. Additionally, the results from logistic regressions predicting the attainment of a bachelor's degree in physical science as well as the pursuit of a graduate degree in physical science are presented. It is found that for parental education categories, the gaps in physical science educational attainment are nearly entirely accounted for by differences in mathematics achievement, suggesting that if achievement could be equalized, physical science educational attainment differences among parental education categories would disappear. However, the sex gap in physical science educational attainment operates almost entirely independent of achievement effects, suggesting that if the mathematics achievement distributions of males and females were identical, the sex gap in physical science educational attainment would be unchanged from what it is today.

Social–Emotional Factors Affecting Achievement Outcomes Among Disadvantaged Students: Closing the Achievement Gap

PubMed Central

Becker, Bronwyn E.; Luthar, Suniya S.

2012-01-01

Despite concentrated efforts at improving inferior academic outcomes among disadvantaged students, a substantial achievement gap between the test scores of these students and others remains (Jencks & Phillips, 1998; National Center for Education Statistics, 2000a, 2000b; Valencia & Suzuki, 2000). Existing research used ecological models to document social–emotional factors at multiple levels of influence that undermine academic performance. This article integrates ideas from various perspectives in a comprehensive and interdisciplinary model that will inform policy makers, administrators, and schools about the social–emotional factors that act as both risk and protective factors for disadvantaged students’ learning and opportunities for academic success. Four critical social–emotional components that influence achievement performance (academic and school attachment, teacher support, peer values, and mental health) are reviewed. PMID:23255834

Social-Emotional Factors Affecting Achievement Outcomes Among Disadvantaged Students: Closing the Achievement Gap.

PubMed

Becker, Bronwyn E; Luthar, Suniya S

2002-01-01

Despite concentrated efforts at improving inferior academic outcomes among disadvantaged students, a substantial achievement gap between the test scores of these students and others remains (Jencks & Phillips, 1998; National Center for Education Statistics, 2000a, 2000b; Valencia & Suzuki, 2000). Existing research used ecological models to document social-emotional factors at multiple levels of influence that undermine academic performance. This article integrates ideas from various perspectives in a comprehensive and interdisciplinary model that will inform policy makers, administrators, and schools about the social-emotional factors that act as both risk and protective factors for disadvantaged students' learning and opportunities for academic success. Four critical social-emotional components that influence achievement performance (academic and school attachment, teacher support, peer values, and mental health) are reviewed.

Oligomeric structure and functional characterization of Caenorhabditis elegans Innexin-6 gap junction protein.

PubMed

Oshima, Atsunori; Matsuzawa, Tomohiro; Nishikawa, Kouki; Fujiyoshi, Yoshinori

2013-04-12

Innexin is the molecular component of invertebrate gap junctions. Here we successfully expressed and purified Caenorhabditis elegans innexin-6 (INX-6) gap junction channels and characterized the molecular dimensions and channel permeability using electron microscopy (EM) and microinjection of fluorescent dye tracers, respectively. Negative staining and thin-section EM of isolated INX-6 gap junction membranes revealed a loosely packed hexagonal lattice and a greater cross-sectional width than that of connexin26 and connexin43 (Cx43)-GFP. In gel filtration analysis, the elution profile of purified INX-6 channels in dodecyl maltoside solution exhibited a peak at ∼400 kDa that was shifted to ∼800 kDa in octyl glucose neopentyl glycol. We also obtained the class averages of purified INX-6 channels from these peak fractions by single particle analysis. The class average from the ∼800-kDa fraction showed features of the junction form with a longitudinal height of 220 Å, a channel diameter of 110 Å in the absence of detergent micelles, and an extracellular gap space of 60 Å, whereas the class averages from the ∼400-kDa fraction showed diameters of up to 140 Å in the presence of detergent micelles. These findings indicate that the purified INX-6 channels are predominantly hemichannels in dodecyl maltoside and docked junction channels in octyl glucose neopentyl glycol. Dye transfer experiments revealed that the INX-6-GFP-His channels are permeable to 3- and 10-kDa tracers, whereas no significant amounts of these tracers passed through the Cx43-GFP channels. Based on these findings, INX-6 channels have a larger overall structure and greater permeability than connexin channels.

Oligomeric Structure and Functional Characterization of Caenorhabditis elegans Innexin-6 Gap Junction Protein*

PubMed Central

Oshima, Atsunori; Matsuzawa, Tomohiro; Nishikawa, Kouki; Fujiyoshi, Yoshinori

2013-01-01

Innexin is the molecular component of invertebrate gap junctions. Here we successfully expressed and purified Caenorhabditis elegans innexin-6 (INX-6) gap junction channels and characterized the molecular dimensions and channel permeability using electron microscopy (EM) and microinjection of fluorescent dye tracers, respectively. Negative staining and thin-section EM of isolated INX-6 gap junction membranes revealed a loosely packed hexagonal lattice and a greater cross-sectional width than that of connexin26 and connexin43 (Cx43)-GFP. In gel filtration analysis, the elution profile of purified INX-6 channels in dodecyl maltoside solution exhibited a peak at ∼400 kDa that was shifted to ∼800 kDa in octyl glucose neopentyl glycol. We also obtained the class averages of purified INX-6 channels from these peak fractions by single particle analysis. The class average from the ∼800-kDa fraction showed features of the junction form with a longitudinal height of 220 Å, a channel diameter of 110 Å in the absence of detergent micelles, and an extracellular gap space of 60 Å, whereas the class averages from the ∼400-kDa fraction showed diameters of up to 140 Å in the presence of detergent micelles. These findings indicate that the purified INX-6 channels are predominantly hemichannels in dodecyl maltoside and docked junction channels in octyl glucose neopentyl glycol. Dye transfer experiments revealed that the INX-6-GFP-His channels are permeable to 3- and 10-kDa tracers, whereas no significant amounts of these tracers passed through the Cx43-GFP channels. Based on these findings, INX-6 channels have a larger overall structure and greater permeability than connexin channels. PMID:23460640

An elevated gap between admission and A1C-derived average glucose levels is associated with adverse outcomes in diabetic patients with pyogenic liver abscess.

PubMed

Liao, Wen-I; Sheu, Wayne Huey-Herng; Chang, Wei-Chou; Hsu, Chin-Wang; Chen, Yu-Long; Tsai, Shih-Hung

2013-01-01

To assess whether chronic glycemic control and stress-induced hyperglycemia, determined by the gap between admission glucose levels and A1C-derived average glucose (ADAG) levels adversely affects outcomes in diabetic patients with pyogenic liver abscess (PLA). Clinical, laboratory, and multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) findings of 329 PLA patients (2004-2010) were retrospectively reviewed. HbA1C levels were used to determine long-term glycemic control status, which were then converted to estimated average glucose values. For the gap between admission glucose levels and ADAG levels, we used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to determine the optimal cut-off values predicting adverse outcomes. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify predictors of adverse outcomes. Diabetic PLA patients with poorer glycemic control had significantly higher Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) infection rates, lower albumin levels, and longer hospital stays than those with suboptimal and good glycemic control. The ROC curve showed that a glycemic gap of 72 mg/dL was the optimal cut-off value for predicting adverse outcomes and showed a 22.3% relative increase in adverse outcomes compared with a glycemic gap<72 mg/dL. Multivariate analysis revealed that an elevated glycemic gap≥72 mg/dL was important predictor of adverse outcomes. A glycemic gap≥72 mg/dL, rather than admission hyperglycemia or chronic glycemic control, was significantly correlated with adverse outcomes in diabetic PLA patients. Poorer chronic glycemic control in diabetic PLA patients is associated with high incidence of KP infection, hypoalbuminemia and longer hospital stay.

Understanding the Gender Gap in Introductory Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finkelstein, Noah; Kost, Lauren; Pollock, Steven

2008-04-01

While it has been suggested interactive engagement (IE) techniques can eliminate the gender gap (the difference in performance between men and women on measures of conceptual learning), we find that, at our institution, the gender gap persisted from pre to posttest in IE classes (Pollock, Physical Review: ST PER. 3, 010107, 2007). This talk reports on a three-part follow-up study that investigates what factors contribute to the gender gap. First, we analyze student grades in different components of the course and find that men and women's course grades are not significantly different (p>0.1), but men outscore women on exams and women outscore men on homework and participation. Second, we compare average posttest scores of men and women who score similarly on the pretest and find that there are no significant differences between men and women's average posttest scores. Finally, we analyze other factors in addition to the pretest score that could influence the posttest score and find that gender does not account for a majorportion of the variation in posttest scores when a measure of mathematics performance is included. These findings indicate that the gender gap exists in interactive physics classes, but may be due in large part to differences in preparation, background, and math skills as assessed by traditional survey instruments.

A quantitative comparative analysis of Advancement via Independent Determination (AVID) in Texas middle schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reed, Krystal Astra

The "Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) program was designed to provide resources and strategies that enable underrepresented minority students to attend 4-year colleges" (AVID Center, 2013, p. 2). These students are characterized as the forgotten middle in that they have high test scores, average-to-low grades, minority or low socioeconomic status, and will be first-generation college students (AVID, 2011). Research indicates (Huerta, Watt, & Butcher, 2013) that strict adherence to 11 program components supports success of students enrolled in AVID, and AVID certification depends on districts following those components. Several studies (AVID Center, 2013) have investigated claims about the AVID program through qualitative analyses; however, very few have addressed this program quantitatively. This researcher sought to determine whether differences existed between student achievement and attendance rates between AVID and non-AVID middle schools. To achieve this goal, the researcher compared eighth-grade science and seventh- and eighth-grade mathematics scores from the 2007 to 2011 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) and overall attendance rates in demographically equivalent AVID and non-AVID middle schools. Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) reports from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) were used to obtain 2007 to 2011 TAKS results and attendance information for the selected schools. The results indicated a statistically significant difference between AVID demonstration students and non-AVID students in schools with similar CI. No statistically significant differences were found on any component of the TAKS for AVID economically disadvantaged students. The mean scores indicated an achievement gap between non-AVID and AVID demonstration middle schools. The findings from the other three research questions indicated no statistically significant differences between AVID and non-AVID student passing rates on the seventh- and eighth-grade TAKS math tests or on overall attendance rates. The mean scores on the eighth-grade TAKS science test revealed some positive results in the academic performance of economically disadvantaged in non-AVID demonstration middle schools. Specifically, the results indicated that the mean passing percentage of AVID demonstration was lower than that of non-AVID middle schools. The TAKS scores showed a small achievement gap between non-AVID and AVID demonstration middle schools.

Sexual identity trajectories among sexual-minority youths: gender comparisons.

PubMed

Savin-Williams, R C; Diamond, L M

2000-12-01

The present investigation explored gender differences in sexual identity development--first same-sex attractions, self-labeling, same-sex sexual contact, and disclosure--among 164 sexual-minority young adults. Based on interviews, results indicated the value of assessing gender differences in the context, timing, spacing, and sequencing of sexual identity milestones. Adolescent males had an earlier onset of all milestones except disclosure. The context for sexual identity milestones were likely to be emotionally oriented for young women and sexually oriented for young men. The gap from first same-sex attractions (8-9 years of age) to first disclosure (around 18 years) averaged 10 years for both sexes. Young women followed label-first developmental trajectories; men were more likely to pursue sex before identifying themselves as gay. In terms of achieving sexual identity milestones, gender mattered, but it was not everything.

Sulfur-doped Graphene Nanoribbons with a Sequence of Distinct Band Gaps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Shi-Xuan; Zhang, Yan-Fang; Zhang, Yi; Berger, Reinhard; Feng, Xinliang; Mullen, Klaus; Lin, Xiao; Zhang, Yu-Yang; Pantelides, Sokrates T.; Gao, Hong-Jun

Unlike free-standing graphene, graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) can possess semiconducting band gap. However, achieving such control has been a major challenge in the fabrication of GNRs. Chevron-type GNRs were recently achieved by surface-assisted polymerization of pristine or N-substituted oligophenylene monomers. By mixing two different monomers, GNR heterojunctions can in principle be fabricated. Here we report fabrication and characterization of chevron-type GNRs by using sulfur-substituted oligophenylene monomers to achieve GNRs and related heterostructures for the first time. Importantly, our first-principles calculations show that the band gaps of GNRs can be tailored by different S configurations in cyclodehydrogenated isomers through debromination and intramolecular cyclodehydrogenation. This feature should open up new avenues to create multiple GNR heterojunctions by engineering the sulfur configurations. These predictions have been confirmed by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) and Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy (STS). The unusual sequence of intraribbon heterojunctions may be useful for nanoscale optoelectronic applications based on quantum dots

Effects of California community college students' gender, self-efficacy, and attitudes and beliefs toward physics on conceptual understanding of Newtonian mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Said, Asma

Despite the advances made in various fields, women are still considered as minorities in the fields of science and mathematics. There is a gender gap regarding women's participation and achievement in physics. Self-efficacy and attitudes and beliefs toward physics have been identified as predictors of students' performance on conceptual surveys in physics courses. The present study, which used two-way analysis of variance and multiple linear regression analyses at a community college in California, revealed there is no gender gap in achievement between male and female students in physics courses. Furthermore, there is an achievement gap between students who are enrolled in algebra-based and calculus-based physics courses. The findings indicate that attitudes and beliefs scores can be used as predictors of students' performance on conceptual surveys in physics courses. However, scores of self-efficacy cannot be used as predictors of students' performance on conceptual surveys in physics courses.

Do Peers Contribute to the Achievement Gap between Vietnamese-American and Mexican-American Adolescents?

PubMed Central

Duong, Mylien T.; Schwartz, David; McCarty, Carolyn A.

2013-01-01

Documented associations between academic and social functioning have been inconsistent. These discrepancies may reflect the moderating role of sociocultural context. In this study, we examined ethnicity and gender as moderators of this relation. We collected peer nominations, GPA from school records, and self-report questionnaires for 519 Vietnamese-American and Mexican-American middle school students (mean age = 12.7 years). Using general linear modeling, we found that academic and social functioning were more strongly and positively linked for Vietnamese-Americans relative to Mexican-Americans, and for girls relative to boys. We also examined group differences in achievement values, and found that Vietnamese-Americans were more likely to admire and be friends with high-achieving peers. The results suggest that peers provide one context in which ethnic and gender differences in achievement values emerge, and interventions aimed at reducing the achievement gap may benefit from incorporating a focus on peers. PMID:24443632