bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diversity, Power and Influence: Multiple Perspectives on the Ethics of School Leadership
Authors: Reitzug Ulrich C.
Published: January 2019

The intersection and clash between prevailing norms of schooling and increasing sensitivity to diversity raises a host of previously ignored ethical considerations for school administrators. These ethical issues remain largely invisible to many school leaders and thus are addressed only minimally or inadequately. This paper explores ethical issues of diversity, power and influence that are embedded in leadership and school practices. Ethical criteria suggested by various perspectives are examined and an argument is presented that ethical issues can be more thoroughly addressed by using criteria from multiple perspectives. It is only when ethical issues of diversity are explicitly addressed that leadership and schools can become moral and empowering.
Effects of Site-Based Management on the Instructional Program
Authors: Ovando Martha N.
Published: January 2019

Given the apparent mixed results reported by previous studies (David, 1989; Hellinger, Murphy and Hausman, 1992; Jenni and Mauriel, 1990; Malen, Ogawa, and Kranz, 1990), this exploratory study attempted to examine the extent to which schools using a site-based management approach were engaged in decision making associated with curriculum and instruction, what roles teachers were playing, and what strategies were employed to assure the quality of the instructional program. It was conducted following a qualitative approach in order to understand respondents’ perspectives (Patton, 1990). Data were collected by means of extensive interviews with board members, district office personnel, principals, teachers, and parents from six school districts. These school districts were selected based on their reputation for having adopted a decentralized approach to school management. The findings of this study suggest that the participating schools are progressively addressing curriculum and instruction themes as they are developmentally ready. It was found that whereas schools have considerable freedom, school districts are providing “curriculum framework and guidelines” to assure an overall direction for the school district. Teachers are engaging in a variety of “non-teaching” roles as they introduce curriculum and instruction changes. Schools are using different strategies to maintain the quality of the instructional program, with staff development being the most common strategy. Needs assessment, campus planning, formative evaluation, and summative evaluation are other strategies used by these schools. Apparently, site-based management schools are making progress in addressing curriculum and instruction to meet their students’ needs; however, there is a need to study further how curriculum and instruction changes affect student academic achievement. Additionally, the impact of the changing roles of teachers on their teaching performance and on instruction should be studied.
Educational Reform: Who Benefits
Authors: Steffy Betty E.
Published: January 2019

This article uses the Blau and Scott concept of cui bono to describe who has benefitted from the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) enacted in April, 1990. Rank and file participants are defined as the certified and classified staff; owners or managers of the organization become the administration, school district/board, and legislature; the clients become the students and the public-at-large becomes the general citizens of the state. The analysis reviews the curriculum, governance, and finance initiatives in the reform.
A Novel Idea: Changing the Landscape of Administrator Preparation through Literature and Ethnographies
Authors: Barbour Joann Danelo
Published: January 2019

Many instructors prefer to utilize a variety of teaching strategies within a framework of a course or program. As we attempt to prepare administrators to understand and create “cultures” within their schools and districts, one method might be to use novels and ethnographic studies to help aspiring administrators understand what cultures are and how cultures are formed. The author shares with the reader the theoretical understanding and process to incorporate a “novels” project into a course in which the intended outcomes for the learner are cultural understanding, research observation, synthesis and assimilation of data, community decision making, and sharing and delegating responsibilities.
Developing an Administrative Perspective: Toward a Curriculum Framework for Fostering Conceptual Change
Authors: Jacobs Howard L
Published: January 2019

The prior experience of entering students of educational administration as classroom teachers is usually disregarded for purposes of program planning. Nevertheless, that experience can exert a prepotent effect during the early stages of academic induction devoted to developing an administrative perspective. Drawing on conceptual change theory, a curriculum framework can be designed to foster the beginning stage of that cognitive shift during introductory coursework.

The real art of discovery consists not in finding new lands, but in seeing with new eyes.

-Marcel Proust

All seeing is essentially perspective, and so is all knowing.

-Friedrich Nietzsche
Problem-Based Learning at the University of Colorado at Denver
Authors: Muth Rodney , Murphy Michael J. , Martin W. Michael
Published: January 2019

Three field-oriented, problem-based programs at UCD have provided opportunities and challenges for professors, practitioners and students that differ importantly from traditional, classroom-based administrator preparation. Among the opportunities are involvement of students in planning and conducting their own learning, collaboration among professor-practitioner-student teams in solving difficult problems of practice, employment of multiple modes of instruction and learning, and use of performance-based learning outcomes and portfolio assessments. The challenges include changing professorial roles and relations with the field, implementing new ways of learning and teaching, and developing alternative methods of assessing learning outcomes.
Redefining Teaching and Learning in Educational Administration
Authors: Fulmer Connie L.
Published: January 2019

Recent attention to alternatives for traditional educational leadership program delivery models is part of an evolutionary process that serves to redefine teaching and learning. The conventional linear relationship between content, teaching, and learning is being transformed by these alternative models. The assumptions and components of an experiential learning model are presented to bring focus to this process and to offer one way to redefine teaching and learning in educational leadership preparation programs. This redefinition describes teaching and learning as a transactional process of creating personal knowledge through experiential alternative learning environments. The model has design implications for individual lessons, courses, projects, or an entire program. Two examples of experientially-based course projects are presented.
Building a Culture of Trust
Authors: Hoffman James , Sabo Dennis , Bliss James , Hoy Wayne K.
Published: January 2019

Important aspects of faculty trust and school climate are identified and examined in this empirical study of middle schools. In general, openness in interpersonal relationships promotes trust among teachers, and interpersonal trust seems to foster openness in organizational relationships. The openness-trust relationship, however, is more complex than it seems at first blush, and the results of this research explain some of the subtleties of the relationship and suggest some strategies for developing a culture of trust in middle schools.
When School Leaders Function as True Educators: A Review of Key Sources in the Context of School Renewal and Restructuring
Authors: Short Edmund C.
Published: January 2019

This article argues that school leaders should act as teachers of their colleagues. In doing so, they assume tasks similar to those of any teacher: they plan curriculum, they design appropriate learning opportunities, and they develop consensus among their students/colleagues on what should be done to act upon their learning. The discussion centers on the converging consensus from research on each of these tasks. The topic of school renewal and restructuring is employed to illustrate in each instance how a “leader as teacher” would think through and execute these tasks.
Personal Observations of Using Peer Coaching to Improve the Administrative Internship
Authors: Wylie Virginia L. , Clark Ernestine H.
Published: January 2019

The administrative internship is an important component of leadership preparation programs. In the present study, conducted in 1991–92 at Valdosta State College, Georgia, program graduates had rated the internship among the least rigorous but most valuable of coursework completed in the M.Ed. degree and fifth-year certification programs. Two faculty members in the Department of Educational Administration proposed to evaluate and recommend revisions in the internship experience to increase its rigor without diminishing value. The process and outcome of their use of peer coaching for both professional development and program improvement are reported in this article.
Exploring Connections between Teacher Efficacy and Principals’ Leadership Behaviors
Authors: Hipp Kristine A. , Bredesqn Paul V.
Published: January 2019

This paper reports the results of an exploratory investigation of the connections between principals’ leadership behaviors and teachers’ sense of efficacy in selected middle schools currently involved in building-level change efforts. Our findings indicate that there is a significant difference between general teaching efficacy (GTE) and personal teaching efficacy (PTE), the two dimensions that define the construct of teacher efficacy. When asked to interpret principals’ leadership behaviors, there was a significant difference between teachers’ and principals’ perceptions of principals’ leadership behaviors. Finally, the principal leadership behaviors most strongly related to GTE were models behavior, provides contingent rewards and inspires group purpose. Modeling behaviors and providing contingent rewards were also significantly related to PTE. Implications for further research, for principal preparation, and for administrative practice are discussed.
Theory to Practice in Administrator Preparation: An Evaluation Study
Authors: Pounder Diana G.
Published: January 2019

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of a field-based doctoral program in educational administration on linking theory and research to the improvement of practice. Specifically, the study evaluates the degree and ways in which doctoral student field-based projects and studies completed as an integral part of the University of Utah's field-based Ed.D. program have resulted in program or policy changes in schools or other education-related agencies.

This evaluation of the theory-practice emphasis in the University of Utah's Ed.D. program suggests that the program is successfully meeting its central program objective. Study data indicate that approximately one-half to two-thirds of student projects resulted in some sort of policy or program change in educational practice. Projects that resulted in change in local schools, districts or other education-related agencies tended to be either policy adoptions addressing legal and/or personnel administration concerns or instructional program implementations for students and staff. Factors that enhanced the likelihood of a project resulting in a policy or program change were: 1) the student's familiarity with relevant problems of practice; 2) the degree to which students worked closely with other organizational employees in developing and refining the project; and 3) the utility and conceptual/analytical quality of the proposal itself.
Superintendent Evaluation – More than a Technical Process
Authors: Stein Ruth Federman
Published: January 2019

Current articles on formal superintendent evaluation suggest that evaluations are beneficial for superintendents. A critical evaluation, however can cause numerous problems for school board members. In this case study, the author shows how school board members resolved a major community crisis precipitated by a critical superintendent evaluation. Issues are analyzed through four major frameworks: symbolic, political, human resources, and structural.
Advancing Democratic Leadership through Critical Theory
Authors: Lees Kimberly A.
Published: January 2019

Critical interpretation of leadership and democracy in today's society and educational institutions has created conflict and division concerning empowerment, social justice and the credibility of a leader's moral practice. Democracy needs to be redefined, especially by those educational institutions that approach leadership through traditional models of hierarchical oppression. It is through critical theory that democratic leaders have begun the task of self-reflection in order to uncover immoral procedures in an effort to reconstruct the social drama of human decency. Democratic leaders, as public servants, have a moral obligation to the people they represent, and that only as a collective unit can they aspire to. We are challenged then, as transformative intellectuals, to continue the struggle for democracy in institutions of education for justice of all people, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or class.
Perceptions of Ethical Problems among Senior Educational Leaders
Authors: Walker Keith O.
Published: January 2019

This article describes the ethical problems characterizing the moral wrestlings of senior educational executives. The leaders’ perceived ethical problems are categorized, described and elaborated as ethical misdeeds and quandaries. Ethical misdeeds are described as transgressions against the core ethical values (caring/respect, fairness, professional conduct, resource stewardship, integrity, loyalty, honesty and citizenship) held by these educational administrators. Ethical quandaries are delineated as “grey area” type problems confronting educational administrators in both particular situations (divided interest, value conflicts, means and ends conflicts and “willing but constrained conflicts”) and more systemic problems (scarcity of resources, inequities, employment concerns, student welfare and general leadership challenges).
Reconstructing the Teacher-Administrator Relationship to Achieve Systemic Change
Authors: Poole Wendy
Published: January 2019

The transition from hierarchical to collegial relationships between teachers and administrators is examined within the context of a school district that implemented a new model of teacher supervision and evaluation. This new model called for teachers to assume responsibility and accountability for their individual professional growth, and it called for administrators to facilitate and coach teachers to become self-directed and self-evaluating. This transition required teachers and administrators to reconstruct meanings about the teacher-administrator relationship. Meanings constructed by teachers and administrators are examined, along with the interpretive process through which individual and shared meanings developed. Several implications for research and practice are provided.
Toward a Grid and Group Interpretation of School Culture
Authors: Harris Edward L.
Published: January 2019

Mary Douglas's typology, using grid and group dimensions, provides a means to classify and compare social environments in terms of their differing cultural constraints on individual autonomy. This article uses the Douglas typology to examine the grid and group characteristics of four diverse schools to determine the framework's applicability to educational settings.
Democratic Leadership and Places to Practice It
Authors: Heckman Paul E.
Published: January 2019

The renewal or reform of public schools and their communities calls for a moral democratic concept of leadership, which includes the principles and practices of caring, trust, social justice and collaborative inquiry. In contrast to the bureaucratic concept of leadership that has prevailed in public schools and placed a few people in leadership roles, a democratic concept involves everyone and requires the development of leadership skills in teachers, school administrators, students, parents and neighborhood residents. Such a concept can best be served by a merger of teacher and administrator preparation programs, so that future teachers may develop as leaders as well as followers, and future administrators may develop as followers as well as leaders. In such a merger, there must be community and school forums in which preservice teachers and administrators may practice for their future roles and extend the democratic concept of leadership to students, parents, and neighborhood residents. Efforts of one eight-year school and community change initiative, which is now in its sixth year, indicate the type of forum that might effectively serve this need.
Communication Gatekeeping: A Response to Mediating Conditions in American Indian and School Personnel Interactions
Authors: Cockrell Karen Sunday
Published: January 2019

The findings reported in this paper indicate the need for a more robust explanation of communication failure between American Indian parents and school personnel than cultural discontinuity provides. According to the data, conditions that constrain interactions between American Indian families and educators in one consolidated school district lie within the bounds of politics, economics, and social circumstance. The conditions of distrust, racial tension, maintenance of tribal identity, dependence, and isolation inform the perceptual frame that influences the ways American Indian people interact with school personnel. Through “gatekeeping,” American Indian parents act to control the dilemma they face in American public education. Proposed solutions to problematic American Indian educational issues suggest that transformative school leaders must create inclusive learning communities in which American Indian students have opportunities to thrive.
Social Skills of Principals: A Profile in Context
Authors: Henkin Alan B. , Wanat Carolyn L. , Davis James H.
Published: January 2019

A study context related to social communications in restructured school environments frames this investigation of social communications skills of principals. Responses of 709 public school principals to the Social Skills Inventory (SSI) constitute the data source. The instrument, a self-report inventory demonstrating positive relationships with several measures of social effectiveness, yields a global indicator of social skills defined as social competence. Results suggested generally marginal social skills among these principals. Positive associations were found between social competence and gender (female), higher levels of education, larger school size, urban school locus, and administrative decisional autonomy. Older, more experienced respondents with more extended positional longevity and tenure as administrators revealed significantly lower social communications skills as measured by the SSI. Findings are discussed in terms of the stewardship role of the principal, and the need for social skills training for work in open systems with multiple stakeholders.
The “Special Relationship” Doctrine and School Officials’ Duty to Protect Students from Peer Sexual Harassment
Authors: Thompson David P.
Published: January 2019

Students who allege to be victims of peer-inflicted sexual harassment have increasingly relied on the “special relationship” doctrine to attempt to hold school officials individually liable under federal constitutional law for failing to protect students from peer harassment. Applied to schools, student plaintiffs generally argue that compulsory attendance laws create a “special relationship” between students and school officials, thereby placing on school officials an affirmative duty to protect students from harassment as a violation of students’ due process rights under the federal constitution.

Primarily through the review of case law, this doctrine is examined as it applies to school officials’ duty to protect students from peer sexual harassment. This examination determined that the special relationship claim has been and will likely continue to be an ineffective avenue for students to redress peer sexual harassment claims; however, due to other legal developments briefly mentioned, school officials are advised not to disregard peer harassment claims.
New Principals in an Urban Bureaucracy: A Sense of Efficacy
Authors: Osterman Karen , Sullivan Susan
Published: January 2019

As principals assume their roles in an urban bureaucracy, what are some of the personal and organizational factors that support or restrict their efforts to bring about school change? Based on interviews with newly appointed principals, this study concludes that external and internal factors interact to influence leadership behavior. External factors, particularly role models, district expectations, and personal and organizational support, influence principals’ sense of self-efficacy. This internal factor, in turn, appeared to play an important mediating role influencing principals’ interpretation of the organizational context and their problem-solving processes.
The Cupboard is Bare: The Postmodern Critique of Educational Administration
Authors: English Fenwick W.
Published: January 2019

Educational administration as a scholarly discipline continues to be dominated by a world view of modernity. This perspective posits that “reality” lies “out there” waiting to be discovered by the researcher using rational-logico, positivistic procedures. This tradition of scholarship denigrates alternative world views as “subjective,” and hence less rigorous and worthy of serious study. The most prized trophy of all is encapsulated in the “knowledge base,” that core of factual information which epitomizes all that is “worth knowing” in the discipline. The knowledge base represents the foundational claim of legitimacy and distinctiveness protecting the boundaries of the discipline against absorption into other organizational units in the university. The postmodern critique of positivism has called the basic premises of foundational legitimacy into question, and represents the most serious intellectual challenge confronting the definition of the field, its methods of inquiry, and its assertions regarding exclusivity since T. B. Greenfield's (1978) critique several decades earlier. This article reviews the claims and counterclaims of the current debate in educational administration and offers some promising trends for the future.
The Future of Educational Administration is behind Us*
Authors: Hoyle John R.
Published: January 2019

Scholars and practicing administrators face rapid change and information overload in their respective roles in educational leadership. These forces are pushing professors of educational administration to stress skills in mixed scanning and visioning to future school leaders. These critical skills will assist these leaders to navigate through the currents of complex social change and political waves of criticism, conservatism, and greater cries for accountability of the education dollar. The challenges these forces bring require school administrators to quickly frame problems, use targeted information, and inspire others to share a vision about schools which serve all children and youth. To develop these school leaders for the years ahead, professors must model and teach students to be visionary men and women who center their lives on the following three anchors: the capacity to care deeply for others, the ability to communicate a clear message in simple, persuasive words, and the commitment to persist under the most difficult of circumstances.
School Architecture as a Subject of Inquiry
Authors: Uline Cynthia L.
Published: January 2019

The intention of this article is to propose the aesthetic dimension of school design as a valid interest for school leaders and an important subject of inquiry for those who generate the research which informs them. John Dewey's ideas about aesthetics are presented as a philosophical foundation while his methods of active reflection provide the strategy for implementation. The article identifies opportunities for reflective administrative practice contained within the events of renovating or building a school. It also suggests foci for future research into community and the physical spaces they create for learning.
Beyond Simulations and Case Studies: Improving Leader Preparation through Action Research
Authors: Scribner Jay Paredes , Bredeson Paul V.
Published: January 2019

This paper describes an instructional innovation using field-based action research to enhance program quality and better prepare future administrators at one university. Specifically, the paper describes the learning experiences of graduate students enrolled in a Supervision of Instruction class as they participate in a collaborative school/university project. Three questions were addressed: (1) as an instructional strategy, in what ways does collaborative action research contribute to students’ understanding, acquisition, and use of professional knowledge in educational administration?; (2) in what ways does collaborative action research address major criticisms of educational administration program content and delivery?; and (3) what limitations and/or challenges confront professors and students in programs that incorporate field-based action research into their curriculum? From data gathered in this study, action research appears to provide meaningful opportunities for pre-service administrators to test leadership theories against actual problems of practice. However, data also suggest that action research as an instructional strategy places new demands on students and instructors alike.
Professional Isolation and Performance at Work of School Principals
Authors: Dussault Marc , Thibodeau Stéphane
Published: January 2019

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between professional isolation of school principals and their performance at work. Principals of a suburban area of the province of Quebec(n = 109) were administered French versions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale and Self-Appraisal Instrument for Community College Administrators. The results indicate, as expected, a negative and significant correlation (r = –.27, p = .005) between isolation and self-report of performance at work of school principals. The results highlight the importance of looking for ways to reduce professional isolation of principals and to pursue research on this topic.
Who Defines “Democratic Leadership”?: Three High School Principals Respond to Site-Based Reforms
Authors: Brouilletie Liane
Published: January 2019

This article focuses on the behaviors and activities of three high school principals as they respond to their district's decision to implement a model of shared decision making designed to give teachers and parents a larger voice at the building level. The varying responses of the three building administrators are described, along with the way democratic leadership was multilaterally defined in each school by the principal, teachers, and others.
School-Based Decision Making and the Empowerment of Secondary School Teachers
Authors: Wall Russell , Rinehart James S.
Published: January 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher empowerment in high schools that had a school council over varying lengths of time (either zero, one, two, or three years). Teachers in this study were in a state that mandated a school governance process to involve teachers in the decision-making process. A School Participant Empowerment Scale (SPES) was used to measure empowerment and it contained the following six subscales: decision making, autonomy, self-efficacy, professional growth, status, and impact.

Each teacher received a packet containing a demographic form, the School Participant Empowerment Scale (six scales), and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The returned data were analyzed by a MANOVA technique resulting in a significant Wilkeslambda. A follow-up procedure (ANOVA) indicated that a significant difference existed on the decision-making scale between schools with no experience with councils and those with three years experience. There were no significant differences for the remaining subscales. These results are interpreted and implications for practitioners and policymakers are suggested.
Becoming Problem Solvers: The Case of Three Future Administrators
Authors: Chrispeels Janet H. , Martin Kathleen J.
Published: January 2019

This study examines how students in an administrative credential program developed collaborative problem-solving competence through their participation in two problem-based learning classes. Data collected at three times over the course of a year (videotapes, student reflective papers, faculty and student evaluations, final group projects, and interviews) were analyzed to assess how students develop problem-solving skills within a group. The data indicate that these classes allowed students to acquire knowledge and skills in group processes and problem-solving as well as course content. Follow-up studies of three students who served as telling cases, and who are the focus of this study, suggest students could see the link between theory and practice, and between the classes and their jobs as administrators. Although the students entered the classes with differing levels of problem-solving ability, all three perceived that the experiences in the problem-based learning classes enhanced their skills. The data also suggest that more active guidance by the faculty could enhance students’ reflective skills and their ability to identify implicit theories of practice. Thus, a metacognitive framework for acquiring and improving problem-solving skills in collaborative groups was developed to enable students to explore personal and organizational factors that shape their theory of practice.
Interorganizational Collaboration in a Statewide Doctoral Program: A Lesson in the Construction of Meaning
Authors: Scribner Jay Paredes , Machell James R.
Published: January 2019

This article explores interorganizational collaboration using case study methodology. The study examines a statewide doctoral program for the preparation of educational leaders involving several public universities in a midwestern state. Building upon a theoretical framework focused on interorganizational relations (IORs), findings clustered around three themes are reported: (1) reasons for engaging in IORs, (2) factors that enhance or constrain collaboration, and (3) evidence of collaboration. The findings advance our understanding of reasons for creating an IOR and the nature of social processes that reflect collaborative relationships that occurred within it. The results of this study may be beneficial to those who seek to engage in similar collaborative efforts.
Improving Urban Schools VIA Leadership: Preparing Administrators for the New Millennium
Authors: Fusarelli Lance D. , Smith Lew
Published: January 2019

This paper describes an innovative, highly collaborative administrator preparation program specifically designed to prepare leaders for schools in the new millennium. Building upon and extending best practices in administrator preparation programs, the paper describes how a research university and a large urban school system came together to jointly develop and implement a preparation program to meet the needs of urban schools. After discussing the specifics of the program, the paper examines barriers to collaboration and details lessons learned through the collaborative process. The paper concludes with an assessment of the likelihood for reforming administrator preparation programs in light of institutional barriers to collaboration.
Reshaping Urban Education: A School–Community–University Collaborative Initiative
Authors: Erlandson David A. , Skrla Linda , Westbrook Darlene , Hornback Sylvia , Mindiz-Melton Alejandro
Published: January 2019

This article describes the planning phase and first year implementation of a doctoral cohort program for urban principals that is a collaborative effort of the Department of Educational Administration at Texas A&M University and the Austin Independent School District. The guiding vision, organization, and curriculum of the program are discussed, as well as the involvement of multiple other contributing groups and individuals. Recommendations are offered for other universities and/or school districts considering similar collaborative doctoral programs focused on the improvement of urban schooling.
Views from the Field: Economic Development Practitioners’ Perceptions About Public-Private Real Estate Partnerships
Authors: Read Dustin C. , Leland Suzanne , Pope JoEllen
Published: January 2019

Survey data and a series of ordinal logistic regression models are used in this study to determine if individuals employed in different economic development capacities exhibit perceptual congruence or perceptual dissonance about public-private real estate partnerships in ways that are consistent with growth machine theory. The results offer some evidence that this is the case by showing that economic development practitioners employed by local governments view the potential advantages and disadvantages of these partnerships in much the same way as hypothesized members of pro-growth coalitions, while having significantly different views than their peers employed by higher levels of government. At the same time, the perceptual congruence observed between economic development practitioners employed by local governments and representatives of socially oriented nonprofit organizations raises interesting questions about the role members of the latter group play in growth machine politics in an era where federal support for community development and affordable housing programming continues to dwindle.
Prognostic factors for cats with squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal planum following high-dose rate brachytherapy
Authors: Lino Mafalda , Lanore Didier , Lajoinie Mathilde , Jimenez Ana , Crouzet Franck , Queiroga Felisbina L
Published: January 2019

Objectives

The aim of the study was to investigate retrospectively the prognostic impact of variables such as sex, neuter status, breed, age, number of lesions, location and size of the tumour, tumour extension beyond the nasal planum, ulceration and lymph node status, among others, in a population of cats treated with high-dose rate brachytherapy.

Methods

This study reviews the outcome of 58 cats with cytologically and/or histologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal planum, treated at the Clinic Alliance (Bordeaux, France) with high-dose rate brachytherapy from 2010–2016. The total radiation dose delivered was 30 Gy, administered in two different schedules: five fractions of 6 Gy for a period of 4 days (Tuesday–Friday) or four fractions of 7.5 Gy for a period of 3 days (Tuesday– Thursday). Data were collected from cats’ clinical records.

Results

Complete response was achieved in 72% (n = 36) of the cats, partial response in 24% (n = 13) and 2% (n = 1) did not respond. Median progression-free survival and overall survival times were 316 and 835 days, respectively.

Conclusions and relevance

Results indicated that sex ( P = 0.045), extension of the tumour from the nasal planum to the upper lip ( P = 0.015), tumour size ( P = 0.015; P = 0.001), the existence of a previous treatment ( P = 0.043) and the tumour response to high-dose rate brachytherapy ( P = 0.038; P <0.001) are prognostic factors for cats with squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal planum following high-dose rate brachytherapy.
The case for relative plausibility theory: Promising, but insufficient
Authors: Hastie Reid
Published: January 2019

Allen and Pardo's Relative Plausibility Model provides a mostly valid descriptive model for the reasoning of fact-finders like American jurors. My major reservations on the project concern the incompleteness of the authors’ review of empirical, behavioral research relevant to their proposal. The merits of the project as a normative model are less satisfying and, again, the review of relevant sources seems incomplete.
Exosomes: A Promising Avenue for the Diagnosis of Breast Cancer
Authors: Meng Yiming , Sun Jing , Wang Xiaonan , Hu Tingting , Ma Yushu , Kong Cuicui , Piao Haozhe , Yu Tao , Zhang Guirong
Published: January 2019

Currently, despite the advances in individualized treatment, breast cancer still remains the deadliest form of cancer in women. Diagnostic, prognostic, and therapy-predictive methods are mainly based on the evaluation of tumor tissue samples and are aimed to improve the overall therapeutic level. Therefore, the exploration of a series of circulating biomarkers, which serve as the information source of tumors and could be obtained by peripheral blood samples, represents a high field of interest. Apart from classical biomarkers, exosomes, which are nanovesicles, are emerging as an accessible and efficient source of cell information. The purpose of this review is to summarize the peculiarities of the presently available breast cancer exosomal biomarkers; the review also provides the prediction of a multitude of potential target genes of exosomal microRNAs using 4 databases.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension in connective tissue disorders: Pathophysiology and treatment
Authors: Zanatta Elisabetta , Polito Pamela , Famoso Giulia , Larosa Maddalena , De Zorzi Elena , Scarpieri Elena , Cozzi Franco , Doria Andrea
Published: January 2019

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a serious complication of connective tissue disorders (CTDs), and CTD-PAH is the second cause of PAH after the idiopathic form. PAH is characterized by increased pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance, which can lead to right heart failure and death. About 90% of CTD-PAH cases are associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc, 74%), mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD, 8%) or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, 8%). CTD-PAH has also been reported, albeit rarely, in Sjögren syndrome, inflammatory idiopathic myopathies and rheumatoid arthritis. As for idiopathic PAH, the impaired production of vasoactive mediators such as nitric oxide and prostacyclin, and the increased production of vasoconstrictors and proliferative mediators such as endothelin-1, affect the vascular tone and promote vascular remodeling. Moreover, there is growing evidence suggesting that inflammation and autoimmunity may contribute to the genesis and progression of CTD-PAH, especially in SLE and MCTD patients who require an early administration of corticosteroids and immunosuppressants in order to avoid irreversible pathologic changes in pulmonary vessels. Conversely, immunosuppressive agents are ineffective in SSc-PAH, which requires a timely and aggressive treatment with specific PAH therapies (combination therapy). In this review, we summarized the current data on the pathophysiology and treatment of CTD-PAH.

Impact statement

Our article focuses on the pathogenesis and treatment of CTD-PAH. In the latest ESC/ESR guidelines for PAH, the authors underline that although CTD-PAH should follow the same treatment protocol as idiopathic PAH, the therapeutic approach is more complex and difficult in the former. This review throws light on several peculiar aspects of CTD-PAH and the latest findings in the pathogenesis, namely, the role of inflammation in the maladaptive right ventricle remodeling in SSc-PAH where immunosuppressants are classically believed to be ineffective. Furthermore, we discuss the major critical points in the therapy of CTD-PAH which is one of the strengths of our article. To the best of our knowledge, there are no other reviews that exclusively focus on the pathogenesis and treatment of CTD-PAH patients, with an emphasis on the more critical issues. Thus, it is our contention that our work would be of interest to the readers.
Critical Concepts concerning Non-Living Collections
Authors: Williams Stephen L.
Published: January 2019

The role of museum collections has evolved through time to the point that there is now some ambiguity about the future of non-living collections. Attempts are made to provide new direction for museum collections by addressing four critical concepts. The first concept distinguishes museum collections from other types of assemblages. The second concept addresses the use of collection terminology, specifically distinguishing between accessioning and cataloging. The third concept promotes the development of a common code of ethics, based on a comparison of five codes that currently serve collection interests. The fourth concept attempts to reclaim the museum as the unique institution that fulfills collection-related functions. These concepts collectively complement one another in building a brighter future for collections and the museum field.
A Survey of World War II-Era Provenance Research in American Art Museums
Authors: Miller Meagan , Luby Edward M.
Published: January 2019

The results of a national survey of American art museums concerning the implementation of World War Il-era provenance research are presented. After outlining the reasons why this research is important to the museum community, background information on the issue of World War ll-era looted art is reviewed. The survey process and the twelve questions that were asked in the anonymous survey are then outlined. The results of the survey are then presented and the implications of this research are discussed. Specifically, 80% of responding museums reported that one or two people were conducting provenance research, and 55% did not yet have policy in place. Eighty-seven percent of museums were not receiving outside funding, and more than 75% indicated that they were encountering difficulties. Three central challenges are identified—time, funding, and training. Despite these challenges, results indicate that the museum community considers World War ll-era provenance research an important issue.
North American Graduate-level Education in Preventive Conservation
Authors: Hawks Catharine A. , Pouliot Bruno P. , Williams Stephen L.
Published: January 2019

Preventive conservation is a concept widely accepted by most disciplines involved in preservation of cultural property. It also has become a component in curricula of graduate training programs for museum and conservation professionals. Prevailing course content focuses on environment, storage and exhibits, understanding of materials in collections, handling and examination, program development, emergency management, collection and object condition documentation, and health and safety. Recommendations relevant to both museum studies and conservation programs to improve preventive conservation training include: regular and ongoing collaboration among training programs to develop syllabi, development of comprehensive texts, use of alumnae surveys to evaluate the efficacy of the training, and support for this training among all programs that prepare conservators and other future museum professionals. The evolution of the teaching of preventive conservation reflects a fundamental change in the philosophy of conservation throughout the museum community—from an esoteric specialty to a shared responsibility.
Surveying Archival Collections and Increasing Public Access: A Practical Case Study in Nebraska
Authors: Mooney Thomas M. , Robison Traci J.
Published: January 2019

Advancements in descriptive standards and technology over the last twenty-five years have had a tremendous impact on how institutions manage their archival collections and provide collections holding information to the public. While these advances have given archivists the tools to provide collections access to a worldwide audience, keeping up with the realities and implications of these advances has created a substantial burden on staff and resources. This case study will show how one institution has used these advancements to better understand their own collections, provide better access to these collections, and serve as a gateway to archival collections held at institutions around the state.
Managing Conservation without a Conservator on Staff
Authors: Untch Katharine
Published: January 2019

Museums that do not have a conservator on staff can still achieve a high standard of conservation care. Basic steps to achieve this goal include: consulting with conservators, conducting assessments, prioritizing tasks, writing a plan, finding funding, and conducting improvements in phases. A brief overview of roles, responsibilities, and qualifications aids in understanding when it is advantageous to engage conservation services. Examples of common pitfalls, such as forgoing conservation consultations or mismatching experience and tasks, serve to guide the reader toward sound standards of conservation management. Common conservation myths are addressed in three case studies to elucidate common challenges and how they may be addressed. The basic model presented should serve well to improve conservation management, conservation project design, and improve a museum's success in attracting external funding for conservation related projects.
Rehabilitating Old Archaeology Collections with GIS
Authors: O'Gorman Jodie A.
Published: January 2019

Archaeological collections are valuable, often irreplaceable scientific resources important in many ways to researchers, the institutions that hold them, and the public they serve. Many older collections are very large, complex, and unique. Unfortunately, the full potential of these cultural resources are often not realized, and thereby their value diminished. Research on these collections is hampered by traditional object-based collections management practices that are insufficient for maintaining the integral spatial component of archaeology collections in an accessible framework. Likewise, by maintaining our standard object-based curation methods, we risk rendering our most important new collections inaccessible for future work. Innovative use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in collection management offers an effective framework for re-establishing and maintaining critical spatial relationships, while providing a tool for traditional collections management purposes. A recent pilot study using GIS to rehabilitate the Marquette Mission site collection and conduct preliminary collections-based research is presented.
Smithsonian Institution—Museum and Institutional Archives Programs
Authors: Bain Alan L.
Published: January 2019

The Smithsonian Institution Archives is responsible for the Smithsonian's records of enduring value. Though the Institution was aware of the need to keep certain records permanently (dating back to 1852) and an archivist was first assigned the task of maintaining records and special collections in 1891, the first modern archives program did not begin until 1967. From its very beginning the Smithsonian collected personal papers and special collections and this trend has been continued by the Smithsonian Archives.
The Archives Center at the National Museum of American History: Connecting Archival Materials and Artifacts
Authors: Fleckner John A.
Published: January 2019

The Archives Center at the National Museum of American History holds more some 12,500 cubic feet of personal papers, business records, photographs, recordings and other archival materials. Some of these collections are related only indirectly to the Museum's research and exhibition agendas and its artifact collections; others have much more direct connections. The photographs, documents, and records acquired along with individual artifacts together constitute a richer, more evocative, and more meaningful body of historical documentation.