ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
The Case against Public Sector Unions
Author: McGinnis, John O.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Financial Problems,Government Employees,Unions,Retirement Benefits,Rewards,Public Sector,Public Policy,Negotiation Agreements,Cost Effectiveness,Political Power,Change Strategies,Finance Reform,State Government,Political Attitudes

State and local governments today are, with few exceptions, in deep financial distress. While some governors can offer the recession, the housing crisis, or the loss of an important industry as an excuse for poor finances, many states are simply structurally insolvent. In this article, the authors discuss the primary cause of the states' long-term problems which are their bloated public sectors--particularly their public pension obligations. Public employees unions have wielded huge influence to gain perquisites for themselves at the expense of the public. Early retirement, job tenure, high wages, and generous defined-benefit pension plans have gained increasing attention from commentators and voters, though many public sector perks are intentionally shrouded and confuse the public debate. What has received far less attention is the pernicious effect of public sector union privileges on the provision of public goods in the United States. Public sector unions have greatly distorted state spending priorities and made it more difficult for states to devise innovative public goods that would benefit their citizenry as whole. The strong organizational rights of these unions, protected or abetted by statute and regulations, enables their outsized influence on public policy. But crisis is also opportunity. The dire straits of states offer the chance for entrepreneurial governors to abolish public employee union privileges, like the rights to strike, to collectively bargain, to seek binding arbitration, and to collect dues. Public employee unions are the great reactionary force in public life today, using their privileged position both to defend the rewards their members receive and to block innovation. As a result, this recession offers a political opening for both liberal and conservative governors. For conservatives, taking on public employee unions provides a way to eliminate inefficient spending and create a polity of low taxes and lean government. For liberals, it provides a way to redirect spending to effective public goods, like better educational outputs, that public employee unions frustrate. The authors contend that if both liberal and conservative governors moved against public employee unions, the public would have the best of all possible worlds, a demonstration project pitting a low-tax, small-government jurisdictions against a higher-tax, high-value public goods jurisdictions. It would create a fair fight between the attractive options that conservatism and liberalism can offer. Union contracts, however, prevent most state governments from nimbly responding to changing circumstances. This ossification short-circuits the beneficial competition among jurisdictions created by the federal system, which works best when there are not entrenched impediments to government innovation.
Curriculum as a Safe Place: Parental Perceptions of New Literacies in a Rural Small Town School
Author: Corbett, Michael
Date: 2010-12-02
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Parent Attitudes,Rural Areas,Technological Literacy,Textbooks,Safety,Risk,Information Technology,Educational Technology,Parent Role,Literacy,Ethnography,Interviews,Films,Middle School Students,Instructional Materials,Teaching Methods,Computer Mediated Communication

New literacies have challenged all players in the educational enterprise in many different ways. Youth are now engaged in literacies that extend well beyond the safe and respected traditional texts that their parents experienced in school. In this research we analyze parents' perceptions of the relative educational value of their children's different textual engagements both in and out of school. We find that parents employed a textual hierarchy of educational value with the traditional "hard copy" school textbook and literature at the top of the pyramid, and "plastic" virtual and visual texts at the bottom. These assessments are understood within a framework that employs the idea of safety to understand how parents navigate and negotiate the often risky literate engagements their children enjoy.
Schools as Protectorates: Stories Two Mi'kmaq Mothers Tell
Author: Pushor, Debbie
Date: 2010-12-02
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mothers,Figurative Language,Political Divisions (Geographic),Horticulture,Knowledge Base for Teaching,Canada Natives,Foreign Countries,Social Differences,History,Socioeconomic Status,Mother Attitudes,Parent Teacher Cooperation,Personal Narratives

In 1965, Memmi introduced the concept of a protectorate. &quot;Whenever the colonizer states, in his language, that the colonized is a weakling, he suggests thereby that this deficiency requires protection. From this comes the concept of a protectorate&quot; (pp. 147-8). While this concept is 45 years old, it is an apt metaphor for thinking about current school landscapes, and about how educators are positioned on those landscapes to use their professional knowledge of teaching and learning as protectors of children and parents. We assert that while all parents experience &quot;protection&quot; in their children's schools, such protection plays out more strongly with First Nations parents because of historical, societal, socioeconomic, and political divisions (Shields, Bishop, &amp; Mazawi, 2005). As we inquire into stories two Mi'kmaq mothers tell of their experiences with teachers and administrators, we pull forward narrative threads that make visible how parents are marginalized when schools are structured and administered as protectorates. We invite a reconsideration of who is seen to hold knowledge on school landscapes and whose knowledge counts.
Minority Parents as Researchers: Beyond a Dichotomy in Parent Involvement in Schooling
Author: Ippolito, John
Date: 2010-12-02
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Action Research,Parent Participation,Parent School Relationship,Social Capital,Minority Groups,Foreign Countries,Participatory Research,Discipline,Program Effectiveness,Discipline Policy,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning

This article documents the work of parent-driven research teams in two school boards in the Greater Toronto Area. Motivated by a desire to move beyond a school-centred/family-centred dichotomy, this parent-lead project explores a middle space for collective learning among multiple stakeholders in publicly-funded schooling. Drawing on participatory action research and social capital theory, I outline a generic research approach and then provide a more detailed sketch of one full research cycle focused on the theme of &quot;discipline.&quot; I evaluate the relative successes of the project and conclude by prioritizing the quality of relationships within the research.
Democracy in Education through Community-Based Policy Dialogues
Author: Winton, Sue
Date: 2010-12-02
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Democracy,Individualized Programs,Foreign Countries,Surveys,Educational Policy,Democratic Values,Futures (of Society),Educational Attitudes,Caring,Affective Behavior,Policy Formation,School Community Relationship,Dialogs (Language)

In 2008, People for Education, an Ontario-based parent-led organization, hosted eight policy dialogues with citizens about possibilities for the province's public schools. Policy dialogues are conversations about policy issues, ideas, processes, and outcomes where participants share their knowledge, perspectives, and experiences. In small groups dialogue participants were asked to share their ideas about the ideal school of the future. Participants' ideas were recorded by a facilitator. Following each dialogue participants were asked to complete a short survey about their experience. Fifteen sets of facilitators' notes and 46 participant surveys were analyzed in this study. The data show that participants' ideal school emphasizes variety, flexibility, caring relationships, individualized programs, and community connections. Importantly, policy dialogues promote participants' cognitive, affective, and behavioural engagement with education policy. Finally, policy dialogues enhance democracy in education by providing opportunities for critical examination of public policy by ordinary citizens who are viewed as important policy actors.
Every Parent Matters: Reflections from England upon New Labour's Parent Policy
Author: Gibson, Howard
Date: 2010-12-02
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Trust (Psychology),Parents,Foreign Countries,Public Policy,Parent Participation,Parent Responsibility,Parent Role,Contracts,Policy Analysis,Reflection,Politics of Education,Parent School Relationship,Educational Administration,Educational Policy

In England, until May 2010, the New Labour party had been in power for thirteen years. This paper is a reflection back upon its period in office and its strident policies on parents and families. It questions its stance on parental &quot;voice and choice,&quot; looks at issues of trust and contract, and considers the idea of &quot;parent empowerment&quot; in the context of a preference for the middle class that underpinned much of its policy.
Understanding the Connections between Large-Scale Assessment and School Improvement Planning
Author: Volante, Louis
Date: 2010-12-20
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Instructional Development,Student Evaluation,Measures (Individuals),Educational Change,Foreign Countries,Professional Development,Instructional Leadership,Educational Improvement,Interviews,Educational Assessment,Elementary School Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,Elementary School Students,Secondary School Students,Administrators,Grounded Theory,Comparative Analysis,Data,Decision Making,Elementary Secondary Education

This study explored how teachers and school administrators connect large-scale assessment results with school improvement planning. Using a semi-structured format, 20 teachers and 17 administrators were interviewed from two school districts in southern Ontario, Canada. The interview protocol contained a range of questions related to teaching and administrative experience, large-scale assessment knowledge, professional development, and instructional planning in response to large-scale assessment results. Analysis of the interviews followed a constant comparison method and suggested few educators, particularly at the secondary level, are using large-scale assessment results in a sophisticated fashion for data-integrated decision-making. The implications of the findings are discussed in relation to professional development, capacity building, and instructional leadership. (Contains 1 footnote.)
An Investigation of Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior without Extinction
Author: Athens, Elizabeth S.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Behavior Problems,Developmental Disabilities,Behavior Modification,Behavior Change,Reinforcement,Child Behavior,Change Strategies,Autism,Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,Stimuli,Functional Behavioral Assessment

We manipulated relative reinforcement for problem behavior and appropriate behavior using differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) without an extinction component. Seven children with developmental disabilities participated. We manipulated duration (Experiment 1), quality (Experiment 2), delay (Experiment 3), or a combination of each (Experiment 4), such that reinforcement favored appropriate behavior rather than problem behavior even though problem behavior still produced reinforcement. Results of Experiments 1 to 3 showed that behavior was often sensitive to manipulations of duration, quality, and delay in isolation, but the largest and most consistent behavior change was observed when several dimensions of reinforcement were combined to favor appropriate behavior (Experiment 4). Results suggest strategies for reducing problem behavior and increasing appropriate behavior without extinction. (Contains 1 table and 6 figures.)
Further Evaluation of Antecedent Interventions on Compliance: The Effects of Rationales to Increase Compliance among Preschoolers
Author: Wilder, David A.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Compliance (Psychology),Preschool Children,Functional Behavioral Assessment,Reinforcement,Behavior Problems,Intervention

Functional analyses were conducted to identify reinforcers for noncompliance exhibited by 6 young children. Next, the effects of rationales (statements that describe why a child should comply with a caregiver-delivered instruction) were evaluated. In Experiment 1, 3 participants received the rationales immediately after the therapist's instruction. In Experiment 2, 3 additional participants received more practical rationales immediately before the therapist's instruction. The results indicate that rationales were ineffective for all 6 children. A guided compliance procedure increased compliance for 1 child; contingent access to preferred items with or without response cost increased compliance for the other participants. Although levels of problem behavior varied within and across participants, they were often higher in the rationale and guided compliance conditions. (Contains 4 figures.)
Matrix Training of Preliteracy Skills with Preschoolers with Autism
Author: Axe, Judah B.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Autism,Literacy Education,Teaching Methods,Preschool Children,Pictorial Stimuli,Prompting,Instructional Effectiveness,Language Acquisition,Emergent Literacy,Generalization,Inclusion,Matrices

Matrix training is a generative approach to instruction in which words are arranged in a matrix so that some multiword phrases are taught and others emerge without direct teaching. We taught 4 preschoolers with autism to follow instructions to perform action-picture combinations (e.g., circle the pepper, underline the deer). Each matrix contained 6 actions on 1 axis and 6 pictures on the other axis. We used most-to-least prompting to train the instructions along the diagonal of each matrix and probed the untrained combinations. For 2 participants, untrained responding emerged after the minimum amount of training. The other 2 participants required further training before untrained combinations emerged. At the end of the study, 3 of the 4 participants performed the trained actions with previously known pictures, letters, and numbers. This study demonstrated that matrix training is an efficient approach to teaching language and literacy skills to children with autism. (Contains 1 table and 5 figures.)
Spoon Distance Fading with and without Escape Extinction as Treatment for Food Refusal
Author: Rivas, Kristi D.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Eating Habits,Eating Disorders,Behavior Problems,Children,Outcomes of Treatment,Behavior Modification,Food,Reinforcement

Little is known about the characteristics of meals that serve as motivating operations (MOs) for escape behavior. In the current investigation, we showed that the distance at which a therapist held a spoon from a child's lips served as an MO for escape behavior. Based on these results, we implemented spoon distance fading, compared fading with and without escape extinction (EE), and compared fading plus EE to EE alone. Initially, inappropriate mealtime behavior decreased during fading, but this effect was not maintained as fading progressed. Inappropriate mealtime behavior was lower initially when we combined fading and EE relative to EE alone, but acceptance increased more rapidly with EE than with fading plus EE. These results suggest that a number of mealtime characteristics might function as MOs for escape behavior and that analyses of MOs may be useful for developing treatments for food refusal. (Contains 3 figures.)
Component Analyses Using Single-Subject Experimental Designs: A Review
Author: Ward-Horner, John
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Predictor Variables,Behavioral Science Research,Evaluation,Behavior Modification,Behavior Change,Researchers,Intervention,Models,Feedback (Response),Interpersonal Relationship

A component analysis is a systematic assessment of 2 or more independent variables or components that comprise a treatment package. Component analyses are important for the analysis of behavior; however, previous research provides only cursory descriptions of the topic. Therefore, in this review the definition of "component analysis" is discussed, and a notation system for evaluating the experimental designs of component analyses is described. Thirty articles that included a component analysis were identified via a literature search. The majority of the studies successfully identified a necessary component; however, most of these studies did not evaluate the sufficiency of the necessary component. The notation system may be helpful in developing experimental designs that best suit the purpose of studies aimed at conducting component analyses of treatment packages. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)
Increasing the Vocal Responses of Children with Autism and Developmental Disabilities Using Manual Sign Mand Training and Prompt Delay
Author: Carbone, Vincent J.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Autism,Developmental Disabilities,Children,Verbal Operant Conditioning,Sign Language,Manual Communication,Motivation,Training,Behavioral Science Research

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of manual sign mand training combined with prompt delay and vocal prompting on the production of vocal responses in nonvocal children with developmental disabilities. A multiple baseline design across participants verified the effectiveness of this intervention. All participants showed increases in vocal responses following the implementation of the independent variables. (Contains 1 figure.)
A Comparison of the Effects of Providing Activity and Material Choice to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Author: Ulke-Kurkcuoglu, Burcu
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Autism,Comparative Analysis,Males,Pervasive Developmental Disorders,Time on Task,Decision Making,Student Behavior,Observation,Participation,Attention Span,Children

The present study compares the effects of providing choice between activities or between materials for completion of activities on the on-task behavior of 4 boys with autism spectrum disorders. Results showed that the participants displayed higher levels of on-task behavior during the choice conditions than in the no-choice condition. However, the type of choice opportunity did not seem to have a differential effect. (Contains 1 figure.)
Functional Analysis and Treatment of Aggression Maintained by Preferred Conversational Topics
Author: Roscoe, Eileen M.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Behavior Modification,Functional Behavioral Assessment,Behavior Problems,Aggression,Evaluation,Attention,Intervention,Positive Reinforcement

After an initial functional analysis of a participant's aggression showed unclear outcomes, we conducted preference and reinforcer assessments to identify preferred forms of attention that may maintain problem behavior. Next, we conducted an extended functional analysis that included a modified attention condition. Results showed that the participant's aggression was maintained by access to preferred conversational topics. A function-based intervention decreased aggression and increased an appropriate communicative response. (Contains 1 figure.)
The Effects of Response Effort on Safe Performance by Therapists at an Autism Treatment Facility
Author: Casella, Sarah E.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Autism,Outcomes of Treatment,Clinics,Pervasive Developmental Disorders,Allied Health Personnel,Behavior,Safety,Data Collection,Universities

The effects of response effort on safe behaviors (i.e., glove wearing, hand sanitizing, and electrical outlet replacement) exhibited by therapists at an autism treatment center were examined. Participants were exposed to 2 or 3 levels of effort (i.e., high, medium, low) for each dependent variable. Results showed increased safe performance during the low-effort conditions relative to other conditions across all dependent variables for all participants. (Contains 2 figures.)
An Analysis of Stimuli that Influence Compliance during the High-Probability Instruction Sequence
Author: Normand, Matthew P.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Stimuli,Probability,Instruction,Preschool Children,Compliance (Psychology),Intervention,Experiments,Evaluation,Sequential Learning,Behavior

When we evaluated variables that influence the effectiveness of the high-probability (high-p) instruction sequence, the sequence was associated with a precipitous decrease in compliance with high-"p" instructions for 1 participant, thereby precluding continued use of the sequence. We investigated the reasons for this decrease. Stimuli associated with the low-"p" instruction were systematically added and removed in the context of the high-"p" instructions, and results suggest that the stimuli associated with the low-"p" instruction influenced compliance with the high-"p" instructions. (Contains 1 figure.)
Comparison of Bite-Presentation Methods in the Treatment of Food Refusal
Author: Sharp, William G.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Food,Eating Disorders,Toddlers,Comparative Analysis,Measurement,Reliability,Cerebral Palsy,Epilepsy,Multiple Disabilities,Therapy,Outcomes of Treatment,Behavior Modification

The current study examined the rate of expulsions and mouth cleans across 3 presentation methods (upright spoon, flipped spoon, Nuk brush) for a 3-year-old girl with a feeding disorder. The participant expelled all bites presented on an upright spoon. Results showed reduced rates of expulsions and increased mouth cleans during the flipped spoon and Nuk brush presentation methods. (Contains 1 figure.)
Functional Analysis and Treatment of the Delusional Statements of a Man with Multiple Disabilities: A Four-Year Follow-Up
Author: Travis, Robert
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Behavior Problems,Multiple Disabilities,Mental Retardation,Reinforcement,Neurological Impairments,Head Injuries,Intervention,Training,Staff Development,Outcomes of Treatment,Time Factors (Learning),Evaluation Methods,Functional Behavioral Assessment,Adults

Although delusional statements in people with intellectual disabilities and traumatic brain injury can be treated using behavioral interventions, none have demonstrated long-term treatment effects. In the current study, a functional analysis demonstrated that delusional statements were maintained by attention. Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior and extinction of delusional statements resulted in near elimination of delusional statements and an increase in nondelusional statements. Follow-up at 6 months, 1, 2, and 4 years indicated that treatment gains were maintained with continued staff training. (Contains 1 figure.)
The Effects of Behavioral Skills Training on Mand Training by Staff and Unprompted Vocal Mands by Children
Author: Nigro-Bruzzi, Darlene
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Feedback (Response),Task Analysis,Training,Observation,Children,Auditory Stimuli,Communication Skills,Autism,Preschool Education,Home Schooling

We evaluated the effects of a training package, including instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback, for training staff members to conduct mand training with children. Experimenters collected data on staff performance on each step of a task analysis of mand training and on unprompted child vocal mands. Training resulted in increases in staff performance in mand training and in unprompted mands by children. We observed replication of these effects across settings for all staff and for 3 of the children. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)