PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Local education politics 'far from dead'

Local education politics 'far from dead'
2014-07-29
(Press-News.org) EAST LANSING, Mich. --- Teach for America, known for recruiting teachers, is also setting its sights on capturing school board seats across the nation. Surprisingly, however, political candidates from the program aren't just pushing its national education agenda, they're advancing local issues as well, according to a new study.

The findings, said Michigan State University's Rebecca Jacobsen, refute the argument that school boards have become ineffective and obsolete in the wake of national education reform. Teach for America, a nonprofit that enlists high-achieving college graduates and professionals to teach in poor communities for at least two years, has some 32,000 alumni.

"It appears that TFA alumni candidates running for school boards paid attention to both national and local messages because of a growing recognition that local politics is far from dead," said Jacobsen, associate professor of teacher education and lead investigator on the study. "School board members, like it or not, remain key to shaping the future of our schools."

Jacobsen studied school board elections involving Teach for America alumni in 2009 and 2010, following the launch of TFA's Leadership for Educational Equity. The program aims to grow the number of program alumni who serve in elected office.

Jacobsen found that program alumni running for school board did indeed champion the organization's core values and priorities. Echoing the core value of "respect and humility," for example, one candidate said "more needs to be done to welcome, involve and inform parents." Another candidate stressed the core value of "relentless pursuit of results" by saying he "demonstrated impressive results as a classroom teacher, with his students tripling the average state science scores expected."

But Jacobsen was surprised to learn that TFA alumni candidates also focused frequently on local issues – in some cases more than non-TFA candidates. The most common local issue was the budget; others included school safety and the need for programs such as the arts, athletics and early childhood education.

The study suggests Teach for America, while operating as a national organization, recognizes it must tap into the local arena in order to affect change. Supporting alumni to run for local school boards may be the most effective way to advance its agenda.

Teach for America's motto is, "One day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education."

The study appears in the journal Education Policy Analysis Archives.

INFORMATION: END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Local education politics 'far from dead' Local education politics 'far from dead' 2

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Wildfires continue near Yellowknife, Canada

Wildfires continue near Yellowknife, Canada
2014-07-29
The wildfires that have been plaguing the Northern Territories in Canada and have sent smoke drifting down to the Great Lakes in the U.S. continue on. NASA's Aqua satellite collected this natural-color image with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, MODIS, instrument on July 26, 2014. Actively burning areas, detected by MODIS's thermal bands, are outlined in red. Copious amount of smoke are drifting northward in this image. Smoke is also creating havoc for residents of Yellowknife. Fire has caused power outages in the area and because of the smoke, line ...

Stem cell advance may increase efficiency of tissue regeneration

2014-07-29
A new stem-cell discovery might one day lead to a more streamlined process for obtaining stem cells, which in turn could be used in the development of replacement tissue for failing body parts, according to UC San Francisco scientists who reported the findings in the current edition of Cell. The work builds on a strategy that involves reprogramming adult cells back to an embryonic state in which they again have the potential to become any type of cell. The efficiency of this process may soon increase thanks to the scientists' identification of biochemical pathways ...

New research reveals Pele is powerful, even in the sky

New research reveals Pele is powerful, even in the sky
2014-07-29
One might assume that a tropical storm moving through volcanic smog (vog) would sweep up the tainted air and march on, unchanged. However, a recent study from atmospheric scientists at the University of Hawai'i – Mānoa (UHM) revealed that, though microscopic, gasses and particles from Kilauea volcano exerted an influence on Tropical Storm Flossie – affecting the formation of thunderstorms and lightning in the sizeable storm. In July 2013, as Flossie approached the Hawaiian Islands, satellites steadily monitored lightning, rainfall, cloud cover, temperature and ...

Herpes remains active even when no symptoms appear

Herpes remains active even when no symptoms appear
2014-07-29
Scientists investigating the herpes virus have been surprised to find an ongoing conflict in the cells of sufferers, even when the virus is apparently dormant. Herpes Simplex Type 1 is a virus that causes cold sores. It remains in the body's nervous system indefinitely after infection. Around 80 per cent of Australians carry the virus, although it is usually in a dormant state. "We thought when the disease was dormant, it was a truce," said Associate Professor David Tscharke from The Australian National University Research School of Biology. "It turns out that the virus ...

How does microRNA-124 promote the neuronal differentiation of BMSCs?

2014-07-29
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important regulatory role in the self-renewal and differentiation of stem cells. Dr. Defeng Zou and co-workers from the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, China focuses on the effect of miRNA overexpression on the differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells into neurons. In the study released on the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 9, No. 12, 2014), researchers used GeneChip technology to analyze the expression of miRNAs in bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells, neural stem cells and neurons. They constructed ...

Prolonged electrical stimulation causes no damage to sacral nerve roots in rabbits

Prolonged electrical stimulation causes no damage to sacral nerve roots in rabbits
2014-07-29
Previous studies have shown that, anode block electrical stimulation of the sacral nerve root can produce physiological urination and reconstruct urinary bladder function in rabbits. However, whether long-term anode block electrical stimulation causes damage to the sacral nerve root remains unclear, and needs further investigation. In a recent study reported on the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 9, No. 12, 2014), Dr. Peng Yan and co-workers from Jilin University, China established a complete spinal cord injury model in New Zealand white rabbits through T9-10 segment ...

Evolution in rainforest flies points to climate change survival

2014-07-29
Scientists believe some tropical species may be able to evolve and adapt to the effects of climate change. The new findings published in the journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, suggests some sensitive rainforest-restricted species may survive climate change and avoid extinction. But only if the change is not too abrupt and dramatically beyond the conditions that a species currently experiences. Previous research offered a bleak prospect for tropical species' adaptation to climate change, now researchers from Monash University believe the situation may not be ...

Vaccine website could increase uptake

2014-07-29
Giving parents access to a dedicated website on the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is the most cost-effective way to increase uptake, say experts. The study published in the British Journal of General Practice, recommends that a dedicated website be developed as part of guidelines on the MMR vaccine. Led by Dr Swati Shourie from Monash University and Dr Sandy Tubeuf from the University of Leeds in the UK, the research is the first to look at the economics of providing information about the MMR vaccine. As well as reducing parents' concern about immunising ...

Microscopic rowing -- without a cox

Microscopic rowing -- without a cox
2014-07-29
Many different types of cell, including sperm, bacteria and algae, propel themselves using whip-like appendages known as flagella. These protrusions, about one-hundredth of a millimetre long, function like tiny oars, helping cells move through fluid. Similar, shorter structures called cilia are found on the surfaces of many cells, where they perform roles such as moving liquids over the cell. Flagella and cilia are remarkably versatile: they transport mucus and expel pathogens from our airways, they establish the left-right asymmetry in developing vertebrate embryos, ...

Violent aftermath for the warriors at Alken Enge

Violent aftermath for the warriors at Alken Enge
2014-07-29
Denmark attracted international attention in 2012 when archaeological excavations revealed the bones of an entire army, whose warriors had been thrown into the bogs near the Alken Enge wetlands in East Jutland after losing a major engagement in the era around the birth of Christ. Work has continued in the area since then and archaeologists and experts from Aarhus University, Skanderborg Museum and Moesgaard Museum have now made sensational new findings. "We have found a wooden stick bearing the pelvic bones of four different men. In addition, we have unearthed bundles ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Hanbat National University researchers present new technique to boost solid oxide fuel cell performance

Even short school breaks affect student learning unevenly across socioeconomic backgrounds

When words matter: Language and culture shape early childhood outcomes

UBC enzyme technology clears first human test toward universal donor organs for transplantation

Birds’ vocal warnings provide new insight into the origins of language

Breakthrough results from elephant herpesvirus trial find vaccine to be safe

Final step in the biosynthesis of iridoids elucidated

New antibiotic targets IBD — and AI predicted how it would work before scientists could prove it

Glioblastomas affect much more than just the brain

Researchers uncover why mental maps fade with age

New mechanism revealed: How leukemia cells trick the immune system

Genetic map reveals influence of DNA on metabolism

Researchers use ultrasound holograms to influence brain networks

Unique videos show how trawling restrictions brings back life to the sea

Whooping cough can be fatal in young infants, experts warn

Knee-d for excellence: New regional training hub keeps surgeons sharp for ageing population

The Lancet: Billions lack access to healthy diets as food systems drive climate and health crises, but sustainable, equitable solutions are within reach, says new EAT-Lancet report

Countries with highest reported levels of hearing loss have lowest use of hearing aids

Early medical abortion at home up to 12 weeks is safe, effective, and comparable to hospital care

New approach to gravitational wave detection opens the Milli-Hz Frontier

Rice membrane extracts lithium from brines with greater speed, less waste

Exercise lowers disease risk. This researcher wants to understand how

Hurricane evacuation patterns differ based on where the storm hits

Stem Cell Reports welcomes new members to its Editorial Board

Researchers develop molecular qubits that communicate at telecom frequencies

Mayo Clinic awarded up to $40 million by ARPA-H for pioneering air safety research

People with Down syndrome have early neuroinflammation

CNIO researchers create the “human repairome”, a catalogue of DNA “scars” that will help define personalized cancer treatments

Strengthening biosecurity screening for genes that encode proteins of concern

Global wildfire disasters are growing in frequency and cost

[Press-News.org] Local education politics 'far from dead'