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Data analysis often involves the comparison of complex objects. With the ever increasing amounts and complexity of data, the demand for systems to help with these comparisons is also growing. Increasingly, information visualization tools support such comparisons explicitly, beyond simply allowing a viewer to examine each object individually. In this paper, we argue that the design of information visualizations of complex objects can, and should, be studied in general, that is independently of what those objects are. As a first step in developing this general understanding of comparison, we propose a general taxonomy of visual designs for comparison that groups designs into three basic categories, which can be combined. To clarify the taxonomy and validate its completeness, we provide a survey of work in information visualization related to comparison. Although we find a great diversity of systems and approaches, we see that all designs are assembled from the building blocks of juxtaposition, superposition and explicit encodings. This initial exploration shows the power of our model, and suggests future challenges in developing a general understanding of comparative visualization and facilitating the development of more comparative visualization tools.

Computational models of acoustic wave propagation are frequently used in transcranial ultrasound therapy, for example, to calculate the intracranial pressure field or to calculate phase delays to correct for skull distortions. To allow intercomparison between the different modeling tools and techniques used by the community, an international working group was convened to formulate a set of numerical benchmarks. Here, these benchmarks are presented, along with intercomparison results. Nine different benchmarks of increasing geometric complexity are defined. These include a single-layer planar bone immersed in water, a multi-layer bone, and a whole skull. Two transducer configurations are considered (a focused bowl and a plane piston), giving a total of 18 permutations of the benchmarks. Eleven different modeling tools are used to compute the benchmark results. The models span a wide range of numerical techniques, including the finite-difference time-domain method, angular-spectrum method, pseudospectral method, boundary-element method, and spectral-element method. Good agreement is found between the models, particularly for the position, size, and magnitude of the acoustic focus within the skull. When comparing results for each model with every other model in a cross comparison, the median values for each benchmark for the difference in focal pressure and position are less than 10\% and 1 mm, respectively. The benchmark definitions, model results, and intercomparison codes are freely available to facilitate further comparisons., Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures

We examine whether social data can be used to predict how members of Major League Baseball (MLB) and members of the National Basketball Association (NBA) transition between teams during their career. We find that incorporating social data into various machine learning algorithms substantially improves the algorithms' ability to correctly determine these transitions. In particular, we measure how player performance, team fitness, and social data individually and collectively contribute to predicting these transitions. Incorporating individual performance and team fitness both improve the predictive accuracy of our algorithms. However, this improvement is dwarfed by the improvement seen when we include social data suggesting that social relationships have a comparatively large effect on player transitions in both MLB and in the NBA.

Eye contact is a crucial element of non-verbal communication that signifies interest, attention, and participation in social interactions. As a result, measures of eye contact arise in a variety of applications such as the assessment of the social communication skills of children at risk for developmental disorders such as autism, or the analysis of turn-taking and social roles during group meetings. However, the automated measurement of visual attention during naturalistic social interactions is challenging due to the difficulty of estimating a subject's looking direction from video. This paper proposes a novel approach to eye contact detection during adult-child social interactions in which the adult wears a point-of-view camera which captures an egocentric view of the child's behavior. By analyzing the child's face regions and inferring their head pose we can accurately identify the onset and duration of the child's looks to their social partner's eyes. We introduce the Pose-Implicit CNN, a novel deep learning architecture that predicts eye contact while implicitly estimating the head pose. We present a fully automated system for eye contact detection that solves the sub-problems of end-to-end feature learning and pose estimation using deep neural networks. To train our models, we use a dataset comprising 22 hours of 156 play session videos from over 100 children, half of whom are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. We report an overall precision of 0.76, recall of 0.80, and an area under the precision-recall curve of 0.79, all of which are significant improvements over existing methods., Comment: Published in Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies (IMWUT) Volume 1. Winner of IMWUT Distinguished Paper Award

Given the importance of school operators in meeting Education Cities members' school growth goals, Education Cities was interested in the question: What do operators want? What roles and activities of local harbormasters are most, and least, helpful to those running great schools? Between October and November 2015, they interviewed 18 operators in eight member cities. The range of operators included new single-site schools, well-established homegrown charter networks with multiple campuses, and local charter operators that have scaled nationally. Operators also represented a diverse group of cities with varying levels of charter market share and maturity. The goal of the study was to shed light on the various roles operators can and should play for their charter schools. They hope the feedback from operators will help city leaders assess and reflect on the roles they currently play, and tease out the root causes of common tensions they may feel with operators in their day-to-day work.

Two information literacy skills pilot projects are being undertaken at Malvern St James School (MSJ) with Year 6 and Year 9 pupils during 2009-10. The projects encourage the development of independent learning skills, with pupils planning, managing and executing both the research and practical elements of their project. Each pupil sets their own aims and objectives and it is the process skills as well as the project that is assessed. The projects examine pupil motivation levels, if pupils can use research to inform their practical project and how pupils respond to opportunities to undertake self-directed learning. Appendices include: (1) Student independent learning challenge projects; and (2) Year 9 independent learning challenge timetable. (Contains 1 table.)

In recent years, the education field has come to recognize the role of schools in supporting student health, safety, and well-being by developing integrated student support initiatives. These offer specific services and supports to students and their families to build a foundation for academic success. These initiatives, referred to as community schools and wraparound supports as well as integrated student supports models, help schools connect struggling children with secure housing, medical care, food assistance, tutoring, and other critical supports. While they are understood to be vital components of community efforts on behalf of children and families, they also further our nation's collective efforts to close education opportunity gaps, raise graduation rates, and better compete on the international stage. Child Trends evaluated these initiatives in a 2014 overview of the evidence regarding integrated student supports (ISS)--implementation models in which schools secure and deliver coordinated, school-based supports that target various barriers to student achievement. In general, ISS relies on five essential elements to support service delivery: community partnerships, student support coordination, integration into the school setting, needs assessments, and data tracking. The 2014 overview clarified that ISS was an emerging field of practice. With limited rigorous evaluations, Child Trends' researchers posited that ISS was a promising way to improve academic outcomes and see a substantial return on investment. Since then, interest in ISS models has grown. Educational achievement remains a major vehicle for individual and family success. Although the high school graduation rate has risen over the past decade, the United States still lags behind other countries, and large disparities persist in academic outcomes. ISS models aim to bolster academic performance by recognizing the importance of addressing students' nonacademic needs. Indeed, the 2015 reauthorization of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (the Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA) encourages implementation of ISS for the first time. As written, ESSA now expressly permits schools and school districts to incorporate ISS into Title I targeted assistance programs for eligible students at risk of failing state academic achievement standards, and into Title IV, Part A activities that support student health and safety. Further, ESSA now makes available new federal formula dollars to states (under Title VI, Part A) to implement models that address student health, which could be utilized to support broader ISS models. With ISS now codified in federal law and expanding across the country, school districts and principals are in need of a more current review of the evidence to guide school implementation. To this end, Child Trends updated its review with a synthesis of findings from relevant resources--including evaluations, child development research and theory, implementation reports, interviews with principals, benefit/cost analyses, and analyses using the Social Genome Microsimulation model.

We investigate distances on binary (presence/absence) data in the context of a Dollo process, where a trait can only arise once on a phylogenetic tree but may be lost many times. We introduce a novel distance, the Additive Dollo Distance (ADD), which is consistent for data generated under a Dollo model, and show that it has some useful theoretical properties including an intriguing link to the LogDet distance. Simulations of Dollo data are used to compare a number of binary distances including ADD, LogDet, Nei Li and some simple, but to our knowledge previously unstudied, variations on common binary distances. The simulations suggest that ADD outperforms other distances on Dollo data. Interestingly, we found that the LogDet distance performs poorly in the context of a Dollo process, which may have implications for its use in connection with conditioned genome reconstruction. We apply the ADD to two Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT) datasets, one that broadly covers Eucalyptus species and one that focuses on the Eucalyptus series Adnataria. We also reanalyse gene family presence/absence data on bacteria from the COG database and compare the results to previous phylogenies estimated using the conditioned genome reconstruction approach.

Since the Supreme Court ruling in "Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier," a dramatic upswing has occurred in the number of student newspapers, yearbooks, underground publications, and Web sites being censored and confiscated. School attorneys say prior review of a school-sponsored publication is legal. What's not legal is to limit expression of political views, including criticism of school policies, teachers, or administrators. Offers suggestions on how students can practice the craft of journalism. (MLF)

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) shows U.S. 4th graders scoring above the international average in both math and science, 8th graders slipping in both subjects, and 12th graders scoring at or near the bottom. Research indicates high expectations, a focused curriculum, better-prepared teachers, and balanced instruction would go a long way toward improvement. (MLF)

Researchers have compiled clear, convincing evidence of what works in early childhood education. Intensive intervention in the early years can make a dramatic difference. To create early learning environments, schools should hire qualified teachers, keep classes small, engage children in learning, design room to grow, test gently, and involve parents. Lists 11 online resources. (MLF)

Methods that will improve student achievement include: start early; focus on reading and math; bring in trained tutors; invest in teachers; shrink the size of classes and schools; and increase the amount of time spent learning. Offers guidelines for evaluating initiatives for improving student achievement, discusses technology, and provides resources. (MLF)

The 51.7 million students enrolled in public and private schools this year outstrip the 51.3 million mark set in 1971. Today's taxpayers are reluctant to pay for new schools; therefore, school leaders need to be creative in handling the enrollment crunch. Experts in fast-growing districts offer tips. (MLF)

Every year more school leaders are forced to deal with tragic, violence-prone situations. At a Prince George's County (Maryland) high school, 17-year-old Chuckie Marsh's shooting by masked intruders led to Principal William C. Short's immediate transfer. Assigned to a rough, desegregating magnet school, Short failed to live up to parents' expectations. (MLH)

In state legislatures and school boards around the country, the approach and the quality of reading instruction are under attack because of a decline in reading scores. The best reading instruction draws on the strengths of different philosophies. School boards should encourage schools to teach both phonics and the whole-language approach. (MLF)

Analyzed 360 university students to see if parentification can predict certain personality characteristics. Results indicated that for both genders, parentification was a significant predictor of masochistic and narcissistic personality, but not of compulsive characteristics. Results support theory that parentification can manifest in two different forms depending upon the type of familial inducement. (RJM)

New techniques have opened windows to the brain. Although the biochemistry of learning remains largely a mystery, the following findings seem to have clear implications for education: (1) the importance of early-learning opportunities for the very young; (2) the connection between music and abstract reasoning; and (3) the importance of good nutrition. (MLF)

Researchers gave low ratings to 73% of fourth-graders' informative writing samples on NAEP's 1992 Writing Portfolio Study. Teachers blame changing demographics, science and math emphases, the self-esteem movement, standardized tests, and fast-paced lifestyles. Administrators must encourage student writing, support teachers, schedule more language arts classes, and provide student publishing opportunities. (MLH)

Exemplary principals are hard to find. School executives should know their school demographics and seek candidates who understand students' socioeconomic backgrounds and sparkle with goodness and high intelligence. Interviewers must also consider candidates' credentials (particularly internships and assessment center evaluations) and select educators dedicated to helping teachers create a strong learning environment. (MLH)

Superintendents across the country are feeling more isolated and vulnerable than ever before. To overcome feelings of isolation, some throw themselves into community activities; others join professional organizations or network with colleagues in neighboring districts. Lonely superintendents should also reach out to people, take care of themselves, visit classrooms, recreate, and learn to know themselves. (MLH)

Many school boards have considered searching for their next superintendent in the ranks of the business community. Both Minneapolis (Minnesota) and Milwaukee (Wisconsin) have businesspeople as superintendents. Contains a number of comments concerning advantages a businessperson can bring to the superintendency, as opposed to the need for proper education credentials, including classroom experience. (MLF)

In "Thriving on Chaos," author Tom Peters suggests that future managers will need the quick reactions of video game players. Patient observation may work better. Chaos theory teaches that random happenings cannot be controlled; the toughest, randomly caused problems have no solutions; a leader's vision or moral code cannot be imposed on others; patterns are slow to emerge; and receptivity to change is essential. (MLH)

Educators are feeling pressured to accommodate students, parents, and taxpayers to garner community support. Principals pursue customer intimacy; people are demanding their rights; and taxpayers, including aging baby boomers, are searching for bargains. American Federation of Teachers President Al Shanker finds academic standards and customer satisfaction incompatible and overaccommodation harmful. (MLH)

Some young people refuse to eat anything that once had a face. Since a vegetarian child can make food choices just as unhealthy as those of a meat-eating child, nutritionists recommend that school food-service directors adapt traditional nutritional foods that children like to a vegetarian menu. (MLF)

Summarizes four reports to enliven administrators' summer reading. A U.S. Office of Technology report blames teachers' resistance on equipment age and lack of training. A Kentucky report underlines teachers' need for thinking time away from classes. A 1993 CDC survey of 2,000 high schoolers presents school safety statistics. Hugh Megan's report describes San Diego Unified School District's innovative detracking program. (MLH)

Teachers dislike faculty meetings that seem time-consuming and pointless. Principals can help make faculty meetings more useful by holding meetings with a purpose, talking about teaching, planning meetings that fit teachers' needs, setting realistic agendas with printed time allotments, and ensuring that meetings begin on time and stay on track. (MLH)

Some children have chronic illnesses that require diet modifications as part of their medical treatment. Advises school districts to hire a registered dietitian or look for resources at a local hospital or public health office. In addition, schools should work with parents, improve staff training, and conduct spot checks of school cafeterias. (MLF)

Award-winning Colorado Springs Superintendent Trevor Burnley has dedicated his energies to the "kid business"; he recently adopted his two young grandchildren and works diligently to keep schoolchildren away from the eight-ball. Faced with a slashed budget, he had to cut staff and freeze salaries, earning teachers' resentment. He regained a more favorable funding formula for the district and encourages staff entrepreneurship. (MLH)

The social and psychological factors which affect one person's acquisition of a second language are described in journal format. The psychological factors discussed are: (1) language shock, (2) culture shock, and (3) culture stress. The two social factors examined are both grouped under the term "social distance" but include (1) types of integration patterns of the learner toward the target group, (2) the attitudes of the learner toward the target group, and (3) the perceived attitude of the target group toward the learner. Language shock is manifested in the fear of appearing comic and in the frustration at the inability to express an idea in the target language. Culture shock caused the learner to reject speakers of the target language and the language program itself. However, her test scores indicated increased proficiency. Larsen and Smalley's theory that the second language learner needs a small community of sympathetic people who will help when she is a linguistic and cultural child was borne out in this single experience. (PMJ)

After attending school for several years, many students consider themselves experts in education. Teenagers brought expertise to Washington, D.C. by busload over past several months. Kids told congressional representatives and cabinet officers problems with education and exactly how to fix it! Hottest topic was crime and violence. Students also deplored funding cutbacks affecting disabled students and equipment purchases. (MLH)