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Author discusses what can be done with the design of student government organizations to make them more responsive to the needs of the student body. (Editor/CB)

Background: A study conducted in the Kajiado Central District of Kenya in 2006 showed that there was a high dropout rate among primary schoolgoing children and that their academic performance was poor. The Dupoto-e-Maa education project was implemented in 2007 to address issues related to drop out rate and academic performance.Objectives: The evaluation therefore investigated the extent to which the project had influenced dropout rate and academic performance in the public primary schools in Kajiado Central District.Method: The evaluation adopted a mixed methods approach: cross-sectional survey and case study designs. The benefit of the approach is the richness of information obtained through triangulation. The respondents included head teachers, school management committees, teachers, pupils, quality assurance and standards officer and project staff. A sample size of 183 respondents was selected using purposive sampling and stratified random sampling procedures. Head teachers of the sampled schools participated as key informants. The instruments of data collection included questionnaires, an interview guide, a document analysis guide, a focus group discussion guide and an observation guide. Results: The findings indicate that the Dupoto-e-Maa education project had influenced dropout rates. The direction of the findings seems to suggest that academic performance trends are unpredictable since fluctuations are evident, though the programme could have encountered some challenges that may have limited its achievement on this variable.Conclusion: The study recommended that there is need to increase the number of non-governmental organisations modelled around the Dupoto-e-Maa education project so as to reduce dropout rate and improve pupil academic performance. The findings could also inform government policy in terms of recruitment and placement of teachers in schools in arid and semi-arid lands. Project funding could be increased to improve visibility and sustainability of project activities.

Passive House in Different Climates introduces the seven Passive House principles, to help you create super-insulated, airtight buildings that require minimal energy use to heat, cool, dehumidify, and ventilate, with superior indoor air quality and year-round comfort. Seventeen case studies in four climate zones---marine, cold and very cold, mixed-dry and hot-dry, and mixed-humid and hot-humid---and in ten countries, show you how to achieve net-zero energy regardless of where you’re building or what type of building is required. Includes more than 150 color illustrations.

RESUMOComo diversas outras atividades econômicas, o sistema portuário nacional sofreu influência da globalização e do neoliberalismo. O trabalho portuário avulso, anteriormente dirigido pelos sindicatos profissionais, teve rompido o monopólio na organização e gestão da mão-de-obra pela Lei 8.630/93. Ruptura muito devida às suas lideranças arcaicas, que não observaram a evidente reestruturação dos sistemas de trabalho decorrentes dos novos métodos de movimentação de mercadorias. O enfraquecimento da atuação sindical e a implantação de novas tecnologias no âmbito da atividade portuária, reduzem postos de trabalho e direitos dos trabalhadores.Palavras – chave: Trabalho portuário – Lei dos portos (8.630/93) – Globalização – Neoliberalismo – Reestruturação produtiva – Crise do Sindicalismo ABSTRACTJust as other economic activities, the national port system was influenced by globalization and neoliberalism. The temporary dock work, previously run by unions, had broken the monopoly on the organization and management of hand labor by act 8.630/93. Break due to their very archaic leaders, who did not observe the obvious reorganization of work from new methods of handling goods the weakening of union action and deployment of new technologies within the port activity, reduce jobs and workers' rights.Keywords: Portuary labour – ACT 8.630/93 - Globalization - Neoliberalism - Productive restructuring - CRISIS OF UNIONISM

Wildlife-oriented mitigation is a sequential process guided (loosely) by a set of general principles and rules. When well carried out, it can be instrumental to achieving broadly desirable outcomes from natural resource development negotiations. Planning mitigation in the right way depends upon having balanced perspectives from the outset. One also needs to have at least some of the right technical information, a functional understanding of applicable regulations, and an awareness of what the other parties to the negotiation need or want. No step-by-step “cookbook” solutions exist for wildlife mitigation: each unique case presents inherent complexities, and situations affected by large numbers of variables tend to vary widely from one instance to the next. There are no simple formulas, but generalized processes can be adapted by skilled, creative professionals, permitting some level of mitigation repeatability. Collaborative approaches employed by the state wildlife agency in Utah will be explained, and exemplified. Discussion of current issues and future options may follow, if time allows. Bill James, Energy Development / NEPA Coordinator, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, 1594 West North Temple, Suite 2110, PO Box 146301, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6301, billjames@utah.gov Bill began his formal training 30 years ago at Oklahoma State University, where he earned a BS in wildlife ecology. He also holds an MS in forest resources from the University of Georgia, where he and several other researchers reestablished bobcat populations on Cumberland Island, Georgia. He first worked for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources in 1987, left for a time, then came back in 1991. He has worked in various capacities for Utah DWR ever since. Bill’s professional interests revolve around working with different kinds of people to address tough natural resource issues. He lives in Salt Lake City with his wife, and their daughter is now a sophomore at Utah State University in Logan.