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This paper describes the implementation of the Master of Teaching degree which was introduced at the University of Melbourne in 2008. The programme aims to produce a new generation of teachers (early years, primary and secondary) who are interventionist practitioners, with high-level analytic skills and capable of using data and evidence lo identify and address the learning needs of individual learners. The programme marks a fundamental change to the way in which teachers have traditionally been prepared in the University of Melbourne and builds a strong link between theory and practice. This linking occurs within a new partnership model with selected schools. The model was influenced by the Teachers for a New Era programme in the USA and by the clinical background of senior faculty. The programme sees teaching as a clinical-practice profession such as is found in many allied health professions; this understanding is also embraced by the university's partnership schools. These schools are used as clinical sites, actively involving their best teachers in the clinical training component. These teachers are recognised as members of the university and are highly skilled professionals who are capable of interventionist teaching and who use appropriate assessment tools to inform their teaching of individual children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research compares cooperative child day care centers to for-profit and independent nonprofit centers in terms of parental involvement in operations (such as fundraising and classroom participation), parental involvement in governance (specifically, serving on the board and attending the annual meeting), and quality of care. It also tests whether parent control of the board is associated with quality. Findings show that cooperative centers feature greater parental involvement in operational aspects, including fundraising and care of the center or grounds compared to for-profits and independent nonprofits. Cooperatives are also more likely to have parents on their boards and feature boards with parent majorities compared to independent nonprofits, although more than half of these nonprofit centers also have parent-controlled boards. Results also show that while the cooperative form, tested as a distinct organizational type, is not a predictor of quality, parent control of the board is a positive predictor of this outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An essay is presented in which the author describes her experiences with her grandparents. She discusses her relationships with them and their communal bond over birds. She provides information on how her grandfather used to collect birds' eggs and how her grandmother engaged in bird-watching. The author notes their deaths, and how the songs of birds always remind her of them.

An essay is presented which explores the author's experiences with reliance and self-reliance. She describes her experiences of having a female lover named Holly, fixing a tractor instead of hiring someone else to do it for her, and participating in a prison program called the Alternatives to Violence Project. The author's experience of protesting a war and running away from gunmen in the woods only to discover that they were teenagers playing paintball is also examined.

We investigated relationships between richness patterns of rare and common grassland species and environmental factors, focussing on comparing the degree to which the richness patterns of rare and common species are determined by simple environmental variables. Using data collected in the Machair grassland of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, we fitted spatial regression models using a suite of grazing, soil physicochemical and microtopographic covariates, to nested sub-assemblages of vascular and non-vascular species ranked according to rarity. As expected, we found that common species drive richness patterns, but rare vascular species had significantly stronger affinity for high richness areas. After correcting for the prevalence of individual species distributions, we found differences between common and rare species in 1) the amount of variation explained: richness patterns of common species were better summarised by simple environmental variables, 2) the associations of environmental variables with richness showed systematic trends between common and rare species with coefficient sign reversal for several factors, and 3) richness associations with rare environments: richness patterns of rare vascular species significantly matched rare environments but those of non-vascular species did not. Richness patterns of rare species, at least in this system, may be intrinsically less predictable than those of common species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work-family issues of graduate students are nearly invisible, despite record numbers of men and women in graduate school during their peak childbearing years. Furthermore, very little is known about what, if any, services are available for graduate student parents. In this article we describe the theoretical and practical tensions between society's view of idealized mothering and academia's vision of graduate students as idealized workers. We then present results of a survey about parental supports for graduate students administered to graduate directors of sociology PhD programs. The results demonstrate that few official policies exist, most situations are accommodated individually, and graduate directors are often unaware of university services for graduate student parents. The article concludes with a detailed presentation of potential departmental and university initiatives designed to support graduate student parents. These initiatives can be readily incorporated by graduate departments and universities to help curb the leaking pipeline of women in academia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The effective management of mine tailings involves the control of several environmental impacts and legal requirements. Six tailings site management and closure scenarios were developed for a copper zinc underground mine located in Quebec (Canada) and compared using life cycle assessment (LCA). Two options are considered for the mine operation: tailings can be sent to the tailings disposal area where they are submerged or they can be partly used for backfilling. For each of these two operation options, three alternatives are presented for mine closure: (a) submerged tailings, (b) partial desulphurization with a cover of desulphurized material and (c) a cover with capillary barrier effects (CCBE) made of natural soils followed by revegetation. The goals of the study were to draw the inventory of these management scenarios from the development to the post-closure phase, to assess and compare their environmental impacts and to determine the importance of the land-use impact category. The potential impacts for each scenario were evaluated using the IMPACT 2002+ LCIA method. The results of the performed LCA indicate that for mine development and operation, scenarios where tailings are partly used as backfill for underground stopes appear to lead to larger impacts in 11 of the 14 midpoint categories since the backfill plant operation consumes a greater amount of material and energy. For a site closure period of 2 years, the CCBE option creates the greatest impacts, since it requires much more effort than the other techniques. The results for the post-closure phase have been analysed separately since they have a larger uncertainty. They appear to modify the comparative assessment results. The various results presented in the paper show the importance of taking land-use impacts into account. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Management of allied health staff and services often has implications for staff stability and retention. A survey of allied health staff in South West Victoria was conducted in 2003 to explore issues relating to recruitment and retention. Findings relating to management and retention of staff in their current job are addressed in this report. A total of 138 staff returned their questionnaires. Results were related to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, level of belonging, with professional needs identified as feeling supported, orientation to the position, clear job description, and able to recommend the position to others. Qualitative data showed that recommending the position was associated with job satisfaction, autonomy, flexibility, and variety of work. The immediate management structure was significantly related to retention. Reasons given for intending to leave were related to management categories. These were management structure, lack of career structure, and lack of professional support. Reasons given by respondents for not recommending their current position were as follows: not for long-term career, risk of deskilling if staying too long, and financially unrewarding. These reasons were also related to management. Positive reasons for staying, which were related to management, included flexible work conditions, variety of clinical and management experience, good working environment, good support, and autonomy. Recommendations are given for organizational development and training for managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A focus group study using four groups of food shoppers provides insights into consumers’ knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors regarding organic foods. Two focus groups consisted of shoppers who regularly bought organic foods and two focus groups of shoppers who predominantly purchased conventional foods. Participants in one of the conventional groups were all Caucasian; in the other they were all African-American. While familiarity with organic foods was much lower in the African-American group, its members were more receptive and positive towards organic foods. Likewise, the African-American shoppers were more accepting of price premiums for organics foods. In comparing the two organic shopper groups with the two conventional shopper groups, it was found that the former were generally more knowledgeable about organic foods. They were also more likely to follow a special diet than conventional Caucasian shoppers. However, the behavior of organic shoppers varied widely. The research supports examining social justice and access as motivations for changing policies to support organic agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]