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Surveys of teacher preparation program (TPP) completers have become one widely used measure for program accountability and improvement, yet there is little evidence as to whether perceptions of preparation experiences predict the workforce outcomes of teachers. In the present study, we use statewide completer survey data from North Carolina to assess whether perceptions of preparation quality and opportunities to learn during teacher preparation predict completers' value-added estimates, evaluation ratings, and retention. We perform multiple analyses to address validity concerns--that is, selection into TPPs, sorting into K-12 schools, simultaneity in survey and outcome measures, and differential survey response rates across TPPs. Results are not always consistent across these analyses; however, evidence suggests that completer perceptions are modestly associated with teacher effectiveness and retention. Continued research can further address validity concerns and build a body of evidence on completer perceptions and teacher outcomes.

Background/Context: In response to a shortage of highly qualified teachers, states and school districts have enacted a number of policy innovations over the last two decades. While researchers have evaluated many of these reforms, little is known about the initial effectiveness of individuals with prior teaching assistant experience. We review existing literature related to teaching assistants and utilize administrative data to examine a number of characteristics of individuals who transition from work as teaching assistants to jobs as regular classroom teachers. Study Purpose: Individuals who become classroom teachers after having prior experience in schools working as teaching assistants may perform differently than other teachers due to additional exposure to classroom practices. The purpose of this study is to identify differences in the characteristics, effectiveness, and persistence of teachers who work as teaching assistants prior to entering the classroom as regular classroom teachers. Population: While the population of focus varies somewhat across research questions, we generally focus on teachers with less than five years of experience working in elementary and middle school grades in all North Carolina public schools from 2005-2006 to 2009-2010. Additional data on teaching assistants employed from 2000-2001 to 2009-2010 in North Carolina public schools allows identification of individuals who had prior experience as teaching assistants in the state. Research Design: Using administrative data records, we utilize quantitative descriptions of teacher characteristics and persistence to identify differences between teachers who entered the classroom with prior teaching assistant experience and other groups of teachers. For effectiveness comparisons, we estimate value-added models to compare the effectiveness of teachers in the identified groups of interest. Findings/Results: Overall, we find that teachers who began as teaching assistants are (1) older, more racially diverse, lower-scoring on licensure exams, and more likely to enter the profession alternatively; (2) more effective in elementary-grades math and reading; and (3) more likely to remain as classroom teachers in North Carolina public schools. Conclusions/Recommendations: These findings indicate that former teaching assistants represent a quality and highly persistent labor source and call for continued research to understand how additional exposure to classrooms benefits early-career teacher performance.

We previously demonstrated involvement of NAMPT (nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase) in pulmonary arterialhypertension(PAH) and now examine NAMPT regulation and extracellular NAMPT's (eNAMPT's) role in PAHvascular remodeling. NAMPT transcription and protein expression in human lung endothelial cells were assessed in response to PAH-relevant stimuli (PDGF [platelet-derived growth factor], VEGF [vascular endothelial growth factor], TGF-b1 [transforming growth factor-b1], and hypoxia). Endothelial-tomesenchymal transition was detected by SNAI1 (snail family transcriptional repressor 1) and PECAM1 (platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1) immunofluorescence. An eNAMPTneutralizing polyclonal antibody was tested in a PAH model of monocrotaline challenge in rats. Plasma eNAMPT concentrations, significantly increased in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, were highly correlated with indices of PAH severity. eNAMPT increased endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and each PAH stimulus significantly increased endothelial cell NAMPT promoter activity involving transcription factors STAT5 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 5), SOX18 (SRY-box transcription factor 18), and SOX17 (SRY-box transcription factor 17), a PAH candidate gene newly defined by genome-wide association study. The hypoxia-induced transcription factor HIF-2a (hypoxiainducible factor-2a) also potently regulated NAMPT promoter activity, and HIF-2a binding sites were identified between 2628 bp and 2328 bp. The PHD2 (prolyl hydroxylase domain-containing protein 2) inhibitor FG-4592 significantly increased NAMPT promoter activity and protein expression in an HIF-2a-dependent manner. Finally, the eNAMPT-neutralizing polyclonal antibody significantly reduced monocrotaline-induced vascular remodeling, PAH hemodynamic alterations, and NF-kB activation. eNAMPT is a novel and attractive therapeutic target essential to PAH vascular remodeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Typically pediatric end-of-life decision-making studies have examined the decision-making process, factors, and doctors' and parents' roles. Less attention has focussed on what happens after an end-of-life decision is made; that is, decision enactment and its outcome. This study explored the views and experiences of bereaved parents in end-of-life decision-making for their child. Findings reported relate to parents' experiences of acting on their decision. It is argued that this is one significant stage of the decision-making process.Methods: A qualitative methodology was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with bereaved parents, who had discussed end-of-life decisions for their child who had a life-limiting condition and who had died. Data were thematically analysed.Results: Twenty-five bereaved parents participated. Findings indicate that, despite differences in context, including the child's condition and age, end-of-life decision-making did not end when an end-of-life decision was made. Enacting the decision was the next stage in a process. Time intervals between stages and enactment pathways varied, but the enactment was always distinguishable as a separate stage. Decision enactment involved making further decisions - parents needed to discern the appropriate time to implement their decision to withdraw or withhold life-sustaining medical treatment. Unexpected events, including other people's actions, impacted on parents enacting their decision in the way they had planned. Several parents had to re-implement decisions when their child recovered from serious health issues without medical intervention.Significance Of Results: A novel, critical finding was that parents experienced end-of-life decision-making as a sequence of interconnected stages, the final stage being enactment. The enactment stage involved further decision-making. End-of-life decision-making is better understood as a process rather than a discrete once-off event. The enactment stage has particular emotional and practical implications for parents. Greater understanding of this stage can improve clinician's support for parents as they care for their child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]