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This article examines the ongoing debate surrounding public schools in the United States. It explores the perception of public schools as monopolies and presents arguments both for and against this categorization. Recent polls indicate strong support for public schools among Americans. The article delves into the historical context of the debate, including the influence of economist Milton Friedman and the push for privatization. Concerns are raised about the effectiveness and equity of alternative educational options, such as vouchers and for-profit charters. The article also explores the potential motivations behind calls to replace public schools, including economic interests and religious beliefs. It argues that public education is a public good and challenges the notion that public schools are monopolies. The text highlights the historical perspectives of figures like Thomas Jefferson and Horace Mann, who believed that education is crucial for democracy and societal well-being. It asserts that public schools serve the public good by providing a common ground for diverse voices and fostering unity. The article also addresses the complexities and challenges faced by modern-day public schools, such as the evolving role of principals and the need for educational systems that encourage creativity and innovation. Ultimately, the text emphasizes the value of public schools in cultivating an educated and informed populace. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the importance of adaptive leadership in addressing complex challenges in education. It highlights the tension between autocratic and democratic leadership styles and emphasizes the benefits of collaborative leadership in generating creative solutions. The article also explores the role of emotions in learning and decision-making, emphasizing the need for leaders to understand the cognitive-emotional link and create safe spaces for problem-solving. Additionally, the article presents research on the intersection of equity, technology, and learning, emphasizing the importance of leadership support and engagement in effective technology integration. Overall, the article argues for innovative and collaborative approaches to leadership in order to address the extraordinary challenges facing education. [Extracted from the article]

The Project for the Intercomparison of Land-Surface Parameterization Schemes (PILPS) aims to improve understanding and modeling of land surface processes. PILPS phase 2(d) uses a set of meteorological and hydrological data spanning 18 yr (1966-83) from a grassland catchment at the Valdai water-balance research site in Russia. A suite of stand-alone simulations is performed by 21 land surface schemes (LSSs) to explore the LSSs' sensitivity to downward longwave radiative forcing, timescales of simulated hydrologic variability, and biases resulting from single-year simulations that use recursive spinup. These simulations are the first in PILPS to investigate the performance of LSSs at a site with a well-defined seasonal snow cover and frozen soil. Considerable model scatter for the control simulations exists. However, nearly all the LSS scatter in simulated root-zone soil moisture is contained within the spatial variability observed inside the catchment. In addition, all models show a considerable sensitivity to longwave forcing for the simulation of the snowpack, which during the spring melt affects runoff, meltwater infiltration, and subsequent evapotranspiration. A greater sensitivity of the ablation, compared to the accumulation, of the winter snowpaek to the choice of snow parameterization is found. Sensitivity simulations starting at prescribed conditions with no spinup demonstrate that the treatment of frozen soil (moisture) processes can affect the long-term variability of the models. The single-year recursive runs show large biases, compared to the corresponding year of the control run, that can persist through the entire year and underscore the importance of performing multiyear simulations.

Preventive relocation of black bears (Ursus americanus) was tried as an alternative to lethal removal of bears that attacked sheep in northeastern Oregon. Bears in likely problem areas or in close proximity to sheep bands were captured with culvert traps and moved to other ranges without sheep. Sixteen bears were relocated in 1990 and five in 1991 from areas where five damaging bears had been destroyed in 1989. The five bears relocated in 1991 were radio collared and monitored by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. None of them were involved in livestock depredations subsequent to relocation. Sheep losses to bears were lower in 1990 and 1991 than in prior years when bears were not relocated. Relocation appears to be a feasible alternative to lethal control of black bears that attack livestock. The costs of preventative relocation and killing depredation bears were approximately equal, but relocation was deemed more acceptable to the general public.

Ironically, the 54th annual Phi Delta Kappan poll that examines the perceived levels of public trust in schools and teachers, shows that confidence in the local schools has not diminished as one might infer from media accounts of disruptive board meetings and superintendent firings. 63% of all adults signaled "trust and confidence in their community's schools"; of that group, 72% were public school parents. 54th annual PDK poll of the public's attitudes toward the public schools: Local public school ratings rise, even as teaching loses ground. [Extracted from the article]

The author argues on why men need a GUYnecology. He discusses the definition of GUYnecology, the creation of the GUYnecology Men's Health Association (GMHA) to expand opportunities to secure funding for current and future initiatives, and a survey finding that most men do not like talking about their health.

Given the increasing presence of conflict and the corresponding stress and tension in the public school system around the country, there has never been a time when highly effective governance is more needed" (Campbell & Fullan, p.13). Efforts to wrest oversight of public education to control what is taught and by whom has been an ongoing theme in the history of American education. For over forty years, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a national policy network founded by the Heritage Foundation, has provided local policy actors with legislative templates for bills that reflect neo-liberal and conservative agendas, such as influencing school policies at state and local levels. According to the Education Data Initiative (2022) almost $800 billion dollars are spent on educating America's 50 million public school students every year. [Extracted from the article]

Teachers are leaving the profession, and there is lower enrollment in teacher education programs. As the political battles rage within and beyond the schoolhouse gates, successful district leaders must continue to find ways to protect and enhance a culture of learning to support, engage, and retain our teachers and principals. As a retired superintendent and now professor of educational leadership, I spend a lot of my professional time with superintendents, assistant superintendents, and building leaders. [Extracted from the article]

ABSTRACT Three diesel fuels, one oil sand-derived (OSD) diesel serving as base fuel, one cetane-enhanced base fuel, and one oxygenate [diethylene glycol dimethyl ether (DEDM)]-blended base fuel, were tested for [...]

Beyond testing: 7 assessments of students and schools more effective than standardized tests. Busy school officials rely on policymakers' expertise in deciding what's best to determine how well students and schools are performing. They tout their school's or system's success in raising test scores or evaluating teachers with a values-added measurement model. [Extracted from the article]

Equipping those leading the schools and classrooms with both capacity and autonomy is paramount for such sustainability. Their work, then, becomes the fortification of the capacity and autonomy of building leaders and educators at the school level. [Extracted from the article]

Before sharing their original research, they cite literature that emphasizes the importance of a caring school culture: A supportive, caring school culture is crucial for teacher resilience (Ryan, 2020; Tait, 2008; Yost, 2006). Peter Drucker's adage, "Culture eats strategy for breakfast", has been misconstrued as rationale for a leader's resignation to powerful cultural forces. [Extracted from the article]