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A tertiary course in Quantitative Reasoning (QR) has the potential to develop key practical and intellectual skills for citizenship, such as critical thinking, problem solving, quantitative literacy, and oral and written communication. In this article, we present research conducted on four instructors of such a QR course for students enrolled in a wide variety of nonscience degree programs at a university in the United States. The course used a student-inquiry approach to proportional reasoning, probability, statistical reasoning, and mathematical modeling. The findings are framed by a 5 C model of QR, which entails Critical thinking to link real-world Contexts to mathematical Concepts supported by student Collaboration and QR Competencies. The research addressed the questions of how university instructors support student development of the skills needed for critical citizenship and how this support relates to the 5 C model. We found that three of the four instructors viewed critical thinking as a central goal of the QR course and as supporting citizenship education. All four engaged students in tasks designed to develop a combination of skills associated citizenship, including critical thinking, self-questioning, collaboration, and communication. The discussion addresses such issues as the course's merits and challenges, student engagement, the relative importance of the five Cs, the importance of instructional autonomy, and recommendations for related professional development and future research.

Debate continues on the effects of the global proliferation of private higher-educational institutions, especially for-profit institutions. We examine two related questions for Peru using mixed methods: Who attends private institutions and what are their perceived advantages/disadvantages? Longitudinal quantitative data suggest higher-educational segmentation starting early in life, whereby young people from wealthier households attended private institutions and those from poorer households attended public ones. Interviews with teachers, students, and staff provide insights on perceived strengths and drawbacks of higher-educational marketization and highlight the importance of family background in higher-educational choices, governmental regulation, and close monitoring of higher-educational quality.

This article provides a preliminary report on the construct validity and internal consistency of the "Community Scale." The "Community Scale" was developed to acknowledge the perceptions of community members and to promote a student-led "School Community Partnership Process" within the larger context of school climate improvement efforts. A brief history of the development of the "Community Scale" provides context for the current study of its psychometric properties. Results relating to factor analyses and reliability coefficients based on data collected from community members associated with two schools in Illinois, one school in Connecticut, and one school in Minnesota are then presented. Findings show that the "Community Scale" (version 2.0) measures two dimensions of school-community collaborations and support. The scale shows acceptable construct validity and acceptable to good internal consistency, with scope for even stronger psychometric properties as the scale is refined further.

Pre-nasoalveolar molding (PNAM) was developed to reduce the severity of the initial cleft alveolar and nasal deformity. The nasoalveolar moulding appliance (NAM) consists of an intraoral moulding plate with nasal stents to mould the alveolar ridge and nasal cartilage concurrently. Use of the NAM technique also reduces surgical columella reconstruction and the resultant scar tissue in bilateral cleft lip and palate. The nasoalveolar moulding technique has been shown to significantly improve the surgical outcome of the primary repair in cleft lip and palate patients compared to other techniques of presurgical orthopaedics. But the adaptability of nasal stent with support from NAM plate is cumbersome for many cleft patients due to its bulkiness, interfere with feeding and difficult for parents to manage at home. The Modified Indigenous Nasal Elevator (MINE) is a novel innovation for nasal correction for cleft lip and palate patients. This innovative design, non-invasive, precision, fewer visits, cost effective and adaptability make it a valuable tool to help surgeons to achieve optimal correction in lip repair surgeries in cleft lip & palate patients. MINE's innovative design allows for customization based on the patient's specific nasal anatomy. This adaptable feature ensures optimal fit and function for each patient, maximizing the surgical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of school improvement research suggests that engaging all members of the school community, including community members and leaders, provides an essential foundation to successful school improvement efforts. School climate surveys to date tend to recognize student, parent/guardian, and school personnel voice but not the voice of community members. The "Community Scale" and the youth-led "School-Community Partnership Process" acknowledges the perceptions of community members and the importance of school-community partnership. This process engages secondary students to be active co-learners and co-leaders. The "Community Scale" is a short survey that asks community members about their perception of the school climate, the level of school-community partnership, and the extent to which they would be interested in learning about and supporting the school's improvement goals. In the "School-Community Partnership Process," students are involved in administering this survey to various sectors of the larger school community. The results are then used to develop partnerships between community organizations and the school. This paper details one school's experience piloting the "Community Scale" and "School-Community Partnership Process." The aim of this study was to better understand community members' perceptions of school climate and their level of interest in working with schools to improve it.

This study examines the impact of educational attainment on employment and earnings in Nepal. Using the Nepal Labour Force Survey 2017–2018 cycle, we employ an extended earnings function derived from the foundational Mincer equation to estimate returns to education. The results underscore the overall positive impact of education (1.76, 3.73, 7.68 and 11.00% increase in earnings by primary, secondary, bachelor's and master's degrees, respectively), which is lower than the average observed in other low– and middle– income countries, except in higher education. The results also indicate persisting disparities for females and disadvantaged groups. The study emphasizes the need for strategic interventions, improved educational infrastructure and inclusive policies to foster equitable opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the lack of meteorological data and observations from the upper reaches of Mount Everest, emphasizing the importance of understanding high-altitude climates and their relation to freshwater storage and climate change. The authors present new winter weather observations from Mount Everest, including sublimation rates, wind chill temperatures, and frostbite risks. The data collected from the weather station network on Mount Everest provides valuable insights into climate conditions and mass loss from the highest glacier on Earth. The study reveals extremely cold temperatures and significant sublimation due to strong winds and low humidity. Further research on the impact of climate change on water resources in High Mountain Asia, including Mount Everest, is recommended. [Extracted from the article]

Using data from the survey of the Ministry of Education, Nepal-2005 for School Leaving Certificate Exam, this paper analyzes public and private school performance in Nepal. The ordinary least square estimates suggest that private school students perform better than public school students. However, the problem of self-selection bias arises, as private school students can fundamentally differ from public school students. This study adopts the propensity score matching technique to account for this problem. The results, even after using the propensity score matching technique, suggest a positive private school effect for the data used in this study.

Debate continues on the effects of the global proliferation of private higher‐educational institutions, especially for‐profit institutions. We examine two related questions for Peru using mixed methods: Who attends private institutions and what are their perceived advantages/disadvantages? Longitudinal quantitative data suggest higher‐educational segmentation starting early in life, whereby young people from wealthier households attended private institutions and those from poorer households attended public ones. Interviews with teachers, students, and staff provide insights on perceived strengths and drawbacks of higher‐educational marketization and highlight the importance of family background in higher‐educational choices, governmental regulation, and close monitoring of higher‐educational quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For more than a century, there has been a growing interest in school climate. Recently, the U.S. Department of Education, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Institute for Educational Sciences, a growing number of State Departments of Education, foreign educational ministries, and UNICEF have focused on school climate reform as an evidence-based school improvement strategy that supports students, parents/guardians, and school personnel learning and working together to create ever safer, more supportive and engaging K-12 schools. This work presents an integrative review on school climate research. The 206 citations used in this review include experimental studies, correlational studies, literature reviews, and other descriptive studies. The review focuses on five essential dimensions of school climate: Safety, Relationships, Teaching and Learning, Institutional Environment, and the School Improvement Process. We conclude with a critique of the field and a series of recommendations for school climate researchers and policymakers.

Using data from the survey of the Ministry of Education, Nepal-2005 for school leaving certificate (SLC) exam, this paper attempts to estimate the impact of private school competition on public school performance for the case of Nepal. The study uses the number of private schools in the neighborhood as a measure of competition. The identification problem is that private school enrollment is likely to be correlated with public school performance. To address this, the study uses the existence of a motorable road within an hour's walking distance from the sample school as an instrument for number of private schools in the neighborhood. The OLS results show no significant relationship. In contrast, the IV method indicates a positive and significant impact of private school competition on public school performance, which holds true for the continuous and binary measure of private school competition. (Contains 4 tables.)

This study investigates internal and external factors that influence the post high-school success of young adults with learning disabilities. Graduates of Winston Preparatory School (n = 36)--a specialized school for students with learning disabilities located within the Northeastern United States--were interviewed between 5 and 10 years after their high school graduation. The research team used semi-structured interviews to garner information regarding their post-secondary education, employment, relationships, physical and mental health. Participant success was categorized based on ratings on success characteristics and success outcomes related to self-awareness, proactiveness, emotional stability, positive outlook for the present and future, and social support. Analysis of the interview data revealed that factors such as social support, mental health, seeking help for academics and/or employment, optimism, and self-awareness varied between those with more or less post-graduation success. Results suggest that future researchers and educators should focus on how to increase positive factors related to success after high school graduation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates internal and external factors that influence the post high-school success of young adults with learning disabilities. Graduates of Winston Preparatory School (n = 36)--a specialized school for students with learning disabilities located within the Northeastern United States--were interviewed between 5 and 10 years after their high school graduation. The research team used semi-structured interviews to garner information regarding their post-secondary education, employment, relationships, physical and mental health. Participant success was categorized based on ratings on success characteristics and success outcomes related to self-awareness, proactiveness, emotional stability, positive outlook for the present and future, and social support. Analysis of the interview data revealed that factors such as social support, mental health, seeking help for academics and/or employment, optimism, and self-awareness varied between those with more or less post-graduation success. Results suggest that future researchers and educators should focus on how to increase positive factors related to success after high school graduation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]