Empirical Methods for the Study of Labor Force Dynamics (Fundamentals of Pure and Applied Economics, V. 60.)

Book Description

In the last twenty years there has been an explosion of economic research on labor force dynamics; the movement of individuals between labor force states. This book focuses on the methods by which behavioral theories of labor force dynamics have been empirically implemented. Most attention is paid to the partial equilibrium two-state transitional model of job search behavior. That model is the foundation for much of our thinking about the nature of unemployment at both the individual and aggregate levels. Although the basic formulation has remained the same, approaches to the empirical implementation of such models has changed dramatically.

Book Description

Parents and community activists around the country complain that the education system is failing our children. They point to students' failure to master basic skills, even as standardized testing is widely employed in efforts to improve the educational system. i Contradictions of Reform /i is a provocative look into the reality, for students as well as teachers, of standardized testing. A detailed account of how student "improvement" and teacher "effectiveness" are evaluated, i Contradictions of Reform /i argues compellingly that the preparation of students for standardized tests engenders teaching methods that vastly compromise the quality of education.

Customer Reviews:

Compelling.......2006-12-05

It is quite a compelling story Ms. McNeil tells, one of how education can be perfected, then brought to its knees by ignorant bureaucrats. Most are familiar with the costs of standardization, but hearing it on such a personal level is a reminder that these are real people, educators and students with a passion to teach and learn, that are affected by them. I grew up with the TAAS test, so standardization is synonymous with school for me, and I fear that too many students like myself have this truncated view; accounts like these remind us that there is another way.

That being said, McNeil isn't the most talented writer in the world; her storytelling certainly flows, and I feel that this is a book that anyone could pick up and easily read, but at times there is something to be desired. It just doesn't seem refined, with numerous type-os, grammatical mistakes (like spelling 'whites' and 'blacks' with capital first letters), clunky sentences and words repeated too soon one after the other (For example, on page 267: "...the symbolic language of democracy seems to be much less necessary, even at a symbolic level." While this may seem like a nitpicking complaint, it occurs too frequently for me to easily forgive, and you will probably find yourself frustrated as well).

Despite these minor complaints, the book is worth reading, as the story is one that especially new students and educators need to hear lest we forget that reform is even possible. We remember taking standardized tests as children and hating the teachers for it, forgetting the knowledge immediately after the test ended, and we see kids completely uninterested in furthering their education today and are prone to attribute it to laziness or ignorance; stories like these are important in that they remind us that these educators and students have potential, it's simply the stifling system of education that we have let become institutionalized that causes these unfortunate consequences.

A teacher reflects.......2005-03-31

Linda McNeil creates a powerful picture in the minds of readers as she describes the effects of standardized testing on the education of the children in our classrooms. Her book is one that delves deeply into the magnet schools, schools that display all the qualities that teachers would want to create in their classrooms. These classrooms give teachers decisions on how and what is taught. Students are critical thinkers and builders of knowledge. Assessment is done in many forms, over time. McNeil takes the reader back to a time when the reform began, time decided by non-educators to "nuke the educational system." McNeil vividly describes examples of how the reformists took the learning out of the classroom. How they listened least to the professionals on these matters, the educators actually sitting in the classrooms. She gives chilling examples that make readers stare in disbelief at the words on the page. One teacher was actually told that her observation would be continued when she was actually teaching, not when students were working cooperatively. McNeil makes her opinion crystal clear about these reforms and reforms that have followed the Texas school reforms, for example, No Child Left Behind. She is adamant in her views that this reform is strongly impeding the education of those that it is intended to be helping, poor and minority students. McNeil's book is one that causes teachers, both new and seasoned, to reflect upon the teaching that occurs in their classroom daily. Are the reforms implemented by your state and nation affecting the teaching and learning in your classroom? McNeil's book, Contradictions of School Reform will certainly help you assess yourself!

At What Cost?.......2000-08-02

Like most teachers, I want to see kids engaged in building skills, figuring out a new concept, questioning each other, me, the text, their own assumptions. Like most teachers, I want my classroom to be vibrantly alive. Why then would I allow waking intellects to be numbed and a spirit of inquiry suffocated by repeated preparation for a state-mandated test? In Contradictions of School Reform, Linda McNeil raises this question and others that arise when a student-centered curriculum gives way to a standardized test-based curriculum.

From her classroom observation come examples that illuminate the frustration and loss occurring when teachers try to maintain enriched instruction while also serving the higher authorities that give credence to only one form of assessment-a multiple choice test of minimum skills.

Many teachers and parents see a more complex picture of the ways children learn and can demonstrate that development. Why have their insights been ignored? Addressing this issue, McNeil returns to the beginnings of the Perot movement for school reform, showing how its original intent was perverted by powerful political players who used standardized assessment to create a closed hierarchical system, with teachers, of course, occupying the lowest level. She shows that this "de-democratization" of public schools marginalizes anyone who does not speak the language of authority, the language of the standardized test.

McNeil provides in-depth social and political perspective, but she also captures the salient moments in schools-- like the teacher of eighth graders who had failed at least two years being told he could no longer do the oral reading they loved because "they are too busy preparing for their TAAS test" or the students in a daily pep rally on test-taking strategies for TAAS chanting "Three in a row? No,No, No! [Three answers `b' in a row? No, No, No!]"

Public schools could be helping young people acquire the deep understandings of concepts and the habits of rigorous analysis that will allow them to take active part in an age of technology and information. Instead many kids are learning that the classroom has nothing to do with real life or real learning or real engagement. It is instead a place where they have no voice but are at the mercy of the routine and mundane. And who can blame their cynicism when they once came to school so eager to learn?

When the stakes are so high, the discussion cannot be limited. McNeil does us a great service with her penetrating analysis of the damage being done to children, particularly those in most need of constructing a new future. Her clear language allows us to see what we had only glimpsed in part. With this articulation comes the realization that the present problems are not inevitable.

Her study of specific classrooms suggests what teachers and students, allowed to focus on full, deep learning, could accomplish.

It is this faith in kids and hope for their future that seems to drive McNeil's writing, urging us to think more clearly about the limits imposed by a system that could be expanding the possibilities.

Contradictions of School Reform: Educational Costs of.......2000-07-27

This book is excellent. It provides a very thought provoking argument against standardized testing. Mrs. McNeil's careful research shows the terrible cost that Texas students are paying as a result of standardized testing. This book needs to be read by every State Legislature, Teacher, Principal, Superintendent, School Board Member and Parent in Texas.

Another Houston Reader.......2000-06-28

This is an outstanding book that has much to say to everyone interested in public education. First of all, McNeil presents an encouraging description of what can happen when teachers and students are given permission and opportunity to excel. The public schools observed by McNeil had little in terms of resources, funds, or equipment, in spite of limited outside support. Yet, the schools had the magnet name and committed teachers and students who created havens of intellectual excitement, inquiry, probing, and rich learning. These classrooms were in stark contrast to the more typical classrooms described previously by McNeil in Contradictions of Control, and in opposition to the students' home schools where "success" meant merely passing the state test and graduating. McNeil offers compelling insights into classroom dynamics and why these schools were able to be so intellectually powerful based on concrete examples from many hours of classroom observation.

The second major impact of Contradictions of School Reform is what it has to offer to the national discussion on school accountability. Her longitudinal studies on the same schools before and after the institution of various state and local reform measures provide clear evidence on the impact of these reforms and the costs to the students. It appears that tests, which originally had a useful purpose, have now been misapplied and misused to everyone's detriment. Furthermore, her evidence shows that the high stakes tests are creating a false sense of accountability in addition to being harmful to children's learning.

Deborah Meier says on the cover of the book, "It's a story that everyone needs to read from start to finish." As a teacher and a mother, I heartily agree.

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Teachers' Voices for School Change: An Introduction to Educative Research
Andrew Gitlin , K. Bringhurst , and M. Burns
Manufacturer: Teachers College Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Research | Education Theory | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Statistics | Education Theory | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Research | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0807731811

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State V. Burns
Anthony J. Bocchino , and Donald H. Beskind
Manufacturer: Nita Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Law | Subjects | Books
General | Law | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

State V. Diamond

Trial Techniques, 7e

The First Amendment and Related Statutes, Problems, Cases and Policy Arguments, 2nd ed (University Casebook)

Trial: Advocacy Before Judges, Jurors, and Arbitrators

Pretrial

ASIN: 1556812973

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Interesting history of Liberal America in the 20th Century

Crosswinds of Freedom V 3: The American Experiment (The American Experiment, Vol 3)
James Macgregor Burns
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Vineyard of Liberty V 1: The American Experiment

THE WORKSHOP OF DEMOCRACY (American Experiment, Vol 2)

ASIN: 0679728198
Release Date: 1990-04-14

Customer Reviews:

Interesting history of Liberal America in the 20th Century.......2005-04-30

This book is billed as the third volume of James MacGregor Burns' magesterial history of the United States, collectively titled "The American Experiment." Burns is perhaps best known as a biographer of FDR (he won a Pulitzer for one volume of this bio) and he's definitely a New Deal Democrat, though he would probably insist he worked hard to make sure his history of the United States was balanced. It *does* criticize both liberals and conservatives, but the criticisms are nuanced and definitely different.

FDR, it turns out, wasn't liberal *enough* during the New Deal. Reagan turned the word liberty into a weapon of hate. The author is pretty ambiguous about presidents after Roosevelt (his hero, of course) and viscerally dislikes Reagan, especially. Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Carter the author deals with carefully, while Nixon, Ford, and of course Reagan are for the most part dismissed with varying degrees of contempt. Reagan turns out to have been "shallow" and anti-intellectual, while his opponents showed much promise but of course were outwitted by the actor who knew how to manipulate the public.

There's also an annoying thread running through the book which the author tacitly acknowledges but refuses to jettison. He's a rampant cultural relativist, and flaunts it whenever he's dealing with Foreign Policy. As a result, when comparing the Soviet Union, Communist China, and the United States, the author doesn't see much difference between the three nations morally. Either he's unaware of the Gulags and reeducation camps of the two Communist countries (and their lack in the USA) or he thinks such things are irrelevant. He certainly acts as if they don't/didn't exist.

Instead, every facet of liberal society in America gets exhaustive treatment. So various shades of radical feminism get paragraphs, even pages, devoted to them, and the socialist and Communist parties of America are treated as if they were important forces in American politics. Their progress is considered worth discussing even into the '80s, when they became completely irrelevant. By contrast, organizations such as the John Birch society or the Libertarian party (not that I'm a member or supporter of either; I'm not) are never even acknowledged. The art world gets volumes, literature is dissected in detail, but popular art and music are at best briefly alluded to. It's a rather one-sided portrait of America, to say the least.

I found this book to be biased, but of course it all depends on what biases you bring to the book yourself. The writing is generally serviceable, and if the subject matter tends to sometimes make things boring, he never spends more than 10 pages on any subject, anyway. If you're interested in this era of history, I suppose you could do worse, and if you're aware of the biases of the author, it's not a bad outline of the subject.

Vineyard of Liberty V 1: The American Experiment

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Vineyard of Liberty V 1: The American Experiment
James Macgregor Burns
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 0394716299
Release Date: 1983-08-12

Ditchbank weed control in Washington (Extension bulletin)

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Ditchbank weed control in Washington (Extension bulletin)
V. F Burns
Manufacturer: Extension Service, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, State College of Washington
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Weed & Pest Control | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007I0G3Q

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State V. Burns: Burns Teaching Notes
Anthony J. Bocchino , and Donald H. Beskind
Manufacturer: Nita Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1556814372

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State v. Burns: Murder and robbery
Anthony J Bocchino
Manufacturer: National Institute for Trial Advocacy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Criminal Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Criminal Procedure | Criminal Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Trial Practice | Procedures & Litigation | Law | Subjects | Books

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Teaching notes for State v. Burns
Anthony J Bocchino
Manufacturer: National Institute for Trial Advocacy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Criminal Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Criminal Procedure | Criminal Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Trial Practice | Procedures & Litigation | Law | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000722SLA

Book Description

This introduction to basic soil science theory places the study of familiar topics in the context of New Zealand--a country especially dependent on the proper use and maintenance of its soil resources. The text covers all essential areas: pedology, soil chemistry and fertility, soil physics,
and land use management. Many specific examples are given from the rich heritage of New Zealand agriculture and horticulture. Throughout, soil science theory is linked with practical management and fertilizer recommendations. While the main emphasis is on soil conditions affecting plant growth,
other subjects, such as the distribution of soil varieties and their influence on environmental quality, are also discussed. The book would make useful supplementary reading for students in soil science courses.

Book Description

An important introduction to the use of the centrifuge in the biology laboratory, Biological Centrifugation is also useful for more experienced workers. The book describes the background and the principles behind centrifugation, including sedimentation theory. The book also considers the different types of centrifuge and other centrifuge hardware available, density gradient media and gradient technology. Although aimed primarily at the novice, this title also provides information to allow more experienced workers to modify and update existing techniques.

Centrifugation in Biological & Medical Science.

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Centrifugation in Biological & Medical Science.
Phillip. Sheeler
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RKXA2S

Centrifugation in Biology and Medical Science

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Centrifugation in Biology and Medical Science
Phillip Sheeler
Manufacturer: Krieger Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Research | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Physiology | Basic Science | Medicine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0471052345

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Crystallization processes under hydrothermal conditions (Studies in Soviet science)

Manufacturer: Consultants Bureau
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Crystallography | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books
General & Reference | Chemistry | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0306108925

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Crystallization Processes under Hydrothermal Conditions
A. N. (Ed.) Lobachev
Manufacturer: Consultants Bureau
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OSLVLU

Customer Reviews:

Same - Old - Security - Los Almos National Laboratory.......2000-07-25

If you have followed the security problems at the Los Alamos National Laboratories in the year 2000, this should be required reading. In less than 100 pages of text, Richard Melzer outlines the World War II history of security at this critical atomic bomb lab.

Chapter 1 outlines the WW II security at the lab. Some security requirements/efforts were almost laughable. The chapter ends noting that the lab "was considered the most guarded, most sensitive secretive military or civilian installation in the United States during World War II". The author notes that "in theory" the secret of the atomic bomb was as safe as humanly possible so that not even the vice president of the United States knew about the project. The tight security requirements caused severe problems with the scientists and technicians who resented the restrictions on their academic freedom, right of association and travel.

Chapter 2 tells how, in practice, security was compromised when confronted with reality. The chapter discusses three major security breakdowns: #1 Security Clearances, #2 Information Access and #3 Relaxed Travel Restrictions. Melzer ends the chapter with the statement that "As any burglar knows, the keys to a successful theft, be it of real property or of ideas, are entry, access and exit. It was only a matter of time before eager spies exploited these flaws and carried out the greatest theft of the twentieth century, the secret to the atomic bomb."

Chapter 3 gives proof of security comprises outlining the cases of three Soviet Spies; #1: Klaus Fuchs, #2: Theodore Hall and #3: David Greenglass. Stating that there was enough blame to go around for the security lapse , the author places the blame at the top on the project managers, Oppenheimer and General Groves. However, Melzer further states that Groves and Oppenheimer probably could not have kept "the lid on" and still completed the construction and testing of the bomb by July 1945. Completing the atomic bomb by July 1945 may have saved thousands of American military casualties plus countless Japanese military and civilian lives.

A History Channel (? ) TV program on the Soviet atomic development program stated that the Soviets had a viable atomic program. The program made the intriguing statement that the spy information from the Manhattan Project, while helpful, only advanced the Soviet program no more than 2 years. In other words, the Soviets probably would have had the atomic bomb in 1951 or 1952 anyway and the Cold War only would have started 2 years later than it did in 1949.

Richard Melzer concludes the book stating that Oppenheimer and Groves "did the best they could under increasingly difficult circumstances." He ends with the Colonel Landale's post-war conclusion that "Los Alamos and its great wartime secret was, in reality, `not so secure after all." Recent news reports indicate that the difficulties of managing classified research and the attendant security conflicts at Los Alamos still exist.

This book gives interesting insight into the problems of managing advanced classified research conducted by brilliant scientists.

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful translation of surprising 17th century Chinese stories .......2007-09-27

This book consists of six short stories from an original collection of twelve stories by the 17th century Chinese literati writer Li Yu. They are wonderfully translated by Patrick Hanan, whose renditions make each story both fresh and interesting to western audiences. Most of the narratives are propelled by the theme of Karma as well as Daoist imperatives for transformation, balance and harmony. Although each and every story is engaging, I recommend three in particular. In "A Tower for the Summer Heat" events are propelled forward because of the hero's possession of a telescope, which allows him to spy on a young woman and therefore appear to her as an all-seeing immortal. "House of Gathered Refinements" is totally focused on male homosexual relationships and how these play themselves out in the economic and political realities of the day. "Nativity Room" is an absolutely amazingly conceived and eminently satisfying narrative of the convoluted workings of the cosmic karmic rewards of Confucian filial piety.

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Tower for the Summer Heat
Li Yu; Translator-Patrick Hanan
Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQ5L0E

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Tower for the Summer Heat
Li Yu, Yu Li Yu Li Yu
Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQ0OSS

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A Tower for the Summer Heat
Li; Hanan, Patrick (translator) Yu
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OVAHBM

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