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The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated the need for schools to strengthen their relationships with families in order to support remote learning. Framed with the theoretical lens of the traditional partnership model, this paper details the results of a survey completed by 56 Minnesota district level technology directors. The survey asked how school districts were responding to the technology needs of students and families while in hybrid and distance learning models. Three main themes emerged from the survey data: maximizing caregiver support to improve student learning, increasing attendance and engagement in the online learning environment, and building technology savviness in parents and caregivers. Recommendations for further research include the formation of focus groups with technology directors from Minnesota and beyond. As a growing number of districts offer online schools and there is an increase in families choosing to sustain online learning, it is important to discover how schools and homes can continue to partner together in support of student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing critical global health issues, such as antimicrobial resistance, infectious disease outbreaks, and natural disasters, requires strong coordination and management across sectors. The One Health approach is the integrative effort of multiple sectors working to attain optimal health for people, animals, and the environment, and is increasingly recognized by experts as a means to address complex challenges. However, practical application of the One Health approach has been challenging. The One Health Systems Mapping and Analysis Resource Toolkit (OH-SMART) introduced in this paper was designed using a multistage prototyping process to support systematic improvement in multi-sectoral coordination and collaboration to better address complex health concerns through an operational, stepwise, and practical One Health approach. To date, OH-SMART has been used to strengthen One Health systems in 17 countries and has been deployed to revise emergency response frameworks, improve antimicrobial resistance national action plans and create multi agency infectious disease collaboration protocols. OH-SMART has proven to be user friendly, robust, and capable of fostering multi-sectoral collaboration and complex system-wide problem solving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This phenomenological study examines the real-life experience of first-time online learners enrolled in a fully online master's program at a private, nonprofit University in Minnesota. Students encompassing different age groups and levels of experience with distance education and that had taken at least two online courses, with some nearing the end of their program, were recruited from various online programs to participate in a survey. A phenomenological examination of the interviews and focus group transcripts yielded comprehensive results in coding the prevalent category themes. The findings helped identify approaches to online education and the opportunities and challenges these participants faced in their online courses. These aspects were divided into themes that further illuminate the participants' real-life experiences. As a result, the analysis revealed the learners' appreciation for the flexibility that online learning brings into their lives. Furthermore, the researcher discovered that the participants were driven to improve their skills through the online learning environment by employing various resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines attempts by antebellum missionaries to educate Indian children in missionary homes in nineteenth century Minnesota. Case study of Protestant missionaries affiliated with the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions; Relationship between the missionaries, young boarders and their families; Educational programs for American Indians.

Preparation of the public health nursing (PHN) workforce requires public health nurses from academia and practice to collaborate. However, a shortage of PHN clinical sites may lead to competition between schools of nursing for student placements. The Henry Street Consortium, a group of 5 baccalaureate schools of nursing and 13 local health departments in the state of Minnesota, developed a model for collaboration between PHN education and practice. This paper describes the development process-the forming, storming, norming, and performing stages-experienced by the Henry Street Consortium members. The consortium developed a set of entry-level core PHN competencies that are utilized by both education and practice. It developed menus of learning opportunities that were used to design population-based PHN clinical experiences. In addition, the consortium created a model for training and sustaining a preceptor network. The members of the Henry Street Consortium collaborated rather than competed, used consensus for decision making, and respected and accepted different points of view. This collaboration significantly impacted how schools of nursing and local health departments work together. The consortium's ability to retain its relevance, energy, and momentum for both academic and agency partners sustains the collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student transportation makes up a substantial portion of a typical school district's operating budget, and sub-contracting bus service to private firms has been advanced by some as a way to reduce transportation costs. Previous studies have found conflicting evidence regarding the cost impact of privatization. This paper seeks to improve on previous studies by estimating cost equations using data that spans six school-years. The primary result is that privatization acts to substantially increase transportation costs. Estimates using a pooled cross section predicted that going from fully outsourced to fully in house reduced costs by approximately 15.8%, while the analogous estimate using a first-differenced equation was a savings of 20.7%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past fifteen years have witnessed the largest migration of Africans to the United States since the transatlantic slave trade. Africans are establishing communities and re-creating culture in places throughout the United States, however, Africanists are just beginning to study African immigrant culture, history and politics in North America. Using the ethnographic case example of a nonprofit organization in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis, this paper presents some of the ways that Africans may be re-creating culture and identity in the context of American ethnic diversity. In particular it presents how some Twin Cities Africans might be adapting American notions of race, and building relations with American-born people of African descent from the Caribbean, Latin America and the United States. It argues that geographically bound notions of identity and culture based on the African continent are no longer sufficient if Africanists wish to understand African cultures in the age of globalization. This paper is based on research presented by the author, in her book, Creating Africa in America: Translocal Identity in an Emerging World City (2004, University of Pennsylvania Press). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The University of Minnesota Talented Youth Mathematics Program (UMTYMP) is a highly accelerated program for students who are extremely talented in mathematics. This paper describes our experiences running UMTYMP since its inception thirty years ago, the challenges in implementing such a program, and how changes in the student body have necessitated changes in the program over three decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: There is a growing need for students and practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine to gain experience with standardized data collection, patient outcomes measurement, and practice-based research. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of a process for standardized data collection that could eventually be adopted for clinical, research, and quality assurance purposes. Settings/location: The setting for this study was an acupuncture and Oriental medicine teaching clinic in Bloomington, Minnesota. Methods: Four (4) aspects of data collection were assessed and improved, including intake and post-treatment questionnaires, follow-up with patients, integration of data collection into clinic flow, and commitment of resources to the project. Outcome measures: The outcomes measures were data collection and missing data rates, burden on patients and clinic staff, and efficiency of data entry. Results: Revision to the data collection process resulted in decreased burden to patients and staff, more detailed and aggressive follow-up protocols, enhanced training for clinic staff, and increased personnel and data-related resources. Conclusions: The systematic collection of descriptive and clinical characteristics can be accomplished in a teaching clinic with thoughtful attention paid to data collection protocols, dedicated resources, and the involvement of all relevant personnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the rapid pace of change and globalization, leaders in healthcare must be educated to think globally even if they only act locally. This short article discusses the experience of a collaborative online international learning (COIL) project between the University of Iceland (UI) and the University of Minnesota (UMN) in the United States. The project was embedded into graduate courses in nursing administration and leadership. COIL courses require substantial collaboration but, when done well, COIL transforms teaching so that global awareness of students and faculty is enhanced and widens their horizons as well as their cultural sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A response by Sharon S. Allen and colleagues to a letter to the editor about their article "The educational and financial impact of using patient educators to teach introductory physical exam skills," in a 2011 issue is presented.

In efforts to encourage use of natural outdoor settings as learning environments within early childhood education, survey research was conducted with 46 early childhood educators from northern Minnesota (United States) to explore their beliefs and practices regarding natural outdoor settings, as well investigate predictors of and barriers to the educational use of these settings. Of the beliefs measured, only two were significantly related to frequency of use of natural outdoor settings: belief regarding difficulty in using natural outdoor settings and belief regarding their relationship to nature. The strongest predictor of use was belief regarding difficulty in using natural outdoor settings, accounting for 67.7% of the variance in the regression model. Results indicate primary barriers to be lack of walking access to natural outdoor settings, lack of time, winter weather, and safety concerns. These findings suggest efforts to increase early childhood educators’ use of natural outdoor settings should not focus on influencing their beliefs about the value of using natural outdoor settings in early childhood education, but instead on reducing barriers, thereby making the use of these settings seem more feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This descriptive qualitative case study investigated the perceptions of dislocated workers offered program services through the Workforce Investment Act's (WIA) Dislocated Worker program in Minnesota. This research focused on recently dislocated workers who lost their jobs through no fault of their own and hence were eligible for unemployment insurance. Semistructured interviews were conducted with a total of nine participants, who described their perceptions of their experiences of being offered services by the Minnesota Dislocated Worker program. The participants' perceptions were analyzed based on socially responsible human resource development. Participants confirmed they had reservations about using government services, and were stressed about career counseling and job search services. These results may stimulate further debate regarding public policies affecting dislocated workers, and implications for practice are provided along with future research suggestions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rising tide behind the school turnaround movement is significant, as national education leaders continue to call for the rapid improvement of the nation's lowest-performing schools. To date, little work has been done to identify schools that are drastically improving their performance. Using publically available school-level student achievement data from Minnesota, we begin to detail the statistical and practical steps necessary to identify schools rapidly improving their performance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The current article examines the assumptions of the MZ co-twin control method that has been applied in attempts to gain more accurate estimates of the returns to education by naturally ‘controlling’ for individual differences on which MZ twins are matched. The current study examined 1738 MZ and 926 DZ twins from Minnesota, including 133 pairs of MZ and 101 pairs of DZ twins discordant for university attendance. They were assessed prospectively on personality, intelligence, GPA, and academic motivation; a subset also has reported income at age 29. MZ twins discordant for university attendance differed significantly and prospectively on verbal IQ, personality traits, and GPA. While MZ co-twin control studies can provide more accurate estimates of the returns to education than analyses of single individuals, these studies do not entirely obviate the need to control for differences between university students and non-students that predate university attendance and might account for income differentials and even non-monetary outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study examines the impact of several experience and education determinants on exposure judgment accuracy. The study used desktop assessments performed on several different tasks with different exposure profiles to identify correlations between determinants and judgment accuracy using logistic regression models. The exposure judgments were elicited from industrial hygienists with varying levels of experience, education, and training. Videos and written and oral information about the exposure tasks were presented to all participants as they documented a series of qualitative and quantitative exposure judgment probabilities in four exposure categories. Participants (n = 77) first documented their qualitative and then their quantitative exposure assessments after receiving the series of sampling data points. Data interpretation tests and training in simple rules-of-thumb for data interpretation were also given to each participant to investigate the impact of data interpretation skills on exposure judgment accuracy. Logistic regression analysis indicated “years of exposure assessment experience” (p < 0.05), “highest EHS degree” (p < 0.05), and a participant's “data interpretation test score” (p < 0.05) directly impacted qualitative exposure judgment accuracy. Logistic regression models of quantitative judgment accuracy showed positive correlation with “greater than 10 years of exposure assessment experience” (p < 0.05), “highest EHS degree” (p < 0.05), a participant's “data interpretation test score” (p < 0.001), rules-of-thumb data interpretation training (p < 0.001), and the number of sample data points available for a judgment (p < 0.005). Analyzing judgments in subsets for participants with less or more than 10 years’ experience indicated additional correlations with Certified Industrial Hygienist and Certified Safety Professional certifications, total number of task exposure assessments, and career number of air surveys. The correlation of qualitative and quantitative exposure judgment accuracy with “greater than 10 years experience” supports similar research findings from other fields. The results of this study indicate that several determinants of experience, education, and training, in addition to the availability of sampling data, significantly impact the accuracy of exposure assessments. The findings also suggest methods for enhancing exposure judgment accuracy through statistical tools, mathematical exposure modeling, and specific training. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses research into writing pedagogy conducted by the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance at the University of Minnesota as part of the Writing Enriched Curriculum (WEC). Particular focus is given to how understanding writing aid in redesigning curricular in theatre and performance studies. It examines intersections between writing and performance, which challenge the scholarship-practice divide. It also describes the stages of the WEC process.

Systematic program evaluations of adolescent catechesis curricula are seldom completed and rarely published. This makes it very challenging to understand what is working and what is not. This case study describes the findings of a program evaluation of the Youth in Theology and Ministry curriculum of Saint John's School of Theology and Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota. This is one of more than fifty Lilly Endowment funded theological programs for high school youth initiated since 1998. The evaluation design addresses the problematic issue of measurement of religious outcomes, particularly the measurement of Christian discipleship. The research design includes the development and testing of a Christian Discipleship Scale seeking to define and measure operationally Christian discipleship. Results indicate the Youth in Theology and Ministry curriculum is influential in fostering Christian discipleship and suggest the Christian Discipleship Scale is a viable assessment tool warranting further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the Racial Issues model being used by the St. Cloud State University (SCSU) in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, which employs a cross-cultural effort legitimizing the discussion of race across several disciplines and shares the responsibility of teaching about race throughout the campus community. It says that Racial Issues courses discuss core concepts including racism, power, and assimilation and offers the critical analytical skills to understand power relations and the intersectionality of oppressions. It cites the challenges of the model including the threat of territoriality, the vulnerability of its requirement in a corporatized university, and students' resistance to the courses. The authors' suggest the need for the university to consider the challenges.

Aims: A randomized trial investigated the impact of risk-tailored messages on mammography in diverse women in the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System's gynecology clinics. Methods: From 2003 to 2005, 899 patients ≥40 years of age were randomized to receive risk-tailored information or general information about breast health. Multiple logistic regression analyses summarize their breast health practices at 18 months. Results: At baseline, 576 (64%) women reported having a mammogram in the past year. At 18-month follow-up, mammography rates were 72.6% in the intervention group and 74.2% in the control group (N.S.). Women ( n = 123) who reported worrying about breast cancer “often” or “all the time” had significantly higher mammography rates with the intervention (85.0%) vs. the controls (63.5%). No significant differences existed in clinical breast examination, self-examination, or mammography intentions between the two study arms. However, intervention women with lower education reported significantly fewer clinical breast examinations at follow-up. Conclusions: The brief intervention with a risk-tailored message did not have a significant effect overall on screening at 18 months. However, among those who worried, mammography rates in the intervention group were higher. Individual characteristics, such as worry about breast cancer and education status, may impact interventions to improve breast cancer prevention practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetlands, and peatlands in particular, are important sources of methylmercury (MeHg) to susceptible downstream ecosystems and organisms, but very little work has addressed MeHg production and export from peatland-dominated watersheds during the spring snowmelt. Through intensive sampling, hydrograph separation, and mass balance, this study investigated the total mercury (THg) and MeHg fluxes from two upland–peatland watersheds in Minnesota, USA during the 2005 spring snowmelt and proportionally attributed these fluxes to either peatland runoff or upland runoff. Between 26% and 39% of the annual THg flux and 22–23% of the annual MeHg flux occurred during the 12-days snowmelt study period, demonstrating the importance of large hydrological inputs to the annual mercury flux from these watersheds. Upland and peatland runoff were both important sources of THg in watershed export. In contrast to other research, our data show that peatland pore waters were the principal source of MeHg to watershed export during snowmelt. Thus, despite cold and mostly frozen surface conditions during the snowmelt period, peatland pore waters continued to be an important source of MeHg to downstream ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduces a series of articles which appeared in the December 2003 issue of the "Pacific Asian Education". Highlights of the papers presented at the 2003 Annual Meeting of the Pacific Consortium which was held in Minnesota.

The study examined the impact of child support policy on the financial well-being of one family experiencing divorce in Minnesota. Data were collected from a court record of a 1999 marital dissolution with joint legal and physical custody and a child support order that deviated from state guidelines. The analysis compared the needs-adjusted income the parties had while in the marriage with the needs-adjusted incomes provided by the actual child support order, and with hypothetical amounts consistent with the child support guidelines, and with the situation of sole physical custody. Financial well-being was measured using three types of ratios estimating income in relation to financial needs. Incomes were divided by (a) Federal Poverty Income Guidelines for 1999; (b) Economic Policy Institute's basic budget for Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota for 1999; and (c) USDA Parental Expenditures on Children for 1999. Results indicated that regardless of the needs standard used, the best financial outcomes were for the father's household. The deviations from the child support guidelines did not seem justified based on the financial calculations, and were not in the best interests of the children. Implications for educators were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem-solving model (PSM) is used in the Minneapolis Public Schools to guide decisions regarding: (1) interventions in general education, (2) referral to special education, and (3) evaluation for special education eligibility for high-incidence disability areas. District implementation was driven by four themes: the appropriateness of intelligence tests and the IQ-achievement discrepancy for determination of eligibility, bias in assessment, allocation of school psychologist time, and linking assessment to instruction through curriculum-based measurement. This article describes how the PSM was designed as a three-stage process to measure response to intervention and used in the special education eligibility process. Program evaluation data collected since initial implementation in 1994 is reported in the areas of child count, achievement, referral, eligibility, and disproportion. The authors discuss the limitations of conducting PSM research in school settings, barriers to implementation of PSM, and make suggestions for enhancing treatment integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compares the efficacy of a school-based program to an equivalent home-based program with 2,250 third grade students in 31 urban schools in Minnesota in order to detect changes in dietary fat and sodium consumption. The school-based program, Hearty Heart and Friends, involved 15 sessions over five weeks in the third grade classrooms. The home-based program, the Home Team, involved a five-week correspondence course with the third graders, where parental involvement was necessary in order to complete the activities. Outcome measures included anthropometric, psychosocial and behavioral assessments at school, and dietary recall, food shelf inventories, and urinary sodium data collected in the students' homes. Participation rates for all aspects of the study were notably high. Eighty-six per cent of the parents participated in the Home Team and 71 per cent (nearly 1,000 families) completed the five-week course. Students in the school-based program had gained more knowledge at posttest than students in the home-based program or controls. Students in the home-based program, however, reported more behavior change, had reduced the total fat, saturated fat, and monounsaturated fat in their diets, and had more of the encouraged foods on their food shelves. The data converge to suggest the feasibility and importance of parental involvement for health behavior changes with children of this age. (Am J Public Health 1988; 78: 1156-1160.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents findings from a longitudinal study of Hmong-American high school students. Focus on a school in Saint Paul, Minnesota; Socioeconomic status; Marriage and fertility patterns; Social adjustment; Academic achievement; Model of Margaret Gibson and John Ogbu regarding the schooling of immigrants; History of the migration of Hmong Americans.

Details the experience of designing, implementing and evaluating an online course in audience analysis at the University of Minnesota's graduate school. Example of delivering a course via interactive television; Effort to create a quality learning experience in distance education; Importance of evaluating educational missions in the digital age.

Focuses on the Teacher Education Advisory Committee (TEAC), an internal committee that is consulted from time to time by a Minnesota college's teacher education faculty and administration for various reasons. Collaborative efforts in education; Program initiators and interpreters of state department policies and regulations; Questionnaire responses regarding demographic characteristics.

The origins and growth of American counseling psychology were closely tied to early developments at the University of Minnesota. Pioneering work in student personnel research was initiated by Donald Paterson and his associates in the 1920s and 1930s. E. G. Williamson, John Darley, and Gubert Wrenn were Minnesota psychologists who played central roles in the establishment of the APA Division of Counseling Psychology and the creation of the ABPP diploma in counseling and guidance. Minnesota is the only institution offering two broadly based APA-accredited programs in counseling psychology: one program in the Department of Psychology and the other program in the College of Education. Counseling psychology at Minnesota in the form of systematic student personnel research was initiated in the early 1920s, shortly after World War I. The democratic principles generally associated with the land grant philosophy-utilitarianism and ready access to higher education-were already clearly in evidence. Embedded in the credo was a nexus of special circumstances that operated powerfully to create and enliven counseling research and practice.

Background: Resident physicians are expected to demonstrate medical knowledge. However, little is known about the residents' reading habits and learning preferences. Aim: To assess residents’ reading habits and preferred educational resources. Methods: Residents at five internal medicine training programs were surveyed regarding their reading and learning habits and preferences. Results: The majority (77.7%) of residents reported reading less than 7 h a week. Most residents (81.4%) read in response to patient care encounters. The preferred educational format was electronic; 94.6% of residents cited UpToDate® as the most effective resource for knowledge acquisition, and 88.9% of residents reported that UpToDate® was their first choice for answering clinical questions. Conclusions: Residents spent little time reading and sought knowledge primarily from electronic resources. Most residents read in the context of patient care. Future research should focus on strategies for helping resident physicians learn in the electronic age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which discussed the knowledge of teachers in Northern Minnesota on water topics and their priorities in teaching them. Methods; Results of the study; Conclusions.