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This article contains a description of the Dual Proficiency (DP) program in an urban elementary school located in the heart of a large south-western city, as well as the teachers who designed and now implement DP, and the immigrant community participating by choice in DP. We write from a context where, ironically, the number of English language learners (ELL) in the United States is at its highest and yet use of the children's native language for classroom instruction is severely restricted, for all intents and purposes, by law. On top of this, district, state and national accountability demands, and the resulting focus on standardised test scores as indices of achievement, have served to narrow the curriculum and to direct classroom time to intensively tested skills. For schools with large numbers of students whose scores do not meet state testing standards, the prescribed remedy is often mandated, skills-based commercial programs. In the DP program, on the other hand, thoughtful content-based instruction utilising academic language connections between the students' two dominant languages (Spanish and English) with explicit recognition of the contributions of additional heritage indigenous languages from Mexico and Central America provides the scaffold to academic understanding for participating students. DP students consistently score significantly above their non-DP peers on state-mandated achievement tests. (Contains 1 table and 2 footnotes.)

The academic achievement rates of urban Latino students are significantly lower than those of non-minority youth. To date, most of the research on this topic has focused on learning and motivational characteristics of underrepresented youth in elementary and middle school and much less on urban high schools. This study investigated variables related to learning, motivation, and engagement among high school--aged Latino youth. We found that learning and motivational variables were predictive of academic engagement for Latinos, paralleling work with non-minority samples. Motivational variables are seldom given adequate attention when considering interventions for low-achieving students, despite the abundant literature that demonstrates their connection to academic outcomes. Fortunately, the factors examined in the study are amenable to intervention.

A study was conducted at Merrimack College in Massachusetts to compare the grades of students who took the recommended course as determined by their mathematics placement exam score and those who did not follow this recommendation. The goal was to decide whether the mathematics placement exam used at Merrimack College was effective in placing students in the appropriate mathematics class. During five years, first-year students who took a mathematics course in the fall semester were categorized into four groups: those who took the recommended course, those who took an easier course than recommended, those who took a course more difficult than recommended, and those who did not take the placement test. Chi-square tests showed a statistically significant relationship between course grade (getting a C- or higher grade) and placement advice. The results indicate that students who take the recommended course or an easier one do much better than those who take a higher-level course or do not take the placement exam. With achievement in coursework as the measure of success, we concluded that the placement test is an effective tool for making recommendations to students about which courses they should take. (Contains 3 tables.)

Students of color are overrepresented in school disciplinary records nationally, but little is known about how disciplinary disproportionality varies among groups. Classroom observations in 1 elementary school suggested that when Latino students misbehaved, teachers were less inclined to interpret their behavior as problematic and less inclined to discipline them than their African American peers. Interpretations of behavior developed relationally, as teachers assessed behavior and compared it to that of students whom they considered problematic. Compared to students with "impulse control problems," Latino students developed a positive reputation and avoided the cycle of disciplinary processes in which their peers found themselves.

Drawing on social cognitive theory, this study examined the relationship between student and school-based factors (e.g., educational aspirations, quality of the program of study, and adults' impact on college enrollment) and students' academic engagement and satisfaction with student life in a career technical education (CTE) setting. This study sought to answer the following research question: What features of the CTE model predict academic engagement and student life satisfaction? Participants were 267 urban youth in 11th grade and 12th grade who were recent graduates of a career education program in southern California. Results indicated that when adult role models are engaged more directly in encouraging and supporting students' educational and career choices, students are more able to make educational and career choices.

The social and collaborative aspects of work settings are becoming increasingly important. For example, recent research has placed emphasis on the social nature of learning. In addition, many authors have suggested that 21st century skills that will be required in future work and professional environments will involve collaborative skills, making them essential for competitive careers. Currently little is known about how networks of professional teachers operate, especially those based on newer technologies. Given the importance of this issue, this study investigated the support networks and collegiality of career technical teachers working in the area of health science. Participants included 317 educators (secondary educators and individuals from the career technical sector), all part of a statewide health science career pathway program. The results indicated that most of the teachers reported having access to some type of support network. The results of a structural equation modeling analysis indicated that respondents who reported having more teachers in their programs were more likely to report higher levels of collegial support and collective efficacy. Similarly, teachers who reported working more with other teachers on interdisciplinary curriculum projects tended to report higher levels of collegial support and collective efficacy.

A weakness of research on minority placement in special education is the tendency to overestimate the homogeneity of populations by failing to disaggregate factors such as language proficiency or to consider other relevant variables, for example, social class or program type. Similarly, certain groups have been understudied, such as English language learners (ELLs). We addressed these gaps by examining ELL placement patterns in California urban districts. Disproportionate representation patterns were related to grade level, language proficiency status, disability category, type of special education program, and type of language support program. Students proficient in neither their native language nor in English (particularly in secondary grades) were most affected. Implications for further research and practice are discussed.

Asian clam ( Corbicula fluminea) is among the most aggressive freshwater invaders worldwide causing major ecological and economic damage. However, the mechanisms leading to the water-borne dispersion of the species within aquatic ecosystems, particularly lakes, is an area where research is at a relatively early stage. A numerical model has been developed to analyze and describe the dispersion that is produced by the actions of waves and currents. The model represents the basic particle processes of release (R), water-borne transport (T), and survival (S). The model has been applied to a large, deep lake-Lake Tahoe. The dispersion model results reveal that (1) under episodic, extreme wind forcing, larvae are carried away from the original areas, along a discrete number of preferred pathways, (2) bays can act as retention zones, with low current velocities and recirculating eddies, and (3) the majority of the larvae released in the infested areas stay within these areas or disperse on a small spatial scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Important water resources in California's agricultural and urban landscapes are at risk without more efficient management strategies. Improved monitoring can increase the efficiency of water use and mitigate these potential risks. The California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS) programme helps farmers, turf managers, and other resource managers develop water budgets that improve irrigation scheduling and monitor water stress. The CIMIS system is a repository of meteorological data collected at over 130 computerised weather stations. These are located at key agricultural and municipal sites throughout California and provide comprehensive, timely, weather data collected hourly and daily. In this article, the CIMIS sensor system is combined with hourly NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) visible satellite data to develop a methodology to extend reference evapotranspiration (ET0) station estimations to spatial daily ET0 maps of California. The maps are calculated on a (2 km)2 grid, a high spatial resolution compared with the density of CIMIS stations. The hourly GOES satellite images are used to estimate cloud cover, which are used in turn to modify clear sky radiation estimates. These are combined with interpolated CIMIS weather station meteorological data to satisfy the Penman-Monteith ET0 equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing real-time and near real-time systems and models based on sensor data acquisition requires efficient access to distributed data sources. This is especially true when multi-source datasets are required for a comprehensive model. For example, developing daily spatial estimations of water evaporation and transpiration requires access to weather stations, combined with satellite imagery, and potentially weather prediction models as well. Most existing online data dissemination services support dissemination with ad-hoc methods, designed for specific limited purposes. General purpose access methods, required by a broadening range of uses, become increasingly important. In this study, we examine standard Web services for sensor data and how clients can consume such services seamlessly in their applications. Specifically, we describe a prototype system that supports Open Geospatial Consortium standards and the Network Data Access Protocol standard. This system allows standard access to weather stations, which provide comprehensive, timely weather data, as well as access to NOAA GOES satellite data for real-time remote sensing images of California. The prototype provides daily reference evapotranspiration map for California. In addition to presenting the technical details of the implementation, the costs and benefits of building such a standard-based sensor data dissemination system are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study which examines the mechanisms of contaminant in the Clear Lake, California. Topics include the use of three dimensional (3-D) numerical modeling study to provide a robust description of hydrodynamic and particle transport in the said lake, the mechanisms of transport of contaminants away from the vicinity of the Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine, and the hydraulic connection existing among the sub-basins of the lake.

The internal dynamics of Clear Lake, California - a large, multibasin and polymictic lake - are examined using simulations conducted with a three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic model. The model is based on an accurate and efficient semi-implicit finite difference algorithm for the hydrodynamic equations, that has been previously subject to extensive verification with analytical test cases. The high level of agreement-without extensive calibration-between the model results and the observations at several locations in the lake is comparable with previously published 3D modeling results. The model results confirm the baroclinic-pumping model of circulation proposed for the Oaks Arm of Clear Lake in Part I. The simulations show that the interaction of stratification, periodic wind forcing, and Coriolis effects drive this circulation. The diurnal readjustment of the circulation from being wind driven to baroclinically driven is examined and shown to vary spatially. This transition in circulation-type has a wavelike nature, with a distinct frontal structure and converging currents at the surface. Asymmetries in the forcing and response, combined with rotational effects, impart a cyclonic residual circulation on the flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internal dynamics of Clear Lake, California - a large, multibasin and polymictic lake - under stratified conditions is described in this work. Particular attention is paid to one of the sub-basins of Clear Lake (Oaks Arm). Several field experiments were conducted in the lake to obtain data of wind, currents, and water temperature using a wide range of devices. Based on field observations and previously published results on basin responses to wind stress, a conceptual model of the internal circulation of the Oaks Arm is proposed. Its internal dynamics are characterized by diurnal cycles of setup and relaxation of horizontal temperature gradients driven by the wind forcing. The setup and relaxation processes are modulated by the influence of the earth's rotation and create a residual cyclonic circulation. This circulation mechanism is here referred to as baroclinic pumping. It is in all likelihood not exclusive to Clear Lake but probably exists in other large and relatively shallow lakes forced by strong and almost periodic wind events where basin-scale internal waves do not play a major role in the dynamics of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is designed as a set of four case studies to investigate writing instruction in bilingual special education settings and the compositions of students with learning disabilities in those settings. Each case study is in a bilingual special education setting. Special education teachers who were prepared with bilingual authorization in California were studied in each of the four settings; their decisions about writing instruction and the type of writing program they implemented were recorded. Data on students' writing were collected over a 10-week period and 1 year later as a follow-up. Results indicated that teachers chose different approaches for teaching writing, including: (a) interactive journals; (b) Optimal Learning Environment (OLE); (c) Writer's Workshop; and (d) a combination of journal writing, brainstorming-planning, and spelling practice. Based on analyses of narrative compositions, each of the four types of writing instruction appeared to yield higher writing quality after 10 weeks. However, 1 year later, only the students in the setting in which the elements of OLE were used appeared to demonstrate significant ongoing improvements in writing performance on compositions. Limitations of the study, educational implications, and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]