The University of Minnesota Extension conducted a social network analysis (SNA) to examine its outreach to organizations external to the University of Minnesota. The study found that its outreach network was both broad in its reach and strong in its connections. The study found that SNA offers a unique method for describing and measuring Extension…

Social support networks may encourage or dissuade help-seeking for youth behavior problems in ways that contribute to racial/ethnic disparities in mental health services. The authors examined how parental social network characteristics were related to the use of mental health services in a diverse sample of families in contact with Child Welfare.…

In science and math classes across the country, digital tools are being used to conduct experiments, analyze data, and run 3-D simulations to explain complex concepts. Language arts teachers are now pushing the definition of literacy to include the ability to express ideas through media. This report, "Multimedia Transformation," examines the many…

This paper explains how teachers in schools function as resources to buoy resilience in the face of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome-compounded adversities. We draw on participatory reflection and action data from a longitudinal study with teachers (n = 57, 5 males, 52 females) from six schools in three South…

Numerous studies show that place attachment correlates positively with age, length of residence and strength of local ties and negatively with community size, education, and economic development of the region of residence. Does that mean that along with education, mobility, economic development and urbanization and with the decrease in importance…

This paper presents the first in a series of studies on the informal advice networks of a community of teachers in an in-service professional development program. The aim of the research was to use Social Network Analysis as a methodological tool to reveal the social networks developed by the teachers, and to examine whether these networks…

Digital technologies have changed the way students read and communicate. Subsequently, teachers must use technology to engage their students in learning. This article illustrates the value of using Web 2.0 tools (blogs, wikis, and digital media-sharing) in the social studies classroom. Additionally, a social studies teacher shares insights into…

The Aging Network is a federally funded group of collaborating organizations which provides support and services to older adults and caregivers. Professionals within the network are charged with staying up-to-date on current best practices, pertinent changes in federal policies, and the latest developments in aging. To promote professional…

Operational characteristics for successful mentoring programs of new university faculty include clarity of purpose of the program, methods for matching mentors and proteges, mentor training, mentor-protege relationship building, and program effectiveness assessment. Strengths of formal, informal, peer, group or consortia, intra-departmental,…

Residential learning communities often focus on easing first-year students' transitions to college by emphasizing the creation of peer social and academic relationships. However, this relational process is most often examined through analyzing individual student characteristics, behaviors, and attitudes. This study used network analysis to…

No conversation about student leadership would be complete without a closer look at the population of students who sit in classrooms today, their traits and hopes for the future, to determine what kind of leaders they are likely to make. They are in fact the Millennials--born between 1982 and perhaps 2004. And the Millennials, also known as the…

Uniform sampling of binary matrices with fixed margins is known as a difficult problem. Two classes of algorithms to sample from a distribution not too different from the uniform are studied in the literature: importance sampling and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). Existing MCMC algorithms converge slowly, require a long burn-in period and yield…

Information sharing is a core value for information technology (IT) security professionals. It is also a familiar concept for those who work at institutions of higher education because of their long history of collaboration and openness. Information sharing has become part of the national fabric as IT security professionals attempt to secure cyber…

This exploratory case study sought to analyze data from Collaborative Learning Modalities (Brantmeier, Aragon & Folkestad, 2011) on-line threaded discussions in a teacher education course where pre-service teachers examined the nature of a Facebook event revealing unethical and racist notions against Native Americans. In 2010 a university…

This study reports on Egyptian science teachers' experiences in collective action research projects with a focus on education for sustainable development (ESD). Science teachers were enrolled in a study course "Teaching Strategies" that had been revised with a focus on sustainability. The course was introduced in the spring semester of…