The need to address social and economic changes has focused greater attention on our public education system and the need to better equip students with the skills needed for a global society. This quantitative study was grounded in the principles of the constructivist learning theory. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the added…

We have built a device that uses the Lorentz force on a current-carrying wire situated in a magnetic field, F = I L x B, in order to demonstrate a slowly varying alternating current by means of an optical lever. The apparatus consists of a horseshoe magnet, a length of thin enamel-coated wire (ours was 0.3 mm thick), a signal generator, a…

In the last several years, the electronics industry has released hand generator-powered flashlights, which are advertised as the end of battery-powered flashlights. This has become possible because of recent advances in capacitor, magnet, and LED technology. Nevertheless, the physics behind these flashlights is fairly simple.

Exploring the critical role of school choice in the future of education reform, the Education Choice and Competition Index (ECCI) is an interactive web application that scores large school districts based on thirteen categories of policy and practice relevant to choice. The intent of the ECCI is to: create public awareness of the differences among…

The National Curriculum for 14-16 year old students in England contains a mandatory element called "How science works". Included in this material is interpretation of data, collecting data from primary sources, using ICT tools, and developing an argument and drawing conclusions. What follows is an activity, based on magnetic braking,…

This review focuses on Ramsey International Fine Arts Center (IFAC), a fine arts magnet school within the Minneapolis Public Schools system. Ramsey is a model school for Music-in-Education National Consortium (MIENC) and has been associated with the Learning Through Music (LTM) program for the past five years, a time during which arts integration…

Magnetic braking is a long-established application of Lenz's law. A rigorous analysis of the laws governing this problem involves solving Maxwell's equations in a time-dependent situation. Approximate models have been developed to describe different experimental results related to this phenomenon. In this paper we present a new method for the…

In this work, we review two formalisms of coherent states for the case of a particle in a magnetic field. We focus our revision on both pioneering (Feldman and Kahn 1970 "Phys. Rev." B 1 4584) and recent (Kowalski and Rembielinski 2005 "J. Phys. A: Math. Gen." 38 8247) formulations of coherent states for this problem. We introduce a general…

This paper presents an overview of how circuit models can be used for analysing wave propagation in stratified structures. Relatively complex structures can be analysed using models which are accessible to undergraduate students. Homogeneous slabs are modelled as transmission lines, and thin sheets between the slabs are modelled as lumped…

This paper revisits the demonstration of Lenz by dropping magnets down a non-magnetic tube. Recent publications are reviewed and ideas for undergraduate laboratory investigations are suggested. Finally, an example of matching theory to observation is presented. (Contains 4 tables, 5 figures and 3 footnotes.)

This study aims to analyse university students' reasoning regarding two laws of electromagnetism: Gauss's law and Ampere's law. It has been supposed that the problems seen in understanding and applying both laws do not spring from students' misconceptions. Students habitually use reasoning known in the literature as 'common sense' methodology that…

Everyone knows that student achievement often suffers when children and families move, leaving behind their school and neighborhood, yet, in urban districts like Los Angeles, mobility is now encouraged by the development of mixed-markets of diverse schools, including charter, pilot, and magnet schools in. Over 60 new school facilities were opened…

This report is a response to the Jefferson County School Board's request for an independent study of the best way to carry successfully into the future its long-term commitment to diversity in its schools. The Board's first principle is preservation of diversity in the schools. The authors' assignment from the board was two-fold: to build on the…

Historically, magnet schools have served predominantly Black and Anglo populations. Consequently, little research exists on Latino parent's engagement in school choice and their patterns of participation. Magnet schools are increasingly part of the landscape for improving school achievement for all students. Yet Latino enrollment rates in magnet…

Racially mixed schools are important because they affect the distribution of academic achievement, racial attitudes, subsequent social and economic outcomes of students, and patterns of residential integration. The purpose of this article is to capture and describe the role that adolescent friendships play in the educational and social experiences…