Spenser and the Historical Revolution: Briton Moniments and the Problem of Roman Britain

Curran argues that, since Roman Britain is a key to understanding the historiographical debates of Edmund Spenser\u27s time, the Roman Britain section of Briton Moniments in The Faerie Queene needs to be examined. It is here that Spenser acknowledged the direction historiography was taking, and saw how this new trend altered the relation between history and glory

Cooperation: Toward a Revision of the Concept and its Application

Father Curran\u27s discussion revolves around the limitations imposed on the individual\u27s freedom to act according to the dictates of his conscience. He directs his attention primarily to the questions of sterilization, abortion and the cooperating physician. Father Curran is a professor of M oral Theology at the Catholic University of America

Agroforestry and the Afforestation Programme in the Republic of Ireland

PosterThe Forest Cover in Ireland had fallen to the seriously low level of 1% of the land mass by the turn of the twentieth century. A series of grant aided initiatives were put in place to increase this level. Currently the Irish forest cover is approximately 11%, while the EU average is around 34%. Since the late 1980s, afforestation in the Republic of Ireland has almost completely changed from public planting to private planting, Farmers are now the main contributors of land for afforestation. However, planting levels have fallen from 20,000 hectares to 7,000 hectares per annum, mainly due to environmental constraints, silvicultural suitability, competing agricultural systems and land availability. Agroforestry could be a way to help increase the current planting levels. In 2011, the Department of Agriculture started to investigate the potential of agroforestry. In 1989, pioneering trial plots were established in Northern Ireland by Dr Jim McAdam. One silvopastoral trial had potential for replication in the Republic. A suitable farm was sourced and a demonstration plot of 1.89 hectares was planted. This involved ash (Fraxinus excelsior) planted at 5 x 5 metre spacing and using tree shelters. The farmer grazed sheep in the early and late spring, then cut silage (50 large bales per annum) and hay (40small bales per annum) during the summer. The Republic of Ireland intends to have an agroforestry content in the new round of afforestation initiatives (2014 – 2020). This agroforestry system trialled in the Republic will be a useful starting point

Making the Most of Interim Assessment Data: Lessons from Philadelphia

Under No Child Left Behind, urban school districts have increasingly turned to interim assessments, administered at regular intervals, to help gauge student progress in advance of annual state exams. These assessments have spawned growing debate among educators, assessment experts, and the testing industry: are they worth the significant investment of money and time? In Making the Most of Interim Assessment Data: Lessons from Philadelphia, Research for Action (RFA) weighs in on this issue. The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) was an early adopter of interim assessments, implementing the exams in 2003. Unlike teachers in some other regions, Philadelphia elementary and middle grades teachers rated these 'Benchmark' assessments highly. However, the study found that enthusiasm did not necessarily correlate with higher rates of student achievement. What did predict student success were three factors -- instructional leadership, collective responsibility, and use of the SDP's Core Curriculum. The report underscores the value of investment in ongoing data interpretation that emphasizes teachers' learning within formal instructional communities, such as grade groups of teachers. This research was funded by the Spencer Foundation and the William Penn Foundation