School performance in Australia: is there a role for quasi-markets?

Recent changes to the organisation of Australia's education system have raised the possibility of implementing wide-ranging market reforms. In this article we discuss the scope for introducing reforms similar to the United Kingdom's 'quasi-market' model. We discuss the role of school league tables in providing signals and incentives in a quasi-market. Specifically, we compare a range of unadjusted and model-based league tables of primary school performance in Queensland's public education system. These comparisons indicate that model-based tables which account for socio-economic status and student intake quality vary significantly from the unadjusted tables

Variations of Culturable and Metabolically Active Bacteria in a Stratified Water Column: The Example of Istanbul and Canakkale Straits, Turkey

The Dardanelles (Canakkale Strait) and Bosporus (Istanbul Strait) which have unique hydrographical characteristics were compared regarding the metabolically active bacteria, culturable heterotrophic bacteria (HPC) and their relation to the nutrients and variable environmental parameters. The samples were taken from various depths ranging from 0-30 cm to 50 meters. The halocline stratifications and mixture layer were determined with CTD (SBE 19 SEACAT Profiles). The spread plate technique was used for detecting HPC. The modified staining method was applied for identifying of the metabolically active bacteria by using epifluorescense microscope technique. The highest HPC counts were recorded to be 85 +/- 0.2x108 CFU/100 ml within the interlayer of the water column (20 m) between upper and bottom currents which were formed by the saline waters of the Mediterranean and the less saline waters of the Black Sea in the Istanbul Strait. The results show that the bacterial properties of these massive water bodies were modified by nutrient accumulation, due to the fact that terrestrial inputs with respect to chemical and biological pollution within the mixed layer. The highest metabolically active bacteria were recorded in the samples which were taken from 0-30 cm of upper layer (2025 meters) of the Black Sea waters which enter through the Istanbul Strait. A significant positive correlation was recorded between temperature and metabolically active bacteria. The obtained results could contribute to understand variations of the bacterial activity and abundance and manage bacterial processes in a stratified water system of other marine areas of the world.Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUB?TAK); TUBITAK [105Y039]; Istanbul University Scientific Research Projects Unit [BAP588/14082006]The part of the study that was conducted in Canakkale Strait was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUB?TAK). The authors wish to thank TUBITAK (Project No. 105Y039) and Istanbul University Scientific Research Projects Unit (BAP588/14082006) for their financial support. The authors also wish to thank the crew of the research vessel YUNUS-S for their help in sampling

Ensinar ciências na perspectiva da sustentabilidade: barreiras e dificuldades reveladas por professores de biologia em formação

A presente investigação parte de uma visão global sobre as dificuldades relativas ao ensino de biologia na perspectiva do desenvolvimento sustentável e da formação de professores dessa área para atuarem no ensino básico. Tem como objetivo identificar os temas relacionados ao ambiente e ao desenvolvimento sustentável que são considerados difíceis de serem ensinados, caracterizando os motivos dessas dificuldades. A pesquisa se desenvolveu numa abordagem qualitativa e quantitativa. De forma geral, identificou-se que os participantes da pesquisa indicam dificuldades em incluir questões sobre desenvolvimento sustentável em suas futuras aulas e que a ausência da abordagem multidisciplinar ou interdisciplinar corresponde a uma razão importante para as dificuldades em ensinar na perspectiva da sustentabilidade, uma vez que isso possibilitaria aos alunos fazer uma análise do ambiente do ponto de vista das dimensões sociais e econômicas, além de poderem avaliar os aspectos éticos a elas relacionados

Determinants of Integration and Its Impact on the Economic Success of Immigrants: A Case Study of the Turkish Community in Berlin

Using a new data on 590 Turkish households in Berlin, we investigate the determinants and impact of integration on economic performance. We find that usual suspects such as time spent in Germany and education have positive impact, while networks have no impact on integration. There is strong evidence that political integration and the degree of full integration promote income. Using endogenous switching regression models, we show that local familial networks increase the income of unintegrated migrant groups only, while transnational networks decrease it. We also find that education is more welfare improving for integrated than non-integrated immigrants

Birds in the playground: Evaluating the effectiveness of an urban environmental education project in enhancing school children's awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards local wildlife.

Children nowadays, particularly in urban areas, are more disconnected from nature than ever before, leading to a large-scale "extinction of experience" with the natural world. Yet there are many potential benefits from children interacting with nature first-hand, including via outdoor learning opportunities. Urban environmental education programmes typically aim to increase awareness and knowledge of local biodiversity and to promote positive attitudes and behaviour towards the environment. However, limited research has been conducted evaluating to what extent these interventions achieve their goals. Here, we explore and assess the influence of a six-week bird-feeding and monitoring project conducted within school grounds ("Bird Buddies") on individual awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards birds by primary school children. This initiative was conducted across eight (sub-)urban primary schools within Brighton and Hove (UK), with 220 participating children (aged 7 to 10). Via pre- and post-project questionnaires, we found evidence for enhanced awareness of local biodiversity, alongside significant gains in both bird identification knowledge and attitudes, which were greatest for children with little prior exposure to nature. Many children expressed a keenness to continue improving the environmental value of their school grounds and to apply elements of the project at home. Student project evaluation scores were consistently positive. Mirroring this, participating teachers endorsed the project as a positive learning experience for their students. One year after the project, several schools were continuing to feed and watch birds. Collectively, the findings from this study highlight the multiple benefits that can be derived from engagement with a relatively short outdoor environmental activity. We therefore believe that such interventions, if repeated locally/longer term, could enhance children's experience with nature in urban settings with combined positive environmental impact

Variations of Culturable and Metabolically Active Bacteria in a Stratified Water Column: The Example of Istanbul and Canakkale Straits, Turkey

The Dardanelles (Canakkale Strait) and Bosporus (Istanbul Strait) which have unique hydrographical characteristics were compared regarding the metabolically active bacteria, culturable heterotrophic bacteria (HPC) and their relation to the nutrients and variable environmental parameters. The samples were taken from various depths ranging from 0-30 cm to 50 meters. The halocline stratifications and mixture layer were determined with CTD (SBE 19 SEACAT Profiles). The spread plate technique was used for detecting HPC. The modified staining method was applied for identifying of the metabolically active bacteria by using epifluorescense microscope technique. The highest HPC counts were recorded to be 85 +/- 0.2x108 CFU/100 ml within the interlayer of the water column (20 m) between upper and bottom currents which were formed by the saline waters of the Mediterranean and the less saline waters of the Black Sea in the Istanbul Strait. The results show that the bacterial properties of these massive water bodies were modified by nutrient accumulation, due to the fact that terrestrial inputs with respect to chemical and biological pollution within the mixed layer. The highest metabolically active bacteria were recorded in the samples which were taken from 0-30 cm of upper layer (2025 meters) of the Black Sea waters which enter through the Istanbul Strait. A significant positive correlation was recorded between temperature and metabolically active bacteria. The obtained results could contribute to understand variations of the bacterial activity and abundance and manage bacterial processes in a stratified water system of other marine areas of the world

The application of viable count procedures for measuring viable cells in the various marine environments

Aims