Early childhood arts education in the United States: A special issue of Arts Education Policy Review

ABSTRACT

In this introduction to Early Childhood Arts Education in the United States, a special issue of Arts Education Policy Review, the editors provide a platform for stakeholders' increased awareness and understandings of the need to ensure children's rights to arts education. They summarize the five articles comprising this issue, and invite stakeholders to consider example action steps to apply content from this Issue to arts interactions with young children.     

Arts Education Partnerships: Informing Policy through the Development of Culture and Creativity within a Collaborative Project Approach

Arts education partnerships have become an important means for developing and sustaining school arts programs that engage students, teachers, and communities. Tapping into additional perspectives, resources, and support from arts agencies and postsecondary institutions, arts education partnerships strengthen arts education infrastructure within schools and develop a web of sustainable relationships whereby stakeholders mutually benefit. This article provides a snapshot of an arts education partnership in action that develops creative and cultural competencies in middle school students through a theme-based collaborative project approach. This article informs policy by recommending support for arts education partnerships that develop social and creative capital among schools and postsecondary institutions and within the communities surrounding these institutions.     

Striving for Excellence in Arts Education

Abstract

Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art. Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1990. 208 pages. $16.95 hardback.     

Gathering STE(A)M: Policy,curricular, and programmatic developments in arts-based science,technology, engineering,and mathematics education Introduction to the special issue of Arts Education Policy Review: STEAM Focus

ABSTRACT

Despite the rise of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) as an educational framework, there is a notable gap in the documentation of STEAM teaching practice and research. This article provides an overview of STEAM education connected to the topics in the invited articles authored by STEAM pioneers. It gives an operational definition of STEAM education, traces its development, and questions whether teaching and research in this area have coalesced sufficiently in order to establish STEAM as a “field.”     

Solution structure and dynamics of human S100A14

Human S100A14 is a member of the EF-hand calcium-binding protein family that has only recently been described in terms of its functional and pathological properties. The protein is overexpressed in a variety of tumor cells and it has been shown to trigger receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE)-dependent signaling in cell cultures. The solution structure of homodimeric S100A14 in the apo state has been solved at physiological temperature. It is shown that the protein does not bind calcium(II) ions and exhibits a “semi-open” conformation that thus represents the physiological structure of the S100A14. The lack of two ligands in the canonical EF-hand calcium(II)-binding site explains the negligible affinity for calcium(II) in solution, and the exposed cysteines and histidine account for the observed precipitation in the presence of zinc(II) or copper(II) ions.     

Acromegaly: A Review of 100 Cases

Clinical and pathological findings in 100 cases of acromegaly were reviewed. Great individual variation in manifestations of the disease was apparent. The chronic course was evidenced by 30 patients presenting symptoms unrelated to acromegaly. Headache, visual disturbances, arthritis and elevated blood pressure were common. The incidence of diabetes mellitus, thyroid and adrenal dysfunction was similar to that reported in other series. Gonadal disturbances were frequent. Two patients had galactorrhea and two had hyperparathyroidism. Radiologically, pituitary fossae were normal in 24. Pituitary histology in 29 cases revealed four eosinophilic adenomas, but most were mixed eosinophilic-chromophobic. Fifty-two patients received radiation therapy. Rhinorrhea and optic nerve fibrosis were seen in this group. Twenty-four patients were operated upon, with no operative deaths since 1945 and no morbidity since 1952. Visual failure was the clearest indication for surgery. Treatment will be difficult to evaluate until an index of growth hormone secretion is generally available.     

European Policy Review: Biodiversity and climate change

Climate change and its impacts on biodiversity have gained much political and scientific interest over the past decade. In order for the right policy measures to be taken on adaptation and mitigation, research and stakeholder involvement has a strong role to play to support decision makers. This paper provides an overview of recent developments and research needs in Europe.     

Policy support for biochar: Review and recommendations

Significant evidence has accumulated demonstrating that soil biochar amendment has many environmental benefits; however, adoption has been slow. This raises the question of how to align the environmental benefits with commercial motivations to drive more widespread implementation. Here, we examine the role that government policy can play in accelerating production and use at commercial scale. We identify three types of programs that can support biochar production: commercial financial incentives, nonfinancial policy support, and research and development funding. We also describe how these programs are currently used to support biochar production. For example, financial incentives can motivate immediate changes in business practices while nonfinancial policies can be important mechanisms to educate consumers and expand market demand. Research and development support can provide the necessary funding for early‐stage innovations that may one day become commercially viable options, even without other types of policy support. There are different risk–reward profiles for each policy mechanism, and these must be considered when evaluating a policy direction. Finally, we offer broad recommendations to the development of policy that maximizes the net benefits of biochar adoption. Key recommendations include improving policies that allow for the monetization of environmental benefits and avoided costs, recognizing soil as a resource through national preservation policy, and developing a broadly accepted set of product standards for biochar.