The main purpose for such a study as this is two-fold. First, much of the information which is vital to such a collection of historical facts is becoming misplaced or lost. Old-time residents pass away and first-hand knowledge is forever lost. Certain records are destroyed by people not realizing the value of the documents. The longer one waits to collect historical information the more difficult the job becomes. In certain instances it becomes impossible to locate. Thus, of primary interest is the capturing of historical knowledge before it becomes too difficult to find. Secondly, having one source to which one may turn regarding any single subject is of some value. As it is now, in order to locate information about the Lodi schools one might refer to as many as fifteen or twenty different sources. This is not only time-consuming but discouraging. Such an endless task is needless when some person takes time to uncover and collect the information and make it available for others. Also, not to be overlooked is the value of knowing the historical nature of the local educational system for the sake of history itself. It has been oftentimes said that the present cannot be fully appreciated without some knowledge of the past. This study, therefore, is justified on the bases of these factors: first, the preservation and collection of historical data for those who many wish to make use of such information for pleasure or general knowledge, and secondly, the compilation of these data into one source for easy reference.

No description available.

Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 was originally created to ensure academic equity and opportunity for all students. As the largest federal program supporting elementary and secondary education, providing nearly $11.6 billion annually, Title I targets resources to local education agencies (i.e., school districts) to support additional programs and services for improving student achievement. Despite expansive reform efforts, political cries for accountability, and standardized testing, urban school-wide elementary school students are still--in large numbers --experiencing failure and defeat. The process of determining how Title I funds can be used effectively to address the needs of disadvantaged students is quite often multi-layered and complex. Due to the limited availability to research to support Title I coordinators in determining how to purposefully utilize Title I funds to supplement the disadvantages of urban elementary school students, the extent to which Title I funds are supporting and/or contributing to the transformation of low-performing Title I schools is relatively unknown. The focus of this mixed-methods study was to provide important insight into the appropriateness of federal funding of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2001), in particular Title I funds, that support and/or contribute to the academic achievement of high poverty Title I elementary schools. Four data collection tools were employed in this study: Document review of the Single Plan for Student Achievement for 10 elementary schools serving high poverty, low-performing student populations, survey questionnaire sent to 10 Title I coordinators serving at school-wide Title I elementary schools, a follow-up questionnaire interview to gather further insight into the survey questionnaire responses, and open-ended response interviews conducted with 4 Title I coordinators to understand the challenges and obstacles that impede their ability to address the needs of Title I students. Results of this study provide local education agencies, schools, and Title I coordinators with research-based data regarding the impact of Title I funds to support high poverty, historically low-performing students.

No description available.

No description available.

I used a comparative and experimental approach to examine nest habitat selection, reproductive success, and nest site fidelity of burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) in a large, non-fragmented grassland in southwest California. In 1999, I compared habitat characteristics between nest sites (n = 31) and randomly selected, unoccupied burrows (n = 31) in the local vicinity of the nest (paired burrows). In 2000, I compared habitat characteristics between nest sites (n = 33) and randomly selected, unoccupied burrows (n 32) within the study area (unpaired burrows). I examined reproductive success and variation in nest habitat characteristics, diet quality, and intraspecific competition using data from 1998, 1999, and 2000. I experimentally (n = 11 control and 11 treatment nests) assessed the effect of satellite burrow (multiple auxiliary burrows near the nest) use on productivity and behavior. I found little variation in habitat between nest sites and unoccupied burrows. Habitat selection was not strong when nests and unoccupied burrows were spatially correlated (paired burrows). However, nest sites had a larger number of large diameter burrows, satellite burrows, and perches than the unpaired burrows. Nest success ( I young fledged) and productivity (the number of young alive at 14 -21 days) varied substantially among some years, though the habitat variables I tested did not explain reproductive success when both failed and successful nests were evaluated. When nests were successful, productivity was influenced by rodent consumption. Nest fidelity within the breeding season was highly correlated with nest success. Nest abandonment occurred at 83% (n = 15 of 18), 92% (n = 12 of 13), and 83% (n = 20 of 24) of the failed nests in 1998, 1999, and 2000, respectively. Results of the experimental manipulation of satellite burrow access showed that productivity did not differ between groups but demonstrated that burrowing owls will adjust their behavior to use satellites. Owls in the treatment group (71%; n = 5 of 7) responded by moving their families to areas with access to satellite burrows but none of the control group owl families moved. This study illustrates the importance of identifying critical factors affecting reproductive success of burrowing owls in large grasslands. Maintenance of burrowing mammal populations to provide nest and satellite burrows will be important for protecting burrowing owls. Also, temporal dynamics influenced reproductive success. Habitat characteristics that enhance foraging ability may benefit productivity, especially in years of low rodent numbers. Furthermore, temporal variation in nest success may lead to low nest site fidelity. / Graduation date: 2002

Geophysical surveys in the Gulf of California provided the data to construct contour maps of bathymetry, free-air anomalies and total field magnetic anomalies for the area north of 27° N. Major faults such as the Ballenas- Salsipuedes, Tiburón, Guaymas, and the South Cerro Prieto are clearly observable on these maps. Spectral analysis, using 2-D Fast Fourier Transform methods, of the magnetic anomalies north of 29° N, allowed the identification of at least three distinct magnetic source horizons. The shallowest depth magnetic horizon, with an average depth to the top of 3.1 km below sea level, is interpreted as the top of the magnetic basement. The intermediate depth magnetic horizon, with an average depth to the top of 5.3 km below sea level, may represent either a lithological discontinuity in continental crust, or a transition zone characterized by the intrusion of igneous rocks, faulting, and fracturing associated with rifling processes. Some lineaments observed in the contour map on this horizon are oriented about 15° counterclockwise from the expected orientation of faults. Other lineaments are almost perpendicular to those faults. The deepest magnetic horizon is not apparent at all locations. Computed depths to the bottom of the magnetized crust average 11.5 km below sea level. The depth to the bottom of the magnetic crust is interpreted as the depth of the Curie-point isotherm. Assuming a Curie-point temperature of 580°C and a thermal conductivity of 2.2 W/m °C, the calculated heat flow averages 114 mW/m². Using a two-dimensional Maximum Entropy Method (2DMEM) to obtain the power spectrum of the magnetic anomalies increased the horizontal spatial resolution of the depth determinations by a factor of 4. This method when used to compute the depth to the top of the intermediate horizon, shows an improvement in the delineation of structures. However, the other magnetic horizons and the depth to the bottom of the magnetic crust were not clearly observable using this technique. / Graduation date: 1988

This thesis discusses both theoretical and practical considerations inherent in conducting community-based research within a case study of sea turtle conservation in Baja California, Mexico. A brief background, including the general ecology, status and distribution of sea turtles of the Baja peninsula is presented, with an overview of the current and historic use and management of sea turtles. Several sets of theories provide the context within which the case example is analyzed. A discussion of how concepts of "science" and "knowledge" are shaped and how these perceptions impact choices made in natural resource management and planning is presented. This includes a brief discussion of conservation ethics and conservation rationale, as well as a review of the debates surrounding indigenous knowledge and its application in conservation. A review of community-based efforts in sea turtle conservation is also presented. The data and analysis offered in this thesis is the result of two field seasons working as a member of an interdisciplinary sea turtle conservation team: conducting biological studies, surveys, informal and semi-structured interviews and participant observation. The major goal of this research project was to evaluate a people-oriented approach to conservation. The objectives of the Baja sea turtle conservation project included: the involvement of fishing communities in the development of conservation projects, the involvement of local students and fishermen in the collection of data and the public sharing of research results on a regular basis. Results of this case study suggest that through dependence on the host community for food, equipment, labor and guidance a special connection was established, fostering trust and building the partnerships necessary for long-term conservation success. For this reason, fishermen and other members of the local host communities were more willing to cooperate with outsiders and share their intimate knowledge of their environment - including information on the daily movements and distribution of sea turtles. It is crucial that the fishermen feel empowered before they choose to participate in the sea turtle conservation efforts. They must be viewed, and view themselves, as an integral part of the conservation team contributing valuable knowledge and ideas, not just acting as boat drivers and guides for outside researchers within the host community. Community meetings served as an outlet to voice concerns and share information. The active involvement and participation of local communities is a highly effective tool in the sea turtle conservation efforts in the region. / Graduation date: 2002

This dissertation describes arthropod responses to and effects on decay processes in ponderosa pine, a dominant forest canopy tree in northern California. We used both descriptive and experimental field techniques to establish how arthropod assemblages depend on and are important to the disintegration of woody structures in forests of this type. The first study used pitfall traps placed within and on the outsides of fallen, large old ponderosa pine trees to establish the effects of microenvironments created during tree death. We studied the internal and external structures of fallen trees as well as the forest floor in canopy gaps and in the surrounding undisturbed forest. Five trees were surveyed, representing a decay sequence from newly dead and with distinct canopy gap, to well-decayed with recovering canopy. Arthropod assemblages were distinct among the different microenvironments, but were less so with increasing tree/gap age. Differences between tree and soil faunae decreased with increasing decay, as did the differences between gap and non-gap catches from the forest floor. The second study used experimental exclusion techniques to examine how longitudinal (bark beetle) and transverse (woodboring) insect colonists could influence rates of mass loss and carbon respiration from young, dead ponderosa pine. We found that both groups enhanced the prevalence of staining fungi in the sapwood, which in turn was negatively related to the degree of structural failure in the sapwood, associated with decay fungi. Carbon respiration was positively related to sapwood structural failure and we believe that the two insect groups act in concert to suppress wood decomposition in this system. This is contrary to prevailing wisdom among forest practitioners who have suspected that decay and insect activity are positively correlated, but in agreement with laboratory studies showing antagonism between stain and decay fungi. Lastly, we observed that neither forest harvesting nor fire had strong effects on the development of exemplar taxa from decay communities in ponderosa pine two years post-treatment. Though time since treatment did affect all functional groups inside of logs, only undisturbed old-growth treatments showed a reduced variability in composition, leading us to suspect effects to emerge at longer time intervals. / Graduation date: 2004

Families stay connected over time through the intergenerational transmission of legacies. Legacies help family members to articulate family identity, learn more about family history, and provide succeeding generations with information about family culture and ethnicity. This qualitative study examines how older mothers transmit family meanings, history, and culture to family members through legacies and how ethnic histories influenced this process. Thirty older Armenian American mothers residing in California were interviewed. A life course perspective provides the overarching framework for analysis. Participants described the legacies they received and those they planned to pass on to family members. Emphasis was given to those legacies that symbolized connection to family, underscored family cohesion, and accentuated Armenian cultural roots. Individual age, larger historical events, and the gendered construction of family life influenced both the receipt of legacies and those that were passed on to family members. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Armenian families were forced to leave their native homeland. Because of these events, Armenian families passed few physical legacies on to family members. Legacies took on other forms such as stories, rituals, family gatherings, religious participation, cooking, and service to others. Women viewed their legacies within the context of motherhood and worked to ensure that certain legacies would be valued and remembered by future generations. Shaped by age, generational position, and ethnic identity, women expressed variation in types of legacies and the ways they planned to share them with family members. Women reported tension when certain legacies lacked meaning for their children (in-law) and grandchildren due to the influences of assimilation, intermarriage, changes in family and paid work patterns, and the characteristics and interests of adult children. A focus on legacies provides a useful lens for understanding how families transmit family identity, culture, and ethnicity to succeeding generations. / Graduation date: 2002