This case study of a Bronx, New York charter school drew upon Emdin’s (2016) book on pursuing school improvement as a secondary analysis of existing data from the school. The Principal Investigator is currently a teacher at the school and was participant-observer. The overall study can be considered an integration of qualitative fieldwork and survey methods. A strong implication from the highly significant quantitative results for 18 paired t-tests for nine Behaviors pre-/post-training is that professional development and special trainings had a strong positive effect. With Bonferroni Adjustment Significance (.05/18, p=.0003) level of .003, paired t-tests showed that staff ratings (knowledge and self-efficacy ratings) for all nine Behaviors exhibited a significant increase in mean rating from pre-training to post-training; thus, the intervention of professional development and special trainings had significant impact. Quantitative data supported the conclusion that significant progress was made toward the school’s original goal of transforming toward greater cultural competence and changing school climate to better meet the needs of urban learners from varied cultural backgrounds. Independent t-tests on dichotomous groups found one (of three) comparisons to be statistically significant (t= -.392, df=41.55, p= .000; Bonferroni Adjustment Significance, .05/3, p=.016) when comparing the means for people of color staff (n=29) of 8.934 (SD=1.254) versus for White staff (n=18) of 7.63 (SD=1.023). People of color staff had a significantly higher post-training self-efficacy for performing all nine specified behaviors compared to White staff. Qualitative data from five research questions produced via coding on 64 Emergent Themes, 15 Categories, and 12 Hierarchical Emergent themes—the last effectively coalescing all data into short statements to summarize all that school staff and teachers expressed about the training using Emdin’s book and other special training activities and discussions: acknowledge many book benefits; accept less ready White peers; learn bias, empathy; incomplete training, need to continue/action; impact of expanded awareness; retain many strengths to training model; plan to address barriers to success of training model; evidence of many improvements at school; ending oppression/biased discipline; training challenge of staff in different stages; expert facilitation of difficult conversations; and action for curriculum modifications.

Doctor Legum - LLD / The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Right (the Court) is the most recent of the three regional Human Rights Bodies. Envisioned by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Right, its structures was not planned until the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) promulgated a protocol for its creation in 1998. The Court complements the protective mandate of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (‘The Commission’) and the Court has the competence to take final and binding decisions on human rights violations. Unlike its European and inter-American versions where their courts are integral parts of the cardinal instrument of the system ab initio, the establishment of the African Court was merely an afterthought. At the initial, protection of rights rested solely with the Commission upon African justice system which emphasises reconciliation as it is non-confrontational method of settlements of. The Commission is a quasi-judicial body modelled after the United Nations Human Right Committee without binding powers and with only limited functions covering examination of State reports, communications alleging violations and interpreting the Charter at the request of a State, the OAU or any organisation recognised by the OAU. The thesis answers the question whether the adoption of the African Court means that the African model of enforcing human rights has failed or whether having the Court constitute a concession to the triumph of the western model of law enforcement. The imperative of the 30th Ordinary Session of the OAU in 1994 where the creation of an African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights was viewed as the best way of protecting human rights across the region would be treated. The relevance of such an examination is highlighted by the fact that the African Charter did not make any provision for the establishment of a Court to enforce the rights guaranteed thereunder. If we are to assume that justice by reconciliation has failed and should be replaced by or complimented with justice by adjudication as the primary means of conflict resolution, what guarantees are there that the latter form of justice will not also fail? This thesis therefore will critically evaluate the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and assessed its potential impact on the African human rights system. It will also probe the power of the Court and see whether a clear and mutually reinforcing division of labour between it and the African Commission can be developed to promote and protect human rights on the continent. This research brings to focus an area that requires attention if the African human rights regime is to be effective. It put to test the criticism against the African Charter and the Protocol to the African Charter on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and also identified the present existing flaws in the African regional system. Furthermore, it ascertained whether or not, given the availability of other options, a regional Court is, in fact, the ideal mechanism for the protection of human rights in Africa.

Since their inception nearly three decades ago, charter schools have played a critical role in the reform of our nation’s public education system. As the charter movement has progressed, many single-site schools have evolved into charter management organizations (CMOs) responsible for operating networks of several campuses with the hope of increasing the number of quality seats available to students and families. Growing to scale is often challenging for single-site schools and small CMOs. In order to execute expansion successfully, this study sought to answer the overarching question, “How does a charter school or small CMO know that it is ready to grow?” The study’s findings demonstrated that, in order to evaluate readiness for scale, charter/CMO leaders must consider several key internal and external factors. The internal factors are: (a) “The Why” (primary reason or motivation for scaling), (b) Organizational Identity, (c) Human Capital, (d) Governance, (e) Fiscal Health, (f) Infrastructure, and (g) Growth Mindset and Strategy. The external factors are: (a) Need and Demand; (b) Funding; (c) Facilities; (d) Political Context, Policy, and Climate; (e) Parent and Community Relations; and (f) Collaboration and Competition Inside and Outside the Sector. The research and findings from this study also informed the development of a workbook for charter/CMO leaders seeking to evaluate their organization’s proficiency in internal factors and optimality of external factors in order to determine their readiness to scale.

Práce popisuje průběh realizace námořní přepravy, charakterizuje nejčastěji používané dokumenty tohoto oboru a vysvětluje jejich užití a funkce, které plní. Dále práce popisuje problémy, se kterýmí se mohou smluvní strany při realizaci námořní přepravy setkat, a chyby, kterých se mohou dopustit, včetně uvedení případných následků. Součástí práce je i rozbor konkrétních sporů z praxe.

This research seeks to examine the impact of charter schools on Latino performance in Los Angeles Unified School District. Using school-level data from the Ed-Data database provided by the California Department of Education, this study compares Latino academic achievement in charter high schools and non-charter public high schools across five dimensions of academic achievement: math performance, reading performance, graduation rate, dropout rate, and University of California and/or California State University (UC/CSU) eligibility. The results find a positive, significant charter school impact for Latino students in math performance, dropout rate, and UC/CSU eligibility. Analyses also indicate that charter schools positively impact Latino reading performance and graduation rate, however the results are marginally significant.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2006. / Title from title-page of electronic thesis. Prepared for: Center for Public Policy. Bibliography: leaves 120-129.

By elucidating the distinct values of charter school advocates, this thesis will draw out unspoken assumptions about the nature of how charter schools function in America’s public school arena. Laying out the framework of three theories of charter school action will enable discussions on charter school policy to start from a shared point of understanding.

In the context of Canadas Kindergarten to Grade 12 education system and given the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, there is a growing body of jurisprudence which reflects ongoing debates about who should ultimately maintain control of the formal and informal curriculum in our schools. In these cases, debates about curricular battles play out through rights conflicts, which our courts are required to resolve. These conflicts typically involve claims relating, directly or indirectly, to fundamental freedoms such as freedom of religion and freedom of expression as well as claims associated with the right to equality.<p>In this thesis, I aim to offer a critical assessment of the relevant body of jurisprudence. My critique draws on the theoretical work of Rob Reich and Jeremy Waldron. Reich suggests that our best hope of understanding and resolving the curricular struggles related to the control of childrens education requires a balanced approach whereby we attempt to reconcile the educational interests of three primary actors: parents, the state and children. Building on Reichs conceptualization of the different interest holders, I identify a fourth stakeholder, namely, teachers, who have interests which are germane to our analysis because these interests raise issues connected to curricular control and childrens education. In my analysis, I apply Reichs matrix of interests to the extant body of jurisprudence to ascertain whether or not our courts are alive to the different interest holders in its treatment of cases involving conflicts of constitutional rights. I also want to know whether the interests of the four stakeholders overlap or conflict with another. Finally, I want to know how these interests are conceptualized by the court and whether this conceptualization is consistent with, or differs from, the one offered by Reich. <p>Waldrons work offers analytical clarity for how we might better understand and resolve conflicts of rights, including conflicts involving constitutional rights claims. He maintains that rights conflicts are fundamentally about conflicts of duties and that we are likely to have more success reconciling conflicts of rights when we conceive of these conflicts in this manner. Applying Waldrons strategy for reconciling rights conflicts to the cases in my study, I posit that we can make sense of the reconciliation process by examining the duties associated with the rights in question. Although our courts do not explicitly draw on Waldrons theoretical framework in their legal analysis, I maintain that, generally speaking, what our courts do is consistent with a Waldronian analysis of conflicts of rights. <p>In my conclusion, I note that the jurisprudence considered initially seems to focus exclusively on two key guiding values: liberty and equality. Yet, a closer examination of the case law reveals a concern for two other important meta values, namely, efficiency and community. Furthermore, the notion of children as rights bearers poses special challenges. We might treat older children as rights claimants, on their own terms, because of their capacity to advance certain projects and to engage in certain commitments. Yet, the exact moral and legal status, for example, of a six- or seven-year old is still uncertain. Finally, I recognize that a rights only version of what happens in our schools provides only a partial account of educational reality. Other values such as duty, love, friendship and compassion are needed to furnish a richer and more nuanced account of morality for our school communities.

Having soberly reflected upon the tragedy of September 11, 2001, the author observed that though international law and treaties restrict pre-emptive war, they do allow for war in self-defense. Consequently, some powerful nations have used this as a justification for launching pre-emptive strikes. The threats posed by the powerful nations using self-defense as a justification for pre-emptive strikes and the inability of weaker nations to do the same, greatly account for the unprecedented explosion of global terrorism. The author thinks that confronting terrorism therefore requires a pro-pacifist ethical framework whose principles have to be applied with international law to narrow the legitimacy of self-defense wars. Hence, he proposes "Moral Consistency" as a required condition for launching pre-emptive strikes with two main aims - to reduce violent conflicts and to draw a substantial distinction between reason and justification, and between crime and criminal justice.

Having soberly reflected upon the tragedy of September 11, 2001, the author observed that though international law and treaties restrict pre-emptive war, they do allow for war in self-defense. Consequently, some powerful nations have used this as a justification for launching pre-emptive strikes. The threats posed by the powerful nations using self-defense as a justification for pre-emptive strikes and the inability of weaker nations to do the same, greatly account for the unprecedented explosion of global terrorism. The author thinks that confronting terrorism therefore requires a pro-pacifist ethical framework whose principles have to be applied with international law to narrow the legitimacy of self-defense wars. Hence, he proposes "Moral Consistency" as a required condition for launching pre-emptive strikes with two main aims - to reduce violent conflicts and to draw a substantial distinction between reason and justification, and between crime and criminal justice.