Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education

We analyze how local labor markets in Mexico adjusted in response to an increase in Chinese import competition between 1998 and 2013. We exploit the spatial variation in import exposure arising from initial differences in industry specialization. We found that the adjustment took various forms: a decline in the number of wage employees, the substitution of some wage employees by contract workers, and the substitution of formally contracted employees by informally contracted ones. The reduction in employment levels was accompanied by an increase in the population that exited the labor force. The negative employment impact was three times more severe on production workers than on nonproduction workers, indicating that workers with lower skills were more severely affected. Overall, we find significant job losses to the order of 7.6% of the working-age population.

This study examines the situation of Nigerian women in America depicted by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah in terms of how they are subjugated and marginalized in their day-to-day lives. It also investigates the problems and hurdles faced by Nigerian women in their own and American society due to migration and immigration. The study, furthermore, delineates the suppression of the desires and needs of Nigerian women and lays bare how it affects them. By deploying the theoretical paradigm of impression management with an exclusive focus on gender issues, this study highlights how the socio-domestic progress of Nigerian women is impeded in the name of culture and race. Finally, the study reflects on the ability of Nigerian women to convert their miseries into opportunities. It is, therefore, a picture of both their strengths and weaknesses that reveal the potential of these women which the world needs to appreciate. The paper tries to find the true picture of the miserable life of female immigrants with some of the applicable solutions.

Constant-rate multi-mode systems (MMSs) are hybrid systems with finitely many modes and real-valued variables that evolve over continuous time according to mode-specific constant rates. Equivalently, they correspond to continuous vector addition systems (VASs), where counters may become negative. We introduce a variant of linear temporal logic (LTL) for MMS, and we investigate the complexity of the model-checking problem for syntactic fragments of LTL. We obtain a complexity trichotomy: Each fragment is either P-complete, NP-complete, or undecidable. Since our logic can constrain the counters to remain non-negative, it further applies to continuous VAS. Thus, our results yield a framework for MMS and continuous VAS that generalizes and unify several existing results.

This chapter describes a model for evaluating complex organizations or systems. The design assessment model the authors propose is a response to current notions of assessment. There are assumptions we make about learning and the functioning of complex systems such as academic programs that do not match assumptions that are inherent in traditional forms of assessment. The authors use a case study of Purdue University’s strategic planning process to provide the context for describing how design assessment takes place in a higher education setting. Based on interviews and observations, we identify areas problematic for some notions of assessment and distinguish several implications based on these findings. The design assessment model may be useful when assessing complex educational organizations or programs, such as when (a) educational entities at the university level need to assess new programs or curriculum materials; or (b) curriculum developers need to assess new software or tools for instruction.

This chapter describes a model for evaluating complex organizations or systems. The design assessment model the authors propose is a response to current notions of assessment. There are assumptions we make about learning and the functioning of complex systems such as academic programs that do not match assumptions that are inherent in traditional forms of assessment. The authors use a case study of Purdue University’s strategic planning process to provide the context for describing how design assessment takes place in a higher education setting. Based on interviews and observations, we identify areas problematic for some notions of assessment and distinguish several implications based on these findings. The design assessment model may be useful when assessing complex educational organizations or programs, such as when (a) educational entities at the university level need to assess new programs or curriculum materials; or (b) curriculum developers need to assess new software or tools for instruction.

The study aimed to compare quality of early childhood education in context of assessment process in public and private schools of Bannu Division. All public and private schools of Bannu Division constituted the population of the study. The sample of the study was consisted of 360 selected schools. Learning Environment Observational Checklist was used as a research tool for data collection. All ECE classroom were observed during data collection. Statistical tool such as mean standard deviation, and independent sample t test were used. Findings suggested that teachers in private schools were more consistent in meeting parents or communicating students’ progress through reports compared to teachers in public schools. It was found that both public and private schools display nearly similar practices in preparing checklists to track children’s learning progress, though private schools show a marginally better trend. The study revealed a significant difference in the overall assessment process between private and public schools. It was also observed that overall assessment process in private schools was more effective. It was recommended that public schools' assessment process needs to improve to facilitate the children Public schools should be consistent in meeting parents and communicate students’ progress with parents Implement comprehensive assessment practices to monitor children's developmental progress in a structured manner.

Purpose Library and Information Science (LIS) as a discipline occupies a unique position in higher education institutions, incorporating both principles of knowledge management utilizing modern digital technology and serving diverse library users. However, the past few years have witnessed various challenges and issues being faced by LIS faculty members in Pakistan, yet their perspectives have not always been acknowledged. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the operational, technical and institutional challenges and the ways-forward strategies to overcome these challenges in various LIS schools in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative research approach was used with a phenomenological research design. Data were collected from the head or senior faculty members from 15 LIS schools in Pakistan. Data were analyzed thematically with NVivo software. Findings The findings revealed five major challenges, including “issues related to funding, infrastructure and technology”, “limitations in faculty hiring, training and retention”, “challenges in administration and operations”, “challenges in curriculum development and implementation” and “LIS recognition issues”. The ways-forward strategies to overcome these challenges include “collaboration with industry and institutions”, “faculty recruitment and development”, “administration support and infrastructural development”, “curriculum revision and upgradation” and “HEC support, advocacy and funding”. Theoretical, practical and policy implications are presented to streamline LIS education in Pakistan and similar contexts. The limitations, future research directions and recommendations were also given. Originality/value This is the first study investigating LIS education challenges and ways-forward, collecting data from all LIS schools in Pakistan. A KPI-anchored roadmap of three timeframes (short-term, medium-term and long-term) covering six priority actions has been presented. This roadmap includes a timeframe, priority action, potential funding source, methods of implementation and monitoring progress.

The integration of touchscreen gadgets into preschoolers' daily routines has raised concerns about their developmental effects, particularly on motor skills. While interactive applications may enhance visual-motor integration, excessive unregulated use could limit opportunities for physical play. This study examined the relationship between gadget usage and the eye-hand coordination of preschoolers in selected elementary schools in Dalaguete, Cebu, during the 2024–2025 school year. Using a descriptive-correlational design, 60 parents and 60 teachers assessed children's gadget use and motor skills via a structured questionnaire. Results indicated that gadget engagement was rated as "Engaged" by parents (M = 3.55, SD = 0.17) and "Moderately Engaged" by teachers (M = 3.33, SD = 0.31). Eye-hand coordination ranged from "Proficient" to "Well Developed" (aggregate means = 3.79–4.43), with strengths in pencil grip and object manipulation. Correlation analysis revealed a weak but significant positive relationship between gadget usage and eye-hand coordination for both parents (r = 0.262, p = 0.043) and teachers (r = 0.288, p = 0.026). These findings highlight the importance of considering both home and school contexts when evaluating young children's digital engagement. The study underscores the need for parent–teacher collaboration to promote balanced, developmentally supportive gadget use, and offers an intervention plan integrating structured physical activities with responsible technology use in early education.

The Corona virus (Covid-19) pandemic began in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and has spread rapidly throughout the world. So far millions of people have died all over the world while millions of people have been suffering from this disease. It is also an infectious disease like plague. In the world many Outbreaks have taken place that have taken many lives. There are many hadiths about the plague, and Covid-19 is also a kind of plague. The cure for Corona virus has not yet been discovered, but some of the protective measures suggested by “WHO”. These were devised by Islam about fourteen hundred years ago, because all of Islam's teachings guarantee the survival of human beings. Infectious disease is believed to be effective, but its effect is not definitive. According to the Prophetﷺ , honey and clone are the remedies for every disease. Each of the world's troubles is the result of certain actions of the past, so it is possible to get rid of this type of trouble by appealing to our Lord through repentance and prayers. The aim of this research paper is to present an applied study regarding the Rules, Precautions and Remedies of Corona Pandemic in the Context of Hadiths about Plague.

The growing demand for energy worldwide makes it increasingly important to balance grid loads and mitigate the environmental impact of energy use at the consumer level. Demand Side Management (DSM) serves as a proven alternative to building more power stations with their attendant environmental and social consequences. This work presents a new residential DSM approach for scheduling simultaneous real-time energy home uses according to user preference comfort levels. Unlike traditional DSM methods targeting on thermal-related appliances, a wide variety of household appliances is incorporated into the optimization model of the proposed approach and the user participation of DSM can be obtained to the most extent. In the envisaged model, a Centralized Controller Hub (CCH) with a Genetic Algorithm (GA) are utilized to optimize the shift able appliances scheduling in response to real-time pricing (RTP) signals. Real time user daily load profiles of Peak and Off-peak periods are considered and this system efficiently transfers peak load time to off peak time to reduce the energy cost. Simulation results show a drastic peak-hour energy saving, indicating the system's ability to minimize energy costs with very little trade-off in user comfort.

This chapter describes a model for evaluating complex organizations or systems. The design assessment model the authors propose is a response to current notions of assessment. There are assumptions we make about learning and the functioning of complex systems such as academic programs that do not match assumptions that are inherent in traditional forms of assessment. The authors use a case study of Purdue University’s strategic planning process to provide the context for describing how design assessment takes place in a higher education setting. Based on interviews and observations, we identify areas problematic for some notions of assessment and distinguish several implications based on these findings. The design assessment model may be useful when assessing complex educational organizations or programs, such as when (a) educational entities at the university level need to assess new programs or curriculum materials; or (b) curriculum developers need to assess new software or tools for instruction.