American Lives: A Reader [Preface & Introduction]

Memoirs are as varied as human emotion and experience, and those published in the distinguished American Lives Series run the gamut. Excerpted from this series (called “splendid” by Newsweek) and collected here for the first time, these dispatches from American lives take us from China during the Cultural Revolution to the streets of New York in the sixties to a cabin in the backwoods of Idaho. In prose as diverse as the stories they tell, writers such as Floyd Skloot, Ted Kooser, Peggy Shumaker, and Lee Martin, among many others, open windows to their own ordinary and extraordinary experiences. John Skoyles tells how, for his Uncle Fred, a particular “Hard Luck Suit” imparted misfortune. Brenda Serotte describes a Turkish grandmother who made her living reading palms, interpreting cups, and prescribing poultices for the community. In “Son of Mr. Green Jeans,” Dinty W. Moore views fatherhood through the lens of pop culture. Janet Sternburg’s Phantom Limb muses on the dilemmas of a child caring for a parent. Whether evoking moments of death or disease, in family or marriage, history, politics, religion, or culture, these glimpses into singular American lives come together in a richly textured, colorful patchwork quilt of American life.

Attitudes, Confidence, and Achievement of High-Ability Fifth Grade Math Students

In this action research study of my fifth grade high-ability mathematics class, I investigated student attitudes of mathematics and their confidence in mathematics. Student achievement was compared to two different confidence scales to identify a relationship between confidence and achievement. Six boys and eleven girls gave their consent to the study. I discovered there seems to be a connection between confidence and achievement and that boys are generally more confident than girls. Most students liked math and were comfortable sharing answers and methods of solving problems with other students. As a result of this study I plan to use my survey and interview questions at the beginning of the school year with my new class in order to assess their attitudes and confidence in math. I can use this information to identify potential struggles and better plan for student instruction.

Analyzing the ACRE Program

The new farm bill enacted by Congress in June 2008 includes a new revenue-based safety-net, the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) Program, that will be available to producers beginning with the 2009 crop year. This analysis of the mechanics of ACRE and the relevant yields and prices to include in ACRE can help producers assess whether ACRE will be a good choice for this crop year and beyond.

Analyzing ACRE: Results for 2009 and Decisions for 2010

In 2009, agricultural producers participating in federal farm programs had to decide between staying in the existing Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program (DCP), and the new Average Crop Revenue Election Program (ACRE). If producers chose to keep the DCP, their farm income safety net is strictly tied to crop prices, with a combination of marketing loans, counter-cyclical payments and direct payments. If producers chose the new ACRE program, they changed their farm income safety net to a combination of price and revenue. The new ACRE component is based on revenue and replaces the counter-cyclical payment. The other parts of the safety net for ACRE participants remain tied to price, albeit at lower levels (direct payments reduced 20 percent, marketing loan rates reduced 30 percent).

Analyzing the ACRE Program

The new farm bill enacted by Congress in June 2008 includes a new revenue-based safety net, the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) Program, that is available to producers beginning with the 2009 crop year. While final details and implementation of the program is yet to be announced by the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), an analysis of the mechanics of ACRE and the relevant yields and prices to include in ACRE can help producers assess whether ACRE will be a good choice for this crop year and beyond.

Making an ACRE Decision for 2009

The initial sign-up period for 2009 farm commodity programs and the choice between the new ACRE (Average Crop Revenue Election) program and the existing DCP (Direct and Counter-Cyclical Payment) program is quickly winding down. But as the current August 14 deadline approaches, producers know more and more about the potential safety net provided under the ACRE program, and have a better opportunity to analyze the economics of choosing ACRE versus the DCP program before visiting their USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) office.