Special investigation of selected transactions at Perry High School for the period July 1, 2005 through November 30, 2007

Special investigation of selected transactions at Perry High School for the period July 1, 2005 through November 30, 2007

Report on a special investigation of the West Marshall Community School District for the period January 1, 2001 through June 30, 2007

Report on a special investigation of the West Marshall Community School District for the period January 1, 2001 through June 30, 2007

Building adaptive capacity and resilience to climate change in the water sector in Cape Verde

Purpose of the evaluation This is a scheduled standard mid-term evaluation (MTR) of a UNDP implemented GEF LDCF co-financed project. It is conducted by a team of an international and a national independent evaluator. The objective of the MTR, as set out in the Terms of Reference (TORs; Annex 1), is to provide an independent analysis of the progress of the project so far. The MTR aims to:  identify potential project design problems,  assess progress towards the achievement of the project objective and outcomes,  identify and document lessons learned (including lessons that might improve design and implementation of other projects, including UNDP-GEF supported projects), and  make recommendations regarding specific actions that should be taken to improve the project. The MTR is intended to assess signs of project success or failure and identify the necessary changes to be made. The project commenced its implementation in the first half of 2010 with the recruitment of project staff. According to the updated project plan, it is due to close in July 201410 with operations scaling down in December 2013 due to funding limits. Because of a slow implementation start, the mid-term evaluation was delayed to July 201311 The intended target audience of the evaluation are:  The project team and decision makers in the INGRH  The GEF and UNFCCC Operational Focal Points  The project partners and beneficiaries  UNDP in Cape Verde as well as the regional and headquarter (HQ) office levels  The GEF Secretariat.

How different are returns to education? Evidence from German school choices

This study presents estimates of returns to post-secondary educationand wage differentials among graduates fromdifferent secondary schoolsin Germany. I use an empirical model that captures the basic features ofthe German education system. It controls for selection into post-secondaryeducation and treats latter as endogenous in the wage equation. Myresults show that OLS estimates are severely biased. The direction ofthe bias depends on the secondary school type. Annual returns topost-secondary education differ significantly: they are eight timeshigher for graduates from the highest secondary school than for graduatesfrom the lowest secondary school.

Audit report on Sheldon Community School District in Sheldon, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2008

Audit report on Sheldon Community School District in Sheldon, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2008

Audit report on Clarke Community School District in Osceola, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2008

Audit report on Clarke Community School District in Osceola, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2008

Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council Final Report 2008.

On April 27, 2007, Iowa Governor Chet Culver signed Senate File 485, a bill related to greenhouse gas emissions. Part of this bill created the Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council (ICCAC), which consists of 23 governor-appointed members from various stakeholder groups, and 4 nonvoting, ex officio members from the General Assembly. ICCAC’s immediate responsibilities included submitting a proposal to the Governor and General Assembly that addresses policies, cost-effective strategies, and multiple scenarios designed to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions. Further, a preliminary report was submitted in January 2008, with a final proposal submitted in December 2008. In the Final Report, the Council presents two scenarios designed to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions by 50% and 90% from a 2005 baseline by the year 2050. For the 50% reduction by 2050, the Council recommends approximately a 1% reduction by 2012 and an 11% reduction by 2020. For the 90% reduction scenario, the Council recommends a 3% reduction by 2012 and a 22% reduction 2020. These interim targets were based on a simple extrapolation assuming a linear rate of reduction between now and 2050. In providing these scenarios for your consideration, ICCAC approved 56 policy options from a large number of possibilities. There are more than enough options to reach the interim and final emission targets in both the 50% and 90% reduction scenarios. Direct costs and cost savings of these policy options were also evaluated with the help of The Center for Climate Strategies, who facilitated the process and provided technical assistance throughout the entire process, and who developed the Iowa Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Forecast in close consultation with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and many Council and Sub-Committee members. About half of the policy options presented in this report will not only reduce GHG emissions but are highly cost-effective and will save Iowans money. Still other options may require significant investment but will create jobs, stimulate energy independence, and advance future regional or federal GHG programs.

A aprendizagem como o processo de aquisição e construção do conhecimento. O Caso da utilização dos Simuladores no ISCEE Cabo Verde Business School

O objectivo desta comunicação é demonstrar a importância da relação entre modelos de aprendizagem dinâmicos e a criação do conhecimento como mecanismo de transferência e disseminação na sociedade em Cabo Verde, através de práticas pedagógicas utlizadas no ISCEE, como demonstra a utilização dos simuladores. Esta nova abordagem, com a utilização de simuladores em contexto de sala de aula, potencia a interacção entre os estudantes e permite uma rápida troca de informação entre as partes e ao mesmo tempo melhora o processo de tomada de decisão. O processo de aprendizagem através dos simuladores potencia a aquisição e construção do conhecimento e a dinâmica do grupo, em especial a memória transactiva e relacional. Este artigo, demonstra que as novas práticas pedagógicas, com base nas novas tecnologias da comunicação e informação, devem ter o foco no grupo e não no aluno como entidade isolada.

Audit report on Perry Community School District in Perry, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2008

Audit report on Perry Community School District in Perry, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2008

Processes and consequences in business ethical dilemmas: The oil industry and climate changes

This paper proposes a framework to examine business ethical dilemmas andbusiness attitudes towards such dilemmas. Business ethical dilemmas canbe understood as reflecting a contradiction between a socially detrimentalprocess and a self-interested profitable consequence. This representationallows us to distinguish two forms of behavior differing by whetherpriority is put on consequences or on processes. We argue that theseforms imply very different business attitudes towards society:controversial or competitive for the former and aligned or cooperativefor the latter. These attitudes are then analyzed at the discursive level in order to address the question of good faith in businessargumentation, i.e. to which extent are these attitudes consistent withactual business behaviors. We argue that consequential attitudes mostlyinvolve communication and lobbying actions aiming at eluding the dilemma.Therefore, the question of good faith for consequential attitudes liesin the consistency between beliefs and discourse. On the other hand,procedural attitudes acknowledge the dilemma and claim a change of theprocess of behavior. They thus raise the question of the consistencybetween discourses and actual behavior. We apply this processes/consequencesframework to the case of the oil industry s climate change ethical dilemmawhich comes forth as a dilemma between emitting greenhouse gases and making more profits . And we examine the different attitudes of two oilcorporations-BP Amoco and ExxonMobil-towards the dilemma.

Special report on the Dunkerton Community School District for the period July 1, 2005 through December 31, 2008

Special report on the Dunkerton Community School District for the period July 1, 2005 through December 31, 2008

Iowa School District Surtax Report 2007

Iowa School District Surtax Report 2007

Audit report on Mid-Iowa School Improvement Consortium, Carlisle, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2008

Audit report on Mid-Iowa School Improvement Consortium, Carlisle, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2008

Flowering date of taxonomic families predicts phenological sensitivity to temperature: Implications for forecasting the effects of climate change on unstudied taxa.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Numerous long-term studies in seasonal habitats have tracked interannual variation in first flowering date (FFD) in relation to climate, documenting the effect of warming on the FFD of many species. Despite these efforts, long-term phenological observations are still lacking for many species. If we could forecast responses based on taxonomic affinity, however, then we could leverage existing data to predict the climate-related phenological shifts of many taxa not yet studied. METHODS: We examined phenological time series of 1226 species occurrences (1031 unique species in 119 families) across seven sites in North America and England to determine whether family membership (or family mean FFD) predicts the sensitivity of FFD to standardized interannual changes in temperature and precipitation during seasonal periods before flowering and whether families differ significantly in the direction of their phenological shifts. KEY RESULTS: Patterns observed among species within and across sites are mirrored among family means across sites; early-flowering families advance their FFD in response to warming more than late-flowering families. By contrast, we found no consistent relationships among taxa between mean FFD and sensitivity to precipitation as measured here. CONCLUSIONS: Family membership can be used to identify taxa of high and low sensitivity to temperature within the seasonal, temperate zone plant communities analyzed here. The high sensitivity of early-flowering families (and the absence of early-flowering families not sensitive to temperature) may reflect plasticity in flowering time, which may be adaptive in environments where early-season conditions are highly variable among years.

Extensão Universitária: Estudo de Caso do ISCEE Cabo Verde Business School

o objectivo da presente comunicação é apresentar o resultado da investigação aplicada no ISCEE sob a forma de extensão universitária. Este novo paradigma no Ensino Superior deve ser aplicado em todas as IES, de forma a demonstrar à comunidade em geral as três dimensões da missão das Universidades, nomeadamente, o ensino, investigação e extensão. Aliás estas três dimensões deverão igualmente ser contabilizados na elaboração de rankings universitários que normalmente não avaliam os mecanismos de extensão universitária. Em África, as Universidades são promotoras do desenvolvimento local e trabalham directamente com as comunidades no processo de partilha e disseminação do conhecimento para dotar as comunidades de ferramentas e instrumentos para o seu desenvolvimento. O Estudo de caso apresentado, IRT, Itinerário de Recursos Turísticos, mostra como o ISCEE se candidatou a um concurso público lançado para fazer o levantamento exaustivo dos itinerários turísticos em Cabo Verde nas principais ilhas, Santiago, São Vicente, Santo Antão e São Nicolau. Estiveram envolvidos nestes projectos vários docentes e alunos do ISCEE, no terreno, o que também demonstra a importância da extensão universitária promover “ in loco” a simbiose na relação entre docentes e alunos em termos de trabalho de campo e ao mesmo tempo cumprir a missão do ISCEE que é a de reforçar a competitividade de Cabo Verde, através da formação de recursos humanos qualificados e ao mesmo tempo responder aos grandes desafios do País, em especial, a dinamização do cluster do Turismo. A transmissão e difusão do conhecimento universitário para a sociedade, o conhecimento pluriversitário é o grande desígnio do ISCEE em Cabo Verde.