What are the effects of Teach For America on Math, English Language Arts, and Science outcomes of K-12 students in the USA?

This Campbell systematic review examines the impact of Teach For America (TFA) on learning outcomes. Four studies were included in the review. Studies had to be a quantitative evaluation of the effects of TFA on K-12 student academic outcomes. Studies also had to use a research design which: 1. allowed valid causal inferences about TFA's effects, 2. targeted participants K-12 students taught by TFA corps members or TFA alumni in the USA, 3. compared TFA corps members to novice teachers, or compared TFA alumni with veteran teachers, and 4. reported at least one academic student outcome in math, ELA, or science domains. A total of 919 citations were retrieved on TFA, of which 24 studies were eligible for review. However, when the research design and study quality along with types of TFA corps members and non-TFA teachers compared were reviewed, the evidence base for estimating the effects of TFA on student academic outcomes was reduced to just four studies. There is no significant effect on reading from teaching by TFA corps members in their first or second year of teaching elementary-grade students (PreK - grade 5) compared to non-TFA teachers who are also in their first or second year of teaching elementary-grade students. There is a small positive effect for early elementary-grade students (PreK to grade 2) in reading but not in math. However, given the small evidence base, these findings should be treated with caution. Plain language summary: There are too few well-designed studies to know the effects of Teach For America on Math, English Language Arts, and Science outcomes of K-12 students in the USA: Teach For America (TFA) is an alternate route teacher preparation program that aims to address the decades-long shortage of effective teachers in many rural and urban public schools for kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12), that serve the highest proportions of high-poverty students across the USA. This review finds that there are very few studies - just four - which reliably measure the effects of TFA on learning outcomes, so that no firm conclusions may be drawn.What is this review about?: This systematic review evaluated the impact of TFA prepared teachers (corps members) relative to novice teachers and alumni relative to veteran teachers on K-12 student outcomes in math, English Language Arts (ELA), and science.What are the main findings of this review?: Studies had to be a quantitative evaluation of the effects of TFA on K-12 student academic outcomes. Studies also had to use a research design which: 1. allowed valid causal inferences about TFA's effects, 2. targeted participants K-12 students taught by TFA corps members or TFA alumni in the USA, 3. compared TFA corps members to novice teachers, or compared TFA alumni with veteran teachers, and 4. reported at least one academic student outcome in math, ELA, or science domains.A total of 919 citations were retrieved on TFA, of which 24 studies were eligible for review. However, when the research design and study quality along with types of TFA corps members and non-TFA teachers compared were reviewed, the evidence base for estimating the effects of TFA on student academic outcomes was reduced to just four studies.There is no significant effect on reading from teaching by TFA corps members in their first or second year of teaching elementary-grade students (PreK - grade 5) compared to non-TFA teachers who are also in their first or second year of teaching elementary-grade students. There is a small positive effect for early elementary-grade students (PreK to grade 2) in reading but not in math.However, given the small evidence base, these findings should be treated with caution.What do the findings of this review mean?: TFA is the most evaluated program of its kind. Multiple quasi-experimental and experimental studies have been conducted on its effectiveness in improving student outcomes. However, this systematic review found that only a small number of these studies (1) met the evidence review standards and (2) compared the same type of TFA corps members and non-TFA teachers. So it is not possible to draw firm policy conclusions.Future research can contribute to this evidence base by designing, implementing, and reporting experiments and quasi-experiments to meet objective extant evidence standards and by comparing the same types of TFA and non-TFA teachers so that effect sizes can be included in a future systematic review and meta-analysis.How up-to-date is this review?: The review authors searched for studies published up to January 2015. This Campbell systematic review was published in June 2018.

Essential Oils in Ginger, Hops, Cloves, and Pepper Flavored Beverages-A Review.

In the West, sugar-based, ginger flavored beverages may contain hops, other flavorings, fruit juices, and varying levels of ethanol. Ginger ales contain 0.5%v/v; ginger beers >0.5%; and alcoholic ginger beers 0.5 ≤ 11%. Ales are carbonated by pressurized CO2, while beers and alcoholic beers are carbonated by yeast or ginger beer plant (GBP). In Africa, grain-based beverages include "fura da nono," "kunu," and "akamu," which are spiced with one or more flavorings including ginger, black pepper, clove, chili pepper, or Aframomum alligator peppers. Spices have flavor because they contain essential oils (EOs), which are composed of aroma-active compounds (AACs). The benefits and toxicities of spices are ascribed to their EOs/AACs contents. AIM: Given the toxic potentials of EOs/AACs vis-à-vis their benefits, this review aimed to investigate the means by which the levels of EOs/AACs in spiced beverages are regulated. METHODOLOGY: The benefits and liabilities of key EOs/AACs of spices were identified and described. The methods for assaying them in raw materials and beverages were also identified. RESULTS: There was a dearth of data on the levels of EOs/AACs in both raw and finished goods. Moreover, their assay methods were found to be tedious and costly. The implications of these findings on regulation are discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Owing to the practical difficulties in assaying flavors in beverages, both manufacturers and regulators should focus on: (i) the wholesomeness of raw materials; and (ii) good manufacturing practice (GMP). However, studies aimed at developing more robust methods for flavor should continue.

Some Nigerian anti-tuberculosis ethnomedicines: a preliminary efficacy assessment.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Nigerian herbalists possess indigenous ethnomedicinal recipes for the management of tuberculosis and related ailments. A collaborative preliminary modern scientific evaluation of the efficacy of some Nigerian ethnomedicines used by traditional medicine practitioners (TMPs) in the management of tuberculosis and related ailments has been carried out. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ethnomedicinal recipes (ETMs) were collected from TMPs from locations in various ecological zones of Nigeria under a collaborative understanding. The aqueous methanolic extracts of the ETMs were screened against Mycobacterium bovis, BCG and Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain H37Rv using the broth microdilution method. RESULTS: Extracts of ETMs screened against BCG showed 69% activity against the organism. The activities varied from weak, ≤2500 µg/mL to highly active, 33 µg/mL 64% of the extracts were active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis The activities of the extracts against Mycobacterium tuberculosis varied from weak, ≤2500 µg/mL to highly active, 128 µg/mL. There was 77% agreement in results obtained using BCG or Mycobacterium tuberculosis as test organisms. CONCLUSION: The results show clear evidence for the efficacy of the majority of indigenous Nigerian herbal recipes in the ethnomedicinal management of tuberculosis and related ailments. BCG may be effectively used, to a great extent, as the organism for screening for potential anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis agents. A set of prioritization criteria for the selection of plants for initial further studies for the purpose of antituberculosis drug discovery research is proposed.

Preparation and characterization of mucinated cellulose microparticles for therapeutic and drug delivery purposes.

Mucinated cellulose microparticles were generated by mixing equal concentrations of colloidal dispersions of porcine mucin (Mc) and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). The hybrid polymer was recovered by precipitating at controlled temperature and pH conditions using acetone. Some physicochemical, functional and thermal properties of the hybrid polymer were determined and compared with those of Mc and MCC. The new polymer Mc-MCC had swelling and moisture sorption profiles that were different from those of Mc and MCC in buffer solutions with different pH values and relative humidity, respectively. The mucoadhesive property of the new polymer was similar to that of Mc. The scanning electron micrographs (SEMs) showed that the microparticles generated from the hybridization were similar to those of MCC, but with larger and denser particles. The Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectrum and Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) thermogram of the hybrid polymer were characteristically different from those of Mc and MCC. The presence of new peaks in the FT-IR spectrum and distinct cold crystallization exotherm, which were absent in both Mc and MCC, confirms the formation of a new polymer type with synergistic physicochemical and functional properties.