Douglas Downey - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Douglas Downey

The Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE) has sponsored an ongoing program to pro... more The Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE) has sponsored an ongoing program to promote the use of cost-effective soil vapor treatment technologies in conjunction with soil vapor extraction (SVE) for remediation of fuel-and solvent-impacted sites.

Objectives. To determine whether school or nonschool environments contribute more to childhood ob... more Objectives. To determine whether school or nonschool environments contribute more to childhood obesity, we compared children's gains in body mass index (BMI) when school is in session (during the kindergarten and first-grade school years) with their gains in BMI when school is out (during summer vacation).

Sociology of Education, Jul 1, 2008

To many it is obvious which schools are failing-those whose students perform poorly on achievemen... more To many it is obvious which schools are failing-those whose students perform poorly on achievement tests. But evaluating schools on achievement mixes the effect of school factors (e.g., good teachers) with the effect of non-school factors (e.g., homes and neighborhoods) in unknown ways. As a result, achievement-based evaluation likely underestimates the effectiveness of schools serving disadvantaged populations. We discuss school-evaluation methods that more effectively separate school effects from non-school effects. Specifically, we consider evaluating schools using 12-month (calendar-year) learning rates, 9-month (schoolyear) learning rates, and a provocative new measure, "impact," which is the difference between the school-year learning rate and the summer learning rate. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study of 1998-99, we show that learning-or impact-based evaluation methods substantially change our conclusions about which schools are failing. In particular, among schools with failing (bottom-quintile) achievement levels, less than half are failing with respect to learning or impact. In addition, schools serving disadvantaged students are much more likely to have low achievement levels than they are to have low levels of learning or impact. We discuss the implications of these findings for market-based education reform. This is the accepted version. For Market-based reforms pervade current education policy discussions in the United States. The potential for markets to promote efficiency, long recognized in the private sector, represents an attractive mechanism by which to improve the quality of public education, especially among urban schools serving poor students, where inefficiency is suspected (Chubb and Moe 1990; Walberg and Bast 2003). The rapid growth of charter schools (Renzulli and Roscigno 2005) and the emphasis on accountability in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) are prompted by the belief that when parents have information about school quality, accompanied by a choice about where to send their children, competitive pressure will prompt administrators and teachers to improve schools by working harder and smarter.

Sociological Quarterly, 1994

This study argues for the incorporation of sex composition of offspring in the study of parental ... more This study argues for the incorporation of sex composition of offspring in the study of parental values and attitudes. Using a sample of mothers of pre-school aged children residing in two cities in Indiana, we examine the consequences of sex composition on two important parental views on socialization. We find that as the relative number of sons versus daughters increases, mothers believe "children always suffer when both parents work outside of the home" and "the most important thing for children to learn is to obey their parents." These findings suggest that generalized views on parenting are developed through maternal experiences in the family and, in turn, these experiences are shaped by the sex composition of progeny.

Environ Prog, 1995

A fiill-scale bioventing demonstration was recently completed at a large diesel spill site locate... more A fiill-scale bioventing demonstration was recently completed at a large diesel spill site located at a major railroad facility in Nebraska. An estimated 11,500 cubic meters of soil are being treated in this demonstration. During this two-year demonstration, both in situ respiration rates and volatilization were routinely monitored to estimate total fie1 removal rates. This paper discusses the relative contributions of biodegradation and volatilization in this bioventing application and presents two-year soil sampling results which indicate that significant fuel remediation has occurred at the site. Both capital and operating costs for this system are veiy competitive and will be detailed in this document.

American Sociological Review, Oct 1, 1995

American Sociological Review, Aug 1, 1997

... increase confidence in the measure of family structure, we use three criteria in extracting o... more ... increase confidence in the measure of family structure, we use three criteria in extracting our sample: (1) parental and student accounts of family structure in 1988 coincided, (2) students re-sponded that they lived in a single-parent home in 1990, and (3) students reported that ...

The Sociological Quarterly, Apr 30, 2005

While past explanations for sex differences in school performance are heavily geared toward expla... more While past explanations for sex differences in school performance are heavily geared toward explaining boys' small advantage on standardized math tests, we broaden the focus to include educational outcomes for which girls typically do well-standardized reading tests and math and English grades. Among adolescents in the National Education Longitudinal Study, girls enjoy better English and math grades and higher reading test scores than boys in eighth grade and these advantages all increase during high school. In contrast, boys earn slightly higher math test scores in eighth grade and this gap also increases slightly by the end of high school. This set of patterns leaves us with a puzzle-why do girls and boys excel at different components of schooling? We explore models that assess the degree to which these different trajectories can be explained by sex differences in classroom behavior and out-of-class activities. We conclude that a major reason for sex differences in grades is boys' poorer classroom behavior while sex differences in time spent outside of school should supplement previous explanations for test scores gaps.

SERDP/ESTCP Environmental Remediation Technology, 2009

... are now available as pure cultures (Romanenko et al., 1976; Stepanyuk, 1992; Malmqvist et al.... more ... are now available as pure cultures (Romanenko et al., 1976; Stepanyuk, 1992; Malmqvist et al., 1994; Rikken et al., 1996; Wallace et al., 1996; Bruce et al., 1999; Coates et al., 1999b; Herman and Frankenberger, 1999; Michaelidou et al., 2000; Coates et al., 2001; Okeke et al ...

Child Indicators Research, 2015

The objective of this project was to promote the development of alterna- tive closure designs and... more The objective of this project was to promote the development of alterna- tive closure designs and treatment options for unlined landfills. These alternative treat- ment options will both reduce the time required for closure and enhance the long-term natural attenuation of chlorinated solvent leachate plumes. This 'enhanced-leaching' theory of landfill treatment would lead to more permanent and efficient waste manage-

The Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE) has sponsored an ongoing program to pro... more The Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE) has sponsored an ongoing program to promote the use of cost-effective soil vapor treatment technologies in conjunction with soil vapor extraction (SVE) for remediation of fuel-and solvent-impacted sites.

Objectives. To determine whether school or nonschool environments contribute more to childhood ob... more Objectives. To determine whether school or nonschool environments contribute more to childhood obesity, we compared children's gains in body mass index (BMI) when school is in session (during the kindergarten and first-grade school years) with their gains in BMI when school is out (during summer vacation).

Sociology of Education, Jul 1, 2008

To many it is obvious which schools are failing-those whose students perform poorly on achievemen... more To many it is obvious which schools are failing-those whose students perform poorly on achievement tests. But evaluating schools on achievement mixes the effect of school factors (e.g., good teachers) with the effect of non-school factors (e.g., homes and neighborhoods) in unknown ways. As a result, achievement-based evaluation likely underestimates the effectiveness of schools serving disadvantaged populations. We discuss school-evaluation methods that more effectively separate school effects from non-school effects. Specifically, we consider evaluating schools using 12-month (calendar-year) learning rates, 9-month (schoolyear) learning rates, and a provocative new measure, "impact," which is the difference between the school-year learning rate and the summer learning rate. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study of 1998-99, we show that learning-or impact-based evaluation methods substantially change our conclusions about which schools are failing. In particular, among schools with failing (bottom-quintile) achievement levels, less than half are failing with respect to learning or impact. In addition, schools serving disadvantaged students are much more likely to have low achievement levels than they are to have low levels of learning or impact. We discuss the implications of these findings for market-based education reform. This is the accepted version. For Market-based reforms pervade current education policy discussions in the United States. The potential for markets to promote efficiency, long recognized in the private sector, represents an attractive mechanism by which to improve the quality of public education, especially among urban schools serving poor students, where inefficiency is suspected (Chubb and Moe 1990; Walberg and Bast 2003). The rapid growth of charter schools (Renzulli and Roscigno 2005) and the emphasis on accountability in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) are prompted by the belief that when parents have information about school quality, accompanied by a choice about where to send their children, competitive pressure will prompt administrators and teachers to improve schools by working harder and smarter.

Sociological Quarterly, 1994

This study argues for the incorporation of sex composition of offspring in the study of parental ... more This study argues for the incorporation of sex composition of offspring in the study of parental values and attitudes. Using a sample of mothers of pre-school aged children residing in two cities in Indiana, we examine the consequences of sex composition on two important parental views on socialization. We find that as the relative number of sons versus daughters increases, mothers believe "children always suffer when both parents work outside of the home" and "the most important thing for children to learn is to obey their parents." These findings suggest that generalized views on parenting are developed through maternal experiences in the family and, in turn, these experiences are shaped by the sex composition of progeny.

Environ Prog, 1995

A fiill-scale bioventing demonstration was recently completed at a large diesel spill site locate... more A fiill-scale bioventing demonstration was recently completed at a large diesel spill site located at a major railroad facility in Nebraska. An estimated 11,500 cubic meters of soil are being treated in this demonstration. During this two-year demonstration, both in situ respiration rates and volatilization were routinely monitored to estimate total fie1 removal rates. This paper discusses the relative contributions of biodegradation and volatilization in this bioventing application and presents two-year soil sampling results which indicate that significant fuel remediation has occurred at the site. Both capital and operating costs for this system are veiy competitive and will be detailed in this document.

American Sociological Review, Oct 1, 1995

American Sociological Review, Aug 1, 1997

... increase confidence in the measure of family structure, we use three criteria in extracting o... more ... increase confidence in the measure of family structure, we use three criteria in extracting our sample: (1) parental and student accounts of family structure in 1988 coincided, (2) students re-sponded that they lived in a single-parent home in 1990, and (3) students reported that ...

The Sociological Quarterly, Apr 30, 2005

While past explanations for sex differences in school performance are heavily geared toward expla... more While past explanations for sex differences in school performance are heavily geared toward explaining boys' small advantage on standardized math tests, we broaden the focus to include educational outcomes for which girls typically do well-standardized reading tests and math and English grades. Among adolescents in the National Education Longitudinal Study, girls enjoy better English and math grades and higher reading test scores than boys in eighth grade and these advantages all increase during high school. In contrast, boys earn slightly higher math test scores in eighth grade and this gap also increases slightly by the end of high school. This set of patterns leaves us with a puzzle-why do girls and boys excel at different components of schooling? We explore models that assess the degree to which these different trajectories can be explained by sex differences in classroom behavior and out-of-class activities. We conclude that a major reason for sex differences in grades is boys' poorer classroom behavior while sex differences in time spent outside of school should supplement previous explanations for test scores gaps.

SERDP/ESTCP Environmental Remediation Technology, 2009

... are now available as pure cultures (Romanenko et al., 1976; Stepanyuk, 1992; Malmqvist et al.... more ... are now available as pure cultures (Romanenko et al., 1976; Stepanyuk, 1992; Malmqvist et al., 1994; Rikken et al., 1996; Wallace et al., 1996; Bruce et al., 1999; Coates et al., 1999b; Herman and Frankenberger, 1999; Michaelidou et al., 2000; Coates et al., 2001; Okeke et al ...

Child Indicators Research, 2015

The objective of this project was to promote the development of alterna- tive closure designs and... more The objective of this project was to promote the development of alterna- tive closure designs and treatment options for unlined landfills. These alternative treat- ment options will both reduce the time required for closure and enhance the long-term natural attenuation of chlorinated solvent leachate plumes. This 'enhanced-leaching' theory of landfill treatment would lead to more permanent and efficient waste manage-