New Releases by Jill Carle

In 2008 New Mexico changed its graduation requirements for regular education high school students who completed more than their senior year of high school in a New Mexico public school. Students who entered high school in 2009 were the first to have to complete (pass with a D or better) at least one advanced course (a course designated by the New Mexico Public Education Department as an honors or gifted and talented course or designated by the school district as an advanced, Advanced Placement, gifted and talented, honors, or International Baccalaureate course), dual-credit course, or distance learning course. Numerous studies have shown the positive academic outcomes--such as higher high school graduation and postsecondary enrollment and persistence rates--associated with completing advanced courses. This study examines advanced course completion rates (the percentages of students who completed zero, one, and two or more advanced courses) among New Mexico public high school students in the first three cohorts subject to the state's new graduation requirements to identify whether gaps exist in the state and across student and school characteristics. It uses data on students who entered grade 9 in 2009-11 and remained enrolled for four years. The student characteristics examined were race/ethnicity, grade 8 standards-based assessment performance in math, eligibility for the federal school lunch program, and English learner status; the school characteristics examined were performance rating, size, Title I status, and urbanicity. The findings may help New Mexico policymakers and practitioners understand the extent to which traditionally underserved populations complete advanced courses in high school. The study found that over 56 percent of New Mexico students completed at least one advanced course in high school but that gaps exist across racial/ethnic groups. White students were more likely than American Indian students and Hispanic students to complete an advanced course. The gap in the advanced course completion rate between White students and American Indian students was 17 percentage points, and the gap between White students and Hispanic students was 14 percentage points. The gaps across racial/ ethnic groups were smaller when high-performing students (those who received a score of met expectations or exceeded expectations in math on the state's grade 8 standards-based assessment) were examined separately. When high-performing students were examined separately, the gap between White students and American Indian students was 6 percentage points, and the gap between White students and Hispanic students was 4 percentage points. The percentage was much lower among lower performing students (51 percent among lower performing American Indian students, 52 percent among lower performing Hispanic students, and 64 percent among lower performing White students), and substantial gaps remained across racial/ethnic subgroups. The study also found that advanced course completion rates were related to school characteristics. The percentage of students who completed at least one advanced course was higher among students at schools with a performance rating of A on the state's A-F scale than among students at schools with a lower rating. The percentage who completed multiple advanced courses was substantially lower among students at small schools (those with fewer than 750 students) than among students at bigger schools. The gaps remained when high-performing students were examined separately. The percentage who completed at least one advanced course was lower among high-performing students at small schools than among high-performing students at bigger schools. Although this study was not designed to investigate the causes of gaps in advanced course completion rates, identifying the gaps across student and school characteristics is a first step in helping members of the New Mexico Achievement Gap Research Alliance develop strategies to reach traditionally underserved students. The next step could be to investigate areas for improvement in approaches to promoting awareness of the availability and benefits of advanced course completion among American Indian and Hispanic students. The finding that a large share of these students do not complete advanced courses highlights the need to further investigate the extent to which advanced courses are available to students across the state, particularly in small schools and schools with low performance ratings.

This report examines public opinion on international threats facing the world today, including global climate change, economic instability, ISIS, tensions between Russia and its neighbors, cyberattacks, and territorial disputes with China. It is based on 45,435 face-to-face and telephone interviews in 40 countries with adults 18 and older conducted from March 25 to May 27, 2015.In advance of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris this December, many publics around the world name global climate change as a top threat, according this survey measuring perceptions of international challenges. This is particularly true in Latin America and Africa, where majorities in most countries say they are very concerned about this issue. But as the Islamic militant group ISIS maintains its hold in Iraq and Syria and intensifies its grisly public executions, Europeans and Middle Easterners most frequently cite ISIS as their main concern among international issues.

Voting in presidential primaries, compared to general elections, provides a challenging task for voters given the lack of party cues, the similarity of the candidates' policy positions, and the relatively low information levels. As trustworthy sources of local information, local news media in presidential primaries have a profound potential to shape voters' evaluations of candidates. I argue that the proximity of local news, its local nature, makes it a trusted and influential source of candidate information, moderated by candidates' prominence. Furthermore, variation in local news across states as a result of differences in standards of newsworthiness and organizational resources helps clarify the distinct role that local news plays in voter opinion of presidential primary candidates. Relying on an original content analysis of news coverage in 11 battleground and early primary states, and utilizing an extensive panel survey of 5,301 respondents over the course of the 2008 primary campaign, I am able to match primary voters with their local news content. I examine the influence of the quantity and tone of local news coverage on voters' evaluations of presidential candidates over the course of the primary season. The findings suggest that local news outlets provide voters with vastly different amounts and types of campaign news. I find that the amount of local news coverage influences people's willingness to evaluate presidential candidates. In addition, evaluations of low tier presidential candidates are significantly influenced by the tone of local news coverage, even after controlling for voters' ideological predispositions and local candidate activities. These findings suggest that local news coverage has a powerful effect on voters' evaluations of low tier candidates in particular, consistently shaping voters' recognition and evaluations of these candidates. The availability and bias of candidate information in presidential primaries may ultimately impact electoral outcomes in both nominating contests and general elections.

The authors of College Cooking guide you on your next step to adulting: shopping for, preparing, and eating your own meals—in your own kitchen. Every year, tens of thousands of hungry twentysomethings graduate college and rent their first apartment. They love food and want to learn how to cook. The First Real Kitchen Cookbook is the just-graduated's go-to guide, explaining in a friendly, encouraging voice everything that can be done on a tiny four-burner stove with minimal equipment and utensils. Fellow twentysomethings Megan Carle and Jill Carle teach new cooks how to stock a pantry on the cheap, buy meat, roast a chicken, cook vegetables, and bake cakes from scratch—all the basics and more! "Sure, this is for those of you just setting up your 'first real kitchen,' but guess what? There is a lot of helpful information for those of us who've had our own kitchens for years. We can all use a little help now and then . . ." — Cooks & Books & Recipes "A great cookbook for someone who doesn't have much experience cooking, but wants to get a real start on the subject." — Errant Dreams

Give the gift of sweetness with this teen cookbook filled with the desserts teenage boys and girls actually want to bake and eat. From the authors of the best-selling TEENS COOK, TEENS COOK DESSERT is a sugar-coated follow up guide focusing on the foods that young adults are always happy to gobble up—cookies, cakes, pies, puddings, and more. Featuring over 75 mouth-watering recipes with clear, easy-to-follow directions and 120 brilliantly colored photos, this cookbook gives some sweet tips for improving kitchen safety, understanding culinary math, and using disaster-proof shortcuts in the recipes. The only full-color dessert cookbook written by and for teenagers, TEENS COOK DESSERT offers foolproof guidance for teens to bake their way to kitchen independence.

You have a midterm tomorrow and a fierce growl in your stomach. Your roommate just nabbed your last cup o' ramen. Do you: (A) Ignore your stomach and brew another pot of coffee? (B) Break out the PB&J? (C) Order pizza—again? (D) Make a quick trip to the grocery store? The answer's D, and College Cooking is the only study guide you'll need. Sisters Megan and Jill Carle know all about leaving a well-stocked kitchen to face an empty apartment fridge with little time to cook and very little money. They practically grew up in their parents' kitchen, but even that didn't prepare them for braving the supermarket aisles on their own. That's why they wrote COLLEGE COOKING—to share the tips and tricks they've learned while feeding themselves between late-night studying, papers, parties, and other distractions. Starting with kitchen basics, Megan and Jill first cover ingredients, equipment, and other prereqs for cooking a decent meal. They then provide more than ninety simple yet tasteworthy recipes—hearty home-style dishes, study-break snacks, healthy salads, sweet treats, and more (along with low-cal and veggie options). You'll find easy and cheap-to-make dishes, like: Tortilla Soup • Chili with Green Chile Cornbread • Chicken Salad Pita Sandwiches • Baked Penne Pasta with Italian Sausage • What's-in-the-Fridge Frittata • Peanut Butter Cup Bars • Brownie Bites You'll also find recipes for feeding a household of roommates, maximizing leftovers, cooking for a dinner date, and hosting parties with minimal prep and cost. Just consider COLLEGE COOKING your crash course in kitchen survival—and required reading for off-campus living. Reviews: “College Cooking is a must-pack, along with the fry pan and the blender, for those going back to college or starting this year.” —Arizona Republic “The recipes are quick, easy, and simple.” —Kansas City Star “This is reasonable food reasonably fast. I was going too give the cookbook to someone in college, but no way. This is going straight into my collection.” —Oakland Tribune

Presents recipes and tips for vegetarian living at college, with advice on cooking hearty and delicious meals on a budget and simple steps for college students with limited access to kitchens.