TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Susan R. Singer A2 - Margaret L. Hilton A2 - Heidi A. Schweingruber TI - America's Lab Report: Investigations in High School Science SN - DO - 10.17226/11311 PY - 2006 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11311/americas-lab-report-investigations-in-high-school-science PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Education AB - Laboratory experiences as a part of most U.S. high school science curricula have been taken for granted for decades, but they have rarely been carefully examined. What do they contribute to science learning? What can they contribute to science learning? What is the current status of labs in our nation�s high schools as a context for learning science? This book looks at a range of questions about how laboratory experiences fit into U.S. high schools: What is effective laboratory teaching? What does research tell us about learning in high school science labs? How should student learning in laboratory experiences be assessed? Do all student have access to laboratory experiences? What changes need to be made to improve laboratory experiences for high school students? How can school organization contribute to effective laboratory teaching? With increased attention to the U.S. education system and student outcomes, no part of the high school curriculum should escape scrutiny. This timely book investigates factors that influence a high school laboratory experience, looking closely at what currently takes place and what the goals of those experiences are and should be. Science educators, school administrators, policy makers, and parents will all benefit from a better understanding of the need for laboratory experiences to be an integral part of the science curriculum—and how that can be accomplished. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - State and Federal Standards for Mobile-Source Emissions SN - DO - 10.17226/11586 PY - 2006 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11586/state-and-federal-standards-for-mobile-source-emissions PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Transportation and Infrastructure KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - Emissions from mobile sources contribute significantly to air pollution in the United States. Such sources include cars and light- and heavy-duty trucks; diesel-powered cranes, bulldozers, and tractors; and equipment such as lawnmowers that run on small gasoline engines. The role of state versus federal government in establishing mobile-source emissions standards is an important environmental management issue. With this in mind, Congress called on EPA to arrange an independent study of the practices and procedures by which California develops separate emissions standards from the federal government and other states choose to adopt the California standards. The report provides an assessment of the scientific and technical procedures used by states to develop or adopt different emissions standards and a comparison of those policies and practices with those used by EPA. It also considers the impacts of state emissions standards on various factors including compliance costs and emissions. The report concludes that, despite the substantial progress in reducing emissions from mobile sources nationwide, more needs to be done to attain federal air-quality standards in many parts of the country. Additionally, California should continue its pioneering role in setting emissions standards for cars, trucks, and off-road equipment. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Transportation Research Board AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine TI - Bridge Rating Practices and Policies for Overweight Vehicles DO - 10.17226/13954 PY - 2006 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13954/bridge-rating-practices-and-policies-for-overweight-vehicles PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Transportation and Infrastructure AB - TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 359: Bridge Rating Practices and Policies for Overweight Vehicles explores overweight vehicle permit processes. The report includes information on state and provincial bridge rating systems, bridge evaluation practices, and permit policies as they relate to overweight and oversize vehicles. The report is designed to help in the understanding of the reasons for nonuniform permitting practices. The report reviews specifications, software types, treatment of nonstandard configurations, and allowance for in-place dead loads; processes of permit review; and personnel assigned to permit review. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Transportation Research Board TI - The Fuel Tax and Alternatives for Transportation Funding: Special Report 285 DO - 10.17226/11568 PY - 2006 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11568/the-fuel-tax-and-alternatives-for-transportation-funding-special-report PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Transportation and Infrastructure KW - Industry and Labor AB - TRB Special Report 285: The Fuel Tax and Alternatives for Transportation Funding examines the viability of existing revenue sources, the merits of present transportation finance arrangements, and potential directions for reform of transportation finance. According to the report, fuel taxes can remain the primary funding source for the nation's highways for at least another decade, but eventually replacing them with a system for metering road use and charging accordingly could benefit travelers and the public. In addition, the committee that developed the report suggests that while the current funding system helps maintain existing highways and build new ones and ensures that users pay most of these costs, it does not help transportation agencies alleviate congestion or target investment in the most valuable projects. ER -