Retention of a competent teaching force is a growing concern among the nation's educators and policy makers. Providing new teachers with quality induction programs may mitigate significant teacher attrition and teacher staffing issues now facing many school districts in the United States. This article reports positive results in the long-term retention of novice teachers who participated in an induction partnership jointly administered by the University of Colorado and six school districts. The study tracks 10 cohorts of inductees into their 5th year of teaching and researches components of the program that impact retention. The article also describes program characteristicsinitially developed from prior research and refined by data from ongoing program evaluationsthat have proven effective in raising teacher competence and retention rates. Finally, the author suggests how this induction research might inform the decisions of local and national policy makers.

A novel technique, Multiply Scattered Light Tomography (MSLT), and confocal Infrared Imaging are used to provide diagnostic information using a comfortable, rapid, and noninvasive method. We investigated these techniques in detecting neovascularization in age-related macular degeneration. The MSLT used a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) at 850 nm, while the confocal imaging technique used either the VCSEL or a 790 nm laser diode. Both were implemented into the topographical scanning system (TopSS, Laser Diagnostic Technologies, Inc.) Confocal imaging with both lasers provided different information about neovascularization as a function of focal plane, and different also from MSLT.

Objective To determine the effect of pre-injection ocular decompression by cotton swabs on the immediate rise in intraocular pressure (IOP) after intravitreal injections. Methods Forty-eight patients receiving 0.05-ml ranibizumab injections in a retina clinic were randomized to two anesthetic methods in each eye on the same day (if bilateral disease) or on consecutive visits (if unilateral disease). One method utilized cotton swabs soaked in 4% lidocaine applied to the globe with moderate pressure and the other 3.5% lidocaine gel applied without pressure. IOPs were recorded at baseline (before injection) and at 0, 5, 10, and 15 minutes after the injection until the IOP was ≤30 mmHg. The IOP elevations from baseline were compared after the two anesthetic methods. Results The pre-injection mean IOP (SD, mmHg) was 15.5 (3.3) before the cotton swabs and 15.9 (3.0) before the gel (p=0.28). Mean IOP (SD, mmHg) change immediately after injection was 25.7 (9.2) after the cotton swabs and 30.9 (9.9) after the gel (P=0.001). Thirty-five percent of gel eyes had IOP ≥50 mmHg compared to only 10% of cotton swab eyes immediately after the injection (P<0.001). Conclusion Decompressing the eye with cotton swabs during anesthetic preparation prior to an intravitreal injection produces a significantly lower IOP spike after the injection.

Measurements of the human ocular fundus that make use of the light returning through the pupil are called reflectometry. Early reflectometry studies were limited by poor light return from the retina and strong reflections from the anterior surface of the eye. Artifacts produced misleading results in diseases like age-related macular degeneration. Novel laser sources, scanning, confocal optics, and digital imaging provide improved sampling of the signal from the tissues of interest: photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelial cells. A wider range of wavelengths is now compared, including the near infrared. Reflectometry now provides functional mapping, even in severe pathology.

Both techniques are equally effective and yield mild discomfort scores during the procedure and the next day. The gel method results in significantly less ocular surface irritation.