Facing Forward

While everybody recognizes the development challenges facing Sub-Saharan Africa, few have put together coherent plans that offer real hope for any feasible and general improvement. Facing Forward combines an evidence-based plan that not only recognizes the deep problems but provides specific prescriptions for dealing with the problems. In the simplest version, focus on the skills of the people and do it in a rational and achievable manner. †“ Eric Hanushek, Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow, Hoover Institute, Stanford University This book offers a clear perspective on how to improve learning in basic education in Sub- Saharan Africa, based on extremely rigorous and exhaustive analysis of a large volume of data. The authors shine a light on the low levels of learning and on the contributory factors. They have not hesitated to raise difficult issues, such as the need to implement a consistent policy on the language of instruction, which is essential to ensuring the foundations of learning for all children. Using the framework of “From Science to Service Delivery,†? the book urges policy makers to look at the entire chain from policy design, informed by knowledge adapted to the local context, to implementation. Facing Forward: Schooling for Learning in Africa is a unique addition to the literature that is relevant for African policy makers and stakeholders. †“ Professor Hassana Alidou, Ambassador of the Republic of Niger to the United States and Canada As the continent gears itself up to provide universal basic education to all its children by 2030, it has to squarely address the challenge of how to improve learning. Facing Forward helps countries to benchmark themselves against each other and to identify concrete lines of action. It forces policy makers to think “where do I go from here?†? “what do I do differently?†? and to examine the hierarchy of interventions that can boost learning. It rightly urges Ministries of Education to build capacity through learning by doing and continuous adaptation of new knowledge to the local context. Facing Forward will unleash frank conversations about the profound reforms that are required in education policy and service delivery to ensure learning for every child on the continent. †“ Dr. Fred Matiang’I, Cabinet Secretary for the Interior and Coordination of National Government, Government of Kenya (former Cabinet Secretary for Education) Facing Forward couldn’t have come at a more opportune time as countries in the region, including Mauritius, focus more on learning outcomes rather than simply on inputs and processes in education systems. The book underscores the important point that African countries need not exclusively model themselves on high-performing education systems in the world. Much can as well be learnt from other countries at the same level of development, or lower, by virtue of the challenges they have faced and successfully overcome. This presents opportunities for greater peer-sharing and networking with these countries. Indeed a number of key focus areas are highlighted in the book that demonstrate good practices worthy of being emulated. These cover domains as diverse as enabling factors leading to improved student progression, strengthened teacher capacity, increased budgetary allocation with a focus on quality, as well as improved technical capacity of implementing agencies in the region. †“ Hon. (Mrs.) Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun, Minister of Education and Human Resources, Tertiary Education and Scientific Research, Republic of Mauritius

One woman's powerful journey from independence into a marriage paralyzed by the grip of domestic violence - and back again to a life of hope and wholeness --- "Like so many women, I wanted a home, children, a loving husband, and a pet. When life didn't work out the way I hoped by the time I was 30, I started to panic. I was actively looking for love when I met a man who would ultimately change my life and the lives of those closest to me... This story has a happy ending. Unfortunately, not all victims of domestic violence are so fortunate. There are steps you can take to free yourself or help free someone you know. Through my story, you'll find out how. You will walk away with a better understanding of how someone can lose everything to an abuser - and when she is ready, reclaim her life... What would ever make a woman stay in an abusive marriage or relationship? A lot of things, among them shame and fear. Shame of leaving, shame of failure, fear of your most personal marital details becoming public in a divorce proceeding - and fear of suffering socially or financially by a divorce. For some, there's a fear of being alone. If you're unable to understand this, be thankful. But also be careful. Prior to my marriage to the pastor, I would never have tolerated anyone treating me this way." (Reba D.)

Internationally recognized trauma treatment expert Dr. J. Eric Gentry presents his three-step Forward-Facing(R) process for healing from toxic stress that you can start today, without needing to revisit the pains of the past. Freedom from and freedom to... It's an indisputable truth that we live in the safest, healthiest, and most advanced time period in history-yet we are sicker and more stressed out than ever. Technology and other modern-age advancements have connected us in unprecedented ways, but they also provide us with a 24/7-view to the world's problems. As stress-related physical and mental illnesses increase and suicide rates spike, we're a nation of people navigating not only the fears and uncertainties of our present but the experienced trauma of our childhoods-which informs our threat response in the here and now. Amidst all of this upheaval, we might ask ourselves: How can I find transformative healing and lasting resilience without escaping society altogether? It is possible to heal yourself, and this simple solution is one you can begin right now. Distilled from decades of neuroscience, psychotherapy, and evidence-based trauma treatment methods for immediate use by the everyday reader, Dr. Gentry's Forward-Facing(R) Freedom instantly gives you back control of your body and brain, without ever having to relive your traumatic stress. Imagine this scenario unfolding in your own life: Freedom from stress, anxiety, trauma, interpersonal conflicts and failed relationships, self-criticism, and even despair. All of it replaced with the freedom to-freedom to feel safe, peaceful, and in total physical and mental comfort; to experience boundless levels of joy and positive growth; to behave with intention and in alignment with your principles; and best of all, to have hope. In the style of pioneering, popular psychology works such as Bessel van der Kolk's The Body Keeps the Score and Bruce Perry's Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma that educate about trauma's physiological origins and how to override this instinctual response, Dr. Gentry's three-step Forward-Facing(R) process is poised to become the next touchstone in the neuropsychology field. Championing our innate capacities for overcoming a traumatic past, speaking truth to wellbeing over illness, and tapping into a well of intentionality and resilience to take on each day no matter what it may hold, Forward-Facing(R) Freedom offers a new kind of solution for toxic stress, one so desperately needed today. Here's what you'll learn as you adopt Forward-Facing(R) Freedom's practices in your own life: -Where stress really comes from-your nervous system as a means of survival-and techniques for mindful relaxation to release the stress and prevent more from accruing. -A deeper understanding of how the traumas of the past impact you today, and tools for replacing reactive thoughts and actions with intentional ones by defining your personal code of honor, mission in life, and vision for the future. -Simple methods for identifying and managing triggers to build resilience and foster post-traumatic growth, marked by better relationships and a new appreciation for life. It's time to take back control of your happiness and health- to face forward with these newfound abilities to heal your past, transform your present, and enjoy a future on purpose.

A Mission To Help Others Heal. A mission to help others heal and regain productive lives is likely what led you to pursue a career in professional caregiving. But what happens when all the accumulated suffering and trauma that you have witnessed and the pain that you have experienced starts to cause problems in your own personal and professional life? Insidious and often steeped in shame, compassion fatigue burnout and traumatic stress are very real issues that members of the caregiving community are not only at risk for but will inevitably confront at some point in their careers. The key is not to fight against or run away from these consequences of caregiving, but to recognize their normalization, origination, and the applicable steps available to heal your existing stress and build resilience for the future. In Forward-Facing® Professional Resilience: Prevention and Resolution of Burnout, Toxic Stress and Compassion Fatigue, trauma and compassion fatigue expert Dr. J. Eric Gentry and medical director and practitioner of emergency medicine Dr. Jeffrey “Jim” Dietz combine over seventy years’ worth of experience treating patients and caregivers to present a two-part text that first examines the cause of compassion fatigue, followed by a proven, simple five-step solution for healing and a renewed sense of mission. Drawing from their Professional Resilience workshop that has been attended by over 100,000 international participants, Drs. Gentry and Dietz address these issues with their readers in ways that are candid, heartfelt, insightful, and most of all—filled with hope.

In this groundbreaking book, trauma expert J. Eric Gentry builds upon the pioneering insights of such luminaries as neuroscientist Stephen Porges, Judith Herman and Bessel van der Kolk to introduce Forward-Facing Trauma Therapy (FFTT), the next evolutionary leap in the treatment of traumatic stress. Unlike many traditional psychotherapies, FFTT eschews the assumption that psychological problems are caused by our faulty perceptions and skewed thought processes. Instead, FFTT addresses trauma and its destructive symptomology at its sourceour overcharged autonomic nervous systems and hypervigilant threat response resulting from our adaptation to painful past experiences. Dr. Gentry provides a step-by-step guide for implementing a three-pronged methodology and explains how and why the techniques work so effectively. He also demonstrates how anyone experiencing stress can apply FFTT to achieve immediate change and an enduring sense of joy, self-worth, and personal integrity.

This synthesis will be of interest to transit agency staff and those who work with them in dealing with common wheelchair securement on transit buses. It offers information on existing programs in many countries and documents transit agency experiences for the benefit of others considering similar deployments, in particular with respect to the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) and to its use in U.S. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems. The report describes the state of the practice with respect to the use of rearfacing position for accommodating common wheelchairs (as defined by the ADA) on large transit buses (more than 30,000 lb) and identifies pertinent issues related to its transferability to the U.S. context.

As Muslims who pray the five obligatory prayers each day of our lives, when able we orient ourselves toward Mecca, located in what is now Saudi Arabia, from wherever we happen to find ourselves, farflung in some island fastness, or out in desert dunes, or in a New York hotel room. There are boat people who tie up and face Mecca right in their boats, saintly Moroccan merchants who fling their carpets down just behind the counter where they sell embroidery thread to very particular customers (I am a witness). We can't get too "far out" when we stop to face Mecca five times and more a day, or in the solitude of our nights, knowing the plumb line goes straight through to the next world, and its rising to the holy heights.