Black Lives Matter covers the shootings that touched off passionate protests, the work of activists to bring about a more just legal system, and the tensions in US society that these events have brought to light. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Essential Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

Planetary protection is a guiding principle in the design of an interplanetary mission, aiming to prevent biological contamination of both the target celestial body and the Earth. The protection of high-priority science goals, the search for life and the understanding of the Martian organic environment may be compromised if Earth microbes carried by spacecraft are grown and spread on Mars. This has led to the definition of Special Regions on Mars where strict planetary protection measures have to be applied before a spacecraft can enter these areas. At NASA's request, the community-based Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) established the Special Regions Science Analysis Group (SR-SAG2) in October 2013 to examine the quantitative definition of a Special Region and proposed modifications to it, as necessary, based upon the latest scientific results. Review of the MEPAG Report on Mars Special Regions reviews the conclusions and recommendations contained in MEPAG's SR-SAG2 report and assesses their consistency with current understanding of both the Martian environment and the physical and chemical limits for the survival and propagation of microbial and other life on Earth. This report provides recommendations for an update of the planetary protection requirements for Mars Special Regions.

North Korea Today covers the history of the secretive nation and its leaders, North Korean weapon and missile development programs, and the government's efforts to seize Western tourists and journalists as hostages. Features include essential facts, a glossary, selected bibliography, websites, source notes, and an index. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Essential Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

Climate change poses many challenges that affect society and the natural world. With these challenges, however, come opportunities to respond. By taking steps to adapt to and mitigate climate change, the risks to society and the impacts of continued climate change can be lessened. The National Climate Assessment, coordinated by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, is a mandated report intended to inform response decisions. Required to be developed every four years, these reports provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date evaluation of climate change impacts available for the United States, making them a unique and important climate change document. The draft Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) report reviewed here addresses a wide range of topics of high importance to the United States and society more broadly, extending from human health and community well-being, to the built environment, to businesses and economies, to ecosystems and natural resources. This report evaluates the draft NCA4 to determine if it meets the requirements of the federal mandate, whether it provides accurate information grounded in the scientific literature, and whether it effectively communicates climate science, impacts, and responses for general audiences including the public, decision makers, and other stakeholders.

An invaluable collection of sample case reports from experts in child and adolescent assessment With contributions from authorities in the fields of psychology and special education-including Dawn Flanagan, Elaine Fletcher-Janzen, Randy Kamphaus, Nadeen Kaufman, George McCloskey, Jack Naglieri, Cecil Reynolds, and Gale Roid—Comprehensive Evaluations provides over fifty sample case reports to help you draft carefully planned, goal-directed, and comprehensive evaluations that clearly explain the reasons for a student's school-related difficulties, from preschool to postsecondary level. A wellspring of information for educational professionals, Comprehensive Evaluations provides models for writing diagnostic reports to accompany the tests most frequently administered in the evaluation of children, adolescents, and adults, including the BASC-2, KABC-II, WAIS-IV, WISC-IV, and WJ III. The reports reflect various disciplines within psychology and education, different theoretical perspectives and paradigms, and span a broad spectrum of disabilities. The diagnostic reports found within Comprehensive Evaluations will help: Expand your familiarity with widely used test instruments Enhance your understanding of the interpretation of test scores Improve your ability to tailor written reports to the purposes of the evaluation Translate assessment results into meaningful treatment recommendations Recognize the differences in what evaluators from various school districts, agencies, and private practices consider to be a comprehensive evaluation Appreciate how your theoretical perspective and choice of tests can influence diagnostic conclusions Determine a report writing style that meets your needs Comprehensive Evaluations deftly illustrates how thorough assessments help empirically pinpoint the reasons a student is struggling in school, which then allows an evaluator to select the most appropriate accommodations and interventions to help the student succeed.

Extreme weather and climate events, interacting with exposed and vulnerable human and natural systems, can lead to disasters. This Special Report explores the social as well as physical dimensions of weather- and climate-related disasters, considering opportunities for managing risks at local to international scales. SREX was approved and accepted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on 18 November 2011 in Kampala, Uganda.

"Originally released in 1977, this new edition by the world's foremost authority on UFOs distills 12,000 'sightings' and 140,000 pages of Project Blue Book 'evidence' into a coherent explanation"--Back cover.