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Equality In Education: Solutions Aimed At Closing The Achievement Gap In Mississippi Public Schools, Mallie E. Imbler May 2019

Equality In Education: Solutions Aimed At Closing The Achievement Gap In Mississippi Public Schools, Mallie E. Imbler

Honors Theses

This thesis attempts to examine solutions aimed at closing the achievement gap in Mississippi public schools. The research questions that are addressed in this thesis include: a) Why is the achievement gap part of policy debates in Mississippi and how have individ-ual school districts and policymakers responded to the gap? b) How is the gap measured and what are the trends since 2001 when the No Child Left Behind Act was adopted? c) How are achievement gap debates reflected in the current policy? d) Have any of the past national education policies been effective in decreasing the achievement gap? The …


An Exploration Into The Benefits, Challenges, And Potential Of Telehealth In The United States: A Mississippi Case Study, Ann Weston Sistrunk May 2019

An Exploration Into The Benefits, Challenges, And Potential Of Telehealth In The United States: A Mississippi Case Study, Ann Weston Sistrunk

Honors Theses

Healthcare in the United States is in need of new solutions to provide access to care for all and decrease the rising costs of care. Telehealth is a developing model of healthcare delivery, and it will provide effective and equitable solutions to increase access to healthcare across the nation. As models of healthcare rapidly change, telehealth will continue to progress, but it is necessary for policy to complement the rapidly changing healthcare environment so that telehealth implementation can be successful. Along with access, telehealth has the opportunity to address many convenience barriers to healthcare, including distribution and number of practitioners, …


Finding Equilibrium On The Internet: How Chinese Netizens And The Regime Navigate Social Media Censorship, Hailey Mckee May 2019

Finding Equilibrium On The Internet: How Chinese Netizens And The Regime Navigate Social Media Censorship, Hailey Mckee

Honors Theses

China’s current social media landscape consists of the most users in the world operating within the most extensive governmental censorship apparatus in the world, which over time has created a shaky balance between personal expression and institutional order. This thesis attempts to shed light on an understudied, potentially sensitive topic by exploring the multifaceted relationship between Chinese Internet users and the communist regime in terms of content surveillance. By examining the current Internet environment, assessing the opportunities and challenges the web provides users and the regime, implementing a survey with sixteen Chinese netizens, and conducting a literature review, this thesis …


A Pro-Life Re-Alignment: Proposing A Shift In Focus Toward Demand-Side Anti-Abortion Advocacy, Dylan Fink May 2019

A Pro-Life Re-Alignment: Proposing A Shift In Focus Toward Demand-Side Anti-Abortion Advocacy, Dylan Fink

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to inspire a change in the conversation within the pro-life community and to create a new approach for anti-abortion proponents to use to reduce the number of abortions in the United States. Based on a supply and demand theory of economics, any pro-life strategy to destroy the market for abortion falls into one of two categories. Until now, the pro-life movement has been focused almost exclusively on limiting the supply of abortion services. While the pro-life movement should continue its efforts to ban and restrict abortion, these efforts will fail to fully end abortion …


The Role Of Non-Governmental Organizations In Global Education: A Case Study On Sub-Saharan Africa, Laura Taylor Apr 2019

The Role Of Non-Governmental Organizations In Global Education: A Case Study On Sub-Saharan Africa, Laura Taylor

Honors Theses

This paper will work to investigate the effectiveness of educational programs of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in developing countries. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of policy in the relationship between a host country and a non-governmental organization. Utilizing a comparative case study approach, this paper examines three different NGOs, operating out of three developing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, all with the mission of aiding the realm of global education. Each case study examines the state, the NGO, the historical context of NGOs and the government chosen, the relationship of the NGO selected and the government, …


Hit Me With Your Best Shot: A Critical Analysis Of The Resistance To Vaccine Utilization, Katherine Coleman Sistrunk Jan 2019

Hit Me With Your Best Shot: A Critical Analysis Of The Resistance To Vaccine Utilization, Katherine Coleman Sistrunk

Honors Theses

Vaccines have provided humans protection from infectious diseases for centuries, yet the vaccination rate in the United States fails to come near one-hundred percent, allowing vaccine-preventable diseases to re-emerge in communities across the nation. Vaccines have proven to be a safe and effective method in preventing the spread of infectious disease, but vaccine resistance remains high due to false information perpetuated by anti-vaxxers, greatly impacting the vaccination rate in our country. This thesis, by means of a literature review, provides a critical analysis the resistance to vaccine utilization in the United States to determine what policy recommendations and interventions can …


Understanding Factors Of Sexual Behaviors In Teenagers In Mississippi, Jackson Colburn Jan 2019

Understanding Factors Of Sexual Behaviors In Teenagers In Mississippi, Jackson Colburn

Honors Theses

The primary purpose of this study is to determine the associations between socio-demographic factors and sexual behaviors in teens based on bivariate analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System survey for 2015. In conducting a comparative analysis of survey data for both the United States and the state of Mississippi, this study aims to depict a picture of the state of teen sexual behaviors both nationally and in Mississippi. A secondary quantitative analysis of the Mississippi survey dataset also sets out to highlight any possible significant relationships between teen sexual behaviors and certain …


Medicaid Expansion Under The Affordable Care Act: A Case For Mississippi, Coulter Holland Jan 2019

Medicaid Expansion Under The Affordable Care Act: A Case For Mississippi, Coulter Holland

Honors Theses

For decades, Medicaid has been the largest public health insurance program for low-income individuals in the United States. The Affordable Care Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010, significantly changed eligibility requirements for Medicaid, expanding coverage to all low-income adults at or below 138% of the Federal Poverty Level. On June 28, 2012, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius that the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion was unconstitutionally coercive but ruled that states remain eligible for expansion if they so choose. Thirty-seven states including Washington …


The Transfer Culture In College Basketball, Ariel Massengale Jan 2019

The Transfer Culture In College Basketball, Ariel Massengale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2017, 18.5% of female women’s basketball players transferred. That ranked the highest it has ever been, second on the list for women’s sports and higher than any male sport (NCAA.org, 2018). The decision to transfer is a multifaceted issue that involves many reasons from generational differences, social media, technology, among other factors and has been rapidly increasing. For the lack of empirical studies, the foundation of this research was built on studies that focused on student retention because the same reasons a student may be retained could be the very reason a student decides to transfer depending on the …


Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals: A Comparative Analysis Of Access To Education And Healthcare For Immigrants Before Daca, Under Daca, And Under The Dream Act, Levi C. Bevis Jan 2019

Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals: A Comparative Analysis Of Access To Education And Healthcare For Immigrants Before Daca, Under Daca, And Under The Dream Act, Levi C. Bevis

Honors Theses

The United States has long been considered a nation of immigrants, welcoming individuals and families of every background to build a better future for themselves and the country. Throughout various periods of its history, however, the U.S. has fluctuated between welcoming and exceptionally restrictive immigration policies, with changes are often generating passionate debate from all ideological standpoints. A significant development in the modern U.S. immigration system is the implementation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program under the Obama Administration. This program allowed certain young undocumented immigrants who met established criteria to qualify for deportation protections. With approximately …


The Impacts Of Charter Schools On Traditional Public School Districts: Lessons For Mississippi, Evan Dean Jan 2019

The Impacts Of Charter Schools On Traditional Public School Districts: Lessons For Mississippi, Evan Dean

Honors Theses

Charter schools are a fast-growing trend in alternative education policy across the United States. As of the 2015-16 school year, seven percent of public schools were charter schools. Between the 2000-01 and the 2015-16 school years, the total number of charter schools across the United States increased by approximately 350 percent. In some states, up to nine percent of students are enrolled in a charter school (National Center for Education Statistics, 2018). In 2013, Mississippi signed into law the Mississippi Charter Schools Act of 2013, allowing for charter schools to enter the field of public education in the state. The …


Comparative Analysis Of Pregnancy Accommodation Laws Among States, Margaret Hampton Hay Jan 2019

Comparative Analysis Of Pregnancy Accommodation Laws Among States, Margaret Hampton Hay

Honors Theses

Pregnancy accommodations refer to changes in the workplace or the way a job is typically done that allows an equal employment opportunity to a pregnant individual. Twenty-three states and Washington, D.C. have enacted pregnancy accommodation laws or requirements. Through documentary analysis of the state laws and surrounding literature, I compare the state laws to one another and the issue of pregnancy accommodations is discussed. The United States needs a national or uniform pregnancy accommodation law to equally protect pregnant women from job loss, wage loss, hazards to their pregnancy, and other forms of discrimination. In addition, companies and employers benefit …


Super Pacs: Where They Came From And What We Know About Dark Money Seven Years Later, Catrina Curtis Jan 2019

Super Pacs: Where They Came From And What We Know About Dark Money Seven Years Later, Catrina Curtis

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to explore Super PACs as a source of campaign finance and their impact on the federal elections process. After explaining the history of federal campaign finance law in the United States, the role of anonymity by Super PACs is questioned. This thesis argues that two court case decisions are responsible for the creation of Super PACs: Citizens United v. FEC and SpeechNOW.org v. FEC. The cases, and their conflicting interests, are both summarized and analyzed. Next, using federal campaign finance data from the past decade, the impact of Super PACs on campaign finance is …


The Culture Of Football In The United States: How Hegemonic Masculinity Affects And Is Expressed In American Football, Hallie Gillam Jan 2019

The Culture Of Football In The United States: How Hegemonic Masculinity Affects And Is Expressed In American Football, Hallie Gillam

Honors Theses

The construction of an American hegemonic masculinity has been solidified and protected since the 19th century, allowing particular groups, but not all groups, of men to wield power over others through strength, aggression, and toughness. The popularity of American football is a manifestation of society’s value of this form of masculinity, accepted as an aspect of American culture. My thesis work aims to answer the following question: how has American hegemonic masculinity shaped and been expressed through football, and in what ways has the NFL responded? In order to answer this question, I utilize a mixed methods approach to investigate …


Before Disaster Strikes: An Analysis Of Emergency Management Planning, Reagan Moody Jan 2019

Before Disaster Strikes: An Analysis Of Emergency Management Planning, Reagan Moody

Honors Theses

I have always been inspired by the outpouring number of volunteers that arrive to the scene of a natural disaster, ready to help in any way possible. With or without adequate training, these people arrive with warm hearts and helping hands. I admire their valiant efforts, however, it has prompted me to ask the question: If our citizens can respond so quickly in times of adversity, how are city governments preparing spontaneous volunteers for emergency management planning? The intent of this thesis is to properly evaluate the emergency management plans implemented in the cities of Baton Rouge, LA, Spokane, WA, …


Zoning Policies In The United States: An Inquisition Into The Inequities And Solutions, Caroline Heavey Jan 2019

Zoning Policies In The United States: An Inquisition Into The Inequities And Solutions, Caroline Heavey

Honors Theses

This research examined the real estate zoning laws in the United States and their impact. Zoning policies regulate land use by codifying land parcels. These zoning policies dictate what type of construction, commerce, activity, etc., can happen where in a community. These policies are intended to protect the common welfare and provide a stabilizing force in the real estate market to protect property values and create predictability. Nevertheless, these policies sometimes fall short of these goals and cast inequities into the community. By focusing on residential zoning policies, the researcher was able to examine these resulting inequities. The researcher utilized …


Financial Accounting Fundamentals: A Series Of Case Studies, Sidney Barrett Albritton Jan 2019

Financial Accounting Fundamentals: A Series Of Case Studies, Sidney Barrett Albritton

Honors Theses

Financial accounting is an area of study that encompasses a variety of topics and concepts. Understanding these concepts, both in theory and in practice, allow professionals and future professionals to have a firm foundation in the work they are expected to do. In order to develop this firm foundation of financial accounting, a series of case studies was completed. These cases covered concepts such as revenue recognition, shareholders’ equity, debt financing, and the like. Each case consisted of qualitative/quantitative information from a real company and a series of questions that allowed the student to explore the concepts and the intricacies …


Basketball Officials' Training And Development: Links To Retention, Nathan Ferdinand Jan 2019

Basketball Officials' Training And Development: Links To Retention, Nathan Ferdinand

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The sharp decline in retention from year-to-year among sport officials is considered a “crisis” among the officiating community and research has attempted to explore the issue by identifying factors that impact retention (Warner et al. 2013). The seven-factor “Referee Retention Scale” (RRS) seeks to predict the likelihood of retention for officials one factor being officials’ ratings of their continuing education (Ridinger et al. 2017). However there is a lack of study for examining the relationships among methods and outcomes of training continuing education and referee retention across sporting contexts. A cross-sectional design was created using an online survey which combined …