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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Is Smart Growth Fair Growth: Do Urban Growth Boundaries Keep Out Racial Minorities?, Elizabeth P. Ruddiman Aug 2007

Is Smart Growth Fair Growth: Do Urban Growth Boundaries Keep Out Racial Minorities?, Elizabeth P. Ruddiman

Sociology Dissertations

As many American metropolitan areas spread outward, urban sociologists are interested in the effects of sprawl and in efforts to limit suburban expansion. To rein in urban sprawl, land use measures known as “smart growth initiatives” are gaining popularity. Urban growth boundaries are the particular type of initiative examined in this research. An urban growth boundary delineates where development is encouraged and where it is discouraged or prohibited. My first research question is whether urban growth boundaries contribute to the exclusion of racial minorities. I also explore whether urban growth boundaries affect residential segregation. I study 86 places throughout the …


Against The Odds: Resiliency And The Fostering Of Future Academic Success Among At-Risk Children In Georgia, Bentley D. Ponder May 2007

Against The Odds: Resiliency And The Fostering Of Future Academic Success Among At-Risk Children In Georgia, Bentley D. Ponder

Sociology Dissertations

Research continues to substantiate the influence of social, economic and family characteristics on students’ scholastic achievements. For example, children who are born in economically disadvantaged circumstances are more likely to score lower on tests that measure academic abilities than their same age economically advantaged peers (Brooks-Gunn and Markman, 2005; Rothstein, 2004). This dissertation examines the relationship between parenting interactions and young children's school readiness and initial academic success for a low-income, at-risk population in Georgia. The inter-disciplinary concept resiliency, defined as a process that encompasses positive adaptation within the context of significant adversity, frames the research (Arnold and Doctoroff, 2003; …