Community-Based Research Commons^™

Citizenship Starts Here: A Community Engaged Approach To Civic Education, Grace Northern

Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development—Student Research

Abstract:

In 2015, Illinois legislators passed HB 4025 which required every public high school to include a civics course for students to complete before graduation. In 2019, this bill was expanded to include middle school students through Public Act 101-025. In this study, I investigate how the civic education standards as outlined by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and other school climate factors impacted middle school students’ civic engagement. I used data collected from the Center of Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) and the Illinois Civics Hub. The sample consisted of 497 middle school …

Navigating Cultures And Development: An Account Of A Female Peace Corps Volunteer In Morocco, Renee Palecek

Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development—Student Research

Little is known of how the “doers” of development may navigate regarding her community’s culture and her job in international development. This lack of knowledge leads to the erasure of experiences, felt both by the volunteer herself, as well as the community members she works with. Through autoethnographic methodology, and analysis, I retell my experiences and entanglements as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco with Moroccan institutions and culture, with my own identities and prior American socialization. I examine three questions: (1) How does the female PCV in Morocco make sense out of and create value from life events, relationships, …

Analyzing The Effectiveness Of The Mclean County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council Using Design Sociology, Jalisa Holifield

Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development—Student Research

The standards of criminal justice structure and organization are discussed and debated from many positions. The limitations and inefficiencies of a hierarchical and bureaucratic system greatly hinder the possibilities of effective communication and collaboration within it. To address these unique issues Design Sociology (DS) can be applied.

Design Sociology (DS) inspires positive social change by approaching research through an action or applied research method. These methods center the end user’s perspective and have the potential to reimagine processes that produce unfavorable results for the majority of users. Concepts of DS can be applied to any institution or organization, especially to …

The Social Construction Of Understanding & Neoliberal Multiculturalism: Analysis And Critique Of The Peruvian Moratorium Gmos, T. W. Dondanville

Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development—Student Research

No abstract provided.

Pretrial Release And Failure-To-Appear In Mclean County, Il, Jonathan Monsma

Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development—Student Research

Actuarial risk assessment tools increasingly have been employed in jurisdictions across the U.S. to assist courts in the decision of whether someone charged with a crime should be detained or released prior to their trial. These tools should be continually monitored and researched by independent 3^rd parties to ensure that these powerful tools are being administered properly and used in the most proficient way as to provide socially optimal results. McLean County, Illinois began using the Public Safety Assessment-Court^TM (PSA-Court or simply PSA) risk assessment tool beginning in 2016. This study culls data from the McLean County Jail …

An Auto-Ethnographic Examination Of Adapting To Life And Teaching In Rural Ukraine, Amanda Breitenstein

Graduate Research-Sociology and Anthropology

No abstract provided.

Documenting ---- In Bloomington-Normal: A Community Report On Intolerance, Segregation, Accessibility, Inclusion, And Progress, And Improvement, Brittany Ashmore, Molly Cook, Alyssa Cooper, Teddy Dondanville, Ryan Duncan, Lindsey Earl, Justin Estima, Jake Fredericks, Mary Frey, Diamond Frison, Doug Gass, Myer Hursey, Kathryn Jones, Alesha Klein, Megan Koch, Kathryn Mcgee, Taylor Messamore, Jonathan Mansma, Jaresa Morrison, Jake Murray, Renee Palecek, Rainee Sibley, Chaney Skadsen, Vanessa Soto, Emily Spencer, Danielle Stevens, Corinna Strawn, Patricia Longwood, Frank D. Beck

Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development—Student Research

For the local chapter of Not In Our Town, we document intolerance, discrimination, segregation, disparities of access, and disparities in the criminal justice system in Bloomington-Normal, IL. Using archival material, secondary data, and primary data, we examine these issues from the mid-1990s to the present. We also assess the position of the organization in the community and provide strategies for future success. In sum, Bloomington-Normal was and is intolerant; discrimination did and does take place in this community; there are disparities of access and in the criminal justice system; we are segregated. The community is also less of these things …

Building On Social Capital To Improve Health: The Interactional Approach To Community Development, Matthew Charles Tomlin Mr

Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development—Student Research

Since political scientist, Robert Putnam, (1995) brought the concept of social capital into popular discourse, there has been a surge in debate over its definition, causes, and consequences in a range of social science disciplines. While social capital has been found to support self-rated overall health at the state level (Kawachi et al, 1999), there is still a dearth of data and research on localities in different regions of the country. This study analyzes survey data collected in the United Way of McLean County’s 2014 Community Assessment to better understand the dynamic between social capital and health in one Central …

Our Town: A Neighborhood Assessment, Christina Davila, Ramya Kumaran, Calvin P. Lesueur, Brett Michaelson, Renee Petrucelli, Katie Raynor, Daniel Sheets-Poling, Katie Simpson, Matthew Tomlin, Rachelle Ann Wilson

Community Project Design and Management Reports - Sociology

This report addresses the question: What factors have the strongest impact on communal and individual well-being in different neighborhoods in McLean County? It is one part of the larger United Way of McLean County Community Assessment 2014, which will evaluate the assets and needs of McLean County by focusing on respondents’ experiences receiving health and human services. Our findings are based on data from five key informant interviews and four focus groups. This information was collected from four geographically and economically distinct neighborhoods: rural Lexington, East Bloomington, Normal, and West Bloomington. Common themes that emerged from these sessions are: the …

Gender Transformation At The Grassroots: A Gender And Development Program From The Practitioners' Perspective, Tyler Curtis

Master's Theses - Sociology and Anthropology

This study investigates the “gender transformative” Men as Partners (MAP) program as implemented in the West African nation of Togo. Using a qualitative research design, the project examines the successes and barriers of implementation, with an emphasis on the relationship of foreign (the American international development agency, the Peace Corps) and native practitioners (Togolese individuals implementing the program at the grassroots level). The study provides an ethnographic perspective of the researcher’s work as a MAP practitioner in Togo whose experiences are juxtaposed with seven different interviews from American and native practitioners administering the program on the national, regional, and community …

Results Of The 2013 Good To Go Commuter Challenge Impact Survey, Mike Mccurdy, Tyler Curtis

Community Project Design and Management Reports - Sociology

This report contains results of an impact study of previous participants of the Good To Go Commuter Challenge in McLean County, IL. The survey was designed to gauge the impact of the 2011 and 2012 Good To Go Commuter Challenges in promoting year-round sustainable commuting among Challenge participants.

221 surveys were completed out of possible 1077 user registrations on the Good To Go online registration tool, a response rate of 20.5%. Results revealed that the Challenge appears to be successful in at least modest travel behavior change by participants.

Overall, 40.4% of respondents increased the frequency in which they chose …

Food Insecurity In Bloomington-Normal: How A Grocery Cooperative Might Help Meet The Needs Of Low-Income Residents, Nichole Brants, Emma Healy, Raina Kirchner, Jeff Koch, Ben Mcnair, Aaron Tester, Ashley Toenjes,, Alex Trimble, Dave Warren

Community Project Design and Management Reports - Sociology

The purpose of this report is to understand the current food needs of marginalized community-members in the Bloomington-Normal area, to learn how Green Top Grocery may help improve food security among these residents, and to ascertain viable mechanisms to encourage involvement in the cooperative among a diversity of local residents. The findings are based on data from three focus groups and nine key-informant interviews conducted in the Bloomington-Normal community. Key findings most relevant to Green Top’s goal of encouraging a diverse membership include the following: Green Top may wish to use existing networks to build trust in the Bloomington-Normal community, …

Reducing Our Waste In Bloomington-Normal, Il, Ashley Conrad, Alyssa Curran, Phillip Dawson, Tim Glaza, Lauren Karplus, Greg King, Amber Madden, Dane Myers, Ambuj Neupane, Nancy Ouedraogo, Elizabeth Rardin, Katie Saunders, Robyn Savacool, Carolyn Schulte, Danielle Shtraus,, Kate Slisz, Andrew Smolski,, Luke Tervola,, Jenna Williams

Community Project Design and Management Reports - Sociology

The purpose of this report is to inform public officials, the Ecology Action Center, and Bloomington/Normal residents of current habits, unmet needs and areas for improvement concerning community recycling programs. The findings are based on a survey of 290 Bloomington/Normal households, as well as interviews conducted with key stakeholders in the community. One of the more significant findings was the almost universal support for the expansion of the curbside recycling program in the area. Respondents also reported a general dissatisfaction with the current state of apartment recycling efforts, and support of the implementation of mandatory recycling in school districts. To …

A Community In Bloom: An Affordable Housing Needs Assessment Of West Bloomington, Margaret L. Anderson, Lloyd Banwart, David F. Becker, Dana Bulba, Jared Dellinger, Mimi Duong, Julie Ornee, Katie Mitchell, Andrew Piotrowski, Hillary Smith, Dustin Stoltz, Mandy Swartzendruber, Niko Valaris, Katie Weber

Community Project Design and Management Reports - Sociology

Purpose of Report

This report was written in response to a request from Habitat for Humanity of McLean County. The report expands upon and updates an affordable homeownership needs assessment for the Bloomington-Normal community – with an emphasis on West Bloomington – that was created in 2004. Because the housing market and economic conditions of the area have changed drastically in the last 6 years, an updated report is necessary.

Data Sources and Methodology

This report uses a combination of primary and, mainly, secondary data sources. Interviews were conducted with representatives of, among others, Bloomington Housing Authority, the Economic Development …

An African-American Resources And Needs Assessment Of The West Bloomington Area, Phase 1, Karishma Amatya, Nicholas Beaty, Jamie Boban, Joanna Bossi, Tyler Curtis, Casandra Fritzsche, Andrew Griffin, David Johnson, Sasha Miranda, Dana Overman, Emily Putnam, Jared Ulschmid, Tessa Zevallos

Community Project Design and Management Reports - Sociology

Over the course of the Fall 2009 semester, students in the Community Project Design and Management class worked with members of West Bloomington to recognize the growing needs within the community. Along with the African-American Focus Workgroup (AAFW) and the West Bloomington Revitalization Partnership (WBRP), the students completed Phase 1 of an African-American resources and needs assessment resulting in this report. This document reflects needs, wants, and hopes of the West Bloomington community and the AAFW. Comprehensively, this document is meant to serve as a bridge between community members and AAFW members.

As Bloomington as a whole continues to grow …

Assets And Needs Assessment Of Senior Residents In The West Bloomington Neighborhood, Case Bell, Melissa Busher, Amy Deal, Ted Fischer, Christine Holmes, Joseph Lauchlan, Shane Peterson, Janelle Jones, Eric Porter, Brad Pribe, Viktor Shrader

Community Project Design and Management Reports - Sociology

The experience and process of aging has become a prominent topic of discussion nationwide and Central Illinois is no exception, due to the rapid growth within the senior population in the area. The 60 and over population of Illinois is projected to grow by 87% during the next 30 years (The Maturing of Illinois). An initiative has been developed to evaluate how prepared local communities are for older adults by conducting needs assessments, which can also serve as vital tools for those who plan and provide human services in communities. Often community leaders will form policies and allocate limited resources …

Nuestros Niños: Child Care Needs Assessment For The Latino Population In Bloomington-Normal, Andrew Maxwell, Joseph Alustiza, Sean Moore, Mary Stephen, Sanjay Soman, Andrew Kasprzak, Brian Hillery, Kara Harvey, Michael Hotard, Rebecca Bliss, Brandon Curtis, Adrienne Martin, Bishal Kasu, Jessica Aleksy

Community Project Design and Management Reports - Sociology

Immigration from the Latin American nations has become a prominent topic of discussion nationwide. Illinois is, to be sure, not an exception. The Latino population of Bloomington-Normal has grown drastically in recent years. To address these new developments, coalitions and organizations have been formed which endeavor to understand, and even provide for, the needs of this new community. Some hope this may facilitate their contribution to their new neighborhood.

This report is part of a larger needs assessment, which seeks to fulfill that goal of understanding. It examines the need for child care in relation to the Latino population in …

Experiencing Homelessness In Bloomington-Normal, Illinois: Resources And Needs For Shelter And Supportive Services, Beverly A. Beyer, Sharon M. Mills

Graduate Research-Sociology and Anthropology

In August 2002, The Salvation Army commissioned the Applied Social Research Unit (ASRU) of Illinois State University to conduct research about homelessness, housing needs and availability, and resources and needs for supportive services. The Salvation Army of Bloomington, Illinois, plans to rebuild its current homeless shelter, Safe Harbor. The primary goal of ASRU’s research and this report is to inform The Salvation Army’s plans for shelter design, utilization, and associated programming. (A separate addendum to this report released to The Salvation Army contains information specific to the Bloomington Corps’s and Safe Harbor Shelter’s operations and facilities.) A potential outcome of …