Digital Commons Network^™

Small Texas School Districts’ Response To State Funding Reductions, Gary Bigham, Susan Nix, Alana Hayes

The Rural Educator

In response to a challenging state economy, the Texas Legislature implemented the Regular Program Adjustment Factor (RPAF) in 2011, effectively reducing state funding to all Texas school districts. This mixed methods study reveals the effect of the RPAF on a sample of the smallest Texas school districts and their response to decreased state funding – inclusive of reducing staff, implementing tax rollback and bond elections, and securing revenue from other, non-traditional, financing sources, which ultimately served as the largest revenue enhancement – 97 percent of which was comprised of the issuance of capital-related debt.

2014 September, Office Of Communications & Marketing, Morehead State University.

Morehead State Press Release Archive, 1961 to the Present

Press releases for September of 2014.

Meeting Minutes, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting minutes.

August Agenda, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting agenda.

2014 Fall Convocation Program, Office Of Communications & Marketing, Morehead State University.

Communications and Marketing Publications Archive

Fall convocation program held on August 13, 2014.

Uni Grad Student News, V11n5, August 2014, University Of Northern Iowa. Graduate College.

UNI Grad Student News

Inside this issue:

-- Message from the Dean
-- Graduate Student Information Meeting
-- Michelle Czarnecki - May 2014 Commencement Speaker
-- Current Student Profile: Evan Schares
-- Graduate Alumni Profile: Jacqui Kalin
-- Graduate Faculty Profile: Dr. Darcie Davis-Gage
-- Spanish Students Present at World Languages Conference
-- Explore the Arts at UNI
-- Graduate College Assistants
-- HPELS Students Attend NASPA Conference
-- Doctoral Students' Presentations Accepted for World Leisure Congress
-- Kong Chen: Summer Update
-- Unique Places to Study on Campus
-- Congratulations on Post-Graduation Plans
-- Resume & CV Appointments
-- Thinking about Graduate School …

Community Practice Social Entrepreneurship: An Interdisciplinary Approach To Graduate Education, Monica Nandan, Manuel London, Terry C. Blum

Faculty Articles

The rapidly changing global environment for community practice social workers (CPSWs) has challenged these practitioners to devise innovative intervention strategies. Some practitioners are utilising community organising, community planning, community development and policy practice intervention strategies simultaneously to create sustainable changes and are unwittingly, or purposefully, acting as social entrepreneurs. This article delineates similarities between community practice social work and social entrepreneurship – orientation and behaviours – and introduces the concept of community practice social entrepreneurship (CPSE). The authors propose interdisciplinary venues to teach graduate students in social work and in other disciplines skills for practicing as community practice social entrepreneurs.

“What I Care Bout Dogs?” How The Hegemony Of The English Language Colonizes Marginalized Groups, Richard Eric Andrews

Dissertations

Language has always seemed to play a pivotal role in the identity of individuals and groups who are relegated to the status of other by members of the dominant group. The misshapen identities of the others are further exacerbated by systems and structures in place, like education, which ensure the continued hegemonic status of dominant groups. Not being a part of the dominant group, and yet being required to conform to their standards, can be confusing for those on the outside. The character Celie, expressed this confusion, “Whitefolks all over them, talking bout apples and dogs. What I care bout …

Lanthorn, Vol. 49, No. 01, July 7, 2014, Grand Valley State University

Volume 49, July 7, 2014 - June 1, 2015

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Action Items, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Overview of action items handled by the Graduate Council.

‘No One Should Destroy The Forest': Using Photo-Based Vignette Interviews To Understand Kenyan Teachers' Views Of The Environment, Cassie Quigley, Zachary D. Miller, James Dogbey, S Megan Che, Jeffrey Hallo

Publications

In the midst of the current environmental crisis, scientists, academics, authors, and politicians worldwide are urging citizens to create sustainable communities. However, there is little capability to build a sustainable society without an informed, active, and engaged populous. This requires more than just environmentally knowledgeable citizens. It requires a society that understands the principles of the environment and can also exemplify them in daily life. In order to create a more environmentally literate world, there has been a push for environmental education integrated into schools. This qualitative study sought to examine Kenyan teachers’ perspectives on the human–nature interaction by conducting …

Excellence In Community-Engaged Research At Virginia Commonwealth University: A Compendium Of Case Studies Developed Through A Faculty Learning Community, Cynthia George

Community Engagement Institute

Draft presented to participants of the Community-Engaged Research (CEnR) Institute, May 8-9, 2014. A Working Document. Edited by Cynthia George, MSSW, Doctoral Candidate Graduate Research Assistant Division of Community Engagement and Center for Clinical and Translational Resea

Developing An Action Learning Community Advocacy/Leadership Training Program For Community Health Workers And Their Agencies To Reduce Health Disparities In Arizona Border Communities, Kenneth A. Schachter Md, Mba, Maia Ingram Mph, Laurel Jacobs Drph, Mph, Hannah Hafter Mph, Jill Guernsey De Zapien Ba, Scott Carvajal Phd, Mph

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Community health workers (CHWs) make unique and important contributions to society. They serve as patient advocates, educators, and navigators in our health care system and a growing body of research indicates that they play an important role in the effective delivery of prevention and treatment services in underserved communities. CHWs also serve as informal community leaders and advocates for organizational and community change, providing valuable insiders' insights about health promotion and the interrelatedness of individuals, their community, its institutions, and the surrounding environment. Accion Para La Salud or Action for Health (Accion) is a CDC-funded community based participatory research (CBPR) …

The Pursuit Of Leadership In Energy And Environmental Design (Leed) Certification For Campus Housing At Public Universities, April Hicks Konvalinka

Student Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation identifies the reasons why institutions of higher education pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for new construction of campus housing. The research was guided by three questions: 1.Why did the institution choose to pursue LEED certification for campus housing? 2.What considerations should be made in the design, development, and planning process of a LEED residence hall? 3.What significant impact has the LEED residence hall made on campus? The outcomes of this study will provide insight to university and housing administrators who are considering pursuit of LEED certification for new residence hall development. The primary sources …

Toward A Co-Vivial Community: Hopes Found In The Friendship Among People With Intellectual Disability Labels, Maho Suzuki

Dissertations - ALL

This is a qualitative study of friendships among people with intellectual disability labels in two countries - the United States and Japan. As a field to study friendships among adults with intellectual disability label, I gained access to two sheltered workshops ("The Farm" in the U.S. and "The Kapu Kapu" in Japan) and conducted participant observation, through which I wished to identify broader, multiple, and more humane ways to define competence and human value that could validate people labeled intellectually disabled whose humanity and citizenship are often doubted by dominant standards in industrialized societies. In addition to resisting social standards …

Strategic Community Engagement As Perceived By Five Superintendents, Judith A. Dymond

Dissertations

In these challenging times with school districts facing mandates for accountability, they can only accomplish these ambitious long-term mandates by engaging the greater community. Thus, any superintendent who is planning on improving student academic achievement and being employed in the district long-term will find it imperative to engage the community and develop community partnerships. This study utilized interviewing, a qualitative methodology, to gain insight into how five superintendents effectively engaged their communities. Findings revealed five effective strategies and actions for success: embracing community values, partnering with community organizations, building trust internally and externally, developing a systems approach to communication, and …

The Early Years : A Handbook For New Early Childhood Progressive Educators, Mallory Morris

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This master's project provides research, advice, and suggestions that will continue to prepare progressive early childhood teachers for their first years in the classroom.

Lanthorn, Vol. 48, No. 60, May 5, 2014, Grand Valley State University

Volume 48, July 1, 2013 - June 2, 2014

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Ua45/6 Commencement Program, Wku Registrar

WKU Administration Documents

Commencement program listing graduates.

Vitamin D Status Of College Students: Implications For Health Leaders, Eileen M. Cress

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vitamin D deficiency is considered to be a pandemic with implications for compromised bone health and other chronic diseases. Few studies have examined vitamin D status in college-aged individuals where prevention of future health consequences is still possible. Serum vitamin D 25(OH)D status and vitamin D intake were examined in 98 college students ages 18-29 years during winter. BMI was classified as < 25and 25 or greater. Race was categorized as Caucasian or other. Overall, 69.5% had suboptimal serum vitamin D levels, <30ng/mL. Only 8 students (8.2%) met the EAR (400 IU) per day for vitamin D intake. t tests were used to determine if there were significant differences in serum vitamin D level and dietary intake based on gender, race and BMI. Significant differences were found in serum vitamin D level when compared by gender and race. Females tended to have a higher serum vitamin D level than males. Those representing minorities had lower serum vitamin D levels than Caucasians; One hundred percent of the minority students had suboptimal serum vitamin D levels. Based on these findings, dietitians should increase efforts to target college-aged individuals in educational programming related to factors affecting vitamin D synthesis, vitamin D intake, and health consequences of suboptimal vitamin D status, particularly in winter. Consideration should be given to vitamin D fortification of foods that meet the preferences of today’s consumer.

A Framework For Leadership For Sustainability Education At Portland State University, Dilafruz R. Williams, Heather Burns, Sybil Schantz Kelley

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

In response to the hitherto unchallenged assumptions supporting a globalized economy, the Leadership for Sustainability Education (LSE) program, formerly Leadership in Ecology, Culture, and Learning, was developed as part of an emerging sustainability movement. This article highlights the favorable conditions that provided the context for the evolution of the LSE program, including organizational policies and practices at Portland State University, and a commitment to community-university partnerships that conveyed the University’s motto, “Let Knowledge Serve the City.” We discuss the potential that higher education has to transform practices and ways of thinking necessary for ecological sustainability and social justice. Following this …

Ua41 University College Connection, Dennis K. George, Dean, Wendi Kelley, University College, Western Kentucky University

UC Publications

No abstract provided.

Ua64 Cebs Magazine, The College Of Education And Behavioral Sciences At Wku, Charles S. Evans, Dean, Pam Pierce, Editor-In-Chief, Wku College Of Education & Behavioral Sciences

College of Education and Behavioral Sciences Publications

No abstract provided.

Cultural Times, Multicultural Center

Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Building Communities As A Necessary Tool For Sustainability, China G. Ageros

Leadership for Sustainability Education Comprehensive Papers

From ten thousand years ago back to the beginning of human existence, people lived in small communities of hunter-gatherers; tight knit communities who depended upon each other for their very survival. There was no ownership of land, homes, crops or animals, every thing they did have was communally held and shared in a term Ryan & Jetha (2010), call “fierce egalitarianism” (p. 9), sharing was mandatory. Humans have been around in our current manifestation for roughly two hundred thousand years and the earliest evidence of agriculture is from approximately ten thousand years ago (Ryan & Jetha, 2010), or five percent …

Advancing Community Engaged Scholarship And Community Engagement At The University Of Massachusetts Boston: A Report Of The Working Group For An Urban Research-Based Action Initiative, Mark Warren, John Saltmarsh, Patricia Krueger-Henney, Lorna Rivera, Miren Uriarte, Donna Friedman, Richard Fleming, Diana Yadira-Salas, Luciano Ramos

Public Policy and Public Affairs Faculty Publication Series

The University of Massachusetts Boston has a rich history of mission-driven commitments that engage the campus with local, state, regional, national, and global communities. In the context of a public urban research university, a mission of community engagement is most clearly expressed through community-engaged scholarship. The University is positioned to build upon its strengths in community engagement and strengthen its community-engaged scholarship to become an international model for community engagement.

Grand Valley Forum, Volume 038, Number 24, March 10, 2014, Grand Valley State University

2013-2014, Volume 38

Grand Valley Forum is Grand Valley State's faculty and staff newsletter, published from 1976 to the present.

Sense Of Community In A Blended Technology Integration Course: A Design-Based Research Study, John Buckley Harrison

Theses and Dissertations

This design-based research study explored whether Sense of Community was maintained while flexibility in the course was increased through an adoption of a unique blended learning model. Data collected in this study show a significant drop in the sense of connectedness score from a mean of 50.8 out of 66 to a mean of 39.68 in the first iteration. The score then began to gradually increase, reaching 50.65 in the third iteration. Results indicate that transitioning to a blended learning environment may be a suitable option to increase flexibility while maintaining a Sense of Community in a project-based course. Future …

The Changing Focus Of Education: How Rowan University Professors View The Shift Toward Online Education, Genevieve Cross

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores Rowan University professors' attitudes toward online education and its increasing prevalence. The researcher used an online survey program by which participants' feedback was gathered. The survey was sent to 201 Rowan University professors, and the data was analyzed with the computer program, Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to obtain calculations and percentages. The survey results are presented in both narrative and chart form. The researcher concluded that from the results of the study that Rowan University professors' have diverse opinions about online education, but also recognize the value in this asset to higher education. Specific …

Grand Valley Forum, Volume 038, Number 19, February 3, 2014, Grand Valley State University

2013-2014, Volume 38

Grand Valley Forum is Grand Valley State's faculty and staff newsletter, published from 1976 to the present.