Digital Commons Network^™

Differential Impacts Of Smoke-Free Laws On Indoor Air Quality, Kiyoung Lee, Ellen J. Hahn, Nick Pieper, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, James Repace, Adewale Troutman

Nursing Faculty Publications

The authors assessed the impacts of two different smoke-free laws on indoor air quality. They compared the indoor air quality of 10 hospitality venues in Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky, before and after the smoke-free laws went into effect. Real-time measurements of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 µm or smaller (PM_2.5) were made. One Lexington establishment was excluded from the analysis of results because of apparent smoking violation after the law went into effect. The average indoor PM_2.5 concentrations in the nine Lexington venues decreased 91 percent, from 199 to 18 µg/m³. The average …

The Alternative? Alternative School Calendars’ Effects On Nonacademic Data In Independent Districts, Nick Grinstead

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

This study measures the effect of alternative school calendars, otherwise known as year-round calendars, on “nonacademic data”, which includes average daily attendance rates, retention rates (where retention rate is defined as percentage of students held back a grade level), and dropout rates. This measurement will be done on Kentucky’s Independent School districts, which have a unique advantage of never having a problem with overcrowding (which will be explained as an important consideration for measurements of effects of alternative school calendars) and in whose districts the majority of alternative school calendars in Kentucky have been implemented. The study will be performed …

Evaluating The Healthy States Initiative Policy Forums, Jessica Harmon

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Since 2005, The Council of State Governments (CSG) has participated in a cooperative agreement funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) called the Healthy States Initiative. The initiative promotes public health by providing information resources to state legislators through publications and public health forums. CSG is interested in information about the impact of the public health forums on state legislators. More specifically, they would like to know if the forums have encouraged the participants to produce public health legislation, to support funding for public health projects, and to work closely with colleagues and various groups to improve …

A Formative Evaluation Of Kentucky’S Environmental Compliance Assistance Program, Bonnie Wathen

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Kentucky’s Department for Environmental Protection’s Division of Compliance Assistance has the Environmental Compliance Assistance Program (CAP). CAP is a relatively new program that has had little to no evaluation and measurement. However, with limited state resources to be distributed to departments, it is imperative that programs be able to justify their existence. Due to this fact, I chose to evaluate the CAP for my capstone project.

Because inadequate data on outcomes is available at this time, I was unable to conduct a traditional summative evaluation or include any statistical analysis. Instead I chose to conduct a formative, or process, evaluation …