Digital Commons Network^™

Mathematics Achievement Gaps Between Suburban Students And Their Rural And Urban Peers Increase Over Time, Suzanne E. Graham, Lauren E. Provost

Carsey Publications

In this brief, authors Suzanne Graham and Lauren Provost examine whether attending a school in a rural, urban, or suburban community is related to children’s mathematics achievement in kindergarten, and whether increases in mathematics achievement between kindergarten and eighth grade differ for children in rural, urban, and suburban schools. They also consider whether achievement differs by region of the country and for children of different racial and ethnic groups. Finally, they discuss the impact of a family’s socioeconomic status, and the ways in which place and socioeconomic status together affect both early mathematics achievement levels and change over time. They …

Eliminating Racial/Ethnic Health Disparities: Reconsidering Comparative Approaches, Shawn M. Bediako, Derek M. Griffith

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The focus on eliminating racial/ethnic health disparities has brought critical attention to the poor health status of minority populations. Assessing the health outcomes of racial minority groups by comparing them to a racial majority standard is valuable for identifying and monitoring health inequities, but may not be the most effective approach to identifying strategies that can be used to improve minority health outcomes. Health promotion planning models and public health history both suggest that minority health promotion is more likely to be derived from interventions rooted in culturally and historically grounded contextual factors. In this essay, we highlight limitations of …

Who Cares For The Sick Kids? Parents’ Access To Paid Time To Care For A Sick Child, Kristin Smith, Andrew P. Schaefer

Carsey Publications

This brief analyzes employed parents’ access to five or more paid sick days annually to care for a sick child in 2008. Using data from the 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce collected by the Families and Work Institute (the most recent data available in the series), authors Kristin Smith and Andrew Schaefer analyze differences in access between employed mothers and fathers by demographic and work-related characteristics. They report that, in 2008, more than one-half—52 percent—of employed parents lacked access to at least five paid sick days to care for a sick child, and lower-earning parents had the least …

Green Infrastructure Resource Directory, New England Environmental Finance Center

Sustainable Communities Capacity Building

Green infrastructure is an approach for managing stormwater that uses vegetation and soils to capture and treat rainwater where it falls. Unlike single-purpose gray infrastructure, green infrastructure realizes multiple benefits at once, including flood mitigation, improved water and air quality, community beautification, provision of recreational opportunities, and energy and cost savings. This resource directory is intended to help communities design, implement, fund, and monitor green infrastructure practices and programs. It was compiled by the Environmental Finance Center Network through the Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities program funded by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. …

Like Laws And Sausages: The Tale Of A Mere Portion Of The Process To Develop The South Broad Street Corridor Plan, Amy R. Lopez

Master's Theses

The processes to develop community plans share certain standard activities and stages while remaining distinctive and without pre-scripted procedures. This study documents the process that yielded the South Broad Street Corridor Plan June 2012 draft. The objective is to present the decision-making processes and their connections to the final plan document along with the plan document itself.

Prediction Of Topic Volume On Twitter, Yiye Ruan, Hemant Purohit, David Fuhry, Srinivasan Parthasarathy, Amit P. Sheth

Kno.e.sis Publications

We discuss an approach for predicting microscopic (individual) and macroscopic (collective) user behavioral patterns with respect to specific trending topics on Twitter. Going beyond previous efforts that have analyzed driving factors in whether and when a user will publish topic-relevant tweets, here we seek to predict the strength of content generation which allows more accurate understanding of Twitter users' behavior and more effective utilization of the online social network for diffusing information. Unlike traditional approaches, we consider multiple dimensions into one regression-based prediction framework covering network structure, user interaction, content characteristics and past activity. Experimental results on three large Twitter …

Issues Of Concern To Rotumans Abroad: A View From The Rotuma Website, Alan Howard, Jan Rensel

Pacific Studies

This article examines the Rotuman diaspora and its impact on cultural identity, focusing on expatriates’ perceptions of Rotuma as an ancestral home. Despite Rotuma's political affiliation with Fiji for over a century, its people maintain distinct linguistic and cultural ties to Polynesian islands like Tonga, Samoa, and Futuna. Today, most Rotumans live abroad, primarily in Fiji and across various global locations. Drawing on decades of research and online postings from the Rotuma Website, the authors explore how expatriates engage with their heritage, sustain community connections, and navigate identity in the diaspora. Through interviews and long-term fieldwork, the study highlights the …

The Transition Movement In Putney, Vermont: Building Social And Economic Resilience, With A Focus On Putney Farmers’ Market, Sombat Moontha

Capstone Collection

The Transition Movement is an internationally acclaimed and innovative movement which focuses on building community resilience to resolve the problems of climate change, natural resources depletion, and economic instability. Transition Town Putney (TTP) is an organization working on promoting Transition initiatives in a small town called Putney, Vermont, USA. This paper explores how TTP contributes to building community economic and social resilience in the town. This study employed conceptual frameworks of Avina’s (2004) NGO life cycle model and the Model of Effectiveness Value based on Quinn and Rohrbaugh (1983). For data collection, several stakeholders who have been involved with TTP …

Understanding Child Abuse In Rural And Urban America: Risk Factors And Maltreatment Substantiation, Wendy A. Walsh, Marybeth J. Mattingly

Carsey Publications

Using a large national sample of child maltreatment reports, this brief compares the outcomes of child maltreatment cases in rural versus urban places and identifies the characteristics associated with substantiation. Child abuse cases substantiated in rural and urban areas share many caregiver risk factors, such as drug and alcohol abuse, and many family stressors. Substantiation is equally likely across income levels; approximately one-fourth of cases in each income level are substantiated. However, when place is taken into account, a greater share (36 percent) of higher-income families (that is, families with incomes greater than 200 percent of the federal poverty level) …

Renters More Often Burdened By Housing Costs After Recession: Nearly Half Of All Renters Spent Over 30 Percent Of Income On Housing By 2010, Jessica A. Bean

Carsey Publications

This brief uses data from the 2007 and 2010 American Community Survey to document changes in the proportion of household income spent on rental costs (rent plus utilities) during the Great Recession, by region (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West) and place type (rural, suburban, or central city location). Particular attention is paid to how patterns of cost burden vary among renters of different ages and income levels and to the policy implications of these findings. Author Jessica Bean reports that nationwide, nearly half (49 percent) of all renters were “cost burdened” in 2010, spending more than 30 percent of their …

The Effects Of State Eitc Expansion On Children’S Health, Reagan A. Baughman

Carsey Publications

This brief examines the impact of state-level adoption of Earned Income Tax Credits (EITCs) on a set of health-related outcomes for children, including: (1) health insurance coverage, (2) use of preventive medical and dental care, and (3) health status measures including maternal reports of child health and body mass index. It also considers the possibility that the effect of the EITC on these outcomes may vary depending on where a child lives; families in urban and rural communities have different access to medical care and other resources that promote good health. Author Reagan Baughman reports that the expansion of state …

Pastors’ Influence On Research-Based Health Programs In Church Settings, Shirley M. Timmons

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Churches, in the United States, are recognized essential players in addressing our mounting health and social service needs. Yet, even though they implement a relatively large number of programs, few are research-based. Focus groups were conducted with pastors from 11 Baptist churches in a small Southeastern town to explore factors that influence the implementation of research-based health programs. Transcripts were coded for domains resulting in four themes: congregant needs, shared programming ethics, common understanding of programming processes, and care for the church and congregation. Pastors value research and seek church-based programs that enhance the health of congregants. Yet, future study …

The Need For Collaboration In Planning Efforts During Natural Disasters: An Evaluation Of The City Of Richmond, Virginia, Jocelyn Leitch

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis evaluates whether or not information data sharing is effectively used between federal, state, and local government agencies and non-governmental agencies in a metropolitan area during and immediately after a major natural disaster. Also, whether vulnerable populations were identified and considered during emergency management. The chosen study area is the City of Richmond, VA, and the disaster response is based on flooding episodes that occurred in the city over the last decade following hurricanes and tropical depressions. Questionnaires were administered to representatives of federal, state, and local agencies and NGOs. The questionnaires consisted of a Likert-style series of 10 …

Disaster Vulnerability Of University Student Populations, Jamie Lynn Auletta

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Student populations at Gulf Coast universities and colleges are subjected to multiple forces working together making them an especially vulnerable sub-group to hazards. Research has suggested that college students represent a segment of the population that hazards research has frequently overlooked and maybe not fully appreciated in university emergency planning. Most prior research has focused on university disaster experiences, highlighting what went wrong, and what should be done but little research focuses on what is actually taking place. The primary intent of this research was to gain better insight into university emergency planning and identify areas universities have neglected with …

The Role Of The Household In Urban Forestry As A Measure Of Urban Sustainability: A Matrix Of Action And Change, Anthony M. Rodriguez Ph.D.

Faculty Scholarship

The urban forest holds several important positions within the built and unbuilt environments. Those positions include economic, health, sustainability, quality of life measures, and overall protection of the environment, including air, water, and soil. The points are highlighted by Wolf (2005, 2007), McPherson (2005), and Rowntree & Nowak (1991). This research references the four socio-economic sectors; the public or government sector, for profit or market sector, philanthropic or nonprofit sector, and the household or private sector (Biggs & Helm 2007). The common purposes and role of each sector with respect to the urban tree cover takes on importance as they …

The Impact Of Citizens' Knowledge On Public Administration: Exploring The Links In Three Social Movements, Vadym Pyrozhenko

Public Administration - Dissertations

The dissertation develops a conceptual framework linking social knowledge and public administration. Social knowledge is understood broadly as the knowledge used by people in various roles, including experts, ordinary citizens, and public officials, to solve social problems. Social movement knowledge is examined as one particular type of social knowledge. The conceptual framework used to study the relationship between social movement knowledge and public administration is a combination of several literatures: citizen participation, civic innovations, community of practice, policy learning, and knowledge production in social movements. The framework connects social movement, policy expert, and administrative knowledge through the processes of social, …

Towards Self-Emancipation In Ict For Development Research: Narratives About Respect, Traditional Leadership And Building Networks Of Friendships In Rural South Africa, Kirstin Krauss

The African Journal of Information Systems

In this paper, the author contends that if the outsider-researcher involved in Information and Communication Technology for Development really wants to make a difference and honestly address the emancipatory interests of the developing community, social transformation will have to occur on both sides of the “development divide.” This statement implies both an understanding of the researcher’s own ethnocentrism, prejudice, assumptions and inabilities as well as local concerns, needs, expectations and realities. Using critical social theory as a position of inquiry and learning from the enculturation phases of critical ethnographic fieldwork in a deep rural part of South Africa, the paper …

Changing The World From Classrooms To Communities: Designing And Disseminating A Service-Learning Curriculum For Teaching In A Formal Education Setting, Amanda English

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

To change the world is a growing desire among many of today’s student populations, portrayed increasingly across the spectrum of media, social trends and career pursuits. While the demand grows among students for community-oriented and socially-responsible opportunities, the offerings in educational institutions must respond to these emerging requests with new and innovative academic programs. This text emphasizes the role of the developing discipline of service-learning in channeling these energies and providing students with deep and meaningful academic experiences. Its content seeks to combat misconceptions of service-learning as simply an extra-curricular activity and provide tangible methods for incorporating its concepts into …

Approaches To Capacity Building And Knowledge Sharing In The Hud Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program, Natalie Mcwilliams

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This paper investigates the early response to the capacity building and knowledge sharing requirement as part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant (SCRPG) program. Drawing from the work of a subset of ten grantees across the United States, this analysis investigates the innovative ways planning organizations are working to fulfill this unique requirement. An overview of the grant program is discussed followed by a discussion of how the knowledge sharing requirement reflects the new regionalism movement. The approach of each of the example grantees is examined in terms of what activities …

Mapping Food Insecurity And Food Sources In New Hampshire Cities And Towns, Barbara Wauchope, Sally Ward

Carsey Publications

Using a series of detailed New Hampshire maps, this brief presents a geographic picture of the towns and cities at risk for food insecurity as well as the food resources available across the state. By detailing places with high food insecurity risk and comparing them to places where food is available, these maps show areas of unmet need. This information will enable organizations partnering with New Hampshire Hunger Solutions to identify where initiatives addressing food insecurity and hunger could have the greatest potential impact.

Forest Views: Northeast Oregon Survey Looks At Community And Environment, Lawrence C. Hamilton, Joel N. Hartter, Forrest Stevens, Russell G. Congalton, Mark J. Ducey, Michael Campbell, Daniel Maynard, Michael Staunton

Carsey Publications

This brief reports on a survey conducted in fall 2011 as one component of the ongoing Communities and Forests in Oregon (CAFOR) project. The CAFOR project focuses on the people and landscapes of three counties in northeast Oregon (Baker, Union, and Wallowa), where landscapes and communities are changing in interconnected ways.

Grand Valley Forum, Volume 036, Number 32, April 23, 2012, Grand Valley State University

2011-2012, Volume 36

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

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 87, No. 38, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news.

• McKay, Michael. Earth, Arbor Day Celebrations Start Friday
• McKay, Michael. Cemetery of the Innocent – Hilltoppers for Life, Abortion
• Duvall, Tessa. Programs for Minority Students Aid Retention
• Rutledge, Chris. Morning Teleportation Back to Bowling Green to Write Music
• Andrews, Mary. X Is for Xylophone – Daniel McKillip
• Williams, Joanna. Ain’t No Party Like a Safe Party – Shootings
• Editorial Cartoon re: Gary Ransdell Bobblehead Doll
• Simmons, Hannah. All Greeks Should Be Given Equal Coverage
• McKay, Michael. WKU Earns Green College Recognition Once Again
• Harrison, Taylor. Student Government Association Awarded …

Aid, Marginalization And Indigenous People In Guatemala, Megan M. Fenton

Scripps Senior Theses

While there are all of these programs and organizations currently operating in Guatemala, it is clear that they are not functioning as they should for Guatemala’s indigenous population. This is clear from the lack of improvement in any of the economic markers noted above, such as poverty, health and education. Furthermore, these same programs are functioning for Guatemala’s ladino population, which has seen an improvement in their living conditions. The difference in the results between these two groups naturally raises the question of why this type of program is significantly less effective for Guatemala’s indigenous population than it is for …

North Bottoms: A Participatory Redevelopment And Sustainable Community Engagement Process, Andrea C. Koerner

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

This project addressed the economic, social, and environmental ill effects occurring in the North Bottoms in Lincoln, Nebraska. This neighborhood requires the use of innovative community engagement to counteract minimal resources, civic engagement, and social capital in order to accomplish sustainable redevelopment when traditional methods have been unsuccessful. The initial goal of the project was to involve citizens in the design process to create an effective and development strategy and design project for the neighborhood.

Although traditional methods were sufficient to develop a comprehensive approach to sustainable development, it became obvious through engagement with citizens and civic officials that a …

Center For Rebuilding Sustainable Communities After Disasters, Adenrele Awotona, Center For Rebuilding Sustainable Communities After Disasters, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Center for Rebuilding Sustainable Communities after Disasters (CRSCAD) cultivates alliances with local, national, and international agencies, government and academic institutions, NGOs, and for-profit and not-for-profit bodies which share common interests in the area of post-disaster reconstruction globally.

Horizon Center: Promoting Health And Health Equity In Inner Boston, Celia Moore, Jane Adams, Tiffany Donaldson, Ester Shapiro, Eileen Stuart-Shor, Jessica Whiteley, Milton Samuels, Michelle Rogers

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The HORIZON Center is an Exploratory Center of Excellence (COE) funded by a grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). Our mission is to improve minority health and promote health equity through research, research training, and community engagement. Like other COEs, HORIZON is organized into four core areas: research, research training, community engagement, and administration. However, we work to promote collaboration and integration across core areas.

Green Boston Harbor Project (Gbh), Community Environmental Stewardship: Applied Research, Education And Outreach, Anamarija Frankić

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The GBH methodology is derived from a 1500 year old Native Hawaiian Ahupua’a approach. This approach defines sustainable relationships among land, water and humans from the tops of islands to the coral reefs and open ocean. GBH seeks a similar interconnection between the City of Boston and Boston Harbor: from watersheds to the harbor and its coastal habitats and islands.

Satire And Dissent: A Theoretical Overview, Amber Day

English and Cultural Studies Journal Articles

In an age when Jon Stewart tops lists of most-trusted newscasters and Michael Moore becomes a focus of political campaign analysis, the satiric register has attained renewed and urgent prominence in political discourse. Day focuses on three central contemporary forms: the parodic news show, the satiric documentary, and ironic activism. She highlights their shared objective of circumventing the standard conduits of political information and the highly stage-managed nature of current political discourse. In so doing, she argues, they provide fans with a sense of community and purpose notably lacking from organized politics in the twenty-first century.

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

UC Publications

No abstract provided.