Digital Commons Network^™

Service Learning Standards: Draft Interim Content And Performance Standards, California Department Of Education

Special Topics, General

The Challenge School District Reform Initiative calls on California's educators and parents to embrace a simple but powerful concept: school districts must set high content and performance standards for student achievement-stating clearly and publicly what each student should know and be able to do at the end of each year in each subject area. Schools are challenged to hold themselves accountable for results, reporting precisely how well their students are achieving and how many students are meeting the school district standards.

A Concern About... Connecting School-To-Work And Service Learning, Council Of Chief State School Officers

School K-12

As interest has grown in school-to-work transition programs and service learning, the commonalities between the two have become increasingly clear. Service learning and school-to-work are forms of experiential education that extend student learning into the community and the worksite. Both provide students with contextualized learning opportunities. Through service learning and school-to-work programs, students engage in learning experiences that help develop organizational, team, and problem-solving skills as well as the competencies and foundation skills identified as important for employability and responsible citizenship (SCANS, 1992; W.T. Grant Commission, 1988).

The Political Economy Of Responsibility In Health And Illness, John Donahue, Meredith B. Mcguire

Sociology & Anthropology Faculty Research

This article addresses the question: to what extent do health care strategies in a given political economy increase people's perceptions of responsibility to take charge of their health, but do not structurally empower them to satisfy their health needs. In shaping health care policies, societies typically adopt one of three broad strategies, linking their larger political economy and modes of exercising power: a marketplace strategy, a state-managerial strategy or a national participatory strategy. Because of their different arrangements of structural power, these strategies result in three very different approaches to responsibility for health and illness. Changes in the political economy …

Doing More With Less: The Marie Stopes Clinics In Sierra Leone, Nahid Toubia, Grace Ebun Delano

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This edition of Quality/Calidad/Qualité reports on the Marie Stopes Sierra Leone (MSSL) organization which pursues its goals with compassion and ambition, despite seemingly insurmountable economic hardships. MSSL has established a service model that many programs in richer countries should try to imitate. Several particularly important lessons emerged, including: creative, skillful management, well-organized and flexible financial administration, and human motivation and perseverance can enable an organization to overcome financial difficulties; family planning is an integral part of people's reproductive and general health concerns and can dovetail with concern for development in useful and practical ways; men appreciate being involved in the …

The Coletivo: A Feminist Sexuality And Health Collective In Brazil, Margarita Diaz, Debbie Rogow, Jose Barzelatto

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This issue of Quality/Calidad/Qualité tells the story of a group of Brazilian women who came together in 1981 with the shared belief—not as widely understood then as it is now—that conventional approaches to women's health and family planning services were overly medicalized, incapable of dealing with the relationship between sexuality and contraception, and disempowering to clients. They started the Coletivo which runs a clinic, a training institute, and a public education program that has “given voice” to thousands of women, provided leadership to the Brazilian government and women’s health movement, and has been active in research and international policy affairs. …

Experience With The Dmpa Injectable Contraceptive: Findings From A Survey Of Dmpa Acceptors, Maria Carmela Patron, Marilou P. Costello

Reproductive Health

This report presents the results of a survey of 899 DMPA acceptors who availed of injectable contraceptive services from public health facilities under the Philippine Department of Health's (DOH) DMPA Reintroduction Program. The survey is part of the DMPA Monitoring and Follow-up Studies sponsored by the Population Council’s Manila office in response to a request by the DOH to provide operations research support to the program. Depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), commonly known as Depo-Provera, is a three-month injectable contraceptive. It was recently officially endorsed as a family planning (FP) program method by the DOH, following its approval by the Philippine Bureau …

Dmpa Monitoring Study: Findings On Use And Continuation Rates, Population Council

Reproductive Health

This report presents the results of the DMPA Monitoring Study undertaken by Population Council, Manila, as a technical assistance project for the DMPA Reintroduction Program of the Department of Health. The primary objective of the study is to provide data on DMPA (injectable contraceptive) utilization and continuation rates that may be used to project the logistical needs of the program for the next four years (1995–1998). Availability of DMPA supplies, and information, education, and communication (IEC) materials on DMPA in the facilities were also monitored to provide some measure of the effectiveness of the distribution system. The study covers a …

Improving Community Based Family Planning Services And The Potential For Increasing Contraceptive Prevalence In Bangladesh, Amy Gale Dunston, Peter C. Miller

Reproductive Health

This report contains descriptions of 13 family planning (FP) projects recently implemented in Bangladesh. The results in terms of the contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) are analyzed to investigate the degree to which improved FP service delivery in Bangladesh can increase contraceptive use in the present status of demand, investigate the programmatic factors most associated with increased prevalence, and make these projects more widely known. Criteria for inclusion included coverage of a geographic area where household distribution of contraceptive supplies was available, and where at least one measurement of CPR has been made through credible survey efforts since July 1988. The …

A Study Of User Perspectives On The Diaphragm In An Urban Indian Setting, T.K. Sundari Ravindran

Reproductive Health

This study attempted to examine user perspectives regarding the desirability of the diaphragm as a contraceptive method when included among other methods distributed freely through a family planning (FP) clinic. It sought to introduce on an experimental basis, the diaphragm into an ongoing and well-established FP clinic to increase contraceptive choice. This was primarily a qualitative study aimed at understanding women's perceptions about the risks and benefits, the reasons for use of the diaphragm, and the practical difficulties of using it effectively. It also studied the influence of service delivery factors in acceptance of this method. The study was part …

Knowledge, Attitudes And Practice Of The Dmpa Injectable Contraceptive: Data From Focus Group Discussions, Maria Carmela Patron, Marilou P. Costello

Reproductive Health

This report is based on data from 12 focus group discussions conducted throughout the Philippines as part of the DMPA Monitoring and Follow-up Studies. The DMPA Monitoring and Follow-up Studies are part of a technical assistance project undertaken by the Population Council in support of the Department of Health’s DMPA Reintroduction Program. The project provides data on DMPA (depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate) acceptance and continuation rates as well profiles of DMPA users and dropouts to serve as bases for decisions and policies that will ensure quality services. The project draws information from several sources including a 15-month monitoring of DMPA acceptors; surveys …

Current Experiences With Community-Based Distribution Of Family Planning In Kenya: A Review Prepared For Usaid/Kenya, Population Council

Reproductive Health

Kenya has been one of the leading countries worldwide in developing and implementing community-based distribution (CBD) programs as part of the national family planning (FP) program. CBD activities in Kenya are coordinated by the National Council for Population and Development, with support from USAID and other donor agencies. Kenya’s CBD program has been widely publicized because of its success in improving access to FP information and services, and its diversity of organizational structures. USAID would like to review the current situation and possible future directions before designing its CBD strategy for the next five-year bilateral project. The Africa OR/TA II …

The Influence Of Western Models Of Service Delivery On The Development Of Services For Young Children In Malaysia, Teresa Hutchins

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In the last fifty years, many developing and newly industrialising countries have experienced a rapid expansion of care and education programme for young children. The rapid expansion of these programmes which are often modelled on those from the west, together with new understandings about the nature of children's development, has led to concern that these programmes do not meet the needs of children living in very different social and cultural environments. The 1989 UNESCO review of early childhood care and education programmes in the Asia-Pacific region highlights the need for integrated early childhood care and education programmes and reports that …

Antecedents Of Infant Mortality: An Analysis Of Risk Factors In Rural And Urban Arkansas, Shannon M. Holman, Frank L. Farmer, Russell S. Kirby, Bruce L. Dixon

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This research examines the relationship between social and biological characteristics of the infant and mother and the probability of infant survival through the first year of life. The research also includes a consideration of the influence of residence (rural vs. urban). Employing linked birth and death certificate data for Arkansas (1985-1989), a logit model was estimated to assess the impact of social and biological factors on the probability of survival. The results indicate that metropolitan residence is positively associated with infant survival, but only at a marginal significance level. Other notable results include the importance of prenatal care and a …

Occupational Attainment And Earnings Among Agricultural Students In The South, Andrew A. Zakeri

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Using panel data from a sample of agriculture graduates from Southern land-grant universities, this paper examines factors associated with occupational attainment and income earnings among agricultural students after graduation. Findings indicate that college major and gender were the strongest predictors of occupational attainment, while educational attainment was the best single predictor of income earnings. Compared with their peers with only baccalaureate degrees, highly trained agricultural students earned higher income on their first full-time jobs after leaving college. Policy implications of the findings are discussed.

The State Of Black Omaha 1994: Health Care And Criminal Justice: Executive Summary, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Publications

This report touches on two critical areas of concern: Health Care and Criminal Justice. Its purpose is to identify areas of disproportionate impact which hinder civil rights objectives and obstruct an open society.

Criminalizing Pregnancy: An Analysis Of The War On Drugs And The Fetal Rights Movement, Sheryl R. Fett

Masters Theses

The focus of study was the war on drugs and the fetal rights movement as they relate to the criminalization of pregnancy. There was a movement in the 1980s and early 1990s to prosecute pregnant women for prenatal drug use under child abuse statutes and/or drug delivery statutes.

A social constructionist framework was used to analyze this movement. This thesis utilized a qualitative case study relying on documentary analysis. Literature on the war of drugs and the fetal rights movement was analyzed as it related to the prosecutions of pregnant drug users and the subsequent criminalization of pregnancy.

It was …

Gender Differences In Higher Education: A Comparison Of Males And Females Applying To Graduate School, Lynda Bennett

Masters Theses

The objective of this study was to determine in what ways male and female applicants to graduate school are similar or different. Secondary analysis was conducted on survey data which described attitudes and behavior of students admitted to graduate programs at Western Michigan University. The purpose was to assess the relationship between gender and curricula selected, likelihood of applying for and receiving financial aid, and the influence of marital status. Gender did have a statistically significant relationship with curricula selection and influence of marital status. Furthermore, it appeared that women graduate students find marriage to be a more limiting factor …

Assets And Financial Management Among Poor Households In Extreme Poverty Neighborhoods, Cathleen M. Finn, Paz M-B. Zorita, Claudia Coulton

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Proposals supporting the accumulation of assets in poor households are hopeful of creating upward mobility. The experiences of poor families in managing assets and other elements of daily economic life were explored through interviews with low-income Hispanic and Anglo families. All families exhibited planning and management skills needed for assets accumulation, but were unable to escape the effects of unrewarding neighborhood environments. Assets did not provide clear avenues out of poverty. If assets-based programs are to raise the economic status of poor families in extreme poverty neighborhoods they must include mechanisms to protect value and reduce uncertainty.

Service Learning: A New Approach In Higher Education, Barbara W. Carpenter, Jacqulin S. Jacobs

Higher Education

Southern University is rare, if not unique, among public institutions in requiring undergraduates to complete sixty-clock hours of community service before graduation. The purpose of this initiative was to heighten the sensitivity of graduates to the indispensable role that volunteerism must play in our society. We also envisioned collectively addressing some of the ills of the State of Louisiana by having a pool of 16,000 students in the Southern University System contributing to the alleviation of human suffering and social decay. In this paper, we describe some of the noteworthy accomplishments that the program has made over the past three …

Home Alone: The Effects Of Out-Migration On Niuean Elders’ Living Arrangements And Social Supports, Judith C. Barker

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

The Borders Of A Canvas Tent: An Analysis Of Feminist Utopian Novels, Catherine R. Caldwell

Masters Theses

This thesis is a critical examination of three feminist utopian novels: Woman on the Edge of Time, by Marge Piercy; Herland, by Charlotte Perkins Gillman, and Les Guerilleres, by Monique Wittig. The study, derived from the sociology of knowledge and deconstruction theory, focuses on similarities and differences involving: (a) sexuality; (b) community building; (c) religion; (d) decision making processes, political systems, and modes of production; (e) crime, deviance and political conflict resolution; and (f) child rearing. The analysis demonstrates that utopia may serve to critique dominant ideology. It also shows how utopian novels treat, and suggest possibilities …

Interview: Dr. Amie Revere, Joseph Watras

Joseph Watras Interviews

Subject of interview: Model Cities program

Parent Involvement In Urban Schools: The View From The Front Of The Classroom, Frances Gamer, Kathleen Mccarthy Mastaby

New England Journal of Public Policy

American educational reform movements focus on efforts to restructure our schools to include all interested parties, especially parents, in the decision-making process. Nowhere is involvement more crucial than in America's inner-city urban neighborhoods. As parents are given a greater voice in their child's school, educators must join them as collaborators. This article identifies elements that impeded parental involvement and recognizes positive and encouraging techniques leading toward successful family-school-community partnerships. An alliance between groups too long seen as opponents rather than proponents must be established.

Service Learning: The Promise And The Risk, Alice L. Halsted, Joan C. Schine

New England Journal of Public Policy

Service learning, the pairing of meaningful work in the community and structured reflection, has the potential to transform schools. It provides opportunities for young people to test new roles, develop skills, apply academic learning in a "real world" setting, and move toward responsible citizenship. Service learning can reinvigorate traditional classrooms and turn passive students into dynamic and engaged learners. However, unless it is implemented with care, with a solid rationale and clearly articulated learning and service goals, service learning will fail to realize this potential. The power and the promise of service learning are too great to allow this imaginative …

The Influence Of Prepregnancy Weight And Maternal Weight Gain : On Birth Weight Among Black Wic Participants In San Bernardino County, Marta Lukas Sovyanhadi

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Birth records show that San Bernardino County has the highest black infant mortality rate of the 16 counties in California with the largest proportion of African-Americans births. Although total infant deaths in San Bernardino County had fallen to 8.6 per 1,000 live births by 1992, the infant mortality rate among the black population of the county was close to two times higher at 16.8 per 1,000. This is the first study to address the high infant mortality rate among blacks in San Bernardino County. Factors which may affect the black infant mortality rate were examined.

Subjects were drawn from a …

The L-Word : May 1, 1994, The L-Word

The L-Word

No abstract provided.

Elderly Hispanics In The United States: Their Use And Non-Use Of Social Services, Paulina X. Ruf

Masters Theses

The Commonwealth Fund Commission on Elderly people Living Alone (1988), conducted the National Survey of Hispanic Elderly, 1988. Using data from this survey, the present descriptive work, examines the use and non-use of selected social services by general demographic characteristics of the elderly Hispanic sample. In addition, general characteristics of this sample are discussed. A summary of the findings and recommendations for future research conclude this thesis.

The findings indicate that although the elderly Hispanics in the United States reported needing the selected social services used in this thesis, many of them reported not using these services. Additionally, as the …

Abuse And Neglect: As Defined By Registered Nurses/Case Managers, Carol Ann Davis, Paula Peggy Spencer

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Dementia Caregivers: Educational Intervention And Coping Styles, Joan Dolores Ladderbush

Theses Digitization Project

Caregivers of dementia patients who were referred to a community-based comprehensive assessment program for demented and/or chronically ill older adults by physicians or community agencies were studied for this thesis.

The Social Health Maintenance Organization (S/Hmo): Can It Service The Needs Of Riverside County's Elderly?, Allen Dillard Jaszcar

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.