Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Public-Private Partnership In Preschool Education Provision: Potential For Socio-Economic Development, Vitaly Vitaly Radsky, Aynur Nabiyeva, Ulviyya Mikayilova

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

This paper explores the role of public-private partnerships in expanding access to preschool education. The first part of the paper summarizes global findings on the importance of quality early childhood education (ECE) for child development, participation of parents in the labor market and overall human capital development of a society. The second section provides a brief overview of the current ECE situation in Azerbaijan. The final section presents a community-based preschool model that was piloted in the Shamkir region by the Center for Innovations in Education (CIE), a Baku-based nonprofit organization as a model for expansion of ECE education in …

The Impact Of The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit And Its Role In The Future Of Affordable Housing, Sophia Yates Smith

Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper is to study the evolution and goals of the government in providing low-income housing as well as the means taken to achieve those goals in order to understand the current system. The ever-changing nature of the political, social and economic landscape of the country dictates that the role of government in providing lowhousing must adapt to the times. This paper will address questions about the future of the program such as the following. Should the federal government continue finance low-income housing through indirect subsidies financed through the tax code or were the previous direct subsidies …

Public Health Program Capacity For Sustainability: A New Framework, Sarah F. Schell, Douglas A. Luke, Michael W. Schooley, Michael B. Elliott, Stephanie H. Herbers, Nancy B. Mueller, Alicia C. Bunger

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

From Dirty To Green: Increasing Energy Efficiency And Renewable Energy In Environmental Justice Communities, Deborah Behles

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of The Potential For Integration Of Ecosystem Based Approaches And Local Indigenous Knowledge Into Climate Change Adaptation In The Taita Hills, Kenya, Sarah Murabula Achola

All Master’s Theses

The integration of indigenous knowledge and science through and ecosystem based adaptation provides a basis for the formulation of culturally acceptable and sustainable adaptation practices. This study aims to determine sustainable climate change adaptation strategies for the Taita Hills in Kenya and assess their potential for integration with ecosystem based adaptation. It uses a mixed methodology that involves literature review, participatory methods and household surveys. As a result it emerges that adaptation to climate variability and change in the Taita Hills, takes on both an anticipatory and reactive approach. The household survey indicates that 68% of the farmers have taken …

Developing A Sustainable Ecotourism Foundation In Indonesian National Parks Using Cross-Cultural Adaptation And Communication Framing, Adriana Salas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Previous research on ecotourism in Southeast Asia has focused on its positive and negative effects for conservation. However, the focus in this particular study is to look at what it takes to run a successful ecotourism site in four diverse areas in Indonesia using communication elements like cross-cultural adaptation and communication framing. Communication should be used as a baseline for a successful site and should be used as the most useful tool to address issues and challenges in ecotourism project development.

A successful ecotourism site must carefully look at how their ideas and programs are framed. Ecotourism must also create …

For Their Mutual Benefit: Public Support And Private Development Of Historic Buildings In Columbia, South Carolina, Angi Fuller Wildt

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on successful rehabilitations of historic buildings in Columbia, South Carolina. All were undertaken between 1976 and 2013 by private developers in conjunction with public support. The cases presented are located in four downtown districts known as the Vista, the Main Street Corridor, the Granby and Olympia Mill Villages, and Innovista. The rehabilitations differed due to variables unique to their locations in each of these areas as well as conditions in the years that they took place. Public support included financial incentives and guidelines offered by federal, state, regional, and local governments and professional guidance provided by the …

Sources: Making Sense Of Business Reference: A Guide For Librarians And Research Professionals, Ann Agee

Faculty and Staff Publications

The article reviews the book Making Sense of Business Reference: A Guide for Librarians and Research Professionals, by Celia Ross.

A Critical Evaluation Of Community Rail Policy And Practice During The New Labour Years 2003 - 2010, Andrew Seedhouse

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Seedhouse, Andrew Colin A Critical Evaluation Of Community Rail Policy And Practice During The New Labour Years 2003 - 2010 This thesis examines how the changing governance environments introduced under New Labour compromised or assisted the delivery of the 2004 Community Rail Development Strategy. It considers the origins of Community Rail and the circumstances which led to the adoption of the 2004 Strategy and its content. It explores the wider processes of governance change across multiple scales and the rise of a new neoliberal approach favoured by recent administrations, with particular emphasis of New Labour’s introduction of the Third Way …

A Holistic Approach To Mima Mound Prairie Restoration, Kristin R. Anicito

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"Invasive winter annual grass (IWAGs) abundance has increased throughout much of the western United States, with serious consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem function. While a variety of tools have been used to control IWAGS, they often fail to achieve the goal of creating a self-sustaining native plant community. Therefore, a major goal of my thesis has been to explore and test restoration approaches that might help realize such plant communities. These approaches include ecologically based invasive plant management (EBIPM) and assisted succession. EBIPM is a holistic approach that aims to restore ecological functions damaged by IWAGs with a combination of …

Lessons From Patchwork Nation: A New Framework For Building Community Indicators, Stephen Borders, James Edwards, Ashley Miller

The Foundation Review

· As interest in outcomes continues to rise, community indicators have become a widely used tool to measure progress. While indicators provide a vehicle for understanding and addressing community issues from a holistic perspective, current efforts seem to suffer from both a notable absence of local-level data and end-user information overload, whereby the presentation of numerous and often disconnected indicators makes it difficult to draw meaningful conclusions from the analysis.

· We highlight the results and our experiences with a community health needs assessment conducted through an indicator project in Michigan’s Kent County. The analysis and visualization of the indicator …

Gvsu Undergraduate And Graduate Catalog, 2013-2014, Grand Valley State University

Course Catalogs, 1963 - Current

Grand Valley State University 2013-2014 undergraduate and/or graduate course catalog published annually to provide students with information and guidance for enrollment.

Evaluation Of The Office Of Foundation Liaison, 2013, Johnson Center At Grand Valley State University

Research, Reports, and Publications

No abstract provided.

Tanzania Higher Education-Fifty Years After Independence, Godfrey Magoti Mnubi

Theses and Dissertations

As Tanzania celebrates fifty years of independence at the crossroads of globalization, the country has experienced a changing landscape and a major transformation in higher learning education with spectacular expansion in student enrollment rates. This requires its higher education institutions, particularly universities, to function effectively as a source of knowledge and to serve as an important partner in sustainable development by promoting effective teaching, research and service in Tanzania.

To understand the pace of globalization and the multitude of social challenges that have faced Tanzania higher education since 1961, how the policies and practices of higher education have evolved over …

Community And Household Management Strategies For Water Supply And Treatment In Rural And Peri-Urban Areas In The Developing World, Ryan William Schweitzer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Eighty percent of the 780 million people worldwide that access water from an unimproved source live in rural areas. In rural areas, water systems are often managed by community based organizations and many of these systems do not provide service at the designed levels. The Sustainability Analysis Tool developed in Chapter 2 can inform decision making, characterize specific needs of rural communities in the management of their water systems, and identify weaknesses in training regimes or support mechanisms. The framework was tested on 61 statistically representative geographically stratified sample communities with rural water systems in the Dominican Republic. The results …

Creating Community: A Qualitative Study To Identify Factors Impacting Community In A University Learning Community Cohort, Maura B. Denny

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the role of `community' within a university campus Learning Community (LC). With a cohort-based structure, an LC exists to enhance student learning through peer cooperation and participation, however the scope of what constitutes community within these cohorts is not currently understood. This study investigates the roles of individual reciprocity, communication, need, time, and physical environment in community building, utilizing qualitative interviews and observations of a 30 member LC over the course of two academic years and a four-week study abroad experience in Panama. Through this, the vital roles of the orientation period and programming staff are revealed …

Housing Patterns, Academic Performance And School Choice: An Inquiry Into The Relocation Experiences Of African-American Families, Courtney Jones-Hall

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative inquiry explored the educational relocation experiences of AfricanAmerican families residing in predominately-White and northern Gwinnett County, Georgia, who relocated to pursue improved educational opportunities for their children. For poor families or African- American families with limited resources, school choice is determined largely by where one lives. Historical oppression at the local, state and federal level has encouraged the concentration of African-American families into segregated communities and segregated housing patterns (Massey & Denton, 1998; Rice, 2009; Squires & Kim, 1995), which are often associated with educational inequality (Royce, 2009). The historical oppression and racial injustices in society challenges us …

Being In Deep, Authentic, Dramatic Celebration: Narratives Of Community Cultural Workers For Social Change, Mi'jan Celie Tho-Biaz

Doctoral Dissertations

The common discourse in the field of education in the United States during the years 2002 through 2013 centered on the approach of making schools accountable for their students' performance, while aiming to bring proficiency to all students regardless of their socio-economic background. Prior to this study, little research existed on cultural workers who teach, and their associated outcomes with marginalized populations of learners. To fill this gap in the research literature, this study explored the question: How do cultural workers define their work, and in what ways do they connect their stories to the current academic discourse on the …

Exploring Travel And Activity Behavior In Transit-Oriented Developments: Insights Into Transportation Benefits And Travel Demand Modelling, Sanghoon Son

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

As a sustainable urban development and transportation planning strategy, researchers and planners are increasingly interested in transit-oriented development (TOD). By integrating transit system and neighborhood design, TOD aims to provide a livable environment that is alternative mode friendly, higher density, and mixed-use to residents and workers in the vicinity of transit stations. Despite the recent growing interest in TOE), however, transportation benefits of TOD are not well quantified and characteristics of TOD are not adequately reflected in travel demand models.

This dissertation contributes to understanding of the travel and activity behavior by comprehensively exploring them in the context of TOD. …

What Every Land Use Lawyer Should Know About The Emerging Use Of Health Impact Assessment And Land Use Decision Making, Patricia E. Salkin, Pamela Ko

Scholarly Works

The field of Health Impact Assessment is relatively new to the United States, but already a number of state and local governments are incorporating these assessments into land use planning and decision making. In five years, the use of HIA in the U.S. has increased dramatically with more than 100 HIAs completed or in progress in the U.S. from 2007 to 2010. This article provides a brief overview of HIA in the United States, describes how it is being used in other states with respect to land use decision making, and examines how HIA is starting to be incorporated into …

An Analysis Of The Allocation Of Fema Public Assistance Funds Along The U.S. Gulf Coast Following Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, And Wilma, Pamela Camille Golden

LSU Master's Theses

Due to the effects of global climate change, natural disasters such as hurricanes are increasing in terms of both intensity and frequency. During the record-breaking hurricane season of 2005, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma struck the U. S. Gulf Coast, affecting areas from Texas to Florida and causing billions of dollars in damage. This study examines the allocation of FEMA Public Assistance across the affected Gulf of Mexico states, what factors account for variation in in assistance allocation, what are the priorities for recovery among county leaders and what obstacles they have encountered since 2005. This study includes 136 counties …

Integrating Select Industry Into New Urbanism, Marcus Wax

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

Community On The Menu: Seven-Courses To Cultivate Familial Bonds, Exchange Social Capital, And Nourish Community, David Franklin Purnell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an auto/ethnographic account, which examines food, close personal friendships, and community. The research combines autoethnography with ethnographic observations and personal/group interviews conducted within the Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa, Florida. The observations are of a weekly dinner event referred to by most attendees as Family Dinner. I am one of the founders of this event; the participants of this study are neighbors (or were at some point in time) as well as past and present attendees of the weekly dinner.

The purpose of this research is to illustrate how food can be a tool to build …

Revisiting Equity: The Hud Sustainable Communities Initiative, Lisa K. Bates, Marisa Zapata

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

In 1974, Norman Krumholz boldly called on planners to advocate for equity in public resource allocation and administrative practices. In 2010, the Obama administration’s HUD-DOT-EPA Sustainable Communities Initiative—specifically in the form of the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant

(SCRPG)—renewed this call for equity. But our review of the responses by thirteen grantees proved disappointing. The plans put forth by award winners recycle many of the activities from the Cleveland Policy Plan (CPP) without employing its overarching mission. Instead of boldness, we are left with a stark reminder about the lack of progress made since the City of Cleveland incited planners …

Three Questions For Community Engagement At The Crossroads, Kevin Kecskes, Kevin Michael Foster

Public Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

Unfortunately, a decade of “calls to action,” begun by the Kellogg Commission’s report on university engagement and the 1999 Wingspread Declaration on Renewing the Civic Mission of the American Research University, has not produced a flowering of transformed institutions….This is not because engagement does not work….And it is not for lack of knowledge on how it can be implemented….Rather, engagement is difficult work. It gets to the heart of what higher education is about and as such, it requires institution-wide effort, deep commitment at all levels, and leadership by both campus and community. (Brukardt, Holland, Percy, & Zimpher, N., 2004, …

Partnering In Tough Times: Service-Learning For Economic Vitality, Julie Plaut, Christine M. Cress, Elaine Kimiko Ikeda, Piper Mcginley

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper focuses on the results and lessons of the CARE initiative. With support from the Learn and Serve America program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, six California universities—California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; California State University, Fresno; Humboldt State University; San Francisco State University; University of California, Berkeley; and University of San Diego—received two-year grants to serve as lead institutions with CARE. Each developed service and service-learning projects themselves and engaged other colleges and universities in their local area in related efforts. Together these campuses collaborated with more than 300 community organizations, 105 of which …

Meaningful Sustainability Learning: An Action Research Study Of Sustainability Pedagogy In Two University Courses, Heather Burns

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Educators are increasingly aware of the importance of sustainability and the need to educate for sustainable change within higher education. This article addresses the growing need to focus on how teaching and learning can be re-oriented towards sustainability, and more specifically how educators can effectively address increasingly well-known sociocultural and ecological problems in ways that transform learners and empower them to make change based on a sense of civic responsibility and sustainability. This research study draws on the Burns Model of Sustainability Pedagogy, which integrates ecological design, systemic and interdisciplinary learning, multiple perspectives, an active and engaged learning process, and …

Preserving Place: A Grounded Theory Of Citizen Participation In Community-Based Planning, Pamela Jo Hatley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For this research project I used grounded theory methodology and qualitative research methods to examine how and why citizens participated in local community-based planning and land development entitlement processes, and learn about their experiences participating in those processes. I conceptualized the citizens' main concern as preserving the character of the place they consider their community. This research demonstrates that citizens participate in community-based planning and land development entitlement processes out of a concern for preserving the character of their communities. They define the character of their communities in terms of their geographic boundaries, history, traditions, people, lifestyle, and qualitative features …

Practice Makes Perfect? A Retrospective Look At A Community Of Practice, Ramirose Ilene Attebury, Robert Perret, Jeremy Kenyon, Deborah Green

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Communities of practice have been touted in the organizational literature as an effective form of professional development in the workplace. When the University of Idaho Library faculty created one in the fall of 2008, they hoped the group would enhance new librarians’ understanding of publication requirements and research methods. Although the community seemed healthy during its first year, problems arose in subsequent years that led to its decline. Seeking to understand the nature of this decline, the authors conducted a survey and initiated a focus group discussion of former members. Analysis of data led the authors to identify three themes …