Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Impact – Information Management, Public Access, Community Transformation: Year Two Evaluation Report, September 1, 2001 Through August 31, 2002, Oscar Gutierrez, John Mcgah

Center for Social Policy Publications

The goals of the IMPACT project are “to improve access to and delivery of human services for low-income residents, strengthen community planning and resource allocation, and enhance understanding of data on homelessness can be gathered and aggregated on local and national levels to accurately capture the scope of the problem and the effectiveness of efforts to ameliorate it.”

The Center for Social Policy (CSP), McCormack Institute at the University of UMass Boston was commissioned to produce a series of evaluation reports of the IMPACT project; this is the second of three reports covering year two activity of the IMPACT. The …

From Paper To Action: State-Level Interagency Agreements For Supported Employment Of People With Disabilities, Deborah Metzel, Susan M. Foley, John Butterworth

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Over the past decade there has been an increasing national emphasis on the participation of individuals with disabilities in the labor force. This concern was recognized through Executive Order No. 13078 signed by President Bill Clinton in March 1998, establishing the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities. The Task Force was charged with a mission "to create a coordinated and aggressive policy to bring adults with disabilities into gainful employment at a rate that is as close as possible to that of the general adult population" (Section 1 (c)). Legislation and policy changes have also been directed …

Employee Preferences As A Factor In Pension Participation By Minority Workers, Yung-Ping Chen, Thomas D. Leavitt

Gerontology Institute Publications

This project was designed to shed light on the widening gap between white and minority pension coverage during recent years. The hypothesis under investigation is that the divergence in white/minority coverage may be due in part to differences in the rates at which white and minority workers are choosing to participate in voluntary salary reduction plans. The availability of such plans has increased explosively in the past decade or so.

Tools For Inclusion: A Common Path: Navigating Your Way To Successful Negotiations In The Workplace, Kelly Crow, Susan Foley

Tools for Inclusion Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Asking for job accommodations can feel intimidating, especially if an individual has decided not to disclose his or her disability. The good news is that this negotiation can be, in fact, rewarding and empowering. The Working It Out Together project asked experts for tactics to create win-win situations.

Case Studies On The Implementation Of The Workforce Investment Act: Spotlight On Maine, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Sheila Fesko, Allison Cohen Hall

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The implementation of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) requires major organizational change for employment and training agencies. The initiative emphasizes coordination, collaboration and communication among organizations for better service delivery. At this time, states are developing systems that will enable them to address the needs of all customers seeking employment. The Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) has conducted state case studies for two purposes: (1) to identify how states have begun the process of collaboration under the new mandates of WIA; and (2) to understand the impact on customers with disabilities. This is the third in a series of publications …

The Power Of The Urban Canvas: Paint, Politics, And Mural Art Policy, Maura E. Greaney

New England Journal of Public Policy

In cities across America, outdoor mural paintings have brought public art to the urban landscape. Paint and politics have been splashed upon city walls for decades, replacing bleak, often graffitied, exteriors with vibrant color. But this transformation runs deeper than the artistry of the murals; the real works of art are the changes these collaborative projects inspire within communities. Mural projects mobilize communities to articulate dreams, express frustrations, and most importantly, consider strategies for change. Thus, they are a worthy consideration for public policymakers. This case study traces the contemporary mural movement in three cities: Boston, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. …

The Tide Is High For The Boston Beaches, Marissa Glowac

New England Journal of Public Policy

In 1993, Massachusetts Governor William Weld and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino approved the “Back to the Beaches” project, a seven-year, $30.5 million public project to restore nineteen Boston Harbor beaches. Today, these sites have new, cleaner sand, improved access, and new amenities and facilities now ready to offer additional opportunities for recreation. People are coming back to the Boston Harbor beaches in numbers significantly higher than a decade ago. This study concludes that the implementation and success of the “Back to the Beaches” project can be attributed to several factors — an increased public awareness of the value of open …

Tools For Inclusion: Evaluating Your Agency And Its Services: A Checklist For Job Seekers With Disabilities, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Melanie Jordan, David Hoff

Tools for Inclusion Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

It is important to evaluate employment services and decide if you are getting the results that you are looking for. You should have high expectations! If you are currently using an agency for help with employment, this checklist can help you make sure you are getting what you need.

Tools For Inclusion: Making Dreams A Reality: Using Personal Networks To Achieve Goals As You Prepare To Leave High School, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Mairead Moloney, Danielle Dreilinger, Jennifer Schuster

Tools for Inclusion Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Leaving high school can be both exciting and stressful. This brief tells the stories of students who used their personal networks to exercise self-determination and follow their goals, and includes worksheets for students to build and use their own networks.

Case Studies On The Implementation Of The Workforce Investment Act: Spotlight On Kentucky, Allison Cohen Hall, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Sheila Fesko

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The implementation of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) requires major organizational change for employment and training agencies. The initiative emphasizes coordination, collaboration and communication among organizations for better service delivery. At this time, states are developing systems that will enable them to address the needs of all customers seeking employment. The Institute for Community Inclusaion (ICI) has conducted state case studies for two purposes: (1) to identify how states have begun the process of collaboration under the new mandates of WIA; and (2) to understand the impact on customers with disabilities. This is the first in a series of publications …

Kinship Care In Massachusetts, Jan Mutchler, Alison S. Gottlieb, Lona Choi, Ellen A. Bruce

Gerontology Institute Publications

The population of kinship care families in the Commonwealth is diverse in its characteristics, resources, and needs. The often-referenced stereotype of the elderly single grandmother caring for a number of grandchildren holds for only a portion of the kinship care families. Many children are cared for by married couples; many of the grandparents are not elderly; and many of the caregivers are not grandparents, but rather aunts, uncles, grown siblings, or other relatives. Although the duration of the caregiving relationship is unknown for non-grandparental care, most of the grandparent caregivers are involved in long-term caregiving. As such, their needs are …

Tools For Inclusion: Starting With Me: A Guide To Person-Centered Planning For Job Seekers, Melanie Jordan, Lara Enein-Donovan

Tools for Inclusion Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

A person-centered approach can help individuals with disabilities make satisfying job choices. This brief guides job seekers through a three-stage career development process that includes assessing their interests, researching the job market, and marketing themselves to potential employers.

Food Stamps: Available But Not Easily Accessible: A Study Conducted For Project Bread, Michelle Kahan, Elaine Werby, Jennifer Raymond

Center for Social Policy Publications

Concerned with growing hunger among Massachusetts families eligible for Food Stamps, and the paradoxical decline in the number of program enrollees, Project Bread asked the Center for Social Policy at the John W. McCormack Institute of Public Affairs, University of Massachusetts Boston (CSP) to study the process of securing and sustaining Food Stamp Benefits. Concurrent with the planning process for the study, the Massachusetts legislature, in an override of the Governor's veto in early December 2001, included language in the FY 2002 budget designed to expand access to the program. Among other requirements, the language requires the Department of Transitional …

Case Studies On The Implementation Of The Workforce Investment Act: Spotlight On Minnesota, Sheila Fesko, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Allison Cohen Hall

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The implementation of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) requires major organizational change for employment and training agencies. The initiative emphasizes coordination, collaboration and communication among organizations for better service delivery. At this time, states are developing systems that will enable them to address the needs of all customers seeking employment. The Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) has conducted state case studies for two purposes: (1) to identify how states have begun the process of collaboration under the new mandates of WIA; and (2) to understand the impact on customers with disabilities. This is the second in a series of publications …

Asian American Voter Registration In Massachusetts: A Preliminary Report On Ten Cities And Towns, Paul Watanabe, Michael Liu

Institute for Asian American Studies Publications

The 2000 Census reports that Massachusetts’ Asian American population is the state’s fastest growing racial group, increasing by 68% since 1990. By 2025, the number of Asian Americans in Massachusetts is projected to expand to 534,000 from the current total of 238,124. This dramatic growth, however, has apparently not been accompanied by high levels of Asian American electoral participation and political clout. A major challenge for Asian Americans, therefore, is to substantially increase their participation and influence.

Transportation: A Crucial Issue For Adult Day Care In Vermont, Francis G. Caro, Regula H. Robnett, Jennifer Higgins

Gerontology Institute Publications

Transportation arrangements are an integral but fragile element in the effectiveness of adult day care services in Vermont and nationwide. Almost by definition, adult day center participants generally cannot drive due to cognitive and/or physical limitations. Since adult day care services are congregate in nature and serve community-residing elders, this long-term care option is feasible only when there are arrangements to transport elders to and from service centers. Transportation is therefore a major issue for adult day care services.

The aim of this report is to call attention to transportation issues in adult day care services in Vermont. The report …

Latinos In Massachusetts, Charles Jones

Gastón Institute Publications

Census 2000 includes changes in the way people were counted. The most significant change is to allow persons to select more than one race, creating a new multiracial category but meaning people may not be included in the race with which they most identify. There was, however, no way to choose more than one ethnicity, one must choose either Latino or not. Throughout this profile, numbers reflect Latinos of all races, or non-Latinos by race, with persons of two or more races counted separately. All categorizations are based solely on self-identification. All of this complicates comparisons between 1990 and 2000 …

Latinos In Massachusetts: Legal Immigration To New England During The 1990s, Enrico A. Marcelli

Gastón Institute Publications

This fact sheet summarizes information about legal immigration flows to the New England Region during the 1990s employing Immigration and Naturalization Service data. Although the annual number of legal permanent residents (e.g., green card holders) from Latin America and the Caribbean fell during the decade, as a percent of all legal immigrants who settled in New England their representation rose. Among all Latin American and Caribbean immigrants who settled in the region, more than half chose Massachusetts or Connecticut. And although most reported working in lower-skilled occupations, from 10 percent to 30 percent of immigrants from each c o u …

Who's In Charge? Appointments Of Latinos To Policymaking Offices And Boards In Massachusetts, Carol Hardy-Fanta

Gastón Institute Publications

As the Latino population in Massachusetts continues to grow, there has been a corresponding increase in the number of Latinos achieving elected office throughout the state. Twenty years ago there was only one Latino serving in elected office in Massachusetts—Nelson Merced. In 1995, there were only four elected officials who were Latino and no state representatives. Today, through the hard work of candidates, activists, and Latino community activists and organizations, there are three Latinos serving as state legislators, fourteen holding municipal office, and an increasing number of campaigns at all levels of municipal and state government being conducted.

While this …

A Review Of The Literature On Bilingual Education, Lorna Rivera

Gastón Institute Publications

Changes in bilingual education will have an important impact on the future well-being of the growing Latino community in Massachusetts. This report summarizes some of the major research findings regarding the purposes and effectiveness of bilingual education. Questions that will be addressed include: What are the existing bilingual education models? Which bilingual education models work best? Should there be time limits for bilingual education? Do immigrants resist learning English? Does speaking another language interfere with learning? Should bilingual students be exempt from state-mandated testing? Are bilingual teachers qualified? Are bilingual education students more likely to dropout?

It is hoped that …

Domestic Violence At The Top Of New England: Law Enforcement Incident Reports From Aroostook County, Maine, Carolyn Ball, Kenneth Nichols

New England Journal of Public Policy

Although domestic violence is an issue regularly discussed in magazines, newspapers, and elsewhere, many law enforcement agencies including many in New England do not have the capacity to track these incidents and the relationship between the victim and the offender. Through an analysis of law enforcement data from Maine’s Aroostook County, in 1997 and 1998, this article analyzes the problem of domestic violence in rural, northern Maine from a law enforcement perspective. Among the findings are the following: the reported severity of physical injury is low, the victim’s contact with the police is unlikely to be the first incident of …

Rhode Island Latinos: A Scan Of Issues Affecting The Latino Population Of Rhode Island, Miren Uriarte, María Estela Carrión, Juan Carlos Gorlier, Charles Jones, Natalie Carithers, Juan Francisco García

Gastón Institute Publications

The Latino Population has grown dramatically in Rhode Island in the last two decades. This has been particularly the case in Central Falls and Providence where Latinos make up 48% and 30% of the population, respectively. This influx has created a shift in the racial/ethnic make up of these cities and in the cultural background of large sectors of the residents.

The arrival of large numbers of persons who do not speak English and who are not familiar with the structure and practice of public services would, under any circumstance, present a challenge. But the fact that they are recent …

Toward Democratic Education: The Importance Of Culturally Responsive Leadership In 21st Century Schools, Donna M. Davis

Trotter Review

The author defines culturally responsive leadership as "essentially a process" by which communities create systems that support democratic education. The author explores relevant education scholarship and literary texts to better define "democratic freedom," and the essay examines issues related to democratic education and the role of educators and community members in creating democratic schools. The author argues that humanistic, child-centered, democratic schools are not only essential for the development of the sense of self that enables one to experience true freedom, but democratic schools are also necessary to the goal of changing the conditions that create inequities. Davis outlines barriers …

Introduction, Philip Hart

Trotter Review

We are pleased to share with our readers this issue of the Trotter Review. The events of September 11, 2001, will forever reshape our world as we know it. In addition to the far-reaching effects of this tragedy, it has revealed our general lack of knowledge about Islam and places in the world where religion and faith shape governmental and civic engagement. In crisis often comes opportunity. This opportunity to learn more about other religions and cultural pluralism is positive. It underscores the continuing importance of education and learning in today's world. So I think it particularly appropriate that …

Over-Representation Of African-American Students In Special Education: The Role Of A Developmental Framework In Shaping Teachers' Interpretations Of African-American Students' Behavior, Valerie Maholmes, Fay E. Brown

Trotter Review

The authors draw on the findings of gestalt psychology to demonstrate how teachers' views of African American learning styles and behavior can determine whether these will be pathologized or supported by the educational system. The disproportionately large numbers of African American youth incorrectly assigned to special education courses indicate a lack of clarity in disability criteria and indicate also the use of a "deficit model" or perceptual lens through which teachers assign negative meanings to the behavior of African American students. Case examples of language used by teachers in describing randomly selected students illustrate teachers' deficit-based focus on student behavior …

Alternative School Administrators "At Risk": What Does It Mean For Children?, Christopher Dunbar Jr.

Trotter Review

Alternative public schools have evolved from their origins in school choice and the progressive education movement of the 1920's into a system of schools that have become the assigned "dumping ground" for a population of ill-prepared, behaviorally disruptive youth, a population that is also disproportionately composed of minority students. Research suggests these schools fall short of providing an optimal educational opportunity for their students. There are multiple factors that place alternative school administrators "at risk" of failing in their charge to educate. Using a case study from a Midwestern alternative school, the author focuses on policy and the role of …

Race, Ethnicity, Class, And School Dropouts: A Policy Perspective, Richard C. Verdugo

Trotter Review

The author presents a review of literature on conditions and circumstances that cause youth to drop out before finishing high school. The essay explains the key features of both cultural and structural theories of low academic performance, and the author argues these theories might profitably be fused in order to formulate effective dropout prevention/intervention policies. The author recommends use of the public health model for prevention and intervention and synthesizes the findings of three recent reports on effective dropout programs.

Grandparent Care In The United States: Comparisons By Race And Ethnicity, Jan Mutchler, Seungah Lee, Lindsey A. Baker

Gerontology Institute Publications

The purpose of this report is to compare information on grandparent caregivers in the United States among members of five different racial and ethnic groups. Many grandparents are responsible for grandchildren who live with them in the same household. The 1996 Welfare Reform Act mandates that statistics be collected on grandparents who serve as caregivers to a grandchild. In response to this requirement, questions were developed for the 2000 Census of Population asking each adult about care for grandchildren living in the same household.2 Data from the 2000 Census 5% Public Use Microdata Sample are used in our calculations. The …

Grandparent Care In The Non-Hispanic White Population, Jan Mutchler, Seungah Lee, Lindsey A. Baker

Gerontology Institute Publications

The purpose of this report is to provide information on White grandparent caregivers in the United States. Many grandparents are responsible for grandchildren who live with them in the same household. The 1996 Welfare Reform Act mandates that statistics be collected on grandparents who serve as caregivers to a grandchild. In response to this requirement, questions were developed for the 2000 Census of Population asking each adult about care for grandchildren living in the same household. We use the census information to identify grandparents who are caring for grandchildren in two different types of households: skipped-generation households, in which a …

Grandparent Care In The African-American Population, Jan Mutchler, Seungah Lee, Lindsey A. Baker

Gerontology Institute Publications

The purpose of this report is to provide information on African-American grandparent caregivers in the United States. Many grandparents are responsible for grandchildren who live with them in the same household. The 1996 Welfare Reform Act mandates that statistics be collected on grandparents who serve as caregivers to a grandchild. In response to this requirement, questions were developed for the 2000 Census of Population asking each adult about care for grandchildren living in the same household. We use the census information to identify grandparents who are caring for grandchildren in two different types of households: skipped-generation households, in which a …