Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

An Investigation Into Hazard Mitigation Tools At Institutes Of Higher Education, Robert A. Jackson

Theses and Dissertations from 2016

Current theories for community planning assert that multiple stakeholders should be involved to improve civic cohesion and implementation. Since an institute of higher education (IHE) operates like a town or city in many ways, it is appropriate that the emergency management planning within an IHE should engage multiple stakeholders. Emergency management planning at an IHE focuses on the students who while adults, are not traditionally valued for their input in emergency management planning. Emergency management leaders at IHEs across the country were surveyed. Following correlation analysis, results indicated that an IHE with student involvement in emergency management planning had an …

K-12 And The Active Shooter: Principals’ Perceptions Of Armed Personnel In New Jersey District Factor Group Gh Public Schools, Brian P. Kelly

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The purpose of this study was to explore the predicament school principals face when formulating the best methodology to provide a safe environment for their students and faculty, while simultaneously creating an atmosphere that is conducive to education.

This multiple-case study is a replication of a dissertation published in 2014 which explored a unique phenomenon containing multiple variables within an urban public school district. Conversely, this research study examined suburban public school districts within communities that possessed a median household salary ranging between $86,000 and $105,000, where the socioeconomic status of these schools is identified and delineated by New Jersey …

The Current State Of Access To Basic Education For Syrian Refugee Children Living In The Za’Atari Camp, Theresa L. Frey

Capstone Collection

Using Rodman’s (2006) International Education Analytical Inquiry Matrix as a theoretical framework, the purpose of this study is to examine the current state of access to basic primary education for Syrian Refugee Children Living in the Za’atari camp. Within the scope of this study, access is examined in three parts, including:

(1) Who is accessing education within Za’atari and who is not?

(2) How are certain groups accessing education?

(3) What is the learning environment of Za’atari?

In addition to addressing existing issues of access to basic education in Za’atari, this study examines efforts made towards increasing access. By examining …

Increasing Access To Primary Care Using Np’S: The Framework For An Academic Based Nurse-Managed Center In California, Prabjot (Jodie) Sandhu

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

The dynamics of health care delivery and the role of health care providers is a changing canvas in the United States. The implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), sets a goal to increase access to health care. The systems that support the ACA are constantly under scrutiny as failing to provide key answers to provider shortage and health care access issues. Nurse Practitioners (NPs) who are recognized by the ACA as a comprehensive part of this revolution are in a unique place to find opportunities to promote increased access to health and primary care services. While NPs in California …

2015 Northwest Arkansas Report Card, Sarah Mckenzie, Gary Ritter

Education Report Card

This report card presents a regional overview of districts in Benton and Washington counties as well as key performance indicators for each district.

The Use Of Anti-Bullying Policies To Protect Lgbt Youth: Teacher And Administrator Perspectives On Policy Implementation, Michelle Lauren Holliday

Dissertations and Theses

Although in recent years there has been increased attention on bullying prevention and bullying legislation in the United States, there is limited research on the implementation of anti-bullying policies. Moreover, few studies have addressed the use of anti-bullying policies to protect LGBT youth from bullying. The present study seeks to examine the role of anti-bullying policies as a means to protect against bullying based on perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. Qualitative interviews with high school teachers, administrators, and staff members within an urban school district in the United States were conducted to gain insight into how those charged with …

Five Challenges In Australian School Education, Geoff N. Masters Ao

Policy Insights

There is no shortage of challenges in school education. Some of the biggest challenges we face can appear frustratingly intractable. Despite reform efforts, regular government reviews and ongoing calls for change, progress in addressing our most significant challenges is often slow and solutions continue to elude us. In this paper Professor Geoff Masters discusses five significant challenges facing school education.

1. Equipping students for the 21st Century, including by increasing reading, mathematical and scientific literacy levels;
2. Reducing disparities between Australia's schools, particularly along socioeconomic lines, by ensuring that every student has access to an excellent school and excellent teaching;
3. Reducing the …

A Prison Of Education: The School-To-Prison Pipeline In Low-Income Schools, Adam Le

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

This paper examines the relationship between prisons and education in American culture, comparing public schools in California cities to wealthier private schools. The essay critiques the American dream’s notions of social stratification and success of the individual in racialized areas. The first section compares funding disparities between education and prison and argues that while funding is an integral part of the inner-city’s problem, the curriculum itself is ineffective. The second section takes a closer look at differences in the curricula and educational settings of an inner-city school and a private school. It offers ethnic studies in secondary education as a …

College-Going Experiences Of Male Foster Youth Alumni Who Have Stopped-Out Of College, Felipe D. Longoria

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This qualitative research study examined how foster care experiences and masculinities influenced male foster youth alumni’s decision to go to college. The study also sought to understand the in-and-out-of-college factors that led participants to exit college prematurely. Five participants were each interviewed twice for data collection purposes. Findings from data analysis indicated that establishing and maintaining relationships in college were challenging and affected an already vulnerable population in their help-seeking behavior. Recommendations are offered for higher education professionals and areas for future research are noted.

Advisor: Corey Rumann

Character Assessment: Three Essays, Collin E. Hitt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I propose a new approach to measuring character skills. In the following three essays, my co-‎authors and I measure the effort that adolescent students appear to put forward on surveys ‎and tests. First, I examine the extent to which students simply skip questions or plead ‎ignorance on surveys. Second, I develop new methods for detecting careless answers, those ‎instances in which students appear to be "just filling in the bubbles." I show, using ‎longitudinal datasets, that both measures are predictive of educational degree attainment, ‎independent of measured cognitive ability and other demographic factors. Finally, I ‎demonstrate that international differences in …

Assessing Transportation Management Associations (Tmas) In Rural Maine As An Approach To Increase Transportation Options, Vicki L. Rusbult

All Theses And Dissertations

Maine has the distinction of being a beautiful state defined by natural forests, crystal-clear lakes, and a landscape unblemished by the usual marks of the densely populated regions of the U.S. The downside to this rural beauty is the remoteness of the sparsely populated communities which present challenges to residents who are unable to drive themselves to procure basic services because of physical, legal, or economic conditions.

Many rural residents are unable to rely on personally-owned, single driver vehicles. According to the Maine Department of Transportation Bureau of Planning (2013), the Eastern Maine region has an estimated unmet need (number …

2016 May, Office Of Communications & Marketing, Morehead State University.

Morehead State Press Release Archive, 1961 to the Present

Press releases for May 2016.

Perceived Relevance Of Special Education Performance Indicators: Teacher Excellence And Support System, Tiffany Kristin Mrla

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A study was conducted to investigate the perceived relevance of using a teacher evaluation rubric with performance indicators specific to special education services in place of the standard rubric for teachers used in the State of Arkansas Teacher Excellence Support System (TESS). Through a multi-method approach, the perceptions of special education teachers and administrators regarding implementation of the current model, the significance of perceived differences in pedagogical factors, and potential barriers to effective implementation were identified. This was achieved through survey, interviews, and observations.

Special education teachers and administrators in a given school district were sent a brief survey to …

More Than A Job? The Perceived Outcomes Of Campus Recreation Employees And Relevance To Professional Employment, Jeremy Martin Battjes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As grant programs dwindle and students are needing to become less reliant on parents to help finance their education, employment while enrolled is shifting from a choice to a near requirement. Collegiate comprehensive recreation programs employ several hundred students annually. Employers must be intentional in creating positions that help meet their needs, but also serve as a co-curricular experience for the student, assisting them in preparation for experiences beyond graduation. This study explores the perceived outcomes of campus recreation employment and the relevance to professional employment.

Student employees at a large university with a comprehensive collegiate campus recreation program reported …

Summer Internship At African Community Education, Stephen A. Chiavaroli Iii

Sustainability and Social Justice

My internship at African Community Education (ACE) took place from May to December 2015, where I worked with GISDE alum, Joshua Plisinski. My summer was split as a volunteer at ACE and GIS Analyst in partnership with a Worcester nonprofit Cultural Exchange Through Soccer (CETS). My duties at ACE included tutoring, mentoring, and leading the students in homework assignments and various recreational activities. I also completed several GIS tasks and instructed a GIS tutorial for the high school students of ACE. The other time during my summer was spent conducting a spatial network analysis of Worcester soccer fields for CETS …

The Tobacco Free College Campus: An Assessment Of Policy Implementation And Enforcement At The University Of Massachusetts Boston, Annie Mcdougall

Honors College Theses

To date, one of the greatest successes in the field of public health has been the nationwide awareness campaign about the negative health effects of smoking cigarettes and using tobacco. Smoking and tobacco use have been associated with a number of health problems including the increased risk of cancers and cardiovascular diseases (Office on Smoking and Health 446). The success of the anti-smoking initiative can be attributed to a number of public outreach methods including TV advertisement bans on cigarettes, an increase on taxes on cigarettes, the placement of the Surgeon General’s warning on cigarette packaging and smoking and tobacco …

Advanced Gis: Smart Transportation, Christopher Bone, Ken Kato, Jacob Bartruff, Marc Schlossberg

TREC Final Reports

As sensors have become cheaper and more common, they have found an increasingly important role in transportation. However, curriculum to prepare students who will be working with these technologies as developers and planners has not developed at the same rate. The goal of this project was to develop a college course focused around sensors and smart transportation to be offered to undergrad and graduate students at the University of Oregon. The class focused on the practical application and the theoretical consequences of these developments. The class was offered in the spring term of 2015 to a group of undergraduate and …

Multimodal Transportation Planning Curriculum For Urban Planning Programs, Kristine M. Williams, Tia Claridge, Alexandria Carroll

TREC Final Reports

Integrated multimodal transportation and land use planning is critical to advancing mode choice, public health and safety, and livability objectives. Communities across the U.S. are seeking to redefine their planning process accordingly. In response, university graduate urban planning and engineering programs are beginning to address multimodal planning and sustainable transportation, but most do not yet offer a robust curriculum on these topics. To help address this need, the University of South Florida (USF), Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) developed a curriculum for a course on multimodal transportation planning and its role in advancing livability and related objectives. The course …

The Impact Of Successful Ncaa Division I Athletics Programs On The Social Capital Of Urban Communities, Paul Woody

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examined how urban communities might grow social capital from the passion and support offered by a college athletics program. Given the increasing emphasis on fiscal responsibility from local governments and public universities, recognizing how college athletics programs influence local community social capital, such as anchor attachments formed by alumni and fans, is an important perspective. Historically, the exhausted conversation has focused on economics, such as the economic impact of athletic venues and franchises. (Coates, 2007; Crompton, 2004). Through decades of research, social capital has been measured at various depths and viewed through social, economic, psychological, and even historical …

The Role Of School Boards In Addressing Opportunity And Equity For English Learners In The U.S. Mountain West, Carrie Sampson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Locally-elected school boards in the United States may be the public’s closest democratic link to public education. Yet, little is known about how school boards balance their representational obligations with their responsibilities to address educational inequities. The purpose of this study is to examine how school boards address policies and practices for one of education’s most vulnerable populations, English learners (EL). Applying the conceptual framework of social construction theory for policy design, which assumes that policy is heavily influenced by the social construction of target groups, this multiple-case study includes data from 30 interviews, four years of school board meeting …

Selling College: Student Recruitment And Education Reform Rhetoric In The Age Of Privatization, Paige Marie Hermansen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the success of for-profit colleges and universities (FPCUs) as a socio-cultural phenomenon that hinges on distinct public discursive strains and neoliberal rhetorics. This project examines the role of language in creating and sustaining particular discourses of higher education and how those discourses are reinforced and reflected in channels of discourse like documentary films and advertisements.

In the context of shifting demands on and representations of higher education, this project critiques the evolving rhetoric of American education and the shift toward a wider acceptance of privatization efforts, as well as the effect this shift has had on prospective …

Advanced Placement In Arkansas: Increasing Equity, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

Each spring, secondary students across Arkansas sit for Advanced Placement (AP) Exams. Arkansas has one of the most aggressive policies promoting AP in the nation. Despite this, Arkansas students are still struggling with inequitable and inadequate access to AP courses. This brief examines the effects of Arkansas’ AP legislation on equity, adequacy, and productivity in AP policy, particularly for the state’s low-income and minority students.

Deciphering Foreign Actions: A Focus On Russia's Foreign Policy Objectives, Stephanie A. W. King

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Business & Technology Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by Stephanie A.W. King on April 26, 2016

Announcement: 7th Annual Graduate Research Symposium, Greenspun College Of Urban Affairs

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

Join the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs in celebrating graduate students’ research. The Graduate Research Symposium offers opportunities for graduate students from several Urban Affairs academic programs to present their research in an informal environment.

Awards will be presented to the top three presenters.

2015 Arkansas Report Card, Sarah Mckenzie, Gary Ritter

Education Report Card

The Office for Education Policy is pleased to bring you its 2015 Arkansas Report Card for highlighting our students’ characteristics and educational performance through the 2014-2015 academic year. his year marked the first significant change in student assessment in more than a decade, the implementation of a letter grade system for grading schools, and new national data from the NAEP. As we head into a new assessment system this spring, we hope the data presented within continue the conversation that surrounds our education system. The following data are intended to provide a snapshot of K-12 education in our state. Although …

Torch (April 2016), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

Civic and Community Engagement | Civil Rights and Discrimination | Education | Gender and Sexuality | Inequality and Stratification | Politics and Social Change | Public Policy | Race and Ethnicity

How To Run A Production Management Internship, Elana Schlossberg

Capstone Projects 2015-Present

In Summer 2015, I was a production management intern at Williamstown Theatre Festival (WTF) in Williamstown, MA. From this experience, I discovered that, while the internship was a great overall experience, there were some aspects missing from the program. As an intern, I recognized that there were educational opportunities at WTF of which the intern supervisors did not take advantage. This project is my Master’s of Public Administration capstone project, and is important because it has the potential to change the course of the production management internship at WTF, and potentially at other theatre companies nationwide.

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

UC Publications

No abstract provided.

Rural Civic Action Project Poster, Heartland Center For Leadership Development

Heartland Center for Leadership Development Materials

The final project for the Rural Civic Action Project is to create a poster that includes the Community Capital Mapping activity (CCMA; Keith & Kinsey, 2013). The Community Capital Maps provide an opportunity to evaluate the impact of the projects from the participants’ perspective. Fellows should include one map on their poster: the center of the map should be “Engaging in the Rural Civic Action Program. Also included on the poster is a narrative describing the map.

Recommendations And Resources For Evaluating Community School Programs, Janet C. Fairman Ph.D., Amy F. Johnson Phd

School Improvement

The legislative definition of “community schools” is intentionally broad and anticipates the possibility that community schools might vary significantly in their locally-developed goals and intervention programs. The needs of students and their families may vary by community, as does the array of existing resources available in the surrounding area. This leads to a broad set of possible strategies that may imply different expected outcomes and evaluation processes.

The grant program requires pilot schools to meet certain application criteria. Applications require schools to submit an audit or needs assessment, a community resources assessment, an outline of plans and goals based on …