Public Policy Commons^™

Site Visitation: School Leaders' Perceptions Of A Diagnostic Tool For School Improvement, Mary Shannon C. Chiasson

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This case study explored the use of site-visitation as a diagnostic tool for school improvement. Nine charter schools in New Orleans were selected for the study. Based on qualitative research and systems theory, a within- and cross-case analysis of nine semi-structured interviews with school leaders were conducted. The school leaders’ experiences with the state-run site-visitation model and their use of the findings for school improvement was explored. The findings led to the development of a hybrid accountability model that encompasses the components school leaders believe will lead to school improvement. This study aims to assist educators, policy makers, and researchers …

Fifty Years Of Weathering The Storm: Are The Louisiana Gulf Coastal Parishes Prepared For Another Major Hurricane?, Danielle L. Boudreau

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This study examines ten major storms that have affected Louisiana in the last fifty years, beginning with Hurricane Betsy in 1965. The goal is to determine if the nine coastal parishes are prepared adequately for another major hurricane impact. It examines storms that have affected the state physically, in terms of property and ecological damages. It also considers storms that provided non-physical influences, by way of mitigation policy changes and social, economical, ecological, and political policy alterations. The main focus is on the transformations, if any, of social vulnerability in light of emergency preparedness in the areas impacted, particularly along …

The Evolving Context Of Mine Action, David Atwood

Global CWD Repository

The purpose of this study is two-fold:

1) To examine the changing nature of arms control and disarmament, focusing on what appear to be a few of the most promising frameworks for tackling the relationship between weapons management and the wider goals of development, security and peacebuilding

2) To reflect that thinking back onto mine action itself.

The study, by providing an overview of the wider context within which mine action is operating, sketches out dimensions that seem of particular relevance to thinking about the future of mine action in an increasingly complex and challenging global context.

Adults With Intellectual Disability Or Autism Spectrum Disorder. Executive Summary, Kimberly I. Snow Mhsa, Ba, Stuart Bratesman Mpp, Taryn Bowe, Julie T. Fralich Mba

Disability & Aging

This chartbook describes Maine’s historical trends in meeting the needs of adults with ID/ASD through institutional and community based services in comparison to other states; a detailed analysis of the population’s utilization of different types of services and their costs in SFY 2010; the implementation of the Supports Intensity Scale (SIS) as a means of identifying the supports needs of the adults with ID/ASD; and the complement of providers serving this population in Maine.

The Underlying Factors Driving The Push For Universal Suffrage In Hong Kong, Anthony Hoyin Wong

Political Science

This paper examines the current civil unrest in Hong Kong to determine the underlying causes that are driving Occupy Central and its affiliates to pressure the Central Government in Beijing and the Hong Kong government for universal suffrage. Drawing upon data from the 2003, 2007, and 2010 Asian Barometer, there has been a gradual decline in the level of trust in the Legislative Council and Hong Kong government as the majority of Hong Kong residents have expressed increasing uncertainty about their future economic situation along with their continual distrust in the abilities of government officials to serve the public. From …

National Capacities And Residual Contamination | Liberia, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

This case study forms part of a broader GICHD study on national capacities and residual contamination and is based on both desk-top research and findings from a GICHD mission to Liberia in March 2014. The purpose of the report is to document Liberia’s experience of developing national clearance capacities to address residual contamination, and to identify and present good practices and lessons learnt.

Ddasaccident804, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Deminer investigated the mound by detector, than removed it up to the original surface of the ground. During checking the hard surface by detector the deminer detected a subsurface signal. During the excavation of the second layer the sudden detonation of mine occurred.

Development Discourse And Practice: Alternatives And New Directions From Postcolonial Perspectives, Paul Donnelly, Banu Ozkazanc-Pan

Books/Book Chapters

Development and aid programs, such as those aimed at promoting economic growth and prosperity in ‘Third World’ nations and transition economies, often arise out of Western and neo-liberal policy ideologies and practices. These programs may, in some cases, provide useful guidelines for restructuring institutional structures and governance mechanisms in nations that have long struggled with poverty, economic instability, health crises, and social and political turmoil. However, a growing number of critical voices are raising concerns over the guiding assumptions and inclusiveness of these policies and programs in their aims to promote economic development and social well-being in non-Western nations. We …

An Analysis Of Political And Legal Debates Concerning Medicaid Expansion In Virginia, Rick Mayes, Benjamin Paul

Political Science Faculty Publications

The Supreme Court’s historic June 2012 ruling regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius set the stage for a massive federalism battle over Medicaid expansion in the United States. The original language of the Act was intended to nationalize Medicaid by having every state expand their program’s eligibility to all individuals up to 138% of the federal poverty level. This would have significantly reshaped Medicaid, a joint federal-state health insurance program, into a universal entitlement for all low-income citizens. Currently, Medicaid eligibility varies dramatically from state to state. The Court held that the …

Farm Bill Trends And Food Insecurity: Impacts On Rural And Urban Communities, Adell Brown Jr., Susan E. Nelson

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

With the constraints in federal budgeting requiring the shrinkage of federal programs, programs outlined in the 2014 Farm Bill are significantly impacted, showing a thirteen year trend toward funding reduction. This paper examines historical Farm Bill programs, including crop subsidies and the nutritional assistance programs and how these programs historically addressed food insecurity versus how they are impacted by today’s budgetary constraints. The paper also examines new models for addressing food insecurity and how communities are pulling together resources to address food insecurity. In discussing the new models, the paper focuses on policy trends and funding structures; for example community …

Assessment Of Mozambique's National Capacities And To Manage Residual Contamination, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Mozambique is committed to having completed implementation of its mine clearance obligations under Article 5 of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) by 1 January 2015. This will, for the most part, marks the end of proactive demining efforts in Mozambique. It is understood that it is always possible that previously unknown mined areas may be discovered after completion has been declared.

With a view to being able to manage residual contamination once completion of international treaty obligations has been declared and pro-active humanitarian demining efforts have ended, Mozambique's National Demining Institute (IND) requested the GICHD to conduct an assessment …

Doing No Harm? Mine Action And Land Issues In Cambodia, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

This report includes recommendations that seek to build upon good practice and strengthen systems and processes to ensure mine action efforts not only do no harm, but also bring the maximum possible benefits to beneficiary households and the socio-economic development of Cambodia as a whole. The recommendations, described in detail in the report, include the following:

• improving coordination between mine action and land actors, and their respective prioritisation processes;
• providing land rights training for mine action actors;
• strengthening post clearance monitoring and evaluation; and
• improving the flexibility of current funding modalities.

To Walk The Earth In Safety 13th Edition (Fy2013), Us Dos Pm/Wra

Global CWD Repository

The 13th edition of To Walk the Earth in Safety describes the programs and partnerships that comprise the U.S. Conventional Weapons Destruction (CWD) Program. Since 1993, the U.S. has led the international donor community in reducing the harmful effects of poorly secured, unstable or illegally traded conventional weapons of war. We have contributed over $2.3 billion to more than 90 countries around the world.

This mission resonates with my own experience. I started my career in Afghanistan, where explosive remnants of war had already claimed thousands of lives. I am proud to be in a position to oversee U.S. efforts …

The Humanitarian And Developmental Impact Of Anti-Vehicle Mines, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Anti-vehicle mines (AVMs) have always had a humanitarian impact, but their significance has often been overshadowed by the higher-profile topic of anti-personnel mines (APMs), and thus the need to address AVMs has been neglected. In some countries, AVMs now present a greater threat to civilian populations than APMs, yet they are often viewed as a marginal issue in international fora. This publication seeks to depict the physical, social, economic and developmental impact of AVMs. AVMs are landmines designed to be triggered by vehicles rather than individual people. They can remain active for decades, and a number of them are difficult …

The Fifth Meeting Of States Parties To The Convention On Cluster Munitions (2014), Ccm

Global CWD Repository

On 2 September 2014, the Fifth Meeting of States Parties was opened by the Permanent Representative of Zambia to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, Encyla Sinjela, on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Zambia and President of the Fourth Meeting of States Parties to the Convention, Harry Kalaba. This was preceded by an opening ceremony in San José on 1 September 2014, which was hosted by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica, Manuel A. González Sanz, and attended by the President of Costa Rica, Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera.

Doing No Harm? Mine Action And Land Issues In Cambodia, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Land conflict, tenure insecurity and an inequitable distribution of land are among the most pressing challenges facing Cambodia today. In a country in which most people depend on agriculture, livestock rearing, fishing and forest products for their livelihoods, secure access to safe and productive land is crucial. Yet, over the past decade land conflict has increased dramatically, with one NGO reporting having recorded disputes involving 700,000 people between 2000 and 2012. Land distribution is highly unequal: In 2010 it was estimated that just one percent of the population owned 30 percent of Cambodia’s land.

In addition to land-related disputes, landlessness …

The Maputo Review Conference Outcome Document, Apmbc

Global CWD Repository

A valuable reference manual about the Convention has been released by the Implementation Support Unit (ISU), thanks to funding provided by the European Union.

The brochure serves as a valuable reference tool, as it contains the Convention’s text and the main outcome documents from the June 2014 Maputo Review Conference:

• the Maputo Action Plan,
• the Maputo +15 Declaration and,
• the mandates of the Convention’s committees and office holders.

Living And Aging In Newton: Now And In The Future, Bernard A. Steinman, Hayley Gleason, Ceara Somerville, Jan E. Mutchler, Center For Social And Demographic Research On Aging, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Gerontology Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Gerontology Institute Publications

This report describes collaborative efforts undertaken by the City of Newton Department of Senior Services, the Newton Council on Aging, The Senior Citizens Fund of Newton, Inc., and the Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging, within the McCormack Graduate School at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Beginning in Fall 2013, these organizations partnered to conduct a needs assessment study to investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of the City’s older resident population, with respect to living and aging in Newton. The focus of this report is on two cohorts of Newton residents—those aged 50 to 59 (referred …

Double Segregation, Julian Maxwell Hayter

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

Opinion: On the 60th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, how many of our youth are we willing to sacrifice at the altar of educational inequality?

The Fatherhood Factor: The Impact Of The Father-Child Relationship On The Social, Interpersonal, And Recidivism Risk Factors Of Previously Incarcerated Men, Larissa A. Maley

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Of the men who return home from prison, nearly 7 out of 10 will be re-arrested and sent back within 3 years of their release (Travis, Solomon, & Waul, 2001). This trend has large- scale implications, not just for individuals, but for their families and communities as well. Clearly, understanding the factors that contribute to a man’s success or failure in staying out of prison is extremely important in constructing policy and programs to assist these at-risk individuals and communities. Of the few studies that have explored the lives of previously incarcerated men, some have found fatherhood to be a …

The Productivity Of Public Charter Schools, Patrick J. Wolf, Albert Cheng, Meagan Batdorf, Larry D. Maloney, Jay F. May, Sheree T. Speakman

School Choice Demonstration Project

This is the first national study of the productivity of public charter schools relative to district schools. This report is a follow up to the charter school revenue study, Charter School Funding: Inequity Expands, released in April 2014 by the School Choice Demonstration Project at the University of Arkansas. That study was authored by the same research team that crafted this report. In the revenue study, per pupil revenues for public charter schools and traditional public schools (TPS) were compared. The research team found that during the 2010-11 school year (FY11), charter-school students across 30 states and the District of …

Absence Of Evidence And Evidence Of Absence In The Effects Of Same Sex Marriage Laws On Rates Of Opposite Sex Marriage, Alexis Dinno

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

This presentation will explore the question of whether legal recognition of same sex marriages affects state- rates of opposite sex marriages in the U.S., with attention given to statistical methods for equivalence testing.

Lessons From Lived Experience: From Fresh Insights To Effective Action, Lisa Deangelis, Maureen A. Scully, Andrea Wight

Emerging Leaders Program Team Projects

The 34 fellows in the 2014 Emerging Leaders Program worked with community partners to generate the theme, “Learning from Lived Experience: From fresh insights to effective action." Each year, the projects draw upon a theme or lesson from the prior year. Last year and this year, fellows saw how the lived experiences of both their stakeholders and themselves generated nuanced and appropriate approaches to problem-solving. The fellows worked with six community partners, giving their time and professional skills to understand how to frame complex social challenges, engage new partners and resources, and sharpen strategic plans. They conducted surveys, interviews, open …

Cen Workshop Agreement, Test And Evaluation Of Digger D-250, Swedish Eod And Demining Centre

Global CWD Repository

During the last week of May 2014, the Digger D-250 was tested at one of SWEDEC facilities – the Norra Kulla Test Site - near Eksjö, Sweden. This test was planned and facilitated by SWEDEC. The methodology specified in CEN Workshop Agreement”CEN Workshop Agreement 15044; Test and Evaluation of Demining Machines” was used. It started with a performance test and ended up with an extended survivability test. The machine was tested with a tiller tool. These tests make the content of this report. The tracked, remotely controlled Digger D-250, weight approximately 12 tonnes, fits into what is normally regarded as …

Ddasaccident818, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Two Cambodian demining experts were killed in Battambang province’s Samlot district on Saturday after detonating an anti-tank mine while carrying out clearance work in the former Khmer Rouge stronghold.

The primary cause of this accident is listed as ‘Inadequate training’ because the Victims were apparently cutting undergrowth (grass) in a manner that detonated an anti-tank mine (which is designed to require the weight of a heavy vehicle to detonate). It is uncertain what vegetation cutting tools they were using. It is possible that an anti-personnel mine was placed on top of the anti-tank mine and one victim stepped on the …

Characteristics Of Working Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Recipients In Maine, According To The 2011 American Community Survey, Victoria Ryan

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federal program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). SNAP is designed to provide assistance in purchasing food to low income households in the United States. In Maine, individual benefits are administered by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Formerly (and still colloquially) known as the Food Stamp program, SNAP makes a dollar-value benefit, based on income, household size, household expenses, and a host of other factors, available to households via a debit or Electronic Benefit Card for the purchase of unprepared food from grocery and convenience stores, …

Ddasaccident823, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The Board of Investigation report records that this was a BAC accident involving an “uncontrolled detonation” of a submunition. It was investigated at Ayta el Jabel on 7th May 2014 by the Chief of QA from the Regional Mine Action Centre (N).

On the 7th of May 2014 at [International demining NGO] task CBU-764, an uncontrolled detonation of a BLU-63 sub-munition occurred while [International demining NGO] searcher [the Victim] was removing stones in his lane and led to his death. [The Victim] sustained severe injuries from fragmentations of the detonated BLU-63 in the whole face, amputation of the five fingers …

Ddasaccident811, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The accident occurred outside of cleared and marked area, in the bank of Panj River, just 3m away from water line. TL left his helmet and map case in the cleared area (found later in systematic technical survey lane), stepped over the marking and proceeded passing through the uncleared dangerous area towards to river. The foot prints on the ground are clearly visible where TL stepped over the marking. The distance (straight line) between this place and place of explosion is 77m.

Charter School Funding: Inequity Expands, Meagan Batdorf, Larry D. Maloney, Jay F. May, Sheree T. Speakman, Patrick J. Wolf, Albert Cheng

School Choice Demonstration Project

The revenue study is based on Fiscal Year 2010‒11 (FY11) data for each of 30 selected states plus the District of Columbia (D.C.). Traditional school districts and public charter schools were analyzed and aggregated “statewide.” For each state, one to three “focus areas” were selected based on larger concentrations of charter students – most focus areas are large cities, some are metropolitan counties. Traditional school districts and charter schools were analyzed separately in each focus area. The analytic team collected and analyzed all revenues, public and private, flowing to traditional district and public charter schools. FY11 funding includes Federal, State, …

Bridges Between Worlds Conference, Apmbc

Global CWD Repository

Bridges between Worlds was an initiative to address some fundamental questions about the place of victim assistance in other domains, such as the worlds of disability, heath care, education, employment, development, poverty reduction and human rights.

Bridges between Worlds highlighted that those who care deeply about the ful lment of the Convention’s promise to landmine victims and survivors have much in common with those concerned with the well- being and the rights of women, girls, boys and men injured and living with disabilities regardless of the cause. There is strength in pursuing this unity of purpose and working together towards …