Sociology Commons^™

Mathematics Achievement Gaps Between Suburban Students And Their Rural And Urban Peers Increase Over Time, Suzanne E. Graham, Lauren E. Provost

Carsey Publications

In this brief, authors Suzanne Graham and Lauren Provost examine whether attending a school in a rural, urban, or suburban community is related to children’s mathematics achievement in kindergarten, and whether increases in mathematics achievement between kindergarten and eighth grade differ for children in rural, urban, and suburban schools. They also consider whether achievement differs by region of the country and for children of different racial and ethnic groups. Finally, they discuss the impact of a family’s socioeconomic status, and the ways in which place and socioeconomic status together affect both early mathematics achievement levels and change over time. They …

Who Cares For The Sick Kids? Parents’ Access To Paid Time To Care For A Sick Child, Kristin Smith, Andrew P. Schaefer

Carsey Publications

This brief analyzes employed parents’ access to five or more paid sick days annually to care for a sick child in 2008. Using data from the 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce collected by the Families and Work Institute (the most recent data available in the series), authors Kristin Smith and Andrew Schaefer analyze differences in access between employed mothers and fathers by demographic and work-related characteristics. They report that, in 2008, more than one-half—52 percent—of employed parents lacked access to at least five paid sick days to care for a sick child, and lower-earning parents had the least …

Understanding Child Abuse In Rural And Urban America: Risk Factors And Maltreatment Substantiation, Wendy A. Walsh, Marybeth J. Mattingly

Carsey Publications

Using a large national sample of child maltreatment reports, this brief compares the outcomes of child maltreatment cases in rural versus urban places and identifies the characteristics associated with substantiation. Child abuse cases substantiated in rural and urban areas share many caregiver risk factors, such as drug and alcohol abuse, and many family stressors. Substantiation is equally likely across income levels; approximately one-fourth of cases in each income level are substantiated. However, when place is taken into account, a greater share (36 percent) of higher-income families (that is, families with incomes greater than 200 percent of the federal poverty level) …

Renters More Often Burdened By Housing Costs After Recession: Nearly Half Of All Renters Spent Over 30 Percent Of Income On Housing By 2010, Jessica A. Bean

Carsey Publications

This brief uses data from the 2007 and 2010 American Community Survey to document changes in the proportion of household income spent on rental costs (rent plus utilities) during the Great Recession, by region (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West) and place type (rural, suburban, or central city location). Particular attention is paid to how patterns of cost burden vary among renters of different ages and income levels and to the policy implications of these findings. Author Jessica Bean reports that nationwide, nearly half (49 percent) of all renters were “cost burdened” in 2010, spending more than 30 percent of their …

The Effects Of State Eitc Expansion On Children’S Health, Reagan A. Baughman

Carsey Publications

This brief examines the impact of state-level adoption of Earned Income Tax Credits (EITCs) on a set of health-related outcomes for children, including: (1) health insurance coverage, (2) use of preventive medical and dental care, and (3) health status measures including maternal reports of child health and body mass index. It also considers the possibility that the effect of the EITC on these outcomes may vary depending on where a child lives; families in urban and rural communities have different access to medical care and other resources that promote good health. Author Reagan Baughman reports that the expansion of state …

Coos County Teens’ Family Relationships, Corinna J. Tucker, Desiree Wiesen-Martin

Carsey Publications

This fact sheet examines Coos County, New Hampshire teens’ perceptions of their family relationship experiences using data from the Coos Youth Study collected in 2011 from 418 eleventh graders in all Coos County public schools. Authors Corinna Jenkins Tucker and Desiree Wiesen-Martin report that Coos older adolescents feel close to their parents and siblings but also argue with them. A small group of youths report perpetrating violence on a family member.

Cdfi Industry Analysis: Summary Report, 508 Compliant Version, Michael E. Swack, Jack Northrup, Eric Hangen

Carsey Publications

The Carsey Institute, under contract to NeighborWorks® America and the U.S. Department of Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, conducted a detailed analysis of a large sample of community development financial institutions (CDFIs) on issues of capitalization, liquidity and portfolio, and risk management by CDFIs from 2005 to 2010. This work is part of the CDFI Fund's Capacity Building Initiative. The purpose of the report is to explore issues of capitalization, liquidity, and portfolio and risk management by CDFIs.

Cdfi Industry Analysis: Summary Report, Michael E. Swack, Jack Northrup, Eric Hangen

Carsey Publications

The Carsey Institute, under contract to NeighborWorks® America and the U.S. Department of Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, conducted a detailed analysis of a large sample of community development financial institutions (CDFIs) on issues of capitalization, liquidity and portfolio, and risk management by CDFIs from 2005 to 2010. This work is part of the CDFI Fund's Capacity Building Initiative. The purpose of the report is to explore issues of capitalization, liquidity, and portfolio and risk management by CDFIs.

Sextrafficking Of Minors: How Many Juvenilesare Being Prostituted In The Us?, Michelle L. Stransky, David Finkelhor

Crimes Against Children Research Center

There have been many attempts to estimate the number of juveniles who are being prostituted (or trafficked) within the United States. These estimates range from 1,400 to 2.4 mil‐ lion, although most fall between 300,000 and 600,000. BUT PLEASE DO NOT CITE THESE NUMBERS. READ ON. A close look at these diverse estimates reveals that none are based on a strong scientific foundation. They are mostly educated guesses or extrapolations based on questionable assumptions. They do not have the substance of typically re‐ ported crime statistics, like the number of robberies or the number of child sexual abuse victims. The …

New Hampshire Demographic Trends In The Twenty-First Century, Kenneth M. Johnson

Carsey Publications

This brief summarizes current population redistribution trends in the Granite State and shows how fertility, mortality, and migration contributed to these trends. According to the 2010 census, New Hampshire gained 80,700 residents (a 6.5 percent increase) between 2000 and 2010, mostly during the earlier years of the decade. Migration contributed 35,400 to the population gain, and the excess of births over deaths accounted for 45,300. Author Ken Johnson reports that New Hampshire currently does not have a large population of seniors, but a rapid increase in the older population is inevitable and coming soon.

Mapping Food Insecurity And Food Sources In New Hampshire Cities And Towns, Barbara Wauchope, Sally Ward

Carsey Publications

Using a series of detailed New Hampshire maps, this brief presents a geographic picture of the towns and cities at risk for food insecurity as well as the food resources available across the state. By detailing places with high food insecurity risk and comparing them to places where food is available, these maps show areas of unmet need. This information will enable organizations partnering with New Hampshire Hunger Solutions to identify where initiatives addressing food insecurity and hunger could have the greatest potential impact.

Forest Views: Northeast Oregon Survey Looks At Community And Environment, Lawrence C. Hamilton, Joel N. Hartter, Forrest Stevens, Russell G. Congalton, Mark J. Ducey, Michael Campbell, Daniel Maynard, Michael Staunton

Carsey Publications

This brief reports on a survey conducted in fall 2011 as one component of the ongoing Communities and Forests in Oregon (CAFOR) project. The CAFOR project focuses on the people and landscapes of three counties in northeast Oregon (Baker, Union, and Wallowa), where landscapes and communities are changing in interconnected ways.

Child And Youth Victimization Known To Police, School, And Medical Authorities., David Finkelhor, Richard Ormrod, Heather Turner, Sherry L. Hamby

Crimes Against Children Research Center

Presents the survey results from the National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV) regarding authorities' knowledge of victimization incidents involving children and youth, particularly police, school, and medical authorities. Compared with a similar study in the early 1990s, the survey found that authorities were more likely to know about NatSCEV survey participants' exposure to violence, which may reflect efforts by authorities, criminal justice and child protection agencies, and advocates to promote disclosure. This increase in disclosure is also consistent with the decrease in child victimizations during the last two decades. The survey found that 46 percent of children who …

Trends In Law Enforcement Responses Totechnology‐Facilitated Child Sexual Exploitation Crimes: Thethird National Juvenile Onlinevictimization Study (Njov‐3), Janis Wolak, David Finkelhor, Kimberly J. Mitchell

Crimes Against Children Research Center

Abstract

Overall arrests for technology‐facilitated child sexual exploita‐ tion crimes did not continue to increase from 2006 to 2009 as they had earlier in the decade. However, arrests for child por‐ nography possession increased by about 50% from 2006 to 2009. In addition, arrests for technology‐facilitated sex crimes with identified victims doubled, but the increase was in cases where offenders knew their victims in person, not cases in which they met online. Arrests of offenders who solicited undercover police posing as minors declined between 2006 and 2009, after rising earlier in the decade. The decline may be because of shifts …

Trends In Arrests For Child Pornography Production: The Third National Juvenile Online Victimization Study (Njov‐3), Janis Wolak, David Finkelhor, Kimberly J. Mitchell

Crimes Against Children Research Center

Arrests for child pornography (CP) production more than dou‐ bled between 2006 and 2009. This rise was driven largely by a dramatic increase in cases involving “youth‐produced” sexual images – pictures taken by minors, usually of themselves, which met legal definitions of child pornography. In most of these cases, an adult offender who solicited images from a minor was the person arrested. Reflecting this trend, there were also in‐ creases in the proportion of adolescent victims and of cases in which victims and offenders were face‐to‐face acquaintances.

Trends In Arrests For Child Pornography Possession: Thethird National Juvenile Onlinevictimization Study (Njov‐3), Janis Wolak, David Finkelhor, Kimberly J. Mitchell

Crimes Against Children Research Center

Abstract

Arrests for the possession of child pornography (CP) increased between 2006 and 2009 by one‐third, continuing an increase that also occurred between 2000 and 2006. In 2009, a substantial proportion of arrested CP offenders used peer‐to‐peer (P2P) file sharing technology to access contraband images. These arrests may reflect the enhanced ability of law enforcement to monitor file sharing sites. CP possessors who used P2P technology tended to have more extreme images than other CP possessors, which may reflect police investigative methods. However, compared to 2006 arrests, those in 2009 turned up a somewhat smaller pro‐ portion of “dual offenders,” …

A New Moral Socialization Model: Wrongfulness And Legal Atitutde As Mediators In Predicting Adolescent Rule-Violating Behavior, Kristen M. Williams

Honors Theses and Capstones

One of the most baffling questions in delinquency literature is why some adolescents engage in these rule-violating behaviors while others refrain. Some researchers have found support for a link between moral reasoning and rule-violating behaviors (Blasi, 1980). The legal socialization model includes legal attitudes as the mediator between the two (Cohn, Bucolo, Rebellon & Van Gundy, 2010). In the current two studies, the researchers tested a moral socialization model with wrongfulness and approval as mediators based on data from middle and high school students as well as college students. In the first study, the model was tested longitudinally with middle …

Activism In The Gulf Coast After The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Sara Em Gassman

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Motherhood Earnings Penalty: A Study Of Inequity Between Daycare Providers And Elementary School Teachers, Amanda Regis

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

English-Only Policy And Belief In The United States, Lauren E. White

Honors Theses and Capstones

English-Only initiatives are commonplace in the United States. Proponents of Official English would like to make the official language of the United States English despite the prestige English already has in the United States. The motivations behind this movement are varied and have substantial effects on the opinion of the American population. This paper examines a group of American residents in the Northeast, aged 18 and older. States considered Northeastern in this study are Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. The survey distributed contains questions on the topic of English- only issues, …

Demographic Change In The Northern Forest, Kenneth M. Johnson, Susan I. Stewart, Miranda H. Mockrin

Carsey Publications

This brief examines the population redistribution in the Northern Forest, which includes thirty-four counties scattered across northern and central Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. Authors Ken Johnson, Susan Stewart, and Miranda Mockrin report that the population of the Northern Forest grew modestly between 2000 and 2010, and the population gains were greatest in recreational areas and least in manufacturing areas. Racial and ethnic diversity is also growing in the Northern Forest, and the population is getting older due to aging in place among current residents and net outmigration among younger populations.

The Local Agricultural Community Exchange: Outcomes And Lessons Learned From A Public-Private Initiative To Revitalize A Downtown Community, Michele Cranwell Schmidt

Carsey Publications

This brief describes a revitalization project in Barre, Vermont, led by a public-private partnership involving the Agricultural Community Exchange, the Central Vermont Community Action Council, and the private businesses that operated out of the storefront. The Nancy Nye Fellowship, through the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire, supported the evaluation of the project from 2007 to 2010. After four years of operation, the market, café, and Gallery closed due to economic hardship. Author Michele Schmidt, the 2008 recipient of the Nancy Nye Fellowship, examines the impact the initiative had on community revitalization and economic development, and she cites …

Rural Demographic Change In The New Century: Slower Growth, Increased Diversity, Kenneth M. Johnson

Carsey Publications

This brief examines rural demographic trends in the first decade of the twenty-first century using newly available data from the 2010 Census. The rural population grew by just 2.2 million between 2000 and 2010—a gain barely half as great as that during the 1990s. Population growth was particularly slow in farming and mining counties and sharply reduced in rural manufacturing counties. Rural population gains were largest in high-amenity counties and just beyond the metropolitan fringe. Diversity accelerated in rural America, with racial and ethnic minorities accounting for 83 percent of rural population growth between 2000 and 2010.

Lack Of Protections For Home Care Workers: Overtime Pay And Minimum Wage, Kristin Smith

Carsey Publications

This brief examines overtime hours and hourly wages among home care workers (home health aides and personal care aides) and compares them with hospital and nursing home aides. These aides engage in similar work for their clients, even though they work in different institutional settings. Yet, home health aides and personal care aides have higher poverty rates (20 percent and 28 percent, respectively) than hospital aides and nursing home aides (about 12 percent for both). In addition, they typically work fewer hours per week, have lower rates of health insurance coverage, rely on public assistance to a greater extent, and …

Public Knowledge About Polar Regions Increases While Concerns Remain Unchanged, Lawrence C. Hamilton, Matthew J. Cutler, Andrew P. Schaefer

Carsey Publications

The authors of this brief conduct the first comparative analysis of the polar questions that were part of the National Opinion Research Center's 2006 and 2010 General Social Survey. Developed by scientists at the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs, these questions covered topics such as climate change, melting ice and rising sea levels, and species extinction. The authors report that the public's knowledge about the north and south polar regions significantly improved between 2006 and 2010--before and after the International Polar Year. In addition, respondents who know more about science in general, and polar facts specifically, tend to …

New England Genetics Collaborative Results Of The Stakeholder Survey For Project Year Four, Peter Antal

Institute on Disability

Stakeholder feedback offers a range of critical and helpful insights into the potential next steps for the collaborative as it carriers on activities for Project Year Five and plans for a new grant application. To facilitate this feedback, the NEGC conducts an annual survey of its stakeholders to identify concerns, document how the project is doing, and solicit suggestions for improvement. One hundred forty-one email invitations were sent out between October and November 2011 to stakeholders of the New England Genetic Collaborative (NEGC). Of these, one opted out and 63 provided responses (45% response rate).

Since the 2009 report, there …

New England Genetics Collaborative Annual Evaluation Report For Project Year Four, Peter Antal

Institute on Disability

This annual report covers the activities of the New England Genetics Collaborative (NEGC) from June 1, 2010 to May 31, 2011. The purpose of this report is to provide the reader with additional documentation on the utilization of grant funds and what has been achieved as a result, to provide an overview of NEGC activities for both old and new partners, and to offer recommendations for the collaborative's improvement and ultimate achievement of its mission and vision.

Consumer Rights Screening Tool For Domestic Violence Advocates And Lawyers, Leah A. Plunkett, Erica A. Sussman

Law Faculty Scholarship

The information is this document is intended for use by advocates and attorneys working with survivors of domestic violence in understanding the common types of consumer problems faced by the survivors. The document provides an overview of the common consumer issues faced by survivors and offers solid guidance on how advocates and attorneys can identify these issues when working the survivors. The report begins with an overview of the role of economic abuse in cases of domestic violence. This is followed by a brief look at common consumer issues faced by survivors that include managing household income and expenses, credit …

Review Essay, Property Outlaws: How Squatters, Pirates, And Protesters Improve The Law Of Ownership By Eduardo Moisés Peñalver And Sonia K. Katyal, Ann Bartow

Law Faculty Scholarship

[Excerpt] "This book challenges the notion that rigidly fostering stability in the private ownership of property is the only appropriate goal of the legal system. The authors assert that dynamic sociopolitical responses to civil disobedience by lawbreakers sometimes propel beneficial legal reforms in a wide array of contexts. Property outlaws with clean hands and good hearts, they argue, can productively draw attention to the need to reform ossified property laws. In the words sometimes attributed to the historical rock star of successful civil disobedience Mohandas Ghandi: “First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then …

2012 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium, Andrew Houtenville, Tony Ruiz

Institute on Disability

The Annual Disability Statistics Compendium is a publication of statistics on people with disabilities and government programs that serve the population with disabilities and is modeled after the Statistical Abstracts of the United States, published yearly by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Compendium is designed to serve as a reference guide to government publications. At the bottom of each table, the source of data appearing in each table is presented. These referenced sources contain additional statistical and information about the way the underlying data were collected and the statistics were generated. Each year, the Compendium is updated to reflect …