Browsing by Subject "policy"
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Item Addressing Barriers to Extended Foster Care(2023) Luna, Christina; Olinger, Emily; Weiner, EvelynFifteen years ago, federal legislation was passed which provided states with the option of allowing eligible individuals to remain in foster care beyond age 18, paving the way for Minnesota to establish its Extended Foster Care program in 2011. Through this program participants receive monthly stipends and case management support. Research indicates lasting positive effects for participants, as time spent in EFC is associated with positive outcomes such as decreased instances of homelessness and involvement in the criminal justice system. Still, little has been known about the utilization of the program in Minnesota. Our team sought to fill this gap in research by investigating the current utilization rate and factors that affect participation. To do so, we utilized a mixed-methods approach which included interviews with systems actors, summary statistics of program data, and a review of program documents. Through this process, our team identified key strengths, weaknesses, and barriers present in Minnesota’s. Ultimately, we propose recommendations related to data and evaluation, service delivery, program design, and investment in resources to remove barriers and increase participation.Item Big 10 Transgender Inclusive Policies and Practices(2020-12-22) Transgender Advisory Action Team; Maldonado, BrizaTransgender students across spaces of higher education face particular adversities both inside and outside of the classroom which translates into lower levels of graduation and higher levels of mental distress. Transgender faculty and staff face social stigma, wage disparities, and challenges in updating legal documents resulting in their misrepresentation in the workplace. Additionally, transgender university members across the country have reported higher rates of harassment and fear of their physical safety on their campuses. Given that transgender university members across the country face varying levels of stigma and adversity, this report aims to discuss the current policies and practices in place that enhance campus climate for transgender university members across institutions in the Big 10 collegiate conference.Item Collaborative Partnerships for Childhood Obesity Prevention: Trends and Correlates Nationally and a Case Study in Minnesota(2016-04) Pelletier, JenniferObesity affects nearly one in five children in the United States and costs billions of dollars to manage and treat. National advisors and funding agencies are increasingly encouraging multiple sectors of society to work together on childhood obesity prevention, yet the extent to which states are adopting and succeeding with this approach is unknown. In this dissertation, I address this gap in the literature using national surveillance data and a mixed methods case study in Minnesota. In study 1, I examined secular trends and state-level political, social, and economic conditions associated with collaboration on school nutrition and physical education (PE) activities nationally. Collaboration increased between 2000 and 2006 and decreased or stabilized between 2006 and 2012. The number of organizational collaborators in 2012 was higher in states with higher childhood obesity prevalence, higher poverty, higher public health funding, and a state-level PE coordinator. In study 2, I examined the prevalence of evidence-based state policies on competitive foods and PE between 2006 and 2012. Findings from generalized linear models indicate that strong state policies were unrelated to measures of collaboration and significantly positively associated with childhood obesity and state-level measures of socioeconomic disadvantage in 2012. In study 3, I used mixed methods to develop a theoretically informed process to identify and describe the roles of key stakeholders in a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) partnership in Minnesota. The Minnesota partnership was successful in implementing SRTS programs in nearly 200 communities and advocating for policy change to expand and institutionalize SRTS in the state. Findings indicate that contributors to success of sophisticated partnerships may differ across multiple geographic levels and core partnership functions. Overall, the findings from this dissertation suggest that collaborative partnerships are common and under some circumstances, such as SRTS in Minnesota, may contribute to adoption and/or implementation of policies to prevent childhood obesity.Item Competing and contesting constructions of ‘modern’ womanhood: A vertical case study examining the effects of international development discourse on marriage and education in rural Upper Egypt(2015-05) Sallam, MohamedIn the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) education is widely understood to play a key role in promoting gender equality and economic empowerment. In the MENA region generally, and Egypt in particular, "early-marriage" is implicated as one of the main barriers to educational access for girls living in rural areas. In 2001 inspired by the Egyptian Government's commitment to the principles of the United Nations Girl's Education Initiative (UNGEI), Population Council in Egypt developed Ishraq, a literacy and life-skills program targeting rural and adolescent out-of-school girls in Upper Egypt. This dissertation examines how conceptions of womanhood are framed at varying levels of the international development landscape, and the extent to which they affect and are affected by national policy considerations (represented by the UNGEI and the Ishraq Program) and local understandings around education and marriage in rural Upper Egypt. This research is guided by the assumption that education policy formation is grounded in particular values regarding the role and purpose of education for girls. Through utilizing a vertically-oriented design, this dissertation explores how international and national policy discussions come to shape the construction and implementation of development programs targeting girls at local levels. Emerging from my conversations, interviews, and many observations with former Ishraq participants, program stakeholders, and other young women in rural Upper Egypt - are varied experiences and understandings that participants related regarding what it means to be a "modern" woman in rural Upper Egypt during this current revolutionary moment. What is revealed is an interplay between transnational development discourse and how particular women in rural Upper Egypt women engage in the social contests concerning marriage and education. The experiences and understandings of participants situated at the most local levels suggest a dynamism and complexity around these social contests that is all but left out of the prevailing policy documents, program materials, and among the views of those responsible of the funding and design of the Ishraq program. Moreover, participants experiences with safety and security in rural Upper Egypt during this most recent period of political transition appears to be contributing to the further isolation of rural communities.Item Conversation with GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Jeff Johnson(2014-10-30) Johnson, Jeff; Jacobs, LawranceItem Documenting and Understanding the Link between Climate Change and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights Using a Case Study in Buikwe District, Uganda(2023-05-05) Buetow, Kristyn A; Kubrom, Selam Y; Shannon-Tamrat, Sisay E; Walkenhorst, Megan EThe University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs, in partnership with Regenerate Africa, collaborated on a study with two main objectives: 1. Conduct an assessment of Uganda´s capacity for integration of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the National Adaptation Plan processes 2. Document and understand the linkage and interconnectedness of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights/Family Planning and climate change. Researchers conducted 12 Key Informant Interviews and eight Focus Group Discussions with various expert stakeholders. The Focus Group Discussions were conducted within two communities of Ssi-Bukunja Sub-County, Buikwe District and shaped the case study model. The case study findings were then extrapolated to the larger Ugandan context by speaking to key informants in the Buikwe District and beyond. This report aims to provide Regenerate Africa and other key stakeholders with evidence on the link between climate change and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights/Family Planning in Uganda, and to apply this link to policy recommendations. The policy recommendations in this report are intended to be used in the comprehensive National Adaptation Plan for Uganda, which currently lacks a focus on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights/Family Planning. In addition, some recommendations are specific to local government, healthcare, and Civil Society Organizations. The Regenerate Africa team will disseminate this study’s findings and the findings of their larger study to policymakers and leaders of the other organizations mentioned. This report is intended to inspire more research with the inclusion of other communities throughout Uganda who have valuable insights on this topic. This project also marks the first capstone collaboration between the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs and Regenerate Africa, and encourages the continuation of this relationship.Item Early Intervention to Avoid Sex Trading and Trafficking of Minnesota's Female Youth: A Benefit-Cost Analysis(2012) Martin, Lauren; Lotspeich, Richard; Stark, LaurenItem Infectious Diseases, Livestock Production and Changing Public Health Policy in Southeast Asia(2017-07) Peck, MeganThis dissertation concentrates on two emerging trends influenced by national policies that pose potential public health and occupational risks for those involved in animal food production. These trends include the increased use of antimicrobials and its impact on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and agricultural policies to increase animal production and the re-emergence of a zoonotic disease, brucellosis. Overall the goal of this dissertation is to characterize and better understand the interaction between agricultural policy, animal husbandry practices, occupational risks and public health. Studies in this dissertation provide information on the re-emergence of a zoonotic disease and current and proposed policy frameworks to manage and protect public health from AMR. Diseases that are transmissible either directly or indirectly between animals and humans, such as AMR and brucellosis, pose significant threats to global animal and human health. As countries continue to adapt policy to increase food production, the spread and growth of disease needs to be considered. Findings from this research can be used to inform further studies on the impact of agriculture policies and infectious diseases in low resource settings, strengthen future policy, inform future training and education initiatives and provide greater awareness and understanding of factors influencing emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases.Item Interest Groups with Water and Related Land Resources Programs in Minnesota, 1971(Water Resources Research Center, University of Minnesota, 1972-02) Hills, David L.; Walton, William C.In 1971, there were at least 49 Interest groups in Minnesota with major Water and related land resources programs, 4 Leagues and Associations with minor water and related land resources programs, at least 80 organizations that tend to have a continuing interest in water and related land resources issues, and at least 150 National organizations concerned with water and related land resources programs which have or could have members in the State. The Minnesota Senate 1971 registration files for lobbyists listed 1lO lobbyists in the field of water and related land resources; the House files listed 138 lobbyists. Personnel of State agencies were among these lobbyists. Of the 53 Interest groups (49 Interests groups and 4 Leagues and Associations mentioned above), 40 were conservation-preservation oriented, 8 had the word environmental in their name, and 5 were development and management oriented. Taking into consideration multiple memberships, it is estimated that approximately 25,000 citizens in Minnesota were members of the 53 Interest groups in 1971. Membership in individual Interest groups ranged from 13 to 12,000. Expenditures in 1971 for water and related land resources programs of the 53 Interest groups probably totaled in excess of $250,000. Annual expenditures by individual Interest groups ranged from $100 to in excess of $35,000. These figures do not include the thousands of hours of volunteer time by members. The sources of income were dues, contributions, donations and grants. The affairs of 45 of the 53 Interest groups were under the direction of Officers; 8 Interest groups had Boards; and 14 Interest groups had staffs. It is estimated that the number of water and related land resources Interest groups increased from about 16 in 1950 to 25 in 1960 to 33 in 1965 to 53 in 1971. Some of the Interest groups with large numbers of members and expenditures in 1971 were: Minnesota Environmental Control Citizens Association, Minnesota Public Interest Research Group, Minnesota Conservation Federation, Minnesota Association of Commerce and Industry, and Sierra Club.Item Minutes: Senate Committee on Educational Policy, Classroom Advisory Subcommittee: April 18, 2022(University of Minnesota, 2022-04-18) University of Minnesota: Senate Committee on Educational PolicyIn these minutes: Office of Classroom Management Updates; Learning Space PlanItem Minutes: Senate Committee on Educational Policy, Classroom Advisory Subcommittee: February 21, 2022(University of Minnesota, 2022-02-21) University of Minnesota: Senate Committee on Educational PolicyIn these minutes: Learning Space PlanItem Minutes: Senate Committee on Educational Policy, Classroom Advisory Subcommittee: February 22, 2021(University of Minnesota, 2021-02-22) University of Minnesota: Senate Committee on Educational PolicyUpdates; Student Withdrawal Data; Twin Cities Campus Plan; Lessons Learned Collection EffortItem Minutes: Senate Committee on Educational Policy, Classroom Advisory Subcommittee: January 24, 2022(University of Minnesota, 2022-01-24) University of Minnesota: Senate Committee on Educational PolicyIn these minutes: Enrollment Trends; Classroom Strategic PlanItem Minutes: Senate Committee on Educational Policy, Classroom Advisory Subcommittee: March 2, 2020(University of Minnesota, 2020-03-02) University of Minnesota: Senate Committee on Educational PolicyItem Minutes: Senate Committee on Educational Policy, Classroom Advisory Subcommittee: May 18th, 2020(University of Minnesota, 2020-05-18) University of Minnesota: Classroom Advisory SubcommitteeItem Minutes: Senate Committee on Educational Policy, Classroom Advisory Subcommittee: October 19, 2020(University of Minnesota, 2020-10-19) University of Minnesota: Classroom Advisory SubcommitteeItem Minutes: Senate Committee on Educational Policy, Classroom Advisory Subcommittee: September 12, 2022(University of Minnesota, 2022-09-12) University of Minnesota: Senate Committee on Educational PolicyIn these minutes: Orientation; Classroom Plan; Topics for the YearItem Minutes: Senate Committee on Educational Policy, Classroom Advisory Subcommittee: September 14, 2020(University of Minnesota, 2020-09-14) University of Minnesota: Classroom Advisory SubcommitteeItem Minutes: Senate Committee on Educational Policy, Classroom Advisory Subcommittee: September 20, 2021(University of Minnesota, 2021-09-20) University of Minnesota: Senate Committee on Educational PolicyIn these minutes: Committee Orientation; Twin Cities Master PlanItem Minutes: Senate Committee on Educational Policy, ROTC Subcommittee: May 10, 2022(University of Minnesota, 2022-05-10) University of Minnesota: Senate Committee on Educational PolicyIn these minutes: Unit Presentations