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Pub Date: |
2013-02-00 |
Pub Type(s): |
Reports - Evaluative |
Peer Reviewed: |
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Descriptors:
Technical Assistance; School Districts; Hunger; Nutrition; Wellness; Obesity; Environment; Federal Legislation; Child Health
Abstract:
This brief report updates data published in August 2010 from the most comprehensive, ongoing nationwide analysis of written wellness policies. It includes data from the 2006-07 through the 2010-11 school years, which were the first five years following the required implementation date for wellness policies. The major findings and trends presented identify areas where progress has been made in adopting and strengthening the written policies, as well as opportunities for improvement. New to this report are data relating to the reporting and assessment provisions required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. These data are especially relevant to USDA's (U.S. Department of Agriculture's) proposed rule for competitive foods and beverages, which was released in February 2013, and to the forthcoming proposed rule from USDA related to wellness policies. They also may help inform USDA's efforts to provide technical assistance to school districts regarding their wellness policies, which is required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. In addition, this report helps inform future policies for preventing childhood obesity and will be useful to advocates and state and local officials seeking to create a healthier school environment. This report highlights progress that has been made to implement, strengthen, and/or increase the comprehensiveness of the required wellness policy elements between school years 2006-07 and 2010-11. Consistent with prior reports, the data presented in this paper represent the percentage of students enrolled in public school districts nationwide. (Contains 4 figures and 4 tables.)
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Pub Date: |
2013-00-00 |
Pub Type(s): |
Journal Articles; Reports - Research |
Peer Reviewed: |
Yes |
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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Agricultural Occupations; Attitudes; Rural Extension; Technical Assistance; Experience; Innovation; Information Systems; Case Studies; Focus Groups; Semi Structured Interviews
Abstract:
Purpose: Malawi's current extension policy supports pluralism and advocates responsiveness to farmer demand. We investigate whether smallholder farmers' experience supports the assumption that access to multiple service providers leads to extension and advisory services that respond to the needs of farmers. Design/methodology/approach: Within a case study approach, two villages were purposively selected for in-depth qualitative analysis of available services and farmers' experiences. Focus group discussions were held separately with male and female farmers in each village, followed by semi-structured interviews with 12 key informants selected through snowball sampling. Transcripts were analysed by themes, and summaries of themes were made from cross-case analysis. Findings: Farmers appreciate having access to a variety of sources of technical advice and enterprise-specific technology. However, most service providers continue to dominate and dictate what they will offer. Market access remains a challenge, as providers still emphasize pushing a particular technology to increase farm productivity rather than addressing farmers' expressed needs. Although farmers work in groups, providers do not seek to strengthen these to enable active interaction and to link them to input and produce markets. This limits farmers' capacity to continue with innovations after service providers pull out. Poor coordination between providers limits exploitation of potential synergies amongst actors. Practical Implications: Services providers can adapt their approach to engage farmers in discussion of their needs and work collaboratively to address them. At a system level, institutions that have a coordination function can play a more dynamic role in brokering interaction between providers and farmers to ensure coverage and responsiveness. Originality/Value: The study provides a new farmer perspective on the implementation of extension reforms. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)
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Author(s): |
Kelly, Max |
Source: |
Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, v19 n2 p167-181 2013 |
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Pub Date: |
2013-00-00 |
Pub Type(s): |
Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative |
Peer Reviewed: |
Yes |
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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Nongovernmental Organizations; Role; Agriculture; Development; Rural Extension; Technical Assistance; Diversity (Institutional); Semi Structured Interviews
Abstract:
Purpose: This article analyses the role, approach, issues and opportunities faced by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the promotion of agriculture in Timor Leste from independence through to the countrywide roll out of a public extension service in 2009. Design/methodology/approach: The research draws on semi-structured interviews with NGO personnel, local, national and international, actively involved in agricultural development to ascertain how organisations engage with communities, their objectives, inputs, coverage and impacts. The analysis is based on the framework developed by Birner et al. (2009) for pluralistic advisory services, and the discussion is framed by contemporary NGO discourse. Findings:This article argues that NGOs have a central role in agricultural development, with particular advantages that can be built upon, however there must be explicit acknowledgement of the complex nature of the NGO and civil society, and a critical awareness of the need for strategic thinking, communication and coordination for effective aid. Practical implication: NGOs play a central role in agricultural development. There is a need for a more nuanced understanding of the opportunities and limitations of the NGO sector, both as service providers but also more broadly as part of civil society. Originality/value: Funding directed to the NGO sector for implementation of development projects is prolific. There is substantial discourse on partnerships between NGOs and other actors. However, little of the debate appears within discussions on agricultural service provision. (Contains 1 figure.)
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Pub Date: |
2012-10-00 |
Pub Type(s): |
Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative |
Peer Reviewed: |
Yes |
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Descriptors:
Action Research; Intervention; Mental Health; Rural Areas; Community Leaders; Counties; Gerontology; Barriers; Research Problems; Resistance (Psychology); Access to Health Care; Program Descriptions; Federal Programs; Health Promotion; Models; Educational Resources; Technical Assistance; Community Attitudes; Older Adults; Aging (Individuals); Rural Population; Rural Sociology; Community Influence; Social Environment; Local Issues; Participatory Research; Community Health Services; Health Education; Health Programs; Health Needs
Abstract:
Geographical, economic, social and cultural barriers to accessing services in rural areas are widely reported. Less widely discussed are dilemmas posed by individual and community reluctance to address sensitive health issues. This article, focusing on the highly sensitive area of mental health, and employing a participatory action approach, describes the natural history of a project, the Mental Health and Aging Initiative (MHAI) to enhance awareness of mental health issues in rural Kentucky-Appalachian communities and overcome the reluctance of individuals in these communities to seek assistance. Funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), MHAI involved an educational intervention to improve knowledge about mental health and aging in rural Appalachian counties. The need to overcome significant community reluctance to engage in discussion of mental health resulted in significant modification of the protocol. The intervention was grounded in recognition of four key aspects of the local situation: (1) the need to understand the sensitivity of mental health as an element of rural culture; (2) the critical role of local community leaders as points of entry, acceptance, and action; (3) the need to overcome social stigma and reframe the topic of mental health in a more positive light; and (4) the need for methodological innovation in developing an empowering educational action plan oriented toward community-wide long-term impact. The intervention model that emerged from these considerations was based on engaging community leaders, providing educational and technical resources, and nurturing the acceptance by individual rural residents of responsibility for monitoring community mental health. This motif became a central theme in a strategy designed to facilitate culture change and acceptance of mental health as a community concern. It involved active engagement of community representatives in defining and implementing an intervention consistent with participatory action research as a means of empowering rural residents in monitoring and addressing sensitive health care issues. Given that many issues in rural health are difficult to address because of such sensitivity, the approach described is considered to have application in other contexts.
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Author(s): |
Guo, Baorong |
Source: |
Social Work Research, v36 n3 p167-179 Sep 2012 |
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Pub Date: |
2012-09-00 |
Pub Type(s): |
Journal Articles; Reports - Research |
Peer Reviewed: |
Yes |
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Descriptors:
Nonprofit Organizations; Poverty; Welfare Recipients; Technical Assistance; Family Characteristics; Individual Characteristics; Well Being; Observation; Ethnography; Poverty Programs; Family Income; Income; Participation; Welfare Services; Measurement Objectives; Measurement Techniques; Predictor Variables; Social Indicators
Abstract:
Although a vast amount of literature on the characteristics of public assistance recipients exists, little is known about the characteristics of the clientele of nonprofits that provide material assistance. This study examines the question of who receives material assistance from nonprofits. Three panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (1996, 2001, and 2004) adult well-being module were used to see if the use of nonprofit assistance is associated with individual and household characteristics, type of material hardship, and the use of other sources of assistance. Results show that poverty status, education, area of residence, and public program participation have a significant association with nonprofit material assistance, regardless of the type of material hardship and the use of other sources of assistance. These associations stayed relatively stable during the years of observation. It is interesting that households headed by an individual with college education were more likely than those headed by an individual without a high school diploma to receive material assistance from nonprofits. These findings may help nonprofits develop appropriate assistance programs and reach target populations.
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Author(s): |
Honig, Meredith I. |
Source: |
Educational Administration Quarterly, v48 n4 p733-774 Oct 2012 |
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Pub Date: |
2012-10-00 |
Pub Type(s): |
Journal Articles; Reports - Research |
Peer Reviewed: |
Yes |
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Descriptors:
Learning Theories; Educational Change; Instructional Leadership; Principals; Central Office Administrators; Interviews; Observation; Position Papers; Educational Practices; Administrative Policy; Administrative Principles; Administrator Role; Technical Assistance; Educational Improvement; Instructional Improvement; Educational Administration
Abstract:
Purpose: Research on educational leadership underscores the importance of principals operating as instructional leaders and intensive job-embedded supports for such work; this research also identifies central office staff as key support providers. However, it teaches little about what central office staff do when they provide such support and how to distinguish what they do as more or less supportive of principals' development as instructional leaders. This article addresses that gap with findings from an in-depth comparative case study of the work practices of executive-level central office staff in three districts dedicated to providing instructional leadership support to principals. Research Design: The conceptual framework drawn from sociocultural and cognitive learning theories identifies practices that deepen professional practice in authentic work settings. Data came from 283 interviews and approximately 265 observation hours and 200 documents. Findings: Departing from other studies that do not empirically elaborate central office work practices or that call generally for central office leadership, this analysis identified specific practices of central office administrators consistent with helping principals learn to strengthen their instructional leadership. These practices anchor a conception of central office staff in these roles as teachers of principals' instructional leadership. Key mediators of their work included their own conceptions of their roles and their opportunities to consult with colleagues, among other conditions. Conclusions: Advancing such work in practice and building knowledge about it in research will require significant shifts throughout school district systems and new approaches to the study of educational leadership. (Contains 7 notes and 1 table.)
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