http://hdl.handle.net/1957/4128 Search the Channel search http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/jspui/simple-search http://hdl.handle.net/1957/12504 Title: Analysis of the effects of Head Start on the long-term educational achievements of participants: elements of agreement, conflict, and gaps<br/><br/>Authors: Kelleher, Bridget<br/><br/>Abstract: The goal of the graduate essay was to provide the reader with a historical overview of the United States government funded preschool program Head Start and examine policy considerations for long term effectiveness on academic achievements of participants. Focusing on research about Head Start effectiveness, careful consideration was given to policies and procedures including Performance Standards, domains and indicators of compliance, and the federal funding policies. Analyzing significant studies on Head Start long-term effectiveness, the easy reflects on preschool as an intervention tool. First, analysis of six important studies on long-term effectiveness allowed for the suggestion of consensus among researchers. Second, identifying conflict in evaluations of the long-term effectiveness recognized best administrative practices and areas of change. Third, recognition of remaining gaps in administrative and evaluation methods supported the consensus that elementary school quality after participation impacts on Head Start effectiveness. The objective of the essay was to discuss the policy implications of elements of consensus and non-consensus for public policymakers. In conclusion, considerations for the Obama administration were identified including changes in Federal Head Start Policy, funding, and a need for a transitional program between Head Start participation and school entrance.<br/><br/>Description: 2009 http://hdl.handle.net/1957/12369 Title: Low-income weatherization: practical and policy limitations to increasing services in rural Oregon<br/><br/>Authors: Hammond, D'Anne<br/><br/>Abstract: This essay examines the low-income weatherization program in rural Oregon, shedding light on difficulties in increasing weatherization services to low-income rural households. This essay also identifies policy limitations. There are strict rules in place for utilizing Department of Energy weatherization funding and some of these rulesare likely to make it difficult for agencies serving rural areas to accommodate a larger portion of low-income households. These rules, coupled with the spatial distribution and economic circumstances of rural populations, compound both the need for and difficulties in delivery of weatherization services for low-income households in rural areas. This essay addresses these questions: Are rural regions under-served by the program? What are the difficulties in reaching and delivering services to more rural households? Is it the case that policy mandates make it more difficult to increase service delivery in rural areas? What role does the spatial distribution of the population and rural economy play in delivering services to households in rural areas?<br/><br/>Description: Graduation date: 2009 http://hdl.handle.net/1957/12249 Title: The poetics of water governance : differential language use in relation to water in El Salvador<br/><br/>Authors: Ogden, Stephanie<br/><br/>Abstract: The language of water policy both suggests and enforces the relationship that the public should have with water. Differences in language use between policy institutions and the public suggest that the understanding of water promoted through policy may be incongruent with the understanding of water held by the public. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with residents of two rural communities in El Salvador, local and regional government institutions, as well as local and international NGOs. A discourse analysis of these interviews demonstrates that there is a significant difference between the language utilized by community members and the language used by policy-making institutions with respect to water and water use. This difference in discourse may signify a difference in understanding regarding water and people’s relationship to water, which may ultimately compromise the effectiveness of water policy in rural areas of El Salvador. Furthermore, the introduction and prevalence of policy discourse at the community level may contribute to the elimination of the community discourse and subsequently the loss of the community’s particular understanding of water. This research suggests that, in order to create a policy discourse that more closely resembles community discourse and evokes a similar understanding of water, language must be used that connotes affection, that connotes ownership and obligation, and that is grounded in geographic context.<br/><br/>Description: June, 2009 http://hdl.handle.net/1957/12007 Title: The Federal Trust Responsibility and Treaty Protected Resources on Ceded Public Lands: A Huckleberry Case Study<br/><br/>Authors: Goschke, Lauren<br/><br/>Abstract: Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are an important aspect of the forest that has often been overlooked. NTFPs have been especially important to Native American people because of their subsistence, cultural, and economic values. As a result of their economic value, there have been an increased number of people harvesting NTFPs on public lands. In the Pacific Northwest, many Native American tribes have reserved treaty rights that guarantee that they can hunt fish and gather in usual and accustomed places. Many of these traditional food-gathering areas lie on what is now national forest land. As demand for NTFPs on public lands has increased, the U.S. Forest Service must find a way to reconcile its federal trust responsibility to the tribes with their responsibility to manage national forest lands for the general public. The research has focused on the ways in which the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has gone about creating and implementing policies to fulfill the Trust responsibilities to the Tribes. Two case studies of treaty protected huckleberry harvests were conducted with two groups of Tribes and the associated National Forests where they exercise their treaty protected rights. The research involves an assessment of these policies and their implementation using two public policy frameworks: social construction and institutional rational choice. The majority of Forest Service offices in the Pacific Northwest have relied on informal agreements with the tribes to balance these responsibilities. Little formal policy has been created or implemented to manage user conflicts, and problems continue to plague NTFP management. These findings indicate that the USFS and the tribes need to find new ways of developing NTFP management policies that will satisfy tribal needs.<br/><br/>Description: Graduation date: 2009