Minority Student Growth and Development in a Rural 4-Year College

At a Mid-Atlantic, 4-year, rural, higher education institution, the minority student population, 25%, is growing compared to the 9% of minority faculty representation. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of minority faculty and students regarding student learning associated with minority students’ relationships to minority faculty. Critical race theory was used as part of the conceptual framework which provides a narrative on the perspectives of race and dispels myths, racial beliefs, and misrepresentations of the truth. Social learning theory was also used as part of the conceptual framework because it explains how social influences impact the beliefs and actions of individuals in society. A basic qualitative study was the research design and semistructured interviews were used to collect data from 5 minority faculty and 8 minority students. The research questions focused on how the participants perceive the effect of having minority faculty at the local study site. Criteria for participant selection included being at the study site for 1 year or more, being from diverse ethnic backgrounds, and being adults. Each transcribed interview was reviewed, then coded into the following categories and themes: experiences with minority faculty, no experiences with minority faculty, relationships with minority faculty, and diverse faculty provide advantages. The data noted that 92% of the minority participants thought there were advantages to having minority faculty compared to 8% who did not. A recommendation paper was the result of the research study. Based on the findings, positive social changes may occur that affect minority students and faculty by improving minority student learning, increasing minority student enrollment, and possibly an increasing minority faculty at higher education institutions

Rural Industry Clusters Needs Assessment: Student Survey Summary

As part of an effort to inform future academic programming, Idaho Policy Institute (IPI) worked with Boise State University’s Offices of the Provost and the President to develop actionable insight into the emerging needs and gaps in the dairy industry in the Magic Valley and the technology, cybersecurity, and energy cluster in Eastern Idaho. In the first phase of the project, IPI surveyed high school students in each region in the spring of 2021. A total of 918 students were surveyed, 750 (82.1%) from the Magic Valley (MV) and 168 (17.9%) from Eastern Idaho (EI). Surveys asked students about their plans after high school, including if they plan to attend university, where they hope to attend university, and what they plan on studying. The following summarizes their responses

Community Health Needs Assessment Magic Valley Region 2023

This Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) aims to identify the health needs of Jerome and Twin Falls Counties in the Magic Valley region of Idaho through a Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) framework, which defines health in the broadest sense and recognizes numerous factors— from employment to housing to access to health care—that have an impact on the community’s health. This report is specifically focused on Twin Falls and Jerome counties

Community Health Needs Assessment Malheur County 2023

The 2023 Malheur County Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) aims to identify the health needs of Malheur County, Oregon through a social influencer, or determinant, of health (SIoH) framework. This framework defines health in the broadest sense and recognizes SIoH factors such as employment, housing, and access to health care have an impact on the community’s health

Community Health Needs Assessment Wood River Valley Region 2023

This Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) aims to identify the health needs of various populations in Blaine County, Idaho through a Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) framework, which defines health in the broadest sense and recognizes numerous factors—from employment to housing to access to health care—that have an impact on the community’s health

Community Health Needs Assessment, Treasure Valley 2023

The 2023 Greater Treasure Valley Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) represents an unprecedented partnership to align several independent regional assessments to identify the health needs of more than half of Idaho residents. This collaborative approach utilized a social determinants of health (SDoH), also known as social influencers, framework to determine the top priorities of ten counties in the Greater Treasure Valley region of Idaho. This framework defines health in the broadest sense and recognizes SDoH factors such as employment, housing, and access to health care have an impact on the community’s health. In this report, the Greater Treasure Valley Region includes Ada, Elmore, Boise, Valley, Gem, Adams, Canyon, Washington, Payette, and Owyhee Counties

Engaging Idaho Out-of-School Youth

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) provides funds to create opportunities for youth ages 16-24 who are not working or in educational programs, otherwise known as out-of-school youth (OSY). Participation in WIOA programs can be low because of difficulties engaging OSY. The Idaho Workforce Development Council (WDC) partnered with Idaho Policy Institute (IPI) to identify creative and proven strategies to engage OSY. To do this, IPI reviewed existing literature and worked with regional representatives from the Idaho Department of Labor (IDOL) and educational institutions across the state to conduct focus groups and phone interviews with OSY recently engaged in WIOA programs. The literature review found that successful programs help youth build relationships with supportive adults such as mentors or caseworkers, and other youth to foster a sense of belonging and community. Similarly, literature shows that OSY respond well to direct outreach from other youth or efforts designed by youth. Successful programs also offer unique education opportunities and partner with community organizations to recruit youth and create work experience opportunities. Findings from interviews and focus groups align with themes found in the literature. Specific interview findings are listed below: Learning opportunities should accommodate learning disabilities and mental health Youth desire to learn job application, interview, and networking skills Programs should have more community relationships to connect participants with work experiences closer to their desired area of interest Youth appreciate caseworkers and would like a stronger relationship with them Interviewees mostly heard about the program from family and friends Youth recommend recruiting through social media with updated materials using empowering language and success stories Satisfactory employment and financial stability are main motivators for participation Youth value educational opportunities and the associated financial assistanc

Community Health Needs Assessment Baker County 2023

The 2023 Baker County Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) aims to identify the health needs of Baker County, Oregon through a social influencer, or determinant, of health (SIoH) framework. This framework defines health in the broadest sense and recognizes SIoH factors such as employment, housing, and access to health care have an impact on the community’s health

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Provider Awareness Campaign Evaluation 2023

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s (IDHW) Drug Overdose Prevention Program (DOPP) partnered with Boise State University’s Idaho Policy Institute (IPI) to evaluate the provider awareness campaign that took place from March 2023 to May 2023. The primary goals of the campaign were to encourage compassionate language when talking to and about patients with substance use disorder (SUD) and to increase screening and treatment of SUD. To evaluate the provider awareness campaign’s reach and effectiveness, IPI conducted a survey of health care providers and health center staff at community health centers (CHCs) and Tribal health centers across Idaho. Some analysis in this technical report compares two groups of survey respondents, a test group whose health center received the provider awareness campaign’s collateral or in-clinic materials and a control whose health centers did not receive the campaign’s collateral materials. The survey assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs surrounding substance use, screening behavior, and prescribing behavior among health care providers within health centers. Key takeaways from this technical report include: The provider awareness campaign reached 27.5% of total respondents, including 36.6% of the test group and 20.0% of the control group. Online and social media advertisements were the most common places respondents saw the provider awareness campaign materials. When asked about the provider awareness campaign’s effectiveness, 55.5% of respondents said the campaign was at least a little effective. Respondents overwhelmingly agreed that SUD is a treatable chronic disease and that anyone can develop SUD. Approximately half of all respondents believe they have enough training and clinical resources to help patients with SUD. A majority of respondents who screen patients for SUD and prescribe medication to treat SUD feel confident in their ability to work with patients with SUD