A College Considerator: Factors to Weigh in Contemplating College Affordability

This report offers a framework for considering potential costs of higher education

The Real Value of What Students Do In College: College Completion Series: Part One

This report takes a look at how government officials have pressed college accreditors to focus more on "student outcomes" -- quantifiable indicators of knowledge acquired, skills learned, degrees attained, and so on. It then argues that it is not these enumerated outcomes that are the best way to hold colleges accountable, but rather the evidence of student engagement in the curriculum -- their papers, written examinations, projects, and presentations -- that holds the most promise for spurring improvement in higher education. Furthermore, this engagement is also a key factor in keeping students in school all the way to graduation. The report concludes that reformers seeking to enhance college performance and accountability should focus not on fabricated outcome measures but instead on the actual outputs from students' academic engagement, the best indicators of whether a college is providing the quality teaching, financial aid, and supportive environment that make higher learning possible, especially for the disadvantaged.This report is the first of a series from The Century Foundation, sponsored by Pearson. The views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or position of Pearson. The series grew out of an August 2014 conference at which researchers and several university presidents were exploring new paths to diversity in higher education in light of emerging legal constraints on race-based affirmative action. As participants discussed ideas to ensure access for low-income and minority students, university leaders were equally concerned about how to improve rates of college graduation by disadvantaged students

Denied: Community College Students Lack Access to Affordable Loans

Highlights the racial/ethnic gaps in community college students' access to federal loans, and outlines various loan terms. Addresses the fear of defaults and consequent sanctions that has caused some community colleges to opt out of the federal program

Construction of the new Harrison County Highway Department Facility

The session covers everything that went into this award-winning project, from the political collaboration, through the design process, to the successful construction, occupation, and use of the new facility. We’ve had a lot of interest from other counties visiting our new site

Increasing Chlamydia Trachomatis and Neisseria Gonorrhea Screening Among Women 15 to 24 Years Old Using a Multifaceted Approach

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2017a) estimates that one-quarter of sexually active people are between 15 and 24 years old, but account for half of 20 million sexually transmitted diseases (STD) reported annually in the United States. Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhea (NG) are the most common reportable STDs (CDC, 2018). The purpose of this project was to increase CT/NG screening rates among sexually active, nonpregnant women 15 to 24 years old within the primary care setting through colleague education, routine sexual history taking, and indicated testing. A 30-minute colleague in-service was provided to educate clinical colleagues on the significance of the problem and best practice intervention. During preventive office visit intake with the medical assistant (MA) over a 10-week intervention period, women 15 to 24 years old were asked about sexual activity. If a woman indicated she was sexually active, CT/NG testing via urine sample were offered. Ten-week pre-intervention and 10-week post-intervention data including demographics, number screened for sexual activity, number eligible for testing based on sexual activity, number tested for CT/NG, and number of positive results were collected via manual chart audit. Data between groups were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square analyses. There were non-significant increases in number screened for sexual activity (61% vs. 79%) (2(1, N=32)=1.117, p\u3e.05), number eligible for testing (45% vs. 64%) (2(1, n=22)=0.733, p\u3e.05), and number tested for CT/NG (80% vs. 100%) (2(1, n=12)=1.527, p\u3e.05). There was no significant difference between pre-intervention and post-intervention positive CT (20% vs. 14%) (2(1, n=12)=1.527, p\u3e.05) or NG (20% vs. 0%) (2(1, n=12)=1.527, p\u3e.05) results. A longer timeframe or larger sample sizes would further explore significance of the intervention. Based on current clinical guidelines provided by CDC (2014c) and USPSTF (2014), women 15 to 24 years old should be offered CT/NG screening annually

Increasing Chlamydia Trachomatis and Neisseria Gonorrhea Screening Among Women 15 to 24 Years Old Using a Multifaceted Approach

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2017a) estimates that one-quarter of sexually active people are between 15 and 24 years old, but account for half of 20 million sexually transmitted diseases (STD) reported annually in the United States. Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhea (NG) are the most common reportable STDs (CDC, 2018). The purpose of this project was to increase CT/NG screening rates among sexually active, nonpregnant women 15 to 24 years old within the primary care setting through colleague education, routine sexual history taking, and indicated testing. A 30-minute colleague in-service was provided to educate clinical colleagues on the significance of the problem and best practice intervention. During preventive office visit intake with the medical assistant (MA) over a 10-week intervention period, women 15 to 24 years old were asked about sexual activity. If a woman indicated she was sexually active, CT/NG testing via urine sample were offered. Ten-week pre-intervention and 10-week post-intervention data including demographics, number screened for sexual activity, number eligible for testing based on sexual activity, number tested for CT/NG, and number of positive results were collected via manual chart audit. Data between groups were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square analyses. There were non-significant increases in number screened for sexual activity (61% vs. 79%) (2(1, N=32)=1.117, p\u3e.05), number eligible for testing (45% vs. 64%) (2(1, n=22)=0.733, p\u3e.05), and number tested for CT/NG (80% vs. 100%) (2(1, n=12)=1.527, p\u3e.05). There was no significant difference between pre-intervention and post-intervention positive CT (20% vs. 14%) (2(1, n=12)=1.527, p\u3e.05) or NG (20% vs. 0%) (2(1, n=12)=1.527, p\u3e.05) results. A longer timeframe or larger sample sizes would further explore significance of the intervention. Based on current clinical guidelines provided by CDC (2014c) and USPSTF (2014), women 15 to 24 years old should be offered CT/NG screening annually