The Ascent of America's High-Growth Companies: An Analysis of the Geography of Entrepreneurship

This report offers the first-ever deep dive into the geographic trends of America's fastest growing private companies -- the Inc. 500. Inc. magazine's annual ranking, which began in 1982, has become an important point of pride for high-achieving companies and a source of research for economists. Not until now, however, has anyone dissected the past thirty years of comprehensive data from these high-growth companies. Through a partnership with Inc. magazine, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has done just that. In this, one of a set of studies examining Inc. 500 data over time, we offer a geographic analysis of how regional characteristics are associated with fast-growing companies and innovations. Tracing hundreds of Inc. firms per year and thousands per decade, we have captured a range of innovations and analyzed the regions that continuously produce fast-growing companies. Knowing that very little is understood about the geography of high-growth companies, we approached this analysis with a range of questions: where are the fast-growing Inc. firms located at the state and metropolitan levels? How have they shifted over time? Do we find greater geographic concentration of Inc. firms over time? How is the geography of Inc. firms different from commonly associated growth factors, such as high-tech industries, venture capital firms, and research universities?As you review the findings of this report, keep in mind that the creation of another ranking is not our primary objective. It is more important to demonstrate different regions with different sectors and strengths, in contrast to previously identified areas that have been highlighted as strong producers of high-tech companies. Thus, our objective is to shed light on formerly understudied areas of economic development

Creative Coercion in Post-Katrina New Orleans: a Neighborhood Strategy to Address Conflict in Networks

The study of relationships within networks has traditionally focused on concepts such as cooperation, collaboration and other forms of partnership (Brown & Keast 2003). The assumption has been that actors in a network have shared vision and are working together. This study tests that idea by using mixed methods and ethnography to examine 15 neighborhood associations in post-Katrina New Orleans, and 71 of their relationships within policy networks. Contrary to our typical understanding of networks, neighborhood associations engage not just in partnership, but also in power struggles. When excluded from policy networks, neighborhood associations use creative coercion to ensure their voice is heard. Facing a power deficit, these associations look for informal levers to assert themselves into policy negotiation. The result is creative and coercive measures, such as co-opting elections, bribery, blackmail and what one neighborhood activist calls ‘guerrilla warfare.’ These conflicts force a reconsideration of networks. Networks are not solely homes of collaborative action; they are also the location of sharp power struggles over priorities.

Letters of the Bush: A Case Study of Traditional Setswana Herbal Medicine

Traditional medicinal techniques in southern Africa are under-studied, but they continue to play an important role in many people’s lives. In addition to its anthropological value, traditional medicine also has the potential to lead to new treatments for diseases. This study proposed to document the plants and methods used by a traditional healer in the village of Goo-Tau, Tswapong Hills region, Central District, Botswana. The study was conducted over a period of three weeks through a series of interviews. Samples were collected of selected plant species. Plants were identified both during and after the study through field guides and consultation with the Botswana National Herbarium. The role of a traditional healer was found to be broad, addressing physical and spiritual symptoms as well as a few veterinary treatments. Seventy-six plant species and their uses were documented, and of these, fifty-three were tentatively identified by scientific name. Seventeen plants were used for various forms of pain relief, from headache to stomach pain, and the most common administration method was boiling a root and drinking the decoction. One plant found in villages near Goo-Tau, Hydnora johannis, had a documented range that only touched on the northern parts of Botswana, so its presence in the Tswapong Hills region is a significant extension of its range. The study successfully recorded many traditional medicines and their preparations and began to record the beliefs and reasoning behind the uses. It was by no means comprehensive and does not claim to be representative of healing techniques for the region. The plants and treatments documented in this study should be further tested and screened for medicinal activity, and both survey and in-depth ethnographic studies are needed to adequately record the wealth of cultural, botanical, and medicinal knowledge held by traditional healers

A Feminine Gothic Revival: The Haunting of Shirley Jackson and Toni Morrison

In the realm of Gothic literature, the main characters typically involve a helpless woman in the clutches of her male assailant. Critics have long established that the traditional Gothic genre is considered a male-dominated discipline fixated on ideas of power, control, and submission. This essay argues that Shirley Jackson and Toni Morrison separate from this trope and invent the haunted heroine, a leading lady so haunted by the past, relationships, and emotions that through unique character development, insidious use of dread, and malicious paranormal occurrences create a nouveau dichotomy within Gothic literature. This essay is a close reading of two primary texts: Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House (1959) and Morrison’s Beloved (1987) to contend that the human condition is a haunted condition. Through their renaissance of Gothic literature, they force a mirror up to society and history, and by their work we are forced to face our own hauntings

Teaching on Air Lessons During Covid 19: Highlighting the Work of the KMOS Summer Classroom

This article provides an example of how a television station and a teacher education program located at the University of Central Missouri partnered to provide on-air lessons for kindergarten through fifth grade lessons to respond to the academic need due to the school shutdowns in spring 2020 because of COVID-19. The article highlights how three teacher candidates who were completing their student teaching semester were invited by the curriculum director of KMOS Summer Classroom to plan lessons to teach on- air. The curriculum director of KMOS Summer discusses the process of selecting the candidates and planning the lessons.  The KMOS Summer Classroom perceptions of this project prepared them for their first year of teaching. Successes of KMOS Summer Classroom are highlighted along with next steps for implementation of KMOS Summer Classroom 2.0.  This article aims to share an experience other teacher education programs can consider when reaching their surrounding communities during a crisis or pandemic

Inclusion in the elementary specialty areas: art, library, music and physical education

In compliance with providing the least restrictive environment, children with varying degrees of disabilities are being included into the general education classroom. This study focused on facilitating the inclusion of children with moderate to severe special needs into the elementary specialty areas including library, music, art and physical education. This study was conducted in a school district in southern New Jersey using inter-office mailings. Data was collected by providing a completed student profile and a sample needs assessment to teachers in each specialty area. The teachers completed the sample needs assessment based on their perceived knowledge regarding the child that was to be included into their class. The areas of need assessed include instructional adaptations, behavior, academics, communication needs and health issues. The data was tabulated according to importance based on the teacher\u27s input. The findings indicated that the most common concern was in the area of instructional adaptations. Comments on the sample needs assessment stated that the student profile was a useful tool in facilitating inclusion of a child with moderate to severe special needs but was considered lengthy and therefore not a realistic option for all included children