Spirituality, Economics, and Education A Dialogic Critique of Spiritual Capital

This paper consists of a conversation between a philosopher specialising in ethics and religion and an educational researcher with an interest in cultural studies and contemporary social theory. Dialogic in form, this paper employs an interdisciplinary response to an interdisciplinary project and offers the following components: a dialogic theorizing of the implications for education of a research project on spiritual capital; a continuation of the project of analyzing moral thinking in various cultural and societal settings; a continuation of the project of analyzing political rhetoric (towards an understanding of the polemics of political rhetoric); a reaffirmation of the value of recognizing difference and ambiguity in the global moment

Political Polarization in America, Through the Eyes of a President

This thesis examines the extent of political polarization in America from a historical perspective, with a focus on the years of Bill Clinton\u27s presidency. With perspective from President Clinton himself, the author examines the Clinton years and the current state of polarization in relation to other times in American history

The standardization of containers of horticulture products

In this thesis an attempt has been made to present the subject of standardization of packages for fruits and vegetables as it applies to the average citizen, and to give a basis for the selection of standard containers to be used in marketing. The information was collected from many sources and covers the use of packages in the United States. Observations were made for two years and a thorough study was made of the types, styles and sizes of containers used in the marketing of fruits and vegetables. The problem of standardizing containers for horticultural products is not easily solved. The solution will not be obtained until the general public is educated to the fact that they are the losers. When the consuming public realizes that they are losing many dollars every year, due to the manufacture of large numbers of unnecessary styles and sizes of containers and that they are defrauded many times in not being able to recognize the exact amount in certain packages, then this vital problem will be solved. Acknowledgements are due to Professor N. D. Peacock, under whose direction this study was made, for his valuable suggestions and criticisms; to those commission men in Knoxville who gave of their time in answering questions and allowing the writer to collect data at their places of business; to the United States Department of Agriculture through their representative, Mr. H. A. Spillman, for valuable information and the use of pictures in this thesis; and to many other persons and organizations for their whole hearted cooperation and information which they gave so freely

Advocating the Well-Being of Children and Families Through a Culturally Responsive Community-University Partnership

poster abstractThis poster presents a mixed-methods research study that focuses on school- community collaborative organizations in the promotion of child-rights and well-being of students, and utilizes an asset-based holistic approach to child development in education. The Westfield community-university partnership aims to properly identify needs and assets of the children in order to explore ways to empower children to excel in life after school, as well as provide an evaluation tool to support community partners to more effectively communicate across programs and schools. In order for schools to develop their programs in response to the needs of the children and those that work with them, the voice of children becomes a necessary component of this partnership. Few programs or evaluation tools foster the involvement of young people in the early stages of mental health, even though children have the capability of expressing distinct views and personal barriers to well-being. This projects uses a case study design as this inquiry concentrates on a contemporary phenomenon within a real-world context. Case study methodology also incorporates many variables of interest, as opposed to specified data points, and relies on the application and combination of multiple sources of evidence to reinforce the study’s findings (Yin, 2008). Qualitative data sources include school staff, students, parents, and community members involved in the Westfield Youth Initiative. Methods of data collection include interviews, focus groups, and school climate surveys, which will be coded and themed, reinforced through team member consensus, and entered into Nvivo © transcript analysis. Quantitative data analysis includes descriptive statistics on demographic variables and a comparison of results from school achievement data. We expect our research to indicate that children who experience a greater sense of well-being assimilate information in more effective ways, engage in healthy and fulfilling social behaviors, and invest in others’ well-being as they advance into adulthood. Thus, the anticipated final results will include a culturally responsive evaluation tool that illustrates the methods in which we incorporate the shared life experience and understanding of children and the community out of respect to the cultural context in which they live. This partnership strives to recognize and appreciate differences between gender, race, language, and class, while maintaining a firm commitment to the well-being of each and every student. Finally, we point to challenges of cross-cultural work, barriers to implementation, and lessons learned unique to this research study

Putting the framework to work: An ethnographic exploration of race-based professional development

Louie F. Rodriguez’ (2012) Teachers College Record conceptual paper issues a call to “researchers, practitioners, and policy makers [to]…problematize the concept of recognition…and to introduce a conceptual framework to understand, examine, and help rectify the crisis facing [Latina/o youth]” (p. 1). Though Rodriguez has explicitly named Latina/o youth within the title of his Framework of Recognition, Rodriguez clearly states his intent to extend applications of the Framework beyond Latina/o youth to include other marginalized students, including “students with disabilities, English language learners, immigrants, gay/lesbian/bisexual youth, and students who identify with alternative forms of music, art, and culture” (p.25). Indeed, Rodriguez expresses his hope that “readers may create their own forms of recognition, build on this proposed framework, and apply it to other marginalized populations” (p.26). This study takes up the invitation and puts Rodriguez’ Framework to work as a lens through which to view race-based teacher professional development, resulting in a new Framework of Professional Recognition for Educational Equity (FPREE) which makes visible the multiple aspects that must simultaneously be in place and attended to by educators seeking to interrupt and eliminate systemic inequities for marginalized students

“Failure Looks Like this Child is Still in Limbo”: Foster Parent Experiences of Failed Pre-adoptive Placements

poster abstractPre-adoptive or “waiting” children are those who have a case plan of adoption and/or whose parental rights have been terminated. There are currently over 107,000 pre-adoptive children in the United States, and on average, they have been living in foster care for over three years. A lack of permanency is associated with a milieu of negative consequences while achieving permanent, stable relationships is significant in developing a sense of self and overall, long-term well-being. Failed pre-adoptive placements represent a significant barrier to achieving permanency; however, the phenomenon of failed pre-adoptive placements has been underexplored. This study uses phenomenology, a philosophical method and study of experience, to explore how pre-adoptive foster parents make meaning of their experiences of failed pre-adoptive placements. Participants fostered at least one pre-adoptive child with the intent, willingness, and/or openness to adopt the child, but the placement did not result in an adoption and the child moved to an alternative placement. The primary research question for this study is “What is the experience of a foster parent who has had a failed pre-adoptive placement?” Findings from in-depth interviews reveal that pre-adoptive foster parents enter into pre-adoptive placements with multiple motivations and personal expectations. Experiences which do not confirm these expectations often contribute to decisions to end a pre-adoptive placement. Participants are at times motivated by fear and feel compelled to make decisions to end placements on behalf of alternative roles (i.e. biological mother, spouse, neighbor, etc.). Pre-adoptive parents appear to have a future orientation that serves as a guiding force in decisions to continue or end a pre-adoptive placement. Participants describe feelings of grief, loss, and inadequacy. Findings contribute to the body of knowledge and have implications for foster and pre-adoptive training and support and encourage greater understandings within child welfare for improved permanency planning and practice

Project Lead the Way: Analysis of Statewide Student Outcomes

poster abstractProject Lead the Way (PLTW) is a STEM education programming provider implementing hands-on, project-based engineering or biomedical science curricula in U.S. secondary schools. The goal of PLTW is to increase student interest and knowledge in these and other STEM majors/careers. A large, longitudinal dataset of students who graduated from an Indiana high school in 2010 was created. Preliminary analysis of the dataset found that students who took PLTW engineering courses were significantly more likely to select a STEM major, select an engineering major in college, and persist from the first to the second year of college. Additionally, taking three or more PLTW classes increased the likelihood of selecting a STEM major, selecting an engineering major in college, and persisting from the first to the second year of college. We also examined factors of PLTW students that made them more likely to major in a STEM field, enroll in a 4-year institution, and persist from their first to their second year of college. We found that being male, having a higher math ISTEP+ score, and receiving an honors diploma increased a PLTW students’ likelihood of majoring in STEM. PLTW students who were not eligible for free and reduced lunch, who were part of an underrepresented minority, who received an honors diploma, and who had higher ELA ISTEP+ scores were more likely to attend a 4-year institution. PLTW students who received an honors diploma and were not eligible for free and reduced lunch are more likely to persist from freshman to sophomore year. These findings elucidate interesting and important patterns in the data, highlighting a need for “scale-up research” to further determine the potential factors influencing student access and success. As such, the broad objective of our future research is to produce a multi-scalar representation of PLTW outcomes in Indiana, which can then be used as a modality for understanding the outcomes, impacts, and factors influencing PLTW success nationwide. More specifically, the project will identify PLTW outcomes in rural, suburban, and urban schools and their effects on the everyday experience of students in STEM programs at IUPUI. This multi-scalar approach will explore the broader sociocultural configuration of Indiana high schools, the extent to which those schools evidence PLTW implementation fidelity, and the longitudinal impact of PLTW curriculum on current STEM majors at IUPUI