Diaspora Philanthropy: Influences, Initiatives, and Issues

Analyzes the evolution of the interest in and practice of giving by diasporas in the United States to their countries of origin, organizations and models promoting it, influencing factors, and promising strategies and initiatives for increasing impact

Global Institutional Philanthropy: A Preliminary Status Report

Philanthropy is growing and gaining visibility around the world. Private giving has an increasingly important role in addressing human suffering, promoting social justice and equitable economic growth, and strengthening and supporting a broad array of civil society goals and organizations. Yet as a field of study -- if indeed it is a "field" of study -- global philanthropy is in its infancy. It defies definition at the same time that it provokes interest and inquiry. While many have contributed to our understanding of global giving, it is fair to say that there are no individual or institutional experts. Reliable giving data can be found in only a limited number of countries. Globally comparable data is non-existent. Careful analysis of philanthropic giving through a global lens is hard to find. Given the vast and uncharted landscape of global philanthropy, any effort to define its boundaries or describe its contours is likely to be misleading. Such efforts are equally likely to obscure or at least only partially represent the rich diversity and complexity of philanthropy as it is practiced in countries and cultures around the world

Values and Vision: Perspectives on Philanthropy in 21st Century China

Values and Vision: Perspectives on Philanthropy in 21st Century China is an exploratory study of philanthropic giving among China's very wealthy citizens. Recognizing the increasing number of successful entrepreneurs engaged in philanthropic activity in China, the study explores the economic and policy contexts in which this philanthropy is evolving; the philanthropic motivations, aspirations and priorities of some of the country's most engaged philanthropists; and the challenges and opportunities for increasing philanthropic engagement and impact in China

School Nurses’ Participation in Accommodations for Children with Epilepsy: A Quality Improvement Project

Abstract Epilepsy is the most frequent, chronic, neurological condition in childhood, impacting 0.5 to 1% of the population. Documented learning problems associated with childhood epilepsy include memory problems, attention deficits, reading difficulties, and processing speed abnormalities. Epilepsy also impacts psychological health with poor self-esteem, a high incidence of bullying, and poor school performance. The Every Student Succeeds Act identifies the school nurse as a leader in chronic disease management; advocating for students to receive the resources and support they need to achieve academic success. The large Midwestern school system, studied in this capstone project, has 804 known students with epilepsy. The intervention of this project was an educational program for school nurses about epilepsy and its impact on both learning and self-esteem. The long-term goal would be to identify students not achieving their optimal level of academic success, due to their epilepsy, and implement appropriate interventions. Dr. Wodrich’s Epilepsy Knowledge Test was used to assess gain in overall epilepsy knowledge after a teaching intervention with school nurses. Demographic data was gathered to assess for associations between demographic data and epilepsy knowledge. Descriptive statistics and a paired t-test were used for data analysis. Results showed an overall increase in knowledge between the pretest (M= 17.8, SD 2.6) to post-test (M = 20.4, SD 3.1), t (5.8), p \u3c0.001. Limitations of the study included small variable numbers, making statistical inferences difficult, and population access problems related to Covid-19 protocols. Keywords: epilepsy, learning disabilities, child, school nurse, studen

Laxatives do not improve symptoms of opioid-induced constipation: results of a patient survey

Introduction: Laxatives are commonly used to treat opioid-induced constipation, the commonest and most bothersome complication of opioids. However, laxatives have a non-specific action and do not target underlying mechanisms of opioid-induced constipation; their use is associated with abdominal symptoms that negatively impact quality of life. Objective: To assess the effects of laxatives in patients taking opioids for chronic pain. Methods: 198 UK patients who had taken opioid analgesics for at least one month completed a cross-sectional online or telephone survey. Questions addressed their pain condition and medication, and laxative use (including efficacy and side-effects). The survey also assessed bowel function using the Bowel Function Index. Results: Since starting their current opioid, 134/184 patients (73%) had used laxatives at some point and 122 (91%) of these were currently taking them. The most common laxatives were osmotics and stimulants. Laxative side-effects were reported in 75%, most commonly gas, bloating/fullness and a sudden urge to defecate. Side-effects were more common in patients <40 years old. Approximately half of patients said laxatives interfered with work and social activities, and one-fifth had needed an overnight hospital stay because of their pain condition and/or constipation. Laxatives did not improve the symptoms of constipation, as assessed by the Bowel Function Index. Constipation was not related to opioid strength or dose of opioid or number of laxatives taken. Conclusions: Use of laxatives to treat opioid-induced constipation is often ineffective and associated with side-effects. Instead of relieving the burden of opioid-induced constipation, laxative use is associated with a negative impact

Types of Parental Involvement and Their Effect on Student Mathematics in Secondary Education: Attitudes, Self-Efficacy, and Achievement

Research Question The purpose of this study was to understand the correlation between types of parental involvement and student attitude/self-efficacy/achievement in math. The research question is: What types of relationships exist between parental involvement styles and math achievement in secondary students? Focus of the Paper The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between types of parental involvement and attitudes toward math, self-efficacy in math, and math achievement. I have researched articles using the EBSCO resource offered to me as a St. Cloud State University student. In my search for articles, I used the following descriptors: “secondary education,” “parental involvement,” and “math achievement.” When choosing resources, I selected articles with findings related to my research question as applied to a similar group of secondary students. There were limitations to each study that were important to note because not every study I found directly related to my topic. Rationale The significance of this study is to find ways to improve student achievement in math. My goal is to give parents some insight into what type of involvement could help their child understand math better. When there are correlations in research that exist, they should be analyzed so that positive changes can be made. When students are confident in their math abilities resulting in higher achievement, they will have more opportunities for jobs that can make a positive impact on society. Research has shown that students who receive and perceive greater social support from teachers, parents, and friends for math and science have better attitudes and self-efficacy toward math (Rice, Barth, Guadagno, Smith, & McCallum, 2013). In Slovenia, students’ self-efficacy in math was a positive predictor of math achievement (Levpušcek, Zupancic, & Socun, 2013). So, if there is a relationship between parental involvement and student attitudes and self-efficacy in math, as well as a relationship between student attitudes and self-efficacy in math and math achievement in students, then logically, there could be a correlation between parental involvement and math achievement in students. Interestingly, there is more research that supports the fact that parental involvement has significant effects on student performance in math during elementary years. However, research on students during the secondary years is mixed. These mixed conclusions could be because parental involvement is difficult to categorize. McNeal (2014) stated that the “lack of clarity on which elements of parent involvement affect which outcomes, is especially troublesome for policy-makers and educational practitioners. Parental involvement can have many different aspects; I will be focusing on parent-student involvement and parent-school involvement. I hypothesize that parent-student involvement will have more of an impact on math achievement than parent-school involvement. I think this is true because when there is parent-school contact, there is already a learning issue happening which requires a game of catch-up. It is much more difficult to play this catch-up game in math than in other subjects because the topics are sequential. Depending on when the parent-school contact is instigated, it will be more difficult to learn the concepts out of order. Also, many students have negative associations with math, and feel that they are already so far behind that there is no point in even trying to catch up because they probably will not succeed

Spectacular Things Happen Along the Way: Lessons from an Urban Classroom by Brian D. Schultz

Brian Schultz, author of Spectacular Things Happen Along the Way: Lessons from an Urban Classroom, serves as a model for innovation in co-constructing democratic curriculum with students and for challenging the resource, expectations, and funding gaps that exist for students who are marginalized on the basis of race, culture, language, or socioeconomic status. In a climate of assessment and prescribed curriculum, Schultz resists complacency and engages in critical pedagogy. The story that Schultz details in Spectacular Things Happen Along the Way provides lessons for pre-service and in-service teachers in development, motivation, learning, intelligence, culture, and assessment, as well as Schultz’s unraveling of the complexities and the rewards of being a reflective practitioner who learns alongside students in an authentic, student driven, curriculum

Productivity and the structure of employment

The paper examines the structure of employment defined by industry, skill, age, part-time and casual employment status and the distribution of earnings. Employment patterns, and changes in employment profiles, are examined for differences between high productivity growth industry sectors and low productivity growth industry sectors.productivity - employment - labour - workforce - education - occupation - unemployment - skills