Time is of the Essence: What the past 500 years means for the future of Black Male Achievement

This timeline seeks to shed light on how 500 years of slavery, discrimination and disenfranchisement has contributed to the current employment and economic crisis faced by African American men in the United States. In 2012, there were almost 6 million African American men and youth unemployed or not actively seeking work. Of this number, nearly 3.5 million were low income - below 200% of the federal threshold. From the 1960's until today, unemployment rates for black men have been 2 to 2.5 times the white unemployment rate. At the height of the Great Recession, the unemployment rate for black men peaked at 14%, which was nearly double the national average of 6.6% and higher than the national average during the great depression. As of May 2014, there were 717,000 unemployed black youth between the ages of 16-24 in the United States. Recognizing the implications of the historical, social, and political factors and decisions that have contributed to the current employment crisis faced by African American men and youth is critical to shaping future policy

Population Focused Nursing: Advocacy for Vulnerable Populations in an RN-BSN Program

The purpose of this article is to describe an innovative learning activity for online RN-BSN students designed to foster advocacy for vulnerable populations. The Vulnerable Population Advocacy Assignment, included as a component of the online Population-Focused Nursing class, provides students with the opportunity to identify and develop an awareness of issues impacting vulnerable populations and to advocate for policy changes that will influence the health of individuals, families, and populations. RN-BSN students build on previous knowledge and skills in professional communication and advocacy as they develop a policy statement designed to address health disparities impacting local, national, and global populations

Evaluating an Online Family Assessment Activity: A Focus on Diversity and Health Promotion

This article describes the development, implementation and evaluation of a family assessment activity that was designed for a transition course in an RN-BSN program. The family assessment activity emphasized diversity and health promotion as key curricular concepts highlighted through the use of constructivist teaching strategies in the online classroom. The activity was developed and implemented by utilizing the Family Health Systems (FHS) approach to family assessment and Healthy People 2020 as a framework for family health promotion. The activity was evaluated through faculty observation and student feedback which is discussed in the article

Joining Forces: Enriching RN to BSN Education with Veteran-Centered Learning

This article highlights the commitment of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to engage nursing schools to support the Joining Forces initiative by enhancing the education and preparation of the nation’s nurses to care for veterans, service members, and their families. The progress toward meeting the Joining Forces pledge and integrating veteran-centered learning in an online RN to BSN program is described

A Mermaid’s Tale: The Evolution of the Representation of Mermaids in Popular Culture

This paper traces the evolution of the representation of mermaids throughout history through an examination of the portrayals of mermaids in literature, oral tradition, paintings, plays, art, movies, logos, and other forms of popular culture

Improving the Safety Knowledge of Associate Degree Nursing Students

The purpose of this study was to implement the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) safety component using several teaching strategies during didactic experiences to improve the safety knowledge and competency of first-year students enrolled in an associate degree nursing program. As a metric assessment, aggregate scores of the QSEN safety areas on the Health Educational System, Inc © (HESI) exam were compared to the previous year’s aggregate scores on the same examination. The results indicated an improvement in scores in students who participated in the implemented intervention. Statistical analysis suggests the intervention improved the participant’s knowledge and acquisition of safety

Presence of Semi-Aquatic Turtles in Indianapolis Golf Course Ponds

The consequences of increasing urbanization in many areas have led to an increase in environmental awareness. Urban green spaces, such as golf courses, can increase biodiversity and serve as valuable wildlife habitats in otherwise inhospitable areas. Golf course ponds have the potential to provide suitable habitats for semi-aquatic turtles in urban areas. Previous research on semi-aquatic turtle inhabitation has been conducted on suburban golf courses. This study investigates the viability of urban Indianapolis golf courses as habitats for semi-aquatic turtles. Golf course ponds show similar turtle occupancy compared to nearby control ponds. However, when compared to a past random pond sampling in Washington Township, this study\u27s golf course ponds show significantly higher occupancy. Other factors, such as pond distance to the nearest road and pond surface area were also significantly different between the two pond groups. My results demonstrate the potential for urban golf course ponds to provide viable habitats for semi-aquatic turtles. Ultimately, golf courses could be deliberately designed to serve as a safe haven for wildlife, such as turtles, in an urban area

Healthy Relationships, Employment, and Reentry

This brief will provide an overview of the evidence supporting the interrelatedness of employment, healthy relationships, family well-being, and recidivism. It will also give the perspectives of expert program practitioners who are successfully integrating programming related to employment, prison reentry, healthy relationships, and responsible fatherhood. Finally, this brief will offer program and policy recommendations for leveraging the positive impacts of healthy relationships on employment and reentry and vice versa

Don’t Presume the Presumption Has Been Applied Properly

In recognition of the humanitarian purpose of the District of Columbia Workers’ Compensation Act of 1979, D.C. Code as amended, §32-1501 et seq. and the legislative policy favoring awards even in arguable cases, a claimant is entitled to a presumption of compensability (“Presumption”) when applying for workers’ compensation benefits. By establishing a causal connection between the injured worker’s disability and a work-related event, the Presumption enables a claimant to establish entitlement to benefits more easily; however, an analysis of decisions issued by the Compensation Review Board from 2005 – 2019 reveals the Presumption frequently is misapplied. For example, the aggressor defense in work-related fight cases requires the claimant prove a connection between employment and the altercation, but despite the fact that proving the first prong of the Bird test satisfies the requirements for invoking the Presumption, if the claimant started the fight the claim is not compensable. Similarly, misapplication of the Presumption makes it more difficult for claimants to prove work-related psychological injuries because they must satisfy additional requirements (including a credibility requirement) not imposed on claimants who sustain physical injuries even though when invoking the Presumption any suspicion of deception should apply equally to both types of injuries. Moreover, contrary to Marc Galanter’s position in Why the “Haves” Come Out Ahead: Speculations on the Limits of Legal Change, in District of Columbia private sector workers’ compensation cases, One-Shotter-Claimants (Have-Nots) have distinct advantages built into the architecture of the system, not the least of which is the Presumption, yet despite the advantages, because misapplication of the Presumption has little effect on the outcome of remanded cases, the Repeat-Player-Employers (the Haves) continue to come out ahead

Report Card Grading and Adaptations for Students with Disabilities: A Survey of Practices in East Central Illinois

The issue of grading the academic performance of students with disabilities has become a challenge as the restructuring of special education has placed these students in general education settings. A survey was conducted within the Illinois counties of Clark, Coles, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Moultrie, and Shelby in hopes of determining current policy, desired grading formats and practical grading adaptations for students with disabilities. One hundred responses, which questioned the attitudes and opinions of each group, as well as written policy and guidelines were solicited from each of four defined subgroups (teachers of special education, elementary level classroom teachers, secondary level classroom teachers and school administrators). Results of this self-report survey yielded information pertaining to district grading policies including the number of districts utilizing mandatory guidelines for the general population as well as those with special guidelines for students with disabilities. Policy requirements and methods of communicating the policies to teachers and parents were also addressed. In addition, results revealed data concerning classroom grading policies, requirements, and other grading considerations. Philosophical issues and acceptability of various grading adaptations indicated diverse, and often contradictory, responses from those surveyed. Results were discussed in comparison to the results from previous studies on grading practices and adaptations. Implications for future research and practice are also included