A Longitudinal Fiscal Neutrality Analysis Of The Minnesota K-12 Public School Funding Formula

Efforts to improve our school system must start with equity (Department of Education\u27s Equity and Excellence Commission, 2012). This study is a statistical analysis of the 2003-2012 Minnesota K-12 pubic school general education (foundation) formula in regard to fiscal equality and wealth neutrality. The analysis utilizes a longitudinal approach to compare the findings of previous equity studies to current relatable data as it pertains to the State of Minnesota. A number of modifications have been imposed on the original Minnesota funding formula over the past decade. This study tests the equity level of a selected number of revenue sources and reviews previous studies to determine how equity has or has not been improved as a result of the modifications. Fiscal neutrality is described as the wealth of the school district and should be a function of the wealth of the state as a whole, not of the wealth of the local school district. This study analyzed the fiscal neutrality of 333 public school districts in Minnesota in terms of variance, permissible variance, coefficient of variation, and Gini Coefficient. The analysis was based upon three research questions: 1. Based on an analysis of the 2003 to 2012 general education formula, what were the fiscal equality and wealth neutrality characteristics of Minnesota\u27s school districts? 2. Based on an examination of like data elements from the four major Minnesota fiscal equality and wealth neutrality studies, what trends can be observed? 3. Based on the recommendations of previous studies, what legislative impact did they have? The findings of the research show that overall the disbursements of revenue through the Minnesota funding formula do meet the standards of wealth neutrality. However, there are categories of the formula that remain inequitable and the reliance of local taxpayers on the referendum revenue source has increased over the years studied

The Implications of Participatory Budgeting in Illinois K-12 School Districts

Financial management skills are a necessity for every leader in the work environment. It helps them to make the best choices with the capital resources that are available. Non-profit organizations face the scarcity challenge, and it may be difficult to strike a balance when implementing the budgets. Acquiring financial management skills helps the leaders to carry out a cost-benefit analysis that allows them to determine the departments that need more resources, and as a result, they end up creating development even when faced with financial difficulties. Collaboration is a necessity and an essential aspect of the K-12 budgeting process because it aligns the allocation of the resources, depending on the urgency level of the district. Leadership skills are crucial, and having a participatory structure to budgeting helps the organization make the most informed decision. This research paper looks into financial leadership and the evolving role of the school superintendent. The objective is to determine who Illinois K-12 superintendents engage in the budgeting process and in what capacities does it happen. The situational leadership style of the superintendents that is examined in the budgeting process with internal and external stakeholders. This information will also be analyzed with the objective of understanding the effectiveness and establishing if there are areas that need improvement. The information that is relevant for the research will be collected using literature review and data will be evaluated to come up with conclusions regarding financial leadership and how it has facilitated participatory budgeting in school districts

Embracing Popular Culture’s Fascination with Mythology

Jeremy Larson presented this paper in a session for the Popular Culture Conference at Dordt College, November 3, 2012

Conceptual Meta-Models: An Example Correlating Anthony’s Triangle, Simon’s Structure, and Stevens’ Scale of Measurement

Models vary in size and applicability. However, the goal of most models is to abstract a complex topic and make it simple enough for multiple people to understand and discuss the topic. As a result, there should be utility in being able to craft the most complex and descriptive model for any given situation using the most simple pieces. This paper proposes this idea, and gives an example with the correlations between Anthony’s Triangle, Simons’ Structured and ‘ill-structured’ problems, and Stevens’ Levels of Measurement. The end result is an acknowledgement that there is a lacking setoff universally agreed upon core models that can be used for brainstorming and a call to develop a universal grammar of standard models for widespread recognition

Conceptual Meta-Models: An Example Correlating Anthony’s Triangle to the OODA Loop, the Deming Cycle, and the SDLC

Models are highly adaptable constructs. It is helpful to consider them in a solitary fashion as well as related to each other. A conceptual meta-model is an adaptable point-of-us application. In practice, the most successful models are simple and easy to portray. This presents an example of combining Anthony’s Triangle with, the mutex of Colonel Boyd’s OODA loop, Deming’s Deming Cycle, and the ubiquitous Software Development Life Cycle when applied to an Analytics project’s planning phase to successfully identify scope and methodology for the target audience. The end result is a continued appeal to the community to develop a sound set of core models that can be used for brainstorming with a broad base of professional understanding

EFFECTS OF RISK ON OPTIMAL NITROGEN FERTILIZATION DATES IN WINTER WHEAT PRODUCTION AS AFFECTED BY DISEASE AND NITROGEN SOURCE

Optimal fertilization dates were found for two nitrogen sources in the presence of two diseases for wheat farmers with different risk preferences. Risk was independent of fertilization date. Ammonium Nitrate and Urea-Ammonium Nitrate did not affect risk differently. Ammonium Nitrate applied on March 9 was optimal regardless of risk preferences.Crop Production/Industries,

Implementing Interactive Voice Recognition Technology to Activate Vulnerable Patients

Purpose: To help better align the intersections of patient needs, quality of care, and cost, we implemented an automated monitoring program that aimed to reduce preventable hospital admissions for vulnerable patients. Interactive voice recognition (IVR) is a form of remote patient monitoring that enables the clinical team to intervene sooner when a patient’s symptoms worsen. The goal was to improve patient activation by having them recognize symptom exacerbation and record their responses to a weekly IVR survey which was sent to the clinical team for potential action. Methods: At a health care organization in Southern California, ninety chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients who were in enrolled in a self-management program completed IVR surveys based on COPD symptom zones. Patients answered the weekly surveys for 6 months and the data were transmitted to the clinical team for review and potential action. Results and Conclusion: When COPD program patients used IVR, hospital admissions decreased and a positive return on investment was projected. Patients stated that automated monitoring helped them become more involved and motivated in their care. Clinicians indicated that using IVR freed up their time to concentrate on patients who were more at-risk for disease exacerbation and expanded their clinical capacity. In an era of clinical and financial accountability, being able to better identify patients who are at risk for hospital admission and who may benefit from more intensive management are key elements to help improve quality of care and the patient experience

EFFECTS OF RISK, DISEASE, AND NITROGEN SOURCE ON OPTIMAL NITROGEN FERTILIZATION RATES IN WINTER WHEAT PRODUCTION

Interactions among nitrogen (N) fertilization rate, N source, and disease severity can affect mean yield and yield variance in conservation tillage wheat production. A Just-Pope model was used to evaluate the effects of N rate, N source, and disease on the spring N-fertilization decision. Ammonium nitrate (AN) was the utility-maximizing N source regardless of risk preferences. The net-return-maximizing AN rate was 92 lb N/acre, providing $0.52/acre higher net returns than the best alternative N source (urea). If a farmer could anticipate a higher than average Take-All infection, the difference in optimal net-returns between AN and urea would increase to$35.11/acre.Crop Production/Industries,

Recreation Effects on Wildlife: A Review of Potential Quantitative Thresholds

Outdoor recreation is increasingly recognised for its deleterious effects on wildlife individuals and populations. However, planners and natural resource managers lack robust scientific recommendations for the design of recreation infrastructure and management of recreation activities. We reviewed 38 years of research on the effect of non-consumptive recreation on wildlife to attempt to identify effect thresholds or the point at which recreation begins to exhibit behavioural or physiological change to wildlife. We found that 53 of 330 articles identified a quantitative threshold. The majority of threshold articles focused on bird or mammal species and measured the distance to people or to a trail. Threshold distances varied substantially within and amongst taxonomic groups. Threshold distances for wading and passerine birds were generally less than 100 m, whereas they were greater than 400 m for hawks and eagles. Mammal threshold distances varied widely from 50 m for small rodents to 1,000 m for large ungulates. We did not find a significant difference between threshold distances of different recreation activity groups, likely based in part on low sample size. There were large gaps in scientific literature regarding several recreation variables and taxonomic groups including amphibians, invertebrates and reptiles. Our findings exhibit the need for studies to measure continuous variables of recreation extent and magnitude, not only to detect effects of recreation on wildlife, but also to identify effect thresholds when and where recreation begins or ceases to affect wildlife. Such considerations in studies of recreation ecology could provide robust scientific recommendations for planners and natural resource managers for the design of recreation infrastructure and management of recreation activities