Civil Society’s Involvement in Post-Conflict Peacebuilding

War is a way of life – in some parts of the world it is an on-going struggle with no end in sight. Years of perpetual conflict have adversely affected the way in which political, socio-economic, and cultural components of society have developed. Indeed, armed conflict negatively affects all aspects of society: not only does it destroy buildings and societies, but it also leaves surviving individuals and communities with deep wounds that can last a lifetime. Many efforts have been employed around the world to build peace following a conflict. Some interventions have proven quite successful, while others have not. Notably, civil society involvement is one of the most important factors in determining whether a post-conflict peacebuilding initiative will be successful. Efforts put forth by local government officials or the international community likely will be unsuccessful in post-conflict peacebuilding absent civil involvement, and without a societal belief that these measures are beneficial. Further, an involved civil society is important to hold governments accountable for their actions, strengthen public policies, and develop the community following a conflict. This article describes post-conflict societies, discusses civil society generally and in post-conflict settings, provides an overview of legal and reconciliation approaches, discusses approaches alternative to legal approaches to post-conflict peacebuilding, and suggests that “building a culture of peace” is a way in which various players with an interest in post-conflict peacebuilding can influence societies to handle conflicts peacefully. Throughout, the article highlights the important role that civil society plays in post-conflict peacebuilding efforts

Uma análise preliminar da fórmula do novo sistema de financiamento local California controle

California recently overhauled its K–12 public education finance system. Enacted in 2013, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) replaced California’s 40-year-old funding formula. The LCFF increases district officials’ fiscal flexibility; provides more resources to districts serving larger proportions of low-income, English learner (EL), and foster youth students; and requires district officials to engage community members in district decisions. This article expands on a study conducted by a team of 12 independent researchers that investigated the early implementation of the LCFF. The study sought to answer three research questions: (a) how are district officials using their newfound budget flexibility? (b) how are district officials engaging parents and other stakeholders? (c) what are the opportunities provided to districts under the LCFF and the challenges it creates for them? Data include 71 semi-structured interviews with district stakeholders across 10 diverse districts in California and 22 interviews with county office of education (COE) officials across the state. Findings include that respondents were cautiously optimistic about the LCFF. District officials appreciated increased budget flexibility and the focus on community engagement. Inevitably, however, district and COE officials experienced challenges in implementing the law during its first year. El estado de California revisó recientemente su sistema de financiamiento de la educación pública básica (K-12). Promulgada en 2013, la fórmula de control local del Financiamiento (LCFF por su sigla en inglés) sustituyó la anterior fórmula, vigente por 40 años. El LCFF aumenta la flexibilidad fiscal del distrito; proporciona más recursos a los distritos que sirven una mayor proporción de personas de bajos ingresos, que usan el inglés como segunda lengua (ELL), estudiantes jóvenes; y requiere que los funcionarios del distrito involucren a los miembros de la comunidad en las decisiones del distrito. Este artículo expande un estudio llevado a cabo por un equipo de 12 investigadores independientes que investigó la aplicación de la LCFF. El estudio responde a tres preguntas de investigación: (a) ¿cómo utilizan los funcionarios del distrito la nueva flexibilidad presupuestaria? (b) ¿cómo hacen los funcionarios del distrito para involucrar a padres y otras partes interesadas? (c) ¿Cuáles son las oportunidades y desafíos que brinda a los distritos la LCFF? Los datos incluyen 71 entrevistas semi-estructuradas con responsables del distrito en 10 distritos de California y 22 entrevistas con funcionarios de la oficina de educación del condado (COE) en todo el estado. Los resultados señalan que los encuestados se mostraron cautelosamente optimistas sobre LCFF. Las autoridades del distrito aprecian una mayor flexibilidad presupuestaria y el enfoque en la participación de la comunidad. Sin embargo, los funcionarios del distrito y del COE experimentaron dificultades en la aplicación de la ley durante su primer año.O estado da Califórnia modifico recentemente o seu sistema de financiamento da educação pública básica (K-12). Promulgada em 2013, a fórmula para o controle local do Financiamento (LCFF por sua sigla em Inglês) substituiu a fórmula anterior, válida por 40 anos. A LCFF aumenta a flexibilidade fiscal dos distritos; fornece mais recursos para os distritos que servem uma maior proporção de pessoas de baixa renda, que usam o Inglês como segunda língua (ELL), estudantes jovens; e requer oficiais do distrito que envolvem membros da comunidade nas decisões do distrito. Este artigo expande um estudo realizado por uma equipe de 12 pesquisadores independentes que investigaram a aplicação de LCFF. O estudo aborda as questões três pesquisas: (a) como usaram os representantes do distrito a nova flexibilidade orçamental? (b) Como envolveram as autoridades distritais os pais e outras grupos? (c) Quais são as oportunidades e desafios oferecidos aos distritos pela LCFF? Os dados incluem 71 entrevistas semi-estruturadas com autoridades do distrito em 10 distritos na Califórnia e 22 entrevistas com funcionários do conselho de Educação do estado (COE). Os resultados indicam que os entrevistados estavam cautelosamente otimistas sobre LCFF. Funcionários distritais apreciaram uma maior flexibilidade orçamental e o envolvimento da comunidade. No entanto, funcionários do distrito e do COE teveram dificuldades na aplicação da lei durante seu primeiro ano

Civil Society’s Involvement in Post-Conflict Peacebuilding

War is a way of life – in some parts of the world it is an on-going struggle with no end in sight. Years of perpetual conflict have adversely affected the way in which political, socio-economic, and cultural components of society have developed. Indeed, armed conflict negatively affects all aspects of society: not only does it destroy buildings and societies, but it also leaves surviving individuals and communities with deep wounds that can last a lifetime. Many efforts have been employed around the world to build peace following a conflict. Some interventions have proven quite successful, while others have not. Notably, civil society involvement is one of the most important factors in determining whether a post-conflict peacebuilding initiative will be successful. Efforts put forth by local government officials or the international community likely will be unsuccessful in post-conflict peacebuilding absent civil involvement, and without a societal belief that these measures are beneficial. Further, an involved civil society is important to hold governments accountable for their actions, strengthen public policies, and develop the community following a conflict. This article describes post-conflict societies, discusses civil society generally and in post-conflict settings, provides an overview of legal and reconciliation approaches, discusses approaches alternative to legal approaches to post-conflict peacebuilding, and suggests that “building a culture of peace” is a way in which various players with an interest in post-conflict peacebuilding can influence societies to handle conflicts peacefully. Throughout, the article highlights the important role that civil society plays in post-conflict peacebuilding efforts

Experiential Education in Advocacy for Occupational Therapy Students: Didactic Approaches and Learning Outcomes

Advocacy is a foundational value in occupational therapy, but uniformity in teaching and learning advocacy is lacking. This paper proposes and reports on the implementation of an advocacy course based on experiential education. The objective of the study was to evaluate student learning after an advocacy course with an experiential education component using an open-ended survey design. Participants were occupational therapy doctoral students, and the setting was a course taught in a health sciences university. Students voluntarily completed a four-item anonymous survey after participating in an experiential advocacy course. Written responses were coded into themes using an inductive approach. The primary themes identified were knowledge, skills learned, levels of comfort and intimidation, and motivation and self-efficacy. Before the course, students consistently indicated a lack of knowledge or skills, feeling uncomfortable and intimidated with policy and advocacy, and lacking the self-efficacy to affect advocacy outcomes. After the course, the students indicated a general increase in knowledge and familiarity with the advocacy process, feeling comfortable advocating because of their increased knowledge, and an increased interest in the advocacy process. Analysis of student responses after the advocacy course indicated increased student interest, confidence, and ability to engage in legislative advocacy. Because client well-being and scope of practice depend on occupational therapists having strong advocacy skills, students need to engage in experiential learning to acquire these skills. This study demonstrates students lacked skills and confidence related to advocacy but were able to learn those skills through an experiential advocacy course. We argue the observed transition from lack of ability to confidence and comfort was only possible through the experiential learning component

WHO GETS WHAT: A WITHIN-SCHOOL EQUITY ANALYSIS OF RESOURCE ALLOCATION

This study analyzes resource allocation within schools, and it is one of the first in the literature to analyze the equity of monetary resources at the individual student level. The study calculates teacher resource expenditures (TREs) per pupil by allocating teacher salaries to individual students for each high school student in a large urban public school district. Next, the study compares the degree of within-school variation in per-pupil TREs to the variation between schools and concludes that the variation within schools is much larger than the variation between schools. The study then uses Berne and Stiefel's (1984) equity evaluation framework and develops an analytic approach that is appropriate for conducting a within-school equity analysis of per-pupil TREs. The findings indicate that inequities in the allocation of teacher salaries at the student level do exist. Specifically, the study finds violations of horizontal equity, vertical equity for low-income students, and equal opportunity for students of differing achievement levels. These findings also suggest that district leaders may be unaware of how resources are ultimately allocated to students. This study also evaluates the equity of the within-school allocation of specific resources to identify if resources are equitably allocated in academic courses that are critical for academic success. This study evaluates the equity of the allocation of class size, teacher experience, and social capital in students' English and math courses only as well as the number of advanced placement (AP) courses taken by students, which indicates access to rigorous curricula. In analyzing the equity of these specific resources within each school in the district, this study determines if multiple resource advantages or disadvantages exist for some students. Findings indicate that multiple resource inequities may exist for low-performing, low-income, and minority students. Further, the study finds that schools with greater socioeconomic and racial diversity have more occurrences of within-school resource inequities for low-income and minority students than schools with homogeneous student populations. The study is among the first to analyze the equity of the within-school allocation of multiple resources simultaneously to gain a better understanding of whether students in the same school receive equitable resources

Using AI to Evaluate a Competency-Based Online Writing Course in Nursing

Nursing education is transitioning from traditional teaching to competency-based education. Additionally, more nursing courses and programs are now offered online. Scholarly writing is a powerful strategy to teach effective communication and critical thinking, both core competencies for safe and effective nursing practice. However, teaching writing online to nursing students is challenging due to a lack of research evaluating best practices, faculty time constraints, and inconsistent writing assessment. Automated essay scoring systems using artificial intelligence (AI) provide new opportunities for efficient, reliable, and valid assessment of writing skills. We used a quasi-experimental design to investigate the impact of a 14-week fully online competency-based writing course on students’ self-efficacy, task value, and writing performance. The participants were master’s nursing students enrolled in an existing one-semester online competency-based writing course for healthcare professionals. An AI-powered writing assessment, IntelliMetric®, and the SAWSES self-efficacy survey were administered pre- and post-intervention. The results showed statistically significant gains in self-efficacy and writing performance with large effect sizes. This study addresses the gap in nursing education regarding the assessment of online, research-based writing interventions on students’ scholarly writing capacity. Recommendations include implementing a required scholarly writing course in all graduate-level nursing programs, scaffolding students’ competency development with the cognitive apprenticeship model, using best practices from composition research to inform online instruction, and employing AI-powered automated essay scoring to evaluate students’ writing progress and instructional efficacy