Behavior Management

Behavior management strategies are extremely influential in a successful classroom setting. Curriculum is obviously a major concern of education reform, but can students really learn the curriculum in a classroom that is not well managed? Having a classroom that is well managed allows for students to take the risks they need to in order to access new knowledge and grow as citizens of our communities. Carefully designed survey questions were distributed to multiple educators in a school of poverty to gauge the feelings of those working in the classroom on the successes and hardships of behavior management programs. Data collection occurred anonymously. Completed surveys were then analyzed for common themes of successful strategies found among educators of students living in poverty. Keywords: behavior management, poverty, Positive Behavior Management Strategies, PBI

Emergency Response to Mental Health Crises: A Case Study of Bloomington, Illinois

This research project examines Bloomington, Illinois’s emergency response system to mental health crises. Through a review of the emergency response resources at the national, state, and local level, this capstone identifies where Bloomington has been successful and where there are still gaps. In response, this study offers recommendations for how Bloomington can address those gaps and how other cities can analyze their mental health emergency response system similarly. Finally, limitations and future research are discussed

Germany's comeback: Worth the wait? EPC Commentary, 26 March 2018

During the six months of tedious negotiations to put a German coalition in place, governments across Europe, and France in particular, have been waiting impatiently for a push for European reform from Berlin. The new coalition agreement between the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the conservative Christian Democratic Party (CDU) and her Bavarian sister party CSU puts Europe high on the agenda, at least rhetorically. However, both domestic constraints and unbridgeable differences between France and Germany could derail the reform agenda. If Chancellor Merkel wants to go beyond a muddling-through approach she will have to invest a sizeable share of her political capital – domestically and at the European level. But is she ready to do so

Setting Course for the Next Five Years: Three Steps to Start an Effective EU Commission Presidency

The designated European Commission President is busy putting together her team of Commissioners, which will face Parliamentary scrutiny at the end of October. Now is when Ursula von der Leyen is laying the basis for the success or weakness of her presidency. This task goes far beyond assigning names to portfolios

Early Church History: Inspiring and Educating the Faith of Millennials

This Project’s NPO is: Evangelical Millennial Jesus-followers will be nurtured and inspired in their faith by learning from the experience of the Early Church. A key insight from the research is that Christians in the Millennial Generation (born between 1980 and 1996) are interested in Church history but they do not have the time nor the inclination to read textbooks explaining a subject that covers two thousand years. Research further attests to lower attention spans among Millennials compared to older generations. Therefore, this project’s ambition is to make Early Church history accessible, relevant, and hopefully a source of spiritual renewal for the Millennial generation. Another key insight is the Millennial’s affinity for the digital space, and specifically, online learning. To take advantage of this new educational paradigm, this project is completely online. My vocational background involves website creation and hosting in an entrepreneurial, digital setting. Creating a Project Portfolio that utilizes this environment proved to be propitious. This Project is a website that contains eight brief videos, each one explaining an aspect of Early Church history. The entire span of Church history is too large an undertaking for this project’s parameters; therefore, the focus is limited to the Church’s first three hundred years. The first video begins by examining the Book of Acts and the events surrounding Pentecost; the last video discusses the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. Although the videos are the main attraction, the website is multifunctional: There is a scripture quote of the day, a timeline of Church history, and a reference guide with links to other useful Christian websites. The website address is www.TroyRappold.com. Because this project is wholly digital and existing on the internet, anyone can access the material anywhere in the world at any time

Analysis of economics of a TV broadcasting satellite for additional nationwide TV programs

The influence of a TV broadcasting satellite, transmitting four additional TV networks was analyzed. It is assumed that the cost of the satellite systems will be financed by the cable TV system operators. The additional TV programs increase income by attracting additional subscribers. Two economic models were established: (1) each local network is regarded as an independent economic unit with individual fees (cost price model) and (2) all networks are part of one public cable TV company with uniform fees (uniform price model). Assumptions are made for penetration as a function of subscription rates. Main results of the study are: the installation of a TV broadcasting satellite improves the economics of CTV-networks in both models; the overall coverage achievable by the uniform price model is significantly higher than that achievable by the cost price model