Testimony Provided Before the Human Resources Committee, House of Representatives, Oregon State Legislature

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt:My name is Norman Wyers. I am an Associate Professor, with a specialty in income maintenance from Columbia University, at the School of Social Work, Portland State University. I would like to talk with you today about the formulation of well-articulated welfare policy, in this case policy which would more effectively link social services with income maintenance. I am using this particular piece of welfare policy for illustrative reasons but also because it is badly needed

An Investigation of Teacher Understanding and Perceptions of the Effectiveness of the Use of Learning Targets in the Classroom

Conflicting opinions and stances concerning standardization of curriculum in the United States education system are evidenced throughout the nation in the format of debates about the purpose of education and the curriculum. In 1892, nationally recognized American educators met as a Committee of Ten (National Education Association [NEA], 1893) to determine what subject matter should be contained in a formalized system of education, thus establishing the roots of the modern American school system. The results from the meeting were not accepted by all educational entities within the United States and curriculum content continued to be a matter of social and political debate resulting in legislative mandates designed to transform educational policy and practice. Leaders on the local, state, and national levels continue to pass new laws establishing and regulating educational standards and measurements for accountability, while classroom teachers are directed to adhere to many new directives and to become adept at a myriad of strategies and requirements to avoid being judged as inept and ultimately removed from the classroom. This action research study investigated the effectiveness of the use of Learning Targets throughout classroom curriculum by teachers as they promote instructional alignment to ensure student learning. This study explored how teachers develop, deliver, and assess student learning based on the processes and strategies contained within the Learning Target Theory of Action. It determined the perceptions about the processes involved and effectiveness of the Learning Target theory in the classroom. Finally, it placed emphases on ascertaining how students perceive the effectiveness of Learning Targets to their success in learning

Shame and Public Dependency: A Literature Review

All research related to under-utilization of income maintenance programs as well as to their impact on recipients has discovered the presence of stigma. A survey of the pertinent literature points out that much is known about stigmatization but that social welfare has been slow to incorporate this knowledge in any attempt to reduce the destructive effect of stigma on program users. Both liberal and radical reform measures are proposed as remedies

Gymfo: a Gym Finding iOS App using Google Maps API

This project explores iOS mobile app development. I developed a gym finding app in Swift, using Google Maps APIs,and called it Gymfo. Other technologies were studied as well, including the cloud computing service Microsoft Azure. Through this project I learned the basics of XCode and Swift, Google APIs, and sending and receiving HTTP requests. The final product is an iOS app that allows users to search for nearby gyms and displays the results on an interactive map

Shame and Public Dependency: A Literature Review

All research related to under-utilization of income maintenance programs as well as to their impact on recipients has discovered the presence of stigma. A survey of the pertinent literature points out that much is known about stigmatization but that social welfare has been slow to incorporate this knowledge in any attempt to reduce the destructive effect of stigma on program users. Both liberal and radical reform measures are proposed as remedies

Administrative Thinking on Youth and Youth Programs

Administrators have a lot of influence over the nature of youth programs. Because of this, their thinking on the causes of delinquency, the nature of ideal youth programs, and the role of youth workers were tapped. In the past, people in the field of delinquency have been accused of assuming an individual, personal problem or deficiency point of view. This study of administrators in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area suggests that, while some evidence for a more social structural understanding exists, in general the individual problem perspective prevails. An explanation for the persistence of a personal problem perspective is advanced focusing on a critical examination of the interplay among the social status of youth, the function of the juvenile justice system, and the role of administrators in bureaucracies

Reaganism and the Poor Family: Life on AFDC after the Budget Cuts

Recent changes in federal and state welfare policies have had negative consequences for public welfare recipients. This paper summarizes a study which focused on the impact of these policy changes on the AFDC population in the most populous region of Oregon. Of particular importance are the changes in income levels, employment, and social service utilization of recipients. Personal reactions of recipients are also reviewed, as are expectations for the future. The differential economic impact of the policy changes on various categories of recipients is stressed

That legislative measures have proved generally effective in the control of asbestosis

No abstract available