State Mandates Research Articles

Widening access to un dergraduate physiotherapy education in South Africa - pointers from students’ records

In response to the state mandate to improve access and equityin higher education, the admission policy of universities in South Africa (SA)currently employs measures for the redress of past inequalities and racialinjustices. As there is no information on the processes to widen access toundergraduate physiotherapy education program in SA, the aim of this reportedstudy was to search for pointers from students’ records in one local university,situated in the Western Province of SA, that would inform the development ofstrategies that will widen the access for previously disadvantaged populationgroups and ensure successful academic outcomes. The records of six cohorts of students who earlier applied for andlater enrolled in the undergraduate physiotherapy program between the years 2000 and 2005 were retrospectivelyreviewed. Information pertaining to access, student characteristics, and academic persistence was extracted, reviewedand analysed descriptively. During the period reviewed, approximately equal numbers of Black and non-Black studentsapplied for admission to the program. The proportion of Black applicants meeting minimum admission requirementswas less than half of the White/Asian applicants. Less than 50% (105/212) of the offers made to Black applicantswere accepted. Forty one percent (43/105) of the enrolled Black students successfully completed the program withinthe minimum 4 years compared to 75.5% (145/192) of the White/Asian students. Strategies should be implementedto increase awareness and recruitment, improve enrolment rates, and improve retention and throughput for Blackstudents in the undergraduate physiotherapy program of a historically “white” SA university.

Obesity Disparities Among Elementary-Aged Children: Data From School-Based BMI Surveillance

To examine 3-year trends and spatial clustering in the prevalence of obesity among elementary-aged children in Pennsylvania. Height and weight were measured for ~980 000 children between ages 5 and 12 years, corresponding to kindergarten through grade 6 in 3 consecutive school years (2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009). These data were obtained at the school district level and reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Health in response to a state mandate requiring public schools to conduct annual surveillance of student growth. Analyses at the school district level (n = 501) regarding obesity prevalence (BMI ≥ 95th percentile) according to age and gender were conducted to examine associations over time and in relation to population density, geographic boundaries, and a calculated family distress index. The mean prevalence of obesity remained stable over 3 years at ~17.6% of elementary-aged children. However, within the state, significant differences in the prevalence of obesity were identified. Schools in the most rural areas had adjusted obesity prevalence over 2 percentage points higher than urban schools. Consistent with secular findings for the nation in general, students with families living in socioeconomic distress exhibited upward trends in obesity risk. School-based surveillance elucidates the disparate risk of obesity for younger students living in the most rural areas, a key finding for primarily rural states. Preventive interventions are needed to reach the most rural children with an emphasis on families where parents are single, are unemployed, have a lower income, and lower educational attainment.

Death of a planning department: Challenges for regionalism in a weak mandate state

Advocates have long claimed that a regional land use planning approach achieves gains in equity, efficiency, and environmental protect, but few studies have empirically tested these claims. In this case study of a regional planning process in a weak mandate state, we find that the regional plan would have produced better land use outcomes, but its impact was severely limited by political conflicts at the county level, a recession that necessitated cuts to non-mandated services, and a lack of state leadership around regional planning. Ultimately, all these factors contributed to the eventual disbandment of the entire regional planning structure in the area.

Diagnosis and treatment of diminished ovarian reserve in assisted reproductive technology cycles of women up to age 40 years: the role of insurance mandates

To explore correlates of diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) and predictors of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) treatment outcome in DOR cycles using the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technologies-Clinical Outcomes Reporting System (SART-CORS) database; we hypothesized that mandated state insurance coverage for ART is associated with the prevalence of DOR diagnosis in ART cycles and with treatment outcomes in DOR cycles. Cross-sectional study using ART cycles between 2004 and2007. Not applicable. A total of 182,779 fresh, nondonor, initial ART cycles in women up to age 40 years. None. Prevalence of DOR and elevated FSH, odds ratio of DOR and elevated FSH in ART mandated vs. nonmandated states, live birth rates. Compared with cycles performed in states with mandated ART coverage, cycles in states with no ART mandate were more likely to have DOR (adjusted odds ratio 1.43, 95% confidence interval 1.37-1.5) or elevated FSH (adjusted odds ratio 1.69, 95% confidence interval 1.56-1.85) as the sole reason for treatment. Lack of mandated ART coverage was associated with increased live birth rates in cycles diagnosed as DOR, but not in cycles characterized only by an elevated FSH. A significant association was observed between lack of mandated insurance for ART and the proportion of cycles treating DOR or elevated FSH. The presence or absence of state-mandated ART coverage could impact access to care and the mix of patients that pursue and initiate ART cycles in ways that influence these proportions. Additional studies are needed that consider the coalescence of insurance mandates, patient and provider factors, and state-level variables on the odds of specific infertility diagnoses and treatment prognosis.

High School Health‐Education Teachers' Perceptions and Practices Related to Teaching HIV Prevention

HIV/AIDS is one of the leading causes of illness and death in the United States with individuals between the ages of 13 and 19 years being especially vulnerable for infection. The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes, perceptions, and instructional practices of high school health teachers toward teaching HIV prevention. A total of 800 surveys were sent to a national random sample of high school health teachers and 50% responded. There was almost complete agreement (99%) among respondents that HIV prevention instruction is needed. The factors that emerged as significantly influencing the attitudes and perceptions of high school health teachers about teaching HIV prevention were related to teacher preparation, training, and years of experience teaching health education. A state mandate requiring HIV prevention instruction was significantly associated with higher teacher efficacy expectations and more perceived benefits, but did not have a significant influence in relation to practices in the classroom. Characteristics of high school health teachers that were significantly related to attitudes, perceptions, and instructional practices included the instructor's age, sex, and race/ethnicity. High school health teachers who reported the least experience teaching health education had the least supportive attitudes, perceived the most barriers, and had the lowest efficacy and outcome expectations related to teaching about HIV prevention. Whereas these findings support the importance of teacher preparation and training, they also suggest that more recent college graduates may not be fully prepared to provide effective instruction in HIV prevention.

Coming Full Circle: Reoccurring Career Development Trends in Schools

Current state and national mandates focusing on academic achievement have drawn critical counseling resources away from career development. As the world of work radically changes and economic situations remain uncertain, the call for a return to school counseling roots based in career guidance has never been louder. The authors explore reoccurring career guidance trends throughout the history of school counseling to expand awareness of the basis of today's career and technical education discussions and increase understanding of the interconnectedness of career guidance and counseling and educational reform.

Legal Status of the Refugees in India

India is not party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol and does not have a national refugee protection framework. However, it continues to grant asylum to a large number of refugees from neighbouring States and respects UNHCR's mandate for other nationals, mainly from Afghanistan and Myanmar. While the Government of India deals differently with various refugee groups, in general it respects the principle for holders of UNHCR documentation.For some time now, India's concerns about security have had a more restrictive impact on asylum space in the country. Mixed migration flows have further complicated the identification and protection of refugees and UNHCR has significantly modified and increased its registration activities to cope with this and provide the necessary support to the Government. In the absence of a national legal and administrative framework, UNHCR, based in New Delhi, conducts refugee status determination (RSD) for asylum-seekers from non-neighbouring countries and Myanmar. UNHCR also has a presence in Chennai, Tamil Nadu in the south to support the voluntary repatriation of Sri Lankan refugees. Although India has a large population of stateless people, no accurate estimates of the number are available. UNHCR is working to identify and map stateless groups.The Government of India's approach to refugee issues results in different standards of protection and assistance among refugee groups. Tibetans and Sri Lankan refugees are protected and assisted by the Government, while UNHCR is directly involved with groups arriving from other countries (notably Afghanistan and Myanmar). Holders of documentation provided by UNHCR are able to obtain temporary residence permits from the authorities. However, the rise in the number of these refugees and asylum-seekers has not been accompanied by a commensurate increase in resources, compelling UNHCR to find innovative ways to meet both existing and emerging protection needs. Refugees and asylum-seekers often live in poverty, dispersed in urban areas, where they can face violence and exploitation. They do not have the legal right to work, but are able to find low-paid employment in the informal job market. Women and children appear to be at increasing risk of gender-based violence, partly as a result of sharing living space with strangers, due to rising accommodation costs. The number of unaccompanied minors approaching UNHCR has risen sharply. Child labour among refugee and asylum-seeking children is not uncommon, and is a serious protection concern. The number of refugees considering return to Sri Lanka is gradually increasing. Individual voluntary repatriation assistance is provided pending the establishment of organized return movement.

California State Mandated MRSA Screening: Healthcare Dollars Down the Drain!

Results: Based on a poll of the over 250 participants at the broader meeting, the top four priorities, with the lead agencies in parentheses are: 1. Coordination, collaboration and integration (State and Local Health Departments), 2. Surveillance, validation, analysis and reporting (State and Local Health Departments), 3. Culture of safety, health and learning (QIO) and 4. Quality improvement/best practices (QIO). These results were in high agreement with the results of the focus group. Lesson Learned: More needs to be done to assist the state-level HAI programs, where one of the biggest challenges is developing the rapidly growing HAI public health infrastructure as public reporting and the intersection of public health and HAI is still a burgeoning topic. Coordination and collaboration is also a big concern as more and more requirements are being added to state and federal legislation. As such, a detailed environmental scan of state-HAI activities will be taking place over the next year to identify current needs and gaps.

A Tale of Two Educational Leadership Program Redesigns: How Policy Influences Process

This article examines the redesign of two educational leadership programs at different institutions: a medium-sized public university and a small private university. Both were committed to principals of ethical leadership. Each program faced a state mandate to redesign. In one case, state policy focused on detailed accountability measures based on syllabi alignment to standards and a complex paper trail of documentation required for final approval. In the other case, accountability focused on a final portfolio, and programs were encouraged to be innovative. Policy differences combined with situational context to create two different approaches to the redesign work.

Youth in Foster Care and Social Media: A Framework for Developing Privacy Guidelines

Although youth in foster care most likely use social media websites, there appears to be a lack of policy guidelines related to this use. When one considers youth in foster care, the state's mandate to provide safety, and foster parents' rights to exercise parenting responsibilities, the notion of privacy and the use of social media becomes complex. Critical Systems Heuristics will be introduced as a tool in developing policy recommendations. An application of this framework will be provided which can serve as a guide for an agency or workgroup tasked with developing policy guidelines for social media use by youth in foster care.

Change(d) agents: new teachers of color in urban schools

This book examines both the promises and complexities of racially and culturally diversifying todays teaching profession. Drawing from a 5-year study of the lives of 21 new teachers of color working in urban, hard-to-staff schools, this book documents the tensions these teachers experience between serving as role models and fulfilling district and state mandates.

The Public Perspective: Should Health Insurance Cover IVF for Cancer Patients?

Currently, the majority of states in the U.S. do not have laws on insurance coverage for infertility, and there are no state or federal mandates that specifically address fertility preservation. With improvements in prognoses and chances for parenthood, there has been a movement for insurance coverage of IVF for cancer patients and it is important to consider public opinion in the development of these policies.

The Intersection of Policy, Reform, and Teacher Education

For over a decade, teacher education has been at the crosshairs of educational reform and policy mandates. At the conclusion of a report on the impact of the Holmes Group in the late 1990s, Fullan, Galluzzo, Morris, and Watson (1998) wrote, Never before has teacher education experienced such a massive outpouring of political and fiscal (p. 68). If teacher education was experiencing an outpouring of political and fiscal action in the late 1990s, then what we are experiencing in the beginning of the second decade of the 2000s must be a monumental flood. The impact of policy on the teacher education reform agenda has reached crisis proportions in 2011 and sent the profession into a reactive mode. The impetus for changing teacher education arises from many concerns, not the least of which is that teaching diverse learners in a highly technical and media-rich society requires the learning of new, highly sophisticated strategies (Darling-Hammond & McLaughlin, 1999). Furthermore, teacher education exists in an environment where there are wide achievement gaps among diverse student groups. International comparisons continue to show that U.S. students are not competing at expected levels, especially in mathematics and science where we rank lower than some third world countries (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2011). Many students exiting classrooms are not prepared for success in postsecondary education and do not have the appropriate skills and abilities needed for today's jobs. The public outcry regarding the performance of our students and the quality of our schools has targeted teachers as one explanation for students' poor performance in schools and sparked a wide-ranging discussion about variation in teacher effectiveness. Because studies and reports establish the importance of individual teachers in student achievement, sources of variation in quality have been under scrutiny. One source of variation in teacher performance, teacher preparation, is a recent target. The ensuing debates about what experiences are necessary to produce high-quality teachers have permeated state and federal policy and mandates. The fact that research is not robust or is at best mixed about what produces a high-quality teacher only added fuel to the debates (Cochran-Smith & Fries, 2009) and lead to calls for reform in teacher preparation at local, state, and national levels. Policy affecting teacher education evolves from a wide range of sources, including public perceptions and attitudes, federal initiatives, current trends in public schools and higher education, the visions and whims of politicians, and the profession's own initiatives. No matter how it emerges, it is not unusual for policy ebbs and flows to result in major reforms or restructuring of programs and curriculum as the teacher education community attempts to respond to federal and state political wishes and to the attitudes and perspectives of legislators and the public. At other times, policy emerges from educational reform and restructuring. A summary of the pressures currently buffeting the teacher education profession and a contrast of two disparate influential movements illustrate the intersection of policy, reform, and teacher education. Pressures on Teacher Education The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 and its efforts to define a highly qualified teacher were followed by Race to the Top (RTTT), which brought a renewed emphasis on accountability. The two large federal efforts that focused primarily on PreK-12 education serve as bookends to a series of federal and state pressures on teacher education. There were many ways that NCLB influenced and affected teacher education, but one feature of the policy fueled an already established political debate on teacher preparation (Kaplin & Owings, 2003). NCLB attempted to define highly qualified teachers by focusing on the subject matter preparation of current and future teachers. …

The impact of health insurance mandates on drug innovation: evidence from the United States

An important health policy issue is the low rate of patient enrollment into clinical trials, which may slow down the process of clinical trials and discourage their supply, leading to delays in innovative life-saving drug treatments reaching the general population. In the US, patients' cost of participating in a clinical trial is considered to be a major barrier to patient enrollment. In order to reduce this barrier, some states in the US have implemented policies requiring health insurers to cover routine care costs for patients enrolled in clinical trials. This paper evaluates empirically how effective these policies were in increasing the supply of clinical trials and speeding up their completion, using data on cancer clinical trials initiated in the US between 2001 and 2007. Our analysis indicates that the policies did not lead to an increased supply in the number of clinical trials conducted in mandate states compared to non-mandate states. However, we find some evidence that once clinical trials are initiated, they are more likely to finish their patient recruitment in a timely manner in mandate states than in non-mandate states. As a result, the overall length to completion was significantly shorter in mandate states than in non-mandate states for cancer clinical trials in certain phases. The findings hint at the possibility that these policies might encourage drug innovation in the long run.

The Impact of Childhood Health on Adult Educational Attainment: Evidence from Mandatory School Vaccination Laws

This paper investigates the effects of mandatory vaccination laws on childhood health and adult educational attainment in the United States. After the invention of a number of key vaccines, states began to require proof of immunization against certain infectious diseases for first-time school entry beginning in the 1960s. I exploit the staggered implementation of mandatory vaccination laws across states to identify both the short-run impacts on childhood morbidity and long-term effects on adult educational attainment. First, I show that the state mandates were effective in reducing the incidence rates of the targeted diseases, suggesting that the mandates did improve child health. Next, I find sizable and positive effects on educational attainment.

Smart Growth Planning for Climate Protection

Problem: To help achieve climate policy goals, California recently adopted measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by promoting more efficient development. One policy, Senate Bill (SB) 375, gained widespread attention as “the nation's first law to combat greenhouse gas emissions by reducing sprawl” (Office of the Governor of California, 2008). What does experience to date indicate about the effectiveness of California's institutional model for achieving GHG reductions from transportation and land use? Purpose: SB 375, adopted in 2008, requires California's urban regions to achieve mandated GHG reductions through coordinated transportation and land use. After its passage, the California Air Resources Board moderated a lively, contentious negotiation process with the state's 18 Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to define potential GHG reductions and assign the mandated targets. We evaluate progress toward achieving SB 375 goals, analyzing the target-setting process and local government engagement. We assess the viability of California's largely voluntary model for achieving climate goals through smart growth. Methods: We consider the two-year-long SB 375 target-setting process as an exercise in institution building, creating new planning requirements that build on existing regional processes but also require the development of new techniques for systematically evaluating policy options and assigning regional responsibility. We evaluate MPO data on the potential of various smart growth policy options for reducing GHGs, and consider the activities and perspective of local planners by incorporating findings from surveys and interviews. Results and conclusions: SB 375 demonstrates that regional smart growth climate policy can be built on existing planning processes, particularly for transportation and associated air quality requirements. However, regional and local planners express concerns about inadequate resources for implementation. Without strong state or federal mandates or incentives that favor the policy outcomes envisioned in SB 375, the law expects more from MPOs than they can easily accomplish. As executed so far, SB 375 adds only a modest contribution to state efforts to reduce GHGs by 2020. At the local level, we document a sharp rise in climate policymaking, but also gaps between regional and local assessment and mitigation strategies. Takeaway for practice: It is possible to systematize collaborative climate goal setting for development planning across regions, but negotiating fair share responsibilities is inherently political and requires strong institutions in order to succeed. Effective smart growth climate planning requires matching responsibility and authority with incentives that integrate state, regional, and local needs and responsibilities; tough performance mandates and/or strong incentives are needed to bridge the traditional regional–local divide. To reinforce climate policy through local environmental review, requirements must be linked to regional plans; otherwise, project-by-project mitigation may work at cross-purposes with wider strategies.

State Mandated Principals’ Training - Does it make a Difference? An Examination of Principals’ Perceptions of the American School Counselors Association (ASCA) National Model, State-specific Models of School Counseling and the Roles of the School Counselor

This mixed method study examines the perceptions of both elementary and secondary principals in two northeastern states regarding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model, state-specific models of School Counseling and the role of the school counselor. One state surveyed has mandatory administrative training of the ASCA National Model and a state-specific model of school counseling while the other does not have such state mandates or an implemented model of school counseling. A fifteen-question survey was sent to four hundred ninety-eight school administrators. Results indicate little difference in knowledge of the ASCA National Model between principals in both states. The results of the study and a plan to impact principal perceptions in support of the ASCA National Model are presented.

Milton's Lydgate: A New Perspective on the Nativity Ode

This essays reads Lydgate's Troy Book and Milton's Ode in the context of East Anglian history to reveal how this region's culture of religious dissent shaped the neighboring East Anglian towns of Bury St. Edmunds and Cambridge before and after the Reformation. Both authors drew on their local experience to define an ideal nation that tolerated religious and political difference. In the Nativity Ode Milton adopts Lydgate's digression on idolatry in Troy Book to define his own thoughts on the perils of mandated state religion, with Lydgate's epic as the immediate source of Milton's poem.

Effect of the Accountable Care Act of 2010 on Clinical Trial Insurance Coverage

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 implemented dramatic changes in our health care system. The new law requires that insurers and health plans provide coverage for individuals participating in clinical trials. Currently, there are states that already have laws or agreements requiring clinical trial coverage, but there remain deficiencies that will need to be addressed to achieve compliance with the new law. State mandates were reviewed to determine current laws and agreements. The ACA was reviewed to outline its provisions, and these were compared with current mandates to identify deficiencies. Eighteen states meet the requirements set forth by the ACA either through a state law or agreement; 33 states do not meet the requirements. Of these 33 states, 15 do not have any existing laws or agreements in place regarding clinical trials. In states that have deficient policies in place, the most common deficiency is the lack of phase I coverage. The second most common deficiency in policy is coverage of only therapeutic studies. Most states currently do not meet the requirements of the ACA and will be required to make changes by 2014. The implications of the ACA with regard to insurance coverage of clinical trials remain unclear as implementation of the legislation unfolds. State governments can take steps to ensure insurance coverage by creating and expanding agreements with insurance companies.

Interdisciplinary curriculum: an abandoned concept?

Because present initiatives guiding educational decision-making place a high emphasis on accountability, there was a need to explore the educational value of the literacy and science education courses’ joint interdisciplinary focus for elementary education. With current research alluding to time constraints, scripted curriculum, and memorization dominating teachers’ decisions about instruction, it seemed important to gain insight into the practical nature of the interdisciplinary method with former students. Former pre-service teachers in their first years of teaching were surveyed. The goal was to find out how the interdisciplinary strategies influenced their instruction and students’ learning, and if they were continuing to meaningfully chunk their curriculum. Twenty-five of the forty former pre-service teachers returned the survey. These first-year teachers reported making cross-curricular connections and articulated a range of benefits for their students. However, they also discussed hindrances to their attempts at making cross-curricular connections, including state and local mandates, time constraints, and dilemmas related to being a first-year teacher. The findings from this study could prove valuable to teacher educators in elementary education programs, as well as to those involved in planning and facilitating professional development activities for elementary school teachers.