scholarly journals Employment first and transition: Utah school-to-work initiative

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Tricia Jones-Parkin ◽  
Faith Thomas ◽  
Kelie Hess ◽  
Aubrey Snyder

BACKGROUND: Utah’s School-to-Work Initiative is funded by a Partnerships in Integrated Employment Systems Change grant. Our project focuses on building school-level collaborative teams to support transitioning students with the most significant disabilities. Participating students complete work experiences and paid internships leading to permanent competitive integrated employment prior to exit. OBJECTIVE: By integrating two predictors for post-secondary employment, our framework implements customized employment to demonstrate Employment First for students with the most significant disabilities. METHODS: An advisory board evaluated applications and selected Utah secondary schools representing urban, suburban, and rural areas. We provide professional development on transition during biannual community of practice meetings. Subject matter experts provide technical assistance to collaborative teams on implementing the customized employment. RESULTS: Eight school districts have collaborative teams that serve nine secondary schools. We blend funding from VR, Medicaid Waiver, and WIOA to support students with significant disabilities obtain competitive integrated employment. Students’ outcomes have been challenged by the lack of employment providers for customized employment, the turnover of staff in agencies, and the limited resources for English language learners. CONCLUSIONS: We have successfully blended funding and collaboratively support 82 students with significant disabilities and families navigate the adult agency process.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lealaolesau Fitu

<p>This thesis investigates the dropout problem in Samoan schools particularly at primary and secondary levels from 1995 to 2007. It aims at identifying and comparing the dropout rate by region (or geographical locations), school level (primary, primary/secondary and secondary) and school status (Government, Mission and Private). Moreover, it also investigates whether the student-teacher ratio, school size, the gender and ethnicity of the teacher, the qualification of the teacher, the school building and school facility variables are associated with the dropout of students. The investigation is carried out through analysis of census data gathered annually by the Samoa Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture (MESC) through census forms from all the primary and secondary schools in the country. Given our response variable is a dichotomous one, the logit regression models to model the effect of both the categorical and continuous explanatory variables on the dropout was adopted. Moreover, since the dropout rates across different year levels (eg, Year 2, Year 3, and Year 13) are correlated within each school we then use the Generalised Estimating Equations (GEE) approach. The results show that higher dropout rates are found in the rural areas (Rest of Upolu combined with Savaii region) as compared to urban area (Apia urban region). In addition, students are more likely to leave secondary schools earlier than primary or primary/secondary schools. Apparently, the majority of these dropouts are those who have attended Government schools. Surprisingly, students are less likely to get affected with the dropout in larger schools and those schools with higher student-teacher ratios. The gender of the school teacher has nothing to do with the dropout however; having more Samoan and highly qualified teachers in a school will significantly reduce the dropout rate. Nonetheless, a couple of school building variables are significantly associated with the dropout in the positive direction, while another couple inversely relate with the dropout. Schools with more trucks as means of transportation for students, and more radios for school programs and students’ activities are less likely to get affected with the dropouts.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lealaolesau Fitu

<p>This thesis investigates the dropout problem in Samoan schools particularly at primary and secondary levels from 1995 to 2007. It aims at identifying and comparing the dropout rate by region (or geographical locations), school level (primary, primary/secondary and secondary) and school status (Government, Mission and Private). Moreover, it also investigates whether the student-teacher ratio, school size, the gender and ethnicity of the teacher, the qualification of the teacher, the school building and school facility variables are associated with the dropout of students. The investigation is carried out through analysis of census data gathered annually by the Samoa Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture (MESC) through census forms from all the primary and secondary schools in the country. Given our response variable is a dichotomous one, the logit regression models to model the effect of both the categorical and continuous explanatory variables on the dropout was adopted. Moreover, since the dropout rates across different year levels (eg, Year 2, Year 3, and Year 13) are correlated within each school we then use the Generalised Estimating Equations (GEE) approach. The results show that higher dropout rates are found in the rural areas (Rest of Upolu combined with Savaii region) as compared to urban area (Apia urban region). In addition, students are more likely to leave secondary schools earlier than primary or primary/secondary schools. Apparently, the majority of these dropouts are those who have attended Government schools. Surprisingly, students are less likely to get affected with the dropout in larger schools and those schools with higher student-teacher ratios. The gender of the school teacher has nothing to do with the dropout however; having more Samoan and highly qualified teachers in a school will significantly reduce the dropout rate. Nonetheless, a couple of school building variables are significantly associated with the dropout in the positive direction, while another couple inversely relate with the dropout. Schools with more trucks as means of transportation for students, and more radios for school programs and students’ activities are less likely to get affected with the dropouts.</p>


Author(s):  
Yuri Sasaki ◽  
Yugo Shobugawa ◽  
Ikuma Nozaki ◽  
Daisuke Takagi ◽  
Yuiko Nagamine ◽  
...  

The aim of the study was to investigate rural–urban differences in depressive symptoms in terms of the risk factors among older adults of two regions in Myanmar to provide appropriate intervention for depression depending on local characteristics. This cross-sectional study, conducted between September and December, 2018, used a multistage sampling method to recruit participants from the two regions, for face-to-face interviews. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 15-item version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Depressive symptoms were positively associated with living in rural areas (B = 0.42; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.12,0.72), female (B = 0.55; 95% CI: 0.31,0.79), illness during the preceding year (B = 0.68; 95% CI: 0.45,0.91) and non-Buddhist religion (B = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.001,1.15) and protectively associated with education to middle school level or higher (B = −0.61; 95% CI: −0.94, −0.28) and the frequency of visits to religious facilities (B = −0.20; 95% CI: −0.30, −0.10). In women in urban areas, depressive symptoms were positively associated with illness during the preceding year (B = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.36, 1.20) and protectively associated with education to middle school level or higher (B = −0.67; 95% CI: −1.23, −0.11), middle or high wealth index (B = −0.92; 95% CI: −1.59, −0.25) and the frequency of visits to religious facilities (B = −0.20; 95% CI: −0.38, −0.03). In men in rural areas, illness during the preceding year was positively associated with depressive symptoms (B = 0.87; 95% CI: 0.33, 1.42). In women in rural areas, depressive symptoms were positively associated with illness during the preceding year (B = 0.83; 95% CI: 0.36, 1.30) and protectively associated with primary education (B = −0.62; 95% CI: −1.12, −0.12) and the frequency of visits to religious facilities (B = −0.44; 95% CI: −0.68, −0.21). Religion and wealth could have different levels of association with depression between older adults in the urban and rural areas and men and women. Interventions for depression in older adults should consider regional and gender differences in the roles of religion and wealth in Myanmar.


Paradigm ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-105
Author(s):  
Aradhana Chouksey ◽  
Yamini Karmarkar

Emergence of microfinance facilities has raised self-employment opportunities for the disadvantaged group. There are many small and micro entrepreneurs who have started their business with funding support from microfinance agencies. Though this increased funding resource has increased the number of businesses that are started by entrepreneurs in rural areas, another important fact is that all these new businesses are not necessarily successful. In Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh (MP), only 20 per cent of businesses funded by microfinance agencies are profitable. There are multiple reasons behind this lack of success of microenterprises. There are paucity of information in selection of right opportunity, absence of technical assistance, lack of business knowledge and marketing and finance skills, which are few of them. This is an alarming sign for funding agencies as higher failure rate of microenterprises bound to jeopardize, the sustainability of the microfinance in long term and retard the development of region. This research conducted on microenterprises of Malwa region of MP tries to identify the specific training needs of microfinance clients. Further, this research tries to evaluate empirically what are the potential and sustainable microbusiness opportunities, which can be started and run by people of disadvantage groups. Empirical findings through a survey designed on a sample of 54 microenterprises of eight villages of Malwa region show that any microbusiness having higher ratio of working capital to fixed capital investment are successful in Malwa region. Also, it is found that the most important training need of these enterprises is in the field of ‘managing finance’ for small business.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Qaiser Suleman ◽  
Ishtiaq Hussain ◽  
Zaitoon Akhtar

Educational technology plays a fundamental role in enhancing teaching learning process. It has facilitated instructional process and made it more productive, dynamic and effective. Therefore the study was conducted to explore the role of educational technology in public and private institutes in district Karak (Khyber Pukhtunkhwa) Pakistan in comparative perspectives. The main objectives of the study were: to compare the availability of educational technology in public and private institutions at secondary level; to compare the usability of educational technology in public and private institutions at secondary level and to know the usefulness of educational technology in public and private institutions at secondary level. All the heads, teachers and students in public and private secondary schools in district Karak constituted the population of the study. In order to ensure adequate sample, 60 heads, 180 teachers and 600 students serving and studying in public and private sectors at secondary school level in District Karak were selected randomly. The study was delimited to the selected male public and private secondary schools. The study was also delimited to those technologies which are commonly used. The study was descriptive in nature therefore, the researchers decided to develop questionnaire for the collection of data. A single questionnaire was developed for the whole sample. Pilot testing was conducted to know the weakness, misconceptions and ambiguities of the questions. After conduction of pilot testing, the questionnaire was revised and then its final version was prepared in the light of valuable suggestions of the heads, teachers and students. The researchers personally visited to the respective sample and distributed the questionnaires among the heads, teachers and students in public and private secondary schools. In this way data was collected. After the collection of data, the data was organized, tabulated and analyzed. The researchers decided to apply chi-square for the statistical treatment of the data. Therefore, chi square was applied to compare the responses of the sample. After analysis of the data, it was concluded that educational technologies are not available in both sectors. Some technologies are available in minor amount but these technologies are not used in both public and private sectors. Key Words:Educational Technology, Availability of Educational Technology, Usability of Educational Technology, Importance of Educational Technology


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