scholarly journals Small Texas School Districts’ Response to State Funding Reductions

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Nix ◽  
Gary Bigham ◽  
Alana Hayes
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
School Districts ◽  
State Funding ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Adjustment Factor ◽  
Bond Elections ◽  
State Economy ◽  
Revenue Enhancement ◽  
Texas School Districts

In response to a challenging state economy, the Texas Legislature implemented the Regular Program Adjustment Factor (RPAF) in 2011, effectively reducing state funding to all Texas school districts. This mixed methods study reveals the effect of the RPAF on a sample of the smallest Texas school districts and their response to decreased state funding – inclusive of reducing staff, implementing tax rollback and bond elections, and securing revenue from other, non-traditional, financing sources, which ultimately served as the largest revenue enhancement – 97 percent of which was comprised of the issuance of capital-related debt.

A Mixed Methods Study on the Status of School Orchestra Programs in Oregon: An Explanation of Inhibiting and Promoting Factors

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-22
Author(s):  
Dijana Ihas
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Quantitative Phase ◽  
Large School ◽  
Sequential Mixed Methods ◽  
The Status ◽  
School Orchestra ◽  
Arts Administrators ◽  
Unexpected Findings

The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to examine the status of school orchestra programs in Oregon and to explain the reasoning behind the descriptive data. The quantitative phase of the study reported the data on the number of school districts and schools by type that offer orchestra instruction as well as the profile of those schools, their orchestra programs, and orchestra teachers. Unexpected findings from the quantitative phase indicated that among the three large school districts that are comparable in size, budget, and students’ demographics, only one offers orchestra instruction in every school within the district ( n = 65) while the other two districts offer orchestra instruction in one high school each. This finding prompted the qualitative phase of the study that illuminated factors that inhibit and promote the quality of education within Oregon schools. The mixed methods findings explained the discrepancy in music offerings among the three large school districts through the perspectives of the three arts administrators, one from each district.

Imperfect Immunization Communication on School District Websites: A Mixed-Methods Review

2020 ◽  
pp. 105984052097088
Author(s):  
Mark C. Navin ◽  
Katie Attwell
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
School District ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
School Nurses ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Vaccine Mandates

Schools and school districts are key to U.S. vaccination policies: They communicate immunization enrollment requirements and enforce them during registration. This article presents a mixed-methods study of how Michigan’s 537 districts communicate about vaccine mandates through public-facing websites. It reports the results of a qualitative analysis ( n = 50) of websites from Southeast Michigan and a quantitative analysis of all ( n = 537) Michigan’s district websites. School district websites engage in diverse health promotion practices surrounding immunization, from encouraging vaccination to neutral messaging and to encouraging exemptions. Most provide scant immunization information and few promote the importance of immunization for individual and community health. We recommend that school nurses, district staff, and health authorities collaborate to ensure that school district communication promotes immunization and does not promote nonmedical exemptions. This can lead schools to embrace immunization as an essential activity for their own functioning rather than as an unwelcome requirement imposed by outside agents.

Determining Emotional Tone and Verbal Behavior in Patients With Tinnitus and Hyperacusis: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 660-672
Author(s):  
Suzanne H. Kimball ◽  
Toby Hamilton ◽  
Erin Benear ◽  
Jonathan Baldwin
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Verbal Behavior ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Emotional Tone ◽  
Explanatory Mixed Methods ◽  
Quantitative Results

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the emotional tone and verbal behavior of social media users who self-identified as having tinnitus and/or hyperacusis that caused self-described negative consequences on daily life or health. Research Design and Method An explanatory mixed-methods design was utilized. Two hundred “initial” and 200 “reply” Facebook posts were collected from members of a tinnitus group and a hyperacusis group. Data were analyzed via the LIWC 2015 software program and compared to typical bloggers. As this was an explanatory mixed-methods study, we used qualitative thematic analyses to explain, interpret, and illustrate the quantitative results. Results Overall, quantitative results indicated lower overall emotional tone for all categories (tinnitus and hyperacusis, initial and reply), which was mostly influenced by higher negative emotion. Higher levels of authenticity or truth were found in the hyperacusis sample but not in the tinnitus sample. Lower levels of clout (social standing) were indicated in all groups, and a lower level of analytical thinking style (concepts and complex categories rather than narratives) was found in the hyperacusis sample. Additional analysis of the language indicated higher levels of sadness and anxiety in all groups and lower levels of anger, particularly for initial replies. These data support prior findings indicating higher levels of anxiety and depression in this patient population based on the actual words in blog posts and not from self-report questionnaires. Qualitative results identified 3 major themes from both the tinnitus and hyperacusis texts: suffering, negative emotional tone, and coping strategies. Conclusions Results from this study suggest support for the predominant clinical view that patients with tinnitus and hyperacusis have higher levels of anxiety and depression than the general population. The extent of the suffering described and patterns of coping strategies suggest clinical practice patterns and the need for research in implementing improved practice plans.

EXPERIENCES, FRUSTRATIONS, AND BARRIERS, OF IPAD USAGE IN THE SPECIAL EDUCATION: LIFE SKILLS CLASSROOM FROM EDUCATORS PERSPECTIVE

2018 ◽  
pp. 61-67
Author(s):  
D. J. Sullivan ◽  
S. Labby ◽  
A. Koptelov ◽  
S. L. Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Life Skills ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Educational Tool ◽  
Special Educator ◽  
Communications Systems ◽  
Communication Device ◽  
Communication Devices

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine the barriers that special educator teachers encounter when using iPads within the Life Skills classroom. The research investigates the experiences, frustrations, and barriers through educators’ perceptions of iPad implementation. The influence of these issues suggests why iPad usage is not a device that special education classrooms are using in a widespread daily manner. Exploration of iPads as an educational tool and as a communication device is also discussed, along with considerations of other communications systems such as Picture Exchange Communication Systems and Alternative and Augmented Communication Devices is considered. Recommendations for further possible research are also discussed.

Rapid Evaluation of the Special Measures for Quality and Challenged Provider Regimes: A mixed-methods study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi Fulop ◽  
Estela Capelas Barbosa ◽  
Melissa Hill ◽  
Jean Ledger ◽  
Pei Li Ng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Rapid Evaluation
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document