Browsing by Subject "Best practices"
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Item An exploratory analysis of best practices for community resource coordination groups of Texas(2015-12) Rosales, Lauren Michelle; Springer, David W.; Streeter, CalvinDuring the 70th Legislative Session in 1987, the Texas Legislature mandated the establishment of local county-based Community Resource Coordination Groups (CRCGs) to collaborate on the development of individualized service plans and the service provision for children and youth with complex, multi-agency needs. While this was an unfunded mandate for localities, the State’s budget for the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) provided training and technical assistance to local CRCGs from the State CRCG Office. However, the 82nd Texas Legislature reduced HHSC’s budget, which resulted in the defunding of the CRCG program at the state level. During fiscal years 2012 and 2013, county CRCG leaders across Texas were left to sustain local operations, if possible, without state-level support. Although some CRCGs did not remain active, the majority of CRCGs did in the absence of the State Office’s support. Local CRCG leaders across the state of Texas experience difficulty maintaining adequate representation from CRCG partners from the 11 mandated state agencies, as well as limited funding and resources to meet the needs of individuals served by CRCGs. In light of the unfunded mandate and in an effort to identify strategies to enhance the quality of CRCG agency collaboration and service delivery, the purpose of this report is to explore various models for multi-agency collaboration, identify relevant best practices, and discuss potential funding mechanisms for Texas CRCGs. The report presents program and policy recommendations to increase the capacity that the State CRCG Office and local CRCGs have to serve individuals with complex, multi-agency needs.Item Comparing Traditional and Online Instruction: Examining Developmental Coursework at an Alabama Community College(2017-04-06) Smart, Barry Matthew; Fuller, Matt; Saxon, Patrick; Martirosyan, NaraThe purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the effect that course format had on student success rates and withdrawal rates at an Alabama community college from 2012 to 2014. The goal was to determine if students who were enrolled in online, hybrid, or face-to-face developmental courses were more or less likely to withdraw from those courses and to determine if those students were more or less likely to receive higher or lower grades than their counterparts. The study used archived data from the college to collect a sample that included all students who had enrolled in developmental courses at the college between 2012 and 2014 (n = 3,863). To determine the effect, if any, that course format had on student withdrawal rates from developmental classes a chi-square test was conducted that found that course format had a statistically significant effect on student withdrawal rates. To determine the effect, if any, that course format had on student success rates (student grade), a one-way ANOVA test was performed. The results of that ANOVA suggested that course format had a statistically significant effect on student success rates. At the conclusion of the research, suggestions are made for practice, as well as the implications that these results have on future policies and decision-making at the college for students who enroll in developmental education courses.Item Developing Best Practices for Small and Very Small Pork Processing Plants to Improve Food Safety(2013-05-10) Hendricks, Matthew BentonBest practices have previously been developed for beef slaughter and further processing operations with input from academic and industry leaders. Best practices for pork processors have not been developed, and those developed for the beef industry may not always be applicable to the operations of Small and Very Small establishments. Small and Very Small establishments warrant unique consideration in terms of financial and technological capabilities. While larger processors utilize multiple capital-intensive microbial interventions, smaller establishments often must rely on sanitary practices and more traditional interventions. In order to develop best practices for Small and Very Small pork slaughter and further processing establishments, a survey instrument seeking information on establishment and facility characteristics as well as current sanitary practices was distributed to Small and Very Small establishments in the Southwest region. Additionally, microbiological baselines were established for six Small and Very Small pork slaughter and/or further processing establishments to allow the efficacy of best practices to be assessed following implementation in each of the six plants. Survey responses revealed areas where best practice recommendation efforts may be focused, and microbiological baseline data provided insight to the condition of carcasses and environmental surfaces using current sanitary practices. Combined, the data reveal the opportunities for improvement in the food safety systems of Small and Very Small pork processing establishments.Item The roles of Texas community college trustees : an evolution to accountability measures in the boardroom(2011-08) Rogers, Robin Anne, 1970-; Roueche, John E.This treatise is a historical policy study, empirical in nature, evaluating how Texas community college governance boards' roles have changed over the last 4 decades. Texas was chosen because trustees are elected; as the second largest state in the nation, demographic shifts are rapidly changing and trustees represent a very different constituency from 40 years ago; and, Austin Community College District was the case study evaluated. Community college trustees are lay members of boards who oversee governance of 50 districts in Texas. The long time consensus has been that boards are "rubber stamps" of a CEO's directional design, and trustees have been historically White, wealthy, businessmen, who have little educational knowledge regarding community colleges or the students served. Success for community colleges in Texas, and funding, has always been based on enrollment, never before on student achievement or graduations. Research questions addressed how trustees roles have changed in 40 years and if student success initiatives had impacted those responsibilities. The answers are interesting. Trustees duties, as prescribed by the Texas Education Code have not changed at all, but trustees are spending more time in only a few of those duties on a regular basis. Demographic attributes have also changed very little in 40 years. Yet, trustees of the 21st century have become more attuned to the financial deficits that exist and will escalate if student success is not made a priority. Utilizing research from the Texas Education Code, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, The Texas Association of Community Colleges, the Community College Association of Texas Trustees, and researchers who have documented trustees' roles and responsibilities since the early 1970s, and including a case study that evaluated one college's minutes from board meetings over a 40 year span to determine how trustees utilize their time, this study shows that boards are evolving, but need additional and continual training. Because some trustees still micromanage, what results from this study as a benefit to society is a final guide that addresses the humanistic roles that trustees should have that intertwine with the legal duties defined by the State.