ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Healthy Eating in Out-of-School Time: The Promise and the Challenge
Author: Wiecha, Jean L.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Children,After School Programs,Eating Habits,Nutrition,Hypertension,Obesity,Body Composition,Body Weight,Semi Structured Interviews,Physical Activities,Diabetes,Child Health,Lunch Programs,Food

More than 30 percent of American children are either overweight or obese, with a body mass index (BMI) in the 85th percentile or above. Although prevalence varies by age, sex, and ethnicity, all groups are affected. Risk of serious health problems increases with increasing BMI. Childhood obesity, characterized by BMI in the 95th percentile or above, affects 16.9 percent of two- to nineteen-year-olds; it is associated with increased risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. Childhood obesity also increases the risk of obesity and chronic disease during adulthood. Out-of-school time (OST) programs, which serve over 8 million children per year, are a promising setting for nurturing healthy eating habits. OST programs can be part of the solution to the growing epidemic of child obesity. A first step is to understand current practices and learn about supports for--and barriers to--providing nutritious foods in afterschool programs. The authors used qualitative research methods to explore healthy eating concepts among OST program administrators. They examined their perception of the importance of the childhood obesity epidemic in relation to their mission. They also explored perceived barriers to serving healthful foods and the potential utility of guidelines and other managerial supports in helping programs adopt healthy eating practices.
Dealing with Behavior Problems: The Use of Positive Behavior Support Strategies in Summer Programs
Author: McKevitt, Brian C.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Behavior Problems,Youth,After School Programs,Summer Programs,Behavior Change,Discipline,Recreation,Behavior Modification,Positive Reinforcement,Children,Case Studies

Positive behavior support, with its emphasis on teaching desired actions rather than punishing undesirable actions, can be a powerful tool for managing young people's behavior. In recent years, positive behavior support (PBS) strategies have been promoted as alternatives to traditional discipline for children and youth. School use of PBS has been shown to significantly reduce the number of children referred to the office for discipline. It also allows administrators and teachers to regain time otherwise spent managing problem behaviors. Recently, PBS strategies have been applied outside the classroom in settings including playgrounds and summer recreation programs. Though implementing traditional school-based PBS in out-of-school time (OST) programs may present challenges, PBS offers an appropriate alternative to punishment-based behavior management. The authors' studies of PBS implementation in two community summer recreation programs suggest that PBS is a promising method for promoting desired behavior among children in OST programs. (Contains 3 figures and 1 table.)
Engaging Library Partners in 4-H Programming
Author: Fields, Nia Imani
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: After School Programs,Public Libraries,Youth Programs,Library Networks,Urban Youth,Partnerships in Education,Extension Agents,Higher Education,Youth,Learner Engagement,Librarians,Cooperation

When most people think about 4-H, they remember county fairs, livestock programs, and agricultural education. While these programs are still prominent, 4-H has grown in order to meet the growing demands of today's youth. The organization has expanded services and programs to serve rural, suburban, and urban youth in every state in the U.S. 4-H is uniquely positioned to apply youth development research, through non-formal education and technical assistance, directly from universities to local individuals, families, and communities. 4-H offers an array of research-based, experiential learning opportunities in science, citizenship, and healthy living, using various delivery modes. One of these, 4-H Afterschool, is growing in the University of Maryland Extension. 4-H Afterschool provides opportunities for youth to engage in positive youth development and to build life skills during the afterschool hours. The Baltimore County Public Library system in Maryland hosts a large number of youth who frequent the library to use the computers and resources as well as to participate in ongoing youth programs. Parents view the library as a safe place for young people to meet during out-of-school time to engage in educational and youth development activities. Baltimore County 4-H and the Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL) are thus natural partners in meeting the needs of youth after school. Recognizing the need for quality youth development programming after school, Baltimore County 4-H and the BCPL forged a partnership to offer structured experiential programming opportunities to meet the afterschool needs of youth who visit their local library. This partnership is now in its fifth year, representing the longest continual relationship between BCPL and a youth-serving organization. (Contains 2 tables.)
Empowering Youth Work Supervisors with Action Research Strategies
Author: Herman, Margo
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Action Research,Youth Programs,Youth,Student Empowerment,After School Programs,Supervisors,Supervision

Supervising youth workers is a challenging, demanding job in a complex field. Too frequently youth workers get mired in reacting to the everyday crises that dominate their work, finding it difficult to rise above the daily demands to reach a place where reflection can help guide their work. Strategies based in action research can empower youth work supervisors to invest in their own growth and in the continuous improvement of their programs. In this article, the author presents five suggested strategies for conducting action research that can help youth work supervisors to find new directions for themselves and their programs. (Contains 1 figure.)
A New Approach to Accountability: Creating Effective Learning Environments for Programs
Author: Surr, Wendy
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Accountability,Educational Environment,After School Education,After School Programs,Educational Quality,Educational Improvement,Improvement Programs,Program Descriptions,Educational Opportunities,Change Strategies,Educational Change,Organizational Effectiveness,Program Effectiveness,Youth Programs,Performance Factors

This article describes a new paradigm for accountability that envisions afterschool programs as learning organizations continually engaged in improving quality. Nearly 20 years into the era of results-based accountability, a new generation of afterschool accountability systems is emerging. Rather than aiming to test whether programs have produced desired youth outcomes, an increasing number of afterschool funders and sponsors are shaping more flexible, collaborative, and lower-stakes accountability systems. By designing accountability systems that fully embrace the notion of afterschool programs as learning organizations and by using research from organizational development, education, and youth development to create effective learning environments, funders and sponsors can help programs to improve quality--and therefore, to succeed in their goal of achieving better outcomes for young people. (Contains 6 figures.)
Collaboration between Afterschool Practitioners and In-School Teachers
Author: Schamper, AnnMarie
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Collaboration,Collegiality,After School Education,After School Programs,Day Programs,Day Schools,Teaching Experience,Interprofessional Relationship,Group Dynamics,Instructional Improvement,Teacher Improvement

During the author's first year of teaching, she connected with her students and their families but hardly talked with anyone outside her grade level, which is kindergarten. As she started her second year of teaching, she reached out to communicate with other professionals. She also became a part of the Afterschool Matters Practitioner Research Fellowship, a small group of afterschool professionals who were eager to learn more about their field and to use inquiry to improve their work. In this article, the author shares her experience with school-afterschool collaboration. She discovers how collaboration with her afterschool counterpart benefits their students.
The Process of Establishing a New Master of Research Administration Program
Author: Smith, Jo Ann
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Research Administration,Masters Programs,Graduate Study,Online Courses,College Programs,College Planning,Program Descriptions,Program Development,Formative Evaluation,Educational Needs,Intellectual Disciplines,Course Descriptions

In 2009, the second largest university in the nation was awarded a grant from NCURA to initiate a new fully-online graduate program in research administration. The Master of Research Administration (MRA) was approved by the institution's Board of Trustees in March 2011 and the first classes will begin August 2011. Currently the research literature does not offer studies on establishing and developing research administration graduate programs. The purpose of this paper is to describe the planning process followed to establish the graduate program at the University of Central Florida, provide a brief overview of the program, and identify the lessons learned during these initial stages of the process. (Contains 2 tables.)
2010 Profile of a Research Administrator
Author: Shambrook, Jennifer
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Profiles,Research Administration,Administrator Characteristics,Demography,Stress Variables,National Surveys,Bayesian Statistics,Educational Attainment,Salary Wage Differentials,Performance Factors,Administrator Role,Tenure,Health Insurance,Working Hours,Ethnic Groups,Age Differences,Gender Differences,Marital Status,Comparative Analysis,Occupational Surveys

This paper expands upon the seminal work of Roberts and House, which described the first empirical study of the demographic profile of a research administrator. The original work was based upon data from the 2005 Research Administrator Survey (RAS), a regional study of research administrators in the southeastern United States. In this paper, nationwide demographic data from the 2010 Research Administrators stress Perception Survey (RASPerS) are compared to the 2005 RAS data. These comparisons revealed that the general profile of a research administrator continues to be overwhelmingly female (80.1%), holding a higher education degree (88.7%), and aged 40-49 years (31.9%). The 2010 data showed an extremely significant difference in the modal salary level, which increased from $50,000 to $74,999 (40.0%). In 2005, the increase was from $40,000 to $50,000 (23%). Level of education was slightly higher in 2010 than in 2005, with more research administrators holding both bachelor's and master's degrees. Additional demographic and social data are described from the 2010 RASPerS. These include both work and non-work factors. These data are offered to provide information that may be useful for others with an interest in expanding the body of knowledge about the profession of research administration. (Contains 4 tables.)
From 9/11 to Recession: Historically Significant Events in America and Their Impact on Research Administration
Author: Minnema, Linnea
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Research Administration,Economic Impact,Social Change,Financial Support,Barriers,Influences,Social History,Case Studies,Terrorism,Economic Change,Economic Status,Research Projects

Federally sponsored research funding sources are not stagnant programs. Many things influence the nature of research, not all of them purely scientific. Historically significant events draw public attention to causes, and in the age of immediate information those events can have a powerful and lasting impact on research funding. September 11, 2001 is a day America will never forget, and because of this major event, sponsored research focused on protecting the nation from attack and building up national defense became a high priority. Similarly, while the nation has been mired in recession from late 2007 up to the present day, job creation through research funding became an important focus for the nation and has led to the passing of an enormous funding package to accomplish this task. Neither of these events has a foundation in academic research, but both have had a significant impact on research and how research administrators operate on a daily basis. (Contains 2 endnotes.)
Adopting the Transformational Leadership Perspective in a Complex Research Environment
Author: Atkinson, Timothy N.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Environment,Transformational Leadership,Research Administration,Attribution Theory,Adoption (Ideas),Organizational Climate,Organizational Culture,Best Practices,Leadership Training,Context Effect,Educational Philosophy,Models,Mentors,Motivation,Performance Factors,Intelligence Differences,Creativity,Social Cognition

Transformational Leadership is a popular topic among leadership scholars, but for research administrators, Transformational Leadership might seem like an enigmatic approach given its various contexts. Research administrators might think the transformational approach is only for executives, or that they do not have enough staff to call themselves transformational leaders, or that organizational transformations belong at the level of chief executive or the board. Bass (1990) noted that transformational leadership can be taught, learned, and practiced. The following argument supports this statement, promotes Transformational Leadership as an acceptable approach for research administrators, illustrates how different philosophies can be integrated into Transformational Leadership, and provides an illustration of the various ways Transformational Leadership can be applied. (Contains 5 tables and 8 figures.)
More Paper out the Door: Ten Inexpensive Ways to Stimulate Proposal Development
Author: Porter, Robert
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Proposal Writing,Change Strategies,Educational Strategies,Research Administration,Program Design,Program Development,Program Proposals,Technical Writing,Cost Effectiveness

Conventional wisdom says that the way to win more awards is to get researchers writing more proposals. Yet many incentives designed to stimulate proposal development can be hard on the bottom line, especially those that pay researchers for their time or to attend grant-writing workshops presented by outside consulting firms. This paper presents ten inexpensive strategies the research office can use to stimulate researchers to write more and better proposals. Most of these techniques require little more than efficient use of existing institutional resources. (Contains 1 table.)
Academic-Industry Collaboration under Federal Grants and Cooperative Agreements: Financial, Administrative, and Regulatory Compliance
Author: Ferreira, William F.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Accounting,Cooperation,Grants,Industry,Economic Development,Research and Development,School Business Relationship,Federal Aid,Income,Costs,Audits (Verification),Equipment,Standards,Contracts,Compliance (Legal),Private Sector

Federal sponsorship of collaboration between academic institutions and industry is on the rise. Many government programs emphasize cooperation between universities and the commercial sector as a means to merge basic and applied research, promote economic development, and enhance knowledge dissemination. The intersection between academia and industry on federal research projects yields financial, administrative, and regulatory complexities related to cost accounting, program income, audits, equipment, transparency, the distinction between subawards and sub-contracts, and other items. This article discusses foundational compliance issues associated with participation of for-profit firms in grants and cooperative agreements. (Contains 59 endnotes.)
Expectation-Based Efficiency and Quality Improvements in Research Administration: Multi-Institutional Case Studies
Author: Saha, Dhanonjoy C.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Efficiency,Educational Quality,Educational Improvement,Research Administration,Case Studies,Institutional Characteristics,Expectation,Intervention,Observation,Operations Research,Performance Technology,Industrial Psychology,Performance Factors,Pretests Posttests,Program Effectiveness,Critical Path Method,Critical Incidents Method

Conventional wisdom may support the presumed notion that higher expectations increase efficiency and improve quality. However, this claim may only be validated when workers are equipped with appropriate tools, training, and a conducive work environment. This study implements various interventions, observes outcomes, and analyzes data collected in three different institutions between 2003 and 2010. To increase efficiency and improve quality in research administration, an "open-expectation," outcome-based efficiency (application review turn-around, operating costs), and quality (compliance error rate) improvement initiative was taken and data collected. Before initiation and during the observation and data collection, the stakeholders were consulted, tools generated, employees trained, conducive work environments created, and expectations clearly communicated to employees. Analyses of the data showed that implementation of the initiative with an expectation of improvement resulted in improved employee efficiency and quality of their work, resulting in improved financial performance of the operating units studied. (Contains 1 table, 9 figures, and 2 endnotes.)
Transforming Research Management Systems at Mayo Clinic
Author: Smith, Steven C.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Management Information Systems,Management Systems,Research Projects,Quality Assurance,Quality Control,Medical Research,Medical Schools,Program Implementation,Research Administration,Program Development,Program Descriptions,Organizational Change,Organizational Theories,Change Strategies

In order for research programs at academic medical centers and universities to survive and thrive in the increasingly challenging economic, political and regulatory environment, successful transformation is extremely important. Transformation and quality management techniques are increasingly well established in medical practice organizations. In medical research organizations, the introduction of quality management systems is a more recent development. Mayo Clinic has now completed five years of implementing quality management systems in support of its national research organization. This article describes the quality management system under development within research at Mayo Clinic, key action steps taken in transforming the research management systems, results achieved to date in improving performance, and lessons learned. (Contains 3 figures.)
Developing an Institution-Wide Web-Based Research Request and Preliminary Budget Development System
Author: Glenn, Julia L.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Medical Research,Medical Schools,Research Administration,Budgeting,Compliance (Psychology),Information Systems,Internet,Models,Computer Interfaces,Stakeholders

While medical research may often be regarded by academics and the general population in terms of the remarkable science being conducted or the study participants willing to volunteer their time for the advancement of medical innovation, many in the research administration field recognize the tremendous amount of effort that goes on behind the scenes (Shambrook &amp; Roberts, 2011). Accurate budgeting and compliant billing are two of the critical pieces of an evolving research administration puzzle. These activities are vital to the overall success of any research project and to the integrity of the research institution. In today's technology-driven world wherein the term &quot;process improvement&quot; is widespread in academic research, electronic tools to reduce burden and increase efficiency have become a common goal at many research institutions. Along these very lines, the South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research Institute at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), the &quot;academic home&quot; of the National Institutes of Health Clinical and Translational Science Award (UL1RR029882), partnered with the institution's Office of the Associate Provost for Research to develop a streamlined, centralized infrastructure for accurate research budgeting and compliant billing. The purpose of this paper is to describe the conceptual model of an institution-wide secure, web-based research service request and preliminary budget development tool currently under development at the Medical University of South Carolina. (Contains 1 table and 10 figures.)
Managing Risk and Uncertainty in Large-Scale University Research Projects
Author: Moore, Sharlissa
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Research Projects,Risk,Risk Management,Performance Factors,Research Administration,Universities,Knowledge Management,Cost Effectiveness,Scheduling,Program Administration,Change Strategies,Critical Path Method

Both publicly and privately funded research projects managed by universities are growing in size and scope. Complex, large-scale projects (over $50 million) pose new management challenges and risks for universities. This paper explores the relationship between project success and a variety of factors in large-scale university projects. First, we characterize the challenge of large-scale university research project management, synthesize findings from the literature, and identify research gaps. Second, we offer a profile of large-scale U.S. university-run projects based on a survey conducted by us. The projects address a range of research from large-scale clinical trials to the construction of complex scientific instruments. While NIH is the largest overall government funder of university research, NASA is the largest funder of these large-scale university projects. Third, we share some preliminary results from our survey. While universities often meet their technical performance goals, cost and schedule overruns are common and can be significant. Qualitative data confirmed that research project managers face anti-management challenges in the university setting and challenges with project management techniques not tailored to the university. (Contains 4 figures and 5 endnotes.)
Crafting a Sales Pitch for Your Grant Proposal
Author: Porter, Robert
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Grants,Grantsmanship,Proposal Writing,Technical Writing,Writing Skills,Writing Strategies,Fund Raising,Research Administration,Best Practices

Experienced grant writers know that reviewers are quick to decide whether they like or do not like the proposals they are reading. Therefore, much of the success of any given proposal rides on the strength of the first page--its capacity to "sell" the research idea to skeptical reviewers. This paper describes a writing technique designed to elicit a positive response from grant reviewers at the outset. While the three-paragraph template does not guarantee a winning outcome, it will set the stage for high reviewer scores now required for success in the increasingly competitive world of sponsored research. (Contains 2 tables.)