Domestic Programs¹
at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

Domestic Programs is home to several separate programs and activities, many of which are described in detail elsewhere in this report. Some of these programs link the college with the community. The other activities and projects aim to inform the debate on public policy in the metropolitan Atlanta area, the state of Georgia, and the nation through research and education. The issues that are addressed include those associated with the structure of urban area, government tax and expenditure policy, education, program evaluation, social policies, and economic development. Some of the specific topics include the evaluation of pre-K programs, analysis of the transition from welfare to work, studies of teacher retention, a multi-year study of public housing transformation, and studies of the labor market opportunities of low-skilled workers. Domestic Programs also houses the Georgia Poll, a quarterly public opinion poll of Georgia residents, and Atlanta Census 2000 — a portal that allows easy mapping of census data. Funding comes from a variety of governmental, foundation, and business sources. David L. Sjoquist is the Director of Domestic Programs.

Domestic Programs has extensive experience in measuring performance of programs in areas as diverse as education, transportation, and information systems. The evaluation and policy analysis projects have included many studies of educational programs. The office’s work in analyzing the effects of Georgia’s innovative HOPE Scholarship and in evaluating the nation’s first universal pre-kindergarten program has brought national attention. Evaluations conducted by the office’s staff range from large-scale statewide and national programs to school based innovations.

Activities of Domestic Programs

The Fiscal Research Program provides nonpartisan research, technical assistance and education in the evaluation and design of state and local fiscal and economic policy, including both tax and expenditure issues. (See the Fiscal Research Program section of this report.)

The Neighborhood Collaborative project, an extension of the Atlanta Project started by the Carter Center, provides the University with a means of enhancing research, teaching and service through more effective partnerships with its urban environment and neighborhoods. (See the Neighborhood Collaborative section of this report.)

The Office of Community Outreach and Partnerships (OCOP) serves as vehicle for linking the University's resources, students and faculty to the community through coordinated outreach activities. (See the Office of Community Outreach and Partnerships section of this report.)

The Nonprofit Group is devoted to informing the discussion of policy issues confronting nonprofit organizations in the Southeast. (See the Nonprofit Program section of this report.)

Research Atlanta is a private not-for-profit public policy research organization that studies public policy issues affecting the metropolitan Atlanta region. (See the Research Atlanta section of this report.)

AtlantaCensus 2000 is a collaborative effort between the Atlanta Regional Commission and the Fiscal Research Program to support a Web site that provides access to the 1990 and 2000 Census of Population and Housing, allows the creation of maps, and contains reports focused on the Atlanta region.

The Atlanta Policy Forum is devoted to informing the discussion of policy issues confronting the Atlanta region.

The Educational Policy Group provides research and recommendation on issues related to education policy in Georgia.

The Georgia Administrative Data Project involves the development of a database built on the unemployment insurance records from the Georgia Department of Labor and welfare records for the Georgia Department of Human Resources.

The Georgia Intergovernmental Forum explores issues related to the relationships between state and local governments and among local governments.

Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) maintains and provides access to a vast archive of social science data for research and instruction and offers training in quantitative methods to facilitate effective data use.

Regional Leadership Foundation (RLF) is a Metro Atlanta citizens organization dedicated to creating discussions by citizens and leaders about the future of the Atlanta region. Although independent, RLF is housed at the Andrew Young School, which partners with RLF.

The Urban-Regional Policy Group provides research and recommendation on issues related to urban and regional policy in Georgia.

Survey Research and the Georgia Poll provides data collection and expertise in data management, study design, and project management. The Survey Research Lab has worked on projects varying widely in size, scope, methodology, and complexity, ranging from collecting the opinions of students within Georgia State University to conducting national public opinion surveys.

Applied Research Center. As a part of the reorganization of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, the Applied Research Center discontinued its operations June 30, 2002. The important work of the Applied Research Center in the areas of evaluation, education, and social policy continues under the direction of the Domestic Programs Office and the Georgia Health Policy Center.

Projects

Title II Teacher Quality. Darleen Opfer. The evaluation team worked with various stakeholders to develop measures for each of the program objectives, then gathered data on these measures and presented a plan for obtaining data on the measures that were not currently being collected. Georgia Board of Regents. ($28,160)

Georgia Teacher Quality. Darleen Opfer. ($88,463)

The Marriage Solution. Dana Rickman. As part of the Young Scholars Research Program, this project is an analysis of the influence of marriage policies on former welfare recipients in seven states. ($20,991)

Communities in Schools of Atlanta Evaluation Consulting (CISA). Mark Rivera and Craig Gordon. Semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and a document review are being conducted to develop recommendations for improvements to the CISA evaluation plan and reporting practices. The CISA program aims to help reduce absenteeism in schools and to provide caseload assistance to children and families with need. ($4,315)

Ride Quality Thresholds from the Motorist’s Perspective. Theodore Poister. This research is designed to learn more about Pennsylvania motorists' satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the highways they drive on and the basis upon which they rate these highways. Using a detailed telephone survey of motorists in eight counties, this research will provide the Department of Transportation with a better understanding of its customers' concerns regarding highway maintenance issues. Based on this information, the project will also pilot a revised mail-out survey instrument for soliciting customer feedback annually on a statewide basis. Pennsylvania State. ($190,580)

Office of School Readiness: Registry Project. Gary T. Henry and Judith Ottoson. The project offers accurate data on children's Pre-K experiences and provides a base for future research and evaluation. The project conducted for the Office of School Readiness consists of three major data components: class rosters, lead teacher credentials, and resource coordinator reports. The project is in its fourth and final year. ($776,252)

Georgia State Poll 2002: 4 Random Digit Dial Telephone Surveys. Charlotte Steeh. Four times a year the SRL conducts this survey of 800 Georgia residents on topics of current interest. Various groups and organizations that purchase question time fund the Poll. Participating organizations in 2002 included the Atlanta Regional Commission, Georgia Department of Transportation, Community Foundation, and the Georgia Office of Consumer Affairs. ($40,416)

Customer Satisfaction Survey 2001-2002: Telephone Survey. Charlotte Steeh. Begun in October, 2001, this project consists of a series of monthly surveys that measure the satisfaction of employers and individual job seekers with Georgia's workforce development programs as implemented by the Georgia Department of Labor. The federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) requires each state to carry out this evaluation annually. A total of 5,579 telephone interviews were completed by June, 2002 with a sample of employers and clients. ($107,542)

Second Hand Smoke 2002: Self-Administered Survey. Charlotte Steeh. Under the sponsorship of the Lowndes County Board of Health, the Second Hand Smoke Reduction Program was undertaken in the three Georgia school districts during the spring of 2002. The survey was part of a larger project designed to give relevant parents information about the dangers of secondhand smoke and thus to improve the health status of school age children. ($2,407, $4,814)

Surveys of Automobile Sellers. Charlotte Steeh. Telephone interviews were conducted for the firm of Sutherland, Asbill and Brennan with sellers of automobiles that had been damaged in accidents and subsequently repaired in order to determine resale value. Dealerships as well as individual sellers were contacted. ($22,358)

Performance Outcome Measures Project: Georgia Division of Aging 2002. Charlotte Steeh. For the third year, the Georgia Division of Aging Services participated in a national evaluation coordinated by Westat to learn how in-home services have helped those who receive them and how satisfied clients are with their care. Approximately 366 telephone interviews were conducted with a sample of clients who received Personal Support Services during the previous six months and with an independent sample of 353 caregivers. ($49,480)

North Carolina Teacher and Principal Surveys. Mail Surveys. Charlotte Steeh and Dana Rickman. For a third year, North Carolina teachers, and principals provided information on a variety of topics including teachers' professional development, principals' leadership, interactions with parents, and performance of schools within the state. Results are presented in a report by the Governor that gauges the progress of North Carolina in becoming one of the top ten states in education performance in the nation. North Carolina's Education Research Council. ($44,606, $126,625)

Blood Donation Decision 2. Charlotte Steeh. This national telephone survey of 500 people who had not donated blood in the last few years was a follow-up to the pioneering effort of 2001 that was sponsored by the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University and funded by the National Blood Foundation. In addition to asking why respondents had not donated blood in the past, the questionnaire examined decisions about blood donation that were made after the attacks of September 11, 2001. For comparison, some limited data were also collected from people who had recently donated blood. ($24,514)

A Comparison of RDD and Cell Phone Surveys. Charlotte Steeh. Since very little research has examined the impact on surveys of the exploding growth of wireless communication devices, this study assesses the extent to which these devices are likely to change telephone surveys. Results from two national surveys, one using the usual list-assisted RDD sample and the other employing a sample of mobile telephone numbers, are being compared. The analyses look for significant differences between surveys along four dimensions—coverage, nonresponse, data quality, and relationships among variables. Methodological factors, such as the number of attempts, the percentage of sample numbers whose status as working or nonworking is indeterminate, and the effects of caller-id, are also explored. The basic hypothesis underlying all analyses is that there are major differences between the two modes along each dimension. ($176,296)

Needs Assessment-Nursing. Charlotte Steeh. The Division of Nursing and Health Sciences and the Division of Business and Social Science at Gordon College each solicited a needs assessment for future degree programs, and 400 telephone interviews in the 20 counties surrounding Gordon College were conducted to determine the demand for a business technology degree. For the nursing degree, former graduates of the two-year nursing program were contacted to see if they would be interested in returning to school. In addition, directors of nursing at hospital and clinics in the central Georgia area were interviewed. ($7,278)

Child Care Worker. Gary Henry. This study assists the Urban Institute in the examination of the state of childcare worker compensation in Georgia. ($24,994)

Identifying Georgia Citizens’ Consumer Education Needs. Katherine Willoughby and Gregory Streib. This study provides the Georgia Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA) a better understanding of citizens’ needs regarding consumer information via the Georgia Poll. It also provides focused attention to Georgia’s Hispanic population regarding this population’s consumer education and information needs. Mark Rivera served as evaluation team member. ($144,620)

Evaluation of Metro Atlanta Partnership for Visual Arts and Learning (MAP) teacher professional development program. Gary T. Henry with Mark Rivera. A central goal of the Metro Atlanta Partnership for Visual Arts and Learning (MAP) is to equip educators in two metro Atlanta school systems to use the High Museum of Art's innovative reinstallation of its permanent collection as a tool for improving student literacy. Key objectives include a) providing substantive content; b) implementing a field-tested model to develop teacher mastery of new content and approaches; and c) using a classroom-based pedagogical focus to ensure the effective translation of new material. As the external evaluator,staff conduct surveys, focus groups, interviews, and observations to identify strategies for program improvement, assess the impact of MAP on teacher and student success, and determine if there is a "scale-up" impact on nonparticipating teachers and students at these same schools. This led to a request by the High Museum of Art to develop an evaluation plan for the newly endowed Goizueta Foundation Teacher Institute for Visual Arts and Learning which will draw on MAP evaluation research findings and include an ongoing evaluation research component. Metro Atlanta Partnership for Visual Arts and Learning. ($78,503)

Studies of Pre-K Programs in Georgia. Gary T. Henry. There are two current longitudinal studies evaluating early childhood programs across the state of Georgia. The first longitudinal study is a five-year evaluation of Georgia's Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) Program. This study followed a probability sample of over 3,000 four-year-olds from 203 Pre-K classes selected from across the state. Student outcomes, including teacher assessments of academic and behavioral skills and promotion, have been collected and analyzed annually. Current efforts are focused on analyzing data and report writing from the fifth year data collection. Previous years' reports are among the most downloaded documents from the Web site.

The second longitudinal study, also known as the Georgia Early Childhood Study, began in July 2001. This study samples approximately 650 children participating in a variety of preschool settings, including Pre-K, Head Start, and other preschool facilities serving four-year-olds. This study will help determine the impact of the various types of preschool experiences on children's future school success, as well as investigate the reasons behind parents' choices for child care arrangements. Children will be followed into the first grade. Each year, data collection efforts will include: individualized standardized assessments with sampled children in key developmental areas, teachers' and parents' assessments of children's skills and behaviors, classroom observations rating the quality of the classroom environments, surveys with teachers and program directors regarding early childhood education, and surveys with parents about preschool arrangements and family demographics. Laura Henderson and Bentley Ponder co-manage the Georgia Early Childhood Study.

The Office of School Readiness funds both of these projects, with the current year's funding set at $385,111. Total funding for the two projects is $1,038,388.

Preparing Teachers for Technology (PT3). Gary T. Henry. This project addresses the need for preparing new teachers for the best use of technology in the classroom and increasing their use of technology within the existing curriculum. In addition to increasing opportunities for mentorship and collaboration, the program strives to set student standards for technology proficiency and collaboration at all levels of education. As the PT3 Evaluator, staff will assess implementation and impact on participating pre-service teachers and in-service teachers to determine the extent of preparation provided to PT3 teachers to use technology in the classroom, and their teaching efficacy beliefs regarding the use of technology in the classroom. Mark Rivera served as the evaluation project director. College of Education/U.S. Department of Education. ($89,965)

State Educational Policy. Gary T. Henry. This project engages knowledgeable policy scholars with faculty throughout the South at two conferences focused on innovations in state-level educational policy. This project is in response to the Spencer Foundation's Southern Initiative and proposes to begin a long-term research program on the influences on and impacts of state educational policymaking. ($50,000)

Comparative Study of the Effects of High Stakes Accountability on Teacher Professional Development. Gary T. Henry. Spencer Foundation. ($210,000)

Reports

An Assessment of Demand for Business and Technology Programs in the Central Georgia Area, Summer 2001. Charlotte Steeh and Craig Gordon. January, 2002. Gordon College, Division of Business and Social Science.

An Assessment of Demand for a Four Year Nursing Degree at Gordon College, Summer 2001. Charlotte Steeh and Craig Gordon. May 2002. Gordon College, Division of Nursing and Health Sciences.

Understanding Parents’ Choices about the Care and Education of Preschool Children. Christine H. Roch, Laura W. Henderson, Gary T. Henry, and Bentley D. Ponder. June 2002.