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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.
In this Section:
The Fiscal Research Center 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 Center section.)
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.)
The Nonprofit Group is devoted to informing the discussion of policy issues confronting nonprofit organizations in the Southeast. (See the Nonprofit Studies Program section.)
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.)
AtlantaCensus 2000 is a collaborative effort between the Atlanta Regional Commission and the Fiscal Research Center to support a Web site that provides access to the 1990 and 2000 Censuses of Population and Housing, allows the creation of maps, and contains reports focused on the Atlanta region.
Atlanta Outreach Consortium is an inter-university collective working to bridge community outreach and service-learning programs at Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Clark Atlanta University, and Clark Atlanta University. Domestic Programs houses the Director of the AOC.
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.
Regional Leadership Forum (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.
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.
The Urban-Regional Policy Group provides research and recommendation on issues related to urban and regional policy in Georgia. (See section below).
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)
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)
Higher Education Policy Influence: A Formative Evaluation of the Lumina Foundation Policy Portfolio. Gary Henry. Funded by the Lumina Foundation for Education, this project examines the Foundation's impact on higher education policy in the United States. The goals of this formative evaluation are three-fold: 1. To examine the mechanisms (internal research, grants, and contracts) for producing policy-relevant research, with particular attention to the importance of the Foundation’s internal research capacity. This goal includes development of a program theory linking research and research capacity to improving higher education access and success and the educational attainment of the adult learner; 2. To describe the research portfolio produced to date, the associated reports, and other means used to communicate the findings and recommendations (if any) and to assess the outcomes observable thus far, focusing on those that have been most successful and those that have the greatest potential for influencing higher education policy; and 3. To propose a research agenda (or alternative agendas) that seems likely to maximize higher education policy influence. ($277,343)
Georgia’s Third Grade Retention Policy. Gary T. Henry. Funded by the Georgia Department of Education, this project studies the 2004 implementation of Georgia’s third grade retention policy and remediation activities. Since 2000, state law requires for third graders in Georgia to pass a criterion-referenced reading assessment for promotion (without appeal) to the fourth grade. The provision was an effort to eliminate social promotion and attempts to ensure that all children will be able to read at the third grade level before being promoted. To maximize the useful information for policymakers, educators, parents, and students in Georgia public schools, there are two primary purposes for the evaluation: 1. The use of available CRCT and administrative data to assess differences in spring 2004 pass rates for the third grade reading assessment, including differences attributable to the categories of children specified in No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and differences attributable to the demographics or other characteristics of schools; and 2. To examine the effectiveness of programs designed to prepare students who initially did not pass the reading assessment to pass the assessment by the end of the summer 2004. ($100,000)
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)
Performance Outcome Measures Project: Georgia Division of Aging. 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)
Regional Leadership Forum. Steve Rieck. Funded by the Woodruff Foundation, this project is dedicated to creating discussions by citizens and leaders about the future of the Atlanta region. ($150,644)
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. (Total funding for the two projects is $2,071,892.)
Summer Enrichment for Four-Year-Olds. Bentley Ponder, Dana Rickman, and Gary Henry. Funded by several foundations and the Department of Early Care and Learning, this study estimated the effects of an eight to ten week summer program on readiness for kindergarten.
Understanding the Impact of Preschool Policy. Gary T. Henry. This project studies the impact of alternative types of preschool and other childcare and expands the work of the Early Childhood Study (ECS), which began in 2001. This project is funded by the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University. ($199,845)
Gary T. Henry, Laura Henderson and Bentley Ponder. “Ready or Not”: A Snapshot of Children Entering Kindergarten in Georgia," Domestic Programs Report, Georgia State University, September 2004.
Gary T. Henry, Bentley Ponder, Dana K. Rickman, Andrew Mashburn, Laura W. Henderson and Craig S. Gordon. “An Evaluation of the Implementation of Georgia’s Pre-K Program: Report of the Findings from the Georgia Early Childhood Study (2002-03)," Domestic Programs Report, Georgia State University, 2004.
Bentley Ponder, Dana K. Rickman, and Gary T. Henry. “Evaluation of the Pre-K Summer Readiness Pilot Program,” Domestic Programs Report, Georgia State University, November 2004.
Urban and Regional Analysis Group
The Urban and Regional Analysis Group (URAG) is comprised of scholars with interests in economics, real estate, geography, statistics, political science, public administration, and urban studies at Georgia State University, who are actively engaged in research on questions in urban and regional economics and related areas. The URAG encourages research of urban and regional issues, disseminates results to peer researchers through an active working paper series and to other constituents through the Research Notes series, and coordinates appropriate venues for researchers at Georgia State to interact with each other and with other leading scholars in their disciplines. Geoffrey K. Turnbull coordinates the Urban and Regional Analysis Group, part of the Domestic Programs at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies.
Working Papers
Geoffrey K. Turnbull. "Development Moratoria," Journal of Housing Economics, Working Paper No. 04-01, forthcoming.
Geoffrey K. Turnbull and Gyusuck Geon*. "Local Government Internal Structure, External Constraints and the Median Voter Hypothesis," Working Paper No. 04-02, July 2004.
Joseph T.L. Ooi, C.F. Sirman, and Geoffrey K. Turnbull. "Price Formation Under Small Numbers Competition: Evidence from Land Auctions in Singapore," Working Paper No. 04-03, September 2004.
Mary G. McGarvey and Mary Beth Walker. "GMM Estimation of Fiscal Policy Interdependence Across States," Working Paper No. 04-04, September 2004.
Geoffrey K. Turnbull and Gyusuck Geon*. "The Effect of Home Rule on Local Government Behavior: Is There no Rule Like Home Rule?" Working Paper No. 04-05, September 2004.
Douglas Krupka. "Location-Specific Human Capitol, Migration, and Amenities," Working Paper No. 04-06, September 2004.
Geoffrey K. Turnbull. "Squatting, Eviction, and Development," Working Paper No. 04-07, March 2004.
Karen M. Gibler and Euehun Lee. "The Impact Changing Asian Attitudes and Preferences Will Have on Seniors Housing Market Analysis: A Korean Example," Working Paper No. 04-08, October 2004.
Anna-Liisa Sarasoja, Karen M. Gibler and Kari I. Leväinen. "Value Adding Attributes of CREM," Working Paper No. 04-09, October 2004.
Colin Crawford. "Environmental Justice in Cuba: Capital Needs, Developing a Tourist Infrastructure, and Liberty of Access to National Resource," Working Paper No. 04-10, August 2004, Journal of Transnational Law and Contemporary Problems, forthcoming.
Research Notes
Rebecca Campbell. "Spending Lesson Regarding Local Government Competition, Budgetary Complexity, and Fiscal Structure," Research Notes No. 2, September 2004.
1. For a complete listing of AYSPS Active Research Sponsored Grants from CY2004, see the Appendix: Report on External Funding.
