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The Pell Grant is the foundational need-based student aid program in the United States, providing students of lower socio-economic status a pathway to afford college costs and educational expenses. Currently, over one-third of all U.S. undergraduate students receive Pell. This paper examines federal Pell assistance and institutional costs for students at the 38 publicly controlled regional Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), which serve high average percentages of low-income students and students of color. By deploying the University of Alabama Education Policy Center's new Mission-Driven Classification System to enrollment, tuition and fees, and other costs metrics along with federal Pell and student loan data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), a more direct apples-to-apples comparison of the 38 public regional HBCUs to the 182 public regional non-HBCU in the same 19 southern states, is revealed, as are comparisons to the universe of 461 public regional universities nationally. This paper finds that America's most financially disadvantaged students rely on Pell Grants to alleviate financial constraints at public regional HBCUs, where 55 percent of students are Pell recipients, a rate 24 percent higher than their non-HBCU counterparts. Moreover, the data underscore an opportunity for Congress to construct a meaningful federal role in higher education by providing stable and sustainable funding for the Pell Grant program.

Presenters at the State of the States Roundtable session at the 2014 National Education Finance Conference in Louisville were invited to submit their papers for publication. These papers address the following topics: (1) State issues affecting P-12 and/or higher education funding; (2) Funding priorities/trends for P-12 and/or higher education; (3) Changes to funding formula for P-12 and/or higher education; and (4) Impact on school district or higher education budgets. States represented in this section include Alabama (Brenda Mendiola and Philip Westbrook), Arkansas (Steve Bounds), Colorado (Spencer C. Weiler and Gabriel R. Serna), Florida (Brittany Larkin, Jasmine Ulmer, and R. Craig Wood), Illinois (Joel R. Malin and Rene J. Noppe, Jr.), Indiana (Matthew R. Della Sala and Marilyn A. Hirth), Kentucky (Tyrone Bynoe), Nebraska (Barbara Y. LaCost), New Jersey (Luke J. Stedrak), New York (Osnat Zaken), North Carolina (Lisa G. Driscoll and Jim R. Watson), Ohio (Randall S. Vesely), South Carolina (Matthew R. Della Sala and Robert C. Knoeppel), Tennessee (Betty Cox), Texas (Ken Helvey and Dennis Womack), Virginia (William Owings, Leslie S. Kaplan, and Richard G. Salmon), and Wisconsin (Faith E. Crampton). (Individual state sections contain references.)

Purpose of the study: To examine (a) whether the content of caregiving tasks (i.e., nursing vs. personal care) contributes to variation in caregivers’ strain and (b) whether the level of complexity of nursing tasks contributes to variation in strain among caregivers providing help with such tasks. Design and methods: The data came from the Cash and Counseling Demonstration and Evaluation study conducted in Arkansas, Florida, and New Jersey. The paper analyzes the physical and emotional strain of 1,926 paid American caregivers who helped adult Medicaid recipients with personal and nursing care in the home. Results: Over 80% of home caregivers were providing assistance with nursing care, and over 50% of those were providing help with moderate or high complexity tasks. Caregivers who were providing any type of nursing care reported significantly more strain than caregivers who were providing only personal care. Those providing highly or moderately complex nursing care exhibited more caregiver strain than did those providing low-complexity nursing care. Implications: Medical complexity is an important contributor to caregiver strain. Policymakers should consider medical complexity in the development of practices to assist the caregivers of Medicaid long-term care recipients, especially through consumer-directed supportive service programs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This research aimed to determine salient factors affecting the decision to become a beginning organic farmer. New and beginning organic farmers have unique characteristics, showcasing their dedication to environmental justice and social justice at the expense of their own businesses. This research aimed to determine why people with no background in agriculture would start a farm when it is a high-risk and low-return business. With multigenerational farmers aging out of agriculture, we investigated the new generation and shifting demographics of people entering farming that will replace retiring farmers and feed our future. This research employed a multiple-case case study design. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 40 first-generation farmers who operate organic farms in Arkansas, Florida, or Georgia. We analyzed interview transcripts using the qualitative analysis approach of coding. Our results reveal two primary reasons why people with little practical knowledge start farms. First, they are inspired by those around them who succeed, and second, they are encouraged by influential characters in the field who assure them they can do something they love and be profitable. This research showed that first-generation farmers find inspiration and develop values rooted in food justice. Our findings have implications for developing and implementing current and future programmatic activities that aim to enhance beginning farmer training and workforce development. We identified sources of inspiration that will help researchers and service providers target newer and beginning farmers to support a vibrant food system, including burgeoning market opportunities, developing strong communities around food, and building grassroots solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing upon Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as theoretical framework and methodological tool, the present paper critically examines the legislation that has established English as official language in 30 states. This study captures the motivation and rationale of the policies, their stated outcomes and educational implications. The analysis situates the discourse embedded in official language policies within its socio-historical context and the conceptualization of race and language in the US. The results indicate that official English legislation responds to a conservative raciolinguistic ideology that seeks to reaffirm the hegemony of English as a mechanism of internal colonization. Official English attempts to establish monolingual educational and governmental practices that serve as an instrument to protect the status quo and, thus, perpetuate the privilege of whiteness and the subordination of immigrants, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).

In February 2015 a large group of scholars, researchers, and practitioners interested in P-20 finance issues gathered in St. Louis, Missouri, for the National Education Finance Academy's annual conference, on February 25-27, 2015 to discuss, among multiple topics, the state of P-20 finance in all 50 states. There were 35 states represented in the round table session and representatives of 30 of those states submitted their manuscripts to the "Journal of Education Finance" for publication. This is the third year that JEF has published the State of the States manuscripts as a service to those interested in trends around P-20 finance and the 28 states represents the highest number of states included in the report to date. However, it is the intention to have all 50 states represented by 2016 and individuals interested in representing currently unrepresented states should contact Drs. Weiler and Hartman. Presenters at the 2015 National Education Finance Academy's State of the States Round table session were directed to address the following topics: (1) Funding priorities/trends for P-12 and/or higher education (2) Changes to the funding formula for P-12 and/or higher education; (3) Pressing issues affecting P-12 and/or higher education funding; (4) Exclusive to P-12: Diverting funds from public school districts; and (5) Exclusive to Higher Education: Trends in state funding for public institutions. The following information summarizes some of the more prevalent trends observed in the submissions. The following manuscripts are presented here listed alphabetically by state: (1) Alabama (Brenda Mendiola and Philip Westbrook); (2) Arizona (Oscar Jimenez-Castellanos and David Martinez); (3) Arkansas (Dongfang Liu and Chao Liu); (4) California (Henry Tran); (5) Florida (Megan Lane, Jolande Morgan, and R. Craig Wood); (6) Georgia (Brittany Larkin); (7) Hawaii (Christine Kiracofe); (8) Illinois (Kelly H. Summers and Christine Kiracofe); (9) Kansas (Thomas A. DeLuca); (10) Kentucky (Tyrone Bynoe); (11) Louisiana (David G. Buckman); (12) Maryland (Sarah Irvine Belson and Thomas Husted); (13) Michigan (Brett Geier and Dennis McCrumb ); (14) Minnesota (Nicola A. Alexander); (15) Montana (Lou L. Sabina); (16) Nebraska (Barbara Y. LaCost); (17) Nevada (Deborah A. Verstegen); (18) New Jersey (Luke J. Stedrak and Robert Kelchen); (19) New Mexico (Joshua M. Cohen); (20) New York (Osnat Zaken); (21) North Carolina (Lisa G. Driscoll and Jim R. Watson ); (22) Ohio (Carlee Escue Simon); (23) Pennsylvania (Tim Shrom and William Hartman); (24) South Carolina (Misty B. Soles and Robert C. Knoeppel); (25) Tennessee (Betty Cox); (26) Texas (Ken Helvey); (27) Virginia (William Owings, Leslie S. Kaplan, and Richard G. Salmon); (28) Wisconsin (Faith E. Crampton); and (29) Wyoming (Kelly H. Summers). References are provided with each individual paper.

Accurately measuring willingness-to-pay (WTP) for newly developed food products is critical for academicians and marketing managers. This study measures consumers' preference and WTP for five newly developed convenient (ready-to-cook) catfish products by surveying 128 participants from Arkansas and Florida. An ordered probit model was applied to survey data to investigate factors influencing consumers' WTP. Results indicated that the surveyed participants preferred all the inspected products as their WTP was ranged between average and high. The significant variables affecting the participants' WTP include product appearance, eagerness to buy, preference ranking, preferred form, and consumption pattern. The consumer's WTP was significantly correlated with the participant's gender, age, race, and for some groups, income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) is an ultra-elusive bird that has repeatedly been feared extinct only to be rediscovered during the past hundred years. An article that was featured on the cover of Science in 2005 announced the most recent rediscovery in Arkansas, which was the first report of this species by ornithologists in several decades. Another group of ornithologists reported a series of sightings in Florida the following year, but the issue became controversial when nobody managed to get close enough to an Ivory-billed Woodpecker for a long enough period of time to obtain the clear photo that is regarded as the standard form of evidence for documenting birds. In Louisiana and Florida, video footage was obtained during three encounters with distant birds that were identified in the field as Ivory-billed Woodpeckers. The videos show field marks, body proportions, flights, and other behaviors and characteristics that are consistent with the Ivory-billed Woodpecker but no other species of the region. The five most compelling events in the videos are the focus here, but several additional events are also discussed. During four of the most compelling events, the audio track contains sounds that are consistent with the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Extensions of previous results include a size comparison and a wingspan estimate that are used to fortify the analysis of two videos from Louisiana. Takeoffs with deep and rapid wingbeats and loud 'wooden' wing sounds, which were overlooked during previous analysis of a video that was obtained in Florida, are consistent with an account by Tanner. Additional events in the Florida video are also discussed, including a sudden maneuver during a swooping flight that coincides with 'spring-like' sounds. This issue started to evolve into a science scandal when critics, who had become entrenched in the position that the Ivory-billed Woodpecker is extinct, used specious arguments to cause a long delay in the publication of evidence that should be sufficient to establish persistence. After openly targeting relatively weak evidence, critics avoided engaging in open discourse on the strongest evidence after it was finally published. Some of the leading science journals helped to enable the scandal by failing to provide diligent oversight and publishing biased reports on the status of this issue. The scandal culminated in a decision by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to declare the Ivory-billed Woodpecker extinct, which was made in the absence of an open discourse on the strongest evidence and in the wake of an unprecedented spike in published reports of sightings during the searches in Arkansas, Florida, and Louisiana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2010, HCM Strategists received support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to engage academic researchers in identifying and discussing the best currently available ways to account for differences in college "inputs"--students, resources, and fixed characteristics--when evaluating postsecondary outcomes. The project, Context for Success, was designed to generate ideas with practical benefits in the higher education policy world but that would also withstand academic scrutiny. Over a year the project, Context for Success, brought together 14 researchers working on seven different projects, along with a similar number of state and federal officials, nonprofit leaders, and higher education advocates. They assessed the current state of theory and practice for input adjustments and discussed whether and how such adjustments could be made compatible with transparent public policy. The seven papers that resulted, plus a literature review and a summary overview, are posted on the project's website at http://hcmstrategists.com/contextforsuccess. While nothing like a standard methodology came out of the discussions, the resulting papers have dozens of specific recommendations and should be required reading for leaders and analysts who want to make their funding or accountability systems more meaningful. As a member of the Context for Success project team, the author summarizes in this article the main lessons learned from the written research reports and the discussions with outside respondents.

Climate change education in the southeastern United States can be challenging. Due to economic factors, as well as the conservative political and faith perspectives typical of the region, high proportions (40%) of the population are not engaged, not convinced, or doubt Earth's climate is changing or that climate change has anthropogenic causes. Finding ways to bring such people into the climate change conversation is a crucial first step. This paper describes a public dialogue approach that brings together scientists with heterogeneous groups of faith, leisure/outdoor, educator, and agriculture communities to promote perspective sharing in an open and safe environment. It also describes the research we conducted on participants' experiences. Participants' postdialogue responses showed that they rated their learning about policies that might address climate change more strongly than their learning about climate science or the impacts of climate change. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of postdialogue evaluations found that three factors explained 63% of the variability in the data and represented substantively distinct components of participants' experiences: (1) feeling respected, (2) learning about climate science and policy content, and (3) learning about faith-based and other new and different perspectives about the issue. Qualitative findings supported quantitative results, suggesting that respondents felt comfortable speaking freely about their views on climate change, politics, and religion and that they valued engaging with diverse groups to have an open discussion about climate change. The dialogue approach has potential to depolarize climate change discourse through relationship building so that diverse communities can engage in productive and civil conversations expressing multiple perspectives.

A record number of women are going through the major life transition of retirement. The purpose of the current study was to explore women's perceptions of retirement with the goals of better understanding important patterns of response regarding retirement transitioning and to inform nurses on how to assist clients who are anticipating or engaging in the retirement transition. A sample population of 170 retired women was recruited using convenience sampling from community settings within six southeastern U.S. states. Participants expressed their perceptions of retirement through written responses to open-ended questions. Content analysis revealed the following themes: Love It/Happy; Unhappy/Regrets; So Much Time, So Little (money, resources, etc.); Searching; Busy; Relief/Freedom; Giving: For Me and Thee; Adequate Resources; Creating Your Own Structure; and Positive Attitude. Careful assessment for health changes, promotion of positive coping skills, and provision of educational planning and therapeutic resources to women who are transitioning to retirement should assist women toward healthy and successful retirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, the Gurian Institute has trained more than forty thousand teachers in more than two thousand schools and districts, both coed and single-sex. The institute's trainers have worked with public and private schools, Montessori schools, and a variety of charter and independent schools in fifteen countries; it has therefore been able to see what is working and not working around the globe. In this essay, the authors feature some of the schools and communities that have utilized Gurian Institute's resources to help set up and maintain successful single-sex programs. The authors provide a short history of the "new" single-sex option and discuss different approaches and success data from a variety of schools. Some examples of success in the different single-sex modalities are presented.

On February 24, 2017, all of the authors of the state-of-the-state manuscripts published in the "Journal of Education Finance" met in Cincinnati, Ohio, to participate in a roundtable discussion focused on recent legislative actions in 38 states. A majority of those papers were revised to reflect a final report on legislative actions impacting the funding of P-12 and higher education. Overall, adequate funding for education continues to be an issue many states are struggling with. There is reason to be hopeful, as several states have seen increases in per pupil funding and teacher salaries. When facing funding shortfalls, some states have begun considering alternate sources of funding for public education. In complicated fiscal times like these, it is anticipated that an increasing number of states will look to novel forms of raising revenue for public schools. The following contents are included: (1) The Good, the Bad, and the Alarming: Commentary on the 2017 State of the States Submissions (Brittany Larkin, Christine Kiracofe, and Spencer Weiler); (2) Alabama (Philip Westbrook and Brenda Mendiola); (3) Alaska (Amy Dagley); (4) Arizona (David G. Martinez and Oscar Jimenez-Castellanos); (5) Arkansas (Steve Bounds); (6) California (Henry Tran); (7) Colorado (Gabriel R. Serna and Spencer C. Weiler); (8) Connecticut (Lesley A. DeNardis); (9) Florida (Megan Lane, Jolande Morgan, and R. Craig Wood); (10) Georgia (David G. Buckman and Tommy Jackson); (11) Illinois (Christine Kiracofe); (12) Indiana (Scott Rodger Sweetland); (13) Kansas (Thomas A. DeLuca); (14) Kentucky (Tyrone Bynoe); (15) Louisiana (Arvin Johnson, Venice M. Adams, and David G. Buckman); (16) Massachusetts (Tyrone Bynoe); (17) Michigan (Brett A. Geier); (18) Minnesota (Nicola A. Alexander); (19) Mississippi (Spencer D. Stone and Joshua A. Money); (20) Nebraska (Barbara La Cost); (21) Nevada (Deborah A. Verstegen, Oscar Jimenez-Castellanos, and David Martinez); (22) New Hampshire (F. Frank Ayata and Jeremy M. Anderson); (23) New Jersey (Luke J. Stedrak); (24) New Mexico (David G. Martinez and Oscar Jimenez-Castellanos); (25) New York (Osnat Zaken); (26) North Carolina (Walter Hart, Jim R. Watson, and Lisa G. Driscoll); (27) Ohio (Barbara M. De Luca, Krystel H. Chenault, and Randall S. Vesely); (28) Oklahoma (Jeffrey Maiden and Channa Byerly); (29) Oregon (Michael C. Petko); (30) Pennsylvania (Jeremy Anderson and F. Frank Ayata); (31) Tennessee (Lisa G. Driscoll and Betty Cox); (32) Texas (Ken Helvey); (33) Virginia (William Owings and Leslie S. Kaplan); (34) West Virginia (Drew Milligan); (35) Wisconsin (Michael C. Petko); and (36) Wyoming (Joshua M. Cohen). [For the previous year, see EJ1170086.]

Generally speaking, campaign-related contact motivates voters. One form of such contact not much explored in the voter mobilization literature is the petitioning for ballot initiatives that occurs with considerable frequency in about half the states and even more localities. Using newly-available data that allow us to match individual petition signers with their subsequent election behavior, we explore the role of having had a hand in a ballot measure's qualifying stage in propelling individual voters to the polls. Specifically, we perform multivariate analysis on a random sample of 1,000 registered Arkansas voters, 1,100 registered Florida voters, and all 71,119 registered voters in Gainesville, Florida to measure the influence of petition-signing in spurring voter turnout. We find marginal effects in the statewide samples, but substantial and significant turnout effects in the Gainesville municipal election-an off-cycle, low-profile election. Furthermore, the effect of petition-signing-across all of our samples-is strongest among irregular, as compared to habitual, voters. These findings are in keeping with recent campaign mobilization experimental research and comport with previous findings on the 'educative effects' of ballot measures on voter turnout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To provide an overview of the design, research questions, data sources, and methods used to evaluate the Cash and Counseling Demonstration and resolution of analytic concerns that arose. The methodology was designed to provide statistically rigorous estimates while presenting the findings in a manner easily accessible to a broad, nontechnical audience. Study Setting. Eligible Medicaid beneficiaries in Arkansas, Florida, and New Jersey who volunteered to participate in the demonstration were randomly assigned to receive an allowance and direct their own Medicaid supportive services as Cash and Counseling consumers (the treatment group) or to rely on Medicaid services as usual (the control group). The demonstration included elderly and nonelderly adults in all three states and children in Florida. Both age groups in Arkansas and New Jersey and the elderly adults group in Florida primarily included individuals with physical disabilities. In Florida, the children and nonelderly adults primarily included individuals with developmental disabilities. The intervention was conducted from 1999 through 2003. Data Sources. Data included baseline and 9-month follow-up surveys of consumers, surveys of the primary informal caregiver and the primary paid worker for sample members, program data, interviews with program staff, and Medicaid and Medicare claims data. Methods. Descriptive data analyses were conducted on program participation, program implementation, and the experiences of hired workers. Program impacts on consumers, caregivers, and costs were estimated using an intent-to-treat-approach, comparing the regression-adjusted means of outcomes for the full treatment and control groups. A broad set of control variables from the baseline interview and prior Medicaid claims data controlled for possible preexisting differences. Ordinal scale responses were converted to binary outcome indicators for high and for low values for ease of presentation and interpretation of effects. Two-tailed statistical tests of the estimated effects were conducted at the .05 level. Separate estimates were provided for each state and for each age group. Sensitivity tests were conducted of the robustness of estimates to outliers (for continuous outcome measures) and to proxy use. Principal Findings/Conclusion. The experimental design, high survey response rates, and available sample sizes led to valid, unbiased estimates of program impacts, with adequate power to detect moderate-size impacts on most outcomes for the key age subgroups examined. For certain survey-based outcome measures related to satisfaction with paid care, the sample had to be restricted to those who received care and those without proxy respondents who were also hired workers. Sensitivity tests suggest that these necessary restrictions were unlikely to have led to overstatement of favorable program effects on these outcome measures. The high proportions of sample members with proxy respondents reflect the frailty of the sample members. Similar rates for treatment and control groups cases with proxy respondents suggest the high use of proxy respondents has not biased the estimated program effects on survey measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To describe the key features of the first three Cash and Counseling demonstration programs and identify those which the programs have in common and those on which they differ. Study Setting. Demonstration Cash and Counseling programs in Arkansas, Florida, and New Jersey. Data Sources. Interviews with program staff and program materials and discussion. Methods. Description and comparison. Principal Findings/Conclusion. The three Cash and Counseling demonstration programs have many common features; these arose because they were required to adhere to the basic tenets of the Cash and Counseling model and to federal regulations, to share the philosophy of consumer empowerment, and to work together to design their programs. However, their programs also differ substantially due to differences in state goals, Medicaid programs, and political environments. These variations must be taken into account to understand differences in the impact of the three programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To examine how a new model of consumer-directed care changes the way that consumers with disabilities meet their personal care needs and, in turn, affects their well-being. Study Setting. Eligible Medicaid beneficiaries in Arkansas, Florida, and New Jersey volunteered to participate in the demonstration and were randomly assigned to receive an allowance and direct their own Medicaid supportive services as Cash and Counseling consumers (the treatment group) or to rely on Medicaid services as usual (the control group). The demonstration included elderly and nonelderly adults in all three states and children in Florida. Data Sources. Telephone interviews administered 9 months after random assignment. Methods. Outcomes for the treatment and control group were compared, using regression analysis to control for consumers' baseline characteristics. Principal Findings. Treatment group members were more likely to receive paid care, had greater satisfaction with their care, and had fewer unmet needs than control group members in nearly every state and age group. However, among the elderly in Florida, Cash and Counseling had little effect on these outcomes because so few treatment group members actually received the allowance. Within each state and age group, consumers were not more susceptible to adverse health outcomes or injuries under Cash and Counseling. Conclusions. Cash and Counseling substantially improves the lives of Medicaid beneficiaries of all ages if consumers actually receive the allowance that the program offers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To assess the effects of Cash and Counseling on Medicaid beneficiaries' primary informal caregivers and describe the experiences of their directly hired workers. Study Setting. Beneficiaries in Arkansas, Florida, and New Jersey voluntarily enrolled in the demonstration and were randomly assigned to direct their own Medicaid supportive services as Cash and Counseling consumers (the treatment group) or to rely on Medicaid services as usual (the control group). Beneficiaries identified their primary informal caregiver during a baseline interview and their primary paid worker during a 9-month follow-up interview. Data Sources. Data were collected through telephone interviews with caregivers and workers. These interviews were conducted about 10 months after beneficiaries' random assignment, between February 2000 and May 2003, depending on the state. Data Analysis Methods. We estimated program effects with regression and logit models and compared the mean characteristics of directly hired workers and agency workers, by state. Principal Findings. Compared with caregivers in the control group, those in the treatment group had modestly to substantially better outcomes for measures of satisfaction with care, worry, and physical and financial strain. For hours of care and emotional strain, outcomes in the treatment group were similar to or somewhat better than those in the control group. Directly hired workers reported greater satisfaction with wages, similar satisfaction with working conditions, and similar rates of injuries as agency workers. Workers who were related to the beneficiary reported more emotional strain than agency workers. Conclusions. Cash and Counseling can lessen some of the burden associated with caring for a child or adult with disabilities. The experiences of hired workers suggest consumer direction is a sustainable option, but support networks for workers might be a welcome program improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To test the effect of a consumer-directed model (Cash and Counseling) of Medicaid personal care services (PCS) or home- and community-based waiver services (HCBS) on the cost of Medicaid services. Data Sources/Study Setting. Medicaid claims data were collected for all enrollees in the Cash and Counseling demonstration. Demonstration enrollees included those eligible for PCS (in Arkansas), those assessed to receive such services (in New Jersey), and recipients of Medicaid HCBS (in Florida). Enrollment occurred from December 1998 through April 2001. The follow-up period covered up to 24 months after enrollment. Study Design. Demonstration volunteers were randomly assigned to have the option to participate in Cash and Counseling (the treatment group), or to receive Medicaid services as usual from an agency (the control group). Ordinary least squares regressions were used to estimate the effect of the program on costs for Medicaid PCS/waiver services and other Medicaid services, while controlling for consumers' preenrollment characteristics and preenrollment Medicaid spending. Models were estimated separately for nonelderly and elderly adults in each state and for children in Florida. Data Extraction Methods. Each state supplied claims data for demonstration enrollees. Principal Findings. Largely because the program increased consumers' ability to get the authorized amount of paid care, expenditures for personal care/waiver services were higher for the treatment group than for the control group in each state and age group, except among the elderly in Florida. Higher costs for personal care/waiver services were partially offset by savings in other Medicaid services, particularly those related to long-term care. During year 1, total Medicaid costs were generally higher for the treatment group than for the control group, with treatment–control cost differences ranging from 1 percent (and statistically insignificant) for the elderly in Florida to 17 percent for the elderly in Arkansas. In year 2, these cost differences were generally greater than in year 1. Only in Arkansas did the treatment–control difference in total cost shrink over time—to less than 5 percent (and statistically insignificant) in year 2. Conclusions. Medicaid costs were generally higher under Cash and Counseling because those in the traditional system did not get the services they were entitled to. Compared with the treatment group, (1) control group members were less likely to receive any services at all (despite being authorized for them), and (2) service recipients received a lower proportion of the amount of care that was authorized. In addition, a flaw in Florida's reassessment procedures led to treatment group members receiving more generous benefit amounts than control group members. To keep total Medicaid costs per recipient at the level incurred under the traditional system, consumer-directed programs need to be carefully designed and closely monitored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of the study: To examine (a) whether the content of caregiving tasks (i.e., nursing vs. personal care) contributes to variation in caregivers' strain and (b) whether the level of complexity of nursing tasks contributes to variation in strain among caregivers providing help with such tasks. Design and methods: The data came from the Cash and Counseling Demonstration and Evaluation study conducted in Arkansas, Florida, and New Jersey. The paper analyzes the physical and emotional strain of 1,926 paid American caregivers who helped adult Medicaid recipients with personal and nursing care in the home. Results: Over 80% of home caregivers were providing assistance with nursing care, and over 50% of those were providing help with moderate or high complexity tasks. Caregivers who were providing any type of nursing care reported significantly more strain than caregivers who were providing only personal care. Those providing highly or moderately complex nursing care exhibited more caregiver strain than did those providing low-complexity nursing care. Implications: Medical complexity is an important contributor to caregiver strain. Policymakers should consider medical complexity in the development of practices to assist the caregivers of Medicaid long-term care recipients, especially through consumer-directed supportive service programs.

In the postbellum southern U.S., African Americans were steadily disenfranchised, a modern publicly financed universal school system with racially segregated schools was created, and public school monies were allocated so that white pupils received substantially more than black pupils. An earlier paper (Ng and Halcoussis 2003) established a statistical relationship between black voter participation, the prevalence of black children and the degree of fund diversion. This article extends the analysis by examining the effect of land distribution, political participation, and tax incidence on black and white student expenditures. A positive statistical relationship is found between black per student expenditures and counties with higher political participation. A negative statistical relationship is found between black per student expenditures and counties where large tenant plantations are more prevalent. This establishes that both voting power and the source of school funding also played important roles in the existence and extent of racially based school fund diversion. (Contains 4 tables and 11 footnotes.)