Browsing by Subject "Low-income"
Now showing 1 - 15 of 15
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
Item Arts for all : exploring the ways arts serve East Austin residents affected by gentrification(2013-08) Esekawu, Celina Ngozi; Adejumo, Christopher O., 1959-This study examined two community programs, Helping Everyone Recognize Opportunity and Excellence in Success (HEROES) and the Alamo Recreation Center (ARC). Both programs incorporated art making in order to serve central East Austin residents affected by gentrification in the area. The purpose of this study was to present ways these two programs utilize the arts to provide a voice for a population challenged by gentrification. This study integrated firsthand experiences obtained during participant observations of the programs and a historical look at of East Austin to identify the significance of HEROES and ARC in their surrounding community.Item Car sharing as an alternative to car ownership: opportunities for carsharing organizations and low-income communities(2016-08) Sanchez, Alvan-Bidal Timothy; Mueller, Elizabeth J.; Greenberg, SherriCar sharing organizations (CSOs) have established themselves as a formal mode of transportation across the United States. These systems purport to offer their members the benefits of a private vehicle, without any of the accompanying pitfalls. Despite these benefits, low-income individuals are less likely to be a member of a CSO than higher-income individuals. This paper synthesizes the major transportation issues facing low-income individuals, explores possible opportunities between CSOs and low-income communities, and examines 7 CSOs for best practice in encouraging participation by low-income individuals. The findings show that when viewed as one piece of the transportation puzzle, CSOs can fill gaps in the transportation system and provide numerous benefits. With community partnerships, innovative solutions, and active outreach, CSOs can broaden awareness of carshare systems and facilitate increased usage among low-income individuals.Item Considering the disparate impact of test-based retention policy on low-income, minority, and English language learner children in Texas(2011-12) Patrick, Ertha Smith; Vasquez Heilig, Julian; Butler, Shari; Reddick, Richard; Rhodes, Lodis; Reyes, PedroThis dissertation evaluates disparate impact of test-based retention (TBR) policy on historically disadvantaged student groups in the State of Texas, and determines school characteristics that statistically predict retention and may contribute to disparate impact. The research literature on TBR is limited, as most grade retention research precedes the increase in use of TBR policy across the United States. Based on descriptive analysis, there were considerable increases in retention rates for low-income, African American, Latino, and English Language Learner (ELL) children compared to their less-disadvantaged counterparts, after TBR was implemented. Using multiple regression analysis, schools with higher percentages of low-income students, ELL students, beginning teachers, and higher percentages of low-income students in their school district were found to have higher retention rates while schools with higher percentages of White students, White teachers, and Latino teachers were found to have lower retention rates. Additionally, school retention rates were found to vary according to accountability rating.Item The effects of a gardening, cooking, and nutrition intervention on gardening at home and food security status(2021-05) Lindquist, Johanna; Davis, Jaimie N.Background: There is a need for a sustainable solution to food insecurity, and gardening may impact food security status by increasing food accessibility, availability, and stability. Objective: To assess how a school-based gardening, nutrition, and cooking intervention (called TX Sprouts) impacts gardening at home and to determine if changes in gardening behaviors impact household and child food security status within a large, ethnically diverse population. Experimental Approach: TX Sprouts is a cluster randomized controlled trial that targeted primarily low-income, Hispanic third- to fifth- grade students and their parents. The following measures were obtained at baseline and after the 9-month TX Sprouts program: household food security via the 7-item USDA household survey; child food security via the 5-item USDA survey; and gardening behavior at home via a 2-item survey. Descriptive and frequency statistics were run through SPSS Version 26. Change scores were computed from percentages of gardening behaviors and food security status at pre- and post-intervention. Chi-square tests and regression analyses were used to assess intervention effects on changes in gardening behaviors at home and how changes in these behaviors affected changes in food security status. The following a prior covariates were included in the regression models: sex, participation in the free or reduced lunch program, ethnicity/race, age. Results: Using regression analysis, participants in the intervention group were more likely to continue or start gardening compared to the control group independent of sex, participation in the free or reduced lunch program, ethnicity/race, and age (β: 0.200; 95% CI: 1.031, 1.446; p = 0.020). The intervention did not have an effect on household or child-reported food security status. Changes in gardening behaviors did not have an effect on household or child-reported food security status independent of intervention. Conclusions: The intervention resulted in increased gardening at home, however had no effect on food security status. Increased gardening at home was not enough to improve food security status. Future steps towards improved food security involve increased access and availability of food at home.Item The effects of the earned income tax credit on the occupational group wages of low income workers(2010-05) Meade, Erica Elaine; Stolp, Chandler; King, ChristopherAnnually, over 25 million people in the United States receive the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Nearly 5 million of those people are lifted out of poverty by the wage supplement the credit provides. A wide body of literature supplies evidence for the positive labor force participation effects of the EITC. However, little is known about the effects of the additional labor supply on the wages of low-income workers. This report employs state-level panel data to estimate the influence of EITC visibility and benefit levels on the wages of occupation groups with high shares of EITC eligible workers. Using OLS regression, I find that a 10 percent increase in the share of the population claiming the EITC corresponds with a 0.3 to 2.2 percent decrease in the median wages of high-EITC eligible sectors, relative to overall median wages. Further, a 10 percent increase in the maximum benefit level of the EITC corresponds with a 0.1 to 0.8 percent decrease in median wages in occupation groups with large shares of EITC eligible workers, relative to overall median wages. These findings provide useful information to policymakers regarding the unintended consequences of the EITC. Policy recommendations include increasing the credit value for childless adults, regularly adjusting the minimum wage for inflation, and financially penalizing employers who engage in unsavory wage behavior.Item Forging a path to success : the persistence and resilience of low-income college students(2011-08) Alsandor, Danielle Juanice; Kameen, Marilyn C.; Reddick, Richard J.; Holme, Jennifer; Gilbert, Dorie J.; Vincent, GregoryThe rate of persistence among low-income college students continues to lag far behind that of high-income college students (Engle & Tinto, 2008; Mortenson, 2007). Research cites academic and social integration along with economic, social, and cultural capital affect college students’ ability to persist (Bourdieu, 1986; Tinto, 1993). Low-income college students possess lower levels of capital and are six times less likely to persist than their high-income peers (Mortenson, 2007). This qualitative study explored the experiences of low-income college students who have forged a path to success through their persistence. The role of resilience was explored as resilience aids individuals in overcoming adversity. Through an interpretivist lens and a conceptual framework based on social, cultural, and economic capital, this study used phenomenology to add to the literature on student persistence by researching low-income college students and the role of resilience in their lives.Item Home availability of vegetables, barriers to purchasing and preparing vegetables, and vegetable intake in a sample of primarily low-income, Hispanic children(2018-05) Boisseau, Jessica; Davis, Jaimie NicoleBackground: Obesity prevalence in American children disproportionately affects low-income children. Consumption of vegetables is a dietary factor that is often targeted to promote weight loss and decrease risk of obesity, and has shown a relationship with home vegetable availability, though no studies have examined this relationship in a large, predominantly low-income, Hispanic sample. Objective: To examine the association between availability of different types of vegetables in the home, perceived parental barriers to vegetable purchase and preparation, and child vegetable intake in a low-income, Hispanic sample. Design: Secondary cross-sectional analysis of TX Sprouts. Participants: 1925 students from twelve elementary schools who have >50% Hispanic enrollment and >50% of children receiving free and reduced lunches in the Greater Austin area. Main Outcomes Measures: Parents/guardians completed a questionnaire packet that included information about free/reduced lunch program (FRL) participation, availability of fresh, canned, frozen, and cut-up vegetables and salad in the home, and perceived barriers to purchasing/preparing vegetables. Child-reported dietary intake data was collected via 14-item validated dietary screener. Statistical Analyses Performed: Negative binomial regression was used to examine the relationship between home vegetable availability and vegetable intake. Chi-square analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between barriers to purchasing/preparing vegetables and home vegetable availability. Results: Children who had fresh vegetables, cut-up vegetables, and salad available in the home “all of the time” consumed more vegetables than those who had them in the home “never”, “sometimes”, or “most of the time” (p<0.05). Participants were less likely to have vegetables in the home “all of the time” if they perceived them as expensive, inaccessible, or perishable, or if they did not have the time, skills, or family assistance to prepare/cook vegetables (p<0.01). Conclusions: Addressing barriers to the purchase and preparation of vegetables in the home may be a cost-effective policy target to promote vegetable intake for children of all socioeconomic backgrounds.Item Income, policy, and stable center-based child care : towards reducing the achievement gap(2020-08-14) Caramanis, Christina Nefeli; Osborne, Cynthia Anne, 1969-; Crosnoe, Robert; von Hippel, Paul; Gershoff, Elizabeth; Wong, PatrickFormal child care settings, such as center-based care, are known to increase school readiness, especially among disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. Yet, no research to date has empirically tested the causal link between income and center-based care among economically disadvantaged populations. In my dissertation, I answer this call by applying an instrumental variables strategy to analysis of longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) where I leverage state variation in access to state Earned Income Tax Credits as a quasi-experimental instrument for income. My findings, which suggest a causal link between income and the use of center-based child care, represent an important policy-relevant tool by which economic support can foster enhanced early educational experiences that may have important implications for long-term patterns of attainment, achievement, and population health. This study highlights the importance of considering the influence of income support policies beyond their intended scope of promoting financial security and labor market participation. As part of this dissertation, I also extend our limited knowledge of the long-term academic effects of formal child care enrollment by filling a critical gap in integrated data that concurrently tracks family background, early childhood experiences, and reliable academic outcomes. To do this, I created an original dataset linking the Texas subsample of the FFCWS with Texas administrative school records. Results from my analyses indicate population heterogeneity across indicators of school readiness, grade retention, and math and reading achievement scores. This work highlights the importance of creating integrated data systems to answer questions of both theoretical and practical importance. With a national movement towards expansion of public preschool education that is gaining momentum, understanding the long-term impact of early childhood programs is essential.Item Maternal depression and child depression in a sample of low-income, primarily racial and ethnic minority families : the mediating role of child adaptability(2021-07-24) Wagner, Kevin Michael; Sanchez, DelidaMaternal depression is associated with elevated levels of child internalizing mental health issues, such as depression. The impact that maternal depression has on the onset and maintenance of child depression might be especially salient in families who are low-income or ethnic and racial minorities because of elevated rates of maternal depression and environmental stressors (e.g., fewer financial resources, exposure to race-related stress, and less access to mental healthcare services). The relationship between maternal depression and child depression might be partly explained by a child’s capacity to flexibly respond to stressors in the environment, a construct known as adaptability. A simple mediation model will be conducted with a sample of low-income, predominantly Black and Latina mothers and their children (N = 133). If the analysis supports the hypotheses, the results will support a direct link between maternal depression and child depression, and child adaptability will partially mediate this link. Implications of this proposed study are provided to inform future research on the mechanisms underlying the relationship between maternal depression and child depression in low-income, ethnic and racial minority families.Item Obstacle or opportunity : exploring energy education opportunities in a low-income community(2012-05) Beltran, Marco Andreas; Rai, Varun; Zarnikau, JayThis thesis examines an effort to increase energy conservation in low-income housing communities through an educational program. The Saving Green Program offered at Foundation Communities in Austin, Texas attempts to educate residents about their energy usage and ways to reduce it. Activities include a class, an in-home energy visit, and energy feedback reports. We take several approaches in analyzing the program’s impact. First, we conduct a descriptive characterization of participants with regards to income, household makeup, and electricity usage. We then interviewed program participants in order to assess impact and participant reaction. Finally, we conduct two quantitative analyses to measure effectiveness. These include a comparison between groups of participants and non-participants, and a comparison of participants’ electricity usage after the program against their own usage before the program. Our descriptive assessment shows that most in our sample are either single seniors or households with multiple children. Their electricity usage varies however nearly half of load usually goes to cooling and their usage appears to be uncorrelated with income. Load patterns are dictated more by apartment size than anything else. Interviews show that participants readily absorbed and disseminated information regarding plug loads, but had poor understanding of the importance of cooling load. Finally, our quantitative analysis shows, in accordance with the interviews, that participants did not exhibit any systematic change in electricity consumption in summer, however there is some evidence that winter load decreased after the program.Item “Peace to kids and listen to them!” a case study in a summer art program for teens(2015-12) Kay, Ariel Emily; Bain, Christina; Bolin, PaulThis case study investigates how teens in a low-income community center summer art program expressed their perspectives on their identities and their communities. Constructivist and advocacy paradigms guided the research methodology. The summer art program utilized an emergent asset-based curriculum grounded in social justice art education. Through the mediums of spray-paint stenciling and zine making, students addressed how to improve their communities. Through their stencil designs, the teens tackled complex topics such as immigration and bullying. They then synthesized their ideas of how to create positive community change. Within the summer art program, students expressed their perspectives across fifteen main themes including: immigration, bullying, voice, youth identity, soccer, geographic place, ethnicity, family, friends, the apartments, extracurricular activities, school, respect, perception of self, and economic status. The findings of this study demonstrate and support the integration of youth voice and choice in art education.Item Public perceptions of affordable housing : how race and class stereotyping influence views(2009-05) Tighe, Jenna Lee; Mueller, Elizabeth J.The development of affordable housing often involves a contentious siting process. Proposed housing developments frequently trigger concern among neighbors and community groups about potential negative impacts on neighborhood quality of life and property values. Advocates, developers, and researchers have long suspected that some of these concerns stem from racial or class prejudice, yet, to date, these assumptions lack empirical evidence. My research seeks to examine the roles that perceptions of race and class play in shaping opinions that underlie public opposition to affordable housing. Such opposition often earns the label "Not in my Backyard" (NIMBY). The application of a mixed-methods approach helps determine why the public opposes the development of affordable housing in their neighborhoods and towns. The focus group and survey results provide a rich understanding of the underlying attitudes that trigger opposition to affordable housing when proposed nearby. This study demonstrates that stereotypes and perceptions of the poor and minorities are particularly strong determinants of affordable housing opposition. This research improves our understanding of public attitudes toward affordable housing attitudes, leading to a more focused and effective policies and plans for the siting of affordable housing. The results provide advocates, planners, developers, and researchers with a more accurate portrayal of affordable housing opposition, thereby allowing the response to be shaped in a more appropriate manner.Item The relations of depressive symptoms to economic outcomes for low-income, single mothers(2009-12) Gupta, Anjali E.; Huston, Aletha C.; Dix, Theodore; Jacobvitz, Deborah B.; King, Christopher T.; Osborne, CynthiaThe major goal of this study is to test the direction and strength of the relations of low-income single mothers’ depressive symptoms to their employment and income experiences over a time period following major welfare policy changes in the U.S. (2001 to 2003). The Panel Study of Income Dynamics provided data on 623 low-income, single mothers. The economic characteristics studied were: employment status, hours of work, wages, earnings, a job’s provision of personal control, family income, and welfare receipt. The mental health measure was the K-6 Non-Specific Psychological Distress Scale. The study adds to our understanding of the temporal relations between employment experiences and mental health by testing the social causation, social selection, and interactionist (bidirectional) perspectives. Specifically, this study tested the different perspectives with a wide range of economic indicators, tested mechanisms that may link mental and economic well-being, and combined multiple employment factors to see if patterns emerged that related uniquely to psychological distress. The findings supported social selection as earlier psychological distress predicted future employment, hours, wages, earnings, household income, and welfare receipt. The tested mediator of days of lost work affected by psychological distress indicated an indirect effect of poor mental health predicting diminished job productivity that, in turn, predicted reduced employment, hours, wages, and earnings. Results were similar for subgroups of mothers based on the age of their youngest child or prior welfare history. The single significant finding was that a longer span of welfare receipt predicted worse mental health as compared to mothers who reported a shorter period of welfare receipt. Latent class analysis identified three patterns of employment and welfare receipt across time: a) exchanged earnings for welfare, b) high employment and earnings growth with reduced welfare, and c) moderate employment growth. The groups that exchanged earnings for welfare (about 10% of the sample) evidenced increased psychological distress compared to mothers with high or moderate employment growth. Support for the social selection hypothesis suggests that policies and interventions that help low-income mothers improve their psychological well-being could also enhance their economic well-being. Implications for future research could explore the effects of such policies.Item Role of transportation in employment outcomes of the disadvantaged(2009-05) Yi, Chang, Ph. D.; Zhang, Ming, 1963 Apr. 22-This dissertation focuses on the relationship between accessibility to job opportunities, travel mode choices and employment outcomes of the disadvantaged. In past research examining the impact of accessibility on employment outcomes of the underprivileged, it has been an implicit assumption that a poor individual's employment status is directly connected to accessibility to transport modes and job opportunities. This dissertation challenges such a fundamental assumption and argues that due to unique travel needs of the poor, a high level of access to transportation means or job accessibility provided by a given travel mode does not automatically determine the choice of that particular travel mode. What is missing in the existing literature is examination of how accessibility affects travel mode choices for low-income individuals, and how travel mode preferences subsequently influence their employment outcomes. The objective of this dissertation is to shed new light on current understanding of the relationship between transportation and employment of the disadvantaged. The study focuses on explaining what factors influence low-income individuals in their choice of a transportation mode, and more importantly, how modal preferences, along with job accessibility, affect employment of the poor. Household travel survey data from the San Francisco Bay Area and the Atlanta Metropolitan Region were used to examine this interrelationship. The research findings show that higher modal and job accessibility do not always determine the choice of a particular travel mode, defying the assumption of the previous studies. What is important for enhancing one's employment is whether or not a low-income person has regular access to cars and an individual circumstance allows the poor to utilize existing automobiles rather than the efficiency of highway network. In terms of public transportation, higher job accessibility by transit network is associated with better employment outcomes for transit users. Nonetheless, when transit riders had to access transit systems by walking, job accessibility did not have meaningful impact on employment. It is important to note that the impact that job accessibility by transit has on employment is found only in a transit-friendly Bay Area. Policy implication from this dissertation is discussed.Item Voices of parents in poverty : what do low-income parents need to support their young children?(2015-08) McManus, Molly Ellen; Suizzo, Marie-Anne; Schallert, DianeThis paper examines the needs of low-income parents in supporting the development, education, and well-being of their young children using a collective case study design informed by multivocal ethnography. Findings were obtained from a collective case study by analyzing qualitative interview data from fourteen participants including three mothers, three teachers, three administrators, two district leaders, and three policymakers. The overall findings suggest that preschool administrators were the most aligned in their understanding of low-income parents' needs as expressed by parents, whereas teachers, district leaders, and policymakers were much less aligned with parents' perceptions. Furthermore, the needs identified by low-income parents fell into the basic needs categories of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, whereas needs identified by individuals in positions of power fell into the growth needs category. Finally, individuals in positions of power all identified needs such as training, classes, or workshops that emphasized knowledge transfer from an expert to low-income parents.