Public Administration Directed Research
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10877/17200
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Browsing Public Administration Directed Research by Subject "accountability"
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Item Best Practices for Nonprofit Charter Schools Accountability: A Case Study of American YouthWorks(2010-10) Flores, Christian P.; Longoria, Thomas; Balanoff-Jones, Emily; White, TiffanyPurpose: The purpose of this applied research project is to develop a best practice model for nonprofit charter school accountability, and to gauge how closely American YouthWorks compares to the practical ideal type. American YouthWorks is an award-winning nonprofit charter school in Austin, Texas, and was chosen for this study to gauge the feasibility of implementing a best practices model. A review of the literature has identified four key components for the best practices model: Mission-Based Accountability, Ethical Culture, Financial Practices, and Performance Measures. Methodology: A conceptual framework is developed from the components of the best practices model of nonprofit charter school accountability. A case study research design incorporates a structured face-to-face interview to identify how closely American YouthWorkds measures to the best practice model for nonprofit accountability. Responses to the structured interview questions are measured using a scoring system. Pertinent documents are reviewed in order to supplement the structured interview. Findings: Generally, American YouthWorks exceeds standards delineated in the best practices nonprofit charter school accountability model. However, the organization could improve accountability standards by incorporating a few additional best practices.Item Public School Finance: An Examination of Superintendents Attitudes on Equity, Adequacy, Accountability and Policy Alternatives(2005-08) Sallee, Jennifer; Shields, Patricia M.; Lund, Jeffrey N.Research Purpose: School finance is not a new problem in the United States. It has been around and evolving since the beginning of public education. In the last three years in Texas there has been five legislative sessions to address school finance. The States major daily newspapers have reported on numerous occasions about issues related to school finance. During the 2004 Democratic presidential primaries Sen. John Edwards struck a chord with voters and educators when he spoke of "two Americas: one for the wealthy and privileged, another for those not so lucky" (Bartolomeo 2004, 6). While the U.S. Supreme Court struck down separate schools based on race in Brown vs. Board of Education, the current public education system is clearly illustrative of Sen. Edwards' statement on continued inequality based on wealth in the United States. The purpose of this study is to examine school finance attitudes of Texas superintendents on issues of equity, adequacy, accountability and policy alternatives.Item The Challenges of Accountability in the Human Services: Performance Management in the Adult Protective Services Program of Texas(2007-08) Este, Stephen; Shields, Patricia M.; Balanoff, Howard; Kuhns, MelodyMeasuring and managing performance is a critical part of public sector management, but the human services have lagged behind other government functions in implementing organizational accountability. Texas Adult Protective Services (APS) is the state program responsible for addressing abuse, neglect and exploitation of the elderly and disabled. APS is used as a case study to explore the challenges of organization accountability in the human services. The APS efforts began in 2004, when the organization was under extraordinary scrutiny for poorly handled cases, inconsistent policy expectations, and poor client outcomes. Looking at both the literature of performance management and the case of the APS program, the research found that some of the challenges in managing performance in people programs lie in organizational culture, an emphasis on direct interaction with clients over the effective documentation, and a pervasive opinion that the most personal, qualitative interactions with clients are simply not measurable. Public human services agency functions are often hampered by an inadequate emphasis on the collection and use of performance information and a frequent lack of clarity or agreement as to their core missions. Further, they often do not have proven technologies for achieving desired outcomes and promote best practice models based on anecdote and conventional wisdom, as much as well supported evaluation of program outcomes. The research explored strategies that the APS program developed for building sustainable and accepted systems. The stated primary objectives of the APS leadership were to increase accountability at all levels of the organization, mitigating the weakness of existing external performance measures, and having performance standards that directly supported organizational goals of better client services. In developing a performance management system, the research found evidence that the APS program put a strong emphasis on field employee participation; ease of use, relevance and consistency, and in developing tools to measure what had previously been ruled immeasurable. Finally, the research looked at the impacts of those strategies, and delved into quantifiable improvements generated, in part, by the efforts of the APS programs to bring accountability throughout the organization. Improvements in the timeliness and quality of case actions and related documentation were observed, even though the APS performance management system in its early stages of deployment. Evidence was found that the challenges to implementing accountability in the human services could be overcome with the appropriate planning, organizational commitment, and resources. The APS case study may serve as a guide for human services agencies and other public organizations with complex missions and dynamic social conditions.