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2018-11-01
University of Central Asia;
This report examines the current state of philanthropic activity in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. While there is a growing body of research on Central Asia's non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the development of the so-called 'third sector', little formal research is available on the culture and practice of philanthropy and charity in the region. The existing literature demonstrates that charitable activities in these countries take a number of forms, ranging from smallscale volunteer initiatives to nationwide campaigns supported by the private sector.
2018-11-01
Center for Economic and Policy Research;
Donald Trump's trade wars have forced many of us to re-examine what we hope to see in trade policy. At least in rhetoric, he has made the trade deficit front and center on his trade agenda. Many of us have argued that the trade deficit has been a major factor in the loss of relatively high-paying manufacturing jobs. For this reason, there are some grounds for being sympathetic to Trump's approach. However, in other areas, like his promotion of intellectual property rights and his demands on rules for the digital economy, he is diametrically opposed to progressive goals in trade policy.
This essay examines these issues in some detail. It makes three main points:
The benefits from reducing the trade deficit, while still substantial, are not nearly as large as the damage caused by running large deficits in prior decades.
There is no reason that progressives should want stronger protections for intellectual property in trade deals. It is not "our" property at stake, but rather the property of large US corporations. We should be thinking about class, not country.
Rules on a digital economy need serious attention. We all have come to recognize the risks that social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter can present to democratic debate. Countries should not be deprived of the means to protect themselves from false stories being spread over these networks.
While Trump's trade agenda is not one that most progressives will choose to embrace, he has helped to open up the debate on these issues and increase the likelihood that trade may be set on a more progressive path than the one followed over the last four decades.
2018-11-01
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN);
In 2010, Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted a Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, including its 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets, in order to address biodiversity loss, ensure the sustainable use of natural resources, and equitable sharing of benefits. The Protected Planet Report 2018 provides an update of progress towards Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 at the global scale. Each chapter of the report examines a specific element of Target 11. The findings in the report are based on data held in the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) as of July 2018. For the first time, the printed Protected Planet Report is complemented by an online version, regularly updated with all the latest data, which can be explored at the following address: www.livereport.protectedplanet.net. Since the Strategic Plan was adopted, there has been significant progress towards achieving elements of Aichi Target 11, particularly in terms of land and sea coverage. However, significant efforts are needed to achieve other elements of the target.
2018-10-20
WestEd;
In 2012, the Galt Joint Union Elementary School District (GJUESD) in Galt, California was selected as one of 16 districts in the United States that received a federal Race to the Top-District grant to improve student learning through a districtwide initiative focused on personalized learning (PL) for students and educators. Located in California's San Joaquin Valley, Galt has a diverse population of approximately 3,900 students.
To implement the four-year initiative, the district made profound, coordinated changes to district, school, classroom, and out-of-school policies and practices. The efforts coalesced as a unique and integrated strengths-based PL model designed to support every student's strengths, aspirations, and individual learning needs.
PL, broadly defined, is a system of instructional practices that take into account individual students' needs and goals. This report describes:
A PL model developed by GJUESD
The gradual implementation of the model over a 4-year period
The results of an impact study focused on measuring its effectiveness
The study used longitudinal student achievement data from district students, along with data from a matched virtual comparison group — that is, a group created using a national database from a widely used assessment vendor — to measure the effect of the intervention on students in the areas of mathematics, reading, and language usage.
2018-10-11
Mama Cash;
The research used in-depth interviews and an online questionnaire, as well as an exhaustive desk review to collect data from girl-led groups and organisations, girl-centred organisations and the stakeholders that support them at different levels. This is an exciting opportunity to spotlight how girl-led organising takes place and how funders can provide flexible support that responds to the needs of girls and their organising.
2018-10-05
American Institutes for Research;
Study Overview
Personalized learning is often equated with individual learning using technology. Yet for many students, learning on their own may not effectively meet their needs. The aim of this study was to explore racial differences in experiences and benefits associated with collaboration. We collected data from a variety of sources for students, teachers, and classrooms within four racially diverse high schools that emphasized both personalization and collaboration. Our sample included 892 students, 138 teachers, and 30 classrooms. Our qualitative analyses identified emergent themes from focus groups and interviews, and our quantitative analyses examined associations among opportunities for collaboration, classroom experiences, and outcomes, testing whether these associations differed forBlack students versus White students. We found that, for all students, reports of high-quality collaboration were strongly associated with positive classroom experiences and mind-set/ dispositional outcomes such as motivation, engagement, and self-efficacy. Moreover, high-quality collaboration was strongly associated with students' perceptions of personalization—and personalization, in turn, was strongly associated with outcomes. At the same time, focus group discussions revealed that Black students perceived less relevance in collaborative activities, more frequent experiences of exclusion and marginalization, and lower support from teachers during collaborative group work than did non-Black peers. Findings from this study suggest that collaborative experiences could be among the factors that contribute to positive changes in the academic trajectories of Black students, particularly when these opportunities reflect high-quality features. Thus, schools and educators aiming to address equity through personalization should consider increasing opportunities for high-quality collaboration.
2018-10-02
William T. Grant Foundation;
While there are numerous barriers to career advancement for scholars of color, the Foundation believes that many of these can be mitigated through strong mentoring relationships that address issues of difference. But the power of effective mentoring will only be realized when the institutions in which these relationships exist begin to change. The guide, which was developed in collaboration with the Forum for Youth Investment is derived from interviews with grantees and consultants who participated in the Foundation's mentoring program for junior researchers of color.
2018-10-01
WHO;
Safe sanitation is essential for health, from preventing infection to improving and maintaining mental and social well-being.
Developed in accordance with the processes set out in the WHO Handbook for Guideline Development, these guidelines provide comprehensive advice on maximizing the health impact of sanitation interventions. The guidelines summarize the evidence on the links between sanitation and health, provide evidence-informed recommendations, and offer guidance for international, national and local sanitation policies and programme actions. The guidelines also articulate and support the role of health authorities in sanitation policy and programming to help ensure that health risks are identified and managed effectively.
The audience for the guidelines is national and local authorities responsible for the safety of sanitation systems and services, including policy makers, planners, implementers within and outside the health sector and those responsible for the development, implementation and monitoring of sanitation standards and regulations.
2018-10-01
WaterAid;
This guide can help improve understanding of the requirements of women and girls using public and community toilets. It provides guidance on how to address these in city planning and local-level implementation, so that planning, designing, upgrading and management results in female-friendly toilets that are more accessible to users whose requirements have often been ignored, including women, girls, older people and people with disabilities.
2018-10-01
London School of Economics and Political Science;
The modern version of the large philanthropic foundation found in the US and the UK emerged in the early 20th Century, but these have increased in size and ambition in recent years. Foundations such as the Gates Foundation offer wealthy elites an opportunity to perpetuate their influence, and thus are accused of enabling plutocratic philanthropy. The growing field of participatory grantmaking aims to address concerns about elite influence in traditional foundations by devolving decisions about philanthropic funding to those affected by the outcome of those decisions. In this research I develop a case study, based on 15 semi-structured interviews with people involved in both traditional foundations and participatory grantmakers, to understand articulations of participatory grantmaking and provide insight into how the approach differs in practice from traditional foundations. I find that inparticipatory grantmaking issues of power are foregrounded, and notions of legitimacy, agenda-setting, and accountability differ. Participatory grantmaking articulates activists as legitimate decision-makers, and unlike traditional foundations, where staff feel primary accountability to an unelected board, participatory grantmaking staff feel accountable to a broader movement. I discuss the broader implications of these findings for participatorygrantmaking as well as the use of participatory approaches in more traditional foundations.
A two-page summary of the report can be found at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zpX7Ry7czcbvtcbzZDFcxZng3lzPR76S/view?usp=drive_open
2018-10-01
Keystone Accountability;
This primer for monitoring and evaluation was developed jointly by Giving Evidence and Keystone to help a funder-client review and rethink their monitoring and evaluation practices. It was initially developed for a funder that had solicited our services to help them review and rethink their monitoring and evaluation practices, but we feel it is relevant for a broader audience of donors and implementers. The primer established a 4-level framework covering the monitoring of inputs and outputs, results monitoring, evaluation of grantee impact and evaluation of the contributions made to impact by the funders themselves.
2018-10-01
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP);
This study highlights the economic business case for the private and public sector to invest in the protection, preservation and enhancement of coral reef health. Initiated by the Prince of Wales's International Sustainability Unit (ISU) and United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) and implemented in collaboration with Trucost and the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), the analysis maps the value, costs and benefits and financial flows of the coral reef dependent economy. An advisory committee composed of experts representing multilateral development agencies, funds, civil society organizations and finance and insurance companies guided the analysis.
