May 2024

COMPLEAT Annual Evaluation

McAllister Hall, Kristi Spalding

IPI completed the year three evaluation of the COMPLEAT program. The objective of the COMPLEAT project is to improve pre-service elementary teacher (PSET) math learning experiences by exploring the rules of math in other STEM disciplines and solidifying knowledge and skills in teaching contexts as sustainable practices using the ACE Course model. The project aims to meet these objectives through the Applying, Connecting, Experiencing (ACE) instruction model and integrating Community-Based Experiential Learning (CBEL) into PSET courses. The CBEL notably allows PSETs the opportunity to work with real elementary students in their community and teach them STEM using an activity connecting STEM to the real world

The project is being implemented at Augusta University in Georgia, Boise State University, Kapiolani Community College in Hawaii, and University of Texas San Antonio and is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Data is collected from PSETs, elementary students participating in the CBEL, and the university instructors.

In year three of the project, PSETs benefitted from participating in the ACE course model and the CBEL activity. In both semesters almost all PSETs found value in the opportunity to work with real students in a learning environment and found that the course provided valuable insights into how to teach STEM in a way that increases student interest.

Elementary students participating in the activity mostly agreed that the activity was fun and that they learned a lot. However, it is not clear if the activity had a direct impact on their beliefs and attitudes toward STEM.

Instructors using the ACE model in year three mostly appreciated the model, specifically the opportunities to provide PSETs with experiences with real students. Most instructors could see using many aspects of the ACE model in the future. PSETs in year three had few complaints about instructors compared to year two meaning the instructors are likely getting more confident and competent at implementing the model.

The implementation of the course model seems to be mostly successful and consistent. This consistency could allow for growth in more nuanced areas of the course, including addressing challenges reported by PSETs in the data. However, all participating parties report benefiting from the model and the model does not seem to have any significant negative impact on participating parties.

More about the COMPLEAT program can be found here.

Northwest Nonprofit Salary & Benefits Survey

Lantz McGinnis-Brown, McAllister Hall

IPI developed and managed a five-state (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington) nonprofit survey assessing trends in compensation and benefits. The results of this survey will be used to inform management decisions in nonprofits across the region. This project is in the process of closing – executive summaries, data, and data dashboards are being provided to the nonprofit associations of each involved state.

IPI Graduate Patty Chelini

In May, IPI intern, Patty Chelini, graduated from Boise State with a degree in Educational Studies with an emphasis in Environmental Studies. Patty worked with IPI for the 2023-24 school year and was able to complete a project for the Idaho Office of Emergency Management as well as help IPI team members with several different projects, including the New Path Evaluation. Patty is planning on taking a small break before entering the workforce.

IPI Welcomes New Interns!

May also marked the beginning of the IPI summer internship program. This summer IPI has two new interns, Owen Kerr and Simon Richardson. Kristi Spalding, a social work student who started working with IPI in Spring 2024, will also be working with IPI this summer.

Owen Kerr – Senior at Boise State University studying Political Science with an emphasis in American government. Originally from Vancouver, Washington, I grew up playing soccer my entire life and taking trips up to the mountains for snowboarding. I enjoy staying active and connected with my community here at Boise State University! 

Simon Richardson – Simon is originally from Boise, Idaho, and an undergraduate student at Dartmouth College studying public policy and economics. He is currently a summer intern at IPI, and has past work experience on various Idaho political campaigns. Outside of work, Simon enjoys skiing, backpacking, and surfing the Boise River.

IPI welcomes a new student Graphic Designer

At the end of May, IPI welcomed Cameron Crites as the new Graphic Designer. Cameron is a student at Boise State University studying graphic design, photography, and marketing. He has lived in Boise all his life and held various jobs helping develop the community such as ski instructing and camp counseling. Cameron looks forward to working in Boise’s artistic communities and continue to develop within the space.

Presentation at Idaho Health Priorities Conference

Ben Larsen collaborated with faculty at Idaho State University and The Idaho Foodbank on a presentation entitled “Leveraging the White House National Strategy on Hunger to establish a statewide food security research agenda” at the Idaho Health Priorities Conference held in Boise, Idaho on May 29-31.

Kim, Fry, May Publish article on COVID-19 Pandemic Response

An article by Cheong Kim, Vanessa Fry, and Matthew May was recently published in the journal Public Performance & Management Review. The article, Institutional arrangements of government and municipal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, proposes a research strategy that treats a government form as a specific arrangement of institutional features and conducts the study of government form at the institutional-feature level. Consistently, it examines how the three core features of a government – CEO (chief executive officer) selection by appointment based on managerial expertise, mayoral election by the council among themselves, and at-large council election – affect municipal COVID response, a highly politicized area. These features are theorized to reduce the intensity of politics and create space for the effective working of public administration, and hypothesized to be positively associated with active COVID response. The hypotheses are confirmed on the whole from the analysis of original survey data gathered during the pandemic from municipalities in eleven western U.S. states. The implications of the findings for the council-manager form of government are discussed.

“Unchallenged races determined in low turnout primaries” Boise State Public Radio, May 23, 2024