Kristine S. Neuber Portfolio

Research Currents

Portfolio #1

My research interests are two fold: policy influences and effective policy formation.

Policy Influences

• What factors have the most influence on policy formation (Congressional Hearings, lobbyists, special interest groups, media)?
  • Does one factor have a stronger effect than others?
  • Does one form of media have a stronger effect on policy?

  Work related to Policy Influences

  In EDRS 810 I wrote a method section for a qualitative study titled, "The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001: Influences that Effect Change in Special Education Policy." This research interest grew from my internship at Washington Partners where I primarily focused the provisions in NCLB related to students receiving special education. I attended hearings, reviewed state plans for implementing NCLB, and followed press releases and media reports related to the "flexibility" provisions provided by the Department of Education as it attemped to make NCLB work for all students.

Effective Policy Formation

• What are the components of effective policy?
• How do you determine if policy is effective?

  Work related to policy formation

  My interest in determining components of effective policy has primarily grown from my professional experiences working with the Office of Equity and Diversity Services and the Kellar Institute for Human disAbilities as the coordinator of the Assistive Technology Initiative. My main question is how can the University most effectively provide assistive technology to our students and employees. There are many aspects to providing assistive technology at the post-secondary lebel including, access to computers, access to the internet and internet applications and access to text-based materials. Accessing text-based materials was the topic of my quantitative method section developed in EDRS 810. It is titled: "Bimodal vs. Unimodal Presentation of Digital Text: Effects on Comprehension for Students in the Postsecondary Setting."

  Publication:

  Jerome, M. K., Neuber, K., Stegall, B., Evmenova, A., & Behrmann, M. (in press). Technology for integration of students with disabilities in higher education. In S. Helal, M. Mokhtari, & B. Abdulravak (Eds.), Technology for aging, disability, and independence: Computer and engineering for design and applications. Indianapolis, IN: John Wiley & Sons.