May 4, 2006
By MIMI KO CRUZ

Telephone surveys of Chinese-American voters and of students completing high school, technical and career education courses are just two of the recent projects taken on by the Social Science Research Center.

Among the center's other endeavors this semester were a return-on-investment analysis, a public policy survey and an evaluation of a domestic violence prevention program.

A $10,000 contract from the city of Santa Ana funded an analysis of the Workforce Investment Board's comprehensive one-stop center. survey project focused on clients served and found that the estimated benefit resulting from governmental investment in the services provided from 2003 to 2004 corresponds to a 473 percent return, reported Gregory Robinson, SSRC director. Survey responses also found that the Work Center's services provided to clients resulted in additional tax revenue received from those who got jobs; additional tax revenue from businesses patronized by these individuals as their income and spending increased; and a reduction in public support. Robinson said results came from a telephone survey in English and Spanish of a random sample of 415 people.

UCLA awarded the a $42,127 contract to conduct the Lewis Center Southern California Telephone Survey, a regional public policy survey. An additional $22,730 UCLA contract underwrote a survey of Chinese-American voters in San Francisco to learn about civic participation among a cohort of naturalized Chinese Americans. The telephone survey was done in Mandarin and Cantonese.

The Orange County Superior Court granted the center a $55,000 contract for an evaluation of its Safe and Bright Futures project. project was established to create a system of prevention, intervention, treatment and follow-through services for children and adolescents who have witnessed or been exposed to domestic violence.

Under a $4,212 Orange County Business Council contract, the SSRC conducted a survey measuring the education and training opportunities necessary for the current and long-term needs of Anaheim manufacturing companies. While another survey, under a $20,000 Orange County United Way contract, delved into after-school programs. data collected about such programs in Orange County will be posted on an Orange County Department of Education Web site for public access and will be used to identify gaps in services available to youngsters in Orange County, Robinson noted.

The Unified School District awarded the center a $9,869 contract to conduct a survey of students who complete high school, career and technical education courses. district, Robinson said, is trying to determine the proportion of high school students who take Regional Occupational Program courses and, as a result, obtain employment related to their studies. district also wants to find out how many students enlist in the military or pursue a post-secondary education.

A telephone survey, titled "Strengthening our Hispanic-Serving Institution," was completed as part of a U.S. Department of Education grant awarded to Cal State Fullerton last year. The purpose of the grant is to make the university, which presently has a 27 percent Latino student population, more effective as a Hispanic-serving institution. survey, funded through a $22,000 contract, polled parents or guardians from 502 randomly selected Latino households to reveal their expectations of Cal State Fullerton. It found, among other things, that although Latino parents have high educational aspirations for their children, few understand the means required to achieve that end. Donald S. Castro, special assistant to President Milton A. Gordon, now is working on a plan to address the issues raised in the survey.

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