A Sample Truman Policy Proposal

The application for the Truman Scholarship includes a policy proposal that is similar to our 6-page assignment, except that it is shorter.

See tips here, and a sample below.

To: Janet Office
Office Held: United States Secretary of Education
Issue: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Awareness in Higher Education

Problem Statement

Every child born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is unjustly handicapped by the alcohol  consumption habits of his or her mother. The leading, preventable cause of birth defects in the US  is alcohol, with FAS resulting in the most extreme cases (Floyd and Sidhu, 2004). Approximately  half a million pregnant women report alcohol use each year, and 80,000 report binge drinking  (Floyd and Sidhu, 2004).

Binge drinking among young women ages 18-44 is on the rise, increasing by 13 percent in a  recent three-year period (Gardner, 2004). Binge drinking puts women at an increased risk for  unintentional pregnancies and means they are more likely to drink while pregnant. These statistics  are evidence of a major public health problem in the United States.

Low levels of FAS awareness in the nation ultimately contribute to the unwanted  conception of FAS children. The 2002 National Health Interview Surveys found that 73% of  women and only 55% of men have a measurable awareness of FAS (Nation et al., 2003),  indicating that substantial numbers remain unaware of the dangers of alcohol consumption during  pregnancy.

Proposed Solution

My proposed solution is to increase FAS awareness in higher education. Support would be  sought from the US Department of Education's Policy and Program Studies Service, as its mission  statement is in line with my project goals ("US Department of Education," 2004). Monies would  be requested from the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE), to be  spent on prevention and intervention though education ("Office of Postsecondary Education,"  2004). Prevention education would address both FAS and binge drinking in higher education and  in future marital relations.

The awareness program would be delivered via First-Year Experience (FYE) classes, also  known as First-Year Seminars (FYS). According to Bradley Cox of the National Resource Center  for the First-Year Experience and Students and Transition, over 621 institutions of higher  education host FYE/FYS programs (Cox, 2004), making them a standardized setting for the  delivery of the FAS program. FIPSE monies would be promoted to higher education institutions  across the country to thereby increase FAS awareness and decrease the future conception of FAS  children.

If successful, this program could be adapted for future intervention in public high schools  and community colleges.

Major Obstacles/Implementation Challenges

There exist three significant challenges to the implementation of this FAS program. A  realistic proposal would be needed to promote the curricular addition of FAS into FYE/FYS  classes across the country. FYE courses are highly variable, both in conception and credit hours,  and therefore the program will need to be comprehensive and concise enough as to be a  reasonable addition.

The second challenge would include the delivery of the program by a professor. One major  reason for the failure of prevention programs to date has been poorly trained presenters (Nation et  al., 2003). An efficient, comprehensive training program would be needed to maximize program  effectiveness. Coordination with established on-campus groups such as residence life and  counseling programs would be ideal.

Thirdly, the FAS program must be established in a way pertinent to the college student's  life and so that students take it seriously. College students do not engage in risky drinking habits  with the intention of getting pregnant. Therefore the connection of risky drinking habits to the  birth of FAS children can be difficult to establish.

References, Footnotes, and Exhibits

Cox, Bradley. Personal Communication. 2004.
Floyd, RL and Sidhu SS. Monitoring Prenatal Alcohol Exposure. American Journal of 
Medical Genetics, Vol 127C, 33-39, 2004.
Gardner, Amanda. "Report: Binge Drinking on Rise in Young Women." Health Day. 23 June
 2004. <http://www3.komotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1965365>
Golden, Janet. "An Argument That Goes Back to the Womb: The Demedicalization of
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, 1973-1992. Journal of Social History, Winter 1999.
<http://www.fmdarticles.eom/p/articles/mi_m2005/is_2_33/ai_58675447>
Nation et al. "What Works in Prevention: Principles of Effective Prevention Programs."
American Psychologist, June/July 2003, Vol 58, No 6/7,449-456.
"Office of Postsecondary Education - Programs Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary
Education (FIPSE)." 26 November 2004.
<http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/fipse/index.html>
"US Department of Education Principal Office Functional Statements: Office of the Secretary &
Deputy Secretary." 26 November 2004.
<http://www.ede.gov/about/offices/list/om/fs_po/osods/policy.html