This assignment was one of my favorites in graduate school, and one that I am very proud of. Here, I present an in-depth policy analysis of current Texas public school educational statutes related to water safety and drowning prevention. The main objective is to propose three policy changes designed to address disparities in drowning rates among Texas residents.

Competencies developed:
1.2f – Synthesize knowledge from nursing and other disciplines to inform education, practice, and research.
3.1k – Analyze primary and secondary population health data for multiple populations against relevant benchmarks.
3.4g – Design comprehensive advocacy strategies to support the policy process.
3.4i – Contribute to policy development at the system, local, regional, or national levels.
3.5g – Strategize with an interdisciplinary group and others to develop effective advocacy approaches.
10.3k – Influence intentional change guided by leadership principles and theories.

Explanation:
This assignment is a policy analysis, so it lines up mostly with the population health domain. Pulling together the Texas and national drowning statistics, especially the racial disparities, shows analyzing population data against benchmarks like Florida's outcomes (3.1k). Building a case around equity and public safety to move the policy forward shows designing an advocacy strategy (3.4g), while identifying specific legislators and submitting the analysis to them shows a direct contribution to policy development at the state level (3.4i). Mapping out the different stakeholders, their influence, and how they'd need to work together shows strategizing with a group to build an effective advocacy approach (3.5g). Pulling together nursing, public health, injury prevention, and policy sources into one cohesive argument reflects synthesizing knowledge across disciplines (1.2f), and proposing solutions with a path to legislative adoption shows leading intentional change through the policy process (10.3k).

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