Brief (2-3 sentence) statement describing the issue. What is the problem that this policy brief addresses?

(Policy Brief paper 50 points – (20% course grade)
The policy brief is a written document that conveys a Policy Issue, the Background related to the Issue, Information pertinent to the Issue (this may include current law/bill, debate about the issue, data about the issue), Policy Options, Your Recommendation for Policy, and References.
An effective policy brief must propose a solution to a well-defined problem that can be addressed at the level of policy.
Example: Lets say that you wanted to address childrens health. This is a big issue, and too broad to serve as the focus of a policy brief, but it could serve as a starting point for research. As you begin to research studies on childrens health, you might decide to zoom in on the more specific issue of childhood obesity. Youll need to consult the research further to decide what factors contribute to it in order to propose policy changes. Is it lack of exercise, nutritional deficiencies, a combination of these, or something else? Choosing one or another of these issues, your policy brief would zoom in even further to specific proposals that might include exercise initiatives, nutritional guidelines, or school lunch programs.
The key is that you define the problem and its contributing factors as specifically as possible so that some sort of concrete policy action (at the local, state, or national level) is feasible.

Helpful sites: Rand.org,

Assignment instructions/Grading Rubric/ Paper Layout (5-10 pages)
Statement of the Issue/Problem (5 points)
Brief (2-3 sentence) statement describing the issue. What is the problem that this policy brief addresses?
Background (10 points)
An explanation of the problem and its significance. Include support as needed, including references to research literature if relevant.
Information Pertinent to the Issue (10 points)
This may pertain to current laws needing to be changed, current debate about the issue, and/or data about the issue.
Responses and Policy options/alternatives (10 points)
What has been done (or proposed) about the issue so far? Have other organizations addressed it? Are there pending legislative or regulatory proposals?
Call to action/Recommendations (10 Points)
List recommendations about what different actors should doe.g., Congress, state legislatures, relevant government agencies, health systems leaders, other nursing organizations, etc. (Of course, this will depend on the specific issue). Can be formatted as a bullet list if appropriate.
References and writing style (5 points)
Current literature (within 5 – 10 years). APA format. Appropriate grammar.