Education Policy Commons^™

How Do Changing Financial Circumstances Relate To Financial Well-Being? Evidence From A National Survey, Sam Bufe, Sicong Sun, Stephen P. Roll, Olga Kondratjeva, Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Social Policy Institute Research

This brief is the third and final brief in a series exploring the financial well-being of low- and moderate-income (LMI) households in the United States. The first brief in this series explored how financial well-being differed between LMI households and the general population.¹ The second in the series examined how financial well-being changed over time in a sample of LMI respondents.² This brief uses longitudinal survey data paired with administrative tax data to assess how different household experiences—including the use of alternative financial services, the experience of material and medical hardship, and improvements in physical and financial health—correspond …

Assessing The Short-Term Stability Of Financial Well-Being In Low- To Moderate-Income Households, Sicong Sun, Stephen P. Roll, Olga Kondratjeva, Sam Bufe, Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Social Policy Institute Research

A growing body of research demonstrates that U.S. households experience a high degree of volatility in their finances. This volatility can take the form of large swings in month-to-month income, spells of unemployment, and incurring unexpected expenses.1 Beyond being difficult to predict, these income and expense shocks are costly as well, with one survey finding that the most expensive shock experienced by the median U.S. household cost roughly half of one month’s income.2This financial volatility disproportionately affects low- to moderate-income (LMI) households;3 a population that often lacks the resources to manage this volatility. For example, research from the Survey of …

The Road To Carnegie R1 At The University Of Nevada, Las Vegas, Robert E. Lang, David F. Damore

Lincy Institute Reports and Briefs

Founded in 1957, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is now classified as a top research university by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. This is a major accomplishment. The Lincy Institute’s analysis of all 130 “Carnegie Doctoral Universities” (2018) with “very high research activity,” or R1 status, (Appendix A provides a summary of the data on the 93 public institutions with R1 status, and Appendix B sorts this list by age of institution) finds that UNLV is among the 10 youngest institutions founded post-World War II in the U.S. to achieve this status.2 This is a …

The ‘Seven S’ Approach To Subject-Based Banding In Schools, David Chan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In an invited commentary, SMU Behavioural Sciences Institute Director Professor David Chan discussed the issues surrounding the replacement of streaming at secondary school with the subject-based banding system. He explained how we can approach issues by reflecting on what he called the "Seven S" elements of education.

Setting The Foundation For Democratization: Assessing The Quality Of A Political Science Program In Egypt, Yasmin Khodary

Political Science

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the quality of a political science program in an Egyptian private university through assessing three particular dimensions: knowledge of political science core facts and theories; reading comprehension skills; and critical thinking (CT).

Design/methodology/approach – A case study research approach was used. The study relies also on a quantitative methodology. Quantitative data were collected from students in the second and fourth years of political science to assess their knowledge of core political science facts and theories, reading comprehension and CT through the online California Critical Thinking Skills Test.

Findings – Unlike …

Who's Using Act 173?, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Matthew H. Lee, Charlene A. Reid

Policy Briefs

Act 173 allows home school or private school students to enroll in academic courses in their local public school district. Passed in 2017, students to first used it for the 2017-18 school year. Despite the benefits of the Act to both parties, only 95 students across 43 schools representing 35 districts across the state of Arkansas used the Act to enroll in at least one course in their district. In this policy brief, we describe the students who used Act 173 in the 2017-18 school year, explore possible reasons why, and offer some policy implications.

Dependent Care Fsas: Policy Proposals To Level The Playing Field For Low- To Moderate-Income Parents, Ellen Frank-Miller, Sophia Fox-Dichter, Sloane Wolter

Social Policy Institute Research

This research was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. We thank them for their support but acknowl-edge that the findings and conclusions presented in this report are those of the authors alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Foundation.The authors are grateful to Don Baylor at the Annie E. Casey Foundation for his guidance and support throughout the project. We are also grateful to Elaine Maag at the Urban Institute for offering her expertise related to interactions between the Earned Income Tax Credit and dependent care flexible spending ac-counts. Finally, we extend our sincere thanks to …

Making Dependent Care Fsaa Work For Low- To Moderate-Income Families 5 Action Steps For Employers, Sophia Fox-Dichter, Ellen Frank-Miller, Sloane Wolter

Social Policy Institute Research

Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (DCFSAs) can help workers save money on child care expenses by using pre-tax dollars, but few employees actually use the accounts, particularly low- to moderate-income (LMI) employees, because:

• DCFSAs are difficult to understand; figuring out if they are possible to use and worth the trouble is a complex task for families.

• Families face a “double-hit” if they use the accounts – they have to set aside pre-tax dollars for child care expenses and then pay out-of-pocket before getting reimbursed.

• Using a DCFSA may require certainty about a year’s worth of child care …

Education For Development: Priority Setting: Practitioner Level, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Education Analytics Service

This Practitioner level module is designed to ensure that staff members who engage with and lead policy dialogue with international and domestic partners can strategically identify priorities for the Australian aid program in various contexts and make decisions about education investments. It is recommended that staff complete the Education for Development Priority Setting: Foundation level module as background information to this Practitioner level module.

Creating The Best: A Two-Prong Policy Approach To Improve The Quality Of Future Certified Ohio Peace Officers, Amy English

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

This qualitative client applied study explained and explored a two-fold approach that could be used to implement policy changes that will aid small Ohio police departments in commissioning intellectually developed and psychologically suited individuals for employment in law enforcement. Several issues needed to be addressed in order to accomplish these policy changes. Criminological theories were correlated to deviant behaviors of criminally charged Ohio police officers. Past legislated police reform acts were addressed. Past studies of police officer higher education were analyzed. Finally, the implementation factors for psychological evaluations as a police academy pre-enrollment requirement were identified. This study, based on …

Education For Development: Priority Setting: Foundation Level, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Education Analytics Service

The purpose of this module is to provide introductory information about why donors should invest in education in developing countries. It also provides important information regarding the Australian aid program’s education investment strategies and priorities. On successful completion you will have gained valuable knowledge to contribute to the field of priority setting for education for development.

Islamophobia In U.S. Education, Shabana Mir, Loukia K. Sarroub

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Anti-Muslim sentiment has grown in scale and visibility far beyond its association with the horrific attacks of 2001. The US government’s “War on Terror,” which began after the attacks, often pervades the domestic landscape as a war on Islamic religious “extremism.” The definitions and content of such religious extremism are so extensive that they encompass large numbers of Muslims, and they highlight Muslims as being inherently problematic. For example, the success of the 2016 presidential campaign can be said to have relied significantly on a right-wing Islamophobic fear-mongering that shariah was set to take over the US. As we grappled …

Buffett Early Childhood Institute: Five Year Report 2013-18, Buffett Early Childhood Institute

Buffet Early Childhood Institute Reports and Publications

The Buffett Early Childhood Institute began operations in June 2013. We were charged with creating a new model for how public higher education can engage in early education by helping to transform the lives of young children and their families. This report presents a by-thenumbers profile of who we are and what we’ve accomplished in our first five years. Following the numbers you’ll find brief descriptions of programs, initiatives, financials, and the Institute itself.

The Nebraska Panhandle: An Assessment Of Birth-Grade 3 Care And Education, Panhandle Birth – Grade 3 Leadership Team

Buffet Early Childhood Institute Reports and Publications

This report summarizes the collaborative work of the Panhandle Partnership, Inc., Educational Service Unit (ESU) 13, and the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska in documenting and assessing birth through Grade 3 programming in the Nebraska Panhandle. The report summarizes findings from 15 school-community conversations and includes data snapshots from local communities that provide information about the status of young children and the services and supports that exist to serve them and their families. Work in the Panhandle was undertaken on the basis of an agreement between the three organizations to work together to better understand and …

Nebraska Child Care Market Rate Survey Report 2019, Greg W. Welch, Elizabeth Svoboda, Amanda Garrett, Kathleen C. Gallagher, Molly Goldberg, Alexandra Daro

Buffet Early Childhood Institute Reports and Publications

The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014 was reauthorized with renewed emphasis placed on the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program, which seeks to provide equal access to quality child care for families. The CCDF program is necessary to ensure children from low-income families have the opportunity to experience stable, high-quality early experiences while their parents experience a pathway to economic stability. A primary goal of the CCDF program is to ensure that low-income families receive CCDF funds to help them access quality child care in the same manner as families that pay the full …

Student Homelessness: Examining The Problem, Elena Gavin

Petersheim Academic Exposition

No abstract provided.

Child Poverty As An Educational Issue, Eliza Rodrigues

Petersheim Academic Exposition

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Deliberate Peer-To-Peer Interactions On First-Generation College Students’ Educational Outcomes, Junelyn Pangan Peeples

CGU Theses & Dissertations

First-generation college students are first in their families to go to college and may not have the resources to help them navigate a college setting. They have parents who have not received a four-year degree, which diminishes the amount of knowledge they accumulated to help them navigate a college setting effectively. They are typically underprepared academically and socially, which can impede their ability to adjust and negatively influence their persistence and ultimately degree attainment. There is research that suggests there are ways to retain students and provide better support systems that help them graduate. Studies have found that peer-to-peer interactions …

Risk Factors For Depression Among Early Childhood Teachers, Amy Roberts, Kathleen C. Gallagher, Alexandra Daro, Iheoma U. Iruka, Susan Sarver

Buffet Early Childhood Institute Reports and Publications

This study examined possible risk factors associated with teachers’ depression in a variety of early childhood settings. Teachers with lower pay, no health insurance, multiple jobs, greater job stress, and more adult-centered beliefs reported more symptoms of depression. To reduce these symptoms, efforts should be made to support teachers’ mental health at multiple levels, including individual, environmental, and policy.

Researchers used data collected in 2015-16 from a large survey of early childhood educators in Nebraska. Four early childhood settings were sampled: licensed family child care homes (home-based), licensed child care centers (center-based), state-funded PreK programs, and elementary schools serving children …

Educator Perspectives On Suggested Changes To The Jordanian Education System As A Result Of The Syrian Refugee Crisis, Sara Sydney Caplan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The research investigates the question: How do teachers believe the Jordanian education system should change in order to best meet the needs of all students given the recent influx of Syrian refugees? The researcher interviewed seven teachers in Amman and Madaba, Jordan to gather qualitative data on their perspectives on the current Jordanian education system. Educators interviewed represented a vary of different school populations, grade levels, environments, resources and subject areas. Teachers interviewed and material culture demonstrated that the current education system is in need of multifaceted reform. The primary issue raised by many interviewees is enhanced discrimination and inequitable …

Mindfulness Training For Pre-Service Teachers Using Ecological Momentary Assessment, Emily A. Hattouni

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

There is a high-rate of burnout among teachers around the US often linked with the increasing stressors and demands (e.g., Iancu, Rusu, Măroiu, Păcurar, & Maricuțoiu, 2018). Additionally, Jennings and Greenberg (2009) demonstrated the importance of teachers’ social and emotional competence for promoting well-being and academic success in classrooms. Stress that is overwhelming or unaddressed can lead to teacher burnout, but there may be effective ways of promoting self-care among teachers, such as mindfulness-based practices. The current project included psychoeducation on the applications of mindfulness for teachers and repeated collections of self-report questionnaires to investigate the utility of mindfulness-training for …

Lake Oswego School District Population And Enrollment Forecasts 2019-20 To 2028-29, Portland State University. Population Research Center, Charles Rynerson, Joshua Ollinger

School District Enrollment Forecast Reports

This report presents the results of a demographic study conducted by the Portland State University Population Research Center (PRC) for the Lake Oswego School District (LOSD). The study includes analyses of population, housing and enrollment trends affecting the District in recent years, and forecasts of district‐wide school enrollments for the 2019‐20 to 2028‐29 school years. Following are some of the highlights found in this report:

• Population and Housing Trends
• Housing and Enrollment
• Enrollment Trends
• Enrollment Forecasts

Staff Members' Perceptions Of General Education Development Programs In Virginia's Correctional System, Andrew Lee Beamon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Virginia Department of Corrections mandates that all offenders without a high

school diploma or general equivalency diploma (GED) are required to be enrolled in

GED programs offered in the prison system. However, these programs have shown

varying rates of success. Supported by the constructivist theory, the purpose of this

qualitative case study was to identify how correctional education staff members

perceived the effectiveness of the GED programs. Data from surveys and interviews with

9 educational correctional staff members were collected and analyzed for themes.

Findings indicated that (a) participants use computer software for effective instruction,

(b) offenders who were …

Funding And Allocation In School Districts Educating Children With Impact Aid, Jamee M. Lynch-Moore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Budgeting and allocation decisions made by school districts have a direct impact on education in local communities. Little, however, is known about budgetary allocation and decision-making practices involving federal Impact Aid received by military-connected districts as no national guidelines exist to guide the allocation of this funding source. Using Sielke's garbage can decision model as the foundation, the purpose of this multiple case study of 5 school districts located throughout the United States was to explore how school districts use Impact Aid to achieve educational adequateness for military-connected children. Research questions focused on how school districts make budgetary decisions in …

Perceived Barriers Of Homeschooled Students Moving Into Higher Education: Case Stories And Qualitative Perspectives, Lizbeth Kliewer

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Homeschooling is a viable educational option for many families. Challenges often arise when students are ready to transition into higher education. Barriers to smooth transitions exist, both for the homeschooled student as well as for college admissions teams. The purpose of this qualitative study was to recognize these barriers in order to increase the potential for working toward solutions for those involved. This study used a combination of case story and qualitative research methodology to gather perspectives through interviews from three homeschooling families in southern Minnesota and three higher education professionals working in the field of admissions. Some of the …

Differential Benefits Of Prekindergarten For Low-Income Black Children : A Quasi-Experimental Study, Janice Marie Parker

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract

The Impact Of Principal Leadership On Teacher Perception Of The Annual Professional Performance Review (Appr), Barry Alexander Finsel

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Teacher quality is the most important school-based factor affecting student learning and achievement. In 2009, the Race to the Top (RttT) federal education initiative provided an opportunity for states to compete for federal grant resources to reform their public education systems, which included revamping teacher evaluation systems to improve teacher (and principal) effectiveness. Consequently, New York State was awarded almost $700 million in 2010 during the second phase of RttT for its Regents Education Reform Plan, which established a new teacher and principal evaluation plan known as the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR). Under its first version (§3012-c), APPR used …

Education, Skills, And Wage Outcomes Among Mid-Career Adults : A Cross-National Study, Kai Zhou

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Interest in the role of non-cognitive skills on successful life outcomes (such as academic performance) has increased in recent years. Policy makers in many countries have prioritized the learning of non-cognitive skills in the school curriculum and training frameworks. Although studies in labor economics have provided important insights about the impact of non-cognitive skills on earnings (e.g., Lindqvist and Vestman 2011; Heckman, Stixrud, and Urzua 2006), solid evidence about how labor markets produce or facilitate the acquisition of non-cognitive skills in different country settings is lacking. The linkage between education, skills and wages has been at the core discussion of …

Academic Accountability Between Charter And Public-School Principals In New Jersey, Nicole Goodman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to explore school principals' accountability with student academic performance. Charter and public-school principals are responsible for the learning process and academic development. Previously published literature did not reveal a clear understanding of the policies and practices that contributed in obtaining the desired student academic outcomes. Parsons's theory of action served as the foundation for analyzing principals' decisions to achieve accountability and comply with the policies established by the regulating authorities. A snowball sampling of school principals included a public charter school principal and 5 traditional public-school principals in the state of New Jersey. A …

Women Into Advanced Manufacturing: Can Community College Open This Door?, Carissa Bradley Schutzman

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

Women still rarely choose to seek employment in advanced manufacturing. Lack of familiarity with manufacturing jobs and education programs, lack of role models, and too few experiential opportunities contribute to women not choosing manufacturing jobs as well as other jobs traditionally held by men (Reha, Lufkin, & Harrison, 2009; St. Rose & Hill, 2013; Starobin & Laanan, 2008). Nontraditional jobs for women often provide higher wages and more opportunity for advancement than traditional jobs for women. This study is a qualitative thematic narrative analysis of factors that influenced women who chose an advanced manufacturing program at a community college to …