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Australia established a demand-driven funding model for government-subsidised undergraduate places at public universities between 2012 and 2017. This allowed public universities to expand subsidised undergraduate places over this period. However, private universities and colleges did not have access to demand-driven funding but nonetheless grew domestic student enrolments by 38% over the same period, an unexpected difference given that demand-driven funding allowed public universities to expand enrolments with few limitations. To explain differences in growth by institution type, a supply and demand model relevant to public universities and private universities and colleges is developed. The model is used to understand enrolment dynamics and how providers responded to the demand-driven funding environment. Drawing on novel higher education statistics, four hypotheses for the unexpected enrolment growth in private universities and colleges are tested: reputational factors; disciplinary specialisation; price; and appeal to disadvantaged student groups. The data reveal some support for each hypothesis but show disciplinary specialisation is the strongest explanation of enrolment growth outside public universities. The findings illustrate how less established private institutions can grow and compete with more established public universities by responding to market demand and offering specialised programmes to meet that demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) research studies have focused on students' demographics, surveys, and retention data, while little attention has been paid to the authentic voices of the learners: the expressions of experiences, perceptions, and emotions in the MOOC students' own words. In this paper, we conducted and analyzed in-depth interviews with learners from two MOOCs on the same subject. Findings confirm that learners enrolled in MOOCs for career and/or personal purposes. Learners' expressions of feeling a human connection to the instructor in videos had important implications for video editing decisions. Many of the reasons given for dropping out of active participation in MOOCs were related to the learners' lack of time because of other commitments. We expect the results from this study to provide a new understanding of MOOC learners and their perceptions of the courses; key insights should guide video editing considerations and encourage the use of instructor communication pathways such as regular emails to students in future MOOC offerings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While postwar suburban migration established suburbs as relatively affluent, homogeneous white enclaves distinct from the urban core, recent waves of suburbanization and exurbanization have been spurred largely by rapid growth in the nonwhite population. While these increases in suburban racial/ethnic diversity represent a significant evolution of the traditional "chocolate city, vanilla suburbs" dichotomy, scholars have expressed concern that they are worsening racial/ethnic segregation among suburban public school students. Objective: In this study, we document shifts in the racial imbalance of suburban schools in terms of several racial/ethnic and geographic dimensions (i.e., multiracial, black-white; between and within suburban districts, among localities). In addition, we extend the urban/suburban dichotomy to provide initial evidence on changes in racial balance in metropolitan exurbs. Finally, we use inferential models to directly examine the impact of changes in racial/ethnic diversity on shifts in racial imbalance. Research Design: Using demographic data from the National Center of Education Statistics Common Core of Data on 209 U.S. metropolitan areas, we provide a descriptive analysis of changes in segregation within and between urban, suburban, and exurban localities from 2002 to 2012. We measure segregation using Theil's entropy index, which quantifies racial balance across geographic units. We assess the relationship between demographic change and change in segregation via a series of longitudinal fixed-effects models. Results: Longitudinal analyses indicate that increases in racial/ethnic diversity are positively related to change in racial imbalance. However, observed increases in diversity were generally insufficient to produce meaningful increases in segregation. As a result, suburbs and exurbs, like urban areas, experienced little change in segregation, although trends were generally in a negative direction and more localities experienced meaningful declines in segregation than meaningful increases. Findings are less encouraging for suburbs and exurbs than for urban areas and underscore the intractability of black-white racial imbalance and the emerging spatial imbalance of Asians and whites. We also document an important shift in the geographic distribution of segregation, with suburbs now accounting for a plurality of metropolitan segregation. Conclusions: Contrary to previous researchers, we do not find evidence that suburban and exurban schools are resegregating, although we fail to document meaningful progress towards racial equity. Moreover, while suburbs are not necessarily resegregating, we find that segregation is suburbanizing, and now accounts for the largest share of segregation of any locality. We conclude with a discussion of recommendations for policy and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Schools face pressure to promote equitable student outcomes as the achievement gap continues to persist. The authors examine different ways in which social capital has been conceptualized as well as prior theory and research on its formation and consequences. While some theoretical and empirical work conceptualizes social capital as a mechanism for prosocial outcomes, other scholars address it as an apparatus of social status. Purpose: This study was conducted to advance knowledge about (a) the validity of measuring social capital as an organizational construct, (b) the equity of social capital distribution in schools, and (c) the relationship between school social capital and academic achievement. Research Design: In this paper, the authors examine these possibilities using data collected from 96 Midwestern high schools. Confirmatory factor analysis, hierarchical linear modeling, and structural equation modeling were employed to depict the relationships among social capital, socioeconomic status, and academic achievement in schools. Findings/Results: The authors found that variance in social capital was significantly related to school membership and that confirmatory factor analysis supported the construction of a school social capital measure. Moreover, more than half of the variance in social capital is unrelated to social class, and social capital is a positive predictor of academic achievement. Conclusions/Recommendations: Because of its positive relation to achievement, investments in the development of social capital may be worthwhile. Interventions designed to develop social capital in schools should be guided by efforts to strengthen access to school-based resources in poor and low achieving schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While evidence confirms that children with disabilities face significant obstacles to schooling, especially in low-income countries like Kenya, there is limited empirical research on which to develop policy. The government of Kenya has long neglected the plight of people with disabilities. Despite numerous policy recommendations from the various education commissions, few, if any, have been fully implemented. Despite the rich information that may inform policy, household surveys are an overlooked source of data on children with disabilities. Therefore, using two sources of household survey data, this paper examines school enrolment and attendance patterns for children with disabilities in Kenya. The evidence suggests lower school participation for children with disabilities. This may be due to the limited availability of educational services. Despite the need for educational services, the analysis also shows that the majority of children with disabilities were not aware of any of the services offered by the government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores an example of ‘reformist’ hagiographic production in early eleventh-century Lotharingia by focusing on the Life of St Roding of Beaulieu, a small monastery in the diocese of Verdun. Until recently, this text was interpreted exclusively in terms of the scant information it provides for this institution's early medieval history and in terms of its ideological message regarding monastic discipline and leadership. By integrating the composition of this text into the then-current regional geography and political context, this article proposes a new approach to its interpretation and to the understanding of Beaulieu’s ‘monastic reform’ in general. Close analysis of the narrative reveals that its production was inspired by specific issues relating to local and regional politics in the mid-1010s, and that parts of the institution's recent history were veiled allegorically behind the portrayal of Roding. However, rapid changes in power relationships rendered those aspects of the text outdated within a few years. This raises significant questions regarding the long-term relevance of such hidden stories and the degree to which their ideological, political and other messages remained accessible to medieval audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that Hip-Hop music emerged as form of sociocultural expression thorugh which young people and in particular those who were socially and culturally marginalized by race and class voiced their discontent, anger, and struggles. The demographic and social aspects of schooling in Canada and the Hip-Hop pedagogy in urban classrooms and youth activist study participants are also discussed.

The subject of this analysis is the practice of school closures, since it constitutes a key response to demographic decline and is usually hotly disputed in regional discussions on demographic change. Our research is guided by two questions: How do political and administrative responses to demographic decline emerge? How is the practice of school closure publicly portrayed and discussed in the newspapers? We assume that in democratic welfare regimes, the spatial allocation of school infrastructures is mediated by the use of key administrative indicators allowing the calculation and public deliberation of questions related to education infrastructure policy. However, in transformation societies, a democratic political culture of "governing by numbers" only develops as a result of collective learning processes in which the participants acquire what we refer to as "democratic numeracy". In the stratified German school system, social prestige is conferred unequally among the different school types, with the grammar school (Gymnasium) being the most prestigious school type. It is therefore likely that the elements of the school system are not affected equally by policy responses to demographic decline and public attention, which results in spatial inequalities. Empirically, the article follows a mixed-methods approach, whilst emphasising a quantitative and qualitative content analysis of school closures in the regional press of Saxony-Anhalt from 1990 to 2014. The results show that, in the transformation process, the relevance of indicator-based governance of the school infrastructure increases both in practice and in discourse. However, as the participants gain in democratic numeracy, the use of numbers becomes politicised. With respect to the pattern of school closures, grammar schools receive a disproportionately large share of public attention. This has a positive effect on their survival chances and diminishes differences in spatial distances between grammar schools and integrated secondary schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent immigration patterns have led to widespread growth in school enrollments of Spanish-speakers in nontraditional immigrant destinations in many parts of the United States. This paper explores the ways in which suburban school districts respond to this demographic shift, with a focus on how schooling impacts the acculturation experiences of immigrants to this particular context. Drawing on a statewide survey of administrators and teachers in schools serving Wisconsin's New Latino Diaspora, results from suburban schools are analyzed in comparison to urban and rural contexts. In this paper, I explore the ways in which suburban schools in the study were more likely to structure integration than schools in rural or urban locales. At the same time, these contexts were less likely to provide asset-based supports for Spanish-speakers, particularly those no longer designated as “beginner” English learners. These findings suggest that the opportunity to foster additive acculturation was limited, as many schools espoused a “sink or swim” approach in the context of scarce resources. Given the ongoing growth of immigrant communities in new suburban destinations, the paper ends with implications for future research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background and Objectives: Social capital refers to the norms and networks that make people to cooperate in social actions for gaining reciprocal advantages. Focusing of its importance on health, the aim of this study was to evaluate social capital in the students of Jahrom University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was done on 180 students of Jahrom University of Medical Sciences in the fields of medicine, public health, nursing, laboratory sciences, anesthesia ,and operation roomusing simple random sampling in 2014. Bullen social capital questionnaire was used for data collection. Data analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA, t-test and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: The results showed that among all the social capital issues, the highest average (56.29±20.56) belonged to the“communication with friends and family” and the lowest average (41.56±20.39) to the “participation in the community activities”. Also social capital showed a significant association with the variables such as educational level, educational field, marital status, place of residence and indigenous status (p<0.05). Conclusion: Considering the significant association of the social capital with the educational and demographic variables s, interventions by stakeholders may increase the social capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1990, the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) has enabled low and middle-income parents to attend private Milwaukee schools at state expense. In 2010, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction released, for the first time, results of newly required state standardized tests for students using the MPCP. This article uses an original data set from Milwaukee’s two-decade-old private school voucher program to test several hypotheses on the impact of the first public release of test scores on school enrollment patterns. Specifically, the article uses quantitative methods to test (a) whether enrollment decreased at lower performing schools, (b) whether low-performing schools were more likely to close compared with higher performing schools, and (c) whether historical school-level growth patterns were significantly different after the release of test scores. The article finds that enrollment increases at higher performing schools were larger than at low-performing schools. However, the link between test scores and enrollment patterns disappears after controlling for available school-level characteristics. The analysis provides a first peek at how a transparency intervention affects enrollment patterns in an education marketplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working with a posthumanist approach, this article explores how the computer software Dexter, used for the registration of students' absences and presences, is part of the production of different practices of time, place, space, and matter in Swedish schools. The empirical material engaged with comes from two schools, and the students involved are in grades 7–9. The article creates knowledge on how the digital registration of students' presences, absences, or late arrivals is dependent upon material-discursive practices. The “bodily presences” of students are continually destabilized in relation to Dexter, showing that school absences and presences are (re)shaped depending on relations of spacetimematter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to examine how high school locale moderates the association between same-sex sexuality (SSS) and postsecondary outcomes, including four-year college enrollment and four-year degree completion. Our results suggest that the link between same-sex sexuality and college completion is complex, varying by gender, high school locale, and the timing of same-sex sexuality. We find that sexual minority men who attended a rural high school enroll in and complete college at higher rates than their heterosexual peers, although this varies by the timing of same-sex sexuality. Sexual minority women are less likely than heterosexual women to enroll in and complete college, and high school locale does not moderate this association. We discuss these gender differences and the role of high school locale in shaping both high school and college outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of migration on children’s school enrollment by analyzing the micro-data from Chinese population censuses in 1990 and 2000 and mini-census in 2005. We match school-age children (7–14 years old) with their parents, and examine how migration status and parents’ absence affect children’s school enrollment in urban China. We also compare rural–urban migrant children with their peers in both origin counties and destination districts. Results show that migrant children are less likely to be enrolled in school than urban local children and that children of rural registration status are particularly disadvantaged in school enrollment over the whole examined period in urban China. Rural–urban migrant children fare significantly worse than non-migrant children in both origins and destinations and noticeably they are even less likely than left-behind children to be enrolled in school. The likelihood of being enrolled in school increases for rural–urban migrant children as they spend more time in destinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how pupils' growth trajectories in three language domains (reading fluency, spelling, and reading comprehension) are related to their own socioeconomic and ethnic background and to the socioeconomic and ethnic composition of their primary school. Using multilevel piecewise growth curve analysis, the growth trajectories of approximately 5000 pupils from 170 primary schools were estimated. The results indicate that a pupil's socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds have the largest impact on achievement and growth in reading comprehension and the smallest impact on reading fluency. Furthermore, school ethnic composition-but not socioeconomic composition-was related to pupils' achievement in all three language domains at the first measurement occasion, though none of the types of school composition was related to growth. The research findings therefore imply that to combat the deficits in language proficiency often found in ethnic minority pupils, priority should be given to investments in individual intervention programmes over policy plans to desegregate schools. Moreover, our study identifies the specific points in time during primary school at which intervention programmes are needed the most. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article will study the best years of education in Latin America (1950 – 1980); where a great majority of the regional population shared a positive perception of education of the first time. The first part will have a look at one of the most unique Latin American educational phenomena of the era – the exponential increase of educational coverage. The second part will analyze other important tendencies during these decades – the implementation of reforms that affected to educational systems. The third part will point out in detail the major critiques against educational systems. The last part, as a way of conclusion, will explain the antecedents that, in the late 70s and early 80s, will change the general basis of education in Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence of deficiencies in basic mathematical skills of beginning undergraduates has been documented worldwide. Many different theories have been set out as to why these declines in mathematical competency levels have occurred over time. One such theory is the widening access to higher education which has resulted in a less mathematically prepared profile of beginning undergraduates than ever before. In response to this situation, the present study details the examination of a range of methods through which a student's mathematical performance in higher education could be predicted at the beginning of their third-level studies. Several statistical prediction methods were examined and the most effective method in predicting students’ mathematical performance was discriminant analysis. The discriminant analysis correctly classified 71.3% of students in terms of mathematics performance. An ability to carry out such a prediction in turn allows for appropriate mathematics remediation to be offered to students predicted to fail third-level mathematics. The results of the prediction of mathematical performance, which was carried out using a database consisting of over 1000 beginning undergraduates over a 3-year period, are detailed in this article along with the implications of such findings to educational policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Opinions are provided from multiple persons about whether or not traditional British higher education (HE) can survive drastic change, or if such changes will make it grow stronger. Topics discussed include changes to college student demographics in Great Britain, business partnerships with British universities, and the influence of technological changes on higher education.

This article examines the prominent narrative asserting that liberal arts colleges have continuously declined in number and status over the past 130 years. Bruce A. Kimball identifies problems in this declension narrative and proposes a revision positing that the decline of liberal arts colleges began only after 1970. Further, he maintains that the fraction of the U.S. population enrolling in collegiate liberal arts programs has remained surprisingly consistent over the past two centuries. That same fraction continues after 1970 because universities began to replicate the liberal arts college by establishing honors programs, and student enrollment after 1970 shifted from liberal arts colleges to the new subsidized honors programs in universities. Kimball concludes that this shift does not ensure that the fraction of enrollment in collegiate liberal arts will continue to remain consistent in the future. There is reason to doubt the long-term commitment of universities to supporting honors programs devoted to the traditional liberal arts college mission of fostering culture, community, and character, although this mission grows more important and complex as access to and diversity in higher education increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate to what extent the growing presence of children with immigrant background in the Italian school system has an impact on the educational expectations of Italian students in eighth grade. Educational expectations are individuals’ plans for their future educational career, adjusted to the subjectively estimated probabilities of achieving a given outcome. Multilevel analyses are performed using data from ITAGEN2 (Italian Second Generation) survey, the first nationwide survey on natives, first- and second-generation immigrants. Results demonstrate that attending a school with a high proportion of children of immigrants has no impact on realistic expectations about secondary education. In addition, students attending schools with high level of interethnic integration are more prone to having high educational expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Compared with many European countries, Finland has a shorter history of immigration. During the last 20 years, Finland has become a more multicultural society. Together with rising levels of immigration, teachers’ concerns regarding how to manage an increasingly diverse school population have arisen. There are an increasing number of students with different cultural and native language backgrounds in Finnish schools. However, the school system is far from being an all-encompassing multicultural environment for all. Notwithstanding, there are already many practices that do work. In this study, we aimed to find existing practices that, from the point of view of teachers, make immigrant education work. The data consists of interviews with nine teachers who work with immigrant children in schools where the educational language is Finnish. The interviews have been analysed to classify good practices in Finnish immigrant education. Our results show that in addition to adequate lingual support, fluent co-teaching and co-planning in schools, utilising school assistants’ working time and skills in various and creative ways have turned out to be effective for the learning and social integration of multicultural students. Carefully and individually planned transitions from preparatory classes to general education also seem to be important. Most of the good practices that teachers mentioned were associated with transplanting the Finnish language and culture onto the ‘others’. Scrutinising the thoughts and attitudes behind these good practices would help to create even better, more multicultural ways of arranging education for cultural diversity, which is inclusive of native Finnish students. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper probes the extent to which education can be identified as a factor in rural depopulation. The study focuses on the Scottish Hebridean island of Raasay which has seen significant population loss since census records began in 1841. In this study the post-school destinations of all pupils enrolled at Raasay School 1901–2000 have been plotted. In addition, a sample of school pupils from 1941–2000 have been questioned about their decision-making in relation to post-school destinations. The study shows that a remarkable 86% of school pupils left the island during that century. Further education was the main reason respondents gave for migrating after leaving school but the data also suggest that it is lack of suitable employment that keeps them away. The study concludes that while education is implicated in island depopulation, of more significance is suitable employment, much more so than aspects of infrastructure such as transport and housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To examine the effects of the concentration of Latino students in elementary schools on Latino first graders' test scores, and to determine if the effects vary by children's nativity status. Methods We use generalized estimating equations (GEE) on a sample of Latino first graders from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 1998 (ECLS-K). Results For math and reading, Latino concentration in schools improves students' first grade test scores for Latino children of immigrants, but it has no effect for Latino children of U.S.-born parents. For general knowledge test scores, Latino concentration has no effect for children of immigrants and has a deleterious impact on the scores of children of U.S.-born parents. We also show no effect of Latino concentration on the scores of white children of U.S.-born parents. Conclusions The results suggest that Latino concentration in elementary schools promotes educational outcomes for children from Latino immigrant families, but Latino families headed by U.S.-born parents do not benefit from coethnic concentration, which is in accordance with expectations derived from assimilation theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we undertake a particular policy critique and analysis of the gender achievement gap discourse in Ontario and Canada, and situate it within the context of what has been termed the governance turn in educational policy with its focus on policy as numbers and its multi-scalar manifestations. We show how this 'gap talk' is inextricably tied to a neoliberal system of accountability, marketization, comparative performance measures and competition within the context of a globalized education policy field. The focus initially is on how the gender achievement gap has emerged in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OCED) publication of the 2009 Program For International Student Assessment Results, but attention is drawn to questions and categories of equity that are used to define and measure socioeconomic disadvantage. We illustrate that such measures and categories in use function to eschew important aspects of maldistribution, with important consequences for understanding the significance of the interlocking influences of race, social class, gender and geographical location, where there is evidence of spatial concentrations of poverty and histories of cumulative oppression. In the second part of the paper, we focus on the Canadian data to illustrate the multi-scalar dimensions of global/national/provincial 'policyscapes' through a politics of numbers. Contrary to the ways in which Canada and specifically Ontario have been marketed and celebrated by OECD and other stakeholders for their high performing, high quality education system in terms of achieving equitable outcomes for diverse student populations, we illustrate how the 'failing boys' discourse and achieving 'gap talk' have actually functioned to produce a misrecognition of the gender achievement gap, with boys emerging as a disadvantaged category in the articulation of equity policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the association between formal education, social mobility and independent child migration in Ethiopia, India (Andhra Pradesh), Peru and Vietnam and draws on data from Young Lives, a longitudinal study of childhood poverty and schooling. It argues that among resource-poor populations, child migration sustains kin relations across generations and households and also facilitates children's progression through the life-course, thus it is fundamental to social reproduction. It reasons that formal education has greatly amplified this trend. Schooling has acquired symbolic value as the prime means of escaping household poverty and realising ambitions for social mobility. As such, elevated educational aspirations combine with systems shortcomings to stimulate school selection, school transfer and school-related child migration. The article concludes by examining the implications for children, for social reproduction and for policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses various factors which affects education including external and internal migration, occupational mobility, and demographic conditions.

Both the scientific and negotiating community has recognized Bangladesh as one of the most vulnerable countries to Climate Change effect which in future is likely to face more frequent climatic adversities. This paper emphasizes on putting the theme of 'Education in Emergency' in all climate change adaptation efforts in the country which can enable it to safeguard country's important education sector during any disaster or in the recovery phase. Education has received inconsiderable amount of importance in those efforts and ultimately encompassed all the spheres of social, emotional, cognitive and physical ground which decelerate multifarious predicaments and adversities. In preparing this paper the authors highly rely on secondary sources of data. In the era of globalization, a vast number of populations remain untouched or being detracted from the light of education. It is particularly fact for country like Bangladesh where natural calamity is an incessant event due to the intrusion of globalization. Bilateral, multilateral, regional and global affiliation and association can be undertaken to the depletion of hindrances. Besides, substantial and congruous strategies, plans, policies and programs within the internal infrastructure may assist to mitigate this endanger and also comply with the commitment of education for all even in the cataclysm. For accomplishing responsiveness and flourishing prowess, an integrating approach to the management of Education in Emergency (EiE) requires coordination and collaboration among government departments or ministries and agencies, designing and upgrading courses (including issues like Need for Sustainable Development and Actions for Environment Protection, Environmental Management Tools & Environmental Assessment, Environment Pollution Management, Progress in Environmental Science, International Environment Laws etc.), as well as superior and immaculate information technology to resolve this consternation and vulnerability. Propitious and admissible approaches can ensure eco-balance and sustainable socio-economic development in a vulnerable country like Bangladesh with a proper accentuation on education in emergency. This paper will be highly helpful for policy makers both in private and public sectors to ensure sound education opportunity in the highly disaster prone i.e., coastal areas. However, this piece of effort might also cut attention of the human rights workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article documents evidence of nonrandom gender sorting across K-12 schools in the United States. The sorting exists among coed schools and at all grade levels, and it is highest in the secondary school grades. We observe some gender sorting across school sectors and types: for instance, males are slightly underrepresented in private schools and charter schools and are substantially overrepresented in irregular public schools, a large share of which educates students with special needs and juvenile justice involvement. Gender sorting within sectors and types is also quite prevalent and appears to be highest within the private schools (where single-sex schools are more common) and irregular public schools. We find that gender sorting is higher in counties that have higher shares of enrollment in private and nonregular public schools. This sorting occurs even though parents have similar stated preferences for school attributes for their sons and daughters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the impact of a student's race on disciplinary action and academic achievement in the U.S., particularly focusing on race gaps in North Carolina's educational system. It addresses the use of demographic methods to investigate the effects of race gaps on individual students, peer groups, and overall school composition. It comments on the importance of students' family and the distribution of students across the state to explaining demographic differences in middle schools in North Carolina.

The article focuses on the political situation in the United States in the 1960s and the election of President John Kennedy. Topics mentioned include the government policy regarding education, the education of students regarding politics, and the education of immigrants. The author also discusses the evolution of McCarthyism, the campaign against alleged communists.

Greater China is used in this article to refer to mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Macao. While a holistic approach is adopted to present and compare the rapid spread of English and development in English language education in these geographically close, and sociopolitically, culturally and economically interrelated but hugely different societies, an emphasis is placed on mainland China owing to its size and diversity of its population. Through describing and juxtaposing English language use and education, this article unfolds the stories of the spread of English in these societies in the past few decades. It draws on the research data and discussions included in the author's recent book English language education across Greater China, with evidence and findings from other recent publications. On the basis of these discussions, this article critiques the frequently cited models and notions used to describe the spread of English in post-modern societies. It argues that there is a need to come up with new conceptual models in order to catch the essence of the phenomena in the contemporary societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present observational study used hierarchical linear modeling to examine predictors of children's social and self-regulatory outcomes in first-grade classrooms. Specifically, goals were the following: (1) to explore relations between emotionally supportive teacher-child interactions and children's social behaviors (aggression with peers, exclusion by peers, prosocial behaviors) and self-regulatory skills (behavioral self-control); and (2) to examine whether emotionally supportive teacher-student interactions contributed differentially to social and self-regulatory outcomes for first-graders at risk for school difficulty based on sociodemographic characteristics compared to counterparts with fewer sociodemographic risk characteristics. Participants were 178 students and 36 teachers in seven rural schools. Results indicated higher teacher emotional support related to lower child aggression and higher behavioral self-control. Emotional support was equally important for all children regardless of the number of sociodemographic risk factors. Results provide evidence for the contribution of teacher behaviors to students' social behaviors and self-regulatory skills, and suggest the importance of classroom interactions in children's acquisition of social and emotional competence. Discussion focuses on plausible mechanisms and implications for interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the simultaneous impact of demographic, personality, intelligence, and (prior) study performance factors on students'' academic achievement in a three-year academic problem-based psychology program. Information regarding students'' gender, age, nationality, pre-university education, high school grades, Big Five personality traits, intelligence (i.e., numerical, verbal, spatial), observed learning activities, and self-study time was collected among almost 1800 students enrolled in this psychology bachelor program at Erasmus University Rotterdam between 2003 and 2009. Academic achievement was measured by students'' yearly number of acquired credit points, a course test, and a knowledge progress test. Multiple regression analyses showed that observed learning activities, first- and second-year performance, high school grades, conscientiousness, and verbal ability were most strongly and consistently related to academic achievement in the bachelor. Other student factors also contributed to academic achievement, but their influence was less prominent and mainly restricted to the first year. These results suggest that (prior) educational achievements and observable learning activities are most important for academic success in a problem-based learning bachelor program. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

As the "land of opportunity" and arguably the greatest country in the world, the United States continues to change -- culturally, racially, and linguistically. Reports abound regarding the changing demographics of the country and its schools. Over a 2-decade span (1989-2009), the percentage of "minority" students in public schools (referring to Hispanic American, African American, Asian American, and Native American students) increased from 32% to 45%. This trend is expected to continue, with these 4 groups soon becoming the numerical majority nationally, as is the case already in many school districts. With these changes come growing pains. Special education often receives attention, including debates and litigation, regarding disproportionality or over-representation, particularly among African American students (especially males). This albatross has plagued the field for decades. This article presents an overview of demographics in schools and special education, discusses overrepresentation, and provides suggestions for much-needed changes now and in the future. It is guided by the primary question: What does the future hold for Black, Hispanic, and English language learners in special education? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2003, the Japanese Ministry of Education accredited the high school diplomas of most “ethnic high schools,” which are schools by and for specific ethnic minority populations, such as Korean, Brazilian, or Chinese students in Japan. Prior to this policy, diplomas from most ethnic high schools were not recognized by the Japanese government as valid, and if graduates wanted to apply to universities or colleges, specifically national universities, they were required to take a high school equivalency exam. This article examines the policy's evolution toward championing equity for equal treatment, a concept that ensures that individuals with similar levels of schooling have access to similar levels of status. Through heated debate and resistance, the policy furthered equity for some ethnic minority students while maintaining inequitable circumstances for others, specifically students in ethnic high schools that serve North Korean communities. The analysis reveals four important features of the policy's development that furthered equity: (1) protesting by non-governmental actors, (2) taking advantage of a policy window, (3) using strategic value-laden language, and (4) facilitating incremental change. Often, Japanese education policies rightfully are critiqued as assimilative and discriminatory. However, this article reveals some potential to move the conversation beyond these critiques and offers suggestions to promote and iteratively come closer to educational equity for ethnic minority students. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Some instructors feel that allowing students to evaluate one another's school work encourages students to assume ownership of the education process, while others feel that this practice is problematic; in that, students may use the opportunity in inappropriate ways. Analysis of survey data from 235 undergraduate students at a large Southeastern university revealed that 32% of the respondents were willing to rate presentations made by students who they perceived to be less-wealthy more harshly than presentations made by students who they perceived to be wealthier students. This result has serious implications for classroom activities that involve students' evaluations contributing to other students' grades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in the form and function of the Korean family at the beginning of the twenty-first century are inextricably related to the process of globalisation. The kirŏgi family is one of several novel family types that have emerged since 1990. It is a split-household, transnational family with the mother and children moving to an English-speaking country for the children's education and the father staying behind in Korea to work and support the family. The kirŏgi family is a response to the challenges of rapid globalisation, to English as the global hegemonic language, to Korea's economic success and democratisation and to the rapid development of transportation and communication technology. Based on surveys and interviews with kirŏgi families in the Washington Metropolitan Area, we examine what makes the kirŏgi project worth considering, practicable and desirable, as these middle-class Korean families pursue success through education in the global arena. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A vast literature has documented the inverse association between educational attainment and U.S. adult mortality risk but given little attention to identifying the optimal functional form of the association. A theoretical explanation of the association hinges on our ability to describe it empirically. Using the 1979-1998 National Longitudinal Mortality Study for non-Hispanic white and black adults aged 25-100 years during the mortality follow-up period ( N = 1,008,215), we evaluated 13 functional forms across race-gender-age subgroups to determine which form(s) best captured the association. Results revealed that the preferred functional form includes a linear decline in mortality risk from 0 to 11 years of education, followed by a step-change reduction in mortality risk upon attainment of a high school diploma, at which point mortality risk resumes a linear decline but with a steeper slope than that prior to a high school diploma. The findings provide important clues for theoretical development of explanatory mechanisms: an explanation for the selected functional form may require integrating a credentialist perspective to explain the step-change reduction in mortality risk upon attainment of a high school diploma, with a human capital perspective to explain the linear declines before and after a high school diploma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to identify the factors infl uencing students' continued attendance on undergraduate courses of a Higher Education Institution (HEI) in the State of Santa Catarina. It proposes to test a theoretical model of possible determinants of student attendance in HEI. This quantitative study was carried out in the fi rst semester of 2009. The group studied consisted of 415 students. The sample was selected by convenience, and included all the students who were present on the day of application. The results showed that the students were mainly female, unmarried, with an average age of 21. The method of data analysis was Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Of the factors tested, Students' Commitment to their Personal Goals, Satisfaction with the HEI and Favorable Financial Situation, in that order, were the main factors that led to students' continued attendance in university. These three variables, accompanied by their connections, explained 61.2% of continued attendance in university. It was found that Perceived Learning, Access to Infrastructure and Attitude of the Coordination and the Teachers are directly related to attendance. Suggestions are presented at the end of this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schooling generally is positively associated with better health-related outcomes-for example, less hospitalization and later mortality-but these associations do not measure whether schooling causes better health-related outcomes. Schooling may in part be a proxy for unobserved endowments-including family background and genetics-that both are correlated with schooling and have direct causal effects on these outcomes. This study addresses the schooling-health-gradient issue with twins methodology, using rich data from the Danish Twin Registry linked to population-based registries to minimize random and systematic measurement error biases. We find strong, significantly negative associations between schooling and hospitalization and mortality, but generally no causal effects of schooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Context: Several studies have identified that applicants who apply to college via early admissions programs tend to be White and affluent. Because researchers have also identified benefits with applying early, akin to a 100 point boost on the SAT, such programs raise questions around equity in the college admissions process. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study/Research Design: We used cross-classified hierarchical generalized linear modeling to examine predictors of enrolling due to being admitted through an early decision or early action program in a national dataset of 88,086 students. Although research has investigated the types of institutions that tend to offer early action and early decision programs, the types of students who apply to these programs, and the types of high schools that they come from, no prior study has examined these three contexts simultaneously. Findings/Results: When controlling for high school, individual, and institutional characteristics, receiving private college counseling was the strongest predictor of enrolling due to early admissions. We suggest that elevated levels of cultural capital help explain why White and affluent students are more likely to enroll vía early admissions. Conclusions/Recommendations: Our findings indicate that early admissions programs, and in particular, early decision, perpetuate social privilege and stratification. At a minimum, institutions need to look inward and ask serious questions about the patterns of who applies and is accepted vía early policies, and the implications of offering advantages to students who generally already are advantaged in the admissions process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study makes a distinction between a school having high attrition and one having difficulties in hiring. It does so by exploring the relationship between definitions of hard-to-staff schools, school demographics, and school conditions that are often associated with a school being hard-to-staff. Research Design: The study relies on a survey of Ohio schools to ascertain information on vacancies for 2004-2005. The survey also collected information on principal perceptions of the impact of various school conditions and difficulty in hiring. Information was received about 3,371 teaching vacancies in 1,040 schools. The overall response rate from schools was 67%. In the first stage of analysis, a descriptive analysis explored the relationship between school demographic factors, definitions of hard-to-staff, and school conditions. In the second stage, three regression models were tested for seven definitions of hard-to-staff to determine whether school demographics and conditions were predictive of being hard-to-staff under any of the definitions. Findings: The analyses showed that school demographics such as poverty, student ethnicity, and school location are not predictive of difficulty in hiring in general. School conditions such as central office help in hiring are more important than the demographic characteristics typically associated with a school being hard-to-staff. Conclusions: How we define hard-to-staff matters. The characteristics of a hard-to-staff school vary depending on the definition used. Thus, we need to be more specific in defining hard-to-staff schools so that both research on these schools and resource targeting by policy makers yield better results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This qualitative case study examined the beliefs and practice of two teachers in an international school in order to inform debates about the potential of education for critical, transnational, and multiple citizenship. Data from interviews and observations indicated that teachers conceptualized and taught citizenship in ways that reflected the fluid and evolving nature of civic identity, rights, and obligations. However, the teachers noted challenges in linking their students' daily civic experiences and academic programs, and reconciling the school's civic ethos with the wider, nation-centric discursive practices of citizenship in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Medical education in the USA has historically been designed around social and economic conditions within the medical community, contributing to a fluctuating emphasis on the number of medical schools, as well as the methods by which medicine has been taught, and ultimately leading to a shortage in the physician supply. This paper aims to describe the current status of medical education training, including the tracing of its origins, and to articulate the ability of new media to accelerate and restructure the physician preparation process.Design/methodology/approach – The application of new media requires a rethinking of long-held assumptions regarding the medical education process. Medical school faculty must be willing to develop new curriculum models, integrating new media technologies to facilitate varied learning modalities. Likewise, clinicians and basic scientists in medical schools must determine the most appropriate information needed by a practicing physician and make that information available via new media platforms.Findings – The utilization of new media presents the opportunity to both accelerate and restructure the medical education and training process. The development of teaching and learning modalities via new media can positively impact the physician supply problem by transforming medical education to a competency and evidence-based curriculum in an accelerated format.Originality/value – The impending health consequences of a physician shortage have crystallized the need to begin immediately to expand the physician supply. In order to meet the health needs of a growing and aging population, it is imperative that the methods of medical education be altered to accelerate and improve the physician preparation process. This restructuring of the medical education curriculum is dependent on the utilization of new media to leverage the digital literacy of today's medical students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Context: School closure is becoming an increasingly common policy response to underperforming urban schools. Districts typically justify closure decisions by pointing to schools' low performance on measures required by No Child Left Behind. Closures disproportionately fall on schools with high percentages of poor and working-class students of color. Few studies have examined how students interpret or respond to school closures. Purpose: Our purpose was to document narratives articulated by students about the closure of their high school. Doing so is important because students, particularly students of color from low-income families, are often left out of policy decisions that affect their lives. Population/Participants: Research participants were recruited from the population of youth who had attended the closed school and who remained in the district during the subsequent year. Twenty-three percent of students at the school were African American, 75 % were Latino, and 2 % were White. Over 90 % of students were eligible for free and reduced lunch. A total of 106 students responded to surveys and peer interviews, and 12 youth who had dropped out of school participated in focus groups. Research Design: This was a youth participatory action research (YPAR) study, designed collaboratively by former Jefferson students, university researchers, and adult community members. Data sources included open-ended surveys, peer interviews, focus groups, and field notes describing public events and YPAR meetings. Findings: Our data show that most respondents did not agree with the decision to close their school. Student disagreement surfaced two counternarratives. First, students critiqued the way the decision was made--they felt excluded from the decision-making process that led to closure. Second, they critiqued the rationale for the decision, which suggested that students needed to be rescued from a failing school. Students articulated features of Jefferson that they valued, such as trusting relationships with adults, connection to place, and sense of belonging, which they felt were discounted by the decision. Conclusions/Recommendations: Evidence from this study lends support to developmental and political justifications for robust youth participation in equity-based school reform. By developmental justification, we mean evidence that young people were ready to participate, which counters discourses about youth as immature or unprepared. By political justification, we mean evidence that youth articulated interests that were discounted in the decision-making process and that challenged normative assumptions about school quality. In our conclusion, we point to examples of expanded roles that students could play in decision-making processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]