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Educational assortative mating patterns in the United States have changed since the 1960s, but we know little about the effects of these patterns on children, particularly on infant health. Rising educational homogamy may alter prenatal contexts through parental stress and resources, with implications for inequality. Using 1969–1994 NVSS birth data and aggregate cohort-state census measures of spousal similarity of education and labor force participation as instrumental variables (IV), this study estimates the effects of parental educational similarity on infant health. Controlling for both maternal and paternal education, results support family systems theory and suggest that parental educational homogamy is beneficial for infant health while hypergamy is detrimental. These effects are stronger in later cohorts and are generally limited to mothers with more education. Hypogamy estimates are stable by cohort, suggesting that rising female hypogamy may have limited effect on infant health. In contrast, rising educational homogamy could have increasing implications for infant health. Effects of parental homogamy on infant health could help explain racial inequality of infant health and may offer a potential mechanism through which inequality is transmitted between generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates Black students' educational attainment in relationship to parental divorce. Using a national representative sample from the Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS), which is part of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the authors have found several outcomes: (a) Female students were impacted more by divorce than male students, (b) College Social Capital and Positive Class Preparedness were positive impacts on females and males, (c) Home Environment variables operated differently for female versus male students, and (d) Economic Capital variables indicated that socioeconomic status was significant for both males and females. These results suggest that different and innovative tools which address race, gender, and class are needed to assess divorce in the Black family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To illuminate how within-family differences in achievement may emerge, this study examined sibling experiences in middle childhood as predictors of sibling differences in college graduation. First- and second-borns from 152 families reported on their experiences with siblings and parents at ages 11.80 (SD = 0.56) and 9.22 (SD = 0.90), respectively, and on their educational attainment at about age 26. Significant childhood predictors of sibling differences in college graduation status included low sibling warmth, fathers' differential time spent with siblings, and perceived unfair differential treatment by parents. Findings suggest long-term implications of early sibling dynamics for educational attainment and provided novel insights into families' role in achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on achievement gaps by race/ethnicity and poverty status typically focuses on each gap separately, and recent syntheses suggest the poverty gap is growing while racial/ethnic gaps are narrowing. In this study, we used time-varying effect modeling to examine the interaction of race/ethnicity and poverty gaps in math and reading achievement from 1986-2005 for poor and non-poor White, Black, and Hispanic students in three age groups (5-6, 9-10, and 13-14). We found that across this twenty-year period, the gaps between poor White students and their poor Black and Hispanic peers grew, while the gap between non-poor Whites and Hispanics narrowed. We conclude that understanding the nature of achievement gaps requires simultaneous examination of race/ethnicity and income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the article is to discuss the relationship between disability, educational level and employment, and to scrutinize how disability and education interact to impact employment - a link that has been observed in several studies. The article uses analyses of EU-SILC data to illustrate that conclusions about whether higher education reduces labour-market inequalities between disabled and non-disabled, depends in part on the analytical strategies used, which in turn are guided by implicit or explicit theoretical assumptions about the mechanisms regulating the relationship between education and employment opportunities. The article argues that the issue is more multifaceted than recognised by Nordic disability policy, which claims that higher education is the route to reducing inequalities and enhancing societal inclusion for disabled people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research on the demographic and educational success of descendants of an agricultural population in Skellefteå, Sweden during the mid-19th century. Topics explored include the impact of socioeconomic and cultural transformations on fertility and childbearing quality in the region, the link between family size and socioeconomic success based on educational attainment, and the assessment of reproductive success, birth timing, and tertiary education of grandchildren.

Background: Previous findings of the association between socioeconomic deprivation and mortality after ischemic stroke are inconsistent. There is a lack of data on the association with combined low education, occupational class, and income. We assessed the associations of three indicators with mortality. Methods: We examined data from the China National Stroke Registry, recording all stroke patients occurred between September 2007 and August 2008. Baseline socioeconomic deprivation was measured using low levels of education at <6 years, occupation as manual laboring, and average family income per capita at ≤¥1000 per month. A total of 12,246 patients with ischemic stroke were analyzed. Results: In a 12-month follow-up 1640 patients died. After adjustment for age, sex, cardiovascular risk factors, severity of stroke, and prehospital medications, odds ratio for mortality in patients with low education was 1.25 (95%CI 1.05-1.48), manual laboring 1.37 (1.09-1.72), and low income 1.19 (1.03-1.37). Further adjustment for acute care and medications in and after hospital made no substantial changes in these odds ratios, except a marginal significant odds ratio for low income (1.15, 0.99-1.33). The odds ratio for low income was 1.27 (1.01-1.60) within patients with high education. Compared with no socioeconomic deprivation, the odds ratio in patients with socioeconomic deprivation determined by any one indicator was 1.33 (1.11-1.59), by any two indicators 1.36 (1.10-1.69), and by all three indicators 1.56 (1.23-1.97). Conclusions: There are significant inequalities in survival after ischemic stroke in China in terms of social and material forms of deprivation. General socioeconomic improvement, targeting groups at high risk of mortality is likely to reduce inequality in survival after stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of all the levels of education, doctoral education is the most internationalised. By selecting one key indicator (the proportion of international students among a country’s doctorate recipients), the article presents an analysis of PhD students’ international mobility. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, many barriers to the international mobility of PhD students were removed, leading to an even larger flow of students. From 2000 to 2012, the international mobility of PhD students reached a new peak, with a significant increase in the percentage going to Japan, France, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and Australia. Nowadays, China has become the largest source of international doctoral students. In that process, a number of excellent students go abroad to study for foreign doctoral degrees. On one hand, the loss of excellent students is harmful to China’s PhD training system, but on the other hand, it is a great opportunity for China to change brain drain into brain gain by making full use of the knowledge diaspora scattered around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Do separate factors of the social background – parental education, social class, social status and earnings – affect educational attainment independently of each other and to what extent is the association between these background factors and educational attainment transmitted via cognitive ability? Close to 28,000 randomly selected Swedish school children participated in a test of cognitive ability at age 13. Information on the four origin factors and on the children’s highest level of education was collected from Swedish registers with few missing data. The data were analysed by means of ordinary least squares regression. Parental education and social class are more highly associated with educational attainment than parental status and earnings, but all four factors have an effect on level of education independently of each other and of cognitive ability at age 13. Between 16 and 19 percent of the variance in education is accounted for by the social origin factors. Around one third of the effects of the origin factors is transmitted via cognitive ability. The paper ends with a short discussion of possible mechanisms, other than cognitive ability, that link social background with education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Aim: Household food insecurity (HFI) is insufficient access to nutritionally safe and adequate foods to meet the dietary needs for an active and healthy life. We examined the prevalence and determinants of HFI in Bangladeshi children under five with diarrhoea.Methods: This study included 365 children (55% boys) who had diarrhoea in the two weeks before the 2011 Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey (BDHS-2011). The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) was used to assess HFI and Pearson's chi-square test and binary logistic regression analysis were used to investigate the association between HFI and multilevel factors.Results: The prevalence of HFI among children under five with diarrhoea in the two weeks prior to the BDHS-2011 survey was 48%. HFI was significantly higher among the children of uneducated mothers, who were two times more likely to experience HFI, with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 2.14 and children who were from the lowest socio-economic status families, who were more than seven times more likely to experience HFI, with an adjusted OR of 7.55.Conclusion: Low maternal education and low socio-economic status were significantly associated with HFI in Bangladeshi children under five with diarrhoea and public health campaigns should take this into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates whether social origin has an impact on graduation age among university students. A large number of social background factors are applied on a large data set of 4 successive cohorts of Danish university graduates born 1960–1975. These are cohorts for whom university attendance increased steeply. Contrary to recent findings on educational attainment in Scandinavia, the analyses show that the economic capital of the family of origin plays a somewhat greater role than does the cultural capital of the family of origin for getting their offspring through higher education on schedule. The impact of cultural capital decreases across cohorts, but the impact of economic capital is fairly constant. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this study was to investigate what motivates people to sing in choirs as a leisure activity. Subjects were retrieved from members of 10 amateur choirs of various types in Iceland through a paper-based survey. Results indicated that participants gain both personal and social benefits from singing in a choir. Findings revealed differences between participants in terms of their perceptions regarding social and personal aspects of choral singing according to gender, age, level of education and music education. Personal enjoyment of singing and a positive social atmosphere seem to be the strongest motivating factors for voluntary participation in choirs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article presents the results of a quantitative analysis on potential factors that explain the need for postsecondary mathematics remediation. The primary focus is on the relationship between parents' level of education and the need for remediation. In this article, recent NCES data is analyzed via multiple regression models to determine if factors such as gender, socioeconomic status, high school courses and high school GPA are influential in the need for remediation. It is found that many of the secondary school factors are influential on the need for remediation, but the effect of parental level of education is limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Individuals' educational attainment has long been considered as a risk factor for HIV. However, little attention has been paid to the association between partner educational attainment and HIV infection. Methods: We conducted cross-sectional analysis of young women (aged 15–34) in 14 Demographic and Health Surveys from seven sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries with generalized HIV epidemics. We measured the degree of similarity in educational attainment (partner homophily) in 75,373 partnerships and evaluated the correlation between homophily and female HIV prevalence at the survey cluster level. We then used logistic regression to assess whether own and partner educational attainment was associated with HIV serostatus amongst 38,791 women. Results: Educational attainment was positively correlated within partnerships in both urban and rural areas of every survey (Newman assortativity coefficients between 0.09 and 0.44), but this correlation was not ecologically associated with HIV prevalence. At the individual level, larger absolute differences between own and partner educational attainment were associated with significantly higher HIV prevalence amongst women. This association was heterogeneous across countries, but not between survey waves. In contrast to other women, for those aged 25–34 who had secondary or higher education, a moreeducated partner was associated with lower HIV prevalence. Conclusions: HIV prevalence amongst women in SSA is associated not only with one's own education but also with that of one's partner. These findings highlight the importance of understanding how partners place individuals at risk of infection and suggest that HIV prevention efforts may benefit from considering partner characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the impact of social class on families’ and teachers’ decision-making within an institutionalized family–school dialogue in France. The dialogue decides which upper secondary school track a student will attend and consists of three main steps: (1) family’s school track request; (2) staff meeting’s subsequent school track proposition; and (3) family’s optional rejection of the staff’s proposition. Using national longitudinal data, I find that parents’ cultural capital importantly mediates secondary effects (i.e. social class effects that remain after controlling for school performance) on families’ requests and their rejections of staffs’ propositions. Social class effects on staffs’ propositions are accounted for by families’ requests and student school performance. Moreover families and teachers appear to choose grade retention to avoid enrolment in a lower track. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines to what extent armed conflict affects education accumulation and enrolment rates, and whether this effect differs by gender. It uses the 2007 Iraq Household Socio-Economic Survey data in conjunction with data on civilian deaths recorded by the Iraq Body Count database. Conflict exposure is measured by the number of deaths as a percentage of the population and number of conflict incidents. Results are robust to different identification strategies, dependent variables and conflict measures. The findings suggest an increase in conflict is associated with a decrease in education for both genders, though more pronounced for boys. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It is widely believed that countries with greater levels of income inequality also have lower levels of intergenerational mobility. This relationship, known as the Great Gatsby Curve (GGC), has been prominently cited by high-ranking public policymakers, bestselling authors, and Nobel Prize-winning academics. Yet, relatively little crossnational work has empirically examined the mechanisms thought to underpin the GGC--particularly with regard to the role of educational attainment. This paper uses the cross-nationally comparable Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) data set to shed new light on this issue. We find that income inequality is associated with several key components of the intergenerational transmission process--including access to higher education, the financial returns on education, and the residual effect of parental education upon labor-market earnings. Thus, consistent with theoretical models, we find that educational attainment is an important driver of the relationship between intergenerational mobility and income inequality. We hence conclude that unequal access to financial resources plays a central role in the intergenerational transmission of advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although many researchers have investigated sport education (SE) as a curriculum model at different educational levels (Bennett & Hastie, 1997; MacPhail, Gorely, Kirk, & Kinchin, 2008; MacPhail & Kinchin, 2004; Spittle & Byrne, 2009), there has been limited research on preservice physical education (PE) teachers' perceptions of SE. In particular, investigations of preservice PE teachers' perceptions of participating in activity courses in which they used the SE curriculum model are lacking. The purpose of the study was to examine preservice PE teachers' perceptions of an advanced basketball class that was taught by a novice instructor using the SE curriculum model. Participants included 38 preservice PE teacher education students enrolled in an advanced basketball class and their instructor. Data were collected through formal interviews with 10 preservice PE teachers (seven males, three females) and the course instructor. In addition, document data in the form of lectures given by the instructor, written assessments, sample practice plans, course syllabi, course outline, and grading plan were also collected. Data were analyzed by developing categories and examining them for common elements that ran throughout and tied them together. Themes were then extracted from these categories. Data were then selectively coded for examples that illustrated the themes. Three main findings were drawn from the analysis. First, the results indicate that students were empowered in the class because they directed their learning and believed that using SE would benefit them when they became in-service teachers. Second, there was a great deal of formal accountability embedded in the class, and although students were informed that they would be evaluated on their performance, they believed that effort would count more toward their final grade in the class. Third, the preservice PE teachers perceived that basketball taught with the SE model was meaningful in that it was enjoyable and they learned more about the game in contrast to their lack of learning in their high school PE experiences playing basketball. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation studied attainment in students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties who were taking modules by distance learning with the Open University in 2012. Students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties who had no additional disabilities were just as likely as nondisabled students to complete their modules, but they were less likely to pass the modules that they had completed and less likely to obtain good grades on the modules that they had passed. Students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties who had additional disabilities were less likely to complete their modules, less likely to pass the modules that they had completed and less likely to obtain good grades on the modules that they had passed than were nondisabled students. Nevertheless, around 40% of students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties obtained good grades (i.e. those that would lead to a bachelor's degree with first-class or upper second-class honours). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the name of curriculum breadth and raising standards, recent government policy in England has removed a large number of non-academic qualifications from the list of those that secondary schools can count in league tables, discouraging their use. Most of these were vocational qualifications, but they also include skills-led qualifications. This paper reports mixed methods research investigating the relationship between mainstream secondary school qualifications in England and a specific, widely used skills-led qualification: the Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (CoPE). Neither academic nor vocational, CoPE requires learners to assemble a portfolio of evidence in response to ‘challenges’ negotiated with the teacher. It is designed to promote a reflective learning orientation and to develop (and assess) skills that underpin learning and future employability. We use a combination of regression analysis, pseudo-experiment and qualitative case study. Our research shows that CoPE is associated with improved outcomes in the ‘mainstream’ academic qualifications often regarded as the benchmark for the quality of schools and much of what goes on in them. Thus, we argue that certain reforms designed to raise standards are likely to depress attainment in the very qualifications deemed as core indicators of educational standards. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: To determine the association of educational status (ES), as a marker of socioeconomic status, with the prevalence of microvascular complications in diabetes. Methods: Successive patients (n = 1214) presenting to our centre were evaluated for sociodemographic, anthropometric, clinical, and therapeutic variables. Subjects were classified according to ES into Group 1 (illiterate, 216); Group 2 (8.0%) was significantly greater in illiterate (38.0%), low (46.0%) and middle (41.0%) compared to high (31.5%) ES subjects (P < 0.05). Conclusions: There is a greater prevalence of the microvascular disease in illiterate and low ES diabetes patients in India. This is associated with the higher prevalence of smoking/tobacco use, poor quality diet and sub-optimal diabetes control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing studies report substantial improvements in educational mobility in post-reform India using intergenerational regression coefficient (IGRC) across age cohorts in a cross-section survey. In contrast, our estimates of sibling (SC) and intergenerational (IGC) correlations for the same age cohort from two surveys show strong persistence, stronger than in Latin America, which remained largely unchanged from 1991–92 to 2006. Only the women in urban areas experienced substantial improvements, with the lower caste urban women benefitting the most. As measures of mobility, IGC and SC are more informative and robust than IGRC, and the widely accepted conclusions based on IGRC alone may be misleading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study is an efficacy trial of a summer school programme, targeted at literacy and numeracy catch-up for pupils in years 5 and 6. During the summer holidays the intervention provided extra schooling in English and maths along with a wide variety of extra-curricular activities. The programme developers recruited 435 pupils who volunteered to participate in the programme and agreed to be randomised into treatment and control group. The randomisation resulted in 239 pupils participating in the treatment group and 196 pupils in the control group. The pupils were assessed on Progress in English (PiE) and Progress in maths (PiM) standardised tests after four weeks of the programme. The overall result for English was an ‘effect’ size of +0.17, with FSM-eligible pupils making even more progress. The effect size in maths was 0, with FSM-eligible pupils making even less progress. As a programme to assist disadvantaged children with their preparation for transition to secondary school, the intervention showed some promise, and most pupils clearly enjoyed their time at the summer school. Parents appreciated the provision of free academic help and enrichment activities over the long summer holiday. But despite considerable efforts from the developers, they recruited fewer than half the intended target of pupils, and attendance once the programme had started reduced the number further. This, added to the cost, suggests that summer schools are not the most effective way to improve attainment for struggling pupils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:We have previously demonstrated that between the years 1980 and 2000, the mean body mass index (BMI) of the urban Australian population increased, with greater increases observed with increasing BMI. The current study aimed to quantify trends over time in BMI according to level of education between 1980 and 2007.Methods:We compared data from the 1980, 1983 and 1989 National Heart Foundation Risk Factor Prevalence Studies, 1995 National Nutrition Survey, 2000 Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study and the 2007 National Health Survey. For survey comparability, analyses were restricted to urban Australian residents aged 25-64 years. BMI was calculated from measured height and weight. The education variable was dichotomised at completion of secondary school. Four age-standardised BMI indicators were compared over time by sex and education: mean BMI, mean BMI of the top 5% of the BMI distribution, prevalence of obesity (BMI⩾30 kg m−2), prevalence of class II+ obesity (BMI⩾35 kg m−2).Results:Between 1980 and 2007, the mean BMI among men increased by 2.5 and 1.7 kg m−2 for those with low and high education levels, respectively, corresponding to increases in obesity prevalence of 20 (from 12-32%) and 11 (10-21%) %-points. Among women, mean BMI increased by 2.9 and 2.4 kg m−2 for those with low and high education levels, respectively, corresponding to increases in obesity prevalence of 16 (12-28%) and 12 (7-19%) %-points. The prevalence of class II+ obesity among men increased by 9 (1-10%) and 4 (1-5%) %-points for those with low and high education levels, and among women increased by 8 (4-12%) and 4 (2-6%) %-points. Absolute and relative differences between education groups generally increased over time.Conclusions:Educational differences in BMI have persisted among urban Australian adults since 1980 without improvement. Obesity prevention policies will need to be effective in those with greatest socio-economic disadvantage if we are to equitably and effectively address the population burden of obesity and its corollaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a routine activities approach to understanding crime, this research begins with the hypothesis that offenders with varying levels of educational attainment will commit different types of crimes. Using data from the Suffolk County Correctional Facility in Riverhead, New York, the results show support for this hypothesis, showing that offenders with high school diplomas are more likely to be incarcerated for fraud and drug-related crimes. This suggests that crime prevention and control should vary, and be targeted specifically to the environments in which different types of offenders commit different types of crime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Falls are one of the major problems in the elderly. With the increasing elderly population in India, falls in the elderly are expected to be an increasingly significant and preventable public health problem. The present cross-sectional study was conducted amongst the elderly (>60 years old) residents of an urban field practice area of the Department of Community Medicine, Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, to assess the various risk factors associated with falls in the study population. A systematic random sample of 170 consenting elderly was studied and the respondents were visited in their homes. Socio-demographic information was obtained on a pre-tested questionnaire incorporated with the standard and validated "Falls Risk for Older People - Community setting" (FROP-COM) questionnaire. Falls Risk was assessed using FROP-COM Falls Risk Assessment Guidelines. The prevalence of falls in the studied elderly was found to be 28.2 per cent with an average of 0.2 falls per person per year. Increasing age (P = 0.002) and lower socio-economic status (P = 0.039) were observed to have a significantly higher risk of falls in the elderly. No statistically significant association was found for both the prevalence of falls as well as the falls risk score, and sex, age, educational status, marital status, employment status and type of family. Several promising strategies such as exercise programmes, environmental modifications and other educational opportunities for preventing falls and fractures can considerably decrease the risk of falls and limit impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To determine whether cholera risk factor prevalence in the Dominican Republic can be explained by nationality, independent of other factors, given the vulnerability of many Haitians in the country and the need for targeted prevention. Methods. A cross-sectional, observational household survey (103 Haitian and 260 Dominican) was completed in 18 communities in July 2012. The survey included modules for demographics, knowledge, socioeconomic status, and access to adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure. Logistic regression assessed differential access to WASH infrastructure and Poisson regression assessed differences in cholera knowledge, controlling for potential confounders. Results. Dominican and Haitian households differed on demographic characteristics. Haitians had lower educational attainment, socioeconomic status, and less knowledge of cholera than Dominicans (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.66; 95% confidence interval [95%CI] = 0.55-0.81). Access to improved drinking water was low for both groups, but particularly low among rural Haitians (aOR = 0.21; 95%CI: 0.04-1.01). No differences were found in access to sanitation after adjusting for sociodemographic confounders (aOR = 1.00; 95%CI: 0.57-1.76). Conclusions. Urban/rural geography and socioeconomic status play a larger role in cholera risk factor prevalence than nationality, indicating that Haitians' perceived vulnerability to cholera is confounded by contextual factors. Understanding the social dynamics that lead to cholera risk can inform control strategies, leading to better targeting and the possibility of eliminating cholera from the island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postsecondary undermatch occurs when students fail to enroll at a college or university that possesses a level of selectivity their academic credentials would permit them to attend. Given the demonstrated link between selective college attendance and postsecondary and professional attainment, recent studies have attempted to examine which factors may prevent students from enrolling at appropriately competitive institutions. Using data provided by NCES's Educational Longitudinal Survey (ELS:2002/2006), this study aims to quantitatively assess whether results yielded from these studies generalize to a national level, and whether other contextual variables play a significant role. Descriptive results show that postsecondary undermatch is indeed a pervasive phenomenon, but not as widespread as previous studies have claimed; while multilevel analysis suggests that background, environment, and college-related attitudes have significant influence on the likelihood of undermatch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The persistently low college attainment rates of youth from poor families are partly attributable to their uncertainty about college affordability. The current federal financial aid system does not provide specific information about college costs until just before college enrollment and the information is only available to students completing a complex application. Evidence suggests this late timing reduces their motivation and ability to adequately prepare for college. This paper evaluates the fiscal consequences of instead making an early commitment of the full Pell Grant to eighth graders from needy families, using a simplified eligibility process. Analyses conducted using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics suggest the predicted costs are low relative to the benefits estimated using prior research findings. A simulation of the estimated fiscal effects indicates that Pell program costs would grow by approximately $1.5 billion annually and the benefits would exceed the costs by approximately $600 million. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is meant to examine with the reasons why the technical-administrative education a public institution of higher education to seek qualification and the impact of the training on their professional activities. This is a descriptive study of the case study type in both qualitative and quantitative approach. To collect the data, we applied a questionnaire adapted from Abbad (1999), which analyzes multiple variables, integrating into a single approach the three levels of evaluation: reaction, learning and impact. Altogether 238 questionnaires were applied. The results show that 54% of technical and administrative own schooling addition to that required for entry into office. Among the most influential factors in the decision to do the course, the affinity with the theme and the possibility of improvement in remuneration are highlighted as key aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As corporate public affairs officers have only rarely been researched in Switzerland, this study contributes a situation analysis of Swiss public affairs officers, their work processes, and biographical background to further fill this empirical gap. First, the existing public affairs research regarding Switzerland is reviewed, and research questions are derived. The research was conducted by sending out a survey to the members of the Swiss Association for Public Affairs, followed by personal in-depth interviews with 11 public affairs officers. The findings show that respondents work in organizations that employ 1 to 82,100 people are all Swiss nationals, and their departments are mostly called 'public affairs'. The responsibility of public affairs is predominantly for senior or top management level, and the majority of public affairs officers report to the director of their department. The respondents are highly educated. Moreover, the paper asks whether public affairs is conducted in a strategic way by taking Fleisher's 10 elements as a conceptual basis. Results show that strategic involvement of their activities is rather low. Recommendations are discussed in order to increase the strategic involvement and advance professionalization of public affairs in Switzerland with specific regard for the political system. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In England, students with immigrant background exhibit lower educational attainment than those without immigrant background. Family socioeconomic status (SES) helps explain differences in educational attainment, but a gap remains that differs in size for students with different immigrant backgrounds. While the explanatory repertoire for the remaining gap is broad, it has been neglected to comprehensively investigate whether family SES constructs are equivalent across students with different immigrant backgrounds. Using data from the first wave of the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Survey in Four European Countries (CILS4EU) for England (n= 4,315), the paper applies exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) to evaluate measurement invariance of family background constructs across students without and with immigrant background, specifically Pakistani/Bangladeshi immigrant background. Results suggest differences in the structure of family SES indicators across groups and in their association with educational attainment. Complementary variables are suggested to enhance family SES indicators. Findings are relevant to researchers investigating educational inequalities related to immigrant background. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the educational level of Chinese child-bearing women and their knowledge on supplementation of folic acid, by the Meta-analysis of the published data. Methods: Searches were done by using Pubmed (up to Apr. 19th, 2014) with English, and Sinomed, CNKI and VIP with Chinese. The search term combined with the keywords as follows: " folic acid", " pregnancy" and "China" was used to search English papers, while the search term combined with the keywords as: "folic acid" and "women" was used to search Chinese papers. Studies involved in this meta-analysis were defined as the observational study, including the information about the association between the educational level of child-bearing women and their knowledge and/or supplementation of folic acid. Only Chinese women were involved in the studies. Results: A total of 436 papers including 339 Chinese papers and 97 English papers were collected. After selection according to the criterion, a total of 15 eligible studies were remained in the Meta-analysis. Random effect models were used. Meta-analysis showed that the OR values and the related 95% CIs of the knowledge on folic acid were: 2.12 (1.65, 2.72) in those women with high school/technical secondary school education, 6.24 (4.24, 9.19) in those women with at least college education, when compared with those women with less than junior middle school education; and that the OR values and the related 95% CIs of the folic acid supplementation were 1.63 (1.39, 1.93) and 3.48 (2.35, 5.16) in two groups when compared analogously. Conclusions: The knowledge and supplementation of folic acid is related to their educational level in those Chinese child-bearing women. To prevent neural tube defects and to improve the health situation of Chinese women and children, it is necessary to enhance the health education on folic acid for those women with relatively less education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the strongest and most consistent risk and protective factors associated with nonmedical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD) in multiple contexts, specifically in community-, school-, interpersonal-, and individual-level domains. Method: A literature search was conducted to review studies published from 2006 to 2012 that examined NMUPD among adolescents. Included were original research studies that focused specifically on risk and protective factors or review articles that included a section on factors associated with NMUPD. Risk and protective factors were included only if a minimum of two methodologically sound research studies reviewed the variable. Results: A variety of risk and protective factors were associated with adolescent NMUPD. At the community level, evidence suggested that ease of access increased the risk of NMUPD. Parental and peer prescription drug use and approval of NMUPD were associated with misuse of prescription drugs within the interpersonal domain. At the school level, academic failure/low educational attainment was associated with high school student NMUPD. However, results for college students' academic failure and NMUPD were inconclusive. At the individual level, previous use of substances was found to be a significant risk factor for NMUPD, as was adolescent aggressive/delinquent behavior and greater perceived risk or harm of use. Conclusions: NMUPD is a serious concern among adolescents and emerging adults. Several areas exist for prevention efforts within the context of the community, school, interpersonal, and individual domains. Thus, to curb NMUPD, multifaceted approaches are needed that target factors across multiple domains. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 76, 5-20, 2015) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many Western countries, women now reach educational levels comparable to men, although their income remains considerably lower. For the past decades, it has become increasingly clear that these measures of socio-economic status are influenced by genetic as well as environmental factors. Less is known about the relationship between education and income, and sex differences. The aim of this study was to explore genetic and environmental factors influencing education and income in a large cohort of young Norwegian twins, with special emphasis on gender differences. National register data on educational level and income were obtained for 7,710 twins (aged 29–41 years). Bivariate Cholesky models were applied to estimate qualitative and quantitative gender differences in genetic and environmental influences, the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors to the correlation between education and income, and genetic correlations within and between sexes and phenotypes. The phenotypic correlation between educational level and income was 0.34 (0.32–0.39) for men and 0.45 (0.43–0.48) for women. An ACE model with both qualitative and quantitative sex differences fitted the data best. The genetic correlation between men and women (rg) was 0.66 (0.22–1.00) for educational attainment and 0.38 (0.01–0.75) for income, and between the two phenotypes 0.31 (0.08–0.52) for men and 0.72 (0.64–0.85) for women. Our results imply that, in relatively egalitarian societies with state-supported access to higher education and political awareness of gender equality, genetic factors may play an important role in explaining sex differences in the relationship between education and income. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this study is to investigate the results obtained in independent studies that aiming to determine the effectiveness of multicultural education in the world. The main question in this study was: "Does Multicultural education approach improve students' academic achievements?". To interpret a put together data, the meta-analysis method was employed. Meta-analysis method was the process in order to statistically analyze the quantitative data collected in independent and multiple studies carried out on similar topics, and to reach a general judgment regarding the results of these studies. In this respect, following the literature research, studies which investigated the effectiveness of multicultural education on students' academic achievement between the years 1994-2013 met the inclusion criteria, were reported in English and were included in the meta-analytical research. Based on these criteria, it were decided to include 17 experimental studies in the meta-analysis. It revealed that multicultural education approach had a positive but medium effect on students' academic achievement. The results od this study indicated that were a significant difference bewteen education level and the countries situation level. In addition,it was determined that there is no difference in any effect sizes in terms of course types and process time of study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Education Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education (UPE) states that "by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling." The 2008 midterm Global Monitoring Report claims that "A country's distance from UPE appears most clearly in terms of the net enrollment ratio (NER), the share of children of official primary school age who are actually enrolled in primary schools." This assumes that the share of those enrolled accurately reflects the share who will eventually complete a full course of primary schooling. For many countries, this assumption does not hold. I examine "on-track" sub-Saharan African countries, comparing progress toward UPE as measured by (1) the NER and (2) the primary school completion rate (PSCR). These measures can produce dramatically different indications of the amount and nature of progress achieved over time. I discuss why these differences occur. Finally, I argue that the PSCR, in the context of the proximate determinants of educational attainment framework, provides an integrated, mathematically coherent perspective on progress toward UPE and useful feedback for policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to identify the availability of the dimensions of learning organization of Al-Azhar institutes from the viewpoint of its employees and to detect differences in the responses of the sample according to the variables of (Type of job, education, gender, academic qualification and years of experiences), And in order to achieve the purposes of the study, descriptive survey method was used depending on the dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) for the model of Maersk & Watkins Which consisted of (43) items that were confirmed of Validity and reliability and its Coefficient reached (0,91), then applied to a stratified random sample of workers at Al-Azhar institutes was approximately (443) for the academic year 2012/2013. The results of the study showed that all the dimensions of the scale have got a medium degree, and the differences were statistically significant at the level of (0.05) in the estimation of the degrees of the study sample is generally attributed to a variable type of job, education level, gender and academic qualification, While there was no statistically significant difference due to the variable years of experience. In light of the results, the study suggested a number of recommendations and the most important of it is that Al-Azhar institutes adopt establishing the concept of learning organization for workers at Al-Azhar institutes, and to convert Al-Azhar institutes to learning organization as a strategic objective, beside increasing trend towards decentralization in decision-making, in addition to the development of proposals and relate the institutes by external environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human capital theory suggests that higher education levels generate greater economic return. Socio-economic costs for Master degree are important to the properly measurement of possible return, and they may be used as evidences in the make decision processes by users. The aim is evaluate the cost on the personal aims socio-economic scopes for strictu sensu degree, according to their egresses perception. The survey evaluates cost situations by groups. Total costs varied from 0.58 to 7.18, weighted average at 3.46 minimum wages per month. Opportunity costs showed themselves as severe in cases of exclusive dedication scholarship, because they correspond to the double value of sponsor. The big time of dedication necessary during the course initiates several social costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large segments of the American public are skeptical of human evolution. Surveys consistently find that sizable minorities of the population, frequently near half, deny that an evolutionary process describes how human life developed. Using data from the National Study of Youth and Religion, I examine the role of religion and education in predicting who changes their beliefs about evolution between late adolescence and early emerging adulthood. I conclude that religion is far more important than educational attainment in predicting changing beliefs about evolution. Perhaps more importantly, I find that social networks play an important moderating role in this process. High personal religiousness is only associated with the maintenance of creationist beliefs over time when the respondent is embedded in a social network of co-religionists. This finding suggests that researchers should pay far more attention to the social context of belief formation and change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selection of police cadets is complex and critically important given the role of police officers in the maintenance of public safety. As a result, there has been ongoing research on the relationship between common selection criteria, such as previous educational attainment and aptitude test scores and police academy outcomes. This study explores this relationship using attained marks in core high-school courses and scores from two aptitude tests as predictor variables and final grade in select academy courses as outcome variables. Results support the use of the predictor variables in cadet selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the effect of an enrolment fee elimination program in Ecuador. Using propensity score matching, I estimate the impact of the initiative on dropout rates for primary and secondary school students. Overall, the findings suggest that the program had non-negligible and positive effects on the probability of continuing in school one year after the intervention for those students enrolled in the 2007-2008 school year, in spite of already high enrolment and low dropout rates. The estimated difference between paying and non-paying students in continuation rates is around 2 to 4 percentage points. The impact of fee elimination is heterogeneous to demographic characteristics. Male, urban and non-poor students seem to benefit the most. The program has no effect for female, rural or poorer students. Much bigger differences in continuation rates exist between groups of secondary students. The effects are particularly significant for male secondary school students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article tells the story of the evolution of women's education in Spain in the last thirty years. Spanish women now outnumber men in terms of both access to education and the educational level they attain. Although there has been a very important shift throughout the history of women's education, gender equality has yet to be achieved. The culture that is transmitted at all levels of education, from primary schools to universities, remains androcentric, ignoring the existence of women in society and adopting the male perspective as the norm. The procedures and strategies pursued in recent years to reduce gender inequalities in education are explained through this historical process. I consider the policies and the actors which have been key in this process to achieve what we call "co-education" -- a concept with a slightly different meaning from the English one. Although co-education has played a very important role in this process, it has still not facilitated full equality between women and men in education. The current political and economic problems in Spain are now posing a serious challenge for efforts to achieve full gender equality in education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Pakistani private and public–private partnership (PPP) schools outperform public schools. [•] Private school effects remain even after controlling for child, household and school variables. [•] PPP school superiority over government schools is no longer visible after controlling for other variables. [•] Controlling for private tuition “explains” private school superiority. [•] Educational attainment does not increase alongside increased fees. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Hope is positively correlated with educational attainment and health. Interventions based on project-based learning (PBL) may increase youth hope. This study examined how a PBL intervention affected hope among urban students of color. Students in health classes were invited to participate. A PBL health class was implemented in four classrooms. The standard curriculum was implemented in four control classrooms. Questionnaires with measures of hope were administered at three time points. Generalized linear modeling examined the intervention effect on hope. There were no intervention effects on hope. There were significant differences in hope between certain racial and ethnic groups. One PBL class may not increase hope among urban students of color. Research should identify approaches that enhance hope in order to increase educational attainment and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early determinants of college attendance and degree attainment for economically disadvantaged minority youth were examined in the present study. The study sample (n = 1,379) was drawn from the Chicago Longitudinal Study (CLS), an ongoing investigation of a panel of low-income minority children born in 1980, growing up in high-poverty neighborhoods in Chicago. Regression findings indicated that three factors in elementary grades can potentially improve both college attendance and bachelor’s (BA) degree completion for economically disadvantaged minority students: better classroom adjustment, high parent expectation in child’s education, and better academic performance. Findings have implications for schools, educators, and policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Returns to education are mainly influenced by the characteristics of the individual. However, returns also depend on location characteristics, suggesting location premia can exist for educational attainment. This paper analyzes regional variations to returns from education using Swedish municipalities. The political geography of Sweden assists the analysis since it can be divided into four categories based on size and commuting patterns. Based on the obtained results, the often-assumed hypothesis of equal returns to education for all regions in a country can be rejected. The highest returns to education are found in municipalities at the top of the urban-rural hierarchy (dense and large municipalities), and the lowest are in the most peripheral municipalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the impact of child labor on school performance in Latin America, focusing on the results of reading and mathematics among students of elementary education. An overview of research on the relationship between child labor and education level completed is given, including studies by the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) and the International Labour Organization (ILO). Subjects include low school performance among children who work outside their home, higher incidence of child labor among schoolboys, and the right to education in the region.