From Stopout to Scholar

Author(s):  
Matt Bergman

Although colleges and universities are facing increased scrutiny to demonstrate a return on investment for their students, the demand for college-educated workers continues to grow. As of 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that more than one-fifth of Americans age 25 and older—around 43.5 million people—have some postsecondary education but no degree (Lumina, 2012). This article presents an integrative review of relevant, rigorous, and research based programs that create a fast path to degree completion for working adults. While national data still shows that postsecondary credentials remain a good investment for individuals and the overall economy (Carnavale & Rose, 2015), the public is asserting a greater demand for accountability as tuition continues to escalate well beyond the rate of inflation. This article provides a review and conceptual links to educational pathways for the large group of adult learners with some college and no degree.

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 168
Author(s):  
Md Mostafizur Rahman ◽  
Mahmud Uz Zaman

Pharmaceuticals agglomerations consistently use their brand image and versatile product portfolios to consolidate their position in the financial sector, which is evident in their continuous profit making and expansion in market share. This paper explores the short-term and long-term investment attractiveness through ‘consumer centric decision’ approach in two selected pharmaceutical companies, Renata Limited and Orion Pharma Limited, of Bangladesh over the last three years’ period. This research adopts a systematic approach which primarily addresses the various concerns of investors to illustrate the decision-making process of the existing and future investors. Using primarily domestic transaction data, this study explores how the leading pharmaceuticals companies of Bangladesh effectively use the wide array of drug portfolios mix with appropriate branding techniques to increase their financial profit and market share simultaneously. Both SWOT analysis and Porters Five Forces Model explore the business analysis of Renata Limited in compare to Orion Pharma Limited that provides a conclusion regarding investors’ decision to invest in Renata Limited. Considering the financial analysis, Renata’s financial liquidity is not very satisfactory and could have been improved further if management is prudent on financial strategy settings. Findings of the business analysis indicate that Renata Limited would be a good investment choice for existing and prospective shareholders based on its opportunities for long term and short term growth and further expansion in developing the market. The results suggest that even lower liquidity coupled with higher interest borrowings can be balanced by posing positive picture to the public shareholders by returning the positive dividend to them.


2021 ◽  
pp. 104515952098836
Author(s):  
Alexander C. Gardner ◽  
Heather N. Maietta ◽  
Philip D. Gardner ◽  
Niki Perkins

This study sought to fill a gap in the literature by considering the role of motivation in post-secondary aspirations of adult learners, specifically full versus part-time status, previous level of educational attainment, years of work experience, and the selection of an academic program. The data from this study came from adult students ages 25 and older at 8 institutions in the Midwest. Statistical analysis determined there were significant differences in gender motivation, level of education is predictive of type of educational credential being pursued, and type of adult learner motivation influences which degree, academic program, and enrollment status is pursued by adult learners. Furthermore, this research revealed as adults acquire more work experience, their postsecondary educational aspirations are more likely motivated by extrinsic factors. These findings have meaningful implications for linking motivation with continuance and graduation from collegiate programs for which this paper identifies and discusses in the context of postsecondary education.


2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larita Killian

ABSTRACT Due to fiscal constraints and demands for increased accountability, scholars and public officials are reviewing the structure and reporting practices of local governments. These efforts are often incomplete, however, because they bypass special districts, which now comprise over 40 percent of all local governments. The proliferation of special districts has the potential to increase government costs, redirect the allocation of scarce resources, remove debt and expenditure practices from the public eye, and reduce democratic controls over elected officials. This paper highlights some of the public interest concerns related to these entities to inform future, localized research. For decades, scholars have approached special districts from two opposing theoretical perspectives: institutional reform and public choice. Literature from these opposing perspectives is used to analyze special districts along three dimensions: efficiency and economy of operations, policy alignment and allocation of resources, and democratic accountability. This paper uses the U.S. Census Bureau definition of special districts, though alternative definitions are discussed. Efforts by four states (Florida, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and New York) to improve local government, and their varying approaches to special districts, are reviewed, leading to the conclusion that the complex issues related to special districts must be resolved within state contexts.


Author(s):  
Jennifer Auer

Federal administrative data is a low-cost and low-burden data source for evidence-based policy making. By linking information from different surveys, or over time, researchers can achieve the sample size and variation needed for advanced econometric methods. However, the personally identifying information (PII) needed to link information means that these data re not available to the public. One solution is to provide technical specifications to the requisite agency(s) to execute the research. This paper outlines the process and pitfalls of drafting specifications for an implementing party who knows more about the data than you do. Drawing on experience from working with the U.S. Census Bureau and knowledge gained from related literatures, such as open-source coding, this paper recommends the depth of description, order of data manipulation and analysis, and requested output to make these collaborative projects successful. A federal administrative data project proposal template is offered. The paper also advises on information that federal agencies can supply to facilitate the use of these important data sources.


2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (Special edition 2021/1) ◽  
pp. 52-67
Author(s):  
Gergely Pálmai ◽  
Szabolcs Csernyák ◽  
Zoltán Erdélyi

The analysis focused on how efficient management of the national data asset is supported by the Hungarian regulatory framework concerning the use of public information, and whether public data constituting part of the national data asset can be deemed authentic and reliable to support the efforts for the digitalisation and artificial intelligence-based developments of the public sector. The analysis shows why the availability of authentic and reliable data in terms of the national data asset has outstanding significance. In support of this assertion, it presents the different levels of data asset use, the role of using artificial intelligence in the public sector, and the significance, risks and challenges of the authenticity and reliability of public data, from both a data protection and a public finance aspect. Inaccuracy, unreliability of input data predestines the generation of incorrect result products (conclusion, decision), even if the appropriate algorithm is used, which could lead to direct financial loss, for both the citizens and the state. The authors of the analysis therefore suggest that a paradigm shift is necessary in the strategies targeting the efficient use of the public sector’s data, with the necessity to record the fundamental precondition that the national data asset must be based on reliable and authentic data.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolien van Breen ◽  
Maja Kutlaca ◽  
Yasin Koc ◽  
Bertus F. Jeronimus ◽  
Anne Margit Reitsema ◽  
...  

In this work, we study how social contacts and feelings of solidarity shape experiences of loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown in early 2020. We draw on cross-national data, collected across four time points between mid-March until early May 2020. We situate our work within the public debate on these issues and discuss to what extent the public understanding of the impact of lockdown is borne out in the data. Results show, first, that although online contacts are beneficial in combating feelings of loneliness, people who feel more lonely are less likely to make use of this strategy. Second, online contacts do not function as a substitute to face-to-face contacts - in fact, more frequent online contacts in earlier weeks predicted an increase in face-to-face contacts in later weeks. Finally, solidarity played only a small role in shaping people’s feelings of loneliness during lockdown. In sum, our findings suggest that we must look beyond the current focus on online contact and solidarity, if we want to help people address their feelings of loneliness. We hope that this work will be instrumental not only in understanding the impact of the lockdown in early 2020, but also in preparing for possible future lockdown periods.


2021 ◽  
pp. 026858092110609
Author(s):  
Julia C Lerch ◽  
Evan Schofer ◽  
David John Frank ◽  
Wesley Longhofer ◽  
Francisco O Ramirez ◽  
...  

Existing scholarship documents large worldwide increases in women’s participation in the public sphere over recent decades, for example, in education, politics, and the labor force. Some scholars have argued that these changes follow broader trends in world society, especially its growing liberalism, which increasingly has reconfigured social life around the choices of empowered and rights-bearing individuals, regardless of gender. Very recently, however, a variety of populisms and nationalisms have emerged to present alternatives to liberalism, including in the international arena. We explore here their implications for women’s participation in public life. We use cross-national data to analyze changes in women’s participation in higher education, the polity, and the economy 1970–2017. We find that women’s participation on average continues to expand over this period, but there is evidence of a growing cross-national divergence. In most domains, women’s participation tends to be lower in countries linked to illiberal international organizations, especially in the recent-most period.


Author(s):  
Erica J. Woods-Warrior

The public discourse on postsecondary education emphasizes the ability of minority-serving institutions to improve the national status of college completion. As incubators for a large proportion of African American professionals, HBCUs play a critical role in meeting the nation's goals for degree attainment. However, these institutions are susceptible to challenges including recruitment, retention, and pipelining. To ensure sustainability in the contemporary marketplace and produce workforce-ready alumni, HBCUs must innovate and assess to strengthen the educational process. This chapter examines the significance of nontraditional students and contextualizes targeted retention efforts. The author highlights comprehensive pedagogy and practices, including learning communities, first-year programs, and mentorship. The work addresses two goals: (a) to understand conceptual bases on which retention strategies for at-risk students are developed, and (b) to isolate effective practices for improving academic and professional, success outcomes for these students.


2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 163-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaran Shin ◽  
Liz Ging

Historical and legislative evolutions of education policy have repurposed federally funded adult education programs in the United States. The 2014 passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) has considerable repercussions for everyone involved in the field because it controls the funding, assessment, and structure of these programs. Using critical discourse analysis, this study examines the public law and a Program Memorandum from the federal government. It demonstrates how the language used in the documents characterizes Title II of WIOA (the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act), the goals of adult education, eligible adult learners, and the process by which programs are held accountable for federal funding. The findings show the ways in which Title II tactically legitimizes the U.S. government’s neoliberal capitalist desire within a democratic society: The idealistic language of opportunity acts as a camouflage for the further infiltration of market-oriented practices into the public sector.


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