University-based certificate programs for students with intellectual disabilities have grown in number since the passing of the Higher Education Opportunities Act (HEOA) in 2008. The Comprehensive Transition Program (CTP) designation and Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) grant were created…

This dissertation investigates how the status and value of the college degree as a credential are constructed and evaluated in response to the changing social demographic compositions of colleges and universities. A large body of scholarship shows that occupations with a higher proportion of women have lower average rewards for both women and…

The California community college system is the largest provider of publicly funded career education in the state. Community colleges are therefore critical for effective and equitable workforce training, even as the system has a governance and financing structure that creates challenges to connecting college programs to careers. Furthermore, there…

State-issued seals and certificates of biliteracy are increasingly common nationwide. Nevertheless, limited research to date has examined how this state legislation functions as language in education policy and the ideological foundations of these policies. Addressing this gap, the present paper examines state seals as an instance of neoliberal…

Individual experiences in dealing with individual evaluations are studied through a national documental analysis and qualitative interviews. The analysis considers three main individual assessments designed to measure individual credentials or performance: "sexenio" (research and third mission), "quinquenio" (teaching) and…

This paper examines the recertification process of internationally educated teachers (IETs) in British Columbia (BC). In order to teach in Canada IETs have to go through a recertification process. The recertification process varies between provinces and is a full-time training process, following an assessment of IETs' foreign credentials. Through…

Many first-year teachers who enter teaching are not prepared to fulfill all of the daily teaching requirements. This is especially true of teachers assigned to Title I classrooms where the teaching challenges are often magnified. Although first-year teachers in Title I classrooms may have different learning needs than their non-Title I…

This qualitative study examines how Mexican American students participating in an AVID for Higher Education course perceived their preparation for the workforce and efficacy of completing a college credential. A focus group approach was used to explore how social and cultural networks (networks for success) contribute to college completion. The…

The Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 required teacher assistants (TAs) to obtain their child development associate (CDA) credential by September of 2015. TAs who had not obtained their CDA within the required timeframe were either demoted or terminated from their positions. However, with the increase of working parents, the…

All 50 states have licensing standards for professional counselors and all require a minimum of a graduate-level degree in counseling or a related field. For most graduate-level counseling programs, in addition to coursework, students must be exposed to a certain number of hours face-to-face with clients in a clinical setting. Typically, that…

For Jewish education, digital badges can provide an alternative to traditional assessments. However, the emerging research on badges suggests a complex relationship between learning opportunities, the learner, and the design of the badge. An investigation of a digital badge system at an ultra-Orthodox Jewish middle and high school for girls…

Private institutions are increasingly visible in the higher education landscape of Egypt. Many of these institutions, however, are within the "demand-absorbing" category, offered at relatively lower fees and requiring lower test scores for admission. Building on interview data, this paper looks at how the graduates of some of these…

This qualitative phenomenological study examined the occupational downgrading experiences of six adult immigrants. Occupational downgrading happens when an individual's occupation post immigration does not match his or her education credentials and previous professional experiences. The goal was to make sense of the participants' narratives…

Purpose: The purpose of this grounded theory qualitative study was to discover the perceptions of special education directors regarding the changes in special education at the policy level, teacher practice level, and student support level necessary to improve the academic achievement of students with disabilities in California. Methodology: The…