This article examines the paradoxical relationship between state schools and political parties in Cambodia. To gain electoral support, the ruling Cambodian People's Party controls donations to schools, teachers' behavior, and extracurricular activities. Yet schools simultaneously provide spaces for youth to develop a generational identity that…

Each year, thousands of prospective students are denied admission to universities because they possess a criminal record. Prior research finds that university officials and faculty are generally accepting of those with records attending universities. To date, few studies have examined the perspectives of college students on this matter. The…

Public Agenda surveyed Illinois residents to learn about how they view public higher education and what would help it serve them and the state better. Three research briefs highlight key findings from the broader survey findings. This brief finds that nearly three in four residents--including majorities of Democrats, independents and…

This book turns to political theory as a framework for understanding the rise of political and religious extremism, and in particular the Christian Nationalist position, identifying solutions to civic challenges, and arguing for the vital role that public schools play in providing the civic education that prepares young people for participation in…

Objective: To examine correlates of and barriers to COVID-19 vaccine initiation and intention among college students. Participants: 1,171 students attending a public university in the South. Methods: Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the correlates of vaccine intention and initiation. Reasons for pursuing or foregoing vaccination…

The intersection of religion and science often elicits polarizing views among scientists, though approximately half of American scientists identify as religious. Mounting evidence also supports the role of spirituality in comprehensive patient care. The purpose of this study was to explore the religiosity of faculty who teach in the anatomical…

Right-wing populists have recurrently created moral panics internationally about the supposed need to 'protect free speech' in higher education (HE), and 'protect children' from progressive speech in schools. This paper presents the first systematic analysis of how such dynamics function with respect to race and faith equality in a national school…

In 2022, New Mexico joined the list of states that adopted a statewide promise program, offering tuition and fee assistance for eligible students to pursue higher education. The New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship (NMOS) differs from existing programs by including part-time and summer enrollment, academic and workforce degrees, and older adult…

Conflicts over the politics of speech have been a persistent challenge in U.S. higher education. Public narratives portray universities as antagonistic toward conservative speakers, yet empirical evidence remains limited. To address this gap, we analyze the political orientations of 1,875 commencement speakers at 52 universities between 1989 and…

Does political ideology affect how students judge situations? Although students who are liberal or conservative might both show political bias, they differ in their views of how the world works. This experiment conducted with 739 students manipulates ideology in a scenario about a student government regulating a biased student newspaper. Results…

What happens to public opinion when prominent partisan officials intervene in education policy debates? We analyzed the results of 18 survey experiments conducted between 2009 and 2021 with nationally representative samples of U.S. adults. Each experiment explored the effect of an endorsement of a specific education policy by a high-profile…

Correspondence audits document causal evidence of racial/ethnic discrimination in many contexts. However, few studies have examined whether local political party voting context influences individuals to engage in "stakeholder-centric" discrimination on behalf of or in response to expectations of others. We examine heterogeneity in…

Unlike many other countries, in Sweden there are more significant paths to political leadership than the university degree. Most Swedish political parties offer leadership training programmes that include practical and ideological content and several have a design rooted in the popular education movement. This article explores how party political…

In this paper, we focus on non-monetary and potential societal benefits of higher education and ask whether the higher education experience fosters political interest, internal political efficacy, and participation irrespective of completing a degree. Increasing enrolment rates in higher education also increase the number of higher education…

We evaluate public opinion on the sufficiency of school funding and teacher salaries in the United States, using a representative survey (n = 12,151). Data were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020/2021), with schools and teachers having a reduced role due to homeschooling. While opinions are diverse for sufficiency of school funding, most…