Employment outcomes for transition-age youth with autism spectrum disorder (TAY-ASD) following Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services declined between 2002 and 2011; although a few states showed significant progress. We examined inter-state variation in VR service use and outcomes among TAY-ASD in 2014-2016, finding significant differences in the…

Charter schools enroll a growing share of public school students, leading to concerns about the financial implications of charter schools for traditional public schools (TPSs). Using detailed expenditure data for school districts in California, I exploit variation in charter school enrollment across time and between districts to evaluate how…

Food insecurity, a condition of limited access to nutritious food, is a critical issue for college students' health and well-being. In this report, we present results from our project that examines the long-term effects of college students' food insecurity on future socioeconomic status, wealth, and food insecurity using nationally representative…

The impact of the pandemic has once again pushed higher education institutions to the limit, forcing many private not-for-profit institutions to rethink their budgeting plans. As students consider alternative options to college, become more selective in their academic study, and seek greater resources, institutions will have to make difficult…

The economic and social landscape that young people encounter today is substantially more complex and challenging than the one faced by earlier generations. Technological change and globalization have transformed the labor market, increasing the value of postsecondary education and hollowing out industries that once employed many workers who had…

Wealth ownership is a critical component of economic well-being, and wealth in early adulthood provides important clues about the trajectories along which individuals move throughout their lives. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), we find an association between growing up rural and adult wealth that…

In December 2017, the Smithsonian unveiled a new Strategic Plan. The plan sets goals to help be more collaborative and efficient in work, build and deployment of digital competency, and engage new and more diverse audiences in meaningful ways. The plan also continues to improve facilities maintenance and collections care to be even better stewards…

Faculty work now includes market-like behaviors that create research, teaching, and service opportunities. This study employs an embedded case study design to evaluate the extent to which faculty members interact with external organizations to mitigate financial constraints and how those relationships vary by academic discipline. The findings show…

Small mid-tier private schools tend to have modest endowments, and after decades of tuition hikes comparable to those of their elite peers, they are now at high risk of pricing themselves out of the market. The fiscal crisis of small private colleges will play out differently across the nation. States vary in their demographic projections and the…

In December 2017, the Smithsonian unveiled a new Strategic Plan. It expands on the five "Grand Challenges"--Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe, Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet, Valuing World Cultures, Understanding the American Experience, and Magnifying the Transformative Power of Arts and Design--by setting goals…

Each year, the U.S. Department of Education assigns all private nonprofit and for-profit colleges receiving federal financial aid dollars a financial responsibility score, which is designed to reflect an institution's overall financial stability. Yet no scholarly literature has examined financial responsibility scores or whether colleges respond…

The notion of individual freedom is valued by virtually all social, economic, and political belief systems. To be sure, how it is defined is heavily contested, it is never valued without limits (i.e., it is not an absolute value that trumps all other values), and it is less central to some moral and political philosophies than others. However it…

Purpose: This study explored implementation of the middle school concept (MSC) in Illinois middle-level schools, examining relationships between MSC implementation and schools' relative wealth, racial/ethnic composition, and achievement levels. Design/methodology/approach: This quantitative study utilized a sample of 137 Illinois middle-level…

In 2011, the Financial Literacy and Education Commission (FLEC) developed a national strategy, "Promoting Financial Success in the United States: National Strategy for Financial Literacy," which established goals for the various sectors seeking to increase financial literacy and improve individual financial well-being. The goals…

The link between education funding levels and student outcomes is a matter of continuing debate, including in New York State. State education aid in New York follows a progressive formula that targets more aid to lower-income, higher-need school districts, yet these districts continue to dominate lists of the state's lowest performing schools. The…