Organizations have started using social media to support activities such as team collaboration and knowledge sharing, yet few researchers have systematically investigated the context and culture within which these implementations occur, nor the perceived impact according to organizational users. Additionally, researchers have not yet considered…

America faces many challenges in working together to restore the promise of economic growth and security for the country, U.S. families and the American worker. The challenges are both real and serious. Despite hopeful signs of economic recovery, America remains mired in the deepest jobs crisis since the 1930s. One out of every 12 Americans who…

America is slowly coming out of the Recession of 2007--only to find itself on a collision course with the future: not enough Americans are completing college. The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce shows that by 2018, the nation will need 22 million new college degrees--but will fall short of that number by at least 3…

This paper aims to provide metro, state, and national policy makers with a better sense of the specific problems facing metropolitan labor markets. First, the analysis examines trends in the demand for educated labor and how a gap between education supply and demand is related to unemployment. Next, it attempts to distinguish between cyclical and…

The demands control support model (R. A. Karasek & T. Theorell, 1990) indicates that job control and social support enable workers to engage in problem solving. In turn, problem solving is thought to influence learning and well-being (e.g., anxious affect, activated pleasant affect). Two samples (N = 78, N = 106) provided data up to 4 times per…

Research continues to confirm that without "excellent" teachers consistently, most students who start behind stay behind, and too few middling and advanced students leap ahead. Even solid teachers who achieve one year of learning progress leave achievement gaps intact. Schools that "consistently" provide all students with…

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies provide a range of services to help people with disabilities become employed. How services are delivered, however, depends on several factors including client interests and abilities as well as economic opportunities within the local community. For better or worse, rural and urban clients face vastly…

The aim of this study was to make visible, and understand, possible opportunities for school improvement based on schoolchildren's lived experience and visionary ideas of school. Schoolchildren aged 10-12 from the northern part of Sweden participated in the study. The phenomenological analysis resulted in three themes, with no particular order of…

The widespread involvement of librarians in information literacy education has raised concerns about their development as teachers, but there is little research on their acquisition and application of pedagogical knowledge. A questionnaire was used to collect mainly quantitative data about the teaching roles, pedagogical knowledge and professional…

"Since so many graduates of our public colleges settle in other states, why should our state subsidize the workforce development of other states?" Or, "Why should we get more people into college when we won't have enough jobs for more college graduates here?" These widespread sentiments among people involved in public higher education indicate a…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Obama Sets Timeline for NCLB Revamp: President Calls on Congress to Send Him an Education Reform Bill "Before…

The qualitative and quantitative study developed and validated a questionnaire to measure Student Affairs Officers' (SAO) perceptions of the work environment. A review of the literature identified five major categories and 25 elements having an impact on SAOs' perceptions of the work environment. The test instrument (questionnaire) was developed…

Older workers are the fastest growing segment of the labor force, yet little is known about designing jobs for older workers that optimize their experiences relative to aging successfully. This study examined the contribution of workplace job design (opportunities for decision-making, skill variety, coworker support, supervisor support) to…

After a month of celebrating the largest boost in federal spending on scientific research that most of them have ever seen, university presidents are increasingly tuned to the possibility of a downside. The new money--primarily from a $21.5-billion jump in research-and-development spending in the economic-stimulus law--is certainly welcome,…

Job creation is what America needs; however that is not the full story. Job creation is just the beginning of the story to address how America responds to workforce needs today and in the future. It is an invitation to examine current and future workforce needs in an effort to fill jobs, lessen the skill gap and provide industry-driven credentials…