A college education can represent a path toward a stable career, social and health benefits, or upward mobility for students. However, a large proportion of students who enroll in college fail to complete a degree. Despite the potential benefits of a college education, students encounter a number of barriers to college success. In this…

Within special education, funding is traditionally input-based, providing equitable resources to meet perceived student needs. However, as state and federal governments place an increasing emphasis on academic outcomes, I examine how special education funding has responded. Applying the values in tension model, I address a fundamental problem in…

Diminishing state support for higher education threatens human capital development. This quantitative study undertook to determine the state factors that influence higher education funding and to what degree they do so, what level of funding is required to satisfy higher education expenditure need, and what can help to ensure that those funding…

This dissertation study focused on three aspects of staff development in North Texas: (1) funding sources, (2) types of professional learning programs, and (3) teachers' views of the effectiveness of the funded programs. Qualitative data came from interviews with nine district administrators concerning funding sources and how those resources…

Beginning in 1978, Illinois school districts were required to contribute to unemployment insurance (UI) payments to their former employees. Districts could pay these costs either by reimbursing the state for actual benefits paid (and, in 1978, being in their turn largely reimbursed by federal and state aid) or by paying an annual 1-percent tax on…

A study involving personal interviews with county officials, an examination of college records, and the collection of data from local and federal agencies was undertaken at Delaware County Community College (DCCC) to determine the residency patterns of DCCC students in relation to the 15 school districts in Delaware County and to examine the…