This dissertation consists of three papers. In each paper, I use applied econometric methods to study the interaction between immigration policy and the postsecondary policy. The findings offer insights about how immigration policy can influence the education outcomes of undocumented individuals. In my first paper, I explore the effect on…

After a year of COVID, spiking unemployment, closed schools, and restricted businesses, rural Minnesotans may be looking at a unique opportunity in economic development. Since the Great Recession, rural employers have been dealing with an ever-growing job vacancy rate, which was discussed in the report, "The Pandemic Paints a Different…

This document was created by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) to provide guidance for newly opening charter schools. Use this guide to keep track of MDE deadlines, access the reporting calendar, and follow the steps necessary to ensure you are utilizing all the resources and revenue available from the state. This guidance document does…

As the U.S. population ages, Extension's need for associated organizational readiness increases. We conducted a needs assessment with a sample of 1,028 Extension professionals in the Extension North Central Region (NCR) to identify the current scope of aging-related community needs. Health care, chronic disease prevention and management, housing,…

This document, created by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), provides guidance for newly opening charter schools. This guide can be used to keep track of MDE deadlines, access the reporting calendar and follow the steps necessary to ensure the utilization of all the resources and revenue available from the state. This guidance document…

Public education funding relies on revenues from a variety of sources, from local taxpayers to federal programs targeting students with specific needs. The vast sum of funding collected--in excess of $600 billion annually--often masks which entities fund the education of our nation's youth. Questions of funding adequacy and equity across school…

Few industries are as critical to the U.S. economy as transportation. Skilled automotive, railroad, and airline technicians shuttle the goods and people that drive every aspect of domestic and international commerce. The transportation sector offers some of the most exciting opportunities for workers to address critical issues of this time:…

This paper presents the details of a student project used in introduction to marketing courses. The project is designed to involve students in the application of survey research to generate data used to make a series of marketing management decisions. Students collect data from three different segments of the car buying market and make product,…

The Irvine Minnesota Inventory (IMI) was designed to measure environmental features that may be associated with physical activity and particularly walking. This study assesses how well the IMI predicts physical activity and walking behavior and develops shortened, validated audit tools. A version of the IMI was used in the Twin Cities Walking…

As cities across the country and globe continue to generate new solutions to a wide variety of vexing problems, sharing information about what works and what doesn't has become more important than ever. Yet, outside of a few prominent policies, the vast majority of successful municipal experiments never reach a national audience or, for that…

The authors describe their experiences teaching Sustainable Cities in North America, a course on both urban sociology and urban sustainability. This course brought students to Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, British Columbia, and then compared those cities with Minneapolis, Minnesota, on various dimensions of urban sustainability. After…

The Total Energy Management (TEM) for Minnesota Schools program is a unified, planned approach to reducing the energy use and costs of an individual school or school district. The program is designed to increase energy awareness and improve school energy efficiency through: (1) careful energy accounting; (2) changes in operations and maintenance…

This booklet is a compilation of report proceedings of the Industry-Education Conference of the Minnesota Academy of Science. It was designed as an orientation booklet for participants in this conference and includes the text of the speeches given by a number of keynote speakers. The theme of the conference was total environmental impact, with a…

Total Energy Management (TEM) is a unified, planned approach to reducing the energy use and costs of an individual school or school district. The program increases energy awareness and improves school energy efficiency through: (1) careful energy accounting; (2) changes in operations and maintenance procedures; (3) modifications in the building…

The Minnesota plan for industrial technology education provides educators with a coordinated plan for kindergarten through grade 12. Part 1 explains the mission and goals of industrial technology education. It describes the philosophical basis for including the subject matter in school curriculum, the levels of learning, and the reasons supporting…