In response to the declining international ranking in the percentage of young adults with a postsecondary credential, President Obama, philanthropic and policy organizations, and states have set bold goals essentially to double the number of postsecondary degrees and certificates produced in the next 8 to 13 years. Behind this commitment to…

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) has conducted compensations surveys to track trends in the profession and to help members benchmark salaries since 1982. The 2012 Community College Compensation Report summarizes the results of CASE's most recent compensation survey just for community college respondents. This report…

This article discusses competing perspectives on the value of the General Educational Development (GED) credential. Although scholars and journalists debate the worth of the credential, urban youth continue to pursue the GED, especially as proxy for inadequate schooling. Using qualitative data from a participatory action research project, the…

This phenomenological study aims at understanding lived experiences of college seniors and recent college graduates with physical disabilities seeking employment opportunities after graduation in the USA The extensive interviews revealed that participants' attitudes about and experiences with disability are diverse (pain to pride, denied…

This article seeks to identify the mechanisms underlying the gender wage gap among new lawyers. Relying on nationally representative data to examine the salaries of lawyers working fulltime in private practice, we find a gender gap of about 5 percent. Identifying four mechanisms--work profiles, opportunity paths and structures, credentials, and…

This descriptive study compares the entry-level pedagogical content knowledge of single subject mathematics credential candidates based on career status and undergraduate majors. Career changers from science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) fields are compared to first career candidates to see if they bring different skills and knowledge to…

Human capital theory suggests the knowledge, skills, and abilities one obtains through experience, on-the-job training, or education enhances one's productivity. This research was based on human capital theory and promotability (i.e., upward mobility). The research offered in this dissertation shows what effect obtaining information security…

Since the 1990s, a wealth of literature has compared the benefits of having a GED[R] test credential versus a traditional high school diploma or no high school credential, with an early emphasis on economic impact. One advantage of passing the GED test lies in its ability to open doors to the postsecondary system. Nearly two-thirds of U.S.…

As barriers to online learning, such as lack of access to high-speed Internet connections, disappear, online learning opportunities are likely to become more and more available to early childhood educators. The eCDA program provides an individualized approach to training and support for earning the Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential,…

This study identified factors associated with the decision to enroll in a higher education degree program. In the context of predicting enrollment in a workforce development credentialing program, this study identified six variables that are strongly related to the likelihood to enroll: time out of school; possibilities for intellectual, personal,…

High stakes examinations have been identified as a significant source of stress for secondary school students; however, there is little data accounting for, and explaining, the experiences of examination stress. This study aimed to further the understanding of examination stress in secondary school students by conducting interviews with 34…

The importance of music improvisation can be seen in its inclusion in the National Standards for Music Education and the accreditation standards for the National Association of Schools of Music. The purpose of this study was to examine the pedagogical techniques and materials of improvisation instructors who do not hold academic credentials. The…

The New England states, like the rest of the nation, are finally starting to show signs of a recovery from the Great Recession of 2008, albeit at different paces. Three of the states, however, still have unemployment rates that are about four percentage points above where they were before the recession began in 2007. Arising from this recovery,…

This article introduces the second issue of the special double issue focusing on forensic, cultural, and systems issues in child sexual abuse cases. We briefly review the articles, which include a discussion of child sexual abuse myths, an empirical analysis of extended child sexual abuse evaluations, an article on the role of the medical provider…

The article provides a history of efforts to develop a credentialing or certification process for forensic interviewers and reviews the multitiered credentialing process offered by the National Association of Certified Child Forensic Interviewers. The authors argue the benefits of a credentialing process for forensic interviewers and respond to…