Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is an essential lifeline for millions of Americans. Without it, many families would be in deep financial distress. SSDI is insurance that workers pay for through premiums deducted from their pay. In return, workers gain the right to monthly benefits if a disabling condition ends their capacity to earn a…

Previous research on capstones in sociology and psychology has suggested that there is a typical capstone experience required by three quarters of all four-year colleges and universities in the United States. This article reports results from a national survey that confirm that sociology and psychology capstone courses conform generally to a…

Adequate funding for the nation's schools to meet the call for higher student achievement has been a litigious issue. Spending on schools is a political choice. The choices made by state legislatures, in some cases, have failed to fund schools adequately and have incited school finance lawsuits in almost all states. These proceedings are generally…

In this paper, we argue that two key trends--an unfolding ecological crisis and a reduction in the amount of (cheap) energy available to society--bring into question both the relevance and the resilience of existing educational systems, requiring us to rethink both the content and the form of education in general, and peace education in…

The purpose of this investigation was to examine, from a cross-cultural perspective, students' epistemological patterns of reasoning about socioscientific issues (SSI), and to identify potential interactions of cultural and scientific identity. Mediating factors associated with students' argumentation and discourse about SSI, as well as the…

The promise of a public education is that all students will have access to high-quality learning opportunities. Accomplishing this requires collective and coherent action to increase system effectiveness and produce results that are not predictable by race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. On December 10, 2013, education stakeholders from…

As pressure increases to ensure that limited resources are utilized as effectively as possible, funding adequacy remains a priority for all California public schools. The research was conducted through a multi-methods approach of principal interviews, site level resource allocation data, and overall student achievement on state assessments. The…

The "System Strategic Plan for the California Community Colleges" provides a comprehensive road map for restoring student access and improving student success. The Plan addresses the major demographic, economic and educational challenges that California will face over the coming decades. It presents clear system goals, specific…

This study examines the effects of family socio-economic disadvantage and differences in school resources on student achievement in the city of Cartagena, Colombia. Using data from the ICFES and C-600 national databases, we conduct a multilevel analysis to determine the unique contribution of school-level factors above and beyond family…

Research has indicated that physical education (PE) teachers report feeling isolated, having limited (or no) access to resources, and struggling to be perceived as legitimate professionals by other teachers, students, administrators, and parents. As time and resources for PE continue to be reduced, PE's marginal status is intensified. This article…

Health policy has a direct impact on health education initiatives, health care delivery, resource allocation, and quality of life. Increasing rates in the epidemics of obesity and obesity-dependent diabetes mellitus (aka diabesity) suggest that health policy changes should be included in health education and disease prevention strategies. Health…

Is the era of personal computing ending, or is it only just beginning? Certainly, cyberlife seems to have become more intensely personal over the last few years, partly because it has also become so much more social. The rise of the new consumer-oriented ubiquitous computing will reshape--and reduce--users' reliance on enterprise IT. Much of the…

Since the economic downturn began in late 2008, more schools have slashed budgets, payrolls and services while trying to protect their core academic programs. Today, as the economic downturn persists, they are doing more of the same and coming up with ways to keep higher education a realistic goal for the masses. The author discusses how U.S.…

This article describes outcomes of a self-report study on first-year steps that selected elementary schools in Washington State took in implementing early reading Response to Intervention (RTI) pilot models. Surveys sent to pilot schools requested information on RTI implementation pertaining to curricula, assessments, funding, resource allocation,…

As education budgets continue to tighten, increased attention is focused on how school districts can best distribute existing funds to schools and how schools can best use these funds. Student-based funding (SBF)--sometimes referred to as a weighted student formula--is one approach that school districts have taken during the past decade. SBF…