This research investigates three topics related to human capital and innovation in the United States. The primary objective of the first chapter is to examine the influence of natural amenities on student migration decisions using institution-level data from the National Center for Education Statistics' Integrated Postsecondary Education Data…

Once first among nations in its postsecondary completion rates, the U.S. has fallen behind in international comparisons. States have made great strides in closing the gap, improving college access and completion, and working toward the goal of 60% of Americans holding a postsecondary degree or credential. But gaps remain for large swaths of the…

Contemporary meritocratic education discourse in England positions schools as 'engines of social mobility', responsible for enabling students' educational 'success' regardless of their circumstances. Building on critiques that characterise meritocracy as a neoliberal cultural motif that legitimates inequalities, and the capabilities approach, this…

Faced with accountability pressures and limited resources, education policymakers make difficult choices regarding school curricula. In recent years, studies have documented a decreased emphasis in arts and humanities instruction. One potential way for schools to fill this gap includes partnering with arts and cultural organizations to provide…

Analysis in mid-April 2020--in the early throes of the pandemic--found that less than 25 percent of low-income countries were providing any type of remote learning, while close to 90 percent of high-income countries were. On top of cross-country differences in access to remote learning, within-country differences are also staggering. For example,…

Educators are on the front line of the national response to COVID-19. Although school buildings are closed nationwide, schools remain central to the national strategy for meeting families' basic needs while educators strive to continue teaching students remotely. Long-standing gaps in educational opportunity and access have been further exposed…

Despite the popular belief that affirmative action gives Black and Latino students an unfair advantage, these students are still underrepresented at the nation's selective colleges and at two- and four-year public colleges and universities in the vast majority of states. The truth is, it isn't enough to just believe that racial inequality is a…

In the classroom, great effort is made to educate the next generation of leaders on the importance of training for them and their future employees. As educators, the natural emphasis is placed on formal education, however as employees are promoted, their success often rests with their ability to manage a larger unit. In higher education the most…

First-generation students sometimes lack a support network that values higher education. Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA)--a regional, comprehensive university of approximately 13,000 students, located in East Texas--serves a diverse body of students who are nearly 50% first-generation. These students often face financial constraints and…

In 1972, Edsger Dijkstra claimed that computers had only introduced the new problem of learning to use them effectively. This is especially true in 2015 with regard to powerful new educational technologies. This article describes the challenges that 21st century educational technologists are, and will be, addressing as they undertake the effective…

Agricultural leadership education is an important component of agricultural education programs across the country; yet, a national study of the scope and types of programs offered has not been conducted since 2003. The purpose of the current study was to provide national and timely data regarding the scope and type of opportunities offered in…

Research indicates that many toddlers experience low to mediocre quality child care settings with limited interactions and learning opportunities available. This article uses the context of brain and development research to describe toddlers' experiences in child care. Reporting on the established connections between toddlers' experiences and…

The growth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in Australian higher education from 1959 to the present is notable statistically, but below population parity. Distinct patterns in government policy-making and programme development, inconsistent funding and political influences, together with Indigenous representation during the…

Empirical study results show that in the past 30 years, after slightly expanding in the early 1990s, the differences in overall higher education opportunities among the children of all strata of China have continually shrunk. Regarding different types of higher education opportunities, the differences in access to key universities first expanded,…

Health care organizations are facing rapid changes, frequently involving modification of existing procedures. The case study reported here examined change processes and learning in a health care organization. The organizational change in question occurred in the emergency clinic of a Finnish central hospital where a new action model for…