This study was designed to analyze the sources of revenue, revenue variability, program and personnel changes, and the fiscal soundness of six Latino nonprofit organizations (LNPOs) in three major cities in Western Massachusetts, for the period 1989 to 1992. Income variability was assessed for the period 1985 to 1992. Contingency or adaptive theory formed the basis of the study, with emphasis on organizational uncertainty, and the concepts of complexity and chaos. Contingency theory holds that there is no best way to organize, and that any way of organizing is not equally effective. The review of the literature was exhaustive and presented an analysis of the history, economic impact, and relationship of both LNPOs and non-LNPOs with the modern welfare state. IRS Form 990 and Form PC, filed by the six LNPOs with the Public Charities Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General, was the source of the data for this study. The study concluded that the aggregate reliance of LNPOs on government sources of revenue was 79.5 percent. Diversity of the funding base of these LNPOs was very limited. The average rate of revenue increase for 67 percent of these LNPOs ranged from 14 percent to 72.3 percent. The influence of revenue variability on the program mix and primary personnel was not as conclusive. Revenue increases correlated more with salary increases of primary personnel than with increases in the number of programs. Revenue increases correlated with salary increases of the rank and file for four of the six LNPOs. Fifty percent of the LNPOs in the study were rated as fiscally sound. None of the six LNPOs had contingency reserves and endowment funds. The most compelling recommendations for improving the infrastructures of these LNPOs include: the expansion of their funding base; the establishment of contingency reserves and endowment funds; effect changes in management and in governance; improve technology; and develop partnership with area colleges and universities for developing degree programs for managers of NPOs, and programs and workshops aimed at providing technological assistance to LNPOs.

As the number of students entering college declines, or levels off, and competition for these students intensifies, retaining the students they recruit will be the path to survival for many schools. When the retention effort is not successful with individual students, they withdraw from college and become an attrition statistic. This represents a cost to the institution (resources allocated to recruit that student) and lost revenue (tuition and fees). Many withdrawing students, maybe because of the emotional stress of the situation, cite reasons that will make the exit interview process as short and painless as possible. This leaves the institution in possession of withdrawal data that may not be entirely accurate or complete. Many decisions are made by institutions, particularly operational changes, relying on this data. There are two main avenues to sustaining adequate enrollments: recruit a larger class every year to compensate for those who leave; or, concentrate on retaining those recruited. At four-year institutions, retention activities benefit three classes of students, whereas recruitment efforts affect only one (Astin, 1975). Given the reality of declining enrollments and increasing competition, the greatest influence colleges and universities have over enrollment patterns is internal in nature. If the admissions effort has failed to accurately portray the institution's educational and social environment, those responsible for retaining students--in many cases, all non-admissions personnel--start from a negative position. This study will involve five phases. Phase One, already completed and presented in chapter Two, involved reviewing relevant dropout and retention literature. Phase Two will involve the proposal of an enrollment enhancement plan designed to increase retention. Phase Three will involve an interview with the Dean of Students at each institution to obtain an institutional perspective on the reasons they feel students leave their institution, establish a profile of the type(s) of student(s) they feel their institution serves best, and review current retention practices. This information will be used to frame an additional question to be asked each group of interviewees. Phase Four will involve the interviews mentioned above. Phase Five will involve the analysis of the data.

The perceived challenges for Seventh-day Adventist higher education in the 21st century according to its future leaders, the leadership necessary to meet these challenges, and the system's development of leaders were examined using a two-phase process of sample identification/selection and data collection. The sample identification and selection phase involved "expert identification" by individuals holding current positions in SDA higher education. The data collection phase involved elaborated, semi-structured interviewing. According to the paticipants, Seventh-day Adventist higher education is different from mainstream higher education in mission, culture, and understanding of its 21st century challenges. SDA higher education may seemingly face many of the same challenges as mainstream higher education, but the cultural differences change the nature of the overlapping challenges. They make many of the standard leadership suggestions, available in the higher education leadership literature, unworkable. There are also challenges to the system which are unique to SDA higher education. Almost all of these involve the church which sponsors these colleges. The SDA church is currently examining itself and redefining its mission in terms of the 21st century. The purpose of the SDA colleges and the role they play in the church's mission is one aspect of this redefinition. Proposals concerning the future of these colleges range from maintaining the status quo to closing the schools. These proposals must be discussed and understood at the local church level. The perceived leaders find it difficult to prepare themselves for their leadership roles. The unique subculture contains factors which discourage openly identifying future leaders and providing resources for their continued education. Even though the participants are not well acquainted with the literature of higher education leadership, two categories may be useful to the future of the system. Transformation theory, especially the concept of "trans-vigorational leadership," would be helpful to a system with a deeply ingrained church subculture and distinctive academic cultures. Cultural or symbolic theory would help the system define itself, the priorities of its constituency, and the changes needed to accomplish its 21st century mission.

Women are facing increasing financial responsibility, while at the same time, the consumer financial world is evolving at an extraordinary pace. These trends make a imperative that we better understand the evolving nature of gender-based inequities across our current socio-economic systems and intentionally examine those areas that are most essential in accelerating the narrowing of these gaps. The results of the study indicate that the assumption can on longer be made that women simply need better financial knowledge in order to reach a certain level of financial behavior, without increased access to capital. This study shows that the re-examination of a key component of financial literacy is necessary: the idea that financial knowledge leads to responsible financial behavior, and that responsible financial behavior is a result of financial knowledge. This finding may indicate that women have different dispositions regarding how they use the financial resources, knowledge, and skills that they have acquired.

Principal leadership is one of the most heavily researched topics in the field of education and is a key to increasing school effectiveness and stimulating school change. One of the most important principal roles that have emerged in the literature is the facilitation of a collaborative culture. Teacher collaboration has been linked to a variety of positive outcomes such as improved instruction and student learning. Research indicates that collaboration is most effective when it is part of a district's professional development. Using a theory-driven approach, the present study evaluated a four-year collaboration initiative aimed to increase student learning in one Connecticut school district. More specifically, the study investigated whether principals' actions in support of teacher teams and the quality of teacher collaboration changed over time. Of particular interest was an examination of how principals influenced a collaborative shift in school culture and what specific strategies had the most impact on the quality of collaboration in teacher teams. Data were collected from a sample of 400 teachers, beginning in 2008 and ending in 2011, although sample sizes varied across time according to response rate. Items from the Teacher Collaboration Survey were used to measure teachers' perceptions of principals' actions in support of teacher teams and the quality of teacher collaboration. Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) was utilized to measure change across time, accounting for repeated measures. No statistically significant changes were found for either principals' actions in support of teacher times or the quality of teacher collaboration. However, statistically significant correlations were found between these two variables in each of the four years, indicating a moderate to strong relationship. In addition, qualitative responses on the survey were used to investigate the high leverage behaviors that principals employed to create a cultural shift in this district and provided insight into the types of change that occurred during this initiative. Finally, implications and limitations of the present study were discussed, and future research in this area was suggested.

The dissertation research focused on how executive level administrators perceive external forces, environmental conditions and resource dependency as components in a new economy that shape entrepreneurial decision making in their community colleges. The objectives of the research examined an expansion from public-supported resource allocations, formulas and funding, tied to specific parts of a community college's mission, i.e., open access, to a decision-making model where the attainment other identified external resources may have become more competitive to fund less clear aspects of an institution's mission. The case studies reviewed reduction or elimination of past revenue streams that may have positioned executive level administrators into a decision-making posture where they reallocated institutional resources to areas of increased demand. Additionally, interviews, research documents and other materials also identified external environmental conditions and resource dependency as some of the forces that community college executive level administrators reported to have influenced their decision-making processes regarding institutional policy, strategies, identifying new revenue streams, and program initiatives in a new economy. To what extent have executive level administrators potentially shaped or reshaped institutional identification by focusing upon externally driven resources as funding opportunities through active pursuit of workforce development grants, partnerships, contracts or other revenue streams? In addition, the research also addressed the thinking, perspectives and "mind maps" of executive level administrators who make decisions about potential entrepreneurial opportunities for their community colleges. For community college administrators and other institutional stakeholders contemplating expanding the college's mission, this study provides foundational theory, options, concerns, implications and recommendations that should be carefully considered. Additionally, my goal was to shed light on two distinctly different community colleges where environmental forces and decision-making strategies can inform future practice at other community colleges across the nation. I hope that this research study will assist all internal and external constituents to understand the founding values of community colleges, their evolution, tradition, values and future roles in American higher education.

This study focuses on the topic of campus rape within the organization of a comprehensive public university. Media attention, student movements and federal legislation have focused on the issue of rape on college and university campuses. The public has become increasingly concerned about this issue and campuses have been forced to mount a response by implementing policies and procedures which respond to rape within their communities. This study looks at how one institution defines and combats rape. This investigation interviews a variety of participants (administrators, student service providers, faculty and students) within the university to see if those who share this community similarly identify and perceive efforts to eradicate rape. Conclusions from this study reveal that there is much disparity among members on how they perceive rape and the university's anti-rape policies and programs. Much of the disparity is attributable to gender and some to position within the institution. Also examined was the impact of federal legislation on members' perceptions of campus rape and institutional liability. Environmental, victim support, education and administrative considerations are examined in how members' view anti-rape policies. The academic environment and its distinctiveness is also explored in how it may obscure efforts to come to a consensus on defining and ameliorating rape. Several specific recommendations are offered, but this research does not put forth sweeping or simple solutions. Understanding that rape is a contentious, and at time, ambiguous, event may be the first step in responding effectively to the issue of rape on campus.

On April 18, 1989, eighteen school aged children from the metropolitan Hartford, Connecticut area, acting through their parents, commenced a civil action in the Hartford Superior Court. The suit named the State of Connecticut, constitutionally elected officials, and officials of various state commissions and agencies as defendants. The plaintiffs alleged significant constitutional violations under applicable sections of the State constitution which they believe constituted a denial of their fundamental rights to an education and rights to equal protection under the law. In the landmark civil rights decision of Sheff v. O'Neill, the Connecticut Supreme Court, on July 16, 1996, ruled that based upon these constitutional claims, the state had an affirmative obligation to provide Connecticut's school children with a substantially equal educational opportunity. This constitutionally guaranteed right encompasses the access to a public education which is not substantially and materially impaired by racial and ethnic isolation. The Court further concluded that school districting based upon town and city boundary lines are unconstitutional. The implications and potential ramifications of this decision are significant. This dissertation chronicles the events and examines the issues surrounding this landmark decision. The background contributing to the plaintiffs claims, the state's position, the historical evolution of the case, and reaction/actions and proposals to remedy and comply with the court's order are examined.

An in-school suspension program was planned for the target high school, as a viable alternative to the placement of students outside of the school environment for discipline reasons. The urban target high school also has adopted an in-school suspension program in recognition of the need for more effective disciplinary procedures. Although the discipline policy has been very effective in most cases in the past, there are students who are suspended who have serious problems that can only be corrected with counseling, a component present in the in-school suspension program. If discipline is to improve then special attention must be given to these students to meet their emotional and psychological needs not only their academic needs. An in-school suspension program allows a student who has arrived at a point of suspension to remain in school for his/her suspension; to keep up with academic work and receive credit for academic work done during suspension; yet at the same time, to be held responsible for his/her actions and to be given counseling to enable the student to avoid behavior that could account for any further suspension. Students who had participated in the program, their parents and teachers were surveyed during four semesters. The results of the surveys showed that the three constituencies were favorably disposed to the in-school suspension program and that the program was beneficial to the student. Although in-school suspension is not a cure-all, more schools should consider the in-school suspension program as an alternative to their out-of-school suspension. However, there have to be assurances that the counseling which was initiated in in-school suspension will continue after the student leaves the program. Also there has to be a way of actively involving more parents in the program other than their appearance at the time of the student's reinstatement to class.

The focus of this descriptive study was to determine parental attitudes and perceptions which deter parents from voluntarily becoming involved in the activities of their child's inner city elementary school. The research instrument used to determine both individual and collective impacts upon the relationships between the Home and School connection was a questionnaire. This questionnaire was sent out to 140 parents of inner city elementary school students. The targeted population was composed of African Americans, Asians, White Americans, and Hispanics. The measurement tool was translated both in English and Spanish, so as to accommodate the language preferences of the school community. This questionnaire measured parent involvement variables such as parent communications with the school, parental awareness of school operations, parental participation in school activities, home-school work habits, and overall relationships with teachers. The information elicited analyzed comparisons among the various ethnic groups concerning their parental attitudes towards the openness of the school, the collaborative nature between Home and School, effectiveness of the school, and the general school climate. This study not only identified those elements which impede parental involvement but it also recognized positive and encouraging factors leading towards the formation of viable Home and School partnerships. Since parents are being given more choices in selecting schools for their children, educators must encourage and foster parents to become collaborators/partners in the education of their children. It is incumbent upon us as educators to investigate, identify, measure, and recognize these adverse factors and determine an appropriate course of action to reduce and eliminate this apathetic trend currently held by parents towards teachers and education in general.