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The purpose of this study was to develop guidelines for small school divisions in Virginia to use in preparing an orientation program which would meet the needs of the new school board members. These guidelines addressed state and local concerns which had been identified through the review of literature and a questionnaire which was completed by superintendents and school board members from small school divisions in Virginia. The questionnaire was distributed to all superintendents and school board members from school divisions with fewer than five thousand students. The contents of the guidelines were determined by those items which were identified as being essential by 50 percent or more of at least one of the respondent groups. The results from this study indicated that school board members and superintendents do agree on the majority of items that were essential to an orientation program for new school board members. Thirty-eight of the sixty-nine items were regarded as essential by both respondent groups. There were eight areas in which the superintendents and school board members disagreed. These areas were also included in the guidelines. As a result of this study a set of curriculum guidelines was developed which would assist small Virginia school divisions in preparing an orientation program for new school board members. The ultimate aim of these guidelines was to improve the effectiveness of the new school board member. / Ed. D.

Traditionally, medical residency positions have been primarily funded by the federal government. However, due to declining governmental funding support over time, medical schools have resorted to fund these programs through other means such as clinical fees and payments for services. This change has affected the number and types of residencies available to medical school graduates. The purpose of this study was to measure how the availability of fiscal resources shape mission-related outputs, particularly medical residency positions at medical schools. Using academic capitalism as the theoretical framework provided a lens through which to examine how federal policies have shaped the availability and funding of medical residencies today at the institutional level. This concept has been studied in traditional colleges and universities and how they balance mission and money, but less so in the context of medical schools. This study used a fixed effect panel analysis to study the impact of selected variables over a 10-year period on financing of medical residencies. Findings included that tuition revenues, paid for by undergraduate medical students, are increasingly funding medical residency positions. There was little to no effect from hospital revenues and federal research monies on increasing the number of medical residency positions. The funding of university based medical education is particularly timely and of national importance to understand the consequences of federal policies for medical schools and how medical residency funding caps and limits have affected one of the missions of medical schools which is to train physicians.

The rising costs of college attendance and changes in financial aid packages leave students with little option other than to incur a debt of some amount. Unfortunately, colleges often fail to provide adequate financial literacy and student loan information so prospective students planning to attend college can make informed decisions. Student loans may seem attractive in the short term because, unlike other loans, repayment does not begin immediately. However, the accrual of student loan debt leads to long-term financial consequences, including the opportunity to build economic wealth after graduation. Utilizing a basic qualitative research design, I explored first-generation community college students’ experiences with financial aid, financial literacy, and the challenges and individual circumstances of using student loans to fund expenses related to their postsecondary enrollment. A human capital framework supported students informed financial decision-making experiences to effectively persist confidently in pursuing their educational goals. Collectively, students’ detailed statements provided a powerful voice for first-generation students accessing financial resources at the community college. The six themes included (a) Student-Centered, (b) Understanding Consequences of Student Loans, (c) Development of Financial Aid Literacy, (d) Student-Connection, (e) Simplifying Financial Aid Access for Students, and (f) Support From Campus-Based Programs. Findings provide helpful insights for community college practitioners and financial aid administrators.

Schools today are entrusted with the duty of managing their funds in such a way that that the educational outcomes of the primary beneficiaries of these funds are maximised. This places more responsibility on the school governing bodies as the legal custodians of these funds, at local level, which need to be used economically, effectively and efficiently. To achieve this, school governing bodies need capacity in the form of appropriate skills and knowledge needed to connect school funding to educational outcomes. This study focuses on how capacity building for school governing body can contribute to value for money in school financial management. It sought to examine possible impediments to effective financial management, which result from the existing gaps in the current capacity building programmes and the financial management frameworks and procedures relating to school financial management. A qualitative research methodology involving in-depth interviews with members of governing bodies and Circuit officials was followed to examine the problem and possible improvement strategies. Themes that emerged from the data include, comprehensiveness, duration and frequency of the training programme, competency of training facilitators, monitoring, assessment and evaluation and other follow-up modalities, presentation style of the training facilitators, internal records and audited financial statements, the involvement of senior officials in school financial management, and the effectiveness of financial management. Findings suggested that, training of SGBs in financial management is inadequate, training facilitators lack requisite skills, the duration of the training for SGBs is short, the training programme is not provided frequently, the training programme’s presentation style is ineffective, mismatch between internal records and audited financial statements, lack of support and monitoring by circuit officials in the schools’ financial management, questionable conduct of external auditors, and ineffective cluster approach by SGBs. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Thesis (Ph.D. (Curriculum Studies)) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / After the establishment of the first democratic government in South Africa in 1994, the Education Ministry started transforming the apartheid education system into the democratic education system aimed at achieving equity, redress and access to education. Amongst the policies developed, were South African Schools Act (Act No. 84 of 1996), National Norms and Standards for School Funding, Exemption of Parents from Payment of School Fees Regulations, Education Laws Amendment Act (Act No. 24 of 2005), Amended National Norms and Standards For School Funding, and No- Fee School Policy. In this study, I analysed how schools in Bolobedu cluster circuits of Mopani District implemented the No-Fee School policy regarding the use and management of school finances. Qualitative case study was used. Four schools, two primary and two secondary schools, were sampled. Three methods of data collection were used: interviews, document analysis (school records such as SGB minutes, finance policy, School Business Plan/School Development Plan, budgets, auditors’ reports, etc.) and observation. Interviews were conducted with school principals, teachers, parents and learners. The research findings indicate that the three SGBs have the capacity to practise good financial management in relation to the No-Fee school policy, although they still need to improve on some areas of responsibility. These SGBs demonstrated sound and good practice in the use and management of school finances. However, one SGB was struggling to practice good financial management responsibility. This school has the potential to improve its capacity to execute its financial responsibility if provided with support. Key words: South African Schools Act (SASA), National Norms and Standards for School Funding (NNSSF), Amended National Norms and Standards For School Funding (ANNSSF), No-Fee School Policy, Equity, Access and Redress, Use and management of school finances.