Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / David C. Thompson / The purpose of this study was to determine what school leaders believe is a suitable funding level for Kansas school districts and to simulate the effect and cost of selected findings. More specifically, three questions were examined: How much money do top leaders in each school district in Kansas believe is needed to provide a suitable education for all students in their school district? What would be a suitable per-pupil funding level for districts when examined by varying enrollment sizes if based on the perceived needs of school district leaders in Kansas? And, what would be the statewide cost to implement a suitable per-pupil funding level for districts of varying sizes based on the expressed needs of school district leaders in Kansas? To accomplish its purpose, the study was carried out in three phases. First, it examined research in the areas of school finance equity and adequacy, both of which influence how much money is distributed to schools. Second, this study surveyed top school district leaders in Kansas in search of their opinions regarding how much money is needed to provide an adequate and suitable education. Third, survey data provided the basis for selected simulations designed to estimate the effect and cost of proposed changes on individual school districts and the state of Kansas. The results of this study show that school district leaders widely believe more money is needed to meet performance mandates for regular education students, at-risk students, and bilingual students. When considering only regular education students, this study found that school leaders believe the state of Kansas is underfunding schools by $577 million. In addition, this study shows that at-risk students need an additional $246.6 million to be provided an adequate education, while bilingual student show nearly another $18 million of need. Some school districts in Kansas have managed to offset the perceived under-funding by utilizing local tax options beyond base state funding. These local options, however, are subject to voter approval and lead to concern by some over equitable and adequate funding for all school districts in Kansas.

Tung Yan Wah. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-87). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Abstract --- p.i / 摘要 --- p.ii / Acknowledgement --- p.iii / Table of Contents --- p.iv / List of Tables --- p.v / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- History of education financing --- p.2 / Chapter 1.2 --- Fiscal system and the financing of rural education --- p.4 / Chapter 1.3 --- Purpose of this study --- p.8 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Literature Review --- p.11 / Chapter 2.1 --- Problems and issues --- p.11 / Chapter 2.2 --- Disparity in education provision --- p.14 / Chapter 2.3 --- Factors explaining variations in education expenditure: regression analysis --- p.19 / Chapter 2.4 --- Financing arrangement --- p.21 / Chapter 2.5 --- Concluding remarks --- p.26 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Methodology --- p.28 / Chapter 3.1 --- Estimation of degree of provision --- p.28 / Chapter 3.2 --- Regression analysis --- p.35 / Chapter 3.3 --- Education transfer mechanism --- p.39 / Chapter 3.4 --- Concluding remarks --- p.42 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Results and Discussion --- p.43 / Chapter 4.1 --- Degree of provision --- p.43 / Chapter 4.2 --- Regression results --- p.47 / Chapter 4.3 --- Education transfer mechanism --- p.49 / Chapter 4.4 --- Concluding remarks --- p.53 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Conclusion --- p.55 / Appendix 1 Box 1 --- p.59 / Appendix 2 Tables --- p.60 / References --- p.83

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Martin Seay / Retirement savings and income projections are among the most financially complex calculations individual Americans will encounter. The movement towards self-directed employer retirement plans has shifted the responsibility for securing an adequate retirement increasingly to the employee, who may lack the financial understanding needed for proper calculations and decisions. There is an expressed preference among employees for the delivery of financial education in the workplace, where a majority of their financial knowledge is obtained. However, adoption of workplace comprehensive financial education programs has been slow due to the cost, time commitment, and lack of empirical support for their value. While there have been some mixed findings, literature has generally supported associations between financial education programs and improved literacy and behaviors. A great deal of these mixed results can be explained by the lack of consistency among definitional frameworks for financial literacy, the lack of consistent measures, and the variety of topics and methods used, all of which limit the ability to establish causal support for the educational program’s effectiveness. However, the preference for financial education in the workplace among employees suggests both the need and desire for more comprehensive financial education offered by employers. The purpose of this research was to investigate and test the links between the components in the framework for financial literacy by testing participation in a worksite comprehensive financial education program. In Essay One, the link between financial education and change in financial literacy was tested. Essay Two tested the link between the financial education program and financial well-being. In Essay Three, the link between financial literacy and financial behavior was explored. The results indicated associations between all three links in the financial literacy model, utilizing both primary research employing quasi-experimental methods, and secondary research from a larger national data sample. For financial educators who are interested in developing and facilitating comprehensive financial education programs for employee or other groups, this research can help provide support and guidance for those efforts. If comprehensive financial education programs can be better positioned to help improve the levels of financial literacy among Americans, fewer negative associated behavioral effects, such as lack of planning and under saving for retirement, may occur.

<p>The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover how school superintendents were using general fund referenda to meet their school district&rsquo;s operational budgets. However, after interviews began it became clear that the superintendents wanted to tell a different story and that was how the current school funding mechanism and property tax caps has changed the job of the school superintendent. The research consisted of one-on-one guided interviews of a mixed qualitative methods framework combining theories of hermeneutics and phenomenology. The interviews combined open-ended, guided questions and conversations and were with superintendents who were leaders of school districts that have passed general fund referenda. Each of the superintendents worked for school districts that were in the top 50 national schools, as reported by USA News and World Report, serve affluent communities and serve a low free and reduced lunch population of less than 20% of their student population. Data collected came directly from the interviews and were framed and verified within the context of newspaper articles, public blogs, and public social media posts. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, organized, and coded using a modified data analysis table, which combined elements of item analysis and an unfolding matrix. Hermeneutic phenomenology was used to understand the superintendents&rsquo; understanding of the phenomena that is a general fund referendum campaign and their role during its passage. The purpose of this study evolved into how the superintendents perceive their role in light of their new financial realities, which is driven by changes in how schools are funded and the institution of property tax caps. This study is intended to inform current and future superintendents with guidance in how important political communication is for successful execution of the duties of a superintendent. In addition, this study should guide superintendent preparation programs by showing the importance of training and internships for future superintendents in the skills of effective political communication and managing political campaigns. </p>

The concept of return on investment for public education requires an understanding of the cumulative impact of resources employed to educate a student over time. The State of Vermont presented a unique opportunity to measure the return on investment as indicated by student outcomes. The governance structure of Vermont school districts allowed the identification of investments at the local school level, thereby enabling a match between the outcomes for 1355 students on the New Standards Reference Exam and cumulative investments over time. The longitudinal study examined the relationship between the cumulative investment made during the first eight years of school and student outcomes based upon three assessment points, in fourth, eighth and tenth grades for students within the sample. The study included an examination of the relationship between poverty, investments and student outcomes, indicated included Free or Reduced Lunch eligibility and Adjusted Gross Income. The study also examined the relationship between student performance and responses to the Opportunity to Learn Survey, assessing the student‟s perception of their school. Vermont Department of Education databases included financial investments from 1997 through 2004 and matched student outcomes on the New Standards Reference Exam in 2000, 2004, and 2006 in both English and Language Arts and Math. The results analysis indicated statistically significant relationships between student outcomes and investment which grew over time, and when the investments were more closely related to direct instruction on students, and were especially evident in math. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant relationship between levels of investment and outcomes for students within the same economic group and between students‟ responses to the Opportunity to Learn survey and investment levels. The results of this study provide legislators and policy makers with longitudinal clarification regarding the relationship between per pupil investment and student outcomes.

The value of public black colleges has been well-documented. These institutions have played an important role toward ensuring minority participation in higher education. Yet, unstable government support has threatened their survival. The purpose of this study was to determine the status of fund-raising programs at NAFEO public black institutions. NAFEO is the national association for 117 historically black colleges in the United States. / The conceptual framework, the resource dependency model, evolved from organizational theory. In resource dependency, organizations must competitively acquire and maintain resources from the environment to survive (Pfeffer & Salancik, 1978). Successful institutions are those with aggressive fund-raising programs, well-connected within the environment to ensure a steady flow of resources back to the institution. / The results showed that the mean enrollment for state colleges (SCU) was 3,798, land-grant institutions (LGI) 3,500, and two-year colleges (TYI) 931. The first fund-raising programs in SCU and LGI were established over thirty years ago while five TYI programs (62.5 percent) were created between 1980 and 1991. The mean annual development budget for LGI was slightly over two-thirds that of SCU ($139,632 and \$181,606, respectively). The mean for TYI was $110,957. For total voluntary gifts, SCU received two-thirds the amount of LGI (\$464,778 and $611,107). TYI received \$139,984. Among institutional type, the mean voluntary gift total was greater for urban institutions than for rural institutions, and the mean endowment for SCU was almost twelve times that of TYI ($6,124,547 and \$530,548). The mean endowment for LGI was $4,223,841. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-11, Section: A, page: 3772. / Major Professor: Louis W. Bender. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

A statewide survey of Vietnam theater veterans was conducted for two purposes. The first was to determine the extent to which they had used the GI Bill to achieve their higher education goals. The second purpose was to examine the relationship between specific demographic and war related variables and determine if they were associated with veterans usage of the GI Bill. The premise that these men and women had used their Chapter 34 entitlements to enhance their upward social and economic mobility was challenged in this study. Achievement of college educational goals were presumed to be influenced by the variables of gender, race, PTSD, and employment. / Sixty-eight percent of survey respondents reported that they had used the GI Bill at least once. A "college completion rate" of forty-seven percent for all veterans was established in this study. Significant associations with college underachievement were found to exist between the dependent variable of "college completion rate" and the independent variables of race, PTSD, and employment, but not for gender. / Males completed their college goals at a forty-six percent rate, while females completed at a fifty percent rate. White veterans achieved their college goals at a forty-nine percent rate, blacks completed at thirty-six percent, Hispanics at thirty-one percent, and "other" minorities (mainly American Indians) completed at twenty percent. As a group, minority Vietnam theater veterans achieved their college educational goals at a thirty-three percent rate. It was therefore concluded, that the Vietnam Era GI Bill was not an effective asset in assisting Vietnam theater veterans achieve upward economic and social mobility. / Replication of this study is recommended at the national level by an independent research organization and should include Vietnam Era veterans. Because of their very small numbers, a separate national study should focus on the experiences of female Vietnam theater veterans. The state of Florida should consider various methods to implement a "GI Bill" style educational program for these men and women. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-03, Section: A, page: 0818. / Major Professor: Louis W. Bender. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--The Florida State University, 1991.

Growth modeling in education has focused on student characteristics in multilevel growth accountability models and has rarely included financial variables. In this dissertation, relations of several demographic and financial characteristics of Oregon school districts to the reading and mathematics growth of students receiving special education services in Grades 3-8 were explored after accounting for student level demographic characteristics. Previous research indicated that three variables were potentially related to student growth: district level aggregated student demographics, district geography (e.g., location in a remote area), and district funding. Three sources of data were used to investigate these relationships: institutional data reported by the Oregon Department of Education, the Common Core of Data gathered by the National Center for Education Statistics, and Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test data collected as part of the National Center on Assessment and Accountability in Special Education. Multi-level models of student growth across Grades 3-8 were constructed for reading and mathematics, with time (level-1) nested within students (level-2) and districts (level-3). Results demonstrated that although student-level demographic factors account for the majority of meaningful differences in student growth, both district demographic characteristics and financial investment in students were related to growth for students who received special education services.

Among higher education issues in the 1990's is concern over faculty layoffs or reduction in force (RIF) as an unavoidable administrative response to a myriad of financial, demographic, and curricular pressures. Should circumstances necessitate faculty cutbacks, the chances of institutional disruption, legal dispute, and courtroom vulnerability may be diminished if the college or university follows predetermined policies and procedures which are reflective of current judicial perspective. This research employed a legal-historical approach to derive recommendations for developing such a RIF policy at the two-year college. / One hundred and thirty state and federal cases involving faculty reduction in force were reviewed to determine court perspective regarding four major concerns: (1) the circumstances accepted as legitimate grounds for RIF, (2) legal challenges to a RIF action, (3) the burden of proof in RIF litigation, and (4) the characteristics of judicially sound RIF policy. The results of that review indicate several judicial themes pertinent to policy development. / First, the court recognizes bona fide financial exigency, enrollment decline, and program or position discontinuance as valid grounds on which to conduct faculty layoffs; and, second, if those grounds are challenged, the courts will expect the institution to bear the burden of proving them legitimate. Third, in conducting a bona fide reduction in force, the institution will be expected to provide faculty members with procedural due process sufficient to satisfy all applicable institutional, statutory, and/or constitutional standards. Fourth, faculty members may contest the validity of a RIF action by claiming breach of contract, denial of constitutional rights, arbitrary and capricious behavior, and/or bad faith. Fifth, the courts will generally defer to the expertise of the local institutional officials, unless there is clear evidence of institutional misconduct. The institution may enhance this deferential status and anticipate legal challenge to RIF actions by adhering to statutory and institutional procedures, providing adequate procedural due process, employing selection criteria derived from sound education policy, and implementing all procedures uniformly and fairly. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-03, Section: A, page: 0776. / Major Professor: Joseph C. Beckham. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--The Florida State University, 1991.

<p> The U.S. higher education system faces an unprecedented convergence of financial challenges that have the potential to negatively affect the operations of smaller institutions (Denneen &amp; Dretler, 2012; Eide, 2018). These forces have increased the expectation for institutions to adopt innovative educational models that will ensure the financial sustainability of the institution. One such innovation is the church-based extension site program at a private, Christian university in the southeastern region of the United States. The extension site program provides affordable pathways to baccalaureate degrees through a combination of experiential learning and classroom experiences within a local church context. The Christian university that was the focus of this study has experienced dramatic enrollment growth since the program's inception, with more than 2,400 students enrolled at 112 locations across the United States. Given the growth of this educational modality, this study evaluated whether the church-based extension site program is an effective alternative to the traditional campus experience. The <i>Thriving Quotient,</i> a reliable and valid instrument that measures students' academic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal well-being (Schreiner, 2016), was utilized to examine the differences in thriving levels and pathways to thriving among extension site and traditional students at the target university. After matching students through propensity score analysis, the results of the univariate and multivariate analyses of variance indicated that extension site students (<i>M</i> = 5.12, <i>SD</i> = .45) reported significantly higher thriving scores than their matched counterparts on the traditional campus (<i> M</i> = 4.82, <i>SD</i> = .49, <i>F</i>[1, 616] = 62.871, <i>p</i> &lt; .001, &eta;² = .093). Structural equation modeling with multiple-group analysis further indicated significant differences in the pathways to thriving among extension site and traditional students, with each model accounting for 73% and 62% of the variation in college student thriving, respectively. Spirituality, faculty commitment to diverse students, and psychological sense of community represented the largest contributors to extension site student thriving. The study recommends the expansion of the extension site model at Christian institutions as an effective alternative to the traditional experience for a particular group of students and offers implications for practice that will support student thriving within the extension site context.</p><p>