This study examines grading patterns during one intuition’s transition to a responsibility center management (RCM) budget model. RCM is intended to focus an institution on resource growth and cost control, and the model incentivizes and rewards these behaviors. The adoption of RCM is becoming more widespread across the United States, especially as institutions are experiencing declining enrollment and shrinking state support (Barr & McClellan, 2018; State Higher Education Executive Officers Association [SHEEO], 2021; The Pew Charitable Trusts, 2019). This has led to budget management being cited as a top priority for institutional leaders (Bass et al., 2021; Rylee, 2011). This decline in enrollment and shrinking state support makes institutions more reliant on existing and prospective students as their primary source of revenue. Through the lens of Resource Dependency Theory (RDT) it is reasonable to assume that institutions may engage in behaviors and practices to maximize their relationship with students. Moreover, as students continue to see themselves as consumers who deserve high grades and a degree, institutions have changed their grading practices to attract and retain these students, and research has shown that students take advantage of these practices to protect their GPA (Bromley et al., 1978; Goldman, 1985). Additionally, research has shown that students, in part, make course choices based on difficulty and expected grade (e.g., Barr et al., 2009; Butcher et al., 2014; Fournier & Sass, 2000; Sabot & Wakemin-Linn, 1991). Therefore, it is reasonable to hypothesize that institutions may transition to RCM to focus on resource growth, and given their reliance on student enrollment, may engage in practices and behaviors to maximize the relationship between the institution and the student. These actions may have unintended consequences, such as grade inflation. My study begins to examine if grade inflation is an unintended consequence of a transition to RCM by exploring what happened to grades during one institution’s transition to RCM. The results of my study show that at Public Research University (PRU), a pseudonym, grades continued to increase during and after the implementation of RCM, with a statistically significant increase occurring in the year immediately following PRU’s “hold harmless” year. My results also show that grades continued to rise during and after PRU’s transition to RCM across all departments when categorized based on historical GPAs, selectivity levels, and enrollment levels. This study is intended to raise awareness of the far-reaching effects that central university decisions, such as budget model choice, may have across the entire institution – both intended and unintended. / Educational Leadership

The purpose of this study was to provide a descriptive analysis of cooperative purchasing in the public schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia with attention to any effects brought about by enactment of the Virginia Public Procurement Act. Questionnaires were sent to each division superintendent of public schools in Virginia with follow up done on those public school divisions who have or are utilizing cooperative purchasing. The majority (63 percent) of public school divisions in the Commonwealth of Virginia do not utilize cooperative purchasing. Public school divisions utilizing cooperative purchasing are almost universally involved with their local governmental body rather than other school divisions. Saving money is the rationale given for utilizing cooperative purchasing and it is the factor most often named as the major success attained in such an agreement. The bidding requirements and attendant need for specifications enumerated in the Virginia Public Procurement Act resulted in a minority of school divisions electing to employ cooperative purchasing and utilize the State Department of Purchasing and Supply as two means of ensuring compliance with the law. Enactment of the Virginia Public Procurement Act has had a marginal effect on procurement practices by public school divisions in Virginia. Public school superintendents reported that a concern about a potential loss in autonomy was the major reason for not purchasing cooperatively. This was consistent with other studies done on this topic. School divisions most likely to utilize cooperative purchasing are characterized by large enrollments and budgets, the employment of professional full-time purchasing agents, and a superintendent who has had prior experience with cooperative purchasing agreements as well as perceiving enactment of the Virginia Public Procurement Act as a concern. School divisions are utilizing cooperative purchasing despite the absence of the above characteristics cited in the literature as standard requirements. / Ed. D.

The purposes of this study were twofold: 1) to determine the predictability of the amount of county current expenditures for the North Carolina Public School System by using nineteen county characteristics, and 2) to determine the predictability of the amount of county current expenditures for the North Carolina Community College System by using these same nineteen county characteristics. All data were collected from the year 1985 with the exception of general population data, which were secured from the Census of 1980. Factor analysis was performed on the nineteen predictor variables in order to remove multicollinearity between the variables and to reduce the data to a manageable size for subsequent multiple regression I analysis. Stepwise regression was then utilized to determine which factors best predicted the amount of local revenues spent for educational current expenditures. Factors 2, 3, and 5 were significant predictors for per pupil local current expenditure for the public schools. Factor 2 included median years of education completed by the general population, high employment, and high income variables. Factor 3 described the relationship with per capita property value and per capita property tax. It also included the migration rate in the general population. Factor 5 included per pupil state current expenditure for the public schools, percent of high school juniors passing the North Carolina Competency Test, and percent of labor force in new and expanded industry. Factors 2 and 4 were significant predictors for per pupil local current expenditure for the community college. Factor 4 represented per pupil state expenditure for the community college and percent of white pupils in the community college. / Ed. D.

Providing services to handicapped children is more expensive than educating nonhandicapped children. Previous studies have estimated the cost of special education to be approximately twice that of regular education. However, these studies have produced a number of problems in providing accurate cost data including a lack of data at the local level to make meaningful determinations, difficulties in treating shared and indirect costs, problems in making cost comparisons across districts, and variances in the cost of resources over time. This study evaluated the Larson (1985) model, a new methodology for calculating special education program costs, by comparing it to the Rossmiller (1970) model, a widely used method for calculating special education program costs. Judgments were made by comparing the efficiency and effectiveness of each model to the other. Efficiency was appraised byl comparing input and process considerations in computing special education program costs in a select school district in Virginia. Effectiveness was appraised by comparing each model’s ability to produce comprehensive and accurate special education program costs from the sample school district. Findings indicated that the Larson model had several advantages over the Rossmiller model. First, the Larson model was more efficient as less information from the regular budget was needed to complete indirect cost calculations. Second, the Larson model was more efficient in dealing with shared costs as they could be prorated through the use of a multiplier. Third, the Larson model was considered more accurate in its treatment of related services costs. However, several qualifications needed to be made in Judging the Larson model as a better product over the Rossmiller model. Conducting a cost determination was a lengthy process no matter which model was used and is more dependent upon the availability of data in a school district than the model used. Also, both models tended to produce similar cost figures when related services costs were taken into account. / Ed. D. / incomplete_metadata

The purpose of the study was to trace the historical and legal development of the financial support system for public elementary and secondary education in West Virginia from 1863 through November, 1984. In addition, the study provided a compiled source of data on selected aspects of the West Virginia school support system which had bearing upon the 1975 legislation that successfully challenged the constitutionality of the state school finance system. In the case of Pauley et al. v. Bailey et al., the method of financing public schools in West Virginia was declared unconstitutional on May 11, 1982, and the court directed the Legislature to completely redesign the West Virginia system of public school finance. In order for the educational and legislative leaders to fulfill meeting the court's criteria, an awareness of the changes and carryover of past doctrines and practices into the present situation was deemed to be of great importance. The study provided a historical review of significant legislation and cases affecting the evolution of the West Virginia school finance system. Designated periods of time in education history were presented through the utilization of both a chronological and topical approach. Evaluative criteria, such as equity in funding, adequacy in educational opportunity, efficiency of organization, and formula alterations were incorporated into the study in order to identify the significant changes in the developmental process of school finance. / Ed. D. / incomplete_metadata

Because of the increased number of large corporations offering tuition-aid programs to their employees, there is a need to collect data and study the motivation for participation and barriers to participation for this population. A questionnaire, with items identifying motivational factors and barriers to participation in tuition-aid programs, was developed and sent to a sample of employees of a major corporation who do and who do not participate in that corporation's tuition-aid program. This study found that cost and time considerations are overwhelmingly cited as the chief barriers for participants and nonparticipants. Barriers identified as significant by both participants and nonparticipants were examined through a review of literature as to possible solutions to their elimination. The chief decision-makers in the 23 operating companies of the corporation rated each of the recommendations as to their feasibility in being implemented. The decision-makers rated prepayment and paying for material costs as the two lowest possible solutions they would consider implementing in order to reduce the barriers. What emerges clearly is the point that management must take a hard look at their present policies that appear to be barriers to participation in tuition-aid programs. The researcher developed a set of final recommendations along with a rationale for each. / Ed. D.

<p> The purpose of this project was to locate a potential funding source and write a grant to create a psycho-educational group for family members of adults with a mental health diagnosis. With this program, family members can receive guided and educated support. The additional support they receive will assist them in becoming more supportive to their loved ones who have mental illnesses. The group would take place at Alma Family Services in Long Beach, California. A search was conducted to locate an appropriate funder for this project. The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation had specific criteria about what type of agencies they fund, which was met by the agency and the program. </p><p> Individuals who experience mental health challenges face many difficulties during their lives. The support of knowledgeable, understanding, and caring family members may reduce some of life's challenges for individuals who experience mental illness. If funded, the program would benefit families who need psycho-education about mental illness and assistance with mental health questions. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant was not a requirement for the successful completion of the project.</p>

The purposes of this study were to: (a) determine the effects of Senate Bill 7 on expenditures in Texas school districts, (b) compare similarities and differences in expenditures among property-poor, medium-wealth, and wealthy-districts, (c) analyze spending patterns in light of equalization efforts, and (d) provide useful data to researchers in the area of equalization and adequacy.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies & Human Services / Sonya L. Britt / Briana S. Nelson-Goff / The current three essay dissertation researched the financial behaviors of military service members before and after deployment using primary data collected at a Midwestern U.S. Army installation. The introduction (Chapter 1) reviewed the two financial surveys administered to Soldiers before (N = 701) and after (N = 670) they left for a yearlong deployment to a war zone. The first essay (Chapter 2) explored the financial behaviors, financial knowledge, and financial anxiety as they relate to rank and deployment. The results suggested that financial behaviors after deployment (Time 2) were significantly better than financial behaviors before deployment (Time 1). Rank had a positive effect on increased subjective financial knowledge where all ranks above privates (E1 to E2) had greater financial knowledge. Privates first class, specialists, and corporals (E3 to E4) had significantly lower financial knowledge than their direct supervisors, sergeants and staff sergeants (E5 to E6). Finally, Soldiers reported more financial anxiety before deployment (Time 1) than after deployment (Time 2). Using the framework of social learning theory, the second essay (Chapter 3) expanded the research of military financial behaviors before deployment to more fully understand stress and other factors that influence financial behavior outcomes. Results suggested that past behaviors and some personal factors played a significant role in Soldiers’ financial behaviors. Higher levels of subjective financial knowledge, more internal locus of control, and lower levels of financial anxiety all had a positive effect on financial behavior outcomes. The past behaviors variable had the most explanatory value in Soldiers’ financial behaviors before deployment. Soldiers with any amount of credit card debt had worse financial behaviors compared to Soldiers with no credit card debt, while Soldiers with greater amounts of emergency financial savings were more likely to have better financial behaviors than those who did not have any emergency financial savings. The final essay (Chapter 4) studied the factors that influenced financial behavior outcomes of both Soldiers and college students. This essay used primary data from a college student sample to compare to the before deployment (Time 1) survey data of Soldiers. Findings reported that past behaviors and some personal factors played a significant role in the financial behavior outcomes. Soldiers and college students with higher levels of subjective financial knowledge, more internal locus of control, and lower financial anxiety reported positive financial behaviors The most explanatory concept was that of past behaviors, which revealed that participants with no credit card debt had better financial behaviors compared to respondents who had any level of credit card debt. The conclusion (Chapter 5) highlights the findings of all three essays, which contribute both to the financial behavior literature. These papers also contribute to the research on the personal financial matters of service members. The research has direct implications for policy makers, military leaders, service providers, and financial planners and counselors.

Budgeting and allocation decisions made by school districts have a direct impact on education in local communities. Little, however, is known about budgetary allocation and decision-making practices involving federal Impact Aid received by military-connected districts as no national guidelines exist to guide the allocation of this funding source. Using Sielke's garbage can decision model as the foundation, the purpose of this multiple case study of 5 school districts located throughout the United States was to explore how school districts use Impact Aid to achieve educational adequateness for military-connected children. Research questions focused on how school districts make budgetary decisions in regard to Impact Aid and military-connected students. Data were collected from 5 semistructured interviews with school administrators, budget analysts, as well as over 350 publicly available policy documents. All data were inductively coded and categorized to apply frequency of references and through open and descriptive coding emerged 4 thematic elements. The key findings of this study showed that sequestration and information management had the largest impact on how Impact Aid funding was spent by school districts. The results of this study provide evidence in support of Sielke's garbage can decision theory. The implications for social change stemming from this study include recommendations to policy makers regarding improving allocation methods, which may in turn improve the effectiveness of education funding leading to adequate and equal education support for all public school students.