Alumni demographics are rapidly changing, and alumni associations are looking for new ways to increase alumni engagement. Using Lewin's (1947) organizational change theory and Homans's (1958) social exchange theory, this study examines two Research 1 institutions in a comparative case study. By comparing the experiences of two institutions, alumni…

The rate of default on college loans in the United States is staggering and poses a major financial threat not only to the students who are unable to repay their student loans but the U.S. economy. For instance, in 2011, borrowers at nonprofit and for-profit 4-year colleges accounted for almost 50% of all federal loan recipients. College students…

There has been extensive research and commentary blaming schools for the achievement disparity that exists among its students. Attempts to solve this issue have focused primarily on instruction and school tasks. Anthony Bryk and Barbara Schneider (2002) found social trust as a major attribute to school effectiveness. Their 1997 study of Chicago's…

Increasingly, institutions of higher education seek out alumni support to help offset budget cuts and look toward technological advances to lower costs of instruction and create new revenue streams. In light of the desire to increase funding for university programs and the potential giving-power of MBA alumni, this study investigates factors that…

The state of Delaware has expanded its K-12 educational structure and now offers parents and students an alternative to public education. Some of the charter schools in the state have excelled academically, fiscally, and organizationally, while others have been criticized for being financially irresponsible, or not meeting the state's academic…

TIMSS and PIRLS assess representative samples of students at regular intervals, measuring trends in student achievement and student contexts for learning. Because individual students are not tracked over time, analysis of international large-scale assessment data is usually conducted cross-sectionally. Gustafsson (2007) proposed examining the data…

This research examined demographic factors and reported preferential learning mode among a sample of Florida Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) members compared to a national sample profile of OLLI members. This study was prompted by an earlier study of OLLI members conducted by the National Resource Center (NRC) for OLLIs, which produced a…

The purpose of this research was to examine the accomplishments and obstacles of central office administrators who have followed traditional educational career paths with those who have followed non-traditional paths. The demographic markers, educational backgrounds, administrative responsibilities and tasks, and significant positive and negative…

This study is a longitudinal descriptive study that applied the quantitative methodology of descriptive statistics as well as multi-variate correlation to the data. The purpose of this study was to examine how high stakes testing affects the stress levels of high school teachers. The study examined how the stress levels of teachers change as state…

Purpose: The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the degree of effectiveness and preferences as it related to various computer-based training (CBT) and instructor-based training (IBT) types as perceived by baby boomer, Generation X, and millennial generational Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific (SSC Pacific) employees…

Paramedic program accreditation and individual performance on the national paramedic certification examination were analyzed in this study. In 2008, the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians mandated paramedic program accreditation by January 1, 2013. Contemporary literature has not addressed the impact of program accreditation on…

In an educational landscape where teacher evaluation methods are increasingly discussed and scrutinized in research offices, legislatures, and school buildings, the differences in policy and instrumentation among states and school districts can paint a confusing picture of these varying methods and their impacts. To help assess the picture in…

Student evaluations of teaching (SETs) are one of the most universally used forms of measuring instructor effectiveness, and accurately measuring the effectiveness of the instructor ultimately leads to better curriculum and more knowledgeable students. Studies have been completed in an attempt to relate the SETs to the grades students received, to…

Millions of Americans profess belief in God and follow a Protestant Christian belief system. However, very little research or literature explores their participation in religious adult education. Several areas within adult education are exhaustively researched such as health care, leisure, and career related courses, but studies within religion go…

The research project described herein was designed to measure teacher education students' epistemological beliefs. Teacher education students' epistemological beliefs were compared according to participants' academic and demographic characteristics as well as characteristics of the courses in which students are enrolled at the time of study data…