Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Educational finance'

This study examined strategies teachers are implementing for personal finance instruction in answer to the state financial-literacy mandates in Central Texas. One-on-one interviews, focus groups, and document analysis found that teachers are relying on personal experience, community resources, and Internet resources to instruct in personal finance in absence of personal finance curricula. No data emerged that school districts were providing resources; however, administrators are willing to provide resources if they were available. Teachers are using a variety of creative methods to enhance personal financial literacy in the classroom. Sporadic in-service/professional-development opportunities were available to train teachers in personal financial-literacy instruction; however, many teachers opted not to participate in those events, selecting to depend on their own personal experiences as background. Data from this study also found that there was no evidence of teachers being involved in the curriculum-change process for personal financial-literacy education.

Purpose. This purpose of this correlational study using Joo’s (2008) financial wellness framework was to determine the impact of an online financial literacy workshop on student subjective knowledge, dependent on indicators of stress, behavior, and objective knowledge, when controlling for demographic differences at a large public university.

Methodology. A quantitative correlational research design was used to interpret how student indicators of financial wellness explain subjective knowledge gained as a result of participating in the financial workshop when controlling for demographic and background characteristics. The sample population for this archival study included 2,550 university undergraduate students who participated in the Financial Literacy 101 online financial education system as a pilot program from November 2012 to January 2017.

Findings. All variables were run as a single model hierarchical multiple linear regression to control for variables and closely look at the relationships of the independent variables of interest in this study—financial stress, credit card behavior, and objective knowledge—and students’ subjective financial knowledge. Analyses of the research questions revealed mixed results. There were significant individual contributions to the model for the independent variables of gender-female, Hispanic/Latino, financial stress, and objective knowledge. Credit card behavior was not a significant predictor of students’ subjective financial knowledge.

Conclusions. The Financial Literacy 101 online education program was effective in increasing student subjective knowledge. Students who had higher financial stress levels before the workshop or who scored higher on the objective knowledge quiz scores were more likely to rate their subjective knowledge gained from the financial workshop positively after controlling for all other variables; there were no significant differences in students’ subjective knowledge dependent on credit card behaviors before the workshop.

Recommendations. Redesigning the instrument to better capture measures of financial wellness and to allow institutions to design data-informed customized interventions for their specific populations will magnify the program’s impact. The possibilities for informing the financial education community with large scale research could be significant because the product is used by over 100,000 students annually.

The purpose of this study is to determine if Title V HSI grants and expenditures in instruction, academic support, and student services at 4-year Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) account for observed differences in the graduation rates of Latinas/os and the percent of bachelor’s degree completions of Latina/o students, and whether HSIs are equitable in the proportion of bachelor’s degrees awarded to Latinas/os. HSIs are colleges and universities that enroll 25% or more full time equivalent (FTE) undergraduate Latina/o students. In general, the purpose of the federal Title V HSI grant is to fund programs to enhance the educational attainment of Latina/os. This study uses Tinto’s (2012) framework for institutional action advancing that colleges and universities that establish support programs designed to promote students’ success eventually see those programs translate into improved institutional graduation outcomes. A nationally representative sample of 75 four-year accredited, bachelor’s degree granting institutions of higher education with at least 25% undergraduate Latina/o students by 2012 fall was selected from the Integrated Postsecondary Data System (IPEDS) for this study. Consistent with prior research, statistical analyses revealed that expenditures in academic support and student services are significantly associated with graduation rates of Latina/os, however, the expenditures in instruction was not a significant predictor of graduation rates of Latina/os. The role of Title V HSI grants was significant when the variable that accounted for the percentage of undergraduate Latinas/os was removed from the analysis. Title V grantees experienced a greater number of bachelor’s degrees completions conferred on Latinas/os when compared to other HSIs in the sample. On average, HSIs were equitable in conferring bachelor’s degrees on Latina/os. Future research should investigate expenditures in instructional activities that are directly associated with student learning at HSIs, and the type of Title V grant-funded activities that are greater predictors of Latina/o student success.

An increase in the property tax rate of a school district creates an increase in local revenues for the district (Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. [MODESE], 2017). The overarching question becomes: Do increases in the local tax levy compare to improved student performance? The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the difference between property tax rates of Missouri public school districts to student performance as viewed through the lens of benefit tax theory (Duff, 2004). Secondary data were obtained via the MODESE which included property tax rates and information from the Annual Performance Reports for public school districts for academic years 2014–2015, 2015–2016, and 2016–2017. The categories examined from the Annual Performance Reports were: academic achievement, subgroup achievement, career and college, attendance, and graduation. Public schools with higher tax rates were found to have the best attendance rates and the highest graduation rates. Overall, public school districts with higher tax rates realized higher Annual Performance Report scores.

In this autoethnography, I examine the challenges I faced as a private-to-public-sector novice CFO entering a resource-constrained 41-thousand-student K-12 urban school district in Colorado. This study chronicles how I deliberately slowed down my interactions within a complex adaptive system (CAS) through ethnographic interviewing to identify the relationships, processes, and tools; and create the conditions necessary to align and optimize resources at the district level to improve student outcomes. There is scant research on how a new K-12 education CFO transitions from a traditional budget-manager approach toward one that promotes inquiry and cost-effectiveness.

Unlike CFOs in the private sector, oftentimes I was estranged from strategic and capital-allocation decisions, particularly around instruction. I lacked the time, skilled staff, and resources to perform fundamental cost-benefit analyses.

I had come to work in a school system after obtaining an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and working in Wall Street for 20 years. Having no experience working in the public sector more generally or education more specifically, I came with a particular mindset and approach not altogether suited for this environment. Consequently, my transition to this new milieu was quite chaotic. I intentionally embraced entry planning as a way to make sense of a CAS that oftentimes defied comprehensive analysis.

I learned, slowly, that successful entry required intellectual rigor and emotional sensitivity. I repeatedly found that interventions based on adaptive change that fundamentally shifts how works gets done increased employees’ anxiety. I assumed the roles of researcher, learner, and knower in evolving an induction approach that recognized entry never stopped because the CAS never rested.

I explore entry through three case studies. The first of these pertains to my participation in Teachers’ Master Agreement Negotiations; the second centers on my engagement with Nutrition Services, a low-status but high-value allocator of resources; and the third analyzes how I merged the roles of CFO and educator to increase my district’s understanding of municipal-bond finance in preparation for a general-obligation bond offering.

Keywords: CFO entry; entry planning; complex adaptive systems; teachers’ negotiations; nutrition services; school finance

The gaps of school funding and student achievement are particularly pronounced in Illinois, raising statewide concerns about the inequity of school funding and the injustice of the achievement gap. While Illinois educators generally recognize the differences in funding levels and achievement levels in Illinois schools, studies to determine the relationships between the two are lacking. This study examines the relationship between per pupil spending and student achievement in Illinois elementary schools. This study also examines the relationship between student achievement and racial composition of the school and between student achievement and poverty level of the school. Additionally, relationships between per pupil spending and racial composition of the school and per pupil spending and poverty level of the school are examined. Finally, this study investigates the perceptions of principals on how funding inequity in their school affects student achievement.

Small private colleges are an important part of the higher education system. The cost of attending a small private college has increased along with student debt. This has become an issue in the recruitment and retention of students. Loan repayment assistance programs represent a possible solution to the student debt issue for small private colleges, and a path to their continued viability. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to investigate the changes to freshmen enrollment after the implementation of a loan repayment assistance program at a small private college. The proposed study examined changes between the pre and post implementation of a loan repayment assistance program for incoming freshmen. The student variables examined were the total number of newly enrolled freshmen, their SAT scores, and their initial loan balances. The population for the study was a small private college in Salem, Oregon that recently implemented a loan repayment assistance program. The results showed no statistically significant difference in the number χ² (1) = .69, ρ > .05 or the SAT scores t (383) = .10, ρ > .05 of the 2014-15 versus the 2013-14 freshman classes. However, the results did show a statistically significant different in the initial loan balance t (383) = .006, ρ < .05. Freshman students had larger loan balances after the implementation of a loan repayment assistance program.

This dissertation examines three unique, but related, research questions as three separate studies. In the first study, I examine the impact of accountability implementation on vertical equity of inputs. I compare changes in vertical equity at the time of NCLB implementation in states that had not previously implemented accountability policies?the treatment group?to states that had previously implemented NCLB-like policies?the control group. I find that the implementation of accountability policies did not improve vertical equity by distributing more resources to high poverty districts and potentially had a negative impact on vertical equity as low poverty districts potentially increased revenue and spending more than high poverty districts as a result of accountability implementation. In the second study, I examine the impact of an accountability policy change that identifies the bottom 5% of schools for corrective action. These schools, known as priority schools, must show increased performance within three years or face the threat of closure. I show that priority schools near the cutoff for determining priority status did not improve relative to those not receiving such designation, and in fact they performed increasingly worse in the three years subsequent to priority designation. In the third and final study, I investigate the impact of court-ordered education finance reform in New York State on equity of educational inputs. I find that equity of inputs in New York did not improve relative to states that did not undergo reform of their system of education funding. This indicates little to no impact of court-ordered education finance reform in New York. I also show that had the finance reform been implemented as intended, there would have been substantial improvements to both vertical and horizontal equity. Therefore, the lack of results seen in New York stems from a lack of follow through rather than a poorly designed plan for fixing equity of inputs.

The Davis Teachers Association has asserted that the Davis Joint Unified School District’s (DJUSD’s) beginning salary steps are lower than the starting salary steps of districts that the district competes against for the same pool of qualified teachers, and that, as a result, the DJUSD is unable to recruit high-quality teachers. Complicating this matter, the 2007–2012 recession significantly decreased the number of college graduates entering the teaching profession in California; the resulting teacher shortage makes the recruitment and retention of teachers very competitive among school districts. Viewing this issue within the context of starting salary and career earnings magnifies the need for districts to be creative in the way they advertise their salary schedules.

To assist school districts with the creative presentation of their salary schedules, this study develops the cumulative salary index (CSI). Simply defined, CSIs calculate total salary earnings for a specific block of time. Within that context, the aim of this study is to understand how beginning and ending salary differences between DJUSD and 12 other Sacramento-region school districts influence long-term earnings for teachers. From that standpoint, I ask two research questions. First, how do specific steps on the Davis teacher salary schedule compare to similar salary steps of 12 other Sacramento-region school districts that compete for the same beginning and veteran teachers, before and after integrating health benefits? Second, do districts that offer higher first and final salary steps have greater CSIs than those that offer lower first and final salary steps? I also examine the influence(s) that school site and district environmental conditions may have on teacher recruitment and retention.

I use a straightforward methodology to answer the research questions. To address the first research question, I compare specific salary steps for each of the 13 study districts, before and after the integration of health benefits. To answer the second research question, I develop educational pathway scenarios and five-year block scenarios to measure and compare the 13 districts’ various CSIs. The findings show that DJUSD’s overall salary ranks pretty low across a variety of cells and CSIs in comparison to the other study districts. The findings also reveal that the integration of health benefits into the teacher salary schedule either positively or negatively influences how a district’s salary ranks. Additionally, CSI comparisons between the 13 study districts reveal that just because a district has the lowest starting salary does not mean that its teachers will have the lowest career earnings. Finally, findings from this study provide additional evidence to the body of literature demonstrating that teachers are willing to compromise wages in exchange for favorable environmental conditions at school.

Based upon the observations made from this study, I recommend that school districts implement policies and practices that improve environmental conditions for teachers. As a way to provide a more comprehensive view of teacher salary, I also recommend that school districts create, promote, and utilize various CSIs when recruiting teachers.

The distribution of funds is critical to support quality education and represents large portions of school district's overall budget. With the increase of expenditures in education in the United States, the changes are not evident with increased student achievement. The problem that this study addressed is the spending of districts and student achievement growth. There has been mixed research evidence from the research regarding the relation between the size of a district’s educational budget and students’ level of educational achievement. Based upon the mixed results established by previous research, this study has determined, within the state of Illinois, if a relationship between the funding and student achievement growth exists. In particular, the study assesses the relation between expenditures in the instructional expenditures of school districts and student achievement growth. This study adds to the body of evidence on utilization of resources with particular emphasis on the budget spent for instruction and student achievement growth. In particular, the study assesses if there was a correlation between the instructional expenditures and academic achievement growth for public school districts in Illinois.

This quantitative longitudinal, causal comparative study of extant data investigated the relationship of the independent variables of instructional expenditures, district size, teacher experience level, and teacher salary level as they relate to student achievement growth. The determination of student achievement growth was measured by examining American College Testing (ACT) composite scores from one year to the next. A final analysis was completed to determine the evidence of a relationship over two years of study.

A further discussion of research results, their role in the larger field of student growth research, and suggestions for future research were provided. The summary of the research findings was shared regarding student achievement growth in relation to the proportion of the district's budget for the instructional expenditures, size of the district, type of district, income level of student families, teacher experience level, and teacher salary level.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover how school superintendents were using general fund referenda to meet their school district’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’ 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.

This qualitative, phenomenological case study was designed to illuminate the perceptions and experiences of eight undocumented community college students navigating the California public higher education systems with the aim of identifying factors associated with college persistence. These factors fall into three categories: financial, academic, and legal. The specific problem of interest is the lack of undocumented student persistence in California community colleges. Given that college students depend more on financial aid to reach their college goals; it is important to understand the relationship between California State funding and undocumented student persistence. A qualitative case study design enabled the exploration of undocumented students’ perceptions and experiences with financial assistance for college due to the new and changing federal and state immigration policies, and the academic and legal factors that contribute to their persistence. Emerging themes from interviews conducted with eight undocumented student participants were analyzed and coded. The financial factors contributing to persistence included understanding the financial aid process for undocumented students, information on grants and scholarships, and knowledge of AB540 for lower college fees. Academic factors contributing to persistence included support from: Faculty, Dream Club membership, Puente Project, EOPS, and Tutoring Centers. A welcoming campus environment was also a factor in having students feel safe to continue their education. Legal factors contributing to persistence included: knowledge of federal and state laws such as DACA, AB540, and the California DREAM act application for state aid.

One limitation of qualitative research is the reliance on small participant samples, which allows for in-depth explorations but limits generalization. The use of standardized instruments to capture the experiences of undocumented students would also facilitate comparison studies involving students at various institutions and in different states. Given the numerous variations in state and institutional policies this would help researchers, college administrators, and practitioners understand how different policies and practices affect the educational trajectories of undocumented students.

This qualitative study focuses on the duality of the principal-agent relationship experienced by elected community college trustees in the California Community Colleges system; i.e., their roles as principal to the agent role of employee unions, and the quasi agent role in the districts association with the state. It examines this relationship through the lens of the unintended consequences of Proposition 13, including the centralization of school finance at the state level, the de facto change of the property tax from a local tax to a state tax, and the removal of the power of taxation from local boards. The study includes interviews with nine current or former elected trustees whose service began prior to the 1978 enactment of Proposition 13. Four of the nine trustees still held elective office when the interviews for this study were performed in fall 2014.

The California Community Colleges funding model has rich historical, political, and cultural ties embedded in the model foundation. The general funding of the California Community Colleges is enrollment-based and shaped by a long history of legislation based on the K-12 education model. The funding is not tied to performance or outcomes and is driven by how many students are enrolled. Although there has been increased categorical funding in the California Community Colleges over the past 3 years to improve student success and equity, the overall persistence or completion rates of students remains low. Research has demonstrated that many other states are implementing an outcome-based or performance-based funding model to reduce the gaps and improve student success and fiscal sustainability. The purpose of the study was to explore the gaps in the current California Community Colleges funding model and the effect of these gaps on student success and fiscal sustainability for the California Community Colleges. The study additionally investigates effective models in order to design and develop a funding model that will support the mission and outcomes of the California Community Colleges system while planning for fiscal strength.

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 & 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 Thriving Quotient, 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 (M = 5.12, SD = .45) reported significantly higher thriving scores than their matched counterparts on the traditional campus ( M = 4.82, SD = .49, F[1, 616] = 62.871, p < .001, η² = .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.

The purpose of this study was to empirically analyze the determinants of charitable giving rates generationally among alumni of a private business college in the northeastern United States, with a focus on three areas: the unique cultural component of giving as it relates to the college and its entrepreneurial focus; the level of connectedness and involvement of the students to the college through co-curricular and affinity activities; and the demographics of the college, including the high number of international students that are attracted to study at this business college. These are examined through Park and Smith’s (2007) framework of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), which is an adaptation of Ajzen’s (1991) model of Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Background data for this study was provided by the Office of Alumni and Friends at Northeast College, which in April 2015 partnered with the Performance Enhancement Group Ltd. (PEG) to administer the Alumni Attitude Study. This survey instrument measures alumni perceptions and attitudes about their alma mater as well as their student and alumni experiences, and served as a basis for this study on alumni charitable giving. In addition, this particular study synthesizes literature related to affinity giving across a broad spectrum of colleges and universities.

With changing funding models and increased competition, academic institutions are increasingly looking for new ways to finance their missions. Business schools are turning to revenue diversification through new venturing to offset declining MBA enrollment, high business faculty salaries, and changes in accreditation standards that require more engagement with industry. Diversifying revenue streams is an important challenge for business schools in California, which has experienced significant cuts in public funding since 2000. With thousands of business students across 23 campuses representing the largest concentration of future business professionals in the country, the California State University (CSU) is on the frontlines of needing to innovate for new revenue and funding sources. Despite not having the expertise or infrastructure needed to successfully launch new ventures, CSU business schools recognize the need for revenue diversification strategies and are finding ways to implement these initiatives. The purpose of this study was to examine how business schools in the CSU system diversify revenue streams. Qualitative methods were used for this study in order to uncover the stories behind the success or failure of revenue diversification strategies intended to lead to new sources of revenue and increased investment for these institutions. The research questions addressed by this study included examining what CSU business schools have done to diversify revenue streams, who were the entrepreneurs in this context (i.e., who were the drivers and implementers of these initiatives), what organizational and financial structures were used for launching these ventures, how have these schools measured success, and what have they learned. The study findings are presented as descriptive case studies of four CSU business schools that represent new venturing lessons learned that ideally could be extended to other contexts and other institutions. These institutions are finding ways to be entrepreneurial despite the lack of resources, infrastructure, or support. They are launching new initiatives designed to generate revenue; throwing mud at the walls, and seeing what sticks!

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.

There is a common phrase used in India, Na Stree Swathantrayam Arhati, which translates into women not deserving independence. This ideology gives women a disadvantage at an early age in life. This study strives to strengthen the ability of women that are enduring disabilities, gender issues, and inequality in the home and work place. There has been increased research on the topic in India especially due to the increased discrimination against women in the country. Women’s empowerment can be viewed as women gaining control or power over their lives and this study strived to gain that.

This particular study is based on the 4 questions discussed in Giele’s (2008) life course research. The 4 questions cover topics of early adulthood, childhood and adolescence, current and future adulthood. An additional question was added to focus on strategies that women use for work-life balance. The 20 interviews that were administered and completed online were from a wide array of women in the field of finance. Throughout all the interviews one could feel the frustration of how difficult it was to create a work-life balance because of their identity and culture. There were 3 forms of criteria that needed to be met to participate in this study and they included: (a) have to be an Indian woman, (b) living in India, and (c) worked or working in finance.

The findings from this study has brought forth 56 strategies for work-life balance and within the 56 strategies nine themes emerged. From the 20 women interviewed 20 of them lived in India. They all had a finance background and were between the ages of 28-54. Overall 15 were Hindu, 2 Muslim, 2 Buddhist, and 1 Jainist. A majority of them were married with at least one child. There were 3 divorcees and 1 widow that participated as well. According to the demographic data 17 out of the 20 women had some college degree or more with one who attended technical school and 2 that graduated high school.