Most public school teachers in the United States are enrolled in defined benefit (DB) pension plans. Using administrative micro data from four states, combined with national pension funding data, we show these plans have accumulated substantial unfunded liabilities -- effectively debt -- owing to previous plan operations. On average across 49…

The number of nontraditional students enrolled in higher education is rising, but retention of these students is a challenge. This study used a qualitative framework to examine the experiences of nontraditional undergraduate students in a university setting. Nine participants completed open-ended questionnaires, and we transcribed and coded the…

The rapidly changing landscape of 21st-century education has sparked intense conversations around the need for a more racially and ethnically diverse PK-12 teacher population. Drawing from critical race theory and racial formation, I describe findings from a qualitative case study that examined how a group of black millennial preservice teachers…

The authors analyze survey data from four groups of children (urban children, migrant children, rural left-behind children, and ordinary rural children) to explore their social resource access with respect to educational resources, health resources, and family support. The study finds that urban children are advantaged in all three areas compared…

In light of the Danish government's goal of 95% of every cohort achieving higher education by 2015, we investigate educational mobility in Denmark. Following 800,000 Danes and their parents, we found that children of parents with only basic education had a three-times-higher risk of achieving only basic education, compared with the children of…

We study the link between parental selection and children criminality in a new context. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, East Germany experienced an unprecedented temporary drop in fertility driven by economic uncertainty. We exploit this natural experiment to estimate that the children from these (smaller) cohorts are 40 percent more likely to…

The aim of this study is to investigate the complexity of past experiences with ICT, pedagogical beliefs, and attitude toward ICT in education that the Net Generation student teachers have about their intention to teach and learn with technology. This study has a particular focus on their lived experiences as school students where ICT related…

There is much debate in academic advising practitioner literature and in the popular media over the influence exerted by involved parents on students and colleges. There is a broad consensus that parental involvement has increased to levels not previously witnessed on college campuses (Cutright, 2008; Shoup, Gonyea, & Kuh, 2009; Wartman &…

Education is witnessing an increasing demand for technology use in the classroom. At the same time, new teachers are entering the profession in high numbers, some being labeled as "Digital Natives" while others are labeled "Digital Immigrants". This qualitative case study investigated the technology practices of Digital Native and Digital…

Contemporary young people are engaged in a variety of information behaviors, such as information seeking, using, sharing, and creating. The ways youth interact with information have transformed in the shifting digital information environment; however, relatively little empirical research exists and no theoretical framework adequately explains…

This study investigated the informal learning experiences expressed by Taiwanese adults (aged from 16 to 97) and examined their involvement related to selected socio-demographic characteristics. Data of the 2008 Adult Education Participation Survey in Taiwan and Fujian Area were used to look at different variables of adults' demographic…

A significant change is coming to American classrooms. As Baby Boomer teachers retire and are replaced by members of Generation Y (born between 1977 and 1995) there is growing evidence that they come from a far different set of experiences, experiences that will shape their lives and their careers (Coggins, 2008). Members of Gen Y share several…

Current educational initiatives encourage the use of authentic learning environments to realistically prepare students for jobs in a constantly changing world. Many students of the Millennial generation may be social media savvy. However, what can be said about learning conditions and student readiness for active, reflective and collaborative…