Estimating the impact of school feeding programs: Evidence from mid day meal scheme of India

This paper studies the impact of the world's largest free school lunch program (Mid Day Meal Scheme) on school enrollment in India. While the program was launched nationally, its implementation has been scattered within and across states. Using an instrumental variable approach, this paper estimates local average treatment effect of receiving free meals in school on children's enrollment in primary school. The findings of this paper suggest that the mid-day meal scheme increased the probability of enrollment in primary school and on-time enrollment in first grade. An analysis of heterogeneity in results shows that the program had larger effect on socially disadvantaged groups and on girls. Specifically, the analysis found the effect of the mid-day meal program on girls to be almost twice its effect on boys for primary school enrollment, suggesting that the program had a positive impact on reducing the gender gap in school participation.     

Effects of social class and school conditions on educational enrollment and achievement of boys and girls in rural Viet Nam

This study examines the effects of parental SES, school quality, and community factors on children's enrollment and achievement in rural areas in Viet Nam, using logistic regression and ordered logistic regression. Multivariate analysis reveals significant differences in educational enrollment and outcomes by level of household expenditures and parental education, especially mother's education. Mother's status is more important in determining school enrollment than educational outcome. In contrast, father's education increases the probability of learning. Once school quality is taken into account, differentials between the majority Kinh and ethnic minorities are not significant. Girls still do not have equal access to education, since girls doing badly in school drop out, while their male counterparts remain in school. The presence of a school in poor village does not override the effects of family background on educational enrollment. Controlling for school quality actually increases gap in educational enrollment by household expenditures and village income. Although educational costs consume, on average, one quarter of household expenditures per capita, school fees do not determine school enrollment, because many of the poor already receive exemption from or reduction in these fees.     

Does more schooling imply improved learning? Evidence from the Kanyashree Prakalpa in India

Studies on Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programs have documented positive effects on school enrollment though evidence on learning outcomes is mixed. Using representative data, we evaluate one of the largest CCT programs, Kanyashree Prakalpa (KP), which was implemented in the state of West Bengal, India, in 2013. In particular, we examine the effect on female school enrollment and learning outcomes. Exploiting the timing of the program implementation for identification and applying difference-in-difference regressions, we document a positive effect on enrollment with no discernible impact on secondary and higher secondary school completion. We also observe significant improvements in lower-level learning outcomes but a marked deterioration in higher-level skills like solving simple division problems. Complementary investments like classroom availability and teacher attendance appear to have fallen after the implementation of KP, which explains the decline in learning skills despite higher schooling exposure, thereby underscoring the need for supply-side interventions in school amenities.     

Where the boys aren't: non-cognitive skills, returns to school and the gender gap in higher education

Nearly 60 percent of college students today are women. Using longitudinal data on a nationally representative cohort of eighth grade students in 1988, I examine two potential explanations for the differential attendance rates of men and women—returns to schooling and non-cognitive skills. The attendance gap is roughly five percentage points for all high school graduates. Conditional on attendance, however, there are few differences in type of college, enrollment status or selectivity of institution. The majority of the attendance gap can be explained by differences in the characteristics of men and women, despite some gender differences in the determinants of college attendance. I find that higher non-cognitive skills and college premiums among women account for nearly 90 percent of the gender gap in higher education. Interestingly, non-cognitive factors continue to influence college enrollment after controlling for high school achievement.     

‘Females Don’t Need to be Reluctant’: Employing Design Thinking to Harness Creative Confidence and Interest in STEAM

There is great gender gap in mathematics and science among countries around the world, but the gender gap is one of the largest in Japan. In order to address this issue, we evaluated an educational intervention to empower the next generation of female youths by employing design thinking to ignite their interests in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) fields. In this article, we explain the rationale for the intervention, describe the unique three‐day curriculum employing design thinking, and share the results from the intervention. There are four key findings of our study. After participating in the workshop, the middle school female students showed greater interest in STEAM fields, demonstrated increased levels of creative confidence, cultivated a greater sense of empathy for others, and exhibited greater appreciation for collaboration. This study highlights the possibilities and opportunities for using design thinking to encourage female youths to become more interested in STEAM fields.     

Exploring the Relationship between State Financial Aid Policy and Postsecondary Enrollment Choices: A Focus on Income and Race Differences

This study explores the relationship between state financial aid policies and postsecondary enrollment for high school graduates (or equivalent diploma holders). Utilizing an event history modeling for a nationally representative sample from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS:88/2000) in addition to state-level policy variables, this study examined how state aid policies differentially affect students’ postsecondary enrollment choices depending on their family income and race/ethnicity between the years 1992 through 2000. The findings demonstrate that there is a clear and consistent gap in college enrollment for students who are from different income and race/ethnic groups, and that changes in state financial aid policy are significantly related with the type of institutions a student attends across income and racial groups. The study findings have important implications for state aid policy as well as future research on the role of public financial aid policy in college choice of students from different income and racial/ethnic backgrounds.     

The Influence of Dual Enrollment on Academic Performance and College Readiness: Differences by Socioeconomic Status

I examine the influence of dual enrollment, a program that allows students to take college courses and earn college credits while in high school, on academic performance and college readiness. Advocates consider dual enrollment as a way to transition high school students into college, and they further claim that these programs benefit students from low socioeconomic status (SES). However, few researchers examine the impact of dual enrollment on academic performance and college readiness, in particular, whether SES differences exist in the impact of dual enrollment. Even fewer researchers consider the extent to which improved access to dual enrollment reduces SES gaps in academic performance and college readiness. I find that participation in dual enrollment increases first-year GPA and decreases the likelihood for remediation. I conduct sensitivity analysis and find that results are resilient to large unobserved confounders that could affect both selection to dual enrollment and the outcome. Moreover, I find that low-SES students benefit from dual enrollment as much as high-SES students. Finally, I find that differences in program participation account for little of the SES gap in GPA and remediation.     

Inclusive education in Sweden? A critical analysis

When it comes to pupils in need of special support and pupils with disabilities, Sweden’s compulsory school system is sometimes considered a one‐track system. This article analyses and critically discusses current policy and practices at various levels of Sweden’s compulsory school system for these pupils. The analysis traces three themes at the national and municipal levels: (1) values and goals; (2) organisation and placement of pupils; and (3) importance of categories in obtaining support. A rather complex picture emerges from this analysis. Several conclusions are made: (1) state policies leave a lot of room for interpretation at the municipal and school levels, and this results in an extensive variation; (2) Swedish state policy is not as inclusive as is often stated; (3) celebration of difference seems to be hard to achieve; (4) learning goals can be a double‐edged sword with regard to inclusion; and (5) most pupils appear to enjoy participation in school, and in an international perspective, Swedish classrooms seem to be largely democratic.     

Ready or not: Associations between participation in subsidized child care arrangements,pre-kindergarten,and Head Start and children's school readiness

Research has found disparities in young children's development across income groups. A positive association between high-quality early care and education and the school readiness of children in low-income families has also been demonstrated. This study uses linked administrative data from Maryland to examine the variations in school readiness associated with different types of subsidized child care, and with dual enrollment in subsidized child care and state pre-kindergarten or Head Start. Using multivariate methods, we analyze linked subsidy administrative data and portfolio-based kindergarten school readiness assessment data to estimate the probability of children's school readiness in three domains: personal and social development, language and literacy, and mathematical thinking. Compared to children in subsidized family child care or informal care, those in subsidized center care are more likely to be rated as fully ready to learn on the two pre-academic domains. Regardless of type of subsidized care used, enrollment in pre-kindergarten, but not Head Start, during the year prior to kindergarten is strongly associated with being academically ready for kindergarten. No statistically significant associations are found between type of subsidized care, pre-kindergarten enrollment, or Head Start and assessments of children's personal/social development.     

高职院校服务质量实证研究——以我国27个省、市、自治区高职院校应届毕业生抽样调查为例

根据用户满意度理论和利益相关者理论,编制"学生评价高等职业教育服务质量评量表",并对我国27个省、市、自治区28所高职院校应届毕业生进行在线抽样调查。结果显示,学生的总体满意度较低,为74分,期望值为81.4分,满意度与期望值的差距值为7.36分;学生对"关心学生"、"入学与学籍管理"、"收费"、"校园安全"评价较高;对"学校生活环境"、"实践教学"与"就业服务"评价较低。研究发现,学生评价结果与人才培养水平评估结果、与学校是否是示范性学校关系不密切,与教师、学校管理人员的评价也不同;加强对学生的学习与实践指导、密切校企合作、提高选修课程比例和创造更舒适的校园生活环境是改进高职院校服务质量的优先事项。     

Is there a quantity–quality trade-off as pupil–teacher ratios increase? Evidence from Tamil Nadu,India

Developing countries have been quite successful at expanding enrollments in education, especially at the lower levels. But for any given level of efficiency, increased enrollments require increased resources, in order to maintain quality. If these resources are not forthcoming, the increase in educational quantity may come at the expense of quality. Is there a quantity–quality trade-off and what public policies can diminish it, in the face of strong constraints on public budgets? This paper explores the negative impact of such an enrollment expansion—unaccompanied by increased numbers of teachers—on school conditions and learning, using a cross-district time series analysis of Tamil Nadu, India as a case in point. It examines alternative policies which can be used to avoid such negative effects—by more efficient use of existing public resources and by expansion of over-all educational resources through greater reliance on private management and finance.     

Skills, standards, and disabilities: How youth with learning disabilities fare in high school and beyond

Learning disabled youth in the Child and Young Adult samples of the NLSY79 are more likely to graduate from high school than peers with the same measured cognitive ability, a difference that cannot be explained by differences in noncognitive skills, families, or school resources. Instead, I find that learning disabled students graduate from high school at higher rates than youth with the same cognitive abilities because of high school graduation policies that make it easier for learning disabled youth to obtain a high school diploma. The effects of these graduation policies are even more remarkable given that I find evidence that learning disabled youth have less unmeasured human capital than observationally equivalent youth as after high school they are less likely to be employed or continue on to college and earn less than their observationally equivalent non-learning disabled peers.     

Naturally Acquired Mentoring Relationships and Young Adult Outcomes Among Adolescents with Learning Disabilities

We evaluated whether having a naturally acquired mentor during adolescence was associated with improved adult outcomes among youth with learning disabilities (YLD). Mentored youth were more likely to have graduated from high school, reported a higher level of self‐esteem, and reported a higher overall number of positive outcomes than nonmentored youth. Mentorship by teachers/guidance counselors was associated with larger differences in high school graduation rates and self‐esteem compared to nonmentored youth whereas mentorship by nonteachers was associated with smaller changes in self‐esteem and no differences in high school completion rates. Future research should include more in‐depth, objective assessments of youths’ learning disabilities, consideration of interactions with concurrent risk factors, and efforts to clarify optimal strategies for mentoring support of YLD.     

高职护理新生心理健康状况调查分析

目的：了解高职护理新生的心理健康状况,为高职护理新生的心理健康教育提供依据。方法：用症状自评量表（SCL-90）为评价工具,对本院296名高职护理新生的心理健康状况进行调查,将SCL-90测查值与普通大学生常模进行比较,并对不同生源学生的测量值进行比较。结果：与大学生常模相比,高职护理新生的九个影响因子均低于普通大学生常模,且有极显著意义（P〈0.01）;普高生源高职护理新生的心理健康状况除敌对因子外,其它因子均高于中职生源高职护理新生。结论：高职护理新生总体心理健康状况较好,中职生源学生的心理健康状况优于普高生源学生。     

Parental choice of schooling,learning processes and inter-ethnic friendship patterns: The case of Malay students in Chinese primary schools in Malaysia

This study surveys 200 Malay students enrolled in three Chinese primary schools in relation to three issues, i.e., parental choice of schooling, learning processes and inter-ethnic friendship patterns. The three issues are explored through a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Parental expectations for their children's learning and academic outcomes emerge as the dominant factor influencing Malay enrollment in Chinese primary schools. Unfortunately, the Malay students are unable to meet these high expectations due to learning difficulties that stem from the lack of proficiency in the Chinese-medium of instruction, despite intervening measures by the school authorities. Their learning difficulties are also compounded by the lack of parental inputs as well as the limited use of code-switching by teachers. Meanwhile, the fostering of inter-ethnic friendships is impeded by ethnic differences, the rise of Islamic awareness and the increased numerical size of Malay students. However, there is a willingness among the Malay students to interact with the Chinese students through task-related activities, indicating that the fostering of inter-ethnic friendships needs to be guided by a convergence of interests.     

Gender gaps in early wage expectations

Using detailed data from a unique survey of high school graduates in Germany, we document a gender gap in expected full-time earnings of more than 15%. We decompose this early gender gap and find that especially differences in coefficients help explain different expectations. In particular, the effects of having time for family as career motive and being first-generation college student are associated with large penalties in female wage expectations exclusively. This is especially true for higher expected career paths. Resulting expected returns to education are associated with college enrollment of women and could thus entrench subsequent gaps in realized earnings.     

自闭症谱系障碍儿童与普通儿童入学成熟水平的比较

从全国幼儿园大班儿童入学成熟水平标准化测量数据库中的四万多个样本中随机抽取100名普通儿童,同时选取47名自闭症谱系障碍儿童入学成熟水平的有效数据,探究自闭症谱系障碍儿童与普通儿童在入学成熟水平方面的差异。结果表明,自闭症谱系障碍儿童在视知觉能力、听知觉能力、运动协调能力、知觉转换能力、数学准备能力、语言沟通能力、社会适应能力、学习品质八个入学成熟水平维度上均显著低于普通儿童。参照本研究结果,可为随班就读的自闭症谱系障碍儿童做好全面科学的入学准备提出合理建议。     

土地资源管理硕士研究生招生情况分析——以中国地质大学(北京)为例

从历年土地资源管理专业硕士研究生的招生情况入手,重点分析2004-2011年期间研究生的招生数量、生源结构、本科专业、性别比例、生源地及考试成绩的变化情况,总结了其变化特征。研究结果表明:(1)随着专业培养水平的提升及硕士研究生导师队伍的壮大,招生的数量有所增加;(2)学缘的结构逐渐多元化,外校生源的比例在增加,但是学缘结构有待进一步优化;(3)专业的交叉也越来越明显,越来越多的相关专业的学生报考土地资源管理专业;(4)考生成绩的分差相对比较大,学生成绩个体差异相对明显;(5)性别比例和生源地存在不均衡现象;(6)与国家线的分差在逐渐减少,并且录取学生的总体水平基本上与自划线高校考生的水平相当。因此,还需要适当调整招生政策,进一步优化生源结构。     

Exploratory two-level analysis of individual- and school-level factors on truant youth emotional/psychological functioning

Research on samples of truant adolescents is limited, with little known about mental health problems among truant youths. This study provided an exploratory, multilevel examination of mental health problems for a sample of 300 truant adolescents. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a single factor of multiple mental health problems at the individual level, but the structure of these problems was not the same at the school level. A number of covariate effects were found at the individual level on the mental health factor. Further, youths attending middle school were more likely to report attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) problems than those in high school. Service and practice implications of better understanding school and mental health issues of truant youth are discussed.     

天津开放大学专向培养班招生模式的实践研究

开放大学作为没有围墙的新型大学,是高等教育的重要组成部分,是实现终身学习、构建学习社会的重要载体,招生作为办学的首要环节,对开放大学发展起着重要作用。从天津开放大学专向培养班新型招生模式入手,探索招生改革的可行性,并提出相应的保障措施,为开放大学招生改革实践提供参考。