Does Merit Aid Program Design Matter? A Cross-Cohort Analysis

Twenty-one US states currently offer some form of merit-based postsecondary financial aid, although the generosity and eligibility requirements of merit aid programs varies from state to state. This article uses nationally representative data from high school students in the early 1990s and the early 2000s to evaluate the relationship between the design of merit aid programs and their effects on student achievement and college trajectories. The findings suggest that programs that guarantee full tuition to recipients have greater effects on students’ high school course-taking and college choice than less generous programs. Further, I find provisional evidence to suggest that programs with relatively simple merit-based eligibility requirements are more effective than programs with more complex means-tested eligibility requirements.     

Does Institutional Aid Compensate for or Comply with State Policy?

To what extent does state policy for student financial aid affect the distribution of institutional aid awarded to students at public institutions? Using data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey we employ a Tobit model to investigate the relationship between student characteristics, including family income and academic qualifications, and the amount of student financial aid awarded from institutional sources at public masters’ and bachelors’ degree granting institutions. We then ask if the institutional aid is awarded in a manner that complements or compensates for the student financial aid policy in the state. The results support our hypothesis that state policy for student financial aid affects the distribution of institutional aid, but instead of institutional compensation for state policy, we observe what appears to be compliance.     

Priced Out?

While the literature on postsecondary student success identifies important academic and social factors associated with student outcomes, one question that persists concerns the influence of financial aid. We use the National Student Clearinghouse’s StudentTracker service to develop a more complete model of student success that accommodates opportunities for students to choose to either graduate from the university of first-entry, graduate from a transfer university, or depart from college without a degree. The multinomial regression model reveals differential effects of financial aid. Results suggest that loan aid appears to encourage students to search out alternative institutions or drop out of college entirely, and merit aid appears to increase the likelihood of students persisting and graduating from the university of first-entry.     

Does Lamaze “Work”?

In answer to a reader's question, this column affirms that Lamaze preparation for birth is important and valuable.     

Does fiscal dependency matter? Aid elasticities for dependent and independent school districts

In New York state, there is a perception that the fiscally dependent status of the five large city school districts creates an impediment to the attainment of standards. I attempt to assess the impact of fiscal dependence on educational spending. The results suggest that levels of spending may be systematically lower in the fiscally dependent districts. There is, however, little evidence that the general purpose governments to which these districts are fiscally dependent “steal” a disproportionate share of state aid for education. I conclude by evaluating policies that could mitigate any detrimental impact that fiscal dependence might have. This evaluation leads me to the conclusion that, even if spending levels are inadequate, elimination of fiscal dependency may not be the best policy for addressing this problem. Instead, policy makers may want to consider governance changes that would better align responsibilities for allocating revenues to the schools and for governing the schools.     

In or Out?

Ourdog,Bobby,usedtositoutsideourfrontgateandbark(吠).Everytimehewantedtocomeintothegarden,hewouldbarkuntilsomeoneopenedthegate.Astheneighbourscomplainedofthenoise,myhusbandspentweekstraininghimtopresshispaw(爪子)onthelatch(插销)tolethimselfin.Bobbysoonbecameanexpertatopeningthegate.However,whenIwasgoingoutshoppinglastweek,Inoticedhiminthegardennearthegate.Thistimehewasbarkingsothatsomeonewouldlethimout!Sincethen,hehasde鄄velopedanotherbadhabit(习惯).Assoonasheopensthegatefromtheoutside,heco…     

Aiding or Dissuading? The Effects of Reducing Lifetime Eligibility Limits for Need-Based Aid on Bachelor’s Degree Attainment and Time to Completion

Research in Higher Education - Little is known about the effects of need-based financial aid disbursed late into college and how students respond when they approach lifetime limits for receiving...     

Is Anyone Out There Listening?

It is aprimary premise of pediatrics that a healthy childhood lifestyle provides a strong base for adult health. A child raised in a healthy environment who follows a healthy lifestyle is more likely to become a healthy adult. Thus, if the factors that predispose a child to marginal health can be modified, then both the child and the resultant grown adult will benefit. This review seeks to provide answers to the question of whether the physical activity patterns of many children in the western world today predispose them to a greater risk of skeletal fragility and osteoporosis later in life.     

备受高考青睐的“Out”短语

在高考中,动词历来是考查的重点,其中对动词短语的考查占有很大的比重,这类题目主要考查动词短语（词组）的含义辨析以及在特定语境中的灵活运用。     

“Coming Out” in a Feminist Classroom

Ideological differences in a writing class evoke the passion of political sensitivities. A graduate student tells of “coming out” as a pro-life advocate in an essay before his feminist classmates and professor. The exchange created instant and irreconcilable enemies, but he also found some unexpected support from a hesitant voice within that classroom.

“The Secret Is Out”说课设计

高中英语教学应当既重知识又重能力,尤其是阅读能力。英语教材是英语语言输入的首要途径,因此,阅读课既不能上成语法（包括词法和句法）讲授课,也不能不教语法,而应坚持以旧带新、先泛读后精读、由浅入深的原则,采用知识讲授与能力训练穿插进行的方法来组织。同时,还要以课文为依托进行英语文化教学。     

Does “teaching presence” exist in online MBA courses?

This paper assesses the construct validity of the dimensions of teaching presence, one of three types of presence articulated in Garrison, Anderson, and Archer's [Garrison, D.R., Anderson, T., and Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and higher education, 2, 87–105.] Community of Inquiry model of online learning. Using items to measure these characteristics developed by Shea and colleagues [Shea, P.J., Fredericksen, E.E., Pickett, A.M., and Pelz, W.E. (2003). A preliminary investigation of “teaching presence” in the SUNY learning network. In J. Bourne and J.C. Moore (Eds.) Elements of quality online education: Practice and direction, 4, 279–312. Needham, MA: Sloan Center for OnLine Education.], a sample of 191 MBA students was used to test the posited model through a structural equation model. The results revealed that dropping some of the measurement items produced a stable model with good fit between the data and the model. This is one of the first studies to establish construct validity for the components of teaching presence, suggesting that it is a valid framework for studying online management education. It also points to the potential of the broader Community of Inquiry model for further research and application in online management education.