The female advantage in college academic achievements and horizontal sex segregation

This study offers a structural explanation for the female advantage in college completion rates, stressing the importance of horizontal sex segregation across fields of study in shaping educational outcomes and gender inequality. Results from a nationally representative sample of students who matriculated at 4-year institutions in 1995 reveal a high level of gender segregation by field of study. Field of study creates the immediate learning environment for the students and between-major differences in academic and social arrangements—such as different grading norms, academic intensity, size and social support—shape both female and male performance. We find that this variation is a key factor in the creation of the female advantage in grades and graduation likelihood. The simulation we conduct demonstrates that if sex integration were achieved and both groups had the male distribution of majors, the female advantage in graduation likelihood and grades, which remains after socioeconomic and academic factors are netted out, would be substantially reduced.     

Residential mobility during adolescence: Do even “upward” moves predict dropout risk?

This paper uses the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to investigate the impact of housing instability in adolescence on the likelihood of subsequent graduation from high school. Combining census data, self-reports, and information about respondents’ residential changes, we use the variation in households’ number of moves and neighborhood quality to predict whether participants obtain a high school diploma. Controlling for major predictors of housing mobility, students experiencing at least one move over a 12-month period have a roughly 50% decreased likelihood of obtaining a high school diploma by the age of 25. These associations are identified regardless of whether students move to a poorer or less-poor neighborhood. Our results carry implications for the development of housing policies and interventions designed for disadvantaged populations.     

SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL DIMENSIONS OF NEIGHBORHOOD EFFECTS ON HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION

Research into the effects of neighborhood characteristics on children’s behavior has burgeoned in recent years, but these studies have generally adopted a limited conceptualization of the spatial and temporal dimensions of neighborhood effects. We use longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and techniques of spatial data analysis to examine how both the socioeconomic characteristics of extralocal neighborhoods—neighborhoods surrounding the immediate neighborhood of residence—and the duration of exposure to disadvantaged neighborhoods throughout the childhood life course influence the likelihood of graduating from high school. Among blacks and whites, socioeconomic advantage in the immediate neighborhood increases the likelihood of completing high school, but among whites higher levels of socioeconomic advantage in extralocal neighborhoods decrease high school graduation rates. Extralocal neighborhood advantage suppresses the influence of advantage in the immediate neighborhood so that controlling for extralocal conditions provides stronger support for the neighborhood effects hypothesis than has previously been observed. Exposure to advantaged neighborhoods over the childhood life course exerts a stronger effect than point-in-time measures on high school graduation, and racial differences in exposure to advantaged neighbors over the childhood life course help to suppress a net black advantage in the likelihood of completing high school.     

Gender inequalities in the college pipeline

In this paper, we present a comprehensive framework for understanding gender inequality in baccalaureate degree attainment. Our “college pipeline” model addresses two main shortcomings in prior research. First, we examine multiple outcomes and stages in the pipeline that lead to four-year college entry and completion. Second, we examine multiple different pathways that students can pursue in attaining a four-year degree. Our findings indicate that females enjoy a cumulative advantage over males in the pursuit of a baccalaureate degree, but with two important exceptions. First, although females are more likely apply to college at the end of high school, they are also more likely to terminate their schooling in a two-year college than comparable males. Second, females who make an on-time transition into a four-year college experience the greatest advantages over males, and females who delay entering the college pipeline actually do no better than males in attaining a bachelor’s degree.     

Similarity in peer college preferences: New evidence from texas

In this paper, I use survey data from high school students in Texas to examine the magnitude of peer correlation in college preferences and choices. In this survey, respondents (and their classmates) recorded their preferences for attending specific colleges, and a follow up survey recorded their college enrollment decisions. This paper uses this information to present the first empirical examination of whether individuals who report preferences for “popular” colleges are more likely to attend their preferred college. The rich data set allows the use of often unavailable information such as distance to college, and the construction of the “popularity” variable allows the use of school-level fixed effects. Results indicate that individuals with 10 percentage points more classmates with matching college preferences are 3 percentage points more likely to enroll in their preferred college.     

美国社区服务的大学生择业准备模式研究

美国社区就业是得到国际普遍认可的大学生择业模式,其特点就是立法、政府(教育、劳动就业管理部门)与学校、社区的合作促进就业的制度设计。其中鼓励在校学生积极参与社区志愿服务的就业预备模式的实质,就是规避市场经济条件下的"毕业即失业"现象,使得教育和劳动就业部门、学校、社区和学生群体形成共同自由择业的合力。与美国不同,我国现行劳动预备制度排除了高校毕业生,特点是通过劳动技能培训、发证,促使初、高中毕业生走进劳动力市场。但自2004年高校扩招后,"毕业即失业"或毕业后滞后待业现象越来越呈现规模化。如何走出高校毕业生的择业困局,美国的社区就业模式值得借鉴。     

Social origins and post-high school institutional pathways: A cumulative dis/advantage approach

The social stratification that takes place during the transition out of high school is traditionally explained with theoretical frameworks such as status attainment and social reproduction. In our paper, we suggest the cumulative dis/advantage hypothesis as an alternative theoretical and empirical approach that explains this divergence in institutional pathways as the result of the dynamic interplay between social institutions (in our case, schools) and individuals’ resources.We use data from the NLSY79 in order to compute institutional pathways (defined by educational and occupational status) of 9200 high school graduates. Optimal Matching Analysis and Cluster Analysis generated a typology of life course pathways. Our results show that both ascribed characteristics and students’ high school characteristics and resources are predictors of post-high school pathways.     

Improving ability measurement in surveys by following the principles of IRT: The Wordsum vocabulary test in the General Social Survey

Survey researchers often administer batteries of questions to measure respondents’ abilities, but these batteries are not always designed in keeping with the principles of optimal test construction. This paper illustrates one instance in which following these principles can improve a measurement tool used widely in the social and behavioral sciences: the GSS’s vocabulary test called “Wordsum”. This ten-item test is composed of very difficult items and very easy items, and item response theory (IRT) suggests that the omission of moderately difficult items is likely to have handicapped Wordsum’s effectiveness. Analyses of data from national samples of thousands of American adults show that after adding four moderately difficult items to create a 14-item battery, “Wordsumplus” (1) outperformed the original battery in terms of quality indicators suggested by classical test theory; (2) reduced the standard error of IRT ability estimates in the middle of the latent ability dimension; and (3) exhibited higher concurrent validity. These findings show how to improve Wordsum and suggest that analysts should use a score based on all 14 items instead of using the summary score provided by the GSS, which is based on only the original 10 items. These results also show more generally how surveys measuring abilities (and other constructs) can benefit from careful application of insights from the contemporary educational testing literature.     

Adolescent girls’ race/ethnic status, identities, and drive for thinness

Using data from 7272 adolescent US girls, we explore how girls’ race/ethnic group status affects their bodyweight, perceptions of overweight, and weight control practices. We hypothesize that a girl’s race/ethnic status influences her basic identity which in turn prompts her to adopt or reject a “drive for thinness.” After controlling for family and peer support, school engagement, family SES, maturation, and family structure, we find that girls’ race/ethnic status influences their susceptibility to the thinness ideals of mainstream culture. African American girls weigh more than Asian, Hispanic, or White girls, but at any given weight they perceive themselves as overweight and attempt to control their weight less. Asian American and White girls invest most in thinness dynamics. Some evidence also suggests girls from lower SES families are less driven to be thin. Our results affirm the utility of viewing material bodies as “situations” that are experienced and interpreted in accord with identity group relations and dynamics.     

Does residential mobility improve educational outcomes? Evidence from the Netherlands

This paper explores the impact of residential mobility on educational outcomes. By considering a large Dutch city with substantial internal residential mobility, we examine how residential mobility influences the decision of students to drop out of school. The paper exploits a rich administrative dataset with extensive information on educational, individual, family, housing and moving characteristics of students. It combines a matching design with a multivariate regression analysis, such that the evaluation draws on a well-comparable control group for the treated students. Accounting for individual, family, educational, neighborhood and housing characteristics, as well as for school and year fixed effects, we observe that residential mobility increases the probability of school dropout in the first few years after moving. The estimated effect changes, however, to a lower risk of early school leaving after an initial period, and then changes again to a higher risk after 6 years. This effect remains, regardless the level of education the students attended, or whether the student moves to a better or a worse neighborhood.     

作为起因性行政不作为研究——以法院判决为重点的分析

作为起因性不作为在性质上属于行政不作为的基本形态.把握其外延的重点是要将它与迟延不作为、纯粹不作为加以界分;理解其内涵的关键在于明确其构成要件,这些要件包括:先行行为的存在、特定危险状态的产生、行政主体怠于履行作为义务致生损害.     

优化教师队伍 创建办学特色

教师是学校工作的中坚力量,校长的办学思想和办学方略只有通过全体教师的共同努力才能产生实际效果.中小学要创建办学特色,必须拥有一支与之相适应的高素质有个性特色的教师队伍.     

对我国学校毕业典礼的思考

学校毕业典礼,作为学校仪典文化的重要载体,是学生在学校生活中一项重要的人生仪式。对学生的成长、成熟具有重要而不可替代的作用;毕业典礼仪式中的各种活动、言行都具有重要的教育意义,是学校核心价值理念的体现。因此,不论是对学生的成长或是对学校自身文化的建设,它都是学校教育中不可忽视的部分。文章对我国学校的毕业典礼进行了审视,发现其不足,进而提出了一些改进的建议。     

The socioeconomic consequences of dropping out of high school: Evidence from an analysis of siblings

There is widespread belief that dropping out of high school leads to economic hardship. This belief rests on tenuous evidence. High school dropouts likely face an increased risk of economic hardship because of differences beyond a high school diploma. In particular, dropouts are more likely to come from disadvantaged backgrounds and thus face an elevated risk of economic hardship. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1979 Cohort, I estimate the consequences of dropping out by comparing dropouts to their siblings who completed high school. I also present OLS regression estimates using the same data. OLS regression estimates are consistently higher than sibling fixed effects estimates with the largest discrepancy occurring between estimates of the effect of dropping out on income-to-poverty ratio. However, the sibling fixed effect estimates reveal that dropping out has an effect on economic hardship net of unobserved background characteristics that are shared by siblings. I conclude with a discussion of how recent policy shifts affect the economic standing of low-ability students and suggest avenues for future research.     

澳大利亚中小学校长的专业发展及领导力构建

澳大利亚是经济发达国家,中小学教育质量也位于世界先进水平。在澳大利亚,各州/领地有各自独立的教育行政体系和中小学教育制度。中小学校长是政府公务员,对他们没有硬性的入职资格要求,但他们必须是"教师"身份且具有四年的教龄并注册。近年来,在面临中小学校校长"退休潮"、校长领导力分散化、校长工作量加大的各种挑战下,各州/领地及中央政府纷纷出台了相应的"领导力学习框架"。本文试图从校长专业发展及其领导力构建入手,介绍澳洲目前校长领导力的构成,专业标准、专业学习体系及评价手段,呈现澳大利亚"多元性"的文化特征。     

Vocational education: A clean slate for disengaged students?

Students’ social psychological adjustment to school is an important determinant of achievement growth as well as school continuation and post-secondary educational attainment. Yet many students begin high school with low levels of efficacy and self-worth, and low levels of identification with and liking of school. In this study, we investigate the hypothesis that vocational education in high school provides disengaged students with an educational clean slate, leading to a recovery of engagement for at-risk students. Using propensity score models, we assess the relationship between vocational course taking and changes in effort, extracurricular participation, sense of belonging, interest in school, attitudes toward school and teachers, educational expectations, career aspirations, locus of control, and self-concept with the NELS:88 database.     

Situational determinants of reward allocation: The equity-equality equilibrium model

We conducted a vignette survey to investigate the effects of situational factors—such as a group’s size, the amount of status differentiation among its members, and the type of task on which they work—on respondents’ reports of the “fair allocation” of resources to members of status-heterogeneous task groups. We argue that to the degree that situational factors make productivity, status and competence more relevant, allocators will increase the weight of equity compared to equality, and to the degree that they make the maintenance of positive relations among members relevant, allocators will decrease the weight of equity compared to equality. Each vignette described members of a status-unequal work group with three, four, or five members. We use status characteristics theory to calculate status inequality for each group. Groups’ tasks were described as either regular or temporary, requiring either interdependent or independent relations between coworkers, and involving routine or nonroutine working conditions. Participants from the United States and from Turkey read a series of vignettes and for each wrote what they thought was the fairest salary for each group member. Using reward expectations theory, our balance model and reported allocations, we estimate empirically the weight of equity for respondents and vignettes. All of the situational factors we identify do affect the equity-equality balance, though some only in interactions. We demonstrate that our balance model of distributive justice provides a useful instrument to capture these effects.     

论教育产品的生产经营

随着我国教育市场的逐步开放,我们必须重新审视我国的学校教育现状,重新认识教育产品的性质,构建学校经营的理念,从教育产品的生产流程、生产规模确定以及销售方面着手,搞好教育产品的生产经营,实现学校教育的跨越式发展,以利于我国教育市场的进一步完善。     

高中阶段普通教育与职业教育协调发展的对策

随着我国生产力发展水平的提高,高中阶段的教育规模也在不断扩大,但只有合理的教育结构才能与劳动力市场需求相适应。为此,通过对高中阶段普通教育与职业教育的结构分析,在职业教育普通化和普通教育职业化的发展趋势下,提出新时期职业教育与普通教育在价值观念层面上要保持一致,适当发展一定比例的综合高中,构建职、普沟通的立交桥,从而促进职、酱教育的协调发展。     

Feeding the pipeline: Gender,occupational plans,and college major selection

In this article, we analyze gender differences in college major selection for respondents to the Education Longitudinal Study (2002–2006), focusing on educational pathways through college that lead to science, engineering, or doctoral-track medicine occupations and to non-doctoral track clinical and health sciences occupations. We show that gender differences in college major selection remain substantial, even for a cohort in which rates of enrollment in postsecondary education are more than ten percent higher for young women than for young men. Consistent with other recent research, we demonstrate that neither gender differences in work–family goals nor in academic preparation explain a substantial portion of these differences. However, the occupational plans of high school seniors are strong predictors of initial college major selection, a finding that is revealed only when occupational plans are measured with sufficient detail, here by using the verbatim responses of students. We also find that the association between occupational plans and college major selection is not attributable to work–family orientation or academic preparation. Finally, we find gender differences in the associations between occupational plans and college major selection that are consistent with prior research on STEM attrition, as well as with the claim that attrition also affects the selection of majors that are gateways into doctoral-track medicine. We discuss the implications of the predictive power of occupational plans formed in adolescence for understanding sex segregation and for policies intended to create a gender-balanced STEM and doctoral-level medical workforce.