Enrollment Policy Research Articles

Dual Enrollment and the 2024 Elections: How Federal Policy and This Year’s Elections May Impact Dual Enrollment

Depending on the outcome of the 2024 presidential and congressional elections, there is the potential for new policy to support dual enrollment under either a Trump or Harris Administrations. However, there are a number of underlying structural challenges facing dual enrollment policy advocates in either scenario. This article explores how either outcome of the 2024 presidential election would impact dual enrollment advocacy and policymaking, and why federal policy has historically been so scant on this issue.

COMBATING DRUG AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG ‘PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL’ LEARNERS IN WATERFALLS DISTRICT, HARARE, ZIMBABWE

The study investigates the causes of drug and substance abuse and proffers workable solutions to overcome the challenge within theprivate high school environment in Zimbabwe. The researchers used a qualitative research design and data collection method in the form of semi-structured interviews. The participants of this study involved five private high school learners, three private high school teachers and two headmasters from Waterfalls, Harare, Zimbabwe. Data was thematically analyzed. The study established that private high school administrations are neglecting the fundamental pillars of education, thereby compromising the standard of moral fiber in learners. Nonprocedural enrollment policies, lack of weekend and holiday rest and no sporting activities were established as the key causal factors of drug and substance abuse among learners in private high schools. The study concludes that the unconducive learning environment in private high schools in Zimbabwe is fertile ground for learners to succumb to drug and substance abuse usage. Whereas on the contrary, learners should have time to relax, play sports, and engage in creative activities. Therefore, this study recommends the enforcement of standardized healthy living principles of practice in private high schools in Zimbabwe.

Entrance opportunity vs. academic performance: unpacking the nonlinear capitalization effects of multidimensional school qualities on housing sales and rental prices

It is widely documented that school quality has a capitalization effect on housing prices. However, existing literature has commonly reported a linear relationship between housing sales prices and the academic performance of nearby schools. This study challenges this prevalent understanding by examining how the entrance opportunity as an integral part of school quality affects both housing sales prices and housing rental prices, in response to the newly adopted point-based school enrolment policy in China whereby tenants are allowed to access local public schools but with fewer opportunities compared to homeowners. Employing machine learning algorithms, this study identifies which key school indicators and what ranges of these indicators have significant impacts on different housing sales and rental price segments in Shenzhen, China. Our results reveal that housing rental prices, particularly in the lower-priced segment, are more determined by the entrance opportunity than the academic performance, while the latter is the most important factor influencing housing sales prices. The nonlinear capitalization effect suggests that tenants and homebuyers are willing to pay more for school quality increases only within specific ranges, namely, from median to a relatively high level of school quality. These findings contribute to a more nuanced and updated understanding of the education capitalization effect and thus inform more inclusive and equitable urban planning and governance.

University system & multiple enrollment policy: dropout and graduation clusters

University system & multiple enrollment policy: dropout and graduation clusters

Course Correction: Navigating Equity in Ninth-Grade Advanced Placement

This robust mixed-methods study examines ninth-grade advanced course placement in Arkansas, revealing disparities rooted in race and socioeconomic status. Utilizing a logit analysis for a five-year pooled sample ( n = 163,616), we find persistent enrollment gaps for Black ninth-grade students after controlling for prior academic achievement, highlighting systemic barriers to access to advanced courses. Socioeconomic divides are also evident in our analysis. Qualitative findings from counselor interviews highlight the importance of parental involvement in course placement decisions, particularly for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Overall, we find through these interviews that districts consider a myriad of factors when considering course placement for ninth-grade courses. We recommend systemic changes for districts, including local norm-based placement systems and automatic enrollment policies to enhance fairness in advanced course placement.

How is Educational Equity Possible: The Evolutionary Logic of Compulsory Education Enrollment Policies from the Perspective of Historical Institutionalism

The enrollment policy for compulsory education concerns the right of school-age children and adolescents to receive equal education, as well as the realization of educational equity. Based on the analytical framework of historical institutionalism, this paper examines the evolutionary logic of the enrollment policy for compulsory education. Since the founding of New China, China's enrollment policy for compulsory education has undergone four periods: efficiency priority, balancing efficiency and fairness, emphasizing fairness, and implementing fairness, reflecting a shift in policy value orientation from efficiency to fairness. Economic system reform, uneven regional development, and the concept of educational equity are the underlying structural factors influencing policy changes. Rational choices made by actors such as the government, schools, and parents have led to path dependence in policy changes. Reform and opening up, initial education reform, and comprehensive reform in the field of education have become three critical junctures in promoting policy changes. We should always adhere to educational equity as the policy value goal, seek to break through path dependence at critical junctures, and focus on the coordination of multiple subjects in the gradual development of policies, in order to better achieve educational equity.

Multiple Enrollment Policy: Survival Analyses and Odds of Graduating in at Least One University Degree Program

Multiple Enrollment Policy: Survival Analyses and Odds of Graduating in at Least One University Degree Program

Sex, racial, and ethnic disparities in motor neuron disease: clinical trial enrolment

Objective Motor neuron disease (MND) is a group of neurological diseases, the majority being amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with varying clinical presentations across demographics. Clinical trial enrollment reflecting global disease burden improves understanding of diverse presentations and aids personalized therapy development. We assessed the sex, racial, and ethnic composition of MND/ALS clinical trial participants relative to global disease burdens. Methods We searched ‘motor neuron disease OR amyotrophic lateral sclerosis’ on ClinicalTrials.gov from 02/2000–04/2024. We extracted trial (start year, study site, sponsor location, phase, masking, intervention) and demographic data (sex, race, ethnicity) from randomized interventional studies. We obtained sex-based MND/ALS disease burden estimates from the Global Burden of Disease database. For females, we calculated pooled participation-to-prevalence ratio (PPR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), with PPR of 0.8–1.2 indicating adequate enrollment. We used Kruskal–Wallis tests to compare demographic groups across trial characteristics. Results Of 85 trials, females comprised 37.47% (n = 5011) of 13,372 participants; the pooled female PPR was 0.97 (95% CI: 0.77–1.16). Of 41 trials (9340 participants) reporting race, 121 (1.30%) participants were Black or African American, 16 (0.17%) American Indian or Alaskan Native, and 6 (0.06%) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. 24 trials (595 participants) reported ethnicity, with a minority of Hispanic participants (n = 153; 2.57%). Conclusions MND/ALS clinical trials had adequate female enrollment relative to global disease burdens. Race and ethnicity data were underreported. However, there were enrollment disparities of racial and ethnic groups. Increased trial leadership diversity, equitable enrollment policies, and addressing barriers to participation could improve enrollment diversity.

Multiple Enrollment Policy: Clustering Dropout and Graduation Constellations in Psychology and Sociology Bachelor’s Programs

In Austria, it is possible to enroll in an unlimited number of programs simultaneously and consecutively. Study duration and student performance are important performance indicators of the university system. The disciplines of psychology and sociology share similarities in their curriculum structures but are different in selectiveness due to their admission rules. They show differences in their motivations to enroll and their trajectories through higher education, leading to different constellations of “dropout” and “graduation.” The aim was to identify and compare groups of students’ outcomes in bachelor’s programs of psychology and sociology along the dimensions of workload and duration, incorporating the possibility of enrolling in multiple programs. The sample consisted of 6498 students between the academic years of 2010/11 and 2022/23 who either graduated or dropped out of one or more programs. Cluster analyses using four algorithms per individual outcome constellation, categorization, and aggregation of the results suggest a longer overall study duration for students with more than one program. In graduation–graduation and graduation–dropout clusters, groups with less overall workload could be identified. The transferability of passed exams may be an important component for students in multiple programs. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

The Adjustment of Canada’s International Student Enrollment Policies and Their Impact on the Financial Structure of Higher Education

The Adjustment of Canada’s International Student Enrollment Policies and Their Impact on the Financial Structure of Higher Education

Exploring the Historical Complexities of Native Identity Formation, Blood Quantum, and Modern Tribal Enrolment Criteria

In the United States, blood quantum (BQ) based enrolment criteria find their roots in settler-colonial policies to erase, assimilate, and subjugate Indigenous Peoples and individuals. As a result, Native Nations throughout the United States continue to debate such practices. Current research on Native individuals’ identities does not fully account for the impact of BQ laws. Native people’s self-identity includes their identity as an enrolled or unenrolled member of their tribe. While research has examined the formation of Indigenous identity at the community and population level, current scales and tools do not properly examine the effects of BQ based enrolment on identity at the individual level. This commentary reveals how BQ based enrolment criteria negatively impact Native Nations which implement it and calls on Native Nations and Native researchers to explore the relationship between colonial enrolment policies and the impact on identity formation and lived experiences.

A Brief Introduction to the Problem of Difficult Enrollment in China's Compulsory Education: Current Situation, Causes and Measures

In today's society, more parents tend to pay more attention to the situation of children receiving compulsory education, so the problem of compulsory education is becoming more and more prominent. After a series of comparative analysis of data and fact research, this paper found that the difficulty of enrollment can be divided into enrollment difficulty and entrance difficulty, and the reasons can be divided into the implementation of enrollment policies, the current situation of population mobility, parents' educational expectations and other factors. To alleviate this social situation, various subjects as the government, schools, parents and children could make changes, in order to let children have better compulsory education conditions and correct learning environment. For example, the government should focus on narrowing the gap between private and public schools, developing more reasonable talent training programs and enrollment methods, schools should implement the policies the government carries out, reduce unhealthy competition, and parents and students should focus on learning themselves rather than blindly chasing external conditions.

Jerusalemite Students: Challenges in Israeli-Occupied Higher Education Institutions

An educational system has the potential to uplift occupied societies, yet it can also serve as a “soft” weapon prolonging ignorance, particularly when under the control of an occupying force catering to a minority, as seen in Jerusalem. This study aimed to explore the challenges and discriminatory practices encountered by Palestinian students from Jerusalem as a minority within Israeli-occupied higher education institutions. Utilising a descriptive design, qualitative data were obtained by surveying the experiences of 23 Jerusalemite students studying in Israeli colleges through online open-ended questions. The gathered data underwent content analysis, revealing themes that were grouped into challenges and types of apartheid acts faced by the participating students. The findings exposed numerous challenges, including cultural, academic, political, and financial hurdles, along with issues related to enrolment policies, acceptance examinations, the preparatory year, and facility provisions. Additionally, the study revealed various discriminatory acts experienced by Palestinian Jerusalemite students within Israeli higher education.

Understanding “Strong Base Plan” (“Strong Base”) in China: Policy Interpretation Perspective

Abstract On January 13, 2020, the Ministry of Education issued the “Opinions of the Ministry of Education on the Pilot Reform of Basic Subject Enrollment in some colleges and Universities” and selected 36 “double first-class” colleges and universities as the pilot, also known as the “Strong Base Plan” and it is positioned at recruitment selection and talent evaluation to explore the school-based characteristics of the top talent training mode of basic disciplines with new recruitment rules. The Strong Base Plan is the result of the selection and training of top innovative talents in basic disciplines. With the deepening of reform and opening, China has explored and practiced the college enrollment system for many times. To fully understand the particularity and universality of the policy of the Strong Base Plan, make it coordinate with other higher education enrollment policies, and jointly act on the selection and training of outstanding talents, is the key and difficult point of current research, and needs to be further explored.

Equality in education, synchronous enrolment policy and housing prices of school districts: Based on the experience of Hangzhou

Housing is the major way for Hangzhou residents to access public primary and secondary education resources. The implementation of educational equalization policies will impact housing prices, especially school district housing prices. This paper focuses on the synchronous enrollment policy, which requires both public and private schools to enroll students simultaneously, thus changing the enrollment strategies for students and parents. Using the 2019 implementation of the synchronous enrollment policy in Hangzhou primary schools as a natural experiment, the difference-in-differences and quantile regression models were employed to estimate the capitalization of this policy and its heterogeneity. The results indicate that the policy leads to an appreciation of school district housing prices, with a stronger effect on the housing prices of elite public school districts. To achieve educational equalization, the government must formulate supporting policies to ensure internal balance in public schools and simultaneously create sufficient high-quality educational resources.

Insurance coverage during transitions: Evidence from Medicaid automatic enrollment for children receiving supplemental security income.

To analyze relationships between Medicaid automatic enrollment for child Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients and health insurance coverage during transitions. Medical Expenditure Panel Study, 2000-2020 and National Survey for Children with Special Health Care Needs, 2001-2010. Leveraging variation in SSI-Medicaid automatic enrollment status across regions and over time, we estimate a regression model to quantify associations between automatic enrollment and insurance coverage. We validate our findings in the NS-CSHCN. Our sample includes children receiving SSI for a disability. We also analyze a subsample of children newly enrolled in SSI. Automatic enrollment is associated with a statistically significant increase in insurance coverage. Expanding automatic enrollment to all states is associated with increases in Medicaid enrollment of 3% (CI 0.9%-6.7%) among all SSI children and 7% (CI 1.1%-13.9%) among children newly enrolled in SSI. We find similar decreases in uninsurance. Analysis in the NS-CSHCN replicates these findings. Medicaid automatic enrollment policies are associated with increased insurance coverage for SSI children, particularly those transitioning into the program. Medicaid policy defaults could play an important role in reducing administrative burdens to improve children's coverage and access to care.

Transformation of extracurricular education in post-Soviet countries: from universal access to inequality

Broad access to educational services and a universal enrolment policy were declared crucial elements of the Soviet extracurricular education model. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the process of transforming the Soviet model of extracurricular education began. This process included changes in management and financing mechanisms, the structure and scope of the network, and content and ideas. These changes have had a significant negative impact on the equality of opportunities for children in terms of participating in extracurricular activities.The main purpose of this paper is to analyse the above-mentioned inequality in different aspects: territorial, gender and socio-economic. We are also interested in the representation of this problem in the educational policy agendas of post-Soviet countries. We use three data sources: regulation documents, national and departmental statistics, and semi-structured interviews with leading experts and heads of national organisations of extracurricular education in all 15 countries of the former Soviet Union. In addition, we identify common and specific features in the structure and factors of inequality in extracurricular education in post-Soviet countries. Despite the general increase in inequality, we observed increased client orientation and inclusivity in the extracurricular sector. We also note the trend of expanding access opportunities in some countries. We discuss the role of extracurricular educational inequality as a part of broader educational and socio-economic formation and development of inequality in the post-Soviet space.

Wyoming

The Wyoming state legislature holds the responsibility of establishing and funding the education system, as outlined in the state constitution. The funding formula for K–12 education in Wyoming adjusts every 5 years and considers factors like inflation and regional cost differences. The state spends approximately $18,144 per public school student annually and allows districts to set their own open enrollment policies. Charter schools, under local school board jurisdiction, receive around $400,000 per year for lease payments, while privatized and religiously affiliated schools are ineligible to become charter schools. A failed legislative bill aimed to reimburse parents for private school or homeschooling expenses. In the 2022–2024 Wyoming state budget, $1.523 billion in state funding is allocated to the basic support formula for the 2022–2023 school year, with an additional $245.4 million for K–12 capital construction and major maintenance. Property taxes serve as the primary revenue source for K-12 education, and the state also utilizes the Permanent Wyoming Mineral Trust Fund and other permanent funds for supplemental investment income. Wyoming ranks among the top 10 states with the highest per pupil spending, with a state pupil expenditure of approximately $16,224 in 2023.

Is “Option B” a Viable Plan B? School Counselors’ Sensemaking of a Dual Enrollment Policy in Georgia

Is “Option B” a Viable Plan B? School Counselors’ Sensemaking of a Dual Enrollment Policy in Georgia

Teaching reform and innovation of vocational development and employment guidance courses in colleges and universities based on random forest model

Abstract The current employment situation of graduates is serious and complicated, and employment work is very difficult. Furthermore, the employment quality of college graduates is an important reflection of the quality of education teaching and talent cultivation in higher education. Using big data to provide all-round and multi-perspective feedback on employment quality can find the direction of efforts to improve employment quality further, provide an important reference basis for schools to adjust the layout of majors, make development plans, reform education teaching, optimize career guidance courses and optimize enrollment policies and measures, and effectively promote universities to fulfill better their historical mission of serving the society. This paper extracts features for a series of school behavior data of students and carries out feature selection through appropriate methods. Specifically, the construction problem of the traditional random forest model is analyzed, and a new model is proposed by combining it with a decision tree algorithm; then, the model is constructed and adjusted by grid parameters to ensure the accuracy of the model, and finally, the model is compared and analyzed. The research shows that the accuracy of the RF prediction model using standard features is 0.702, and the LSTM prediction model using only temporal features is only 0.683. In contrast, the prediction accuracy of the model in this paper reaches 0.805. Therefore, the prediction accuracy of the model based on the decision tree algorithm is much higher than the other two, which is effective for optimizing the teaching of career development and employment guidance courses in colleges and universities, thus can improve the education and management-related to career planning and career guidance in schools.