The comparison of quality between public and private college education is a topic of intense interest, and one that continues to generate ongoing research. This study utilized the General Social Survey 2012 Merged Data to determine if significant difference exists in graduates’ long- term outcomes between public and private college bachelor’s degree holders in the United States. A sample of 132 bachelor’s degree holders of public and private institutions from 1980 to 2010 was selected from the cross-section cases interviewed in 2012 for the MANCOVA analyses using health situation as a covariate. Results indicated that bachelor’s degree holders from private colleges are significantly more satisfied with their careers and overall quality of life than those from public colleges. However, no significant difference was found in financial satisfaction between these two groups, even when the effect of their health situation was controlled in analysis. Implications were discussed regarding weighing the cost and value when students make decisions to attend either public or private institutions.

Little information or research exists regarding the profile of student parents on campus even though increasingly more non-traditional and mature students access post-secondary education. This study presents information generated through a telephone survey of students conducted by a research lab on one Canadian campus. The purpose of the research was to uncover more information about this student group with the intent that the data would inform the development of guidelines for allocation of additional childcare spaces on campus as soon as a new childcare centre was completed. Better information on their needs as students and parents would be helpful in determining the needs of this particular population on campus. The study was located within the research on access and persistence of post-secondary students and used a pragmatist worldview whereby the research approach that is taken best meets the criteria for the project

This paper investigates and analyses the features of a non-mainstream pedagogy, educational context and learning environment by presenting a counter-model which contrasts with the currently dominant educational project, an emergent global educational movement known as the Slow Education Movement. It demonstrates how the associated principles and praxes of a particular ethos and its philosophical foundations guide teaching and learning. Set against the background of the Slow Education Movement, the paper draws on a case study to illustrate some of the foundational principles and practices of that movement. The paper outlines the educational ethos, philosophy, processes and practices of Blue Gum Community School and how the teaching and learning practices contribute to the development of skills that increase student resilience, positive emotion, engagement and meaning in a learning environment of authentic student research and academic rigor. The paper fulfils an introductory and exploratory purpose into the area of non-mainstream education which, it is envisaged, will be built upon through further research and deeper analysis of the methods and strategies employed in the teaching and learning processes employed in such educational environments.

This qualitative study explored the ways in which lesbian and gay educators, in the Midwest part of the country, negotiate their sexual identities in their school settings. Ten gay and lesbian public and Catholic school educators from rural, suburban, and urban schools were interviewed. The purpose of this study was to determine how gay and lesbian teachers negotiate their identities and how those negotiated identities affect their relationships in their school communities. Four gay and lesbian teachers and two gay administrators from public schools were interviewed about their experiences in their school settings. Additionally, a focus group of five Catholic school educators, from two different schools, was conducted. Each of these educators negotiated their sexual identities differently within their school communities; however, descriptors such as age, experience level, and school setting did not affect their identity negotiation. Most of these educators were unable to negotiate their sexual identity with their teacher identity due to fear of intimidation and discrimination or being fired. The only exceptions being when they cautiously negotiated their sexual identities with a few of their colleagues. This raises questions about school policy and school culture for the inclusion of gay and lesbian individuals in schools.

Wangari Muta Mary Jo Maathai’s (April 1, 1940 – September 25, 2011) public image highlights her nationality, her education both in and outside Kenya, her establishment of the Green Belt Movement (GBM) for which she received a Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, and her political activism. Advocates for female empowerment take solace in success stories like Maathai’s rise from a village girl to become a global icon of leadership. Yet, her mobility was more circumstantial than it was deliberate, and is inseparable from the uneasy compromise between the traditional gender roles of her youth with the critical consciousness nurtured in advanced studies overseas. Despite the remarkable achievements of Maathai and a handful of other females, Kenyan girls still confront cultural, financial and economic hurdles in social mobility.