Mobile phones, leadership and gender in rural business groups

Digital information and communication technologies are recognized as vital tools for empowering marginalized groups such as women in low income developing countries through reducing the costs of communication and connectivity. This study aimed at assessing the gender difference in mobile phone ownership among youth business group members, and how it affects election into leadership and group board positions in rural youth business groups in northern Ethiopia. We used instrumental variable methods on survey data on 1125 youths in 119 youth business groups where 32% of the members were female. Our results indicated that 37% of the females and 70% of the males owned mobile phones. Male members were twice as likely to become board members and five times as likely to become group leaders. Mobile phones had become instrumental for male members to become group leaders and board members while this was not the case for female members. Male members without mobile phone were not significantly more likely to become board members or group leaders than female members without and with mobile phones. The gender digital divide is thus a question of both ownership and the use of mobile phones for business and for getting positions that can empower women in business. Further research should investigate whether provision of mobile phones and training of female business members in use of mobile phones for business can lead to female empowerment and thereby eliminate or reduce the observed digital gender discrimination.publishedVersio

Career Advancement: Ten Negotiation Strategies for Women in Higher Education

Women in the United States (US) are a vital part of the workforce and the economy. They represent 50.7 percent of the population and 49.8 percent of payroll employment in the US workforce. Women also outpace men in the number of college degrees conferred annually. However, women hold fewer board seats and executive level positions than men in American corporations and higher education institutions. Additionally, census data indicates that women earn approximately 77 cents on every dollar earned by men. Although the “glass ceiling” is getting lower, it is essential that women develop successful negotiation strategies for career advancement. This paper provides an overview of women in the US workforce and higher education, ten negotiation strategies for career advancement, and recommendations to increase the number of women leaders in higher education

International Education Planning Rubric: State Strategies to Prepare Globally Competent Students

Offers guidance for planning and assessing state strategies to develop students' global competence, including language, communication, and collaboration skills. Lists promising practices in leadership, resource allocation, certification, and curricula

Staying Engaged, Stepping Up: Succession Planning and Executive Transition Management for Nonprofit Boards of Directors

Provides a set of tools and resources to help boards prepare for leadership transitions. Includes case studies of two nonprofit organizations and their experience managing executive transitions

Nonprofit Leadership Development: A Model for Identifying and Growing Leaders Within the Nonprofit Sector

Offers step-by-step guidance on identifying future challenges, the core leadership competencies needed to meet them, and a pool of potential leaders; assessing their skills; and creating a tailored leadership development program with frequent feedback

Becoming a Leader: Preparing School Principals for Today's Schools

Describes efforts by states and districts to improve training for principals, identifies key elements of success based on new research, and offers lessons for effective preparation, including more focused training and high-quality mentoring

Leadership and Learning: A Hechinger Institute Primer for Journalists

Outlines the role of leaders in improving schools and the issues they face, as a guide for education reporters. Includes examples of questions to ask, excerpts from articles, findings from Wallace Foundation studies, statistics, and a list of resources

Promising State Policies for Personalized Learning

This report is a valuable resource for state policymakers—whether they are seeking to create conditions in state policy to support personalized learning, moving forward with initiatives to develop personalized learning pilot programs, hosting task forces to explore policy issues and needs, or taking a comprehensive policy approach for supporting advanced personalized learning models.Personalized learning is where instruction is tailored to each student's strengths, needs, and interests—including enabling student voice and choice in what, how, when, and where they learn—to provide flexibility and supports to ensure mastery of the highest standards possible

Effective Superintendents, Effective Boards: Finding the Right Fit

Looks at the relationship between school boards and superintendents and how it affects student achievement. Explores the effectiveness, political complexities, and interest in reforming the current superintendent/school board model

Cal Poly WOW: Week of Welcome’s Leader Android Application

The Week of Welcome Android application aims to improve the efficiency and ease at which Orientation Leaders function during the week long program designed to aid in new studentassimilation to the San Luis Obispo campus and community. It focuses on four utilities combined inone easy location that Leaders use on a regular basis. They are maps, the online guidebook, budget keeper, and contact list. These four utilities are commonly used by Leaders in their day to dayguidance of new students, making one single application with each tool very desirable to the WOW Program.Currently there are no alternatives for Orientation Leaders at Cal Poly to use, except the possibility of utilizing four individual applications available either through the Android market or the internet. The origin of this project comes from many years of personal involvement in almost everyaspect of the Program, from new student to Executive Board as well as the input from many current participants.The initial functionality of the WOW Application comes from four of the top needed utilities asked for by Orientation Leaders throughout the years. Because of time constraints, not every need can be serviced through this application. Instead, the goal was to get a start on a continuously growing WOW application that would keep improving the functionality of Leaders as they guide incoming freshman. After selecting the functions this project will aim to complete, the next step involves the implementation of the code required to accomplish these four tasks. This code will be broken up into four smaller programs that the main program will call when each is selected.Lastly, testing becomes a major factor in judging the success rate of the application. The tests will be administered to a select group of individuals that will directly relate to the needs serviced with this utility. Getting feedback from these users generates the next steps to producing the “perfect” WOW utility app