Exploring the Dynamics of Public Opinion in India: A Study on Socio-Political Attitudes, Religious Beliefs, and Education. 

Selected as the Finalist for the 2024 Young Public Opinion Scholars Award by New York Association of Public Opinion Research 

Abstract: The subject of the determinants of public opinion regarding India's education system has received limited attention in academic discourse. Therefore, this study seeks to explore how education level, sociopolitical attitude, and religious beliefs influence public opinion of India's education system. Using India's Pew 2019 Global Attitudes Survey dataset and Multiple Logistic Regression analysis; the study finds that these factors significantly impact public opinion. Specifically, the study finds that Confidence in Modi and Belief in God has a positive and significant contribution to Indian people's optimism or pessimism towards India's education system. Furthermore, a decrease in education level increases Confidence in Modi, while higher Trust in Modi leads to more optimism about the education system. These findings have important implications for India's policymakers, educators, and media professionals. By understanding the factors that shape public opinion, they can design effective strategies to promote informed and responsible citizenship. In particular, policymakers and educators should focus on improving the education system to address the concerns of those with lower levels of education, who may be more likely to express confidence in the current political leadership.

Keywords: Public Opinion; Socio-Political Attitude; Religious Beliefs; Education System, Prime Minister Narendra Modi; Multiple Logistic Regression

Analyzing Non-Linear and Interactive Impacts of Distance Learning on College Enrollment Post-COVID-19
with Noha Emara, Mycaeri Atkinson, and Tiffany Tryon
Economic Policy and Analysis, 2025, Volume 85, Pages 2112-2125

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered the landscape of higher education, prompting institutions to shift to online learning. This study explores the impact of distance education on total enrollment, considering changes spurred by COVID-19 and various demographic characteristics. Using data from approximately 5,000 institutions, we analyze enrollment trends from 2019 to 2022. Our fixed effects regression models reveal that a 1% increase in the distance education rate is associated with an increase of approximately 7,964 students in total enrollment. This trend is more pronounced post-pandemic, with a significant combined effect of 9,361 students when considering the interaction with COVID-19. Additionally, the study identifies non-linear diminishing returns, with the positive impact of distance education decreasing at higher levels, showing a threshold level of 91% without COVID-19 and 67% with COVID-19. These findings highlight the complex dynamics of distance learning and its growing importance in higher education policy and accessibility in the digital age.

JEL Classification Numbers: I25; I26; I28

Keywords: Distance Education, Higher education, COVID-19 pandemic, IPEDS, Fixed-Effects, Polynomial Models

The Case for Emotional Competence and Intercultural Competence in School Leadership
with Brian Keith Perkins
International Journal of Education Practice and Leadership, 2025 

Abstract: This article explores the critical intersection of emotional competence and intercultural competence, emphasizing their combined significance in fostering effective leadership, particularly in educational settings. Emotional competence involves understanding, regulating, and utilizing emotions to navigate interpersonal dynamics, while intercultural competence focuses on bridging cultural differences through empathy and awareness. Together, these competencies form Emotional-Cultural Intelligence, a framework that enhances leaders' abilities to manage diverse teams and create inclusive environments. The paper highlights practical applications of these competencies in school leadership, illustrating how emotionally intelligent leaders cultivate tolerance and productivity while addressing challenges like bullying and discrimination. Additionally, it underscores the importance of intercultural competence in promoting social justice, dismantling biases, and fostering harmonious race relations. Through real-world examples and reflective narratives, this study demonstrates how integrating emotional and intercultural competencies equips leaders to navigate complex social dynamics with compassion, empathy, and cultural sensitivity. The article concludes with actionable recommendations that guide school leaders in building emotional and intercultural competence through reflective practice, immersive experiences, and mindful communication. This synthesis is presented as an essential paradigm for leadership in today’s multicultural world.

keywords: Education, Leadership, Emotional Competence, Intercultural Competence, Emotional-Cultural Intelligence, School Leadership

More girls are accessing school, but are they learning? An exploratory study of the factors influencing girls’ mathematics achievement in Pakistan.
with Vandita Churiwal, Chris Henderson, Mia Chin, and Sanjeev Shreya
Current Issues in Comparative Education, 2023, Volume 25, Issue 1, Pages 73 -90

Abstract: Although primary school enrollment in Pakistan has increased over the last two decades, the quality of schooling for both girls and boys remains a central challenge. Furthermore, strides made toward gender parity have yet to address pervasive inequities in schooling outcomes. This paper explores girls' achievement in mathematics within the broader context of access to quality schooling, asking to what extent gender influences mathematical achievement among grade four students in Pakistan. Building on Sen and Nussbaum's capability approach and freedom as development frameworks, we examine the extent to which girls' educational achievement represents what Nussbaum defines as instrumental freedom. An OLS regression analysis of Pakistan's TIMSS 2019 data was conducted to examine the effect of gender on mathematical achievement. Results show that despite overall inequity in access to education for female students, girls outperform boys. However, while mathematics achievement might contribute to instrumental freedoms via the attainment of numeracy, discriminatory gender norms deny a vast majority of Pakistan's girls and young women the substantive freedoms central to their development. In Pakistan, the reality that young women are still 75 percent more likely to be disengaged from further education or employment presents a missed opportunity and significant cause for concern.

Keywords: Gender equity, girls achievement, sense of belonging, mathematics education, large-scale assessments, quality teaching

Equitable Research-Practice Partnerships: A Multilevel Reimagining
with Kemi Oyewole, Jeniffer Classen, and Maxwell Yurkofsky
The Assembly, 2022, Volume 5, Issue 1, Pages 40 - 59

Abstract: Research-practice partnerships (RPPs) are a promising tool for producing educational research that supports sustainable and equitable school reform. However, the status quo in research-practice partnerships poses some challenges to the achievement of these admirable aims. We use an institutional logics perspective (Friedland & Alford, 1991; Thornton & Ocasio, 1999) to suggest ways neoliberal market, bureaucratic, and professional logics operate between institutional, organizational, and individual levels to compromise the goal of using RPPs for equity. Then, we follow the tradition of Black freedom dreamers by reimagining what research-practice partnerships could be if they were instead rooted in a progressive social justice logic. A social justice logic for RPPs centers interrogations of inequity and strives for authentic, democratic resource allocation and inclusion as seen in: institutional connections to radical participatory research traditions, organizational respect for local funds of knowledge, and individual analysis of intersectional identities. The issues we present and the futures we imagine ask RPP participants, supporters, and leaders to consider how they might reflect, reorganize, and redouble their commitment to creating the conditions for RPPs to flourish.

Keywords: Research-Practice Partnership, Social Justice, Institutional Logic, school reform, multilevel analysis

Analyzing Non-Linear and Interactive Impacts of Distance Learning on College Enrollment Post-COVID-19

with Noha Emara, Mycaeri Atkinson, and Tiffany Tryon

51st Annual Northeast Business & Economics Association (NBEA)

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered the landscape of higher education, prompting institutions to shift to online learning. This study explores the impact of distance education on total enrollment, considering changes spurred by COVID-19 and various demographic characteristics. Using data from approximately 5,000 institutions, we analyze enrollment trends from 2019 to 2022. Our fixed effects regression models reveal that a 1% increase in the distance education rate is associated with an increase of approximately 7,964 students in total enrollment. This trend is more pronounced post-pandemic, with a significant combined effect of 9,361 students when considering the interaction with COVID-19. Additionally, the study identifies non-linear diminishing returns, with the positive impact of distance education decreasing at higher levels, showing a threshold level of 91% without COVID-19 and 67% with COVID-19. These findings highlight the complex dynamics of distance learning and its growing importance in higher education policy and accessibility in the digital age.

ISSN Reference: 

Print: ISSN 1936-203x
Online: ISSN 1936-2048

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