Education Policy and Leadership (Faculty and Staff)

Faculty

Laura W. Perna

Assistant Professor

2200 Benjamin Building
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
(301)405-2220
lperna@wam.umd.edu

Ph.D., University of Michigan
Joined the faculty in 2000

Teaching and Research Interests

Dr. Perna teaches courses on higher education in American society, higher education finance, college access and choice, quantitative applications for educational policy, and the dissertation research course. Her research uses an integrated theoretical approach to identify the ways in which social structures limit the ability of women, racial/ethnic minorities, and individuals of lower socioeconomic status to realize the economic, social, and political opportunities that are associated with two aspects of higher education: access as a student and employment as a faculty member. Through the integration of economic and sociological theoretical frameworks and the use of a variety of quantitative analytical techniques, this program of research makes both conceptual and empirical contributions to our knowledge about these topics. This research also generates recommendations for public and institutional policymakers about how to increase opportunity for traditionally underrepresented groups, as well as for other researchers examining these issues.

Visit Dr. Perna's personal webpage

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Publications
Journal articles

Perna, L.W. (in press). Understanding the decision to enroll in graduate school: Sex and racial/ethnic group differences. Journal of Higher Education.

Perna, L.W., & Titus, M. (2004). Understanding the choice of college attended by low-income students: The role of state context. Review of Higher Education. 27(4).

Perna, L.W. (2003). The private benefits of higher education: An examination of the earnings premium. Research in Higher Education, 44, 451-472.

Perna, L.W. (2003). The status of women and minorities among community college faculty. Research in Higher Education, 44, 205-240. (AIR Forum Issue)

Perna, L.W. (2003). Studying faculty salary equity: A review of theoretical and methodological approaches. In J. C. Smart & A. Bayer (Eds.), Higher education: Handbook for theory and research, Volume 18. Kluwer Academic Press.

Perna, L.W. (2002). Sex differences in the supplemental earnings of college and university faculty. Research in Higher Education, 43, 31-58.

Perna, L. W. (2002). Pre-college outreach programs: Characteristics of programs serving historically underrepresented groups of students. Journal of College Student Development, 43, 64-83.

Perna, L.W. (2001). Undergraduate borrowing at the federal limit before and after the 1992 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Journal of Student Financial Aid, 31(1), 25-38.

Perna, L.W. (2001). The relationship between family responsibilities and employment status among college and university faculty. Journal of Higher Education, 72, 584-611.

Perna, L.W. (2001). Sex and race differences in faculty rank and tenure. Research in Higher Education, 42, 541-567.

Perna, L. W., & Swail, W. S. (2001). Pre-college outreach and early intervention programs: An approach to achieving equal educational opportunity. Thought and Action, 17(1), 99-110.

Perna, L.W. (2001). The contribution of historically Black colleges and universities to the preparation of African Americans for faculty careers. Research in Higher Education, 42, 267-294.

Perna, L.W. (2001). Sex differences in faculty salaries: A cohort analysis. Review of Higher Education, 24, 283-307.

Perna, L.W. (2000). Differences in the decision to enroll in college among African Americans, Hispanics, and Whites. Journal of Higher Education, 71, 117-141.

Perna, L.W. (1998). The contribution of financial aid to undergraduate persistence. Journal of Student Financial Aid, 28(3), 25-40.

Perna, L.W. (1998). Does financial aid help students to attend higher priced colleges? Journal of Student Financial Aid, 28(1), 19-38.

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Books

Swail, W. S., Redd, K., & Perna, L.W. (2003). Retaining minority students in higher education: A framework for success. ASHE-ERIC Reader, Volume 30, Number 2. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Book Chapters

Perna, L.W. (in press). The key to college access: A college preparatory curriculum. In W. G. Tierney, Z. Corwin, & J. Colyar (Eds.), Nine propositions relating to the effectiveness of early intervention programs. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Perna, L. W. (2003). Racial/ethnic group differences in the realization of educational plans. In W. Lee (Ed.), ASHE Reader on assessment and program evaluation, 2nd edition (pp. 605-621). Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Publishing.

Perna, L.W., & Swail, W.S. (2002). Pre-college outreach and early intervention programs. In D. E. Heller (Ed.), Condition of access: Higher education for lower income students (pp. 97-112). Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers (ACE/Oryx Series on Higher Education).

Swail, W.S., & Perna, L.W. (2002). Pre-college outreach and early intervention programs: A national imperative. In W.G. Tierney & L.S. Hagedorn (Eds.), Increasing access to college: Extending the possibilities for all students (pp. 15-34). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Perna, L.W. (2000) Racial/ethnic group differences in college enrollment decisions. A. Cabrera & S. La Nasa (Eds.), Understanding college choice among disadvantaged students (pp. 65-83). New Directions for Institutional Research, Number 107. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers.

Swail, W.S., & Perna, L.W. (2000). A view of the landscape: Results of the national survey of outreach programs. In Outreach program handbook 2001 (pp. xvii-xxix). New York: College Board.

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Technical Reports

Nettles, M. T., Perna, L. W., Bradburn, E. M., & Zimbler, L. (2000). Salary, promotion, and tenure status of minority and women faculty in U.S. colleges and universities. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, 2000. (NCES 2000-173)
Nettles, M. T., Perna, L. W. & Freeman, K. E. (1999). Two decades of progress: African Americans moving forward in higher education. Fairfax, VA: Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute of The College Fund/UNCF.
Nettles, M. T. & Perna, L. W. (1997). The African American Education Data Book: Higher and Adult Education, Volume I. Fairfax, VA: Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute of The College Fund/UNCF.
Nettles, M. T. & Perna, L. W. (1997). The African American Education Data Book: Preschool through High School Education, Volume II. Fairfax, VA: Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute of The College Fund/UNCF.
Nettles, M. T. & Perna, L. W. (1997). The African American Education Data Book: Transition from School to College and School to Work, Volume III. Fairfax, VA: Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute of The College Fund/UNCF.

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