This book makes an original contribution to credential sociology by analysing how high school certificates become and remain valuable in a context of mass high school participation (i.e. credentialism). Building on a detailed analysis of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, a senior secondary school certificate offered in over 150 countries, Quentin Maire argues that the advent of new private credentials can be understood as a phenomenon of credential stratification in a context of intensified academic competition. Using original data on high school credentials in Australia and internationally, the author makes a strong case for certificates to be studied relationally, by locating them in the credentialing structures in which they are inserted. He systematically applies the comparative method to explain the role of the curriculum, family resources, school segregation and higher education selection in creating a credential hierarchy. His robust combination of theoretical construction and detailed empirical work allows him to offer new insights into social inequality in education systems, credential theory and the IB Diploma.

The Credential Society is a classic on the role of higher education in American society and an essential text for understanding the reproduction of inequality. Controversial at the time, Randall Collins’s claim that the expansion of American education has not increased social mobility, but rather created a cycle of credential inflation, has proven remarkably prescient. Collins shows how credential inflation stymies mass education’s promises of upward mobility. An unacknowledged spiral of the rising production of credentials and job requirements was brought about by the expansion of high school and then undergraduate education, with consequences including grade inflation, rising educational costs, and misleading job promises dangled by for-profit schools. Collins examines medicine, law, and engineering to show the ways in which credentialing closed these high-status professions to new arrivals. In an era marked by the devaluation of high school diplomas, outcry about the value of expensive undergraduate degrees, and the proliferation of new professional degrees like the MBA, The Credential Society has more than stood the test of time. In a new preface, Collins discusses recent developments, debunks claims that credentialization is driven by technological change, and points to alternative pathways for the future of education.

With increasingly interconnected educational and employment ecosystems, credential innovations are trailblazing multiple pathways to professions at a pivotal moment of rapid change. In the current state of credential proliferation, the quest for simultaneous improvement of quality and value reflects heightened cross-sector interests, while at the same time the quest for concurrent enhancement of access and success remains. With the evolving educational models, technologies, and organizations, credential innovations will continue to serve as powerful catalysts in realizing the great promise for inclusive pathways to professions. The Handbook of Research on Credential Innovations for Inclusive Pathways to Professions surveys the state of credential innovations, examines trends and issues, and explores models and strategies with case studies across sectors and disciplines. The 21 chapters are organized in three sections. Section I, Credential Innovations Amid Evolving Ecosystems, features a powerful array of change theories-in-action with topics ranging from conceptual re-visioning to organizational restructuring and programmatic reengineering within evolving ecosystems. Section II, Credential Innovations and Propositions Across Sectors, spotlights diverse approaches to and propositions of credentials within complex socio-economic landscapes across education, business, and technology industries. Section III, Credential Innovation Models and Strategies, showcases institutional innovations ranging from model developments, pedagogical approaches, and personalized engagements to outcome measurements and strategies for sustainable implementation. Lessons learned and implications are explored to share promising practices, inform current development, and influence future policies toward inclusive excellence in education and the workplace.

2017 Phillip E. Frandson Award for Literature in the Field of Professional, Continuing, and/or Online Education, University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) The Future of University Credentials offers a thorough and urgently needed overview of the burgeoning world of university degrees and credentials. At a time of heightened attention to how universities and colleges are preparing young people for the working world, questions about the meaning and value of university credentials have become especially prominent. Sean Gallagher guides us through this fast-changing terrain, providing much-needed context, details, and insights. The book casts a wide net, focusing on traditional higher education degrees and on the myriad certificates and other postsecondary awards that universities and other institutions now issue. He describes the entire ecosystem of credentials, including universities and colleges, employers, government agencies, policy makers and influencers—and, not least, the students whose futures are profoundly affected by these certifications. And he looks intently at where university credentials might be headed, as educational institutions seek to best serve students and employers in a rapidly changing world. The result is an unprecedented, comprehensive look at the current credentialing landscape in higher education—as well as at the future challenges and opportunities for this vital field.

This edited volume provides insight into how digital badges may enhance formal, non-formal and informal education by focusing on technical design issues including organizational requirements, learning and instructional design, as well as deployment. It features current research exploring the theoretical foundation and empirical evidence of the utilization of digital badges as well as case studies that describe current practices and experiences in the use of digital badges for motivation, learning, and instruction in K-12, higher education, workplace learning, and further education settings.

The contributing authors to Marketing for CPAs, Accountants, and Tax Professionals combine their expertise into a reference manual for today's accountant. Presented in four sections, the book covers all areas pertinent to effective marketing for accounting firms in the 90s and beyond: The Marketing Process Are Accountants Responding to the Challenge of Change? Marketing by CPA Firms: Room for Improvement? Has the Household User Profile for Accounting Services Changed? The Small Accounting Firm: Managing the Dynamics of the Marketing Function Perspectives on Marketing Professional Tax Service Marketing From a Consumer Buyer Behavior Perspective Price of Tax Preparation Services and the CPA Credential on Perceived Quality of Service Marketing Implications for Small CPA Firms Based on Clients' Criteria for Selection and Retention Advertising Advertising by Accountants: Attitudes, Practice, and Their Use of Marketing Tools A Survey of the Utilization of Advertising by CPA Firms The Changing Face of Accounting Advertising Marketing Tools and Strategies Marketing Financial Planning Services: Highlights of a Survey of CPAs Strategic Marketing Planning for the Development of the Small Accounting Practice A Complete Positioning Strategy for the Professional Services Firm Practical Approaches for Evaluating the Quality of Professional Accounting Services An Empirical Investigation of the Pricing of Professional Services (Applied to Public Accounting)