2009 RECIPIENT OF THE LORNE H. WOOLLATT DISTINGUISHED PAPER AWARD

The Lorne H. Woollatt Distinguished Paper Award is presented annually in recognition of the paper deemed exemplary by the Award Committee. In 1990 NERA renamed its distinguished paper award to honor Lorne H. Woollatt, a distinguished New York State educator and active member of NERA. The award, presented to the author or authors, is automatically accepted for presentation at the subsequent American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting as part of the special session sponsored by the AERA/SIG State and Regional Educational Research Associations (SRERA). The award also includes a stipend to defray travel expenses to AERA. This year’s award paper will be presented at the 2010 AERA conference being held in Denver, CO from April 30 to May 4, 2010.

Congratulations to Catherine Manly and Dr. Ryan Wells of the University of Massachusetts Amherst the 2009 Lorne H. Woollatt Distinguished Paper Award recipients for their paper: “Financial Planning for College: What Parents Do to Prepare.”

Ms. Manly is currently pursuing her doctoral studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in higher education policy and leadership. Her research interests involve the transition from PK-12 to college, the increased relevance of postsecondary education to all citizens, and the role of online learning in reshaping the education landscape. Her professional experience has revolved around the intersection of technology, teaching, and learning in liberal arts, community college, and online settings. Most recently, she directed the Educational Technology and Distance Learning Department at Manchester Community College in Connecticut. She received her MBA in Technology Management from the University of Phoenix Online in 2000, and her BA from Amherst College in 1994, in addition to being a 2004 alumnae of the EDUCAUSE/CLIR Frye Leadership Institute. The award winning paper evolved from research begun in a Finance of Higher Education class she took with Dr. Ryan Wells.

Financial Planning for College:
What Parents Do to Prepare

This study explores reported parental financial college preparations and the amount parents have saved for college, with a goal of determining strategies used by different parents based on parental college aspirations and expectations for their child, as well as the highest reported parental and grandparental educational levels. Regression analysis indicates that parents' expectations, but not their aspirations, correspond to engagement in financial planning. Family education is strongly associated with taking some financial planning actions and the amount saved. The results may be helpful to those who are working to increase the effectiveness of disseminating college financial information to parents.