This explanatory sequential mixed-methods study examined athletic participation rates between 2016 and 2019 of nine male IHSA-sanctioned sports in Illinois. The quantitative portion examined whether a statistically significant difference exists between low socioeconomic students and non-low-income high school students' participation in high school…

The Open Educational Resources (OER) movement is now more than twenty years beyond its inception when it was built on the concept that digital materials make learning content easy to reuse and share. This report discusses current legislative trends in OER and offers recommended OER practices for states.

The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) received a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in 2020 to explore the potential of open educational resources (OER) to reduce textbook costs for students at smaller and mid-sized independent colleges and universities, especially Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other…

Adolescents who struggle with reading and literacy face significant challenges in academic and future success. This Spotlight focuses on effective interventions to address learning gaps and support literacy development. From optimizing tutoring to emphasizing the importance of reading support classes, these articles offer valuable perspectives.…

In the U.S., state guidance to schools in response to the COVID-19 pandemic was politicized. We used state-level political affiliation to explore whether access to curricular resources differed pre-pandemic or during pandemic remote teaching and teachers' reported control over curricular resources during pandemic teaching. We found that…

This qualitative interview study examined how parents of potential college-going first-generation students in one high school perceive and experience their access to resources and knowledge that would allow them to support their adolescents' successful entrance into postsecondary institutions. The study found that the parents believe that high…

Most professional development opportunities for early childhood teachers are offered as face-to-face sessions (in various formats, including workshops, coaching, and college courses), tailored for teachers in traditional school- or center-based child care, offered during a traditional academic year, or during summer, or on professional development…

"AASA Learning 2025: Student-Centered, Equity-Focused, Future-Driven Education" is a movement that calls for a holistic redesign of the public school system by 2025. This initiative is grounded in the foundational work of the AASA Learning 2025 National Commission, comprised of thought leaders in education, business, community, and…

In this article, the authors describe two independent efforts at "flipping" introductory economics courses employing econlowodown.org resources from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. From an instructor's perspective, it is relatively simple to locate the high-quality free resources available online and assign them to students. Their…

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) use free or low-fee short courses to increase access to education both in the United States and internationally. Since the University of Illinois partnered with the MOOC provider Coursera in 2013 it has seen over 1.55 million enrollments in over 125 open courses, as well as the development of four online…

To say that there is a need for social justice is to assume that there is inequitable access to resources and unequal distribution of power (Golightly et al., 2017). Resources are needed for LGBTQ+ college students to achieve higher success rates in their programs of study ("LGBTQ+" stands for "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,…

With growing interest among higher education faculty and administration in adopting open educational resources (OER), several nationwide and statewide OER initiatives are attempting to increase the awareness and encourage the implementation of OER. In the exploration of OER resources for career and technical education (CTE) in Illinois community…

As of 2015, approximately one in five special educators received licensure through an alternative pathway. Although evidence suggests that emotional exhaustion contributes to special educator attrition, few studies examine firsthand the emotional experiences of novice, alternatively certified special educators. Guided by Tuxford and Bradley's…

Since states closed school buildings to protect students from COVID-19, schools have had to adapt quickly to keep students learning. Nearly all states put out guidance or resources to help districts and schools institute continuous learning and surmount the challenges faced by students in homes with limited or no internet access and those with…

For most students with intellectual disability (ID), education in the least restrictive environment has been determined to be separate special education classrooms. One means to promote greater participation in general education classrooms is for educators to identify and arrange individualized supports that students need to be successful. We…