This article highlights two competency-based coaching and mentoring models for the incumbent infant-toddler workforce, designed and implemented at two Illinois institutions of higher education. Each model has been intentionally developed with an antibias and equity lens, focused on cultivating a diverse workforce of practitioners through…

In 2020, New America embarked on a year-long initiative with librarians in children's and youth services across three library systems in Illinois. The aim was to build staff members' skills and confidence in media mentorship--the act of mentoring and providing tailored guidance to students and families in selecting, analyzing, and using media to…

A changing landscape in youth sports and educational institutions has resulted in a growing number of high school student-athletes being coached by adults who do not work in the schools they attend. This study provides a foundational understanding of the relationship between in-building coaches, hereafter referred to as educator-coaches, and their…

Black staff in out-of-school time (OST) programs are frequently positioned as disciplinarians, behavior managers, or "chaperones," while curriculum and instruction responsibilities are assigned to formally trained (and often White) educators. Imbalances in power and funding mean White leaders usually hold decision-making authority, while…

The purpose of this study is to investigate if there is a positive relationship between principals mentored through the NewLeaders Assistance Service and the retention of the participants who continued their career in educational administration. The participants for this study were first-year principals from 2001-2016 in the NewLeaders Assistance…

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's multiple techniques for assessing its Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities program seek to address both bigpicture concerns (e.g., are students learning?) and more pragmatic questions (e.g., are there barriers to participation?). The benefits and challenges of the quantitative and qualitative…

The dearth of Latinx and African American (AA) professionals in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields is most concerning. AA and Latinx workers in the labor market hold an 11% and 17% share of US workers, respectively. However, these groups only contribute 9% and 8%, respectively, of STEM professionals and 4.8 and 6% of…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the SREB critical success factors being implemented as part of the Illinois PreK-12 principal preparation internship, as well as, the authenticity of the internship process. The following research questions guided this study: (1) To what extent do the 13 SREB critical success factors affect…

An estimated 17% to 30% of new teachers in the U.S. leave the profession within their first 5 years of teaching. Some challenges that prompt new teachers to leave the field include stress, lack of appropriate support, and feeling unprepared to handle behavioral and academic issues among their students. Research supports the finding that teachers…

After years of working in the background to build the capacity of two-year college science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) faculty and the skills of technicians, the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program is gaining recognition as a source of STEM workforce expertise. The ATE program's effective mentoring of STEM educators and its…

Individuals involved in the profession of teaching continue to leave the educational profession. This has an adverse effect on the quality of education for the students and increased financial costs for school districts. School districts are in the process of training new teachers that have not attained a traditional education degree in the…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the efficacy of foreign immersion programs in terms of increasing cross-cultural awareness among university students in business, accounting, human resources and agriculture. The authors extrapolate from their population to the practice of developing business professionals on international…

Researchers have examined various outcomes of undergraduate minority mentoring programs. However, there is a significant gap in research about how program members with different demographic backgrounds may not have the same experiences or outcomes as other members despite being subject to the same program elements. To address these gaps, we…

The National Math + Science Initiative (NMSI) is a nonprofit organization committed to improving educational outcomes that traces its roots back to the early 1990s. NMSI's College Readiness Program (CRP) is a long-standing program with the goal of promoting STEM education in high schools to improve students' preparation for college. The three-year…

This research study examined Generation Y new teachers, the process of new teacher induction, and the most effective methods for providing professional development in instructional technology for Generation Y teachers. This research study examined Generation Y new teachers, the process of new teacher induction, and the most effective methods for…