The recent turn toward core practices and practice-based teacher education has been accompanied by a growing literature on the definitions, pedagogies to teach, and assessments of core practices. Despite these developments, the field lacks core practices performance assessments designed to be used across course sections, courses, and subjects.…

This dissertation consists of two chapters on topics in economics of education. In the first chapter, I develop and estimate an equilibrium model of endogenous instruction and student effort in order to empirically investigate the relationship between instructional choices, classroom composition, and student achievement in elementary school. The…

Prior learning assessment (PLA) supports student persistence, shortens time-to-degree, and boosts degree completion, particularly for post-traditional (adult or non-traditional) students and underserved populations. This proceeding examines an innovative approach to PLA using block credit. Administered within the award-winning Department of…

The purpose of this study was to examine education leaders' knowledge of core and current issues in special education and how this knowledge is acquired. The study also examined the educational leaders' beliefs and practices regarding collaboration, response-to-intervention, and inclusion. Finally, the study examined the social justice issues that…

The term Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) refers not to a single kind of assessment but rather an entire family of assessment methods that can be used by institutions. Some of these methods are exam-based. In addition, there are other methods of PLA. One of the more innovative methods of offering PLA, however, is through the development of student…