College students engage with religion, faith, and spirituality for a variety of reasons; however, current literature exploring these motivations is limited. We utilised a constructivist, qualitative, phenomenological design and surveyed 201 students to understand their motivations for pursuing faith, religion, or spirituality. Of those surveyed,…

The aim of this study is to explore the pedagogical reasoning and action of high school geography teachers when teaching sustainable development within the context of the Advanced Placement Human Geography classroom. Through a multiple case study approach, this research examines the instructional decisions and rationales of seven APHG teachers…

Virtual reality (VR) technology is an advanced modern resource commonly integrated into various forms of training. VR training simulations are customizable in that quality-grading parameter settings, physical environment, and user capacity can be modified to personal or professional preference. In this study, VR technology training practices are…

In 1972, the Marland Report included leadership as a domain of giftedness in the first federal definition. Although federal and state descriptions of gifted and talented services still include identifying and developing leadership talent, in many states, services are not mandated or funded. Consequently, leadership development is often left to…

Purpose: The purpose of this two-year study was to assess the impact of the CORE program, a model that integrates technology and active learning modules in high schools by providing multi-disciplinary teams of teachers and administrators with professional development and resources to support the development of students' non-cognitive skills and…

While most community college students enroll part-time, there is little evidence on how to effectively improve college attainment of part-time students. This mixed methods study, situated in Texas, addresses this research gap by developing a more complete understanding of the part-time student population, their challenges and needs, as well as the…

Conferred by businesses, industry groups, and state certifying entities, industry-recognized credentials (IRCs) are intended to signal that students have mastered specific workplace knowledge and skills. This first-of-its-kind study assesses the impact of specific IRCs earned in high school on various employment and postsecondary outcomes for…

High-impact practices in education can have a transformative influence on students' educational growth and personal development; however, research suggests that not all students participate in these educationally purposeful activities. Some institutions have integrated high-impact-practice programs into the curriculum to center these opportunities…

Despite the growing popularity of WBL, the community college and workforce development fields need greater transparency and clarity on the design of these programs to broaden workforce pathways, ensure the transferability of exemplary program models, and support the advancement of equitable outcomes for all students, especially learners from…

This report examines the impact of Creative Teaching techniques on students' academic growth on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) reading and math tests from 2016-2017 to 2017-2018. Statistically significant growth on STAAR reading was found for students who had teachers who were moderately competent at Creative Teaching…

The purpose of this study was to form a deeper understanding of how high school teachers view giftedness and gifted education. Open-ended surveys and interviews were conducted with high school teachers in a suburban school district with three large high school, and data were analyzed using a grounded theory methodology. Data were collected and…

Region 14 Comprehensive Center and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) are collaboratively implementing projects to address high leverage problems such as instructional leadership professional development, school-based mental health supports, and evidence-based reading instruction. This profile provides a summary of these selected projects and an…

This investigation examined patterns of codeveloping internalizing and externalizing problems from early childhood through adolescence (i.e., Grades 1 to 12). Subgroups of children with heterogeneous developmental trajectories (i.e., pure and co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems) were identified and their long-term associations…

The psychological, social, and emotional aspects of education have enjoyed increased attention in recent years as often termed "non-cognitive factors" and "soft skills" have gained traction in research, policy, and practice circles as major drivers of student achievement. This renewed attention represents an important shift, as…

This study investigated the percentage of Round Rock Independent School District (ISD) graduates from 2012/13 through 2017/18 who completed one or more career and technical education (CTE) programs of study and attained outcomes after high school graduation including college enrollment, degree or certificate attainment, and employment. The study…