Principals matter a great deal in establishing a culture of excellence in schools. It has been known that an "ineffective" principal can create significant problems that impede teachers from carrying out their tasks and poor leadership may eventually affect academic excellence in students. A leader who does not have the skill sets to…

We examined relations among select components of the 4-H Thriving Model, focusing on youth sparks and four presumed determinants: program quality, developmental relationships, situational engagement, and dosage. Based on our results and results of previous studies, we propose a formal theory of youth program sparks. Three hundred fifty-six Texas…

Kylene Beers, well-known for her books "Notice and Note" with co-author Bob Probst, has taken time to detail in this essay that our times are changing, our language is challenged more than it is accepted, and sometimes we need to take a moment of reflection to think about how we can all make our world a better, more understanding place.…

Although quality assurance programs may improve the curricula and outcomes of early childhood programs, some U.S. childcare principals are reluctant to participate in these initiatives. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the motivation that guides Texas childcare principals' decision-making regarding participation in the…

During the COVID-19 global pandemic, early intervention (EI) practitioners experienced an unexpected shift to providing tele-intervention services to support children and families using virtual platforms. Because this shift occurred across the field, it is important to understand the perspectives of those who experienced it under exceptional…

The purpose of this study was to examine Latino parent perspectives on parent engagement at the junior high level, focusing on experiences both at home and at school. Qualitative data was gathered from Latino parents of junior high students in Texas through bilingual focus groups and individual interviews. Themes synthesized from participant…

Many teachers are leaving the classroom for various reasons, and their departure is occurring so rapidly that replacing them with individuals of equivalent knowledge and experience proves challenging. The once-stable education system now faces jeopardy due to high attrition rates. Successful schools flourish through collaboration and the transfer…

This study investigates the dual credit (DC) college readiness indicator among secondary students in Texas during 2019-2021 COVID-19. Utilizing publicly available administrative data from the Texas Education Agency and a hierarchical linear model, the paper identifies changes in Texas school districts' college readiness DC course completion rates…

A Dissertation in Practice was conducted which connected theories of action and Yosso's (2015) community cultural wealth framework to address the absence of diverse parental perspectives and oversight at Freedom Middle School in South Texas. Platicas with seven parent volunteers and a parent engagement survey available to all Freedom Middle School…

This study explored the impact of secondary administrator perceptions on implementing restorative discipline practices in Texas middle school campuses. Ten secondary middle school administrators from diverse Texas school districts that utilized restorative practices for non-expellable offenses participated in open-ended, semi-structured…

This article aims to critique a published paper according to UK professional Standard Framework (UKPSF). The critiqued paper in this article was written by Loftin, Davis, and Hartin (2010) that provide clarity and meaning for classroom participation from the nursing student perspective at West Texas A&M University. The article shows that the…

People with disabilities in the United States have access to a fraction of engaging play experiences available to others due to playground design choices, minimal legal requirements, and societal acceptance of the status quo. PlayGrand Adventures, the first and largest all-abilities playground in North Texas, meets this need by providing engaging…

Parent involvement is often cited as an essential component of effective dual language bilingual education (DLBE), yet we have limited understanding of the ways parents participate in DLBE or how parent experiences differ between Latinx and non-Latinx families, who often have different reasons for enrolling their children in bilingual programs.…

Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs) are school clubs for LGBTQ+ youth and peer allies to support one another. This eight-week weekly diary study considered whether a youth's positive and negative affect during a given week could be predicted by experiences in their most recently attended GSA meeting. Ninety-nine GSA members (M[subscript age] =…

The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore how parental involvement in learning at home is perceived to influence student academic achievement among students in special education programs within a school district in North Central Texas. Epstein's 2010 theoretical framework on learning at home was used as a basis in this…