Public school superintendents face wide-ranging pressures and would benefit from improved understanding of ways to manage stress. This quantitative study used the theoretical framework of Transformational Leadership to investigate whether the presence or absence of faith practices resulted in better stress management for superintendents, and…

This Notes in Brief contribution explores the use of autosomal DNA to engage college faculty and staff in a different approach to diversity and inclusion discussions, including antisemitism, on campuses. The author provides results from DNA testing and how he has used his results to discuss his common ancestry with students to build bridges as a…

While research abounds on the outcomes of out-of-school time programs for youth, most studies focus on programs with similar profiles or within the same program category, leaving a notable gap in examining youth experiences across programs with different delivery modes. The current research investigated the perceived experiences of youth in two…

Background: This study explored the cardiac emergency preparedness of school employees in Illinois, as well as their attitudes toward cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) training. Methods: One thousand two hundred seventy-six school employees completed an online survey regarding their school's cardiac…

Youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face challenges accessing needed services as they transition to adulthood. Correlates of service access identified in the literature--such as family resources, race/ethnicity, or youth functioning--can be difficult to change and may not be feasible targets for intervention. This study focused on a…

Parent advocacy has led to improved educational access and outcomes for students with disabilities. Extant research indicates that parents are more likely to participate in individual advocacy than systemic advocacy. Due to the preponderance of individual advocacy, limited research has focused on systemic advocacy. Thus, the purpose of this study…

Purpose: This study aims to determine preference and concerns regarding tap vs bottled water and recommendations to increase tap water use in a US Midwest university. The authors propose interventions to increase tap water use based on survey results. Design/methodology/approach: The authors conducted an online survey of the community of a…

In urban areas, the communities are as diverse as the issues, and different educational and engagement strategies must be deployed to support urban Extension clientele. Urban communities must connect with and feel a sense of "belonging" with Extension--this connection can strengthen Extension's presence and value proposition to urban…

Research Findings: Family child care providers widely participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), yet their participation experiences have not been studied. To fill this gap, we used a mixed methods approach that combined survey data collected from a random sample of 224 CACFP-participating licensed family child care providers…

Although the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) mandates parent participation in their children's education programs, the implementation of IDEA results in parent effort beyond participation, specifically, an expectation of advocacy. To date, research on the advocacy expectation is mixed, with some parents perceiving…

This quantitative, correlational study examined the technology leadership skills of principals within the state of Illinois based upon demographic, grade-level, and cross categorical tabulations to determine technology domain competency. Data was collected using the TELECOM-EDAD scale, which was distributed through an electronic survey. Over 4,000…

In the past, parents of children with disabilities have spearheaded several policies for individuals with disabilities. However, little is known about their experiences with legislators. To address this gap, focus groups and surveys about legislative advocacy were conducted with 127 parents of individuals with disabilities across four states. The…

We investigated adolescent responsibility across 2 developmental contexts, home and an afterschool program. Longitudinal data were collected from 355 ethnically diverse 11-20-year-old adolescents (M = 15.49; 55.9% female) in 14 project-based programs. Youth rated their responsibility in the program and at home at 4 time points; parents and leaders…

There is a nursing faculty shortage contributing to the nursing shortage that necessitates more than just standard recruitment and retention efforts. The purpose of this study was to understand faculty persistence by asking nurse faculty members why they persist in their educating role, what factors influence their persistence, and what obstacles…

Although parent involvement is a cornerstone of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), few individual parents of children with disabilities participate in civic engagement to voice their suggestions for the next IDEA reauthorization. To address this gap, a civic engagement training was conducted with 95 parents of children with…