Alumni mentoring in social work allows students to connect with experienced practitioners in a nonevaluative context and for alumni to strengthen university connections. This study describes and evaluates one established student-alumni mentoring program. Pretest (n=277) and posttest (n=153) data were collected from participants across 3 years.…

This study examines the feasibility of adding a proximal outcome survey to a book distribution program. We also examine access to books at home for Grade 3 to 5 students experiencing poverty and relations with reading motivation and reading amount. Finally, we describe students' book preferences by analyzing the difficulty and genres of texts they…

This article shares principles for offering effective professional development for classroom teachers at historic sites and museums, identified through ongoing research at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation (TJF). Supported by an IMLS National Leadership Grant, the initial findings challenged the education staff to more fully embrace their roles as…

To introduce and provide equine-related activities to military personnel and their families, Utah State University Equine Extension created and implemented an effective program called Ride Utah! Equine-related activities have been shown to improve mental health and build strong family relationships in participating individuals. Ride Utah!…

Adult basic education (ABE) policies aim to help adults improve their literacy, numeracy and information and communications technology skills, as well as their qualifications, often in pursuit of economic gains such as better employment and earnings. The large-scale improvement of skills and qualifications has been referred to as a wicked policy…

The Commission increased aid for education in emergencies and protracted crises to 10% of its total humanitarian aid in 2019. We assessed how the Commission managed this new level of support. We found that projects were relevant and achieved their expected results, but reached fewer girls than boys. Most projects in our sample were too short…

This study demonstrates the importance of Rasch Measurement Theory (RMT) in program evaluation when outcome measures need to be constructed from scratch. The paper introduces typical measure validation methods presented in program evaluation texts and discusses room for improvement. The study then illustrates how the seamless transitions from…

The Mastery-Based Learning Collaborative (MBLC) is a demonstration project taking place in 47 schools across Washington to help decision makers understand what quality mastery-based (or competency-based) learning looks like, how long it takes to implement, and what resources are necessary. The schools receive funding, coaching, and professional…

Expectations continue to evolve in today's work environment. An innovative practice between university and industry partners has emerged as a response to these expectations. In this trend, programs prepare college students with essential skills before entering the workforce. One such partnership created a leadership development program for…

Background: Youth violence is a significant problem affecting community health. Community-academic partnerships can advance youth nonviolence education by synergizing the strengths of collaborators while working toward a common goal. We describe a collaboration between an urban public middle school, community nonprofit, and university-based…

Over the last years, "El Sistema" has been enthusiastically received around the world and has inspired several proposals aiming to transplant it to different contexts in different countries. It would seem, then, that "El Sistema" constitutes a renewed approach that allows a place for inclusive music education within the…

Although research on evaluation instruction has increased in the past decade, little is known about evaluation education in Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)-accredited schools of public health and master of public health (MPH) programs. In this study, instruction of competencies for program evaluators as enumerated by Stevahn, King,…

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth aged 10-25 years, and approximately one in six adolescents reported serious suicidal ideation in the past year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] in Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). http://webappa.cdc.gov/cgi-bin/broker.exe, 2017). Schools are…

This article examines the intersection of service-learning with complex systems theory. It is based on a research project we undertook to explore whether complex systems theory might be useful for better understanding the dynamics of service-learning practice and thus for assisting in the design, running, and evaluation of service-learning…

Switzerland has one of the best ecosystems for entrepreneurship. However, there is a blind spot with regard to vocational colleges: A systematic integration of the topic is currently missing. The initiative "Entrepreneurial Thinking and Acting in Swiss Vocational Colleges -- Economic, Social and Ethical Dimensions" aims to address this…