From my personal point of view, the role of a program evaluator is to gather information about the thoughts and experiences of individuals impacted by the program and to use the findings to inform program improvement. However, participants in the evaluation may be reluctant to share their full thoughts due to factors such as power imbalances and a…

This article describes a multidimensional model of context that identifies, defines, and explains three key properties of context: multilevel, multifactorial, and interactive. The use of this model to drive a context-based enhancement cycle is also described. The enhancement cycle involves four steps: (a) identifying current interactions that…

After an emergency event has occurred on campus and the education agency has activated the emergency operations plan (EOP), it is likely that the planning team has feedback and lessons learned. Similarly, after conducting an emergency exercise -- whether it be an orientation, tabletop exercise, drill, functional exercise, or full-scale exercise --…

The State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP), WV GRADUATION 20/20, was implemented during the 2015-2016 academic school year beginning with sixty-nine (69) schools in thirty-six (36) counties representing fifty-nine (59) percent of West Virginia's high schools. During the 2016-2017 academic year the number of high schools has grew to seventy-two…

Research supervisors and their higher degree research (HDR) candidates -- including Master, Professional Doctorate, and PhD candidates -- make critical contributions to research and innovation. In addition to providing research training, research supervisors have traditionally also acted as the graduate employability practitioner for their HDR…

Over the past several years, there has been an expansion in the use and awareness of open educational resources (OERs) in postsecondary institutions in the United States. Some states have invested funds to expand the use of OERs across their campuses as an alternative or supplement to traditional course materials that students typically pay for…

Adjuncts continue to be an integral part of higher education; however, they are rarely onboarded at higher education institutions. Onboarding involves systematically introducing a new employee to an organization's values, processes, and procedures. For adjuncts, they also need formalized training in pedagogy. Without onboarding adjuncts, higher…

Described is an effort to develop and gather feedback on a competency-based framework designed to assist elementary school teachers in their support of children who are chronically bullied. Drawing from extant research, we identified 25 potential competencies to construct a guiding framework organized by knowledge, attitudes, and skills. In Study…

The associate degree nursing program offered at a privately owned, regionally accredited career college in central Virginia was placed under conditional approval by the Virginia Board of Nursing (VBON) due to low NCLEX[R]-RN pass rates and nine other violations of regulation. The lack of VBON approval for the nursing program resulted in the…

Currently, Doctorate in Social Work (DSW) programs are proliferating, but with limited empirical data to direct planning efforts. To fill this gap in knowledge, this article reports on the findings of an evaluation undertaken on the first DSW of its kind. This evaluation had three components: (1) an environmental scan of DSW programs; (2) a survey…

Background: Scholars agree that reciprocity is a cornerstone of service-learning and community engagement (SLCE); however, engagement with this concept varies widely in practice and across disciplines. To enhance the potential of SLCE to fulfill its promise for societal impact, engineering education must understand how reciprocity is achieved,…

Child Trends contracted with the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to conduct an independent evaluation of Parent Aware, Minnesota's Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) for early care and education (ECE) programs. The evaluation includes several legislatively mandated research activities designed to assess the…

A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis of a teacher education program, or any program, can be the driving force for implementing change. A SWOT analysis is used to assist faculty in initiating meaningful change in a program and to use the data for program improvement. This tool is useful in any undergraduate or degree…

This study aimed to examine the initial pre-service teacher outcomes for a newly developed mental health training (i.e., "Training In Mental health for Educators -- Pre-service Teachers" [TIME-PT]). For the development of the TIME-PT, an expert panel and a focus group with pre-service teachers were conducted to inform of any changes and…

The System Transformation for Equitable Preschools (STEP Forward with Data) Framework was developed to help preschool systems leaders understand where in the preschool system there may be inequities in how children and families are accessing, being supported by, and experiencing the system. The Framework offers preschool systems leaders a pathway…