The Resident Assistant (RA) role is unlike any other student position in the university setting. It is complicated, nuanced, and increasingly complex as the needs and expectations of residents and RAs rapidly change in a post-pandemic era of residence life. The role itself has been forced to evolve to address these changing needs. This thesis…

Developmental theory historically viewed demanding roles (at home, job) as important developmental contexts. However, adolescents' participation in these roles has fallen. This qualitative research examined role experiences in United States youth development programs. A central question among others was, "How can youth experience internal…

Partnerships between communities and institutions of higher education have become central ways in which post-secondary students and faculty members interact with teachers and students in community environments. These partnerships can be challenging to develop, however, particularly given the numerous and shifting priorities of both schools and…

In the history of US news media, partisanship, class, race, and gender biases have always infused the press and that coverage has often been shaped behind closed doors by those with the greatest power. People of color have been systematically excluded from the press, both in general society and on college campuses. However over the past several…

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…

This study investigated the influence of gender, age, and camp type on outcome achievements for children (aged 6 to 10) at summer camp. The outcome achievements measured were affinity for exploration, affinity for nature, camp connectedness, friendship skills, independence, perceived competence, problem-solving confidence, responsibility, and…

Student-led conferences are an alternative method of reporting progress to parents. This qualitative phenomenological research study was conducted in order to examine elementary teachers' perceptions of student-led conferences in comparison to traditional parent-teacher conferences in Central and Southern Illinois. Additionally, the study examined…

The Center for the Study of Education Policy utilized several grants to develop principal preparation program tools to assist programs in the implementation of the new standards and requirements for the licensure of school principals and assistant principals. Also, with the help of another grant in partnership with several PK-12 school districts,…

The purpose of the current study was to understand the association between bullying experiences (i.e., bullying, victimization, and defending) and social, emotional, and cognitive factors. The social factor was social skills (i.e., empathy, assertion, cooperation, responsibility); the emotional factor was emotional difficulties (i.e., personal…

Focusing on skills and attitudes necessary for responsible action, the handbook describes responsibility education programs for students and suggests resources for promoting program development. Responsibility education is defined as a process which gives students enriched school-directed citizenship experiences. Responsibility education…

This booklet sets forth the responsibilities and challenges facing Illinois school board members. As the first section on general responsibilities shows, the school board takes action only as a body and speaks only through the written record of its meetings. Individual members lack the authority to commit the school board to a particular action,…

This document contains an impact assessment system for vocational education research and development personnel to determine whether resources spent for funded projects improved the programs. It is divided into four sections. Section 1 presents an introduction to the concept of impact, dissemination, and the impact assessment design. In section 2…

The goals of "Operation Awareness", a 1974 summer program involving coeducational high school canoeing, camping, and study, were to acquire knowledge; acquire outdoor living skills; promote involvement in a conservation work project; and provide the opportunity for social, emotional, and physical growth through group living. Students,…