This phenomenological study explored how senior-level leaders foster psychological safety for employees at public higher education institutions in Texas. The participants in this study consisted of 10 current senior-level leaders who report directly to the president at a public university in Texas. Virtual semi-structured interviews were conducted…

Organizational climate (OC) affects employees, their interactions with students, and is essential to student achievement. However, the research is limited in that it is not clear how college faculty and staff perceive OC factors that may contribute to student academic achievement. The aim of this study was to answer the following research…

Objective: To assess the dietary quality and determine the influence of food-away-from-home (FAFH) on dietary quality and weight status among faculty and staff. Participants and methods: Faculty and staff (n = 152) from a public university completed an online Food Frequency Questionnaire. Number of FAFH consumed per week, dietary intakes, dietary…

The state of Texas is currently under a federal mandate of corrective action from the United States Department of Education (USED). Many students who were denied referral to special education services in the past are being referred in record numbers across the state. Given the historical shortage of special education assessment personnel, the…

Parental involvement is an important component of schools, as it provides a number of benefits for students, families, and campuses. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore how parents believe the climate of a school impacts their involvement on campus. The study investigated this topic through focus groups with parents in…

The purpose of this research study was to investigate the perspectives of educational diagnosticians regarding male and female students receiving special education services in central Texas public schools. Since educational diagnosticians are the professionals who determine if students are eligible for special education services by administering…

Financial literacy is a tool necessary for navigating adulthood, often overlooked when preparing students for college decision-making. Despite the lack of preparation, research indicates financial issues as one of the most significant concerns for student retention, affecting first-generation and minority students the most. The purpose of this…

This study was an exploration of how the Katy Independent School District (ISD) Purchasing Department can effectively communicate its processes to district staff to improve efficiency. In recent years, the number of requisition rejections and order cancellations indicated a breakdown in communication-related to communication of procurement…

The purpose of this quantitative research was to examine parents, students, and staff perceptions of school climate in urban middle schools and explore if relationships exist between perceived school climate, perceived reading instruction, and reading performance as measured by the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR). The…

We survey 137 charter school administrators and 129 board members and find that U.S. charter school internal controls are perceived to be relatively strong overall. However, board independence, board communication of internal control responsibilities to school personnel, lines of communication between the board and school personnel, and reporting…

The problem investigated by this study limited collaboration between parents of students with IDD and school personnel, limiting the quality of special education services delivered to students. A qualitative interpretive descriptive study was used to investigate strategies school personnel used resulting in positive collaborative experiences for…

In this qualitative research study we illustrate how implicit biases held by college personnel hinders the educational success of Latino men attending urban community colleges in Texas. In particular, we identify how often well-intentioned educators are (un)aware of how often they perpetrate racial microaggressions against Latino men. Interviews…

In this article, we explore the experiences of students at HBCUs as they traverse their STEM courses and STEM majors and demonstrate how their paths in STEM are positively shaped by a "culture of family." Our research questions include: What are the experiences of students attending HBCUs and pursuing degrees in STEM? And how do their…

Clerical staff in the campus office (secretaries and registrars) perform critical functions essential to the operation of schools, yet do not receive research attention regarding their contributions. This study describes turnover rates of K-12 campus clerical employees in order to establish base information in the field. Eight years of employment…

In 2019, the Texas legislature passed a historic education finance bill that included an initiative to add up to 30 days to the school-year calendar. One way districts can do this is to offer a voluntary summer learning program. In 2020, the American Institutes for Research, with support from The Wallace Foundation, launched the six-year Texas…