This study aimed to examine the effects of several factors (professional role, perceived level of assessment training, and perceived level of assessment competence) on student affairs staff members' views of what constitutes effective assessment and what they value in an assessment culture, measured through seven survey constructs. Adapted from…

State and school report cards provide a powerful avenue for states to reach families and the broader public as essential partners in improving student outcomes. The federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and many state legislatures require states to publish an array of education data including measures at the state, district, and school levels.…

Albert Bandura's theory of self-efficacy is a commonly known social-emotional learning theory that states that learners can only achieve that which they believe they can achieve. Strong self-efficacy, associated with confidence and a willingness to take risks in learning, has been positively correlated with strong student achievement. While some…

Prior learning assessment (PLA) supports student persistence, shortens time-to-degree, and boosts degree completion, particularly for post-traditional (adult or non-traditional) students and underserved populations. This proceeding examines an innovative approach to PLA using block credit. Administered within the award-winning Department of…

Designed to overcome a common barrier to successful implementation of school improvement efforts--entrenched belief systems--this book digs deeper into the power of collective efficacy. Teams with a strong sense of collective efficacy devise ways to make "what's supposed to work" actually work, and find ways to exercise control over…

The Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support Act of 2019 was put in place to amend the Public Health Service Act to enhance activities of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with respect to research on autism spectrum disorder and enhance programs relating to autism, and for other purposes. The Act includes the…

Children born preterm, defined as children born prior to 37 weeks gestational age, are at increased risk for cognitive, academic, and social-emotional impairments and disability. The gap in performance between preterm children and full-term peers has been well-documented from the earliest stages of schooling well into adulthood. However, it has…

The Exploring Engagement Fund was established with the belief that arts provide a distinct, powerful public benefit that helps create a vibrant, inclusive, and compassionate society. From 2012 to 2018, the Exploring Engagement Fund supported new approaches that these nonprofit arts organizations used to actively engage more diverse participants.…

From 2012 to 2018, the Exploring Engagement Fund of The James Irvine Foundation provided risk capital for more than 100 engagement projects conducted by California arts nonprofits. These organizations had innovative ideas and a readiness to take bold steps to engage groups often underrepresented among mainstream arts participants--specifically…

The research aim is to contribute to scholarly inquiry on best practices for institutional leaders in health care organizations who are leading improvement work. The goal is to investigate how a specific sustainable continuous improvement methodology--lean management (LM)--is experienced by leaders charged with implementing it to improve health…

This installment of "Equity by Design" brief will review civil rights law, federal disability laws, and related best practices to help schools conceptualize nondiscriminatory, effective services to their growing English Learner (also known as English Language Learners or ELLs) populations, particularly for students with disabilities, and…

The emergence of university LGBTQ+ resources over the last couple of decades indicates promising movement toward fuller engagement of minoritized students in higher education. Despite this growth, LGBTQ+ communities continue to experience marginalization, even on campuses with dedicated services. This critical discourse analysis advances a…

Teacher candidates bring many beliefs and interpretations of mathematics teaching and learning at the start of their teacher preparation coursework (e.g. methods courses, field experiences, assessment). Well-prepared beginning teachers in many instances requires programs and designed experience to breakdown unproductive beliefs and/or improve…

This report presents a survey of distance learning in South Africa. The report reviews current policy and practice in relation to issues of access, equity, quality and costs. This was done using a survey of open distance learning (ODL) institutions, data from different institutions, and available studies conducted by Commonwealth of Learning…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, an adult noncredit program in the California Community College system partnered with Ease Learning to help convert face-to-face courses to an online modality. Subsequent data revealed a misalignment in the courses' Student Learning Outcomes and Instructional Objectives which became a barrier to student success. Wile's…