Questions often heard echoing through classrooms are: 'Why do I need to know this?' and 'When will I use this in real life?'. Working with the Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC), the authors chose a curriculum segment that aligned with some of their own research -- microorganisms: how they can harm us, help us and how we can use…

By the year 2044, more than half the United States population will be non-white. Extension is faced with the challenge of being inclusive in our multicultural world; thus, it is important that Extension educators receive cultural competency training. Cultural competency training based on and informed by intercultural theory and practice leads to…

Bringing Research into the Classroom (BRIC) engaged rural K-12 science teachers in sustained, mentored science research. BRIC's goal was to equip teachers with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to provide high-quality biomedical research opportunities for K-12 students and teachers. Programmatic elements included authentic, place-based,…

Young people growing up in England from a poorer background are less likely to progress into higher education compared to their better off counterparts. This is especially true with respect to more selective universities. This study used government administrative data to gauge the effectiveness of the 'Realising Opportunities' programme, which…

The General Appropriations Act, Senate Bill 1, Article III, Special Provisions, Section 45, 89th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, for the 2026-27 biennium directs the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB or Coordinating Board) to submit an annual report that presents the goals and practices of Texas public general academic…

It is a much-lamented fact that research with the potential to inform or influence education policy instead remains policy inert. There are many reasons for this frustrating state of affairs, including a lack of strategic thinking on the part of researchers on how to successfully accomplish outreach--as opposed to communication with peers…

When students drop out of high school there are substantial social and economic consequences that can persist throughout their lives. They are more likely to be unemployed, to become teenage parents, to become involved in the criminal justice system, and to suffer a lifetime of low wages. Dropout rates soared during the COVID-19 pandemic as…

"Cena y Ciencias" (Supper and Science), or CyC, is a STEM outreach program for kindergarten through fifth-grade youth and their families. Monthly, university scientists lead interactive experiments with assistance from university student mentors. CyC is conducted entirely in Spanish. While youth complete activities, a separate parent…

The current study investigates the relationship between volunteer stewardship action-taking, motivation toward engagement in volunteer activities, and the ability to teach others during the COVID-19 pandemic. The final data set included 1,196 responses from the Penn State Extension Master Gardeners and Master Watershed volunteers, which provided a…

College students associated with the American Chemical Society and Alpha Chi Sigma student/collegiate chapters reach almost 1 million people every year through their informal chemistry education events (chemistry outreach). Previous work has characterized their goals for chemistry outreach, with the most prevalent goal being audience learning.…

Effective veteran-student programs that include advising help to bridge military culture with campus culture. These programs assist with military-to-campus transitions and achieving veteran-student academic success. Persistent outreach is an advising strategy that includes proactive and intentional engagement that anticipates student concerns. The…

We estimate the impact of one of the largest college-to-student outreach efforts in the nation, the College Board's Student Search Service. In an oversubscribed "order," colleges receive contact information of a randomly chosen subset of PSAT and SAT exam takers who opt into the service and meet colleges' search criteria from a larger…

This paper contributes to our understanding of whether, and if so, how public employment services in Poland are attempting to reach young NEETs, and whether they fail or succeed in their efforts. The study shows that most NEETs below 25 years of age in Poland, including rural NEETs, remain beyond the reach of the PES registers. The coverage rate…

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted all components of higher education, with current inequities within the campus setting exacerbated, creating larger disparities between individuals with and without readily available access to needed resources. Utilizing data collected from a national survey, this article highlights the perceptions and experiences of…

The role secondary schools play in raising student aspirations for, and encouraging progression into, Higher Education through supported outreach is important but often overlooked by both colleges and universities alike. This article reports on our work within Uni Connect's 'Raising Higher Education Aspirations' programme in Lincolnshire which…