Afterschool programs inspire kids to learn, help them make better decisions, and give parents peace of mind. Throughout the pandemic, 21st Century Community Learning Centers have kept kids engaged and learning and met the needs of families nationwide. But the demand for these programs far exceeds the supply. 21st Century Community Learning Centers…

New research, using data from 7 million students in grades 3-8 in 25,000 schools who took MAP Growth reading and mathematics assessments between 2020-21 and fall 2022, continues NWEA's ongoing research agenda examining how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected student achievement in reading and math. At the start of the 2022-23 school year, we…

The purpose of this technical appendix is to share more detailed results and to describe more fully the sample and methods used in the research included in the brief, "Progress toward Pandemic Recovery: Continued Signs of Rebounding Achievement at the Start of the 2022-23 School Year" (ED627355). The two main research questions…

In July 2022, AASA, The School Superintendents Association, launched the third in a series of surveys detailing how district leaders across America are utilizing American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to respond to the pandemic and in particular, address student learning recovery. Hundreds of superintendents responded to this survey. The July 2022 AASA…

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational camps and fellowships that specifically target underrepresented populations in STEM fields, such as Latinas, have become more common place across the United States. In this article, we analyze multimodal ways of representing, opportunities, and role-models present at these camps,…

Prior research has shown that high-ability students from low-income backgrounds are more likely to lose academic ground when compared to high-ability students from middle- and high-income backgrounds. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to evaluate estimations of school climate, bullying, ostracism, self-efficacy, and resilience from four…

A year of COVID-19 quarantine required educators to switch from in-person to virtual learning platforms, causing a dramatic reimagining of their daily praxis. Their experiences are likely to influence new norms for K-12 education. While virtual learning can be effective, student engagement, student retention, and student attention can be…

Faculty-mentored summer undergraduate research experiences (SUREs) have been shown to increase the diversity of students pursuing research careers. No existing studies have approached the issue of broadening participation in STEM research training by focusing on mentoring relationship heterogeneity (MRH) in the context of SUREs. Increasing MRH…

As the world continues to rely more and more on technology, everyone will require a greater level of STEM literacy and fluency to understand how science and technology play a role. Greater STEM literacy also helps prepare students to better understand challenges and issues that affect them and their communities. Hands-on STEM learning…

The past decade has seen a rise in social justice teacher unionism, with an emergence of caucuses that push for bottom-up, race conscious union reform in which members bargain for the common good. While a burgeoning body of scholarship has focused on understanding the goals and organizing strategies of these caucuses, there are few up-close…

This paper offers a strategic initiative designed to boost the level of collaborative mathematical research involving undergraduate mathematics students at Butler University. It describes goals, program design, logistics, and outcomes for an 8-day intensive summer experience in which undergraduate mathematics majors engaged in original…

Sociologists of elite education have argued that understanding educational inequality requires looking beyond persistent class- or race-based gaps in academic achievement at the ways in which privileged youth and families construct their advantages. Meanwhile, scholars focused on summer learning have argued that understanding educational…

This paper describes a faculty-led summer program in Madrid, Spain. We argue that it represents a case study in the implementation of best practices in study abroad, particularly as it relates to experiential programs that include an internship component. Adding to a growing consensus on best practices for these types of educational opportunities,…

Media education is a cultural framework that can be applied in different contexts: schools, families, informal educational environments, along with pastoral work. With Pope Francis' championing, there is an increasing need to bridge pastoral care and the media, which can become new important forms of proximity and open opportunities to connect and…

In recent decades much attention has been given to the optimization of professional development to support education reform; especially as it relates to science, engineering, technology and mathematics (STEM) fields. Many studies have shown that the most effective STEM professional development programs include active inquiry opportunities that…