In the fall of 2019, 3,117 15-year-old students in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) participated in the Study on Social and Emotional Skills (SSES), part of an international effort led by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), with Houston serving as the only U.S. site. This report provides a snapshot of…

Over the last few years, social and emotional skills have been rising on the education policy agenda and in the public debate. Policy makers and education practitioners are seeking ways to complement the focus on academic learning, with attention to social and emotional skill development. Social and emotional skills are a subset of an individual's…

The "Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2022" contains the Budget Message of the President, information on the President's priorities, and summary tables. The Budget includes two historic plans the President has already put forward--the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan--and outlines a package of…

This booklet is in response to commonly asked questions from parents about preparing for, and entering kindergarten. Some questions parents ask are about district policy. Nebraska has over 200 individual school districts, each having their own board, superintendent, and policies. The Nebraska Department of Education provides guidance and…

Hiring people who have served prison sentences has never been a priority in the United States. For men and women who were once incarcerated, finding any job is difficult; finding a sustainable, family-supporting job is nearly impossible. Today the country is at a critical crossroads on this issue, and it's time for change. As the nation works in…

This study investigated the impact of school closures for COVID-19 on the attainment of pupils in Key Stage 1 in reading and math, and on the gap between the attainment of disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged children. It explored pupils' attainment compared with pre-pandemic samples, as well as any changes in attainment over the course of the…

In an era where holistic education is gaining prominence, spiritual intelligence is emerging as a critical yet under-assessed component of students' personal and social development. This study aimed to develop and validate the Spiritual Intelligence Assessment Tool (SIAT) for cross-cultural application in faith-based educational settings across…

Adaptive skills are crucial for students with intellectual disability (ID) particularly in preparing for post-secondary transition and long-term independence as it allows them to take care of themselves, communicate effectively, and participate fully across settings. Special education teachers and related service personnel play a major role in…

This article explores the vital but often overlooked role of inferencing in early reading comprehension. While foundational decoding skills such as phonological awareness and fluency are essential, reading comprehension depends equally on children's ability to construct meaning beyond the words on the page. Drawing on the "Simple View of…

Despite warrants for classroom discussion, research consistently finds that discussions in K-12 classrooms remain rare. Our research investigates whether and in what ways practice-based teacher learning opportunities focused on discussion facilitation influence opportunities for student talk. Grounded in data from a job-embedded professional…

This dissertation explores the allocation patterns of the official development assistance (ODA) by the World Bank (WB) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in eighteen developing countries of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and South Asia (SA) for the time-period, 1990-2015. Differing perspectives have been…

Literature has suggested that mentorship is one of the most influential components of career advancement. However, for Black women in higher education administrative roles, mentorship also serves to garner community and support. This research study focuses on the lived experiences of Black women administrators in higher education institutions, the…

This applied dissertation explored the topic of teachers who participate in social media groups for professional learning. To put their best foot forward, teachers turn to social media platforms for ideas, advice, and support from educators all across the country. This study sought to understand how these educators were using these platforms to…

Most teachers have limited flexibility in terms of their schedules, their opportunities for professional learning and collaboration, and how they use their time. However, recent data suggests that rethinking teacher time could be important to improving teacher recruitment and retention. How can districts and schools provide teachers more…

The purpose of this study was to create a theory about how college students cope with stress. This study used classic grounded theory to develop the theory of discovering adulthood, which is grounded in the data. Classic grounded theory was chosen because it allows the subject matter to be approached without preconception. The nature of classic…