At the end of high school, teenagers must deal with the first life-changing decision of determining what to do after graduation. For these decisions, adolescents need to be able to make good choices. However, most schools have not yet implemented decision trainings into their curricula. A new intervention called "KLUGentscheiden!" was…

There has been a recent increase in studies devoted to integrated science, technology, and engineering mathematics (STEM) education. However, as the field is emerging, there has not been a large amount of scholarship on how to best provide teacher professional development (PD) on integrated STEM education. On the other hand, well-grounded research…

The impacts of science are felt across all socio-ecological levels, ranging from the individual to societal. In order to adapt or respond to scientific discoveries, novel technologies, or biomedical or environmental challenges, a fundamental understanding of science is necessary. However, antiscientific rhetoric, mistrust in science, and the…

This study examined pairing preferences of participants in a statewide new teacher mentor program. Participants self-identified the importance of factors such as teaching the same or different content area, same or different grade span, same or different building, and having similar or different personalities. Since the study was impacted by the…

This multi-phase study designed a program evaluation rubric which used a qualitative rating system to help teachers identify key learning goals, dimensions, and principles related to the socio-scientific issues (SSI)-based science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) approach for science education. This rubric contains 37…

This brief reports on findings and implications from an evaluation of the Saga Education Virtual Math Tutoring Program. Research has demonstrated that Saga provides an effective tutoring model when delivered in person. This research studied whether the program was also effective when delivered virtually. The findings reveal that, overall, students…

The Region 5 Comprehensive Center (R5CC) developed the Education Agency State of Readiness Assessment Tool to assess the readiness of State education agencies (SEA) to take on capacity-building projects. The indicators are adapted from the NECTAC Technical Assistance Model for Long-Term Systems Change and are based on years of developing and…

Principals can and do have an impact on the performance of their schools. Instructional leadership is a key factor influencing that performance, and maximizing the time allocated to instructional leadership can impact the principal's level of influence. Because of operational issues, like budget and finance, principals have less time to focus on…

Since its inception in 1993, the National Guard Youth Challenge Program has produced over 200,000 graduates across dozens of sites located in the states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Currently, the program operates 39 sites. House Report 117-88, accompanying the Department of Defense Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2022, included…

Over 2000 years ago, Aristotle wrote of four distinct causes at play in the world we know. Those causes, the material cause, the formal cause, the efficient cause, and the final cause, were meant to refer to ontological and, by extension, epistemological concerns, and were powerful enough to be seized upon and used in some form by those of very…

High-quality preschool programs are heralded as effective policy solutions to promote low-income children's development and life-long wellbeing. Yet evaluations of recent preschool programs produce puzzling findings, including negative impacts, and divergent, weaker results than demonstration programs implemented in the 1960s and 70s. We provide…

In an effort to best support student learning, school districts are seeking the most effective means of improving instruction while effectively addressing student inequities. As the focus on accountability intensifies, the use of data is paramount. Access to data alone, does not ensure quality, data-driven instruction. The lack of teacher…

Background: The need for evidence-based, effective interventions is especially great in literacy -- particularly for young students, mastering early literacy skills is predictive of later school success (Slavin et al., 2011). Understanding the relationship between letters and sounds, also known as the alphabetic principle, is essential for…

The General Educational Development (GED) is a high school equivalency credential sought after by millions of Americans who do not hold a traditional high school diploma. This program evaluation offers insight to a local adult GED program as it seeks to increase the retention and GED completion rates of the students in their program. The…

Using Michel Foucault's writing on discipline and training, the author suggests that processes like certification ultimately serve as covert normalizing activities that run counter to the spirit and practice of honors education. The author argues for an open, fluid, generative approach to honors program review.