Virtual learning is a rapidly growing space in education policy, driven by state leaders seeking to maximize potential for instructional innovation, prepare students for life in the digital age and meet students' unique needs. Virtual learning takes a variety of forms, including full-time virtual schools, supplemental course offerings and blended…

A major concern of online learning is the absence of face-to-face student-instructor interaction and student-to-student interaction, leading researchers to examine practical approaches to keep students engaged in the online learning environment. Synchronous methods have become a growing opportunity for student engagement in the online environment.…

Professional collaboration among teachers from different schools is generally recognised as a conduit for teachers to improve their practice. This paper presents findings from a study to investigate the impact of teachers' participation in a mathematics networked learning community (NLC) on classroom practices. Using a pretest-posttest…

The success and persistence of college students is critical to the reputation and stability of institutions across the United States. Institutions review and publish retention rates, but do they really understand why students persist at their specific institution? The research suggests that students persist due to a variety of factors ranging from…

Metaphors are often used in educational studies to ascertain perceptions that are based on experiences because metaphors are able to adequately demonstrate the different perspectives regarding controversial subject matters. The study was designed according to the hermeneutical research approach in qualitative research methods. The study group…

The purpose of this narrative research is to develop an understanding of the mindset of the incarcerated individual towards education and if the experience had an impact on criminal activity. By understanding the mindset, research questions and solutions can be developed that will have the greatest impact on a course of action in deterring…

Three researchers, Shawnboda Mead, Earl Presley, and Alexandria White, collaborated to complete this Dissertation in Practice (DiP) which includes three manuscripts. The three-member team identified the academic success of first-year African American students at predominantly White institutions as a complex problem of practice. Bean and Eaton's…

Three researchers, Shawnboda Mead, Earl Presley, and Alexandria White, collaborated to complete this Dissertation in Practice (DiP) which includes three manuscripts. The three-member team identified the academic success of first-year African American students at predominantly White institutions as a complex problem of practice. Bean and Eaton's…

Three researchers, Shawnboda Mead, Earl Presley, and Alexandria White, collaborated to complete this Dissertation in Practice (DiP) which includes three manuscripts. The three-member team identified the academic success of first-year African American students at predominantly White institutions as a complex problem of practice. Bean and Eaton's…

Almost 7 million children aged 3 to 21 received special education services under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in school year 2016-17. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to review parents' use of the Individuals with IDEA dispute resolution options. This report examines (1) how often IDEA…

South Lee Middle School is a small, rural school with approximately 270 students located in north Mississippi. The central issue of concern at South Lee Middle School was low levels of student academic growth in mathematics according to state assessments. An informal preliminary analysis identified root causes of this concern as a lack of…

Participation in mathematics classrooms has received considerable attention in previous research. Scholars have emphasized researchers' and teachers' perspectives on what it means to participate. I draw on sociocultural theories of learning to explore both students' and a teacher's perspectives on participation. I describe a participatory research…

As scientific knowledge grows and the planet's human population makes unprecedented changes, decision-making places more and more demands on the everyday democratic participant. Yet efforts to help the public acquire and make use of evidence-based information fall short. We present preliminary comparisons of three participatory design models of…

Current challenges in the educational sector along with age-related changes during early adolescence contribute to an increased sense of school alienation (SAL) among students. Some of the central concerns of SAL are failure to participate in classroom and socially deviant behaviors. This study examined the change in and cross-lagged relationships…

Is there democratic accountability to the public at the local level, and if so, how does it work? We know that a major part of democratic ability depends on citizens being able to properly evaluate government based on government performance, particularly at the local level. However, we know much less about all of the potential pathways to get from…