Introduction: A national validation study on the "Orientation and Mobility Visual Impairment Scale of Service Intensity of Texas (O&M VISSIT)" was conducted. Methods: Fifty-two of the original 115 interested participants completed the study that used a mixed-methods research design. After finishing the "O&M VISSIT" for…

Cooperative Extension has a long-standing history of placing individuals in communities to lead community-wide change. These individuals are employees of the nation's land-grant universities, with significant roles and responsibilities working between and among institutions and their communities. They often must maintain dual identities and roles,…

This study examined and explored the lived experiences of foster parents of color who were educators at the time of providing care. Additionally, this study sought to make recommendations to schools and the child welfare system to improve support for foster parents and foster children. Although there is extensive research that encompasses the…

This qualitative study used an interpretative phenomenological analysis framework (Smith et al., 2012) to explore the ways in which U.S. public university chancellors and presidents experience campus free speech and safe space. Six public university leaders with campus free speech and safe space experience participated in semi-structured…

The efforts towards reduction of violence in public schools could be jeopardized by failure to address the perceived efficacy, ethical concerns and the limited application of behavioral threat assessment and management (BTAM). The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore the behavioral threat assessment's efficacy,…

This dissertation provides a model for reconsidering student agency in educational spaces and specifically in self-placement practices. Employing a Cooperative Inquiry framework in which students were included in the research process, this project sought to understand the experience of incoming students at a larger research-intensive institution…

As the Hispanic population in the United States continues to grow, Spanish teachers are increasingly responsible for incorporating heritage language (HL) research and practice into their curriculum design. However, many language teacher preparation programs in the country are not tailored to equip future HL educators, focusing instead on second…

This dissertation explores the impact of special education teacher (SET) turnover on general education teachers (GETs) in K-12 schools. Students with disabilities are increasingly placed in general education settings, where collaboration with SETs is critical. However, high SET turnover rates threaten this partnership. This mixed methods study…

Parents may experience a range of emotions when hearing that their child may be on the autism spectrum, including shock or denial (Martins et al., 2021). While hearing the word "autism" can be challenging for families, early identification of autism (also referred to as autism spectrum disorder [ASD]) allows families more time to process…

The COVID-19 pandemic jolted teachers to the front line of complex, under resourced negotiation of quality distance learning, whilst also being key communicators with students and families about how to be COVID safe. Media reports debated preschool and school closures and child safety, but scarcely considered teachers. Motivated by the silencing…

In a rapidly changing world, establishing strong foundations for children is vital for their well-being and resilience. Quality education is central to this endeavour and is the key to lifelong health and success. Recognizing that children thrive in the classroom when they are in good health, it is crucial to learn about health and well-being…

Public school districts play a pivotal role in the well-being of rural communities. To help mitigate the impact of labor market trends, societal shifts, and the skilled labor shortage, rural schools are in the initial stages of expanding innovative career pathways. As such, career and technical education (CTE) administrators serve their rural…

Global progress in child labour reduction has stalled since 2016. In South Asia, the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, recurrent extreme weather events and the cost-of-living crisis further threaten to slow or even reverse the progress made. This synthesis report addresses a timely need for new research to help decision-makers and…

The Forum is pleased to present the "Forum Guide to Student Learning Data During Pandemic School Closures and Beyond." The purpose of this resource is to review how local education agencies (LEAs) and state education agencies (SEAs) changed their approaches to collecting and using student data during the pandemic and how they are working…

The COVID-19 pandemic and shifts to virtual learning drastically altered school environments, often leaving students without a say in the many changes happening in their lives. To understand how diverse adolescents experienced their school's climate during the COVID-19 pandemic and elevate youth voice in school decisions, we conducted a…