The establishment of a competitive, meritocratic and engaging culture inside the educational system is one of the crucial elements that will determine not only its survival but also its evolution as a vault of social progress and cultural elevation. Within this frame, mechanisms that can establish new relationships for excellence and innovation…

The ability to solve physics problems that require multiple concepts from across the physics curriculum--"synthesis" problems--is often a goal of physics instruction. Three experiments were designed to evaluate the effectiveness of two instructional methods employing worked examples on student performance with synthesis problems; these…

One of the major successes of advanced quantitative methods has been its seeming ability to provide unbiased determinations of which education practices are effective for education in general and for improving the educational achievement and opportunity of the neediest students. The power of this methodology as applied in the top education…

This paper explores Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) for Schools, a local variant of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD's) influential PISA that not only assesses an individual school's performance in reading, mathematics and science against international schooling systems, but also promotes 17…

Initial teacher educators seek to manage curriculum coverage within the time constraints of initial teacher education (ITE) courses. As a result, considered choices need to be made regarding content and pedagogical approaches based on what ITE educators deem to be valuable, memorable and transferrable. Using narrative methodology, two tertiary…

This Executive Position Paper examines the experiential learning component of the business capstone course at Delaware Technical Community College's George campus in Wilmington, Delaware. As a statewide institution of higher education, Delaware Tech offers associate of applied science degrees in practical, skills-based majors, including a number…

This dissertation encapsulates a qualitative study that explores the identification and educational experiences of Third Culture Kids living abroad. A Third Culture Kid (TCK) is an individual who has spent a significant part of their developmental years outside of their parents' culture and country of nationality. This study specifically examines…

The purpose of this research project was to establish consensus among experts regarding best practices of online undergraduate spiritual formation with a specific focus on the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). Prior to this project, there was no consensus regarding best practices of online spiritual formation at the…

The role of the school principal is demanding in a variety of ways. School principals are faced with the daily challenge of balancing their roles of site manager and instructional leader. This study examined and identified the knowledge and learning opportunities school principals rely upon to lead schools, particularly those that lead schools…

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 (Public Law 114-95) requires each state to create a plan for its statewide accountability system. In particular, ESSA calls for state plans that include strategies for reporting education outcomes by grade for all students and for economically disadvantaged students, students from major racial and…

High-leverage practices (HLPs) and evidence-based practices (EBPs) when used together can become powerful tools for improving student outcomes. This brief is designed to show the promise of these practices in advancing educator preparation and practice and, subsequently, outcomes for students with disabilities and those who struggle. We begin by…

Research connecting the learning needs of emotionally disturbed (ED), existing effective practices, teacher training, and teacher perceptions of their own ability to teach students with ED is scarce. The purpose of this study was to address this scarcity through a focus on teacher perceived self-efficacy, teacher outcome expectancy, and teacher…

As state, district, and school leaders begin work under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to identify and intervene in low-performing schools and among under-achieving groups of students, this report offers action steps and research-backed solutions to guide their work. Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), states and districts chose from…

The plight of students in the United States has been one of repeated socialization toward dehumanizing divides trapped in policies with a history of reproducing oppression and social stratification. The voice of reason has left the educational policy debates as the idea of equity and access in schooling has been replaced and confused by neoliberal…

What is the competition doing? How is today's outreach changing? How are best practices evolving? To explore these questions, undergraduate officials from a broad cross-section of private and public U.S. colleges and universities participated in an April 2017 poll that produced this report. Data in this report reflect responses from 91 nonprofit…