Recent policy and scholarly reports, accreditation agencies' guidelines, and professional association efforts have called for teacher preparation programs to incorporate more frequent and rigorous clinical experiences. Directing three elementary and secondary education programs in two states, we recognized that one reason they--and perhaps other…

Though it is still possible to enter the nursing profession with a Licensed Practical Nursing Certificate (LPN) or an Associate's Degree in Nursing (ADN), it is becoming increasingly necessary to get a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in order to be assured of continued employment. The Associate in Applied Science-T Nursing Degree prepares…

Each edition of the IDRA Newsletter strives to provide many different perspectives on the issues in education topics discussed and to define its significance in the state and national dialogue. This issue focuses on Culture of Poverty vs. Culture of Possibility and includes: (1) Open Source Learning Tools Make STEM Possible in Underserved Schools…

To succeed in a classroom, today's college students need to be confident users of twenty-first century skills and technologies. Additionally, webpages and online information are becoming a necessity for professionals and commerce. What are college students' perceptions of digital identities and their usefulness in future employment and career…

The increasing prevalence of mandatory Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) policies has ushered in rather dramatic dissertation genre change. The affordances of the medium offer expanded access and audience, availability of new compositional tools, and alternate formats, the implications of which are just beginning to appear in…

This speech, given at the 2014 Council for the Study of Community Colleges annual Awards Luncheon, describes three of the major changes in the sixth edition of "The American Community College". The speech also describes what those changes can tell us about the directions in which our colleges are moving and the ways in which community…

The National Outreach Scholarship Conference has long provided a venue for the presentation of posters representing innovative research, effective practices, and impactful programs. In 2011, conference planners developed a series of measures focused on enriching the poster session as a platform for showcasing community-based scholarship and…

This year's "Tech Directions" Inventors Competition asked students to come up with ways to provide electricity to remote villages that traditional electrical utilities have not yet reached. This article presents the results of the judging by inventor/electrical engineer Harry T. Roman. The winners are: (1) First Place--Scott Hulver,…

The purpose of the "Accelerating Student Progress: Increasing Results and Expectations" (ASPIRE) Award Survey was to gain insight regarding the level of knowledge and perceptions of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) teachers and staff after eleven years of implementation of growth-based performance pay in HISD, as well as…

Purpose/Objectives: This study compares the mean nutrients selected and consumed in National School Lunch Program (NSLP) meals before and after implementation of the new nutrition standards mandated by the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) in July 2012. Four elementary schools achieving Healthier US Schools Challenge awards serving…

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to compare the effectiveness of facilitated networks to other policy instruments for agricultural innovation. Design/ methodology/ approach: In an exploratory study of the Dutch agricultural policy context, we conducted semi-structured interviews with ten experts on networks and innovation. Policy…

This study explored the interplay of a community college's vision, its leaders' behaviors, strategic planning, and the use of data that contributed to an organizational culture that led to the improvement of student success. The researcher used a grounded theory approach to delve into the relationships and connections between these four…

A coordinated, evidence-based approach to teaching awards in higher education at institutional level has developed over the past decade in Ireland. Some research has suggested that teaching awards create substantial benefits in higher education by motivating and recognising excellent teachers. However, not all of the literature favours the…

Recent research on conceptual change has argued that it is insufficient to assume that prior knowledge is the only aspect relevant in order to explain the conceptual change process. In addition, "warm constructs" such as emotions, epistemological beliefs, and values have been proposed to play a determinative role. In this study, we aim…

The Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (subsequently renamed the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, or TOPS) was created via ACT 1375 during the 1997 Regular Legislative Session. The first college freshman class to receive TOPS awards entered postsecondary education in the fall of 1998. ACT 1202 of the 2001 Regular Legislative Session…