The purpose of the Faculty, Academic Careers and Environments (FACE) project is to understand who faculty are, what their academic careers look like, and how the environments in which they work shape their ability to thrive as instructors, researchers and public scholars in the community. This report provides an overview of a new conceptual model…

This report describes the two-year pilot study of how best to create a national study of faculty working at non-profit colleges and universities of all types across the country, given the social media and survey research environment of the 2020s. Since 2004, two major developments have significantly changed the landscape for academic employment:…

In this study we employed regression analysis and between-group matched pair design to analyze whether participation in a competency-based education pilot was associated with improved high school completion and postsecondary entry. Data were obtained for high schools participating in a CBE pilot program in Illinois. Results of the matched pair…

In accordance with the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) Act, the Illinois State Board of Education conducted an evaluation of the Competency-Based Education Pilot Program during the 2021-22 school year using external evaluators who analyzed data collected from school districts participating in the program. This report includes a summary…

Simulated learning experiences (SLEs) are becoming increasingly popular in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) training programs. This pilot study examines the relative effectiveness of delivering a SLE via standard computer or using virtual reality headsets for a more immersive learning experience. Seventy undergraduate CSD students were…

School districts are experiencing critical staff shortages with the most severe shortages concentrated in the highest-needs schools. The authors' Educator Preparation Program at Governors State University implemented a mock job fair pilot for their candidates around three complementary goals: (a) to improve our candidates' interview confidence,…

The increasing disconnection of children from nature is a growing concern for both sustainability education and child development. Green grounds of schools and kindergartens offer a promising way to counteract this trend by expanding opportunities for outdoor learning. This pilot study aims (1) to examine the natural and infrastructural…

Child care and early education (CCEE) teachers work in one of the lowest-paid occupations nationwide, and they often rely on public assistance or second jobs to make ends meet. Low pay makes it challenging for child care centers to recruit and retain qualified professionals, which may affect the quality and continuity of care and education that…

High-quality decodable books enhance literacy by providing children with focused practice opportunities to break down sounds they have learned and apply their decoding skills. Just Right Reader (JRR) hired LXD Research to measure its impact during a pilot study in the Spring of 2024 to determine the effect of their decodable books on literacy…

Anxiety disorders are common and negatively impact students' social, behavioral, and academic functioning. However, most students with anxiety do not receive needed assistance. The current study evaluated the feasibility and preliminary impact of a brief school-home elementary teacher-administered intervention for reducing student anxiety.…

Anxiety disorders are common and negatively impact students' social, behavioral, and academic functioning. However, most students with anxiety do not receive needed assistance. The current study evaluated the feasibility and preliminary impact of a brief school-home elementary teacher-administered intervention for reducing student anxiety.…

The five-year initiative New Skills for Youth (NSFY) aimed to transform career readiness education and bridge the skills gap by supporting innovative strategies in 10 states across the United States. NSFY was one of the earliest and most impactful philanthropic investments in career pathways and career readiness in recent history and helped spark…

The Maine Department of Education (MDOE) wanted to better understand if their current educator workforce data collection could help them quantify supply and demand for educators in the state. They also wanted to understand if local school administrative units collected data that could inform future efforts to understand educator vacancies to…

Complexity and uncertainty are long-standing challenges for global development projects. Coping with both requires flexibility and adaptation, the ability to identify unexpected circumstances, seize opportunities, and respond to threats. Vigilance is critical; it resides within the domains of monitoring, evaluation, and learning. In practice,…

Modern mindfulness is a catch-all term. Just exactly what it looks like within the context of education and how it is taught vastly varies. As such, program fidelity and integrity is questioned. Here a definition of mindful self-regulated learning is proposed and the Mindful Self-Regulated Learning Scale (m-SRLS) is developed. This includes item…