This dissertation was a multiple case study research project designed to identify whether the "Men of Merit Program" (MOMP) met its goal of increasing persistence, retention, and graduation rates of African American male students at a Western New York Community College. Earlier statistics reported that other American colleges had shown a…

Problem definition in program planning and evaluation is rarely problematized. In this article, I discuss why the lack of problem problematization is itself problematic--in other words, why treating problems as self-evident can pose a risk for evaluation practice. Then, to help avoid such risks, I suggest Carol Bacchi's "What's the Problem…

Higher education institutions are utilizing comprehensive college transition programs (CCTPs) to streamline support, promote retention and success, and address the structural barriers that at-promise students face. Yet, research about the role of CCTPs rarely explores the importance of major and career self-efficacy (MCSE) for these populations,…

The overriding aim of this study was to conduct a side-by-side comparative evaluation of two online suicide prevention gatekeeper-training programs: Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) and Making Educators Partners in Youth Suicide Prevention (MEP). Specific aims included identifying program components, instructional methods, and technology elements…

Afterschool settings have continued to be identified as an ideal outlet for supporting youth development in many arenas, including physical activity (PA) behaviors and social emotional learning (SEL) skills. In fact, PA centered programs are ideal settings for youth to 8 develop and practice SEL skills in authentic ways. However, there a several…

Over the past several years, there has been an expansion in the use and awareness of open educational resources (OERs) in postsecondary institutions in the United States. Some states have invested funds to expand the use of OERs across their campuses as an alternative or supplement to traditional course materials that students typically pay for…

The Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) was employed to evaluate and rank language-learning applications based on criteria such as engagement, interactivity, feedback, content quality and usability. A pairwise comparison matrix was constructed, fuzzy logic was applied to convert qualitative judgements into numerical values, and these values…

Background: Among the different modalities of family support, home visiting programs have proved to be one of the most effective secondary prevention models for families involved in child welfare services. Despite the promising outcomes and the extensive available literature, further research is needed to investigate target population…

The "Like Me: Diversifying the Educator Workforce" program was developed at Lourdes University to address the disparate proportion of teachers of color in local classrooms as compared to the students of color. To gauge the impact of "Like Me" recruitment efforts, faculty at Lourdes University conducted a qualitative study…

Higher education institutions worldwide show an interest in enhancing their internationalisation initiatives by integrating innovative teaching approaches into formal curricula. A main concern is to ensure that pre- service teachers enter future classrooms with a high level of civic competence. The aim of this study was to investigate the…

This study tested a 'wise' intervention (quick prompt of a specific psychological mec) in acute care hospital units to improve nurses' hand hygiene compliance (HHC). A multiple baseline design in two medical-surgical teaching hospitals in the United States. Hand hygiene data was collected using an electronic compliance monitoring system with…

Mindfulness and biofeedback are two techniques that have been gaining popularity in recent years as effective tools for improving well-being and performance. Specifically, mindfulness is a practice of being present and fully engaged in the present moment through breathing exercises, meditation, and other relaxation techniques. In contrast,…

Student absenteeism surged during and after the pandemic, harming engagement and achievement. We evaluate the impact of Washington DC's High-Impact Tutoring (HIT) Initiative--designed to mitigate learning loss through targeted academic supports--on student absenteeism. Using daily attendance data and a within-student fixed effects design, we find…

ABSTRACT Many youth seek and receive mental health treatment in schools, yet research on their perceptions of these interventions remains uncommon. This qualitative study explored how student perspectives on social validity informed the ongoing implementation and evaluation of the Well-Being Promotion Program (WBPP), a Tier 2 positive psychology…

Great organizations have a clear sense of what they want to accomplish and how they are going to get there. For state boards of education, this vision and roadmap are typically articulated in a strategic plan. The best plans are living documents that guide state board actions or multiple years; lesser plans gather dust. What separates the two? The…