Education Commons^™

How Does A School Support Students Who Experience Social, Emotional, And Behavioral Challenges?, Hannah Steely

University Honors Theses

This qualitative study identified how educators and administrators support elementary school students who experience social, emotional, and behavioral challenges. Semi-structured interviews were used to understand how students are supported through Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) in an elementary school. We interviewed six participants, including one administrator, two general educators, one literacy specialist, and two learning specialists. The results revealed the frequent use of common strategies within MTSS that included Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support (PBIS) and Behavioral Support Plan (BSP) tools and strategies. These strategies included: (a) zones of regulation, (b) in-class or out-of-class support from education specialists, (c) check …

21st Century Learning Ecosystem Opportunities: Research And Findings With Kathy Harris, Kathy Harris

PDXPLORES Podcast

In this episode of PDXPLORES, Kathy Harris, the Director of the Literacy, Language and Research Group in the Department of Applied Linguistics at Portland State University, discusses 21st Century Learning Ecosystem Opportunities: Research and Findings. 21 CLEO is a research project launched to increase the understanding and of the complexities of learning ecosystems in employer supported training and education initiatives for individuals struggling with the digital literacy skills required to navigate life in the 21st Century.

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“Why You Always So Political?”: A Counterstory About Educational-Environmental Racism At A Predominantly White University, Martín Alberto Gonzalez

Chicano/Latino Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Using critical race counterstorytelling, I tell a story about the experiences of Mexican/Mexican American/Xicanx (MMAX) undergraduate students at private, historically and predominantly white university in the Northeast. Drawing on in-depth interviews, participant observations, pláticas, document analyses, and literature on race and space and racism in higher education, I argue that the racially hostile campus environment experienced by MMAX students at their respective university manifests itself as a form of educational-environmental racism. Through narrated dialogue, Aurora (a composite character) and I delve into a critical conversation about how educational-environmental racism is experienced by MMAX students through a racialized landscape in the …

Reflections On A Fellowship And Time As A Dei Coordinator With Oscar Fernandez, Oscar Fernandez

PDXPLORES Podcast

In this episode of PDXPLORES, Dr. Óscar Fernández, a contingent faculty member in University Studies at Portland State University, discusses his work during a diversity fellowship at UC Irvine. That work resulted in the forthcoming essay, "Queering a Coordinator's Diversity, Equity, and Illusion (DEI) Work in Academe: Disappointments, Self-Deceits, and Hopes Disclosed," to be published by the University of California Humanities Research Institute's journal Foundry. Fernández opens up about his experiences as a DEI officer for University Studies, how that experience informed his essay, and thinking about DEI efforts within the context of higher education.

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A Profile Of Freshman Inquiry Students Fall 2022, Portland State University. University Studies Program, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Assessment Research

In order to better understand the students who enroll in Freshman Inquiry (FRINQ) courses and identify areas where they may need support, University Studies (UNST) began collecting and compiling data on these students. This report presents a profile of FRINQ students from Fall 2022. It presents an overview of all students enrolled in FRINQ during Fall 2022 and then summarizes information from the Prior Learning Survey. It is organized around three areas that contribute to student success: academic preparation and concern; financial and physical wellbeing; and connectedness to campus.

A Profile Of Sophomore Inquiry Students Fall 2022, Portland State University. University Studies Program, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Assessment Research

In order to better understand the students who enroll in Sophomore Inquiry (SINQ) courses and begin to identify areas where they may need support, University Studies (UNST) began collecting and compiling data on these students. This report presents a profile of SINQ students from Fall 2022. It presents an overview of all students enrolled in SINQ during Fall 2022 and then summarizes information from the Prior Learning Survey. It is organized around three areas that contribute to student success: academic preparation and concern; financial and physical wellbeing; and connectedness to campus

Informing The Community-Based Learning Experience With Harold Mcnaron And August White, Harold Mcnaron, August White

PDXPLORES Podcast

In this episode of PDXPLORES, Harold McNaron and August White discuss how a collaboration with the American Association of Colleges and Universities will provide new information on how students experience community-based learning at PSU. The data provided by the project will support the University's efforts to improve racial and social justice through community and service-based learning opportunities. This project is supported by the University's Community Engaged Research Academy.

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When Enthusiasm For Learning Isn’T Enough, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

21CLEO Research Blog Post No.26

The Little Things Add Up, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

21CLEO Research Blog Post No.25

21cleo Research Team Draws On Critical Race Theory For New Peer Reviewed Article, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

21CLEO Research Blog Post No.24

Equity & Social Justice In Mathematics Education With Eva Thanheiser, Eva Thanheiser

PDXPLORES Podcast

Professor Eva Thanheiser's research lies at the intersections of mathematics education, social justice, and critical theory. In her work, she collaborates with teachers, students, parents, and community members to develop and implement anti-bias mathematics education that allows students to connect mathematics to their worlds. In this episode of PDXPLORES, Thanheiser discusses this work and its impact on mathematics education.

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Many Voices: Participants As Research Partners, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

No abstract provided.

Complexifying Paid Learning, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

No abstract provided.

“My Background Is A Little Bit More Than What I Am Now", 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

No abstract provided.

Working Learners In An Workplace Learning Ecosystem, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

No abstract provided.

What Do We Mean By Learning?, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

There is no one way a working learner interacts in the workplace to learn. Nor is there just one set of initiatives in the field that promote learning. Learning is a set of interactions that depend on the context, the conditions, the learner, and the learner's goals.

Learning And Job Advancement: Insights From A Follow-Up Questionnaire, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

Over the course of our research project, we were able to interview 27 working Learners employed in frontline service work in the US. Our plans to expand this data set and conduct in-person follow-up interviews was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to have some sense of what our participants' education, work, and lived experiences were like in the year after our interviews, we sent a follow-up questionnaire to all 27 in the summer of 2021 and received responses from 13 individuals. It was important for us to reconnect with these learners after more than a year of societal …

An Instructional Guide To Environmental Campaigns For K-12 Schools, Erin Mccarty

University Honors Theses

Evidence suggests environmental education can correlate with both short- and long-term behavioral changes, but existing research on the effectiveness of popular environmental education tactics show mixed results. Qualitative research was used in this study to assess student engagement and behavioral change within the context of environmental education campaigns. Ideally, students exposed to environmental campaigns become more informed on environmental issues and adjust their behavior to align with the campaign’s objectives. However, only a portion of environmental campaigns have these desired effects on their students. Based on a preliminary literature review, I anticipated the defining catalyst on post-campaign behavioral engagement would …

A Resource For Understanding And Evaluating Outcomes Of Undergraduate Field Experiences, Erin E. Shortlidge, Alison Jolley, Stephanie Shaulskiy, Emily Geraghty Ward, Christopher N. Lorentz, Kari O'Connell

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Undergraduate field experiences (UFEs) are a prominent element of science education across many disciplines; however, empirical data regarding the outcomes are often limited. UFEs are unique in that they typically take place in a field setting, are often interdisciplinary, and include diverse students. UFEs range from courses, to field trips, to residential research experiences, and thereby have the potential to yield a plethora of outcomes for undergraduate participants. The UFE community has expressed interest in better understanding how to assess the outcomes of UFEs. In response, we developed a guide for practitioners to use when assessing their UFE that promotes …

Considering Who Has Opportunities For Training And Advancement, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

The three working learners featured in this blog post represent contrasting experiences that help us to understand the level and quality of support from such mediators as has become evident in our research, and the resu Its on the careers of these learners. Al I names used are pseudonyms.

A Profile Of Freshman Inquiry Students Fall 2021, Portland State University. University Studies Program, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Assessment Research

In order to better understand the students who enroll in Freshman Inquiry (FRINQ) courses and identify areas where they may need support, University Studies (UNST) began collecting and compiling data on these students. This report presents a profile of FRINQ students from Fall 2021. It presents an overview of all students enrolled in FRINQ during Fall 2021 and then summarizes information from the Prior Learning Survey. It is organized around three areas that contribute to student success: academic preparation and concern; financial and physical wellbeing; and connectedness to campus.

A Profile Of Sophomore Inquiry Students Fall 2021, Portland State University. University Studies Program, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Assessment Research

In order to better understand the students who enroll in Sophomore Inquiry (SINQ) courses and begin to identify areas where they may need support, University Studies (UNST) began collecting and compiling data on these students. This report presents a profile of SINQ students from Fall 2021. It presents an overview of all students enrolled in SINQ during Fall 2021 and then summarizes information from the Prior Learning Survey. It is organized around three areas that contribute to student success: academic preparation and concern; financial and physical wellbeing; and connectedness to campus.

Who We Are: Focus On… Student Identity, Yarina Aguilar Becerra, Cecilia Diojuan, Jasmine Walker, Neera Malhotra, David Peterson Del Mar, Vicki Reitenauer

University Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

In short

• Increasingly, professionals in higher education are acknowledging the short- and long-term impacts on individuals and communities of institutional failures to create welcoming, inclusive, and caring environments for traditionally underrepresented students.
• Student voices, reflecting on their lived and felt experiences in college, have been less frequently present in the discussions about inclusion in higher education.
• Listening to students from underrepresented groups has the potential to redefine and renew how we understand education and ourselves, offering a template and a foundation for the dense network of relationships that a student-focused institution of higher education ought to aspire to and build …

The Elementary And Secondary Education Act (Esea) And Its Reauthorization As The Improving America's Schools Act (Iasa) With Its Impact On Funding, Education Policy, And Supporting The Change For Improvement Of Student Achievement, Kaylee Latocha

University Honors Theses

A comparison of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 and the Improving America’s Schools Act (IASA) of 1994 within the time period they were written in, and contextualizing them historically to discuss their failures and successes. This thesis will examine how they were shaped on a national level by politicians and political activists to create a more equitable system so that funding was beneficial to all students. Education policy formed itself to funding and student achievement as achievement was what determined funding.

A Student Led Assessment Of Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion In The Environmental Science And Management Department At Portland State University, Aneesha Gharpurey

University Honors Theses

In the summer of 2020, the world watched as Black communities and allies responded to the murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. An intensification of social and racial justice awareness provoked many entities like higher education institutions (HEI) to evaluate how they support marginalized people and update their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) plans. In an attempt to maintain excellence, many HEIs implement DEI plans through top-down methods where high-level administrators target recruitment and retention, campus climate, community engagement, and curriculum. These plans rarely incorporate students as co-collaborators and administer DEI changes that have little effect on students' self-belonging, …

Naomi: Learning For Future Possibilities, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

We've published 5 blog posts that present different personas of working learners. These personas are drawn from our interviews with frontline worker learners across the country who are participating in employer-supported learning opportunities. The personas characterize aspects of a set of real people - capturing and blending them in order to create one story that illustrates a broader representation of a participant in an employer-supported educational program or course.

Equity Journey To Crt, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

By thinking about racism and all social justice work as a systemic issue rather than a set of individual actions, we are led to question the underlying structures that may be undermining working learners' success despite the best efforts of all involved. Adopting the lens of CRT in our work is meant to provoke change and prompt healing. It has caused us to question our role as researchers and our place as educators in the social justice movement. It has challenged us to move out of the safety of academia and to think of our research as social action. The …

So, Why Persona?, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

A colleague asked us a thoughtful and compelling question - why did we create the personas and how do these personas help employers, human resources staff, people working in workforce education, and those in adult education? We wrote this blog post to address those questions.

Dani: Front-Line Supervisor Paid Hourly Seeking Certification For Advancement, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

In our final two blog posts we offer personas based on people who are working to earn a degree or certificate, including Regina: Healthcare worker seeking to establish a career and, here in our final persona to date, Dani, an hourly frontline supervisor who wants to earn a certificate and advance her career.

Regina: Healthcare Worker Seeking To Establish A Career, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

In this post, we share our fourth persona, this one based on people who are working to earn a degree or certificate.