Education Commons^™

Student And Faculty Diversity At Public Research Universities In The Mountain West, Maryam Raja, Riley Ruff, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet examines data on student and faculty diversity at public research universities in the Mountain West region. This fact sheet examines data from a New America report by Olivia Cheche which explores data on the 106 R1 (Research Very High) universities in the U.S. as designated by Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Where Will I Sleep Tonight? A Qualitative Case Study Of Homeless And Displaced College Students, Andria Lynn Coleman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to identify the needs of undergraduate students who are homeless or displaced, as well as examine the policies, procedures, and systems of Mountain University, a public four-year university, that may support or hinder students’ retention and progression. This study will be driven by the following research question: How do students who are homeless or displaced, but earned a scholarship, grant, or both navigate the policies, procedures, and systems of Mountain University during their first two years? Using Resiliency Theory and Hope Theory as the theoretical frameworks, this qualitative multiple case study seeks to identify …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Parent Involvement Programs In Higher Education, Heather Rappaport

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Universities involve parents of college students in the undergraduate experience, but there is limited research on the specific pathways for parent engagement. This study examined how universities involve parents of undergraduate students at large public universities with graduation rates higher than the national average. Through the lenses of emerging adulthood and Bioecological theories, this study explored the perspectives of parent program directors. Findings of this qualitative case study include a unique tie between parent programs and collegiate athletics, communication pathways within FERPA guidelines, as well as expanded opportunities for involvement like affinity groups and career services.

High School Environment In The Clark County School District, Oscar Canale, John David Reyes, Asia Sunga, Jay Tumanan

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Our group was interested in analyzing the high school public education system in the Clark County School District. As Las Vegas residents, it is important to know how the schools in our city are being affected, especially since many of us went to school here. It is also detrimental to know as it could potentially be the schools of our future children and generation. We took data from the 2017-2018 school year and decided to model the total index score of each high school based on four different variables. Chronic absenteeism is defined as the percentage of students in the …

A Case Study Of A Low-Income African American Career Academy’S Approach To Student Services, Victor Hernandez-Gantes, Edward C. Fletcher Jr.

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

The provision of support services has been found critical for meeting the needs of students and their families, but related research in predominantly low-income, African American/Black communities, is limited. Thus, through a case study we explored how a school, located in a low-income area with a predominantly African American/Black population, adopted and enacted support services. The setting was an urban high school with an enrollment of 700 students who are predominantly African American (98%) and 100% low-income. We conducted interviews with district, school, and community stakeholders; and we followed a thematic approach for the analysis. A major finding was that …

Predicting Student Success In A K-12 Online School, Andrea Connolly

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Given the rapid growth of K-12 online learning, research is needed in the effective identification of at-risk students so that administrators and teachers can develop appropriate supports and interventions. The purpose of this research was to determine if student success in an online course could be predicted for English Learners (EL) using identifiable student characteristics and traits. This study looked at the student traits of behavior, structure, and demographics to determine if they could be used as predictive variables for successful course completion in a K-12 online course. The behavior characteristics were measured by a survey tool and were identified …

Easing The Middle To High School Transition: An Evaluation Of The Gold Program, Leilani Shive

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Some effective components of effective transition programs include using a freshman academy or school-within-a-school model, teacher and peer mentoring and summer bridge programs. This study analyzed the effectiveness of the Gold Program, a middle to high school transition program for at-risk youth in a large urban high school in the southwestern United States. This program incorporated those components in addition to several others, such as: parent involvement, career and technical education, blended learning, behavior interventions, and Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC). Individual components of the Gold Program were chosen to meet the four S’s of Schlossberg’s transition …

Teacher Salaries In The Mountain West, 2019 - 2021, Corryn Richardson, Joshua Padilla, Hira Ahmed, Zachary Billot, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

K-12 Education

This fact sheet examines state-level data of teacher salary benchmarks from the National Education Association, a labor union representing public school teachers and other education faculty in the U.S. Data are presented on average teacher salaries, average teacher starting salaries, and teacher pay penalties in the Mountain West (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah).

The Experiences Of Pell Grant Students Who Lose Aid: A Mixed Methods Study, Jaime Carbajal, Jr.

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Understanding the link between financial aid and college attainment is particularly important for the Federal Pell Grant program, the nation’s largest financial aid program. Many studies have shown that the Pell Grant program increases retention, persistence, and graduation rates for undergraduate students (Castleman & Long, 2016; Evans & Nguyen, 2019). Nonetheless, 80% of Pell recipients do not go on to complete a college degree within four years (Goldrick-Rab et al., 2016). One possible reason for this outcome is the way the Pell Grant program is constructed and implemented. While the Pell grant starts out as a need-based aid, it becomes …

Impact Of Mentoring On Epistemic Cognition Of Higher Education Administrators: A Modified Explanatory Mixed Methods Study, Robert Levrant

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In today’s complex workplace, organizations have implemented mentoring programs to serve the needs of employees by providing career development and personal support. Mentoring relationships provide a variety of vocational, psychosocial and role modeling functions to protégés. Previous educational psychology research has examined the role of mentoring as it relates to self-regulation, self-efficacy, career promotions, motivation and other constructs. Epistemic cognition relates to the understanding of the nature of knowledge and knowing. Epistemic cognition relates to the development, in which one’s understanding of knowledge evolves from a belief that knowledge is finite, must be passed down by expert authorities toward an …

A Comparative Analysis Of Community College Governance In The Mountain West And Policy Proposals For Nevada, Peter Grema

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Purpose of Research: 1) To explore the role of community colleges in workforce development. 2) To understand the current structure of higher education in Nevada. 3) To compare Nevada's community college governance and administration to neighboring Mountain West states (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah). 4) To offer policy recommendations for updating Nevada's workforce development capacity for its community college system. 5) To present findings to Nevada policymakers during the AB450 Study Committee period.

A Study Of Improvement In The User Experience Of Unlv's Campus Safety Mobile Application, Mayra Carrera, Mustafa Diallo, Cecilia Garcia-Leon, Khristine Le, Kristine Monsada

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

In 2019, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), reported an average of 28,000 crimes on college campuses across the United States. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) has taken measures to address campus safety through their app, RebelSAFE. However, there is little research showing how effective such apps are in aiding students through emergencies. This study aims to evaluate the usability of RebelSAFE through usability testing and surveys.

Constructing A Bridge For New Teachers Evolving Schoolwide Communication During Covid, Cecilia Turman

Graduate & Professional Student Association Research Forum

This study investigated novice and veteran teachers' strategies for referring students to seek dean/administrative intervention. Participants included 16 pre-service, and 16 first year, and 16 teachers. The findings show that pre-service and new teachers seek to explore effective approaches rather than refer students to the dean reflecting three reasons: teachers disconnect with school administration, fear of administration's negative evaluation resulting from many referrals, and concerns of referral efficacy. This year, CCSD reported more than 5,000 violent acts, about the same number during 2018-2019, before Covid hiatus. Teachers blame this trend on lack of interaction (Chen for KTNV, 2022).

Social Justice Leadership: Coming To Know Another Possibility Through Autoethnography, Jacob D. Skousen

Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education Faculty Research

Traditional notions of learning, teaching, schooling, and leading, contribute to the inequity and injustice found in schools. In this study, autoethnography was used as a process and product to explore one leader’s journey opening and leading a new “alternative” school as the school’s principal. These experiences create the backdrop of a larger narrative about public schooling and leadership. The findings, expressed through narrative, demonstrate that schools do not have to beget oppression, and school practices, framed in social justice, can create the needed environment and culture to develop liberatory praxis.

The Use Of Post-Course Feedback On Mastery Learning In A Professional Development Context, Thomas M. Kramer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study investigated the effect of feedback to measure post-mastery learning in a professional development course designed for child welfare worker. In addition, the study explored the subjects’ perceptions of benefits gained by taking an online professional development course for child welfare worker. Specifically, the effect of email summaries sent out after the completion of the course on the participant’s retention of material covered in the course was assessed. The summary emails were designed to enhance the benefits of reviewing the study material after the completion of the course with a particular focus on the quantity and frequency of reminders …

Improving K-12 Education For Hispanic Students In Las Vegas And Beyond, Richard Reeves, Ember Smith

Policy Briefs and Reports

Public K-12 education serves as a launching pad for economic mobility and opportunity, preparing students for college or a good-paying job. Despite K-12 education’s influence on later-in-life outcomes, schools often underserve students of color. Hispanic students in particular constitute a significant and growing portion of the U.S. student population yet are often overlooked in education literature because they are not the lowest performing demographic. In this brief, we examine how well public K-12 education serves Hispanic students in Clark County, where nearly half of students are Hispanic. We then consider factors that may influence student performance, including both in-school factors …

We Gon' Be Alright: A Narrative Inquiry With Black Male Doctoral Students, Lashaun D. Limbrick

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation study aspired to examine the stories of what internal and external supports lead Black men to pursue, and persist through, doctoral degree programs at predominately white institutions (PWIs). Arguably, advancing one’s education towards a doctoral degree, involves several years of rigorous coursework, a comprehensive examination, degree benchmarks, and a formal dissertation study, which could provide guaranteed economic and social stability. There is a disproportionately that exists among the number of Black men being awarded doctoral degrees yearly as compared to white men. This study will examine Black males’ stories of support along the doctoral trajectory.

The study utilizes …

The Effect Of Teachers’ Union Contracts On School District Efficiency: Longitudinal Evidence From California, Bradley D. Marianno, Paul Bruno, Kathrine O. Strunk

Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education Faculty Research

© The Author(s) 2021. While the effect of teachers’ unions on school districts continues to be debated, the research literature provides few definitive conclusions to guide these discussions. In this article, we examine the relationship between teachers’ union contracts and school district efficiency. We define efficiency as the ratio of short-run productivity (student performance on standardized exams) to expenditures. We estimate a series of school district fixed effect models using measures of district collective bargaining agreement (CBA) restrictiveness tied to longitudinal outcomes. We find that CBA restrictiveness is positively associated with expenditures on students, instruction, instruction support services, and teacher …

Prepping For Another Recession: Re-Assessing The Validity Of Teacher Evaluation Systems For Human Capital Decision-Making, Bradley D. Marianno, Adam Kho, Tiberio Garza, Jonathan Hilpert

Policy Issues in Nevada Education: Policy Papers

Problem. The school budget cuts concomitant with the COVID-19 pandemic mean educator jobs may again be threatened by layoffs. During prior recessions, school district administration primarily deter- mined teacher layoffs by virtue of seniority. However, as new evidence emerges that seniority policies may not be the most equitable way to determine teacher layoffs, some have turned towards performance-based measures from evaluation systems. Purpose. The purpose of this paper is to examine the validity and reli- ability of the Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF) for making human capital decisions like layoffs. Recommendations. We recommend that Nevada and other states improve the …

Challenges And Opportunities For Virtual Teaching In Nevada, Linda F. Quinn, Lois B. Paretti

Policy Issues in Nevada Education: Policy Papers

Problem. School closures in Nevada due to the COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented chal- lenge to schools, districts, teachers, parents and students. The rapid switch to virtual teaching left many students unaccounted for and teachers unprepared for teaching virtually. Therefore, there exists a need for advanced planning to assure education in Nevada continues at a high level, whether through on-prem- ise learning in schools or through remote teaching. Purpose. This policy paper discusses ways virtual teaching requires adaptations to teacher professional development, access to technology, and teacher preparation. Ways to improve the viability of virtual teaching to enhance student achievement, …

The Covid-19 Pandemic And Its Implications For Nevada’S Future Workforce, Stefani R. Relles, Mark L. Spinrad

Policy Issues in Nevada Education: Policy Papers

Problem. Nevada’s capacity for economic recovery in the pandemic’s wake has been jeopardized by COVID-related educational impacts. The diversity of Nevada’s student population and inequitable rates of college participation and degree attainment infer imminent skilled labor shortages. Purpose. Based on the assumptions of prior research, the authors suggest a multi-tiered strategy of policy triage to address workforce pipeline erosion at its weakest juncture, when students transition from high school to college. Recommendations. The paper outlines short-term and long-term policy options that target students and institutions. During school closures, nudge interventions are a low-cost option that sends text messages to remind …

Eliminating Exclusionary Practices In Early Childhood Education In Nevada, Melissa Beck Yarczower, Jenna Weglarz-Ward, Claire T. Tredwell

Policy Issues in Nevada Education: Policy Papers

Problem. Many young children under 5 years old spend a significant part of their days in early childhood settings which provide them access to environments and activities that foster their learning. Unfortunate- ly, in many of these early childhood settings, young children are expelled and suspended at a rate that is three times the rate of students in a K-12 setting leading to detrimental, long-term outcomes for young children, families, and the community. Purpose. This paper gives an overview of exclusionary practices in early childhood, discusses causes and consequences of these practices, and provides recommendations to eliminate exclusionary practices in …

Traditional Principals’ Reaction To A Charter School Opening, Dana L. Bickmore

Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education Faculty Research

© 2020 SAGE Publications. Using multiple case studies, I examined how three traditional principals reacted and responded over time to the opening of a charter school in their attendance boundaries. Findings suggest principals’ reactions to competition shifted based on their perceptions of their status and competitive advantage in the market. These perceptual changes were the result of interactions with parents/guardians, staff, teachers, and students. This study has implications for how principals’ perceptions over time may affect engagement in competitive markets.

Using The Critical Mathematics Pedagogical Framework To Teach Adult Basic Education Learners: A Transformative Convergent Parallel Mixed Methods Study, Matthew D. Gromlich

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The goal of this study was to design and implement curricula in the Adult Basic Education classroom that aligned to the Critical Mathematics Pedagogical Framework. Specifically, this study assessed if ABE students’ mathematics anxiety and mathematics self-efficacy ware affected by curricula that aligns to the Critical Mathematics Pedagogical Framework. Using a transformative convergent parallel mixed methods study, this study showed that students taught using CMPF-based lessons specifically reflected on their own attitudes towards mathematics self-efficacy, mathematics anxiety, number positioning, and the need for societal change around mathematical concepts. Both quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed to highlight student reflections and …

Addressing Disproportionality In School Discipline Through Alternatives To Exclusionary Discipline Practices, Kevin Matthew Higley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Tasked with ensuring that school environments are safe and orderly, school administrators spend an increasingly inordinate amount of time and energy on managing student discipline. Often, when students commit egregious behaviors or violate school policy, schools resort to out-of-school disciplinary consequences, i.e. suspension, expulsion, or alternative educational placements, in attempts to reduce problem behaviors from recurring. Historically though, these exclusionary discipline practices have led to the unfair treatment of some students, (e.g., Black/African American students, male students, and/or students with disabilities). This disproportionate practice is often cited as the genesis for the school-to prison pipeline phenomenon. From a behaviorist perspective, …

Nevada System Of Higher Education (Nshe) Administrative Costs, 2019, Olivia K. Cheche, Saha Salahi, Marie A. Falcone, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

The purpose of this Fact Sheet is to examine expenditures of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), particularly expenses allocated to staff salaries. This data is collected from the FY19 State of Nevada operating budget, and Transparent Nevada, a website that posts the salaries of public employees including NSHE staff.

Training Design Enhancement Through Training Evaluation: Effects On Training Transfer, Elham Arabi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With recurring changes in the society, in terms of economy and technology, companies need to ensure that their human capital is aligned with these transformations in order to sustain in a competitive industry. To date, organizations view training as a requirement to increase their employees’ efficiencies and productivity, and reduce their attrition rates. Despite investment in employee training, research shows a lack of transfer of learning to job and as a result minimal return on investment. This issue is due to many barriers, but can be addressed by learning professionals. Poor learning design and training evaluation practices have been identified …

Supporting The Visible Minority: Factors That Impact Part-Time Faculty Intent To Leave, Michelle Marie Dominguez Chavez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Hiring part-time faculty in higher education is beneficial for both institutions and the part-time faculty member. Particularly during times of budget cuts, institutions turn to part-time faculty. However, it is important for institutions to create a positive working environment for part-time faculty in order to ensure that the use of part-time faculty does not create adverse effects on student learning and institutions can retain their faculty as either part-time or assist in their transition into full-time teaching positions. Using the conceptual frameworks of role conflict and ambiguity, working conditions, morale, job satisfaction, and intent to leave, this study aimed to …

Status Of Women In Nevada: K-12 Education Snapshot, Aika Dietz, Ana Rosas, Brenda Cruz Gomez, Caryll Batt Dziedziak, Jean Munson

Research Briefs

There has been a sudden increase in Nevada K-12 student population since 2003 ballooning student-teaching ratio and straining the educational system.

Exploration Of The Intersection Of Social Identities Of Female Leaders In Postsecondary Education: A Phenomenological Approach, Sara Shaw

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of female leaders currently in leadership roles in postsecondary education. This hermeneutic phenomenological study was conducted to explore intersecting identities and how the identities affected female leaders’ leadership experiences and decision-making processes. Through the theoretical framework of intersectionality, I explored the relationships among females, leadership, career decision-making, and other categorical social identities. Data gathered from semi-structured one-on-one interviews and demographic surveys with 11 female postsecondary leaders sought to understand how gender and selected social identities affect career decision-making of women in postsecondary leadership positions. The researcher identified seven themes: …