Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Recovering A Gem: Melva L. Price, A New York City Teacher, Emmanuelle St. Jean

Occasional Paper Series

The paucity of research on the experiences of Black women teachers in integrated New York City schools underscores the need for further investigation. Studying Black women teachers in integrated school settings opens the door for reshaping the traditional framings of Black women teachers as revolutionary individuals who largely taught and transformed the learning experiences of Black children. This article focuses on Melva Price, a Latin language teacher at a New York City high school. Price became a teacher during a period of intense marginalization and oppression. Her journey to becoming a teacher, her pedagogical practices, and her experiences as a …

Good News! Students With Disabilities Are Overrepresented In Private School Choice Programs, Patrick J. Wolf, John Kristof, Alex Wolf, Alli Aldis

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

• Critics predicted that, once private school choice was implemented on a large scale, students with disabilities would become highly concentrated in the public school system. That hasn’t happened.
• We conservatively estimate that 258,844 students with disabilities are participating in private school choice programs.
• Students with disabilities are being served in the private school choice sector at a rate higher than that in the public school sector.
• Private school choice programs provide important educational options for many students with disabilities, helping ensure they can access the education that best meets their needs.

Navigating Leadership Transitions In Academic Affairs At Small Historically Black Colleges And Universities In The Southern United States: A Qualitative Study, Marquita Renee Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the specific problem that necessitates the functionality of departmental leadership, its outcomes, and emphasized leadership transitions. Researching leadership transitions can potentially enhance our understanding of how small HBCUs, particularly HBCUs with a student population of fewer than 5,000, can effectively navigate, ensuring the continuity and sustained success of the academic affairs department within the Southern U.S. region. To address this gap, this study engaged narrative methods while employing transformational leadership theory as a theoretical lens to explore the immediate and long-term impacts of leadership transitioning on strategic initiatives, staff morale, and outcomes within the academic affairs department, …

Exploring Digital Media Literacy And Its Impact On Pedagogical Innovation And Creativity, Suparno Suparno, Tuty Sariwulan, Bagus Shandy Narmaditya, Ari Saptono, Saparuddin Muchtar, Muhammad Ridlo, Dingot Hamonangan Ismail

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

Enhancing teachers’ innovative work behavior is prominent in promoting educational quality. This exploratory study aims to understand the linkage between digital media literacy, creativity, and innovative work behavior among teachers in Indonesia. The data were obtained from teachers using an online self-administered survey. In addition, the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with AMOS software. The results of this study indicate that there is a positive and significant influence between digital media literacy and teachers’ innovative work behavior. Indeed, creativity can also be a predictor of innovative work behavior among teachers in Indonesia. This study also notes the connection …

Oral History As A Tool For First-Year Student Success, Justin Willis, Saul Araujo

Journal of Research Initiatives

First-year college students often face significant challenges as they transition into higher education, particularly when balancing academic responsibilities with employment. Many students work out of financial necessity, which can increase stress, limit campus engagement, and negatively affect academic performance and well-being. This qualitative case study explores how oral history methods can support first-year college students as they adjust to the demands of balancing education and work. Guided by Tinto’s Model of Student Retention and Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, the study examines how firsthand narratives from individuals who have navigated similar challenges can foster reflection, resilience, and practical skill development. The …

Does Gender Spell Success? Exploring Female Students' Perspectives Of Faculty At A Higher Educational Institution, Chitora Jackson, Terrence Hicks, Jill Channing, Arnold Nyarambi

Journal of Research Initiatives

Numerous studies have pointed to connections and positive interactions with faculty that result in positive outcomes for students (Beckowski & Gebauer, 2018; Jones, 2020; Trolian et al., 2021). However, despite this knowledge, there are still some areas related to this topic that remain under-researched. The purpose of this qualitative interpretative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of female students at a higher educational institution and to understand how those experiences shape their perspectives of female and male faculty. Additionally, this study sought to discover how faculty gender influences their interactions with students and the similarities and differences between …

Human-Centered Ai Governance In K–12 Education: A Qualitative Content Analysis Of Policy Gaps In Massachusetts School Districts, Simone Elias, Noran Moffett, Jeremy Womack, Richard Brutti

Journal of Research Initiatives

Artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI tools have rapidly permeated K–12 education, outpacing governance structures and raising urgent concerns about equity, student data privacy, and academic integrity (Eutsler et al., 2026; OECD, 2023). Although a growing body of scholarship proposes multi-level AI governance models for education, empirical evidence on implementing these frameworks at the district policy level remains limited. This article contributes to the field by first synthesizing and adapting a K–12 AI governance framework based on peer-reviewed and policy literature, structured around macro-meso-micro levels and six pillars: ethical and equity-centered use, data governance and privacy, teaching and academic integrity, …

From Silos To Systems In Higher Education: Doctoral Students’ Conceptualizations Of Faculty And Staff Collaboration In Academic Planning, Linda Wilson-Jones, Simone Elias

Journal of Research Initiatives

Collaboration is increasingly recognized as central to student success and institutional effectiveness in higher education. This qualitative study investigates doctoral students’ conceptualizations of faculty and staff collaboration in academic planning. Data were collected from 22 written responses in a doctoral-level program course. Through reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006, 2021), five interrelated themes emerged: (1) holistic student support, (2) shared institutional vision and goal alignment, (3) complementary expertise and role interdependence, (4) communication as quality assurance, and (5) collaborative culture as an institutional asset. The findings indicate that collaboration functions as organizational infrastructure that aligns academic and administrative systems …

Education System Improvement Tool, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

School and system improvement

The Education System Improvement Tool (ESIT) identifies the practices most critical to highly effective education systems. It is recognised that across the world, education systems operate in diverse contexts with varying governance arrangements. Therefore, the ESIT should be interpreted in context, recognising that effective system practices are shaped by the characteristics, priorities and circumstances of each education system and the communities it serves. Informed by international research findings and the lived experiences of education system leaders, the ESIT supports stakeholders across education systems to review, reflect on and strengthen strategies and practices that contribute to system-wide improvement and improved outcomes …

Access In Teaching Stem Subjects To The Blind, Ashley E. Neybert

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

There are still many gaps in the literature regarding the difficulties faced by instructors of students who are blind and low vision and who teach Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) subjects. We surveyed 26 K-12 STEM teachers about accessible materials they are aware of versus which accessible materials they use in their classrooms, their thoughts on how common challenges identified in the extent literature affect them in their teaching, and their perspective on how much extra time may be required for blind and low vision students (if any) to effectively learn STEM subjects.

People Orientation And Thing Orientation In Business Majors: Implications For Assessing The Impacts Of Cross-Functional Business Program Curricula, Todd J. Hostager, David A. Christopher, Kristy J. Lauver, Christopher Knowles

International Journal for Business Education

Background/Introduction/Purpose:  Prior research documented significant differences in people orientation and thing orientation (PTO) based on type of major and sex.  This study examines a set of measures for helping business programs to assess whether they are producing graduates equipped to consider both people and things when making decisions, regardless of their major or sex.

Methods/Design:  Students in a strategic management capstone course spent a single 75-minute session responding to a brief new venture pitch by identifying what types of additional information they would need to decide whether to invest in the business.  Three Likert-scaled options gauged the extent to participant …

Becoming: Adult Learners In Graduate Education And The Pursuit Of A Meaningful Life, Tara Shollenberger

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

Adult learners in graduate education represent a population defined by deliberate, purposeful choice. Unlike traditional-age students, these individuals advance within higher education while managing careers, families, and complex life responsibilities. This conceptual paper explores the espoused and enacted vision for a meaningful life held by adult learners in graduate education, with particular attention to doctoral students in professional education programs. Evidence is drawn from national enrollment and attrition data, relevant scholarship, and nearly two decades of direct practitioner observation. The paper argues that adult graduate learners are animated by a vision of becoming: a generational, relational, and deeply purposeful understanding …

The Church’S Social Vocation In World War I And Postwar Recovery: Theodor Zöckler’S Pastoral Ministry In Stanislaviv And Its Relevance For Contemporary Ukraine, Liudmyla Tymchuk, Yurii Klonovskyi

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article examines Theodor Zöckler’s pastoral ministry in Stanislaviv during the First World War and the difficult years of postwar reconstruction, and assesses the relevance of that experience for churches in contemporary Ukraine. Drawing on archival records, institutional reports, church periodicals, correspondence, and historical scholarship, the study analyzes how Zöckler combined spiritual care with evacuation, humanitarian relief, medical service, child protection, education, vocational training, and institutional advocacy. Historical-genetic, problem-chronological, hermeneutic, and comparative methods are used to reconstruct the transformation of his ministry under conditions of occupation, forced displacement, political transition, and economic collapse. The findings show that Zöckler’s response moved …

Solving For X: Centering Black Girls’ Experiences In Mathematics Education, Natasha A. Fortes

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Black girls can grow up, attend school, and move through their math classes without ever feeling seen as capable mathematical thinkers. Their teachers may not affirm their brilliance. Their voices may even go unheard. Math classes may not be a space where they can imagine themselves belonging. These experiences do not reflect ability. Instead, they reflect on the conditions in which they are expected to learn. This study centers the voices of Black girls and asks what they deserve from their mathematics education and instructors to develop a mathematics identity. The study is grounded in Black feminist traditions and draws …

The Invisible Poet: Stories Of Higher Education Professional Staff Program Experiences Via Poetic Inquiry Through A Wellness Dimensions Framework, Freyja Hofler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is well documented that burnout and low levels of employee wellness have negative effects upon employees as well as the organizations that employ them (Gallup, 2019; Maurer, 2024; Wright & Bonett, 2007). This study was a program evaluation of the C2 Initiatives program via a constructivist paradigm, responsive evaluation approach, and summative outcome evaluation. The NWI’s Six Dimensions of Wellness model was utilized as the theoretical framework of the study and arts-based research was used as the conceptual framework.

Participants were given documents from the C2 Initiatives program as a text base to create blackout poetry, a type of …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Black Students In Criminal Justice Programs And Its Implications On Social Justice, Demetrius C. Dacres

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study examined the experiences of Black students who graduated with degrees in criminal justice within the last five years, as well as professors serving criminal justice programs. In this study, Black students are defined as those who identify as Black or African American, and the research focused on a criminal justice higher education institution’s educational program in the Northeast. This qualitative phenomenological study drew on Lent’s Social Cognitive Career Theory and Tinto’s Student Integration Model to investigate how Black students experienced criminal justice programs and the resources and strategies they utilized to navigate and adapt. The study addressed a …

Shared Equity Leadership In An Offshore Medical School: Distributing Responsibility For Equity, Vishal B. Surender, Sreekrishna Penna, Oluwabusola Osimosu

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

This essay applies the Shared Equity Leadership (SEL) framework to an offshore MD program at a private Caribbean medical school where students complete basic sciences on an island and clinical clerkships across multiple international sites. Using SEL scholarship and de-identified institutional data, we ask how equity work is currently distributed, where gaps emerge in assessment, remediation, and mobility for historically underrepresented students in medicine, and how responsibility for equity might be more deliberately shared. The Woven model of SEL provides a lens to map existing structures like curriculum committees, CQI dashboards, advising systems, and clinical site partnerships. We propose a …

What Makes Implicit Bias Training Effective? An Examination Of Training Program Interventions And K-12 Educator Experiences, Kyleigh K. Mcaloon

McNair Summer Research Program

Differences in disciplinary referrals based on race have led many to argue that bias may influence disciplinary decisions. Implicit bias (IB) training is designed to address such disparities by raising awareness of biases that may impact assessment of behavior and disciplinary decisions. In recent years, many have questioned the validity of IB as a construct and also the potential impact of training. Some scholars argue that these programs fail to produce meaningful behavioral change and may unintentionally reinforce or increase bias. The aim of the present study was to investigate how individuals receive and respond to such training. Sixteen K-12 …

Evidence In Action: Community Schools, Volume 1, Ucf Center For Community Schools

Community Schools Research

No abstract provided.

Measuring Administrative Hiring Confidence Of Music Teachers In The Context Of Shallow Hiring Pools, Aaron M. Strum

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify and measure the confidence of K-12 administrators in hiring music faculty. This study also aimed to analyze administrators’ perspectives and confidence in key stages of the hiring process, including defining job expectations, posting, advertising, interviewing, and selecting highly specialized music teachers in K-12 settings. Confidence of K-12 administrators can be gauged through their understanding of how well an applicant aligns with the specific needs of the school’s program. Three research questions guided this investigation: (1a) How confident are K-12 administrators in their understanding of music teaching pedagogy when interviewing music teacher candidates …

Disruption, Recovery, And Divergence: How Prepandemic Achievement Levels Shaped Learning Loss, Recovery, And Spending Efficiency In Tennessee Public High Schools, Wilson Boyd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant and uneven learning loss in Tennessee public high schools. The statewide ACT composite average fell from 20.2 in 2019 to 19.1 in 2021. By 2024-2025, it recovered only to 19.3. During the same period, Tennessee received approximately $3.86 billion in additional federal funds and $1.15 billion in new state funding. This ex post facto quantitative study examined whether prepandemic achievement levels predicted learning loss severity and recovery patterns of a census of 322 Tennessee public high schools from 2018-2019 through 2024-2025.

The study used two theoretical frameworks. Baumol's cost disease theory predicted that structural productivity …

Unlocking Potential: How High-Fidelity Plcs Protect First Graders From Over-Identification In Tiered Placement, Tomeka D. Love

All Dissertations

Nationally, the demand for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has reached an unprecedented peak, serving 7.5 million students (representing 15% of all public school students) in the 2022–23 school year. While national academic discussions regarding socioeconomic hurdles and systemic inequities frequently center on urban environments, minoritized students in rural communities face a persistent and disproportionate over-representation in special education. This trend is driven by complex intersections of geographic isolation, systemic resource allocation issues, and cultural misalignments in assessment practices.

At the local level, Love and Logic Elementary School [pseudonym], a rural K-5 institution, faces …

From Referral To Results: Strengthening Mtss Pre-Referral Practices To Improve Special Education Referral Decision-Making, Capricia K. White

All Dissertations

The steady rise in special education identification rates continues to outpace overall U.S. public school enrollment trends, raising important questions about how students are identified, labeled, and referred for services. Despite South Carolina's MTSS mandate under Act 213, implementation remains inconsistent across schools. As a result, referral decisions may be based on limited evidence of student response to targeted general education supports.

The purpose of this Dissertation in Practice was to examine how a school-based improvement initiative, Project FOCUS (Fidelity, Outcomes, Collaboration, and Unified Support), strengthened MTSS pre-referral practices to support special education referral decision-making. Guided by Improvement Science, the …

The Stories Of College Faculty Navigating Student Trauma Disclosures: A Narrative Inquiry, Samantha Daluz

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to understand how faculty who navigate student trauma disclosures construct stories about themselves as educators and how those stories shape their understanding of teaching and learning. Although the literature has increasingly focused on trauma-informed approaches to teaching and learning, little research has explored how faculty navigate student trauma disclosures or how those experiences shape their understanding of teaching and learning. This study sought to better understand those experiences and provide institutional leaders with insight into how faculty experience student trauma disclosures within higher education. Narrative inquiry was employed using Mahayana Buddhism as the …

Educator Experiences Of Schoolwide Pbis Discipline Implementation: Exploring School Culture In Private Pk–12 Schools, Jessica L. Guarneri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore educators’ lived experiences implementing schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) discipline systems and to understand how those experiences influenced school culture in private PK–12 schools. Historically, PBIS focused on specific outcomes, such as reductions in discipline referrals, suspensions, and behavioral incidents. Though these indicators are critical, they do not consider in what way educators experience disciplinary systems, nor how their lived experiences affect routine interactions with students. Educators play a key role in implementing PBIS; their experiences foster consistency, trust, and sustainability. The participants included certified educators and administrators employed …

Listening To Learn: Preservice Teachers’ Voice On What Matters Most In Their University Preparation Programs, David Wolff, Scott Klimek, Elizabeth Y. Dale

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

This study explores the perspectives of preserviceteacher candidates on the topics in education they perceive as the most important and urgent as they prepare for their first year of teaching. Utilizing quantitative methodology, the study aims to identify and prioritize educational topics sixty (n = 60) preservice teacher candidates believed were critical to their professional development. Participants are asked to rate the topics based on two criteria: urgency and importance. Each topic is rated on a scale from 0 to 5, where 0 indicated unfamiliarly with the topic, 1 indicated low urgency or importance, and 5 indicates high urgency …

Embedding Evaluation For Continuous Improvement In A Cohort-Based Doctoral Residency Model: Evidence From An Ed.D. Program, Monica J. Weir

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership Program at Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) includes two required summer residency weeks that serve as signature components of the doctoral experience. Given their central role in supporting academic milestones and scholarly community, program faculty have embedded systematic evaluation into residency design to support continuous improvement. This article describes a multi-phase, utilization-focused evaluation framework examining residency preparation, implementation, and participant experience. The evaluation designer collaborated with program faculty to design pre- and post-residency week instruments that elevate doctoral student voice and support faculty-led reflection. Preliminary findings indicated strong value placed on peer …

Preparing Teachers To Read The Data: Strengthening Data Literacy For Early Literacy Decision-Making, Tevia Q. Strand

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Teachers are increasingly expected to use literacy screening and benchmark data to guide instruction, identify student needs, and participate in multi-tiered systems of support. However, pre-service and early-career teachers may enter the profession without sufficient preparation to interpret assessment data or connect benchmark patterns to instructional action. This white paper examines the gap between teacher preparation and the realities of K-12 data use, with particular attention to early literacy decision-making. Drawing from Bradbury’s discussion of teacher preparation and the changing realities of education, this paper argues that data literacy is an essential part of preparing teachers for equitable classroom practice. …

The Role Of Perceived Academic And Peer Support In Mitigating Imposter Syndrome Among Adhd Students, Eden Morley Dr

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Background: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in higher education is associated with significant executive functioning deficits and performance inconsistencies. These challenges, alongside heightened rejection sensitivity, may predispose students to the Imposter Phenomenon (IP)—the persistent belief that one’s success is undeserved. While social and academic supports are known to buffer psychological distress, their specific role in mitigating IP within the ADHD student population remains under-researched.

Objectives: This study investigated the severity of IP among undergraduate students with ADHD and examined the protective roles of Perceived Social Support (PSS) and Perceived Academic Support (PAS), while exploring gender as a potential moderator.

Methodology: A cross-sectional …

Attendance And Academic Performance: A Comparison Of 4-Day And 5-Day School Week Schedules In Texas High Schools, Cynthia Miles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative cross-sectional comparable study examined the differences in academic performance and attendance in Texas public high school campuses between those operating on a 4-day instructional week and those operating on a 5-day instructional week. The study used a quantitative, cross-sectional comparable design. The analysis included campus-level data from the Texas Education Agency’s Texas Academic Performance Reports. The independent variable was instructional schedule—either a 4-day or a 5-day instructional week. The dependent variables included campus attendance rates and student performance on the English I and Algebra I End-of-Course (EOC) STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) assessments of ninth-grade …