Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Caregivers' Perceptions Of Covid-19 Educational Disruptions On Children With Developmental Language Disorder And Typically Developing Peers, Katherine Radville, Danika Pfeiffer, Karynn Sheranian, Julie Wolter, Jessie Ricketts, Tiffany L. Hogan

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Purpose: Understanding the experiences of families of children with developmental language disorder (DLD) during COVID-19 educational disruptions is essential for designing responsive supports during pandemic recovery efforts and beyond. This qualitative study describes the experiences of families of first-and second-grade children with DLD during the pandemic as compared to the experiences of families of typically developing (TD) peers.

Method: A conventional content analysis approach was used to analyze caregivers’ written responses to open-ended questions regarding their perceptions of COVID-19 educational disruptions. Responses were analyzed separately by group: caregivers of children with DLD (n= 23) and caregivers of TD children (n= …

Civil Society Contributions To Improving Learning Outcomes: An Education Out Loud Global Learning Partner Report, Alexander Towne, Sladana Krstic, Desmond Bermingham, Jolanda Buter, Miriam Linder, Sam Boering

International Education Research

This report shares the findings from an action research project conducted on behalf of Global Partnership for Education’s (GPE) Education Out Loud (EOL) programme by the Management for Development Foundation (MDF) and the Australian Council for Education Research (ACER) Consortium, in its capacity as global learning partner (GLP). The project involved working directly with three organisations (grantees) in receipts of EOL funds, across five GPE countries. The Consortium supported them to conduct action research projects, which tested the underlying assumptions of their programme’s theory of change, in order to validate their approaches to advocacy and policy influencing (API) and support …

Needs Assessment – National Repository For Nsf Agep Deliverables, Christie Sahley, Megan Sapp-Nelson, Donna Ferullo, Linda Mason, Hanzi Xie

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

This white paper proposes the establishment of a National Repository for NSF Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) Deliverables to address the critical need for preserving and sharing a wide array of materials generated from the AGEP program. Recognizing the challenges of ephemeral storage solutions and the absence of a unified collection mechanism, the paper underscores the repository's role in promoting justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) research. It emphasizes the importance of accommodating diverse data types, enhancing discoverability, and ensuring long-term access to educational materials, policy documents, and research outcomes. Through a comprehensive approach, the proposed repository …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Perceptions Of Traditional And Online Degrees: Implications For Hiring Decisions And Higher Education, Heather E. Millar

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic’s disruption to educational delivery across the country opened the doors to a more extensive conversation regarding employers’ perceptions of online degrees and the institution of higher education and its societal role. This is the first study, to my knowledge, to quantitatively analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on perceptions of traditional vs. online degrees during the hiring process and the implications of such on the institution of higher education. This study used a cross-sectional, non-experimental, closed-ended electronic survey of human resource professionals and those with influence during the hiring process.

Results from this study indicate that …

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Making Data Meaningful: Stakeholder Perceptions On Data Visualization And Data Management Practices Within A Multi-Tiered System Of Supports (Mtss), Domenick Saia

Dissertations

Data-driven decision-making and collaboration are core pillars of a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS); however, timely and accessible data use, as well as data literacy and visualization literacy skills, are challenges school leaders and educators face related to implementing such frameworks. I hypothesized efficient data management systems and data visualization tools enable school teams to predict student learning outcomes, readily communicate, and better understand student data. The purpose of this study design was to highlight a need for more efficient data structures that allow school stakeholders to balance their roles within an MTSS framework more effectively. The context of this …

Exploration Of Academic Outcomes In Arkansas's Four-Day School Weeks And Year-Round Calendars, Sarah Mckenzie, Josh Mcgee, Kathryn L. Barnes, Charlene A. Reid

Policy Briefs

This brief provides an overview of the findings from a research report examining the academic outcomes of Arkansas school districts using a four-day school week or year-round calendar. We aim to shed light on trends related to academic outcomes. We assess the impacts of recent calendar changes in this context and make recommendations.

Exploring Academic Outcomes In Arkansas Schools: A Study Of Four-Day School Week And Year-Round Calendar Districts, Kate Barnes, Sarah Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

In 2021, Arkansas's state legislature passed Act 688 allowing school districts to adopt non-traditional calendars. Districts could choose from four calendar options: traditional, four-day school weeks (4DSW), year-round calendar(YRC), and alternative. During the 2022-23 school year, 33 districts adopted new calendars; twenty-seven districts operated using a 4DSW, and six used a YRC. Several more districts adopted 4DSW in the 2023-24 school year. Atpresent, thirty-four Arkansas districts use a 4DSW. This report used publicly available data from the Arkansas Department of Education to explore the relationship between adoption of a 4DSW or YRC and the following student outcomes: academic growth, academic …

Advanced Placement (Ap) & Concurrent Enrollment (Ce) Courses And College Outcomes, Sarah Mckenzie, Josh Mcgee, Rian R. Djita

Policy Briefs

For 20 years, Arkansas school districts have been required to provide access to advanced coursework through Advanced Placement (AP) and Concurrent Enrollment (CE) courses. Despite universal access, we find that enrollment in AP or CE courses still varies across students’ demographic groups. However, the findings also highlight improved postsecondary outcomes for several student groups.

The Role Of Ap & Concurrent Courses On Student Postsecondary Outcomes, Out-Of-State Choice, And College Selectivity, Rian R. Djita, Andy Parra-Martinez, Jonathan Wai, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

Literature on Advanced Placement (AP) and dual or concurrent enrollment (CE) courses shows that entry to and completion of these rigorous courses can increase students’ cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes. Issues of equity remain as White students and students from more affluent backgrounds tend to enroll in these courses at much higher rates than minoritized students and low-income students. Arkansas implemented a universal policy mandating all school districts provide access to AP and CE courses. Within this context, we investigate the relationship between enrollment in these courses and student postsecondary outcomes. Despite universal access, we find that enrollment in AP or …

Analyzing Student Discipline Trends In Arkansas: The 2022 Report, Sarah Mckenzie, Josh Mcgee, Taylor Wilson, Charlene A. Reid

Policy Briefs

This brief provides an overview of the findings from the 2021- 22 Arkansas Student Discipline Report. We aim to shed light on the significant trends and key student outcomes related to student discipline in Arkansas public schools. Furthermore, we assess the impact of recent policy changes in this context and recommend further policy recommendations to neutralize negative trends.

Intentional Conversations: Co-Creating Global Family, School, And Community Engagement Research, Emily Markovich Morris

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

As part of the Brookings Scholar Lecture Series, Brookings Mountain West presents a lecture titled "Intentional Conversations: Co-Creating Global Family, School, and Community Engagement Research" by Brookings fellow in global economy and development, Emily Markovich Morris. The more that families, schools, and communities work in partnership, the more students and schools have the support needed to thrive. This lecture explores a school and community-based research study representing education institutions in 14 countries across 6 continents. The project identifies beliefs held by families, educators, and students on the purpose of school, and global barriers to family, school, and community engagement. Surveys …

How Well Does Craft Academy Implement Its Core Mission And Goals To Prepare Students For College And Career Readiness?, Andrew Sexton

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone paper presented to the faculty of the Caudill College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Public Administration by Andrew Sexton in the fall of 2023.

Public-Private Partnerships (Ppp) In Technical Education: The Case Of Egypt’S Applied Technology Schools (Ats), Youstina Magdy

Theses and Dissertations

Technical education is a form of education that gained momentum in the 1800s and was considered as a parallel distinct model to general education by the post-war period. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) were one of the scaling up and enhancement efforts of technical education. In Egypt, the technical secondary education system has various school models; however, it was until 2018, when we first see the implementation of an PPP model with the establishment of the Applied Technology Schools (ATS). ATS schools aim at supplying the labor market with experienced skillful competent graduates in the demanded sectors in the Egyptian labor market, …

The Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer) Response To The Australian Universities Accord Panel Interim Report, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Higher education research

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) recognises the importance of universities, and the higher education sector more broadly, to the prosperity and success of Australia. ACER welcomes the intent and focus of the Universities Accord in creating a system that enables all Australians to consider the option of university education and be supported in embracing this opportunity. In our submission to the Accord Panel, we would like to provide reflection and insight into the following key areas:

• Recognising the higher education ‘life cycle’ begins well before university enrolment.
• Continuing to build the emphasis on equality of opportunity and equity-focussed …

Analyzing Arkansas's Course Credit And Unexcused Absence Policy, Sarah Mckenzie, Josh Mcgee, Sarah R. Morris

Policy Briefs

In this brief, we examine the implementation of A.C.A 6-18-222, a statewide policy in Arkansas that addresses the unexcused absences and course credit. We find wide variability in the policy’s local implementation. We suggest districts examine their thresholds and language in this policy, and implement Early Warning Intervention and Monitoring Systems to improve school culture.

Incorporating Complexity Theory In Collaborative Educational Programs, Ximeng Chen

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

The field of education has witnessed an increasing trend of inter-organizational and inter-departmental collaborations and forming of networks. Collaborative educational programs have been implemented in a variety of ways. This paper proposes to understand and study collaborative educational programs through the lens of complexity theory and to utilize nonlinear research methods. This paper also proposes to connect the dots in the literature among complexity theory, collaborative educational programs, program evaluation, and alternative nonlinear research methods.

Assessing Artificial Intelligence Readiness Of Faculty In Higher Education: Comparative Case Study Of Egypt, Ayatallah Ali

Theses and Dissertations

The field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been gaining considerable attention from many countries worldwide due to its rapid development and its potential benefits in different sectors. One of the leading global sectors that are currently considering the adoption of AI is the education sector. As a developing country, Egypt is gradually realizing the importance of AI and has begun considering the integration of AI in numerous sectors. Despite the importance of the field, there is a lack of published research on the integration of AI in education in Egypt or on the readiness levels of any stakeholders in the …

Third Diversity In Aquatics Special Issue, Angela K. Beale-Tawfeeq, Steven N. Waller Ph.D., Tiffany M. Quash Phd

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Front matter - none available

“Pool: A Social History Of Segregation Exhibition” Exploring Social Justice Through The Lens Of Water Safety Awareness And Art-Based Education, Angela K. Beale-Tawfeeq Ph.D., Mph, Tiffany Monique Quash Ph.D., Knolan Rawlins Ph.D., Victoria Prizzia, Miriam Lynch Ph.D.

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Art exhibitions, with a focus on water safety and drowning prevention, are rarely seen as a medium to address social justice and public health, or water safety awareness and drowning prevention efforts in communities. Globally, data have shown drowning is considered a “neglected public health threat” (World Health Organization, 2021, CDC, 2023). Additionally, reports have shown that across the globe there are demographic groups of people impacted by drowning, historical traumas, and social determinants, also impacting some communities that are at greater risk (WHO 2021, CDC, 2023). Although there are national and international efforts to address the importance of water …

Arkansas Teachers' Grading Practices And Implications, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Josh B. Mcgee

Policy Briefs

In this brief, we assess current grading practices in Arkansas. We find teachers’ grading practices are inconsistent across the state. We suggest districts assess their grading practices and provide ongoing professional development opportunities for teachers to reflect on their grading practices.

Selling Graduation: Higher Education And The Loaning Of Liberation, Annie Pocklington, Elizabeth J. Flanagan, Christopher Bodenheimer Knaus

Essays in Education

While the costs to attend college continue to rise exponentially, a bachelor’s degree is held up as required for economic stability within the U.S. and across the globe. With drastic disparities in earning potentials after graduation reduced by racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, ableism, and related structural disparities, the value of a degree continues to be questioned, especially for historically marginalized communities. As the loan industrial complex continues to profit off of students, President Biden has offered $10,000 in student loan relief for some borrowers, though this action has been blocked by federal courts and is currently on hold. Whether Biden’s …

Submission In Response To The Teacher Education Expert Panel Discussion Paper, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Shaping educational policy

This submission in response to the 2023 Teacher Education Expert Panel Discussion Paper argues that improving teacher quality requires a system-wide, career-long approach to teacher education rather than a narrow focus on initial teacher education (ITE) programs. While supporting rigorous ITE standards, evidence-based content, robust assessment, and consistent accreditation, ACER contends that teacher preparation must be understood within a broader continuum encompassing recruitment, induction, mentoring, professional learning, career progression, and retention. Drawing on Australian and international research, the submission highlights the importance of supportive workplace conditions, structured early-career support, and coherent professional pathways to strengthen teacher workforce sustainability and effectiveness. …

Journey Of Realization And Adaptation Through Auto/Ethnography: A Shift To Transformative Educational Research, Tara Paudel, Bal Chandra Luitel, Niroj Dahal

The Qualitative Report

This reflective paper explores Tara's doctoral research journey of realization and adaptation in auto/ethnography as a transformative research methodology. While reflecting on Tara’s journey, the auto/ethnographic paper emphasizes cultural perspectives, interpreting one's own experiences, thoughts, actions, and behaviors relating to society and culture. Likewise, auto/ethnography investigates and associates an individual's confrontation within specific educational, societal, and cultural contexts. With this ethos, the paper demonstrates how Tara, a mathematics teacher and doctoral student, encountered and observed auto/ethnography and discovered it as a path to transformation as a paradigm shift in transformative educational research by connecting lives and research (Dahal et al., …

The Educational Experience Of Children In Foster Care, Autumn Brueckmann

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Children in foster care face a myriad of challenges in educational development. Conducting a phenomenological study, the researcher interviewed eight foster parents licensed in the state of Florida regarding the educational experiences of children in foster care. From the holistic perspective the data set provided, the researcher described the educational experience of children in foster care using the five themes: challenges, meeting needs, deficiencies, support systems, and behaviors of foster parents. Though children in foster care face many challenges, community members such as foster parents and case managers work to meet the needs of children in care. However, because of …

The Usage And Impact Of Act 1240 Teacher Licensure Waivers In Arkansas, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Policy Briefs

Act 1240 of 2015 allows Arkansas school districts to petition for waivers allowing for the employment of teachers who are not licensed under the standard procedures of the state. Since the program’s inception in the 2016-17 school year, the number of teachers employed under Act 1240 waivers has increased, with the Arkansas Department of Education reporting 836 teachers hired using Act 1240 waivers in 69 districts during the 2021-22 school year. This represents approximately one quarter of the districts within the state, but only approximately 2 percent of the nearly 40,000 teachers employed last year.

Using publicly available data from …

Exploration Of Motivations For Adopting A Four-Day School Week Or Year Round Calendars: Evidence From Arkansas, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Josh B. Mcgee, Kate Barnes

Policy Briefs

This brief provides an overview of the motivations for Arkansas school districts adopting a four-day school week or year-round calendar. In addition to examining these motivations, this brief provides an overview of the districts adopting non-traditional calendars and policy recommendations for districts and communities considering changing calendars.

Does Publicness Matter? A Mixed Method Analysis Identifying And Measuring Institutional Contributions To State Goals For Public Higher Education, Sophia Laderman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

States founded, control, and fund public postsecondary institutions because higher education helps meet state goals. Public institutions of higher education provide considerable public benefits to states, but these benefits have not been systematically measured. As a result, public conversations about the broad value proposition of higher education do not center the public benefits produced by institutions. Using a framework of empirical and realized publicness, this exploratory sequential mixed-methods study used content analysis of state agency mission and vision statements to identify state goals for public higher education. Quantitative measurements of institutional contributions to common state goals for higher education were …

Arkansas’S 9th Grade Course Failures And Building Configurations, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Josh B. Mcgee, Sarah R. Morris

Policy Briefs

In this brief, we examine the relationship between course failures among Arkansas’s 9th grade students and the grade levels served in their school. We find that in schools that terminate at 9th grade, 9th graders are less likely to fail one or more course during the year compared to failure rates in schools that terminate at 12th grade. We suggest an increase in awareness and examination of how we assess 9th graders in Arkansas.

Overcoming Barriers To Private-Public Partnerships, Lavina Valentine

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

SA is an organization that promotes science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. As a small organization, it continues to look for partnerships that allow the expansion and development of this educational coursework. The organization faces barriers to receiving private and public partnerships. In this professional administrative study, barriers were identified and addressed. Opportunities to improve the availability of collaborations and effective partnerships for this organization were also addressed, expressing the significant benefit that the community receives. The evidence drawn from scholarly resources, quantitative research, and articles highlighted the importance of STEM subjects, and their role in their community. The …