Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

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.

Arkansas Student Discipline Report, Kaitlin Anderson, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Taylor Wilson

Arkansas Education Reports

This report examines student discipline in Arkansas public schools. Using ten years of de-identified student data from 2012-13 to 2021-22, our research identifies a number of key trends and outcomes related to student discipline in the Arkansas public schools. Data are provided by the Arkansas Department of Education, and this work builds upon prior editions of this report.1 Data are limited to the disciplinary infractions and consequences reported by schools, and we do not estimate causal effects of any policies or programs, however, this work includes findings relevant to educators and policymakers in the state. An important caution for interpretation …

High-Growth Elementary Schools In Arkansas Based On Performance On The Act Aspire Examinations, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

This section highlights elementary schools across the state whose students demonstrated high growth on the Arkansas ACT Aspire exams. The ACT Aspire was administered to students in grades 3 through 10 in April 2023 in Math and ELA courses which include English, Writing, and Reading. Each table in this section presents the Top 20 schools for the noted subject area and school level. In addition, these tables include the region in which the schools are located, the grades served at the school, the weighted achievement score, and the content growth score in that particular subject. The level of the schools, …

The Roles Of Black Women Principals: Evidence From Two National Surveys, Albert Cheng, Emily Coady, Robert Maranto

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

While two-thirds of Black principals are female, the extant research on Black female principals is almost entirely qualitative. Using data from the 2017–2018 National Teacher and Principal Survey (n = 7,170 with 450 Black female principals) and the 2011–2012 Schools and Staffing Survey (n = 7,510, with 360 Black female principals), we quantitatively examine the career paths, reported influence, and reported time use of Black female principals compared to other principals. Black female principals are relatively less likely than Black male principals to have experience as athletic coaches, and less likely to have non-education management experience. Relative to …

Researchers Should Be Cautious When Generalizing Findings, Josh B. Mcgee

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

POINT/COUNTERPOINT

Researchers should be cautious when generalizing findings

Yes, Money Matters, But The Details Can Make All The Difference, Josh B. Mcgee

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

POINT/COUNTERPOINT

Yes, money matters, but the details can make all the difference

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.

Freshman Course Credit And Unexcused Absences: An Arkansas Policy Analysis, Sarah R. Morris, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Miranda Vernon

Arkansas Education Reports

This policy analysis examines the implementation of A.C.A. 6-18-222, a statewide policy in Arkansas that addresses unexcused absences and course credit consequences for students. Using anonymized student-level data from the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years (N=65,651), the study explores variations in policy implementation across districts and investigates the relationship between absences and course failures for freshmen. Our results highlight the wide variability in the number of allowed unexcused absences and the language of course credit consequence among districts. Additionally, our multivariate logistic regressions reveal FRL-eligible students more likely to fail a course after reaching their district’s unexcused absence threshold. Lastly, …

Investigation Of Chinese Students’ Writing Perceptions At An English Young Writers Camp, Jingshu Chen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores how a young writers camp that catered to 40 Chinese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, ranging from students entering the fourth grade to seventh grade, mediated the students’ writing perceptions. More specifically, the main objective of this research was to investigate the impact of the camp on the students' perceptions of writing and their self-identification as writers. The study employed the theoretical framework of Cultural Historical Activity Theory to guide the analysis. Various types of data were collected from the 40 participating students, including pre- and post-camp survey questions, classroom observations, and open-ended interviews. By …

Does Reading Historical Drama Increase Historical Knowledge And Empathy? The Case Of Dorothy Sayers’S The Man Born To Be King, Albert Cheng

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

Literary theorists have argued that literary reading fosters empathy, a claim that has substantial empirical support. In this study, I consider the more specific case of reading historical drama and its potential to foster historical empathy among secondary school students. Although several educational interventions for fostering historical empathy have been proposed, none have yet considered the potential of reading historical drama. I evaluate an intervention where students engaged with selected plays from Dorothy Sayers’s The Man Born to be King that depict the Nativity and Easter narratives. After the intervention, I find that these students, compared to students who did …

Pulaski County Education Report Card 2022, Sarah Mckenzie, Josh Mcgee, Trent Leslie, Christine L. Magness

Education Report Card

The goal of this report is to help parents, school personnel, community members, and policy makers understand how effectively the students in their community are being served by public schools. The past few years have been difficult for families, teachers, and students, and throughout the challenging context, Pulaski County students demonstrated growth in achievement on the Act Aspire that was similar to students across the state, but are performing below the state average in achievement, graduation rates, and School Quality and Student Success scores.

Northwest Arkansas Education Report Card 2022, Sarah Mckenzie, Josh Mcgee, Trent Leslie, Christine L. Magness

Education Report Card

The goal of this report is to help parents, school personnel, community members, and policy makers understand how effectively the students in their community are being served by public schools. The past two years have been difficult for families, teachers, and students, but despite the challenging context, Northwest Arkansas students are demonstrating greater growth in achievement and earning higher scores on the ACT Aspire than are the students in the state overall. Schools in NWA also received higher School Quality and Student Success scores and graduate a greater percentage of high school students.

Old School Versus New School? Are Visually Stimulating Syllabi More Effective In Retaining Course Information In Contrast To Text-Based Syllabi?, Karalee Taves

Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

The students of Generation Z have been affected by the increase in technology and no longer have the same learning methods and techniques as former generations. These students notice improved knowledge and comprehension when using modern approaches in education. However, there is more room for updates in education. Instructors are accustomed to traditional, text-based syllabi that are overloaded with information, making it difficult to read and understand, while lacking conciseness.

With the use of technology, students have adapted to the use of visually stimulating methods. In the integration of modern-day learning, syllabi have not been updated to follow these standards. …

Doctoral Students' Experiences Of Community Of Practice In A Hybrid Cohort-Based Program: A Case Study, Celeste Avery

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Graduate enrollment in the United States is increasing. With the advent of the cohort learning model and online delivery methods, adult learners now have greater access to higher education. The cohort learning model, which is based on elements of Community of Practice, has been shown to provide learners with a sense of community while also having a positive impact on retention. In a hybrid cohort-based learning model, many institutions provide the convenience of both online and face-to-face classes. Doctoral student attrition remains high, ranging from 40-50% across all programs, with rates as high as 70% in Education programs. The purpose …

Readiness To Lead: Novice School Leaders' Perceptions Of The Impact Arkansas Fellowship Experience On Their Preparedness To Assume School Leadership Roles, Allison Prewitt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research provides increasing evidence that school leadership correlates with school performance (Herman et al., 2016). The leadership skills of K-12 school administrators are linked with student achievement. Evidence indicates that school leaders’ roles continue to evolve as accountability measures change (Grissom et al., 2021). Historically, principal preparation programs emphasized developing management skills. According to research, this is insufficient to prepare instructional leaders for the complex social context of contemporary education (Hernandez et al., 2012; Kerston, 2010; Levine, 2005; Lynch, 2012; Miller, 2013; Zubnzycki, 2013). Unfortunately, most principal preparation programs (PPPs) have not kept pace with the expanding role of principals …

Generating An Alternative Thesis Pathway: Critical Reflection Of Coursework And Internships, Kendele Kramer

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Since internship experiences are recognized as high impact educational practices and the honors thesis is designed to be a gateway to work beyond the typical undergraduate degree, I helped develop a pathway for BENG honors students to use critical reflection to develop an honors thesis related to internship and class experience. Then, I wrote about my own experiences to serve as an example for future BENG students who want to pursue this pathway.

My objective for this example thesis was to describe the value of my engineering and technical internships and coursework and how they have shaped my future career …

Examining The Experiences Of Adult Learners In A First-Year Seminar Course At A Tennessee Community College, Michell Ivey

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of adult learners in a first-year seminar course at Columbia State Community College, located in middle Tennessee, to determine if the content of the course has an impact on the learners’ adjustment to college. With the statewide initiative to reach a goal of 55% of the state’s population having a postsecondary credential, a push has been made to focus on adult learners to help the reach this goal. Understanding and addressing the adjustment needs of adult learners is necessary to aid retaining adult learners through completion. The first-year seminar course …

Experienced Nonnative English-Speaking Teachers’ Nonnativeness-Related Challenges, Coping Strategies, And Identity Construction, Roseli Marqueti Matos Franco

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Kamhi-Stein (1999) declares that little is known about nonnative English-speaking teachers (NNEST) who work in ESL settings also known as Inner Circle countries. Twenty years later, Fan and de Jong (2019) have echoed that view by stating that traditionally research on NNESTs focuses on Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) international graduate students and that little is known about professional nonnative English-speaking teachers in English-dominant environments such as the U.S.A. Therefore, to try to help fill this gap in the literature, I investigated the lived experiences of English teachers who speak English as an additional language, often called …

Autonomy And Self-Motivation Among K-12 Learners: An Examination Of Best Practice Research, Current Classroom Practices, And Teacher & Administrator Perspectives, Meghan Scales

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Are our schools doing enough to create environments where learners are motivated to learn, and can problem solve and be autonomous in their learning? The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine a sample of schools in Indiana and determine to what extent they are utilizing research-based methods to ensure an environment where learners are motivated and autonomous. Additionally, in school where these methods were identified as lacking, I investigated some of the reasons teachers struggle to implement these practices. Data was collected using classroom observations and teacher focus groups from four participating schools. The results were then …

English Language Learners And Their Postsecondary Education Outcomes: Evidence From Arkansas, Rian Djita, Kate Barnes, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

Nearly 10% of students enrolled in public schools in the U.S. are identified as English Language Learners (ELLs). The population of ELL students is expected to continue to rise, therefore research about ELLs is both timely and essential. An increasing body of literature addresses the experience and outcomes of ELLs in the context of both K-12 and postsecondary education. Most studies, however, focus on California, Texas, Florida, and New York (Aguilar, 2010; Callahan et al., 2023; Flores, Batalova & Fix, 2012) presenting a need for more research to make state-by-state comparisons especially from rural states that have become new destinations …

A Glimpse Into Arkansas Teachers’ Grading Practices 2022-23, Sarah Morris, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

This case study assesses the current, self-reported grading practices among Arkansas teachers. We distributed a Teachers’ Grading Perceptions survey in November, 2022, and we conducted semi-structured interviews with teachers and principals in January-February, 2023. We gathered both quantitative and qualitative data from the teacher survey, and we used interviews to collect themes for current grading practices in Arkansas’s schools. We generated a grading equity scale from the survey questions, verified by a reliable alpha coefficient = 0.83, and we use this in a multivariate regression to explore teacher characteristics and their likelihood of favoring grading equity practices. We collected themes …

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.

Arkansas Parent Pre-Kindergarten Survey 2023, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

The Office for Education Policy at the University of Arkansas administered a survey to Arkansas parents about their perceptions of their students’ PreKindergarten experiences. The survey, administered in March of 2023, was sent to parents of Kindergarten students currently attending an Arkansas public school, as well as parents of students currently enrolled in Pre-Kindergarten programs housed in Arkansas public schools or enrolled in a Head Start program. A total of 772 parents responded to the survey

Teacher Turnover During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Andrew Camp, Gema Zamarro, Josh B. Mcgee

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

Teachers' levels of stress and burnout have been high throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, raising concerns about a potential increase in teacher turnover and future teacher shortages. We examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected teacher turnover in Arkansas from 2018-19 to 2022-23 using administrative data. We find no major changes in turnover entering the first two pandemic years, but a large increase of 5.3 percentage points (26%) entering the third year, with variation by teacher and student characteristics. We also find that increases in teacher turnover are related to instructional mode and that this turnover may partially be explained by the …

A Glimpse Into Arkansas Teachers’ Grading Practices, Sarah Morris, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

This case study assesses the current, self-reported grading practices among Arkansas teachers. We distributed a Teachers’ Grading Perceptions survey in November, 2022, and we conducted semi-structured interviews with teachers and principals in January-February, 2023. We gathered both quantitative and qualitative data from the teacher survey, and we used interviews to collect themes for current grading practices in Arkansas’s schools. We generated a grading equity scale from the survey questions, verified by a reliable alpha coefficient = 0.83, and we use this in a multivariate regression to explore teacher characteristics and their likelihood of favoring grading equity practices. We collected themes …

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 …

Movers, Switchers, And Exiters: Teacher Turnover During Covid-19, Andrew Camp, Gema Zamarro, Josh B. Mcgee

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

In this brief, we examine teacher turnover in the state of Arkansas both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with available reports from Washington State, North Carolina, and South Carolina, we find evidence of increased teacher turnover in Arkansas entering the current school year. However, a large proportion of this turnover can be explained not by teachers leaving the education sector but switching to non-instructional roles such as principals or instructional coaches. The use of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds may be driving these transitions. A survey of schools conducted by the National Center for …

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.

We Wanted To Do Something Innovative: Exploring Motivations Of Arkansas Districts Adopting Four-Day School Weeks Or Year-Round Calendars, Kate Barnes, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

Recent legislation has allowed Arkansas school districts increased flexibility to adopt a non-traditional calendar. Act 688 introduced four calendar options for districts: a traditional calendar, a four day calendar, a year-round calendar, and an alternate calendar based on the number of instructional hours.

During the 2022-23 school year, 33 school districts throughout the state adopted new calendars. The motivations behind why districts adopted new calendars were unclear. This report aims to identify the rationale behind why these districts moved away from the traditional calendar.

This report uses data gathered from interviews with twenty-three superintendents in districts that selected non-traditional calendars …

Revisiting Ethnic Differences In In-Person Learning During 2021-2022, Andrew Camp, Alison H. Johnson, Gema Zamarro

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

During the 2020-21 school year, Black and Hispanic students were less likely to attend school in-person than white students. Prior research indicated multiple factors helped explain this gap. In this study, we revise these observed racial gaps in in-person learning to examine whether the relationship between these gaps and explanatory factors observed earlier in the pandemic changed during the 2021-2022 school year. We find that, while in-person gaps decreased, Black respondents continued to be less likely to report in-person learning than white respondents. Political leanings and COVID-19 health risks, which helped explain observed gaps in 2020-2021, lose explanatory power. But …