The year 2021 marked the 10-year anniversary of the Texas Association for Literacy Education (TALE). The current study is a historical inquiry that explores the following research questions: (a) between the years 2011 and 2021, what contributions gave value to the mission of promoting literacy and enhancing the lives of all Texas citizens…

The Science of Teaching Reading (STR) has received increasing attention as states continue to pass educational policy initiatives grounded in STR research. One major change resulting from STR policies is the heavy focus on the systematic instruction of phonics. Texas in particular has seen sweeping changes to their preservice teacher (PST)…

Background: In response to the effort to increase minority enrollment in college science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors, STEM summer bridge programs were created to help minorities with the transition from high school to college with the long-term goal of increasing the diversity of professionals in STEM. The goal of this…

In this book, Carrie B. Kisker illustrates how community colleges can utilize design thinking to identify and evaluate entrepreneurial opportunities, and experiment with the internal changes necessary to optimize outcomes for stakeholders. Kisker outlines a process whereby college leaders can empower faculty and staff to think creatively about how…

This study was an exploration of the connections between knowledge-sharing, organizational culture, and meeting organizational objectives with the purpose of exploring potential barriers that impede a knowledge-sharing culture and hinder the accomplishment of the mission, vision, and goals. The problem addressed was the lack of a knowledge-sharing…

This study draws upon faculty interviews conducted in 2019 and 2021 to document dramatic shifts in primary source instruction of undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Synthesizing these data, it analyzes how faculty cultivated pedagogical practice, developed practical approaches to teaching with primary sources, and adjusted goals…

The state of Texas requires that each district and campus write an annual improvement plan (Texas Education Code, n.d.b). Although this study was conducted in Texas concerning Texas districts and campuses, it would be reasonable to assume that most, if not all, of the other states in the U.S. have similar improvement planning processes. The…

This study examines the certification pathway of science teachers in Texas, how science teacher certification patterns have changed over time, and the association of certification pathway to student outcomes in science. This quantitative study uses administrative data from the Texas Statewide Longitudinal Data System (UH-ERC). The UH-ERC database…

This study presents a comparative analysis to measure the effect of a special program designed to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) among Hispanic students at a Hispanic Serving Institution in Texas. In this study, it was hypothesized that the special program would deliver positive academic effects for the students…

This study investigates the relationship between mastery goal performance and achievement on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test. With policies like the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) placing increased importance on standardized-state assessments, schools are making efforts to improve scores, often by focusing…

This study presents curriculum mapping of noncore course offerings in political science curricula by an early-career librarian. It combines syllabi study and curriculum mapping methods to analyze the language of student learning objectives (SLOs) from course syllabi and to integrate SLOs with threshold concepts from the ACRL Framework for…

Background: Federal law requires most school districts to develop school wellness policies (SWPs), which state agencies assist in by providing templates. Templates provide standard language, which districts may edit for numerous reasons. We aimed to identify the frequency/consistency of template usage and identify the types of edits districts make…

Food insecurity among students is a problem on college campuses. The most comprehensive study to date, conducted by the HOPE Foundation, found that 42% of community college students experience food insecurity (Goldrick-Rab et al., 2018). Despite the awareness that food insecurity exists and awareness that food insecurity can cause physical,…

Texas depends on a talented workforce to fuel its economy, and Texans depend on our public education system to prepare them for the jobs of today and tomorrow. But unfortunately, workforce and public education systems often operate independently, making innovation and improvement difficult. Between now and 2036, over 70% of the jobs in Texas will…

In 2009 the Texas legislature created the National Research University Fund (NRUF), intended to encourage a select group of public doctoral universities in the state, known as emerging research universities (ERUs), to increase their institutional status related to academic research by awarding supplemental financial support for meeting specific…