Special Education teachers serve students who are struggling in mathematics and continue to fall further behind each year. Educators are faced with the challenge of selecting the most effective program for assessing and teaching mathematics that will promote mathematics achievement for students who are served in resource settings. The KeyMath-3…

This report presents information about the Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, including information about courses, examinations, and examination fees. The report also discusses the Texas AP Incentive Program, Texas policy related to uses of AP and IB examination results, and data sources and methodological…

Gross anatomy courses utilize cadaver dissection to teach identification, topography, and spatial relationships of organs. The deconstructive nature of dissection, however, focuses students' attention on the "big picture", followed by a discovery of details. This approach may be useful for many, however some students may prefer to…

In the context of a tight labor market with more jobs than workers to fill openings, and as young people increasingly seek alternatives to college, apprenticeships have become more important than ever. While the "earn and learn" model of apprenticeship seems to be the obvious choice to address labor market needs, it remains underutilized…

This brief reports on the first year of a promising effort in Texas to deepen the postsecondary preparation that schools and programs offer. With support from the Greater Texas Foundation (GTF) and coaching and technical assistance from Jobs for the Future (JFF), five sites have begun using JFF's Back on Track: Postsecondary Success model and…

This qualitative study investigated the status of technology integration in Texas adult education and literacy classrooms from the perspective of program directors. Researchers conducted 15 semi-structured interviews to learn about technology integration. The findings revealed that available technology resources, teaching and integrating digital…

The Lone Star Stem (LSS) program was designed to increase high-quality STEM education opportunities and outcomes for high-need students in Texas. The focus of the program was on implementing rigorous coursework that helps students gain the skills, postsecondary credentials, and experience necessary to embark on well-paying careers in STEM fields.…

The purpose of this causal-comparative non-experimental quantitative study was to examine first-year elementary teachers' ratings of their sense of preparedness, compare their ratings based on their ethnicity, and compare teachers' ratings of their preparedness to principals' ratings of first-year teachers' preparedness based on six Texas teaching…

Each year as tuition costs increase, more students rely on financial aid to attend institutions of higher education. Financial aid packages, which are created to encourage individual investments in education, consist of a variety of types of funding assistance and aid packages, and are highly tailored to individual students. In general, financial…

The purpose of this study was to determine the impacts of a specific accelerated learning program on STAAR Algebra I End of Course exam scores for students who had previously failed the exam. The accelerated learning program, titled STAAR Acceleration, was intended to help students who had experienced school closures because of COVID-19 improve…

This article describes the trials and tribulations that a middle level education program faced during the global pandemic and recommendations that others can take away from these experiences. The provided suggestions for middle level teacher education programs are specifically for the current pandemic, but can be used for other disasters as well.…

There are concerns that teacher shortages in the STEM field will lead to a downfall in the U.S. economy and security of the nation. The internship program was created to provide the STEM majors in Texas A & M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) and its partner community colleges an opportunity to observe and participate in STEM education and…

The Every Student Succeeds Act requires that states make efforts to offer statewide achievement tests in languages, other than English, that are present to a significant extent in the state. Currently, four states offer Spanish reading or language arts assessments as part of their statewide testing program. In these states, practitioners may be…

Teacher mentorship programs, where new teachers are paired with veterans, are a research-based practice, but they often lack clarity and can turn into more of a "buddy system" than a true learning opportunity. In this new report, Why New Teacher Mentoring Falls Short, and How to Fix It, NIET shares research and experience that point to…

Women are the majority population in Texas that participate in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and public housing assistance programs. TANF focuses on mandatory work requirements with a time-limit on assistance and lack of education opportunities. This dissertation documents post-secondary education opportunities for Texas women…