This interview-based study examines how justice-oriented K-12 administrators and teachers in Iowa make sense of the recent state-level education policy, H.F. 802. Synthesizing literature on Critical Policy Analysis and epistemic justice, we introduce Critical Epistemic Policy Analysis to understand the micro-level impact of divisive education…

This content analysis examined the evaluative components of elementary, high-stakes, state standardized writing sample rubrics. We explored the ten most populated states in the United States, and thus most influential states, to yield salient trends in writing evaluation for early grades. Using Spandel's analytical traits as our conceptual…

Background: Recess is an integral part of a comprehensive school physical activity program. Immediately prior to the pandemic, state legislation doubled the amount of required recess, creating an opportunity to better understand how policies and practices influence recess. Purpose: To describe changes to recess due to COVID-19 and extended recess…

Alternative pathways to licensure (APL) programs have proliferated nationally as a potential solution to the ongoing critical shortage of qualified special education professionals. Although these programs attract more diverse teacher candidates, they have been criticized for a lack of preparation and support provided to new professionals. This…

Entering kindergarten is one form of accelerating one's path through schooling. The unique needs of young learners require policies for early entrance to kindergarten to be flexible, and options for parents to be accessible and equitable across school districts and communities. In this article, the author discusses state policies for early…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to elicit salient information from K-5 teachers regarding their perceptions of in-school play. Play is not goal-focused and can be structured or unstructured, includes high or low physical activity, or utilizes gross or fine motor skills, and children participate in play for enjoyment. Method: K-5 teachers (n…

In recent years, many states have adopted policies to ensure students are reading proficiently by third grade. This kind of policy transfer across states is not a unique phenomenon; researchers have documented analogous proliferations of similar policies both in and outside the field of education. However, there has been little attention paid to…

The growing fiscal cost of K-12 teacher pension plans and pension-induced labor market distortions have led to calls for teacher pension reforms. Dynamic structural econometric models are a useful way to analyze the fiscal and staffing consequences of current and alternative retirement plans. This article lays out the benefits of the structural…

To address a gap in the research, we conducted a policy evaluation to investigate if a recent state policy change had met its intended goals to decrease school counselor ratios and increase their time with students. Participants included 143 PK-12 public school counselors in one state in the southeastern region of the United States. Results of…

Little research has examined how K-12 fiscal accountability policies and practices intersect with district finances and student outcomes during periods of economic crises. Employing a critical policy analysis perspective that distinguishes between the concepts of fiscal accountability and fiscal austerity and differences-in-differences and event…

A national study of school counselor role and professional activities (Fan et al., 2019) was replicated using a West Virginia (WV) school counselor sample to determine if WV's unique context and state policies would reflect a difference in how counselors perceive their roles and conduct professional practices. The comparison between WV sample and…

With the 2020 March declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, normal in the teaching profession was turned upside down with state mandated school closures, changes in instructional delivery, and social isolation. As a result of this educational disruption, as well as new extreme health risks, teacher stress and concern for their well-being increased…

Though great focus has been placed on DACA on the national level, many of the actual experiences of Dreamers in regard to education and employment licensure depend on state policies. South Carolina is one of the most restrictive states in regard to rights for DACA recipients. In light of these realities, this mixed-methods study examines the views…

Rural schools are unique in the challenges they face; therefore, it follows that the policies to address the challenges should also be unique and not adhere to the "one size fits all" mentality. This research uses a qualitative approach and takes the bold step to seek the input of teachers who work in rural schools for suggestions on how…

In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court held in "Carson v. Makin" that Maine violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment by excluding religious schools from a private-school-choice program--colloquially known as "town tuitioning"--for students in school districts without public high schools. Writing for the majority,…