The underrepresentation of African Americans in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in the United States is well documented. Statistics show that while African Americans make up 12.4% of the U.S. population, only 37% of African American 18-24-year-olds are enrolled in college, 45.9% complete their degrees within six…

This manuscript introduces an experiential model of cooperative learning, and a public/private partnership between industry and higher education--one that included mentors as an integral part of the classroom experience. Each of thirty-seven students in a Principles of Management Experiential Learning class was assigned an experienced…

In response to increasing demand for the need for highly effective teachers, numerous pathways to teacher certification have emerged. Consequently, teacher residencies as an alternative route to certification have grown in number and scale across the country. Due to the recent growth and expansion of teacher residencies, there is limited research…

The current study explored social work skills and competencies required for work on integrated health care teams. Semi-structured, qualitative individual interviews were conducted with social workers employed in integrated health care settings. Key themes emerged around existing social work strengths, further training that is needed for this work,…

Many librarians work in public libraries to make a difference for children, families, and communities and identify family and community engagement as a cornerstone of their responsibilities. For librarians to be successful they must be afforded strong foundations in family and community engagement that begin early in their preparation. Yet little…

Though many Information Assurance (IA) educators agree that hands-on exercises and case studies improve student learning, hands-on exercises and case studies are not widely adopted due to the time needed to develop them and integrate them into curricula. Under the support of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarship for Service program, we…

The field of teacher preparation is falling short of its most important responsibility: ensuring that the teachers we train are ready to do the job. For more than a decade,TNTP preparation programs produced teachers who were no more or less effective than teachers from any other program-- some were great, some were poor, most were about average.…

Students with disabilities are faced with many challenges as they transition from high school to postsecondary education, enter the workforce, and begin independent living. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990 (IDEA) initially addressed these challenges by mandating that transition planning be included as a part of the…

The increasing demand for nontraditional courses acknowledges that individuals are not monolithic in their approach to learning. The uniqueness of an individual's learning preferences is often due to their experiences. Although individuals tend to have a primary learning preference, they may choose to employ an array of learning styles based on…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the components of independent living training and services to determine their effectiveness in preparing foster youth in Tennessee for adulthood, and whether the youth's perceived effectiveness of these services affected their educational motivation. Support factors (i.e., family, financial,…