A recurrent theme in the geosciences is the persistent need for more student demographic diversity, especially in academic programs. A strategy to make the geosciences inclusive and motivating for one marginalized group may not succeed with another, requiring the search for new approaches. The Geoscience Ambassadors, an extracurricular program for…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a self-administered naming treatment for one individual, B.N., presenting with semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA) and a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Method: Naming treatment included components of Lexical Retrieval Cascade Treatment and was…

[This paper is part of the "Focused Collection on Instructional Labs: Improving Traditions and New Directions."] Recent studies provide evidence that social constructivist pedagogical methods such as active learning, interactive engagement, and inquiry-based learning, while pedagogically more effective, can enable inequities in the…

The benefits of undergraduate research include gains in research and communication skills, increased interest in graduate studies, and improvement in student persistence. Several studies have shown that undergraduate research can help promote career pathways into engineering by increasing enrollment and retention rates. The REU program described…

According to the Department of Education, there are more than 2,000 teacher preparation programs (TPPs) in the United States, but despite these numbers, concerns remain about the quality and quantity of STEM teachers in the workforce. The UTeach teacher preparation program (TPP), founded at the University of Texas at Austin in 1997, is…

Some teachers reach a point in their careers when they crave greater decision-making authority in their schools without becoming administrators. Teacher leadership appears to address teachers' unmet professional needs by allowing them to continue instructing children while having greater influence beyond their classrooms. This case study examined…

This one-page document illustrates highlights of Austin Independent School District's (AISD's) CARES program activities and achievements. CARES, now in its second year of implementation, was able to maintain high quality of service standards, while experiencing a dramatic increase in volume. Further, CARES team members served vital functions…

This report describes the results from the Student Teacher Survey and the Cooperating Teacher Survey. Findings indicated most student teachers had a positive experience in the Student Teaching Program. Additionally, most cooperating teachers would recommend their student teacher for employment suggesting the Student Teaching Program can serve as…

The main purpose of the 2019-2020 evaluation of the Department of Leadership Development was to evaluate the implementation of the newly developed assistant principal (AP) and principal hiring processes, designed to select a diverse group of equity-focused, effective novice leaders. The hiring process consisted of using an online video…

This report contains descriptions of implementation and impact data related to CARES's effect on students, families and staff in 2020-2021. Responses to CARES-related survey items showed the majority of respondents were impacted positively. Further, the CARES team increased employee recognition efforts, the number of RAVEs given increased to…

The Texas Afterschool Centers on Education (ACE) is the program administered through the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for the federally funded 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) grants. The Texas ACE Foundation Communities Cycle 9 program is composed of a compilation of activities at 3 AISD campuses that provide a comprehensive range of…

Many students enter community college underprepared in math and must take multiple semesters of developmental (remedial) classes. Far too few of these students ever enroll in -- let alone pass -- an introductory college-level math course, but without those credits, they cannot graduate. Among the many reforms practitioners are undertaking to try…

The Coordinated School Health (CSH) reports describe how the CSH program was implemented at AISD campuses. The report provides district summary information about achieved CSH action goals and information about changes in physical fitness of students at the campus since the previous year.

Professional Pathways for Teachers (PPfT) is a human capital system that blends three primary components: appraisal, compensation, and professional development (PD) opportunities. The purpose of PPfT is to build the capacity of Austin Independent School District (AISD) teachers through a comprehensive system of supports and compensation with the…

The Short-Term Programs department at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) offers week-long and weekend classes during the school year for students with visual impairments who are on or close to grade level. Students primarily come to these programs for direct instruction in specific areas of the expanded core curriculum…