Conducting and publishing rigorous empirical research based on original data is essential for advancing and sustaining high-quality counseling practice. The purpose of this article is to provide a one-stop-shop for writing a rigorous quantitative Methods section in counseling and related fields. The importance of judiciously planning,…

This document describes a set of best practices for developing, implementing, and maintaining the critical process of scoring constructed-response tasks. These practices address both the use of human raters and automated scoring systems as part of the scoring process and cover the scoring of written, spoken, performance, or multimodal responses.…

Over the last decade, there have been multiple recommendations for evaluating, assessing, or holding teacher preparation accountable. This article analyzes recent policy proposals regarding "best practices for evaluating teacher preparation programs" by critiquing 19 major reports explicitly focused on evaluation. The analysis revealed…

This chapter describes a comprehensive set of best practices for the evaluation of state formula funding models and state higher education funding in general, based on existing practices within the United States. It represents a review of practices that lead to stakeholder engagement as an objective, collaborative process.

This capstone will discuss the research and development of a document intended for university stakeholders, defined as community partners. A review of academic literature has shown that experiential learning, in the form of internships, can have a positive impact on student learning and job attainment beyond graduation. The promotion of…

The key to success for many programs depends on effective partnership and collaboration. Indeed, in work-based learning (WBL) partnerships are not only encouraged -- they're mandatory. WBL by definition involves a partnership between business and education, with these two entities comprising the "work" and "learning." However,…

Instructional video is a common staple for delivering content in online courses. However, if the included videos are not properly created, many students will skip the video and its content. Improving instructional video has been the topic of many research projects, and we can learn from these studies how to create effective and engaging…

Principals in elementary education who do not have early childhood classroom experience may not understand the educational, social, and emotional differences in young children. The lack of early childhood educational experiences that K-12 principal preparation programs provide in Texas is of concern. By exploring classroom experiences of current…

Higher education faculty who teach online can face numerous challenges in providing optimal experiences for their students. Besides their potentially limited instructional design expertise and understanding of how to optimize technology to support learning, faculty may have difficulties in finding ways to make themselves be perceived as real…

In an ever-evolving time of technology in our society and, more specifically, in our schools, the need for school leaders to equip themselves as technology leaders of the 21st century. While the role of the school principal has included the need for sound instructional strategies and keen managerial styles, this role is changing quickly due to the…

In today's data-driven and data-informed educational landscape, leaders face increasing pressure to make decisions and present results based on what appear to be comprehensive statistical analyses. However, the ethical implications of these responsibilities can be complex, particularly when statistical results carry the potential to be…

In 2024, WestEd partnered with Sobrato Philanthropies to conduct a strategic and economic analysis of English Learner programs in the state of California. The study sought to define the scale of economic challenges and explore underlying conditions impacting the costs of implementing English Learner programs in California in alignment with best…

Background/purpose: This study explores the methodologies for publishing research papers in SCOPUS-indexed journals, targeting academic professionals, including educators and researchers, to enhance their recognition and visibility within educational contexts. It investigates the critical processes--manuscript writing, journal selection,…

Purpose: Despite the expansion of virtual learning during COVID-19, many questions remain unexplored on how to provide quality online instruction outside of a crisis-schooling model. Research Methods: The study takes place within a virtual school affiliated with the largest online curriculum provider in the United States. Using observations of…

In this qualitative study, we sought to identify the best practices emerging from professional learning communities (PLCs) in New Brunswick, Canada with regard to teacher collaboration. Established over a decade ago, PLCs are now a common practice in this province. The results of interviews conducted with teachers and principals (N = 13) show a…