Due to the legal and political context and evolving understandings of critical disability theory, the landscape of special education is complex and ever changing. Special Education is therefore predisposed to be a field ripe with opportunities for conflict between families and school districts. When parents enter special education, they are…

As the availability of high-quality, center-based prekindergarten (pre-K) has increased, so too has the attention given to children's learning experiences in the summer between pre-K and kindergarten. Investment in summer learning programs may help sustain the effects of pre-K and also boost the outcomes of children who don't enroll in a formal…

Most professional development opportunities for early childhood teachers are offered as face-to-face sessions (in various formats, including workshops, coaching, and college courses), tailored for teachers in traditional school- or center-based child care, offered during a traditional academic year, or during summer, or on professional development…

School vouchers are state-funded programs--often called scholarship programs--that allow students to use public monies to attend a private school. The state provides a set amount of money, typically based on the state's per-pupil amount, for private school tuition. There are currently 27 voucher programs in 16 states and the District of Columbia.…

School vouchers are state-funded programs--often called scholarship programs--that allow students to use public monies to attend a private school. The state provides a set amount of money, typically based on the state's per-pupil amount, for private school tuition. There are currently 27 voucher programs in 16 states and the District of Columbia.…

The COVID-19 crisis has disrupted education for all students, but has hit students from vulnerable and systemically neglected populations hardest. Beyond interruptions to instruction, many of these students face food insecurity, unreliable access to remote learning technology, reduced access to student supports and education services, and housing…

Pressing social problems and inequities call attention to the need for interventions that target root causes and change systems. A significant challenge facing system change efforts is the lack of systems-based evaluation theory and methods. To address this challenge, we conducted an instrumental case study of evaluation within an exemplary…

Aspiring women leaders in academia encounter numerous barriers to advancement related to sexism and racism that contribute to their underrepresentation (Acker, 2006; Johnson et al., 2008). As a result, they are immensely susceptible to impostor phenomenon that hinders their ability to develop a positive leader identity (Clance & Imes, 1970;…

The purpose of this mixed-method study was to investigate fourth and fifth grade students' "flow" experience in e-learning during the COVID-19 outbreak and teachers' perspective regarding flow as model of students' engagement in e-learning. A concurrent triangulation mixed method design was employed in which quantitative and qualitative…

Open educational resources (OER) have open licensing or public domain designations that allow users to retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute content unencumbered by traditional copyright restrictions. As such, they can replace costly traditional textbooks, provide all students with access to materials on the first day of class, and invite…

This study was conducted to reveal how and why teacher self-efficacy developed by bridging the theoretical instruction of teacher education program coursework to the real-world enactment of specific classroom management strategies. Low teacher classroom management self-efficacy has been correlated with early teacher attrition, perpetuating the…

In this dissertation study, we investigated the social validity of Tier 1 practices within tiered systems, with specific foci on the Comprehensive, Integrated, Three-Tiered (Ci3T) model of prevention and the high school context. Specifically, we began by outlining the challenges associated with implementing Tier 1 practices, particularly within…

The Annual Condition of Secondary Career and Technical Education Report provides information on student enrollment in career and technical education courses and programs during academic years 2016 through 2020. Demographic characteristics of secondary career and technical education students and educators and information on career and technical…

Interest development is a topic that has fascinated and puzzled educators since the 20th century. Despite decades of research and important advances in the field, questions remain about interest and its relationship to learning. In particular, given the pervasiveness of technology in our daily lives, it is essential to understand how interest…

The number of English learners (ELs) in Alabama has increased significantly in recent years. English learners include U.S.-born children whose first language is not English, newcomers to the U.S., and other students developing English proficiency. These children are in Alabama schools, acquiring academic English instruction that promotes mastery…