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It has become increasingly important for microbiology educators to help students learn critical concepts of the discipline. This is particularly true in virology, where current challenges include increasing rates of vaccine hesitancy, misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic, and controversy surrounding research on pathogens with pandemic potential. Having students learn virology can attract more people to the field and increase the number of people who can engage in meaningful discourse about issues relating to the discipline. However, the limited number of virologists who teach undergraduates, combined with the fact that many institutions lack stand-alone virology courses, results in virology often being taught as a limited number of lectures within an undergraduate microbiology course (if it is covered at all), which may or may not be taught by an individual trained as a virologist. To provide a framework to teach virology to undergraduate students, a team of virology educators, with support from the American Society for Virology (ASV), developed curriculum guidelines for use in a stand-alone undergraduate virology course or a virology section within another course (D. B. Kushner et al., J Virol 96:e01305-22, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1128/jvi.01305-22). These guidelines are available at the ASV website (https://asv.org/curriculum-guidelines/). To assist educators in implementing these guidelines, we created examples of measurable learning objectives. This perspective provides details about the virology curriculum guidelines and learning objectives and accompanies the perspective by Boury et al. in this issue of the "Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education" (25:e00126-24, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00126-24) about the recent revision of the microbiology curriculum guidelines overseen by the American Society for Microbiology.

High school graduation is a pivotal milestone that can shape students' future, offering them opportunities for higher education and gainful employment. Because research shows grade point averages and course failures to be predictive of high school graduation, it is important for students' life outcomes that their teachers assign them equitable grades. However, recent research has scrutinized how schools have traditionally graded students, calling for new approaches such as minimum grading. In this analysis, we simulate the economic impacts of implementing a minimum grading policy statewide during the ninth-grade year of the cohort of students who were in ninth grade in 2015-16 in Arkansas. On average, in Arkansas public schools, we estimate that minimum grading would affect about one (narrow bound) to 3%(broad bound) of students, increase cost-effectiveness by 6% (narrow bound) to 23% (broad bound), largely varying across districts, and have essentially no impact on the return on investment. The application of minimum grading shifted 1% of failing course grades to passing, thereby positioning 10% of previously failing students to pass. These findings suggest that minimum grading could serve as a cost-effective strategy to enhance graduation rates in districts with higher rates of affected students, without necessitating additional educational spending.

Engagement and academic achievement are generally correlated among elementary school students without learning disabilities (LDs). However, it is unclear if this pattern holds for students with LDs, who have lower achievement and engagement than their peers. This study examined whether links between achievement and student-reported behavioral engagement operate differentially for students with and without LDs in a nationally representative U.S. sample (N [approximately equal] 15,660). Multiple group path analyses demonstrated that associations between third- and fourth-grade achievement were stronger for students with LDs, compared with students without LDs. For children without LDs, engagement mediated all pathways from third-grade to fourth-grade achievement. For students with LDs, engagement only mediated the pathway from third-grade math to fourth-grade reading. Overall, our study emphasizes the crucial role of early achievement for later school success, particularly for students with LDs. We discuss the importance of early intervention to support LD students' academic achievement and engagement.

The current climate of K-12 education in the United States has seen a narrowing of literacy instructional practices, exponential amounts of book bans, and contrived hysteria about liberal indoctrination and Critical Race Theory (CRT). Yet, as the world becomes increasingly connected across difference, and as research increasingly demonstrates that we must engage young children from all backgrounds in discussions about sociopolitical issues, it is urgent that classroom teachers foreground children's experiential knowledge in comprehension instruction. In this article, we address the following question: "In three early elementary literacy contexts, how did educators use culturally sustaining practices with diverse children's literature to enact reading comprehension and engage young children in critical, sociopolitical meaning making?" Three teacher educators of Color share findings from qualitative studies in the United States Northeast and Southwest that examine this integration with the use of diverse children's literature. The first finding illustrates how teachers utilized book introductions to situate a diverse group of early elementary-aged students in various sociopolitical issues and engage them in critical readings about texts. The second finding illustrates how a series of after-school literature circle discussions enabled first-grade African American children to make meaning dialogically and communally about enslavement. The third finding illustrates how the teacher created space for second-grade Latinx students to translanguage as they drew on multiple reading comprehension strategies and made sense of immigration. The implications from these studies invite a rethinking of the dominant paradigm of reading comprehension instruction.

Globally, educational systems were thoroughly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Upper-secondary students were faced with school closures and distance education. For student-athletes, the COVID-19 pandemic, besides academic stress, also contributed to sports-related stress. In this paper, we explore upper-secondary school student athletes' experiences of schoolwork and sport during two phases of the pandemic. A qualitative research design was used, and 53 student-athletes participated in focus group interviews. Three themes appeared: Struggling to cope with the new life situation, Reevaluating and longing for social life, and Speeding up the transition to adulthood. The themes were elucidated from temporal perspectives. The students experienced challenges in handling school, sports, and social life, but they also experienced opportunities for personal development. Student-athletes are a common responsibility between schools and sports, and, based on the results, schools and sports in collaboration need to increase readiness for action when major societal challenges, such as pandemics, occur.

Problem Statement: Among individuals aged 12 years or older, 14.3% (40.0 million) reporting the use of an illicit drug in the previous year. Given the prevalence of drug abuse, it is increasingly important to determine effective screening practices, treatment procedures, and best practices among various subpopulations to identify drug use-related consequences. The DAST is one of the most commonly used and accurate drug screening tests. Method: This psychometric synthesis of four versions of the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10, DAST-20, DAST-28, DAST-A) provided aggregated evidence from 346 articles over 40 years of published literature for score reliability, structure, diagnostic, and convergent validity, and descriptive statistics, all with the goal of informing counseling and medical practice and research. Results: Results indicated adequate internal consistency ([alpha] = 0.81-0.84 across all four versions) and mostly medium to large effect size convergent correlations with comparison measures. Aggregated diagnostic validity data indicate optimal cutoff scores of 7 for DAST-10, 8 for DAST-20, 10 for DAST-28, and 6 for DAST-A. Discussion: The DAST-10 appears the best choice for practical and psychometric reasons. Additional studies of the various DAST versions are needed to expand use across participant demographics. Public Statement of Relevance: Drug use continues to be a societal problem and mental health practitioners need effective screening practices, treatment procedures, and best practices among various subpopulations to identify drug use-related consequences. This study synthesized 40 years of research on the four versions of the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10, DAST-20, DAST-28, DAST-A) and found acceptable levels of score reliability and validity for screening purposes.

Background: We aimed to characterize relationships between delayed high school start time policy, which is known to lengthen school night sleep duration, and patterns in activity outcomes: physical activity, non-school electronic screen time (non-schoolwork), and sports and extracurricular activity among adolescents. Methods: We used data from the START study, a multi-site evaluation of a natural experiment, assessing the effects of a school start time policy change in high schools in the Minneapolis, Minnesota metropolitan area. The study follows students in 2 schools that shifted to a later start time (8:20 or 8:50 am) after baseline year and 3 schools that maintained a consistent, early start time (7:30 am) over the 3-year study period. Activity was measured by participant self-report on an in-school survey. The analysis used a difference-in-differences estimator, in which the changes in each outcome observed in the comparison schools estimate the changes in each outcome that would have been observed in the late-start adopting schools had they not delayed their start times after baseline. Results: Over 2 years of follow-up, no changes emerged to suggest that later school start times either interfered with, or promoted, any activity-related outcome that was measured. Implications: Communities interested in promoting sleep by delaying start times may do so knowing that there are unlikely to be adverse effects on adolescent physical activity, electronic screen time, or organized sports and activity participation. Conclusions: A shift to later school start times does not appear to enhance or detract from the healthfulness of students' activity level.

Purpose: Estimating the sequential associations between educators' and children's talk during language learning interactions requires careful consideration of factors that may impact measurement stability and resultant inferences. This research note will describe a preliminary study that used generalizability theory to understand the contribution of two measurement conditions--occasions and raters--on estimates of sequential associations between educator talk and autistic preschooler talk in inclusive preschool classrooms. Method: We used an existing data set of four 15-min video-recorded occasions of educator-child interactions for 11 autistic preschoolers during free-play in their inclusive classroom. Two trained raters coded all videos for preschooler talk and type of educator talk (i.e., opportunities for expressive language [OELs], other talk). We conducted two generalizability studies on sequential association estimates for two interaction directions (i.e., preschooler talk following educator OEL and educator talk following preschooler talk). We conducted a series of decision studies to explore configurations of measurement conditions to optimize future investigations. Results: We had unstable estimates for both interaction directions in our current methodological approach, with raters accounting for minimal error and occasions accounting for considerable error. Future investigations would require at least six observation occasions for stable estimates of the sequential association between autistic preschooler talk following educator OEL that was stable after six occasions. More than 15 occasions were required for stable estimates of the association between educator talk following autistic preschooler talk. Conclusion: We will share recommendations and implications for future investigations to estimate educator and child talk sequential associations within preschool language interactions.

Using post-structural theories, this paper explores the public discourses of several Canadian teacher unions and grassroots teacher activist groups around the issue of school reopening plans in Canada amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper aims to highlight the ways in which these two forces of teacher activism can influence and impress upon each other to create a different possible future for collective resistance to neoliberalism in education -- an assemblage of union and grassroots activism intra-acting, shaping, and impressing upon one another.

Immigration at the southern border of the United States has a complicated history. This article focuses on youth who have arrived in the United States via the southern border. It is important to note that within that population, youth will have a wide variety of experiences with immigration depending on their family, community, and personal histories. Some will have their own personal immigration experiences. Others may be more affected by witnessing adults in their lives navigate immigration. Some young people may have faced increased levels of scrutiny and even legal consequences (Jones et al., 2017). School psychologists should understand how immigration experiences may have affected the youth they work with in schools and have knowledge of strategies for supporting students with this background. They should also be aware that no two students' experiences and histories are the same and need to carefully assess each individual's circumstances as they work with students and their families.

This paper introduces generative AI for the graphic design of student presentation aids in a university public-speaking classroom. Students learn to use generative AI as an efficient enhancement to the creative process while preserving the integrity of the content. Students' slide presentations show improvement resulting from the activity, and students report that the activity saves time and relieves stress. Courses: Public Speaking, Advanced Public Speaking, Business and Professional Communication, face-to-face and online. Objectives: Students learn how to improve the visual design of their presentation aids through use of generative AI. Students will reflect on the ethics of using AI as an enhancement to human agency and not as a replacement for it.

Oral care-related challenges are well documented in the autistic community. This review examined interventions designed to improve oral health in autistic individuals across the lifespan. Through a systematic process, 36 studies were identified which focused on improving home-based oral care skills and routines, and reducing fear, anxiety, and/or negative behaviors in the dental clinic. Studies incorporated preparatory interventions to support home-based hygiene activities or improve an approaching dental encounter (n = 29), most often using visual aids, and/or strategies to manage behavioral difficulties exhibited in the dental office (n = 17). Some studies used both approaches (n = 10), combining visual aids prior to a visit with behavior management in the dental office. Using an evidence-based rubric, methodological quality of most articles was only "adequate" (n = 8) or "weak" (n = 23). Findings provide preliminary support for preparatory home-based visual interventions to improve toothbrushing and/or ready patients for dental visits, and distraction or sensory-reducing interventions to improve experiences in the dental clinic. Only one study purposefully recruited autistic adults and no studies included intervention elements tailored to race/ethnicity, culture, and/or socioeconomic status. This review highlights the need for high-quality studies investigating the impact of oral care-related interventions for autistic individuals and identifies a gap in interventions for autistic adults and those from minoritized populations.

An interdisciplinary Pop-Up Learning Community (PLC) allowed students from various disciplines with different levels of content knowledge to discuss their perspectives on and beliefs about climate change. The impact of this event on students' climate change beliefs was gauged by a survey from the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication. This survey, the Six Americas Super Short Survey, consists of four questions relating to climate change belief. During the event, students participated in various activities, including faculty modeling of discussions about climate change using and highlighting their disciplinary perspectives and analysis skills, communications exercises, interdisciplinary table discussions, and writing in response to a social media message. After the conclusion of the event, students submitted reflections on their experiences at the PLC, which supplemented data collected during the event. Students gained an understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of climate change discussions and applied general education skills and knowledge to spoken and written conversations about climate change.

Today's data-driven world requires earth and environmental scientists to have skills at the intersection of domain and data science. These skills are imperative to harness information contained in a growing volume of complex data to solve the world's most pressing environmental challenges. Despite the importance of these skills, Earth and Environmental Data Science (EDS) training is not equally accessible, contributing to a lack of diversity in the field. This creates a critical need for EDS training opportunities designed specifically for underrepresented groups. In response, we developed the Earth Data Science Corps (EDSC) which couples a paid internship for undergraduate students with faculty training to build capacity to teach and learn EDS using Python at smaller Minority Serving Institutions. EDSC faculty participants are further empowered to teach these skills at their home institutions which scales the program beyond the training lead by our team. Using a Rasch modeling approach, we found that participating in the EDSC program had a significant impact on undergraduate learners' comfort and confidence with technical and nontechnical data science skills, as well as their science identity and sense of belonging in science, two critical aspects of recruiting and retaining members of underrepresented groups in STEM. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.

This study examined the extent to which college algebra instructors employ pedagogical practices previously found to assist students master difficult STEM content material and address their own previous math deficits. Faculty classroom behaviors were assessed with a modified version of the Generalized Observation and Reflection Platform (GORP). While it was not surprising that math faculty frequently lectured and wrote on the board, results also revealed that recommended practices were infrequently employed by instructors teaching college algebra. More specifically, faculty teaching introductory college algebra rarely addressed students' misconceptions, made references to their students' prior knowledge, or employed metacognitive teaching strategies. Moreover, while being observed, faculty never applied a mathematical concept to real life. Moreover, mathematics instructors rarely praised their students. The implications of these findings for professional development and hiring requirements are discussed and emphasized for college math department chairs and administrators generally. Results also highlighted the usefulness of the GORP assessment tool for assessing faculty classroom behaviors.

Research Findings: The current study aimed to explore the independent and interactive roles of individual student-teacher relationship quality and classroom-level self-regulatory supports in kindergarten for children's self-regulatory skills in kindergarten and first grade. We did so using multiple measures of children's self-regulation, drawn from multiple sources, and a relatively new measure of classroom-level supports for self-regulation. Our sample included 726 low-income kindergartners in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Controlling for children's fall of kindergarten self-regulatory skills, student-teacher relationship quality in kindergarten was associated with children's self-regulation at the spring of kindergarten and again at the fall of first grade, but classroom-level self-regulatory supports in kindergarten were never significantly associated with children's self-regulation. Overall, associations between student-teacher relationships and children's self-regulation were stronger and more consistently significant for student-teacher conflict than closeness, and for teacher-reported than directly assessed or assessor-rated self-regulation. They did not, however, vary by classroom self-regulatory supports. Practices and Policy: Results affirm the primacy of student-teacher relationships for children's self-regulatory development across the transition into formal schooling, regardless of the quality of classroom-level supports for self-regulation. Teacher training and professional development programs should equip teachers with strategies and resources that support their ability to develop warm, responsive relationships with individual students.

We used the emerging postcolonial frame of plantation pedagogy to understand parent involvement within urban Bahamian schools. We report on survey (parents, n = 377; teachers, n = 96), interviews (n = 33), and forum (n = 17) data to identify barriers and solutions to involvement. Findings demonstrate pervasive plantation ideologies and practices that shape interactions between parents and schools. We discuss our findings in relation to social and economic issues within Bahamian society, school and ministerial bureaucracy, and the metaphor of the inner planation. We make recommendations to teacher education programs.

Background: Concussions are a prevalent health concern, affecting millions of individuals in the United States yearly. Concussion symptomology overlaps with other conditions making diagnosis and management particularly challenging, particularly among individuals with ADHD. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects a significant portion of the adult population. Objective: To enhance our understanding of symptom resolution and identify factors that could influence concussion care management, the purpose of the current study was to examine the recovery trajectory of adults diagnosed with both ADHD and concussion compared to the trajectory of adults who have experienced a concussion but do not have an ADHD diagnosis. Methods: The study included a retrospective chart review of patients treated for concussion at a concussion specialty clinic. Results: The findings of the study revealed no significant differences in history of concussion or recovery time between patients with and without ADHD. It was observed that patients with ADHD had a higher prevalence of anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions. Conclusions: The findings of the current study underscore the need for additional research to guide the care of patients diagnosed with both ADHD and concussion.

Background: The shortage of prescription stimulants is an ongoing issue that is impacting the ability of individuals with ADHD to access their medication. Amidst concerns that this shortage may have a substantial impact on individuals' ability to manage their symptoms effectively, this research seeks to understand the experiences and consequences for those affected. Methods: In this study, we interviewed individuals with ADHD who have been directly impacted by the stimulant shortage. Thematic analysis focused on identifying common themes related to challenges with medication access and the resulting effects on daily living. Results: The study uncovered significant difficulties in accessing ADHD medication due to current shortages, leading to disruptions in the management of ADHD symptoms and subsequent detriments to individuals' professional, educational, and personal lives. Systematic controls aimed at reducing nonmedical use were found to exacerbate these access issues, inadvertently compounding the challenges faced by those using medication for legitimate medical needs. Individuals also described ways they coped with the shortage, with some seeking ADHD medication via unofficial channels. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the urgency of addressing stimulant shortages to safeguard the wellbeing of individuals with ADHD. This study also calls for a critical review of policy measures regulating stimulant medication access, and their effectiveness at reducing non-medical use given the unintended consequences these regulations appear to have on individuals prescribed these medications for therapeutic purposes.

A posttest-only control group experimental design compared novice Arduino programmers who developed their own programs (self-programming group, n = 17) with novice Arduino programmers who used ChatGPT 3.5 to write their programs (ChatGPT-programming group, n = 16) on the dependent variables of programming scores, interest in Arduino programming, Arduino programming self-efficacy, Arduino programming posttest scores, and types of programming errors. Students were undergraduates in an introductory agricultural systems technology course in Fall 2023. The results indicated no significant (p < 0.10) differences between groups for programming rubric scores (p = 0.50) or interest in Arduino programming (p = 0.50). There were significant differences for Arduino programming self-efficacy, (p = 0.03, Cohen's d = 0.75) and Arduino posttest scores, (p = 0.03, Cohen's d = 0.76); students in the self-programming group scored significantly higher on both measures. Analysis of students' errors indicated the ChatGPT group made significantly (p < 0.01) more program punctuation errors. These results indicated novice students writing their own programs developed greater Arduino programming self-efficacy and programming ability than novice students using ChatGPT. Nevertheless, ChatGPT may still play an important role in assisting novices to write microcontroller programs.

This report presents a new parent-rated outcome measure of insomnia for children with autism spectrum disorder. Parents of 1185 children with autism spectrum disorder (aged 3-12; 80.3% male) completed the first draft of the measure online. Factor and item response theory analyses reduced the set of 40 items to the final 21-item Pediatric Insomnia Autism Rating Scale. In this online sample, Pediatric Insomnia Autism Rating Scale mean was 21.8 ± 15.0 (range 0-63; coefficient alpha = 0.94). Item response theory results indicated excellent reliability across a range of scores. Next, we conducted a telehealth assessment of 134 children with autism spectrum disorder (aged 3-12; 73% male). In this clinical sample, Pediatric Insomnia Autism Rating Scale mean was 28.9 + 14.62 (range 0-61; coefficient alpha = 0.93). Pearson correlations of Pediatric Insomnia Autism Rating Scale with the PROMIS Sleep Disturbance and the modified Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire was 0.74 for each. This was significantly higher than correlations of parent-rated disruptive behavior, hyperactivity, repetitive behavior, and anxiety measures (range 0.29-0.59)--supporting convergent and divergent validity. Parents of 63 children completed the Pediatric Insomnia Autism Rating Scale three times over 4 weeks. Intraclass correlation was excellent (0.88) over three time points. Pediatric Insomnia Autism Rating Scale is a valid dimensional measure of insomnia in autistic children that produces reliable scores.

In light of the devastating effects of COVID-19 on early childhood care and education (ECCE), with this study we aimed at illuminating the self-efficacy and well-being of ECCE teacher educators, from the perspective of 9 participants in 7 higher education institutions (HEIs) across 5 South African provinces. The study, conducted by 2 ECCE teacher educators, was informed by the feminist ethics of care, combined with Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, to understand self-efficacy, and Seligman's PERMA (positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishments) theory of well-being. Semi-structured, online interviews using Microsoft Teams was used to produce the data. The findings reveal aspects that compromised self-efficacy and well-being, as well as aspects that energised them. All the participants reported that their institutions were under-prepared for the pandemic. They recognised that they lacked work-life balance and were at risk of burnout. Despite this, their resilience enabled them to develop a deeper interest and stronger commitment to their work, largely because of the support they had received from their colleagues. From the findings of the study we recognise that strong self-efficacy sustained teacher educators' professional practice despite the pandemic affecting their well-being in a negative way. In the context of building forward better and differently, this study points to the importance of developing responsive well-being programmes for staff in higher education institutions and communities of practice that are responsive to the needs of female teacher educators.

The purpose of this research project was to design, deliver, and informally assess the content and methodology of an introductory online course for the educators of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students (N=20) that focused on the block-based coding language, Scratch. Prior work by The Playful Learning Lab examined various STEM resources and their effect on student perception of STEM topics and content retention when utilized for Deaf and Hard of Hearing K-12 students. Previous research has shown that computer science and programming resources and curricula available today are not fully accessible for Deaf and Hard of Hearing K-12 students. Educators and teachers are faced with creating adaptations themselves, often limited by time constraints (Ladner, 2020). The purpose of the summer 2023 "Playing with Coding" course was to provide the background knowledge and content to educators of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students so they are able to explore the possibility of teaching the programming language in their own classrooms. Through our research and participant survey reflections, we hoped to determine effective methods and resources that educators can use to successfully teach the Scratch programming language to Deaf and Hard of Hearing students.

The prevalence of mental health issues among youth, with nearly half meeting diagnostic criteria for a mental health disorder and suicide being a leading cause of death, underscores the urgency for effective intervention (National Institute of Mental Health, 2023). Summer camps, hosting millions of children annually, are urged by the American Camp Association to establish mental health support, ranging from trained counselors to licensed therapists (ACA, 2009; 2022). At the 2023 National Scout Jamboree, mental health services were offered for the first time. During the Jamboree, 82 participants received individual or group mental health services in the Mental Health Clinic. The current article presents a comprehensive overview of the mental health services provided at the 2023 National Scout Jamboree to provide insights into the nature of these mental health services and propose practical recommendations that can guide the incorporation of mental health support in future camp settings. Additionally, the current study contributes to the broader understanding of mental health in camp environments and provides a practical 3-tier model for use within a camp setting. Results emphasize the need for effective time-limited interventions and support to youth in camp settings. To expand on the findings of this paper, the authors plan to conduct an additional study to provide a model of care to be implemented in future camp settings. They also plan to explore how education and training can be used across groups (i.e., peers, adult leaders, and community volunteers) to improve access to mental health resources for those attending camp.

Large-enrollment, asynchronous, online courses present significant teaching and learning challenges, particularly in implementing evidence-based practices such as building connections with students and offering personalized support. This Quick Hit explores the use of module conditional release, a feature in learning management systems, which can provide instructors with information about learners that enables important evidence-based teaching practices in large-enrollment online courses. This article walks through the steps of applying module conditional release to a course and describes how instructors can leverage module conditional release information to better connect and engage with students and provide personalized support at scale.

We examined the impact of 4-H participation on workforce readiness skill development, including personal, work, communication, and problem solving/decision-making. The study examined two levels of 4-H activities: county-level and state-level. The online survey instrument contained questions about demographics, skill development and 4-H participation. Respondents indicated participation in county-level activities was positively related to the development of the four workforce skills; however, participation in state-level activities was significantly related to the development of work skills. Problem solving/decision-making skills was least associated to county or state-level participation. We recommend Extension professionals intentionally incorporate workforce readiness skills into all 4-H activities.

This case study explores effective practices within a district's early care and education model. Interviews were conducted with eight parents of high-performing students and seven district ECE partners from Promise City. The results of this case study lead to the development of a model that comprises best practices within the (a) informal ECE subsystem, (b) formal ECE subsystem, and (c) intersection of the informal and formal subsystems. The model incorporates the best practices identified by Ma et al's. (2016) meta-analysis, as well as unique best practices found within Promise City. The findings highlight the importance of both informal and formal learning environments and actively working to bridge these environments.

Faculty members at academic institutions are typically expected to participate in service, teaching, and research throughout their careers. Each of these expectations involves a multitude of activities, contributing to each of the areas of focus. With the recent emphasis on grant funding, this research sought to identify faculty perceptions of the purpose of grant writing. Participants of this study include both tenured and tenure-track faculty as well as STEM and non-STEM faculty. Using a mixed-method design, comparisons between tenure and tenure-track faculty were made as well as comparisons between STEM and non-STEM faculty. The overall project looked at the various myths and truths of grant writing and the purpose of grant writing per faculty perceptions. A total of 104 participants were involved in the study. Overall, the quantitative results indicate slight differences among STEM/non-STEM faculty regarding the six truths that were researched. Additionally, three themes emerged from the qualitative data indicating that faculty perceive the purpose of grant funding to be (1) to sustain/support their own research, (2) to support/mentor graduate students, and (3) to advance science.

Prior research documented disproportional representation across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic lines within the population of students identified as gifted and talented (GT). Less research has focused on what predicts improved representation for English learners (ELs) or students with disabilities (SwDs), or how state GT policies facilitate such representation. This paper attempted to fill that void by analyzing data from the Civil Rights Data Collection and Stanford Education Data Archive along with original coding of state GT policies. We found that while ELs and SwDs are disproportionately underrepresented within the population of students identified as gifted, state mandates for schools to offer GT, requirements for formal gifted education plans, and regular audits for compliance were correlated with higher rates of GT service availability and greater representation among ELs and SwDs. We further describe the characteristics of the top 5% of schools with the highest GT representation for ELs and SwDs.

We examined recent process models of accumulated disadvantage with an intersectional lens in order to provide a more complete picture of how disadvantages across punishment and math trajectories can accumulate over time and disparately affect marginalized race-gender groups. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) with a nationally representative longitudinal study of high school students (HSLS-09), we found that punishment trajectories were influenced by math and vice versa, as well as that these relationships differed across math performance and various aspects of math attitudes, including efficacy, utility, and identity. Furthermore, we found that gender, race, and race-gender groups experienced significantly different relationships. When considering the intersection of punishment and math disadvantages, these differences appear to not only accumulate disadvantages within punishment and math trajectories but also across them for marginalized race-gender groups. This was especially true for Black males. We conclude with a discussion of implications for policy and practice.

Deficits in college degree attainment limit important perspectives and ways of knowing that inspire creativity and innovation. Disproportional outcomes for racially minoritized groups that are historically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics exacerbate this problem and promote societal inequities, structural racism, professional segregation, and racial wealth gaps. Culturally responsive programming that incorporates empathy and equity for non-majority populations can empower students from diverse backgrounds to achieve their educational goals. This paper describes the outcomes of a first-year place-based learning community in which students studied the science, culture, values, and social justice concerns of the Indigenous people of the Klamath River Basin by completing a water quality experiment alongside faculty, Indigenous scientists, and cultural experts. A combination of survey data and thematic analysis was used to evaluate the impact of the program on intellectual growth, gains in psychosocial factors associated with first-year student success, and academic achievement. All student participants demonstrated intellectual growth and gains in psychosocial factors associated with STEM retention, but the effects were most pronounced for students who identified parallels between issues faced by Native American communities and their home communities. The most significant gains in STEM retention and academic achievement occurred for URG students (students from underrepresented groups) who learned about Native American culture through the water quality laboratory. The majority of students expressed the importance of understanding the cultural, environmental, and/or social justice issues of Native American people to their future careers. We believe ours is one of the first studies that specifically examines the improved outcomes for first-year URG college STEM students that can result from curriculum that highlights scientific, cultural, and social justice concerns of Indigenous communities.

Public preschool boosts academic skills in kindergarten, but little is known about whether that boost lasts to third grade because many studies stop directly assessing children after kindergarten. The current study tests for sustained associations between preschool attendance and an array of repeatedly measured, directly assessed language and math skills; we do this separately for public pre-K and Head Start, the two major publicly funded preschool programs. We draw on a large, racially diverse sample of children from families with low incomes in Tulsa, OK (N = 689, M[subscript age at 3rd] = 8.5 years). Using propensity score weighting, we compare children who attended school-based pre-K or Head Start to those who did not attend preschool. Both school-based pre-K and Head Start attenders outperformed preschool nonattenders on numeracy in third grade. There was weaker evidence of a sustained preschool advantage on language and literacy skills, and no evidence that associations differed by preschool program.

Interpreters are some of the most important people in the lives of our deaf and hard of hearing students, yet hiring and retention requirements are weak, variable, or nonexistent. Despite this, many school interpreters have become skillful and effective professionals driven by their desire for competence and sense of integrity. State employment standards, however, have created a national emergency regarding interpreting services for our students. Establishing and strengthening standards to ensure high quality interpreting services is an urgent need in public schools. This article is about what is happening in schools and what change is needed.

Student carers have significant responsibilities in addition to their studies. This can result in adverse effects on academic achievement and the student experience. It is unclear how many students at Kingston University and nationally have significant caring responsibilities and what impact this has on their studies and overall wellbeing. This study aimed to identify this growing population of student carers within the biosciences at Kingston University and reveal common issues they face such as motivation and quality of student experience. A self-reporting questionnaire was provided to students all years of their Undergraduate (UG) degree as well as MSc students. A total of 33 students who identify as student carers completed the questionnaire with 81% reporting that caring responsibilities have affected their course performance and 68% revealing that they have struggled to meet assessment deadlines due to caring responsibilities. Almost 50% of respondents revealed that they have considered leaving their course and 77% declared that their mental health and wellbeing was negatively impacted, suggesting the need for a clear support system to be implemented.

This article is a summary of information provided in a workshop encouraging educators to explore creating brave spaces in schools and communities through literacy. Educators are introduced to a culturally responsive pedagogy that prioritizes fostering inclusive literacy environments and supporting students with dignity. Teachers are encouraged to nurture diverse voices and promote meaningful, inclusive literacy experiences that foster belonging and growth for all students.

The 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans now include recommendations for infants and toddlers. Extension educators can use these expanded guidelines to provide feeding recommendations for caregivers of infants/toddlers. The purpose of this study was to explore 1) the infant and toddler feeding topics that Extension educators discuss with caregivers through formal curricula and informal conversations, 2) educators' perceived barriers to teaching and discussing topics with caregivers, and 3) the optimal format of resources for educators and the communities they serve. Findings from this study confirmed a need among educators for infant/toddler feeding programs and resources offered through Extension.