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Certified dietary managers (CDMs) lead their food services team by ensuring food quality, safety, and palatability while applying nutrition principles to food purchasing, storage, preparation, and service. Despite labor shortages and forecasted growth in both healthcare and food services management jobs, approximately 30% of credentialing exam candidates forego their exam within the first year after completing a didactic career technical education program approved by the Association of Nutrition and Foodservice Professionals. Moreover, very few return to pursue their exam after the first year. This study explored, through the lens of the theory of planned behavior, the perceived obstacles contributing to CDM program graduates' reluctance to sit for the national board certification. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive and convenience sample of eight participants from various regions of the United States to gain insight into internal and external factors contributing to their exam hesitancy. Thematic analysis yielded several themes, including a lack of control over internal and external barriers to taking the exam. Participants reported facing family and work constraints exacerbated by the pandemic and the lack of financial resources to meet exam preparation and registration costs. They expressed feelings of exam-related anxiety, being ill-prepared, unsupported by their programs and employers and discouraged by the observed stressful working conditions of current CDMs. This study helps establish a foundation for remedial action by stakeholders, educational program leaders, and CDM employers in support of certification candidates. Findings raise questions about the prevalence of credentialing exam barriers in other disciplines and pave the way for future investigations about exam hesitancy.

The use of linguistic features in school assessments, as well as the impact of these factors on the outcome of assessments have received limited attention in the literature. With this study I aimed to analyse linguistic features of accounting examinations. A quantitative technique, using tests for correlation, was employed to analyse the Grade 12 National Senior Certificate accounting examinations from 2011 until 2021. Advanced textual analysis software was used to identify connections between specific linguistic features and the marks obtained in these examinations. The findings of this study suggest that increasing the levels of linguistic features associated with analytical thinking, emotional tone and big words, which may be assumed to promote comprehension, may in reality be counterproductive, consequently potentially resulting in poorer marks attained in assessments in the future. The findings of this study are important for the creators of assessment to consider when developing accounting assessment. Given the effect of linguistic features on assessment results as identified in this study, it contributes to the debate on the use of certain linguistic features in assessment.

This paper examined the actual circumstances of the recent teacher shortage in public elementary and junior high schools in X Prefecture. Although teacher shortages had been reported, few previous studies had investigated them empirically. With the cooperation of all five branch offices of the Board of Education, data were collected through three surveys: 1) a questionnaire survey in June 2021 of the branch offices, 2) three interview surveys in July 2021 of the administrative officers at the town level, and 3) a 2019-2021 visiting survey of the branch offices of X Prefecture and of four towns. First, the actual amount of shortage as of May 1, 2021 was scrutinized by the questionnaire survey, clarifying the shortage into three stages. 1) Positions for 1,971 full-time teachers with tenure were unfilled as the first stage. 2) Teachers without tenure were subsequently recruited, still leaving 150 unfilled positions as the second stage. 3) Finally, part-time teachers were recruited, still leaving 115 unfilled positions as the third stage. 4) In the end, each school was required to manage by themselves. This survey also made it clear that the teacher shortage increased in each term because more and more teachers left work due to childbirth or illness, with no substitutes. This suggests that the design of the first national teacher shortage survey by the Ministry of Education in July 2021 should be redone, as it focused only on the condition of the first term. Second, the paper disclosed that the teacher shortage had increased since 2018 in this prefecture. This was caused by multiple factors at micro/mezzo/ macro levels at each stage. 1) There were three background factors for the first stage. (1) Although the numbers of teachers were strictly determined by national law, the government had made no improvements for 41 years. The local government had additionally decreased teacher numbers in order to prepare for a teacher surplus in the future, based on the declining birthrate. However, teacher demands were enlarged by the increase of children with special needs. (2) Administrators were reluctant to hire teachers with tenure. The risk of the prohibited surplus of teachers was multiplied because of the increased number of small and mutable special education classes. (3) The applicants for hiring exams decreased. Teaching itself was not as attractive as before. (4) Maternity leaves not only increased but grew longer. 2) The shortage in the second stage was caused by the lack of teachers without tenure. Few teachers were on the candidate list because most of them were already hired with tenure. 3) The shortage in the third stage was caused by the teacher license renewal system, which began in 2009. Many licenses were already expired. Third, the effects of the shortage were examined, finding that teachers were compelled to overwork because each school had to cover 3.91 teachers' worth of absence as a team. The paper also found that 60% of current teachers had less than 10 years' experience, which is expected to have negative effects both on the quality of teaching and the professionalization of teaching.

This article describes the Boston Teacher Leadership Certificate program created to expand teachers' capacity for teacher leadership roles. The professional learning was designed to strengthen teachers' leadership skills while also paying attention to whether and under what conditions they were more successful in their roles. To monitor the program's impact, the Boston Teacher Leadership Certificate program used four data routines: comparing pre-and post-course surveys, analyzing exit slips, reviewing online discussions, and looking together at student work. These routines supported collaborative inquiry, shared ownership for the quality of the work, and learning at all levels. At the end of the professional learning, 95% of course participants indicated that the course would improve their ability to have a positive impact on others' teaching practice, and 91% felt that the course would have a positive impact on their own teaching practice.

English as a medium of instruction (EMI) is commonly adopted as a strategy for higher education internationalisation. While there are numerous studies on the teaching practices of EMI programmes, the relationship between EMI and structural inequalities has been less investigated, especially in "universal" higher education systems. To address the research gap, this study investigates the EMI practices of two Taiwanese higher education institutions (HEIs) under current government initiatives. Qualitative data from policy documents and semi-structured interviews are analysed with an institutional logics approach and reflexive thematic analysis. The findings suggest that while state, managerial, and academic logics jointly shape EMI strategies in the public university case, EMI practices in the private university of technology case are predominantly driven by market and managerial logics and challenged by academic logic. Furthermore, this study reveals the structural "stuckness" encountered by the private case. In Taiwan's hierarchical higher education system, the promotion of EMI could result in widening horizontal inequalities among HEIs. More specifically, under the EMI grading certification scheme for students and the tiered award system for HEIs, the majority may be left behind whereas the few with linguistic capital are spotlighted. Therefore, this study concludes that in light of organisational conditions, policymakers should allow greater flexibility for HEIs to develop performance indicators appropriate to their students' needs.

In a targeted double-scoring procedure for performance assessments that are used for licensure and certification purposes, a subset of responses receives an independent second rating if the first rating falls into a preidentified critical score range (CSR) where an additional rating would lead to considerably more reliable pass-fail decisions. This study evaluates the CSRs using two approaches--one based on imputation of missing scores and the other based on statistical decision theory--using data from the Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL). Results from the evaluation indicate that the currently used CSRs are effective.

Family child care professionals are a critical sector of the early care and education workforce. Utilizing critical race theory and Yosso's Community Cultural Wealth model, the current study seeks to examine the strengths and assets that family child care professionals of color bring to their early care and education work and to the children and families in their programs. The authors identified evidence of four types of cultural capital (aspirational, familial, navigational, and resistant) in the focus group narratives of family child care professionals of color across four regions in the USA. Their narratives describe an orientation to caring for children and families that counters exclusionary and biased systems. The family child care professionals of color envision themselves as educators and supporters of community advancement in opposition to racialized stereotypes of home-based child care work as babysitting (aspirational capital); they leverage the home as a place for racial healing and sustain intergenerational connections with families through practices of othermothering and an ethic of love (familial capital). The family child care professionals of color describe the ways they enact navigational and resistant capital in their perseverance and participation in licensing and quality systems, despite inequities. The family child care professionals' counternarratives of family child care work suggest their essential role in societal functioning and well-being. The study's findings hold implications for (re)defining early care and education quality and (re)designing systems that celebrate and recognize the strengths, resilience, and capacity of family child care professionals of color to support equitable futures for children, families, and communities.

Seeking to better understand the longitudinal association between online usage of library-licensed content and short- and long-term student performance, we linked EZproxy logs to institutional university data to study how library usage impacts semester and cumulative GPAs. Panel linear mixed effects regression models indicate online library usage is significantly associated with both semester and cumulative GPAs. The library usage effect is larger for semester GPA, and varies by on- and off-campus residency. The effect on semester GPA is larger for off-campus students, while for cumulative GPA the effect is larger for on-campus students. Longitudinally linked library-institutional data offers key insights on the library's value.

This article introduces the CELI corpus, a new learner corpus of written Italian consisting of ca. 600,000 tokens, evenly distributed among CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) proficiency levels B1, B2, C1 and C2. The collected texts derive from the language certification exams administered by the University for Foreigners of Perugia all around the world. The corpus contains rich metadata pertaining to text-related and learner-related variables. It expands the domain of learner corpora by being, among other things, both freely available online to the research community, and by focusing on a target language other than English. The article also presents and evaluates the POS-tagging procedure, thus contributing to best practices in learner corpus annotation.

Earning industry certifications helps people prepare for jobs in a range of careers. Doing so in high school may help students prepare for college as well. Using administrative data on two cohorts of first-time 9th graders in Florida, we examined whether earning a certification was associated with postsecondary enrollment and degree attainment and whether the timing of the certification influenced that relationship. Earning a certification in high school prepared students for success in both 2-year and 4-year colleges. However, the patterns of certifications and college enrollment and degree attainment differed based on when students earned the certification. For early earners the certification was more closely associated with enrollment and attainment at 4-year colleges; for later earners, the certification was closely associated with enrollment and attainment in 2-year colleges.

This article describes two practices employed to close the knowledge gap around accessibility at a postsecondary institution. Practice One integrated accessibility training within existing professional development requirements. Practice Two used a multi-session accessibility training addressing knowledge gaps identified by training registration data and accessibility reports from the learning management system. For practice One, Accessible Technologies worked collaboratively with instructional designers and learning technologists to make accessibility concepts a natural part of training on tools and online teaching. For practice Two, the team created a certification grant program to prepare people for the International Association of Accessibility Professionals certification exams. Practice One resulted in an increase in internal accessibility skills and the availability of intermediate and advanced courses on accessibility. Practice Two resulted in more than 100 individuals with internationally recognized accessibility certification(s). The implication for disability resource offices is to consider how integration with existing training might increase the reach of accessibility training. Additionally, disability resource offices may want to consider the benefits of using existing training materials or programs.

Academic developers work with colleagues from every discipline to facilitate learning about teaching, learning and assessment. Boud and Brew (2013) called for academic development to be significantly 'closer to everyday practice' while also recognising development involves extending notions of what 'practice' is. Moreover, Loads and Campbell (2015) called for greater authenticity of academic development: questioning and challenging custom and practice within disciplines in higher education. So how do academic developers, tasked with redeveloping their mandatory Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP), create an authentic and practical programme? Especially one that extends the scope of teaching practice, transforms curricula and assessment and meets strategic objectives around developing student literacies, graduate attributes and strengthening engagement in continuing professional development (University of Glasgow, 2015, 2021). This good practice example showcases the curricula design process of redesigning a cross-institutional PGCAP programme at a UK university, to one that has a strong focus on everyday academic practice, while also adopting authentic learning activities and practical assessments to unlock the creative pedagogical potential of early career academics, and build their confidence. The aim of the redesigned curricula being to encourage collaboration across disciplines, reflection, and learning beyond 'normal' and customary practices within disciplines. This paper also discusses the results of a mixed methods survey of academic colleagues (as students) studying the PGCAP, exploring their perceptions of the programme's authenticity, its practicality, as well as the value of learning activities and assessments and, importantly, the impact on their practice. In terms of implications for practice, this paper encourages readers to consider how they could develop their own curriculum, introduce greater authenticity, and move away from deficit models of academic development.

The study evaluated students' experience of learning with virtual classrooms facilitated by Google Classroom at the Institute of social work, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The study employed the Activity Theory (AT) as a theoretical framework using the first triangle of the activity system, which includes three components - Subject-Tool-Object (STO). This study adopted an anonymous online survey for data collection and the quantitative method was used to analyze data. Additionally, the survey questionnaires were prepared and distributed using the KoBo Toolbox. The sample size of 79 (96%) questionnaires was considered from a subgroup of institute students, which includes a Bachelor's degree in Labor Relations and Public Management (BLRPM), an Ordinary Diploma in Labor Relations and Public Management (ODLRPM), and a Basic Technician Certificate in Labor Relations and Public Management (BTCLRPM) from the labor studies departments. The findings revealed that the student's opinions specified that overall students were more interested in learning activities using the Google Classroom platform as a learning tool and they managed to achieve learning goals in the ICT module. Alternatively, the findings from ANOVA comparing the differences between the groups of students concerning the use of Google Classroom as a learning tool revealed that the ODLRPM and BTCLRM students demonstrated higher online/blended learning experiences of using Google Classroom for the ICT module compared to BLRPM students. In conclusion, the study calls for institute policymakers to plan and offers the use of web 2.0 tools such as Google Classroom to facilitate online/blended teaching and learning at the institute.

There is increasing interest around the use of microcredentials for upskilling, employability, professional development, and reaching a wide range of learners. However, little discussion exists around the use of microcredentials to contribute towards broader qualifications and accreditation. This paper investigates the use of a series of microcredentials contributing towards a broader Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP) qualification. Using a descriptive case study approach, we explore the initial development of this qualification. We also discuss PGCAP learners' experiences of microcredentials study, drawing on the results of a survey. In doing so, we present both the merits of microcredentials from the learners' perspectives but also some of the pedagogical and practical considerations involved.

The science of behavior began in the laboratory setting, focusing on the direct measurement of behavior-environment relations. The field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) is relatively new with the first publications in the flagship journal, The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, appearing in 1968. Soon the application of the science was applied to the treatment of autism and, due to its tremendous success, the number of professionals claiming to use behavioral procedures increased exponentially. It became obvious that some sort of systemic oversight needed to be created to protect both consumers and practitioners, and difficult questions had to be raised concerning licensure, certification, which was more advantageous to pursue, and with what consequences. The purpose of this paper is to explore the historical roots of behavior analysis and provide commentary and context to the movement of certification up to the current day. Current challenges within the field of ABA will also be reviewed, along with recommendations to ensure that ABA-based intervention in the future is high in quality.

In today's world, Principal Preparation Programs (PPPs) need to be innovative in helping principal candidates be more prepared to lead in changing times, but first, they must receive certification successfully. Completing the Praxis exam is the final requirement to gain certification as an instructional leader in Alabama and is often a stressful time for many. A mixed-methods study was conducted to investigate the problem of principal candidates struggling with the Praxis exam and find ways to support them by utilizing retrieval practice using the theoretical framework of Transfer Appropriate Processing (TAP). An invitation to participate was sent to all students in their last course in the instructional leadership program at one university. Then 30 participants were randomly placed into one of three cohorts: testing, testing with collaboration, or random. Online practice exams were purchased through a small seed grant. Quantitative data consisted of scores from online practice tests at three testing points. A significant difference was found between the practice testing and random groups. Qualitative data from an open-ended survey at the end of the experience revealed that participants increased their confidence and test-taking strategies and found the experience to be positive in preparing for the exam and their future leadership. The implications for PPPs are many, including the importance of providing students with opportunities for retrieval practice and collaboration. This helps not only with the testing situation but also in increasing their ability to transfer knowledge to novel situations similar to what they will face in the complex field of leadership and be better prepared to lead in changing times. Exploring innovative and virtual options for practice and collaboration is also needed for PPPs to meet the needs of online students today and help ensure they are ready to lead schools in times of change.

One only needs to listen to the news reports to recognize that the gap between securing the enterprise and cybersecurity threats, breaches, and vulnerabilities appears to be widening at an alarming rate. An untapped resource to combat these attacks lies in the students of the secondary educational system. Necessary in the cybersecurity education is a 3-tiered approach to quickly escalate the student into a workplace-ready graduate. The analogy used is a three-legged-stool, where curriculum content, hands-on skills, and certifications are equal instruments in the edification of the cybersecurity student. This paper endeavors to delve into the 3rd leg of the stool by developing the concept of vendor-specific and vendor-neutral certifications to educate the cybersecurity student and test their capability of protecting the workplace. The research data was drawn from companies in the Atlanta, Georgia area, who employ and hire cybersecurity recruits. The data from the research proves certifications are necessary as an addition to the cybersecurity curriculum in the secondary education arena. The paper reviews the need for cybersecurity graduates, the balance between cybersecurity theory and applied skillsets, the difference between a certificate and a certification, benefits to the community, classifications of certifications, relevancy of a college degree in today's workforce, and recommendations for further study.

Although home visiting is growing as a service for families with young children, the field does not adequately prepare the home visiting workforce, and higher education courses on home visiting are rare. Many home visitors are prepared through higher education as teachers, social workers, or nurses, which provides knowledge but few of the skills needed to collaborate with families to support their children's development, revealing a need for focused pre-service preparation for home visiting. We conducted a qualitative study to (1) describe the present state of preparation in higher education and (2) propose recommendations for strengthening home visitor preparation via higher education. Focus groups (N = 43) were conducted at conferences that included some focus on early childhood home visiting. Individual interviews (N = 11) were conducted parallel to focus groups. Participants were faculty and administrators in higher education or home visiting related professionals. Using thematic analysis, three major themes surfaced: (1) learning, training, and awareness in higher education; (2) blending of a myriad of skills in home visiting; and (3) unification and support needs. Our findings emphasize the need for higher education to provide professional preparation for careers in home visiting. We offer recommendations to meet this need. [This paper was written with the Collaborative for Understanding the Pedagogy of Infant/Toddler Development (CUPID).]

Purpose: District-university partners increasingly rely on "grow-your-own" licensure programs to address teacher shortages. Because vacancies in special education represent a chronic issue, our district-university partnership developed LEAP -- the Licensed Educators' Accelerated Pathway, successfully preparing 26 paraprofessionals as special education teachers (SEs). We describe a model university-district partnership in which we collaborated to design and implement paraprofessionals' SE licensure program. Design/methodology/approach: In this general review, we describe a district-university partnership collaboration that resolved barriers experienced by paraprofessionals working toward licensure in special education (Essential #4, Reflection and Innovation). The specialized design and partnership solutions were grounded in SE preparation research literature. Findings: 25 (28 entered the program and 25 completed) paraprofessionals from one large urban and several regional districts completed special education licensure through LEAP. Slightly more than half of LEAP participants were Black or Hispanic (see Table 1), contributing to the diversification of SE workforce. University-district partnership was successful in designing and delivering a program that allowed participants: a) to remain employed, b) attend evening classes in their geographic region or online, c) complete all field experiences in sponsoring districts (Essential #2) and d) receive concierge advising from a "completion coach." We describe solutions to barriers experienced by paraprofessionals and advocate for district-university collaboration to address chronic teacher shortages. Research limitations/implications: Limitations include lack of data on success of program completers during their first year of teaching as they began this work in Fall 2023. Further, because the participating district was large and urban, generalization of program details for small and rural districts is difficult. Practical implications: Practical tips for developing grow-your-own special education licensure programs are providing. Detailed descriptions of barriers candidates experienced and ways the district-university partners resolved these issues are included. Programs like the one described has the potential to positively impact teacher pipeline issues. Social implications: The program described provided highly-trained teachers to fill chronic vacancies in special education in three participating districts/agencies. Because students receiving special education services are at risk for school failure and are disproportionately impacted by teacher turnover, addressing this area through grow-your-own licensure programs represents a diversity, equity and inclusion initiative. Further, upskilling diverse paraprofessionals to licensed teacher roles represent an economic boost, which they might not otherwise have achieved. Originality/value: Available research literature signals alarm over persistent teacher shortages in hard-to-staff districts and lack of diversity in the teacher workforce, but few published accounts describe successful programs. Partner collaboration fostered a re-imagining of course formatting and delivery to accommodate adult learners, avoiding problems often reported with alternative programs.

The importance placed on passing Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) in Nigeria has led to the emergence of 'Miracle Examination Centres' (MECs). MECs are schools where candidates get undeserving excellent SSCE results through institutionally enabled malpractice. This undermines the Nigerian education sector and its leadership. But well-researched empirical evidence on MECs in Nigeria is scarce. Through a reconnaissance technique (recce), we provide new evidence on MECs' activities, including their nature and patronage, while providing informed remedial pointers that can be harnessed by the education sector leadership. Interviews were conducted with 97 persons, comprising community members, teachers, and school owners across 16 communities in four study sites (Abuja, Anambra, Edo, and Kogi), and data were supported by observations. Elicited data were thematically analysed. Findings show that MECs were more interested in rents (informal and undue fees) by compromising SSCE standards and less interested in academic training. Community members were aware of the activities of MECs and could readily identify or discuss them. We uncovered the adopted processes in facilitating this kind of malpractice. A feasible strategy to address MECs and similar examination fraud syndicates across countries is for the education sector leadership to strategically focus on the demand and supply sides.