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Analyzed in this investigation were the current Texas state-mandated assessments in reading and the extent to which test scores differed among English Language Learners who were Not Poor (i.e., did not qualify for the reduced or free lunch program), English Language Learners who were Moderately Poor (i.e., qualified for the reduced lunch program), and English Language Learners who were Extremely Poor (i.e., qualified for the free lunch program). In all cases, reading achievement was lowest for English Language Learners who were Very Poor, followed by English Language Learners who were Moderately Poor. English Language Learners who were Not Poor had the highest reading performance in all four school years. Implications for policy and practice, as well as recommendations for future research, are provided.

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the influence of participating in a STEM Academy (STEMA) on girls' mathematics, science, engineering, and technology self-efficacy and STEM attitudes. Twenty-eight sixth grade girls participating in a STEMA were individually matched with sixth grade girls not participating in a STEMA. Both participant groups were administered the "Student Attitudes toward STEM" (S-STEM) -- "Middle and High School Survey" and the STEMA group also participated in a focus group. The results indicated that the STEMA program did positively influence girls' mathematics and science self-efficacy but not their engineering, technology, or STEM self-efficacy. Self-efficacy perceptions were positively influenced by their participation and the teachers in the STEMA program.

At West Texas A&M University, faculty members in the Criminal Justice and Emergency Management programs teach students how to deal with man-made and natural disasters. These program courses require students to learn about the National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) in addition to passing certain requirements. Each student must pass NIMS courses 100 and 200 as part of their coursework where students are given the opportunity to work through a table-top exercise involving a natural or man-made disaster. Over the past several years, due to the success of these exercises, one of the criminal justice professors proposed a funding project to create a classroom designed for crisis management exercises in the future. This article conveys important qualitative discussions in two significant areas: how the crisis management classroom was created, designed, and integrated into the emergency operations center for the Texas Panhandle; and how the crisis management classroom was provided with the opportunity to integrate a virtual emergency operations center (VEOCI), making West Texas A&M University the fifth university in the United States to have access to the new virtual management system.

The purpose of this research is to examine the perceptions of campus administrators and teachers of the new Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS) in a suburban Texas school district. Historically, teacher evaluation systems have failed to reach the intended outcome of serving as a tool to improve teaching practices. When campus administrators and teachers perceive teacher evaluation as primarily a tool to document poor performers, the growth aspect of the evaluation process is not maximized. This research seeks to identify the perceptions of both campus administrators and teachers on the evaluation system. District leaders will be able to determine if the perceptions of one or both groups is aligned with the intended outcomes of the evaluation process.

Over the past two decades, an increase has occurred in the number of schools containing a Grade K-8 configuration rather than the Grade 6-8 traditional middle school (Blair, 2008). The reason behind this trend may reflect educator awareness that achievement loss takes place during each transition (Alspaugh, 1999; Cullen & Robles-Pina, 2012; Clark et al. 2013a). As educational leaders make decisions about how to configure the schools within their district, one major factor they must take into account is the effect that school transitions will have on students and the timing of such transitions. Adolescents experiencing cognitive, physiological, social and emotional developmental changes associated with puberty also have to contend with another important developmental process, the transition from elementary to secondary school (Aikins, Bierman, & Parker, 2005). A pronounced regression in student achievement has been documented to occur during the transition from elementary school to middle school (Alspaugh, 1998; Alspaugh & Harting, 1995). Several researchers (e.g., Becker, 1987; Byrnes & Ruby, 2007; Clark, 2012; Connolly et al., 2002; Fink, 201 O; Franklin & Glasscock, 1996; Offenburg, 2001; Schafer, 2010; Tucker & Andrada, 1997; Wihry et al., 1992) have demonstrated the presence of statistically significant relationships between grade span configuration and academic achievement. In these studies, students enrolled in K-8 school settings demonstrated a higher academic performance than students enrolled in traditional middle school settings (i.e., Grades 6-8). Very few research studies are available, however, in which the academic performance of middle level students enrolled in elementary schools (i.e., Grades P/K-8) have been compared to the academic performance of students enrolled in secondary settings (i.e., Grades 6/7-12). Hough (2005) coined the term "elemiddle" schools to describe the P/K-Grade 8 schools. Results from this empirical statewide study may provide useful information to educational leaders, school board members, and legislators as they set policies or make decisions regarding school grade span configuration

Lower academic achievement can lead to high dropout rates, especially for students in poverty. With respect to the topic of school size, whether large-size or small-size schools are better with respect to student achievement, is an ongoing argument. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the degree to which differences might be present in high school dropout rates as a function of high school size for students in poverty. Specifically, high school size and dropout rates were analyzed for two school years: 2012-2013 and 2013-2014. These school years were selected because they constituted the most recent data available for Texas high schools. Participants in this study were students who were determined to be economically disadvantaged and who are enrolled in traditional Grade 9 through Grade 12 Texas high schools. Findings suggest that students in poverty who were enrolled in smaller size high schools had statistically significantly higher dropout rates than their peers who were in poverty but were enrolled at high schools with higher levels of student enrollment. For both school years, regardless of the high school size classifications, high schools with smaller student enrollment had higher dropout rates. For students in poverty, in the state of Texas, smaller high schools were not conducive for preventing drop out.

Among the things that will be remembered about the year 2020 are phrases like "You're still on mute" and "Can I share my screen?" They are emblematic of how educators have been challenged to navigate uncharted waters of remote learning and overnight technological adaptation. To quote another phrase that will be remembered as a cliché, "These are unprecedented times." Learning Forward's newest network, Design Professional Learning for a Virtual World (DPLV), is designed to meet educators' pressing needs in this unusual moment by supporting districts and states with proactive planning tools and processes. Learning Forward and DPLV's first cohort of nine district and state education agency members are collaborating on how to stay strategic through the compounding challenges of responding to COVID-19, a national reckoning with racial injustice, and growing fiscal uncertainty caused by a mix of public health and public policy developments. This article describes the work of the DPLV as they engage in a planning process with customized coaching tailored to their local contexts and needs during and beyond the pandemic.

A School District Principal Preparation Partnership Program is designed to establish collaboration between a University and school districts that employ the school leaders graduated by the university. This collaboration improves school principal preparation by integrating relevant school district policies, practices, knowledge, and skills into a rigorous curriculum graduate culturally, responsive, transformative school leaders. The purpose of this mixed research study was to collect data to assess the perceptions of student participants about central aspects of the program. The findings indicate the program is completing many of its goals. However, program areas to improve were also identified and included.

A research study was designed and conducted to identify effective school characteristics and strategies of high-performing, high-poverty schools. Four High-Performing Reward schools in South Texas that demonstrated longitudinal academic success were selected to study. We developed an 11 effective school characteristics model including school processes from the effective school research literature as the framework for the study. A mixed-research study was designed to collect data from professional school staff, and principals related to the 11 effective characteristics, their processes, and strategies used by the schools. An area of improvement identified among these already high-performing schools was parental engagement.

Whether students of color are more or less likely to be identified as having disabilities than similarly situated students who are White in U.S. states with histories of de jure and de facto racial segregation is currently unknown. Unadjusted analyses of large samples of students attending elementary and middle schools in the U.S. South yielded little evidence of minority overrepresentation in special education. In analyses adjusted for strong confounds (e.g., family income, student-level achievement), students of color were "less" likely than White students to be identified as having disabilities. Underidentification was evident (a) for the U.S. South in aggregate, (b) across 11 Southern states that we separately examined, (c) in cross-sectional samples assessed in 2003 and 2015, and (d) for specific disability conditions. Black and Hispanic students attending schools in the U.S. South have been and continue to be less likely to be identified as having disabilities than otherwise similar White students.

Background: Workplace wellness programs have been widely implemented to promote employee health outcomes and reduce health costs. However, little is known about how designs of wellness programs matter for best promoting positive employee health outcomes. Purpose: This research aims to identify the most effective designs of workplace wellness programs resulting in positive employee health outcomes. Methods: We conducted endogenous treatment analyses to compare the effectiveness of three wellness programs (diabetes prevention, hypertension prevention, and nutrition classes) on employees' health outcomes. Data were analyzed from 24,117 full-time employees who received the pre- and post-intervention biometric screening in 2012-2016 at a large employer in Texas, U.S. Results: Unlike the mixed effects in diabetes and hypertension prevention programs, the nutrition program, which exhibited a high level of topic relevance, impact, and intensity, significantly decreases all four biometric indicators: decreasing systolic blood pressure (4%), diastolic blood pressure (10%), glucose (2%), and cholesterol (26%), which improves health outcomes. Discussion: This study prompts health educators to consider comparative effectiveness of workplace wellness programs for maximized impact on employees' health outcomes. Translation to Health Education Practice: Designing wellness programs with high topic relevance, impact, and intensity should be emphasized in implementing workplace wellness programs.

In this investigation, we analyzed Hispanic student access and success in health-related degrees by examining enrollment and graduation rates over a period of 13 years. Archival data were obtained from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board consisting of the number of Hispanic students enrolled and number of degrees awarded in the health-related degrees at Texas health-related institutions for each year beginning with 2000 through 2012. Statistically significant increases were not present in the number or the percentages of Hispanic students enrolled in undergraduate degree programs or for the number or the percentages of undergraduate degrees awarded. The lack of statistically significant increases should serve as a call to examine the higher education system.

This article describes the implementation of a program undergirded by the theme of faculty and staff supports that physically brings advising to the point of instruction. Research shows that establishing a strong institutional connection with students improves retention, persistence, and success. What better way to do this than take advising into the classroom and create a strong partnership between faculty and student services to provide support, information, and career direction? Sustained through an ongoing dialogue between instruction and student development professionals, classroom activities and wrap-around support services can be uniquely focused on the individual student. The college found that advising becomes a tool delivered by a faculty-student services team that holds students accountable while providing needed assistance along the student's educational pathway.

This proof of concept study investigated a secondary science teacher preparation intervention in six university programs across Arizona, California, and Texas. Researchers and science method instructors (SMIs) collaboratively restructured respective science method courses to hold fidelity to an interrelated set of instructional practices that attend to science learning as envisioned in a Framework for K-12 Science Education, while also creating contextualized spaces for language and literacy development targeted to English learners (ELs), but also supportive of "mainstream" students. We observed the teaching of SMIs and preservice teachers (PSTs) with observation rubrics to gauge the fidelity to which they implemented practices. Across programs, SMIs provided opportunities for PSTs to experience the instructional practices as intended, although there was less opportunity for pedagogical development around them. The strongest evidence of PST fidelity to the intervention was found for two practices: "Increasing student interaction" and "Facilitating student talk." Considerable variation was found across the programs for other practices including some evidence of negative effects. We discuss results in terms of promises for preparing novice secondary science teachers, as well as future directions to overcome challenges that researchers, SMIs, and novice teachers are likely to face when preparing novice science teachers.

This study reports the findings of a study assessing the acceptability differences in decisions made by Certified Public Accounting practitioners (CPA) and students studying to become CPAs. The study responds to researchers' call for additional research on topics related to accounting decision ethics. Modified managerial and accounting recognition scenarios were used to collect the acceptability of ethical judgments. The analysis employs factor analysis to affirm whether the scenarios are managerial or accounting recognition decisions. The analyses further divides the managerial decisions into either revenue or expense related. The accounting recognition decisions are further divided into those involving an accounting manipulation or inventory related. Students' acceptability of the accounting transactions was far harsher than the practitioners. However, both students and practitioners considered the accounting scenarios to be unethical. Both students and practitioners judged the managerial revenue scenarios to be ethical but the managerial expense scenarios to be moderately unethical. In addition to the ethical acceptability of accounting transaction, student and practitioner demographic data including age, work experience and academic credentials are investigated to explain the differences.

Undergraduate enrollment has grown and changed drastically over the past two decades, with a significant portion coming from nontraditional students who have returned to campuses to pursue a college degree. To better meet the needs and demands of nontraditional students, many institutions have implemented programs that allow for the awarding of academic credit for prior learning. For those institutions involved in the prior learning assessment (PLA) process and interested in providing a quality program, an increased emphasis and focus should be on the importance of determining what a learning activity is, and more importantly, what constitutes college level learning.

This qualitative research study utilized the grounded theory tradition to examine organizational structures and processes in a purposefully selected sample of American universities that have established and maintained partnerships with industry. Institutional leaders from the corporate relations offices from fifteen of the top research universities in America were interviewed. Through a paradigm model we identified two major themes: (1) research universities that established and maintained partnerships with industry had a central corporate relations organization whose primary responsibility was to locate, secure, and maintain such partnerships and (2) these universities tended to utilize formal and regular communication mechanisms between the central corporate relations organization and other institutional units that interacted with industry. A set of conditional propositions were developed regarding the organizational structures and processes supporting the establishment and maintenance of partnerships with industry.

We compared the performance of Hispanic students from California, Texas, and Arizona on the two Advanced Placement (AP) English exams (i.e., English Language and Composition and English Literature and Composition) using archival data from the College Board from 1997 through 2012. Pearson chi-square tests yielded statistically significant differences in all 16 comparisons for the English Language and Composition exams and in 15 of the 16 comparisons for the English Literature and Composition exams. Students from Arizona had the highest passing rate in 21 comparisons, California had the highest passing rate in 11 comparisons, and Texas had the lowest passing rate in all 32 comparisons. The majority of Hispanic students who took an AP English exam failed to earn a score that would result in college credit. Implications of our findings are discussed.

"Thriving in Our Digital World" is a technology-enhanced dual enrollment course introducing high school students to computer science through project- and problem-based learning. This article describes the evolution of the course and five lessons learned during the design, development, implementation, and iteration of the course from its first through third year of implementation. The design principles that we describe have guided our design endeavors and may be helpful to instructional designers, learning technologists, and others who are engaged in the design and development of in situ interventions to improve the teaching and learning of computer science.

In this investigation, the authors analyzed the cost effectiveness of receiving passing scores for Black students on Advanced Placement exams in three states (Texas, New York, and Florida) for a 16-year period (e.g., 1997 through 2012). College Board data were downloaded and analyzed for all Advanced Placement exams for Black students in these three states for this time period. Cost effectiveness ratios (i.e., the ratio of passing score costs to failing score costs) were negative for every year for Black students in all three states. As such, a lack of equity was clearly present in the overall Advanced Placement exam performance of Black students in these three states. Given the limited education budgets in many states, it is important for these dollars to be spent wisely. Implications of the findings are discussed, particularly with respect to policy regarding college preparatory programs.

Parabens are ubiquitous, being found in surface waters around the world. Although little is known about the release of paraben transformation products and fate of transformation products in surface water. This study evaluates both parabens and paraben transformation products in the Brazos River upstream and downstream of a wastewater facility located in Waco, Texas. Concentrations of thirteen compounds were reported in this study, five parent parabens and eight paraben disinfection by-products. Analyte concentrations were spatially evaluated to determine if release of wastewater effluent affects their concentrations in the river. Two Brazos River tributaries were also sampled to determine if they released parabens and related compounds to the Brazos. Sampling occurred weekly for one year with at least 40 samples collected at each site. Analyses were completed for both yearly and seasonal data. Sites downstream of wastewater treatment outfalls had lower concentrations of methyl paraben during the yearly analysis and across multiple seasons in the seasonal analysis with average yearly annual methyl paraben concentrations decreasing from 0.83 ng/L at site 3 to 0.09 ng/L at site 4. Para-hydroxybenzoic acid was the compound present in greatest concentration at most sites across most seasons, with the highest average annual concentration of 10.30 ng/L at site 2. Spatial changes in para-hydroxybenzoic acid varied by season, with seasonal trends only identifiable after normalization by flow. Dichlorinated paraben concentrations increased in the river at sites downstream of wastewater treatment with a yearly average dichlorinated methyl paraben concentration of 0.490 ng/L at site 3 to 1.53 at site 4, just downstream of the major wastewater treatment plant. Concentration increases indicate that wastewater effluent contains sufficiently high dichlorinated paraben concentrations to effect concentrations downstream of effluent discharges. Dichlorinated species also persisted in the environment, with no significant decreases at sites further downstream during any season with an annual average dichlorinated methyl paraben concentration of 1.23 ng/L at site 6. Methyl paraben concentrations decreased at the site furthest downstream to a concentration of 0.081 ng/L, while dichlorinated methyl paraben concentrations remained stable with a concentration of 1.10 ng/L at the site furthest downstream. Due to the dichlorinated species being released in higher concentrations in effluent than parents and being more resistant to degradation, the dichlorinated parabens are more likely to be environmentally relevant than are parent parabens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our pilot studies, we found that many introductory physics textbook illustrations with supporting text for sound standing waves of air columns in open-open, open-closed, and closed-closed pipes inhibit student understanding of sound standing wave phenomena due to student misunderstanding of how air molecules move within these pipes. Based on the construct of meaningful learning from cognitive psychology and semiotics, a quasiexperimental study was conducted to investigate the comparative effectiveness of two alternative approaches to student understanding: a traditional textbook illustration approach versus a newly designed air molecule motion illustration approach. Thirty volunteer students from introductory physics classes were randomly assigned to two groups of 15 each. Both groups were administered a presurvey. Then, group A read the air molecule motion illustration handout, and group B read a traditional textbook illustration handout; both groups were administered postsurveys. Subsequently, the procedure was reversed: group B read the air molecule motion illustration handout and group A read the traditional textbook illustration handout. This was followed by a second postsurvey along with an exit research questionnaire. The study found that the majority of students experienced meaningful learning and stated that they understood sound standing wave phenomena significantly better using the air molecule motion illustration approach. This finding provides a method for physics education researchers to design illustrations for abstract sound standing wave concepts, for publishers to improve their illustrations with supporting text, and for instructors to facilitate deeper learning in their students on sound standing waves.

This article describes the outcomes of the case "Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin," in which the plaintiff had accused the University of Texas (UT) of racial discrimination in the admission process. The author believes that the ruling of the court in this case makes it harder to hide race-based measures used in college admissions. The article examines the post "Fisher" options open to college and university faculty who wish to limit campus use of racial preferences. It also provides practical ways for academics and others to challenge affirmative action on campus based on the above-mentioned case. Specifically, these are presented in four steps: (1) Read the "Fisher" decision; (2) Determine what use of racial classifications currently exists on a campus; (3) Request copies of the documents supporting compelling interest and narrow tailoring basis for race-based campus policies; and (4) Create an appropriate public discussion of race-preferential policies.

We analyzed the effect of grade span configurations (i.e., 6-8 versus K-8) on reading and math performance in Texas public schools for the last 5 school years. Participants in this study were 628 Texas schools (i.e., 314 middle schools and 314 K-8 schools) distributed across the 5 school years examined. Schools configured as K-8 schools were matched to middle schools using a rigorous distance-based formula. All 15 reading comparisons (i.e., grade level by school year) yielded statistically significant results, with effect sizes ranging from small to large. Eleven of the 15 math comparisons yielded statistically significant results, with all of the effect sizes being small. Regardless of student grade level or school year examined, students who were enrolled in K-8 schools had higher average passing rates on the TAKS Reading and Math assessments than did students enrolled in middle schools. Implications of our findings are discussed.

In this study, the authors examined the concurrent validity, predictive validity, and concurrent and predictive classification accuracy of using schoolwide behavior expectations as a universal behavioral screener. Three elementary schools implementing schoolwide positive behavior supports (SWPBS) participated. Within each school, the entire school population was screened using items derived from schoolwide behavior expectations. Structural equation modeling revealed moderate to strong associations between SWPBS expectations and constructs formed from the criterion measure. SWPBS expectations converged with the school problems, externalizing problem behaviors, and adaptive skills constructs but diverged from the internalizing construct. Concurrent classification with a norm-referenced screener was generally adequate but varied depending on school and index. Predictive classification analyses using office discipline referrals also yielded comparable results as the norm-referenced screener. Although not without limitations, this study provides initial evidence of the validity of using SWPBS expectations to screen for behavioral risk. (Contains 3 figures and 5 tables.)

The number of students enrolling in colleges and universities requiring remedial programs is increasing. Developmental courses are used to increase student academic skills. Understanding how students perceive their placement and experience in developmental courses can provide valuable insight for high schools, community colleges, and universities on meeting the needs of this growing population. In this phenomenological study, the experiences of three community college students who participated in developmental courses on community college campuses in Texas were examined through use of an individual interview protocol. Five themes emerged from the data analyses: (a) affective perceptions, (b) academic perceptions, (c) behaviors, (d) resources, and (e) perceived benefits. Implications for high schools and developmental program coordinators are included. (Contains 1 table.)

Due to age-related factors and illnesses, older adults may become vulnerable to elder investment fraud and financial exploitation (EIFFE). The authors describe the development and preliminary evaluation of an educational program to raise awareness and assist clinicians in identifying older adults at risk. Participants (n = 127) gave high ratings for the program, which includes a presentation, clinician pocket guide, and patient education brochure. Thirty-five respondents returned a completed questionnaire at the 6-month follow-up, with 69% (n = 24) of those indicating use of the program materials in practice and also reporting having identified 25 patients they felt were vulnerable to EIFFE. These findings demonstrate the value of providing education and practical tools to enhance clinic-based screening of this underappreciated but prevalent problem. (Contains 2 tables.)

A few years ago, in "Student Success in College (SSiC)," the authors profiled twenty colleges and universities that were unusually effective in fostering student engagement and success, defined as better-than-predicted scores on the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and better-than-predicted graduation rates. These schools are exemplars of what is right with higher education, and much can be learned from them. The authors contacted these schools recently to determine whether they have been able to maintain their strong performance. By and large, they have. Through 2009, their graduation rates were comparable to those in 2002, which was when the authors identified this group of institutions as worthy of in-depth study. In fact, ten schools increased their graduation rates by at least four percent, and two (George Mason University and The Evergreen State College) increased theirs by at least ten percent. NSSE scores also were comparable to those in 2002. This article illustrates some of what these institutions did to stay true to their commitments to foster student success. Using examples from a half dozen of the schools with different missions and structural features, the authors discuss some of the obstacles they overcame and the opportunities they created or took advantage of that allowed them to do this. The authors found that four key conditions for sustaining good work in hard times characterize all these institutions: (1) An ethic of positive restlessness permeates the campus; (2) Data about students and their success inform deliberations and decisions about the curriculum and other institutional priorities; (3) Academic and student affairs staff collaborate to foster student success; and (4) Campus leaders work assiduously to increase the numbers of faculty and staff who understand the importance of and become committed to student success. (Contains 11 resources.)

The current analysis examines the relationship between measures (R-scores, S-scores, faculty productivity) utilized in the recently published National Research Council NRC report and communication doctoral programs' centrality in the faculty-hiring network. Correlations among the network indicators and the NRC ratings were generally moderate and network measures for individual programs were better at predicting the objective ratings compared to subjective ratings of doctoral programs. Thus, placement of graduates is a legitimate measure of program quality. The findings indicate department and university reputation help students in their faculty job search, as does faculty modeling of the research process. It is argued placements of graduate students into research-intensive positions should be considered the standard in evaluating doctoral education in communication. (Contains 5 notes and 2 tables.)