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How can teachers engage students in participatory civic education in a state like Texas where education policy is interfering with the Rights of the Learner by refusing to allow educators to support students in becoming active participants in vital democratic processes? Texas Senate Bill 3, passed in 2021, prohibits teachers from directly supporting students in communicating with their elected officials and advocating for legislation as a part of their classroom experiences. This article draws on a framework of Black Critical Patriotism and action civics in response to the challenges posed by S.B. 3 imposed upon educators introducing authentic civic experiences to students. We argue that simulations rooted in the foundations of these frameworks and centering the Rights of the Learner provide for authentic experiences in classrooms where students can develop their civic identities to encourage lifelong civic participation.

In this article, we present an example of a student's recently completed dissertation in practice (DiP) to demonstrate how the DiP can serve as culminating evidence of a student's successful preparation as a scholar-practitioner. The purpose of this DiP was to determine to what extent students develop workforce skills while completing a community college education and what institutions can do to better prepare students to be successful upon graduation. Results from this mixed-method study (N = 77) suggest that graduates perceived learning a considerable amount of workforce skills during their time at the institution. However, respondents also reported that more hands-on learning would have enhanced their skill development. Through this study, the doctoral candidate was able to gain substantive results while addressing key CPED guiding principles.

Objective: Baylor University established a surveillance system to assess the needs of students and faculty in isolation from SARS-CoV-2 as well as any longer-term symptoms. Participants: Overall, there were 309 responses between March 20 and May 19, 2021. Methods: A survey covering experience in isolation, symptoms, vaccination, and demographic characteristics was emailed to individuals on Day 7 of isolation; a follow-up health survey was sent 30 days later. Results: Only 9.6% of respondents reported needing assistance while in isolation. Nearly 75% of respondents experienced COVID-19 symptoms in isolation, and 31.9% had remaining symptoms after isolation. Older age, being male, and more severe symptoms were associated with longer symptom duration. Those vaccinated had lower odds of developing symptoms and having symptoms remaining post-isolation. Conclusions: The present study adds to our understanding of long-COVID in young adult populations, while providing a framework for similar institutions to sustain operations during a global pandemic.

Virtual reality (VR) technology is an advanced modern resource commonly integrated into various forms of training. VR training simulations are customizable in that quality-grading parameter settings, physical environment, and user capacity can be modified to personal or professional preference. In this study, VR technology training practices are utilized to enact meaningful learning. Meaningful learning is achieved by providing visual and audial cues within the virtual training environment, weld performance skill development, and adequate skill practice time over a four-week span. This method of practice will reflect a new training style where beginning welders receive personalized feedback from both the VRTEX 360 virtual reality welding simulator and welding instructor. This training method benefits learners by expediting and enhancing their skill acquisition, adjusting their performance according to the various feedback they receive, and thereby experiencing meaningful learning. Results indicate that with each round of VR welding training participants' test weld scores continuously increased, as well as consistently scoring 80% and higher. This enhanced performance of beginning welders implies VR welding training can effectively aid in developing complex welding skills. We recommend that future research investigate the effectiveness of parameter cues and total cost-savings of integrated VR technology into welding training methods.

This study explored 17 bilingual teacher candidates' (bilingual TCs) representations of their lived experience of language via linguistic portraits. Specifically, attention was paid to the semiotic elements (space, place, time, and the body) these bilingual TCs employed and the ways this assemblage of elements formed raciolinguistic chronotopes. Analysis demonstrates that raciolinguistic chronotopes enabled bilingual TCs to portray their experiences of racialization as Spanish-English bilinguals in the United States. Analysis also shows the ways these TCs often vacillate between adhering to and challenging raciolinguistic ideologies. Findings have implications for how language portraits are utilized as a teacher learning tool in teacher education programs serving bilingual TCs of Latina/o descent.

The marginalization of social studies has led to many questions about how elementary teachers include social studies in their curriculum. Using a survey distributed to Texas teachers, this study explores the instructional strategies, integration emphasis, and content area instructional time utilized in the elementary classroom. Through a quantitative study, results indicate a significant relationship with emphasizing controversial issues in social studies with language integration and art integration. Also, teachers in earlier grade levels were more likely to emphasize controversial issues than the older grade levels. Lastly, implications for teacher education are discussed.

This study examined a state-wide, policy-directed teacher evaluation model implemented across public schools and educator preparation programs. Such models are grounded in a theory of action that situates teacher learning within social relationships, yet does not account for the complexity of systems. Results challenge policy's implicit theory that an evaluation model can function as a boundary object to create a common understanding of good teaching and positively impact teacher professional practice. We found contradictory evidence that the model served as a boundary object that facilitated shared sensemaking as mediated understandings of good teaching collided with expectations in classroom contexts.

This exploratory study builds upon extant reading development studies by identifying discrete groups based on reading comprehension trajectories across first grade. The main goal of this study was to enhance the field's understanding of early reading comprehension development and its underlying subcomponent skills, with the intent of better understanding the development of comprehension in students who display risk for reading difficulties and disabilities. A sample of first-grade readers (N = 314) were assessed at three timepoints across the first-grade year. These data were utilized to derive empirical latent classes based on reading comprehension performance across the first-grade year. Reading subcomponent skill assessments (phonological awareness, word reading, decoding, linguistic comprehension, and reading fluency), measured in the fall of first grade, were compared across latent classes to examine how they related to growth across the first-grade year. Results suggest that there were four distinct latent classes with differential reading comprehension development, each of which could also be distinguished by the subskill assessments. These findings are presented within the context of the broader reading research base, and implications for practice are discussed.

This study builds on prior research by leveraging natural language processing (NLP), click-stream analyses, and survey data to predict students' mathematics success and math identity (namely, self-concept, interest, and value of mathematics). Specifically, we combine NLP tools designed to measure lexical sophistication, text cohesion, and sentiment with analyses of student click-stream data within an online mathematics tutoring system. We combine these data sources to predict elementary students' success within the system as well as components of their math identity as measured though a standardized survey. Data from 147 students was examined longitudinally over a year of study. The results indicated links between math success and non-cognitive measures of math identity. Additionally, the results indicate that math identity was strongly predicted by click-stream variables and the production of more lexically sophisticated and cohesive language. In addition, significant variance in math identity was explained by affective and cognitive variables. The results indicate that NLP and click-stream data can combine to provide insights into non-cognitive constructs such as math identity.

This study examined the incidence of intentional nondisclosure by postgraduate, prelicensed counselors receiving supervision as they pursue licensure, which has not been previously examined. Examining the responses of 107 prelicensed counselors, we found that 95.3% reported withholding some degree of information from their supervisors, and 53.3% completely withheld a concern from their supervisors. Participants completely withheld supervision-related incidents (e.g., negative reactions to supervisor, questioning supervisor's competency) more frequently than they withheld client-related incidents (e.g., clinical mistakes, personal issues). We offer strategies for prelicensed counselors, supervisors, counselor educators, and counselor credentialing bodies to reduce intentional nondisclosure. These strategies include creating a collaborative environment, developing supervision contracts, and attending to power differentials in supervision.

As members of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED), universities across the United States are restructuring EdD programs to better prepare professional practitioners with the practical skills and theoretical knowledge needed to improve the educational environments that they serve. The hallmark of these programs is often the dissertation in practice, a scholarly investigation within which students define a problem of practice and then systematically test solutions to that problem. In this study, we investigate the experiences of university faculty participating in the redesign of an Educational Leadership EdD program who approach the redesign as a problem of practice. Root causes of identified program issues are presented in addition to the changes implemented in the redesigned program to improve upon the problem of practice.

This study analyzes Deeper Learning (DL) opportunities and the correlation between multiple DL measures on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) career orientation in out-of-school time (OST) STEM programming. Additionally, this study examines the presence and validity of the American Institutes for Research (AIR) DL measures in OST STEM enrichment program evaluation, and DL's ability to help address equity issues in STEM education for diverse learners. For analysis, this study examined longitudinal data (pre- and post-surveys) using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and design-based multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) from a large-scale OST STEM enrichment program with multiple sites across the state of Texas (22) that serves middle and high school students who participated for seven weeks over the summer in 2019 (n = 1,447). Results showed that the AIR-DL measures were suitable for use in OST STEM enrichment programming and that DL opportunities measured through critical thinking, communication and collaboration, and real-world connections had positive effects on STEM career orientation, especially for women and underrepresented minority students. Implications for theory, practice, and future research are briefly discussed.

Efforts to prevent or persuade increased emphasis on academic research at state colleges and regional universities demonstrate how emerging fields of higher education can be influenced through various policies and incentives. Utilizing the concept of strategic action fields (Fligstein & McAdam, 2012), this paper explains changes in organizations by providing insight into how state policy influences constructed, meso-level social orders. Expanding on Pierre Bourdieu's (1996) concept of fields, defined as the structured arena where practice occurs, strategic action fields extend the analysis to that of groups of actors competing for advantage and resources to increase their capabilities and reputations.

In this paper, we entangle Latino/a youth activism with ritual culture in U.S. higher education. Specifically, we analyze ethnographically-generated data from Gildersleeve's (2015; 2016) study of Latino graduation ceremonies, emplacing our analyses within new materialist philosophy. We theorize the Latino graduation ceremony as assemblage (DeLanda, 2006) and produce new sensibilities about the significance of Latino/a youth activism in contemporary U.S. higher education. The purposes of this paper are two-fold. First, we hope to contribute to the knowledge-base around how Latino/a youth use/claim space in their efforts for social change. Second, we hope to contribute to the growing literature in education that draws from new materialist philosophy and develops new methods/analyses to help reveal youth experiences.

A community partnership between the Collins Academy, Jefferson, Texas, and the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas, developed a plan to manage the 38-acre Port Jefferson History and Nature Center, located on Big Cypress Bayou. Students used knowledge of the resources, GPS (global positioning systems), ArcGIS 10.4, presentations, and posters to complete the project. The reflection and feedback with the community partners continued throughout the project and as guidance for future work. This partnership instilled in participating students the value of incorporating service learning into development of professional relationships for continued cooperation in vegetation removal, construction of gardens for the monarch butterfly and the Neches River rose mallow, and trail modifications. The project received a service-learning award for engaged student learning.

Simple Summary: Synovial sarcoma in the head and neck region is rare, making up just 2–3% of sarcomas in that area. This anatomic location is challenging to treat due to its proximity to vital structures like the airways and cranial nerves. Studying this rare malignant tumor at an early, localized stage is important, as multidisciplinary treatments might improve survival outcomes. Therefore, this study aims to explore the survival outcomes of patients with localized head and neck synovial sarcomas. We find that radiation therapy is associated with improved local control of the tumor. While the role of perioperative chemotherapy is still debatable in synovial sarcoma patients, we observe that undergoing chemotherapy in addition to surgery and radiation can promote metastasis-free survival in patients with localized head and neck synovial sarcomas, especially when the tumor is ≥4 cm. By providing updated information on this rare cancer type, such findings may help improve treatment approaches and outcomes, benefiting both patients and the medical community. Background: this study aims to evaluate the survival outcomes of patients suffering from head and neck synovial sarcoma (HNSS), especially in relation to patients with a localized disease at diagnosis. Methods: this retrospective chart review includes 57 patients diagnosed with primary HNSS between 1981 and 2020 who presented with a localized disease at diagnosis. Overall survival (OS) from diagnosis, local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), and metastasis-free survival (MFS) from the end of the primary tumor treatment are estimated. The Kaplan–Meier method, the log-rank test, and the Cox proportional hazards regression are used. Results: the 5-year OS, LRFS, and MFS are estimated at 80.4% (95% CI: 66.6%, 88.9%), 67.7% (95% CI: 50.0%, 80.4%), and 50.6% (95% CI: 34.4%, 64.8), respectively. Compared to patients undergoing surgical resection alone, those receiving radiation therapy (RT) with surgery have better LRFS (HR: 0.03, 95% CI: 0.001, 0.57), and those undergoing neo/adjuvant chemotherapy with surgery and RT have better MFS (HR: 0.10, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.95). Moreover, among the patients with tumors ≥ 4 cm, those subject to neo/adjuvant chemotherapy have significantly better MFS (5-year MFS: 53.2%, 95% CI: 29.0%, 72.5%) than those treated with surgery and RT alone (5-year MFS: 20.0%, 95% CI: 0.8%, 58.2%) (LR-p = 0.003). Conclusions: overall, the prognosis of HNSS patients looks favorable. Perioperative RT significantly improves local control, and perioperative chemotherapy plays a vital role in delaying metastasis formation in patients with primary HNSS when diagnosed with a localized disease. Importantly, we recommend that systemic therapy should be considered for HNSS patients with tumors ≥ 4 cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative research focuses on a curriculum, "Oil-land," designed and implemented at a public high school in the United States. The premise of the course was to explore complexities associated with the American oil and gas industry using elements of inquiry-based learning, shared dialogue, and with an expectation to take action. The research examines students enrolled in the course and their experiences in how exploring these issues using democratic ideals challenged and changed their thinking. Themes emerging from the data include how students' experiences and reflections helped them transcend binary thinking often found with complicated subject; how students were able to not only analyze issues associated with oil and gas, but humanize them as well; and how students were foster agency through their lived experiences in this course study.

Undergraduate students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Spatial Science degree at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) receive instruction in the spatial sciences with a focus on hands-on applications. All undergraduate students take the course Introduction to Spatial Science which includes a comprehensive overview of spatial science incorporating a comparison of standard inexpensive area assessment techniques with high-end computer based area assessment methodologies. Students within this course were instructed how to assess the area of a surface feature on an aerial image with a ruler applying the transect method. Student's average Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) between a student's transect derived area and surveyed area was 0.45, 0.13, 0.07, and 0.02 acres for 5, 10, 15, and 20 transect lines, respectfully. An ANOVA analysis of area assessment and area error assessment indicated that mean area and mean absolute area error were statistically different between transect line groups. In addition, the accuracy of area measured increased significantly as the number of transect lines increased which: (1) indicates students receiving hands-on instruction in estimating area using the transect method can record accurate area measurements after only a limited 2 hour introduction; (2) reveals the accuracy of the transect method is not user dependent; (3) shows area accuracy increases as the number of transects increases; and, (4) validates the interactive hands-on instruction methodology employed at SFASU.

Dropout remains a persistent challenge within high school education. In this paper, we present a case study on automatically detecting whether a student is at-risk of dropout within a diverse school district in Texas. We predict whether a student will drop out in a future school year from data on students' discipline, attendance, course-taking, and grades, using a logistic regression framework. We discuss the predictive properties of the model, and the features that are predictive of dropout in this context.

This paper examines 12 states' statutes that extend in-state resident tuition for undocumented students, illustrating their ambiguities and contradictions as they produce the "subject" in these on-going policy debates. This study asks and answers the question: "How are students' identities produced in ISRT policy?" At stake in this question are the discursive opportunities made available for enabling and/or constraining higher education opportunity, particularly for undocumented students. Findings point to a contradictory set of identities simultaneously made possible and impossible for undocumented students pursuing American higher education.

The researchers sought to find the Agricultural Science teachers' attitude toward five innovations (Computer-Aided Design, Record Books, E-Mail Career Development Event Registration, and World Wide Web) of information technology. The population for this study consisted of all 333 secondary Agricultural science teachers from Texas FFA Areas V and VI. The potential subjects were identified from the Texas Teachers of Agricultural Science & Technology Directory published by the Texas Education Agency. Demographic and program variables for each respondent were classified as independent. Teachers' attitude scores for each innovation were classified as the dependent variable. Correlation analysis was used to identify significant relationships, if existing, between independent and dependent variables. Demographic variables analyzed included years of teaching experience, highest level of education, age, gender, grade level taught, membership in the Vocational Agricultural Teachers Association of Texas (VATAS), types of technology training received, and source of technology training. Program variables included location of campus (rural or metro) and number of Agricultural science teachers of campus. The study indicated favorable attitudes toward information technology were identified since mean subscale scores for each innovation were positive. The Agricultural Science teachers in this study who participated in technology training had more positive attitudes toward information technology. The study reported new information regarding Texas Agricultural Science teachers' attitude toward, and adoption of five specific innovations of information technology (Computer-Aided Design, Computerized Online Record Books, Electronic Mail, Online Career Development Event Registration and World Wide Web). The study also found that the Agricultural Science teachers had favorable attitudes toward online CDE registration, but it had the lowest attitude score. (Contains 8 tables.)

Skills needed to manage a laboratory are essential knowledge for all school-based, agriculture teachers who instruct agricultural mechanics curriculum (Saucier, Terry, & Schumacher, 2009). This research investigated the professional development needs of Texas agricultural education student teachers regarding agricultural mechanics laboratory management. Data were collected with a mailed questionnaire to determine student teachers' perceptions of the importance of 70 agricultural mechanics laboratory management competencies and their self-assessed ability to perform those competencies. The Borich (1980) Needs Assessment Model was used to assess and evaluate the professional development needs of these student teachers. The study found that these student teachers were in need of professional development in many areas of laboratory management, such as diagnosing malfunctioning laboratory equipment, repairing laboratory equipment, and administering first aid. (Contains 6 tables and 1 figure.)

Historically, tactful and calculated development efforts have been attempted through various avenues in American higher education institutions. Higher education institutions have been creative in their attempts to ensure financial solvency. However, the common fallback of tuition increases have proved insufficient to meet most institutions' spending needs. This is magnified during economically challenging times. Cheslock and Gianneschi (2008) explain that "when tuition dollars cannot be increased further, higher education institutions will become especially reliant upon alternative sources of revenue. Private giving is one of the more promising possibilities" (210). This archival essay will highlight the case of how one institution, Baylor University, implemented such a strategy to maintain campus advancement during World War II.

Previous research demonstrates that there is an association between effective teaching and teachers' positive psychological functioning at work. The current study explores the factor structure of the Teacher Subjective Wellbeing Questionnaire (TSWQ), which is a brief measure of two key dimensions of teachers' positive psychological functioning: school connectedness and teaching efficacy. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on TSWQ responses from a sample of 1,883 teachers across eight states, with results suggesting that the TSWQ is a structurally valid measure of its two purported teacher well-being constructs. Furthermore, measurement invariance analyses reveal that the factor structure of the TSWQ stays consistent across elementary, middle, and high school teachers. Taken together, findings from the current study further support the technical adequacy and, by extension, the applied use of the TSWQ in schools to screen for intervention, measure outcomes, and monitor progress.

Music education organizations achieved a huge success in Texas several years ago when legislation declared music as a part of the core curriculum. Similarly, more recent national education legislation like No Child Left Behind has recognized music as a core curricular subject. Since that time, little has been done to assess music students to ensure a set of basic skills and knowledge is being achieved. While national and state music standards exist, these standards, in many cases, are not mandatory and merely serve as a guide or recommendations for music educators to follow. Other core subjects endure severe oversight and rigorous testing at the state and local levels to measure whether or not students are attaining minimum standards. Some music educators are pushing for national testing of music students to demonstrate that music has an academically measurable component. Yet other music educators are fearful that assessment of music education will have the same negative effects that other core subject high-stakes testing has had on schools. This article serves to discuss the current debate on national music assessment and to argue that music education's place in the core curriculum demands an increase in oversight through standardized music assessment of students in music education classes. (Contains 1 footnote.)

Background: Poison centers develop triage threshold guidelines for pediatric metformin ingestions. Our network uses 1700 mg, or 85 mg/kg. Objective: To describe the dose, clinical course, and outcomes for inadvertent metformin ingestions in children 5 years old and younger reported to our statewide poison center network. Methods: We searched the poison center database 2011 to 2021 for metformin ingestions in patients 5 years and younger. Variables included age, sex, weight, dose, symptoms, outcome, and more. We used descriptive statistics with medians and interquartile ranges (IQR) for continuous variables. Results: Of 669 cases, exposures by age were 208 (31.1%) 1 to 2 years, and 275 (41.1%) 2 years. Weight was recorded in 342 (51.1%) (median 13.5 kg; IQR: 3.7 kg), and dose in 149 (22.3%) (median 500 mg; IQR: 500 mg). Milligram/kilogram values were available for 103 (15.4%) with median 42.4 mg/kg, IQR: 39 mg/kg. Most (647, 98.5%) exposures were unintentional. Most (445/669, 66.5%) were managed at a non-healthcare facility, while 204 (30.7%) were already at or referred to a healthcare facility. Of these 204 patients, 169 (82.8%) were evaluated and treated at the emergency department and discharged. Four (2%) were admitted to critical care, and 7 (3.4%) to the ward. Medical outcomes by effect were 5 (0.7%) minor, 2 (0.3%) moderate, 253 (37.8%) none, 292 (43.6%) not followed (minimal effects possible), and no major effects or deaths. Of 20 clinical occurrences reported, vomiting was most common (8, 1.2%). Conclusion: Despite little recorded dosage information, pediatric metformin ingestions under 85 mg/kg had predominantly uneventful medical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The treatment of trauma patients requires significant hospital resources. Numerous protocols exist to triage the injured patient and determine the level of care they may require. The purpose of this work is to describe an institutional trauma nurse screening procedure and to evaluate its effectiveness in triaging injured patients. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at a large, tertiary trauma center from January to June 2021. Patients were assessed by trauma nurse clinicians (TNC) utilizing a standardized screening process to determine suitability for trauma activation. If the patient did not meet activation criteria, they were sent to the main Emergency Department for evaluation and treatment. Patients could be activated later by the emergency physician. The primary variables of interest were number of activations after initial "rule out," injury severity score (ISS) for patients who were activated, mechanism of injury, and disposition. Results: A total of 1874 TNC screenings were performed. Of these, 1449 (77%) patients did not meet trauma activation criteria. Only 41 (2.8%) patients initially ruled out were later activated by the emergency physician and admitted for treatment of injuries. The average ISS of all activated patients was 9 ± 6. Thirty-six patients had an ISS ≤ 15, four between 16 and 25, and only one patient had an ISS > 25. Twenty-seven patients were admitted to the ward, five went to step-down units, and five required intensive care unit admission. Four patients required operative intervention for their injuries. Conclusion: These results suggest that nursing screening protocols can be safe, effective tools for triage of trauma patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latinos have become the largest minority group in American postsecondary education, a majority of whom attend two- or four-year Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). However, little is known about labor market outcomes as result of attending these institutions. Using a unique student-level administrative database in Texas, and accounting for college selectivity, we examine whether attending an HSI influences labor market outcomes ten years after high school graduation for Latino students in Texas. We find no difference in the earnings of Hispanic graduates from HSIs and non-HSIs. This analysis represents one of the first to examine the labor market outcomes for Latino students in this sector of education accounting for critical factors that include a student's high school and community context.

Library workflows are an area where repetitive stress can potentially reduce staff efficiency. Day to day activities that require a repetitive motion can bring about physical and psychological fatigue. For library managers, it is important to seek ways in which this type of repetitive stress can be alleviated while having the added benefit of increasing staff productivity and efficiency. Another area where repetitive stress plays a role is in the computer gaming arena. The tasks undertaken by a computer gamer are not unlike the tasks undertaken by a library staff member. It is in this arena of computer gaming that libraries can find new tools and methods for reducing repetitive stress, computer based stress, as well an increase efficiency and effectiveness. This type of improvement can be accomplished by incorporating gaming peripherals into the workflow of the library staff member.

This study explored how administrators at community colleges conceptualized change related to resource allocation and managing competing priorities to support targeted programming for Latino men. The study included the perspectives of 39 administrators from seven community colleges across Texas using concepts associated with institutional change to ground our analysis. Findings revealed that state and national initiatives, particularly those concerned with enhancing success for students of color, influenced how community college administrators approached change on their campuses. In addition, community college institutional mission, leadership, and a desire for data-informed resource management influenced the approach to resource allocation for Latino men.

This study explored the perceptions of resilience and coping among homeless young adults, a focus that differs from previous research by considering the unconventional resilience and coping of this high-risk population. Semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted with 45 homeless young adults. Individual interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by coders using an iterative process of content analysis. Findings revealed four primary themes that highlight perceptions of resiliency and coping, including individual strengths, positive life perspective, external social supports, and individual coping strategies. Implications for professionals working with this population suggest that developing and strengthening programs tailored to utilize homeless young adults' resiliency may be beneficial. Recognizing the strengths and resilience that homeless young adults are capable of, and incorporating a strength-based perspective to empower these young adults, may encourage positive choices and increase the likelihood of transitioning out of homelessness.

The purpose of this project was to determine the effectiveness of the Helping Administer to the Needs of the Student with Diabetes in Schools (H.A.N.D.S.?) continuing education program in improving the level of experience and competence in performing services associated with diabetes care. This program is a live course for school nurses providing clinical information about diabetes management and their professional role in the care of students with diabetes. Pre- and post-surveys were administered via e-mail to assess their level of experience and competence in diabetes care. A total of 105 nurses completed both surveys and were included in the analysis. The changes between pre- and post-survey questions were assessed. The H.A.N.D.S. participants' levels of experience and competence for each of the four categories of diabetes care improved significantly, and a greater number of nurses reported being able to perform the services independently and having the ability to teach others.

In this study, we test the effect of in-class student peer review on student learning outcomes using a quasiexperimental design. We provide an assessment of peer review in a quantitative research methods course, which is a traditionally difficult and technical course. Data were collected from 170 students enrolled in four sections of a quantitative research methods course, two in-class peer review sections, and two sections that did not incorporate in-class peer review over two semesters. For the two sections with peer review, content scheduled for the days during which peer review was used in class was delivered through the online course management system. We find that in-class peer review did not improve final grades or final performance on student learning outcomes, nor did it affect performance differences between drafts and final assignments that measured student learning objectives. Further, it took time away from in-class delivery of course content in course sections that used in-class peer review. If peer review is utilized, we recommend it be assigned as an out-of-class assignment so it does not interfere with in-class teaching.

The academic library, given its often privileged position on campus, is the information source that can include directional as well as general campus facts among the myriad of print and e-resources for reference. Also, an academic library's audiences can be quite varied and include prospective students or parents seeking more general knowledge of the building and the campus. Many times this need for information drives patrons to the library service desks. Sometimes, especially during the high-demand seasons of new student orientation and beginning of the fall semesters, the desk is so busy that many patrons will leave because they don't have the time to wait. To address this immediate need for information, Texas Tech University Libraries developed an interactive kiosk to provide general information for frequently asked questions in a more efficient, creative, and interactive way. The kiosk provides a fun method of satisfying a patron's information needs without the requirement of a staff member or the need to wait in line for help. The kiosk is available as long as the Library is open and provides a variety of useful answers to general questions, as well as facts about the Library.

This study uses a phenomenological approach to examine how Latino male students at community colleges engage with their male peers. The analysis utilizes a male gender role conflict (MGRC) framework and employs cultural conceptions of masculinity, specifically machismo and caballerismo. Practitioners and researchers might leverage positive aspects of masculinity associated with caballerismo to help men succeed academically, while promoting reflection on and interrogation of aspects of masculinity that might lead to negative educational outcomes.