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School-law enforcement partnerships benefit from well-written memorandums of understandings (MOUs) that have been collaboratively developed with input from school law enforcement agencies and school divisions. While many school-law enforcement partnerships report having MOUs, little is known about what information the MOUs provide. We conducted a content analysis of 73 MOUs from school-law enforcement partnerships in Virginia. We coded the MOUs to obtain information about MOU structure and format and the coverage of three topic areas: school resource officer (SRO) roles, SRO training, and SRO role in school discipline. Our analysis revealed most MOUs cover the three topic areas, but what the MOUs said about these topics varied tremendously. The findings suggest all those involved in MOU development might benefit from easily accessible, streamlined resources that outline what specific issues need to be addressed when creating MOUs and how to navigate nuanced discussions about the roles and training of SROs.

Civic engagement is recognized as a critical process to address environmental and other societal issues. To examine the intersection between environmental education and civic engagement, as reported in the peer-reviewed literature, we undertook a systematic mixed studies review to identify environmental education program outcomes related to civic engagement. The environmental education programs included in the final sample (n = 56) occurred in a range of settings, involved diverse audiences, and were generally longer than a month in duration. All 56 studies reported some level of positive findings, with 19 reporting civic-related outcomes at the community level, such as community learning, community resilience, partnership building, and increased social capital. Fifty studies reported civic-related outcomes at the individual level, with civic attitudes being the most frequent. Increased civic skills and civic knowledge were also commonly reported. Analysis revealed five themes related to environmental education practices and implementation that appear to support development of civic engagement: (1) focusing on the local community; (2) actively engaging learners through participatory and experiential approaches; (3) including action-taking as an integral part of the education program; (4) emphasizing development of lifelong cognitive skills; and (5) providing ongoing opportunities for participants to engage in meaningful social interaction.

Although research on the effectiveness of school resource officers (SROs) remains mixed, the number of SROs in the U.S. continues to grow. We interviewed 18 SROs, SRO supervisors, and school leaders from exemplar programs to explore SRO role perceptions. Analysis revealed three themes: (1) SROs support a safe learning environment via multiple roles; (2) common SRO roles are law enforcer, educator, community liaison, and emergency manager; and (3) additional roles are site-specific. Our findings suggest a need to articulate expected SRO roles and recognize SROs often play multiple, overlapping roles to support a safe environment for student learning.

Objectives: This research brief explores the literature addressing quality in undergraduate education to identify what previous research has said about quality and to offer future directions for research on quality in undergraduate education. Method: We conducted a scoping review to provide a broad overview of existing research. Using targeted search terms in academic databases, we identified and reviewed relevant academic literature to develop emergent themes and implications for future research. Results: The exploratory review of the literature revealed a range of thoughtful discussions and empirical studies attempting to define quality in undergraduate education. Many publications highlighted the importance of including different stakeholder perspectives and presented some of the varying perceptions of quality among different stakeholders. Conclusions: While a number of researchers have explored and written about how to define quality in undergraduate education, there is not a general consensus regarding a definition of quality in undergraduate education. Past research offers a range of insights, models, and data to inform future research. Implication for Theory and/or Practice: We provide four recommendations for future research to contribute to a high quality undergraduate educational experience. We suggest more comprehensive systematic reviews of the literature as a next step.

As systematic reviews (SRs) of research increase in number, the methods used to conduct the analyses are becoming more diversified. While named in the methodological literature as an analytical approach, grounded theory (GT) is not frequently used as an approach in SRs; when it is, reviewers typically emphasize the use of GT coding and constant comparative methods while ignoring other key components of GT. In this article, we describe an SR of environmental education research that incorporated GT methodology to produce a theoretical model. To contribute to emerging discussions about methodological integrity when combining distinct methods like SRs and GT, we outline how our review methods aligned with core principles of GT and discuss implications of using GT when conducting an SR.

Our world faces a range of environmental problems directly linked to or exacerbated by human actions and choices. Environmental education (EE) is one tool that can create a more environmentally literate citizenry. EE research contains numerous studies examining whether or not EE programs are achieving certain outcomes, yet research on the identification of important program factors remains unclear. The purpose of this grounded theory systematic review was initial exploration into what makes EE effective with secondary students. This research was designed to develop a grounded theory model that synthesizes the strategies and outcomes associated with EE for this specific context. A systematic search identified 39 studies published between 2011 and 2018 that examined EE for secondary students in the US. Grounded theory coding and theoretical sampling informed the development of the Implementation of Authentic Environmental Education Programs (IAEEP) model, which posits program authenticity as the core category underlying the process of EE with secondary students in the US. The resultant grounded theory model can help guide secondary school educators and EE practitioners in the development and implementation of EE for secondary students.

Background: Brain tumours are the most common and fatal of all solid tumours for children and adolescents. The effects of the tumour and treatment (chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery) results in significant disruptions to childhood development and large amounts of missed schooling. Among other challenges for families, this produces obstacles for children and adolescents to achieve and maintain academic performance and experience positive schooling encounters. Aims: We thus aimed to systematically identify and synthesize qualitative evidence on how families experience paediatric brain tumour from diagnosis and beyond with regards to their schooling and education to identify gaps in service delivery, research, and policy. Methods: A protocol for this review was registered with PROSPERO (ID: CRD42020177165). Searches were conducted in Medline, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Embase, and Web of Science, and yielded 22 eligible papers (representing 17 studies). Data were extracted into NVivo12 and analysed by qualitative description. Results: We formed the following domain summaries: academic (perceived failure to keep up with peers and finding success where one could, the importance of encouragement for diagnosed children), social (the importance of friendships and the harm of bullying), and support (the defining factor in overall return-to-school experience, often not enough received from educational professionals and clinicians). Our review highlights the need for more comprehensive, individualized, and integrated support for diagnosed children to return to educational institutions, and for the need to address their social experiences, particularly with regards to bullying, potentially through a school-wide social and emotional learning approach. Conclusion: Funding support, evidence-based guidelines, staff skill development, and clear communication structures across families, health care facilities, schools, and educational departments are essential to achieving this.

Increased interest in climate change education and the growing recognition of the challenges inherent to addressing this issue create an opportunity to conduct a systematic review to understand what research can contribute to our ideas about effective climate change education. An academic database, EBSCO"host," was used to identify 959 unique citation records addressing climate change education. Of these, 49 sources met the criteria of focusing on assessment of climate change education interventions. Analysis of these sources examined the intervention purpose, assessment methodology, and identified strategies that might result in effective interventions. Two themes were identified that are common to most environmental education: (1) focusing on personally relevant and meaningful information and (2) using active and engaging teaching methods. Four themes specific to issues such as climate change were also generated: (1) engaging in deliberative discussions, (2) interacting with scientists, (3) addressing misconceptions, and (4) implementing school or community projects. Suggestions for addressing controversial topics like climate change are offered.

Many practitioners and researchers describe academic and environmental benefits of environmental education for kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12) students. To consider the empirical underpinnings of those program descriptions, we systematically analyzed the peer-reviewed literature (1994-2013), focusing on outcomes of environmental education programs with K-12 students. In the resulting sample of 119 articles, we identified 121 unique outcomes, finding that most articles reported positive findings from the programs under study. Reflections stemming from the review highlight the versatility of environmental education, while also suggesting opportunities for bolder and more diversified approaches in research design and thinking.

Despite public support, environmental education (EE) is rarely a priority for funders, even those interested in the environment or education. We examined reasons behind the paucity of EE funding, focusing on U.S. foundations, which are one of the largest sources of support for environmental efforts. We analyzed historical giving data and interviewed a dozen funders. Over the 2003 to 2007 period, we found EE funding represented approximately 5% of overall environment funding in the United States. Reasons for the low level of EE support included definitional complexity, uncertainty about efficacy, and inclusion of EE funding within issue-specific grants, such as those focused on climate change. (Contains 3 notes, 4 tables, and 2 figures.)

With a shared focus on resiliency, agency, and pro-sociality, environmental education and positive youth development (PYD) have numerous intersections. Recognizing and supporting this synergy can help both fields achieve their goals, namely increased pro-environmental action and improved youth outcomes. To better understand this convergence, we undertook a systematic review to explore what environmental education outcomes reported in the peer-reviewed literature support PYD. We searched empirical research and identified 60 relevant studies. Qualitative coding revealed environmental educators are supporting PYD with a range of audiences and in varied settings via documented outcomes from all categories of the 5Cs model of PYD: competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring. Analysis revealed eight programme strategies and approaches that support PYD outcome development, including incorporating meaningful daily-life connections; emphasizing student-centred activities; and building in opportunities for teamwork, environmental action, and experiential learning. We conclude with research and practice implications for PYD and environmental education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a critical part of the marine resource management community's toolbox in seeking a sustainable and vibrant global ocean system. The processes of community engagement with MPAs, however, are rooted in pre-existing power dynamics inherent in environmental governance systems and influenced by historical contexts of colonialism. Marine governance has historically operated in a top-down manner, imposing exclusionary forms of conservation on local communities without affording them equitable power in the process. Meaningful engagement of community members in MPAs has been suggested as one of the key enabling conditions that drive successful marine protection. Specifically, participatory science methods have the potential to engage local communities, elevate local voices and expertise, and strengthen both local communities and scientific learning. This systematic scoping review assesses the peer-reviewed literature to understand the quality and nature of participatory science methods that have been used to engage communities in MPAs. The review highlights that, while participatory science methods are not uncommon in MPAs, they seldom challenge existing power dynamics. The results of this review show that power in MPA processes related to participatory science is generally retained by conventional researchers and MPA managers. Based on these findings, the authors provide recommendations to marine resource management researchers and practitioners to help the ocean governance community support greater power sharing with local communities through equitable and locally appropriate participatory science methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey of 45 extension agents and 59 state forestry agency staff 1 year after inservice training on developing public education programs on wildland fire received 71 responses. Three primary barriers to program implementation were identified: educational, logistical, and attitudinal. Providing a toolkit of materials and resources reduced logistical and educational barriers. (Contains 14 references.) (SK)

Environmental education focused on the early-childhood years is experiencing dynamic growth in research and practice due to persistent environmental challenges coupled with burgeoning interest in the documented benefits of nature-rich experiences for infants and children. To better understand the landscape of early childhood environmental education (ECEE) pedagogical practices and expected outcomes, we undertook a systematic review of empirical studies of ECEE programs. Focusing on a 25-year span, we surfaced 66 studies that met our inclusion criteria. We found that participants in such programs spanned the early-childhood age range (birth through age eight) with the majority involving three- to six-year-olds in teacher-led, formal (school-like) programs. The primary outcomes documented in our sample studies included environmental literacy development, cognitive development, and social and emotional development. To a lesser extent, the studies addressed physical development and language and literacy development. On balance, our sample of ECEE studies reported strongly positive findings associated with the aforementioned outcomes. The majority emphasized the effectiveness of play-based, nature-rich pedagogical approaches that incorporated movement and social interaction. We include a visualization that synthesizes cross-sample findings with the intention of assisting ECEE practitioners in developing, implementing, and evaluating programs as well as encouraging researchers to further study elements, processes, and theoretical assumptions inherent in them. • We systematically reviewed 66 early-childhood environmental education studies. • Environmental education supports young children's affective and cognitive growth. • Nature connection is important for children's healthy social-emotional development. • Nature-rich settings and experiences are key in early environmental education. • Early-childhood environmental education approaches emphasize play and movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]