The purpose of this qualitative narrative study is to explore how superintendents perceive the importance of early childhood education in their school districts amid the State of Illinois's continued cuts to education spending. Also, this study examines the perceptions of superintendents' decision-making processes as it relates to the funding of…

For every decision teachers make, there is an ethical or moral reason behind it. Whether the decision centers on students, themselves, colleagues, families, communities, policy, or law, underlying this decision is a belief, a driving force that influenced the decision. How that teacher came to that decision is the beginning of this research. This…

For any labor market to function properly, clear information is needed to guide decision making; its absence invariably leads to less than optimal decisions and inefficiencies. While the broader labor market is riddled with imperfect information, the teacher labor market is particularly vulnerable--largely for the lack of the most basic…

This manuscript presents findings from a study of the contributing factors and details of special education due process hearings in the United States that involved students with emotional and behavioral disorders. The study examined 101 due process hearings conducted over a three-year period in a five-state sample: California, Illinois,…

There is a nursing faculty shortage contributing to the nursing shortage that necessitates more than just standard recruitment and retention efforts. The purpose of this study was to understand faculty persistence by asking nurse faculty members why they persist in their educating role, what factors influence their persistence, and what obstacles…

A tension in designing classroom learning involves balancing the questions and interests of students with the goals of teachers and standards. One approach to navigating this tension in science classrooms is to simultaneously support and constrain students' questions about an observable natural phenomenon in the classroom and then take up those…

Despite the importance of teachers and the fact that teacher hiring is decentralized in most school districts, we know relatively little about the process through which individual principals hire faculty for their schools. Using interviews with 31 Chicago principals, we explore how principals find job candidates, whether they collaborate with…

There are many voices today discussing the necessity of changing the ways we teach, for example, Gen Y studies about the way students learn, employers' lists of skills they say current graduates need, and colleges that desire to always improve how they deliver information. These have led to classes where the learning styles are more hand-on, less…

Although parent involvement is a cornerstone of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), few individual parents of children with disabilities participate in civic engagement to voice their suggestions for the next IDEA reauthorization. To address this gap, a civic engagement training was conducted with 95 parents of children with…

While there is scant evidence that standardized test results (SAT/ACT) predict college success, these scores can act as barriers to college admissions and honors programs, particularly for students in underserved communities. This study examines the impact of transitioning from an honors admission framework--in which standardized tests are a key…

This series of short essays considers the complex choices and decision-making processes of instructors preparing to teach, and continuing to teach, introductory courses in religious studies. In a paper originally presented in the University of Chicago's "The Craft of Teaching in the Academic Study of Religion" series, Russell McCutcheon…

This pilot study identified and provided initial exploration into the notion that the presence of children can increase or amplify the emotional significance of encounters with white-tailed deer. Qualitative data demonstrated that Northern Illinois natural area decision makers found deer encounters to be more memorable when simultaneously sharing…

In the spring of 2015, Dr. Karen Sullivan, superintendent of Indian Prairie School District 204 in Aurora, Illinois, signed the Alliance for Excellent Education's Future Ready Pledge, "making a firm commitment to implementing meaningful changes toward a digital learning transition that supports teachers, and addresses the district's vision…

Using data to inform classroom decision-making is a salient facet of teachers' professional practice. However, some evidence suggests that teacher data use practices are unevenly distributed within and across school contexts. In response, the present study examined school-level (elementary, middle, and high) differences in four categories of data…

Previous research has established that attracting and retaining members is a significant challenge associated with the formation and maintenance of interest groups. Research has also established that interest groups play a significant role in the formation of educational policy. This study will attempt to provide insight as to those factors that…