This study analyzed Pennsylvania School Climate Survey data from students and staff in the 2021/22 school year to assess the validity and reliability of the elementary school student version of the survey; approaches to scoring the survey in individual schools at all grade levels; and perceptions of school climate across student, staff, and school…

These are the appendixes for the report, "Strengthening the Pennsylvania School Climate Survey to Inform School Decisionmaking." This study analyzed Pennsylvania School Climate Survey data from students and staff in the 2021/22 school year to assess the validity and reliability of the elementary school student version of the survey;…

In this quantitative study, discipleship strategies of churches in the Christian and Missionary Alliance were surveyed, to determine if discipleship strategies were effective at fulfilling the mission of helping people connect with God and grow spiritually. Data were collected from 30 church attenders from Western Pennsylvania churches, 27 of…

Purpose: Our purpose was to gather and evaluate accurate, up-to-date information on physical education (PE) policy implementation across multiple U.S. states and regions. Methods: A U.S. Physical Education and Physical Activity Policy questionnaire was developed and completed by 4,845 public-school PE teachers from 25 U.S. states. The U.S.…

Aim: The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the role of sensory-based intervention in school-based occupational therapy. The research questions are: 1. How do school-based occupational therapists (OTs) describe the role of sensory-based intervention (SBI) in an educational setting? 2. Which current practice trends influence…

The study of school readiness is multifaceted, encompassing an understanding of many developmental areas and skills. In the current educational culture of high-stakes testing, increased rigor, and high learning expectations, parents may be concerned about a child's readiness to begin kindergarten. With increased accountability, teachers may also…

Geospatial services in academic libraries are now common at many institutions, especially in the United States. The challenge now faced by geospatial services providers is to evolve and adapt their skills and service offerings in response to changes in research, teaching, and learning communities. Online survey instruments are a common tool used…

Professional development is supposed to increase instructional capacity in teachers. It is well funded by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which also provides clear expectations for activities and programs that research suggests make it effective in improving student learning (Ball & Cohen, 1999; Banilower et al., 2006; Gersten et…

Instructional supervision has been one of the most researched, and debated topics in education in the last several decades. It continues to be a topic of relevance, especially in Pennsylvania, where the 2013-2014 school year began with the introduction of the teacher supervision and evaluation framework, Act 82 of 2012 (PSBA, 2013). Instructional…

The purpose of this study was to investigate how nature-inspired art education might foster a sense of connectedness and collaboration in adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (hereinafter knows as ASD) in a day program. While many studies have uncovered such beneficial art education for children with ASD, there has been little research attempted…

The Pennsylvania Department of Education's (PDE's) Office for Safe Schools partnered with REL Mid-Atlantic to conduct a study using data from PDE's school climate survey. This survey, which is available on a voluntary basis to any school in the state, provides a way to track school climate and identify schools that need additional support to…

These are the appendixes for the full report, "Changes in School Climate during COVID-19 in a Sample of Pennsylvania Schools." The REL study analyzed changes in scores from a pre-pandemic year (2018/19) to the 2020/21 and 2021/22 school years, both of which were affected by COVID-19 and related policy changes. These technical appendixes…

Teacher leaders are people who lead by example and, in this school, most are not afraid to speak up even if it is not politically correct. Teacher leaders are selfless people who are looking out for what is best for all, especially the students. They are risk takers. With the introduction of technology and accountability measures, education…

Attendees at mid-Atlantic grower meetings were surveyed in 2012 and 2014 regarding their knowledge of the invasive brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) and its impact. Responses to individual questions were paired and analyzed for independence between survey years. Despite a large-scale effort by Extension to inform growers and others about BMSB,…

Mixed-mode surveys present one opportunity for Extension to determine program outcomes at lower costs. In order to conduct a follow-up evaluation, we implemented a mixed-mode survey that relied on communication using the Web, postal mailings, and telephone calls. Using multiple modes conserved costs by reducing the number of postal mailings yet…