This study examined why schools and districts transitioned from traditional education systems to competency-based, the challenges and benefits school experienced, and characteristics needed in a leader for the shift in education. The study used a quantitative approach informed by survey and correlational research. The participants in this study…

Competency mapping in higher education is not a new technique for curriculum development. Competency-based curriculum in health care administration programs has appeared in the literature every few years. Texas State University has taught a bachelor's in health administration (BHA) and a master's in health administration (MHA) for decades and…

Computational thinking is acknowledged as an essential competency for everyone to learn. However, teachers find it challenging to implement the existing learning approaches in K-12 settings because the existing approaches often focus on teaching computing concepts and skills (i.e., programming skills) rather than on helping students develop their…

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, young children did not attend school in the traditional setting. However, many teachers, schools, and districts conducted online instruction to allow students to still learn despite the restrictions. After two years, teachers and students returned to the classrooms and schools. However, the time away from school…

Prior learning assessment (PLA) supports student persistence, shortens time-to-degree, and boosts degree completion, particularly for post-traditional (adult or non-traditional) students and underserved populations. This proceeding examines an innovative approach to PLA using block credit. Administered within the award-winning Department of…

The National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) -- in partnership with the Texas Tech University (TTU) College of Education and 12 high-need school districts in Texas and Louisiana -- sought to change principal preparation to produce highly effective administrators to lead high-need schools. The result of the partnership was the…

States are grappling with policy strategies to determine attendance in the era of COVID-19 school closures and remote learning. Allowing districts and schools to develop an attendance policy using a combination of options to determine attendance can offer maximum flexibility. These options include, but are not limited to: (1) time on task (task…

The goal of this research was to explore Mexican American cultural elements through folklore as a way of addressing cultural competence. Content analysis of 21 stories, which were collected from Mexican American older adults, indicated that strong family ties, gender roles, and religiosity are central cultural elements in Mexican American culture.…

There are few areas where American teachers are as united as they are in their dissatisfaction with their professional learning and advancement opportunities. The lack of meaningful offerings affects states' ability to attract, develop, and retain strong teachers, which in turn impedes schools' ability to help students fulfill their potential.…

RAND partnered with Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and American Institutes for Research to support the state's developmental education reform efforts through a combination of continuous improvement support and analysis of statewide data on implementation. One of the reforms examined through the study was the state's recommendation that…

In the past several decades, higher education has witnessed the exponential growth of online learning. New technology has dramatically transformed the way education is delivered compared to what takes place in the traditional classroom. It has enabled online delivery of course materials to students outside of face-to-face classroom in an…

The increasing need for highly-skilled employees in the workplace has policymakers and higher education leaders focused on innovative ways for students to access postsecondary education. These access points can include online programs, prior learning assessments and, the subject of this snapshot, competency-based education. The National Center for…

In recent years, two-year colleges have tried various strategies to improve student outcomes and remediate skill deficits in order to promote academic and employment success. Promising approaches include career pathways, dual-enrollment, competency-based credentialing, sectoral strategies, wrap-around services, and acceleration. Taken together,…

This research project was used to examine variables influencing preferred learning modes of online competency-based education (CBE) students registered in a Bachelor's of Organizational Leadership degree program at a traditional university in east Texas, using 4 learning modes (independent, instrumental, interactive, and collaborative). A…

The demographic profile of the United States has been rapidly changing; by 2020, minority students will constitute the majority of the public school student population nationwide. This makes cultural competence a necessity for today's school leaders. Educational leadership preparation programs are responsible for preparing culturally competent…