In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a mandatory shift from in-person instruction to online learning for many young children. Teachers needed to adjust to virtual teaching, children were isolated from their peers, and parents played a bigger role in learning during the pandemic. In 2021, the shift back to in-person learning occurred. Research has…

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has had drastic effects on K-12 teachers. Researchers partnered with a teacher advisory board to identify factors associated with K-12 teachers' consideration of leaving teaching during Fall 2020. METHODS: A web-based survey focused on teachers' working experiences was emailed to school union membership listservs…

The scope of the chemical engineering curriculum has increased over time with the addition of new content such as coding and sustainability. This study aimed to identify the specific career paths of 311 chemical engineering students from the University of Kentucky (Lexington and Paducah) over the past five years. We also explored job placement of…

The study of anatomy is a team-driven field in which anatomy instruction occurs in small groups in the laboratory with one faculty member guiding students through each anatomical region. One laboratory experience may include several small group instructors in one simultaneous learning session. In comparison, the education of future gross…

College food insecurity (FI) and poor psychosocial health are prevalent public health issues in the U.S., yet often overlooked. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, repercussions on these critical inequity issues remain unclear. During the summer months of 2020, this cross-sectional survey examined associations between students' self-reported FI and…

Has in-person learning and virtual learning produced equivalent results when it comes to student achievement? How can a district be flexible with learning options but also strategic with how to best achieve student learning gains? This case-study examines how one district leveraged virtual learning and flexible learning options during COVID-19 and…

During such an unprecedented time of the largest public health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing students are of the utmost concern regarding their psychological and physical well-being. It is important to identify and establish influences and associations within multilevel factors, including the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on…

In "Critical Conditions," Elaine Weiss, Bruce Levine, and Kimberly Sterin outline successful strategies for whole child and whole community support that can help school systems meet broader student needs in times of disruption. They take a deep look at Integrated Student Supports (ISS), an approach to education policy and practice…

Kentucky has the highest cancer incidence and mortality rates in the nation, with rates greatest in the Appalachian region due to poor health behaviors and inequities in social determinants of health. The Appalachian Career Training in Oncology (ACTION) Program at the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center engages 20 Appalachian-native high…

The American Community Survey (ACS), a nationwide study collected continuously every year in every county in the United States, is designed to provide communities with reliable and timely demographic, social, economic, and housing data each year. These ACS estimates are not averages of monthly or annual values, but rather an aggregation of data…

In the U.S., state guidance to schools in response to the COVID-19 pandemic was politicized. We used state-level political affiliation to explore whether access to curricular resources differed pre-pandemic or during pandemic remote teaching and teachers' reported control over curricular resources during pandemic teaching. We found that…

The decline in English majors has energized instructors to upskill for the post-COVID Gen Z student. Toward that end, this small-scale (n=20), one-semester study of an upper-division literature class identifies the preferred learning styles of English majors at a public comprehensive regional university in Kentucky. The participants represent…

The roles of technology and education were at the forefront throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This mixed-methods study examines the role of the three levels of the digital divide (i.e., access, capability, and outcomes) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky. We create and analyze a new multifaceted measure of district-level digital capacity to…

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) reverses a trend toward centralization of education policy and instead provides greater authority to the states. This study explores states' interpretation and early implementation of ESSA's equity-related provisions. Using a qualitative case study approach, we find wide variation in the design and…

Hold-harmless provisions in state aid formulas are meant to restrict declines in revenues for school districts. They may take several forms, including limits on the changes in state aid from year to year, supplemental funding for districts with declining enrollment, alternatives for calculating the state aid amount, or use of past enrollments in…