Based on the intersection of different systems at school entry, children and families often experience uncertainty about their preparedness and impending shift from other early childhood settings. This study used a mixed-methods explanatory sequential design and investigated the perspectives of parents and caregivers on kindergarten readiness with…

Bilingual teachers of Color navigate many in-between spaces as they forge hybrid teacher identities; Chicana feminist scholars have referred to these crossroads between cultural ideologies, values, and beliefs as spaces of "nepantla." In this qualitative case study, we analyzed the work of 31 teachers from two cohorts of multilingual…

Colleges are becoming increasingly diverse, including strengthening representation of students with disabilities in STEM (Science, Teaching, Engineering, and Math) fields; however, representation still lags behind national trends. To adapt to this changing demographic and improve representation, STEM college professors must be prepared to grant…

Conducting K-12 outreach programs on university or college campuses focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines is an essential part of the multifaceted effort for preparing future generations of engineers and scientists. However, the lack of structured frameworks to design and deliver activities and programs…

Idaho Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) aims to build biomedical research capacity and enhance the scientific and technology knowledge of the Idaho workforce. A key INBRE Program at The College of Idaho, a primarily undergraduate institution of 1,100 students, is a 10-wk summer fellows…

From 2013 to 2016, the Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality and the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) partnered to design and test the Summer Learning Program Quality Intervention (SLPQI). The Summer Learning Program Quality Assessment, which defines quality as the presence of identified practices that benefit young people, was…

Creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration are thought to be the core skills that will enable students to be successful in the future. Economic and social development of a nation is associated with the individuals' such new skills, which are commonly referred as the twenty-first-century skills. However, the educational methods…

Computational thinking (CT) skills are critical for the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, thus drawing increasing attention in STEM education. More curricula and assessments, however, are needed to cultivate and measure CT for different learning goals. Maker activities have the potential to improve student CT, but…

The purpose of this study is to examine the professional development of preschool teachers during summer holidays, and to develop recommendations for professional development between teaching semesters. The study is built on the basic interpretive design, with a study group of 24 preschool teachers. The data were collected through semi-structured…

This research examines teachers' perspectives of a summer research experience for urban science teachers at an urban university with an ongoing commitment to support under-resourced schools. The program is a collaboration between the Colleges of Engineering and Education, and was developed to support urban science teachers' understanding of…

Recent policy discussions have proposed government-guaranteed jobs, including for youth. One key potential benefit of youth employment is a reduction in criminal justice contact. Prior work on summer youth employment programs has documented little-to-no effect of the program on crime during the program but has found decreases in violent and other…

Many school districts provide one-time transition events to help students prepare for the rigors of kindergarten; yet, research shows families desire additional information and opportunities to help their children thrive once school begins. Researchers for this study interviewed 39 parents whose children participated in a three-week structured…

Authors describe how a summer respite introduces alternative ways and spaces in which to work, positing how collaborative discourse and dismantled hierarchies can affect positive change and productive outcomes for honors programs.

More than two years into the pandemic, individuals and institutions alike have faced significant hardships caused by COVID-19, which has had a serious impact on the health, economic stability, and overall well-being of the country. For the afterschool field, the pandemic has caused disruption to services, increased operational costs, and put…

Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), Summer Bridge Programs (SBP)across the California State University (CSU) system vary in design and delivery. This mixed-methods study investigated six CSU SBP designs, delivery, and 4-year graduation rates of SBP participants during the 2015 through 2019 years. The qualitative portion of this study consisted…