Despite the repeated documentation of the positive outcomes for students with extensive support needs (ESN) when they are included in general education settings and receive access to state-adopted general education standards, there has been little systemic progress on the inclusion of students with ESN across most states. The purpose of this…

With this position paper, we advance the case for reformation of U.S. special education law and praxis. These have undergone mostly incremental changes over the five decades since their inception despite a substantial body of evidence amassed over this period, which points to a major gap between extant policy and praxis, and contemporary cultural…

The study explores the implementation of teacher evaluation models and federal education policies, particularly AchieveNJ, in an urban public school district in New Jersey. It focuses on principals' experiences and perceptions, uncovering their challenges and thoughts on the policy's effectiveness in enhancing teacher performance and student…

Our study presents some of the voces of Latinas/os/xs undergraduates in a western U.S. business school to explore the concept of "working identity" in employment discrimination law under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. While overt racial discrimination is outlawed, racial salience through factors such as phenotype, accent,…

The purpose of this article is to compel educators to think critically about how the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a prominent school-based legislation in the United States, and caregiver/parental participation relate to each other and to equity in special education outcomes. I use two illustrative case studies to show how…

Background: We aimed to better understand the impact of statewide legislation removing personal belief exemptions (PBEs) for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) school immunization requirement and factors associated with resulting health-seeking behaviors. Methods: We used chi-squared tests and logistic regression models to determine individual-…

The case study contained within this dissertation is a part of the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP). The aim of this project has been to examine successful school principalship in Alabama through in-depth analysis of qualitative interview data. The primary focus of the study is the nature of school…

Purpose: The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) reduced the role of the federal government in K-12 education, giving states more flexibility while maintaining protections for marginalized groups. Despite the potential to leverage flexibility, little is known about how states are addressing equity. Research Methods: Using a critical policy analysis…

Food insecurity is a growing concern among college students. This narrative inquiry provides a greater understanding of food insecurity's impact on the college-going experience for urban students. Interviews were conducted with five college students who attend a large public urban university in the mid-Atlantic and use the on-campus food pantry.…

The goal of this quasi-experimental study was to assess the effects of Dual-Coding Theory on domain-specific vocabulary and comprehension in a 5th grade social studies classroom. The pretest/posttest design research was conducted in a rural elementary school (N = 49). Twenty-three students participated in an intervention of dual-coding based…

The current implementation fidelity narrative in education is one written in federal legislation (e.g., ESSA, 2015; IDEA, 2004) and peer-reviewed journals (e.g., Chu et al., 2020; Noell et al., 2014). While teachers represent a significant force for the implementation of evidence-based practices in schools, their experiences and wisdom are often…

The achievement performance of English language learners (ELLs) continues to fall behind non-ELL peers. The problem is a lack of leadership guidance for teachers of English language learners (ELLs) to close the achievement gap between ELL and non-ELL students. The purpose of this basic qualitative research was to explore the perceptions and…

In this policy road map, Jobs for the Future (JFF) offers common-sense, field-tested policy solutions that state and federal lawmakers can enact today to begin reengineering education and workforce systems toward the vision and core principles of No Dead Ends. These policy recommendations are organized under four key priority areas: (1) Empower…

This dissertation examined the relationship between school reform initiatives in the United States over the last thirty years and multicultural teaching practices. The methodology chosen was a qualitative phenomenological research study that was conducted with six participants, three novice teachers and three teacher educators. The research…

Background: Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandates that eligible children under age three receive free access to early intervention (EI) through state-based programs. Despite a robust "Child Find" system, enrollment remains lower than expected. Community and medical professionals often rely on parent report of…