This project on programs of study targets five project goals, to: (1) consult with, provide technical assistance for and support personnel in creation and development; (2) provide personnel guidance for local educational agencies in disseminating information and supporting implementation; (3) collaborate with the Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Community College Board in utilizing advisory committees to encourage effective state and local implementation; (4) develop a guide to assist local education agencies and postsecondary institutions in implementation; and (5) offer professional development for local education agency and postsecondary institution implementation throughout the state.

The project supports local planning, implementation and evaluation of pilot projects that address the critical window between when students take the ACT test at the end of their junior year, enroll in the senior year of high school and the transition from high school to the community college. It identifies students who are on track to take college level course work at the community college as well as students who lack academic competencies to enroll in college-credit courses and therefore need supplemental academic and support services to boost their chances for a successful transition to and retention in community college or the labor market.

The project provides federal, state, local leaders, and policy makers with detailed information about the applied baccalaureate phenomenon in the United States. The degree to which partnerships between higher education institutions and economic and workforce development providers enhance baccalaureate attainment for adults is an important focus. The project documents educational opportunities that culminate in applied baccalaureate degrees, identifies factors that influence the development of these degree options for adult learners, and forecasts the likelihood that these degrees will proliferate to meet the needs of adult learners.

This project focuses on the growing phenomenon of applied baccalaureate (AB) degrees, which allow once-terminal applied associate coursework to transfer directly into baccalaureate-level degrees. Of particular interest is the extent to which AB degrees enroll populations historically underserved by STEM fields, particularly women, students of color, and non-traditional adults. Results from this study will provide college administrators and instructors, employers, and researchers with up-to-date, detailed information about how AB degree programs in STEM fields, especially AB programs affiliated with the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (NSF-ATE) centers and projects, operate through partnerships and meet students’ and employers’ workforce needs.

This project is dedicated to enhance the transition-to-college experiences of low-skilled adults who are often shut out of educational opportunities beyond high school. The project is designed to focus on two aspects of the implementation of the Shifting Gears project: 1) implementation of the data and performance management plan; and 2) project management support for the overall initiative. This project is important to supporting the on-going efforts of the state of Illinois to implement Perkins IV Programs of Study (POS) and ultimately making real and lasting improvements in education at the P-20 levels.

This project develops the capacity of school leadership teams to increase student academic and overall school success. Distributed leadership is promoted through collaborative, problem-solving study and reflective action for continuous school improvement. Guiding the design are a “substantive” framework for continuous school improvement and a “process” framework for effective, continuous school change. The designs address: (1) urgency for change; (2) school culture and climate; (3) curricular, instructional, and assessment standards and practices; (4) staff values and beliefs, school-wide, cross-faculty development, and implementation of goals and strategies; and, (5) formative and summative assessments to monitor and modify practices and refine vision.

This research explores efforts to assess undergraduate student learning outcomes in American higher education over the next three years. The overarching goal is to facilitate the dissemination and adoption of best practices in assessment of college learning outcomes, focusing on the use of assessment data internally to inform and strengthen undergraduate education, and externally in communication with the public, including parents and students, policy makers, accrediting groups and others. The findings will help strengthen approaches to assessment of learning outcomes to improve the quality of teaching and learning, increase student success, and strengthen public accountability and transparency. Jointly funded with Teagle Foundation and Carnegie Foundation For Education.

This research explores efforts to assess undergraduate student learning outcomes in American higher education over the next three years. The overarching goal is to facilitate the dissemination and adoption of best practices in assessment of college learning outcomes, focusing on the use of assessment data internally to inform and strengthen undergraduate education, and externally in communication with the public, including parents and students, policy makers, accrediting groups and others. The findings will help strengthen approaches to assessment of learning outcomes to improve the quality of teaching and learning, increase student success, and strengthen public accountability and transparency. Jointly funded with Lumina Foundation for Education and Teagle Foundation.

This research explores efforts to assess undergraduate student learning outcomes in American higher education over the next three years. The overarching goal is to facilitate the dissemination and adoption of best practices in assessment of college learning outcomes, focusing on the use of assessment data internally to inform and strengthen undergraduate education, and externally in communication with the public, including parents and students, policy makers, accrediting groups and others. The findings will help strengthen approaches to assessment of learning outcomes to improve the quality of teaching and learning, increase student success, and strengthen public accountability and transparency. Jointly funded with Lumina Foundation for Education and Carnegie Foundation.

This grant supports a dissertation research project.