York College of Pennsylvania

Teachers enter increasingly linguistically diverse classrooms, and report being ill-prepared to support the learning of multilingual learners of English (MLEs) in the early grades. This study explored the potential of a dual-pathway approach where paired in-service mentors and pre-service mentees are provided with aligned and synchronized professional development (PD) content on effective practice for MLEs. The efficacy of this approach was explored with 14 pre-service teachers and 14 matched in-service mentor teachers at four schools and contrasted with eight in-service teachers at four demographically matched schools not receiving PD and their 680 students. Results showed statistically significant growth and differences on evidence-based language and literacy strategies for teachers receiving the PD compared to teachers not receiving the PD as well as statistically significant growth in student performance for classrooms with PD receiving teachers. The current study provides promise for the potential of this approach and promotes porousness in university–school partnerships.

ABSTRACT Reverse knowledge transfer (RKT) is essential for multinational corporations to benefit from employees' international experience, but repatriates often face difficulties in transferring knowledge gained abroad. Drawing on transposition theory, this study examines how pre‐expatriation embeddedness and host organization exposure shape RKT outcomes, and how the presence of peer repatriates moderates these relationships. We conceptualize repatriates as change agents who seek to translate, adapt, and legitimize external knowledge within their home organizations through processes of disembedding, recontextualization, and implementing new practices. Using survey data from 177 South Korean repatriates, we find that pre‐expatriation embeddedness and host organization exposure both positively affect RKT, and that peer repatriates strengthen the effect of embeddedness but not exposure. These results advance the understanding of RKT by highlighting the importance of conditions established before expatriation, and they apply transposition theory to identify the mechanisms of legitimacy and adaptation that enable contextual translation.

This paper details the author’s experiences combining mastery-based and blended learning in Calculus II and Differential Equations courses at a smaller private college in Pennsylvania. Practical considerations for the course structure, the management of assessments, and learning outcomes are shared. Data concerning mastery of each outcome, number of attempts on each outcome, gains between each attempt, and grade distributions are given. DFW rates in mastery-based blended learning courses are compared with historical rates in the author’s more traditional format versions of the courses.

The retention of first-year college students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields is a persistent concern in higher education. A variety of high impact practices can contribute to improving the persistence of STEM majors, particularly among underrepresented groups. One specific practice is the implementation of residential learning communities (RLCs). A new RLC for STEM majors was implemented at a mid-sized comprehensive institution in the mid-Atlantic in 2018. We followed students through their first two years of the program to investigate the impact on retention and student experiences. We found that the cohort model enhanced first-to-second-year retention. Additionally, the RLC was able to facilitate a strong sense of community among the participants, likely impacting their academic success and retention at the college. A better understanding of best practices and their outcomes will help our college and peer institutions provide supports for STEM students to succeed through known attrition points and persist as STEM majors through their first years.

Non-native plant species are increasing globally, yet their distribution patterns and environmental drivers remain poorly understood in biodiversity-rich but understudied regions like Central America. In this region, non-native species increasingly affect biodiversity, ecosystem integrity, and conservation efforts, especially when they become invasive. We analyzed the spatial distribution of 751 naturalized plant species using over 42,000 occurrence records across the seven countries in Central America. We evaluated the influence of environmental variables, human population density, protected areas, and life zones on both occurrence and species richness. Human population density emerged as the strongest predictor of naturalized species occurrence and richness, highlighting the role of human activity in facilitating invasions. Annual precipitation was positively associated with occurrences, while species richness declined with increasing temperature and biodiversity integrity. Tropical rainforests and other humid life zones had more naturalized species than expected by chance. Protected areas had fewer naturalized species overall, but a higher species ratio per observation, indicating both conservation value and vulnerability. Rare species were found outside protected zones, particularly in disturbed and urbanized areas. Our findings highlight the need for early detection, targeted management, and strengthened protection strategies, especially in mid-elevation zones and densely populated areas. By identifying key environmental and anthropogenic drivers, this study provides actionable insights for conservation planning and invasive species management in one of the world’s most biodiverse and socio-environmentally vulnerable regions.

Using elevated blood lead data and structure data, this research engages undergraduate geographic information systems (GIS) students to apply mapping and spatial analysis to investigate spatial patterns of lead contamination and identify the hotspots through spatial mapping and other analytical outputs at York College of Pennsylvania. It revealed that the highest EBLLs occurred among male Black children. The GIS visualization highlights correlations between the age of residential structures, elevated blood lead levels (EBLL) in children, and demographic factors. The results are used to educate policymakers, healthcare workers, landlords, and the general public about this critical public health issue. Conducted in a project-based service-learning module, students benefit by working with a real-world problem where they practice critical and analytical thinking, design solutions, and communicate them via community outreach and engagement. Such a learning experience helps the college and community partner via the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) Urban Collaborative.

Instructional coaching is one way to support teachers’ implementation of evidence-based practices, but gaps exist in knowledge about effective coaching interventions to support teacher learning at the secondary level. In this article, we first introduce an adaptive intervention model (AIM) for coaching, AIM Coaching, a coaching model designed for middle school instructional leaders to use to support teachers as they implement evidence-based literacy instructional practices across a Tier 1 school-wide literacy model. We also describe the theory of change that guided our work, a description of the accompanying professional development instructional leaders received, and the literacy practices that are linked to the Model for the purpose of this work. Second, we describe the challenges we encountered and decisions we made during the development process, solutions that addressed those challenges, and implications of those solutions.