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Assessing Local Public Officials\u27 Roles, Challenges, and Opportunities Encountered when Integrating Newcomers: A Case Study to Evaluate the Cities of Rochester and Worthington.
Full text linkImmigrants’ integration plays an important part in policy concerns and goals in many local governments since it is a major issue for local officials to integrate immigrants and incorporate them into the host community successfully. Concurrently, it is important to know the roles of local public officials, host communities, and immigrants in the process. The purpose of this study is to assess the challenges that local officials face, and how they handle these encounters effectively and efficiently. Greater collaboration between all stakeholders, social cohesion, and collective efforts implies the idea that immigrants’ integration depends on many players and factors. It is hard to point out the best approach to follow in integrating immigrants since local officials adjust their roles and policies according to the needs, challenges, timing, and situation. Subjects in this study are the cities of Rochester and Worthington’s local officials, school officials, non-profit organizations, and immigrant-community leaders who all play interconnected roles in integrating immigrants; it is possible to identify each stakeholder\u27s role but difficult to say that one party is more important than the other. Likewise, it is counterproductive to say that one role is better or more important than the other. The effectiveness of immigrant integration is a result of creating and implementing integration policies that emphasize partnerships between the public sector, private entities, non-profit organizations, and immigrants’ contributions
I\u27m Here to Teach : Transgender Educators\u27 Experiences in the Public School System
Full text linkThis qualitative study explores the experiences of transgender educators in Minnesota public schools, examining how they navigate professional environments and view their impact on students, staff, and the community. Interviews with three current educators were completed in addition to an autoethnographic reflection. Several key themes emerged: the significant gap between non-discrimination policies and actual lived experience; the differential treatment based on gender identity, with transgender women facing more severe professional consequences than transmasculine educators; the critical importance of transgender representation for LGBTQ+ students; and the necessity of robust support systems to combat isolation. This research contributes to the limited literature on transgender educators by documenting their unique challenges and emphasizing their crucial role in fostering inclusive educational environments
Nature-Based Education in a Student-Led Environment: A Program Proposal
Full text linkThis abstract explores the development of documents to be used for the proposal of a nature-based education program for students in grades kindergarten through second grade. This program is grounded in the principles of student-led learning and the nature-human connection. There is a growing body of research that indicates that exposure to natural environments correlates with significant improvement in the physical, social-emotional, and cognitive development in children. By combining outdoor education experiences with student-led learning, the program fosters confidence, self-direction, and a lasting connection to the natural world. The program is structured around thematic, inquiry-driven units that can be designed to align with a school’s high academic standards while also allowing curricular exploration and student choice. Learning can take place in a variety of spaces, including outdoor classrooms, school grounds, local parks, and habitats, where students may engage in hands-on activities such as nature journaling, cross-curricular learning, exploration, and observations. In many instances, teachers act as advisors, guiding students through goal setting, inquiry, task completion, and reflection. Children are capable learners who thrive when allowed to make meaningful choices in their education. The program documents included in this project promote a learning environment that encourages students to take the lead in their learning journey. The student-led model encourages both choice and voice, while the approach supports academic achievement and nurtures social-emotional skills such as empathy, collaboration, and self-reliance. Conversations and feedback collected from a variety of stakeholders, including parents and teachers, suggest that students in the program may demonstrate increased engagement, improved attention, and a deeper understanding of the natural world. The program aims to build community partnerships, involving families, stakeholders, and local environmental organizations in the learning process. In conclusion, the basis for this nature-based, student-led program represents a holistic approach to education that honors the natural curiosity of young learners and the life-changing power of the world around them. As schools seek new and innovative ways to support student success in both academics and well-being, this model offers a promising optio
Supporting Adult Language Learners Through Interactive Routines and Trauma-Informed Engagement
No full textFrancis, A. (2025) Supporting Adult Language Learners Through Interactive Routines and Trauma-Informed Engagement
This capstone project investigates the impact of trauma-informed routines on reducing anxiety and enhancing relationships within adult English language classrooms, with a particular focus on refugee learners who frequently experience elevated stress responses that can impede both their participation and cognitive processing. Drawing on neuroscientific research that illustrates how trauma affects memory, emotional regulation, and executive functioning, the research highlights the importance of an instructional approach that emphasizes psychological safety, predictability, and supportive relationships as essential components of effective language learning. Utilizing frameworks from trauma-informed education, this project introduces three illustrated posters that model relate, regulate, and reason routines to increase emotional connection and learning in the classroom. In-depth instructions attached to the posters outline timing, suggested uses, and step-by-step scenarios based on the researchers experience. The trauma-informed routines are designed to foster regulation, trust, and engagement among learners. Given the scarcity of research addressing the effects of trauma on adult English learners, the project concludes with the development of an instructional guide that translates neuroscientific findings into practical, classroom-ready strategies like deep breathing practices and structured discussion-based activities. Ultimately, this resource provides educators with the tools necessary to cultivate emotionally safe, relationship-centered environments that promote learner engagement, persistence, and overall advancement towards their academic goals
Culturally Sustaining Practices for Advanced Multilingual Adult ESOL Students
No full textKing, B. (2025)
Culturally Sustaining Practices for Advanced Multilingual Adult ESOL Students
Advanced multilingual ESOL learners need safe and positive learning environments that are responsive to their needs. This project seeks to answer how an adult English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) curriculum can be adapted using an emergent curriculum approach to be more culturally sustaining. As a white teacher with many privileges, I know the content and language skills I teach will never perfectly match the interests, desires and needs of all my students. Nonetheless, through the process of investigating culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP), I have identified four practices that can promote cultural sustenance in ESOL classrooms: translanguaging, arts integration, eco- and place-based education, and mindfulness. These practices are complemented by Auerbach’s (1992) participatory curriculum development (PCD) approach, which allows the curriculum to emerge on both a daily and semesterly basis. Lesson plans that are emblematic of these practices, approaches and stances are the resulting product of this project. By listening deeply to feedback from students, teachers like me can help create conditions for healing, just, liberatory and culturally sustaining language learning among advanced multilingual adult ESOL learners
Strategies to help Older English Learners Succeed in an Adult Classroom Setting
No full textMatos, J. (2025) Strategies to help Older English Learners Succeed in an Adult Classroom Setting
There are older English language learners who experience difficulties advancing to the next level of instruction. This project is about how to help these older learners. The project has the objective of finding solutions to the research question: Which contextual factors for learning can best support teachers to help older adult ESL learners to retain content to acquire a second language? Through a review of literature, I found information about characteristics of older learners, strategies and accommodations for supporting older learners, and technology that teachers can use and present to older learners in the English language classroom. All of this information was used to create professional development activities to remind or to inform teachers on best practices in their classroom when there are older learners present. Moreover, the literature review suggests that there is a need for further research in any aspects of this particular group of learners
Advocating for Social Justice in 4th Grade ELA Curriculum and Standards: Culturally Responsive Fidelity Frameworks for Leadership and Educators
No full textThis Capstone Project examines how the alignment of Minnesota English Language Arts standards and curriculum merged with a culturally responsive teaching fidelity framework will influence student engagement, academic rigor, and intentional academic discourse among Black fourth-grade scholars in an urban learning community. It is grounded in Ladson-Billings’(1995) and (2009) culturally relevant pedagogy, Hammond’s (2021) culturally responsive teaching with connection to the science of learning and development, as well as Falk and Blumenreich’s (2005) theory regarding cognitive constructivism. This research explores the role of leadership and educators in the implementation of culturally responsive pedagogy with fidelity to create coherence between standards, curriculum, and instructional practice. Literature reveals that when curriculum and standards are intentionally aligned with culturally responsive pedagogical practices, educators are better positioned to elevate student engagement, foster deeper higher-order thinking, and promote meaningful academic discourse. This project study contributes to the academic field by amplifying the experiences of Black fourth-grade scholars, and offers guidance to educators and school leaders who are seeking to implement culturally responsive pedagogy with fidelity and instructional decision-making that is aimed at narrowing the disparaging opportunity gaps. In centering culture, cognition, and academic discourse in my work, this research asserts the importance of culturally responsive pedagogy in alignment with advancing equitable and rigorous ELA instruction
Curriculum Promotion of Students’ STEM Self-Efficacy
Full text linkAs the field of STEM grows and expands, it does the same within classrooms. Self-efficacy in students\u27 STEM experiences and skill building can be promoted by educators. When students do have high STEM self-efficacy, they may be more likely to persevere through difficult tasks and remain optimistic during the learning process. This research is centered around the question: What are the five most critical components of STEM curriculum design that promote students\u27 self-efficacy? After reading and researching, the five areas of criteria to help promote this became apparent: active and hands-on learning, inquiry-based with authentic problem-solving, self-identity and career awareness, collaborative learning, and supportive educator feedback. This paper explores these criteria and the effects on students\u27 STEM self-efficacy in order to develop a rubric that guides educators, leading to the development of the self-efficacy STEM curriculum rubric
Incorporating Cooperative Learning and Active Listening Skills in Secondary-Level Science Classrooms
Full text linkMiddle school students are in a key stage of developing their social and emotional skills. Research emphasizes the importance of focusing on effective instructional strategies to support and enhance that development. In science classrooms, this means providing opportunities for cooperative learning and active listening skills, enabling students to interact and consider diverse perspectives while working in lab investigations, problem-based activities, or research projects. According to the NGSS framework for K-12 science education, students are expected to engage in scientific practices that foster scientific thinking skills. To support the development of these skills, this capstone project explored the question: How can cooperative learning and active listening skills be incorporated in a secondary-level science classroom? Current literature suggests that scientific practices are effectively supported through inquiry-based learning frameworks. These studies were guided by the importance of classroom management in increasing student engagement during inquiry-based learning. As a result, cooperative learning and active listening skills become essential components of inquiry-based learning. The research highlights the positive impacts of cooperative learning on improving adolescents’ peer relationships, which in turn enhance their academic achievements. The capstone also contributes to the development of strategies that can be implemented in the classroom to strengthen cooperative learning within the context of inquiry-based learning. Active listening is a key component of cooperative learning and plays a critical role in supporting engagement during inquiry-based learning. Therefore, the literature focuses on the impacts of active listening skills on students’ motivation and participation during group work. Insights gained from the literature on inquiry-based labs that promote cooperative learning and active listening skills guided the development of a lesson plan for the capstone project. The inquiry-based lesson lab was designed using the 5E instructional model, which consists of five phases: engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation. Further, the project centered on a curriculum tailored to the intended student population, integrating cooperative learning and active listening skills through the lens of inquiry-based learning. Future research can build on the foundations of this capstone project by exploring challenges and opportunities associated with large group sizes in fostering cooperative learning and active listening during inquiry-based instruction
Strategies to Combat Plagiarism and AI Misuse in the Online School
Full text linkSince ChatGPT became available to the public in November 2022, students learned to use the website to plagiarize written assignments. Educators scrambled to determine the best solution, and through trial and error, systems formed to combat this new phenomenon. Unfortunately, online schools experienced a heightened version of this problem that researchers have not fully articulated. This capstone project navigates the question: What proactive and reactive strategies can be utilized by teachers, administrators, and caretakers to prevent plagiarism and AI misuse in the online environment where resources like ChatGPT and Brainly can readily provide responses for students without their active participation? By diving into one teacher’s unique experience navigating the changing waters of AI misuse and plagiarism, it becomes possible to see how creativity and motivation can lead someone to view things through a different perspective while embracing myriad angles on the same issue. This project contains resources that other online schools may utilize to find solutions to similar issues that Minnesota Connections Academy (MNCA) experienced. Using contemporary research from around the world and resources created specifically for MNCA, this project empowers educators to unite with their teams to teach students the importance of using and honing their voices as writers instead of taking an easier route through plagiarism