Research shows children starting kindergarten often know less about science compared to reading and math. Despite this, science activities typically make up the smallest proportion of the preschool day.
The science opportunity gap is even more pronounced in rural communities, where limited educational resources and lower emphasis on science education widen the divide.Full Article
As computers become more and more ubiquitous in nearly every aspect of daily life, the demand for teachers who can prepare the next generation of tech leaders is more pressing than ever.
Leen-Kiat Soh, professor of computing, is leading a project to ensure future generations of K-12 teachers are equipped with the skills and knowledge to bring the cutting-edge computer science into the classroom.Full Article
In early childhood, healthy eating habits lay the foundation for lifelong wellness, helping prevent many chronic health issues.
Promoting these habits is particularly important for children in rural communities, where resources are sometimes limited. Research shows that rural children are 26% more likely to experience obesity than their urban peers.Full Article
Approximately 97 million people worldwide have disabilities that require alternative communication (AAC) devices for communication support. However, many disabled children do not possess the motor abilities and spelling skills needed to use such devices, leaving them marginalized and unable to benefit from this technology.Full Article
Living in Nebraska is often referred to as “the good life” by many of the state’s nearly 2 million residents. But according to a recent review of family needs across the state, that “good life” is more accessible to some than others.
An examination of local, state and national databases by University of Nebraska–Lincoln researchers underscores the need to strengthen support for families as a key step toward achieving the state’s economic goals. Their analysis found Nebraska families becoming more diverse and complex, due largely to changes in the demographic makeup of the state’s population in recent decades.Full Article
The journey from detention to diploma is a challenging one for students transitioning from expulsion or the juvenile justice system to the classroom.
More than 25,000 youth reside in detention facilities on any given day in the United States. About two-thirds of those youth do not successfully re-engage with school upon their release, due to the lack of effective transition supports.Full Article
A few years ago, Michelle Hughes, an audiologist and professor of special education and communication disorders, came across a journal article about an individual who experienced a drug overdose and ended up with sudden hearing loss.
Then she found more articles featuring similar stories. She was fascinated.Full Article
In recent years, illnesses, quarantines and school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic have increased emphasis on the importance of instructional time for children’s academic achievement following absences from the classroom.
There is also recent evidence that pandemic school closures disproportionately affected U.S. schools that had students with lower third-grade standardized test scores and higher shares of students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.Full Article