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Category: Academic Intervention & Learning

Nebraska reading development program targets student literacy, educator growth

The Nebraska WORDS team includes, back row from left: Janet Bohaty, HyeonJin Yoon, Dawn Spurck, Kylee Rhamy, Jiabin Lyu, Jungwon Eum and Marc Goodrich. Front row, from left: Abby Burke, Jadyn Ehresman, Pam Bazis, Sara Wing, Sarah Zuckerman, Derek Rodgers and Carrie Sublette (Photo by Loren Rye, UNL Pixel Lab). Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.

A student’s ability to read is a key predictor of academic and lifelong success. In Nebraska, the COVID-19 pandemic hit students with reading difficulties especially hard, particularly students attending rural schools.

Since then, Nebraska WORDS project — Workshops on Reading Development Strategies — has been a valuable resource for teachers by promoting effective strategies to deliver high-quality reading instruction and assessment. The research-based professional development program supports Nebraska’s targeted efforts to boost early literacy among K-3 students across the state. Full Article

Family-school partnership program earns national recognition

Decades of research show that Teachers and Parents as Partners (TAPP) improves children’s academic, social and behavioral outcomes, while building stronger, more effective relationships between parents and teachers.

Developed at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the family-school partnership intervention has been implemented in Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri, Wisconsin and rural Appalachian communities, expanding its reach in recent years through distance technology. Full Article

CHIME expands its reach to Ghana

Holly Hatton, associate professor of child, youth and family studies, shares information on the research behind social emotional well-being for teachers and young children during her January 2025 trip to Ghana. View photo gallery.

A transformative program designed to help educators use mindfulness and reflection in their daily work is expanding its global reach.

Holly Hatton, associate professor of child, youth and family studies, is collaborating with researchers in Ghana to adapt CHIME — Cultivating Healthy Intentional Mindful Educators — an interactive compassion- and mindfulness-based program developed at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The program will support caregivers, young children and college students in the small west African country. Full Article

Researchers aim to empower future K-12 teachers with computer science knowledge

Leen-Kiat Soh, professor in the College of Engineering’s School of Computing, is leading a project to ensure the next generation of K-12 educators includes plenty of teachers who can teach computing skills. Lean more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.

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

Research supports vulnerable youth in the journey from expulsion and juvenile detention to graduation

Project researchers include, front row from left: Loukia Sarroub, Alex Mason and Sarah Staples-Farmer. Back row from left: Randy Farmer, Natalie Koziol, Debbie Minter and Eric Buhs. Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.

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

Research explores how classroom time affects children’s self-regulation skills

Jenna Finch, assistant professor of psychology, is exploring the effects of time in school on students’ executive function — mental skills that include working memory, flexible thinking and self-control. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

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

Nebraska WORDS targets post-pandemic reading success, educator growth

WORDS team members include, from left, Janet Bohaty, Mary Jo McElhose, Amanda Witte, Sarah Zuckerman, Natalie Koziol, HyeonJin Yoon, Nancy Coffey and Rachel Schachter. Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.

A student’s ability to read is a critical predictor of academic and lifelong success. In Nebraska, the COVID-19 pandemic hit students with reading difficulties especially hard, particularly students attending rural schools.

A team of Nebraska researchers is working to boost reading outcomes for rural students in kindergarten through third grade by providing professional learning opportunities to teachers across the state, speeding up pandemic recovery for students with reading difficulties, as well as those at risk. Full Article

Nebraska researchers extend TAPP intervention to rural Appalachia

From left, HyeonJin Yoon, CYFS research assistant professor; Sue Sheridan, CYFS director; and Amanda Witte, CYFS research assistant professor, collaborate virtually with East Tennessee State University partners Kim Hale, associate professor of educational foundations and special education, left, and Pam Mims, professor of special education and associate dean of research and grants. Learn more about the project in the CYFS Research Network.

Students who struggle with social and behavior issues are at high risk of developing long-term problems, both at school and in life.

When those students live in rural parts of the country, with limited access to behavioral health services, those challenges can significantly increase. Full Article