@article{ayscue_barriga_uzzell_2023, title={Resegregation Will Not Happen on Our Watch: The Political and Social Context Surrounding Voluntary Integration in Wake County Public School System}, volume={31}, ISSN={["1068-2341"]}, DOI={10.14507/epaa.31.7464}, abstractNote={As resegregation occurs across the country, some school districts are pursuing voluntary integration. This qualitative case study uses critical policy analysis to explore the political and social contexts surrounding the early stages of developing a voluntary integration plan in Wake County Public School System, North Carolina. Through analysis of interviews with school board and community members as well as a range of documents, findings indicate that population growth and residential development, the proliferation of unregulated school choice, varied perspectives of community stakeholders, inequitable distribution of power and resources, and school board politics largely shape the process of developing a voluntary integration plan. Recommendations are provided for school district policies, cross-sector collaboration, and state-level policies that could strengthen the potential success of voluntary integration plans.}, journal={EDUCATION POLICY ANALYSIS ARCHIVES}, author={Ayscue, Jennifer B. and Barriga, Daniela and Uzzell, Elizabeth M.}, year={2023} }
 @article{rubin_ayscue_uzzell_2022, title={Analyzing Congressional Research Service Reports on Education: How Is Information Used at Congress's Think Tank?}, volume={8}, ISSN={["2332-8584"]}, DOI={10.1177/23328584221117166}, abstractNote={The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is the nonpartisan research and analytical arm of the U.S. Congress and is physically and structurally located within the Library of Congress. Despite the role of CRS as a critical information provider and technical assistant to actors crafting and implementing federal policy, CRS reports, which serve as a key mechanism of information dissemination and influence by the organization, only became widely available to the public following the adoption of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018. This study uses content analysis to examine CRS’s education-related reports from the 115th Congress to explore what sources are directly and indirectly informing federal policymaking based on references in CRS reports. Findings offer insights into research utilization in the federal education policy process and contribute to the growing literature on intermediary organizations and knowledge brokering.}, journal={AERA OPEN}, author={Rubin, Paul G. and Ayscue, Jennifer B. and Uzzell, Elizabeth M.}, year={2022}, month={Aug} }
 @article{ayscue_d. fusarelli_uzzell_2022, title={Equity and Early Implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act in State-Designed Plans During COVID}, ISSN={["1552-3896"]}, DOI={10.1177/08959048221130994}, abstractNote={The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) reverses a trend toward centralization of education policy and instead provides greater authority to the states. This study explores states’ interpretation and early implementation of ESSA’s equity-related provisions. Using a qualitative case study approach, we find wide variation in the design and implementation of equity-related provisions. We provide an overview of implementation efforts and highlight states that are making significant strides and those that are lagging behind. Our findings highlight the need to build capacity at the state and district levels and to better understand the role of state education agencies in implementing ESSA.}, journal={EDUCATIONAL POLICY}, author={Ayscue, Jennifer B. and D. Fusarelli, Lance and Uzzell, Elizabeth M.}, year={2022}, month={Nov} }
 @article{ayscue_uzzell_2022, title={How Teachers and Leaders Facilitate Integration in a Two-Way Dual Language Immersion Program}, volume={124}, ISSN={["1467-9620"]}, DOI={10.1177/01614681221086109}, abstractNote={Background/Context: Public school enrollment in the United States is becoming increasingly racially and linguistically diverse; however, school segregation continues to intensify across the nation. Within this context, two-way dual language immersion (TWI) programs, which intentionally strive to balance English learners and English speakers, may create a natural opportunity for integration. Research Question: How do teachers and leaders facilitate integrative interactions among students of different racial and linguistic groups in a TWI program? Research Design: This qualitative, holistic, single case study explores the TWI program at Silverthorne Elementary School (pseudonym), a K-5 traditional public school in the southeastern United States. Silverthorne is in a rural community on the outskirts of a large metropolitan area that is a new immigrant destination. At the time of data collection, Silverthorne’s TWI program was in its seventh year of implementation. Participants include 12 teachers, one guidance counselor, and one school leader. We conducted semi-structured individual interviews with all participants, observed eight classrooms, and analyzed supplemental documents. We used inductive coding and ultimately generated four themes to describe how TWI teachers and leaders facilitate integration. Findings: Silverthorne’s TWI program provides an opportunity to facilitate integration among students from different racial and linguistic backgrounds. The nature of these integrative experiences is shaped by the structure of the TWI program, the teachers’ conceptualizations of diversity, the teachers’ pedagogical and curricular decisions, and the school leader’s support of the TWI program. Conclusion: Although teachers and leaders in the Silverthorne TWI program have promoted integration in numerous ways, they also have missed important opportunities to facilitate greater integration. Nonetheless, this TWI program illustrates the potential of TWI to provide opportunities for students from different racial and linguistic backgrounds to learn together in a truly integrated environment. Findings suggest the need for enhanced professional development regarding how to facilitate integration in diverse classrooms as well as future research to understand how, if at all, integration is considered when districts and schools are designing and implementing TWI programs.}, number={1}, journal={TEACHERS COLLEGE RECORD}, author={Ayscue, Jennifer B. and Uzzell, Elizabeth M.}, year={2022}, month={Jan}, pages={87–110} }
 @article{uzzell_ayscue_2021, title={Racial Integration Through Two-Way Dual Language Immersion: A Case Study}, volume={29}, ISSN={["1068-2341"]}, DOI={10.14507/epaa.29.5949}, abstractNote={Despite increasingly diverse public school enrollment, students across the U.S. are still segregated by race and poverty, and English learners (ELs) often experience triple segregation by race, poverty, and language. Two-way immersion (TWI) programs may create racially integrated learning environments, by offering a dual language model that balances native English speakers and speakers of the partner language. Through semi-structured interviews, observation, and document analysis, this qualitative case study examined how a Spanish TWI program facilitates integration in a rural elementary school. Findings show that students from different backgrounds may have equal status in mutually beneficial environments, can become bilingual and bicultural, and may experience lifelong benefits. Implications include the need for increased federal, state, and local funding to support districts using TWI to achieve integration as well as a federal language policy that promotes TWI.}, journal={EDUCATION POLICY ANALYSIS ARCHIVES}, author={Uzzell, Elizabeth M. and Ayscue, Jennifer B.}, year={2021} }