ORP staff members will lead three presentations at the 2026 American Educational Research Association's annual meeting in Los Angeles this April using GEAR UP and Empowering Teaching Learning (ETL) data. Dr. Jui-Teng Li, Corinne Smith, Dr. Kate Watson, Tyrel Winebarger, Dr. Jason Snyder, Dr. Rachel Shepherd and Dr. Erin West will represent the full ORP team.
The three studies being presented are:
The Impact of COVID and Learning Support Services on Students' Academic Outcomes and Postsecondary Enrollment
Researchers: Dr. Jui-Teng Li, Catherine Parks, Corinne Smith, Dr. James Beeler, Dr. Kathryn Watson, Hayden Laws, Shawn McNulty
This study reveals that the pandemic had lingering impacts on academic outcomes of rural students in remote areas, including college entrance exam scores, high school graduation rates and postsecondary enrollment rates. This study also reveals that to better enhance rural student academic outcomes, more attention should be paid to their preference in the use of modalities for learning services.
The Impact of Tutoring and Its Modality on High School Students' Postsecondary Enrollment
Researchers: Dr. Jui-Teng Li, Caleb Pollard, Corinne Smith, Dr. Shawn Bergman, Dr. James Beeler, Catherine Parks, Hayden Laws, Dr. Kathryn Watson, Shawn McNulty
The study examines the impact of GEAR UP tutoring, with results indicating that students who receive more tutoring minutes are more likely to achieve postsecondary enrollment. The results also show that while there were no significant differences between direct and virtual tutoring, students who received both modalities of tutoring had a higher likelihood of achieving postsecondary enrollment.
Psychometric Evaluation of the Self-Directed Learning Instrument Among Rural Middle School Teachers
Researchers: Dr. Jui-Teng Li, Dr. Jason Snyder, Tyrel Winebarger, Dr. Rachel Shepherd, Dr. Erin West, Corinne Smith, Dr. James Beeler
The study examines the validity of an adapted Self-Directed Learning Instrument (SDLI) for use in professional learning contexts. Findings suggest that, with careful adaptation, the SDLI serves as a more reliable, valid tool for measuring teacher beliefs and capabilities in self-directed learning environments.
To learn more about past ORP presentations and publications, visit the Impact webpage.