With a majority of land in the United States being utilized for agricultural production, water resource conservation has become a significant topic of interest for natural resource agencies. In partnership with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and Natural Resources Conservation Service, Mississippi State University conducted a stream restoration project within its agricultural research properties in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi. Water sampling during storm-runoff events was conducted to assess changes in microbial, nutrient, and sediment concentrations and loads pre- and post-restoration. In addition to these water monitoring activities, a regional survey of Cooperative Extension Service agents with agriculture and natural resource responsibilities was conducted to assess the need for in-service training on water resource conservation topics. Water quality monitoring and agent survey data were used to evaluate the restoration project’s environmental impact and potential as a demonstration site for future agent training initiatives for water resource conservation.

In this qualitative study, I explored teacher beliefs and practices about struggling adolescent readers. I chose to study 3 middle school 7th- and 8th-grade English teachers based on purposeful and convenience sampling through principal recommendation. My data consisted of interviews, observations, and documents to understand what teachers believe about struggling adolescent readers and what teachers of struggling middle school students do during instruction. I created the interviews and observation protocols and analyzed the data using the How People Learn Framework (Darling-Hammond & Bransford, 2005; National Research Council, 2000). Findings suggest (1) negative extrinsic motivation was used to boost student assessment performance, (2) the lack of foundational reading skills can cause problems through adolescence, (3) discussion strategies were used to assist struggling adolescent readers, (4) teachers had strong opinions about data walls, and (5) positive relationships with and between students were beneficial. These findings suggest implications for teachers and school leaders.

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