In raising the standards for professional educators, higher educators must be prepared to provide the highest quality feedback on student performance and work products toward improved outcomes. This review of the literature examined the major findings of 70 quantitative, mixed methods, or qualitative studies found in higher education journals across a range of disciplines. Multiple recommendations and results for feedback emerged which fall into the categories described by Susan Brookhart. This review found research for each of Brookhart’s categories, with results indicating differences between the perceptions of adherence to sound feedback practices versus the reality of implementation, the potential for innovative tool use, and a disagreement about the effectiveness of peers for providing effective feedback. Indicators for quality within the research confirmed the importance of commonly accepted standards such as positivity, specificity, timeliness, and encouraging active student participation. Additionally, trends and themes indicated a need for the consistent implementation of the feedback exchange process and flexibility to account for student input/preferences. Greater consistency toward the application of these quality indicators should be undertaken when determining the quality of higher education feedback for preservice teachers prior to undertaking summative licensure assessments.

Research on the overall effectiveness of single-sex education remains inconclusive; however, some research does indicate that benefits other than academic achievement may be possible with a single-sex format. Advocates argue that when single-sex environments are structured by not only separating boys and girls but also by leveraging gender-specific learning strategies, positive outcomes are more likely. This may be of particular significance for middle-school girls, who often struggle with social anxieties related to adolescence that create barriers in transitioning to and navigating the middle school environment. As issues for middle-school girls are often unique to their gender, single-sex education emerges as a possible remedy to these problems. This study used qualitative data collected over a three-year period at a single-school site. Participant responses consistently showed that 6th grade girls placed in a single-sex classroom found the setting to be more supportive than a traditional mixed-sex classroom. Emerging themes included perceived improvement of academic performance and increased focus and engagement. Overall results indicated that for middle school females, participation in single-sex programs can help in easing social anxieties girls may experience while in middle school.