This concurrent mixed methods study descriptively explores teacher residency programs (TRPs) across the nation. We examine program and participant survey data from the National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR) to identify important TRP structures for resident support. Latent class analysis of program-level data reveals three types of TRPs…

The resources that federal financial aid, state financial aid, and federal public benefits programs provide, when they operate effectively, are critical to older students and students with children. This report seeks to shed light on how these programs are functioning by analyzing data and policies across four states--Colorado, Missouri, North…

Grow Your Own (GYO) programs are an increasingly popular strategy for strengthening and diversifying the teacher workforce. By focusing on recruiting and preparing teachers from the community for the community, GYO programs are highly localized and designed to meet the needs of teacher candidates and the school systems where they will work. This…

In 2024, WestEd partnered with Sobrato Philanthropies to conduct a strategic and economic analysis of English Learner programs in the state of California. The study sought to define the scale of economic challenges and explore underlying conditions impacting the costs of implementing English Learner programs in California in alignment with best…

Principals can and do have an impact on the performance of their schools. Instructional leadership is a key factor influencing that performance, and maximizing the time allocated to instructional leadership can impact the principal's level of influence. Because of operational issues, like budget and finance, principals have less time to focus on…

Among the 50 states, 44 use free and reduced-price lunch enrollment to identify low-income students. These data are also commonly used to allocate federal, state, and local funding to schools serving low-income children. School and district poverty rates, as determined by free and reduced-price lunch enrollment, additionally feature prominently in…

While considerable evidence has accumulated on state-funded merit-based scholarships, research on the effects of specific scholarship design choices has been thin, perhaps in part because cross-state comparisons are difficult. As one of the only states to enact major changes in the design of its merit-based scholarship program, Georgia provides a…

This report presents summative findings from RAND's six-year evaluation of the BHP Foundation's Education Equity program. The evaluation is based on a review of funded partner organizations' internal program progress reports, performance indicators, and independent project evaluation reports; interviews with representatives from partner…

The sustained recruitment and retention of students in STEM majors is a national concern. Although the rate of attrition in these majors is comparable to other majors, the demand for trained scientists to enter the workforce with a baccalaureate degree is high. To enhance retention and support of STEM students from their first year until…

Due to the "wicked problem" of the Academy's resistance to innovation, new teaching and learning programs struggle to become integrated into the fabric of the Academy, which slows the uptake of evidence-based practices. This wicked problem is rooted in the lack of slow, intentional mechanisms for cultural change in the Academy. In this…

As schools across the country closed in March 2020 at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was not clear how long in-person education would be disrupted. The abrupt transition to remote learning was particularly challenging for districts in rural communities, many of which have long lacked reliable access to high-speed internet and…

State financial aid is a critical piece of college affordability for students from low-income backgrounds. Nearly three quarters of all students attend college in their home state - which is typically a requirement for state-based financial aid - and first-generation and students from low-income backgrounds are even more likely than their peers to…

This paper discusses issues involved in trying to make foreign aid-funded education technology (EdTech) projects sustainable in the context of Small Island Developing States. Using two EdTech projects, the paper shares the authors' experiences in working towards sustainability by involving local stakeholders through collaborative design and…

State aid for special education shapes local decisions about identifying students for special education, the programs and services to which students have access and in which students with disabilities are educated, and how local educators structure and administer their special education programs. The connection between state funding for special…

As the master's education market continues to expand, Indonesia will be amongst the key markets, especially for the MBA program. Universities are faced with challenges and opportunities in acquiring the increasing MBA market. The present study uses conjoint analysis to explore Indonesia's MBA market preferences in choosing a university by…