Getting a head start on college coursework in high school has become an even more important goal for high school students in recent years, due in part to the rising costs of obtaining traditional four-year college degrees coupled with the disruptions in learning for high school and college students due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now more than ever,…

Developing effective educational leaders is fundamentally and irrevocably an interpersonal, relational process--one that requires face-to-face contact, deep thought, deliberation, reflection, engagement, and interaction. It requires cultivation of the habits of heart, mind, and soul. For nearly a decade, the faculty at North Carolina State…

"ACCESS", A Culture Creating Effective Systems for Success, was a three-year Investing in Innovation (i3) development grant funded by the Office of Innovation and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. The "ACCESS" grant led the way for a district-wide redesign of educational practices based on the novel approach of…

Environmental educators using animal companions can compel individuals to engage in pro-environmental behaviour by promoting environmental values, beliefs, and behavioural norms. This study examines how institutional context and mission influence the framing of these types of messages in live animal interpretive experiences. I compare three…

While most academic leadership training focuses on department chairs and those already in or identified for those positions, the NextUp Faculty Leadership Development Fellows program includes faculty who are considering academic leadership of any kind in their careers. Sixty faculty members have joined NextUp; forty-one have graduated and 19 are…

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) provides professional development to teachers in the instructional strategies of the Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) and the Mathematics Design Collaborative (MDC). This professional development provides time for teachers to receive out-of-class guided instruction in planning assignments that engage…

"INSPIRE" is an Investing in Innovation (i3) development grant funded by the Office of Innovation and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. "INSPIRE" provides an innovative integrated K-12 STEM pipeline approach focused on STEM course content and instructional redesign. The INSPIRE model was implemented in Cabarrus County…

In this article, the author describes their digital conversion initiative at Mooresville Graded School District. The project has placed a MacBook Air laptop in the hands of every 3rd through 12th grader and their teachers in the district over the past four years, with over 5,000 computers distributed. But they believe their academic successes have…

Pay for performance is not a new idea, and reformers should not ignore the dismal record of merit pay over the past century. Initially adopted with a flourish of expectations during several waves of popularity in the past, every plan eventually fell into disuse. These plans proved to be unexpectedly costly and cumbersome to run. They often…

As part of its Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) reaffirmation process, Caldwell Community College (CCC) and Technical Institute's (TI) Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), entitled "Enhancing Writing--Write On!" demonstrates the need to improve student writing through multifaceted interventions. The goals of CCC's and TI's…

This article describes a project integrating mobile learning games into the author's course at Appalachian State University, in collaboration with a community partner and for the community as a whole. The process of constructing educational mobile games can be as beneficial as the act of playing. Therefore, the author's beliefs about integrating…

Eight teams of elementary and middle school teachers developed pilot online courses for the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) in the USA. A qualitative case study with focus groups and a follow-up survey helped to identify common needs of these non-traditional course designers during course development efforts. Findings suggest virtual…

Describes how mathematics contests for high schools were set up in North Carolina so others wishing to organize such ventures may benefit from the experience. The contest is seen as one more step in unifying teachers of a region in both enthusiasm and a sense of direction and purpose. (MP)

This manual is an attempt to draw together relevant resources and information for localities interested in developing a bicycle law enforcement operation. It is divided into five major sections. Section I explains the need for and importance of bicycle law enforcement. In section II are presented examples of past and current bicycle law…

Interest is growing in planning and implementing new systems of holding child and family services accountable for results. The Results-Based Accountability (RBA) Project at the Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) has supported and built upon recent state efforts to develop these new accountability systems for child and family services. The RBA…