"Toward Self-Directed Learning in the Secondary Classroom" explores the challenges teachers have faced and continue to face in a pandemic and post-pandemic context while attempting to implement self-directed learning in the secondary classroom. Drawing on contemporary research from around the world as well as candid interviews with…

The EdResearch for Action "Design Principles Series" focuses on a single program or practice that has been proven to have positive effects on student outcomes. Authors -- leading experts from across the field of education research -- look across many high-quality studies of similar programs to identify the components and conditions that…

While coaches can have a positive impact on teachers' practice and students' learning, in many school districts teachers have the autonomy to decide whether and when to work with a coach. Coaches then must work to gain access to teachers' classrooms. In a recent study of 28 content-focused coaches, researchers Jen Munson and Evthokia Stephanie…

This brief summarizes research that studies the Zones of Choice (ZOC) program, an ongoing initiative of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The research investigates the mechanisms through which the ZOC program may have improved student outcomes and finds that changes in schooling practices played a role. Specifically, schools in the ZOC…

Technical assistance (TA) is a term used to describe efforts provided to an individual or organization to support capacity development (Katz & Wandersman, 2016; West et al, 2012) to promote the adoption of evidence-based practices or affect systems change (Dunst et al., 2019). This capacity development can focus on developing knowledge and…

The Advancing Culturally-Relevant Computing Project is a collaboration between researchers and practitioners in Hawai'i focused on preparing elementary teachers to meaningfully incorporate culturally relevant Computer Science (CS) into their classrooms. This paper introduces a hybrid instructional design framework designed to facilitate the…

Effective instructional coaching won't happen across a district without a well-specified coaching program and a reliable way to guide coaches. Fortunately, there are innovations from research and development efforts that can help districts put into practice the best ideas about instructional coaching. Andrew Wayne and Jane Coggshall describe how…

The share of at-risk students has increased post pandemic requiring a response that matches the magnitude of the impact. High dosage tutoring has been one strategy to address the needs. If implemented effectively and at the proper scale, accelerated academic growth is possible. This brief reviews the collection of research on high dosage tutoring,…

Districts are struggling to accelerate students' learning, support their health and wellness, and close the achievement gap. Labeled "worst" in 1987, by 2017 Chicago Public Schools was among the nation's most improved school systems. Chicago's story embeds many lessons about system change. Sharon Greenberg and Anthony S. Bryk illustrate…

Research has pointed to a critical need for primary prevention and intervention strategies. This has only been magnified since the COVID-19 pandemic and with the shortages of school-based mental health providers. Active Minds is a national organization dedicated to "changing the conversation about mental health" (Active Minds, n.d.-b) by…

The School of Education at the University of Alaska Fairbanks' (UAF) mission is to prepare and retain high quality educators who are prepared to serve children in a state that is geographically, linguistically and culturally diverse. In the K-12 Art Licensure Program, interns are paired with a qualified mentor teacher in an elementary art program…

This article discusses a recent Australian study that examines the relationship between teachers' beliefs in inclusive education and their levels of teaching self-efficacy, which previous research finds is correlated with more effective teaching practices. Whereas inclusion in the United States usually refers to placing students with disabilities…

Following a set of state meetings held throughout fall 2020, the Virginia Education Assessment Collaborative (VEAC) decided to offer a mini-conference in November 2020 to round out offerings and to buttress conversation around topics of high need and interest to Educator Preparation Providers (EPPs). Leveraging the familiar process of the…

Language and learning norms constitute the biggest constraint for refugee learners attempting to access education in Uganda because they struggle to demonstrate competencies in English despite acquiring them in their local language (Arabic, French, or Swahili). Learners are assigned to lower levels, contributing to misalignment between their…

The following resource is an impact story of how NCSI built the capacity of Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to design a state system of support to begin addressing the special education teacher shortage. The resource provides context for the intensive technical assistance focusing on improvement science, provides qualitative and…