A recent independent evaluation by WestEd of Learning Forward's What Matters Now Network looked at the ways in which a structured, facilitated network provided support for state-level coalitions working with districts, schools, and educators to improve instruction and make progress toward achieving content standards. The network was facilitated by…

Trauma-informed approaches are increasingly being integrated within early care and education (ECE) settings due to the plethora of research linking adversity and trauma in early childhood (e.g., maltreatment, violence, and racial discrimination) to children's social-emotional, behavioral, and academic well-being. However, despite widespread use of…

The "Teaching for TU Student Success: Trauma-Informed Learning Environments (TILE) Workshop" provides faculty professional development in trauma-informed pedagogy through several innovative components, including a menu of distinctive content, participation of an instructional designer to provide learning support, and information and…

Missouri is struggling with teacher shortages. In its public schools, which serve nearly 900,000 students, shortages have typically been concentrated in urban and rural areas, and in content areas of special education, math, and science. Recently, however, shortages have begun broadly impacting more schools in more parts of the state and more…

Each year, educators engage in hours of professional learning to enhance their practice. Those hours are limited, both by contract and the imperative of keeping teachers in classrooms as much as possible. It is essential that this professional learning time is well-spent and pays dividends toward the goal of all public education: ensuring that…

Crisis intervention programs have been developed to help educators be better prepared to prevent and respond to students in crisis. Schools spend millions of dollars for the use of these commercial programs, many of which are based on the principles of the Cycle of Acting Out Behavior (Colvin & Scott, 2015), which is considered the "gold…

A collaboration between campus partners including the center for teaching and learning and a fee-based student learning support program set out to engage faculty in an educational campaign aimed at designing inclusive classrooms for neurodiverse students. The Neurodiversity Institute, a two-day interactive experience, provides faculty with tools…

Education systems today must prepare every child, everywhere, to thrive in an increasingly complex world. But despite huge increases in education spending over the past two decades, children are not achieving the desired outcomes. A lack of belief and investment has led to widespread demotivation of teachers and officials, as demonstrated by high…

This paper describes the Idaho Reading Coach Academy, which is part of the Idaho State Department of Education's (ISDE) K-3 literacy project, Striving to Meet Achievement in Reading Together (SMART). SMART is a multiyear cohort project that developed a statewide network of reading coaches who could provide direct support to participants. ISDE…

Educators and researchers often think of program design and program evaluation as separate endeavors, even intentionally creating a firewall between them. But what if designers and evaluators worked together, combining their insights to strengthen both the program and the study of it? In the work of evaluating a statewide professional learning…

For many students, project-based learning (PBL) can be more engaging than more traditional instructional approaches. Over the past 15 years, Anna Saavedra and Amie Rapaport studied seven inquiry-based approaches. Their research shows that PBL has a positive effect on students' achievement and development of important soft skills. Schools can…

Despite its crucial role in student success, there is scant research on how honors faculty develop teaching expertise and pedagogical authority. This essay considers the ways in which faculty development programs assist instructors by enhancing the critical skills necessary for positive student outcomes and successful honors programs. While honors…

There are many integrated Multi-tiered Systems of Support (iMTSS), which we refer to as integrated-tiered systems. These systems hold benefits for students with disabilities, as such systems have the potential to facilitate inclusion and focus the collective expertise of educators committed to meeting students' multiple needs. The Comprehensive,…

Colorblind ideology--grounded in the belief that race is not a determinant factor for economic or academic outcomes in the U.S.--can thwart teachers' learning in PD focused on equity and anti-racist education. Colorblind ideology deflects conversation from race and suppresses a group's ability to address racial issues. Mayfield spells out how to…

An assessment framework was developed and implemented for UCLA's science general education (GE) program that combined overall program goals, individual course improvement, and faculty engagement. Specifically, the framework targeted (a) developing institutional goals for GE courses, (b) ensuring alignment of individual course learning outcomes…