The Innovation Schools Act of 2008, § 22-32.5-102, et seq. C.R.S., was designed to provide a pathway for schools and districts to develop and implement innovative practices in a wide variety of areas and contexts to improve student outcomes. Innovation schools are required to articulate a vision around the autonomies they are seeking, as well as…

The Mastery-Based Learning Collaborative (MBLC) is a demonstration project taking place in 47 schools across Washington to help decision makers understand what quality mastery-based (or competency-based) learning looks like, how long it takes to implement, and what resources are necessary. The schools receive funding, coaching, and professional…

Policy, systems, and environmental change are now widely accepted as critical to sustaining improvements in community health. Evidence suggests that such systems-level change is most effective when driven by community-based partnerships. Yet, after more than three decades of building community-based partnership work, health inequities have…

What works to help rural students succeed in higher education? In fall 2020, MDRC partnered with Rural Matters and Ascendium Education Group to produce a four-part podcast series called "Rural Higher Education: Challenges & Opportunities." The series gathered experts from across the country to examine the realities of rural life and…

This brief focuses on the efforts of the nursing programs at Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas (PCCUA) to reduce time to completion, increase achievement, and enhance student support. To accomplish these goals, PCCUA involved healthcare providers, faculty, students, college curriculum committees, the Accreditation Commission…

This document presents the third annual report of the Louisiana Coordinating Council for Higher Education. Emphasis is placed on the development of a master plan for higher education in Louisiana. Details of the master plan and implementation of it are described. Additional information concerning new degree program review, campus expansion and…

Discusses the reform and development of state instructional frameworks and curriculum guides in California, New York, and Texas. Emerging trends include abandonment of the expanding environments format in favor of a humanities emphasis in California and a citizenship education orientation in Texas encompassing the social sciences, arts, and…

This document comprises a selected overview of important issues concerning black education in New York State, and recommends specific strategies for improvement. Chapter 1, "Black Student Enrollment, Distribution, and Performance in New York State: Presenting the Data," and chapter 2, "Dropouts in New York: Problems and Prevention…

Classroom teachers are the most important element in school reform. Maryland's efforts to redesign teacher education involve a partnership between the state university system, chief higher education officer, and school superintendents and are designed to facilitate a seamless system of K-16 education, recognizing that schools must have rigorous…

Designed to keep educational practitioners informed of current trends and practices, this policy brief explores the changing identity of the nation's community colleges and presents four special inserts describing specific trends for the community college systems of California, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada, respectively. The brief reviews the…

Designed as a resource for administrators and faculty considering the implementation of competency-based vocational education (CBVE), this report addresses the theory and practice of CBVE, the pros and cons of a competency-based approach to instructional organization and delivery, and concerns about CBVE's appropriateness in Hawaii. After…

This publication reviews a statewide change effort in New York conceived of as a comprehensive, systematic process of change involving the participation of a total community in the examination and redefinition of its educational needs and goals. As a change strategy, Redesign attempts to deal with the entire system of education and is concerned…

Missouri's two-tiered higher education funding program addresses state-level accountability demands while rewarding campus-level improvements in teaching and learning. The context and evolution of the program are described, characteristics of the state-level and campus-level planning efforts are outlined, and issues in implementation and future…

Medical, nursing, pharmacy, and dental education in West Virginia's state universities has undergone substantial changes since 1991, becoming more responsive to community needs. A primary-care, community-based academic system now involves students, faculty, health professionals, and lay community members in identifying and serving needs in…

Information on educational equity in California is presented in this supplementary report. Issues in the state, resources, proposals, and areas for action are addressed. Areas of analysis include: income for men and women by race and years of education; the numbers of Black and Hispanic students that graduate from high school, enroll in college,…