Micro-credentials research, which includes digital badges, is a relatively new field of study that seeks to inform the implementation, portability and sustainability of the ecology of meaningful delivery. This paper reviews literature relevant to understanding connections between universities' intent to offer micro-credentials and the environment…

Disabilities and neurodiversity are dominantly understood as something that challenges higher education rather than something that enriches it: ableist underpinnings characterize higher education despite policies of widened access. While earlier research has explored ideas such as 'inclusive pedagogies' and 'pedagogies of belonging', these…

This paper seeks to clarify and spells out the responsibilities of policy makers to create the conditions for an effective accountability system that produces substantial improvements in student learning, strengthens the teaching profession, and provides transparency of results to the public. The authors point out that U.S. policy makers will need…

In an effort to find best practices in enhancing teacher effectiveness, the Alliance for Excellent Education (Alliance) and the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE) looked abroad at education systems that appear to have well-developed and effective systems for recruiting, preparing, developing, and retaining teachers and…

Many educators agree that we already know how to foster student success, so what is keeping common sense from becoming common practice? The author provides step-by-step guidance for overcoming the barriers to adopting the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and achieving equity and excellence for all students. As an experienced teacher and…

When Palmdale School District and Pivot Learning Partners entered into their first contract in 2006, neither organization foresaw the magnitude and complexity the relationship would take over time. Pivot Learning Partners (formerly known as Springboard Schools) is a non-profit service provider that first entered the Palmdale School District…

School reform is achieved through the collaboration and coordination among educators with the mutual goal of improved learning for all students. Given the complexity within and among educational systems, the need to develop and implement a common framework of school reform based upon mutually agreed-upon goals, standards, outcomes, and…

An effective educational reform plan creates a compelling vision, develops a new policy environment conducive to change, and lays out strategies for involving educators, parents, business people, and community members in implementation. Traditional educational policy is biased toward the status quo, favors yearly, incremental policy-making,…

Oregon's Educational Act for the 21st Century is a remarkably comprehensive and systematic approach to school reform. Relying on a broad partnership of business leaders, parents, teachers, and educational professionals, it calls for a shift in public attitudes, a focus on outcome-based evaluations, and efforts to ensure its compatibility with…

Current theory and law support a comprehensive model of school reform. The Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration Program suggests that changes in isolated parts of a system may not be linked to increases in overall achievement. A comprehensive reform program must synthesize nine essential components to improve the whole system across all the…

Telecommunications and information technologies can advance school reform to ensure the achievement of high standards if the curriculum guides the investment in technology. Technology must be planned for, and it must be implemented slowly, as an essential part of the curriculum and not as an add-on result of available funds. Systemic reform linked…

This paper focuses on: (1) prevalent assumptions and weaknesses underlying research on preschool programs for 3- to 5-year-olds; (2) issues concerning transition to kindergarten and early elementary grades; (3) the preparation of early childhood personnel; and (4) critical research needs. The review of research findings prompts questions about the…

This final report describes the accomplishments and activities of a 5-year federally funded California systems change project supporting the development and replication of inclusive schools as part of the state's movement to provide the least restrictive educational environment for all students with severe disabilities. The project was a…

Major points emphasized in this report include: (1) School improvement planning is not appropriately and effectively addressing barriers to learning; (2) Leaders for student/learning supports must mobilize and prepare student support personnel to become an integral and effective agent in school improvement planning and decision making; and (3) The…

A study was conducted to develop tools for describing and evaluating external governance in the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD's) multiorganizational system of education, training, and professional development. An exploratory conceptual framework and taxonomy for understanding external governance in the DoD context was developed, and the…