Ensuring that all students graduate high school prepared to pursue a career, postsecondary degree, or enter a certification program requires all stakeholders to work together for a common goal. The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 gave state education agencies the opportunity to partner with their local education agencies, restructuring school…

Given that marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug among college students (A. M. Arria, Caldeira, Bugbee, Vincent, & O'Grady, 2013);(Palmer, McMahon, Moreggi, Rounsaville, & Ball, 2012);(Pinchevsky et al., 2012);(Primack et al., 2012), the increase in use and changing attitudes among Americans seems to mirror what Parker (2005)…

This paper focuses on the relationship between policy creation and policy enactment through the use of an innovative qualitative research methodology, photo elicitation. Teachers applying Common Core State Standards were studied in two states through indepth interviews, photographs captured by the participants, and other artifacts. Findings…

Federal funds are one resource that state leaders can use to establish and/or supplement programming designed to diversify the teacher workforce. Though several federal funding streams can be used for this purpose, state and district leaders have a great opportunity to leverage COVID-relief funds to expand their diversity efforts. The primary…

Persistently low-performing schools have been repeatedly targeted for comprehensive reform for more than two decades, usually with poor results. These efforts have suffered, however, because they were often poorly implemented or insufficiently grounded in rigorous research. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), enacted in 2015, provides a…

Both the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and recent efforts to hold schools and teachers accountable have been hotly debated among practitioners, policymakers, and the public at large. Much of the debate centers on the merits and demerits of these initiatives and the general approach they represent to reforming teaching and learning. In this…

The field of education is progressively building capacity and tools for producing rigorous research evidence to use in improving educational practice and outcomes. The knowledge base is lacking, however, in explicating the dynamics of research-based decision making and exploring connections between the work of research-practice partnerships and…

High-quality early elementary years offer a critical opportunity for child development and academic learning for all children, regardless of their race, family-income level, or culture and home language. All students deserve access to high-quality teachers and leaders trained in how to effectively support their learning. They deserve to attend…

Caught between extraordinary public expectations and relatively modest constitutional authority, U.S. presidents historically have fashioned all sorts of mechanisms--executive orders, proclamations, memoranda--by which to move their objectives forward. William Howell asserts that under President Barack Obama's administration, presidential…

This paper presents a critical analysis of the representation of physical education (PE) in the 1992 Senate inquiry into "Physical and Sport Education" in Australia. Analysis focuses specifically upon how and why a new professional discourse, fundamental motor skills (FMS), gained a privileged position in the inquiry, the inquiry report…

This paper focuses on transition programs for youth to postsecondary education, broadly considered. It addresses the following questions: (1) What models or programs of transition exist? (2) On what basis can we say one transition program is more effective than another? In other words, how is successful transition defined? (3) How are…

This article highlights the three sets of policy issues that particularly affect students with emotional and behavioral disorders: issues related to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; continued concerns with school discipline and safety; and the focus on accountability in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. (Contains references.)…

Getting research-based instructional practices into the hands of professionals who teach students with learning disabilities is one of the most significant challenges for educators. This paper describes some of the major factors accounting for the gaps that exist between the special education research and classroom practice and presents four major…

Now is the time to "retrofit" policies and practices and reach for the goal of a just system of early education and care for all children and their families. The current social landscape of early care and education is filled with individual programs that are manifestations of disparate visions. While rich in variety, such a social landscape lacks…

This guide is intended to help school administrators to consider the impact of cultural diversity in the development and implementation of school disciplinary policies while complying with the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. First it examines how cultural bias, misunderstanding, and insensitivity may impede student and teacher…