Since its inception in 1965, Head Start has provided low-income families with wraparound early childhood programming. Serving nearly a million children and families nationwide, Head Start's "Whole Child" philosophy was particularly evident during COVID-19 when families faced unprecedented disruptions at home, school, and work. Utilizing…

This study utilizes the Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI) to evaluate the operating performance of technology universities in Taiwan. The bootstrap method is employed to analyze MPI sensitivity to verify the index's stability. Our results suggest that the universities demonstrate an adequate level of performance with little improvement required.…

In this paper, we engage with the Research Excellence Framework (REF) -- the UK government's national policy tool for competitive allocation of scarce research funding. Success on the terms of the REF provides guaranteed income for UK Universities for a 6- or 7-year period -- and as a result, we suggest that the REF operates as an asset-like…

As part of the shift towards a more equitable research culture, funders are reconsidering traditional approaches to peer review. In doing so, they seek to minimize bias towards certain research ideas and researcher profiles, to ensure greater inclusion of disadvantaged groups, to improve review quality, to reduce burden, and to enable more…

Background: The ever-increasing computational demands call for optimal resource utilisation and system performance in the cloud environment. Organisations are increasingly migrating workloads to cloud platforms, mandating the need for efficient resource distribution. Load balancing, a critical cloud component, ensures equitable distribution of…

This study is dedicated to analyzing and evaluating government initiatives aimed at addressing migration challenges in Kazakhstan that manifest in uneven migration flows and significant disparities in population density between the southern and northern regions. The authors assess the implementation of a state program as part of their analysis,…

In Ethiopia, there is low enrollment of children and youth with disabilities in the education system. Lack of access to early childhood, primary, and secondary education can reinforce cycles of poverty, limiting access to future employment opportunities and opportunities for independent living. Moreover, with children with disabilities out of…

This paper explores the contrast between the policy vision for public technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges in South Africa, and governance and funding models that have shaped institutional forms and functioning over time. Policy aspires for TVET colleges to play a role in social inclusion and local economic development.…

The purpose of this interview-based qualitative study was to explore how individualized education program (IEP) team members determine least restrictive environment and educational placement. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires students with disabilities to be educated in the least restrictive environment and to the…

The objectives of this research were to: (1) Investigate the current problems in achieving balance in urban and rural basic education in Shaanxi Province, (2) Develop a strategy to improve this balance, and (3) Evaluate the adaptability, feasibility, effectiveness, and fairness of the proposed strategy. The study involved 175 teachers from urban…

Budgets are moral documents, reflecting our priorities as a nation by deciding where to allocate resources. Congress is targeting cuts and policy changes that limit access to health care, nutrition programs, and basic financial stability for millions of children, including Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and the…

The global knowledge, technological, and communication revolutions underway today have affected education systems in the Arab world and prompted these countries to reconsider strategies and policies related to distance learning. The responses from Arab educational institutions after the outbreak of COVID-19 have also created the need to…

During the 2018-2019 legislative and budget cycle, the California State Legislature and Administration established the Student Equity and Achievement (SEA) Program, which was created to consolidate funding allocated for three distinct, but interconnected, categorical programs: (1) the Basic Skills Initiative; (2) the Student Equity Program and (3)…

Nearly five years after the pandemic, a majority of afterschool programs are able to serve as many or more students as they served before the pandemic began. Still, most providers are concerned about their programs' sustainability and staffing capabilities. Overwhelming majorities of afterschool program providers report offering their students…

Urban minoritized students often face a multitude of systemic challenges that play out in their statistical outcomes. Still, they are also surrounded by cultural, family, and community resources, supports, and funds of knowledge. In this manuscript, we present a methodology for a community-engaged process to urban educational ecosystems as a first…