Scholarly learning has been and continues to be largely understudied and misunderstood; oftentimes scholarly learning is only studied in the context of research universities (Neumann, 2009a), thereby failing to acknowledge the ways in which faculty scholarly learning is enacted and supported across institutional types. In this monograph, the…

Each edition of the IDRA Newsletter strives to provide many different perspectives on the issues in education topics discussed and to define its significance in the state and national dialogue. This issue focuses on Push Outs--Children of Color and includes: (1) Texas Public School Attrition Study, 2015-16: High School Attrition Inches Up to 25…

The unionization of instructional workers is a central feature of U.S. higher education, with more than a quarter of those teaching college classes covered by collectively bargained contracts. Though dated, the best existing numbers indicate that more than 430,000 faculty members, graduate students, and related personnel are in bargaining units;…

The One Year Plus policy of Baltimore City Public Schools described in this Newsletter has the potential to breathe new life into "special education" for students with disabilities. In recent decades, many waves of K-12 education reform--including the No Child Left Behind Act, charter schools, alternative teacher recruitment paths,…

School improvement can be a complex, messy business. At its most basic, school improvement is change--change that might require people to abandon long-held beliefs and practices, shift roles, and learn new skills. Kilgore and Reynolds (2011) suggested that successful change requires that people change their perceptions as well as their actions.…

As a scholar/practitioner who has been involved for more than forty years in efforts to improve urban schools and districts, the author is struck by the confluence of factors that seem to be coming together to support this major new effort to rescue the neediest students in urban America. Is it possible that the idealism of the 1960s is finally…

Educators and policymakers can address gifted underachievement through changes in classroom and systemwide practices. This Issue Brief summarizes the issues underlying promising practices for supporting the gifted and talented. It also offers a series of questions to ask when planning schoolwide improvement efforts that address the needs of gifted…

Response to Intervention (RtI) came into the national forefront in the late 1990s as an alternate approach for identifying students with specific learning disabilities. In brief, RtI assumes that a broad system of early intervention and support is in place, one possible component of which is evaluating a student for suspected learning…

High school graduation is an important milestone for students and their families, and plans for family gatherings and celebrations are often made early in the senior year. Despite the anticipation, some seniors will not graduate because of insufficient credits, disciplinary action, or failure to pass a state exam. Breaking the news to students and…

This Education Policy Brief examines the research regarding the efforts occurring in the United States to consolidate school corporations or form cooperative agreements for shared services. The brief also examines those policy levers which are contributing to the elevated discussion concerning consolidation and shared services in Indiana. Based…

Jobs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are the backbone of the Massachusetts economy. They comprise a substantial share of employment: about 13 percent of the state's jobs and one-third of its gross state product are related to STEM. And they also generate jobs in other fields, such as business and professional services,…

The "Child Care Bulletin" is published quarterly and includes practical, informative articles based on current literature regarding topics important to policy-makers, child care providers, and parents. The Bulletin includes short articles, tips sheets, policy updates, interviews with leaders in the child care field, information from child…

The future of higher education and its relationship to economic growth were the focus of a one-day conference at the Chicago Fed on November 2, 2005. Cosponsored by the bank, the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, and the Midwestern Higher Education Compact, the event brought together over 100 academic, business, and government leaders.…

The future of higher education and its relationship to economic growth were the focus of a one-day conference at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago on November 2, 2005. Cosponsored by the bank, the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, and the Midwestern Higher Education Compact, the event brought together over 100 academic, business, and…

Home to several excellent universities and colleges, the Midwest has long benefited from the region's strong higher education system. However, with projected demographic changes and state support declines, institutions of higher learning face significant challenges in the years ahead. The author identifies two trends: (1) Increasing shift towards…