Educators and researchers often think of program design and program evaluation as separate endeavors, even intentionally creating a firewall between them. But what if designers and evaluators worked together, combining their insights to strengthen both the program and the study of it? In the work of evaluating a statewide professional learning…

This article provides an overview of the development and components of LEAD95, University of Tennessee (UT) Extension's comprehensive leadership program for county-level leaders. The program was designed in accordance with results from a Delphi study, which identified critical skills and resources new county directors need to be successful. The…

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease that affects over 34.2 million or 10.5% of the U.S. population and ranks as the seventh leading cause of death. Tennessee's diabetes prevalence rate is ranked 45th overall in the nation, with 14.9% of the population affected, and in the local area for this project, the rate is greater than 15%,…

There were concerns in both quantity and quality of principal candidates regarding training experiences and principals being prepared to lead schools. Research was limited when it came to principal preparation programs (PPPs) training rural, East Tennessee school principals to become instructional leaders and school district leaders providing…

Despite the critical role of mentors in the preparation of preservice teachers, very little causal quantitative research has explored the effects of offering mentors professional development (PD) around how to coach and support their candidates. We conduct an experimental evaluation of a PD opportunity randomly offered to mentors within six…

There is a defined need to provide accessible and effective professional development for 4-H educators. Lesson study is a Community of Practice-based approach to educator professional development. Prior research has shown lesson study to be effective with 4-H staff, adult volunteers, and teen volunteers. This inquiry, a multisite case study, was…

The Region 5 Comprehensive Center worked in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education to develop a professional learning framework and toolkit. Although they were developed to meet the needs of education staff in Tennessee, the guidance can benefit other state education stakeholders in their efforts to ensure all professional learning…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between Marsick and Watkins' (2003) dimensions of a learning organization, Bandura's (1977, 1986) collective and self-efficacy, and teacher level of effectiveness (LOE) in a Rural Tennessee School District (RTSD). School districts invest significant amounts of time and resources to…

This article describes some of the extraordinary accomplishments of the second cohort of states to participate in the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Financing Policy Project (IECMH-FPP). The purpose of the IECMHFPP is to support states' advancement of IECMH assessment, diagnosis, and treatment policies that will contribute to the healthy…

School leaders, specifically principals, play a pivotal role in shaping student learning outcomes. The benefits of strong leaders extend beyond academic achievement, such as reductions in absenteeism and exclusionary discipline. While quality principals are critical for creating and sustaining quality schools, the staffing pipeline is facing…

This study investigates the perspectives of University Human Resource Administrators in Tennessee regarding the integration of generative AI technologies in higher education. Focusing on administrators within the College & University Professional Association for HR TN Chapter, the research employed a mixed-methods approach, utilizing pre- and…

In July 2022, the University of Tennessee and the Tennessee Geographic Alliance hosted a three-week summer institute funded by the National Endowment for Humanities (NEH) as part of its "A More Perfect Union" initiative to promote a deeper understanding of United States history and culture. Eighteen K-12 educators from across the country…

This multi-case study analyzed the formal and informal development of adaptive capacity in fire service leaders within the context of increasingly complex situations driven by urbanization and climate change. Triangulating interviews, observations, and documentation review, this study included two urban fire service cases impacted by past complex…

The Tennessee First Five Training Institute (TFFTI) is a workforce development project to build infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) capacity across Tennessee's community mental health agencies. TFFTI focused on foundational trainings in IECMH concepts, training in child-parent psychotherapy, dyadic, trauma treatment for children birth…

This non-experimental, quantitative correlation study aimed to see if a correlation existed among variables of years of teaching experience and teacher leadership styles, burnout, school culture, and teachers' perception of school leadership. Transformational leadership provided the theoretical framework for this study. This study was significant…