In 2013, VA became the first state to mandate the use of threat assessment teams in its K-12 public schools. We provide an account of the development and adaptation of threat assessment as a school safety practice and research on the Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines in VA schools. We describe the state law and the question of whether…

The "Forum Guide to Data Governance" highlights how data governance programs benefit education agencies and provide timely and useful best practices, examples, and resources for agencies implementing or updating their data governance programs. This resource is intended to address the needs of federal, state, and local agencies related…

As the number of available cybersecurity jobs continues to grow, colleges strive to offer to their cybersecurity students an environment which will make them sufficiently prepared to enter the workforce after graduation. This paper explores the academic and professional needs of STEM-students in various higher education institutions across…

This study characterized perceptions of agricultural leadership programs in colleges of agriculture, food, life, human, or environmental sciences at 1,862 land-grant institutions. Objectives included describing the need for programs, studying evolution within the discipline, discussing faculty recommendations for future development, and examining…

One method to develop leaders is through leadership development programs designed specifically for an intended context. The International Leadership Association (ILA) provides questions for designing programs such programs. This article reflects data collected during the process of developing a leadership program serving the broader agricultural…

Needs assessment is the first step in developing a leadership education program. During the spring of 2008 researchers and program planners conducted focus groups sessions with representatives from Virginia's agricultural community with the goal of assessing the leadership development interests and needs of that community. As one focus group…

This article shows how a high school physical education teacher was able to build a curriculum that blends driver education, bicycling skills, and fitness through experiential learning. The article describes the process of developing and gaining administrative support for the curriculum, including acquiring the funding necessary via grants to…

Schools in the United States have struggled with graduation rates for nearly 140 years. School divisions are continuously searching for new and creative curriculums to address changing student needs. From the U.S. Department of Education to local school board members, educators are working to discover creative and accountable alternatives to…

The article explores three WAC/WID programs that were presented in 1990 in "Programs That Work: Models and Methods for Writing Across the Curriculum" by Toby Fulwiler and Art Young. The author interviewed current directors of the University of Michigan program, the University of Chicago Little Red Schoolhouse, and the George Mason…

This paper reports on a needs assessment study designed to identify critical needs in Virginia's English as a Second Language (ESL) education in order to design an appropriate ESL endorsement program at James Madison University. The study involved a statewide sample of K-12 schools with ESL programs. A total of 330 questionnaires were sent to 24…

A needs sensing confirmation study was conducted to identify the Appalachia Educational Laboratory's (AEL) long term research and development program needs and provide guidelines for its seven member states' activities. The AEL Board of Directors, individuals serving in similar positions as the Board members, and a sample of non-public school…

It is essential that the traditional emergency management structure be used as a framework for higher education emergency planning. The four phases of emergency management should be reflected in the architecture of all planning efforts. These include "preparedness," "response," "mitigation," and "recovery."…

CULTURALLY DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN CAN LEARN WELL WHEN THEY ARE OFFERED A REALISTIC CURRICULUM AND REALISTIC MATERIALS OF INSTRUCTION. EDUCATIONAL DEMANDS FROM PRESCHOOL THROUGH ADULT EDUCATION REQUIRE DIFFERENT INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS TO PROPERLY EDUCATE LOW ACHIEVERS REGARDLESS OF THEIR BACKGROUNDS. PUBLISHERS SHOULD AID THE COMMUNITY IN THEIR…

In the summer of 2008, the Commonwealth of Virginia was awarded a $1.1 million grant from the U. S. Department of Education. The College Access Challenge Grant Program (CACGP) is coordinated through the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). The focus of the grant is to increase student access to postsecondary education,…

The Appalachian Math Science Partnership (AMSP) is a project within NSF's (National Science Foundation's) Math Science Partnerships (MSP) initiative. Funded at $23 million over five years, the AMSP involved 51 school districts and nine higher education institutions in Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. The AMSP faced two significant challenges in…