Districts may have limited internal capacity to provide teachers with sustained, systemic professional learning that is relevant to every teacher due to a lack of funding, inadequate staffing, insufficient time, and competing demands. Educational service agencies, which work at the regional level to support multiple districts, can address those…

A diagnostic walkabout (DW) is an in-field diagnostic training program for professionals in the green industry (greenhouse, landscape, nursery, and turf businesses). DWs have been scheduled annually since 2002 and are easily replicable, fee-based programs that provide cost recovery. DWs also serve as a mentoring program for new Extension…

The mental health and well-being of rural communities in the United States is a growing and serious concern. Generally, suicide rates are higher and increase more rapidly in rural areas than in urban areas (Ringgenberg et al., 2017; Steelesmith et al., 2019). Studies suggest that isolation, limited socioeconomic opportunity, and sparse access to…

Approved by the Kansas State Board of Education in 2017, the school redesign project has seen more than 160 schools to reimagine their learning models in a state-led, multiyear process. Annual cohorts named for NASA lunar missions, the fourteen schools in seven districts that formed the initial Mercury cohort engaged in intensive planning and…

In December 2017, the Smithsonian unveiled a new Strategic Plan. The plan sets goals to help be more collaborative and efficient in work, build and deployment of digital competency, and engage new and more diverse audiences in meaningful ways. The plan also continues to improve facilities maintenance and collections care to be even better stewards…

Forty years after its opening, Americans must reconsider the efficacy of a federal, Cabinet-level Department of Education. Rescinding agency status, eliminating duplicative, ineffective, and inappropriate programs, and re-organizing remaining programs under a restored Office of Education within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services…

Yakima Valley College--a two-year, Hispanic-serving institution in south-central Washington state--partnered with four-year universities, agricultural centers, businesses, and federal and state agencies to develop a streamlined undergraduate research experience in which students work closely with a faculty mentor in a science, technology,…

The Youth Transitions Partnership (YTP) in Alameda County, California blends service coordination, intensive case management, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help transition-age youth in foster care engage with available support systems and subsequently improve their outcomes. As part of a formative evaluation of YTP, Chapin Hall…

In December 2017, the Smithsonian unveiled a new Strategic Plan. It expands on the five "Grand Challenges"--Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe, Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet, Valuing World Cultures, Understanding the American Experience, and Magnifying the Transformative Power of Arts and Design--by setting goals…

The Safe Babies Court Team™ (SBCT) is a community engagement and systems-change approach focused on improving how courts, child welfare agencies, and related child-serving organizations work together, share information, and expedite services for young children in the child welfare system. Ten sites across four states received technical assistance…

This paper reports findings of a recent conceptual literature review of teacher performance management systems as implemented by the Teacher Service Commission in Kenya. It was undertaken by reviewing several TSC circulars, documents used in teacher management, HR literature and the TSC Act. It reflects the perspectives of the authors and TSC…

A growing body of evidence has demonstrated the negative impact that punitive discipline has on children and youth. To make changes in school discipline, it is important for all stakeholders to know about the latest research, understand the local impact of punitive discipline on systems and youth, and coordinate a collaborative response. One…

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) Office of Inspector General (OIG) annual plan identifies the audits, inspections, and other activities that the OIG intends to undertake to assist the Department in fulfilling its responsibilities to America's citizens and students. OIG's FY 2022 Annual Plan details the assignment areas and resources…

This report urges states to participate in the State Wage Interchange System (SWIS), as it can aide states in satisfying Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) reporting requirements, and help states better understand whether former participants in workforce training and education programs are finding good jobs. SWIS is a data sharing…

This article explores the following questions: What are licensed family child care providers' perspectives on the benefits and challenges of partnering with an agency to deliver Early Head Start (EHS) services? And, what recommendations do they have regarding establishing and maintaining a successful partnership? The authors share qualitative data…