As K-12 computer science education mandates rapidly evolve across America, government officials, technology industry executives, and school leaders recognize such efforts' intellectual and economic importance. Specifically in Tennessee, a unanimous vote from the Tennessee General Assembly resulted in the passage of Chapter 979 of the Public Acts…

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…

During the COVID-19 global pandemic, early intervention (EI) practitioners experienced an unexpected shift to providing tele-intervention services to support children and families using virtual platforms. Because this shift occurred across the field, it is important to understand the perspectives of those who experienced it under exceptional…

This qualitative study focused on the perceived effectiveness of a formal mentoring program in developing instructional leadership skills for K-12 novice principals with 5 or fewer years of experience. The 13 participants for this study were derived from 200 public schools in the Southwest Tennessee area. The participants consented to participate…

This manuscript illustrates the potential use of The Harvard Social Studies Project's (HSSP) ability to promote student decision-making skills by implementing case study material to increase the use of standards-based curriculum and accountability measures in social studies classrooms. Data was developed through a short survey and collected from…

Despite increasing recognition of the importance of high-quality school leadership, we know remarkably little about principal skill development. Using administrative data from Tennessee, Oregon, and New York City, we estimate the returns to principal experience as measured by student outcomes, teacher hiring and retention patterns, and teacher and…

Despite increasing recognition of the importance of high-quality school leadership, we know remarkably little about principal skill development. Using administrative data from Tennessee, Oregon, and New York City, we estimate the returns to principal experience as measured by student outcomes, teacher hiring and retention patterns, and teacher and…

This dissertation examined how recent graduates from an animal science program described the role of experiential learning on their educational success in eastern Tennessee. The goal of this qualitative descriptive study was to understand how recent graduates describe the role of experiential learning on their educational success by answering the…

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…

Despite increasing recognition of the importance of high-quality school leadership, we know remarkably little about principal skill development. Using administrative data from Tennessee, Oregon, and New York City, we estimate the returns to principal experience as measured by student outcomes, teacher hiring and retention patterns, and teacher and…

Novice teachers improve substantially in their first years on the job, but we know remarkably little about the nature of this skill development. Using data from Tennessee, we leverage a feature of the classroom observation protocol that asks school administrators to identify an item on which the teacher should focus their improvement efforts. This…

There is a current and growing need for evidence-based practices aimed at improving the social skills of adults with intellectual disabilities (ID). Despite an abundance of research on strategies to improve the social skills of young children with ID, there is limited research on interventions aimed at improving prosocial behaviors of adults with…

Increasing numbers of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are being placed in the general classroom requiring educators to know how to use evidence-based strategies and interventions to address challenges related to their social skills and behaviors. The purpose of this case study was to understand rural school educators' perspectives…

Imagine walking into an 8th-grade science classroom and hearing a discussion among students about a challenging assignment they recently completed. A pilot program in 18 Tennessee schools develops agency through competency-based education. Students in Beth Hines' 8th grade physical science class at West Collierville Middle School in Tennessee are…

Improving students' lives through education is a continuous goal of school systems. Although education has assumed various roles throughout the years, one of the main goals is to help prepare students for future success. A key characteristic of supporting students in their quest of finding their purpose in life is equipping them with the skills…