For educational developers (also called academic or faculty developers) to facilitate change toward effective teaching and learning practices at any level, they must build trust and communicate credible expertise, often while conveying 'second-hand' educational knowledge to academics who then act on that knowledge in their own work. In this…

As the 21st century job market continues to advance, more jobs are requiring post-secondary training. Currently less than fifty percent of the United States population has a post-secondary degree or credential (Duke-Benfield et al., 2019). Thus, there is a need for expanding pathways to higher education to meet the needs of a changing workforce.…

A new epoch for humankind has started in most, if not all sectors of life, including the education sector. The question that seeks to be answered is whether the new period that started with the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic, often referred to as the "new normal", is and will be characterised by less favourable education…

All teachers need high-quality, relevant, ongoing professional development, but it is particularly hard to come by in rural areas. The Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (KVEC), an educational service agency serving some of the most economically distressed rural counties in America, has been leading one promising model for delivering…

This study aims to fill a gap in our understanding of the relationship between two major topics in educational research: higher education choices and students' conceptions of employability. It explores, first, the balance between vocational calling, instrumental considerations and chance in subject choice and, second, the relation between…

An indicator is a gauge or sense that allows a person to draw a conclusion. Because teacher leadership is so vaguely defined in both research and practice, indicators can assist teachers in using their perceptual knowledge to recognize and define teacher leadership. This article reports the findings of a statewide study conducted to better…

Companies are facing a persistent and growing skills gap, which has been exacerbated by the tight labor market. Employers use industry certifications, college degrees, boot camps, and badges to measure job skills, but until recently it was impossible to compare certifications or degree attainment. This paper describes credential transparency and…

The Ontario College Advanced Diploma requires three years of post-secondary education and the attainment of learning outcomes like those of a three-year baccalaureate degree. Except for one other Canadian province, no similar academic credential is awarded by colleges in Canada or the United States. For these reasons it has been viewed by some as…

A systematic review of literature, complemented by an analysis of state Letters of Determination, was conducted to determine how Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) standards might be applied to increase the quality of leadership in special education programs. Currently, there are no national credentialing standards for the role…

There are nearly 1 million credentials in the United States that students and workers can take advantage of, but how information about these credentials is collected and communicated is oftentimes inconsistent and hard to access. In February, we invited a group of postsecondary and workforce development experts to consider how policymakers can…

This chapter provides an overview of the issues that arise when trying to assess quality of credentials in the new credentialing market and discusses elements of an outcomes-based quality assurance that is evolving.

Facilitated networking, integrated into professional development programs, allows faculty participants to foster opportunities for engagement while strengthening collaborative relationships that help to humanize digital learning. This article considers the networking that is central to a professional development program that credentials faculty at…

The Building and Sustaining the Child Care and Early Education Workforce (BASE) project aims to increase knowledge and understanding in child care and early education (CCEE) by documenting factors that drive workforce turnover and by building evidence on current initiatives to recruit, advance, and retain a stable and qualified CCEE workforce. As…

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) approved the first nationally registered K-12 teacher apprenticeship program in Tennessee in January 2022, opening the door to a rapidly growing pathway for prospective teachers. Since then, DOL has approved registered teacher apprenticeships in more than 30 states. The Tennessee Grow Your Own (GYO) model became…

This brief examines employer demand for and the potential return on investment (ROI) of educational credentials in tech in order to support the design of equitable pathways that lead to quality jobs. Tech degrees consistently have a high ROI, especially in comparison with similar credentials in other industries. But education and workforce leaders…