Conducting K-12 outreach programs on university or college campuses focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines is an essential part of the multifaceted effort for preparing future generations of engineers and scientists. However, the lack of structured frameworks to design and deliver activities and programs…

This final report on the thematic country reviews (TCRs) on upskilling pathways conducted in Italy from 2021 to 2023 serves as a valuable resource for policy-makers, social partners, and all stakeholders involved in the upskilling process. It summarises the outcomes of the three phases of the research and discusses areas for actions. This report…

Gain and loss framing has been used in risk communication across many fields as a technique for shaping individuals' behaviors. Via community-engaged research conducted with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, we tested five message frames to determine efficacy for outreach programs. We made the following determinations: (1) for…

This paper takes a "natural history approach" (Erickson, 1982) in describing and analyzing the making of a fanciful object--a wind sculpture--by a young woman and a staff scientist in a youth outreach program called X-Tech at the San Francisco Exploratorium. Working from audio-video footage, audio recordings, and "in situ"…

This chapter explores the relationship between the American Economic Association and community college economics faculty, as well as the Federal Reserve System's education outreach efforts to the community college sector.

Access to apprenticeships for young people and those from disadvantaged backgrounds is an ongoing problem, particularly among the most sought-after apprenticeship opportunities. Since the apprenticeship reforms in 2017 there have been a number of main trends. A decline in the number of apprenticeships overall (a trend further exacerbated by the…

Across Australia, students at regional, rural and remote high schools are considerably less likely to go to university than their metropolitan counterparts. One of the ways in which universities try to help to bridge this gap is to organise visits to such schools, with the purpose of familiarising students with the idea of university and…

The COVID-19 pandemic has already produced profound impacts on college students, with unprecedented directives for student relocation from their college campuses and dormitories mid-semester and coursework that took place through virtual learning. The current disruptions and anticipated potential long-term changes call for immediate prioritization…

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) American Apprenticeship Initiative (AAI) funded 46 grantees across the country to expand registered apprenticeship into new sectors, such as healthcare, and to populations historically underrepresented in apprenticeships. DOL commissioned an evaluation of the AAI grants to build evidence about the effectiveness…

This paper explores how public and student engagement with NASA's Lucy Mission--targeting the Jupiter Trojan asteroids affects informal science learning, interest in planetary science, and youth engagement with space-related careers. Through a mixed-methods study including surveys, observational data, and analysis of public outreach campaigns, we…

Background and Motivation: While high school graduates increasingly attend college, fewer than two-thirds of students who began a bachelor's degree at a four-year institution in 2014 earned a degree within six years (Irwin et al., 2024). Efforts to promote students' success in college that vary widely in intensity, duration, and target (Meyer et…

Gaps in advanced high school coursework by socioeconomic status and geography persist in the United States, even among students with the ability and access to succeed in them. Lack of information on course availability and inaccurate self-perceptions may contribute to these inequities. We report on a large-scale experiment designed to increase…

Institutional repositories have not lived up to their potential. Faculty consider preparing and submitting works to repositories onerous, they worry about making works freely available, and they fail to see benefits of submitting works to repositories. Nevertheless, opportunities to increase repository submissions exist, and IRs offer campuses a…

H[subscript 2]O Heroes is an environmental education programme, which was piloted with primary school students aged 7-10 years in a rural community in Co. Cavan, Ireland. Environmental education is frequently aimed at children not just as an educational initiative but as a means of changing attitudes and behaviour. H[subscript 2]O Heroes brings…

In the wake of the COVID pandemic, many academic libraries sought virtual instruction options, like the embedded librarian model, bringing renewed interest to the topic. Debates defining embedded librarianship are plentiful and varied, but a review of the professional literature reveals a commonly used metaphor comparing embedded librarians to…