The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) gives states new flexibility to deliver on the promise of public education in the way that works best for the communities they serve--especially when it comes to building school accountability systems. These systems are among the most powerful tools at a state chief's disposal to advance ESSA's goals of…

This is the fourth report from an evaluation of the Principal Pipeline Initiative (PPI). This report addresses the implementation of principal evaluation and related support as of 2015, viewing implementation in the context of districts' aims, constraints, and capacity. Principal evaluation is part of the Wallace Principal Pipeline Initiative…

This study captured the experience and perceptions of faculty members who have implemented Universal Design (UD) in their courses, to understand the implementation process and outcomes UD had on their students and themselves; as the current research on UD has been long on best practices, and short on empirical evidence. A thorough review of…

The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) has just published its fifth policy brief, entitled "Making Large-Scale Literacy Campaigns and Programmes Work." The brief provides policymakers with a set of recommendations based on an analysis of adult literacy campaigns and programmes that took place around the world between 2000 and…

This governing document for the public education system in Hawai'i provides a common foundation of expectations and supports for public education, centering on closing the achievement gap to ensure equity and excellence for each student. The Strategic Plan is a compact between the Board of Education (BoE), the Department of Education (DoE), and…

This report provides a description of a study conducted by WestEd on behalf of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to examine how the affordances of the technologies in the blended learning environments of three charter schools impacted teaching and learning activities. A particular focus of the work was to examine whether the blended learning…

This report is based upon work supported by the Social Innovation Fund (SIF), a key White House initiative and program of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). The Social Innovation Fund combines public and private resources to grow the impact of innovative, community-based solutions that have compelling evidence of improving…

STEM Pathways is a partnership between five informal STEM organizations--The Bakken Museum, Bell Museum of Natural History, Minnesota Zoo, STARBASE Minnesota, and The Works--with the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) and the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). The purpose of this collaborative effort is to raise the access, enthusiasm, and…

The authors describe guidelines endorsed by the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision for research mentorship, including characteristics of mentors and mentees. Suggestions for implementing the guidelines at the individual, program, institution, and professional levels are focused on enhancing mentoring relationships as well as…

If special education teacher evaluation systems are to meet their promise of improving practice for students with disabilities, they need to be designed in a way that promotes and rewards strong instructional practice. In 2010, the Idaho State Department of Education (SDE) partnered with researchers from Boise State University to develop a special…

This mixed-method study examined the ways that principals and teachers coparticipated in discipline-focused online communities of practice designed to foster instructional improvement in two middle schools. Findings derived from interviews and content analysis of the online discussion threads revealed the emergence of a shared language about…

This paper provides an in-depth analysis into two case studies aimed at addressing the digital divide in two developing countries. A detailed description is provided for each case study along with an analysis of how successful the two projects were at addressing the digital divide in Siyabuswa, South Africa and Ennis, Ireland. The two case studies…

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of a professional development (PD) program on teachers' implementation of the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) model, and to identify the characteristics of PD that influence teaching practice. The participants were six elementary school teachers and 12 students, and the data…

Creating a collaborative environment across student services and instruction is often more challenging than it may first seem. Although effective collaboration is context specific, keeping student learning at the center of the work is a powerful element in successful collaborations. Grossmont College's first year experience program has attempted…

This study sought to find out the constraints of implementing free secondary education (FSE) in secondary schools in Mandera West Sub-County, Mandera County, Kenya. The study is based on the theory of constraints as the researcher examines the factors constraining the achievement of FSE objectives. The study used the survey design. The main…