This is the executive summary for the full report, "Centering Quality, Centering Equity: Lessons Learned in Increasing Early Childhood Educator Credentials." Thriving communities depend on a strong early childhood education (ECE) system--one where both young children and members of the workforce are served and supported. In recent years,…

This is the third in a series of annual reports about teacher shortages in Michigan that the state legislature requested in December 2020 (2020 PA 316). Although the state data on this topic is limited, these analyses still help to paint a picture of teacher shortages across Michigan, assist policymakers to target policies and programs in ways…

The vision of Utah's secondary Career & Technical (CTE) programs is to prepare students for success by providing them with relevant and rigorous learning experiences that align with the needs of Utah's workforce and connect them to postsecondary opportunities. Utah's secondary CTE programs are designed to support students in exploring their…

The lack of skilled workers to fill open positions is a growing concern for the economy. The talent search firm Korn Ferry has estimated that the U.S. could face a deficit of 6.5 million highly skilled workers by 2030, and the skills gap could cost the country $1.75 trillion in revenue by that same year. More important, the failure to better…

Limited research explores how school administrators learn the leadership skills, knowledge, and dispositions that will support young adolescents, particularly how administrators are prepared and credentialed to lead middle grades schools. The purpose of this research was to examine which states offered and/or required administrator credentials…

New York State, in all of its regions, has a growing number of diverse public-school students, including many immigrant groups, accounting for a significant change in the ethnic and racial demographics of the state's student population. Despite the rapidly changing student population, the teaching force nonetheless remains disproportionately White…

Researchers have investigated the demography and styles of engagement of those who enroll in MOOCs but have lent little attention to how learners navigate MOOCs' ambiguity as academic certifications. Analyzing semi-structured interviews with 60 people who devoted substantial time to at least one MOOC between 2014-2017, we find that people use…

This article discusses concerns raised by the Office for Students (OfS) and other policy actors regarding perceived grade inflation in undergraduate degree classifications in England. I employ a desert-based justice philosophical framework to argue that the criticisms made by the OfS can be understood in light of the position that degree…

As the wages of high school graduates plummet, postsecondary education and training has become critical to obtaining a living-wage job. Obtaining an associate's degree or higher has the greatest potential to produce long-lasting increases in individual earnings. However, recent studies have shown that shorter-term credentials, which may take only…

Background/Context: Postsecondary education plays a central role in income and wealth mobility (Chetty et al., 2017) and in buffering individuals from the negative effects of economic downturns (see recent evidence from BLS, 2019; BLS, 2020). Much of the policy and programmatic focus around college completion has centered on increasing the share…

Studies have found that educational credential attainment could reduce recidivism-- committing a criminal offense after being released from incarceration--by a significant amount (Davis et al., 2013; Lee College, 2019; Northwestern, 2020). Therefore, the philosophy department needed to create a program that would increase high-school-equivalency…

Doctoral supervision is increasingly becoming a complex enterprise, calling for highly skilled and competent supervisors. This paper considers a comparative analysis of a three-pathway model and graduate manuals of selected Ugandan universities to forecast the role of pedagogical training in doctoral supervision. The handbooks were in some…

Educators have long recognized that students gain important skills through real-world learning, which frequently takes place outside school hours or school walls. In Boston and Providence, after-school program leaders engaged in a bold experiment to formally recognize these skills through an innovative credential called a digital badge. For two…

Special education teachers have the unique expectation of being qualified to provide instruction and supports to students with disabilities in the educational setting. This phenomenological study set out to determine the degree of knowledge special education teachers have in regards to 40% of the special needs student population: those students…

This study explores the experience of 13 candidates in a district-embedded new administrator induction program as it relates specifically to coaching. The research establishes the need to recruit and retain new administrators in the field of education, as many quit within the first three years and many others are expected to retire in the near…