With growing English learner (EL) populations enrolling in districts throughout the United States, educators must be trained to meet the needs of this culturally and linguistically diverse population. However, the approaches used to meet this growing teacher training need vary widely, with little available research on how different approaches…

Micro-credentials research, which includes digital badges, is a relatively new field of study that seeks to inform the implementation, portability and sustainability of the ecology of meaningful delivery. This paper reviews literature relevant to understanding connections between universities' intent to offer micro-credentials and the environment…

A third of the 2- and 4-year undergraduates beginning college in 2011-2012 changed their major in the first 3 years of enrollment. Yet, few studies have examined the effects of major switching on student outcomes, particularly in community colleges. Major switching can delay or impede college completion through excess credit accumulation, or it…

The purpose of this article is to examine a 'grow your own' model of leadership preparation and placement of educational administrators in the state of Tennessee. The growing need for school and district administrators in the rural counties of Tennessee mirrors a nationwide issue, and state policymakers and practitioners must respond appropriately…

As assessments move from traditional paper-pencil administration to computer-based administration, many testing programs are incorporating alternative item types (AITs) into assessments with the goals of measuring higher-order thinking, offering insight into problem-solving, and representing authentic real-world tasks. This paper explores multiple…

Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) centre registration is an important aspect in promoting quality ECCE. Quality ECCE plays an important role in promoting holistic development for children. In the Malaysian context, ECCE is managed under a dichotomous system which is overseen by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development and…

Cosmetology is one of the most widely and onerously regulated occupations for lower-income workers, yet little research has explored the experiences of aspiring beauty workers. This first-of-its-kind study takes advantage of federal educational data--including a large, and largely untapped, dataset on nondegree credentials and work experience…

Nationally, the labor market is seeking workers to fill the increasing number of high salary job vacancies, but those qualified to fill them are in limited supply. The skills and third-party industry credentials earned in secondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs seem a perfect fit for the student, employer, and economy. However,…

Teacher shortages in some regions, schools and content areas have caused states to consider fast-tracking teachers into the classroom through avenues that include little or no clinical preparation. Teachers who enter the profession through these pathways are less likely to be prepared, less effective and less likely to remain in the profession…

Teacher certificates often span broad grade bands, such as K-5, K-6, or even K-8. To earn these certificates, teacher candidates often spend more time learning content designed for older children and less on early childhood development and early literacy and numeracy. This issue of "State Innovations" highlights the Michigan State Board…

The retention rate in online classes is significantly lower than traditional classes especially in subjects like accounting. More than 40% of the students who were enrolled in online Accounting 101 courses either dropped or failed the course (internal data, 2020). There is a need to identify best practices to increase retention in online classes…

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, several unprecedented government interventions related to COVID-19--including the closure of non-essential businesses, travel restrictions and public health measures limiting public interactions--have been put in place. These measures, implemented by public health officials across Canada, had a clear…

School-based agricultural education (SBAE), like many other subject areas, suffers from a critical teacher shortage. Oklahoma has chosen to combat this shortage by offering temporary emergency teaching certifications with minimal qualifications and no requirements for professional development. Recruitment is only half of the solution to teacher…

The study evaluated students' experience of learning with virtual classrooms facilitated by Google Classroom at the Institute of social work, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The study employed the Activity Theory (AT) as a theoretical framework using the first triangle of the activity system, which includes three components - Subject-Tool-Object (STO).…

This study described the BIPA (Bahasa Indonesia untuk Penutur Asing) teachers' readiness to develop the Indonesian pluricultural competence among students. BIPA is a language program designed for non-native speakers of Indonesian who wish to learn the Indonesian language (Bahasa Indonesia) for both written and spoken purposes. The study used a…