Educators in PK-12 schools were surveyed to seek their perceptions of colleagues who they considered informal teacher leaders, defined as leaders who were not appointed to a leadership role by a school or district administrator. The survey asked administrators, educational specialists, and teachers working in PK-12 schools across four states to…

This paper describes progress, challenges and opportunities of using policy to advance educational equity and excellence at scale in the United States. It begins with a look-back that examines two key elements of the standards-based education (SBE) era: First, it traces policy shifts and implementation challenges of the SBE era. Second, it…

The primary purpose of Title 1, Part D programs is to improve the educational outcomes for youth who are categorized as "neglected" (n), "delinquent" (d), or at-risk under the statute. This brief is designed to help State Coordinators, grantees involved in data collection or analyses, and personnel involved in the design of…

The Accountability Plan is an annual report that is closely aligned with the Board of Governors' 2025 System Strategic Plan. This report enhances the System's commitment to accountability and strategic planning by fostering greater coordination between institutional administrators, University Boards of Trustees and the Board of Governors regarding…

This qualitative study explored private high school administrator and teacher perspectives on instructional strategies and rigor to improve Minnesota's college mathematic readiness. Data collection sources for the study included individual interviews, focus groups, and document review. The study produced four emergent themes from the data…

This study explored the impact of rural school district consolidation in eastern North Carolina. Wilkins County is a low-income, low-performing county with an average daily membership (ADM) of 1,501 students. This county suffers from rural population decline, decreasing ADM, and is categorized as low performing, with only two of the six schools…

This study explored the impact of rural school district consolidation in eastern North Carolina. Wilkins County is a low-income, low-performing county with an average daily membership (ADM) of 1,501 students. This case study reviews the process of consolidation one year after the 2017-2018 consolidation in terms of academic, financial, and…

The purpose of this qualitative research study is to explore how elementary principals describe, plan for, measure, interpret, and use perception data to make decisions to build a positive school climate within the school improvement process. Five participants were selected based on the criterion of being an elementary principal within the school…

Instructional coaching has emerged as a prevalent and much-lauded instrument for capacity building. This essay argues that coaching can be aligned with teacher evaluation systems to work toward the effective implementation of instructional reforms, including Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. Within the current…

For many US citizens, the election of Donald Trump was an event that will be etched into our collective psyche. As educational researchers, the challenge is how to prevent it from becoming an Event with a capital E. That almost 63 million US voters, many of whom have attended or graduated from public schools, supported Donald Trump makes the…

"How to Create the Conditions for Learning" shows how the conditions for continuously improving instruction can be created at every level--from the classroom to the school to the central office. More Ann Jaquith presents a framework for understanding and building instructional capacity, based on her original research in schools and…

America has learned from No Child Left Behind that focusing on equity demands that we look and more than test scores alone or they quickly become all that matters. That approach overlooks other aspects of a child's life that are critical. The new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) recognizes this lesson and encourages states and districts to…

In this book, educators learn what they need to know about the action research cycle and get practical help for working through each step of the cycle--from choosing a topic and generating research questions to analyzing data and reporting results and conclusions. In a clear, concise, user-friendly approach, the author helps readers through the…

The education industry has produced volumes of research describing what professional learning should look like, and, for the most part, researchers agree about many of the critical components. In 2011, Learning Forward updated--and most states since have adopted--Standards for Professional Learning that align with this research. The standards call…

This chapter discusses challenges to using data in a continuous improvement framework and describes the approaches some community colleges have used to overcome those challenges.