Competency-based education is a next generation learning model that focuses on all students achieving mastery, preparing them for success in college, careers and civic life. State leaders can support policy for K-12 competency-based education to help all students succeed. This iNACOL Issue Brief provides an overview of competency-based education,…

Across the country, states are working to develop the plans required by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the latest reauthorization of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. One area of ESSA--Part A of Title II--is specifically focused on "preparing, training, and recruiting high-quality teachers, principals, or…

"Part I: Are DACA Students Still Safe to Stay?" was originally published in the "New England Journal of Higher Education" on April 25, 2017. Following unsuccessful attempts in Congress to provide a legal pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including the DREAM Act of 2010, President Obama introduced an executive…

The United States democratic system includes characteristics of capitalism as well as socialism. Perhaps the most socialistic endeavor of the US is its K-12 public school system; in fact, US public schools are necessary for democracy to thrive and to create an educated and well-informed populace. However, capitalism and socialism are strange…

This report is the fourth in a series examining the troubled history of for-profit higher education, from the problems that plagued the post-World War II GI Bill to the reform efforts undertaken by the George H. W. Bush administration. The abuses by trade schools and the resulting student loan defaults that plagued the industry during the Reagan…

The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) added four new data elements related to the local education agency (LEA) Maintenance of Effort (MOE) provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in the MOE Reduction and Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) data collection. This resource, produced by The IDEA Data…

Career Technical Education (CTE) can provide an on-ramp for rural learners to access meaningful, high-wage careers while simultaneously strengthening the talent pipeline to meet regional labor demand. Yet rural learners all too often face an uphill battle when it comes to accessing high-quality CTE. Scarce resources, limited regional employers and…

This document records testimony from a hearing before the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education that was held to discuss strengthening career and technical education (CTE) and the need to reform, improve, and modernize current law so that more students can experience the power of this important education. By…

Equipping all students with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in postsecondary education and enter the twenty-first-century job market is fundamental to the current K-12 education system. Unfortunately, many of today's high schools are not providing students with an engaging experience that is relevant to the workforce and that integrates…

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, states are using a new approach to accountability based on multiple indicators of educational opportunity and performance. States have the opportunity to decide how to use them to identify schools for intervention and support and to encourage systems of continuous improvement across all schools. When…

The interview with Jonathan Plucker and Scott Peters presents the Excellence Gap as a concern to be noted in the United States as well as internationally. The Excellence Gap came to light as an important topic to inform policy when the Achievement Gap reached a high priority in U.S. schools. The emphasis on the Achievement Gap focused attention on…

The increasing prevalence of diagnoses for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), now one in 68 children according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), presents a number of policy implications. In particular, many of these children become eligible for special education services under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Given…

School administrators face many decisions that require a degree of legal knowledge. The "McKinney-Vento Act" requires schools to enroll students that are experiencing homelessness immediately, even if the student is unable to provide any documentation that is typically required by states and school districts before students can be…

Starting with a constructive critique of legal articles in special education journals concerning transition services under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), this article presents an empirical analysis of relevant judicial rulings for the period 1990-2016 that shows a prevailing prodistrict approach that is not otherwise…

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive order intended to protect undocumented youth from deportation and mitigate the negative impact of their undocumented status. Using qualitative methods, eight DACA recipients were interviewed. Participants were primarily females, ranged in age from 19 and 27 years old, and had immigrated…