The notion that the U.S. has a growing skills gap -- the difference between what employers need to fill in-demand positions and the skill of the current workforce -- is a hot topic among policymakers. By 2020, 65 percent of jobs will require postsecondary education and training beyond high school, according to the Georgetown University Center on…

The Innovation Schools Act of 2008, § 22-32.5-102, et seq. C.R.S, was designed to provide a pathway for schools and districts to develop and implement innovative practices in a wide variety of areas to improve student outcomes. The Act provides a formal process that allows schools or groups of schools to petition their local school boards for…

In recent years, historically underrepresented students have become a larger segment in higher education. Higher Education Act (HEA) reauthorization is an opportunity to increase educational attainment levels; close equity gaps and address racial disparities in student outcomes; and ensure the federal government, states, and institutions transform…

Virtual education is expanding exponentially across the country while steeped in controversy. This dissertation analyzes parent and teacher perspectives on how four Idaho virtual schools educate students with disabilities. Two research questions examine parent roles in developing valid IEPs and providing special education services aligned to IDEA…

While the State Education Agency is responsible for providing mediation services, the process ultimately depends on the participation of administrators and parents in order to be successful. This resource describes the advantages and disadvantages of mediation from an administrator's perspective. The goal is to help other administrators make…

Postsecondary education in the United States has played an increasingly more important role over time. In fact, in just a few decades, the share of recent high school completers who enroll in college each year has grown from 51% in 1975 to 70% in 2016 (Snyder, de Brey, & Dillow, 2019, p. 395). However, only 58% of entering college students…

The U.S. government has become increasingly focused on school climate, as recently evidenced by its inclusion as an accountability indicator in the Every Student Succeeds Act. Yet, there remains considerable variability in both conceptualizing and measuring school climate. To better inform the research and practice related to school climate and…

How can teachers engage students in participatory civic education in a state like Texas where education policy is interfering with the Rights of the Learner by refusing to allow educators to support students in becoming active participants in vital democratic processes? Texas Senate Bill 3, passed in 2021, prohibits teachers from directly…

Background/purpose: Education is a complex process, so higher education institutions (HEIs) must be increasingly aware of the importance of improving the quality of their various activities. Higher education is one of the crucial elements of the global education system, which must be flexible, diverse, effective, and in tune with the needs of the…

Accreditation can serve as an accountability mechanism for higher education, ensuring institutions meet specific standards, which can be impacted by various factors including the regulatory environment of each country or local jurisdiction as well as an institution's mission, enrollment, and student success trends. In addition, higher education…

The surveillance and securitization of schools has transformed over the last decade to include predictive analytics and algorithms. In Florida, for example, the Pasco Sheriff's Office used school record data sets to identify and monitor youth they believed were "destined for a life of crime." Yet the extent of big data policing as a…

This statutory report presents the activities and accomplishments of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Inspector General (OIG) from October 1, 2024, through March 31, 2025. The audits, investigations, and related work highlighted in this report are products of OIG's mission to identify and stop fraud, waste, and abuse; and promote…

The ongoing reading crisis in the United States necessitates a shift toward instructional practices that are firmly grounded in empirical research. This manuscript critiques the use of Alphabetic Phonics, not only for its reliance on multisensory techniques but also for its incorporation of instructional features that contradict the principles of…

Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS® 8th Edition) are a set of standardized, individually administered measures for assessing the acquisition of early literacy skills from kindergarten through third grade (K-3). These are brief fluency measures designed to regularly monitor the development of early reading skills. At the…

The Lemko-Rusyn language belongs to the East-Slavonic branch of Slavic languages and is an indigenous language spoken on a daily basis by the community that has inhabited the Carpathian region since at least the Middle Ages. Lemko-Rusyn people have been officially recognised as an ethnic minority and their language as one of the 15 minority…