This paper seeks to chart a course for leveraging a micro-credentialing system to enable more educators to achieve the potential of professional learning. The paper uses the Standards for Professional Learning as a frame to provide guidance to everyone involved in micro-credentials to ensure that learners experience the research-based elements of…

This dissertation investigates preschoolers' caring behaviors and their relationships with nature at a nature preschool. The need to begin environmental education during early childhood and nurture it as a lifelong practice has been understood for decades. Connectedness to nature is known to be critical for the well being of people and of our…

The second edition of "Keys to Planning" builds upon the information shared about effective curriculum, unit, and lesson design by introducing current research and thinking related to curriculum design. The information presented in this second edition also captures insights and suggestions from classroom teachers who have attended…

While Extension educators are often highly committed to their jobs, researchers have found that job demands, burnout, and turnover plague the system. This study explores the relationship between job characteristics, burnout, engagement, and turnover intention among a nationally representative sample of Cooperative Extension educators. This…

Through case studies of five states with varying facilities policies, the study presented in "What about the Schools? Factors Contributing to Expanded State Investment in School Facilities" examines the factors contributing to expanded state investment in equitable public school facilities and how those factors can be leveraged to…

In general, data governance refers to the overall management of the availability, usability, integrity, quality, and security of data. A sound data governance program includes a governing body or council, a definition and allocation of authority, a defined set of procedures, and a plan to execute those procedures. This brief offers best practices…

Three need-based student financial aid programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA)--Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) program, the Federal Work-Study (FWS) program, and the Federal Perkins Loan program--are collectively referred to as the "campus-based" programs. These programs…

"What Is an Infrastructure? Special Education Support Systems in Charter Schools" discusses ways in which charter schools form entities such as coops and collaboratives to pool resources, create economies of scale, and mitigate risks in order to better serve students with disabilities.

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires all states to collect and report school-level expenditure information, state education agencies (SEAs) are considering whether to set statewide rules for local education agencies (LEAs) around how to assign expenditures. Specifically, many states are wondering whether they need to standardize a practice…

Toms River Regional School District is located in a coastal community in New Jersey. As the largest suburban school district in the state, Toms River Regional Schools serves students in grades Kindergarten through 12. The student population is predominantly White (76%), with about 13% Hispanic, 5% Black, and 4% Asian or Pacific Islander.…

This is one of nine case studies that examine and document districts' uses, applications, and perceptions of the Future Ready Schools (FRS) professional learning resources in their efforts to become Future Ready. Bristol Warren Regional School District serves students from two suburban towns--Bristol and Warren--in Rhode Island. The district…

Open educational resources (OER) continue to support the needs of educators and learners globally. However, it is clear that to maximise their potential more focus is needed on reuse and repurposing. Accordingly, adapting OER for local contexts remains one of the greatest challenges of the open education movement, with little written about how to…

There are 339 schools in Texas that are struggling, defined as "improvement required" by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) (txschools.gov, 2018) and received a "F" rating due to low academic performance. This designation is earned through a formula that measures general student achievement, school progress based on a comparison…

Manipulative skills and abilities include skills in the handling and manipulation of materials and apparatus in the context of scientific investigation. Science teachers appeared to be struggling with the mode of assessment in making authentic evaluation of manipulative skills in laboratories. One of the contributing factors is due to the lack of…

Limited research is available on Deaf offenders with mental health difficulties. The present study focused on developing greater understanding of professionals' experiences with this population and the factors that influence its involvement with services. Using a grounded theory approach, the researchers explored the experiences of police officers…