"Pathways to Implementation" highlights innovative strategies and effective models in career pathways policy, implementation, and programming, as well as challenges states encounter in this work. This seven-part series addresses the key elements of Bellwether's framework for career pathways policy implementation. Each brief defines the…

As part of Maryland's Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding allotment, the Maryland State Department of Education created the Maryland Leads initiative, which committed the state's set aside funds to local education agencies to implement at least two of seven high-leverage strategies. In February 2022, 23 LEAs were…

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) commissioned CooperGibson Research (CGR) to conduct a mapping exercise to identify the availability and thematic focus of professional development and support programmes used by early years settings in England. This research aimed to support EEF's decisions around funding programme evaluations and identify…

The Colorado Re-Engaged (CORE) initiative, created under House Bill 21-1330, allows a four-year institution of higher education (IHE) to award an associate degree to former students who meet eligibility requirements -- including having already earned at least 70 credit hours before stopping-out of a bachelor's program. Under HB21-1330, each…

The purpose of this study was to explore constituent perspectives of the California Community Colleges Historically Black Colleges and Universities Transfer Guarantee Program. The researcher queried representatives from participating community colleges and Historically Black Colleges and Universities regarding their perspectives of the program.…

Students with addiction or substance use disorders (SUDs) encounter complex obstacles on campus, jeopardizing their academic success and overall health. Collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) include designated college spaces and recovery-specific staff and services, and research shows that CRPs retain recovering students by decreasing their relapse…

Staff and faculty at every institution could share stories about how they have seen some initiatives spectacularly succeed and others completely fail--leading to feelings of frustration and fatigue. Too often, a "good idea" or new institutional policy is developed in a vacuum or with little thought as to how professionals on campus will…

Most program evaluation efforts concentrate on assessments of "program implementation" and "program outcomes." However, another area of programs that has not received sufficient attention in the literature is evaluating the plan of the program. Since the quality of the plan and planning process can influence program…

Summer youth employment programs (SYEPs) have the potential to serve as critical bridges to promising careers, especially for young people who hail from disadvantaged backgrounds or reside in underserved areas. Summer jobs can provide early exposure to professional environments, equipping participants with essential skills for the workplace,…

Although the field of autism intervention has strived to identify evidence-based practices, translating these interventions into real-world settings remains a significant challenge. This gap particularly impacts marginalized communities, where access to and quality of services are often inferior. Implementation science addresses these gaps by…

This report summarizes findings from the School Meals Operations Study (SMO), part of an ongoing series to assess school meal operations on a school year (SY) basis. This volume of the study covers July 2021 through the end of September 2022 and includes SY 2021-2022. When the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, the Families First Coronavirus…

Background: Incorporating scratch-cooked, organic, and locally grown foods into school meal programs can enhance meal quality and support local food systems. Methods: 430 California school food authorities were surveyed to (1) evaluate their use of scratch-cooked, organic, and locally grown foods in their programs; (2) identify demographic and…

Background: The closures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted teacher licensure pathways. During that time, prospective teachers had less access to student teaching experiences, fewer program and course completion opportunities, and a reduced ability to prepare for and pass state licensing examinations. In response, a State…

Background: Behaviour supports plans (BSP), if accurately implemented, have been found to increase skills and decrease behaviours that challenge for individuals with intellectual disabilities. However, skills acquired by staff during trainings on BSPs often fail to transfer into effective implementation. The current study aimed to examine barriers…

Free school meal access has become increasingly intertwined with federal social safety net programs--including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)--to reduce duplicative paperwork for schools. The changes to SNAP that House Republicans have proposed would have downstream effects on free school meal access. The proposed changes to…