For more than four decades, researchers, policymakers, professional educators, and the philanthropic community in education have wrestled with how to scale up promising pockets of reform. Centering equity in scaling efforts means working with and prioritizing students who have historically lacked access to powerful learning opportunities,…

This technical assistance paper provides policy and guidance to individuals with test administration responsibilities in adult education programs. The Florida assessment policies and guidelines presented in this technical assistance paper are appropriate for state and federal reporting. Therefore, guidance and procedures regarding the selection…

To best train and support school leaders in their evolving roles, they require high-quality preparation and in-service pipelines that both address the changing demands on their positions and acknowledge the cascading effects that well-prepared leaders have on both student outcomes and in school culture and retention. Including school leaders in…

States are grappling with policy strategies to determine attendance in the era of COVID-19 school closures and remote learning. Allowing districts and schools to develop an attendance policy using a combination of options to determine attendance can offer maximum flexibility. These options include, but are not limited to: (1) time on task (task…

The NSU Write from the Start Writing and Communication Center (WCC) has recognized the importance of developing a social media presence to highlight the achievements and services of the Center while providing professional development opportunities to staff members. This article is aimed at educating communication center directors and staff on how…

State policymakers recognize the economic imperative to ensure that education and training are connected to good jobs. Employers are seeking -- and are often struggling -- to hire appropriately skilled workers. For job seekers, the path to a good job with education beyond a high school diploma is certainly clearer than one without postsecondary…

States play a role in fostering an environment that develops and supports effective school leaders. Prior research has highlighted opportunities to enhance state involvement in supporting school leadership through a range of policy levers, especially by promoting improvements to principal preparation (Manna, 2015; Davis, 2016). The Wallace…

Charter schools and school districts have been at odds since the first charter school law passed in 1991. Districts resent the competition and subsequent funding loss for traditional schools. Charters resent the lack of access to facilities and other resources and attempts to infringe on their autonomy. Yet a fast-growing number of school…

The civic education policy framework and gap analysis tool are intended to guide state leaders as they address the complexities of preparing students for college, career and civic life. They allow for adaptation to state- and site-specific circumstances and may be adopted in whole or in piecemeal fashion, according to states' individual…

The spread of zero tolerance policies for school-based scenarios flourished under President William J. Clinton who wanted to close a loophole in the Guns-Free School Zones Act of 1990. Expansion in the coverage of zero tolerance policy to offenses outside the initial scope of weapon and drug offenses has led to a disproportional ratio of African…

Governors are increasingly aware that the emerging economy will provide few well-paying jobs for workers who have not earned a postsecondary degree or a relevant workforce certificate. Fifty years ago, nearly 80 percent of all jobs required only a high school diploma or less and most paid a good wage. Fast-forward to data from 2013 and that number…

The discipline of discipline is the cornerstone upon which educators should build the other disciplines. Teaching responsibility for one's actions must stand beside the teaching of writing, reading, and arithmetic. Discipline cannot be mastered when stifled with negative reward systems and punishment. This paper describes a comprehensive…

Considers issues and relationships involved in the development of a system under which each of Florida's community colleges could define criteria for the selection, evaluation, and retention of personnel. Underscores the value of missions statements for particular positions and the identification of functions and needed skills. Outlines steps in…

Legislative evaluators can inform state policymakers who face policy and budget decisions related to large and complex federal programs such as Medicaid. Unlike lobbyists, advocates, and other stakeholders who support particular interests, legislative evaluators are uniquely positioned to provide independent and timely information to assist…

This report presents the evaluation results gathered from a 2-year study of a drug prevention program involving a consortia of nine colleges and universities located in Alabama and Florida. The consortia effort was intended to: (1) strengthen their respective drug prevention activities; (2) develop policies governing alcohol and drugs; (3)…