Effective instructional coaching has long demonstrated positive impacts on teacher practices and early learning outcomes. Providing effective instructional coaching at scale is a challenge that many state and local systems tackle. This case study report highlights four systems (Alabama, AppleTree, Maine, and Washington) that are uniquely…

This study describes the implementation and findings from a consultation process designed to enhance the professional development (PD) offered to teachers working in Virginia's state-funded preschool program. A PD Rubric was developed to translate research on effective PD (i.e., PD practices linked to positive changes in teacher practice and/or…

In spring 2020, the Office of Educational Technology (OET) hosted a series of listening sessions with state leaders--from state educational agencies (SEAs), state broadband offices, state libraries, and state economic development agencies--to identify what digital equity issues were magnified as a result of school closings, what immediate actions…

This report presents results from a study of the Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS). CSSS is a professional association for state science leaders that works to sustain and nurture a dynamic learning community and to empower its members to be effective and articulate advocates for quality science education at the local, state, and national…

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, or GEAR UP, is a federally-funded system of grants that focuses on preparing low-income students to enter and succeed in postsecondary educational programs. GEAR UP grants extend across 6 school years and require that funded districts begin providing grant services to students no…

The federal Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, or GEAR UP, project strives to equalize low-income students' access to higher education by increasing their participation in rigorous coursework, providing expanded opportunities for low-income students and parents to learn about postsecondary educational opportunities…

In an effort to improve the quality of its educational systems, Florida mandated participation in a year-long Beginning Teacher Program (BTP) as a requisite for regular certification of beginning teachers. The support system of the program consists of regular formative and summative assessments of the teacher's performance, and the provision of…

This report presents findings from the third and final year of the Reading First Impact Study (RFIS), a congressionally mandated evaluation of the federal government's initiative to help all children read at or above grade level by the end of third grade. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 established Reading First (RF) and mandated its…

This State Policy Update provides background on professional development (PD) in adult education. Section 2 describes survey methods used to document how states funded and designed their PD systems. Section 3 reviews data collected by the survey of state PD systems, highlighting PD activities in Kentucky, New York, Oregon, and Tennessee. It…

In October 1992, a task force on professional development was established to identify ways in which the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) could use professional development to enhance its educational programs and services. This report provides information on the development of the task force, discusses findings, and presents recommendations…

This report is the second of three annual reports to the Montana Certification Standards and Practices Advisory Council (CSPAC) on the effectiveness of mentoring new teachers. Specific research topics for the study were: (1) whether mentoring conducted under an exclusive one-on-one relationship has an effect on the new teacher's development as…

This report is the third of four reports on the Beginning Teacher Support Program (BTSP) on the effectiveness of mentoring new teachers. The paper focuses on technical aspects of the study. Study data are summarized in tables, including a comparison of teacher retention rates over the three years of BTSP, a summary of administrators' evaluations…

An evaluation was made of the adult basic education (ABE) program of the North Carolina Department of Community Colleges in the summer of 1988. The study used surveys to collect both opinion data and secondary information on aspects of ABE programs such as budgets, student enrollment, and features of the instructional program. Information was…

The federal Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, or GEAR UP, project strives to equalize low-income students' access to higher education by increasing their participation in rigorous coursework, providing expanded opportunities for low-income students and parents to learn about postsecondary educational opportunities…

This evaluation of the Ohio SchoolNet Telecommunity program focused on key Telecommunity objectives of technology deployment, teacher professional development, and student impact. Evaluation methods included use of the Scales of Concern Questionnaire in the application of the Concerns-Based Adoption Model, as well as visits to each of the 23…