In this brief, we discuss embedding and framing the evolving literatures related to improvement and implementation sciences into a general intervention perspective. From that perspective, we sketch out some basic considerations related to improvement and implementation research, practice, and policy.

Narratives on innovation in education are spreading fast and both national and local educational administrations have been recently promoting innovation policies and programmes in many different European contexts. Academic literature analysing the potential benefits of innovation in education has expanded accordingly, with some international…

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, K-12 schools are under immense pressure to meet the diverse needs of students. But policies and practices have not evolved quickly enough to meet those needs -- and as a result, the system continues to fail far too many young people. In "Levers of Change: How State Policies Support District…

Many early care and education (ECE) institutions--including Head Start, state quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS), and school district pre-K programs--use classroom quality observations in their quality improvement or monitoring processes. As many states expand their ECE programs, they grapple with questions about how best to use data…

Adult Education in the Republic of Ireland has experienced exponential change. Since 2013, the Further Education and Training (FET) sector has developed and implemented a range of strategies and policies transforming the landscape. Policy implementation is a complex process and as the 16 Education and Training Boards work to interpret FET policy…

The Mastery-Based Learning Collaborative (MBLC) is a demonstration project taking place in 24 schools in Washington State. The schools receive funding and participate in professional learning and a statewide network to support implementation of mastery-based learning (MBL) and culturally responsive-sustaining education (CRSE). The initiative's…

Education policies are typically anchored in official texts that provide a foundation for their enactment in schools. What are the implications of an "invisible" policy not anchored in any official text due to political motives? This study explores the enactment of an invisible education policy that regulates religious enclave schools.…

In today's higher education landscape, there are numerous conflicting pressures that influence how the mix of academic programs institutions choose to offer will evolve. This article describes: (1) The need to understand better how institutions' program arrays are evolving over time in the face of a variety of student, workforce, competitive,…

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how widespread emergencies can disrupt national education systems and schooling. To assist policy decision-making and monitoring, a rapid review of over 200 documents relating to education in emergencies (EiE) was conducted, with a specific focus on the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the review is to…

This paper develops a new, broader, and more realistic lens to study (lacking) linkages between government policy and school practices. Drawing on recent work in organization theory, we advance notions on cluster of organization routines and the logic of complementarities underlying organizational change. This lens allows looking at how schools do…

Several concurrent trends are increasing the likelihood that short courses, microcredentials, and flexible learning pathways will become a regular and even dominant feature of education and training globally. This policy paper reflects on these trends with special reference to the post-secondary education sector, and explores ways to organize…

Purpose: Education policy implementation is as important as policy design. This study applies a literature-based, multi-dimensional framework for success factors and barriers to vocational education and training (VET) reform implementation in the case of a new dual VET law in Serbia. We use the framework to assess factors related to…

From June 2023 to April 2024, CLASP and the National Collaborative for Transformative Youth Policy provided technical assistance to community advocates in three localities: Charleston, SC, Gulfport, MS, and Tulsa, OK. Our goal was to increase access to equitable school-based mental health services. We used Community-Based System Dynamics to…

This mixed-method study examines Michigan's Partnership policy for school turnaround, which positions the district and superintendents as key policy implementation actors. We first interviewed 21 of 35 Partnership superintendents/leaders across Michigan and surveyed teachers to understand the initial response to the turnaround policy and the…

This study aims to elucidate the policy's rationale-building for the inclusion of English-medium degree programmes in Japanese higher education. The concept of 'externalisation' is employed as the lens to explore the degree to which international references are used to build consensus among multiple government councils with different interests.…