The outdoor recreation industry provides significant economic impacts in the United States that have prompted the development of outdoor academic programs (OAPs) to train a workforce to support this job sector. Trained managers at state level offices of outdoor recreation are essential in the system of outdoor recreation management. This…

This policy paper provides some updated estimates of the short-run fiscal effects of expanding Michigan's state-funded preschool program, the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP), to encompass universal access for Michigan's four-year-olds. This is an update to Policy Paper No. 2025-034, which analyzed the economic and fiscal effects of Michigan's…

Public Agenda surveyed Illinois residents to learn about how they view public higher education and what would help it serve them and the state better. Three research briefs highlight key findings from the broader survey findings. This brief finds that nearly three in four residents--including majorities of Democrats, independents and…

In the 2023 report "Colorado's Longitudinal Data Landscape. Report to the Education Committees of the Colorado House of Representatives and the Colorado Senate. Statute: 23-1-141," the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) provided a detailed overview of Colorado's long history of efforts to support more connected, longitudinal…

Enormous attention is paid to the role that particular elite private--or "Ivy+"--schools play in educating American leaders. But when a wide array of prestigious institutions and employers are studied, it is found that their leaders are more likely to come from public colleges and universities rather than from private schools, from…

This study investigates how individual states raise revenue to pay for elementary-secondary education spending after a school finance reform (SFR). We consider 24 states that implemented SFRs between 1989 and 2005. Using a synthetic control approach, we identify six case-study states (Arkansas, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, and…

This study investigates how individual states raise revenue to pay for elementary-secondary education spending following school finance reforms (SFRs). We identify states that increased and sustained education expenditures after reform, search for legislative statutes that appropriated more education spending, and assess how policymakers funded…

School improvement planning can serve as a mechanism for school leaders to identify and address inequities. Yet, despite longstanding mandates, the empirical evidence base on school improvement plans (SIPs) is surprisingly limited, and even less literature focuses on the intersection of equity and school improvement planning. Using a conventional…

As the United States' first disability-specific leadership academy in state government, the Leadership Academy for Excellence in Disability Services is a year-long competency-based training experience designed for employees who manage programs that impact the lives of Tennesseans with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.…

Recent literature highlights the importance of providing citizens public sector accounting education to help them become public finance literate. This study performs a questionnaire-based survey to a convenient sample of citizens to collect their perspective on the topic. The results indicate an average familiarity of the respondents with key…

Although vaccination requirements have been a mainstay of university admissions, the recent shift in vaccination and other preventative measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 has been met with resistance. Reviewing the vaccination literature, there has been an apparent shift in support for university vaccinations, which is largely a result of…

Research in the field of gifted and talented has significantly shifted in recent years to focus on broader conceptualizations of the construct, including performing arts, creativity, and leadership. Yet, it is not clear how states conceptualize and identify students as gifted and talented given the last review of state gifted and talented…

This account of practice describes how elected representatives, politically appointed managers and career officers of the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council have adopted action learning as a way of learning how to transform their institution, an important aspect of which has been to find locally situated ways of establishing and consolidating the…

In this article, we examine the extent to which women teachers ran for state legislative office in 2018, where they won, and the degree to which they contributed to the surge of women representatives elected in state legislatures around the country. We engaged in a comprehensive effort to collect information on all of the teacher candidates who…

The purpose of this action research study was to examine how leaders can build and sustain organizational culture in a remote work environment in a statewide educational regulatory agency. The study addressed how leaders can implement strategies to build and sustain culture in a remote work environment with fidelity with the goal of improved job…