While college costs have risen significantly in the past few decades, some of those cost increases can be partially mitigated by financial aid for low-income families. But many low- and moderate-income families vastly overestimate the cost of college, leading them to assume that enrolling their children in college, particularly a four-year school,…

"Research Messages 2018" highlights the varied nature of the research activities undertaken by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) in the past year. Research published during 2018 encompasses a range of themes and topics categorised according to three broad areas: (1) structures and systems for skilling and…

This chapter provides a discussion on how the Singapore education system uses evidence from educational research conducted both locally and internationally, to shape policies and initiatives that can effectuate the "common good". In addition to research outcomes, the Singapore Ministry of Education also takes into consideration the…

A succession planning study with 100 sitting superintendents randomly selected from the 20 Education Service Centers across Texas. The superintendents are being interviewed and are providing their campus and district leadership pathway practices (administrative succession planning practices). The first three interview findings which provide a type…

The adult learner is often defined by age (25 years or older) as an easy way to distinguish this group from students who head to college straight out of high school. But age is insufficient as a defining factor. The growing popularity of other terms like nontraditional student--and more recently, terms like post-traditional student or today's…

Schools are increasingly adopting adaptive learning software to better customize instruction to students' personal needs. While personalized software is not designed to replace the teacher, it does change teachers' roles and responsibilities. However, research is lacking that examines how teachers implement the software and use the provided data…

Since 2004, the National Institute for School Leadership (NISL) has offered the Executive Development Program (EDP), a leadership program for sitting school principals that is typically delivered in two-day workshops once per month over 12 months. From its inception through 2018, 15,000 principals across 23 states have participated in the EDP.…

Data in the social sciences often do not conform to what a researcher would like in order to have an unproblematic analysis using some form of linear regression. Especially, when data reflect counts, a number of potential problems arise. This case study discusses challenges that occurred when applying the models and examines the results. Finally,…

The Government Performance and Results Modernization Act of 2010 defines major management challenges as programs or management functions that are vulnerable to waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement, and where a failure to perform well could seriously affect the ability of the U.S. Department of Education (Department) to achieve its mission or…

Similar to many states, the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) does not mandate the use of specific literacy screening or progress monitoring tools. LDOE sought a measurement approach that resulted in accurate and reliable information on student progress and outcomes, yet respected local control. This state spotlight presents initial…

An integrated data system (IDS) that links information from separate administrative data systems offers policymakers, program administrators and researchers a powerful tool to analyze interactive effects across systems and make more informed decisions to improve outcomes for vulnerable families. This case study discusses how two states (Washington…

Background/Context: Researchers have amassed considerable evidence on the use of student performance data (e.g., benchmark and standardized state tests) to inform educational improvement, but few have examined the use of nonacademic indicators (e.g., indicators of social and emotional well-being) available to educators, and whether the factors…

Teacher professional development (PD) that supports the emergence of professional learning communities (PLCs) is effective for teachers' learning and instructional improvement. Our work focuses on supporting the emergence of online PLCs and an emergent issue in this work is how to maintain the quality of teachers' experiences in online PLCs when…

College students have a better chance of succeeding in school when they receive high-quality advising. High-quality advising, when characterized by frequent communications between advisers and students, early outreach to students showing signs of academic or nonacademic struggles, and personalized guidance that addresses individual student needs,…

In the fall of 2019, Nebraska Indian Community College [NICC] became the first tribal college to participate in a new data service of the National Student Clearinghouse called the Postsecondary Data Partnership (PDP). A small college with high aspirations for its students, NICC was in the process of building data capacity and adopting data-driven…