This study applies Clark and Estes's (2008) gap analysis model to understand how a state education agency's decision making, during reform policy implementation, impacts the success of the initiative. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to assess the effect of the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) decision making, during the policy design and…

There is no research available describing how school Occupational Therapy practitioners (OTPs) in Western New York (WNY) provide services. The purpose of this study was to determine OTP practice patterns in WNY schools, with a focus on delivery of contextual services and the contributing factors, consistent with American Occupational Therapy…

This article is an edited transcription of a groundbreaking multi-sector presentation on "Critical Race Theory in Schools?" by a prominent panel of PK-12 school educators, education organization leaders, legal advocate, teacher educators, and academic researchers. The presentation took place virtually as a public seminar in response to…

House Bill 5 (HB5) was passed by the Texas Legislature in 2013 which changed high school graduation requirements and defined endorsement options which allowed students more choice in coursework. Focusing on science, the Foundation High School Program (FHSP) requires three science credits for graduation -- Biology, IPC or an Advanced Science…

In response to the changing job market, the Georgia state legislature passed the BRIDGE law in 2010, mandating school counselors provide career exploration activities for Grades six through 12 to ensure that all students are college and career ready. The Latinx population is entering the workforce at a faster rate than any other group yet lack the…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disability affecting 1 in 44 children nationally. Timely referral to intervention and support services for ASD has consistently demonstrated significant long-term positive effects on symptoms and subsequent skills and family outcomes. This paper highlights a novel and innovative approach of…

The U.S. and West Virginia constitutions acknowledge the right to free speech, which must be protected at public colleges, but Senate Bill 657, which became law in 2021, requires that public colleges protect "any lawful verbal and nonverbal speech." Furthermore, many private colleges also promise free speech to their students. However a…

The 2021 Legislature tasked the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) with convening a workgroup to develop recommendations to support recruiting and retaining a multicultural and multilingual educator workforce with state salary allocations that are competitive and reflective of current economic conditions. The K-12 Basic…

Over the past decade, many states enacted substantial reforms to teacher-related laws and policies. In Michigan, the state legislature implemented requirements for teacher evaluation based partly on student achievement, reduced tenure protections, and restricted the scope of teacher collective bargaining. Some teacher advocates view such reform as…

The "Disability Discrimination Act 1992" (Cth) (DDA) prohibits discrimination by schools against students with disability. The DDA and the associated Disability Standards for Education 2005 (Cth) (DSE) also impose a positive obligation on schools to make reasonable adjustment for students with disabilities. The promise of inclusion…

California state-level policies are responsible for allocating nearly 80 percent of the revenue received by its K-12 school districts. In 2013-14, the state implemented the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), which changed the allocation formula from one based primarily on equal revenue per pupil to an equity-focused allocation based primarily…

This mixed-methods case study examines the emergency financial management legislation enacted in Michigan from 2009 to 2018 as an education policy for governance reform in three local school districts: Detroit, Highland Park, and Muskegon Heights. From its inception, the emergency financial manager law was an intervention strategy for local…

Property tax limits have been found to reduce property tax revenue, with compensatory increases in replacement taxes often not sufficiently making up for funding loss and systematically promoting inequity. Consequently, such practices suggest severe implications for school district fiscal capacity. Our study explored this issue in South Carolina…

In 2016, California voters approved state Proposition 58, repealing an almost 20-year ban on bilingual education for English Learners (ELs), who represent nearly 20% of the state's public school students. The state's reversal on bilingual education reflects a national trend of promoting bilingualism and expanding bilingual (also referred to as…

Despite compelling evidence that master's degrees don't systematically make teachers more effective for their students, most US school districts provide a pay premium for them. They should stop, the sooner the better, and states should take the lead in pushing them to do so. Education dollars--whether COVID-19 relief funds or predictable annual…