Much of the existing literature on student engagement focuses on what happens within the higher education environment or what the institution has direct control over, restricting understanding of how issues outside of the institution affect engagement. This paper argues that efforts to improve student engagement should be broadened to incorporate…

El Dorado Middle School, Kansas, is using MAP® Skills™ from NWEA® to ensure every single student is getting instruction where they need it most, and it is having a huge impact on student growth and achievement, including special education students. Besides empowering students to monitor their own learning, MAP Skills enables teachers to move…

The selection of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in mathematics is a critical step toward improving mathematics outcomes for students with disabilities. This state spotlight presents how the Maryland State Department of Education uses the TAP-IT (Team, Analyze, Plan, Implement, and Track) process coupled with systems coaching to support the…

This Research-to-Impact brief is the first in a series by Chapin Hall's Voices of Youth Count on understanding and addressing youth homelessness. "Missed Opportunities: National Estimates" highlights results from a national survey on unaccompanied youth homelessness in America. The study captures youth homelessness broadly, including…

This paper investigates the impact of effective schooling in the 1st year of elementary school on later academic outcomes and equal educational opportunity. A large longitudinal dataset from England was used to estimate the importance of the 1st year of elementary school for academic outcomes up to age 16. Multilevel models, controlling for…

Over the past several years, Louisiana educators have taken the charge to raise expectations and educational outcomes for its students, believing students are smart, capable, and deserve opportunities to become productive members of a global society. Through a clear alignment of standards, curriculum, and assessments, students have stepped up to…

The passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) marked the beginning of a new development cycle for accountability systems. State leaders once again have an opportunity to redesign their accountability systems based on the provisions included in ESSA and to ensure that systems improve outcomes for all students. The correct identification of…

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…

Members of the Joint Working Group on Improving Underrepresented Minorities (URMs) Persistence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)--convened by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute--review current data and propose deliberation about why the academic "pathways"…

This article offers a perspective on Drama as a separate subject within the UK secondary school curriculum from the point of view of a working Head of a Drama department. I explore the various concerns a teacher of this subject must consider when planning a curriculum within their school, including breadth and depth of content and assessment of…

Capstones have become an integral part of many information systems programs, both at the undergraduate and graduate level. One of the challenges can be tracking the process from the start of the capstone to completion. This paper describes the analysis, design and implementation of a web application for the approval workflow of a master's program…

COVID-19 has engendered serious challenges with the provision of special education services for youth and young adults incarcerated in U.S. adult correctional facilities. This article describes the recent lawsuit, Charles H. et al. v. District of Columbia et al., which focused on the lack of a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) at the…

In this practice brief, we describe several current examples of approaches that are aimed at improving outcomes for students entering high school. Additionally, we present strategies to disrupt the negative trajectory for students with EBD, who seldom receive coordinated, individualized supports during the critical transition from middle to high…

"School's Out, But Class's On", i.e. "suspending classes without stopping learning", specifically refers to China's education and teaching activities during the postponement period during the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control. This was an emergency measure to prevent and control the pandemic in the field of education in…

This article presents the Center for Pedagogical Measurements' experience of assessment procedures transformative challenge when the COVID-19 was unfolding across the world and when there was no ready scenario that could guide online instruction and assessment as well. The authors of the article have provided the cases of adaptive responses and…