"The State of Working Pennsylvania 2018," Keystone Research Center's 23rd annual review of the Pennsylvania economy and labor market finds that, nearly a decade into the current national economic expansion, many Pennsylvania workers are still waiting for a raise. The report points to three factors that help explain this. First, despite…

In this article, the author asks the question: what are the real implications of living in a Trump America? He thinks as it relates to public education, people see this as a call to really stand up, and say, "Our schools will be safe places. Our schools will be sanctuaries. We will have good public schools in our communities, and we will…

This report briefly summarizes some of the parent and family engagement services provided by Austin Independent School District staff during the 2015-2016 school year.

Arizona's "Wild West," free-market education approach via school-choice policies reflects the expansion of neo-liberal reforms, which emphasize private provision and governance of public services once markets are established. Indeed, charter schools, tax credit programs for public (state) and private schools, inter-district open…

A large group of advocates and lobbyists influence state-level public education policymaking in Texas. Unfortunately, this group often does not mirror the racial and ethnic makeup of Texas public school students, the decisive majority of whom are students of color. This article argues that a lack of diversity among state-level education advocates…

The disproportional representation of students from various demographic subgroups within identified gifted and talented populations has long frustrated policy makers, education advocates, researchers practitioners within the field, and those concerned with societal inequality in general. Despite the prevalence of articles in the media reporting on…

Kappan's editor talks with political scientist Sara Dahill-Brown about the new realities of educational decision making under the Every Student Succeeds Act, which follows nearly two decades of strong federal influence over K-12 policies at the state and district levels. Rather than promoting one-size-fits-all approaches to school improvement,…

Research has identified several factors that contribute to the effectiveness of professional development opportunities in schools including improvement of participants' knowledge, administrator support, incorporation of active learning activities, duration, fostering coherence, and timing. The current case study examined how these six factors…

This study explored how district leaders in three Michigan school districts reacted to a state-induced policy calling for district-implemented performance-pay for teachers in response to Race to the Top (RttT) in 2010. The study is positioned at the intersection of reform efforts and policy implementation in practice. Using a multi-site…

Despite numerous education reform efforts, disparities between more privileged students and students from marginalized and minoritized groups still persist in U.S. education. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) passed in 2015 indicates greater commitment of the federal government to advancing equity in education and gives state educational…

For many decades, most of the decision-making authority in public schools has been vested in individual principals and other administrators. However, new models of collaborative teacher leadership are beginning to emerge, thanks to four trends: 1) evidence on the positive effects of teacher leadership continues to mount, 2) districts and state…

An analysis from 2002 to 2014, aligning media reporting of the effectiveness of the fully online K-12 cyber charter school model with data on enrollment flows to cyber charter schools and expenditure and demographic indicators across all 500 residential public school districts in Pennsylvania, finds a three-part geospatial-social process. Initial…

One of the main ways that states provide opportunities to people and build a strong economy is by making education affordable to everyone. Ohio provides need-based aid to students pursuing postsecondary education through a program called the Ohio College Opportunity Grant (OCOG). This is essential to helping students from low-income backgrounds…

For more than 30 years, Medicaid has paid for eligible school health services included in student's Individualized Education Programs (IEP) or Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). Seventy-nine percent of low-income, school aged children receive health coverage through Medicaid and Child Health Plan (CHIP) which is 37% of all school-aged…

Wisconsin was one of the 10 states selected to participate in New Skills for Youth (NSFY). NSFY, launched by JPMorgan Chase & Co. in 2016, is a $75 million, five-year initiative, aimed at strengthening and expanding high-quality career pathways for youth. As part of this initiative, the Council of Chief State School Officers, Advance CTE and…