A key thrust of education reform is the spread of innovative ideas and practices oriented toward school improvement and advancements in student's deep learning and teacher's professional development. Framed within concepts of scaling and diffusion, trajectories of innovation spread can afford explanatory and predictive understandings of adoption…

There is a new state education policy concept termed either innovation zones or districts of innovation. State education agencies interested in shifting their role from enforcing compliance to one of supporting innovation and building capacity in districts are working to spur new innovative instructional models and create space for…

This study examines how a grassroots educational enrichment program in a small urban economically depressed area builds and uses civic capacity. Using qualitative data collected through a case study of the Legacy Academic Enrichment program in Middletown, Ohio, I identify factors that make Legacy sustainable and successful in a community that has…

Realising the potential of work-based learning schemes as a driver of productivity requires careful design and support. The length of work-based learning schemes should be adapted to the profile of productivity gains. A scheme that is too long for a given skill set might be unattractive for learners and waste public resources, but a scheme that is…

Research about organizational improvement has come from several disciplines--business management, organizational sociology, communications, and education. Across these fields, much of the research involves case studies of effective organizations (e.g., Collins, 2001; Johnson, 1996). Review of these case studies suggests several commonalities among…

The mobility of academic staff to South Africa is expected to benefit higher education institutions through teaching-research collaboration and capacity building. However, South African institutions do not always have the adequate organisational processes to facilitate host and international staff collaboration. Drawing on individual interviews…

Districts are scrambling to address climate change performance expectations in the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS). On the flipside, such questions offer vital opportunities to ignite change and give students agency regarding climate literacy and resiliency in the high school classroom. A cohort of science teachers from Denver…

Practitioner research is an approach increasingly used by and with teachers, including in early childhood (EC) education. Studies outlining the benefits of educator engagement in research show learning, empowerment and self-determination in professional direction. There is also a sense of achievement for university researchers when they research…

In the race towards achieving the Education 2030 agenda, open educational resources (OER) act as a key enabler for sustainable development goal 4 (SDG4). Leading to the 2014 Regional Focal Points Meeting, Commonwealth of Learning's (COL) Focal Point for Tonga had identified top priorities for the country where COL can further support the national…

Educational research teams are increasingly recognized as an optimal configuration for addressing more complex mixed methods research problems; however, their development is often approached as a conventional research collaboration rather than an integrative one. An approach informed by complexity theory provides the practical guidance for…

Under the current model of education research and development (R&D), solutions to the pressing challenges facing schools and districts across the country often fail to meet the needs of those who need them most: historically marginalized populations such as Black and Latinx students and students living in poverty. To address this problem,…

Pennsylvania Intermediate Unit 8 (IU8) seeks to scale innovations that are evolving as local solutions to educational challenges in rural school districts. Consistent with its mission of creating customized solutions, IU8 seeks to make the innovations better, meaning more learner centered and community focused. IU8 is evolving the Getting Better…

This paper asks the question: Is now the right time to consider a statewide policy initiative to support increased access for Massachusetts community college students to paid internships that can help them improve their employment and earnings trajectory? Is this something that employers, colleges, and state leaders would see as a welcome…

Despite the impetus from professional organizations for science and mathematics integration, few teacher training programs provide opportunities for teachers to develop the knowledge and skills in effective content integration. This study reports on the impact of a graduate course on in-service middle school, math, and science teachers'…

Objective: The aim of this project was to document a partnership working process from a cross-sectoral and cross-cultural participatory health research study focused on promoting physical activity among women from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. Design: A participatory health research paradigm was used to support this pilot…