In December 2017, the Smithsonian unveiled a new Strategic Plan. The plan sets goals to help be more collaborative and efficient in work, build and deployment of digital competency, and engage new and more diverse audiences in meaningful ways. The plan also continues to improve facilities maintenance and collections care to be even better stewards…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the National Institute for School Leadership's (NISL's) Executive Development Program (EDP) and paired leadership coaching as implemented in three states, with funding from the U.S. Department of Education's Investing in Innovation (i3) grant program. NISL's Executive Development Program (EDP) is a…

This report explores the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Deep-End Initiative, which is helping juvenile justice jurisdictions safely and significantly reduce youth confinement -- especially for young people of color. In America today, youth of color are consistently over-represented in courtrooms and detention centers, youth prisons and other…

Traditional professional development is often characterized as being expensive, time consuming, and lacking impact. In contrast, online professional development provides greater flexibility and is becoming increasingly popular for school personnel. In this article, we report the process and outcomes of gathering feedback to adapt traditional…

Parental involvement programs aim to increase school-and-parent communication and support children's overall learning environment. This paper examines the effects of low-cost, group-based parental involvement interventions in Mexico using data from two randomized controlled trials. The first experiment provided financial resources to parent…

Study aims included (a) characterizing provider feedback on parent engagement strategies integrated into a parent-mediated intervention for toddlers at risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and (b) identifying provider characteristics that predict attitudes about parent engagement strategies. A mixed method approach was utilized, including…

The steady decline in secondary students' achievement and interest in science and mathematics is an area of concern for governments, industry, and the education sector. Increasing student engagement in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines is a top priority if countries are to meet demands for STEM based expertise in…

Blended Learning (BL) in English language learning programs in Canada is defined as the combination of f2f learning with instructor-facilitated use by students of online activities and resources that complement the in-class teaching (Kennell & Moriarty, 2014). Blended Learning is increasingly in demand by students, teachers, and programs…

The present study focused on the perceived effectiveness of using mindfulness as a stress-reduction technique among special educators. Studies have shown more focus on using mindfulness with students, versus mindfulness for personal use by educators. Yet, teachers of children with special needs face unique social-emotional challenges in carrying…

One-to-one device initiatives provide access to digital learning for students; however, little is known about how this process occurs in rural schools. Implementing a one-to-one device initiative may have positive effects on student access to digital technologies as well as student and teacher efficacy when sufficient training happens beforehand.…

I believe that a deeper understanding of how pre-service general education teachers are conceptualizing inequity in special education and are applying this knowledge will support teacher education programs to develop more comprehensive programming that prepares general educators to support students identified with disabilities and their families.…

The Arkansas National Guard Tuition Assistance (NGTA) program was created to recruit and retain Arkansas National Guardsmen by providing college funding regardless of Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test scores. The funding provided up to 100% of tuition costs at any Arkansas public college or university and was effective…

Over the past 20 years there has been a major focus on increasing educational opportunities for African American students. As part of efforts to increase these opportunities, high schools across the country have focused initiatives on increasing the number of African American students enrolling in Advanced Placement (AP) courses. While the number…

This protocol guides the review of research that informs the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) intervention reports in the Supportive Learning Environment topic area. The protocol is used in conjunction with the "WWC Procedures and Standards Handbooks (Version 4.0)." This review focuses on interventions designed to promote supportive…

We study the adoption and implementation of a new mobile communication app among a sample of 132 New York City public schools. The app provides a platform for sharing general announcements and news as well as engaging in personalized two-way communication with individual parents. We provide participating schools with free access to the app and…