The purpose of the current study was to better understand how pre-K-12 school leaders respond to the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards. The instrumental case study involved school leaders with demonstrated success implementing learning technologies in elementary and middle level settings in a large southern,…

The U.S. Department of Education is committed to supporting innovative advances in educational technology to improve teaching and learning across the nation's education systems and to support educators as they incorporate emerging technology into their learning communities. Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education is a complex and rapidly…

School district administrators implement 1:1 programs into classrooms with the expectation to enhance students' academic abilities and promote 21st-century skills. The problem was pre-K-12 teachers' perceptions, practices, and professional development with the newly implemented 1:1 laptop device remained a fertile area of study. Utilizing…

School district administrators implement 1:1 programs into classrooms with the expectation to enhance students' academic abilities and promote 21st-century skills. The problem was pre-K-12 teachers' perceptions, practices, and professional development with the newly implemented 1:1 laptop device remained a fertile area of study. Utilizing…

With the health and safety of students, families, and staff as the top priority, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) announced in July of 2020 that all students would begin the 2020-2021 school year virtually on September 8, 2020, and that virtual instruction for all students would continue for six weeks through Friday, October 16,…

In March 2020, most preschool programs physically closed at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. For state-funded preschool programs, guidance differed in terms of what programs were required to provide to students. While some states mandated the provision of remote learning, others did not, and still others opted to provide alternative types of…

School districts altered instructional delivery from solely in-person to a combined virtual/in-person model in the 2020-2021 school year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Houston Independent School District (HISD) offered in-person and virtual instruction to early learners at school-based programs (SBP), early childhood centers (ECC), and…

In November 2014, New York voters approved the Smart Schools Bond Act, which authorizes up to $2 billion in state general obligation borrowing to finance school district purchases of computers and other classroom technology; improve schools' high-speed and wireless internet links; install "high-tech smart security features" in school…

The COVID-19 pandemic tremendously disrupted ECE in the U.S., closing many private programs and nearly all public preschool and primary classrooms. To understand this impact, we used multiple strategies, including a nationwide survey of parents; a review of state policies, guidance and resource documents; and scans of media coverage to obtain…

The 2020-21 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) is a mandatory survey of all public school districts and schools serving students in preschool through grade 12 in the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and therefore includes data from 17,821 public school districts and 97,575 public schools. The CRDC measures student…

For decades safety has been an integral component of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and CTE (career and technical education) instruction. Given today's litigious society, safety in P-12 STEM education and CTE has received greater attention. This in part is the result of the rise in popularity of collaborative learning…

Rural poverty rises to higher levels than poverty in urban and suburban areas, and rural communities and their schools face greater isolation, which means that families must travel farther than their urban and suburban counterparts to access available services and learning opportunities. Elaine Weiss describes two rural communities, one in…

This report presents findings from RAND's evaluation of the Appalachian Renaissance Initiative (ARI) in 17 districts totaling 99 kindergarten-12th grade schools within the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (KVEC). The initiative took place from the 2014-2015 through 2017-2018 academic years. The evaluation examined various aspects of ARI…

When Colorado Governor Jared Polis declared a state of emergency on March 10 in response to the coronavirus, the timing was fortunate for Aurora Public Schools (APS). Spring break was starting three days later. To provide a little more breathing room, the district extended its break by one week. In the months that followed, APS's response to…

PreK-12 districts are currently considering multiple options for the 2020-21 school year and beyond. Recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control lists the many safeguards that would need to be in place before buildings reopen and students are back to classrooms that resemble what they had before. It is clear that some type of distance…