A Toolkit of Emerging Best Practices and Opportunities for Charter Support Organizations Approximately 6.4 million students--roughly 13 percent of the student population between ages 6-21--receive special education and related services in public schools every year. While students identified as eligible for special education require supports and…

The Inspector General Act of 1978 (Public Law 95-452), as amended, requires that the Inspector General report semiannually to the Congress on the activities of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) during the 6-month periods ending March 31 and September 30. This Semiannual Report presents the activities and accomplishments of the U.S. Department…

Advisory councils are a vital component of the program-planning process in career and technical education programs, providing an important link from the community to the program. The purpose of this research study was to describe how Pennsylvania agricultural educators used and perceived agricultural education advisory councils. The results…

Located in southwestern Pennsylvania near the borders of Maryland and West Virginia, the district has 1,483 students, with 21% minority enrollment. The district and its students have experienced many of the problems related to the opioid epidemic, including many students being raised by grandparents due to parental drug use. The district has three…

A recent survey of 41 different state boards of education revealed that officials from 28 states indicate that they are experiencing teacher shortages. The shortages in some states are significant. While the teacher shortage in many states is tied to different factors, one frequently cited reason for leaving the teaching profession is low pay.…

This study explored the ways in which the race-gendered identities and lived experiences of Black male K-12 public and independent school leaders inform their leadership in support of students, community, and village. The study draws from critical theories and perspectives, including a framework of Black Masculine Caring (BMC), critical race…

The COVID-19 pandemic put unprecedented pressure on Pennsylvania schools to find new ways of educating students amid a worldwide health crisis. Terms like remote learning and hybrid learning became part of everyday language as local education agencies (LEAs) across the Commonwealth implemented different approaches to safely deliver instruction and…

Despite the myriad of challenges that families, students, teachers and policymakers faced in 2021, the momentum to transform education did not waver. New opportunities for students unfolded in more than a dozen states through expanded private and public school choice. An additional 1.7 million students gained eligibility for private choice alone,…

In an increasingly challenging financial period for K-12 public education in Pennsylvania, more school districts are turning to school-supporting foundations to fill the funding gap. Initially spurred by reduced investments in public education in California in the 1970s, school foundations did not begin gaining traction in Pennsylvania until two…

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education is a critical component of federal policymakers' agendas. Out-of-school time (OST) programs are designated as an important venue to teach STEM to K-12 students. Using a sample of OST direct staff in Pennsylvania (n = 133), the present analysis examines instructional methods used for…

Congress enacted the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) 50 years ago as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty." The most expansive federal education bill ever passed, it was developed as redress, establishing that poor children needed more educational services than wealthier children. Title I of the ESEA…

This study investigates the perspectives and impact that personal finance education had on participants in Western Pennsylvania. The researchers begin with a literature review of personal finance courses in the United States (U.S.). The U.S. housing market collapse is also discussed as a key component of the financial crisis that is often…

This manuscript presents findings from a study of the contributing factors and details of special education due process hearings in the United States that involved students with emotional and behavioral disorders. The study examined 101 due process hearings conducted over a three-year period in a five-state sample: California, Illinois,…

When hired to teach courses online, traditionally trained teachers may struggle to transition from non-online instructional delivery skills to research-based best practice strategies designed for the online classroom. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to examine how online K-12 charter school administrators perceived the…

In "The Critical Advantage," noted scholar and early childhood expert William T. Gormley, Jr. takes a wide ranging look at the important role of critical thinking in preparing students for college, careers, and civic life. Drawing on research from psychology, philosophy, business, political science, neuroscience, and other disciplines,…