College leadership in the 21st century is incredibly difficult, and leadership in Kinesiology can be rather complex in some departments. Mentoring is an important part of success in any leadership role, and individuals who receive mentoring typically outperform those who do not receive it. The National Association of Kinesiology in Higher…

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), establishes requirements for State educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) to prepare and disseminate report cards that provide information on State, LEA, and school performance and progress in an understandable…

Accountability mechanisms and processes have evolved with changes in statute. State Education Agency (SEA) accountability systems may exhibit characteristics of compliance- and/or improvement-focused systems in light of requirements under the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act" (ESEA) and its reauthorizations under the…

The Accelerated Learning Work Group's introductory Guide to Accelerated Learning offers descriptions, resources, and examples of state education agencies implementing Accelerated Learning into their programs. It also answers questions, such as: (1) How should Accelerated Learning be implemented?; (2) How are educators best supported during…

This article applies the repositioning framework developed for recreation and leisure service providers (Crompton, 2000, 2009) to recreation and leisure studies as an academic field. To ensure the viability of recreation and leisure studies, internal stakeholders must raise the standing of the field among several key external stakeholder groups:…

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires state education agencies (SEAs) to collaborate with school districts, civil rights organizations, principals, teachers, "other school leaders," parents, and "stakeholders representing the interests of children with disabilities, English language learners, and other vulnerable…

States across the country are urgently building and initiating systems to improve schools, including those identified as low-performing under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). With their state ESSA plans approved by the U.S. Department of Education in 2017-2018, state education agencies (SEAs) are moving forward to carry out the vision,…

The primary aim of engagement in this phase was to gain input from a wide range of stakeholders that represented the diversity of the state. A multi-pronged approach was developed to structure engagement for the strategic planning process to ensure flexible, responsive and iterative communication with stakeholders. A combination of virtual and…

Engagement in Phase 2 focused on refining the Phase 1 foundational elements such as the mission, vision, values, priorities and enablers, as well as identifying emerging goals and metrics. In addition to the engagement methods outlined in first phase, this phase involved discussions centered around data focused on specific regions in Maryland…

State education agencies (SEAs) are central players in initiating and leading new reform efforts. However, traditional approaches to providing public information are not adequate for producing the necessary awareness and support to implement reforms statewide and at the local level. SEAs often have very few staff or other resources devoted to…

The Reform Support Network (RSN) encourages State education agencies (SEAs) to assess their current efforts to communicate with and engage key audiences and look for ways to sharpen approaches, build capacity and extend reach. The Stakeholder Communications and Engagement Community of Practice (SCE CoP) is developing resources to encourage State…

Educators employ different methods of teaching and learning to help their students succeed. One such method is personalized learning, which aims to tailor instruction to the needs, talents, and skills of each individual learner. Rapid advances in technology platforms and digital content over the last decade have enabled more widespread use of…

The role of state education agencies (SEAs) has shifted significantly from low-profile, compliance activities like managing federal grants to engaging in more complex and politically charged tasks like setting curriculum standards, developing accountability systems, and creating new teacher evaluation systems. The move from compliance-monitoring…

State report cards should help families, educators, policymakers, and other critical stakeholders in various states understand and act on education information for schools, school districts, and states as a whole. While each state finds itself in a different place regarding its own progress in building state report cards with such an impact,…

This inventory is designed to assist state education agencies and other stakeholders to identify the policies, programs, and initiatives in their states that support students on their pathways to success in college and careers. In other words, it addresses the question: What policies, programs, and initiatives does your state have in place to…