In 2015, the U.S. Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) that included provisions to support gifted and talented learners. The U.S. Department of Education's Consolidated State Plan template only required states to directly address the inclusion of gifted education under Title II, Part A: Supporting Effective Instruction (Section…

A master plan in higher education is developed to address the academic and workforce needs of a particular state. The master plan helps serve as the roadmap for implementation of proposed strategies to reach state goals in education and degree attainment. In Tennessee, Drive to 55 is a state-wide effort to increase the number of Tennesseans with a…

In the fall of 2013, the College of Business at Nicholls State University, in collaboration with industry, launched a 4-year Bachelor's program in management specifically designed to train graduates for employment in firms competing in the oil and gas sector of the maritime industry. The development and implementation of this maritime management…

Louisiana has received recent attention for some of its new education policies and promising early results. In this report, RAND researchers provide an in-depth description of Louisiana's approach to improving student outcomes since 2012. The authors examine how the state has used various policy levers -- including mandates, resource alignment,…

This study explored how school administrators understand and plan for French immersion program components in K-12 schools in Louisiana. The theory of effective bilingual schooling and the Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education served as the framework of the study. The research questions that guided the study asked how school principals and…

Despite substantial federal, state, and local investments in improving early care and education (ECE), we know little about whether ECE program quality has improved over time. The lack of data tracking the quality of publicly funded ECE programs at scale creates a substantial evidence gap for policymakers attempting to weigh the returns on, and…

School choice is expected to place pressure on schools to improve to attract and retain students. However, little research has examined how competition for students actually operates in socially embedded education markets. Economic approaches tend to emphasize individual actors' choices and agency, an undersocialized perspective, whereas…

Purpose/Objectives: Evaluation of school-based activities is a high priority for school personnel. Nutrition activities, such as salad bars (SBs) incorporated into school lunchrooms, may increase children's consumption of low-energy, high fiber diets. The purpose of this paper is to describe a problem-solving/ decision-making model and demonstrate…

Per the Brown V. Board decision (1954), segregation in the American educational system is "unconstitutional", "has no place", and is "inherently unequal". Although American schools have been de jure desegregated for decades, issues of White flight, segregation academies, and poor academic preparation in public schools…

Background: Many out-of-care people living with HIV have unmet basic needs and are served by loosely connected agencies. Prior research suggests that increasing agencies' coordination may lead to higher quality and better coordinated care. This study examines four U.S. interagency networks in AIDS United's HIV linkage and retention in care…

In 2008, the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) launched a differentiated accountability pilot to allow states to distinguish between those schools identified for improvement in need of substantial help and those closer to meeting achievement goals. In July 2008 and January 2009, the Department approved waivers to give nine states the…

Background: In 2010, the Louisiana Asthma Management and Prevention Program (LAMP) implemented the Asthma-Friendly Schools Initiative in high-risk Louisiana populations. The social ecological model (SEM) was used as a framework for an asthma program implemented in 70 state K-12 public schools over 2 years. Methods: Activities included a needs…

"Gauging Progress, Accelerating Pace" is the seventh biennial report to SREB states on their progress in meeting SREB's Challenge to Lead goals for education. It provides a customized state progress report for each SREB state. These state reports document progress on both measurable outcomes and state policies. Through effective policy…

Nearly all young people in the United States aspire to a college degree, but many fail to complete college in a timely manner. Does this lack of attainment reflect abandoned college plans? I analyze mixed-methods data from a five-year study of 700 low-income mothers at two Louisiana community colleges. Hurricane Katrina displaced respondents and…

How can centers be utilized in a classroom so students have full control of what they are learning and when? Can centers be used effectively post-kindergarten? During student teaching in a first grade classroom in southeast Louisiana, two student teachers, their classroom mentor teacher, and the 1st grade students experienced center learning that…