The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Adult and Community Learning Services Unit and UPD Consulting engaged in a multiyear partnership to provide adult education providers across the state with people-centered, action-oriented training opportunities focused on antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI). This…

In this article, we consider the intersection of experiential learning and equity work through the lens of a 10-week project: "Listening to the Buddhists in Our Backyard" (L2BB), undertaken in collaboration with a group of six high school seniors at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, in the spring of 2022. L2BB was part of a…

Education is seen as a resource at a global level but is currently considered to be in crisis in many parts of the world. This constitutes a significant drawback in terms of humanity's prosperity and well-being since education is the key not only to an educated workforce but also to humane, collaborative, and caring societies. Even within this dim…

A key dimension to social justice leadership is building authentic partnerships with families and community-based organizations to confront educational inequities. Authentic partnerships are respectful alliances among educators, families, and community agencies that value building relationships, communicating across difference, and sharing power…

Along with many other institutions of higher education, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted Northeastern University to move courses online for the second half of the spring semester and beyond. As this crisis unfolded, faculty turned to the Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning Through Research (CATLR) for support on how to conduct their courses…

This article documents how one Teacher Preparation Program (TPP) at a medium-sized public university in the northeast responded to the needs of their urban partners during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The adaptation of this school-university partnership involved improving relationships where the TPP is more responsive to the needs of this urban…

Embedded within school discipline policies, dress codes, or codes of conduct are gender and racial biases that manifest in exclusionary punishments that have more to do with who girls are rather than what they do. Girls of color face some of the greatest barriers to educational opportunities and social emotional growth inside schools with poor…

Massachusetts faces challenges in preparing all students for lifelong success, with substantial disparities in both opportunities and outcomes. For instance, on the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress, less than 30 percent of black and Latino fourth graders in Massachusetts demonstrated proficiency in reading, compared to 60 percent…

In this executive summary, the Rennie Center reexamines the current way of doing business, looking at how educators can incorporate student voice into decision-making processes in order to help all learners construct a pathway to success in college, careers, and life. Massachusetts faces challenges in preparing all students for lifelong success,…

Rorrer, Skrla, and Scheurich (2008) proposed a theory that district leaders enact several essential roles when engaging in systemic reform that both improves achievement and equity. Their theory identified reshaping district culture as one of these essential functions in systemic reform. This case study explored how leaders in one Massachusetts…

Bridgewater State University moved undergraduate research (UR) programs online in early 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A few months later, Black Lives Matter demonstrations, the university's racial justice reckonings and recommitments, and the disproportionate effects of the pandemic on Black and Brown communities guided the…

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting financial crisis are forcing millions of students to reconsider their educational plans--a development that's likely to increase the number of students transferring among institutions in the years ahead. Affordable and close to home, community colleges in particular are now poised to attract more students…

The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) developed the Adult Learner Leaders for Institutional Effectiveness (ALLIES) Framework to help guide institutional policies and practices in their work to support adult learners. This document begins by describing the Framework's series of planning and operational domains through which…

In the upper northeast corner of the United States, the commitment to competency education has grown so strong that entire states are embracing it through high-leverage comprehensive policies. Of the six New England states -- Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont -- four have established comprehensive state…

In this policy brief, TransformEd provides policy recommendations for local and state leaders seeking to take a data-informed approach to SEL. We specifically crafted recommendations that incorporate the use of data because gathering data on SEL allows educators to make meaningful connections between student experiences, school culture, and…