In the United States, the K-12 education sector too often exists in silos, separated from meaningful connections with community and innovation. But in Tucson, Pittsburgh, and other regions around the country, communities are working to break down those walls. They are building ecosystems that bring together educators, researchers, funders, edtech…

There is an increasing reliance on market principles and values in the education space, particularly in urban contexts, accompanied by a growing diversification of educational service providers. Due in part to increased interactivity amongst constituents in this growing assembly of providers and actors, educational innovation ecosystem…

State education agencies are investing more time and effort to communicate effectively and engage with district, school and classroom leaders, parents, students and other key audiences about the important changes happening in their States. They are using myriad tools to do so, including forums, meetings, direct contact, mainstream and social…

State education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs) made clear in a recent Reform Support Network (RSN) survey and follow-up interviews that staff must have the capacity to successfully engage stakeholders through social media. This is not a new challenge for government; staff capacity -- the number of staff and their access to…

The prevalent public narrative based on Roger's (2003) model of innovation diffusion categorizes teachers as laggards; rigidly entrenched in outdated practices and unwilling to change. As new instructional technologies failed to be adopted into classrooms, this public narrative served as a pervasive explanation, widely accepted as characteristic…

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…

As use of geospatial technologies has increased in the workplace, so has interest in using these technologies in the K-12 classroom. Prior research has identified several reasons for using geospatial technologies in the classroom, such as developing spatial thinking, supporting local investigations, analyzing changes in the environment, and…

"Proceedings of International Conference on Humanities, Social and Education Sciences" includes full papers presented at the International Conference on Humanities, Social and Education Sciences (iHSES) which took place on April 22-25, 2021 in New York, USA-www.ihses.net. The aim of the conference is to offer opportunities to share…

In November 1996, forty-five higher education technology leaders convened in Washington, D.C., to discuss the virtual university (VU). The Western Governors Association had announced establishment of the Western Governors University (WGU). As a result, VU initiatives were emerging from, or being contemplated by, almost every state-level higher…

This exploration into competency-based innovation at the school, district, and state levels suggests that competency-based pathways are a re-engineering of this nation's education system around learning--a re-engineering designed for success in which failure is no longer viable. This discussion draws on interviews and site visits with innovators…

Teachers in Kentucky are using portfolios to determine strengths and weaknesses of individual students. Consequently, instruction is centered totally around the student. The implementation of portfolios sends the message to students that their first efforts should not be their last. Revision is part of improvement, and students are expected to…

READING COMPREHENSION OF BLIND CHILDREN READING BRAILLE SELECTIONS WAS COMPARED WITH COMPREHENSION OF BLIND CHILDREN WHO HEARD THE SAME SELECTIONS AT VARIED RATES. CHANGES IN WORD RATES WERE ACCOMPLISHED WITH SPEECH COMPRESSION TECHNIQUES. APPROXIMATELY 290 BRAILLE READERS OF BOTH SEXES FROM SIXTH-, SEVENTH-, AND EIGHTH-GRADE RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS…

This monograph examines benefits, challenges, and methods of expanding access to adult literacy with online distance education (ODE). The following are among the topics discussed: (1) reasons for considering ODE (new technologies and delivery systems in education; ODE in higher education, business training, and adult basic education; state-level…