In a recent landscape of policies in 50 states and the District of Columbia, I found that states vary significantly in how they authorize, review, and approve teacher preparation providers and programs. What these policies have in common is a requirement that all programs meet the same standards. But in practice, they do not. Too often,…

All states identify schools most in need of improvement by using school accountability systems and other metrics. State improvement strategies range in intensity from general technical assistance to alternative governance for identified schools or districts. This 50-State Comparison provides research into the K-12 school improvement policies in…

With the passing of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) in 2004, it became law that every child age three to twenty-one with a disability in the United States had access to a free and appropriate education through services provided by certified special education teachers and therapists. As service providers, special education teachers are…

Expulsion from school is the most severe form of student discipline allowed under California law. The primary facilitator of student expulsion is the school administrator. This study examined the school administrators' experiences with student expulsion, their decision-making process, and implications for bias. The study employed qualitative…

This study examined the learning trajectory of five US humanities teachers when navigating learning to teach the difficult history of school desegregation within a context of a six-month inquiry-based professional development. The research questions were: What do teachers frame as problems when teaching difficult histories? How do they…

The 2015 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act placed a 1.0% cap on the participation of students with disabilities in the alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS). U.S. Department of Education regulations clarified that states must develop participation guidelines and a definition of…

In recent years, Florida has become increasingly hostile toward issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in public education. This poses challenges for principals who need to ensure that students, particularly from marginalized backgrounds, have the opportunity to succeed. This case explores the social justice practices of a self-identifying…

State leaders have long recognized the value of statewide tests. Many had well-developed testing systems long before the No Child Left Behind Act, signed in 2002, required annual assessments in grades 3-8. Another sign of that recognition is the recent plethora of new state testing requirements for K-3 students. But would states continue to test…

The purpose of this interview-based qualitative study was to explore how individualized education program (IEP) team members determine least restrictive environment and educational placement. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires students with disabilities to be educated in the least restrictive environment and to the…

Even though paid advocates exist in the field of special education, teacher advocates are important because their work is based on passion and a belief that change is warranted due to their own needs and experiences with students, not merely on the basis that they are being paid to advocate. Education policy in recent years has become more…

Florida's 2009 Excess Credit legislation created a tuition penalty structure for undergraduate college students who attempted credit hours above a determined threshold to incentivize efficient graduation. Due to the structure of the law, there are advantages for students who complete collegiate credit via acceleration during high school. As such,…

The Newark Opportunity Youth Network (NOYN) contracted with the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the youth workforce development system within the state. The study documents how the youth workforce system developed in New Jersey since the federal…

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) invited states to use multiple measures of "higher-order thinking skills and understanding," including "extended-performance tasks," to create state assessment systems that support teaching for deeper learning. However, few states have been able to navigate federal assessment requirements…

Adult basic education (ABE) scholars, practitioners, and policymakers have long debated the purpose and outcomes of federal ABE policy. Although the current policy, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), became law in 2014, there is no comprehensive analysis of the diverging perspectives on WIOA implementation. This integrative…

Using critical discourse analysis, this article reveals how power is inherent in and maintained through Title IX campus-based adjudication processes. We interrogate the role of identity and power in Title IX adjudication processes through an intersectional analytic framework. We challenge the reliance on fairness and neutrality, which leads…