One of the enduring problems in the education system is the gap between theory and practice, where the research to improve teaching and learning is not fully realised in the classroom. This has impacted the effectiveness of education reform. We take a systems thinking approach to better understand the complexity of an education system, which…

This report examines findings from the 2020 PACE/USC Rossier poll of California voters. The poll represents the views of 2,000 registered California voters across a range of topics from early childhood education to higher education. Based on these results, the authors have identified five key findings: (1) There is growing pessimism about the…

Determining whether a state's young people are on track for a life of opportunity is a difficult task for governors and state leaders. States can be both awash in data and unable to easily access and use that data to inform policy. State longitudinal data systems that meaningfully connect workforce, higher education, K-12, and early childhood…

This paper focuses on the concept of intersectionality, which has been used to account for multiple forms of identity and inequality. It argues that intersectionality is a powerful theoretical lens that could be used in analyzing language teachers' identities and their various contexts. It is also deeply connected to an orientation and…

This brief uses data from the Michigan Department of Education to explore suspension and expulsion rates among students who have experienced homelessness compared to their housed peers. Key takeaways from the analysis include: (1) Greater economic and housing instability is associated with higher rates of disciplinary action; (2) The association…

This essay begins with a presentation of the author's personal and professional background relative to the topics of diversity, identity, socialization, and the inequality of educational outcomes. Turner then presents US census and Chronicle of Higher Education data to provide a national context for the discussion to follow, including but not…

This paper examines the theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) as the most viable and effective platform for 21st century educational and instructional methodologies based on the understanding of the value of diversity in today's classrooms and educational institutions, the unique qualities and characteristics of individual learners, the…

Each year, the Rennie Center collects state-level indicators in our Data Dashboard to provide context on the condition of education in the Commonwealth. This data is collected from the MA Department of Early Education and Care; MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; MA Department of Higher Education; U.S Census Bureau; and U.S.…

Implementing programs for gifted students requires solutions on multiple levels of the education system. In this article, Heinz Neber suggests streamlining the topic with five interacting, systemic levels. Each level requires its own definitions and clarifications. These should be coordinated and prioritized according to prominent goals and…

Drawing from the existing body of data and research on the community education concept, effective schools, and standards-based reforms, this essay examines educational achievement in the United States corresponding to and resulting from reform movements and political actions. The 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is reviewed in…

In this article, I examine collage in pre-service teacher education as an arts-based theory and practice to interrogate knowledge in the classroom; how it gets generated, by whom, and to what end. I consider how historical legacies of collage that revolutionized modern art by shifting focus away from technique and mastery toward concept, process,…

Every country strives for its students to have advanced achievement in some way, shape, or form. But too often, competence is a higher policy priority than excellence, and shrinking minimum competency gaps is a higher priority than closing excellence gaps. In this brief, educational excellence is defined as the percent of students who meet or…

Educational leadership, whether in PK-12 or higher education, often examine the planning of curricula and materials for equity. Due to the global pandemic that began in early 2020, the planning of instructional materials had to be reexamined due to the travel and interaction restrictions that closed most brick-and-mortar schools, colleges, and…

Computer science education has seen a large national push to be included in the K-12 curriculum (Fluck, Webb, Cox, Angeli, Malyn-Smith, Voogt, & Zagami, 2016; Theresa Avancena & Nishihara, 2014; Veletsianos, Beth, Lin, & Russell, 2016; Yadav, Gretter, Hambrusch, & Sands, 2016). Students are leaving schools and entering an economy…

How can we dramatically increase the number of low income young people who graduate high school and earn a postsecondary credential by age 25? One strategy that reaches beyond traditional education boundaries is gaining traction: broad regional partnerships that bring together K-12 school districts and higher education with workforce development,…