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Schools are considered knowledge-creating organisations that find it difficult to develop and implement innovations on their own. Knowledge mobilisation is seen as the key to overcoming this problem. In particular, the use of external sources of knowledge is regarded as an important lever for change. However, there is a lack of concepts and empirical studies in educational research on the extent to which external knowledge is used for innovation in schools. Based on a sample of N = 411 schools, this article explores whether the concept of open innovation can be used in the context of education. Originating from the field of innovation research, open innovation regimes are seen as imperative if organisations are to create and benefit from technology. Multinomial logistic regression analyses show that mobilising external knowledge significantly increases the likelihood of implementing innovations in schools. A machine-learning approach reveals that it is necessary to tailor open innovation regimes to the specific conditions of any given school. In particular, with regard to the use of new technologies and innovations in the field of digitalisation, open innovation can be a lever for change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the needs of students at risk for significant behavior problems, educators need efficient, effective, and feasible preventive classroom interventions that increase students' ability to regulate their own behavior. Tools for Getting Along is a universally delivered cognitive-behavioral curriculum designed to address early emotional and behavioral risk among fourth and fifth grade students within the general classroom setting. We used latent growth model statistical methodology to investigate the effects of Tools for Getting Along 2 years following treatment cessation on students who evidenced baseline risk relative to peers. We followed an average of 455 students across measure-specific baseline risk groups at pretest, posttest, 1-year post-treatment, and 2-years post-treatment. Growth models fit data for four (behavior regulation, metacognition, aggression, and behavioral adjustment) of the eight factors used to assess emotional and behavioral outcomes. Findings indicated a long-term positive treatment effect for students at baseline risk on behavior regulation and general behavioral adjustment. We discuss how findings related to long-term treatment benefits add to prior research on Tools for Getting Along and to the evaluation of preventive treatment effects on emotional and behavioral risk over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we evaluated the estimation of three important parameters for data collected in a multisite cluster-randomized trial (MS-CRT): the treatment effect, and the treatment by covariate interactions at Levels 1 and 2. The Level 1 and Level 2 interaction parameters are the coefficients for the products of the treatment indicator, with the covariate centered on its Level 2 expected value and with the Level 2 expected value centered on its Level 3 expected value, respectively. A comparison of a model-based approach to design-based approaches was performed using simulation studies. The results showed that both approaches produced similar treatment effect estimates and interaction estimates at Level 1, as well as similar Type I error rates and statistical power. However, the estimate of the Level 2 interaction coefficient for the product of the treatment indicator and an arithmetic mean of the Level 1 covariate was severely biased in most conditions. Therefore, applied researchers should be cautious when using arithmetic means to form a treatment by covariate interaction at Level 2 in MS-CRT data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient and effective social-emotional learning programs increase the likelihood of success in school for all students, and particularly for those who may develop emotional or behavior problems. In this study, we followed a sub-sample of students 1 year after their participation in a randomized controlled trial of the effects of the Tools for Getting Along (TFGA) curriculum. TFGA is a universally delivered, preventive cognitive-behavioral curricular intervention designed to improve upper elementary school students' emotional and behavioral self-regulation. To determine effects at 1-year follow-up, we assessed 720 out of the 1,296 original students across TFGA and control conditions on measures of curricular knowledge, teacher-rated executive function and behavior, and student-reported anger and social problem solving. Findings indicated a continued positive effect on curricular knowledge for students taught TFGA relative to controls. We also found significant pretest by condition interaction effects on teacher reports of skills associated with executive function, including inhibitory control and shift (cognitive flexibility), and on teacher reported internalizing and externalizing behavior. Specifically, students with poorer scores on these measures at pretest benefited from TFGA at follow-up relative to comparable students in the control condition. Finally, we found marginally significant pretest by condition interaction effects on proactive aggression, outward expressions of anger, and the executive function related skills of initiating activities and using working memory. Counter to expectations, we found negative TFGA effects on student-reported trait anger and anger control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Embedded instruction facilitates individualized support and promotes meaningful participation for all children, irrespective of their abilities or disabilities, by integrating learning opportunities into the natural, everyday activities of inclusive preschool settings. This study aimed to investigate the impact of a coaching intervention on the fidelity of preschool teachers’ implementation of embedded learning opportunities (ELOs) and child learning outcomes, using a multiple baseline across participants design. Four preschool teachers and four children with disabilities participated in the study. Findings showed that teachers’ correct implementation of ELOs increased slightly after the introduction of the workshop training, but criterion level of performance was only achieved after practice-based coaching support. All four teachers sustained high levels of correct implementation during maintenance sessions conducted intermittently after the coaching intervention. As the accuracy of preschool teachers’ implementation of ELOs increased, the percentage of children’s correct responses regarding target behaviors also increased. The social validity data indicated that preschool teachers found embedded instruction practices and the coaching intervention effective, beneficial, and suitable. Overall, the study provides evidence supporting coaching as an effective professional development strategy for improving the implementation of ELOs and enhancing child learning outcomes in inclusive preschool classrooms. The study underscores the importance of ongoing coaching support to ensure sustained use of ELOs among preschool teachers, thereby facilitating the development and learning of preschool children with developmental disabilities in inclusive settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]