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The ongoing migrant crisis that engulfs the U.S.-Mexico border is often the source of political and socioeconomic discourse related to the treatment of those caught in the web of immigration politics or the causes of migration to the U.S. from Mexico and Central America. One related, critical conversation involves the future stability of countries neighboring the southern region of Mexico -- El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Together they comprise the northern region of Central America, increasingly referred to as the "Northern Triangle" (NT). The region is documented for its lower levels of human development, high rates of violent crime, low school completion rates and high rates of poverty (Meyer and Seelke 2015; Congressional Research Service 2019). In recent years, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has supported efforts towards public health, business development, efficient government institutions and the scaling up of postsecondary education through grants with regional and international partners. In 2014, the Plan of the Alliance for the Prosperity of the Northern Triangle (A4P) was developed by the leaders of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, in partnership with the U.S. to improve overall living conditions through coordination efforts focused on areas of need including access to basic healthcare, nutrition, education and employment opportunities (Inter-American Development Bank 2014). While the Plan of the Alliance does not explicitly reference the role of higher education (HE), the authors argue that it is reasonable and important to question how and if higher education institutions (HEIs) from the NT can contribute to improving social and economic conditions in the region. One important question about HE in the region is the level of collaboration between HEIs within the region that exists and how much of it is dependent on external support compared to available resources within the NT. This paper examines existing HE partnerships through a theoretical lens of higher education regionalization led by Knight's (2013) framework for regionalization. This paper begins to answer that question by exploring the depth of collaboration between HEIs in the NT region. How many partnerships are there and what are the context of those partnerships? This article offers an important overview of the current state of HE collaboration in the region and how future collaborations might be fostered.

Many references to coaching, feedback and reflection, collaboration, and monitoring can be found as an essential component of effective teacher continuing professional development (CPD) in various contexts (Desimone 2009, Avalos 2011, Orr etal. 2012, Psychoyos 2012, Kourany 2017, Darling-Hammond et al. 2017, De León 2017); however, the results of surveys, interviews, and documentary research conducted in 2020 and 2021 suggest that these characteristics seldom appear to be part of the existing CPD in Panama. We analysed interview transcripts using inductive and deductive manual coding methods. The study highlights Panamanian teachers' desire for innovative CPD focused on pedagogical approaches and subject-specific techniques tailored to regional educational needs and with a school-driven planning approach. Teachers reported barriers to CPD access, including travel difficulties and technology limitations, while expressing interest in international exchanges and financial support for advanced education. They sought engaging training sessions that encourage active learning, provide opportunities for reflection, and demonstrate best practices, emphasising the need for instructors with expertise relevant to the Panamanian context. The results of this study informed public policy recommendations that included the development of an independent apolitical institute that would provide oversight of teacher CPD and well-being in consultation with the Ministry of Education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]