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As higher education tuition continues to rise in the United States and globally, other costs impacting students, such as fees, parking, and housing, are rising at a similar pace. Concurrently, more higher education institutions are focusing on creating boutique experiences for students, including the option for single-unit housing. This paper analyzed the costs associated with single-unit housing at the ten largest college campuses in the United States compared to the costs associated with multiunit housing and off-campus living. The changes in preferences for students associated with their college experiences, when partnered with higher costs of living and off-campus housing, create an unsolvable, wicked problem.

Teachers' perceptions of long-term career success are largely related to the levels of support they receive early on in their careers. This study on teacher retention and the factors that influence teacher choice to remain in the field after the first five years of employment, examined three schools of varying demographics and socioeconomic status in a large public school district in Central Florida. Participants interviewed were in the first three to five years of their teaching career. Information derived from each interview was used to determine trends and factors that influence teacher retention and attrition. The main finding was that when teachers feel supported through professional development, time for collaboration with colleagues, and autonomy, they are more likely to remain in the teaching profession.

The purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness of the parallel classroom model in comparison to a support facilitation model. Using district-level assessments in geometry, this study assessed student performance when students were taught the same content with the same rigor, where one classroom uses differentiation strategies and small-group instruction to instruct students and the other classroom uses support facilitation. By examining the success of the parallel classroom model, we hope to prove this model to be a viable curricular alternative for the needs of exceptional learners. Specifically, we see parallel classrooms as being more flexible to diverse student needs than traditional classrooms.

As school districts face shortages of well-qualified and willing candidates to assume the role of school principal, the development of internal succession planning programs, along with the strategic use of external hires for school leadership positions is becoming more common. Based on a multi-year study of five (5) Central Florida school districts, this paper examines the benefits and tensions that district level administrator's face when selecting internal or external candidates for school based administrative positions. We begin with a brief review of the literature regarding internal vs. external hiring. Data from the field is examined thorough the lens of the intersection between the theoretical perspectives of Systems Theory and Person-Environment Fit Theory. Detailed descriptions of findings from the analysis of twenty-one interviews conducted in two of the most active districts involved in formal succession planning work is included along with identified challenges associated with internal vs. external hiring, including resentment from internal candidates when external hires occur, district administration willingness to hire externally, and the challenges associated with recognizing and understanding the culture and climate of a district as an external hire. Opportunities for district leaders are also presented including an examination of the values of new practices that come with external hires, external candidate perspectives on the existing climate and culture of the district or school, and building new networks associated with external hires. Finally, future implications for school districts and universities who prepare school leaders are discussed.

Recent changes to Advanced Placement U.S. History have sparked a national debate concerning goals and purposes of college level history courses. Critics suggest that the revisions result in a national curriculum that promotes a revisionist history perspective. Defenders claim that revisions are an important step in preparing students for 21st century citizenship. This document analysis identifies key differences between the 2010 and 2014 AP U.S. History frameworks and considers changes made in 2015 by College Board in response to the national debate. The challenges of applying a social justice lens to curriculum are discussed, and suggestions are made concerning the application of procedural social justice to stimulate voluntary cooperative behavior on the part of members of groups, thereby enhancing true social justice for all members of society. A procedural justice lens is suggested to enhance commitment and cooperation among individuals, groups, and societies.

Montana is experiencing a few trends that will change education funding this upcoming fiscal year. Between FY 2014 and FY 2018, 10 school districts have closed or consolidated. (1) Local [...]

Many school districts struggle to recruit sufficient high-quality principals for their schools. A variety of conditions contribute to this challenge, including the retirement of the baby boom cohort and diminishing interest in administrative careers due to the expanded responsibilities of school principals. In response, districts enact a range of policies and programs explicitly aimed at identification and development of school leaders. Our study examined the actions taken by six districts drawing on the succession-planning perspective, which is common in the public and private sector management literature but less represented in education research. We found that intentional succession planning enabled districts to develop a pool of high-potential administrative candidates through integrated attention to candidate selection and development. While analyzing the effectiveness of "homegrown" leaders is beyond the scope of this inquiry, leaders in our six focal districts believed that they were able to increase the quality and effectiveness of their principals through intentional succession planning. We present a model for principal succession planning in education based on our empirical findings and on literature-based principles that can guide program design and future research.