The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) has been named as one of three state partners in a new national research initiative focused on advanced education. The National Research Center on Advanced Education, led by Johns Hopkins University and funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, will operate for five years as a hub for research and policy development to expand advanced learning opportunities for students who exceed grade-level expectations.
Nebraska joins North Carolina and New Jersey as partner states in this project. The center’s research team includes members from the American Institutes for Research, Texas A&M University, and the University of Calgary, along with representatives from each partner state's education department. The goal is to create tools and models that assist educators in identifying and supporting advanced learners.
Jonathan Plucker, co-leader of the center at Johns Hopkins School of Education, stated: “This center represents a major step forward in how we understand and support advanced learners. By partnering with leading states and top researchers, we aim to build a more evidence-based foundation for advanced education nationwide.”
Initial activities will involve evaluating policies like automatic enrollment in North Carolina to improve access to advanced coursework, as well as developing educator toolkits tailored for New Jersey and Nebraska. These toolkits are intended to help local schools identify students who may benefit from additional academic challenges.
Sheyanne Smith, High Ability Learning Specialist at NDE and co-principal investigator for Nebraska’s component of the project, explained that their work will focus on strategies that use data to identify high-ability students across various educational settings in Nebraska. She said: “This partnership reflects Nebraska’s commitment to ensuring that all high-ability learners are recognized and served. Our collaboration with Johns Hopkins and other partners will help translate research into practical strategies that support educators statewide.”
Plucker added: “Collaborating with the Nebraska Department of Education is especially exciting, given the state’s reputation for being at the forefront of efforts to support curriculum and instruction efforts. Pairing a great research team with Nebraska leaders and educators who continue to push the envelope should benefit both Nebraska and the country.”
Alerts Sign-up