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The Deepwater Horizon disaster contaminated habitats across the northern Gulf of Mexico, including deep water corals, shallow bays, estuaries, coastal marshes and beaches. The spill affected wildlife ranging from birds to dolphins to sea turtles.  The…

Underground storage tanks (USTs) containing petroleum and other hazardous substances are everywhere. Accidental releases of the substances from leaking USTs (LUSTs) pose serious health, economic, and environmental risks to local residents. Abt helped the…

Federal laws often do not specify every detail of how agencies should implement them. Agencies must use the rulemaking process to do so and seek public comments on the rules. They also seek public comments for other policy and rule changes.  Some attract…

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the U.S., encompassing 64,000 square miles and covering parts of six states and Washington DC. In the 1970s, the Bay was discovered to have one of the world’s first identified marine dead zones. Poor water…

In 2010, an explosion on a Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history. It required a massive response to minimize damage and protect the environment, with involvement by many federal and…

Millions of students need to prepare for and stay in postsecondary educational programs. Numerous programs seek to help the students achieve their educational goals. There is research that evaluates these programs, but there was previously little…

In 2006, the Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development (CCWD) launched the Oregon Pathways for Adult Basic Skills Initiative (OPABS) to better help low-skilled adults transition from the state’s Adult Basic Skills (ABS) programs…

Researchers and policymakers are trying to understand and build on the benefits of early learning programs. New research was needed to identify the short- and long-term effects of early learning experiences—from social, emotional, and cognitive, to how…

Teachers can make a real difference in students’ outcomes. However, teacher quality varies greatly. New teachers, who frequently begin their careers in high-need schools where students are in greatest need of effective instruction, have been shown to be…

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP) is designed to assess the overall readiness of teacher candidates. The state wants to identify best practices, tailor guidelines and…