This brief summarizes research that studies the Zones of Choice (ZOC) program, an ongoing initiative of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The research investigates the mechanisms through which the ZOC program may have improved student outcomes and finds that changes in schooling practices played a role. Specifically, schools in the ZOC…

Reflecting an overall policy shift in Oregon and nationwide, Oregon passed laws in 2013 and 2015 aimed at changing the way school discipline is applied in grades K-12. The 2013 legislation directed districts to replace zero-tolerance policies with an emphasis on preventing and reducing unnecessary student suspensions and expulsions. Suspensions…

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), emphasizes the use of evidence-based activities, strategies, and interventions. Section 8101(21)(A) of the ESEA defines an evidence-based project component as being supported by four possible levels of evidence: (1) strong evidence; (2) moderate…

The Competencies and sub-competencies of the Collaborative of Academic and Social Emotional Learning (CASEL) are very closely aligned to skills-based health education based on the National Health Education Standards and SHAPE America Grade Level Outcomes but miles apart when it comes to recognizability, perceived need, efficaciousness, and…

Connecticut is one of 29 states that require beginning teachers to complete an induction program to mitigate high turnover and lower efficacy among early-career teachers. Its two-year Teacher Education and Mentoring (TEAM) Program provides guidance to beginning teachers through several mechanisms, including five instructional modules and ongoing…

Connecticut is one of many states that implements an induction program for beginning teachers to mitigate high turnover and lower efficacy among early-career teachers. The state's Teacher Education and Mentoring (TEAM) Program requires beginning teachers to complete five instructional modules, have a certain number of contact hours with a mentor,…

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) Office of Inspector General (OIG) annual plan identifies the audits, inspections, and other activities that the OIG intends to undertake to assist the Department in fulfilling its responsibilities to America's citizens and students. OIG's FY 2022 Annual Plan details the assignment areas and resources…

This article discusses the relationship between evidence-based practices (EBPs) and values in research and practice pertaining to people with severe disabilities. The importance of basing educational and habilitation practices on substantial scientific evidence for practical, moral, and legal reasons is acknowledged given the prevalence of…

The standard model of the role of early experience in human development assumes that children's environments in their first years of life are dominant influences on who they become as adults. The standard model favors interventions to improve children's long-term outcomes that start early in life and are intensive in time and attention from…

This is the technical appendix for the report: "Social-Emotional Learning and Academic Growth: Insights from an Innovative Research-Practice Partnership." Contents of the appendix include: (1) Sample; (2) The Student Success Network (SSN) Survey; and (3) Analytic Framework and Estimates. [For the full report, see ED615830.]

Current approaches to secondary school are producing high numbers of dropouts and low numbers of students well prepared for college and careers. Given global demand for better education quality and relevance, a reform movement in the US that blends rigorous academic learning and applied technical study may be of interest to other countries. Yet…

As pre-kindergarten (pre-k) expands across the country, school districts are making choices about where to place pre-k classrooms and developing policies for how families can apply and who is enrolled. In doing so, districts are pulling policy levers that influence students' access to pre-k. Research shows that some families have less access to…

How do responsive adult-child interactions influence early language development? How do a child's language skills develop in tandem with social-emotional development, executive function, and literacy? What are effective ways to help parents support their child's development? Uncover the answers to these questions in this fascinating book, which…

Bullying has been identified as a worldwide problem and has attracted great attention from the media, researchers, educators, and parents in the past few decades. This introductory article describes the prevalence and demographic differences for both traditional bullying and cyberbullying among U.S. adolescents. Then it reviews risk and protective…

This article describes a program for excellent students that views research as an inseparable part of its development, and utilizes research findings as a means to aid formulation and implementation of policy changes. Eight nationwide graduate follow-up studies have been conducted on the program. Their findings were studied comprehensively, and…