Adolescent girls face distinct challenges that require tailored and girl-centered responses. This brief draws on the knowledge of program implementers and researchers who work on community-based girl group (CBGG) programs (often called "safe spaces") in various low- and middle-income settings and the US. It summarizes emerging lessons…

This study critically analyzes the discursive constructions of immigrant children from low-income households in Norwegian official publications between 2014 and 2024. The study uses Foucauldian discourse analysis to explore the representation of these children, the power dynamics and knowledge claims present in these discourses, and the…

Mexico's pioneering conditional cash transfer program Progresa, later renamed Prospera, operated over two decades in a shifting policy landscape. We exploit the program's sudden and unexpected rollback to estimate whether, two decades after rollout studies documented its initial impacts on schooling and labor, the program still raised enrollment…

This study aimed to design and validate the Teacher-Reported Reading Engagement Survey (TRRES) to complement self-reported measures and comprehensively assess reading engagement among adolescents. Drawing insights from literature and expert feedback, a new 10-item Likert scale instrument was created, capturing three facets of reading engagement:…

Rural students comprise nearly half of all students enrolled in public schools in the nation. With increasing amounts of students living in poverty, rural school districts are combating many issues but with fewer resources than urban and suburban school districts. In addition, new Federal and state regulations continue to be enacted, sometimes to…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to provide rich descriptive answers from caregivers in a rural Title I school district in regards to their participation in their children's education as well as any perceived barriers that potentially would prevent participation. Using Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler's (2010) Model of Parental Involvement, the…

This qualitative narrative inquiry aimed to explore current classroom teachers' preferred leadership characteristics of school leadership; specifically, the complex relationship between teacher perception of principal leadership characteristics and their influence on teacher retention on Title I campuses. This was a 2-part narrative inquiry…

International students pursuing higher education in the United States incur additional expenses compared to domestic students by spending on foreign credential evaluations and visa applications. These costs are usually not reflected in program fee structures, are non-refundable, and are not covered by financial aid, creating significant, and often…

This study used a large administrative data set of Head Start programs across the United States, the Head Start Program Information Report (PIR), to explore disparities in program rates of screening, referral, and identification for early intervention between Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) and Head Start (HS) programs. Results from…

Rooted in relational philosophies, restorative practices (RP) in schools are initiatives that seek to provide alternatives to exclusionary discipline. Restorative conferences (RC), in particular, aim to repair harm and reintegrate youth following a conflict. Despite abundant theorizing about conference benefits and hypothesized mechanisms of…

The recent decision by the United States Supreme Court to limit affirmative action in college admissions could make it even more challenging for academically talented students of color to gain access to competitive schools. The importance of school counselors in guiding and supporting these students is now more crucial than ever. This qualitative…

Children need life-affirming and authentic relationships; genuine deeply felt inclusion comes when we share our humanity openly and honestly. This article draws on the research of author Peter W. Cookson Jr., who recently completed a study of success strategies for educating children living in deep poverty. An inclusive school is one where every…

Lack of access to books has a lasting effect on children. The home literacy environment of a child impacts their emergent literacy skills, and later the level of literacy with which the child enters kindergarten. Children from lower socio-economic environments are more likely to enter kindergarten behind their peers due to factors such as: less…

During the latter half of the 20th Century, the early blooms of spring were also a signal to the nation's teenagers: it's time to find a job. About half of all Americans between 16 and 19 years old spent part of their summer break bagging groceries or slinging ice cream until the early 2000s. Then, the youth employment rate fell sharply and stayed…

As of 2023, 44 states plus the District of Columbia provide schools with supplemental funding for their low-income students. Policymakers often want to understand how the "amount" of extra funding they provide for low-income students compares to other states. Because states use different methodologies to determine these amounts, previous…