Background/Context: Both correlational and experimental evidence suggests that having access to books can be a key resource for accelerating the literacy outcomes for children. Results from a 20-year study across 27 nations by Evans, Kelley, Sikora, and Treiman (2010), suggest that children growing up in homes with many books obtain 3 years more…

Background/Context: Many college students experience basic needs insecurity, which includes a lack of -- or fear of the lack of -- access to healthy food, stable housing, reliable transportation, affordable child care, physical and mental health care services, the internet and technology, and other necessities students need to survive and thrive…

Introduction: The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) reviews rigorous research on educational interventions with a goal of identifying "what works" and making that information accessible to educators and policymakers. The WWC has historically prioritized internal validity over external validity in rating the quality of research. One critique…

Background: What is the role of state legislatures in improving public education? Is it to provide funding and standards for student outcomes and then step aside? Or should legislatures and state education agencies also govern how districts educate students? In practice, states hold school districts accountable for academic achievement while also…

Background: Early math knowledge is the strongest predictor of later academic achievement (Duncan et al., 2007), but math achievement gaps that are present during preschool prior to kindergarten entry (Starkey & Klein, 2008) persist in elementary school. This is especially true for young children who are very low-performing in math relative to…

Background/Context: Community colleges are positioned as a cost-effective way for students to complete the first two years of a bachelor's degree, yet informational barriers to the transfer process are well documented. To transfer, students must overcome informational constraints, navigate bureaucratic hurdles, and resolve conflicting requirements…

The negative impact of COVID-19 on students persists three years after the onset of the pandemic. A substantial body of research shows that students have yet to recover to their learning trends before the pandemic (Callen et al. 2023, Lewis & Kuhfeld 2023, Cohodes et al., 2022). This suggests that students face a lengthy road to recovery, and…

Background/Context: Sometimes students with the academic credentials to attend more selective colleges enroll in a less selective institution or do not enroll at all, a phenomenon known as undermatching (Bowen et al., 2009; Roderick et al., 2011; Smith et al., 2013; Rodriguez, 2015). Undermatching is associated with lower graduation rates and…

Background: Undergraduate research programs have been shown to have positive effects on student outcomes like retention and academic achievement. This study contributes to the very limited body of causal research on mentored undergraduate research programs (also known as apprentice-style research experiences, or AREs) by measuring the short- and…

The Robust and Equitable Measures to Inspire Quality Schools, or "REMIQS," project is guided by two questions. The first is, "where are the highest-performing schools in traditional settings that consistently promote improved outcomes for our most underserved students?" The second question is, "what practices, policies,…

Background: Poverty-related disparities in school readiness are well documented (Dreyer, 2020). Increasing cognitively stimulating parenting practices can contribute greatly to addressing such disparities, and therefore represent a key modifiable target for preventive interventions beginning early in life (Brooks-Gunn & Markman, 2005).…

Background: The United States does not have a comprehensive, publicly funded early care and education (ECE) system. As a result, disparities in access and participation in quality ECE in the U.S. are well-documented. Low and middle-income families participate less frequently in ECE compared with higher-income families, often due to conflicts with…

Background: Reading is a vital skill, key to school success, necessary for employment, and essential for functioning in everyday life. Many attempts to increase literacy have focused on schools, yet "out of school" factors have a substantial impact on student learning (Clabaugh, 2008). One non-instructional factor that may be part of…

Background: Reading failure is far higher among disadvantaged students than among other students (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019). Many attempts to solve this have focused on schools, yet non-school factors have a substantial impact on learning (Clabaugh, 2008). One of these is uncorrected vision. Approximately 20-25% of school-age…

Background/Context: Taking even one Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), dual enrollment, or other college-preparatory course is positively associated with student outcomes including test scores; high school graduation; and college matriculation, major choice, and completion (Adelman, 2006; An & Taylor, 2019; Author,…