This toolkit is for school districts that are considering using text messaging to improve attendance. Text messaging can reach large numbers of parents with minimal cost. This toolkit is intended to enable district leaders and staff to: (1) Consider goals and priorities for using text messaging to communicate with parents about student absences;…

The Native American and Alaska Native Children in School (NAM) discretionary grants program aims to reduce the persistent achievement gaps between Native American and Alaska Native (NA/AN) youth and their peers on measures of reading and English language arts (ELA) (NCES 2015) and on measures of college-readiness in reading (ACT 2017). One reason…

Each week, nearly 11 million children under age 5 are in some type of child care setting for an average of 35 hours. Parents, as consumers of child care, equate a child care license with state approval--a gold seal for those businesses to which a state grants a license. Child Care Aware® of America reviews state licensing policies, which include…

Research studies in the past decade have shown that computer technology is an effective means for widening educational opportunities, but most teachers neither use technology as an instructional delivery system nor integrate technology into their curriculum. Studies reveal a number of factors influencing teachers' decisions to use ICT in the…

This report seeks to raise awareness of the critical importance of chronic early absence, synthesize available data on the scope of the challenge, and share emerging insights about how schools and communities can use chronic early absence to identify and address challenges affecting the social, educational and physical well-being of children and…

This report provides information on the outcomes of the Intervention for College Attendance Program, a program of competitive grants awarded to postsecondary institutions, professional organizations and community-based organizations. Funded programs focus on increasing the access and success of groups traditionally underrepresented in higher…

Researchers have compiled clear, convincing evidence of what works in early childhood education. Intensive intervention in the early years can make a dramatic difference. To create early learning environments, schools should hire qualified teachers, keep classes small, engage children in learning, design room to grow, test gently, and involve…

As researchers continue to analyze the role of parenting both in the development of childhood overweight and in obesity prevention, studies of child nutrition and growth are detailing the ways in which parents affect their children's development of food- and activity-related behaviors. Ana Lindsay, Katarina Sussner, Juhee Kim, and Steven Gortmaker…

The New York City public school system has built partnerships with other early childhood programs in the community to make universal prekindergarten (UPK) available in settings appropriate for young children and affording full-day options to working families. In the first city-wide effort to obtain parent feedback on the program's success, over…

This report is an evaluation of the Georgia Prekindergarten Program established during the 1992-93 school year. The program aimed to enhance community services, family well-being, and developmental and educational opportunities for 4-year-olds, targeting children who were eligible for public assistance or referred by a social service agency.…

Significant steps have been taken by the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) project since its formation in 1970. The founders of MESA began a campaign, first in high schools, and later in middle and elementary schools, to convince educators, parents, and students of the importance of raising standards for the minority children…

The Bringing Out Head Start Talents (BOHST) project modified existing materials and procedures from the Retrieval and Acceleration of Promising Young Handicapped and Talented (RAPYHT) model in order to train Head Start personnel, parents, and volunteers to identify and program for Head Start children who are functionally or potentially…

This report presents information about the involvement of federally funded Head Start Programs for 3- and 4-year-olds and state-funded Early Childhood Assistance Programs (ECAP) for 4-year-olds in the Head Start/ECAP Outcomes Project in the state of Delaware. Information about child developmental skills and family goals was collected at the…

This report presents evaluative information of the effectiveness of the Career Awareness and Resource Education (Project CARE) program in New York City. The program served 346 students of limited English proficiency. Participating students received instruction in English as a second language ESL, native language arts (NLA), the content areas, and…

Chapter 2 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) of 1981 consolidated 28 separate federal education programs into a single block grant. This report evaluates the effectiveness of Chapter 2 as public policy, assessing whether it has led to improvement in education, whether the consolidated programs are more responsive to…