The Success By 6® (SB6) initiative is designed to support early care and education centers in improving and sustaining quality in Pennsylvania's Keystone STARS Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). The SB6 evaluation report examines implementation and outcomes. The findings have implications for SB6 continous quality improvement process…

The Success By 6® (SB6) initiative is designed to support early care and education centers in improving and sustaining quality in Pennsylvania's Keystone STARS Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). This SB6 evaluation report examines implementation and outcomes. The findings have implications for SB6 continous quality improvement process…

The Success By 6® (SB6) initiative is designed to support early care and education centers in improving and sustaining quality in Pennsylvania's Keystone STARS Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). The SB6 evaluation report examines implementation and outcomes. The findings have implications for SB6 continous quality improvement process…

Every year, new teachers collectively spend about $4.8 billion on their training requirements, nearly all of which goes to teacher preparation programs. Unfortunately, it is unclear whether that is money well spent. Despite decades of research and ongoing calls to improve the quality of teacher training, we still do not know how to sculpt an…

This article synthesizes research on social capital, school outcomes, internet use, and volunteering to argue that e-mentoring--which is commonly practiced over long distances--could become a powerful way to build greater cohesiveness in local communities. Realizing this potential will require a larger-scale and more coordinated approach to…

Since the first child care Quality Rating System (QRS) was implemented in Oklahoma 11 years ago (in 1998), 16 additional statewide systems have been launched and numerous states are piloting or developing a QRS (Zaslow, Tout, & Martinez-Beck, forthcoming). As QRS stakeholders across the nation look ahead to the next decade, it is important to take…

Intense competitive pressure and the need for continual improvements have led to a burgeoning interest in and use of pay-for-performance programs. This paper explores the increased use of pay-for-performance, drawing examples from healthcare, education, and the government. Suggestions are made as to how best to implement pay-for-performance…

Noting that there has been steady growth since 1986 in the number of children and families served in early intervention programs for infants/toddlers with disabilities, this report excerpts an article examining the current status of early intervention and outlines five issues believed to be critical in the coming decade. These issues are: (1)…

Early intervention programs are very diverse in clientele served, ages served, staffing, focus of services, location of service, length of service, agencies responsible, and funding. The Early Intervention Research Institute at Utah State University is investigating the efficacy of early intervention programs; 13 of its ongoing longitudinal…

A review of literature concerning the effectiveness of bilingual education programs consists of three sections, each containing descriptions of one or more studies and evaluations of the studies' significance. The first examines broad studies of the factors promoting or affecting bilingual education program success. The second section looks at…

This report synthesizes findings of five conferences funded by the National Institute of Education (NIE) to plan new Follow Through research. In particular, conference discussions focused on the notion of systematic change; time-on-task as the most promising strategy for success; and encouragement of principal and teacher support for implementing…

The purpose of this paper is to critically reflect upon the mixed/modest results of the primary studies related to the effectiveness of physical activity enhancement and improving nutritional intake in obesity prevention programs for children and youth. The results of a recent review of this topic that included 57 randomized controlled trials…

Measures of quality are now in widespread use across states as part of quality improvement initiatives. For example, many states are currently using global measures of quality that were first developed for research and practice purposes (such as the Environmental Rating Scales) in their Quality Rating Systems (QRSs). Although global quality…

Reviewed are empirical studies of relationships among school feeding programs (SFPs), school attendance, enrollment, cognitive development, and academic performance. Recommendations for SFP design are specified. An agenda for a systematic operations research project on the influence of SFPs on these variables and on nutritional status is…

Describes two-generation programs and how they differ from earlier single-focus approaches to serve children and families. Results from six programs are reviewed and indicate mixed and modest success in promoting the development of children and improving the parenting skills and economic self-sufficiency of parents. Recommendations are presented…