This study examined approximately 6,500 Florida students' reading and mathematics performance when taught by a sample of teachers who obtained their teaching credentials through the Troops to Teachers program. Results indicated that students served by Troops teachers performed about equally well in reading and achieved a small but statistically…

Early interventionists struggle with supporting parents to prepare their children to be socially successful. Systems of support in which parents matriculate through a series of progressively intensive interventions depending on their need have been identified as a potentially promising framework for delivering family support services (McIntyre &…

Using student-level data from Durham, North Carolina, we examine the potential impact of school choice programs on the peer environments of students who remain in their geographically assigned schools. We examine whether the likelihood of opting out of one's geographically assigned school differs across groups and compare the actual peer…

This study analyzed Early Head Start Research and Evaluation (EHSRE) study data, examining the effect of parenting classes on parenting behaviors and children's cognitive outcomes. The study analyzed three sets of dependent variables: parental language and cognitive stimulation, parent-child interactive activities, and the Bayley Mental…

This paper assesses whether school lunches contribute to childhood obesity. I employ two methods to isolate the causal impact of school lunches on obesity. First, using panel data, I ?nd that children who consume school lunches are more likely to be obese than those who brown bag their lunches even though they enter kindergarten with the same…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) initiated sweeping changes to the U.S. educational system. However, many have argued that NCLB is not accomplishing its stated purposes of improving education for disadvantaged students and closing the achievement gap. This policy analysis sheds light on the social and emotional risk factors that prevent…

Students attacking other students. Students attacking teachers, support staff, and even community members. Disrespectful and threatening language, overwhelmed or inattentive parents, and an administrative system that often appears unable to bring back order in the classroom. These are stories have become an everyday part of teaching in urban…

This case study examines why public-sector reform in education often fails to deliver expected performance gains. Longitudinal evidence from a secondary comprehensive located in a former coalfield is used to identify constraints that frustrate government policies. Although the head and senior staff at Norcross School adopted transformational,…

Project EXCITE is a program for minority students that supplements the regular school offerings with an emphasis on enhancing students' interest and performance in math and science. This study examines the experience and perceptions of 14 student participants in the program and their parents. In student and parent interviews, Project EXCITE was…

This report contains a discussion of a classification and attention training program for Head Start children. Chapter One presents the theoretical background of the project, which is based on Piaget's model of attention and classification. The methods used in the program are explained in Chapter Two. The next chapter discusses curriculum…

At the international Youth Employment Summit, September 7-11, 2002, representatives from over 140 countries gathered in Alexandria, Egypt to share knowledge and experience and to advance the cause of better preparation of youth for entry into, and success in, their respective national economies. At the Summit, for the benefit of those with little…

This study examines the impact of Washington state's incentives for teachers to attain National Board Certification and to work in challenging schools. Using surveys and secondary analyses of state databases, we examine the workforce both prior to and following recent changes in the incentive program. The study considers the nature of National…

This qualitative study used focus groups to identify the knowledge about the "Arts du Cirque" Program implemented in a primary school and to explore perceptions of its impacts. Data are based on the discourse of school staff members, parents and other members of the community of an elementary school. The impacts on students are…

Research Findings: In the past 20 years school districts have increasingly adopted classroom-based social and emotional development programs. The dissemination of these programs, however, has surpassed our understanding of and ability to assess factors that influence program implementation. The present study responded to this gap by developing a…

Research Findings: This study compared the unique effects of training low-income mothers in dialogic reading versus elaborative reminiscing on children's oral language and emergent literacy. Thirty-three low-income parents of 4-year-old children attending Head Start were randomly assigned to either dialogic reading, elaborative reminiscing, or a…