Earning a college degree has long been critical to unlocking many high-paying jobs -- and, as a result, to economic mobility and security. Increasingly, however, the traditional "norm" of a college student--one who enrolls straight out of high school, receives some support from their parents, lives on campus, and does not have…

Early care and education providers are subject to monitoring by multiple agencies and organizations. In this brief provides an overview of monitoring and the major early care and education monitoring systems. It then offers possible goals for a coordinated monitoring system and describes some approaches to addressing those goals. Eleven dimensions…

There is growing unease about suspension and expulsion of children at the preschool level. Preschoolers are expelled at three times the rate of K-12 students (Gilliam, 2005). Boys--particularly African-American boys--comprise a disproportionate number of these cases, a fact that has caused concern among parents, policymakers, and advocates alike.…

Amid a recession that's squeezing state budgets and pushing more families into poverty, teams of officials from 39 states gathered near Washington last week to explore ways to better meet the educational and health needs of young children. The Sept. 16-18 meeting, sponsored by the National Governors Association, came as the U.S. House of…

This publication describes how and when it is permissible to use Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds for youth-related activities and services. It provides illustrations of how TANF funds are being spent on youth. The TANF block grant replaces Aid to Families with Dependent Children. The funds that states spend in order to draw…

This document consists or the six issues of the Family Resource Coalition's newsletter "Connection" published in 1995. These newsletter issues explore matters pertaining to family support and related programs. Featured articles are as follows: (January-February) "Board Approves Long-Range Plan, Reaffirms FRC's [Family Resource…

Federal rules allow states to use Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant funds to help pay for a child care tax credit. States also have the option to count a portion of the cost of a child care tax credit toward their "maintenance of effort" requirements under the TANF program. There is an important limitation on…

School districts are central players in the child care delivery system: they operate a mix of child care centers and programs, serve a range of children of different ages, and fund their programs from a variety of federal, state, and local sources. This report provides a range of programmatic and fiscal information about the federal and state…

The Child Care and Development Block Grant sought to unify what was a fragmented child care system. As part of welfare reform, welfare-connected child care programs were repealed and new child care funding was placed under the aegis of the lead state agency for the Block Grant. This report provides an overview of the strategies that each state,…

This document details the progress made toward achieving the eight National Education Goals. The Goals 2000: Educate America Act marked its first year with school-improvement plans in 47 states and $85 million in the hands of state and local school districts. The publication contains: (1) a list of the National Education Goals; (2) a description…

This document focuses on how states can use Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds to support early childhood education initiatives. It draws on CLASP's previous report, "Financing Universal Pre-Kindergarten: Possibilities and Technical Issues for States in Using Funds Under the Child Care and Development Fund and Temporary…

Chapter 2 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act places responsibility for the design and implementation of programs using Chapter 2 funds in the hands of local education agencies, and it assigns responsibility for administering the regulations to state education agencies. No formal mechanism exists, however, for coordinating the…

This paper traces the historical context of the passage and implementation of Vermont's Act 230 in 1990, which initiated a new special education funding system to increase equity, predictability, and flexibility in program design as well as to ensure placement neutrality. Specific objectives of the funding system included increasing the use of…

Section 1 of this booklet presents a chart listing the 53 participating centers in the Local Cooperative Teacher Education Center (LCTEC) program, which is funded by the Texas Education Agency in conjunction with federal block grant money. The centers were developed to improve the quality of field experience programs for student teaching through…

Part I of a two-part series examines various approaches currently used by states to provide aid to local school districts, including flat grants, foundation grants, matching systems, the multitier approach, categorical aid, transportation aid, and capital outlay/debt service support systems. Related issues and special features are then discussed.…