Significant attention is currently focused on ensuring that children are enrolled in preschool. However, regular attendance is also critically important. Children with better preschool attendance have higher kindergarten readiness scores, this is especially true for students entering with low skills. Unfortunately, many preschool-aged children are…

In this paper, we present a closer look at the student achievement trends in the District of Columbia between 2006-07 and 2012-13. We have three main conclusions. First, we find that overall, math scores in the District have improved. The improvements in reading scores during this time frame, however, were primarily limited to the first year after…

The Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) collects a variety of information including student enrollment and educational programs and services, most of which is disaggregated by race/ethnicity, sex, limited English proficiency, and disability. The CRDC is a longstanding and important aspect of the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights…

Each year, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) releases its annual list of scientific advances that represent significant progress in the field. The 20 studies selected have given new insight into the complex causes of autism and potential risk factors, studied clues that could lead to earlier diagnosis, and evaluated promising…

This National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) First Look report introduces new data for two separate measures of 4-year on-time graduation rates as well as event dropout rates for school year (SY) 2010-11 and SY 2011-12. Specifically this report provides the following: (1) Four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR) data reported by…

The cultural competence of 13 parenting education programs for Latino families with young children was examined in this study. Based on our analyses, we make several recommendations for improving the cultural competence and effectiveness of parenting education programs for Latino families with young children. Specifically, we recommend the…

The search for culturally appropriate art therapy practice has historically focused on personal exploration and the infusion of a multicultural perspective in academic and applied experiences. The purpose of this article is to strengthen awareness of the personal and professional competencies necessary for culturally responsible practice. Three…

Proficiency rates among California students continue to rise. At the end of the 2009-10 school year, the share of students who demonstrated proficiency on the California Standards Test was greater than 50 percent in both English language arts (ELA) and math. California's proficiency rates have increased more than 18 percentage points over the last…

The public educational system has failed to adjust practices, policies, and procedures to ensure systematic, equitable access to a rigorous education for all youth, including those from diverse linguistic and racial backgrounds (Delpit, 1995; G. Gay, 2010; hooks, 1994; Ladson-Billings, 1994; Lindsey, Roberts, & Campbelljones, 2005; Nieto,…

The IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act) 2004 was designed to ensure that every child with special needs is receiving adequate services. Unfortunately implementation is often problematic. Although the law recognizes the importance of family-professional collaboration in deciding intervention services, cultural differences…

As a researcher in parent engagement in school and former parent activist, the author shares three lessons for sparking more authentic partnerships between schools and immigrant families. First, schools need to move away from deficit thinking and validate families' cultures. In the case of Latino immigrant families, this entails understanding…

Academic year 2009-2010 was a banner year for associate degree conferrals in the United States. In just one year, the total number of degrees awarded increased from slightly less than 790,000 to nearly 850,000, an increase of 8 percent. Minorities receive one-third of all associate degrees conferred in the U.S., with nearly equal numbers going to…

Latinas living in the United States are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections. However, few effective interventions currently exist that are designed to meet the priorities and needs of recently arrived and less acculturated immigrant Latinas who are settling in the southeastern United States. To identify…

School library usage and middle school students' perceptions of the usefulness of their school library were examined in this study. 1,509 predominately Hispanic students attending rural public schools participated by completing an online survey regarding their school libraries. The vast majority of students surveyed reported that they used their…

An extensive body of research documents the successes of immigrant groups in establishing community language schools. Studied within this tradition, Latino immigrant communities appear to come up short, because of the scarcity of such schools for Spanish-speaking children. However, as we show in this paper, Latino immigrant communities do have…