Since 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has spurred far-reaching changes in elementary and secondary education, all aimed at accomplishing the same fundamental goal--to improve students' academic achievement. As the Congress prepares to reauthorize the Act, two related questions matter most: (1) Has student achievement in reading and…

Flexibility is a lever for change that occupies an increasingly prominent place in federal strategies for educational improvement. Flexibility assumes that local actors are in the best position to identify the most serious problems facing schools and students and to determine how to solve them. Consequently, these actors should be given greater…

"The Achiever" is a monthly newsletter designed expressly for parents and community leaders. Each issue contains news and information about school improvement in the United States. Highlights of this issue include: (1) Fifth Anniversary for "No Child Left Behind"; (2) Empowering Parents: Response Soars for Supplemental…

For children from low-resource backgrounds, a literacy-rich preschool experience with a skilled and engaged teacher can offset risk factors and lay the groundwork for lifelong academic success. Now schools can ensure effective early literacy instruction with this field-tested, research-based curriculum for children 3 to 5 years of age. These 41…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) focused national attention on improving schools so that all students reach academic proficiency by 2014. In the 2006-2007 school year, about 4,500 of the 54,000 Title I schools failed to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) for 4 or more years. Schools that miss AYP for 4 years are identified for…

America's Promise Alliance recommends that all sectors of society work together to ensure all young people have a 21st century education in which service-learning and civic involvement are components. This policy/practice brief explores service-learning as a place-based family-strengthening strategy that develops the capacity of youth as a core…

What types of instructional experiences help K-8 students learn science with understanding? What do science educators, teachers, teacher leaders, science specialists, professional development staff, curriculum designers, and school administrators need to know to create and support such experiences? "Ready, Set, Science!" guides the way with an…

Teachers, like other professionals, need to stay informed about new knowledge and technologies. Yet many express dissatisfaction with the professional development opportunities made available to them in schools and insist that the most effective development programs they have experienced have been self-initiated. "Enhancing Professional…

This report presents findings from the third and final year of the Reading First Impact Study (RFIS), a congressionally mandated evaluation of the federal government's initiative to help all children read at or above grade level by the end of third grade. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 established Reading First (RF) and mandated its…

This report questions the efficacy and utility of the Head Start program by challenging the widely accepted belief that early intervention can prevent future dependence and delinquency. This belief assumes that: (1) sweeping conclusions can be drawn from the study of a few unique preschool programs; (2) children's futures are fundamentally…

A descriptive study was made of the roles of training and federal programs in helping youths gain employment in selected high-wage occupations that do not require a four-year college degree. Interviews conducted with federal agency officials and industry representatives found little hard data but elicited officials' views on this issue. The study…

This document examines the types of projects funded by the Library Literacy Program in fiscal year 1993. The variety of literacy activities supported under the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) Title VI reflects the diversity of literacy needs in states and communities across the United States. Many factors influence a library's choice…

Head Start Administrators must be fully knowledgeable of all applicable Federal requirements and skilled in applying these requirements in the daily operation of their program, whether starting a new program or striving to maintain a high quality program. This manual provides Head Start administrators with a compilation of the program requirements…

The National Education Goals Report serves as a barometer of the nation's progress toward the national education goals defined in early 1990. This year's report, sixth in a series of annual reports planned through the year 2000, focuses on standards and assessments, two areas of educational reform which are currently of interest to state and local…

This executive summary of the National Educational Goals Report 1996 serves as a barometer of the U.S.'s progress toward the National Education Goals defined in early 1990. This year's report, sixth in a series of annual reports planned through the year 2000, focuses on standards and assessments, two areas of educational reform which are currently…