Summer is a time of enrichment, discovery, and fun for many students. But for others, especially those from low-income families, summer means time away from the support and resources that facilitate learning and social and emotional growth. Hundreds of school districts across the United States are committed to changing this opportunity gap. RAND…

As conservatives consider ways to crash through the growing choke hold that college degrees have held in employers' hiring processes, one idea that has gained currency is allowing federal student aid to follow students to unaccredited providers of education. Conservatives have also shown interest in funding competency-based programs--in which…

Over the past few decades, there have been federal and state investments in innovative education programs, policies, and tools. Many private organizations--both corporate and philanthropic--also have fueled the development and piloting of novel education ideas. Yet major gaps and challenges remain to develop and scale the impact of ground-breaking…

Despite a growing research base on the need for and value of instructionally-focused principal supervisors, few states have addressed principal supervisors in their plans to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). In those plans that include strategies pertaining to principal supervisors, there is limited detail. This resource highlights…

The data provided in this issue of "DataPoints" (examining the percent of public two-year college students receiving select aid types between academic years 2003-04 and 2015-16) shows that community college students were more likely to receive federal aid immediately following the Great Recession.

This study examined the impact of the federal E-rate program on four Nebraska school districts to determine whether there is a significant cost difference for telecommunication charges as well as E-rate discount awards available to Nebraska school districts. The research design utilizes a comparative case study to gauge the changes over time in…

Beginning August 1, 2009, the Post-9/11 GI Bill extended educational benefits to service members who were on active duty in the military on or after September 11, 2001. This GI Bill (officially the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008), the latest version of a law that helps veterans pay for higher education, provides more…

This brief reviews the details of major proposals from policy makers and policy organizations to streamline and reform income-driven repayment of federal student loans. The brief identifies encouraging consensus on a number of important details, as well as some areas of remaining divergence.

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program was authorized by the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA), which was enacted on September 27, 2007. Pub. L. No. 110-84. The CCRAA requires the U.S. Department of Education (Department) to submit this biennial report to Congress on the TEACH grant…

In March of 2020, the United States (U.S.), like many other countries around the world, faced an international pandemic unlike any other in recent times. Elected government officials recommended or mandated the closing of PK-12 public schools. These decisive actions led to unprecedented challenges, but also unique opportunities for public…

We examine changes in California's FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) applications during the COVID-19 crisis. There was little change in applications for high school graduates due to an early deadline for state aid. After the deadline--from early March to mid-August--FAFSA applications of potential college freshmen declined 14%,…

Research has shown that student loan borrowers in repayment exhibit physical and mental health problems. These can be exacerbated by and contribute to health-related financial hardship. We use the 2015 U.S. National Financial Capability Study to examine the likelihood of having past due medical bills and of avoiding health care services by not…

Despite decades of research that points to the importance of family and staff engagement, the average school district in the United States is not designed to empower families and teachers to shape school improvement. The COVID-19 pandemic offers an opportunity to change that. Pandemic-fueled disruption helped seed ideas with families and educators…

Parental-choice debates typically focus on whether private schools should receive public funds "at all." This paper focuses on a question that inevitably follows when schools do receive them--the question of accountability. That is, what regulatory conditions ought to attend private schools' receipt of public funds? This is an enormously…

State early childhood administrators are planning to strategically invest the federal appropriations in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) to address disruptions in children's care and learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. State leaders must consider how this one-time funding can be used effectively while understanding the context around…