High-quality early childhood education programs provide young children with experiences that promote healthy cognitive and social development and the basis for thriving in school. Over the past 20 years, states have made strides in terms of their attention to and provision of early childhood education. While 20 years ago, only about 10 states…

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) requires that states improve academic performance so that all students reach proficiency in reading and mathematics by 2014 and that achievement gaps close among student groups. States set annual proficiency targets using an approach known as a status model, which calculates test scores 1 year at a time. Some…

Eileen Simmons, a veteran teacher-consultant from the Oklahoma State University Writing Project, describes collaboration among writing project teacher-consultants and site-based teachers to plan professional development before, during, and after a summer writing camp for students at their school. This model, which has been adapted in a variety of…

Parent involvement in Head Start has been key since its inception in 1965. In contrast to other early childhood intervention programs in the early 1960s, the program broke ground by viewing parental participation as essential to both children's and families' growth and development. Research has demonstrated that greater parent involvement links to…

In 1999, Illinois enacted its tuition tax credit law, which offers tax credits to taxpayers whose own children are attending school, as opposed to tax credits to businesses and/or individuals who contribute to tuition scholarship programs. Recent data suggest that the Illinois tax credit program is benefiting middle- and upper-class families more…

This report describes achievements and activities of the Parent Early Evaluation of Kids (PEEK) Outreach Project at the University of Oregon. This project focused on assisting state agencies, regional and tribal entities, and local health and education programs to develop comprehensive, low-cost systems for child-find and referral. Rural and inner…

Head Start programs provide critical comprehensive services for young children with or at risk of developing disabilities. Both the Head Start Act and federal Head Start performance standards require a mix of outreach, early child assessments, and evaluations, followed by comprehensive educational, medical, and social services provided in an…

Title I, Part A, of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) provides financial assistance through State Educational Agencies (SEAs) to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs or school districts) and public schools with high numbers or percentages of disadvantaged children to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic content and student…

This monograph in the Urban Diversity Series takes an in-depth look at the nature of academic achievement gaps and the efforts since the 1960s to close these gaps. The monograph provides a comprehensive analysis of achievement data from pre-school through higher education. It concludes with recommendations for developing evidence-based educational…

This report provides student demographic and academic outcome data pertaining to students participating in the California Community College Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) and cooperative Agencies Education (CARE) programs. The EOPS program helps increase college access for students and support services for disadvantages…

Most students change schools at some point in their academic careers, but some change very frequently, and some schools experience a great deal of turnover. Many researchers, teachers, and administrators argue that mobility harms students, particularly disadvantaged students in high turnover, inner city schools. However, economists emphasize the…

This testimony on federal assistance for homeless people is based on issued reports and testimony over recent years. It highlights: (1) the federal approach to assisting homeless people; (2) actions of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to overcome coordination and administrative challenges posed by its homelessness programs;…

In 1997, Arizona enacted a tuition tax credit law. Supporters consider this law a model for improving public education. Opponents believe it is a model for seriously undermining public education, particularly public schools serving poor children. The two types of tax credits Arizona offers are a private tuition tax credit and tax credit for public…

The District of Columbia College Access Act of 1999 created a grant program with the purpose of expanding higher education choices for college-bound District of Columbia residents. This program, the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant (TAG) Program, addressed the concern that D.C. students were at a disadvantage because the District of Columbia lacks a…

This is a proposal by Chaffey Community College District (CCCD) (California) to convert an existing off-campus operation in Fontana, California, to an educational center. The center would provide services to 1,529 full-time-equivalent students by the year 2010, and would provide greater access to opportunities in higher education for an…