This brief contains findings from a recent study exploring direct support professionals (DSPs) providing support to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges of finding and keeping quality DSPs in a field that has experienced high turnover for decades. This problem is exacerbated…

When learning to implement a curriculum effectively, early care and education (ECE) teachers require ongoing feedback about their progress, along with multiple and frequent opportunities to practice. Curriculum-based coaching initiatives, in which coaches facilitate active reflection on a curriculum and mentor teachers on adapting and applying new…

Educators are increasingly using trauma-informed approaches to lessen the harsh effects of trauma on children. Although this practice is becoming more common in U.S. kindergarten through Grade 12 schools, it has been slow to reach the early care and education setting, which includes Head Start programs. Head Starts are encouraged to use a trauma…

"Research Findings:" Teachers in early care and education (ECE) face tremendous challenges, which can lead to poor well-being, low job satisfaction, and high turnover rates. Thus, it is essential to understand the factors related to job satisfaction as well as the well-being resources that teachers need. The study used multilevel…

There are two major institutions supporting California's students facing homelessness, the California Department of Education (CDE) and Continuum of Cares (CoCs). CDE oversees public education and holds local educational agencies accountable for student achievement. CoCs are the regional or local branch that coordinates homelessness funding for…

Children of families involved with child welfare services are considered high-risk and are vulnerable to developing problems in a number of domains. In particular, educational achievement among this population tends to be lower relative to general population peers. The goal of this qualitative study was to understand the educational aspirations…

Teaching is one of the most stressful occupations, often due to the emotional investment of managing and caring for a classroom of students. In addition to environmental stressors, teacher wellbeing is impacted by relationships with students. While the relation between challenging student behaviors and adverse outcomes for both teachers and…

The Department of Health and Human Services submits this report to the House Appropriations Committee in response to the following language the House Report 116-450: (1) Impact of the Federal Poverty Guideline. -- The Committee recognizes emerging challenges in Head Start's ability to fulfill its purpose of serving low-income children and their…

States have increasingly sought to house pre-K and child care in the same agency--often including the Head Start collaboration office and other early childhood services. This article discusses three major approaches: (1) Creating a new agency focused on early childhood; (2) Consolidating functions in a human services agency; and (3) Consolidating…

This article analyzes a learning experience in Brazil that combined traditional lectures and experiential learning inspired by ethnographic research. It innovates by applying the experiential learning cycle to the theme of street-level bureaucracy (SLB) in a highly unequal context. The main objectives are to discuss the challenges of teaching SLB,…

Stable housing is an important determinant of health equity (Swope & Hernández, 2019). Yet, there are few studies exploring housing insecurity in rural areas. In the current study, we examined the similarities and differences in housing insecure experiences across four rural areas in the state of Maine. We used a qualitative case study…

Background: Multimedia Advocacy is the use of digital technology for people with intellectual disabilities as means of developing identities, being heard, connecting to family and care networks and, advocating for change. Methods: We explore principles and theories that underpin Multimedia Advocacy, mapping disciplinary approaches that have…

Youth with foster care experiences (i.e., foster care alumni) have poor educational attainment outcomes (Texas Education Agency, 2021). These poor outcomes compound earlier disadvantages and have individual and collective consequences. Annually, approximately 20,000 youth are emancipated from foster care in the United States (National Youth in…

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a social service project for disadvantaged students through pretest-posttest study design and qualitative interviews. All students joining the service project were invited to participate in this study. Data on personal growth and academic performance (exam scores and class ranks) before and after joining…

To measure the outcomes of youth transitioning out of foster care, states are required to administer the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) survey to cohorts of youth at ages 17, 19, and 21. With this third cohort of young people having completed all three waves of data collection, researchers better understand the experiences of current…