As questions regarding the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) flow in to Education Commission of the States, one frequent inquiry is about the concept of a "well-rounded education," referenced more than 20 times and included within the majority of Titles in the Act. State education leaders want to know what constitutes a well-rounded…

States increasingly are incorporating Kindergarten Entry Assessments (KEAs) into their comprehensive assessment systems with the goal of helping educators identify gaps in children's competencies, target instruction to children's individual needs, engage parents to better support their child's learning, and identify needs for expanding and…

States increasingly are incorporating Kindergarten Entry Assessments (KEAs) into their comprehensive assessment systems with the goal of helping educators identify gaps in children's competencies, target instruction to children's individual needs, engage parents to better support their child's learning, and identify needs for expanding and…

High-quality assessments are vital for ensuring a sound and equitable education for all students. Tests are used to measure what students know and can do, and this information is very important for both instructional and accountability purposes. This brief, which should be read as a complement to "High-Quality College and Career Ready…

Academic performance of students in public schools is a growing concern for school districts in the United States. The No Child Left Behind Act (No Child Left Behind [NCLB] 2001) has attempted to increase academic success, improve behavior, and promote positive school culture. Although equity has been achieved in some areas, the achievement gap…

Under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and now the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states are required to assess every student at least once in high school in reading or language arts, mathematics, and science, and some states have chosen to assess students more frequently. The passage of ESSA gives states a new opportunity in how they approach high…

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 includes several provisions that target the education needs of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students. This brief primer discusses how ESSA relates to the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), the state tribal education partnership, cooperative agreements, consultation with tribes,…

Since the passage of Public Law 94-142, federal law has prioritized the education of students with disabilities with their non-disabled peers in the context of the general education classroom. This chapter examines the progress, and often lack thereof, with regard to educating students with extensive and pervasive support needs in inclusive…

For my dissertation, I was interested in examining the warnings about the preparedness of a new generation of students arriving on college campuses across the United States. For the past 12 years, these students have attended public schools under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and the purpose of my study was to investigate the influence…

In this case, a child with a spinal cord injury was denied access to an afterschool care program that her nondisabled siblings were allowed to attend because she did not meet "eligibility requirements." Specifically, the independent contractor who ran the program mandated that students be able to function in an environment with a student…

Purpose: A significant and growing body of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) research examines the experiences of students, employees, and the substance of leadership training. This project aims to complement this work by taking a macro-level look at the broader legal and policy issues that may constrain or enhance a school…

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), signed in 1965, was a pivotal civil rights law to address the dream of equitable education for all children on the mainland and in U.S. territories. The ESEA was followed by the Bilingual Education Act (BEA), signed by President Johnson in 1968. The BEA specifically addressed the necessities of…

In 2002, the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education (NRCCTE) published "New Designs for Career and Technical Education at the Secondary and Postsecondary Levels," in which Copa and Wolff (2002) proposed that the mission of Career and Technical Education (CTE) is "to serve individuals and the nation through…

Despite claims that colleges and universities are isolated from ideological preferences, sociopolitical discourse regularly shapes policies and practices of postsecondary education. This article considers how national discourse on federal aid for postsecondary education during the 1970s reflected a monumental shift in higher education policy.…

The FNS Research Corner provides a continuing series to summarize recently completed and current research conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) in the area of child nutrition. Summaries of recently completed research projects and in-progress research are provided in this article.