Invest Early is a comprehensive early childhood collaborative of four school districts in Itasca County, Minnesota, that serves young children and their families with risk factors that may impede school success. Wilder Research, in conjunction with the Invest Early leadership team and staff, is conducting a longitudinal evaluation of the program.…

Many children and their families in rural America need better and more equitable educational opportunities. "Leveling the Playing Field" highlights the many and varied opportunities for Congress to act to ensure rural students receive the education they need and are given an equitable chance to succeed. The following policy initiatives…

Homelessness is a devastating circumstance for any child or youth; but for youth on their own, the stresses of homelessness are multiplied. The myriad of challenges faced by youth experiencing homelessness on their own puts these students at risk of dropping out or school failure. Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act,…

This document records testimony from a hearing held to examine recent efforts to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act. Member statements were presented by: (1) Honorable John Kline, Committee on Education and the Workforce; and (2) Honorable Robert C. Scott, Ranking Member, Committee on Education and the Workforce. Witness statements were…

One of the most essential academic skills to be attained in school is reading comprehension; consequently, the comprehension instruction provided by teachers is of extreme importance. This study examined instructional strategies of eleven third grade reading teachers employed by the same district who attributed to 75% of students scoring in the…

Never give up on any child. Tying together the theory and developmentally appropriate strategies of child guidance and behavior, this book provides you with best practices for teaching children healthy social-emotional behavior and conflict management. Through current brain research, real-life stories, and a plethora of key concepts and discussion…

There is a growing recognition among researchers and practitioners alike that student-athletes are an "at risk" group of students in higher education today. More specifically, research has identified several specific negative conditions that impact student-athletes and threaten their success in college. Learning communities, on the other…

This practitioner research study investigates the power of multimodal texts within a real-world context and argues that a participatory culture focused on literary arts offers marginalized high school students opportunities for collaborative design and authoring. Additionally, this article invites educators to rethink the at-risk label. This…

Imagine going back in time and being the guiding spirit in Montessori's first "Casa dei Bambini" but with all the knowledge and skills developed as a Montessori teacher today. That is precisely the privilege this author has had as, over the past 2 years, she has worked to establish an Early Childhood Montessori program in Usa River,…

More than one in four children in Tennessee live in poverty, and in Nashville the number creeps higher to one in three (Kids Count Data Center, 2012). Nearly three out of every four children in Metro Nashville Public Schools qualify for free and reduced lunch and are considered at risk (Tennessee Department of Education, 2013). This concentration…

School social workers are at the forefront of serving homeless children and youths as they pursue education. Because of the negative impact homelessness can have on academic outcomes for children, understanding what factors are perceived to either hinder or facilitate practice and what factors might influence perceptions of practice with this…

The purpose of this article is to provide educators with information to support the increasing number of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) affected students in mainstream classrooms. Educating FASD-affected children requires a thorough understanding of identifiable and non-identifiable characteristics, common behavioural and social traits,…

It has become increasingly common for school-age children and adolescents to express what is commonly known as gender nonconformity. School officials across the country are being called upon to implement systems and programs that are inclusive of gender nonconforming youth. It is important that children have access to a learning environment that…

This study explored the usefulness of variable measures gained from the Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) as a way to predict student academic performance and identify potential at-risk students. First-year GPA was used as a measure to determine at-risk status and selected BCSSE variables and institutional data were examined…

While working for the Youth Offending Service, I used a range of interventions with young people to help reduce their likelihood of reoffending. I became concerned that some of these interventions required the young people to have a higher appreciation of their own (and others') emotions than they appeared able to demonstrate. I felt that this…