Head Start programs are a critical component of early care and education. At present, there is no requirement for local Head Start programs to link or share their data with other state data systems. However, several states are making advances toward linking and/or sharing data across their state's K-12 data system or other services' data systems.…

Youth transitions to rewarding careers remain a critical problem for America's current and future workforce. In Baltimore, where only one in five graduates of Baltimore City Public Schools matriculates to a four-year college and the unemployment rate for 16 to 19 year-olds is over 40 percent, opportunities to gain meaningful training and work…

New York State (NYS) has long been a pioneer on early childhood education, with a brain trust of early education experts and dedicated practitioners in the field. Starting in 1997, under the leadership of the Assembly, NYS began its state funded prekindergarten program, funding half-day programs across the state. In 2007, half-day pre-K expanded…

Harsh and cruel experiences have led many of our young to believe that they are alone in the world and that no one cares. In this article, Martin L Mitchell introduces us to the "National CARES Mentoring Movement" founded by Susan L.Taylor. This movement provides young people with role models who help shape their positive development.…

Individual technology education students' subgroup dynamic informs progressions of research while apprising technology teacher educators and classroom technology education teachers of intricate differences between students. Recognition of these differences help educators realize that classroom structure, instruction, and activities must be…

In this column, the author uses the analogy of baseball to describe the lives of gifted children as a vehicle to think about similarities and differences. The author states that he has experienced how educators often gloss over the powerful and all-inclusive living conditions of high-ability students from financially impoverished backgrounds. In…

Research Findings: The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the relationship between classroom age composition and preschoolers' vocabulary gains over an academic year and also to examine whether these relations were moderated by classroom quality. In this study (N = 130 children in 16 classrooms representing a subset of all children…

For many students at risk of reading difficulties, effective, early reading instruction can improve reading outcomes and set them on a positive reading trajectory. Thus, response-to-intervention models include a focus on a student's Tier I reading instruction as one element for preventing reading difficulties and identifying students with a…

This biographical account of Erin Gruwell's work with marginalized youth explores the relevancy of her work for today's educators, especially those responsible for the education of future school leaders. Through both a review of the literature and in-depth interview with Gruwell, this paper shows how Gruwell emerged as a teacher leader…

Drawing on the self-system model, this study conceptualized school engagement as a multidimensional construct, including behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement, and examined whether changes in the three types of school engagement related to changes in problem behaviors from 7th through 11th grades (approximately ages 12-17). In addition,…

Currently, the U.S. is not stacking up in educating students in STEM disciplines. "America lags in providing top-level schooling in STEM fields…, and this may jeopardize future economic growth, job creation, and international competitiveness" (Smarick, 2013, p. 12). International assessments of student performance, including the Program…

Children with symptoms of oppositional-defiant and conduct disorders (ODD/CD) pose significant challenges within educational settings. The worldwide prevalence among 6-18 year olds is 3.3% for ODD and 3.2% for CD (Canino, Polanczyk, Bauermeister, Rohde, & Frick, 2010). Students with conduct problems often display aggressive and antisocial…

Led by Advocates for Children of New Jersey and the New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition, the NJ Food For Thought School Breakfast Campaign is driven by a statewide steering committee that includes the New Jersey Departments of Agriculture, Education and Health, anti-hunger and health groups and New Jersey's major education associations. The…

Many educators across the nation are struggling to teach and inspire students who are susceptible to school drop-out. These specific students are commonly dealing with poor parental involvement, low socioeconomic status, substance abuse issues, teenage pregnancy, behavioral infractions, and/ or mental health issues, which can affect them socially,…

The primary objective of this development study was to develop and pilot a three-tiered prevention model (universal, targeted, individualized) in early education for children at risk of reading difficulties. The aims of this study were to: (1) Define and develop a Pre-3T model to address the early literacy and language needs of young children in…