Intentionally designed afterschool and summer programs can benefit students' social-emotional skills, accelerate their learning, and even increase their school attendance during the school year. This infographic touches on the value of these programs, possible barriers that might limit access to students, and states with innovative models.

Recent higher education investments in Michigan have prompted the authors to revisit the reality of college affordability in the state, so that policymakers and stakeholders can monitor the impact of investments moving forward. While MI has lowered the net cost of a postsecondary education, a college credential still remains out of reach for many…

Since 2016, the biennial "Early Childhood Workforce Index" has tracked the status of Early childhood educators (ECE) workforce policies in order to identify promising practices for improving early educator jobs and changes over time. This fourth edition includes new analyses as well as updated policy recommendations. Highlights include:…

This chapter reviews multiple variables across all public community colleges, and unveils marked disparities in public funding between and within the states at community colleges of different sizes and geographical settings.

Congress amended and extended the "Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education" ("Perkins IV") in 2018 with passage of the "Strengthening Career and Technical Education Act for the 21st Century" ("Perkins V"); the law became effective on July 1, 2019. "Perkins V" increases federal funding for…

While most infrastructure discussions consider transportation, energy, and more, they too often ignore K-12 public schools, which welcome more than 50 million children and adults every day. K-12 public schools represent the nation's second-largest infrastructure sector. Schools are economic drivers, as well-prepared students will earn $1 million…

This issue of "DataPoints" shows the percent of Pell grant recipients with any federal student loans, by control and level of institutions in the years 2003-04, 2007-08, 2011-12, and 2015-16. The data demonstrate that community college students with Pell grants are less likely to take on student debt than similar students in other…

Of the many factors that affect what school districts buy and do for their students, an often-overlooked issue is the influence of federal education grant programs. Nearly every school district in the country receives funding from the US Department of Education (ED) through grant programs that support elementary and secondary education. While this…

Federal Student Aid Programs act as equalizers by removing income inequity as a barrier to college access and outcomes. However, the need-based aid morphs into merit-based at the end of the first year, as students must meet progression benchmarks to remain eligible for federal financial aid. The study examined Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)…

U.S. citizens or permanent residents, enrolled at least half time in a qualified program at a participating school, not in default on a prior federal student loan, and not previously convicted of a drug offense while receiving federal financial aid are eligible to apply for a student loan. This chart summarizes the interest rates, loan limits, and…

Disclosure has become the preferred way of addressing the threat to researcher objectivity arising from financial conflicts of interest (FCOIs). This article argues that the effectiveness of disclosure at protecting science from the corrupting effects of FCOIs--particularly the kind of disclosure mandated by US federal granting agencies--is more…

The problem statement for this manuscript is to describe the literature on grant funding for underrepresented investigators, particularly American Indians, and detail the CRCAIH Pilot Grant Program and its success in developing underrepresented researchers (e.g. American Indian, early stage investigators). Grant funding is increasingly difficult…

With regard to sexual violence prevention and response programming and education, what are the differences between a campus receiving U.S. Department of Justice Office of Violence Against Women Campus Grant funding and a campus that is not receiving funding? This exploratory case study provides insight about sexual violence prevention education at…

Over the years, more colleges and universities have gained the designation of Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) and emerging Hispanic-serving institutions (EHSIs). The Hispanic-serving community colleges (HSCCs) have a dual mission of authentically serving both Latinx students and other marginalized student population. This study aims to…

In their study of the educational ecosystems that surround schools, the authors recognized a growing global trend that has positioned "intermediary organizations," and particularly non-system intermediary organizations, or those not involved in the formal governmental education system, in an oversized ecosystem role. Through their direct…