For most families, their home address determines the school that their children will attend. While wealthier families can move to the community of their choice or choose a private school, lower-income families have fewer alternatives if they are not satisfied with their local schools. In the past two decades, many states have begun to subsidize…

This report responds to the requirement of Public Law 110-246 to assess the effectiveness of State and local efforts to directly certify children for free school meals. Direct certification is a process conducted by the States and by local educational agencies (LEAs) to certify eligible children for free meals without the need for household…

This report responds to the legislative requirement of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (P.L.110-234) to assess the effectiveness of State and local efforts to directly certify children for free school meals under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Direct certification is a process conducted by the States and by local…

Volunteer recognition is an important component of Extension programs. Most land-grant universities have implemented a state volunteer recognition program. Extension professionals, however, are too overburdened with meetings, programs, and activities to effectively recognize volunteers locally. Utilizing a state model is an efficient means of…

The Kansas Educational Leadership Institute (KELI), in a unique response to an identified need by state and local professionals, has provided a vital support to educational leaders in Kansas stepping into the superintendent role. The mission of KELI has focused on providing this support through strong collaboration and a spirit of partnership with…

This report demonstrates how existing national data can be used to first calculate upper limits on the average cost per participant and per outcome per state/territory for the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). These upper limits can then be used by state EFNEP administrators to obtain more precise estimates for their states,…

This inventory is designed to assist state education agencies and other stakeholders to identify the policies, programs, and initiatives in their states that support students on their pathways to success in college and careers. In other words, it addresses the question: What policies, programs, and initiatives does your state have in place to…

In this "FastFacts," a state requested recommendations about research and practical resources to inform technical assistance conducted with state education staff on formative assessment. The Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO) responds by describing what is currently known on this topic. Formative assessment is one key…

Between Fall 2008 and Summer 2010, the Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE) analyzed state special education dispute resolution systems and their components, with the objective of identifying particularly effective systems and creating a resource that other states could draw on when considering improvement…

Assuring that state and local agencies comply with the requirements of Federal and state programs has been a central feature of SEAs. The purposes of compliance requirements--ensuring both fiscal integrity and that targeted groups receive intended benefits--are important. While such requirements are often well-intentioned, too often they can act…

Since the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015, state teams have been preparing their state plans aligned with ESSA for submission in April or September 2017 to the U.S. Department of Education. Because ESSA lands much of the decision-making and responsibility in education at the state and local levels, state education leaders…

This chapter describes how the authors are using data and professional learning to mobilize change in developmental English and mathematics curricula and pedagogy across multiple community colleges in California.

This chapter describes the concurrent reforms occurring in North Carolina--both campus-level changes focused on such issues as developing structured programs of study and state-level reforms aimed at supporting the campus efforts.

Nebraska's Employment First (EF) program allows parents who receive TANF cash assistance to pursue education and training that improves their ability to secure employment and long-term economic success. A parent must negotiate and sign an Employment First contract, facilitated by a case worker, between the participating parent and the state of…

National population trends demonstrate a shift in the U.S. ethnic population, similar to changes in the ethnic landscape of U.S. public schools. However, the teaching landscape has not adjusted to align with student demographics. Research highlights the academic and social/emotional benefit for students of color who experience having a teacher of…