Latest News

The latest policy update from the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) focused on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and its call for adding a measure of school quality and success. Dubbed the fifth indicator, many states are using this call to focus on career and technical education (CTE) goals. By focusing […]

Children can’t perform well in school if they aren’t there. In fact, a May 2017 Policy Update from the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE), argues that chronic absenteeism should be considered a primary indicator for low-performing schools. “Chronic absenteeism” is defined as missing 10 percent or more of school days for any […]

The 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book report released this month by The Annie E. Casey Foundation provides an annual snapshot of how America’s children and families are faring in areas of economic wellbeing, education, health, family and community in all 50 states. The KIDS COUNT data shows progress in some categories between 2010 and 2015, […]

Recently released by The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), “Everybody Got Their Go Throughs”: Young Adults on the Frontlines of Mental Health summarizes findings from focus groups and analysis of data from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The report’s major findings are a call to action, underlining the importance […]

PRE4CLE released its second annual report last week showing that Cleveland has continued to make strides toward expanding access to high-quality preschool for all of its children. PRE4CLE is Cleveland’s plan to expand high-quality preschool to all 3- and 4-year-olds in the city, as part of Cleveland’s Plan for Transforming Schools. PRE4CLE’s work to expand […]

Alabama, Georgia, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia were recently highlighted by Business Facilities as homes for some of the nation’s leading workforce development programs. The article focuses on the connections between business and education institutions to create job-specific vocational learning in high schools, community colleges and universities. Highlighted programs include: Accelerate Alabama, a […]

On April 4, 2017, a task force created in November 2016 by Austin, Texas Mayor Steve Adler delivered its recommendations for reducing institutional racism and ensuring equity in that city. The 70-page report from the Mayor’s Task Force on Institutional Racism and System Equities, co-chaired by Austin Independent School District Superintendent Paul Cruz and Huston-Tillotson […]

Research shows that childcare workers and preschool teachers with college degrees or certifications can improve outcomes for children, but many questions arise about whether those findings would hold true absent other factors like higher wages, classroom resources, and positive workplace conditions. Two recent articles – one in the New York Times and one in Inside […]

Disconnected youth are people between the ages of 16 and 24, who are neither in school or working. This group is 65% more likely to be poor, four times as likely to have a child, and three times as likely to have a disability in comparison to their counterparts who are in school or working. […]

On May 2, Harvard University acknowledged First Things First (FTF) as one of the Top 25 Innovations in American Government as part of a nation-wide awards competition that recognizes creative and solution-oriented governing. The Top 25 Innovations in American Government were selected by a team of policy experts, researchers, and practitioners at the Ash Center […]