Policy

Taking an extended break from school during the long, hot months of summer has been an American tradition for generations. Across the United States, schools and communities plan around the summer break—which often lasts more than two months—with many parents and guardians saving their vacation days for special activities during...

The mention of rural America may conjure up nostalgic images of wide-open land, quiet farms, and charming—or desolate—small towns that time has forgotten. Among the millions of children who grow up in non-metro areas, many face a variety of challenges that include high rates of poverty and decreased access to...

The headline from a recent National Public Radio report made a stark declaration: “States Are Ratcheting Up Reading Expectations For 3rd-Graders.” Although the phrase “ratcheting up” may sound harsh, it seems well placed in this regard, given that the report addresses an ongoing, nettlesome issue in education—namely, what to do...

The school-to-prison pipeline was not built in a day, nor can it be traced back to a single cause. An explanatory piece on the website Thoughtco.com offers a primer on some of the factors that helped shape the pipeline, which has been characterized as shuttling marginalized students straight from school...

Making sure all students are ready for college is a frequently mentioned goal for many educators and policy-makers. But what does college readiness really mean, and how do teachers actually know whether a student is ready for college? Asking such questions may be a good way to help students, teachers,...

“Before third grade, students learn to read; after third grade, they read to learn.”  This adage is often repeated in literacy education circles, and research overwhelmingly supports this underlying truth. In 2010, a research report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation titled “Early Warning! Why Reading by the End of Third...

After years of programming reductions, the call to bring vocational training back to schools has recently grown louder. For example, a 2018 National Public Radio report garnered a lot of attention, thanks not only to its compelling headline—"High-Paying Trade Jobs Sit Empty While High School Grads Line Up For University"—but...

Research shows that one of the most important predictors of school success and high school graduation occurs early in a student’s life: A 2013 research update from the Annie E. Casey Foundation confirmed that reading proficiency by the end of third grade is critical to a student’s future academic success....

Kids today are “more anxious, depressed and suicidal than ever before,” according to a 2018 newspaper column by Dr. Michael Hynes. Hynes, a school district superintendent in suburban New York, cited several sources before concluding that there is an “existential mental health crisis in K-12 education and beyond.” Although the...

Should grades be used to punish, encourage, or reward students? In recent years, this enduring question has taken on fresh meaning thanks to various efforts to either implement or reject “no-zero” grading policies. With these policies, zeroes are off the table for students—instead, the minimum score a student could receive...