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In 2021-2022, Head Start served nearly 790,000 young children, primarily from low-income families. However, the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) estimates that far more children are eligible than can be served due to limited resources, heightening the importance of targeting services effectively. House Report 117-96 includes a provision for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the nationwide distribution of Head Start resources and what could help better align funding with need. This report examines the extent to which: (1) Head Start resources align geographically with child poverty; (2) statutory provisions support aligning resources with need; and (3) Office of Head Start (OHS), uses its grantmaking authority to align resources with need. GAO analyzed Head Start enrollment data from 2022 and Head Start funding and Census child poverty data from 2006 and 2021 (most recent available comparable data), interviewed OHS officials and stakeholder organizations, such as the National Head Start Association; and reviewed relevant federal laws and agency documents.

This brief outlines how the Stanislaus County Office of Education (SCOE) supports the educational and mental health needs of 25 school districts in the county. SCOE partnered with three school districts--Hughson Unified, Patterson, and Turlock--to enhance their school-based mental health programs for approximately 22,000 students. The brief highlights various initiatives undertaken by SCOE through Project Cal-Well, including: (1) mental health training for staff and students; (2) the creation of wellness spaces based on student input; (3) the implementation of universal mental health screening systems across districts using tools like the Covitality screening tool; and (4) the expansion of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) On Campus Clubs to promote advocacy and awareness campaigns related to mental health. Additionally, the brief mentions efforts made toward increasing availability and access to school-based mental health services through referral pathways and building partnerships with community organizations, such as Sandy Hook Promise's Start With Hello program at Turlock USD. Overall, SCOE aims to sustain these initiatives beyond the initial funding period through strategic alignment with existing programs focused on children's behavioral health care.

The objectives of the audit were to determine whether the Kentucky Department of Education (Kentucky) had an adequate oversight process in place to ensure that (1) local educational agencies' (LEA) American Rescue Plan (ARP) Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) plans met applicable requirements and (2) LEAs use ARP ESSER funds in accordance with applicable requirements and their approved LEA ARP ESSER plans. The review covered Kentucky's processes for reviewing and approving LEA ARP ESSER plans and overseeing LEAs' use of ARP ESSER funds from March 24, 2021, through July 31, 2022. For the first objective, the authors reviewed the summary results of Kentucky's review of LEA ARP ESSER plan narrative submissions to verify that Kentucky approved the plan narratives for all 171 LEAs and gain an understanding of how often and why plan reviewers did not approve plans. For the second objective, the authors reviewed samples of ARP ESSER expenditures at Warren County and Jefferson County to determine whether they used ARP ESSER funds in accordance with applicable requirements and their approved LEA ARP ESSER plans. It was determined that the ARP ESSER plans for Warren County and Jefferson County met applicable requirements and that Kentucky was consistent in how it reviewed and approved the two plans. Kentucky also designed a process to annually review and approve updated LEA ARP ESSER plans that, if implemented properly, is adequate to ensure that updated plans meet applicable requirements.

The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) Office of Federal Programs conducted a routine monitoring of Upshur County in December of 2022. This resulted in a report of findings which was completed February 10, 2023. Per Federal Program protocols, counties are provided 60 days to respond to findings; establishing Upshur County's deadline for response as May 8, 2023. The State Superintendent of Schools notified the Office of Accountability the week of May 8, 2023, of his intent to commence a Special Circumstance Review of Upshur County Schools. This put into motion planning phases inclusive of team members from the Offices of Accountability, Federal Programs, and Finance. The team began its Special Circumstance Review of Upshur County Schools on May 22, 2023. The review process, consisting of interviews and document review, is being conducted as outlined in West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) Policy 2322: West Virginia System of Support and Accountability. The review team compiled the information gathered thus far during the onsite review. This report will be presented to the West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) at the June 2023 meeting. The Review is on-going.

Chetty et al. (2022) say county density of cross-class friendships (referred to here as "adult-bridging capital") has causal impacts on social mobility within the United States. We instead find that social mobility rates are a function of county density of family capital (higher marriage rates and two-person households), community capital (community organizations, religious congregations, and volunteering), and mean student achievement in grades 3-8. Our models use similar multiple regression equations and the same variables employed by Chetty et al. but also include state fixed effects, student achievement, and family, community, schoolbridging (cross-class high school friendships), and political (participation and institutional trust) capital. School-bridging capital is weakly correlated with mobility if adult-bridging is excluded from the model. R-squared barely changes when adult-bridging is incorporated into the model. When it is included, mobility continues to be significantly correlated with the achievement, family, and community variables but not with school-bridging and political ones. We infer that county mobility rates are largely shaped by parental presence, community life, and student achievement. To enhance mobility, public policy needs to enhance the lives of disadvantaged people at home, in school, and in communities, not just the social class of their friendships.

The term "newcomers" is commonly used to describe students who have recently arrived in U.S. schools. Depending on usage, newcomers may mean students in their first 6 months in U.S. schools, in their first 4 years, or anywhere in between. A majority arrive speaking little to no English, most are from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, and a large but unknown proportion have experienced trauma. Unfortunately, reliable national data are not available on language proficiency or socioeconomic status. This report gives an overview of newcomer education in California and makes recommendations to support improved student outcomes. The report is informed by a special data request to the California Department of Education (CDE), interviews with staff from 12 California school districts, and a literature review. Sam Finn's perspective is further contextualized by Finn's experience as an elementary school teacher in three cities, a consultant for the California Newcomer Education and Well-Being (CalNEW) program, and a researcher and advocate for Oakland Unified School District. [For "Newcomer Education in California. Report Summary with Recommendations," see ED628245.]

The Indiana Choice Scholarship Program (ICSP), which began in fall 2011, is a state taxpayer-funded financial aid program that helps low and lower-middle income Hoosiers to send their children to the private K-12 school of their choice. This voucher program has been extremely popular among families, as the number of students receiving scholarships has increased from 3,911 students in academic year (AY) 2012 to 36,707 by 2020. This report addresses two questions regarding the fiscal effects of the ICSP up through and including academic year (AY) 2020: (1) The fiscal effects of the ICSP on the state of Indiana budget; and (2) The fiscal effects of the ICSP on local school corporation budgets (in Indiana public school districts are termed "school corporations"). The estimates in this report suggest that the ICSP has provided modest fiscal benefits to taxpayers to date--however, the fiscal savings per scholarship recipient are quite large. Therefore, as more students access the ISCP the savings to Indiana taxpayers will increase significantly. The major findings include: (1) The ICSP saved state taxpayers a total of $42.5 million in 2019-20. These savings translate to savings of $1,158 per scholarship student--a significant sum on a per student basis; and (2) The ICSP yielded a total of $60.6 million in savings to local public school corporations in 2017-18, which was the most recent year with complete data available. These savings to local school corporations were $1,709 per student. These findings are not surprising given that the average scholarship awards are below both total expenditures per student and state per pupil funding as well.

To ensure each county board of education provides a thorough and efficient education for its students, the West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) annually reviews county scorecards and efficiency profiles provided by the Office of Support & Accountability. County status is reviewed and determined based on multiple measures of student performance and county operational efficiency. The WVBE will review annually the information submitted by the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) and issue each county board of education an approval status. This report shares the County Efficiency Indicator Status, Counties with Support Balanced Scorecard Student Performance and Success Indicator(s), and Counties with On Watch Balanced Scorecard Student Performance and Success Indicator(s).

The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is a multicycle survey of adult skills and competencies sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The survey examines a range of basic skills in the information age and assesses these adult skills consistently across participating countries. PIAAC is the sixth of a series of adult skills surveys, sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), that have been implemented in the United States. This third report describes the methodology used to produce the county-level estimates by age and education groups. [For the second report, "Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC): State-Level Estimation for Age and Education Groups Methodology Report. NCES 2022-050," see ED622835.]

High school student participation in dual enrollment--a key strategy for increasing equitable access to postsecondary education and improving readiness for college--has been on the rise in California in recent years. Despite the overall increase in participation, however, large gaps between racial/ethnic subgroups persist. Also of concern, English learners, socioeconomically disadvantaged students, youth in foster care, and students experiencing homelessness lag their peers in dual enrollment participation. To address these gaps, California policymakers and advocates are working with K-12 and community college educators to increase participation and to ensure that dual enrollment opportunities are more equitably available to students and accessed by them earlier in high school. This report updates and expands our prior work by examining participation in dual enrollment among California public high school students at all grade levels. Our partnerships with the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) enable us to merge data from both segments and analyze the full extent of dual enrollment for California public high school students through the state's 72 community college districts. While we have previously reported dual enrollment participation among high school graduates, this analysis incorporates new data to show rates of participation and characteristics for all 9th- through 12th-grade students during the 2021-22 academic year. For the first time, we have a statewide picture of dual enrollment participation for high school students at all grade levels to inform current policy discussions and efforts by local educational agencies (LEAs) and community colleges to increase dual enrollment. [An additional collaborator for this report is the University of California, Davis, California Education Lab.]

Essential skills, including literacy and numeracy, are increasingly crucial for life and work, for business success, and for economic growth. However, the number of adults improving these skills in England has reduced by more than 60% over the past decade as Government investment in skills is set to be £1 billion less in 2025 compared to 2010. As a result, on current trends it would take over 20 years for every adult to get the help they need. To effectively target support through the Adult Education Budget and new programmes such as the Multiply adult numeracy programme, it is important to understand local need. This briefing presents the results of an England-wide data modelling exercise to map the essential skills of adults aged 16 to 64, thought to be the first of its kind. The modelling reveals disparities in essential skills levels within local areas which far exceed those between local and combined authorities across the country. This suggests that not only is there a need for an increased focus on and investment in essential skills as part of a national lifelong learning strategy, but that this must be coupled with a laser-like local focus on targeting provision where it is most needed.

The constitution and statutes of Nebraska assign the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education the responsibility for comprehensive planning for postsecondary education in Nebraska. The purpose of the "Comprehensive Statewide Plan for Postsecondary Education" is to provide direction for the future of postsecondary education in Nebraska. It identifies goals that will lead to an educationally and economically sound, vigorous, progressive, and coordinated higher education network throughout the state. It is used by the Coordinating Commission to facilitate most of its statutory decision-making processes. For the state and its students to receive maximum benefits, the Comprehensive Plan must be accepted and supported by the educational community, the governor, the Legislature, businesses, and citizens within the state. The Comprehensive Plan is built upon the foundation of existing postsecondary educational institutions within the state, the current and projected demographics of the state, the economic and political realities of the state, and the state's constitution and statutes. By statute, the Plan must include the role and mission assignments for each public postsecondary education institution, as well as the Commission's recommended guidelines on issues such as tuition and fee levels, admission standards, dual credit, and articulation. It is the shared vision and statewide goals, however, that most influence the design of the Comprehensive Plan. As the environment for postsecondary education changes, the Comprehensive Plan must continually evolve and adjust. It is the responsibility of those who are interested in education and care about Nebraska's future to review regularly this vital document to assure it meets the state's changing needs. Since 2000, the Commission has updated the Comprehensive Plan from time to time to meet the challenges of the changing educational environment, incorporate evolving best practices into the recommended guidelines, modify institutional roles and missions based on legislative action, maintain up-to-date institutional peer groups, and add national and institutional comparative metrics. In 2022, changes to Peru State College's role and mission and the state educational attainment goal set by the 107th Legislature, Second Session, in LR 335 were incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan along with updates to several guidelines.

During the 2020-2021 school year, the Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) examined two hubs leading continuous improvement networks focused on increasing the rate at which students are on track to graduate high school positioned for postsecondary success. Both hubs offered: (1) coaching, with expectation of monthly meetings; (2) professional development from hub staff and external content experts; (3) frameworks, tools, and common data to promote reform efforts; and (4) access to a network of sites doing similar work. This is a companion document to the report "Generating Traction with Continuous Improvement: Lessons from Two Learning Networks" (ED624973). It summarizes the main findings about the ways hubs of learning networks--external support providers, county offices of education, or districts working with their schools--can help an improvement project gain traction toward improving student outcomes at scale.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is committed to the cognitive, linguistic, and socio-emotional development of all children in Illinois. ISBE's Multilingual Department is focused on ensuring that students with diverse linguistic repertoires and those who may benefit from additional support have equitable access to academic instruction in English. Data for this report were extracted by the Data Strategies and Analytics Department at the Illinois State Board of Education from the SY 2020-21 Student Information System Enrollment, EL Record Data, and I-Star Student Approval. The data values were calculated based on the 2021 Report Card Snapshot. This report provides statistics regarding: (1) English Learners (EL) Enrollment per Type of Program; (2) Endorsements of Teachers Serving EL; (3) EL Student Enrollment by County; (4) EL Student Count by Language; (5) EL Student Count by Grade and Race/Ethnicity; (6) EL Students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs); (7) EL Student Count by Instructional Design; (8) EL Student Performance on ACCESS; and (9) EL Students Performance on State ELA and Math Assessments. [This report was produced by the Illinois State Board of Education's Multilingual Department and the Data Strategies and Analytics Department. For the 2019-20 report, see ED618683.]

In partnership with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and 22 San Mateo County school districts, this report and research brief explore the ways in which local students experience housing instability, and how cross-sector strategies can better identify and serve these students. This study considers a rich set of school administrative data, which allow us to describe youth based on their dwelling status designations reported by the school districts, their free or reduced-price meal participation, and several demographic characteristics. We also examine the relationship between student dwelling status designation and educational outcomes. At a high level, our research finds that over 2,600 adolescents in San Mateo County experienced housing instability over the course of the three school years before the pandemic. Students experiencing housing instability were also: (1) disproportionately Latinx, Black, and/or English language learners; and (2) likely to miss more days of school than their housing stable peers. Based on these findings, we conclude that youth experiencing housing instability face a range of unique challenges, and we recommend a set of concrete actions that state policymakers, local and county leaders, school district leaders, and leaders from youth-serving organizations can take to help ensure positive and equitable outcomes. [This report was written with contributions from Francine Biscocho, Elise Dizon Ross, Kristin Geiser, Amy Gerstein, Leslie Patron, Jayme Pyne, Nicole Tognozzi, and Charlotte Woo. For the report brief, see ED624056.]

There are 1.1 million English learner (EL) students in California, representing 18 percent of the statewide student population (California Department of Education [CDE], 2021b). Following some background on California's standards-aligned instructional materials and on the state's EL student population, this brief summarizes California findings from a nationwide survey on teachers' perceptions of their instructional materials for EL students. The brief highlights teachers' views on the adequacy of their instructional materials for their EL students, how they address any inadequacies, whether the materials help them to provide culturally relevant instruction, and what value they place on particular elements of the materials. Finally, the discussion section of the brief includes implications for improving materials and for strengthening professional learning.

The goal of this brief is to provide a summary of research from various scientific and educational fields on trauma informed care (TIC) for educators and administrators supporting the mental and physical health of youth experiencing homelessness (YEH), with specific recommendations related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic gave rise to calls for TIC in schools to support students for whom the pandemic caused trauma or exacerbated prior trauma. Among those with preexisting trauma are YEH, an often-overlooked group of students who could potentially benefit from TIC. Over one million youth (under the age of 18) experience some form of homelessness during the school year in the United States. Within the state of Illinois, about 36,533 students are estimated to have experienced homelessness during the 2021-2022 school year. When these data are disaggregated by county, the highest numbers of YEH are in Cook County (Chicago metro area), but the highest rates of YEH are in several southern counties. YEH cite several reasons for experiencing homelessness, including family breakdown, economic problems, and residential instability, although systemic inequities in housing and employment can be pointed to as root causes. YEH also have many intersecting identities with other historically marginalized groups such as LGBTQ+, those experiencing low income, survivors of abuse, and those with experiences in the foster care system and juvenile justice system. Because of these intersecting identities and common reasons for becoming homeless, YEH are more likely to have experienced some form of trauma that can affect their physical and mental health. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly exacerbated physical and mental health issues, which in turn can exacerbate existing trauma. This further highlights the possibility for schools to adapt TIC to help those students who need it most. YEH are at a higher risk of experiencing adverse physical health issues (e.g., higher risk for infections and diabetes) and mental health issues (e.g., psychiatric mood disorders, substance abuse and dependence, anxiety and depression, suicidal ideations and behaviors, and suicide attempts) compared to their peers who have stable housing. YEH also face high barriers to accessing necessary health resources, be they in school or other facilities. Because of the closures that occurred (or are still occurring) due to the pandemic, these barriers multiplied; YEH were left for prolonged periods of time without many needed resources (e.g., safe places, secured housing and food, counseling, vaccines, etc.). Key Takeaways: We provide recommendations for both educators and administrators on TIC that are tailored towards YEH against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. For educators, there are seven recommendations and examples of what these may look like in the classroom (see the table below). For administrators and individuals who are concerned with TIC for a larger system, there are four recommendations: (1) connect students to professionals and resources that can help; (2) work with YEH and other critical stakeholders to develop effective, empowering, and comprehensive services; (3) support YEH with other aspects of their identities; and (4) collaborate with community partners to address systemic causes of homelessness.

West Virginia's three state-funded medical schools enroll more medical students per capita than any other state in the country. Due to its large number of medical student slots, the state typically is able to offer all qualified West Virginians the opportunity to complete their medical education in the state. In the academic year of 2022, 44 percent of the 392 medical students who enrolled in the first year classes of the state's three medical schools were West Virginia residents. This report provides information on health sciences in West Virginia including: (1) Medical School Profiles; (2) Medical Licensure Exams; (3) Medical School Indebtedness; (4) Residency Training; (5) Medical School Graduate Retention for Practice in West Virginia; (6) Pharmacy Program Profiles; (7) Dentistry Program Profiles; (8) Loans and Incentives; and (9) Rural Health Initiative Program. [For the 2021 report, see ED621150.]

In 2021, the Jacksonville Public Education Fund convened with Kids Hope Alliance, Duval County Public Schools, READ USA, WJCT, Jacksonville Public Library, and others along with Lectio Consulting to plan out the initial stages of the "READJAX" Campaign, with the goal of improving 3rd grade literacy in Duval County. This brief summarizes available background literature, literacy data, and community data that has informed this campaign. We will continue to track the progress and impact of the campaign. This brief, which is made possible by financial support from The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, describes how Duval parents, across all demographic categories (such as race, zipcode, and education), share similar beliefs about the importance of early literacy to later success but some are likely facing complicated barriers to being as involved as they want to be. In combination with Duval County student population trends over the past three years becoming increasingly diverse and in economic need, all the data included suggest collective efforts are needed to improve literacy rates across Duval County through systemic change and culturally responsive engagement of students, teachers, and families.

The Jacksonville Public Education Fund drew on previous research from various organizations including UNF and STEM2Hub in order to identify community stakeholders who could help us answer the question: What skills do students need to succeed in the 21st century workforce? JPEF conducted interviews and focus groups with educators and a variety of employers to compare their perspectives on what skills students need to be successful in the workforce and what challenges they face reaching those needs. JPEF also critically examined the offerings and any publicly available data of 40+ STEM and CTE programs available in Duval County to answer the question: What opportunities exist for Duval County students to develop interest and skills in STEM and CTE fields? [For the Summary Report, see ED620418.]

The majority of students in Maryland spent at least a portion of the last school year learning virtually, from public prekindergarten through college. Throughout the year, jurisdictions made individual decisions to allow for a gradual return to in-person school in a variety of ways. Lessons learned from the earliest stages of the pandemic made it possible for the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and local officials to create plans for starting the 2021-2022 school year in-person. Along with establishing health metrics and guidelines to create and maintain a safer school environment, most local school systems chose to offer a separate virtual learning program so families could choose options based on their own needs. Twenty-two jurisdictions offered some form of virtual learning. This school year, kindergarten teachers used the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) to assess 73% of the 60,608 kindergarteners enrolled in Maryland's public kindergartens. Although enrollment is still lower than pre-pandemic, a greater percentage of children were assessed on this year's KRA than in 2019-2020. Some of the key findings were: (1) 40% of Maryland's kindergarteners demonstrate readiness and entered classrooms prepared to fully participate in kindergarten. This is a 7-point decrease from the 2019--2020 (47%) school year, the last time the KRA was administered. The majority of kindergarteners (60%) do not demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and behavior to actively engage in the kindergarten curriculum; (2) 33% of kindergarteners are approaching readiness, and may require additional instruction based on their individual strengths and needs; and (3) 27% of kindergarteners are identified as emerging on the KRA, and will require targeted supports or interventions to be successful in kindergarten. This represents a 6-point increase over the prior KRA administration (21%), and accounts for many children who are at great risk of not catching up to their peers. [For "Readiness Matters: 2019-2020 Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Report," see ED612005.]

This is the 2020-2021 annual report on the academic progress of English language learners in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. This report addresses the following three areas: (1) Demographic characteristics of students classified as English Language Learners (ELL); (2) English language acquisition results of ELL students on the State's English Language Proficiency assessment known as ACCESS for ELLs; and (3) Academic achievement results of students in the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program and those who exited the ESOL program on the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) and End-of-Course (EOC) assessments. [For the 2019-2020 report, see ED618087.]