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In June 2022, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) introduced a new equity standard and associated recommendations to its Standards for Excellence in Education Research (SEER). On November 30 and December 1, 2022, IES convened a technical working group (TWG) of 15 experts on education equity. The goal of the TWG was to gather input for IES's consideration regarding the existing tools and resources that the education community could use as they implement the SEER equity standard in their research, along with identifying any notable gaps where tools and resources are needed.

Literacy skills are critical to students' academic achievement and setting them on a path to successful high school graduation and readiness for college and careers. "Passport Reading Journeys" [TM] is a supplemental literacy curriculum designed to help improve reading comprehension, vocabulary, word study, and writing skills of struggling readers in grades 6-12. Lessons incorporate both teacher-led instruction and technology, including whole-class and small-group instruction, independent reading, video segments, and independent computer-based practice. The curriculum includes a series of two-week, ten lesson instructional sequences on topics in science, math, fine art, literature, and social studies. Each sequence is themed as an expedition or journey for students. This What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) report, part of the WWC's Adolescent Literacy topic area, explores the effects of "Passport Reading Journeys" [TM] on student literacy. The WWC identified six studies of "Passport Reading Journeys" [TM]. Three of these studies meet WWC standards. The evidence presented in this report is from studies of the impacts of "Passport Reading Journeys" [TM] on students-including white, black, and Hispanic students-in a range of grades-Grade 6 through 9 - and a variety of school settings, including urban, suburban, and rural districts. [For the full report, see ED600567. For the Intervention Snapshot, see ED600569.]

Literacy skills are critical to students' academic achievement and setting them on a path to successful high school graduation and readiness for college and careers. "Passport Reading Journeys" [TM] is a supplemental literacy curriculum designed to help improve reading comprehension, vocabulary, word study, and writing skills of struggling readers in grades 6-12. Lessons incorporate both teacher-led instruction and technology, including whole-class and small-group instruction, independent reading, video segments, and independent computer-based practice. The curriculum includes a series of two-week, ten lesson instructional sequences on topics in science, math, fine art, literature, and social studies. Each sequence is themed as an expedition or journey for students. This What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) report, part of the WWC's Adolescent Literacy topic area, explores the effects of "Passport Reading Journeys" [TM] on student literacy. The WWC identified six studies of "Passport Reading Journeys"[TM]. Three of these studies meet WWC standards. The evidence presented in this report is from studies of the impacts of "Passport Reading Journeys" [TM] on students-including white, black, and Hispanic students-in a range of grades-Grade 6 through 9- and a variety of school settings, including urban, suburban, and rural districts. [For the Intervention Brief, see ED600568. For the Intervention Snapshot, see ED600569.]

Although the first three years of a child's life are a distinct developmental period, little information is available about the specific knowledge, skills, and other attributes (that is, competencies) that are essential to the practice of teaching and caring for infants and toddlers (I/T) and are needed to support optimal development. Identifying the competencies essential to a given profession may help to provide a common language and lens for assessing job performance and provide a clear structure for professional growth and development. The goal of this review was to examine what is known about the links between I/T teacher or caregiver competencies and outcomes in several areas (child, family, teacher/caregiver, classroom, and/or program). Specifically, the authors aimed to answer the following research questions: (1) What competencies of I/T teachers and caregivers have been examined in the literature?; (2) What does evidence say about associations between I/T teacher and caregiver competencies and child, family, teacher/caregiver, classroom, and/or program outcomes?; and (3) Where are the gaps in the knowledge base pertaining to connections between I/T teacher/caregiver competencies and outcomes? This review suggests that the knowledge base pertaining specifically to links between I/T teacher or caregiver competencies and outcomes is currently limited in scope. Although many studies focus on describing competencies, the literature search yielded only 30 studies conducted in the United States in or after 2008 that examined associations between I/T teacher or caregiver competencies and outcomes. Although there is variation in the competencies and outcomes addressed in the studies reviewed, there are several gaps in the recent knowledge base pertaining to connections between teacher/caregiver competencies and outcomes: (1) The available research specific to I/T teachers and caregivers in group settings does not yet fully support the content included in existing competency frameworks targeted to this population; and (2) Much of the existing literature simultaneously examines the contributions of multiple competencies within a particular domain (e.g., a combination of knowledge, skills, or other attributes that support children's socioemotional development) to outcomes.

The Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grants program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, aimed to improve children's access to high quality early learning and development programs. RTT-ELC awarded $520 million in the first of three rounds of grants to help states develop and implement systems that rate early learning and development programs on quality and help them improve. These systems are known as tiered quality rating and improvement systems (TQRIS). TQRIS rate programs based on state-defined quality standards. A key objective for RTT-ELC was to increase the number of early learning and development programs in the top rating levels of the TQRIS, and to increase the number of children with high needs, such as those from low-income households, enrolled in these programs. This brief examines states' progress on this objective by describing patterns of TQRIS participation and ratings for the nine Round 1 states during the grant period (2012 to 2016). The brief presents patterns by state and for four types of programs: (1) state-funded prekindergarten (pre-K) programs; (2) Head Start programs; (3) licensed centers that received child care subsidies; and (4) licensed centers that did not receive subsidies. Key findings, based on administrative TQRIS data from the nine states, include: (1) TQRIS participation in all states and among all types of programs increased from 2012 to 2016; (2) Patterns in the percentage of programs in the top two rating levels differed substantially by state from 2012 to 2016; (3) Most states increased the percentage of programs at the top rating levels; and (4) The availability of high-rated programs for low-income children increased over time in the nine RTT-ELC states. [Additional contributions to this report were made by Amy Defnet, Adrienne Jones and Tara Wildszewski. For the related reports "Are Ratings from Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement Systems Valid Measures of Program Quality? A Synthesis of Validation Studies from Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge States. NCEE 2019-4001," see ED594510; "Quality Ratings and System Characteristics: Patterns in the Round 1 Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge States. Evaluation Brief. NCEE 2019-4004," see ED594512; and "Implementation of Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement Systems in States That Received Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge Grants. Study Highlights," see ED594516.]

The Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grants program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), aimed to increase the number of high quality early learning and development programs. RTT-ELC awarded $520 million in the first of three rounds of grants to help states develop and implement systems that rate early learning and development programs based on state-defined quality standards and help them improve on these standards. These systems are known as tiered quality rating and improvement systems (TQRIS). A key objective for RTT-ELC was to increase the number of early learning and development programs in the top rating levels of the TQRIS, and to increase the number of children with high needs, such as those from low-income households, enrolled in those programs. To meet this objective, states could try to encourage more programs to participate in TQRIS and achieve high ratings. The likelihood that programs participate in TQRIS and achieve top rating levels could be influenced by the system characteristics and policies that states have selected for their TQRIS. These characteristics and policies could also affect the accuracy of the ratings as measures of programs' quality. However, little is known about how states' actual implementation of TQRIS characteristics and policies relate to programs' ratings. Understanding the patterns of ratings across states with different characteristics and policies could help inform next steps in the continued testing and development of TQRIS. This brief describes programs' ratings across the nine Round 1 RTT-ELC states, which had different TQRIS characteristics and policies in place during the grant period (2012 to 2016). This brief presents patterns for several key TQRIS characteristics and policies, individual states, and four types of programs: (1) state-funded prekindergarten (pre-K) programs; (2) Head Start programs; (3) licensed centers that received child care subsidies; and (4) licensed centers that did not receive subsidies. The TQRIS characteristics and policies examined include the following: (1) Three policies that could affect the accuracy of programs' ratings at entry: alternative pathways, automatic ratings, and entry level requirements; and (2) Two characteristics and one policy that could affect programs' attainment of top rating levels: the length of time TQRIS had been implemented, the rating structure that determines programs' ratings, and financial incentives that increase as programs reach higher ratings. [Additional contributions to this report were made by Amy Defnet, Adrienne Jones, Juha Sohlberg, and Tara Wildszewski. For the related reports "Moving on Up? Program Quality Ratings under Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge. Evaluation Brief. NCEE 2019-4000," see ED594514; "Are Ratings from Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement Systems Valid Measures of Program Quality? A Synthesis of Validation Studies from Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge States. NCEE 2019-4001," see ED594510; and "Implementation of Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement Systems in States That Received Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge Grants. Study Highlights," see ED594516.]

The Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grants program, sponsored by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, aimed to improve children's access to high quality early care and education. RTT-ELC awarded more than $1 billion over three rounds of grants to help states develop and implement systems that rate early learning and development programs on quality and help them improve. These systems are known as tiered quality rating and improvement systems (TQRIS). To strengthen the quality of early learning and development programs, TQRIS rate programs on quality standards and publicize the ratings of individual programs. States can use these ratings to identify low quality programs that need to improve, and parents can use the ratings to choose high quality programs for their children. However, the usefulness of the ratings for these purposes depends on how accurately they measure programs' quality, that is, their validity. To inform states' continued development of TQRIS and future validation studies, this report synthesizes findings from validation studies conducted by nine states that received RTT-ELC grants. It also describes the challenges that researchers faced when conducting these studies. [Additional contributions to this report were made by Michael Ponza, Kimberly Boller, Lisa Dragoset, Gretchen Kirby, Hanzhi Zhou, Amanda Lee, Malik Mubeen, John Kennedy, Cindy Castro, and Sharon Clark. For the related reports "Moving on Up? Program Quality Ratings under Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge. Evaluation Brief. NCEE 2019-4000," see ED594514; "Quality Ratings and System Characteristics: Patterns in the Round 1 Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge States. Evaluation Brief. NCEE 2019-4004," see ED594512; and "Implementation of Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement Systems in States That Received Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge Grants. Study Highlights," see ED594516.]

The charter school sector plays an important role in efforts to reform the education system and better serve the nation's public school students. To help understand this role, more than a decade ago the National Evaluation of Charter Middle Schools examined how admission to about 30 charter middle schools affected students' achievement. On average, there were no significant effects. However, some charter middle schools in the study were successful in improving achievement, including those in urban areas and serving economically disadvantaged students -- features of many charter schools today. This brief examines if the charter middle schools included in the National Evaluation affected students' college enrollment and completion and the relationship between each school's earlier achievement results and these important longer-term outcomes. Key findings include: (1) Being admitted to a charter middle school in the study did not affect students' chances of enrolling in or completing college; and (2) Individual charter middle schools' success in improving students' middle school achievement was not related to their success in improving students' college enrollment and completion. [For the study highlights, "Do Charter Middle Schools Improve Students' College Outcomes? Study Highlights. NCEE 2019-4005", see ED594045.]

High quality early learning experiences can promote young children's development and help to reduce achievement gaps between children from low-income families and children from more affluent families. Early care and education programs also promote parents' ability to support their children's learning, and allow parents to work or go to school. However, affordable, high quality, child care for infants and toddlers from low-income families is scarce. One strategy for improving access to high quality care for infants and toddlers is to form partnerships at the point of service delivery to build seamless systems of care and promote quality across settings. In 2015, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) awarded 275 Early Head Start (EHS) Expansion and EHS-Child Care (EHS-CC) Partnership grants. Of these, 250 grantees received funding for EHS-CC Partnerships or funding for both EHS-CC Partnerships and EHS Expansion. The EHS-CC Partnership grants support partnerships between EHS grantees and regulated child care centers and family child care homes serving infants and toddlers from low-income families. The partnerships aim to bring together the best of both programs by combining the high quality, comprehensive, relationship-based child development and family services of EHS with the flexibility of child care and its responsiveness to the social, cultural, and work-support needs of families. To better understand the characteristics of early care and education partnerships, including the EHS-CC Partnerships, the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) in ACF commissioned a national descriptive study of EHS-CC Partnerships. Through a contract with Mathematica Policy Research, the national descriptive study provides a rich knowledge base about the characteristics of EHS-CC Partnerships and strategies for implementing partnerships in both center-based child care and family child care homes.

This brief presents a promising approach to supporting young children's early math skills development. The approach synthesizes the influence of parents, the home environment, and children's health care providers, and is being implemented by Reach Out and Read. Reach Out and Read is a program in which health care providers give young children new books and encourage parents to read with their children at home. When families participate in Reach Out and Read, parents read aloud more often and children improve their language and literacy skills. Because math and reading can be easily integrated through Reach Out and Read, parents can learn to simultaneously support the development of their children's early language, literacy, and math skills in an enjoyable and developmentally-appropriate way. Thus, the program has the potential to improve kindergarten readiness in math and literacy. Because children see their health care providers often during the first few years of life, Reach Out and Read's initiative could support a large percentage of children across the nation through the network of Reach Out and Read programs.

Australia is the only country in the world that regularly collects comprehensive information about the holistic development of children entering their first year of school. Known as the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC), the data gathered from this work guides national and state policy. These types of measurements are useful for the United States because they can inform current discussions of equity in access to early childhood services and outcomes for children. With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, six U.S.-based early childhood leaders traveled to Australia in 2018 to attend the AEDC National Conference in Melbourne. This brief discusses the lessons learned and how Australia's experience using the AEDC can be applied in the United States.

Changes in the credentialing market have produced a complex, multilayered ecosystem with a demand for shorter credentials that are focused around job market competencies. Community colleges are well positioned to lead this emerging market for three reasons. (1) Their dual mission to offer both traditional degrees and workforce development programs provides a competitive advantage in piloting and implementing many of the new types of credentials, especially those that can be embedded into traditional degree programs. (2) They have a long history in awarding certificates, one type of shorter work-aligned credential that is experiencing a new emphasis in today's market. (3) They have an established infrastructure, content knowledge experts, and employer relationships that can support a broad array of shorter credentials with a solid level of quality assurance. To play a central, even leading role, in the new credentialing market, community colleges must build credentials that respond to four growing trends and imperatives: building competency and market-oriented programs, structuring credentials to facilitate lifelong learning, unbundling learning in traditional degrees, and recognizing the need for quality assurance.

Choosing a school for a child can be a rewarding, but difficult task for parents. A recent survey reported that parents often feel confused by the information available to them as part of the school choice process. This can be exacerbated by limited time and resources to devote to the process--constraints that can particularly affect low-income and otherwise disadvantaged families. If confusion results in uninformed decision-making then parents might not select schools that best fit their children's needs and the possible benefits of school choice could be undermined. There is a new demand for making school information available to families. The federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) passed in 2015 requires states and districts to provide public report cards that include information on state, district, and school performance and progress in an "understandable" and "user-friendly" manner. These report cards are likely to build on the school choice directories (online, on paper, or both) that many districts, states, and other education organizations already offer to help families navigate their options. This guide is a resource for those considering how to present information to parents ("information providers"). The recommendations in the guide are "evidence-based" because they emerged from a randomized study that is described below. The intended audience for the guide includes, for example, education officials responsible for deciding which information about schools to release publicly, along with designers responsible for translating that information into carefully formatted materials. Some information providers work in public agencies, like school districts or state departments of education, but many others work in nonprofit organizations or other private companies. The purpose of this guide is to help information providers--whoever and wherever they are--incorporate evidence into the many decisions involved in presenting information about schools. For the study, researchers worked with a firm specializing in presenting education data to create an online "information display" of individual "school profiles" for a hypothetical school district. Parents who participated in the study were each randomly assigned to review one variation of the information display--as if they were considering elementary school options for their youngest child--and then answered questions about the display and the schools it described. This type of experiment is commonly used for market research and by behavioral and social scientists to examine the effects of specific variations (e.g., color of a product, wording of instructions, etc.) in controlled environments. For this study, the research team compared responses to the questions for parents who saw different information displays to determine how the design of the displays affected key outcomes: parents' understanding of the school information, their satisfaction with the display and its perceived ease of use, and the choices they made when ranking the schools. 3,500 low-income parents were assigned to see one of 72 different web pages displaying information for a hypothetical district. All displays included profiles for 16 schools with information about distance from the parent's home, academics, safety, and resources. [For the study snapshot to this report "Presenting School Choice Information to Parents: An Evidence-Based Guide. Study Snapshot. NCEE 2019-4003," see ED589103. For the study highlights to this report "Presenting School Choice Information to Parents: An Evidence-Based Guide. Study Highlights. NCEE 2019-4003," see ED589106.]

Using data from the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES 2014), this research brief describes the family background and developmental progress of Head Start children as they complete a program year (from Fall 2014 to Spring 2015). This brief highlights descriptive information from the FACES 2014-2015 Data Tables and Study Design report (Aikens et al. 2017a). Other FACES 2014 products describe characteristics of Head Start children at the beginning of the program year (Aikens et al. 2017c; Tarullo et al. 2017). This research brief addresses the following research questions: (1) What are the demographic characteristics of children and families who are completing a program year? (2) What are the cognitive and social skills of Head Start children as they complete a program year? How do these compare to their skills at the beginning of the program year? (3) What is the physical health status of children as they complete a program year? How does this compare to their status at the beginning of the program year? (4) Do children's cognitive and social skills and health status at the end of the program year vary by their program exposure and age? Does children's progress in their skills or health status vary across the program year? and (5) What are the cognitive and social skills and health status of dual language learners (DLLs) as they complete a program year? How do these compare to their skills or health status at the beginning of the program year?

In 2014, The Wallace Foundation launched the Principal Supervisor Initiative (PSI), a four-year, $24 million-dollar effort to redefine principal supervision in six urban school districts. The initiative sought to help districts transform a position traditionally focused on administration, operations, and compliance to one dedicated to developing and supporting principals to improve instruction in schools. The initiative was motivated by an effort to increase student learning and achievement by improving principal effectiveness. Research has shown that strong principals are integral to strong schools and to raising the quality of teaching. Numerous studies have pointed to the importance of effective leaders for teacher satisfaction, teacher retention, school climate, parent engagement, and student achievement. Principal supervisors are a potential point of leverage for supporting and developing principals, but relatively few districts have invested in such efforts. The motivating hypothesis of the PSI is that changing the role of principal supervisors from overseeing administration and operations to providing instructional leadership can drive improvement in principal effectiveness. The report presents analyses of data from semistructured interviews with central office personnel, principal supervisors, and principals, as well as data from surveys of supervisors and principals in each of the six PSI districts throughout the United States.

This paper presents findings on the implementation and impacts of Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) in Oakland, California, where the school district conducted the nation's first randomized controlled trial of LLI in secondary grades. LLI is a short-term, intensive intervention designed to help teachers provide small-group instruction to struggling readers. Many school districts across the country have used LLI, which research evidence has shown to rapidly improve outcomes for students in early elementary grades. During the trial, secondary schools in Oakland faced various challenges implementing LLI, leading students to experience different levels of LLI duration, intensity, and fidelity. LLI had no impact on students' reading comprehension and a negative impact on their mastery of English language arts/literacy standards. Students who were pulled out of other classes to receive LLI were particularly negatively affected, possibly as a result of missing grade-level content. This study's findings highlight challenges in implementing effective literacy interventions for struggling adolescent readers.

Preparing youth with disabilities for successful futures is a longstanding priority for policymakers and educators. This priority is reflected in the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), last updated in 2004. This brief summarizes findings from surveys of secondary school youth with disabilities and their parents collected for the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) 2012, which is being conducted as part of an assessment of IDEA.

For many low-income students and students of color, financial and other barriers can derail their efforts to complete a postsecondary credential. In 2014, the Working Students Success Network (WSSN) was launched by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Lumina Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Kresge Foundation, MetLife Foundation, and Bank of America. WSSN is a consortium of 19 community colleges in Arkansas, California, Virginia, and Washington, led by Achieving the Dream, a national reform network. It supports colleges as they provide integrated services to improve students' academic, employment, and financial stability while laying a foundation for long-term success. The colleges were charged with addressing low-income students' widespread needs by offering group-based and more intensive, one-on-one services in three areas (employment and career advancement, income and work supports, and financial services and asset building). An evaluation of this effort identified six factors that helped colleges implement such services: (1) Obtaining commitment from executive leaders and having a stable, distributed leadership network with accountability for implementation; (2) Integrating services that break down silos between student services programs and academic departments; (3) Ensuring widespread, collective buy-in and support for the college to provide one-on-one coaching to address students' basic needs and improve their financial stability; (4) Building cultural responsiveness to the needs of students in poverty; (5) Establishing service centers that increase visibility of and commitment to addressing student poverty and educational success; and (6) Broadening collaboration with external partners. [DVP-PRAXIS assisted with the preparation of this report.]

To date, the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) has been a major source of descriptive information on Head Start and preschool children ages 3 to 5 years old who attend the program. There are 12 regions for federal management of Head Start. FACES gathers data on Head Start programs, staff, children, and families from Regions I through X, which are the 10 geographically based Head Start regions nationwide. Regions XI and XII are not geographically based and instead are defined by the populations served. In 2015, a new study--the American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (AI/AN FACES 2015)--focused on Region XI, which comprises programs operated by federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes. AI/AN FACES 2015 is the first national study of Region XI AI/AN Head Start children and their families, classrooms, and programs. This set of tables presents data on the demographic backgrounds and developmental outcomes of children enrolled in Region XI AI/AN Head Start programs during the 2015-16 Head Start year. The tables also detail aspects of their home environment and family life. Data on children's classrooms, teachers, centers, and programs, including aspects of classroom quality and practice, teacher and director characteristics, and characteristics of the center and program environments, provide context for children's experiences. Information on the AI/AN FACES 2015 study methodology and collaborative design process, sample, and measures are also provided. The study is conducted by Mathematica Policy Research and its partner--Educational Testing Service--under contract to the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The purpose of this report is two-fold: (1) to provide information about the AI/AN FACES 2015 study, including the background, design, methodology, measures, and analytic methods; and (2) to report detailed descriptive statistics in a series of tables on children, their families, and their classrooms, centers, and programs. The data provide descriptive information from parent surveys, direct child assessments, teacher child reports, teacher surveys, classroom observations, and center and program director surveys.

Having a more effective teacher or principal can substantially improve students' academic outcomes. The Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) program, established in 2006, provided competitive grants to help states and districts implement a multi-strategy approach to enhancing educator effectiveness. TIF grantees were required to measure educator performance and use this information to make decisions about the support and compensation they provide for educators. The 2015 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act replaced TIF with the Teacher and School Leaders (TSL) Incentive Grants program. This program, like the TIF program, provides grants to eligible entities to develop, implement, improve, or expand performance-based compensation systems and human capital management systems in schools. This brief brings together the findings of two studies from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that examined specific strategies supported by TIF. One study, conducted over two years, examined the effects of using research-based performance measures to evaluate educators and provide them with feedback--a strategy referred to here as "performance feedback". The second study, conducted over four years, evaluated the effects of offering bonuses to educators based on their performance ratings--a strategy referred to as "pay-for-performance". Although no single large-scale study has evaluated the effects of a full, comprehensive program, like those supported by TIF and TSL, these studies can provide insight on the potential effects of two strategies that are prominent in such programs. In addition, evidence from both studies suggests areas of potential improvement for programs that support or expand human capital initiatives in schools and highlights potential avenues for future research. Key findings of the report include: (1) Providing educators with performance feedback and offering pay-for-performance bonuses can improve student achievement. Across years of implementation, each tested strategy sometimes had a positive cumulative impact on students' math or reading achievement; (2) Features of the measures or programs and on-the-ground implementation may limit the effectiveness of the program strategies. Both studies provided evidence that the policy as implemented differed in some ways from the approach envisioned. For example, in the pay-for-performance study, about 40 percent of the teachers were unaware they were eligible to receive a performance bonus; and (3) Educators can be receptive to some of the evaluation and compensation strategies supported by TIF and TSL. Sixty-five to 84 percent of the educators reported being satisfied with the feedback they received on their practices. In addition, pay-for-performance ultimately led to improvements in teachers' satisfaction with some aspects of their jobs.

Head Start is a national program that aims to promote school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social, and other services to enrolled children and families. The program places special emphasis on helping preschoolers develop the reading, language, social-emotional, mathematics, and science skills they need to be successful in school. It also seeks to engage parents in their children's learning and to promote their progress toward their own educational goals (Administration for Children and Families [ACF] 2017). It also offers supports related to children's home or Native language and culture based on community needs and priorities. The Head Start program aims to achieve these goals by providing comprehensive child development services to economically disadvantaged children and families through grants to local public and private nonprofit and for profit agencies. To date, the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) has been a major source of descriptive information on Head Start and preschool children ages 3 to 5 years old who attend the program, with the most recent round in 2014. In 2015, a new study--the American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (AI/AN FACES 2015)--focused on Region XI, which are programs operated by federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes. AI/AN FACES 2015 is the first national study of Region XI AI/AN Head Start children and their families, classrooms, and programs. The study presents a new opportunity to explore the psychometric performance of commonly used measures of preschoolers' cognitive and social-emotional development. This technical report describes the performance of cognitive and social-emotional measures of preschoolers' development for AI/AN children, using recent data from AI/AN FACES 2015 and FACES 2014. The purpose of this technical report is to present findings from analyses of how preschool cognitive and social-emotional measures performed in AI/AN FACES 2015. The authors examined the internal consistency of measures when administered to AI/AN children, reviewed descriptive statistics as context of difference in mean ability across groups in the AI/AN FACES 2015 and FACES 2014 samples, conducted analyses of differential item functioning (DIF) within cognitive measures to compare the performance of AI/AN children and White children (including data from FACES 2014), and examined the strength of bivariate correlations between measures of similar constructs and different constructs to assess evidence of concurrent and discriminant validity. The findings, therefore, provide initial evidence on the reliability and validity of the measures for AI/AN preschoolers.

This intervention report presents findings from a systematic review of "MyTeachingPartner"™ Pre-K conducted using the WWC Procedures and Standards Handbook (version 3.0) and the Teacher Training, Evaluation, and Compensation review protocol (version 3.2). No studies of "MyTeachingPartner"™ Pre-K that fall within the scope of the Teacher Training, Evaluation, and Compensation review protocol meet What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) group design standards. Because no studies meet WWC group design standards at this time, the WWC is unable to draw any conclusions based on research about the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of "MyTeachingPartner"™ Pre-K. Research that meets WWC design standards is needed to determine the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of this intervention. A Glossary of terms is included.

The purpose of this study was to understand the implementation and impacts of Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) in secondary grades. LLI is a short-term, intensive intervention system designed to help teachers provide small-group instruction to struggling readers. Many school districts across the country have used LLI, which has shown promise in improving outcomes for students in early elementary grades. This study used a randomized control trial in ten secondary schools in Oakland, California to study the program's implementation and assess its impacts on reading comprehension and general literacy achievement outcomes during one school year. Schools faced various challenges implementing LLI, leading students to experience different levels of LLI duration, intensity, and fidelity. In addition, LLI had no impact on students' reading comprehension and a negative impact on their mastery of English language arts/literacy standards. Students who received more LLI or were pulled out of other classes to receive LLI were particularly negatively affected, possibly as a result of missing grade-level content. This study's findings highlight the importance of assessing whether the success of intervention programs in one context can be replicated with different populations and conditions.

"Achieve3000®" is a supplemental online literacy program that provides nonfiction reading content to students in grades preK-12 and focuses on building phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, reading comprehension, vocabulary, and writing skills. "Achieve3000®" is designed to help students advance their nonfiction reading skills by providing differentiated online instruction. Teachers use the program with an entire class, but the assignments are tailored to each student's reading ability level. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) identified three studies of "Achieve3000®" that both fall within the scope of the Adolescent Literacy topic area and meet WWC group design standards. Three studies meet WWC group design standards with reservations, and no studies meet WWC group design standards without reservations. Together, these studies included about 32,266 students in grades 2-8 in three school districts in California, New Jersey, and North Carolina. A glossary of terms is included.

"Achieve3000®" is a supplemental online literacy program that provides nonfiction reading content to students in grades preK-12 and focuses on building phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, reading comprehension, vocabulary, and writing skills. "Achieve3000®" is designed to help students advance their nonfiction reading skills by providing differentiated online instruction. Teachers use the program with an entire class but the assignments are tailored to each student's reading ability level. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) identified one study of "Achieve3000®" that both falls within the scope of the Beginning Reading topic area and meets WWC group design standards. This study meets WWC group design standards with reservations. This study included 14,493 students in grades 2 and 3 in 32 schools in a single school district in North Carolina. A glossary of terms is provided.

For more than 40 years, policymakers have committed to supporting the education of students with disabilities, who have grown as a share of all students in the United States. Beginning with landmark legislation in 1975, the U.S. Congress mandated that students with disabilities have access to a free and appropriate public education and provided funds to school districts nationwide to help serve them. Since then, the legislation has been updated six times, most recently in the 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which emphasized helping youth prepare for postsecondary education, careers, and independent living. These and other changes in the educational, social, and economic landscapes may have affected all youth, raising interest in how the characteristics, experiences, and challenges of youth with disabilities have changed over time. The National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) 2012 provides updated information on youth with disabilities in light of these changes, to inform efforts to address their needs. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education under a congressional mandate to study IDEA 2004 and the students it serves, the NLTS 2012 is the third in a series of such studies. It describes the backgrounds of secondary school youth and their functional abilities, activities in school and with friends, academic supports received from schools and parents, and preparation for life after high school. Through surveys in 2012 and 2013, the study collected data on a nationally representative set of nearly 13,000 students--mostly those with an individualized education program (IEP) and expected to receive special education services. The study also includes students without an IEP, who either have no identified disability or who have an impairment that does not qualify them for special education but allows them to receive accommodations through a 504 plan under the Rehabilitation Act, another federal law pertaining to the rights and needs of youth with disabilities. This third volume of findings from the NLTS 2012 uses data from all three studies in the NLTS series to examine how the characteristics and experiences of youth in special education have changed over time, overall and for each of 12 disability groups defined by IDEA 2004. The trends from 2003 to 2012 for youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 suggests several key points: (1) Youth with an IEP are more likely than a decade ago to live in households that face economic challenges; (2) Youth with an IEP are about as healthy and able to perform some typical tasks independently as in the past, but they are also more likely to use behavioral medicines and have trouble understanding others; (3) Engagement in school and extracurricular activities among youth with an IEP increased in the past decade, whereas the prevalence of negative events such as grade retention, suspensions, and expulsions was little changed; (4) Youth with an IEP are more likely than in the past to receive supports at school but less likely to get them at home; and (5) Participation in key transition activities by youth with an IEP and their parents has declined, although they are just as likely to have gone to an IEP meeting. [For "Preparing for Life after High School: The Characteristics and Experiences of Youth in Special Education. Findings from The National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012. Volume 3: Comparisons over Time. Full Report. NCEE 2018-4007," see ED580934. For "Preparing for Life after High School: The Characteristics and Experiences of Youth in Special Education. Findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012. Volume 2: Comparisons across Disability Groups. Executive Summary. NCEE 2017-4019," see ED573353.]

For more than 40 years, policymakers have committed to supporting the education of students with disabilities, who have grown as a share of all students in the United States (Snyder, de Brey, & Dillow, 2016). Beginning with landmark legislation in 1975, the U.S. Congress mandated that students with disabilities have access to a free and appropriate public education and provided funds to school districts nationwide to help serve them. Since then, the legislation has been updated six times, most recently in the 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which emphasized helping youth prepare for postsecondary education, careers, and independent living. These and other changes in the educational, social, and economic landscapes may have affected all youth, raising interest in how the characteristics, experiences, and challenges of youth with disabilities have changed over time. The National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) 2012 provides updated information on youth with disabilities in light of these changes, to inform efforts to address their needs. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education under a congressional mandate to study IDEA 2004 and the students it serves, the NLTS 2012 is the third in a series of such studies. It describes the backgrounds of secondary school youth and their functional abilities, activities in school and with friends, academic supports received from schools and parents, and preparation for life after high school. Through surveys in 2012 and 2013, the study collected data on a nationally representative set of nearly 13,000 students--mostly those with an individualized education program (IEP) and expected to receive special education services. The study also includes students without an IEP, who either have no identified disability or who have an impairment that does not qualify them for special education but allows them to receive accommodations through a 504 plan under the Rehabilitation Act, another federal law pertaining to the rights and needs of youth with disabilities. This third volume of findings from the NLTS 2012 uses data from all three studies in the NLTS series to examine how the characteristics and experiences of youth in special education have changed over time, overall and for each of 12 disability groups defined by IDEA 2004. Most of the analyses examine trends for in-school youth ages 15 to 18 from 2003 to 2012, using the NLTS2 and NLTS 2012. When comparable data are available from the NLTS, the volume also examines trends starting in 1987 for youth ages 15 to 18 and youth ages 19 to 21 who were still enrolled in high school. The trends from 2003 to 2012 for youth with an individualized education program (IEP) ages 15 to 18 suggests several key points: (1) Youth with an IEP are more likely than a decade ago to live in households that face economic challenges; (2) Youth with an IEP are about as healthy and able to perform some typical tasks independently as in the past, but they are also more likely to use behavioral medicines and have trouble understanding others; (3) Engagement in school and extracurricular activities among youth with an IEP increased in the past decade, whereas the prevalence of negative events such as grade retention, suspensions, and expulsions was little changed; (4) Youth with an IEP are more likely than in the past to receive supports at school but less likely to get them at home; and (5) Participation in key transition activities by youth with an IEP and their parents has declined, although they are just as likely to have gone to an IEP meeting. [For "Preparing for Life after High School: The Characteristics and Experiences of Youth in Special Education. Findings from The National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012. Volume 3: Comparisons over Time. Executive Summary. NCEE 2018-4008," see ED580936. For "Preparing for Life after High School: The Characteristics and Experiences of Youth in Special Education. Findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012. Volume 2: Comparisons across Disability Groups. Full Report. NCEE 2017-4018," see ED573334.]

The "National Board for Professional Teaching Standards" ("NBPTS") establishes standards for accomplished teachers and awards professional certification to teachers who can demonstrate that their teaching practices meet those standards. Educators and experts in child development and related fields established the organization, and these experts work to develop and refine the standards for accomplished teaching based on the knowledge and skills that effective teachers demonstrate. The standards reflect five core propositions: (1) effective teachers are committed to students and their learning, (2) effective teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students, (3) effective teachers manage and monitor student learning, (4) effective teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience, and (5) effective teachers are members of learning communities. Those seeking certification from the "NBPTS" must complete a computer-based assessment and three portfolio entries. The certification process can take 1 to 5 years. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) identified five studies of "NBPTS" certification that both fall within the scope of the Teacher Training, Evaluation, and Compensation topic area and meet WWC group design standards. No studies meet WWC group design standards without reservations, and five studies meet WWC group design standards with reservations. Together, these studies included more than 1,316,146 elementary and middle school students in grades 3 to 8 in four states. "NBPTS"-certified teachers had mixed effects on mathematics achievement and no discernible effects on English language arts achievement for students in grades 3 through 8.

Using data from the American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (AI/AN FACES 2015), this brief describes the developmental progress of Region XI Head Start children as they complete a program year. AI/AN FACES 2015 is the first national study of Region XI Head Start children, families, and programs. Since 1997, the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) has been a regular source of nationally representative data on Head Start programs, centers, classrooms, children, and families. Until the 2015-2016 program year, however, FACES had not been conducted in Region XI AI/AN Head Start programs. This was due in part to the time and resources required to engage in the intensive community-based planning and implementation process needed to successfully carry out the study in partnership with Region XI Head Start programs and communities. Head Start programs, researchers, and federal staff all identified the lack of data on Region XI Head Start children and their programs as a critical information gap. The brief provides the first national picture of Region XI children over the course of a Head Start program year and addresses the following research questions: (1) What are the knowledge, skills, and physical health of Region XI Head Start children in the spring of the program year?; and (2) How do these compare to the fall of the program year? [Co-written with the AI/AN FACES 2015 Workgroup.]

(CDOC) Reentry Systems Mapping project, provides an overview of policies in Colorado that shape adult reentry services and how those policies are implemented across the network of service providers. The report describes the landscape of reentry services as they exist today, including those services that were enhanced under recent legislative reforms, as well as the services that existed prior to those reforms. The second phase of the Colorado Reentry Systems Mapping project will include a descriptive analysis that builds on this policy landscape by presenting patterns in reentry service delivery across the state. Together, the two phases of the Colorado Reentry Systems Mapping project will provide CDOC with documentation on current reentry services as they plan for future program changes and improvements.

The "Integrated Approaches to Supporting Child Development and Improving Family Economic Security" project was conducted by Mathematica Policy Research and Northwestern University for the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE), in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It focused particularly on programs whose goals are both to improve the economic security of families and to support the development and well-being of children. This brief describes a continuum of research and evaluation approaches that could help program leaders and staff create more robust programs offering coordinated services to low-income parents and their children. The brief can also help program funders plan descriptive research and evaluation that can inform program development and identify which programs are ready for an assessment of impacts. The brief first discusses how to build a foundation for data-informed program improvement, including how to use program data to assess whether the program is working as its leaders and staff envision. Then, it discusses how research partners can be helpful in supporting program development based on analysis of program data. Programs that have engaged in data-informed program improvement may be ready to participate in an impact evaluation, so the final section presents criteria to help program leaders and funders assess the readiness of a program for an impact evaluation.

This intervention report presents findings from a systematic review of the System of Least Prompts (SLP) conducted using the WWC Procedures and Standards Handbook (version 3.0) and the Children and Students with Intellectual Disability review protocol (version 3.1). No studies of SLP that fall within the scope of the Children and Students with Intellectual Disability review protocol meet What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) group design standards. No studies meet pilot single-case design standards without reservations, and seven studies meet pilot single-case design standards with reservations. Together, these studies included 19 children and students ages 6 to 20 with intellectual disability. The results from single-case design studies affect the WWC effectiveness rating for an outcome domain only if the studies with outcomes in that domain collectively meet a set of threshold criteria. The evidence from single-case design studies of SLP on children and students with intellectual disability does not reach the threshold to include single-case design evidence in the effectiveness ratings for four outcome domain(s)--communication/language competencies, comprehension, independent living skills, and math achievement. No studies meet standards in the 10 other eligible domains, so this intervention report does not report on the effectiveness of SLP for any domains. Because no studies meet WWC group design standards, and no studies meet the threshold to include single-case design evidence in the effectiveness ratings for any domains, the WWC is unable to draw any conclusions based on research about the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of SLP on children and students with intellectual disability at this time. A glossary of terms is provided.

The "Knowledge Is Power Program" ("KIPP") is a nonprofit network of more than 200 public charter schools educating early childhood, elementary, middle, and high school students. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) identified four studies of "KIPP" that fall within the scope of the Charter Schools topic area and meet WWC group design standards. One study meets WWC group design standards without reservations, and three studies meet WWC group design standards with reservations. Together, these studies included approximately 21,000 students in middle and high schools across 16 states and the District of Columbia. According to the WWC review, the extent of evidence for "KIPP" on the academic achievement of middle and high school students was medium to large for four outcome domains--mathematics achievement, English language arts achievement, science achievement, and social studies achievement, and was small for one outcome domain--student progression.

This intervention report presents findings from a systematic review of the "Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ) Promise Academy Charter Schools" conducted using the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Procedures and Standards Handbook (version 3.0) and the Charter Schools review protocol (version 3.0). No studies of the "HCZ Promise Academy Charter Schools" that fall within the scope of the Charter Schools review protocol meet WWC group design standards. Because no studies meet WWC group design standards at this time, the WWC is unable to draw any conclusions based on research about the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the "HCZ Promise Academy Charter Schools" on elementary, middle, and high school students. Research that meets WWC design standards is needed to determine the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of this intervention.

"Green Dot Public Schools" is a nonprofit organization that operates more than 20 public charter middle and high schools in California, Tennessee, and Washington. The "Green Dot Public Schools" model emphasizes high quality teaching, strong school leadership, a curriculum that prepares students for college, and partnerships with the community. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) identified one study of "Green Dot Public Schools" that both falls within the scope of the Charter Schools topic area and meets WWC group design standards with reservations. This study included 2,446 students in grades 9-12 in one school district in the United States. "Green Dot Public Schools" had potentially positive effects on mathematics achievement, student progression, school attendance, and English language arts achievement for high school students.

This research brief draws upon data from the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) 2014. FACES provides information at the national level about Head Start programs, centers, and classrooms, and about the children and families that Head Start serves. This brief is part of a series of reporting products describing data from the 2014-2015 round of FACES 2014. The brief provides a nationally representative description of dual language learner (DLL) children in Head Start, their families, and their homes at the beginning of the program year. This brief highlights information from the Fall 2014 Data Tables and Study Design report. The authors address the following research questions: (1) What are the characteristics of DLL children in Head Start?; (2) What are the demographic characteristics of families of DLL children in Head Start? How do the characteristics of families of DLL children compare to those of non-DLL children?; and (3) What are the characteristics of the home environments of DLL children in Head Start? How do the characteristics of home environments of DLL children compare to those of non-DLL children? For FACES 2014, researchers selected a sample of Head Start programs from the 2012-2013 Head Start Program Information Report, with two centers per program and two classrooms per center. Within each classroom, researchers randomly selected 12 children for the study. In total, 60 programs, 119 centers, 247 classrooms, and 2,462 children participated in fall 2014. Findings reveal that Spanish is the most prevalent primary home language for DLL children. Despite primarily hearing a language other than English inside the home, about half of DLLs pass a language screener at the start of the Head Start year and are able to be assessed in English. DLL children's families have a range of challenges and strengths, some of which differ from those of non-DLL children. DLLs are typically born in the United States to parents who are from other countries and who are less educated than parents of non-DLL children. DLL children's home environments reflect a range of resources and needs. Three-quarters of DLLs live in families at or below the federal poverty threshold; more than half have parents who report at least one financial strain (especially related to medical care); and about one-third have parents who report food insecurity.

This research brief provides a national portrait of the characteristics, development, and well-being of children and families at the beginning of the Head Start program year, using recent data from the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES 2014). This brief highlights descriptive information from the Fall 2014 Data Tables and Study Design report (Aikens et al. 2017c). The authors address the following research questions: (1) What are the characteristics of children and families in Head Start?; (2) How are families doing at the beginning of the Head Start year?; and (3) How are children doing at the beginning of the Head Start year? How does this vary by Head Start exposure (that is, newly entering children compared with those returning for a second year), the age of newly enrolled children, and race/ethnicity? To address the first question, the authors explore the characteristics of children and families participating in Head Start, such as the age of the children, children's racial/ethnic background, home language, and household structure. They examine child and family characteristics to provide a national portrait of the participants the Head Start program serves. Indicators of family well-being during the fall of the Head Start program year are examined to address the second question. To address the third question, the authors describe children's cognitive skills (language, literacy, and mathematics), body mass index (BMI), social skills, problem behaviors, and executive function at the beginning of the program year.

This intervention report presents findings from a systematic review of "Accelerated Math®" conducted using the WWC Procedures and Standards Handbook (version 3.0) and the Secondary Mathematics review protocol (version 3.1). No studies of "Accelerated Math®" that fall within the scope of the Secondary Mathematics review protocol meet What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) group design standards. Because no studies meet WWC design standards at this time, the WWC is unable to draw any conclusions based on research about the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of Accelerated Math® on the mathematics achievement of secondary students, who are typically in grades 9-12. Research that meets WWC design standards is necessary to determine the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of this intervention. A Glossary of Terms is provided.

"Accelerated Math®," published by Renaissance Learning, is a software tool that provides practice problems for students in grades K-12 and provides teachers with reports to monitor student progress. "Accelerated Math®" creates individualized student assignments, scores the assignments, and generates reports on student progress. The software is typically used with the math curriculum being used in the classroom to add practice for students and help teachers differentiate instruction through the program's progress-monitoring data. This review focuses on studies of the use of "Accelerated Math®" in kindergarten through pre-algebra classes. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) identified six studies of "Accelerated Math®" that both fall within the scope of the Primary Mathematics topic area and meet WWC group design standards. Two studies meet WWC group design standards without reservations, and four studies meet WWC group design standards with reservations. Together, these studies included 5,206 students in grades 2-9 in more than 223 classrooms across 27 states. According to the WWC review, the extent of evidence for "Accelerated Math®" on the mathematics test scores of students in primary mathematics courses was medium to large for the mathematics achievement domain, the only domain examined for studies reviewed under the Primary Mathematics topic area. A glossary of terms is provided.

Programs that address the needs of low-income parents and children at the same time may hold promise for reducing the transmission of poverty across generations. Contemporary programs of this type address some key weaknesses that may have limited the effectiveness of earlier such approaches, including too little attention paid to the quality, intensity, and intentionality of services for both parents and children. Administrators who lead these approaches today may regard quality and intensity as necessary, and they may also believe that delivering intentionally coordinated and aligned services is essential to achieving the desired outcomes. Yet further evidence is needed. Virtually no large-scale evaluations of the impacts of newer service delivery models of this type have been published to date (Chase-Lansdale and Brooks-Gunn 2014). This brief describes two conceptual frameworks that have the potential to expand our understanding of programs that aim to meet the needs of low-income parents and children through intentionally combined activities and approaches. It is geared particularly to program administrators and researchers who are interested in the services that could be involved in these approaches, how these services relate to mutually reinforcing outcomes for parents and children, and strategies for effectively delivering and coordinating services across programs and agencies.

"Prentice Hall Literature©" (1989-2005) is an English language arts curriculum designed for students in grades 6-12 that focuses on building reading, writing, listening, viewing, speaking, and language skills. Multiple editions of this curriculum were released between 1989 and 2005, including "Prentice Hall Literature©" (1989) and "Prentice Hall Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes©" (2000, 2002, 2005). The WWC refers to each of these editions as "Prentice Hall Literature©" (1989-2005) in this intervention report. This report presents findings from a systematic review of "Prentice Hall Literature©" (1989-2005) conducted using the WWC Procedures and Standards Handbook (version 3.0) and the Adolescent Literacy review protocol (version 3.0). No studies of "Prentice Hall Literature©" (1989-2005) that fall within the scope of the Adolescent Literacy review protocol meet What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) group design standards. Because no studies meet WWC group design standards at this time, the WWC is unable to draw any conclusions based on research about the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of "Prentice Hall Literature©" (1989-2005) on students in grades 6-12. Research that meets WWC design standards is needed to determine the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of this intervention.