Over sixty years following Brown vs. Board of Education, racial and socioeconomic segregation and lack of equal access to educational opportunities persist. Across the country, voluntary desegregation busing programs aim to ameliorate these imbalances and disparities. A longstanding Massachusetts program, METCO, buses K-12 students of color from…

In 2021, TNTP published "Missing Out: Arkansas' Teacher Shortage and How to Fix It," describing teacher shortages in Arkansas, programs the state had in place to address shortages, and the extent to which teachers and potential teachers were aware of and interested in these programs. Since that report was published, Arkansas has…

There is little doubt that increasing the racial and ethnic diversity of the educator workforce is needed in Connecticut. Students of color represent 51.4% of the state's student body, yet only 1 in 10 teachers is an educator of color. Having a more diverse teaching corps matters. Teachers of color positively impact the academic achievement of…

Student Success Centers (SSC) belong to a national network dedicated to increasing the number of students earning postsecondary credentials. SSCs use a variety of methods and strategies to help states within the network achieve these goals. This chapter focuses on practical ways for student success centers to help colleges navigate the…

Many educators are leaving their teaching positions, especially in the early years of their career. This has led many states and districts to mandate teacher mentor programs for new teachers with the hope of retaining these teachers. However, even with these mentor programs, new teachers are continuing to leave their positions, which affects the…

The Kalamazoo Promise (KPromise) is amongst the most well-known and generous tuition-free policies. This study advances the understanding of Promise student performance and persistence. We used a weighted-least square means and variance adjusted (WLSMV) SEM approach and k-nearest neighbors (k-NN) to deal with missing data. The main model suggested…

Despite the contributions of their work to the learning and development of young children, child care and early education (CCEE) educators are among the lowest paid workers in the United States and have high rates of turnover in their jobs. In a pioneering effort, Washington, DC has launched the nation's first large-scale, publicly funded program…

Chapter 323, Laws of 2024 (Senate Bill 5904) extends and aligns the maximum timeframe allowed for students to receive three of Washington state's need-based financial aid programs--Washington College Grant (WA Grant or WCG), College Bound Scholarship (College Bound or CBS), and Passport to Careers (Passport or PTC)--from a maximum of five years to…

This is the third in a series of annual reports about teacher shortages in Michigan that the state legislature requested in December 2020 (2020 PA 316). Although the state data on this topic is limited, these analyses still help to paint a picture of teacher shortages across Michigan, assist policymakers to target policies and programs in ways…

The Tuition Opportunity Program for Students subsequently renamed the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) was created by Act 1375 of the 1997 Regular Legislative Session. The first college freshman class to receive TOPS awards entered postsecondary education in the fall of 1998. Act 1202 of the 2001 Regular Legislative Session requires…

Teacher retention is an ongoing problem in education, especially in small private schools where resources are limited. The purpose of this study was to evaluate educator perceptions of a new teacher induction and mentoring program to support first-year teachers and improve teacher effectiveness and the retention of new teachers. Cycle 1…

Parenting students work hard every day to pursue their goals, often juggling work, classes, and caregiving responsibilities. Public systems and programs can provide critical support, but frequently create additional hurdles for parenting students and their families-- especially those with low incomes. In 2022, the Center for the Study of Social…

The shortage of classroom teachers is a national urgency. At a time when high-quality educators are most needed, the challenges of recruiting and retaining teachers are significant and escalating. One state's unique response to this challenge offers lessons for others. Through a partnership with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary…

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the differences in the academic outcomes of first-year academically underprepared TN Promise-eligible college freshmen who participated in a college bridge program. A comparative research design was applied to existing data, including first-semester GPA, first-semester credit completion rate,…

For state-funded preschool programs the compensation of teachers is a critical issue for program quality and effectiveness. If preschool programs are to attract and retain teachers comparable to those in primary schools, preschool teachers must receive comparable pay and benefits. This brief assesses compensation parity between state-funded…