This Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) annual performance report for the year 2016 describes Ohio's accomplishments, lessons learned, challenges, and strategies Ohio will implement to address those challenges. When Ohio wrote its application for the Race to the Top: Early Learning Challenge Grant, its vision for early childhood…

This Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) annual performance report for the year 2016 describes Maryland's accomplishments, lessons learned, challenges, and strategies Maryland will implement to address those challenges. Maryland received one of twenty Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge Fund Grant (RTTT-ELC) awards in the…

On July 7, 2014, the U.S. Department of Education announced plans to enforce a provision of the 2001 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act meant to ensure that every student is taught by a great teacher and attends a school run by great administrators. The provision requires states to develop and implement plans to ensure that no subgroup of students is…

From 2002-2003 to 2012-2013, the total amount of federal financial aid awarded to students under Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA) jumped from $82.7 billion to an estimated $169.7 billion, a 10-year increase of 105 percent. For 2012-2013, the Title IV programs accounted for 71 percent of the $238.5 billion in total financial aid received…

Mounting evidence across different disciplines suggests that early-life conditions can have consequences on individual outcomes throughout the life cycle. Relative to other developed countries, the United States fares poorly on standard indicators of early-life health, and this disadvantage may have profound consequences not only for population…

Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmers (TAAF) is a national multifaceted USDA program that provided technical and financial assistance to farmers and fishermen adversely affected by import competition. This article describes how Extension was successfully mobilized to deliver the TAAF program to 10,983 producers across the nation using innovative…

It has been three years since Race to the Top grant-winning states piloted new teacher evaluation systems and many of them have made considerable progress, yet according to media coverage and a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report published in April 2015, struggles remain and most grantees have asked to extend the timetables for…

One constant found in almost every education facility, in addition to students and teachers, is the school washroom. Every day, millions of students, staff members and visitors use school washrooms and in the process consume millions of gallons of water. For students concerned about conserving resources and for educators committed to teaching…

Learning Forward's Data standard advocates using data from a variety of sources and types--including student, educator, and system data--to plan, assess, and evaluate professional learning. This presents several challenges, beginning with the emphasis on a variety of sources and types. The pressures of No Child Left Behind have focused American…

America's financial-aid system has become almost impossible to navigate and burdensome for those who need it most. Tuition and fees are skyrocketing, forcing almost half of college-going students to borrow. Low and middle-income students are taking on frightening levels of debt. Bachelor's degree recipients leave school with an average of $26,600…

America's college financial-aid system has helped millions of students obtain a postsecondary education, but the system's flaws are increasingly apparent. Growth in tuition and fees outpace available resources, particularly for students striving to rise out of poverty. Low- and middle-income students confront frightening levels of education debt.…

While both the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and he U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) base their services and eligibility criteria on the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (hereafter referred to as "The McKinney-Vento Act"), each agency uses a different definition of "homeless" due to differences…

This "Performance Management: Description and Key Elements" document provides a general framework for State education agencies, local educational agencies and partners in the Reform Support Network (RSN) to understand and plan for the important work of performance management.

The Race to the Top and the School Improvement Grant programs provide resources to States to implement significant interventions to turn around their persistently lowest achieving schools. Implementation of school turnaround is a complex effort; States, local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools often engage outside experts and providers of…

The Oklahoma State Regents remain completely committed to maintaining the accessibility and affordability of public higher education for all Oklahomans and increasing the number of college graduates to provide the educated workforce our state requires to be competitive in a dynamic, global economy. This annual report reflects the significant…