This appendix volume supplements Evaluation Report NCEE 2025-006r, which assessed whether families' expressed interest in and use of scholarships for the Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) appears consistent with the goal for program expansion. Appendix A provides additional information about the Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP), including…

The Department of Education's Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) manages the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which students and parents submit to determine a student's eligibility for receiving financial aid. The FAFSA Processing System (FPS)--the system that underpins federal student aid--processes these applications. In…

This technical annex accompanies "Addressing College Student Food Insecurity in Colorado: Trends in Student Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and College Practices." The main report presents RAND's findings on trends in student participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and college…

Background: Parental Medicaid eligibility has been shown to be linked to positive academic and school outcomes for children. However, the impact of adult Medicaid expansion on children's school absenteeism is largely unexplored in the literature. The aim of this study was to examine whether Medicaid expansion for adults under the Affordable Care…

Students' relationships with adults in educational environments require careful consideration from researchers and practitioners as we seek to improve educational outcomes, particularly for those who have been historically underserved. This qualitative case study extends research on the development of student-teacher trust to a broader group of…

Purpose: This study analyses the performance of field extension agents in Indonesia using a multi-dimensional performance indicator. Methodology: The study uses data from an online survey of a nationally representative sample of 1,974 field extension agents. Binary and ordinal probit models are utilised to analyse the performance of extension…

Can at-scale, government-implemented parent training programs improve parenting practices and child development outcomes? This article presents evidence on the effects of a low-cost, group-based early childhood education program that provided parent training and direct child stimulation in rural communities, evaluated in six Mexican states.…

Early childhood educators play a critical role in the lives of young children, especially through their sensitive interactions. Educators' capacities to engage in high-quality interactions are shaped by their mental health. Studies examining early childhood educators' mental health often focus on psychopathology or negative aspects of mental…

BACKGROUND: Participation in the US Department of Agriculture's summer meals program is consistently lower compared to National School Lunch Program (NSLP) participation, even though the programs target the same population of children. The purpose of this study was to elucidate reasons for participation and nonparticipation in the summer meals…

Education is a fundamental right, yet access to tertiary education remains a challenge for marginalized communities worldwide. To address this, the Philippine government launched the Expanded Students' Grant-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA) in 2013, offering free college education to impoverished but academically inclined students.…

Physical activity (PA) engagement in Early Childcare and Education Centers (ECEC) supports preschoolers' ability to meet the national physical activity guidelines. However, the influence of Head Start playground quality, as assessed by the Head Start Body Start Play Space Assessment (PSA), on Head Start preschoolers' school day PA is…

Nearly one in four college students struggle with food insecurity. Over the past decade, states and postsecondary institutions have expanded support for student nutritional needs through food pantries, emergency aid grants, and efforts to increase student participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through outreach and…

Background: The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a federally funded program that serves free, nutritious meals during the summer months. In 2019, 6 federal waivers that previously helped sponsors serve meals were rescinded. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to assess the impact of the waiver rescission on the experiences of SFSP…

Funded by the H-1B visa program, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) American Apprenticeship Initiative (AAI) provided funding to 46 grantees across the country to expand registered apprenticeship into new sectors, such as healthcare, and to populations underrepresented in apprenticeships. DOL commissioned an evaluation of the AAI grants to build…

Government agencies collect vast amounts of administrative data in their day-to-day activities, primarily for program operations. But the information is less often used as a research tool or fully harnessed for its evidence-building potential. This brief is the fourth in a series of publications from MDRC about the Temporary Assistance for Needy…