The purpose of this study was to analyze whether relationships between Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) participation and community college student academic performance exist. Information from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) was used to determine which students may otherwise qualify for SNAP benefits. The…

Student-teacher relationship quality (STRQ) influences a variety of student outcomes, including academic, social, and behavioral functioning (McGrath & Van Bergen, 2015). Less is known about the importance of STRQ for preschool students with disabilities. Many studies are conducted with school-aged, typically developing students (Ansari et…

Using survey data collected from 3,245 university students, we examined correlates of frequency of food insecurity and of grade point average (GPA), the association between food insecurity and GPA, and whether food insecurity mediates the associations between student characteristics and GPA. The results indicated that Black, Hispanic, Pell…

The federal Race to the Top initiative signified a shift in American education policy whereby accountability efforts moved from the school to the teacher level. Using administrative data from Tennessee, we explore whether evaluation reforms differentially influenced mobility patterns for teachers of varying effectiveness. We find that the rollout…

The measurement of self-regulation in young children has been a topic of great interest as researchers and practitioners work to help ensure that children have the skills they need to succeed as they start school. The present study examined how a revised version of a commonly used measure of behavioral self-regulation, the…

Changes in legislation including NCLB, RTT, and ESEA Flexibility Waivers have influenced the educational landscape. States and school districts have spent considerable time and resources to meet the mandates of this changing legislation, including the development of reporting systems and modification of principal evaluations systems. However, the…

Using nationally representative data from the Family and Child Experiences Survey 2009 cohort (n = 2,842), this study examined the implications of 3- and 4-year-old's absences from Head Start for their early academic learning. The findings from this study revealed that children who missed more days of school, and especially those who were…

Growing up in poverty increases youth risk for developing aggressive behavior problems which, in turn, are associated with a host of problematic outcomes, including school drop-out, substance use, mental health problems, and delinquency. In part, this may be due to exposure to adverse school contexts that create socialization influences supporting…

As the federal role in education continuously evolves, accountability pressures for performance extend from classrooms to principals' offices. This newer form of accountability is changing the landscape of how school leaders are prepared, and ultimately, how they are evaluated. For some time, the onus of student achievement has been placed on…

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2002 emphasized holding schools accountable for student achievement and academic growth. Accountability was a continued focus as President Obama offered states Race to the Top funding if they included, among other changes, a focus on accountability and identifying low achieving schools. One Midwestern state…

Using nationally representative data from the Family and Child Experiences Survey 2009 Cohort (n = 2,842), this study examined the implications of 3- and 4-year-old's absences from Head Start for their early academic learning. The findings from this study revealed that children who missed more days of school, and especially those who were…

In recent decades, the share of ethnically and linguistically diverse children enrolled in schools in the United States has exponentially increased. Despite the growing representation of ethnic minority and dual language learner (DLL) children, there is persistent evidence of early vocabulary gaps between low-income and DLL children and their…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate teachers' perceptions of principals' leadership behaviors influencing the schools' climate according to Green's (2010) ideologies of the 13 core competencies within the four dimensions of principal leadership. Data from the "Leadership Behavior Inventory" (Green, 2014) suggest 314…

Accountability for student learning and successful progression through each grade level has been a top priority concern for federal, state, and local educators. Studies have revealed several variables affecting student achievement, with much attentiveness on student attendance. (Barrington & Hendricks, 1989, Borland & Howsen 1998, Coutts,…

Race to the Top (RTT), one of the Obama administration's signature programs and one of the largest federal government investments in an education grant program, received $4.35 billion in funding as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Through three rounds of competition in 2010 and 2011, RTT awarded grants to states that…