A four-day school week (4dsw) is becoming more common, especially in areas across the western United States. States with large rural areas are spearheading this change. For example, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and South Dakota have more than 500 districts using a 4dsw. The transition to the 4dsw and the debate over…

The four-day school week (4dsw) is growing in popularity, especially in rural areas across the western United States. RAND Corporation researchers addressed knowledge gaps about the 4dsw by conducting a large-scale study of the implementation and outcomes of the 4dsw that involved the collection of original data in numerous districts across Idaho,…

The authors of this report offer an in-depth analysis of the Teacher Effectiveness and Certification (TEACh) program, an alternative teacher preparation program intended to train diverse cohorts of high-quality teaching candidates to fill hard-to-staff positions. They follow three TEACh programs in different regions of the United States, which…

TNTP (formerly The New Teacher Project) is committed to ending educational inequities by promoting the recruitment, training, and retention of high-quality teachers and school leaders. The U.S. Department of Education's Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grant has funded TNTP to implement the Teacher Effectiveness and Certification…

The purpose of the study was to understand best practices for internationalizing higher education. Despite the growing recognition of the importance of internationalization to student learning in higher educational institutions, majority of students continue to exhibit deficiency in international skills and competencies required to function…

EEIP is a Texas Education Agency (TEA) grant program that funds innovation in teacher supports and leadership opportunities. This executive summary provides information on the four-year implementation of EEIP schools and provides valuable lessons learned from the program. A separate summative report and technical report also were published. [For…

The Success Boston initiative was launched in 2008 specifically to improve Boston public high school graduates' access to and success in college, particularly for members of groups traditionally underrepresented in college degree attainment. Higher college graduation rates, in turn, are expected to increase students' access to employment in such…

Access to middle class jobs increasingly requires a college degree or credential. Individuals with postsecondary education have competitive advantage in the labor market: even when a job does not explicitly require a degree, a candidate with a degree will tend to be hired over an equally qualified candidate without one. Low-income students, in…

EEIP is a Texas Education Agency (TEA) grant program that funds innovation in teacher supports and leadership opportunities. This technical report summarizes the four-year implementation of EEIP schools and provides valuable lessons learned from the program. A separate summative report and executive summary report also were published. [For the…

EEIP is a Texas Education Agency (TEA) grant program that funds innovation in teacher supports and leadership opportunities. This report summarizes the four-year implementation of EEIP schools and provides valuable lessons learned from the program. A separate technical report and executive summary report also were published. [For the technical…

Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts (PA PKC) is a state-funded prekindergarten program for 3- and 4- year-old children to help them gain school readiness skills. The goal of PA PKC is to help reduce educational disparities by providing high quality prekindergarten for children who lack opportunities or reside in environments that place them at risk of…

The purpose of this guide is to provide states, districts, and schools with information and support to prepare applications for 2015-2016 School Improvement Grants (SIGs). The guide includes tools, checklists, and questions for SEAs and LEAs aligned with the revised SIG requirements, primarily focused on how to leverage the "planning…

The Washington State Board of Education (SBE) and the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) submitted this 6th biennial joint report to the Governor, Legislative Education Committees, and Superintendent of Public Instruction. The report outlines the collaborative work of the Boards, highlights accomplishments, and provides goals and…

Race to the Top (RTT) is a first-of-its kind $4.35 billion competitive grant program designed to spur state-level education innovation to boost student achievement, close achievement gaps, and prepare students for college and careers. Originally authorized in 2009 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, RTT encourages states to develop…

The Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) provides grants to support performance-based compensation systems for teachers and principals in high-need schools. The study measures the impact of pay-for-performance bonuses as part of a comprehensive compensation system within a large, multisite random assignment study design. The treatment schools were to…