Policymakers continue to champion private school voucher programs as a way to improve educational outcomes through increased school choice. For nearly two decades Congress has supported vouchers in Washington, DC, providing federal funds for the Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) to allow low-income children to attend private schools in the…

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 federal government has prescribed nutritional requirements for school meals since the authorization of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) in 1946. Such requirements have changed throughout the course of history. Current law requires the Secretary of Agriculture to prescribe "minimum nutritional requirements" based on…

Free school meal access has become increasingly intertwined with federal social safety net programs--including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)--to reduce duplicative paperwork for schools. The changes to SNAP that House Republicans have proposed would have downstream effects on free school meal access. The proposed changes to…

STEM education helps prepare K-12 students for careers in STEM fields to enhance innovation and global competitiveness. About 10 million K-12 students were enrolled in public schools in rural areas in 2022, the most current year of data available. The August 2022 Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act includes a provision for…

Technical assistance (TA) is a term used to describe efforts provided to an individual or organization to support capacity development (Katz & Wandersman, 2016; West et al, 2012) to promote the adoption of evidence-based practices or affect systems change (Dunst et al., 2019). This capacity development can focus on developing knowledge and…

Under section 1001 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESEA), the purpose of the Title I, Part A program (Title I, Part A) is to provide all children significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education as well as to close educational achievement gaps. The…

The federal government has prescribed nutritional requirements for school meals since the authorization of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) in 1946. Such requirements have changed throughout the course of history. Current law requires the Secretary of Agriculture to prescribe "minimum nutritional requirements" based on…

This report sheds a new light on the history of the U.S. Department of Education (ED), its abuses of policy, and recommendations for a path forward. The report's evidence, and the long-term political dispositions of America's citizenry, supports the wholesale reform of ED, but not its elimination. The authors have structured their report in this…

Adequately preparing for retirement requires planning and knowledge about available savings and investment options. Teachers participate in a complex set of plan designs, and many do not participate in Social Security. While teachers represent a large part of the public workforce, relatively little is known regarding their knowledge and…

This brief is designed for various stakeholders that work with youth with multiple system experiences, specifically for Title I, Part D State coordinators, State Agency and local program staff, Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) State coordinators and liaisons, and Title I, Part A Foster Care State Education Agencies (SEAs) and Local…

This qualitative action research study was conducted within a multi-state Title I, K-12 public charter school organization with the purpose of identifying challenges and potential solutions for expansion of The Network into states beyond the state of origin and to determine the impact of a leadership development course on leaders within The…

Centered on the theories of Carol Dweck (2006) and James Burns (1978), an expanding theory case study approach was used to analyze how growth mindset and transformational leadership influence instructional decisions made specifically for economically disadvantaged students. In addition, analysis of how leaders perceive these decisions to have…

This study investigates the implementation and impact of the community eligibility provision (CEP) in Maryland schools. The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a federal school-based meal service option that allows high poverty schools to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students at no cost. CEP was introduced over the period 2015 to…

In this edition of "Voices From the Field," we explore practical strategies for maximizing the impact of Title I, Part D funds through effective, efficient, and timely spending. We highlight common challenges that programs face in utilizing these funds and offer actionable solutions to overcome them. Three experienced coordinators share…