The vast majority of high school students aspire to some kind of postsecondary education, yet far too many of them enter college without the basic content knowledge, skills, or habits of mind they need to succeed. Andrea Venezia and Laura Jaeger look at the state of college readiness among high school students, the effectiveness of programs in…

Dan Bloom of MDRC examines policies and programs designed to help high school dropouts improve their educational attainment and labor market outcomes. So called "second-chance" programs, he says, have long provided some combination of education, training, employment, counseling, and social services. But the research record on their effectiveness…

Considers the role that school experiences play in transmitting and sustaining the cognitive gains made by children in preschool. The author discusses schooling in the early elementary grades and how parents' expectations and teachers can influence academic achievement. New ways of thinking about the links between preschool and the early years of…