Underserved schools often have fewer resources and less capacity to rigorously implement improvement strategies. As a result, the districts and schools that most need support programs are often least likely to adopt and implement them successfully--a phenomenon that we call the "needs paradox." To address the needs paradox, we created…

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) identified a need for a comprehensive set of best practices in nutrition education for low-income audiences for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) educational projects, including SNAP-Ed. A comprehensive list of best practices would promote consistency and efficacy in program planning,…

In 2001, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched the multi-year, multi-million dollar Washington State Achievers Scholarship program. Concerned about disparities in college participation for low-income students in the state of Washington versus their wealthier peers, the Gates Foundation partnered with the College Success Foundation…

Childhood overweight and obesity is a public health concern not just because of its growing prevalence but also for its serious and lasting health consequences. Though height and weight measures are easy to obtain and New Hampshire Head Start sites measure height and weight of their enrollees, there are numerous challenges related to accurate…

Responds to Gilliam et al.'s critique of evaluation of the Comprehensive Child Development Program (CCDP). Restates the policy implications of the study and comments on the design of the intervention and the evaluation. Concludes with remarks on how evaluation and research should be used to help low-income families. (Author/KB)

For nearly 40 years, the federal government has helped provide early childhood development for children of low-income families through Head Start and other programs. This study examined how Georgia, New Jersey, New York, and Oklahoma expanded their preschool programs for at-risk students to serve more children, focusing on: how programs were…

This paper summarizes findings of a survey of 157 Ronald E. McNair (DOE) research internship programs, which prepare first-generation, low-income, and under-represented minority students for entrance into and successful completion of graduate school programs. The hypothesis for the study was that more rigorous research experience was more likely…

This report contains the proceedings from a conference on the problems of low literacy among single mothers. The seminar involved practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and funders. The report includes an executive summary, six papers grouped according to three topic areas, a seminar agenda, a list of participants, and a 57-item bibliography.…

The Low Socioeconomic Status and Minority Student Achievement Study is designed to investigate the overall impact of the Austin Independent School District's programs on low socioeconomic status (SES) and minority students' achievement and school leaver rates. This evaluation is designed to monitor low SES and minority student achievement on…

The evaluation design for Austin Independent School District's Elementary Secondary Education Act Title I project for 1981-82 is a 1-year plan of evaluation work which provides a brief project and evaluation summary, the major decision and evaluation questions to be addressed, other information needs, dissemination plans, and information sources…

Student financial assistance has long been a means to promote access to postsecondary education and attainment of college degrees. Numerous types of financial aid programs have proliferated over the years, including a relatively new concept that specifically targets high-risk, low-income students, focusing not just on getting them to go to college…