Decades of research have provided strong evidence of what an integrated early childhood system should look like. Several groups, including the Alliance for Early Success, have outlined research-backed state and local policies that can move systems closer to meeting this goal. In fact, many states and communities across the country have already put…

With over 4,400 colleges and universities offering a variety of degrees and programs, and more than 2,000 non-degree granting institutions, the postsecondary education landscape within the United States can be a complex web to navigate for high school students (U.S. Department of Education, 2012). The transition from high school to postsecondary…

A common problem within professional education is the acquisition of conceptual knowledge that is essentially "inert" (Bransford, 1993, p. 174). That is, while students often graduate from educational programs with substantial conceptual knowledge, they are unable to apply that knowledge to solve the kinds of ill-structured problems they…

As students are asked to share more of the costs of a post-secondary education, the quality of their overall educational experience and perceived return on investment (ROI) are increasingly important. For prospective students and their parents, what they are told they can expect from the student experience at an institution often makes the most…

A skilled and sustainable workforce is one of the most important markers of high-quality out-of-school time programs. Given the links between skilled staff, high-quality programs, and better youth outcomes, staff training has become an essential part of program implementation. To expand what is known about staff training, Child Trends recently…

The guidelines and supporting rationale presented in this paper were developed from the October 2007 "Best Practices for Mental Health in Child Welfare Consensus Conference" sponsored by Casey Family Programs, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the REACH Institute (REsource for Advancing Children's Health). The purpose of the conference was to…

Traineeships were introduced alongside apprenticeships to increase the reach of contracted training to a wider range of occupations and industries and to a broader range of learners (particularly women) and to improve the labour market prospects of young people. Traineeships have given hundreds of thousands of Australians access to nationally…

The complexity of literacy coaching can be daunting. Coaches face a huge set of responsibilities as they work with teachers to improve practice and increase student learning. From mentoring new teachers to conducting demonstration lessons to facilitating professional development meetings, coaches get pulled in many directions at once. This…

Today, more than 139,294 (43%) small businesses registered in the CCR and DSBS databases offer IT services to the federal government. Providing IT services to the federal government is an affordable and feasible low risk approach for emerging and seasoned small IT businesses in the federal arena. This dissertation captures how successful small…

Mentoring is a promising approach to promote healthy development and prevent poor youth outcomes; however, bad mentoring experiences have yielded negative results. Thus, it is critical that youth service providers take heed of the current research and resources for establishing an effective youth mentoring program. Given the increased interest in…

This is the sixth in a series of papers issued by the American Association of Children's Residential Centers (AACRC) regarding emerging and best practices in the field of residential treatment for children, youth, and families. AACRC is a long standing national association focused exclusively on practice and policy issues related to the provision…

This article discusses the vital leadership role that school counselors have in reaching the profession's accountability standards. According to the school counseling program evaluation literature, this leadership responsibility is explained as it relates to four major evaluation areas commonly associated with comprehensive school counseling…

Financial problems plague both higher education and health care, two sectors that struggle to meet public expectations for quality services at affordable rates. Both higher education and health care also have a complex bottom line, heavy reliance on relatively autonomous professionals, and clients who share personal responsibility for achieving…

How do funding providers make informed decisions about funding youth work programs and services? One provider in New Zealand commissioned a group of participant-researchers to explore the question "What is youth work of value?" and then develop a model of best practice. The findings have implications for both youth work practitioners and…

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a collaborative effort between the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association (NGA) that is developing core K12 standards in English-language arts and math. The current patchwork of state standards makes it difficult, if not impossible, to evaluate student…