While college access and choice processes are well documented, the post-college residential mobility of graduates has ramifications for the long-term benefits of state and local investments in education. In particular, we examine factors that shape whether youth who depart home for college return to the communities of their adolescence by middle…

The present study sought to explore the relationship between a community's characteristics and the local community college. Founded with the objective of serving the needs of their local communities, community colleges provide an important access point to postsecondary education for a variety of groups, including students from low-income…

Family child care (FCC) is uniquely positioned to address challenges with insufficient early care and education supply and access in the United States. FCC programs were steadily declining before COVID-19, and many child care programs, both center- and home-based, were at risk of closure early in the pandemic. This study examines closure among…

Graduating high school students are a critical source of new recruits for the U.S. military, and federal statutes require that military recruiters be given the same access to high schools that colleges and employers receive. Despite this, many schools are unclear about their obligations to provide military recruiters access, and enforcement…

Complexity theory suggests that educational research should consider students' community contexts, because individual students' outcomes are interrelated with community characteristics. While some prior literature finds that higher education enrollment choices are influenced by geography, scholars have largely overlooked the importance of…

Background: As the COVID-19 pandemic spread, school district administrators in the United States were faced with difficult decisions regarding the implementation of virtual or in-person learning to reduce risk of infection throughout student and staff populations. While a coordinated effort with surrounding districts would be most beneficial when…

Currently, outcomes for people with autism and intellectual disabilities are poor, leaving some needing optimal life-long services. Little is known regarding the services provided at sustainable communities. This study's purpose is to explore the make-up of sustainable communities, those participating in them, and the services provided. One survey…

New York City's Pre-K for All (PKA) is the nation's largest universal early childhood initiative, serving over 64,000 four-year-olds annually. Stemming from the program's choice architecture as well as the city's stark residential segregation, PKA programs are extremely segregated by child race/ethnicity. Our current study explores the complex…

Arkansas schools have received changing and conflicting guidance for accommodating transgender students, and policies and practices within schools can critically impact this population. This mixed-methods, exploratory study investigated what official policies and unofficial but established practices exist in Arkansas high schools regarding…

This chartbook is the 14th version to be produced for the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) by the Population Reference Bureau (PRB). The Chartbook describes the diversity of the Appalachian Region on a host of demographic and economic measures and provides an important annual view of the area and its people. The data contained in the…