Two purposes for early childhood assessment systems are informing program development and providing accountability. Based on findings from a case study of a local Head Start program implementing the National Reporting System (NRS) in 2004-2005, we provide 5 lessons learned from experiences with the NRS that may have implications for other…

Service-learning projects are becoming more prevalent in Information Systems education. This study explores the use of community-based research, a special kind of a service-learning strategy, in an Information Systems web development course. The paper presents a case study of a service-learning project to develop an educational web portal for a…

Over the past year, many national leaders have committed to reform education and reshape America's school system. With this goal in mind, the Obama administration created a competitive grant program entitled Race to the Top (RTTT), which was passed by Congress as a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). RTTT features two grant…

State policymakers are increasingly focused on closing the achievement gap and preparing all students to succeed in school and life. However, college and career readiness begins long before students enter high school or even a classroom. Differences in children's abilities appear as early as the first year of life, and research has shown that…

The Head Start National Reporting System (NRS) exemplified an assessment system where significant ambiguity existed regarding its purpose(s). This article considers the perceived purposes of the NRS from a local program perspective through observations and interviews with staff members during the 2004-2005 school year. This study found that a…

While states have made tremendous progress building the capacity to collect longitudinal data, developing the systems and practices to tap into P-20W data remains a nascent effort in most states. This primer aims to provide policymakers with information and recommendations to propel states' progress toward using P-20W data to prepare…

Obligations of state education agencies (SEAs) and Part C lead agencies set forth by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) pertaining to early childhood transition from Part C to Part B of IDEA are described in several regulatory and guidance documents including Part C draft regulations (34 CFR Part 303), Part B regulations (34…

This handbook has been designed as the national standard for state and local education agencies to use in tracking and reporting financial data for school districts to use in preparing their comprehensive annual financial reports (CAFRs). The purpose of the handbook is to ensure that education fiscal data can be reported in a comprehensive manner.…

This report makes a number of recommendations on new directions for the development of child well-being indicators. For developmental transitions throughout early childhood, the authors call for standardizing birth records across states, collecting additional data at immunization visits, and creating common assessments at kindergarten entry. For…

There is no shortage of data in the education system today. States and school districts are gathering large amounts of information on school and student performance. The challenge now is to make sure states are collecting the most relevant data and that they have a coordinated system for using them effectively. To provide educators with the data…

This article describes a study of children's electronic books (e-books) technology. In particular, the focus is on devices used to access children's e-books, current available e-books and an e-book builder specifically for children. Three small case studies were conducted: two to evaluate how children accept the devices and one to test the ease of…

In a new urgency to ensure that critical incident plans, communication plans, and parental reunification plans are in place at all institutions responsible for the safety of America's children, the U.S. Courts have stated that preparation is a duty and expectation of those acting in a "locos parental" role. As public schools adopt rapid…