State Quality Rating Improvement Systems (QRIS) can effectively support the improvement of school-age childcare programs by leveraging Program Quality Assessments (PQAs) alongside structured improvement planning and professional development. Real-world implementations in Arkansas, Michigan, and Pennsylvania underscore the impact and adaptability…

The advent of new technologies and increased access to robust connectivity is reshaping the K-12 landscape for teaching and learning. School districts nationwide are leveraging digital instructional materials and resources to deliver transformative and impactful personalized learning opportunities for students and to enhance the administrative…

The start of kindergarten signifies the beginning of elementary school and everything that may come with it: a new building, new teachers, new expectations, and a different routine and culture. These new students transition into kindergarten from different settings, bringing with them a variety of assets and experiences. From a holistic…

This report takes a closer look at not just student learning, but also the quality of school conditions that support that learning. There, too, Michigan has troubling weak spots. The state currently ranks 42nd of 47 for funding equity, meaning Michigan has some of the biggest gaps in resources between high-poverty and low-poverty school districts.…

The population of the Catholic elementary schools has been on the downward trend for over half a century. Various Catholic (arch)dioceses have responded by creating strategic plans for their elementary and secondary institutions of education. Shifts in demographics and population migration have been noted in both secular and non-secular data.…

The Middle-Grades Leadership Development (MLD) Project was designed to develop principal leaders and leadership teams who create high-performing middle-grades schools. Designed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, the four-year project was funded from 2013 to 2017 by a U.S. Department of Education Investing in Innovation (i3)…

This resource is part of a series of reports about challenges facing statewide science assessments and innovative solutions states are enacting to meet those challenges. Deciding to implement a system of assessments is a critical step toward ensuring that all students are getting the high-quality science education they need--but it is also…

In September 2009, the Detroit public school now known as Dixon Educational Learning Academy was best described by terms too often used to characterize persistently low-performing urban schools--frequent leadership turnover, demoralized staff, student violence, poor attendance, a physical plant in horrendous shape, episodic and irrelevant…

The purpose of this study was to examine how 22 elementary pre-service teachers (PSTs) planned and taught lessons on world religions to 7th-grade students. Pre- and post-lesson interview transcripts, lesson observations, as well as PST lesson plans and reflection journals served as data sources. Prior to teaching, the PSTs lacked adequate…

In 2005, Congress passed legislation establishing the Safe Routes to School Program (SRTS). Since then, nearly all states and the District of Columbia have announced local or statewide SRTS activities, and thousands of schools have participated in the program. SRTS enables and encourages children to walk and bike to school by helping communities…

State of Michigan Education report -- "Stalled to Soaring: Michigan's Path to Educational Recovery" -- is the result of months of research and a year of Education Trust-Midwest's efforts to monitor where Michigan is making progress on improving public education. The report findings include: (1) Michigan now ranks in the bottom five…

This toolkit is designed to help community schools evaluate their efforts so that they learn from their successes, identify current challenges, and plan future efforts. It provides a step-by-step process for planning and conducting an evaluation at your community school site(s). The toolkit is a practical, hands-on guide that makes it possible for…

The idea of teachers working together to improve teaching and learning seems so sensible that few would argue against it. However, some schools do not provide regular and ample opportunities for teachers to collaborate on their practice mainly because they do not know how to find new ways of using existing resources, such as time and personnel. In…

The Detroit Public Schools (DPS) have been battered by substantial outside forces over the last decade. The school system was taken over by the state; its elected school board was dissolved and replaced by an appointed body; its many operating systems were privatized; its citizenry were encouraged to flee to charter schools; and its resources have…

As the twenty-first century begins, America faces a daunting challenge: The "baby boom echo" is ready for school. The children of World War Two's baby boomers, millions of youngsters are crowding into schools across the nation. Thousands of new schools will be needed to accommodate them. This demand for educational facilities is…