Most children in the U.S. spend time in some form of early childhood education (ECE) program prior to entering kindergarten. In fact, children spend an average of 25 hours per week in nonparental care, including center-based care and informal family, friend and neighbor care. Children develop a foundation for learning during these early years, so…

Hiring and retaining teachers of color is one approach that policymakers can use to support improved academic achievement and opportunities for racially and ethnically diverse students. National data show that while the student population is becoming more diverse, the teacher workforce remains largely white and female. While teachers from all…

For all the attention student loans have received in the media and from policymakers in recent years, there is still remarkably little information on why and how borrowers struggle to repay them. Rising college prices and debt levels explain some of the troubles borrowers have with their loans, as does a slow economic recovery that has caused…

College is getting harder to afford every year. Debt mounts and jobs, especially in certain industries, don't necessarily provide the financial return they once did. It should come as no surprise to administrators that students and families are feeling the pinch. Rather than ignore the problem, higher education leaders, policymakers, and others…

Education provides one of the best opportunities for American children to build the capacity to climb up the economic ladder. It has even been called the "great equalizer" in American society. In today's tightened labor market, providing equal access to postsecondary education is more critical than ever. The Georgetown Center on…

This fourth edition of the "ES Review" brings together, in one setting, some of the best work from 2009-10. It features: (1) Teacher Quality (Teachers at Work: Improving Teacher Quality Through School Design (Elena Silva); Understanding Teachers Contracts (Andrew J. Rotherham); How Teachers Unions Lost the Media (Richard Whitmire and…

Information on GSL defaults in five states is reviewed: California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Default rates are defined and levels of default are examined using a variety of analytical methods. (Author/MLW)

Issues concerning college student loans are addressed in 10 chapters written by educators, guarantee agency administrators, and government officials. Topics include: loan repayment, the impact of loans on access, loan programs in five industrialized nations, and the Guaranteed Student Loan program and other sources of financial aid. Chapter titles…

Student loan counseling and debt management are discussed in three papers, six commentaries, and a panel discussion from a College Scholarship Service colloquium. In "Fulfilling the Institution's Responsibilities to Student Borrowers," Theodore J. Marchese discusses a shift in student financial aid marked by the ascendency of loans…