Policies and programs aimed at increasing educational and economic opportunities typically target either low-income children or their mothers, but not both, which limits their impact in fostering intergenerational mobility. This insight undergirds the development and implementation of dual-generation strategies, which focus simultaneously on both…

Emergent literacy skills are important for children's academic achievement. Many preschool children from low-socioeconomic backgrounds have limited access to experiences that allow them to acquire emergent literacy skills such as letter knowledge, concepts of print, and phonological awareness. This article describes purposeful and age-appropriate…

"Research Findings: Big Math for Little Kids" ("BMLK") is a mathematics curriculum designed for 4- and 5-year-old children. In this study, the curriculum was evaluated for effectiveness over two years, using a cluster-randomized controlled study. Over 750 children participated in the study and experienced either the…

This article examines how bilingual programs are often guided by larger social constructs of race and language ideologies that give rise to the often inconsistent, and even contradicting, perceptions of Latina/o, Spanish-speaking students' academic preparedness and abilities. I examine a number of language ideologies as they manifested in a case…

This study examined whether the transition practices implemented in preschool-elementary school pairs contribute to children's academic development during the first year of elementary school. Participants were 398 children who moved from 36 preschools to 22 elementary schools in two Finnish towns. Children were tested in respect to their reading,…

This article presents findings from two research projects concerning the educational achievement and well-being of Hispanic children. The first set of findings is from the first-ever study to calculate high school graduation rates for children with different levels of reading skill in third grade, by race-ethnicity and poverty experience. This…

The Guam Department of Education (GDOE) presents this report in compliance with Guam Public Law 26-26 that specifically requires the Department to report on the following information in the Annual State of Public Education Report (ASPER): (1) Demographic information on public school children in the community; (2) Information pertaining to student…

Data and information are important components of school improvement. They show how schools are changing and how students are progressing. Providing and interpreting data is one of the critical functions of the Iowa Department of Education. The annual Condition of Education report provides valuable data about students, educators and school…

Every family wants to ensure a positive preschool foundation in order to build interest and success in the coming school years. Beyond an intuitive hunch, however, many families may not know exactly what to look for as they begin the search for a preschool. In response to both the perplexing nature and the significance of the task at hand, this…

This paper focuses on the concept of P-16 alignment of educational systems. At a basic level, evidence of school efforts, improved student achievement, and stakeholder support are necessary for effective accountability. The needs and benefits for stakeholders' understanding of P-16 education are addressed, particularly for educational leaders at…

More than a decade after offering students universal preschool, neither Georgia nor Oklahoma has shown impressive progress in student academic achievement, as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. As Congress considers whether the federal government should encourage states to offer universal preschool, the author advocates…

The recently released results of the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) comparison of educational achievement across 65 countries has brought renewed attention to the achievement gap and recommended changes to improve U.S. performance. The U.S. was well down in the middle of the pack for reading, math, and science while…

As the United States works to reclaim economic prosperity, the Hispanic population--with the largest growth in population over the last decade--will likely play a key role in any economic resurgence. Educational success is a crucial part of economic recovery. While statistics on the educational success of Hispanic children are hardly encouraging,…

While there remains little doubt that the "founding" preschool programs in America--the High/Scope Perry Program, the Chicago Child-Parent Centers, and the Abecedarian Project--had a positive academic and social impact on the students they served, such claims are difficult to substantiate for students being served in the Virginia…

The goal of this study was to examine the mechanisms underlying associations between neighborhood socioeconomic advantage and children's achievement trajectories between ages 54 months and 15 years. Results of hierarchical linear growth models based on a diverse sample of 1,364 children indicate that neighborhood socioeconomic advantage was…