This Policy Brief outlines some of the challenges presented to students -- particularly those who are historically underserved -- who are transitioning from high school to college this fall. It shares the ways in which "near peer" advisors, or recent high school graduates, can help ease the transition and steer students toward success.…

Improving low-achieving schools is a critical challenge facing urban education. Recent national policy shifts have pressed states to take an expanded role in school improvement efforts. In 2009, a federal grant competition called Race to the Top (RttT) compelled states to improve their capacity to implement ambitious education reform agendas.…

The purpose of this report is to provide insight into how state departments are implementing legislative requirements for educator evaluation, particularly the specific circumstances states encounter around arts education. Spotlights on Delaware, a first-round recipient of Race to the Top funding, and Colorado and Arizona, third-round recipients,…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) "Educating Our Children": "Forbes" Taps Leaders in Business, Government, and Education for New…

Contained herein is a developed and researched history of Public School Education in Delaware, current as of 1917. Contents include: (1) Colonial growth and development; (2) The first attempts at State Education; (3) The beginnings of public schools; (4) The first State taxation for schools; (5) The State system: Administration of Groves and…

The report presents an overview of perspectives on citizen education; relates needs expressed by planning groups for citizen education programs in Deleware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania; and presents materials relating to national and state citizenship education priorities. A major purpose of the document is to help state and local educators and…