In 2014, California voters passed the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, which was designed to shift the focus from housing and holding criminals towards prevention and support programs for K-12 schools. The California State Legislature established the Learning Communities for School Success Program (LCSSP) grant for the purpose of allocating…

Across the country, school district superintendents are transforming into community school leaders. Responsible for systems of learning that also include school nutrition, bussing, safety, finances, community engagement, and so much more, superintendents recognize that they need a different strategy to effectively address the learning needs of the…

Place-based initiatives, such as the federal Promise Neighborhoods grant, attempt to coordinate interventions, supports, and services with a myriad of organizations to targeted communities. Although Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), inclusive of academic medical institutions, are among the most overall researched anchor institution,…

This report provides formative data about the implementation of projects associated with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Special Education's Attract, Prepare, and Retain (APR) efforts during the 2023-24 school year. We surveyed or interviewed students and educators participating in six such projects: Developing Future Special Educators Grants, APR…

This report provides data about the special education teacher pipeline in Pennsylvania and projects associated with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Special Education's Attract, Prepare, and Retain (APR) efforts. We first used administrative data from the Pennsylvania Department of Education to provide a historical portrait of the special education…

What does it take to create a statewide ecosystem to support Black student success? Our 2021 case study explores the Black Student Success Initiative at the Oregon Community Foundation. The initiative uses a community-led and trust-based approach to attract funding partners, establish a grantee network, and serve as a driver for systemic change in…

We use data from the applications North Carolina public school districts and charter schools submitted for Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) to investigate the sense that educational leaders made of the pandemic as it unfolded. LEAs understood the pandemic as a multifaceted problem. Nearly all applications addressed four…

The Success Stories project collects submissions from organizations that highlight successful arts education programs. These stories demonstrate the benefits of arts education and promote continued collaboration and learning for individuals and organizations working toward student achievement and success. This is the first in a series of success…

The Charter Schools Program (CSP) is the nation's only source of dedicated federal funding to support the creation, expansion, and replication of public charter schools. At its fiscal year 2022 funding level of $440 million, the CSP amounts to less than 1% of federal spending on K-12 education but has a significant impact on the communities that…

The National Art Education Association (NAEA) launched the Connected Arts Networks (CAN) initiative in September 2022. CAN is a collaborative effort among the NAEA, the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) and other esteemed partners, including the Educational Theater Association (EdTA), the National Association for Music Education…

Almost half of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) partner countries are affected by conflict and fragility. This brief report presents how GPE helps them strengthen and rebuild their education systems during and after a crisis so children's education is not interrupted.

The Running Start Summer School Pilot program was established in 2020 by House Bill 2864 and enacted as Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 28A.630.600. To determine whether the summer term should be funded under the Running Start Program, a summer pilot was created to evaluate interest in and barriers to expanding the Running Start program to…

Innovation in education is vital for responding to emerging challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and for building progress on longstanding challenges in schools. The infusion of substantial, highly flexible pots of federal relief dollars created an opportunity to pilot new programs and initiatives. Many states and districts opted to invest…

In June, President Biden announced a comprehensive strategy to combat gun violence and other violent crime, including preventive measures proven to reduce violent crime and attack its root causes. This strategy encourages using the American Rescue Plan's (ARP's) historic funding levels, including the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency…

As U.S. school leaders anticipate the end of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds and contemplate possible budget shortfalls, they will have to make hard choices about how best to leverage limited resources to improve student outcomes. With the stakes high, lawmakers and experts urge school system leaders to rely on research and…