Every year, children enter PreK and kindergarten with varied early education experiences, and the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the problem. The need to respond to students' changing situations gives school districts and states an opportunity to reconsider how they are helping children and their families make the transition into kindergarten.…

Policymakers and researchers increasingly recommend aligning educator evaluations and professional development to improve instruction and student learning. However, few empirical studies have examined the relationship between new educator evaluation systems and the professional development in which teachers engage following their evaluation. This…

This brief describes findings from a study of teachers who were rated less than proficient on one or more standards on a large urban district's newly developed educator evaluation system. Evaluators prescribed professional development activities, such as courses, workshops, coaching, and mentoring, and professional practice activities, such as the…

The School Health Profiles (Profiles) is a system of surveys assessing school health policies and practices in states, large urban school districts, and territories. Profiles surveys are conducted biennially by education and health agencies among middle and high school principals and lead health education teachers. Profiles monitors the current…

Developing positive school climates and improving school discipline policies and practices are critical steps to raising academic achievement and supporting student success. However, there is no single formula for doing so. Rather, the growing body of research and best practices in the field should inform locally developed approaches to improving…

One-fourth of all ninth graders in the United States will not graduate from high school within four years, despite the fact that the 21st Century workplace requires more advanced knowledge and skills than ever before. Recognizing the need for a comprehensive strategy to keep teens in school and ensure that they graduate prepared for the future,…

This paper contains the revised drug education guidelines for the state of California, which emphasize prevention of alcohol and drug abuse. The materials define school-based alcohol and drug abuse prevention programming as a comprehensive process that not only provides students with accurate information about alcohol and drugs, but also enhances…

This booklet provides synopses of 36 practitioners' workshop presentations on promoting effective inter- relationships between the home, the school and the community. The brief articles are grouped under five headings: Strengthening the Home; Utilizing Community Resources; Home/School/Community Partnership in Planning and Decision Making;…

This self-assessment and planning guide is designed to help schools evaluate their physical activity and nutrition policies and programs based on national standards and guidelines. It assists schools in identifying strengths and weaknesses of their health promotion policies and practices, developing action plans for improving student health, and…