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Briefs


Brief
Group of students working with teachers at a workshop.
Brief
| Los Angeles Unified School District successfully implemented its Community Schools Initiative through a robust support structure that centers inclusive environments enabled by restorative practices, project-based learning, and Linked Learning pathways. While all low-income schools in the district are recovering from pandemic-era lows, these schools are improving at substantially higher rates in achievement and attendance.
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A teacher reads a book to two PreK students.
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| California’s expansion of universal prekindergarten (PreK) has helped increase access to early childhood education (ECE) programs. This brief examines the impact of investments in universal PreK by calculating how many 3- and 4-year-olds have enrolled in publicly funded ECE programs across the state.
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A teacher assists an elementary student in a classroom.
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| The most recent data from NCES’ national teacher and principal surveys highlight persistently high teacher turnover and widespread dissatisfaction. The data also point to strategies for decreasing turnover, including competitive salaries, effective school leadership, improved working conditions, and supports for early-career teachers.
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A teacher and elementary students seated on a rug in a classroom.
Brief
| Well-prepared teachers are essential during early years of learning, which form the foundation for lifelong success. A study examining early childhood credentialing programs in Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York sheds light on strategies institutions of higher education can use to promote quality and accessibility of ECE credential programs.
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A teacher and elementary students seated on a rug in a classroom.
Brief
| Well-prepared teachers are essential during the early years of learning, which form the foundation for lifelong success; and yet fewer than half of U.S. states require teachers to hold a credential. State-level policies governing the credentialing of early childhood teachers in Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York illustrate how states can support a high-quality preschool workforce.
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A group of educators seated at a table having a discussion.
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| A diverse teacher workforce is vital to student achievement and school climate, yet only about 20% of U.S. teachers are people of color. Barriers for teachers of color include limited access to comprehensive preparation, lower pay, higher debt, and less supportive working conditions. Research sheds light on conditions that foster retention.
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An educator talking with a family in a school hallway.
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| As community schools expand statewide, districts play a critical role in ensuring these efforts thrive. Three California local education agencies have used new investments to strengthen professional learning, streamline services, and build the infrastructure for lasting change. Their strategies illustrate how systems can support schools to implement and scale up community schools.
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Portrait Of Multi-Cultural Elementary School Pupils With Female Teacher Outdoors At School
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| Despite decades of reforms, race and class remain among the most reliable predictors of student success. Findings from four southern school districts show how leaders used strategic planning, capacity building, data use, equitable resource allocation, and sustained leadership to reduce persistent disparities in achievement, graduation, and discipline for students of color.
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A middle school student looking through a microscope.
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| The decisions states make regarding what their assessments look like and what kind of information they produce inevitably shape instruction and students’ learning experiences. Many state leaders are considering how to create instructionally relevant assessments with a positive instructional impact.
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A counselor having a serious discussion with two high school students.
Brief
| Although evidence suggests that well-designed and well-implemented behavioral threat assessments can be part of an effective violence prevention strategy, school, district, and state leaders must be aware of the concerns surrounding BTA use and implementation and take key considerations into account.