Resources

Glossary of K-12 Education Funding

The Effects of Expanding Pell Grant Eligibility for Short Occupational Training Programs: Results from the Experimental Sites Initiative

Each year, federal Pell Grants help millions of low-income students pay for postsecondary education. Expanding Pell Grant eligibility to encourage more short-term occupational training improved postsecondary enrollment and completion for low-income students, according to this study authored by Mathematica and Social Policy Research Associates for the Institute of Education Sciences. The findings are based on a study of two experimental expansions to Pell Grant eligibility piloted between 2012 and 2017 to help displaced workers in the recovery from the Great Recession.

Fault Lines in Borrowing: Academic Outcomes of Students in Default

This paper examines factors influencing and influenced by loan defaults among students at Valencia College in Orlando, Florida. The findings demonstrate that loan defaults and their harsh penalties are strongly associated with poorer academic persistence and completion.

The paper offers recommended changes to the student debt system to alleviate unnecessary hardships currently placed on student borrowers.

The 15 Characteristics that Matter Most: A Self-Reflection for Funders Pursuing Place-based Investing

Place-based investing (PBI) is a powerful philanthropic strategy to catalyze substantive social change in communities. In this brief, funders are introduced to the characteristics of their organizations that matter most to the success of place-based investments. The characteristics are evident in a funding organization’s internal structures, culture, and norms; their interplay can support or hinder place-based strategies and efforts to center communities.

The brief includes a four-stage discussion guide for funding teams and staff to reflect on the characteristics of their own organizations. The guide provides a sequence for internal conversations to uncover and begin to align organizational dynamics with effective place-based investments.

America After 3PM

For years, afterschool programs have kept kids safe, inspired them to learn, and helped working families. America After 3PM—the largest survey on afterschool, spanning 16 years—found that unmet demand has skyrocketed. For every child in an afterschool program, 3 are waiting to get in.

Demand remains strong during the pandemic, as parents see programs providing critical supports.

A Broken Pipeline: Teacher Preparation's Diversity Problem

Closing the teacher diversity gap is one of the most important steps we can take to make public education more equitable. But as many school systems across the country have prioritized the issue, one institution has largely escaped scrutiny: teacher preparation programs.

In this report, we use data from the U.S. Department of Education to compare the demographics of each state's teacher preparation program enrollees to that of public school students to calculate a "teacher prep diversity gap." We also highlight individual teacher preparation programs that are--and are not--recruiting enough teahcers of color to match student demographics in their states.