Rapid Resources
Guidance to States and Schools on Addressing Mental Health and Substance Use in Schools
Guidance to States and Schools on Addressing Mental Health and Substance Use in Schools
Guidance to States and Schools on Addressing Mental Health and Substance Use in Schools

This bulletin guides states and school systems about addressing mental health and substance use issues in schools. It provides examples of approaches for services in schools and describes some Medicaid authorities that states may use to cover services.
Rapid Resources
The Children’s Health and Education Mapping Tool
The Children’s Health and Education Mapping Tool
The Children’s Health and Education Mapping Tool

This tool provides users with an interactive look at the intersection of school-based health centers (SBHCs) and high-need areas. Users can search, map, and download data about child health, education, and socioeconomic status at the county level and compare it to national figures.
Reports
Boosting Social and Emotional Development In and Out of School
Boosting Social and Emotional Development In and Out of School
Boosting Social and Emotional Development In and Out of School

This report discusses conversations among state lawmakers on whether and how to incorporate SEL into school and after-school curriculum.
Rapid Resources
Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAP) General Fact Sheet
Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAP) General Fact Sheet
Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAP) General Fact Sheet

This fact sheet details Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAP) requirements and the importance of IRAPs.
Best Practices
State and Federal Investments in Afterschool Programs
State and Federal Investments in Afterschool Programs
State and Federal Investments in Afterschool Programs

This article details how states and the federal government fund after-school and summer programs.
Rapid Resources
Expanding Learning Opportunities Through Afterschool Programs
Expanding Learning Opportunities Through Afterschool Programs
Expanding Learning Opportunities Through Afterschool Programs

This article describes how after-school and community-based programs are funded and supported legislatively.
Rapid Resources
Study about Religions in the Social Studies Curriculum
Study about Religions in the Social Studies Curriculum
Study about Religions in the Social Studies Curriculum

This position statement informs the general public, the K-12 community, and educators about the importance of teaching world religions in the social studies curriculum in ways that are constitutionally and academically sound.
Best Practices
Elements of Successful Schools
Elements of Successful Schools
Elements of Successful Schools

This article identifies six critical elements that impact several important aspects of schooling.
Rapid Resources
Helping Youth Transition to Adulthood: Guidance for Foster Parents
Helping Youth Transition to Adulthood: Guidance for Foster Parents
Helping Youth Transition to Adulthood: Guidance for Foster Parents

This fact sheet guides on how parents can help youth build a foundation for a successful transition to adult life outside of foster care. It also describes the challenges youth face, the effects of adolescent brain changes, and Federal laws and programs.
Reports
The Misdiagnosis of Special Education Costs
The Misdiagnosis of Special Education Costs
The Misdiagnosis of Special Education Costs

This report looks at the factors leading to increased special education costs for districts.
Best Practices
Promising Practices Brief: Improving Student Engagement and Attendance During COVID-19 School Closures
Promising Practices Brief: Improving Student Engagement and Attendance During COVID-19 School Closures
Promising Practices Brief: Improving Student Engagement and Attendance During COVID-19 School Closures

This brief provides a resource to states and districts on promising practices in measuring and improving attendance and engagement during extended school closures.
Best Practices
Physical Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (PECAT)
Physical Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (PECAT)
Physical Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (PECAT)

This tool helps school districts and schools conduct a clear, complete, and consistent analysis of physical education curricula for K–12 students.
Reports
To Secure Knowledge-Social Science Partnerships for the Common Good
To Secure Knowledge-Social Science Partnerships for the Common Good
To Secure Knowledge-Social Science Partnerships for the Common Good

This report highlights the need for government, academia, donor organizations, and the private sector to collaborate on social science research through funding, data, ethics, research quality, and research training.
Reports
Education Inequalities at the School Starting Gate
Education Inequalities at the School Starting Gate
Education Inequalities at the School Starting Gate

This study examines the relationship between children’s socioeconomic status (SES) and their cognitive and noncognitive skills when starting school using data from the kindergarten classes of 1998 and 2010.
Reports
Investing for Student Success Lessons From State School Finance Reforms
Investing for Student Success Lessons From State School Finance Reforms
Investing for Student Success Lessons From State School Finance Reforms

This report looks at how federal and state governments can invest resources to achieve high-quality education and student success in ways that redress the effects of inequities and historical discrimination. The report also reviews resource inequalities in U.S. schools. It analyzes the results of efforts to address these inequalities, examining recent research on the outcomes of school finance reforms nationally and in four states—Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and North Carolina. The report also contains recommendations for federal and state actions that could support greater resource equity.
Reports
Attendance Playbook: Smart Solutions for Reducing Chronic Absenteeism
Attendance Playbook: Smart Solutions for Reducing Chronic Absenteeism
Attendance Playbook: Smart Solutions for Reducing Chronic Absenteeism

This resource provides local policymakers and educators with nearly two dozen practical strategies for improving attendance that have proven track records and in many instances are easy to introduce and simple to scale.
Rapid Resources
A Guide to Understanding Career and Technical Education
A Guide to Understanding Career and Technical Education
A Guide to Understanding Career and Technical Education

This guide provides a summary of the value of Career and Technical Education as well as a glossary of terms, branches of government, business associations, and student organizations meant for anyone conducting outreach in the CTE Community.
Best Practices
Success with STEM Toolkit
Success with STEM Toolkit
Success with STEM Toolkit

This toolkit helps users engage with a diverse set of stakeholders about the importance of high- quality STEM teaching and learning.
Rapid Resources
Physical Education and Physical Activity in Schools
Physical Education and Physical Activity in Schools
Physical Education and Physical Activity in Schools

This webpage offers specific policy recommendations to ensure more children in the United States have consistent access to healthy foods from the earliest days of life. The page also has feature studies and resources highlighting physical education and obesity among K-12 students.
Rapid Resources
Microsoft, Verizon, and Other Big U.S. Companies Design Their Ideal High School Courses
Microsoft, Verizon, and Other Big U.S. Companies Design Their Ideal High School Courses
Microsoft, Verizon, and Other Big U.S. Companies Design Their Ideal High School Courses

This article details what courses executives at major companies would like to see in high schools.
Reports
Workforce of Today, Workforce of Tomorrow: The Business Case for High-Quality Childcare
Workforce of Today, Workforce of Tomorrow: The Business Case for High-Quality Childcare
Workforce of Today, Workforce of Tomorrow: The Business Case for High-Quality Childcare

The report argues for the importance of childcare for the business future of the United States.
Best Practices
Leveraging National Service in Your Schools: Toolkit to Utilizing National Service Resources
Leveraging National Service in Your Schools: Toolkit to Utilizing National Service Resources
Leveraging National Service in Your Schools: Toolkit to Utilizing National Service Resources

This toolkit gives superintendents, principals, government officials, and community members resources on creating national service partnerships between districts/schools and organizations.
Reports
Equity & Social and Emotional Learning: A Cultural Analysis
Equity & Social and Emotional Learning: A Cultural Analysis
Equity & Social and Emotional Learning: A Cultural Analysis

This brief analyzes, revises, and supplements what is known about social and emotional learning to foster the development of citizens who contribute to an increasingly interconnected, diverse global community.
Reports
Students from Low-Income Families and Special Education
Students from Low-Income Families and Special Education
Students from Low-Income Families and Special Education

This report provides policymakers and educators background on the disproportionality of low-income students in special education.