Resources

Reinvigorating K-12 Science Education

The 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress in Science offers timely insights into the challenges states faced while implementing new academic standards that focus on scientific inquiry, engineering and technology.

Navigating the College-to-Career Pathway: The 10 Rules of Moving from Youth Dependency to Adult Economic Independence

Having a college credential has become both more valuable in the labor market and more expensive, with much of the burden falling directly on students and their families. Meanwhile, the postsecondary landscape has become increasingly complex. College tends to be a good investment, but it involves significant risk based on program of study, level of educational attainment, and occupation.

To differentiate among the myriad options on the postsecondary pathway, students and their families should be guided by these 10 rules of the college and career game. This research paper was published in partnership with the Postsecondary Value Commission.

Evidence to Action: A Policy Perspective from Three States

The Evidence to Action project (2019–2021), led by MDRC and the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) and supported by Arnold Ventures, initiated a body of work designed to disentangle the barriers that exist between research and state-level higher education policy and partnered with state higher education agencies to develop solutions. As the final step in the Evidence to Action project, this brief proposes promising strategies found to address the factors that state-level postsecondary leaders have observed to have the most impact on evidence-based policymaking in higher education. This brief also provides recommendations and resources for state- and system-level decision-makers advocating for greater investment in evidence-based policymaking as well as for researchers and intermediary organizations hoping to produce relevant research that they can translate into policy.

The Out-of-School Time Leader's Guide to Equitable Hiring and Staff Development Practices

Because the OST sector is rooted in the principles of youth development including creating safe and welcoming spaces for all young people, the sector is primed to be a leader in using similar philosophies to enact equitable hiring and staff development practices. We realize there is a broader need for a comprehensive overhaul of job quality in our sector, from rethinking compensation to making benefits more accessible to creating career pathways.  We can do better, and we will absolutely need to in order to meet the current and future staffing demands of the growing OST field.

This guide is just the beginning of support needed to make comprehensive changes to systems, policies, funding, and practices. It is intended to catalyze the OST workforce, our stakeholders and partners to examine systems, elevate practices and policies that will build and strengthen the field.

Reexamining the Carolina abecedarian project using an antiracist perspective: Implications for early care and education research

This review from the Brady Education Foundation's staff examines research on early childhood efforts and finds that the research provides strong evidence concerning the effects of early care and education (ECE); a review using antiracist framework reveals limitations not yet widely considered; the color-blind approach and deficit model limit ability to inform practice and policy; the study's strengths and weaknesses have implications for future ECE research; and embracing race and strength-based perspectives can further developmental science.

The Phoenix Project: Building an Equitable Educational System Beyond the Pandemic