Assesses the effects of specific welfare reform policies, as well as other factors such as the economy, on changes in the food stamp caseload between 1994 and 1999. Suggests that economic growth explains nearly half of the caseload decline over this period. TANF work requirements, work...

Examines children's diets and finds nearly all children have adequate usual intakes for most B vitamins, but many children of all ages are at risk of inadequate intakes of folate, magnesium, zinc, and vitamins A and E. In addition, a large proportion of children have calcium intakes well below...

Summarizes the largest federal study ever conducted of dropout prevention programs, finding three promising models: alternative middle and high schools for those at risk of dropping out, programs aimed at helping older students earn a GED, and whole-school restructuring efforts aimed at dropout...

Using longitudinal, student-level data, this working paper examines the entry and exit of students in KIPP middle schools, comparing KIPP’s rates of attrition and replacement with rates in nearby district-run schools.

Nonexperimental methods, such as regression modeling or statistical matching, produce unbiased estimates if the underlying assumptions hold, but these assumptions are usually not testable. Most studies testing nonexperimental designs find that they fail to produce unbiased estimates, but these...

In 2008, Congress created the Teacher Quality Partnership Grant Program to fund alternative training programs that draw highly qualified teachers to high-need schools. Funded under this grant, teaching residency programs (TRPs) are designed to attract new teachers to the profession. The programs...

This report shows that Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) middle schools have significant and substantial positive impacts on student achievement in four core academic subjects: reading, math, science, and social studies. One of the report’s analyses confirms the positive impacts using a...

Does eating school meals influence children’s dietary habits or chances of being overweight or obese? This study addressed these questions using data from the School Nutrition Dietary Assessment III Study. National School Lunch Program participants had lower intakes of sugar-sweetened...