Describes the characteristics of eligible applicants and compares them with the broader national population of disadvantaged youth.

Part of a volume examining WIA’s objectives and the evidence on program performance and impact.

The Early Reading First program provided grants that were designed to enhance teacher practices, instructional content, and classroom environments in preschools to ensure that young children, especially those from low-income families, start school with the skills needed for academic success....

Every year, thousands of new teachers pass through hundreds of different teacher preparation programs and are hired to teach in the nation’s schools. In recent years, alternative programs have expanded rapidly. Despite the expansion of these new routes into teaching, little research...

Head Start, the largest federally funded preschool program, provides comprehensive services to economically disadvantaged children and their families so that children can enter kindergarten ready to succeed in school. Performance standards include requirements for the intensity and quality of a...