Children and Schools

MDRC develops and studies programs to improve students’ prospects for success from the time they first begin school through adulthood. In doing so, MDRC collaborates with teachers, school leaders, district administrators, and others to improve student outcomes and the school environment.

Issue Focus Population

Preschool Children Elementary and Middle School Students High School Students Students Experiencing Academic Struggles Teachers/School Administrators

Highlights

Podcast

Improving Children’s Math Skills

Early math ability is one of the best predictors of children’s math and reading skills into late elementary school. Children with stronger math proficiency in elementary school are then more likely to graduate from high school and attend college. MDRC wanted to know: What kinds of math programs can improve children’s early math abilities? And can they lead to positive impacts on other longer-term outcomes? Join Katie Beal as she talks to Shira Mattera, Research Associate at MDRC, and Robin Jacob, a Research Associate Professor at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, about the positive impacts of the Making Pre-K Count and High 5s demonstrations.

More »

Report

In Search of a Match

A Guide for Helping Students Make Informed College Choices

This guide for counselors and advisers offers strategies for helping low-income high school students choose selective colleges that match their academic profiles, financial considerations, and personal needs. It tracks the many steps in the college search, application, and selection process, suggesting ways to incorporate a “match” focus at each stage.

Overview »

Full

Infographic

An Overview of the NYC P-TECH Grades 9-14 Model

In NYC P-TECH Grades 9-14 schools, students take an integrated sequence of high school and college courses with the goal of completing both high school and college, while simultaneously being exposed to hands-on work experiences. This infographic describes the model and introduces MDRC’s evaluation of it.

Overview »

Full

INSIGHTS: Examining Effects of Social-Emotional Learning in Early Education on Outcomes Through High School and Beyond Population: Children and Schools Locations: New York	Measures for Early Success Focus Area: Preschool Population: Children and Schools	Personalized Learning Initiative Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Tutoring
An Experienced School Support Organization at Scale: A Study of The Urban Assembly Network Focus Area: High School Institutional Reform Transition to Postsecondary Population: Children and Schools Locations: New York	ReSolve Math Study Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Curricular/Instructional Reforms	Educational Equity: Solutions Through Social and Emotional Well-Being Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Classroom Services, Curricular/Instructional Reforms
XQ Schools Study Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools	Building and Sustaining the Early Care and Education Workforce (BASE) Focus Area: Preschool Child Care and Early Education Job Retention and Advancement Population: Children and Schools Populations with Low Incomes Families	Variations in Implementation of Quality Interventions (VIQI): Examining the Quality-Child Outcomes Relationship in Child Care and Early Education Focus Area: Preschool Child Care and Early Education Population: Children and Schools Families
City Year Evaluation Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Student Services, Classroom Services, Case Management, Counseling/Advising Locations: California, Florida, New York, Texas	Applied Behavioral Coalition (ABC) Focus Area: Child Care and Early Education High School Two-Generation Programs Corrections and Reentry Health Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Children and Schools Intervention: Transitional Jobs/Subsidized Employment, Case Management, Career & Technical Education, Behavioral Interventions, Employment Services	Jumpstart’s Foster Grandparent Program Evaluation Focus Area: Preschool Population: Children and Schools Intervention: School Readiness, Classroom Services Locations: California
Head Start Connects Focus Area: Preschool Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Work Support and Asset Building Population: Children and Schools Families Populations with Barriers to Employment Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Case Management	New York City’s Lab for Equity and Engagement in School Enrollment (the E3 Lab) Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Behavioral Interventions Locations: New York	Get Ready Guilford Initiative Focus Area: Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Population: Families Children and Schools Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: School Readiness, Case Management, Coordinated Care/Care Management, Home Visiting Locations: North Carolina
United2Read Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: California, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania	Analysis of the Growth Mindset Study Data Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Behavioral Interventions	MDRC Center for Data Insights: Improving Programs and Systems with Actionable Data Science Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Populations with Low Incomes Children and Schools Young Adults Families
The Cascades Job Corps College and Career Academy Pilot Evaluation Focus Area: Youth Employment Student Services Job Retention and Advancement Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Population: Young Adults Children and Schools Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Sectoral Training, Student Services, Classroom Services, Career & Technical Education, Counseling/Advising, GED Completion, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: Washington	What Matters Most for Teachers and Young Children Focus Area: Preschool Population: Children and Schools Intervention: School Readiness, Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Classroom Services Locations: New York	Philly Reading Coaches Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School After-School/Out-of-School Time Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Reading Instruction, Tutoring Locations: Pennsylvania
Family Rewards 2.0 Focus Area: Financial Incentives Two-Generation Programs High School Elementary and Middle School Population: Populations with Low Incomes Children and Schools Families Intervention: Financial Incentives Locations: New York, Tennessee	P-TECH 9-14 Evaluation Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary Instruction and Curricula Institutional Reform Youth Employment Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Classroom Services, Comprehensive School Reform, Career & Technical Education, Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Dual-Enrollment/Bridge Programs, Accelerated Programs Locations: New York	Next Generation California Partnership Academies Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Small Schools, Learning Communities, Career & Technical Education Locations: California
CareerWise Colorado Study Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Career & Technical Education Locations: Colorado	YouthForce NOLA Study Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Charter Schools, Career & Technical Education Locations: Louisiana	Drive to Write Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Classroom Services, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: New York
Testing Communications with Parents to Boost High School Students’ Attendance Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Locations: New York	Evaluation of Teach for America’s Redesigned Summer Training Institute Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training Locations: Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas	The Expanding Children’s Early Learning (ExCEL) Network Focus Area: Preschool Elementary and Middle School Child Care and Early Education Population: Children and Schools Intervention: School Readiness, Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Classroom Services, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Massachusetts
Evaluation of Academic Language Interventions Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Reading Instruction, Classroom Services, Curricular/Instructional Reforms	Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency-Next Generation Focus Area: Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Welfare Reform Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Families Populations with Low Incomes Children and Schools Intervention: Behavioral Interventions	Higher Achievement Evaluation Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School After-School/Out-of-School Time Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Tutoring, Mentoring, Classroom Services, Counseling/Advising
Success Academy Charter Schools Evaluation Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Charter Schools, Comprehensive School Reform, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: New York	MDRC Center for Applied Behavioral Science (CABS) Focus Area: Child Support Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Welfare Reform Work Support and Asset Building Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Families Populations with Low Incomes Children and Schools	The High 5s Project Focus Area: Preschool Elementary and Middle School Child Care and Early Education Population: Children and Schools Intervention: School Readiness, Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Classroom Services, Curricular/Instructional Reforms
Estimating Power for Multiple Hypothesis Tests Focus Area: Preschool Elementary and Middle School High School Population: Children and Schools	Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) Focus Area: Youth Employment After-School/Out-of-School Time Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Student Services, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: New York	Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Behavior: Helping School Staff Support Appropriate Student Behavior Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Classroom Services
Scaling Up the Success for All Middle School Math Program Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Curricular/Instructional Reforms	Innovative Professional Development (iPD) Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Oklahoma	PACE Center for Girls Focus Area: Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Youth and Juvenile Justice Elementary and Middle School High School Institutional Reform Transition to Postsecondary Population: Young Adults Children and Schools Intervention: Student Services, Classroom Services, Case Management, Counseling/Advising Locations: Florida
The SEED Foundation Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School High School Institutional Reform Transition to Postsecondary Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Classroom Services, Residential Youth Programs, School Readiness, Student Services Locations: Dist. of Columbia, Maryland	Making Pre-K Count Focus Area: Preschool Child Care and Early Education Population: Children and Schools Families Intervention: School Readiness, Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Classroom Services Locations: New York	AVID College Readiness System Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School High School Transition to Postsecondary Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Florida
Communities In Schools Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Student Services, Case Management, Counseling/Advising Locations: North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas	Opportunity NYC Demonstrations Focus Area: Financial Incentives Two-Generation Programs High School Elementary and Middle School Population: Populations with Low Incomes Children and Schools Families Intervention: Financial Incentives Locations: New York	Head Start CARES Project Focus Area: Preschool Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Population: Children and Schools Families Intervention: School Readiness, Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Classroom Services, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas
Response to Intervention (RtI) Programs for Struggling Elementary Readers Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Classroom Services, Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Reading Instruction	New York City Small Schools of Choice Evaluation Focus Area: High School Institutional Reform Transition to Postsecondary Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Small Schools, Career & Technical Education Locations: New York	Social Innovation Fund Project with the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation Focus Area: High School Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Population: Children and Schools Young Adults Intervention: Residential Youth Programs, Reading Instruction, Student Services, Transitional Jobs/Subsidized Employment, Classroom Services, Counseling/Advising, Job Training, Curricular/Instructional Reforms
Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency Project Focus Area: Child Support Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Welfare Reform Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Families Populations with Low Incomes Children and Schools Intervention: Behavioral Interventions	Diplomas Now Focus Area: High School Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Student Services, Classroom Services, Comprehensive School Reform, Case Management, Counseling/Advising, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: California, Dist. of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas	Evaluation of Ninth Grade Academies Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Comprehensive School Reform, Counseling/Advising, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Florida
The College Match Program Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Counseling/Advising Locations: Illinois, New York

Great Lakes College and Careers Pathways Partnership Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary Instruction and Curricula Youth Employment Population: Children and Schools Young Adults Intervention: Classroom Services, Career & Technical Education, Job Training, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin	Youth-Led Tech Focus Area: After-School/Out-of-School Time Youth and Juvenile Justice Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Sectoral Training, Mentoring, Career & Technical Education, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Illinois	Childhood Asthma Scan Focus Area: Health Population: Children and Schools Families Populations with Low Incomes
The Success for All Reading and Whole-School Reform Model: An Evaluation of the Investing in Innovation Replication Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Reading Instruction, Curricular/Instructional Reforms	Youth Transition Demonstration Focus Area: Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Youth Employment Transition to Postsecondary Population: Young Adults Children and Schools Intervention: Transitional Jobs/Subsidized Employment, Case Management, Benefits Planning, Employment Services Locations: California, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, West Virginia	Professional Development in Math Study Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Professional Development/ Teacher Training
High School Reform Conference Series Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Comprehensive School Reform	Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading (FAST-R) Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Reading Instruction, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Massachusetts	Texas Developmental Summer Bridge Study Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary Developmental Education Student Services Population: Children and Schools Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives, Financial Aid, Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Developmental Education, Dual-Enrollment/Bridge Programs, Accelerated Programs Locations: Texas
Evaluation of the Content Literacy Continuum Focus Area: High School Instruction and Curricula Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Reading Instruction Locations: Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin	The Getting Ready for Success Pilot Program Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives, Financial Aid, Developmental Education, Dual-Enrollment/Bridge Programs Locations: Washington	School-to-Work Transition Project Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Career & Technical Education, Counseling/Advising, Job Training Locations: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin
The Enhanced Reading Opportunities Study Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Reading Instruction Locations: Georgia, Maryland, Nebraska, New York, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia	Instructional Leadership Study Focus Area: Institutional Reform Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training Locations: Minnesota, New York, Texas	Foundations of Learning Project Focus Area: Preschool Child Care and Early Education Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Classroom Services Locations: Illinois, New Jersey
Career Academies: Exploring College and Career Options (ECCO) Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Small Schools, Career & Technical Education Locations: California, Florida, Georgia	Accelerated Schools Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Accelerated Programs, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Missouri, New York, South Carolina	Project GRAD Focus Area: High School Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Comprehensive School Reform, Counseling/Advising, Financial Aid, Financial Incentives, Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Reading Instruction Locations: Georgia, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas
Talent Development Focus Area: High School Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Career & Technical Education, Classroom Services, Comprehensive School Reform, Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Reading Instruction Locations: Pennsylvania	Foundations for Success Focus Area: Institutional Reform Population: Children and Schools Locations: California, New York, North Carolina, Texas	Bay Area School Reform Collaborative Focus Area: Institutional Reform Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training Locations: California
Scaling Up First Things First Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Comprehensive School Reform, Counseling/Advising, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Texas	Extended-Service Schools Focus Area: After-School/Out-of-School Time Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Locations: Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Rhode Island	The Reading First Impact Study Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Reading Instruction
Evaluation of Academic Instruction in After-School Programs Focus Area: After-School/Out-of-School Time Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Reading Instruction Locations: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Wisconsin	Professional Development in Reading Study Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Reading Instruction Locations: Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio	Project Transition Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Comprehensive School Reform, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Kansas, Wisconsin

Search form

Children and Schools

Current Projects

Completed Projects