As the only federal funding stream that provides dedicated funds for afterschool programs across the country, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative plays an important role in supporting the innovation that takes place in afterschool programs. Social innovation has been defined as "a novel solution to a social problem…

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Education invited states to apply for the Race to the Top--Early Learning Challenge (RTTT-ELC) to help states' efforts in supporting young children and their families through the development of more unified early learning systems, better information sharing among educators, and an increase in access to quality early…

The focus on the achievement gap and growing debate about No Child Left Behind (NCLB) reauthorization have sparked increased recognition that schools alone cannot meet the learning needs of American children. There is growing interest at all levels in identifying non-school supports and opportunities that both complement learning in schools and…

This issue of "The Evaluation Exchange" describes new developments in evaluating advocacy and policy change efforts that attempt to inform or influence public policy at the local, state, or federal levels. Heather B. Weiss introduces the themes in this issue in "From the Director's Desk," examining how evaluation of advocacy differs from…

This double issue of "The Evaluation Exchange" focuses on one of the central components of complementary learning: family involvement. As outlined in the Theory & Practice article, investments in family involvement are important across ages and settings and through the co-constructed efforts and shared responsibilities of many stakeholders. The…

This research project sought to develop a measure to examine the family-centered beliefs, skills, work systems, and work practices of early childhood intervention, (ECI) and early childhood education (ECE) graduate students. The study was guided by four research questions: (1) To what extent do graduate students from preservice preparation…

"Family Involvement Makes a Difference" is a set of research briefs that examines one set of complementary learning linkages: family involvement in the home and school. As the first in the series, this brief focuses on the linkages among the family, early childhood education settings, and schools. Future papers will examine family involvement in…