Over the past decade, "out-of-school time" and "after-school programs" have been identified as objects of research, funding, and policy initiatives across federal and state agencies as well as public, private, and nonprofit foundations. The increasing attention to and funding of programs that engage youth outside of the formal institution of…

This chapter begins with a scenario contrasting two seemingly different images of child and media from before and after the "digital revolution." The author argues that there is much greater continuity in how this relationship has been conceptualized over the period than is commonly imagined. While not offering a comprehensive study of recent…

Passed by the U.S. Congress in the spring of 1965 as part of President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was one of the most significant and expansive education policy initiatives ever undertaken by the federal government. The main component of the act, Title I, allocated significant resources to…

In this chapter, the author discusses immigrant newcomer populations and their experiences with K-12 schooling in preparation for and access to postsecondary education. Much attention has been paid to the concept of immigrant optimism, namely, that immigrant parents are optimistic about their children's futures, including their educational…

Education in the United States is a decentralized system composed of highly variable practices, programs, and school contexts. The primary technology of education, teaching, is highly complex and is typically designed and implemented by teachers who have traditionally enjoyed a great deal of autonomy and independence from regular inspection. The…

In January 2002, Republican President George W. Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. The most conservative congressional Republicans, who opposed the bill's extensive new testing mandates and absence of school voucher provisions, were largely left out in…

Instructional aides were formally introduced to classrooms more than 40 years ago, but their jobs have changed over time. Instructional aides do more than prepare materials for teachers and monitor the lunchroom; they provide direct services to students. Most instructional aides care about their jobs and the students they work with, and sometimes…

This chapter traces the legal, legislative, and political history of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Focusing attention on the various related educational reform movements, it discusses the federal role in education policy in the context of its influence on ESEA and the legislation's related amendments. Also, the authors examine…

This chapter discusses the federal government's role in strengthening accountability for student performance under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). NCLB represents a major legislative expansion of the role of the federal government in elementary and secondary education, and it has had significant implications for federal-state…

The consequences of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) are most often thought of in terms of achievement and attainment in elementary and secondary education. In this chapter, however, the authors assess what NCLB might mean for college access by examining existing evidence of the effects of school-based accountability on college participation.…

In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in "Brown v. Board of Education" (1954), this volume of "Review of Research in Education" looks at education research linked to issues addressed in that decision. In the "Brown" case, the court asserted the central importance of the government's role in education, and reversed…

The 1954 "Brown v. Board of Education" decision is significant with respect to African Americans in the principalship for several reasons. First, teachers, principals, and parents were the most important influences in the education of Black children in the pre-"Brown" era of schooling. Thus, discussions about the "Brown" decision and the education…

The goals of this chapter are threefold. The first goal is to examine the scientific attainment of African Americans in the post-"Brown" era. The term scientific attainment is used here to describe more broadly mathematics and scientific achievement as measured in trend studies, academic coursework, and degrees. A second, related goal is to…

In this chapter, the authors outline critical race theory (CRT) as an analytical framework that originated in schools of law to examine and challenge the continuing significance of race and racism in U.S. society. They then describe the CRT framework within the field of education. CRT scholarship offers an explanatory structure that accounts for…

The strongly worded "Brown" ruling discussed at length the importance of public education in preparing students for their adult lives as workers and citizens. In contrast, the Coleman report muted the "Brown" decision's interpretation of public education as a paramount institution and argued instead that the variation in school curriculum and…