Social scientists seeking to inform policy or public action must carefully consider how to identify effects and express inferences because actions based on invalid inferences will not yield the intended results. Recognizing the complexities and uncertainties of social science, we seek to inform inevitable debates about causal inferences by…

Key findings from the current survey: (1) Most Californians say charter schools are an important option for parents in low-income areas--but many express concern that charters divert funding from traditional public schools; (2) More than half of residents across regions say teacher salaries in their community are too low; and (3) Majorities…

Disasters continue to have adverse effects around the globe leaving many lives susceptible to hazards and fatalities most especially children. The Philippines, known to be one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, experiences earthquakes, typhoons, and flooding yearly. For the reason of the country's vulnerability to disasters, it is…

This paper explores the attitudes and practices of kindergarten teachers in Taiwan related to socio-emotional learning in children aged 3-6. Unlike in Western countries where socio-emotional learning is an important aspect of life in pre-schools, such learning has been given little attention in Taiwan until recently with the publication of new…

Facing mounting evidence that California has fallen behind on many key indicators of educational performance, policymakers and the public share considerable interest in exploring whether California should expand public funding for preschool education. This expanded funding will be most effective if resources can be directed to their most efficient…

Variability in the social and behavioral characteristics of students with emotional disturbance (ED) in the public schools may impact special education effectiveness; yet very little evidence exists on how such variability may express itself from school to school. One place to begin such investigation involves school context as expressed by income…