Every May, Ascend recognizes the importance of raising awareness about mental health and the multifaceted ways that it impacts family prosperity and well-being.

During the 2022–2023 school year, there was a significant increase in the number of schools and districts participating in community eligibility, according to FRAC’s latest report, Community Eligibility: The Key to Hunger-Free Schools, School Year 2022–2023. This report analyzes community eligibi

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended life for children and families globally.

We are delighted to share a new research report in partnership with Child Trends: Data on Families with Low Incomes Across America Can Inform Two-Generation Approaches.

At this time of year, pull up to a busy intersection or pass by some popular public gathering place in and around Durham, and there’s a good chance you might find a sign advertising “PreK for All.” January kicks off Durham PreK’s annual recruitment campaign for the approaching school year, and if yo

The findings from a Syracuse University study linking universal school meal policies with improved school attendance for young students provides a strong case for expanding free school meals, according to school nutrition and attendance experts.

In the 2020-21 school year, more than 25 million children and youth – roughly half of all elementary and secondary students in the United States – attended schools in school districts that lacked dedicated funding to identify and support students experiencing homelessness.

Homelessness is a traumatic experience with long-term consequences, particularly for infants and toddlers in their most critical stages of development. Yet homelessness among young children is hidden.

Looking largely at the 2020-2021 school year, the report is chock-full of information about how schools apply research-based strategies in a variety of different contexts – from very different school systems across multiple states – to make research translate into positive experiences and outcomes f

Educators play an important role in supporting students' mental well-being. The pandemic has added incredible layers of stress for both adults and young people.

The just-released America After 3PM special report, “STEM Learning in Afterschool on the Rise, But Barriers and Inequities Exist,” finds that afterschool programs are offering more STEM learning opportunities, but inequities exist and too many young people are missing out.

Higher education offers millions of people the opportunity to improve their financial well-being. However, higher education is prohibitively expensive and can saddle people with insurmountable debt.

420,000.

The ninth in a series of Research-to-Impact briefs by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago on understanding and addressing youth homelessness. For the 4.2 million adolescents and young adults who experience some form of homelessness, opportunities to develop and realize their educational aspira

The nation’s community colleges play a central role in producing a more educated workforce and promoting social mobility. They serve about 40 percent of all college students and, not surprisingly, they serve a disproportionate number of low-income and underrepresented students.

Bridge-to-college programs aim to help people complete high school and enroll in postsecondary education. This evaluation of one such program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay finds that it helped more students earn their GEDs and enroll in college courses.

Innovative public housing authorities (PHAs) are collaborating with college access partners and community colleges to increase postsecondary educational achievement for low-income residents and college students experiencing homelessness.

Trends in Housing Assistance and Who it Serves

Community eligibility allows high-poverty schools and school districts to offer free meals to all students, and it eliminates the need for household school meal applications.

Access to affordable child care can be a major barrier for low-income parents who want to participate in education and training activities to gain skills or obtain employment.

Recent research has begun to focus on the impact of housing instability, in its many forms, on child health and development.

College Promise programs aim to make students believe they can afford college, and to give them the opportunity to go to college and earn degrees without taking on significant debt.

Detroit’s Promise program was designed to encourage college attendance among some of the nation’s most underserved students, those in Detroit, Michigan. The next step was to help students succeed once they enrolled in college.

This annual report analyzes participation in the School Breakfast Program among low-income children nationally and in each state and the District of Columbia for the 2017–2018 school year.

This report looks at school breakfast participation and policies in 76 large school districts across the country to evaluate successful practices in reaching more low-income children with school breakfast. This is a companion report to the School Breakfast Scorecard.