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July 7, 2010
 
Ten Ways to Promote Educational Achievement Beyond the Classroom
 
Many factors beyond the classroom can affect whether children and youth succeed in school.  A new Child Trends brief, Ten Ways to Promote Educational Achievement and Attainment Beyond the Classroom, identifies 10 actionable goals involving non-school factors that can affect educational outcomes--we know that it is feasible to influence these goals because program evaluation research has found that effective interventions already exist in each of these areas.
 
Among the goals:
 
  • Reduce unplanned pregnancies.  Research has found that children who were born as the result of unintended and unwanted pregnancies are at risk of having lower levels of academic ability and achievement throughout childhood.
  • Enhance the quality and availability of educational child care, preschool, prekindergarten, and full-day kindergarten.  Research has found that children who attend high-quality center-based child care, prekindergarten, or preschool programs tend to have better pre-academic and language skills than do other children, and these advantages carry over into the early elementary years.
  • Provide high-quality educational afterschool and summer programs.  Research has shown that participation in such programs leads to improved academic engagement, achievement, and attainment, and to higher rates of seeking postsecondary education.

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