Federal Resources

This resource (PDF, 8 pages) can guide youth- and young adult-led organizations that want to make policy changes in the mental health system. Developed bythe Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures and Portland State University, it contains recommendations and quotes from a series of interviews with young adult leaders from advocacy groups that focus on mental health challenges or living in foster care.

This resource (PDF, 8 pages), developed by Pathways Research and Training Center, introduces service providers to scientifically-informed findings about brain development and trauma specific to young adults, and describes the implications for trauma-informed interventions and trauma-informed engagement of young people in services. 

This policy guide, developed by Pathways RTC (Research and Training Center), is written for youth- and young adult-led groups and organizations that want to make changes in policies related to mental health and other human services that affect them and other transition-age youth. The guide is intended for use by youth and young adults working together within a group or organization to make specific change, usually in partnership with other agencies, groups, or organizations. 

This resource from the Federal Trade Commission offers steps to help parents avoid, recognize, and repair the damage caused by child identity theft.

Understanding the requirements of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule has been simplified by the Federal Trade Commission through this set of frequently asked questions.

This blog entry from the Federal Trade Commission illustrates the risks that young people encounter when communicating and socializing online and provides a few key questions for teens to ask themselves before posting to social networks. 

This blog post from the Federal Trade Commission highlights a new infographic, titled “Keeping Up with Kids’ Apps” that can help parents as they make decisions about what apps their children should download.

This report by the Federal Trade Commission, “Mobile Apps for Kids: Current Privacy Disclosures Are Disappointing,” reveals that mobile app developers and distributors are not providing information around what data is being collected when children use apps, and how this data is shared.

The FTC developed “Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids About Being Online,” a booklet for parents, teachers, and other adults to use when having conversations with young people about online safety. Recent updates to the booklet include tips on using mobile apps and Wi-Fi, ways to recognize text message spam, and changes to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. 

The Federal Trade Commission manages OnGuardOnline.gov, in partnership with other federal agencies. OnGuardOnline.gov is a partner in the Stop Think Connect campaign, led by the Department of Homeland Security, and part of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. This is an educational website, providing educators, parents, kids, and others with information on online safety.

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) requires commercial website operators to get parental consent before collecting any personal information of kids under 13.

FTC has charged companies known as “diploma mills” for selling fake high school diplomas that they promise can be used to apply for college and employment. Users may be dealing with a diploma mill if the company states that they charge a flat fee; can provide a diploma in months, weeks, or days; require little or no coursework; or can offer a degree solely for “work or life experience.” 

According to new data from NCES, graduation rates for black and Hispanic students increased by nearly four percentage points from 2011 to 2013, outpacing the growth for all students in the nation. The data also show that the gap between white students and black and Hispanic students receiving high school diplomas narrowed over that time.

 “America’s Youth: Transitions to Adulthood,” a report from the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), compares the current generation of youth in the United States to youth in 2000, 1990, and 1980.

This report presents initial findings about the labor market experiences and enrollment in additional postsecondary degree programs of bachelor's degree recipients approximately four years after they completed their 2007-08 degrees. These findings are based on data from the second follow-up of the Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study

This report from the Department of Education provides national data on the condition of the nation’s public school facilities, information on building construction and renovation history, and the estimated cost of the repairs needed to put buildings in good condition. 

The 48th in a series, the Digest provides statistical information related to the field of education. Covering prekindergarten through graduate school, this report provides information on a variety of topics including numbers of schools, teachers, and students, federal funds for education, and international comparisons. 

This report from the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics examines three cohorts of recent graduates one year after they earned their bachelor’s degree, comparing their student loan debt and ability to pay back their loans one year after graduation and how debt affected their graduate school enrollment and living arrangements.

This report presents the findings from the third and final follow-up survey of the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002, developed by the The Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. The report uses data collected in 2012 to describe educational, career, family, and financial outcomes of a cohort of young people, approximately 10 years after their sophomore year in high school.   

The Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released the report, "Federal Education Tax Benefits: Who Receives Them and to What Extent Do They Shape the Price of College Attendance?” that details how many undergraduate students receive tax benefits, how these benefits affect the cost of college, and how family income plays a role.

This report illustrates the findings from the 2012 administration of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) financial literacy assessment (PDF, 3 pages), which assessed students’ knowledge and understanding of fundamental elements of the financial world. The average score for the United States was 492, which was not measurably different from the overall average of 500, but the United States performed lower than the average in seven education systems.

This report from the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics presents the findings of the first follow up with grade 11 students to monitor their progress since the original study in 2009 when the students were in grade 9. Results include findings on student drop out, progress by socioeconomic background, mathematics scores, and preparation and expectations for college and work.

Published by the Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, HSLS:09 is a longitudinal study that follows students who were in the ninth grade in 2009. Information is now available from the first follow up, conducted in 2012, which includes data from students, parents, teachers, administrators, and counselors.

This brief report from the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics uses data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study to illustrate trends in out-of-pocket net price for college, which is the price that students and their families pay after grants, loans, work-study, and other aid. 

This report reveals that high school graduation rates are at their highest level since 1974. The report states that during the 2009-10 school year, 78.2 percent of high school students nationwide graduated on time, an increase from the 73.4 percent recorded in 2005-6.