Breadcrumb
- Federal Resources
Federal Resources
Beyond Addiction: Understanding and Treating Substance Abuse in Young People
This report series from the National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth provides an overview on substance abuse in youth and young adults. Find information on how drug use can affect the teen brain, how the development of the teen brain makes young people susceptible to trying drugs, the benefits and things to be aware of when hiring youth workers in substance abuse recovery, and some best-known evidence-based practices for treating adolescent substance abuse.
Don't Call Them Dropouts
A report from America’s Promise Alliance encourages readers to think differently about youth who have left school, suggesting a change in terminology, from “dropouts” to “nongraduates” or students who have had “interrupted enrollment.” As this article explains, youth voices are featured prominently in the report, which also highlights factors that influence students to leave school and the supports that can help them to return to and remain in school.
5 Tips for Providing Trauma-Informed Sex Education
This article highlights the work of two researchers who are pioneering changes in sex education that bridge the gap between sex education and trauma-informed care by better understanding how sex education could be more sensitive to students’ traumatic experiences. This article also offers tips, based on this research, for implementing a trauma informed approach to sex education.
Guidance: Education Department Reiterates — Title I Funding Can Be Used to Serve Homeless Students
This article explains the guidance provided in a recent “Dear Colleague” letter (PDF, 4 pages) issued by the Department of Education which explains how school districts can use Title I funds to help children and youth experiencing homelessness. Some examples of ways districts can use the funds are to transport homeless students to and from school, pay the salaries of staff who work with homeless youth, and to generally meet the needs of these students.
Vital Signs: Demographic and Substance Use Trends Among Heroin Users — United States, 2002-2013
FDA and CDC analyzed data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and National Vital Statistics System during 2002-2013 to assess trends in heroin use among demographic and particular substance-using groups. Results show that heroin use has increased significantly across most demographic groups. Results also suggest an increase in heroin abuse or dependence parallels the increase in heroin-related overdose deaths, and reflects heroin use is occurring in the context of broader poly-substance use.
Report: Frequency of Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students
Researchers from CDC and FDA analyzed data from the 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey to determine how frequently middle school and high school students in the United States used cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco products. Among current users in high school, frequent use was most prevalent among smokeless tobacco users, followed by cigarette smokers, e-cigarette users, and cigar smokers. Among current users in middle school, frequent use was greatest among smokeless tobacco users, followed by cigarette smokers, cigar smokers, and e-cigarette users. Current use of two or more types of tobacco products was common.
Report: Flavored Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students
Researchers from CDC and FDA analyzed data from the 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey to determine the prevalence of current use of flavored e-cigarette, hookah tobacco, cigar, pipe tobacco, or smokeless tobacco products, and menthol cigarettes among middle and high school students. An estimated 70% of all current youth tobacco users had used at least one flavored tobacco product in the past 30 days. Among current users, 63.3% used a flavored e-cigarette, 60.6% had used flavored hookah tobacco, and 63.5% had used a flavored cigar.
Share with Youth: This Free Life
This campaign aims to prevent and reduce tobacco use among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) young adults, ages 18-24, who are occasional smokers. As highlighted in a recent blog post describing the campaign, LGBT young adults in the United States are nearly twice as likely to use tobacco as other young adults.
Resource: New Tobacco Product Regulations
These regulations extend FDA authority to regulate all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, hookah, and cigars. According to the new rules, retailers will no longer be able to sell e-cigarettes, cigars, or other covered tobacco products to anyone under age 18 and all tobacco sales to those 26 and under will require photo identification.
Report: Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students — U.S., 2011–2016
This report analyzes data from the 2011–2016 National Youth Tobacco Surveys to determine recent patterns of current use of seven tobacco product types among U.S. middle and high school students. Decreases in cigarette and cigar use during 2011–2016 were offset by increases in hookah and e-cigarette use, resulting in no significant change in any tobacco use. In 2016, e-cigarettes remained the most commonly-used tobacco product among high school and middle school students.
Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs
These national standards represent the best evidence, expertise, and experience in the country on quality health and safety practices and policies that should be followed in today's early care and education settings. This is the fourth edition of this report (PDF; 626 pages).
Child Health USA
The Child Health USA Databook is an annual report of the health status, well-being and service needs of America's children and youth. Coalitions, program planners and policy makers can identify national trends by examining and comparing data from one year to the next. Indicators for youth, or adolescents, cover multiple issues, including childbearing, substance abuse, violence, mental health treatment, and mortality from traffic and firearms injuries. The section, Population Characteristics, provides information about poverty status and school dropouts. Each topic includes a written summary and at least one graph that clearly depicts key statistical facts.
Resource: Center for Integrated Health Solutions
This website features information to help healthcare providers and organizations learn about Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT), an evidence-based practice used to identify, reduce, and prevent the use and abuse of alcohol and drugs. The site includes basic information, training materials, workflow charts and diagrams, and information on financing.
Education Resources Information Center
ERIC provides ready access to education literature to support the use of educational research and information to improve practice in learning, teaching, educational decision-making, and research.
IES Releases Two New Resources
Two new resources from IES can help to improve support to students who are struggling in school:
- ”Practitioner Data Use in Schools: Workshop Toolkit” (PDF, 53 pages) is designed to help teachers and administrators use education data more systematically and accurately.
- ”A Practitioner’s Guide to Implementing Early Warning Systems” (PDF, 26 pages) describes and provides examples of early warning system implementation strategies in use across the country.
Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2011
The Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics and the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics' report, “Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2011,” examines crimes occurring in school and presents data on school safety.
Practical Tips for Enrolling and Staying in College
This webpage from the What Works Clearinghouse contains information that can help youth-serving and school professionals prepare students to enroll in, and complete, their college education. Resources include tips for educating students and families about college affordability and financial aid, a checklist for helping students complete the steps in the college application process, research on the impact of secondary education interventions, and information that can help schools support students effectively and reduce dropout.
The Condition of Education 2014
The Condition of Education 2014 presents an overview of the current state of education in the United States. The report includes 42 indicators, grouped under four areas: population characteristics, participation in education, elementary and secondary education, and postsecondary education. The report includes four Spotlights that look in-depth at issues of current policy interest. Spotlight topics include trends in employment rates by educational attainment, kindergarten entry status, the status of rural education, and financing of postsecondary education.
The Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in School Accountability Systems
A new report from the Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, “The Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in School Accountability Systems,” provides information on school-level accountability for those schools accountable for the performance of the students with disabilities subgroup under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
What Works Clearinghouse
This resource collects, screens, and identifies studies on the effectiveness of educational programs, products, practices, and policies for educators, policymakers, researchers, and the public. This resource is designed to help schools, school districts, and educational program developers identify potential researchers (individuals and organizations) to conduct studies of effectiveness of educational interventions.
Resource: What Works Clearinghouse Widget
WWC released a widget that allows website visitors to easily connect with the free products and resources available from the WWC. Once the widget is on a website, it will automatically update as new products and features are released.
Resource: Compendium of Social-Behavioral Research Funded by NCER and NCSER: 2002–2013
This compendium provides brief descriptions of the more than 245 projects focused on social-behavioral competencies or outcomes developed or tested by researchers funded by NCER and NCSER between 2002 and 2013.
Resource: Digest of Education Statistics, 2014
This compendium reviews statistical information covering the field of education from prekindergarten through graduate school. It includes data on a variety of topics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to educational attainment, finances, and federal funds for education, libraries, and international comparisons.
Report: The Condition of Education 2016
This Congressionally-mandated report presents 43 indicators related to education, grouped under four areas: population characteristics, participation in education, elementary and secondary education, and postsecondary education. It also describes issues of current policy interest.
Resource: New Software to Support Program Evaluation in Education
This press release announced the launch of a new tool that can make it easier and more cost-effective for states and school districts to evaluate the impact of their programs. RCT-YES™ is free software that supports sophisticated analysis and reporting of results from randomized controlled trials and other types of evaluation designs.