Federal Resources

As part of the Let’s Read. Let’s Move. initiative, AmeriCorps (formerly the Corporation for National and Community Service) has compiled a list of things people can do to help children maintain active minds and bodies during the summer months.

The Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) collects data on key education and civil rights issues in public schools in the United States and drives the focus of related equity and program evaluation efforts. The 2011–12 CRDC marks the first time that data were collected from every public school in the nation. Striking findings from the 2011–12 collection include disparities in high school retention, access to college counselors, and access to courses necessary for college.

The 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment is a comprehensive annual report developed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse published the results of the 2012 Monitoring the Future study, which is conducted annually  to better understand drug abuse trends among eighth, tenth, and twelfth graders. The 2012 survey included information about the use of bath salts.

Check out this blog entry to get tips for saving on college, including going to a community college first, applying for scholarships, and working while you’re in school. 

This article provides tips to youth-serving organizations on making their websites easier to navigate for people using phones or tablets.

As featured by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, the University of Minnesota released a study, Academic Achievement Trajectories of Homeless and Highly Mobile Students: Resilience in the Context of Chronic and Acute Risk, which examined academic achievement of students identified as homeless or highly mobile as compared with other students in the federal free meal program, reduced price meals, or neither. This study was partially federally funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Science Foundation. 

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) hosted a forum on Emphasizing Evidence-Based Programs for Children and Youth in April 2011 in Washington, D.C. The forum consisted of experts across the field of evidence and innovation. During the Forum, experts discussed challenges encountered when selecting and replicating evidence-based programs and also identified approaches for developing evidence-informed programs when evidence-based programs are not available or applicable for a given population.

This is the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign's site for teens. The site allows teens to examine the negative influences in their lives and how to rise above them. It offers extensive drug information in a fun, exploratory way

Audry Yowell discusses the Affordable Care Act Maternity, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program at the Emphasizing Evidence Based Programs for Children and Youth Forum held in Washington, D.C. on April 27-28, 2011.

Abe Wandersman discusses accountability and going to scale with quality at the Emphasizing Evidence Based Programs for Children and Youth Forum held in Washington, D.C. on April 27-28, 2011.

AFCARS collects case level information on all children in foster care for whom state child welfare agencies have responsibility for placement, care, or supervision, and on children who are adopted under the auspices of the state's public child welfare agency. AFCARS also includes information on foster and adoptive parents.

This U.S. Census website is a source for population, housing, economic, and geographic data.

In this video, AmeriCorps (formerly the Corporation for National and Community Service) presents a public service announcement on the importance of mentoring and what mentors and mentees can gain from this rewarding relationship. 

This report from the EPA is a comprehensive compilation of information from a variety of sources on children’s health and the environment, illustrating trends for contaminants in air, water, food, and soil that may affect children, concentrations of contaminants in the bodies of children and women of child-bearing age, and childhood illnesses and health conditions.

AmeriCorps NCCC and FEMA Corps is a 10-month, full-time, team-based residential service program for young adults who want to give back to communities in need. These recently updated deployment reports show where teams are serving across the country as well as which organizations, efforts, and initiatives they are currently supporting.

AmeriCorps NCCC is a full-time, team-based residential program for young people aged 18 to 24. Members are assigned to one of five campuses, located in Denver, Colorado; Sacramento, California; Perry Point, Maryland; Vicksburg, Mississippi; and Vinton, Iowa. The mission of AmeriCorps NCCC is to strengthen communities and develop leaders through direct, team-based national and community service. In partnership with non-profits (secular and faith-based), local municipalities, state governments, the federal government, national or state parks, Indian Tribes and schools, members complete service projects throughout the region to which they are assigned.

A new 60-second public service announcement shares the many ways that AmeriCorps members make a difference in communities, and encourages viewers to apply. 

Bryan Samuels discusses a case study of the Permanency Innovations Initiative at the Emphasizing Evidence Based Programs for Children and Youth Forum held in Washington, D.C. on April 27-28, 2011.

BeTobaccoFree.gov is a website from the Department of Health and Human Services that brings together the best information on the health effects of tobacco use and the benefits of quitting smoking. The website contains information specifically targeted to teens about the risks of using tobacco products and resources for parents and teachers to help keep teens tobacco free

Developed by the Discipline Disparities Research-to-Practice Collaborative, "You Can’t Fix What You Don’t Look At: Acknowledging Race in Addressing Racial Discipline Disparities (PDF, 12 pages),” provides a historical overview of racial inequity and racial discipline disparities in the United States and features recommendations for school administrators and educators on promoting conversations about race to address these disparities. 

Sharon Mihalic discusses Blueprints for Violence Prevention and the importance of implementation fidelity at the Emphasizing Evidence Based Programs for Children and Youth Forum held in Washington, D.C. on April 27-28, 2011.

The Children of Incarcerated Parents Framing Paper outlines the challenges children of incarcerated parents and their families face, including facing financial hardship, difficulties with attachment and relationship skills, stigma resulting from the actions of their parents, and trauma from the sudden separation of a parent.  The purpose of this paper is to raise public awareness, and the awareness of service providers about these unique challenges and provide strategies to individuals who interface with this population, including parents, teachers, and social service providers on how to enhance these children's social and emotional well-being.

This article from the National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention discusses the prevalence of trauma and its effect on children and teens, with the goal of providing schools, parents, and caregivers with the tools to identify young people who may have been affected by trauma in order to help them develop the skills they need to succeed.

The Reentry Myth Buster/Children of Incarcerated Parents Series is a series of fact sheets intended to clarify federal policies that affect formerly incarcerated individuals and their families. On any given day, nearly two million children under 18 have a parent in prison, and many more have had an incarcerated parent at some point during their childhood. Children of incarcerated parents often face financial instability, changes in family structure, and social stigma from their community. This series is designed to help these children, their caregivers, and the service providers who work with them.