From recruitment to ongoing training and troubleshooting, this Child Trends brief argues that good management is key to maintaining well-trained and well-prepared frontline staff in after-school programs. Good directors create a positive climate and supportive environment for participants and staff and they use relevant data to set new goals.

Today's college graduates are saddled with high debts and poor job prospects, but legislation enacted in 2007 is taking effect just in time to help. Thanks to the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, federal student-loan payments can be adjusted for income, those in public-service jobs can have their loans forgiven after 10 years of payments and Pell Grants will rise to $5,350 this fall, reports the Washington Times, featuring the work of Mobilize.org and other advocacy groups.

On July 10, 2009 the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education ("Labor-H") appropriations subcommittee voted on Chairman Obey's plan. The full committee markup is scheduled for this week.

The Harvard Family Research Project reports on how out-of-school complementary learning, particularly for children in low-income families, is a key component to help students gain the skills necessary for success in the 21st century.

Education Secretary Duncan is outlining priorities for the "Race to the Top" Fund. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, states must offer assurances that they are making progress in adopting rigorous standards; recruiting and retaining effective teachers where they are needed most; turning around low-performing schools; and building data systems to track student achievement and teacher effectiveness.

President Obama recently announced a new summer service initiative in partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service. Local service projects can find volunteers and volunteers can find projects in education, health, energy, the environment and more.

About 60 percent of the federal stimulus money is going to states and localities for health and education. Track how states are managing the red tape and using the money, with the help of these new Stateline.org reports.

This new report by the organizing group POWER-PAC reveals what has stymied Pre-K attendance among children with the greatest need for it and offers a series of recommendations for how to increase enrollment. The best part? It was written by low-income Black and Latina mothers and grandmothers who went door to door for two years to survey more than 5,000 parents and caregivers.

July 1, 2009 was a big day for student loans. The U.S. Department of Education reports good news about students needing loans, from locking in lower interest rates on previous student loans to increases in Pell Grant awards for current students.

A June 23, 2009 New York Times editorial put a human face on the struggles of students arriving in America as children and graduating high school only to face huge barriers imposed by their undocumented status. The editorial argued that the DREAM Act could open doors for these young people and should not be held hostage to larger immigration reform dreams.