The 30th edition of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT® Data Book begins by exploring how America’s child population and the American childhood experience has changed since 1990. Of the 16 areas of child well-being tracked across four domains — health, education, family and community and economic well-being — 11 have improved since the Foundation published its first Data Book 30 editions ago. The rest of the report, including the latest national trends and state rankings, rely on a shorter review window: 2010 to 2017. View the national data profile or download your state's data profile by visiting the website.

For many young people from low-income households, summer can be a time of losing ground to wealthier peers. Fortunately, summer can also be a time to make gains. A new RAND report identifies programming that can help achieve that goal—and be eligible for federal funding through the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Investing in Summer Programs: A Systematic Review of Evidence Under the Every Student Succeeds Act describes 43 summer programs with research that not only backs the programs’ effectiveness but is also rigorous enough to meet the top three of four tiers of evidence laid out in the ESSA. This means they can qualify for a number of funding streams, including those in ESSA’s Title I section, a significant source of funding.