Access to Supplemental Educational Services in the Central Region States. Issues & Answers. REL 2007-No. 007

The Central Region states (Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming) lag behind the nation in the rate of participation in supplemental educational services that schools failing to make adequate progress for three consecutive years must offer to eligible students under the No Child Left Behind Act. This study uses information from databases and from interviews with state education agency contacts to examine five topics about the program: its status in the Central Region, service providers, evaluation of provider programs, implementation roles, and key state agency concerns. A descriptive study, it looks at how the seven states of the Central Region are implementing the program mainly from the perspective of the state education agency staff member in charge of each state's program. Answers to five research questions provide a status report for policymakers and technical assistance providers as the program continues to get under way. Findings indicate that at just 11 percent of eligible students, participation rates in supplemental educational services-available in schools that fail to make adequate progress for three years running-are low and may not improve until provision problems are resolved and programs demonstrate effectiveness. Appended are: (1) Data collection and analysis; and (2) Interview protocol. A bibliography, separate from the list of references is also included. (Contains 8 tables, 2 boxes, and 3 notes.) [This report was prepared for the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education by Regional Educational Laboratory Central administered by Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.]