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As President Barack Obama continues to shape his domestic agenda, he has indicated that he plans to identify, support and expand programs that work, while eliminating things that don't work.

In a new policy brief from The Century Foundation, Greg Anrig, vice president for policy, looks at three highly successful state education initiatives that are working for children, their families, and their communities.

"Educational Strategies That Work" examines Oklahoma's universal pre-K program, the voluntary inter-district transfer program in St. Louis, Missouri, and New Jersey's innovative low-income public schools.

A recently published Century Foundation report about the Abbott experience found that while the additional money helped make the gains possible, it was the educational strategies within the districts that proved to make the difference between the highly successful districts and those that did not make significant improvements.

The main findings from the St. Louis research show that African-American students from the city who transferred to suburban schools showed significant academic gains, far surpassing those of their peers who remained in city schools.

This is consistent with a multitude of studies going back to the 1960s that show that students from low-income families who attend predominantly middle-class schools-where parents are more likely to be engaged, classroom disruptions are less pervasive, buildings are in better repair, and instructional materials are higher quality-have a much better chance of succeeding than those who go to high poverty schools.

The foundation produces books, reports, and other publications, convenes task forces and working groups, and operates seven informational Web sites.

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