By Higher Learning Lab. 1. Introduction Approximately 423,000 children are in foster care in the United States, representing 6 in 1,000 children nationally (U.S. Department of Health and Human … Read the Full Text about 504 and IEP Planning for Foster Youth and System-Involved Children
Better evidence. Stronger programs. Students who deserve both.
Higher Learning Lab is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to improving outcomes for vulnerable students in K–12 and higher education through applied research, program evaluation, and freely accessible resources.
Our Mission and Services
Educational systems were not designed to serve every student equally. Higher Learning Lab works to change that—through research that surfaces what’s broken, evaluation that measures what’s working, and resources that give educators and advocates something they can actually use.
Program Evaluation
Rigorous, mixed-methods evaluations that produce findings you can defend and act on.
Research Partnerships
Collaborative research that answers the questions your institution actually needs answered.
Grant Writing & TA
Technical assistance from an organization that has been on both sides of the grant table.
Free Resources for Educators and Advocates
Higher Learning Lab creates and shares free resources for educators, administrators, researchers, and advocates working with vulnerable students. Everything here is evidence-based, practically oriented, and designed to be useful immediately.
Trauma-Informed Classroom Practices: A Review of the Research
By Higher Learning Lab. Introduction Approximately one in four students in the United States has experienced trauma that significantly impacts their academic performance, social-emotional … Read the Full Text about Trauma-Informed Classroom Practices: A Review of the Research
Educational Stability for Foster Youth: What Schools and Districts Need to Know
By Higher Learning Lab. Introduction Foster youth represent one of the most vulnerable populations in American schools. Over 400,000 youth currently reside in the U.S. child welfare system, and … Read the Full Text about Educational Stability for Foster Youth: What Schools and Districts Need to Know
Supporting International Students in English-Speaking Universities: A Research Summary
By Higher Learning Lab. Higher Learning Lab Introduction International students represent a growing segment of higher education enrollment in English-speaking universities, with over 5.6 … Read the Full Text about Supporting International Students in English-Speaking Universities: A Research Summary
Keep These Resources Free
Most practitioners working with vulnerable students cannot afford to commission original research. Your donation bridges that gap—keeping every guide, brief, and literature review we publish free for the educators and advocates who need them most.
How Much To Give
See how your donation can make a direct impact. Here’s what it costs to help grant‑funded groups and agencies meet increasingly complex requirements with clarity, integrity, and care.
Workshops
- Support a grant‑funded team—educators, social workers, or clinicians—to work with our team to learn and adapt our structured, trauma-informed workflow to their project or agency.
- Great for teams and learning organizations accountable to funders.
Research & Crosswalk
- Sponsor a service or agency to work with our team to create a research‑grounded report or crosswalk that aligns their existing documentation standards (e.g., PHR, MIRRA, funder templates) with our structured workflow. Great for organizations managing multiple frameworks and complex conditions.
Grant Proposals
- Sponsor a partnership with our team to support a group working under a grant with strict documentation rules and want to create a structured and trauma-informed workflow across all areas of the work. Great for agencies, universities, and advocacy coalitions that need aligned evaluation, documentation, research, and reporting support.
What Our Partners Say
Don’t take our word for it. Here’s some honest feedback from people who’ve benefited from the generosity of donors like you.
As an instructor working under a grant with strict documentation rules, our session with Higher Learning Lab was a game‑changer. Instead of the usual ‘do the compliance’ message, they gave us a clear workflow we can apply to every note and report. We are feeling safer and more confident about our evidence.
Rowena Gonzalez Community College Instructor
The lab created the space and guidance for our PLC to rethink how we document 1st generation student stories and family interactions in our grant‑funded programs. Their workflow helped us turn scattered notes into structured evidence that still feels humane. No one else helped us bridge practice and grant reporting like this.
Chris Swain Science Instructor
This team transformed how our youth‑serving, grant‑funded program documented risk, safety concern, and progress. By using their workflow across our education, welfare, and court reports—and in our grant reporting—they helped us produce evidence that was both compassionate and defensible. Their support changed how we show our impact.