Education Research Report:
THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT
The Marshmallow Study revisited
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 day ago
* Delaying gratification depends as much on nurture as on nature* For the past four decades, the "marshmallow test" has served as a classic experimental measure of children's self-control: will a preschooler eat one of the fluffy white confections now or hold out for two later? Now a new study demonstrates that being able to delay gratification is influenced as much by the environment as by innate ability. Children who experienced reliable interactions immediately before the marshmallow task waited on average four times longer—12 versus three minutes—than youngsters in similar but... more »
Standards, course requirements, and mandatory assessments relevant to civic education
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 day ago
The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) has analyzed the standards, course requirements, and mandatory assessments relevant to civic education in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. This is the first such scan in 5 years. The full analysis is summarized in a new fact sheet entitled State Civic Education Requirements, and a spreadsheet provides details on each state. Some of the highlights: • All states have standards for social studies, a broad category that includes civics/government along with other disciplines such as history an... more »
Study: Parenting More Important Than Schools to Academic Achievement
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 2 days ago
New research from North Carolina State University, Brigham Young University and the University of California, Irvine, “Does Capital at Home Matter More than Capital at School?: Social Capital Effects on Academic Achievement,"finds that parental involvement is a more significant factor in a child’s academic performance than the qualities of the school itself. “Our study shows that parents need to be aware of how important they are, and invest time in their children – checking homework, attending school events and letting kids know school is important,” says Dr. Toby Parcel, a profes... more »
Are liberal arts colleges disappearing?
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 2 days ago
Liberal arts colleges continue redefining their historical missions or flat-out disappearing – a trend that threatens to diminish America’s renowned higher education system, argues a study co-authored by a Michigan State University scholar. Of the 212 liberal arts colleges identified in a landmark 1990 study, only 130 remain in their traditional form – a 39 percent reduction, according to the new research. While some liberal arts schools have closed or become part of larger universities due to financial problems, Roger Baldwin, MSU professor of educational administration, said man... more »
Why does having a full classroom matter?
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 3 days ago
How often do your child’s classmates go to school? Whether fellow students show up for class matters more than you think, especially if your son or daughter is in middle school, according to Robert Balfanz, a research professor at The Johns Hopkins University School of Education. While it’s natural for parents to focus their attention solely on their own child’s attendance, Balfanz said it is also critically important that they start paying attention to what he calls the chronic absentee rate: the percentage of children who miss a month or more of the school year, as detailed in hi... more »
How teachers can increase students’ interest and engagement in the classroom
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 3 days ago
The National Center for Educational Statistics reported that only 73% of high school freshmen graduate within four years. For those students who continue their education at the collegiate level, slightly more than half (57%) earn a bachelor’s degree and over 18% will leave college altogether. Although many factors can contribute to students’ academic risk, negative emotions associated with learning—such as a lack of interest and engagement in their courses—could be a vital reason for students’ disengagement, withdrawal, and failure in school. Joseph Mazer’s article, published toda... more »
Academic achievement improved among students active in structured after-school programs
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 3 days ago
School-age children who participate in structured after-school activities improve their academic achievement, according to a new study from Southern Methodist University, Dallas. The study by researchers in SMU’s Simmons School of Education and Human Development measured academic performance of students enrolled in Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas. “Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas and other structured programs are really having a positive impact,” said Ken Springer, an associate professor. “We believe that the homework support that the clubs consistently provide stud... more »
Neuroscientists launch 5-year study of music education and child brain development
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 3 days ago
Researchers at USC Brain and Creativity Institute will explore the effects of intense music training on cognitive development in LA Phil's YOLA at HOLA program The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, the USC Brain and Creativity Institute and Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) are delighted to announce a longitudinal research collaboration to investigate the emotional, social and cognitive effects of musical training on childhood brain development. The five-year research project, Effects of Early Childhood Musical Training on Brain and Cognitive Development, will offer USC researchers ... more »
Postsecondary Enrollment, Graduation Rates, and Student Financial Aid
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 3 days ago
By extending the time students were tracked for program completion from within 100 percent of normal time to within 200 percent of normal time, graduation rates for undergraduates who were full-time, first-time students in 2007 increased from 21 percent to 37 percent at 2-year institutions and from 46 percent to 69 percent at less-than-2-year institutions, according to new data released by the National Center for Education Statistics. Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2011; Financial Statistics, Fiscal Year 2011; and Graduation Rates, Selected Cohorts, 2003-2008presen... more »
Lead Policy and Academic Performance: Insights from Massachusetts
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 4 days ago
Childhood exposure to even low levels of lead can adversely affect neurodevelopment, behavior, and cognitive performance. This paperinvestigates the link between lead exposure and student achievement in Massachusetts. Panel data analysis is conducted at the school-cohort level for children born between 1991 and 2000 and attending 3rd and 4th grades between 2000 and 2009 at more than 1,000 public elementary schools in the state. Massachusetts is well-suited for this analysis both because it has been a leader in the reduction of childhood lead levels and also because it has mandated ... more »
NEARLY HALF OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM WANDER OR “BOLT” FROM SAFE PLACES
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 4 days ago
* Children with autism are four times more likely to wander than their unaffected siblings * A new study published today in the journal Pediatrics (Epub ahead of print) found that nearly half of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are reported to wander or “bolt,” and more than half of these children go missing. Led by researchers from the Interactive Autism Network (IAN), the nation’s largest online autism research initiative and a project of the Kennedy Krieger Institute, this study provides the most comprehensive estimate of elopement occurrence in a United States comm... more »
Testing Can Be Useful for Students and Teachers
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 week ago
Pop quiz! Tests are good for: (a) Assessing what you’ve learned; (b) (b) Learning new information; (c) (c) a & b; (d) (d) None of the above. The correct answer? According to research from psychological science, it’s both (a) and (b) – while testing can be useful as an assessment tool, the actual process of taking a test can also help us to learn and retain new information over the long term and apply it across different contexts. New research published in journals of the Association for Psychological Science explores the nuanced interactions between testing, memory, and learni... more »
School Readiness and Early Childhood Success among Young Children in Black Immigrant Families
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 week ago
This report examines levels of school readiness among young children by race/ethnicity and nativity, helping fill a significant gap in knowledge about the early childhood experiences of young children in Black immigrant families. Using a nationally representative US birth-cohort study (the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort), the authors identify the contextual factors - such as family circumstances, parenting practices, and enrollment in center-based child care - that encourage early school success. They conclude that these immigrant children do quite well.
A Better Affirmative Action: State Universities that Created Alternatives to Racial Preferences
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 week ago
The Supreme Court of the United States will hear the Fisher v. Texas argument on October 10. The case could dramatically alter or eliminate race-based admissions policies at colleges and universities. In a new report, A Better Affirmative Action, Senior Fellow Richard Kahlenberg and Policy Associate Halley Potter of The Century Foundation look at socio-economic solutions to racial preferences in Affirmative Action.
Parent-teacher communication
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 week ago
Communication between K-12 teachers and parents has become increasingly prevalent in recent years. Parent-teacher communication represents a primary form of parental support or involvement, elements which have recently received much attention given the connections between parental support and academic achievement. In fact, parental involvement at the K-12 level represents a major component in recent education policies at the national level. Mazer and Blair Thompson (Western Kentucky University) published an articlein the April 2012 issue of Communication Education in which they dev...more »