THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT
YESTERDAY
States struggling to secure adequate resources to implement CCSS and train teachers
Most states that have adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in math and English language arts (ELA) are already teaching to the standards, according to a new report by the Center on Education Policy (CEP) at The George Washington University. The report also finds that these states are preparing teachers and principals to implement these standards. State education agencies, however, are s
AUG 08
An extra hour of TV beyond recommendations diminishes toddlers' kindergarten chances
Every hourly increase in daily television watching at 29 months of age is associated with diminished vocabulary and math skills, classroom engagement (which is largely determined by attention skills), victimization by classmates, and physical prowess at kindergarten, according to Professor Linda Pagani of the University of Montreal and the CHU Sainte-Justine children's hospital. "This is the first
Elementary and middle schools can get students moving
Despite widespread cuts to physical education classes and recess, an Indiana University study has shown that schools can play an important role in helping their students live healthier lives. Schools that implemented coordinated school health programs saw increases in students' physical activity."With support from teachers, administrators and parents, our schools can become healthier places," said
AUG 02
Gallup Poll: Only 35% of New Teachers Fully Engaged in Their Job, Drops Even Lower in Later Years
According to a new Gallup Poll, U.S. teachers for grades K-12 with less than one year of experience are the most engaged at work, at 35.1%. Engagement drops to 30.9% for teachers who have been on the job for one to three years and falls further to 27.9% for educators with three to five years of experience. Engagement picks back up slightly for those who have been teaching for more than five years.
Early College, Early Success: Early College High School Initiative Impact Study
The studyAmerican Institutes for Research and SRI. (2013). Early college, early success: Early college high school initiative impact study. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research. What is the study about? The study authors examined whether attending Early College High Schools increased postsecondary outcomes. As defined in this study, Early Colleges are high schools that partner with loc
JUL 31
Student characteristics predict university graduation odds
According to new research, characteristics known about a student before he or she even enters a college classroom can accurately predict graduation rates. This new study, published in SAGE Open, finds that characteristics such as fulltime enrollment status, race, transfer credits, and expected family contribution predict successful graduation from college.Researcher Tim Gramling, LP.D., conducted
JUL 30
Early school engagement helps youths avoid problem behaviors and eventual dropout
Help your teenager stay engaged in school and he or she will be less likely to drop out. That's the conclusion of a new longitudinal study that found that teens who were less engaged in school tended to engage in more delinquency and substance use over time, and that lower levels of engagement and greater problem behaviors in turn predicted a higher likelihood of dropping out of school. Specifical
Measuring Teacher Effectiveness of Special Education Teachers
While teacher quality is recognized as a critical component in school reform and the pursuit of new teacher evaluation systems has gained national attention, the question of whether proposed teacher assessment models recognize and account for the unique roles and responsibilities of special education teachers has gone largely unnoticed. The purpose of this article is to (a) provide a review of cur
JUL 29
Early Warning Indicators of Dropouts
Each school year, roughly a thousand students drop out of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). However, unlike other large, urban school districts where students who drop out skip school and are suspended often (Balfanz & Byrnes, 2010), students who drop out of MCPS are present in school; they just are not doing well academically. According to the end-of-year MCPS attendance files provided
JUL 26
Gesturing children perform well on cognitive tasks
In the first study of its kind, SF State researchers have shown that younger children who use gestures outperform their peers in a problem-solving task.The task itself is relatively simple -- sorting cards printed with colored shapes first by color, and then by shape. But the switch from color to shape can be tricky for children younger than 5, says Professor of Psychology Patricia Miller.In a new
Specialized curricula at MPS enhancing college enrollment
A report released by the Milwaukee-based Public Policy Forum finds that Milwaukee Public Schools students recently enrolled in Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Project Lead the Way, and Career and Technical Education curricula were more likely to attend college than students who had not been exposed to such curricula. The report also cautions, however, that the positive impacts ass
JUL 23
Synthesis of Research on Early Intervention and Early Childhood Education
The Institute of Education Sciences has released a research synthesis report focusing on early intervention and early childhood education. The report describes what has been learned from research grants on early intervention and early childhood education funded by the Institute’s National Center for Education Research and National Center for Special Education Research, and published in peer-review
JUL 19
High School Socioeconomic Segregation and Student Attainment
Using data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, this study examines the association between high school socioeconomic segregation and student attainment outcomes and the mechanisms that mediate those relationships. The results show that socioeconomic segregation has a strong association with high school graduation and college enrollment. Controlling for an array of student and school fac
Equity or Marginalization? The High School Course-Taking of Students Labeled With a Learning Disability
Placement of some students into the courses needed only for high school graduation and others into those that prepare them for college constitutes academic stratification. This study uses data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 to investigate whether students labeled with learning disabilities complete fewer academic courses by the end of high school compared to their peers who are not
JUL 18
IB Middle Years Programme Develops Students and Teachers Eager to Learn and Take on New Challenges
The International Baccalaureate (IB) has announced new research findings that aim to provide deeper understanding of how students in the Middle Years Programme (MYP) are influenced to become lifelong learners and active global citizens through participation in the MYP. The study, conducted by Julie Wade and Natalie L. Wolanin, found that MYP students identified the rigour and challenge of MYP cour
Children with ear deformity may need intervention to improve school performance
Children born with a complete absence of the external ear canal, even if only one ear is affected, are more likely than their peers to struggle in school, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.Hearing amplification and corrective surgery are available for the condition, called aural atresia. But many children with single ear atresia (unilateral atresia)
Singing helps students tune into a foreign language, study shows
Singing in a foreign language can significantly improve learning how to speak it, according to a new study.Adults who listened to short Hungarian phrases and then sang them back performed better than those who spoke the phrases, researchers found.People who sang the phrases back also fared better than those who repeated the phrases by speaking them rhythmically.Three randomly assigned groups of tw
JUL 17
The Political Foundations of the Black–White Education Achievement Gap
More than 50 years after Brown v. Board, African American students continue to trail their White peers on a variety of important educational indicators. In this article, the authors investigate the political foundations of the racial “achievement gap” in American education. Using variation in high school graduation rates across the states, they first assess whether state policymakers are attentive
Exploring Key Levers to Boost College Readiness Among Black and Latino Males
College readiness is becoming an increasingly important standard by which to measure school success and student achievement. While high school graduation and dropout prevention remain critical issues for educators, there is a substantial gap in outcomes between students who only earn a high school diploma and those who go on to obtain a college degree. For example, young adults with a bachelor’s d
AP Exams and Personality Traits Help Predict Long-Term Success in College
Long-term success in college may be better predicted with Advanced Placement (AP) exams and personality traits in combination with standard admission practices, according to new research from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Rice University.The study showed that prediction of student graduation may be significantly improved by including in the college admission process consideration of AP e
JUL 16
Young children with autism benefit regardless of high-quality treatment model
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found that preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who receive high-quality early intervention benefit developmentally regardless of the treatment model used—a surprising result that may have important implications for special-education programs and school classrooms across the country.“This is the first study designed to
Immigrant Young Adults Have Mixed Record of Success in High School and College
Young adults who are immigrants or the children of immigrants have a mixed record of success in Washington State, with the performance of many English language learners lagging behind state averages even as the state’s immigrant youth have a relatively high level of college-degree attainment compared to other immigrants nationwide, the Migration Policy Institute reported today.In a new report, Sha
Reading Recovery® has positive effects on general reading achievement and potentially positive effects on alphabetics, reading fluency, and comprehension for beginning readers
Reading Recovery® is a short-term intervention that provides one-on-one tutoring to first-grade students who are struggling in reading and writing. The supplementary program aims to promote literacy skills and foster the development of reading and writing strategies by tailoring individualized lessons to each student. Tutoring is delivered by trained Reading Recovery® teachers in daily 30 minute p
Revenues and expenditures for public elementary and secondary education for School Year 2010-11
Current expenditures per pupil for public elementary and secondary education were $10,658 on a national level in FY 11. Current expenditures per pupil ranged from $6,326 in Utah to $20,793 in the District of Columbia. Expenditures per pupil were next highest in New York ($18,834); New Jersey ($16,855); Alaska ($16,663); Connecticut ($16,224); and Wyoming ($15,815). Adjusting for inflation, per pup