THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT
What are the risks of student cyberbullying?
The analysis of the results of middle and high school student attitudes to cyberbullying and online safety to be published in the International Journal of Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments shows that many children are bullied and few understand internet safety.Stacey Kite, Robert Gable and Lawrence Filippelli of the Johnson & Wales University, in Providence, Rhode Island, USA,
What To Do With Algebra II?
Pushing students to take more advanced coursework has been a mainstay of American school reform for several decades. That prescription has worked in boosting enrollments. In 1986, less than half of all 17 year-olds (44%) had completed Algebra II, and for Black and Hispanic students, the rate was less than a third. Completing Algebra II is now commonplace. In 2012, about three-fourths of students c
Algebra Assessments are Essential, but Inadequate
Over the past two decades, algebra has acquired elevated status within the U.S. school curriculum. Researchers have documented that readiness for both college-level mathematics and technically-oriented employment hinges on students gaining, at least by the end of high school, a basic knowledge of algebra.[i] The recognition of algebra’s “gatekeeper” role within the continuum of high school math co
Teens Losing Interest In Stem Careers While U.S. Projects Significant Growth In Field
Junior Achievement USA® (JA) and the ING U.S. Foundation's 2013 Teens & Careers survey reveals a substantial year-over-year decline in teens' interest in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) and medical-related fields. This is the 12th year the survey has been conducted. While almost half (46 percent) of all teens surveyed showed interest in pursuing either a STEM or medical-related j
Math, Language Arts rated most valuable school subjects
According to a new Gallup Poll, women, liberals, and those with a postgraduate degree rate Language Arts as their most valuable school subject. Most others choose Math. The question does not specify which level of school -- grade school, high school, college, or postgraduate study -- respondents should use in assessing the value of subjects. Thus, respondents were free to look back over their enti
New School-District Consolidation Report Debunked
The Center for American Progress (CAP) recently released a report intended “to spark a conversation” about closing and consolidating small school districts. The report, titled “Size Matters: A Look at School-District Consolidation,” concludes: “Across the nation, we found that small, nonremote districts might represent as much as $1 billion in lost annual capacity” (p. 2). Unfortunately, two major
SEP 04
Using harsh verbal discipline with teens found to be harmful
Many American parents yell or shout at their teenagers. A new longitudinal study has found that using such harsh verbal discipline in early adolescence can be harmful to teens later. Instead of minimizing teens' problematic behavior, harsh verbal discipline may actually aggravate it.The study, from researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Michigan, appears in the journal C
Children benefit from positive peer influence in afterschool programs
Children in afterschool programs who have a sense of connectedness with their peers are less likely to report emotional problems, according to Penn State researchers. Children exhibited fewer behavior problems if they perceived their peers were willing to encourage them to behave well."Encouraging your friends to do something positive or to not misbehave may start from selfishness because you want
Endangering Prosperity: A Global View of the American School
In Endangering Prosperity: A Global View of the American School by Eric A. Hanushek, Paul E. Peterson, and Ludger Woessmann (Brookings Institution Press, 2013) scholars from Harvard, Stanford, and the University of Munich show just how far American students are falling behind their global counterparts and how the looming failure of our education system imperils our economic future. Through their
Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary School Districts: School Year 2010-11
This First Look report presents findings on public education revenues and expenditures at the local education agency (LEA) level using fiscal year 2011 (FY 11) provisional data from the LEA Finance Survey of the Common Core of Data (CCD) survey system. Findings include:• The national median total current revenues per pupil were $12,054 in FY 11. Adjusting for inflation, this represents a decrease
SEP 03
Teaching the Whole Child
Social-emotional learning is critical to the introduction of college- andcareer-readiness standards, which increase the demands on students’ ability toengage in deeper learning and shift the focus and rigor of instruction (NationalGovernors Association Center for Best Practices [NGA Center] & Council of ChiefState School Officers [CCSSO] 2010a; NGA Center & CCSSO, 2010b).To aid this critic
AUG 30
Parent and Family Involvement in Education in 2011-12
This report presents findings from the Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program of 2012 (NHES:2012) from the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences. The Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey collected data on children enrolled in public or private school for kindergarten through 12
Early Childhood Program Participation in 2012
This report presents findings from the Early Childhood Program Participation Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program of 2012 (NHES:2012) from the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences. The Early Childhood Program Participation Survey collected data on children’s participation in relative care, nonrelative care, and center-based care
AUG 29
A Review of Online Algebra I Courses
A new report issued by SRI International, Supporting K-12 Students in Online Learning: A Review of Online Algebra I Courses, informs both designers and purchasers of online courseware about the characteristics of online Algebra I courses available in the market.“We know that algebra is an important course that can be a gateway to more advanced math classes and future college attendance, and online
AUG 28
Mindfulness training can help reduce teacher stress and burnout
Teachers who practice "mindfulness" are better able to reduce their own levels of stress and prevent burnout, according to a new study conducted by the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds (CIHM) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Waisman Center.The results of the study, led by Assistant Scientist Lisa Flook, were recently published in the journal Mind, Brain and Education.Mindfulness, a not
High School Graduation Rates Increase after 30 Years of Stagnation
Increased K‒8 math skills, decreased teen birth rates, and lower incarceration rates may have lifted completion rates between 2000 and 2010After 30 years of stagnation, high school graduation rates increased by 6 percentage points between 2000 and 2010, while the black-white and Hispanic-white graduation rate gap narrowed to 8.1 and 8.5 percentage points, respectively, according to new research fr
AUG 27
Do girls really experience more math anxiety?
Girls report more math anxiety on general survey measures but are not actually more anxious during math classes and exams, according to new research forthcoming in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.Existing research suggests that females are more anxious when it comes to mathematics than their male peers, despite similar levels of achievement. But educat
Children Grasp Math More Easily With Real-World Examples
If 3 is greater than 2, then ⅓ must be bigger than ½ — right? Wrong. As thousands of students head back to school next week, many will use exactly that kind of thinking when faced with fractions for the first time. New research from Concordia University shows that for children to understand math, teachers must constantly make the connection between abstract numbers and real world examples.Helena O
NCLB Waivers May Leave Sub-Groups Behind
The Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE) today released a white paper that raises serious questions about state accountability plans under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) waiver program of the U.S. Department of Education—including whether the use of “super subgroups” could lead to fewer students of color receiving the supports and interventions they need to succeed in school.
2012 School Health Policies and Practices Study results
School districts nationwide are showing improvements in measures related to nutritional policies, physical education and tobacco policies, according to the 2012 School Health Policies and Practices Study (SHPPS). SHPPS is the largest and most comprehensive survey to assess school health policies. Key findings include:Nutrition: The percentage of school districts that allowed soft drink companies
AEI’s Attempt to Discover What Worked with NCLB Is Laudable but Flawed
Does the threat of sanctions from the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act lead schools to boost achievement scores? A recent study from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) suggests the answer to that question is a cautious “yes.” A new review released today, however, says that the report does not succeed in sorting out the effects of different elements of NCLB. It finds tepid effects from
AUG 26
Preschoolers who stutter do just fine emotionally and socially
Stuttering may be more common than previously thought, but preschool stutterers fair better than first thought, a study by The University of Melbourne, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and The University of Sydney has found. A study of over 1600 children, which followed the children from infancy to four years old, found the cumulative incidence of stuttering by four years old was 11 per cent,
The Effect of Maternal Employment on Children's Academic Performance
Using a Danish data set that follows 135,000 Danish children from birth through 9th grade, this study examines the effect of maternal employment during a child's first three and first 15 years on that child's grade point average in 9th grade. The authors of this study find that maternal employment has a positive effect on children's academic performance in all specifications, particularly when wom
The Impact of Performance-Based Scholarships on Student Time Use
Using survey data from a field experiment in the U.S., this study testswhether and how financial incentives change student behavior. The authors find that providing post-secondary scholarships with incentives to meet performance, enrollment, and/or attendance benchmarks inducedstudents to devote more time to educational activities and toincrease the quality of effort toward, and engagement with, t
AUG 23
Single-sex classes & student outcomes: Evidence from North Carolina
The effects of single-sex education are hotly contested, both in academic and policy circles. Despite this heated debate, there exists little credible empirical evidence of the effect of a U.S. public school's decision to offer single-sex classrooms on the educational outcomes of students. This study seeks to fill this hole. Using administrative records for third through eighth graders in North Ca
Principal turnover and student achievement
Principals have important management roles, including responsibilities for teachers, curricula and budgets. Schools change principals frequently; about 20% of public school principals in the United States leave their positions each year. Despite the significance of principals and the regularity of principal departures, little is known about how turnover affects schools. Using twelve years of admin
Boys Math Achievement Gap Higher In Single Geneder Schools
This paper uses a distinctive feature of the Irish education system to examine the impact of single-sex education on the gender difference in mathematical achievement at the top of the distribution. The Irish primary school system is interesting both for the fact that many children attend single-sex schools, and because these single-sex schools are part of the general educational system, rather th
Raising the minimum dropout age leads to more in-school crime
Over the years, the minimum dropout age has been raised to 18 in 21 states. Although these policy changes are promoted for their educational benefits, they have been shown to reduce crimes committed by youths in the affected age groups. However, an unintended consequence of increasing the minimum dropout age could be the displacement of crime from the streets to schools. This study uses data from
Principals Tend to Give Better Teachers Larger Classes
The high stakes testing and school accountability components of our K-12 education system create an incentive for principals to behave strategically to maximize school performance. One possible approach is the adjustment of class sizes based on observed teacher effectiveness. Conceptually, this relationship may be positive or negative. On one hand, performance-maximizing principals may place more
The impact of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program
This study analyzes the impact of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, a college-preparatory educational program designed for higher-achieving students, on high school academic achievement in Chicago Public Schools. The study concludes that there is a positive effect of the program on the probability of obtaining a B average or better in coursework, with most of the effect accruing t