THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT
States studying how to turn around absenteeism
With as many as 7.5 million U.S. students missing nearly a month of school each year, state education leaders have begun mining attendance data to find out how many students and schools are at risk academically and how to turn around absenteeism, according to a report released by Attendance Works.For as long as teachers have taken the roll, schools have recorded attendance data. But most schools
Implementing Teacher and Principal Evaluation Systems - How Are States Doing?
In 2010, 12 states were awarded nearly $4 billion in RTT grant funds to spend over 4 years. A state's RTT application and scope of work included the state's plans for development and implementation of teacher and principal evaluation systems by participating school districts. These systems assess teacher and principal effectiveness based on student academic growth and other measures, such as obser
Half of Parents Have Trouble Helping Their Kids with Homework
As kids nationwide are getting back into the homework routine, the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) teamed up with Google to ask parents the question many silently dread each fall – are you ever unable to help your kids with their homework?The new survey revealed that not only do nearly 50 percent of parents (49.1 percent)* admit to struggling with providing kids the homework help they
An Experiment in College Student Advising Proves Successful
College graduation rates often lag behind college attendance rates. One theory as to why students do not complete college is that they lack key information about how to be successful or fail to act on the information that they have. This study presents evidence from a randomized experiment which tests the effectiveness of individualized student coaching. Over the course of two separate school year
SEP 18
Ongoing evaluation plus targeted instruction adds up to math gains
When early elementary math teachers ask students to explain their problem-solving strategies and then tailor instruction to address specific gaps in their understanding, students learn significantly more than those taught using a more traditional approach. This was the conclusion of a yearlong study of nearly 5,000 kindergarten and first-grade students conducted by researchers at Florida State Uni
E-readers can make reading easier for those with dyslexia
As e-readers grow in popularity as convenient alternatives to traditional books, researchers at the Smithsonian have found that convenience may not be their only benefit. The team discovered that when e-readers are set up to display only a few words per line, some people with dyslexia can read more easily, quickly and with greater comprehension. Their findings are published in the Sept. 18 issue o
Ohio research: poverty has a direct correlation to student performance
Analysis of the most recent Ohio school district state report cards confirms research that shows poverty has a direct correlation to student performance. Using the report cards’ Performance Index (PI) as the measure, analysts examined the relationship between the PI and average income in a school district; poverty rate; percentage of residents with college degrees; and minority population. The ana
Can Online Learning Communities = Traditional Professional Learning Communities?
Professional learning communities (PLCs)—teams of educators who get together regularly to exchange ideas—have sprung up to meet school districts’ growing interest in promoting professional development that engages teachers and administrators. PLCs meet to develop lesson plans, monitor student progress, assess instructional effectiveness, and identify professional learning needs. The ultimate goal
Teacher Mobility and Financial Incentives
Extensive teacher mobility can undermine policy efforts to develop a high-quality workforce. In response, policymakers have increasingly championed financial incentives to retain teachers. In 2006, the Denver Public Schools adopted an alternative teacher compensation reform, the Professional Compensation System for Teachers (“ProComp”). Using longitudinal teacher-level data from 2001–2002 to 2010–
SEP 16
Measuring the Impacts of Teachers II: Teacher Value-Added and Student Outcomes in Adulthood
Are teachers' impacts on students' test scores ("value-added") a good measure of their quality? This question has sparked debate partly because of a lack of evidence on whether high value-added (VA) teachers who raise students' test scores improve students' long-term outcomes. Using school district and tax records for more than one million children, the authors of this study find that st
Measuring the Impacts of Teachers I: Evaluating Bias in Teacher Value-Added Estimates
Are teachers' impacts on students' test scores ("value-added") a good measure of their quality? One reason this question has sparked debate is disagreement about whether value-added (VA) measures provide unbiased estimates of teachers' causal impacts on student achievement. The authors of this study test for bias in VA using previously unobserved parent characteristics and a quasi-experi
Learning Cursive in the First Grade Helps Students
By 2014, 45 American states will stop teaching cursive writing in favour of keyboard proficiency. In Québec, there are no plans for the moment to abandon this type of writing. “Teaching and daily use of handwriting are essential, if only to avoid being at the mercy of technology,” says Professor Isabelle Montésinos-Gelet at the University of Montreal’s Faculty of Education. Although she welcomes t
Binge drinking 5-plus drinks common for high school seniors, some drink more
Consuming five or more alcoholic drinks in a row is common among high school seniors, with some students engaging in extreme binge drinking of as many as 15 or more drinks, according to a study published by JAMA Pediatrics, a JAMA Network publication.Alcohol consumption by adolescents is a public health problem in the United States. Binge drinking, commonly defined as four or more drinks for women
Integrated Mathematics Curriculum Results in Higher Standardized Test Scores
For many years, studies have shown that American students score significantly lower than students worldwide in mathematics achievement, ranking 25th among 34 countries. Now, researchers from the University of Missouri have found high school students in the United States achieve higher scores on a standardized mathematics test if they study from a curriculum known as integrated mathematics.James Ta
Field Trips to Art Museums Improve Critical Thinking, Promote Historical Empathy, and Increase Tolerance
Though school field trips to culturally enriching institutions are in decline, study finds positive educational effects; students from rural regions and minorities benefit most.In recent years, cultural institutions have experienced sharp declines in the number of school tours attending their exhibits. More than half of schools throughout the country eliminated planned field trips in 2010–11 accor
Recruiting and Retaining Black Teachers to Work in Urban Schools
The purpose of this open access article is to examine teacher preparation from the perspective of novice Black teachers. While all teachers, regardless of race, can be trained to be effective teachers of Black students, Black teachers can be more adept at motivating and engaging students of color. Six Black teachers were interviewed to determine their experiences during teacher preparation and ind
Bridging Education Gender Gaps in Developing Countries: The Role of Female Teachers
Recruiting female teachers is frequently suggested as a policy option for improving girls' education outcomes in developing countries, but there is surprisingly little evidence on the effectiveness of such a policy. The authors study gender gaps in learning outcomes, and the effectiveness of female teachers in reducing these gaps using a large, representative, annual panel data set on learning out
SEP 15
9th grade students in most need of a qualified math teacher are least likely to have one
This study investigates the distribution of math teachers with a major or certification in math using data from the National Center for Education Statistics’ High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09). The authors discuss the limitations of existing data sources for measuring teacher qualifications, such as the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), and show how HSLS:09 can be used to analyze t
Culturally Responsive Computing in Urban, After-School Contexts
Thus study examines two different approaches to the design of information technologies that support culturally responsive math education, and report on some evaluations in urban out-of-school settings.African American Distributed Multiple Learning Styles Systems (AADMLSS), provides a game-like virtual environment for math learning modules: one in which cultural identity can be conveyed through a v
SEP 13
Most States Funding Schools Less Than Before the Recession
A new report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities finds that states’ new budgets are providing less per-pupil funding for kindergarten through 12th grade than they did six years ago — often far less. The reduced levels reflect not only the lingering effects of the 2007-09 recession but also continued austerity in many states; indeed, despite some improvements in overall state revenues, sc
Youth More Likely to Be Bullied at Schools With Anti-Bullying Programs
Anti-bullying initiatives have become standard at schools across the country, but a new UT Arlington study finds that students attending those schools may be more likely to be a victim of bullying than children at schools without such programs.The findings run counter to the common perception that bullying prevention programs can help protect kids from repeated harassment or physical and emotional
SEP 12
Aerobic fitness boosts learning, memory in 9-10-year-old children
Higher measures of aerobic fitness linked to better recall of learned informationPhysical fitness can boost learning and memory in children, particularly when initial learning on a task is more challenging, according to research published September 11 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Lauren Raine and colleagues from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.Forty-eight children aged nin
Race to the Top: Failures and Mismatches
Race to the Top has done little to help most states close achievement gaps, and may have exacerbated them, according to a new report by Elaine Weiss, National Coordinator of the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education. In Mismatches in Race to the Top Limit Educational Improvement: Lack of Time, Resources, and Tools to Address Opportunity Gaps Puts Lofty State Goals Out of Reach, Weiss takes a compr
Teachers Need More Effective Professional Development to Meet Higher Standards
Despite decades of research, teacher professional development is not adequately helping teachers to develop their students’ critical thinking skills and subject matter knowledge so that they can be ready for college and the workplace, a new report by the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) Center for Public Education (CPE) finds.“Teaching the Teachers: Effective Professional Development in
Student Arrests Decline in CT But Many Arrests Avoidable and Practices Vary Widely
A new study of records from Connecticut schools shows a reduction in the number of student arrests in schools. The report from Connecticut Voices for Children, the first comprehensive study of its kind, attributed the change in arrest rates to reforms of school discipline policies which followed passage of a 2007 law limiting the use of out-of-school suspensions. Connecticut Voices for Children fo
Transforming a program designed and taught by adults to one designed and taught by youth
Collaboration (GDMC), an informal education program in 3D computer modeling and 2D interactive game design serving primarily African American youth aged 7 to 19 years in the Washington, D.C. metro area, transformed from a program designed and taught by adults to one designed and taught by youth. In Year 1, 8% of youth participants held a leadership role; by Year 4, 30% of youth participants did. M
SEP 11
The Impact of Interim Assessments on Mathematics & Reading Achievement
Interim assessments are increasingly common in U.S. schools. This paper examines the impact of two well-known commercial interim assessment programs on mathematics and reading achievement in Indiana. Results indicate that the treatment effects are positive but not consistently significant. The treatment effects are smaller in lower grades (i.e., kindergarten to second grade) and larger in upper gr
Assessing vocabulary learning in early childhood
There is widespread agreement with in the field of early childhood education that vocabulary is important to literacy achievement and that reading aloud can support vocabulary growth. However, there are unexplored and significant problems with the ways we assess young children’s vocabulary learning from read-alouds. This paper critically reviews the forms of vocabulary assessment commonly used wit
SEP 10
Bilingual education programs have a substantial spillover effect on native English-speaking students
Bilingual education programs have a substantial spillover effect on the students they’re not designed for, according to a groundbreaking study co-authored by a Michigan State University scholar.Texas elementary students who speak English as their home language and were enrolled in schools with bilingual education programs performed much better on state math and reading tests than native English-sp
Beginning Teacher Longitudinal Study
The supply of and demand for teachers is a topic of attention and concern as teachers of the baby boom generation retire. Finding ways to assure that there are enough teachers to educate America’s children is a major policy issue at the local, state, and federal levels. To learn about the early career patterns of beginning teachers, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the Instit
New Study Examines Effectiveness of Secondary School Math Teachers from Teach For America and the Teaching Fellows Programs
Middle and high school math teachers from Teach For America (TFA) and the TNTP Teaching Fellows programs are as effective as, and in some cases more effective than, other math teachers in the same schools acording to a new study. The first large-scale, random assignment study of the effects of secondary school math teachers from these programs on student achievement provides new evidence for polic
SEP 09
African-American Students May Improve Grades if Teachers Convey High Standards
African-American students who need to improve their academic performance may do better in school and feel less stereotyped as underachievers if teachers convey high standards and their belief that students can meet them, according to new psychology research from The University of Texas at Austin.The findings, published online in August in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, contradict
Positive Interactions Vital to Pre-K Learning
Positive interactions in a pre-kindergarten classroom may be equally or more important to the future academic development of 4-year-olds than learning letters and numbers, according to Dale Farran, senior associate director of the Peabody Research Institute at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College for education and human development.Farran is co-author with colleagues Mary Wagner Fuhs and Kimberly Turner N
NY Times: The Great Stagnation of American Education
Complete articleEducation deserves particular focus because its effects are so long-lasting. Every high school dropout becomes a worker who likely won’t earn much more than minimum wage, at best, for the rest of his or her life. And the problems in our educational system pervade all levels.The surge in high school graduation rates — from less than 10 percent of youth in 1900 to 80 percent by 1970
Why poor children are more likely to become poor readers
Socioeconomic status at the individual- and school-level are positively related to literacy achievement in all English-speaking countries. The components of socioeconomic status – income, parent education and parent occupation – are each statistically significant predictors of school literacy achievement but they are primarily a proxy for more directly salient factors. This literature review outli