THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT
School outreach program may reduce African-American student mobility
Outreach programs that build relationships between families and schools may reduce the number of students who change schools for reasons other than grade promotion, according to a new study from researchers at Rice University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Columbia University.The researchers used data from a five-year study that examined the negative consequences of students changing sch
Only 43 percent of SAT takers in the class of 2013 graduated from high school academically prepared for the rigors of college-level course work.
Data released today by the College Board reveals that only 43 percent of SAT® takers in the class of 2013 graduated from high school academically prepared for the rigors of college-level course work. This number has remained virtually unchanged during the last five years. The SAT Benchmark and College Readiness The College Board developed the SAT College and Career Readiness Benchmark to help seco
The numbers were worse for Ohio’s charter schools than publisc schools
This August, Ohio issued for the first time conventional A through F school grades along nine indicators of school performance. The new A-F school report cards follow Florida’s pioneering example of A-F accountability, and Ohio joins 9 other states which have implemented A-F report cards. Parsing Performance, Fordham Institue's annual analysis of Ohio's school performance, examines the state's new
SEP 25
Family Income and School Involvement = Black Male Success
This study sought to examine the various associations of the family behavior with the achievement of Black males. As one of the richest longitudinal family economic data sets, the Child Development Supplement to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics is used to estimate multilevel growth models of the math and reading achievement of Black males. Results suggest that the family’s permanent income has a
SEP 24
Responsive interactions key to toddlers' ability to learn language
Young children readily learn words from their parents, grandparents, and child care providers in live conversations, but learning from video has proven more difficult. A new study questioned why and found that it's the responsiveness of the interactions that's key: When we respond to children in timely and meaningful ways, they learn—even when that response comes from a screen.The study, by resear
Playing with blocks may help children's spatial and math thinking
Playing with blocks may help preschoolers develop the kinds of skills that support later learning in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), according to a new study by researchers at the University of Delaware and Temple University. And for low-income preschoolers, who lag in spatial skills, such play may be especially important.The study is published in the journal Child Development.M
Ohio: Affluent Blacks in Good Schools Still Are Falling Behind
Even if they come from affluent families or attend highly rated schools, black students in Ohio continue to lag far behind their white peers in school, according to a Columbus Dispatch analysis of data from state standardized exams.On more than two dozen state tests given to students in kindergarten through high school last year, the average passage rate among black students was 64 percent. On ave
How accurate are Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading (FAIR) predictions?
This report analyzed student performance on the FAIR reading comprehension screen across grades 4-10 and the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) 2.0 to determine how well the FAIR and the 2011 FCAT 2.0 scores predicted 2012 FCAT 2.0 performance. The first key finding was that the reading comprehension screen of the Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading (FAIR) was more accurate th
SEP 23
72% of College Admissions Officers Agree the Test Should Be Changed
The SAT and ACT®, the high-stakes admissions exams taken by millions of aspiring college students each year, will both look very different in two years — and that’s welcome news to college admissions officers. According to Kaplan Test Prep’s 2013 survey* of college admissions officers from 422 top schools across the country, 72% agree that “the SAT should be changed” — which aligns with the Colleg
Coordinating afterschool programs
A majority of U.S. cities with populations of 100,000 or more that were contacted for a recent study are coordinating afterschool programs to expand and improve services for young people who need them most, according to the study released today.More than three-quarters of the 100 cities where a knowledgeable respondent could be found report implementing at least some strategies to coordinate after
Avoiding "Low-Performing" = Positive Impact, Trying to Go Higher = Negative Impact
This study reviews the impact of accountability pressure in Texas public high schools in the 1990s on postsecondary attainment and earnings, using administrative data from the Texas Schools Project (TSP). The study finds that high schools respond to the risk of being rated Low-Performing by increasing student achievement on high-stakes exams. Years later, these students are more likely to have att
SEP 19
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
