THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT
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An in-class computer-based system, that included daily online testing, was introduced to two large university classes. This study examined subsequent improvements in academic performance and reductions in the achievement gaps between lower- and upper-middle class students in academic performance. Students (N = 901) brought laptop computers to classes and took daily quizzes that provided immediate and personalized feedback. Student performance was compared with the same data for traditional classes taught previously by the same instructors (N = 935). Exam performance was approximately half a le
One of the enduring problems in education is the persistence of achievement gaps between White, wealthy, native English-speaking students and their counterparts who are minority, lower-income, or English language learners. This study shows that one intensive technical assistance (TA) intervention—California’s District Assistance and Intervention Teams (DAITs)—implemented in conjunction with a high-stakes accountability policy improves the math and English performance of traditionally underserved students. Using a 6-year panel of student-level data from California, the authors find that the DAI
Teachers' daily interactions with children are crucial to making sure they're ready for school. Many state early childhood systems and the federal Office of Head Start consider teacher-child interactions when they measure programs' quality. But research hasn't always been clear about which aspects of interactions are most important to how children do academically and socially. A new study that used a novel approach to analyzing data in this area has identified which types of teacher-child interactions support children's learning and development in which areas.The study, by researchers at the U
YESTERDAY
Preschoolers exposure to television can stall their cognitive development
Television is a powerful agent of development for children, particularly those in preschool. But when could too much TV be detrimental to a young child's mind? A recent paper published in the Journal of Communication found that preschoolers who have a TV in their bedroom and are exposed to more background TV have a weaker understanding of other people's beliefs and desires.Amy Nathanson, Molly Sha
Increases in ADHD diagnoses among US children
A new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) found that an estimated two million more children in the United States (U.S.) have been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) between 2003-04 and 2011-12. One million more U.S. children were taking medication for ADHD between 2003-04 and 2011-12. According to the study
On average, School Improvement Grant (SIG) schools improve
The U.S. Department of Education has released the 2011-12 school and district-level state assessment data and a brief analysis of School Improvement Grant (SIG) schools. The Department’s analysis compares the average proficiency rates of SIG schools in the 2011-12 school year to rates in the year prior to receiving grants.The SIG program is a key component of the Department’s strategy for helping
NOV 20
Research Shows IB Extended Essay Improves Student Approach to Learning in Higher Education
A recently completed research project conducted by researchers from McGill University in Canada, Warwick University in the United Kingdom, and University of Virginia in the United States, involved a series of studies on the extended essay, a critical component of the International Baccalaureate's Diploma Programme (DP) for students age 16-19. The overall aim was to explore learning outcomes attrib
Children's cardiovascular fitness declining
Many kids don't run as far or fast as their parents did, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2013.The decline in running fitness may indicate worse health in adulthood, the researchers said."If a young person is generally unfit now, then they are more likely to develop conditions like heart disease later in life," said Grant Tomkinson,
Cyberbullying among youth: A comprehensive review of current international research
Cyberbullying research is rapidly expanding with many studies being published from around the world in the past five or six years. This article reviews the current international literature published in English, with particular attention to the following themes: The relationship of cyberbullying to the more traditional face-to-face bullying, including differences and similarities; the impacts of cy
Larger Classes with Effective Teachers Lead to Significant Gains in Student Achievement
Thomas B. Fordham Institute has released a new study, Right-sizing the Classroom: Making the Most of Great Teachers, that concludes that schools can achieve significant student-achievement gains if they place more students in the classrooms of highly effective teachers and fewer students in classrooms of less effective teachers. In the eighth grade, assigning up to twelve more students than averag
NOV 19
Trends in career and technical education
Overall coursetaking in Career and Technical Education (CTE) has declined. From 1990 to 2009, the average number of CTE credits earned by U.S. public high school graduates declined, from 4.2 to 3.6, while the average number of credits earned in other subject areas increased.* Coursetaking in occupational areas, such as agriculture and natural resources or business, dropped from 2.7 to 2.5 credit.
This article in The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science January 2014 ,examines how the rise in incarceration and its disproportionate concentration among low-skill, young African American men influences estimates of educational attainment in the United States. Although official statistics show a declining racial gap in high school dropout in recent years, conventional data sources exclude the incarcerated population from sample data. Those exclusions underestimate the extent of racial inequality in high school graduation and underestimate the dropout rate among young black men by as much as 40 percent. America’s prisons and jails have become repositories for high school dropouts, thereby obscuring the degree of disadvantage faced by black men in the contemporary United States and the relative competitiveness of the U.S. workforce.
This article in The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science January 2014, examines how the rise in incarceration and its disproportionate concentration among low-skill, young African American men influences estimates of educational attainment in the United States. Although official statistics show a declining racial gap in high school dropout in recent years, conventional da
Who Considers Teaching and Who Teaches?
Who Considers Teaching and Who Teaches? First-Time 2007–08 Bachelor’s Degree Recipients by Teaching Status 1 Year After Graduation, examines the teaching status of 2007-08 first-time bachelor’s degree recipients one year after graduation. Among these recent graduates, the analysis compares four groups with respect to their teaching experiences or interest in teaching: those who taught either befor
Literacy-related school readiness skills of English language learners in Head Start
This study examined the effects of Head Start on early literacy skills relevant to school readiness of English language learners compared to their peers. The comparisons of literacy outcomes were conducted between English language learners and non-English language learners when both groups participated and were not in Head Start. The results indicated that being in Head Start did not contribute to
New York City School Choice Report Mistakes Correlation for Causation
A recent Brookings Institution report asserting that school choice and competition helped improve New York City students’ test scores and graduation rates is merely “weakly supported advocacy” – not reliable research. That’s the conclusion of a new scholarly review of the report. The review was written by Patricia Burch of the University of Southern California, Mary Stewart of the University of Wi
NOV 18
With children playing board games,'count-on' method yields learning gains
Teachers and parents like to use board games to teach skills that range from fair play to counting. When it comes to improving early number skills, a new report by Boston College and Carnegie Mellon University researchers finds that how children count is what really counts.Games like Chutes & Ladders require players to count out the spaces along which they move their tokens at each turn. Earli
High Schoool Classes Shape How Teens Choose Their Friends
But a national study led by a Michigan State University scholar finds that the courses students take have powerful effects on the friendships they make. The study was funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.The findings, published in the American Journal of Sociology, indicate the pattern of course-taking is distinctive to each high school. In one school, fo
Interventions That Improve Character and Cognition
This paper reviews the recent literature on measuring and boostingcognitive and noncognitive skills. The literature establishes thatachievement tests do not adequately capture characterskills--personality traits, goals, motivations, and preferences--thatare valued in the labor market, in school, and in many other domains. Their predictive power rivals that of cognitive skills. Reliablemeasures of
NOV 16
Standardized Testing and the Common Core Standards: You Get What You Pay For?
Eighty-five percent of American students attend school in a state that has adopted the Common Core State Standards. As these states transition from adoption to implementation of the new standards, many are grappling with how best to assess whether students are learning the material contained in the Common Core. Debates about the costs and merits of Common Core tests are raging in states across the