THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT
ACT Report Highlights the Challenge of Catching Up At-Risk Students
Very few students from at-risk demographic groups—including ethnic minorities, English language learners, those from low-income families and those with disabilities—who start off “far off track“ academically are able to get back on track by four years later, according to a policy report released today by ACT.The report, Catching Up to College and Career Readiness: The Challenge is Greater for At-R
MAY 29
Girls' Social Connections Affect Math Learning
Social connections among African American girls influence their participation and recognition in math class, according to a University of Illinois at Chicago researcher who found that students who are more socially connected tend to enjoy more access to learning opportunities.Maisie Gholson, a UIC doctoral student in curriculum and instruction, studied a third-grade classroom in a public school on
"The Condition of Education 2014"
The 42 indicators presented in The Condition of Education 2014 provide a progress report on education in America and include findings on the demographics of American schools, U.S. resources for schooling, and outcomes associated with education.Report findings include: • As of 2013, about 90 percent of young adults ages 25 to 29 had a high school diploma or its equivalent and 34 percent had a ba
Proposals to change teacher preparation programs lack research foundation and ignore contradictory evidence
Two recent proposals to reform teacher training offer glib diagnoses and remedies – but neither one is based on sound evidence to support their claims or their proposals, according to a new review released today.William J. Mathis reviewed the two reports for the Think Twice think tank review project. His review is published today by the National Education Policy Center, housed at the University of
MAY 28
"Smarter Lunchrooms" Research Results
The final phase of nutrition regulations in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act will go into place this July, requiring school districts to offer more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables both in school meals and outside the meal program. With more than 31 million students receiving school meals each day, ensuring access to healthy food choices at school can have a powerful impact on students' overa
Federal School Improvement Grants: 25 Case Studies
Federal School Improvement Grants (SIG) support turnaround efforts in many of the nation’s lowest-performing schools. This report examines the first year of SIG implementation (2010-11) in a diverse, purposive sample of 25 low-performing case study schools.Key findings include:• The 25 schools differed in their community and fiscal context, their performance and reform history, and their interp
Long-Term Effects of a Student's High School Experience
Observable dimensions of high school quality explain approximately 20 percent of the variation in freshman GPA...To promote diversity in higher education, several states offer automatic admission to students who graduate at the top of their high school class. A new study, Can You Leave High School Behind? (NBER Working Paper No. 19842), exploits one such automatic admissions policy to study the ef
MAY 27
Heavily decorated classrooms disrupt attention and learning in young children
Maps, number lines, shapes, artwork and other materials tend to cover elementary classroom walls. However, new research from Carnegie Mellon University shows that too much of a good thing may end up disrupting attention and learning in young children.Published in Psychological Science, Carnegie Mellon's Anna V. Fisher, Karrie E. Godwin and Howard Seltman looked at whether classroom displays affec
MAY 24
Could text language and autocorrect technologies have an effect on writing skills?
English teacher Carrie Beth Buchanan sees the effects of students' growing up in an age when communication is done in an abbreviated text language and where they depend on autocorrect to automatically solve the "i before e" literary dilemma."In my classroom, I can already see the negative effects," said the English Department chair at Clay-Chalkville High School and a particip