Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, September 27, 2014

This Week's Education Research Report 9-27-14 #edreform #EDCHAT #P2


THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT







The scarring effects of primary-grade retention?
New study finds that primary-grade retention reduces the odds of completing high school by about 60 percent in matched samples of retained and non-retained studentsAn article released by Social Forces titled, "The Scarring Effects of Primary-Grade Retention? A Study of Cumulative Advantage in the Educational Career" by Megan Andrew explores the effect of scarring in the educational caree
College Enrollment Declines for Second Year in a Row, Census Bureau Reports
College enrollment declined by close to half a million (463,000) between 2012 and 2013, marking the second year in a row that a drop of this magnitude has occurred. The cumulative two-year drop of 930,000 was larger than any college enrollment drop before the recent recession, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics from the Current Population Survey released today. The Census Bureau began coll
High School Students Receiving Instruction Focused on “Deeper Learning” Do Better in Math and English and Have Higher Graduation Rates than Their Peers
Students at high schools focusing on deeper learning had higher scores on standardized tests in mathematics and English, and higher graduation rates than their peers, according to a study by the American Institutes for Research (AIR).In conducting the Study of Deeper Learning: Opportunities and Outcomes, AIR researchers found positive effects on students from a wide range of deeper learning approa

SEP 24

Online Research and Comprehension: Rethinking the Reading Achievement Gap
Is there an achievement gap for online reading ability based on income inequality that is separate from the achievement gap in traditional, offline reading? This possibility was examined in this study of students in two pseudonymous school districts: West Town (economically advantaged) and East Town (economically challenged; N = 256). Performance-based assessments were used within a simulation of
New Report Finds Latino Children Gaining Ground in Education
America’s Hispanic Children--Gaining Ground Looking Forward, issued by Child Trends Hispanic Institute includes the latest data released by the U.S. Census Bureau and documents key areas in which Latino children are finding greater success, especially in education, health and elsewhere, while also examining key challenges. The report paints a complex picture of the 17.5 million Hispanic children,

SEP 23

Lack of sleep increases risk of failure in school
A new Swedish study shows that adolescents who suffer from sleep disturbance or habitual short sleep duration are less likely to succeed academically compared to those who enjoy a good night's sleep. The results have recently been published in the journal Sleep Medicine.In a new study involving more than 20,000 adolescents aged between 12 and 19 from Uppsala County, researchers from Uppsala Univer
“Brain Breaks” increase activity, educational performance in elementary schools
A recent Oregon survey about an exercise DVD that adds short breaks of physical activity into the daily routine of elementary school students found it had a high level of popularity with both students and teachers, and offered clear advantages for overly sedentary educational programs.Called “Brain Breaks,” the DVD was developed and produced by the Healthy Youth Program of the Linus Pauling Instit
Fear of failure hurts educational achievement - high standards create fear
An early established fear of failure at school can influence students' motivation to learn and negatively affect their attitude to learning.This is the finding of a study by Dr. Michou, (Bilkent University, Turkey), Dr. Vansteenkiste (Ghent University, Belgium), Dr. Mouratidis (Hacettepe University, Turkey) and Dr. Lens (University of Leuven, Belgium) that will soon be published in theBritish Jour
"The Efficiency Index" Makes No Sense
A recent report purporting to score and rank national education systems on efficiency has drawn extensive media attention in both Europe and North America. But a new review published today explains that the report has serious problems and generates extreme conclusions and unrealistic policy proposals. Professor Clive Belfield reviewed The Efficiency Index, written by Peter Dolton, Olivier Marcenar
Relationship Between Early Mathematics Knowledge and High School Achievement
Although previous research has established the association between early-grade mathematics knowledge and later mathematics achievement, few studies have measured mathematical skills prior to school entry, and few have investigated the predictive power of early gains in mathematics ability. This paper relates mathematical skills measured at 54 months to adolescent mathematics achievement using mult

SEP 22

Classroom intervention helps shy kids learn
A program that helps teachers modify their interactions with students based on an individual's temperament helps shy children to become more engaged in their class work, and in turn, improves their math and critical thinking skills.Led by NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, the study offers an evidence-based intervention to help shy children, who are often at risk
Students' reporting of weapons at school: Factors that influence decision to 'tell'
In a new study, University of Texas at Dallas criminology researchers have found that certain factors affect students' willingness to report weapons at school."A big part of adolescent development is figuring out your identity, and that does not always mean talking to grown-ups about what is going on," said Dr. Nadine Connell, assistant professor of criminology in the School of Economic,
The Impact of NCLB Accountability Sanctions on School Performance:Evidence from North Carolina
Comparisons of schools that barely meet or miss criteria for adequate
y early progress (AYP) reveal that some sanctions built into the No
Child Left Behind accountability regime exert positive impacts on students.  Estimates indicate that the strongest positive effects
associate with the ultimate sanction:  leadership and management
changes associated with school restructuring.  This study finds s