Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, May 25, 2019

THIS WEEK Education Research Report

Education Research Report



THIS WEEK 
Education Research Report




Engagement in student clubs helps undergraduates find good employment
IMAGE: Binary logistic regression analysis examining the relationship between different types of undergraduate engagement and self-reported critical thinking skills. view more Credit: I. Shcheglova, Yu. Koreshnikova and O. Parshina. A good employer values job applicants with well-developed analytical skills, such as the ability to perceive and interpret information, analyse and assess arguments,
Race and GenderDifferences in Teacher Evaluation Ratings and Teacher Employment Outcomes
Complete report Over the past decade, Michigan has made changes to a number of laws related to teachers and teaching in the state’s public school system. These changes include new requirements for teacher evaluation, and the use of teacher performance ratings for decisions such as teacher tenure, dismissal and retention. Since 2011, state law has required local education agencies (districts) to r
A Rising Share of Undergraduates Are From Poor Families, Especially at Less Selective Colleges
The overall number of undergraduates at U.S. colleges and universities has increased dramatically over the past 20 years, with growth fueled almost exclusively by an influx of students from low-income families and students of color. But these changes are not occurring uniformly across the postsecondary landscape. The rise of poor and minority undergraduates has been most pronounced in public two-
Toxic stress and children’s outcomes
"Stress” is a commonplace term for hormonal changes that occur in response to frightening or threatening events or conditions. When severe, these changes are termed “toxic” stress and can impede children’s behavior, cognitive capacity, and emotional and physical health. Frightening or threatening situations are more sustained and are experienced more frequently by African American and socially an
59 percent of teachers take on additional paid work to supplement their pay
A new report by EPI Economist Emma García and Research Associate Elaine Weiss adds to a growing body of research on the financial hardships faced by teachers. The authors find a connection between poor compensation for educators and the national teacher shortage , which forces many to supplement their pay through moonlighting and other strategies. In the 2015–2016 school year, 59.0 percent of tea

MAY 23

Unlike men, women's cognitive performance may improve at higher room temperature
Women's performance on math and verbal tests is best at higher temperatures, while men perform best on the same tests at lower temperatures, according to a study published May 22, 2019 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Tom Chang and Agne Kajackaite from the USC Marshall School of Business, Los Angeles, USA, and the WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Berlin, Germany. Although many surveys have
Reading with toddlers enhances child behavior R
People who regularly read with their toddlers are less likely to engage in harsh parenting and the children are less likely to be hyperactive or disruptive, a Rutgers-led study finds. Previous studies have shown that frequent shared reading prepares children for school by building language, literacy and emotional skills, but the study by Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School researchers may
Flaws in High-Profile “Gold Standard” Study Used to Market Teach for America
Andrew Brantlinger is a former public school math teacher who is now an associate professor at the University of Maryland’s Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership. Earlier in his academic career, he worked with data concerning the New York City Teaching Fellows alternative certification program. So Brantlinger was intrigued when, six years ago, the federal Institute of Educati
Undergraduates who already held a bachelor’s or higher degree and the fields they were studying.
The National Center for Education Statistics released a new Data Point today (May 23rd) entitled Going Back to College: Undergraduates Who Already Held a Postsecondary Credential . This Data Point presents the percentage of 2015–16 undergraduates who had already received an undergraduate credential and the fields these undergraduates were studying. Three percent of 2015–16 undergraduates who were

MAY 22

How school start times affect academic performance
Complete report American teenagers are chronically sleep-deprived. As children enter puberty, physiological changes delay the onset of sleep and make it more difficult to wake up early in the morning. By the end of middle school, there is a large disconnect between biological sleep patterns and early-morning school schedules: one study found that students lose as much as two hours of sleep per ni
Mostly negative associations between online course-taking and math and reading scores
This research examines online course-taking in high schools, which is increasingly used by students falling behind in progress toward graduation. The study looks inside educational settings to observe how online courses are used and assess whether students gain academically through their use. Drawing on 7 million records of online instructional sessions linked to student records, the researchers
Online Course-taking Increases High School Completion, Postsecondary Education Opportunities
Recent substantial increases in high school graduation rates have been linked anecdotally to the expansion of online course-taking for credit recovery. Online course-taking that supports high school completion could open new opportunities for postsecondary education pursuits. Alternatively, poorer quality online instruction could diminish student engagement and learning and discourage persistence
New Report on the Condition of Education in the United States
The National Center for Education Statistics released The Condition of Education 2019 today (May 22), a congressionally mandated report that summarizes important developments and trends in education using the latest available data. This year’s report includes special findings from recent surveys of outcomes in postsecondary education. The percentage of 2009 ninth-graders who were enrolled in post

MAY 21

United States Invested More Than $694B on Elementary and Secondary Public School Education in Fiscal Year 2017
There are around 48.6 million children enrolled in public elementary and secondary education in the United States. But how much are we spending on their education? The nation spent a total of $694.3 billion on public school systems in fiscal year 2017, up 4.4% from FY 2016, according to Census Bureau statistics released today. It was the largest yearly increase in total expenditure since 2008. Sc
What Use Is Educational Assessment?
From The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science May 2019 Table of Contents Introduction What Use Is Educational Assessment? by Amy I. Berman, Michael J. Feuer, and James W. Pellegrino The History of Assessments in American Education History of Testing in the United States: PK–12 Education by Maris A. Vinovskis History of Testing in the United States: Higher Education by Mi

MAY 20

Far too many high school students aren’t fully prepared or equipped for success upon graduation.
A high school diploma should be a crucial step on the path to social and economic mobility, documenting that students are prepared for life after high school. Unfortunately, far too many high school students aren’t fully prepared or equipped for success upon graduation. In fact, in 2013, only 8 percent of high school graduates completed a full college- and career-preparatory curriculum. This stagg
Affluent Children with Low Test Scores Have a 71% Chance of Being Affluent Adults at Age 25 Compared to Only a 31% Chance for Poor Children with High Test Scores
The great sorting of the most talented young people into haves and have-nots starts long before college, according to a new report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) in partnership with the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Born to Win, Schooled to Lose:Why Equally Talented Students Don’t Get Equal Chances to Be All They Can Be finds that the most talented disadva

MAY 16

Disruptive Behavior Is on the Rise
EAB conducted a survey of nearly 1,900 elementary school teachers, administrators, and staff, to better understand the scope of the problem and how they are responding to it. Responses from multiple stakeholders outlined several important trends: 1. Teachers and administrators report an alarming recent increase in disruptive behavior 2. Districts and schools lack clear and consistent behavior man
Teacher Qualifications Emerge as Major Predictor of Student Achievement in New Report
In some California school districts, students of color are reaching extraordinary levels of academic achievement—defying trends and exceeding the performance of students of similar backgrounds in other districts across the state. A new report by the Learning Policy Institute (LPI) examined which districts have excelled at supporting the learning of students of color as well as White students, tak
Calling attention to gender bias dramatically changes course evaluations
With growing evidence of gender bias on student course evaluations, a new intervention developed by Iowa State University researchers may help reduce bias against women instructors. The end-of-semester surveys evaluate teaching effectiveness and often influence tenure and promotion, but research has shown women are evaluated more critically than their male peers, said Dave Peterson, a professor o
Non-Degree Credentials Deliver Significant Value and are Well Positioned to Increase Economic Mobility
Despite growing national focus among employers and institutions around the impact of sub-baccalaureate certificates and certifications on economic mobility, there has been limited evidence on those credentials’ economic value and their impact on individuals’ lives more broadly. This new study finds that adults with 


Education Research Report