THIS WEEK Education Research Report

Education Research Report

THIS WEEK 

Education Research Report

More than 60 percent of Pell Grants cover the total price of college attendance

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2d

More than 60 percent of Pell Grant recipients at 4-year institutions received federal student loans to cover the total price of college attendance in four academic years between 2003-04 and 2015-16. A new NCES Data Point report, Trends in Ratio of Pell Grant to Total Price of Attendance and Federal Loan Receipt, examines Pell Grants in relation to the total price of attendance by control and leve

AUG 27

End-of-Course Exams Improve Student Outcomes

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

Beginning in the late 1990s, many states took it upon themselves to institute end-of-course exams (EOCs) at the high school level, tests specifically designed to assess students’ mastery of the content that various subject-matter courses covered. But was this testing policy good for students? End-of-Course Exams and Student Outcomes , co-authored by Fordham’s Adam Tyner and Matthew Larsen, an ass

Early improvements in preschoolers' skills help explain long-term benefits of intervention

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

Current research findings are mixed as to whether preschool programs can improve individuals' outcomes in the long term, with some studies pointing to benefits years later and others showing a fadeout of cognitive gains as early as elementary school. A new longitudinal study explored the long-term impacts of a preschool quality improvement program for low-income children on their self-regulation

Family-school engagement has specific perks for young students M

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

With school in full swing, many parents might be considering how to get more involved with their child's schooling. Parent involvement and support can be beneficial for students of all ages, but new research shows that family-school involvement has specific perks for young students. After surveying more than 3,170 students and 200 teachers, researchers at the University of Missouri found that fam

How School Districts are Responding to ESSA’s Evidence Requirements for School Improvemen

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

Today , the Center on Education Policy at the George Washington University released its second in a series of reports on the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act's requirements to use evidence-based school improvement approaches in low-performing schools. The report, District Leader Interviews: t , is based on interviews with leaders in five school districts across the nation. The int

AUG 26

A lack of background knowledge can hinder reading comprehension

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

The purpose of going to school is to learn, but students may find certain topics difficult to understand if they don't have the necessary background knowledge. This is one of the conclusions of a research article published in Psychological Science , a journal of the Association for Psychological Science . "Background knowledge plays a key role in students' reading comprehension -- our findings sh

Two studies reveal benefits of mindfulness for middle school students

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

Two new studies from MIT suggest that mindfulness -- the practice of focusing one's awareness on the present moment -- can enhance academic performance and mental health in middle schoolers. The researchers found that more mindfulness correlates with better academic performance, fewer suspensions from school, and less stress. "By definition, mindfulness is the ability to focus attention on the pr

Classroom Instruction for Mathematics, Reading, and Science

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

This new report examines students’ classroom instruction for mathematics, reading, and science at grades 4, 8, and 12 using survey data from the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress. What content, activities, and skills do educators emphasize in mathematics, reading, and science classrooms across the nation? How is students' exposure to classroom content and participation in activitie

AUG 23

Can play tutoring stimulate children’s social pretend play level?

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 7d

Social pretend play may have a positive impact on children’s social development because it involves positive peer interactions and challenges their social-cognitive abilities. The current study aimed to investigate whether variations in play tutors’ active support and play management are associated with variations in children’s social pretend play level in the context of a pretend play tutoring i

Even incomplete college = a better labor market position

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 7d

Many undergraduates leave college without completing a degree or credential. Some researchers characterize this as a waste of the student’s time because (they assert) college short of a degree does not yield any advantage in the labor market. Using data for an entire cohort of students graduating high school in Texas in one year, this study compares the employment and earnings years later of thos

Characteristics and activities of public and private K–12 school principals

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 7d

The National Center for Education Statistics has released a new report, Characteristics of Public and Private Elementary and Secondary School Principals in the United States: Results From the 2017–18 National Teacher and Principal Survey First Look . The report introduces new information about public and private K–12 school principals. During the 2017–18 school year, public school principals were

Less of the Best: U.S. Students Outperformed in Math

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 8d

On the most recent international student assessment from the OECD, the U.S. had fewer high-performing students and more low-performing students on all three subjects: reading, science and especially math . In fact, only about six percent of U.S. students were able to answer the most complex questions on the math assessment while more than a third of Singapore’s students could. Conversely, nearly

AUG 21

States’ Standards for Proficient Performance in Reading and Mathematics for Students in Grades 4 and 8

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 10d

In 2017, most state standards for proficient performance in reading and mathematics for grades 4 and 8 mapped at the NAEP Basic achievement level. The National Center for Education Statistics report, Mapping State Proficiency Standards onto the NAEP Scales: Results From the 2017 NAEP Reading and Mathematics Assessments, compared the NAEP scale scores equivalent to each state standard for proficie

AUG 20

Changes in Undergraduate Program Completers’ Borrowing

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 10d

The National Center for Education Statistics released a new Data Point today (August 20), entitled Rates and Loan Amounts by Age: 1995–96 Through 2015–16 . This Data Point examines the percentage of undergraduate students who had ever borrowed for postsecondary education and compares borrowing rates and loan amounts among five age groups from 1995–96 through 2015–16. Among undergraduate borrower

Factors Related to Teacher Mobility and Attrition

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 11d

Complete report In coordination with the Educator Pipeline Research Alliance, REL Central analyzed two years of data provided by state education agencies in Colorado, Missouri, and South Dakota to identify factors related to teacher mobility and attrition. Compared with teachers who remained in their school, teachers who moved to different schools were more likely to: Be special education teacher

AUG 19

Teacher Retention, Mobility, and Attrition in Four States

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 11d

A new report from Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Central examines rural and nonrural teacher movement within and out of public school systems in Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota. REL Central conducted the study in partnership with their Educator Pipeline Research Alliance , whose members are concerned about teacher shortages, particularly in rural settings. The study found th

Growing Partisan Divide in Views of Higher Education

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 11d

Pew Research Center has just published a new data essay examining the growing partisan divide in views of higher education . The essay finds that Americans see value in higher education, whether they graduated from college or not. Even so, there is an undercurrent of dissatisfaction – even suspicion – among the public about the role colleges play in society, the way admissions decisions are made

Reducing Frictions in College Admissions: Evidence from the Common Application

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 12d

College admissions in the U.S. is decentralized, with students applying separately to each school. This creates frictions in the college admissions process and, if substantial, might ultimately limit student choice. This paper studies the introduction of the Common Application (CA) platform, under which students submit a single application to all member schools, potentially reducing frictions and

Hiring teachers: performance on specific screening assessments is significantly and meaningfully predictive

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 12d

Many schools and districts have considerable discretion when hiring teachers, yet little is known about how that discretion should be used. Using data from a new teacher screening system in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), this study finds that performance during screening, and especially 

Education Research Report