THIS WEEK Education Research Report

Education Research Report

THIS WEEK 

Education Research Report

New Report Releases Data on Postsecondary Tuition, Fees and Degrees

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 18h

Between 2016–17 and 2018–19, the average tuition and required fees at 4-year public institutions increased 1 percent for in-state and decreased 0.2 percent for out-of-state students (after adjusting for inflation). During that same time period, tuition and required fees increased 1.4 percent at 4-year nonprofit institutions and decreased by 3.7 percent at for-profit institutions. The National Cen

Community colleges: Balancing College andWork

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 18h

How can community colleges support students' goals of finding success in the workforce, both today and the future? This issue brief builds upon ACCT's previously published report Partnerships for a Future-Ready Workforce . This brief is the first in a four-part series that will further examine strategies through which community colleges can support students' efforts to achieve their career goals

OCT 10

The associations between teachers’ perceptions of preschoolers’ school readiness and actual academic readiness

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d

Using a nationally representative dataset of young children in the United States (the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Birth Cohort), the purpose of this study was to test the associations between teachers’ perceptions of preschoolers’ ( N = 3350) school readiness and actual academic readiness levels, as measured by math and reading assessments. The dimensions of readiness included social/emoti

Legacy and Athlete Preferences at Harvard

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d

The lawsuit Students For Fair Admissions v. Harvard University provided an unprecedented look at how an elite school makes admissions decisions. Using publicly released reports, this study examines the preferences Harvard gives for recruited athletes, legacies, those on the dean’s interest list, and children of faculty and staff (ALDCs). Among white admits, over 43% are ALDC. Among admits who are

To learn English, bilingual children need robust vocabulary from parents and caregivers

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d

The way a highly proficient speaker of English talks to a child is different from the way a less proficient speaker does. Even for two-year-olds, these differences matter in how they acquire and develop language skills. Early language exposure provides the foundation for children's language development. Therefore, the factors that shape that language exposure, shape language development. A new st

How School Districts Are Responding to ESSA’s Evidence Requirements for School Improvement

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d

In the spring of 2019, the Center on Education Policy (CEP) at the George Washington University conducted interviews with leaders from five school districts that differed in key characteristics. The aim was to learn about districts’ efforts to implement the requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for using evidence-based approaches to improve lowperforming schools. Under ESSA, state

This analysis finds that 30 percent of community college students transfer to another school

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d

Complete report For years, federal data essentially ignored the outcomes of the typical community college student. The official Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) graduation rate counted only students who had enrolled in college for the first time and attended full time. It did not count transfer students or part-time students, even though 65 percent of community college stude

Supporting College Student Mental Health: Parents’ Perspectives

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d

Parents of today’s college students are showing a heightened concern about mental health on campus, with 76 percent calling the issue very or somewhat serious and a majority going so far as to say that access to mental health services was an important factor in the college selection process. The nationally representative survey , which polled over 1,000 parents of students between the ages of 18-

Black students face 'accumulation of disadvantage'

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d

Complete report Since the 2001 enactment of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), considerable attention has been paid to the persistence of racial disparities in academic achievement. However, despite a series of reform initiatives, many children throughout the United States continue to under-perform on standardized assessments, and the effort to close the so-called achievement gap remains a national cha

OCT 09

Dress Coded II: Protest,Progress,and Power in D.C. S c hoo l s

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2d

In April 2018, the National Women’s Law Center released Dress Coded: Black Girls, Bodies and Bias in D.C. Schools. Co-authored by 21 students who live and learn in Washington, D.C., public schools, this groundbreaking report exposed how racist and sexist enforcement of dress codes unfairly targets Black girls, promotes rape culture and fuels school pushout. The report ignited student and parental

OCT 08

Children's language skills may be harmed by social hardship

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are three times more likely to develop difficulties with language than those from more affluent areas, research suggests. Researchers say the findings highlight the need for policies to address the social factors that can hamper speech, language and communication (SLC) development. Failing to do so means children might not fully develop the language skills

Screening kindergarten readiness

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

Starting kindergarten can be a challenging time for children as many are leaving home and learning to interact with others for the first time. As such, it is important for kindergartners to receive proper support from their teachers. Now, University of Missouri College of Education researchers have found that a readiness test can predict kindergarteners' success in school after 18 months. Melissa

End disparities in stem for English learners

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

Although non-native English speaking students are just as capable as their peers of learning subject matter in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields, they face additional barriers because of a misalignment in the way K-12 schoolwork is taught. Referred to as English learners, these students are learning the English language in tandem with other coursework. However, English l

African American bachelor's degrees see growth in physical sciences, engineering

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

African Americans are seeing growth in many engineering and physical sciences fields, but they are not progressing at the same rate when compared to the general population. A report from the American Institute of Physics (AIP) Statistical Research Center (SRC) examined the number of bachelor's degrees earned from 2005 to 2015 and separated out the numbers for African Americans from the rest of th

There is also abundant evidence suggesting a causal link between test scores and later life outcomes

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

The use of test scores as a performance measure in high-stakes educational accountability has become increasingly popular since the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), which imposed sanctions such as the threat of losing federal funds unless a state implemented a school accountability system that measures student progress continuously. Since then, many in the education commu

Teachers’ perceptions of racially dissimilar students vary by experience in the teaching profession.

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

A growing body of research has documented the important benefits teachers of color bring to students of color, including higher expectations. Separately, researchers have shown that teachers improve student achievement with increasing effectiveness over their careers. This study bridges these two streams of research by examining the extent to which teachers’ perceptions of racially dissimilar stu

Why We Really Need to Track Educational Equity

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

Full report with charts In September, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released Monitoring Educational Equity , a consensus report designed to better describe that status quo. The report identifies a set of equity indicators that can highlight disparities, in order to explore causes and monitor change. Such consensus reports are influential because they focus on the

Policy Reversals on Evaluation Systems for Teachers and Principals

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

Since the 2015 passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a large number of states have backed away from recently enacted policies that were designed to breathe new life into moribund teacher and principal evaluation systems. No fewer than 30 states have recently withdrawn at least one of the evaluation reforms that they adopted during a flurry of national activity between 2009 and 2015. T

An Analysis of State Postsecondary Governance Structures

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

For policymakers to successfully pursue their state’s education and workforce goals, it is imperative to have a keen understanding of their unique postsecondary education governance system. Earlier this year, the Education Commission of the States released a 50-State Comparison, individual state profiles and a data visualization tool to assist policymakers and the broader education community in e

OCT 07

OTC medications commonly used in cases of attempted suicide by self-poisoning in youth

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

A higher rate during school months A new study from Nationwide Children's Hospital and the Central Ohio Poison Center found rates of suicide attempts by self-poisoning among youth and adolescents are higher in rural communities, higher during the academic school year and involve common medications found in many households. The study, published online today in Clinical Toxicology , expands on prev

Human Capital Specialization and the College Gender Wage Gap

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

This paper explores the importance of pre-market human capital specialization in explaining gender differences in labor market outcomes among the highly skilled. Using new data with detailed undergraduate major information for several cohorts of American college graduates, the authors establish many novel facts. First, the authors show evidence of a gender convergence in college major choice over

Aligning English Language Proficiency Standards With Content Standards

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 mandates that English language proficiency (ELP) standards align with content standards. As the fast-growing population of English learners (ELs) is expected to meet college- and career-ready content standards, the purpose of this article is to highlight key issues in aligning ELP standards with content standards. The overarching question is how to align ELP

The Impact of English Learner Reclassification on High School Reading and Academic Progress

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

This study estimates the causal impact of 8th grade English learner (EL) reclassification on high school English language arts (ELA) standardized test scores, SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) reading, and on-track to graduate status. The estimated effects of eighth grade reclassification on 9th, 10th, and 11th grade ELA test scores were statistically insignificant. The negative effect on SAT readin

High School Course Access and Postsecondary STEM Enrollment and Attainment

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

This report studies the effects of access to high school math and science courses on postsecondary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) enrollment and degree attainment using administrative data from 

Education Research Report