Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, January 18, 2020

THIS WEEK Education Research Report

Education Research Report


THIS WEEK 
Education Research Report

Preschool Development Grant had positive impacts on children’s early academic skills, with the strongest impacts on the most vulnerable children.

Complete report In late 2014, the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) was awarded a four-year federal Preschool Development Grant to support the expansion of high-quality early childhood education to high-needs communities, with particular focus on serving children from low- and middle-income families. The Massachusetts Preschool Expansion Grant (PEG) model is built around
Examining the U.S. Reading Gap

The OECD’s Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which tests 15-year-old students’ abilities in math, reading and science, also measures the relationship between students’ socioeconomic backgrounds and their performance. In 2018, the score difference in reading between the most socioeconomically advantaged students and the most socioeconomically disadvantaged students in the United
Self-regulation in childhood as a predictor of future outcomes: A meta-analytic review.

Robson, Davina A.,Allen, Mark S.,Howard, Steven J. Robson, D. A., Allen, M. S., & Howard, S. J. (2020). Psychological Bulletin. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000227 This meta-analysis explores whether self-regulation in childhood relates to concurrent and subsequent levels of achievement, interpersonal behaviors, mental health, and healthy living. A comprehensive litera

JAN 16

Mix of stress and air pollution may lead to cognitive difficulties in children

Children with elevated exposure to early life stress in the home and elevated prenatal exposure to air pollution exhibited heightened symptoms of attention and thought problems, according to researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia Psychiatry. Early life stress is common in youth from disadvantaged backgrounds who also often live in areas with greater exposu

JAN 14

Healthier school meals are evidence of the success of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act

In a new analysis of studies conducted following the implementation of the 2010 Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA), researchers find positive effects on the dietary quality of meals served to school-aged children. The National School Lunch Program makes it possible for school children in the United States to receive a nutritious school lunch every day. In 2010, the HHFKA required the USDA to cr
Restorative Justice in Education

Schools are implementing (RJE) initiatives across the United States, often to reduce the use of out-of-school suspension, which is known to increase the risk for dropout and arrest. Many RJE initiatives also aim to strengthen social and emotional competencies, reduce gender and racial disparities in discipline, and increase access to equitable and supportive environments for students from margin
State Financial Aid Barriers for Students Impacted by the Justice System

Last week, New Jersey became one of 17 states — plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico — that give people who are in prison access to state financial aid for college coursework. In many cases, though, individuals in prison or with prior criminal convictions are not eligible for state aid. This new Policy Outline provides a high-level overview of state financial aid eligibility for anyone i
The return on investment of the 210 US liberal arts colleges

A new report that ranks the return on investment of the 210 US liberal arts colleges. ROI of Liberal Arts Colleges: Value Adds Up Over Time finds that financial returns from liberal arts colleges start low but rise quickly. Forty years after enrollment, the median ROI for liberal arts colleges is $918,000, nearly $200,000 higher than the median ROI for all colleges. The most selective liberal art
Overall mastery can be improved through engaged science learning

Complete repor t Science consists of a body of knowledge and a set of processes by which the knowledge is produced. Although these have traditionally been treated separately in science instruction, there has been a shift to an integration of knowledge and processes, or set of practices, in how science should be taught and assessed. This study explores whether a general overall mastery of the proc
High School Dropout and Completion Rates

For the first time in 40 years, the status completion rate for Black 18- to 24-year-olds was not measurably different from White 18- to 24-year-olds. From 1977 to 2016 the status completion rate for White 18- to 24-year-olds was consistently higher than the rate for Black 18- to 24-year-olds. The National Center for Education Statistics report, Trends in in the United States: 2019 , presents sta

JAN 13

College and University Basic Needs Insecurity

Complete report The #RealCollege survey is the nation’s largest annual assessment of basic needs security among college students. The survey, created by the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice (Hope Center), specifically evaluates access to affordable food and housing. This report describes the results of the #RealCollege survey administered in the fall of 2018 at 123 two- and four-ye
Program proves effective in preventing dating violence with middle school students

Coaching Boys Into Men, a program that seeks to prevent dating violence and sexual assault, reduces abusive behaviors among middle school male athletes toward their female peers, according to clinical trial results published today in JAMA Pediatrics . The trial, led by Elizabeth Miller, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pit
Mis/Alignment Between High School and Community College Standards

This study explores the extent to which “college-ready” students, by high school standards, are assigned to remedial courses in college. The results confirm that ISMM was prevalent and substantial with respect to high school grades, moderate to substantial based on different measures of math course-taking, and minor to moderate based on standardized test results. Each of these cases is problemati
Some Re-Enrollment Campaigns Help Dropouts Return to College

Most students who begin at a community college leave without earning a degree. Given the growing emphasis on student success, many colleges have implemented re-enrollment campaigns designed to foster re-engagement and degree completion among former students. However, there is a lack of causal evidence on their effectiveness. This study describes a text message-based re-enrollment campaign in part

JAN 10

Do Housing Vouchers Improve Academic Performance? Evidence from New York City

The Housing Choice Voucher program is currently the largest federally funded housing assistance program. Although the program aims to provide housing assistance, it also could affect children's educational outcomes by stabilizing their families, enabling them to move to better homes, neighborhoods, and schools, and increasing their disposable incomes. Using data from New York City, the nation's l
NY

Racial segregation is a long-standing issue in New York City’s schools, highlighted recently by advocates, academics, politicians, and most importantly by students themselves .To begin to address the issue, CCC recently published an analysis of diversity in C schools, and it revealed some important facts. Only 28% of schools in the city are diverse, and two-thirds of Black and Latinx students att
Screen-based media use and language and literacy skills in preschoolers

Even very young children now commonly spend substantial time with screens (phones, tablets, TVs, etc.) and screen time including the use of digital media devices is increasing. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recommended limits on screen time based on concerns regarding its cognitive-behavioral risks. However, relatively little evidence is available on the effects of screen time on t


U.S. students performed slightly better in reading compared to the previous PISA

The release of the latest results from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) showed that administration in 2015, but that U.S. reading performance is flat compared to the first PISA administration in 2000. At first 
Education Research Report