Education Research Report

THIS WEEK 
Education Research Report

New WWC Reviews of Early College High Schools and Dual-Credit Courses for Student Success

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2d

Not all education research is equal—the WWC identifies well-designed studies, trustworthy research, and meaningful findings to inform decisions and improve student outcomes. This month, we are highlighting two new reviews of studies on postsecondary education, adding to over 10,000 existing citations about what works in education. The first study the WWC reviewed investigated the six-year impact

Study shows racial disparities in elementary school disciplinary actions

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2d

Even after accounting for differences in income, education, caregiver support, special education services and parental reports of misbehavior and family conflict, elementary school-age Black children are 3.5 times more likely to be suspended or placed in detention than their white peers, a new study finds. The results were unsettling even to the researchers themselves, who were familiar with prev

Performance-Based Aid, Enhanced Advising, and the Income Gap in College Graduation

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

Income gaps in college enrollment, persistence, and graduation raise concerns for those interested in equal opportunity in higher education. This study presents findings from a randomly assigned scholarship for low-income students at a medium-sized public 4-year university. The program focused solely on the first four semesters of enrollment and tied aid disbursements to modest academic benchmark

The Impact of the El Dorado Promise Scholarship on Student Achievement

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

This study examines whether the El Dorado Promise, a guaranteed college scholarship program for students in the El Dorado School District (EDSD), affected elementary and middle school achievement using a quasi-experimental matching design, first matching the EDSD with similar districts to create a pool of potential comparison students, then matching students on prior achievement and demographics.

Explaining the Race Gap in Teacher Performance Ratings

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

Racial gaps in teacher performance ratings have emerged nationwide across newly implemented educator evaluation systems. Using Chicago Public Schools data, this study quantifies the magnitude of the race gap in teachers’ classroom observation scores, examine its determinants, and describe the potential implications for teacher diversity. Between-school differences explain most of the race gap and

What Works When Teaching Remotely? A Rapid Evidence Review

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

To provide relevant information to educators and administrators in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Institute of Education Sciences conducted a rapid evidence review to report on what works in distance learning programming. The What Works Clearinghouse teams screened available education research to identify the most promising evidence about what works for learning remotely. Of the 932 studi

Improving Teaching and Learning of Probability and Statistics

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

Leaders in probability and statistics education suggest that involving students in all four components of statistical inquiry—formulating statistical questions, collecting data, analyzing data, and interpreting results—will improve student understanding of probability and statistics education standards and student performance on associated achievement measures. Curriculum materials developed by t

Report on Religious Charters Weakened by Key Omissions

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

The Manhattan Institute recently published a report concluding that the Supreme Court’s 2020 decision in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue requires states to grant charters to religious organizations, including those that intend to deliver an explicitly religious curriculum that teaches religion as truth. Derek Black of the University of South Carolina School of Law reviewed Religious Cha

Timing of SNAP benefits: Food scarcity lowers high-stakes exam scores

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

Monthly government transfer programs create cycles of consumption that track the timing of benefit receipt. This paper exploits state-level variation in the staggered timing of nutritional assistance benefit issuance across households to analyze how this monthly cyclicality in food availability affects academic achievement. Using individual-level score data from a large national college admission

A Misguided Guide for Implementing Innovation Schools

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 9d

The Progressive Policy Institute recently published a “how-to” guide for entities such as charter management companies that seek to develop innovation schools in urban communities. Carrie Sampson of Arizona State University and Sarah Diem of the University of Missouri reviewed The Third Way: A Guide to Implementing Innovation Schools and found it to lack research-based evidence to support its rec

Argument‐based approach to teaching science in elementary school: improvement in critical thinking scores, but not science

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 9d

This study investigates the impact of an argument‐based approach to teaching science in elementary school on science learning and critical thinking skills. Forty‐eight schools participated in the study, with data on 9,963 students across the 2 years of the intervention. Annual standardized tests assessing science content knowledge were used to evaluate the effect of the intervention on science us

College campuses are COVID-19 superspreaders, new study suggests

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 15d

College campuses are at risk of becoming COVID-19 superspreaders for their entire county, according to a new vast study which shows the striking danger of the first two weeks of school in particular. Looking at 30 campuses across

 Education Research Report