U.S. Spending on Public Schools in 2019 Highest Since 2008by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d
K-12 School Spending Up 4.7% in 2019 From Previous Year The nation spent $752.3 billion on its 48 million children in public schools in fiscal year 2019, a 4.7% increase from the previous year and the most per pupil in more than a decade. Instructional salaries, the largest expenditure within current spending, totaled $239.9 billion in fiscal year 2019 or 31.9% of total expenditures for public el
Public health research tool significantly impacts STEM-capacity scores and environmental awareness in youthby Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d
In a study of low-income, urban youth in the U.S., researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health found that students exposed to Photovoice, an educational intervention, experienced greater improvements in STEM-capacity scores and environmental awareness scores compared to a group of youth who were not exposed to the activity. The results suggest that the Photovoice activities
The effect of attending stand-alone technical high schoolsby Jonathan Kantrowitz / 5d
A new research paper examines the effect of attending stand-alone technical high schools on student short- and longterm outcomes. Male students are 10 percentage points more likely to graduate from high school. Male students have 32% higher quarterly earnings. Earnings effects may in part reflect general skills: male students have higher attendance rates and testscores, and industry fixed effects
US loses $956 billion every year due to inequality in educationby Jonathan Kantrowitz / 9d
A new report, The Cost of Economic and Racial Injustice in Postsecondary Education , finds that inequality in postsecondary attainment causes the United States to miss out on $956 billion in public monetary benefits annually, in addition to numerous nonmonetary benefits to society. The share of adults with an associate’s degree or higher would have to increase by 18 percentage points to equalize
Impact of Career and Technical Education on Postsecondary Outcomesby Jonathan Kantrowitz / 10d
A new report from REL Central describes the impact of being a career and technical education (CTE) concentrator in high school on rates of on-time graduation and postsecondary education enrollment and completion within two and five years of expected high school graduation. CTE concentrators are students who complete a sequence of CTE courses aligned to specific career fields such as manufacturing
Research on three interventions designed to improve student outcomes in science and math.by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 10d
Science Teachers Learning through Lesson Analysis (STeLLA ® ) is a professional development program for elementary teachers that aims to improve science achievement. The University of Chicago School Mathematics Project (UCSMP) is a core curriculum designed to teach middle school students mathematics concepts, applications, and skills. Math Expressions is a core curriculum designed to teach elemen
Effective prematriculation program for community college students assessed as having significant remedial needsby Jonathan Kantrowitz / 11d
Most community college students are referred to developmental education courses to build basic skills. These students often struggle in these courses and college more broadly. CUNY Start is a prematriculation program for students assessed as having significant remedial needs. CUNY Start students delay matriculation for one semester and receive time-intensive instruction in math, reading, and writ
Positive effects of preschool program on children's achievement, grade retention, and special education through tenth gradeby Jonathan Kantrowitz / 11d
Relatively few studies provide rigorous estimates of the long-term effects of large-scale public preschool programs, and their findings vary greatly. This study investigates the effects in third through tenth grade of New Jersey's Abbott preschool program which has many of the features and contexts hypothesized to mitigate fadeout. The program was designed and implemented in the context of a Cour
Top educational apps for children might not be as beneficial as promisedby Jonathan Kantrowitz / 11d
Log on to any app store, and parents will find hundreds of options for children that claim to be educational. But new research suggests these apps might not be as beneficial to children as they seem. A new study analyzed some of the most downloaded educational apps for kids using a set of four criteria designed to evaluate whether an app provides a high-quality educational experience for children
Even when they include them, gifted programs aren't serving Black or low-income kidsby Jonathan Kantrowitz / 11d
"The potential benefits aren't equally distributed," said lead author and University of Florida College of Education professor Christopher Redding, Ph.D., who evaluated data from gifted programs in elementary schools nationwide. "The conversation up to this point has been about access, with less emphasis on how students perform once in gifted programs."After years of criticism for their lack of d
Exposure to Lead of Some Affects Everyone in the Classroomby Jonathan Kantrowitz / 12d
Children exposed to pollutants like lead are more disruptive and have lower achievement. However, little is known about whether lead-exposed children affect the long-run outcomes of their peers. This study estimates these spillover effects using new data on preschool blood lead levels (BLLs) matched to education data for all students in North Carolina public schools. The study compares siblings w
The Role of Universities in Attracting Immigrant Entrepreneursby Jonathan Kantrowitz / 12d
Immigrant founders of venture capital-backed companies have been critical to the entrepreneurial ecosystem. This study documents the channels through which immigrant founders find their way to the United States and how those channels have changed over time. Immigrants have been an important source of founders for venture capital-backed startups accounting for roughly 20% of all founders over the
School reopenings alongside high community spread and at near capacityby Jonathan Kantrowitz / 12d
This paper examines the effect of fall 2020 school reopenings in Texas on county-level COVID-19 cases and fatalities. Previous evidence suggests that schools can be reopened safely if community spread is low and public health guidelines are followed. However, in Texas, reopenings often occurred alongside high community spread and at near capacity, making it difficult to meet social distancing rec
The Long-Term Effects of Universal Preschoolby Jonathan Kantrowitz / 12d
This study uses admissions lotteries to estimate the effects of large-scale public preschool in Boston on college-going, college preparation, standardized test scores, and behavioral outcomes. Preschool enrollment boosts college attendance, as well as SAT test-taking and high school graduation. Preschool also decreases several disciplinary measures including juvenile incarceration, but has no det
