Education Research Report

THIS WEEK 
Education Research Report

Combination of early reading programs helps with kindergarten readiness

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d

A study published in the journal Pediatrics shows the combination of two early reading programs had positive effects on preschool students entering kindergarten in Cincinnati Public Schools over a three-year period. The two early reading programs are: Reach Out and Read, through which children receive a new book and guidance about reading at home during well-visits from newborn through age 5; and

Less than a third (28%) of STEM-educated workers actually working in a STEM job.

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2d

But STEM Majors Earned More Than Other STEM Workers Majoring in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) does not guarantee a job in a STEM occupation but it typically means a bump in pay. Among the 50 million employed college graduates ages 25 to 64 in 2019, 37% reported a bachelor’s degree in science or engineering but only 14% worked in a STEM occupation, according to the Census Bureau

FDA Authorizes Marketing of Diagnostic Aid for Autism Spectrum Disorder

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2d

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized marketing of a device to help diagnose autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Cognoa ASD Diagnosis Aid is a machine learning-based software intended to help health care providers diagnose ASD in children 18 months through 5 years of age who exhibit potential symptoms of the disorder. “Autism spectrum disorder can delay a child’s physical, cogni

Scientists say active early learning shapes the adult brain

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

Virginia Tech, Penn researchers show early learning shapes adult brain structure VIRGINIA TECH Research News SHARE PRINT E-MAIL IMAGE: A TEACHER GUIDES A STUDENT THROUGH A TASK IN THIS HISTORICAL PHOTO OF THE ABECEDARIAN PROJECT, AN EARLY EDUCATION, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL THAT BEGAN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA... view more CREDIT: VIRGINIA TECH An enhanced learning environment during

Foster care, homelessness are higher education hurdles

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

New research shows stable housing, money for books among chief concerns UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA Research News SHARE PRINT E-MAIL A college education is estimated to add $1 million to a person's lifetime earning potential, but for some students the path to earning one is riddled with obstacles. That journey is even more difficult for students who have been in the foster care system or experienced ho

New Report Compares State Performance Standards Using NAEP

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

Today , the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is releasing Mapping State Proficiency Standards Onto the NAEP Scales: Results From the 2019 NAEP Reading and Mathematics Assessments. This study compares standards for proficient performances set by states in reading and mathematics for grades 4 and 8 using states’ performances in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP),

Changing Returns to Education and the Black-White Earnings Gap

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

Rising labor market returns to education and a stable disparity in educational attainment led to a doubling in the share of the earnings gap between Black and White men that is attributable to the education gap. The return to education in the US labor market has increased in recent decades, raising the importance of disparities in educational attainment between Black and White men in accounting f

Positive effects of accelerated college credit programs on student outcomes

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

A new study found positive effects of accelerated college credit programs on student outcomes in Rhode Island. REL Northeast & Islands researchers examined participation in three types of accelerated college credit programs—dual enrollment, concurrent enrollment, and AP testing—in Rhode Island high schools to understand their effect on the rate of high school completion and postsecondary outcomes

High school students in the United States unable to discern quality information from sham online

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

Are today’s students able to discern quality information from sham online? In the largest investigation of its kind, this study administered an assessment to 3,446 high school students. Equipped with a live internet connection, the students responded to six constructed-response tasks. The students struggled on all of them. Asked to investigate a site claiming to “disseminate factual reports” on c

Positive effects of School Improvement Grants

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

School Improvement Grants (SIGs) exemplify a capacity-building investment to spur sustainable changes in America’s persistently lowest-performing schools and stimulate the economy. This study examines both short- and longer-term effects of the first two cohorts of SIG schools from four locations across the country. Dynamic difference-in-differences models show that SIGs’ effects on achievement in

Access to apps significantly improved student performance in developmental education outcome

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

Developmental education, in which college students deemed unprepared for college-level coursework enroll in non-credit-bearing courses, is widespread in American higher education. This study evaluates the effect of mobile app courseware on the college outcomes of developmental education students using a research design that randomly assigned course sections to receive access to the apps or not. T

Cognitive exercises help young children boost their math skills

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 9d

Young children who practice visual working memory and reasoning tasks improve their math skills more than children who focus on spatial rotation exercises, according to a large study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The findings support the notion that training spatial cognition can enhance academic performance and that when it comes to math, the type of training matters. The st

Web-based coaching: Helpful to teachers, but no effect on students

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 9d

This article describes and evaluates a web-based coaching program designed to support teachers in implementing Common Core–aligned math instruction. Web-based coaching programs can be operated at relatively lower costs, are scalable, and make it more feasible to pair teachers with coaches who have expertise in their content area and grade level. Results from the randomized field trial document si

Lower comprehension scores for digital books

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 9d

This meta-analysis examines the inconsistent findings across experimental studies that compared children’s learning outcomes with digital and paper books. The authors quantitatively reviewed 39 studies reported in 30 articles (n = 1,812 children) and compared children’s story comprehension and vocabulary learning in relation to medium (reading on paper versus on-screen), design enhancements in di

An Assessment of the Impact of the New York City Community Schools Initiative

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 9d

Research Questions What is the impact of the NYC-CS on outcomes related to attendance, educational attainment, academic achievement, student behavior, and school climate and culture? To what extent are the overall impacts of NYC-CS being observed among key subgroups of students within schools? To what extent are there differences in program impact related to school characteristics such as program

NAEP Report Card: 2019 NAEP Science Assessment

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 10d

See how U.S. fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-grade students performed in science Between January and March 2019, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science assessment was administered to a nationally representative sample of fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-grade students. Results are compared to those from 2015 and previous science assessments back to 2009, the first year under th

Education Research Report