Education Research Report

Education Research Report

Education Research Report

Prevalence and Treatment of Depression, Anxiety, and Conduct Problems in US Children

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 15min

Mental health conditions in childhood have the potential to negatively impact healthy development, interfering with a child’s ability to achieve social, emotional, and cognitive milestones. This has important implications for social determinants of health. As such, there is a continuous need to assess the prevalence and correlates of childhood mental health disorders. In this retrospective cohort

Stricter state gun laws = safer school experience for students

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 28min

Adopting stricter state gun laws is linked to a safer school experience for students, finds research published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health . Strengthening gun laws at state level was associated with teens being less likely to report being threatened or injured with a weapon at school, miss at least one day of school due to feeling unsafe, or to carry a weapon at any location

Teenage solitude isn't a red flag for isolation or depression

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 29min

Teens who choose to spend time alone may know what's best for them, according to new research that suggests solitude isn't a red flag for isolation or depression. The key factor is choice, say researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Wilmington College: When solitude is imposed on adolescents and young adults, whether as punishment or as a result of social anxiety, it can be p

The impact of the Great Recession on public education finance and employment

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1h

This study examines the impact of the Great Recession on public education finance and employment. Five major themes emerge: First, nearly 300,000 school employees lost their jobs. Second, schools that were heavily dependent financially on state governments were particularly vulnerable to the recession. Third, local revenues from the property tax actually increased during the recession, primarily

Administrative support is most strongly associated with retention for minority teachers working in schools where minorities are underrepresented

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1h

Mentoring, and to a greater extent support from high-level administrators, has been shown to decrease worker turnover in general, but little is known about its differential impact on minority workers. This study finds that administrative support is most strongly associated with retention for minority teachers working in schools where minorities are underrepresented. This effect is pronounced for

Does preschool participation may improve science outcomes and reduce science achievement gaps?

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1h

Recent evidence demonstrates that disparities by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status in science achievement are present in the earliest grades of school. Preschool represents one potential policy solution; however, little research has explored the relationship between preschool attendance and science outcomes. This study examines whether preschool participation may improve science outcomes ov

The efficacy of transitional kindergarten on student outcomes

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1h

A growing body of research provides evidence that quality early childhood experiences can affect a host of life outcomes. Equally well documented is the variation in the quality of prekindergarten (pre-K) programs offered to children. This study evaluates the efficacy of transitional kindergarten (TK) on student outcomes in the San Francisco Unified School District. TK is a highly regulated, stat

The Effects of Universal Preschool on Grade Retention

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2h

Nationwide, the percentage of four-year-olds enrolled in state-supported preschool programs has more than doubled since the early 2000s as states dramatically increased their investments in early childhood education. Florida's Voluntary Pre-kindergarten Program (VPK), which began in 2005, has been a national leader with respect to preschool access. This paper provides the first evidence of the pr

Common Elements of Developmental Education Policies

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3h

Building off Education Commission of the States' 50-State Comparison: Developmental Education Policies , this Policy Brief identifies common elements of developmental education policies at the system and state levels: college readiness assessments, assessment cut scores, multiple measures for course placement, innovative course models and reporting requirements. The policy examples reviewed demon

YESTERDAY

Parents and children talk and interact less with electronic books compared to print books

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 19h

Picking what book to read isn't the only choice families now make at story time - they must also decide between the print or electronic version. But traditional print books may have an edge over e-books when it comes to quality time shared between parents and their children, a new study suggests. The research, led by University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and involving 37 parent-tod

Improving Educational Pathways to Social Mobility: Evidence from Norway

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d

High school vocational education has a controversial history in the United States, largely due to a perceived tradeoff between teaching readily deployable occupational skills versus shunting mostly disadvantaged students away from the educational and career flexibility afforded by general academic courses. This study e xamines the effects of a nationwide high school reform in Norway that aimed to

MAR 21

50-State Comparison: K-12 Special Education Funding

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

S pecial education funding is a large and complex component of states' education budgets, and no two states approach allocating these funds to districts in the same manner. While federal requirements dictate minimum spending levels , states have flexibility over how the money is distributed. This leaves many states discussing ways to improve the way they allocate special education funds. The new

The vital importance of helping students cultivate a sense of happiness and well-being, so they can thrive in school and in life

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

Microsoft has releasir4dnew global research on the topic of “Emotion and Cognition in the Age of AI.” Conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and supported by Microsoft, the research explores what educators and school systems can do to help students thrive in our rapidly changing world, and how technology can help. The findings spotlight the vital importance of helping students cultiva

Adopt a student-centered, growth-oriented approach to writing instruction.

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 5d

We know writing proficiency remains an elusive goal for most students. According to NCES, only 27% score Proficient, with just over 50% writing at a Basic level. How can you help your students buck that trend? Achieving Writing Proficiency: The Research on Practice, Feedback, & Revision , a white paper by Dr. Troy Hicks describes how scaffolded writing practice connects instruction to feedback. T

MAR 20

Meditation enhances social-emotional learning in middle school students C

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 5d

IMAGE: Students in the Quiet Time program had a significant increase in social-emotional competencies, as compared to the control school. view more Credit: Center for Wellness and Achievement in Education Middle school students practicing meditation as part of a school Quiet Time program had significant improvements in social-emotional competencies and psychological distress, according to a new s

Participation in high school career and technical education (CTE) as of 2013

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 5d

As of 2013, 10 percent of all the credits earned by public high school graduates were earned in career and technical education (CTE). The National Center for Education Statistics released a new set of web tables today (March 19) on the CTE Statistics website. Focusing on public high school graduates, the tables document student coursetaking in CTE as of 2013, and trends in CTE coursetaking from 1

Commuting difficulty plays a part in school absence

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 6d

Transportation is one of many potential obstacles that students might face as they attempt to attend school, but there are few opportunities to identify the unique contribution of transportation to school attendance. This study applies models of commuting stress developed for adult commuters to students in an open enrollment school district to examine whether commuting difficulty plays a part in

MAR 19

The Science of Early Learning x

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 6d

How do young children develop their sense of self? How do they learn to understand what they read, and express their ideas in writing? How do they develop abstract knowledge of mathematical concepts? These questions and others are explored in Deans for Impact’s publication, The Science of Early Learning . This report summarizes current cognitive-science research related to how young children — fr

Developer - Commissioned Educational Evaluations Inflate Effectiveness

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 7d

An analysis of 30 years of educational research by scholars at Johns Hopkins University found that when a maker of an educational intervention conducted its own research or paid someone to do the research, the results commonly showed greater benefits for students than when the research was independent. On average, the developer research showed benefits — usually improvements in test scores — that

Cumulative heat exposure inhibits cognitive skill development

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 7d

This study provides the first evidence that cumulative heat exposure inhibits cognitive skill development and that school air conditioning can mitigate this effect. Student fixed effects models using 10 million PSAT-takers show that hotter school days in the year prior to the test reduce learning, with extreme heat being particularly damaging and larger effects for low income and minority student

Governors' Top Education Priorities

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 7d

Each year, Education Commission of the States' policy team tracks and analyzes governors' State of the State addresses and, to date, every governor who has given their 2019 address has mentioned an accomplishment or a proposal related to education. A signature report, Governors' Top Education Priorities in 2019 State of the State Addresses identifies the top six education priorities and includes

Researchers Reprise Earlier Erroneous Crime-Cutting Voucher Verdict

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 7d

Faced with recent research linking voucher receipt to decreased test scores, voucher advocates have been busily moving the goalposts . The most creative of these attempts is a new “ working paper ” from researchers from the University of Arkansas and the Cato Institute, which first notes that “[s]tandardized test scores…do not fully capture society’s goals for education” (p. 3) and then concludes

What Kids Are Reading

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 7d

Renaissance ® has released its 2019 edition of its annual What Kids Are Reading report. For the first time, the study includes book difficulty data from MetaMetrics ®️ . This year’s report finds that literacy advocates have their work cut out for them: Nearly half of students read less than 15 minutes per day, while research shows that double that—30 minutes or more—is linked with accelerated rea

Friend-Related Stress Across Early Adolescence

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 7d

The current study investigated early adolescents’ experiences of friend-related stress across middle school and its developmental consequences following the transition to high school. Using a sample of approximately 1,000 middle school students, four unique friend-related stress trajectories were observed across middle school: consistently low friend-related stress (57% of the sample), consistent

MAR 18

'Pay-to-play' put sports, extracurricular activities out of reach for some students

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 7d

IMAGE: The more likely parents were to perceive activities as too expensive for the return, the less likely their kids were to participate. view more Credit: C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health at the University of Michigan From choir and cheerleading to soccer and student council, extracurricular school activities keep students engaged - but cost may be among barrier

Impact of a a statewide college-preparatory policy

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 7d

Michigan Merit Curriculum (MMC) is a statewide college-preparatory policy that applies to the high school graduating class of 2011 and later. Using detailed Michigan high school transcript data, this article examines the effect of the MMC on various students’ course-taking and achievement outcomes. The analyses suggest that (a) post-MMC cohorts took and passed approximately 0.2 additional years’

The Unwavering SES Achievement Gap

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 8d

Concerns about the breadth of the U.S. income distribution and limited intergenerational mobility have led to a focus on educational achievement gaps by socio-economic status (SES). Using intertemporally linked assessments from NAEP, TIMSS, and PISA, this study traces the achievement of U.S. student cohorts born between 1954 and 2001. Achievement gaps between the top and bottom deciles and the to

MAR 16

Friendship Characteristics and Susceptibility to Substance Use

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 10d

Dyad (sociology) - as an adjective, describes the interaction between a pair of individuals. Peer relations researchers have suggested that dyadic and peer group relationship characteristics may interact with each other to affect behavior. Building on prior work that has pitted the relative effects of dyadic and peer group relationship characteristics on susceptibility to peer influence, the pres

Sexualized Gender Stereotypes Predict Academic Attitudes for Gender-Typical Early Adolescent Girls

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 10d

Sexualized gender stereotypes (SGS) are commonly endorsed by adolescent girls. These stereotypes include the notion that girls can enhance their social status by prioritizing their sexualized attractiveness, which necessitates downplaying other traits such as intelligence. According to the stereotype emulation hypothesis, a girl will be more likely to “emulate” SGS if she also identifies as a typ

Friendship selection is central to sustained success throughout the middle school years

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 10d

This study examined the mediating effect of friends’ characteristics (problem behavior and academic achievement) in the association between students’ background (family and individual factors) and later academic adjustment, as operationalized by problem behavior and academic achievement. The authors recruited 998 participants in three public middle schools and used three annual waves of data coll

MAR 15

Educational trials aimed at boosting academic achievement in schools are often uninformative,

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 10d

Educational trials aimed at boosting academic achievement in schools are often uninformative, new research suggests. The new study, published in the journal Educational Researcher , found that 40% of large-scale randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in the UK and the US failed to produce any evidence as to whether an educational intervention helped to boost academic attainment or not. The researche

50-State Comparison: High School Graduation Requirements

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 10d

This resource provides an overview of state high school graduation requirements. Nearly all states require students to complete a certain number of units per course to earn a standard diploma in the state; but courses, units and assessments outside of exit exams and diploma options vary. Education Commission of the States researched a range of policies — including state statute, state regulations

Education Research Report