THIS WEEK Education Research Report

Education Research Report

THIS WEEK 

Education Research Report

Letter writing instruction: too little practice with low frequency letters

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 23h

Children’s ability to write letters automatically has been linked to academic achievement. Despite the importance of handwriting, handwriting instruction is often neglected and teachers use inconsistent practices to teach handwriting. Specifically, the frequency that children are presented opportunities to write individual block letters in handwriting workbooks has not been studied. This study pr

The Head Start Advantage

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 23h

For more than 50 years, Head Start has provided early learning opportunities for our country’s most vulnerable children and partnered with families to ad-dress their long-term economic stability and better health prospects. Today, Head Start serves more than one million children from birth to five years old and their families each year, changing lives not just in the present but also ultimately m

Evaluation of North Carolina Early Childhood Program Among Middle School Students

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 23h

Kenneth Dodge , Helen Ladd , Clara Muschkin , and Yu Bai have published a series of academic articles evaluating the impact of North Carolina’s Smart Start (SS) and More at Four (MF) programs (now known as NC Pre-K) on children’s academic outcomes through elementary school (Ladd et al., 2014; Muschkin et al. 2015; Muschkin et al. 2018; Dodge et al. 2018). The current analysis extends the evaluati

Focus on Early Childhood Learning in Order to Raise Achievement in Predominantly Disadvantaged School Districts

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 23h

Complete report A student’s economic background is a strong predictor of his or her academic performance. This study sought to identify characteristics of school districts that are predominantly economically disadvantaged and perform well academically. Using a national dataset of average test scores for school districts from 2009–2015, the Program Evaluation Division (PED) identified characterist

MAY 30

Belief in learning styles myth may be detrimental

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d

Many people, including educators, believe learning styles are set at birth and predict both academic and career success even though there is no scientific evidence to support this common myth, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association. In two online experiments with 668 participants, more than 90 percent of them believed people learn better if they are taught i

Playing in youth team sports tied to lower rates of depression, anxiety, particularly in boys

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d

Adolescents who experienced adverse events in childhood had better mental health in adulthood if they played sports in their youth, researchers found. Among individuals with adverse childhood experiences (ACE), those who played team sports in middle school and high school had a significantly lower chance of receiving a diagnosis of depression (propensity score-weighted adjusted odds ratio 0.76, 9

Perspectives on Social and Emotional Learning in America's Schools

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which students develop such interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies as teamwork, social awareness, self-regulation, and emotional awareness. Although schools in the United States have always addressed these competencies, in recent years, the availability of resources to address SEL has expanded, and educators are increasingly adoptin

Media Advisory Thursday, May 30, 2019 Being teased about weight may lead to more weight gain among children

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d

Youth who said they were teased or ridiculed about their weight increased their body mass by 33% more each year, compared to a similar group who had not been teased, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health. The findings appear to contradict the belief that such teasing might motivate youth to change their behavior and attempt to lose weight. The study was conducted by Natash

Briefs on the financial impact of charter schools fail to accurately or fully apply the relevant research and data

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2d

The Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE), based at the University of Washington, Bothell, recently released a series of three policy briefs on the financial impact of charter schools on nearby school districts in California. The briefs are intended to inform ongoing debates over charter school financing and expansion in the state of California. After reviewing all three, Professor Bruce

MAY 29

A student's disability status depends on where they go to school

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2d

A new Portland State University study suggests that the likelihood of a child being classified with an educational disability depends on the characteristics of their school and how distinctive they are from their peers. The study, published in the journal Society and Mental Health , found that disability classifications do not occur reliably across schools. The study used annual child- and school

Virtual Schools in the U.S. 2019

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2d

Complete report As reported in previous National Education Policy Center virtual schools reports, the number of virtual schools in the U.S. continues to grow. In 2017-18, 501 full-time virtual schools enrolled 297,712 students, and 300 blended schools enrolled 132,960. Enrollments in virtual schools increased by more than 2,000 students between 2016-17 and 2017-18, and enrollments in blended lear

The Arts in Schools of Choice

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2d

Since the Every Student Succeeds Act became law, states have taken advantage of opportunities to engage the arts more broadly in education policy— from including the arts in STEMeducation to using the arts as a strategy to meet the needs of underserved youth. At the same time, many states’ policy agendas address school choice, with ongoing discussion by champions and critics alike. However, many

- U.S. has cut school dropout rates by nearly two-thirds, and teen births by half since 2000

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2d

- FAIRFIELD, Conn. (May 28, 2019) – At least 280 million children, or 1 in 8, are dramatically better off today than at any time in the past two decades, a new report by Save the Children has found. The 100-year-old humanitarian organization’s Global Childhood Report ranks the best and worst countries for children by examining factors that rob children of their childhoods around the world such as

MAY 28

Why parents should teach their kids to give

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

Financial education often stresses the importance of earning and saving, but new research suggests that one of the most valuable lessons parents can teach their children about money might be how to appropriately give it away. The study, led by University of Arizona researcher Ashley LeBaron and published in the Journal of Family and Economic Issues , explores how financial-giving habits are passe

Interleaved mathematics practice is effective and feasible

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

Every school day, many millions of mathematics students complete a set of practice problems that can be solved with the same strategy, such as adding fractions by finding a common denominator. In an alternative approach known as interleaved practice, practice problems are arranged so that no two consecutive problems can be solved by the same strategy, and this approach forces students to choose a

How States and Districts Are Helping K-12 Homeless Students

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

Complete report States and districts are finding avenues to assist homeless students, a population who struggles to be seen and whose numbers continue to rise in many states. State educational agencies reported that 1.3 million homeless students were enrolled in public schools during the 2016-17 school year. Imagine that number for a moment — 1,355,821 — which is more than the entire student popu

MAY 27

orequisite mathematics remediation can result in greater student success than is obtained with traditional remediation

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

Traditional mathematics remediation is based on the theory that traditional mathematics remedial courses increase students’ subsequent academic performance. However, most students assigned to these courses do not pass them and thus cannot graduate. An alternative approach, corequisite remediation, assigns students instead to college-level quantitative courses with additional academic support, oft

MAY 24

Engagement in student clubs helps undergraduates find good employment

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 7d

IMAGE: Binary logistic regression analysis examining the relationship between different types of undergraduate engagement and self-reported critical thinking skills. view more Credit: I. Shcheglova, Yu. Koreshnikova and O. Parshina. A good employer values job applicants with well-developed analytical skills, such as the ability to perceive and interpret information, analyse and assess arguments,

Race and GenderDifferences in Teacher Evaluation Ratings and Teacher Employment Outcomes

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 7d

Complete report Over the past decade, Michigan has made changes to a number of laws related to teachers and teaching in the state’s public school system. These changes include new requirements for teacher evaluation, and the use of teacher performance ratings for decisions such as teacher tenure, dismissal and retention. Since 2011, state law has required local education agencies (districts) to r

A Rising Share of Undergraduates Are From Poor Families, Especially at Less Selective Colleges

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 8d

The overall number of undergraduates at U.S. colleges and universities has increased dramatically over the past 20 years, with growth fueled almost exclusively by an influx of students from low-income families and students of color. But these changes are not occurring uniformly across the postsecondary landscape. The rise of poor and minority undergraduates has been most pronounced in public two-

Toxic stress and children’s outcomes

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 8d

"Stress” is a commonplace term for hormonal changes that occur in response to frightening or threatening events or conditions. When severe, these changes are termed “toxic” stress and can impede children’s behavior, cognitive capacity, and emotional and physical health. Frightening or threatening situations are more sustained and are experienced more frequently by African American and socially an

59 percent of teachers take on additional paid work to supplement their pay

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 8d

A new report by EPI Economist Emma García and Research Associate Elaine Weiss adds to a growing body of research on the financial hardships faced by teachers. The authors find a connection between poor compensation for 

Education Research Report