The document discusses issues with the US education system based on data from various sources. It shows disparities in graduation rates, performance on standardized tests, and career outcomes between racial groups and income levels. It argues that schools need to provide more rigorous academics, especially in math and science, and alternative learning models to better prepare students for college and careers in a global economy.
Contract cheating a view from three Calgary post secondary institutionsUniversity of Calgary
A paper presented at the 2019 Learning Specialists Association of Canada (LSAC) National Conference, Olds, Alberta, Canada. How to cite this slide deck: Rossi, S., Eaton, S. E., Toye, M. A., & Chibry, N. (2019, May 27). Contract cheating: A view from three Calgary post-secondary institutions. Paper presented at the Learning Specialists Association of Canada (LSAC) National Conference, Olds, AB.
NCompass Live - Sept. 22, 2021
http://nlc.nebraska.gov/ncompasslive/
Learn how K-12 schools across Nebraska are enabling seamless wireless internet access across the state, and how libraries can participate. ConnectEd Nebraska is a collaborative initiative between the State of Nebraska, University of Nebraska, and Nebraska Department of Education, to bring eduroam wireless to all Nebraska K-12 schools, libraries, and museums for free.
Following a successful rollout in Utah, Nebraska and Arizona are the next two states to continue this educational wireless initiative. With simple configuration of your wireless infrastructure, students will be able to connect to the internet seamlessly and securely. Attend this NCompass Live session to learn what eduroam is, which Nebraska communities have deployed eduroam, and how you can get involved.
More information is available at https://connectednebraska.com/
Presenter: Brett Bieber, Director of Security Engineering, University of Nebraska
Mac-Z Zurawski has extensive experience in teaching, research, and community service. She holds a Master's degree in Political and Justice Studies and teaches courses in sociology, ESL, citizenship, GED preparation, and social media literacy. Her research focuses on labor issues, immigration, media representation, and gender equality. She serves on the boards of several non-profits focused on women's history and education. In addition, she has worked for the City of Chicago in sanitation and holds FEMA certifications in emergency management.
SITE 2015 - The Disconnect Between Policy and Research: Examining the Researc...Michael Barbour
Barbour, M. K., (2015, March). The disconnect between policy and research: Examining the research into full-time K-12 online learning. A full paper presentation at annual conference for the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, Las Vegas, NV.
UCEA 2013 - CASTLE Panel: Professional Development for Virtual School LeadersMichael Barbour
Bathon, J., Dexter, S., Cho, V., Barbour, M. K., Nash, J., Gayheart, T., & Hurst, T. (2013, November). UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE) - Boon or bust: Technology and adult professional learning. A presentation at the annual convention of the University Council for Educational Administration, Indianapolis, IN.
REL Southeast 2015 - Designing Data Systems for the Hard Questions: Data El...Michael Barbour
Barbour, M. K., & Huerta, L. (2015, April). Designing data systems for the hard questions: Data elements and structures for effectively assessing and improving VirtualSC. A presentation to the Blended and Online Research Alliance's South Carolina Workshop, Columbia, SC.
NERA 2014 - In The Public Interest: Examining the Profit Motive in Cyber Char...Michael Barbour
Barbour, M. K. (2014, October). In the public interest: Examining the profit motive in cyber charter schooling. A roundtable presentation to the Northeastern Education Research Association, Trumbull, CT
The document discusses issues with the US education system based on data from various sources. It shows disparities in graduation rates, performance on standardized tests, and career outcomes between racial groups and income levels. It argues that schools need to provide more rigorous academics, especially in math and science, and alternative learning models to better prepare students for college and careers in a global economy.
Contract cheating a view from three Calgary post secondary institutionsUniversity of Calgary
A paper presented at the 2019 Learning Specialists Association of Canada (LSAC) National Conference, Olds, Alberta, Canada. How to cite this slide deck: Rossi, S., Eaton, S. E., Toye, M. A., & Chibry, N. (2019, May 27). Contract cheating: A view from three Calgary post-secondary institutions. Paper presented at the Learning Specialists Association of Canada (LSAC) National Conference, Olds, AB.
NCompass Live - Sept. 22, 2021
http://nlc.nebraska.gov/ncompasslive/
Learn how K-12 schools across Nebraska are enabling seamless wireless internet access across the state, and how libraries can participate. ConnectEd Nebraska is a collaborative initiative between the State of Nebraska, University of Nebraska, and Nebraska Department of Education, to bring eduroam wireless to all Nebraska K-12 schools, libraries, and museums for free.
Following a successful rollout in Utah, Nebraska and Arizona are the next two states to continue this educational wireless initiative. With simple configuration of your wireless infrastructure, students will be able to connect to the internet seamlessly and securely. Attend this NCompass Live session to learn what eduroam is, which Nebraska communities have deployed eduroam, and how you can get involved.
More information is available at https://connectednebraska.com/
Presenter: Brett Bieber, Director of Security Engineering, University of Nebraska
Mac-Z Zurawski has extensive experience in teaching, research, and community service. She holds a Master's degree in Political and Justice Studies and teaches courses in sociology, ESL, citizenship, GED preparation, and social media literacy. Her research focuses on labor issues, immigration, media representation, and gender equality. She serves on the boards of several non-profits focused on women's history and education. In addition, she has worked for the City of Chicago in sanitation and holds FEMA certifications in emergency management.
SITE 2015 - The Disconnect Between Policy and Research: Examining the Researc...Michael Barbour
Barbour, M. K., (2015, March). The disconnect between policy and research: Examining the research into full-time K-12 online learning. A full paper presentation at annual conference for the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, Las Vegas, NV.
UCEA 2013 - CASTLE Panel: Professional Development for Virtual School LeadersMichael Barbour
Bathon, J., Dexter, S., Cho, V., Barbour, M. K., Nash, J., Gayheart, T., & Hurst, T. (2013, November). UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE) - Boon or bust: Technology and adult professional learning. A presentation at the annual convention of the University Council for Educational Administration, Indianapolis, IN.
REL Southeast 2015 - Designing Data Systems for the Hard Questions: Data El...Michael Barbour
Barbour, M. K., & Huerta, L. (2015, April). Designing data systems for the hard questions: Data elements and structures for effectively assessing and improving VirtualSC. A presentation to the Blended and Online Research Alliance's South Carolina Workshop, Columbia, SC.
NERA 2014 - In The Public Interest: Examining the Profit Motive in Cyber Char...Michael Barbour
Barbour, M. K. (2014, October). In the public interest: Examining the profit motive in cyber charter schooling. A roundtable presentation to the Northeastern Education Research Association, Trumbull, CT
OLC 2015 - Virtual Schooling and K-12 Online Learning: A Bridge Still Too Far?Michael Barbour
Barbour, M. K. (2015, October). Virtual schooling and K-12 online learning: A bridge still too far? An invited feature presentation at the 21st annual Online Learning Consortium International Conference, Orlando, FL.
Phil Baty and Jonathan Adams: Rankings ReflectionAmy Hilton
Phil Baty. Editor, Times Higher Education world university rankings and Jonathan Adams, Director, research evalution, Thomas Reuters give an insider's account of the development of the new and improved methodology for the world university rankings.
Young people aged 12-24 have changing relationships with technology as devices have become more integrated into their lives. They text and instant message friends even when physically together. While new technologies provide opportunities for engagement, barriers like a lack of access can exist. As learning landscapes evolve, different assessment methods may be needed, and good pedagogy focusing on interest and engagement remains important to support literacy and numeracy development for all children.
PTDEA 2016 - Digital Natives, Net Generation, Generation Me…What Do We Really...Michael Barbour
Barbour, M. K. (2016, October). Digital natives, net generation, generation me… What do we really know about today’s students and how they learn? A presentation at the annual meeting of the Provincial and Territorial Distance Education Association, Edmonton, AB.
This document summarizes a presentation given by Dr. Barbara McNeil at the Saskatchewan Library Association Conference on the role of public and school libraries in supporting marginalized adolescent youth. The presentation discusses how literacy is key to participation in democratic processes and outlines a research project that used literature circles to promote literacy growth in struggling adolescent boys. The goals of the research were to engage school leadership and librarians to collaboratively support literacy development and examine how critical reading practices can influence literacy skills and understanding of social issues.
Job Talk: Research - Texas Tech University (2015)Michael Barbour
This document discusses the growth of K-12 online learning from the early 1990s to present day, with enrollments increasing from 40,000-50,000 students in 2000-2001 to an estimated 2-6 million students today. However, the author notes that research on the effectiveness and experiences of K-12 online learning has been limited and based primarily on personal accounts rather than rigorous studies. While some performance comparisons seem to show online students performing equally or better, the author argues these may not provide an accurate picture when factors like student motivation and dropout rates are considered. Studies also suggest full-time online students, especially those in cyber schools, tend to include more at-risk populations and have lower achievement scores, highlighting the need
This document discusses advancing girls in STEM fields through sharing solutions from a 2015 conference. It identifies three themes discussed at the conference: 1) teacher preparation and curriculum design play a crucial role in developing girls' cognitive skills and interest in STEM; 2) exposing girls to mentors and role models is important for increasing participation, as it allows them to imagine STEM careers; and 3) forging partnerships between schools, colleges, and businesses provides mutual benefits like access to equipment and ideas, and allows for real-world experiences beyond the classroom.
Web Science 2016 - Using Social Network Analysis to predict online contributi...Jenna Mittelmeier
Although collaborative web-based tools are often used in blended environments such as education, little research has analysed the predictive power of face-to-face social connections on measurable user behaviours in online collaboration, particularly in diverse settings. In this paper, we use Social Network Analysis to compare users’ pre-existing social networks with the quantity of their contributions to an online chat-based collaborative activity in a higher education classroom. In addition, we consider whether the amount of diversity present in one’s social network leads to more online contributions in an anonymous cross-cultural collaborative setting. Our findings indicate that pre-existing social connections can predict how much users contribute to online education-related collaborative activities with diverse group members, even more so than academic performance. Furthermore, our findings suggest that future Web Science research should consider how the more traditionally ‘qualitative’ socio-cultural influences affect user participation and use of online collaborative tools.
Paper: http://oro.open.ac.uk/46221/
We share a new and novel analysis of state and regional trends with a focus on bright spots – where we are seeing progress that can help all schools and systems improve faster.
We hope this analysis is a resource for all of us working to increase access to educational opportunities for our most vulnerable children, and that it helps us individually and collectively allocate our time and resources to make the greatest impact possible.
This document discusses concerns about math and science education in the United States based on international test score comparisons. It provides several quotes and statistics from news articles showing that U.S. student performance lags behind countries like China, South Korea, and Singapore. Educators worry that U.S. students are not being adequately prepared for the global economy. While some Asian education systems obtain high test scores, their methods of intense studying and tutoring have also received criticism. Overall, the document examines issues surrounding numeracy and quantitative skills among U.S. students and suggests ways that educators can help students overcome fears and better understand numbers.
While research is mixed on whether increases in school spending le.docxphilipnelson29183
While research is mixed on whether increases in school spending lead to better results for students, a study suggests that influxes of dollars from court decisions lead to higher graduation rates and earnings, especially for low-income students.
By
John Higgins
Seattle Times education reporter
In its 2012 McCleary decision, the state Supreme Court was clear Washington’s lawmakers must devote more tax dollars to our public schools to meet their constitutional responsibility.
How much more? The justices didn’t say.
But the case presumes that more money will lead to a better education — and thus better college and life prospects — for every student in the state.
Does the research on school spending warrant that optimism?
It’s a surprisingly difficult question to answer.
While many wealthy parents don’t question whether money matters when they shell out big bucks for private schools, researchers have debated the role of money in public education for a half-century.
Many studies have failed to find a consistent relationship between increased spending and improved test scores, which has led some policymakers to conclude that money doesn’t matter — even in states like Washington, where the investment in education, compared with other states, has been average or below for many years.
But a new study, recently published in a leading economics journal, used a fresh approach that found strong ties between spending and results, and may also explain why past studies failed to find a strong relationship between the two.
That study has direct bearing on what’s happening here because it focuses on what happened in school districts after state supreme courts ordered higher spending.
In short, the researchers found that students in districts with bigger windfalls did better, on average, than students from other districts in the same state that got less. They spent more time in school, for example, and had higher wages as adults.
The study, published in The Quarterly Journal of Economics, is the first to show the long-term effects of school spending.
Lead author Kirabo Jackson of Northwestern University and his co-authors, Rucker Johnson at the University of California, Berkeley, and Claudia Persico at Northwestern, don’t claim to have the last word on spending and achievement.
But Jackson says their study is important because it demonstrates long-term results and uncovers flaws in many past studies.
“If you have people going out there testifying to legislators that money does not matter and there’s no evidence out there that money matters, then it’s germane to the conversation,” Jackson said.
National report
The debate over the benefits of school funding began about 50 years ago with a report ordered by Congress to look at the effect of racial segregation on students.
Named after its lead researcher, James Coleman, of Johns Hopkins University, the two-year national study reached several conclusions about the power of schools to change stude.
A First Look at Trends and Bright Spots in St. Louis School Performance Post...The Opportunity Trust
In partnership with Exponent Education, a highly regarded education data group, you are invited to a discussion on the recently released state education data – our first look at how children and schools are doing post-pandemic.
W W W. A M E R I C A N P R O G R E S S . O R GAP PMoseStaton39
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A
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A Look at the Education Crisis:
Tests, Standards, and the Future
of American Education
By Ulrich Boser, Perpetual Baffour, and Steph Vela January 2016
A Look at the Education Crisis:
Tests, Standards, and the
Future of American Education
By Ulrich Boser, Perpetual Baffour, and Steph Vela January 2016
1 Introduction and summary
6 An education crisis spanning centuries
8 The success of standards-based reform
9 How serious is the nation’s education problem?
13 Recommendations
16 Conclusion
17 About the authors and acknowledgments
18 Endnotes
Contents
1 Center for American Progress | A Look at the Education Crisis: Tests, Standards, and the Future of American Education
Introduction and summary
In many ways standards-based school reform is at a crossroads. On one side, the
movement has made tremendous strides. The Common Core State Standards
Initiative, known simply as Common Core, is now strongly established in more
than 40 states.1 Many teachers believe that the new, higher academic standards
have helped them improve instruction.2 And, most importantly, a solid body of
data demonstrates that the standards-based reform movement has shown success
in raising student outcomes.3
In some areas, outcome indicators are on the rise. Over the past two decades, for
instance, the number of students of color performing at grade level in reading and
math has more than doubled in elementary and middle school.4 Meanwhile, high
school graduation rates are the highest they have ever been: 81 percent of the class
of 2013 received their diploma within four years.5
But clearly much work remains. Achievement gaps in many subject areas remain
large. For example, only 21 percent of low-income fourth-grade students achieved
proficiency on the 2015 NAEP reading test compared to 52 percent of nonpoor
students.6 And if students of color graduated at the same rate as their white peers,
they would receive nearly two hundred thousand more diplomas each year.7
In a way, the question for education advocates boils down to: What’s next? For
a few vocal observers, the answer to this question is—surprisingly—anything
but standards-based reform. In other words, these observers believe that the
standards-based reform effort—and its associated assessments and accountabil-
ity efforts—have been a total failure. In a policy memo released last year, Kevin
Welner and William Mathis of the National Education Policy Center argued
that “we as a nation have devoted enormous amounts of time and money to the
focused goal of increasing test scores, and we have almost nothing to show for it.”8
2 Center for American Progress | A Look at the Education Crisis: Tests, Standards, and the Future of American Education
Some, such as blogger Anthony Cody, argue that policymakers should not really
even focus on raising standards or improving tests or reform ...
A First Look at Trends and Bright Spots in St. Louis School Performance Post...The Opportunity Trust
In partnership with Exponent Education, a highly regarded education data group, you are invited to a discussion on the recently released state education data – our first look at how children and schools are doing post-pandemic.
AN INTERIM REPORT ON A PILOT CREDITRECOVERY PROGRAM IN A LAR.docxnettletondevon
AN INTERIM REPORT ON A PILOT CREDIT
RECOVERY PROGRAM IN A LARGE, SUBURBAN
MIDWESTERN HIGH SCHOOL
M . SUZANNE FRANCO
NiMiSHA H . PATEL
Wright State University
School policy regarding student failure of courses at the K-12
level generally focuses on grade retendon or social promotion,
neither of which addresses the students' needs. Grade retention
has never been effective in helping students gain mastery of
course objectives. To reduce the numbers of social promotions,
many states require 8th graders to earn a passing score on state-
mandated standardized tests. If students do not earn the required
score, they are not allowed to matriculate to the next grade,
regardless of their teacher-assigned course grades (Ezarik,
2003). A relatively unique approach to help students who have
failed one or more courses at the high school level is a credit
recovery program. Though details of such programs vary from
district to district, the one unifying aspect for atiy credit recov-
ery program is the opportunity for students to earn credit for a
course failed.
The purpose of this paper is to describe a pilot credit recovery
program implemented in a large suburban high school in the
Midwest. Historical, longitudinal student data revealed that
freshmen who fail at least one course are four times more likely
to fail to graduate in four years (R. Hankey, personal communi-
cation, July, 2009). With this is mind, the school developed a
pilot credit recovery program for freshmen who had failed at
least one course; online and traditional curricula were provided.
The short-term goal was to provide an opportutiity for freshmen
to recover credits lost due to failure; the long-term goal was to
reduce the dropout rate for freshmen who had failed at least one
course, and consequently contribute to a higher graduation rate
for the freshman class. This paper presents the results of the first
cohort of students who completed the pilot program after their
freshman year and who have now completed their second year
of high school.
Literature Review essary. The financial and social costs stem-
ming from high school failure/dropout
High School Dropout rates in the United States are enormous. It
The focus on educadon has and con- has been esdmated that dropouts cost the
tinues to be at the forefront of the American nation billions of dollars annually (Ou &
polidcal agenda, and rightfully so. In order Reynolds, 2010).
for individuals in the United States to stay The negadve correladons associated
viable for career opportunities in the ever- with a lack of a high school diploma are
increasing technological world and earn vast. For instance, those who do not earn
livable wages, a formal education is nee- a high school diploma are more likely to
15
16/Education Vol. 132 No. 1
experience unemployment and earn a lower
annual wage. The annual medium income
of a male over the age of 24 without a high
school diploma is approximately $27,000,
whereas that for a diploma holder .
Learning to Improve: A First Look at Trends and Bright Spots in School Syst...The Opportunity Trust
The document provides an analysis of trends in student academic achievement in Missouri following the Covid-19 pandemic. Some key points:
- Statewide and in Missouri, average test scores declined significantly from 2019 to 2022, especially in math. Low-income students in Missouri experienced some of the largest declines nationally.
- While proficiency rates remained flat or continued declining in most areas, some schools ("outliers") saw significant improvements, especially in reducing the percentage of students scoring below basic. Fast-improving schools included both districts and charters serving mostly low-income students.
- If all schools could improve as quickly as the highest performing outliers, statewide proficiency among low-income students could increase dramatically by 2027.
Washington's education system ranks low nationally in spending per student. This is forcing businesses to import highly educated employees and is contributing to poor student performance. Only 16 out of 100 Washington students who enter college complete a degree within 6 years. Due to budget cuts, the University of Washington has lost teaching positions and offers fewer courses, potentially hurting students. Improving education is seen as important to the state's economic future.
This document summarizes several education-related news articles. It discusses how the U.S. public school population is projected to become majority-minority for the first time in fall 2014, driven by growth in Latino and Asian populations and declines in the white population. It also summarizes articles about how students' help-seeking behaviors in class can provide insights for improving learning, the launch of a nonprofit to review textbooks aligned to Common Core, the approval of Washington state's first charter school by a new independent authorizing board, and critiques of the increasing complexity of the federal government's NCLB waiver system from its original goals.
Despite the centrality of school districts in all the ways described, we know very little from existing research about how important they are to student achievement relative to other institutional components for delivering education services, including teachers and schools. Neither do we have information on the size of the differences in effectiveness among districts or whether there are districts that show exceptional patterns of performance across time, e.g., moving from low to high performing.
1) Graduation rates and test scores vary widely between school districts in Mississippi, with wealthier districts like Rankin County having much higher rates than poorer rural districts like Durant.
2) Rankin County offers students who fall behind numerous options to catch up like online classes, compressed classes, and summer school, while Durant has very limited options due to lack of funding and staff.
3) This funding disparity has contributed to graduation rate gaps between districts and has blocked statewide progress on improving education outcomes in Mississippi.
OLC 2015 - Virtual Schooling and K-12 Online Learning: A Bridge Still Too Far?Michael Barbour
Barbour, M. K. (2015, October). Virtual schooling and K-12 online learning: A bridge still too far? An invited feature presentation at the 21st annual Online Learning Consortium International Conference, Orlando, FL.
Phil Baty and Jonathan Adams: Rankings ReflectionAmy Hilton
Phil Baty. Editor, Times Higher Education world university rankings and Jonathan Adams, Director, research evalution, Thomas Reuters give an insider's account of the development of the new and improved methodology for the world university rankings.
Young people aged 12-24 have changing relationships with technology as devices have become more integrated into their lives. They text and instant message friends even when physically together. While new technologies provide opportunities for engagement, barriers like a lack of access can exist. As learning landscapes evolve, different assessment methods may be needed, and good pedagogy focusing on interest and engagement remains important to support literacy and numeracy development for all children.
PTDEA 2016 - Digital Natives, Net Generation, Generation Me…What Do We Really...Michael Barbour
Barbour, M. K. (2016, October). Digital natives, net generation, generation me… What do we really know about today’s students and how they learn? A presentation at the annual meeting of the Provincial and Territorial Distance Education Association, Edmonton, AB.
This document summarizes a presentation given by Dr. Barbara McNeil at the Saskatchewan Library Association Conference on the role of public and school libraries in supporting marginalized adolescent youth. The presentation discusses how literacy is key to participation in democratic processes and outlines a research project that used literature circles to promote literacy growth in struggling adolescent boys. The goals of the research were to engage school leadership and librarians to collaboratively support literacy development and examine how critical reading practices can influence literacy skills and understanding of social issues.
Job Talk: Research - Texas Tech University (2015)Michael Barbour
This document discusses the growth of K-12 online learning from the early 1990s to present day, with enrollments increasing from 40,000-50,000 students in 2000-2001 to an estimated 2-6 million students today. However, the author notes that research on the effectiveness and experiences of K-12 online learning has been limited and based primarily on personal accounts rather than rigorous studies. While some performance comparisons seem to show online students performing equally or better, the author argues these may not provide an accurate picture when factors like student motivation and dropout rates are considered. Studies also suggest full-time online students, especially those in cyber schools, tend to include more at-risk populations and have lower achievement scores, highlighting the need
This document discusses advancing girls in STEM fields through sharing solutions from a 2015 conference. It identifies three themes discussed at the conference: 1) teacher preparation and curriculum design play a crucial role in developing girls' cognitive skills and interest in STEM; 2) exposing girls to mentors and role models is important for increasing participation, as it allows them to imagine STEM careers; and 3) forging partnerships between schools, colleges, and businesses provides mutual benefits like access to equipment and ideas, and allows for real-world experiences beyond the classroom.
Web Science 2016 - Using Social Network Analysis to predict online contributi...Jenna Mittelmeier
Although collaborative web-based tools are often used in blended environments such as education, little research has analysed the predictive power of face-to-face social connections on measurable user behaviours in online collaboration, particularly in diverse settings. In this paper, we use Social Network Analysis to compare users’ pre-existing social networks with the quantity of their contributions to an online chat-based collaborative activity in a higher education classroom. In addition, we consider whether the amount of diversity present in one’s social network leads to more online contributions in an anonymous cross-cultural collaborative setting. Our findings indicate that pre-existing social connections can predict how much users contribute to online education-related collaborative activities with diverse group members, even more so than academic performance. Furthermore, our findings suggest that future Web Science research should consider how the more traditionally ‘qualitative’ socio-cultural influences affect user participation and use of online collaborative tools.
Paper: http://oro.open.ac.uk/46221/
We share a new and novel analysis of state and regional trends with a focus on bright spots – where we are seeing progress that can help all schools and systems improve faster.
We hope this analysis is a resource for all of us working to increase access to educational opportunities for our most vulnerable children, and that it helps us individually and collectively allocate our time and resources to make the greatest impact possible.
This document discusses concerns about math and science education in the United States based on international test score comparisons. It provides several quotes and statistics from news articles showing that U.S. student performance lags behind countries like China, South Korea, and Singapore. Educators worry that U.S. students are not being adequately prepared for the global economy. While some Asian education systems obtain high test scores, their methods of intense studying and tutoring have also received criticism. Overall, the document examines issues surrounding numeracy and quantitative skills among U.S. students and suggests ways that educators can help students overcome fears and better understand numbers.
While research is mixed on whether increases in school spending le.docxphilipnelson29183
While research is mixed on whether increases in school spending lead to better results for students, a study suggests that influxes of dollars from court decisions lead to higher graduation rates and earnings, especially for low-income students.
By
John Higgins
Seattle Times education reporter
In its 2012 McCleary decision, the state Supreme Court was clear Washington’s lawmakers must devote more tax dollars to our public schools to meet their constitutional responsibility.
How much more? The justices didn’t say.
But the case presumes that more money will lead to a better education — and thus better college and life prospects — for every student in the state.
Does the research on school spending warrant that optimism?
It’s a surprisingly difficult question to answer.
While many wealthy parents don’t question whether money matters when they shell out big bucks for private schools, researchers have debated the role of money in public education for a half-century.
Many studies have failed to find a consistent relationship between increased spending and improved test scores, which has led some policymakers to conclude that money doesn’t matter — even in states like Washington, where the investment in education, compared with other states, has been average or below for many years.
But a new study, recently published in a leading economics journal, used a fresh approach that found strong ties between spending and results, and may also explain why past studies failed to find a strong relationship between the two.
That study has direct bearing on what’s happening here because it focuses on what happened in school districts after state supreme courts ordered higher spending.
In short, the researchers found that students in districts with bigger windfalls did better, on average, than students from other districts in the same state that got less. They spent more time in school, for example, and had higher wages as adults.
The study, published in The Quarterly Journal of Economics, is the first to show the long-term effects of school spending.
Lead author Kirabo Jackson of Northwestern University and his co-authors, Rucker Johnson at the University of California, Berkeley, and Claudia Persico at Northwestern, don’t claim to have the last word on spending and achievement.
But Jackson says their study is important because it demonstrates long-term results and uncovers flaws in many past studies.
“If you have people going out there testifying to legislators that money does not matter and there’s no evidence out there that money matters, then it’s germane to the conversation,” Jackson said.
National report
The debate over the benefits of school funding began about 50 years ago with a report ordered by Congress to look at the effect of racial segregation on students.
Named after its lead researcher, James Coleman, of Johns Hopkins University, the two-year national study reached several conclusions about the power of schools to change stude.
A First Look at Trends and Bright Spots in St. Louis School Performance Post...The Opportunity Trust
In partnership with Exponent Education, a highly regarded education data group, you are invited to a discussion on the recently released state education data – our first look at how children and schools are doing post-pandemic.
W W W. A M E R I C A N P R O G R E S S . O R GAP PMoseStaton39
W W W. A M E R I C A N P R O G R E S S . O R G
A
P
P
H
O
TO
/ JO
SE F. M
O
R
EN
O
A Look at the Education Crisis:
Tests, Standards, and the Future
of American Education
By Ulrich Boser, Perpetual Baffour, and Steph Vela January 2016
A Look at the Education Crisis:
Tests, Standards, and the
Future of American Education
By Ulrich Boser, Perpetual Baffour, and Steph Vela January 2016
1 Introduction and summary
6 An education crisis spanning centuries
8 The success of standards-based reform
9 How serious is the nation’s education problem?
13 Recommendations
16 Conclusion
17 About the authors and acknowledgments
18 Endnotes
Contents
1 Center for American Progress | A Look at the Education Crisis: Tests, Standards, and the Future of American Education
Introduction and summary
In many ways standards-based school reform is at a crossroads. On one side, the
movement has made tremendous strides. The Common Core State Standards
Initiative, known simply as Common Core, is now strongly established in more
than 40 states.1 Many teachers believe that the new, higher academic standards
have helped them improve instruction.2 And, most importantly, a solid body of
data demonstrates that the standards-based reform movement has shown success
in raising student outcomes.3
In some areas, outcome indicators are on the rise. Over the past two decades, for
instance, the number of students of color performing at grade level in reading and
math has more than doubled in elementary and middle school.4 Meanwhile, high
school graduation rates are the highest they have ever been: 81 percent of the class
of 2013 received their diploma within four years.5
But clearly much work remains. Achievement gaps in many subject areas remain
large. For example, only 21 percent of low-income fourth-grade students achieved
proficiency on the 2015 NAEP reading test compared to 52 percent of nonpoor
students.6 And if students of color graduated at the same rate as their white peers,
they would receive nearly two hundred thousand more diplomas each year.7
In a way, the question for education advocates boils down to: What’s next? For
a few vocal observers, the answer to this question is—surprisingly—anything
but standards-based reform. In other words, these observers believe that the
standards-based reform effort—and its associated assessments and accountabil-
ity efforts—have been a total failure. In a policy memo released last year, Kevin
Welner and William Mathis of the National Education Policy Center argued
that “we as a nation have devoted enormous amounts of time and money to the
focused goal of increasing test scores, and we have almost nothing to show for it.”8
2 Center for American Progress | A Look at the Education Crisis: Tests, Standards, and the Future of American Education
Some, such as blogger Anthony Cody, argue that policymakers should not really
even focus on raising standards or improving tests or reform ...
A First Look at Trends and Bright Spots in St. Louis School Performance Post...The Opportunity Trust
In partnership with Exponent Education, a highly regarded education data group, you are invited to a discussion on the recently released state education data – our first look at how children and schools are doing post-pandemic.
AN INTERIM REPORT ON A PILOT CREDITRECOVERY PROGRAM IN A LAR.docxnettletondevon
AN INTERIM REPORT ON A PILOT CREDIT
RECOVERY PROGRAM IN A LARGE, SUBURBAN
MIDWESTERN HIGH SCHOOL
M . SUZANNE FRANCO
NiMiSHA H . PATEL
Wright State University
School policy regarding student failure of courses at the K-12
level generally focuses on grade retendon or social promotion,
neither of which addresses the students' needs. Grade retention
has never been effective in helping students gain mastery of
course objectives. To reduce the numbers of social promotions,
many states require 8th graders to earn a passing score on state-
mandated standardized tests. If students do not earn the required
score, they are not allowed to matriculate to the next grade,
regardless of their teacher-assigned course grades (Ezarik,
2003). A relatively unique approach to help students who have
failed one or more courses at the high school level is a credit
recovery program. Though details of such programs vary from
district to district, the one unifying aspect for atiy credit recov-
ery program is the opportunity for students to earn credit for a
course failed.
The purpose of this paper is to describe a pilot credit recovery
program implemented in a large suburban high school in the
Midwest. Historical, longitudinal student data revealed that
freshmen who fail at least one course are four times more likely
to fail to graduate in four years (R. Hankey, personal communi-
cation, July, 2009). With this is mind, the school developed a
pilot credit recovery program for freshmen who had failed at
least one course; online and traditional curricula were provided.
The short-term goal was to provide an opportutiity for freshmen
to recover credits lost due to failure; the long-term goal was to
reduce the dropout rate for freshmen who had failed at least one
course, and consequently contribute to a higher graduation rate
for the freshman class. This paper presents the results of the first
cohort of students who completed the pilot program after their
freshman year and who have now completed their second year
of high school.
Literature Review essary. The financial and social costs stem-
ming from high school failure/dropout
High School Dropout rates in the United States are enormous. It
The focus on educadon has and con- has been esdmated that dropouts cost the
tinues to be at the forefront of the American nation billions of dollars annually (Ou &
polidcal agenda, and rightfully so. In order Reynolds, 2010).
for individuals in the United States to stay The negadve correladons associated
viable for career opportunities in the ever- with a lack of a high school diploma are
increasing technological world and earn vast. For instance, those who do not earn
livable wages, a formal education is nee- a high school diploma are more likely to
15
16/Education Vol. 132 No. 1
experience unemployment and earn a lower
annual wage. The annual medium income
of a male over the age of 24 without a high
school diploma is approximately $27,000,
whereas that for a diploma holder .
Learning to Improve: A First Look at Trends and Bright Spots in School Syst...The Opportunity Trust
The document provides an analysis of trends in student academic achievement in Missouri following the Covid-19 pandemic. Some key points:
- Statewide and in Missouri, average test scores declined significantly from 2019 to 2022, especially in math. Low-income students in Missouri experienced some of the largest declines nationally.
- While proficiency rates remained flat or continued declining in most areas, some schools ("outliers") saw significant improvements, especially in reducing the percentage of students scoring below basic. Fast-improving schools included both districts and charters serving mostly low-income students.
- If all schools could improve as quickly as the highest performing outliers, statewide proficiency among low-income students could increase dramatically by 2027.
Washington's education system ranks low nationally in spending per student. This is forcing businesses to import highly educated employees and is contributing to poor student performance. Only 16 out of 100 Washington students who enter college complete a degree within 6 years. Due to budget cuts, the University of Washington has lost teaching positions and offers fewer courses, potentially hurting students. Improving education is seen as important to the state's economic future.
This document summarizes several education-related news articles. It discusses how the U.S. public school population is projected to become majority-minority for the first time in fall 2014, driven by growth in Latino and Asian populations and declines in the white population. It also summarizes articles about how students' help-seeking behaviors in class can provide insights for improving learning, the launch of a nonprofit to review textbooks aligned to Common Core, the approval of Washington state's first charter school by a new independent authorizing board, and critiques of the increasing complexity of the federal government's NCLB waiver system from its original goals.
Despite the centrality of school districts in all the ways described, we know very little from existing research about how important they are to student achievement relative to other institutional components for delivering education services, including teachers and schools. Neither do we have information on the size of the differences in effectiveness among districts or whether there are districts that show exceptional patterns of performance across time, e.g., moving from low to high performing.
1) Graduation rates and test scores vary widely between school districts in Mississippi, with wealthier districts like Rankin County having much higher rates than poorer rural districts like Durant.
2) Rankin County offers students who fall behind numerous options to catch up like online classes, compressed classes, and summer school, while Durant has very limited options due to lack of funding and staff.
3) This funding disparity has contributed to graduation rate gaps between districts and has blocked statewide progress on improving education outcomes in Mississippi.
The Effect of 1:1 Technology on the Academic Achievement of
Students from Designated Low-Income Families
Victoria Scott
University of West Alabama
Running Head: IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON EDUCATION
IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON EDUCATION
This proposal was written as part of the graduate course ED 504, Techniques of Educational Research, under the guidance of Dr. Chris Moersch.
Abstract
This paper is based on a comprehensive program carried out on 6th grade pupils in a Title 1 elementary school located in Chicago, Illinois. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of one to one (1:1) technology on the performance levels of students from low-income backgrounds.
Chapter One
Introduction
School officials and educators have attempted different approaches to promote pupil participation and academic performance, including the implementation of instructional technologies. The U.S. Department of Education (2002) observes that the No Child Left Behind Act aims to eliminate the digital divide, hence enhancing the digital literacy of students by the time they complete eighth grade regardless of their age, socioeconomic status, geographic location, physical/mental impairment, or any other distinguishing demographic trait.
Technology is the functional tool that people make use of to improve the extent of their capabilities. Various technologies are not only used to improve individuals’ abilities to perform jobs, they are also increasingly utilized in classrooms worldwide where they enhance student interest and their performance. Although technology programs can take on many forms in schools, 1:1 programs, which provide one computer per student, are increasing in popularity and prevalence in schools in general and in middle grades in particular (Anderman and Sayers 2019). These researchers gained experience with the 1:1 programs working in various parts of the country where they had first-hand experience of the pros and cons of incorporating 1:1 programs within schools. The findings of this research have been the impetus for the increasing interest in 1:1 program as well as the high support for middle-school adoption of such programs.
Statement of the Research Problem
The hypothesis and core aim for this study is to determine whether 1:1 technology can impact academic achievement and participation of designated low-income students.
The use of 1:1 Technology alone is not enough to guarantee stellar academic performance and student participation. It is vital to ensure that teachers themselves employ the use of best teaching practices. Administrators and instructors of academic material are continuously seeking novel ideas to increase the adoption and use of technology within classrooms as this can greatly impact academic performance (Mallia and Gorg 2013). Some of the biggest challenges faced by schools, particularly those in minority and low-income communities, include low-class parti.
Fighting Education Inequality: Segregation in K-12 Schooling & Legacy Preferences in Higher Education. A talk by Richard D. Kahlenberg, Senior Fellow, The Century Foundation , November 10, 2011 at the Education Law Association, Chicago, Illinois
Whatever it Takes: How Twelve Communities Are Reconnecting Out-of-School Yout...nmartin7136
The document discusses the problem of high school dropouts in the United States and provides examples of successful dropout recovery programs. It finds that around 6.3 million 18-24 year olds have not completed high school and discusses the negative consequences. It then highlights 12 communities that have implemented effective dropout recovery programs through schools, community colleges, and job training. Finally, it recommends five actions states can take to support dropout recovery like tracking students, alternative education options, and competency-based credits.
This document analyzes the fiscal impact of charter schools on six school districts in North Carolina. It presents a framework for estimating the net fiscal impact (NFI) of charter schools, which is the reduction in per-pupil spending on variable costs for students remaining in public schools due to funding losses from students attending charter schools. The NFI depends on factors like fixed vs. variable costs, per-pupil funding amounts, and the share of students attending charter schools. It uses detailed budget data from 2015-16 to categorize district spending and estimate NFI under different scenarios. The results suggest Durham faced an NFI over $700 per pupil, while some non-urban districts like Iredell and Orange faced impacts from $
This document summarizes Richard Rothstein's critique of education reformers who claim public schools are failing without evidence. Rothstein cites data from NAEP showing that disadvantaged students have made significant achievement gains in regular public schools, not charter schools. The achievement gap between black and white students has narrowed significantly in recent decades due to black student gains, not white student stagnation. A holistic assessment of student achievement and its social determinants is needed rather than scapegoating schools and teachers for the remaining gaps.
Myths, Realities, Potential and Future of Urban SchoolsKenneth Burnley
Urban myths will be debunked; realities, challenges and joys of serving in the urban environment will be presented; successes and the potential of urban students will be shared; and a dialogue on these topics will occur leading to questions about the future of urban schools. The conversation is designed to be stimulating and provocative while raising questions about issues of urban education to which a lack of solutions may portend grave implications for our nation and its’ preeminence
Similar to City Students Improve Test Scores, But Still Lag Significantly (20)
Myths, Realities, Potential and Future of Urban Schools
City Students Improve Test Scores, But Still Lag Significantly
1. City Students Improve Test Scores, But Still Lag
Significantly
Students in America's largest cities are scoring higher on math and reading exams, but still perform
well below the national average, according to a new government study released Wednesday.
The report examines results from the 2013 Trial Urban District Assessment, a piece of the National
Assessment for Educational Progress, a national standardized test known for being more reliable
than state tests. NAEP tested fourth and eighth graders on math and reading, and TUDA drills down
to the performance of participating cities with populations of 250,000 or more -- districts that
represent about 30 percent of America's school-age children. In fourth and eighth grade reading and
in eighth grade math, one-quarter of those students were deemed proficient; in fourth grade
reading, that number is higher, with one out of three performing at proficient levels.
In Austin, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; and Hillsborough County, Fla., math and reading scores were
higher than average for big cities. Students in Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Washington,
Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Fresno, Calif., were below average in both subjects.
"Every district has its own story, but as a whole over the last 10 years, all of the districts are
improving," said David Driscoll, who oversees the National Assessment Government Board, the U.S.
Education Department body in charge of administering the tests. "In general, though, these scores
are too low, and that should concern everyone."
He added that "these school systems need our attention more than ever before."
Washington, D.C. -- a standard bearer for what's known as the education reform movement since
former school chancellor Michelle Rhee's tumultuous tenure at D.C. Public Schools -- was the only
city to show score increases in both grades in both subjects since 2011. Los Angeles saw increases
in reading at both grade levels and in fourth grade math.
But these huge cities still perform dismally. Not one showed a statistically significant increase in
eighth grade math, and over the last few years, average proficiency in fourth grade reading has
increased by only 2 percentage points. And generally, white students in the participating cities did
well, beating the national average.
"Over the last decade, participating cities have generally made progress across the board," said
Andy Smarick, a former Bush administration education official who now works for Bellwether
Education Partners, a D.C.-based consulting firm. "But in the big scheme of things, it is not nearly
enough. The list of most-improved cities includes Atlanta, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Yes, we
should be proud of them, but their gains are partly attributable to how despairingly low their
performance had been." He called the results "heartbreaking" overall.
Statisticians warn against citing these gains as evidence of efficacy or inadequacy in debates about
particular school reforms. "It's not a causal model," said Mark Schneider, a vice president at the
American Institutes of Research, who used to oversee the Education Department's research arm. "I
get very leery when people say that 'This shows that X happened, DCPS is doing everything right
and we should be learning, it's had spectacular gains since 2003' -- we really can't do that.
2. Demographics in D.C. have changed. The city is a different city."
He noted that it's worth paying special attention to cities at the low end of the performance scale, as
many of them are using much-touted strategies similar to those in districts that are having more
success, like D.C. "Boston had strong teacher evaluations. Half of these school districts had as many
reforms and innovations as DCPS, and they didn't move," he said.
Others took a more positive view. "Our gains as urban schools have been significantly larger than
the nation itself over the last decade," said Mike Casserly, who oversees the Council of the Great
City Schools and who is often credited with helping to get TUDA established. "The gains are evident
however one looks at the data. We have made progress since 2003. And we've made progress since
2011 in eighth grade reading and fourth grade math."
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan offered some cautious optimism. "The 2013 TUDA results
show student performance in large cities continues to both improve overall and that large-city
schools nationwide are improving at a faster pace than the nation as a whole," he said. "While we
still have a lot of work to do to close achievement gaps in our largest cities, this progress is
encouraging."
But whatever the opinion on the larger trends, for some observers, the report sounds an alarm on
behalf of certain cities, most notably Detroit. Students there reported eighth grade math scores
seven points lower than their peers in 2011. "We need to declare an educational state of emergency
in Detroit immediately," Smarick said. "It is the lowest-performing city in all four categories, and it
got worse in three since the last administration, including a plummet in eighth grade math, dropping
its proficiency rate to less than 5 percent. Less than 1 in 10 eighth graders read proficiently.
Cleveland and Milwaukee are just barely better than Detroit -- they too need massive interventions
right away."
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article, following information supplied by the National
Assessment Governing Board, stated that students in cities larger than 250,000 represent half of all
school-age children nationally. They represent 30 percent of that group.