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 “It is much easier to start new schools from scratch than to try to break off a school from an existing organization.” Becky Smerdon, Baltimore Sun |
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  Jane Hannaway, Center Director Taking advantage of the wealth of new education data generated in an era of increased accountability, researchers in the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) produced several papers in 2007 on how school policies affect student achievement. CALDER, a national research center funded by the U.S. Department of Education and headquartered at the Urban Institute, held its first conference in October, bringing together prominent researchers who are learning and sharing new insights uncovered in state longitudinal databases. In 2007, we published our five-year study of Baltimore’s high school reform efforts. This work capped the steady stream of individual school reports that education administrators and funders relied on throughout reform planning. The Baltimore Sun cited our report in a high-profile story on secondary school reform in the city. Our research on specific districts and states had national implications. A five-year study of Florida’s education accountability system that included all public schools in the state showed that low-performing schools change meaningfully when faced with voucher and accountability pressure. An evaluation of three No Child Left Behind programs—which give school districts more flexibility in using federal funds—revealed that rural districts used the program specifically designed for them, but most school districts did not take advantage of the increased flexibility. Our work helped guide educators in creating successful schools and offered hope that it can be done. Our UI Press book, Good Schools in Poor Neighborhoods, afforded a vivid look at two highly effective schools serving urban low-income minority youth. Defying the conventional wisdom that schools in disadvantaged neighborhoods can’t be effective, the authors show that schools can make a difference. Two new projects in 2007 built on our previous work. The first focuses on rethinking training, selection, assignment, and evaluation of teachers and principals in the United States, drawing from what happens abroad and in other industries, with the goal of improving student achievement. The second project looks at high school reform across the country to identify the keys to academic success. |
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