View Research by Author - Michael E. Puma

Citation URL: http://www.urban.org/MichaelEPuma

Investments in out-of-school-time programs have increased dramatically in recent years. In this paper we ask whether participation in out-of-school extracurricular activities improves academic achievement or behavior for elementary school children. Initial analyses were conducted using relatively standard techniques to control for the fact that students who participate in out-of-school-time extracurricular activities differ in important ways from nonparticipants. These analyses found statistically significant and positive effects of participation in arts, music, drama, and language classes. However, the initial positive effects disappeared when more appropriate analytical models were used.

The E-Rate, created by Congress as part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-104), is a federal program that seeks to bridge this "digital divide" by supporting broader public access to the new digital technology at public and private nonprofit educational institutions. The availability of such public access points has been found to reduce economic and racial disparities, and some research suggests that when used by trained and well-supported teachers, technology can improve learning, especially for disadvantaged children. This study focuses on two main questions: (1) To what extent is the E-Rate helping to equalize access to the types of digital technology eligible for program discounts? (2) Are schools and teachers able to use the technology that E-Rate supports? How is it being used in the classroom?

Sound research on Federal food assistance programs requires high-quality data. This report describes 10 potential data development initiatives, each of which holds promise for improving the quality or reducing the cost of data resources at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The initiatives were selected to reflect the research needs of all three of the largest Federal food assistance programs: the Food Stamp Program (FSP), the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The initiatives also were chosen to provide information for several types of research, especially the measurement of program impacts and the dynamics of program participation. The initiatives were developed by a consortium of research organizations, made up of The Urban Institute, Health Systems Research, Inc., and the Research Triangle Institute. In a second phase of this project, the consortium will produce a more detailed task list and cost estimate for three of the initiatives discussed in this report. If USDA chooses to pursue one or more of these initiatives, this second phase will provide a foundation for further development.

This U.S. Department of Education-funded project was designed to combine the best of local initiative with technical expertise for the purpose of studying how school districts measure the impact of professional development programs in a standards-based environment. With technical assistance from Urban Institute reearchers, and financial support from the Department, four school districts and one consortium of small rural districts designed and conducted evaluations of their professional development programs. These evaluations attempted to link professional development to student performance on assessments. This final report showcases high levels of effort among participating districts and some important lessons about evaluation for policymakers, evaluators, and educators.

This handbook is written to help district staff members gain a working knowledge of how to evaluate their professional development programs. The audience includes directors of research and evaluation, professional development, and federal programs, as well as staff in small districts who must perform several functions. We have assumed the reader is involved with a district engaged in systemic standards-based reform, that is, a district that has already adopted academic learning standards and is using student assessments that are well aligned with those standards. We also assumed that the district’s professional development efforts are linked to its overall plan for focusing all components of the educational system on helping all students meet higher academic standards.

[Prepared for: U.S. Department of Education] The Internet is transforming global society as technology becomes increasingly important for daily life. However, our technologically advanced country has a growing income and racial "digital divide." To bridge this gap, Congress created the E-Rate providing all schools and libraries access to affordable telecommunications and advanced digital technologies. After a 2-year expenditure of nearly $4 billion, little is known about the program's impact. This report, the first analysis of administrative data, shows that public schools are the major beneficiaries, funding has targeted high-poverty areas, and that application rates and funding levels vary by organizational characteristics, funding year, and among states.

In this project, researchers developed and piloted key components of a multi-year evaluation to assess the impact of standards-based reform at the local level on both schools and students. After summarizing the literature on evaluation of systemic standards-based reform, staff developed a conceptual framework and methodologies for a national evaluation of standards-based reform at the state and district levels. A scale for assessing implementation was developed and is recommended as a tool to be used in conducting the evaluation, and for use in ongoing monitoring by the U.S. Department of Education. This scale included quantified benchmarks of state-, district-, and school-level progress along a set of parameters that emerged from the literature review.

This report presents a starting point for creating a useful monitoring and evaluation system for the District of Columbia Children's and Youth Investment Partnership (DCCYIP) and highlights issues to be addressed during the process. Also included is background that puts the D.C. initiative into a broader context about the status of America's children and youth, a discussion of the situation in Washington, D.C., and a description of the current design of the DCCYIP. An overview of an integrated evaluation and monitoring approach and the types of data collection that can be done are also included. Seven appendixes provide examples of data collection instruments.

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