Urban Institute: Education

Ambitious Reform Efforts Evaluated in New Book on America's High Schools

paffairs@urban.org ( The Urban Institute ) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

Eighteen education policy experts put the past decade's surge in high-school reform efforts to the test in Saving America's High Schools from the Urban Institute Press. Led by coeditors Becky Smerdon and Kathryn Borman, the team of authors size up national reform trends and draw on at least five years of research in Baltimore, New York City, Chicago, Ohio, and North Carolina.

Widening the Net: National Estimates of Gender Disparities in Engineering

paffairs@urban.org ( Clemencia Cosentino de Cohen, Nicole Deterding ) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EST

This paper explores the causes behind the severe underrepresentation of women in engineering. Based on national data on undergraduate engineering programs, this study presents cross-sectional estimates of male and female student retention. Contrary to widespread beliefs, the study found that overall and in most disciplines there is no differential attrition by gender. Instead, results suggest that gender disparities in engineering are largely driven by inadequate enrollment (not inadequate retention) of women. The paper concludes that outreach within institutions of higher education, across institutions (into two-year colleges, middle and high schools), and into K-12 curricular reformare needed to address what is, at its very core, a recruitment problem.

Retention Is Not the Problem: Women aren't being drawn to engineering in the first place.

paffairs@urban.org ( Clemencia Cosentino de Cohen ) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EST

"Study Seeks to Improve Retention Among Women Engineering Students," declares a 2008 news release announcing a grant to four universities. Countless other articles cite female retention as a grave problem. This focus on retention drives a host of strategies to increase the number of women engineers. But is low retention behind the problem? Are women underrepresented in engineering because they enroll only to eventually drop out? The answer, as documented in the July 2009 Journal of Engineering Education, is a resounding "No!"

Testimony on Income and Poverty in the United States: 2008 : Before the Joint Economic Committee of the United States Congress

paffairs@urban.org ( Harry Holzer ) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST

Between 2007 and 2008, real incomes fell and poverty rose in the United States, Institute Fellow Harry Holzer testified before the Joint Economic Committee of Congress. Even if the recession ends this year, rising unemployment will mean that real income keeps falling while poverty increases for a few more years and almost certainly by much more than occurred between 2007 and 2008. It will likely take several years beyond 2010 before real income and poverty fully recover from the effects of the downturn.

Vulnerable Youth and the Transition to Adulthood

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

This series examines youth vulnerability and risk-taking behaviors on several outcomes for young adults, using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997 cohort. Notable results suggest youth follow one of four patterns in connecting to the labor market and school in the transition to adulthood: consistently-connected, later-connected, initially-connected, or never-connected. Second generation Latinos make a fairly smooth transition to young adulthood, but are less likely to engage in post-secondary schooling than whites. Youth from low-income families, distressed neighborhoods, and youth with poor mental health engage in relatively higher levels of adolescent risk behaviors and have relatively lower earnings and levels of connectedness in early adulthood.

Transition to Adulthood: African American Youth and Youth from Low-Income Working Families

paffairs@urban.org ( Marla McDaniel, Daniel Kuehn ) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

The fact sheets examine the transition to adulthood for two groups of youth using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997 cohort. Low-income African Americans are compared to low-income white youth, and youth from low-income "high-work" families are compared to low-income youth from moderate-work and nonworking (i.e., low-work) families. Low-income African American youth are vulnerable to lower employment and earnings despite comparable levels of high school education and lower risk-taking behaviors. Low-income youth from high-work families show stronger connections to school or work compared to youth from low-work families, but have comparable employment and earnings during the transition to adulthood.

The Influence of School Administrators on Teacher Retention Decisions

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

When given the opportunity, many teachers choose to leave schools serving poor, low-performing, and minority students. While substantial research has documented this phenomenon, far less effort has gone into understanding what features of the working conditions in these schools drive this relatively high turnover rate. This paper explores the relationship between school contextual factors and teacher retention decisions in New York City. The methodological approach separates the effects of teacher characteristics from school characteristics by modeling the relationship between the assessments of school contextual factors by one set of teachers and the turnover decisions by other teachers within the same school. Teachers perceptions of the school administration have by far the greatest influence on teacher-retention decisions. This effect of administration is consistent for first-year teachers and the full sample of teachers and is confirmed by a survey of teachers who have recently left teaching in New York City.

New Research Explores the Sometimes Rough Road to Adulthood

paffairs@urban.org ( The Urban Institute ) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

Low-income African American youth engage in fewer risky behaviors than low-income white youth, a new Urban Institute analysis of federal data reveals. This research on young blacks is part of a collection of eight brief studies on vulnerable youth, risky behavior, and the transition to adulthood.

Are Teacher Absences Worth Worrying about in the U.S.?

paffairs@urban.org ( Charles Clotfelter, Helen Ladd, Jacob Vigdor ) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

Using data from North Carolina, this paper examines the frequency, incidence, and consequences of teacher absences in public schools, as well as the impact of an absence disincentive policy. The incidence of teacher absences is regressive: when schools are ranked by the fraction of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, schools in the poorest quartile averaged almost one extra sick day per teacher than schools in the highest income quartile, and schools with persistently high rates of teacher absence were much more likely to serve low-income than high-income students. The authors find that absences are associated with lower student achievement in elementary grades and that the demand for discretionary absences is price-elastic. Estimates suggest that a policy intervention which simultaneously raised teacher base salaries and broadened financial penalties for absences could both raise teachers' expected income and lower districts' expected costs.

Achievement Trade-Offs and No Child Left Behind

paffairs@urban.org ( Dale Ballou, Matthew G. Springer ) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

Under the No Child Left Behind Act, states have been required to set minimum proficiency standards that virtually all students must meet by 2014. Using longitudinal, student-level test score data from seven states between 2002-03 and 2005-06 this paper addresses the following research questions: (1) Has NCLB increased achievement among lower-performing students? ; (2) Have these gains come at the expense of students who are already proficient or far below the proficiency target? Identification is achieved by exploiting the fact that in the early years of NCLB, not all grades counted for purposes of determining AYP. Thus the estimate of the NCLB effect is based on a comparison of outcomes in high-stakes vs. low-stakes years. The authors find consistent evidence of an achievement trade-off in the hypothesized direction, though the effects on any given student are not large. They find mixed evidence that students far below the proficient level have been harmed by NCLB; in fact at higher grade levels they appear to have benefitted. Effects of NCLB on efficiency, while positive, appear to be modest.

Supplemental Education Services Under No Child Left Behind: Who Signs Up, and What Do They Gain?

paffairs@urban.org ( Carolyn J. Heinrich, Robert H. Meyer, Gregory W. Whitten ) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

Schools that have not made adequate yearly progress in increasing student academic achievement are required, under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), to offer children in low-income families the opportunity to receive supplemental educational services (SES). In research conducted in Milwaukee Public Schools, the authors explore whether parents and students are aware of their eligibility and options for extra tutoring under NCLB, and who among eligible students registers for SES. Using the best information available to school districts, the authors estimate the effects of SES in increasing students reading and math achievement. They find no average impacts of SES attendance on student achievement gains and use qualitative research to explore possible explanations for the lack of observed effects.

Leaving No Child Behind: Two Paths to School Accountability

paffairs@urban.org ( Analia Schlosser, David Figlio, Cecilia Elena Rouse ) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

The relatively poor academic achievement of black and Hispanic students has been a national concern since the passage of the Elementary Secondary and Education Act (ESEA) in 1963. Frustrated with relatively slow progress in closing these educational gaps, the most recent reauthorization of the ESEA, the No Children Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) attempts to employ rigorous accountability standards to speed progress. At about the same time, Florida implemented a change in its A+ Plan for Education that focused on the educational gains of low-performing students. This paper examines whether either of these accountability systems improved the academic outcomes of black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students in Florida. Schools labeled as failing or near-failing in Floridas system tend to boost performance of students in these subgroups, while schools presented with incentives under NCLB to improve subgroup performance appear to be much less likely to do so. However, Hispanics appear to benefit from the NCLB sub-grouping requirements if they attend schools with low accountability pressure under Floridas grading system.

The Achievement Consequences of the No Child Left Behind Act

paffairs@urban.org ( Thomas S. Dee, Brian A. Jacob ) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act has compelled states to design school accountability systems based on annual student assessments. The effect of this Federal legislation on the distribution of student achievement is a highly controversial but centrally important question. This study presents evidence on whether NCLB has influenced student achievement based on an analysis of state-level panel data on student test scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). This study identifies the impact of NCLB by relying on comparisons of the test-score changes across states that already had school accountability policies in place prior to NCLB and those that did not. Results indicate that NCLB generated statistically significant increases in the average math performance of 4th graders (effect size = 0.22 by 2007) as well as improvements at the lower and top percentiles. However, the authors do not find consistent evidence that NCLB generated similarly broad improvements in reading achievement or achievement among 8th graders.

Supplemental Educational Services and Student Test Score Gains: Evidence from a Large, Urban School District

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

This study examines the effect of SES on student test score gains and whether subgroups of students benefit more from NCLB tutoring services, using information about students enrolled in 3rd through 8th grades in 121 elementary and middle schools from 2003-04 to 2007-08. A total of 17 elementary and middle schools were required to offer SES at some point during the period under study, and 9,861 student-year pairings in the sample were eligible to receive SES. The authors find consistently significant and positive average effects of SES on test score gains in mathematics. Results in reading tend to be insignificant. SES tutoring does not appear to disproportionately benefit a particular racial/ethnic group or ability level. Female students and students with disabilities appear to benefit more from participating in SES. SES has a significant, cumulative effect on students in both mathematics and reading. They also demonstrate that not accounting for content area of tutoring can cause downward bias in estimates of the SES treatment effect. These findings are qualified on a couple of dimensions.

The Effect of Alternative Savings Approaches on College Aid

paffairs@urban.org ( Elaine Maag ) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

To pay for college, many low- and moderate-income students and their families rely on financial aid and savings. But how students and families saveand in whose nameaffects both the tax consequences and the impact of savings on financial aid. Not saving in a tax-preferred account can raise the out-of-pocket costs of college by thousands of dollars. Alternately, saving for college can result in tax penalties if families do not use tax-preferred savings for education.

The Effects of Open Enrollment on School Choice and Student Outcomes

paffairs@urban.org ( Umut Özek ) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

This paper analyzes households' response to the introduction of intra-district school choice and examines the impact of this choice on student test scores in Pinellas County Schools. Households react strongly to the incentives created by such programs, leading to significant changes in the frequency of exercising alternative public schooling options, and changes in the composition of the "opt out" students. However, using proximity to public alternatives as an instrument for opting out of the assigned public school, the author finds no significant benefit of opting out on student achievement and that those who opt out of their default public schools often perform significantly worse on standardized tests than similar students who stay behind. Results further suggest that the short-run detrimental effects of opting out are stronger for students who opt out closer to the terminal grade of the school level. Yet the detrimental effects are weaker for disadvantaged students, who typically constitute the proposed target of school choice reforms.

Which Students are Left Behind? The Racial Impacts of the No Child Left Behind Act

paffairs@urban.org ( John M. Krieg ) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

The No Child Left Behind Act imposes sanctions on schools if the fraction of each of five racial group of students demonstrating proficiency on a high stakes exam falls below a statewide pass rate. This system places pressure on school administrators to redirect educational resources from groups of students most likely to demonstrate proficiency towards those who are marginally below proficient. Using statewide observations of 3rd and 4th grade math tests, this paper demonstrates that students of successful racial groups at schools likely to be sanctioned gain less academically over their subsequent test year than comparable peers at passing schools. This effect is stronger at schools more likely to suffer from NCLB sanctions and is robust to non-random sample selection.

"Going Down With the Ship?" The Effect of School Accountability on the Distribution of Teacher Experience in California

paffairs@urban.org ( David P. Sims ) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

Many school accountability programs, including the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act are built on the premise that the threat of sanctions attached to failure will produce higher student achievement. However, the stigma associated with failing schools and the expected costs of possible future sanctions may lead experienced teachers to leave these schools for other opportunities. This may undermine the programs improvement efforts. Particularly it may lead failing schools to rely on a higher proportion of novice teachers. This study looks at elementary and secondary schools in California from 2002-2006 to determine the effect of failing to meet academic performance thresholds on teacher experience under the NCLB accountability system. Because failing schools differ in important ways from schools that meet performance targets, the author takes advantage of the racial subgroup rules to compare groups of schools that may have different failure probabilities despite similar profiles. The author finds that failure to meet AYP is associated with decreases in aggregate teacher experience and increases in the proportion of novice teachers.

Status versus Growth: The Distributional Effects of School Accountability Policies

paffairs@urban.org ( Helen Ladd, Douglas Lauen ) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

Although the Federal No Child Left Behind program judges the effectiveness of schools based on their students achievement status, many policy analysts argue that schools should be measured, instead, by their students achievement growth. Using a ten-year student-level panel data set from North Carolina, the authors examine how school-specific pressure associated with the two approaches to school accountability affects student achievement at different points in the prior-year achievement distribution. Achievement gains for students below the proficiency cut point emerge in response to both types of accountability systems, but more clearly in math than in reading. In contrast to prior research highlighting the possibility of educational triage, the authors find little or no evidence that schools in North Carolina ignore the students far below proficiency under either approach. They find that the status, but not the growth, approach reduces the reading achievement of higher performing students. Results suggest that the distributional effects of accountability pressure depend not only on the type of pressure for which schools are held accountable (status or growth), but also the tested subject.

Left Behind By Design: Proficiency Counts and Test-Based Accountability

paffairs@urban.org ( Derek Neal, Diane Whitmore-Schanzenbach ) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

Many test-based accountability systems, including the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), place great weight on the numbers of students who score at or above specified proficiency levels in various subjects and often provide incentives for teachers and principals to target children near current proficiency levels for extra attention, but the same systems provide weak incentives to devote extra attention to students who are proficient already or who have little chance of becoming proficient in the near term. Using fifth grade test scores from the Chicago Public Schools, this paper shows both the introduction of NCLB in 2002 and similar district level reforms in 1996 generated noteworthy increases in reading and math scores among students in the middle of the achievement distribution. However, the least academically advantaged students did not score higher in math or reading following the introduction of accountability. There is mixed evidence of score gains among the most advantaged students. Also, results suggest that the choice of the proficiency standard in such accountability systems determines the amount of time that teachers devote to students of different ability levels.

Fulfilling the Promise of Preschool for All : Insights into Issues Affecting Access for Selected Immigrant Groups in Chicago

paffairs@urban.org ( Gina Adams, Marla McDaniel ) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

The study involved interviews with families from Nigeria and Pakistan living on Chicago's North Side to examine their experiences and perspectives around accessing Illinois' universal preschool program, Preschool for All (PFA). Researchers conducted focus groups with parents and spoke with PFA providers for their perspective on issues families raised. The findings suggest Nigerian and Pakistani families can face numerous barriers accessing Preschool for All. While some barriers are unique to their immigration status, others are experienced by other low-income and vulnerable families as well. The report concludes with implications for policy and recommendations for future research.

A better way to get educated, employed

paffairs@urban.org ( Robert I. Lerman ) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

If you think apprenticeship sounds like a relic from centuries past — good enough for Ben Franklin but a no-go in a 21st-century economy — think again, Institute Fellow Robert Lerman explains in a commentary for thestate.com

Vibrant Neighborhoods, Successful Schools : What the Federal Government Can Do to Foster Both

paffairs@urban.org ( Margery Austin Turner, Alan Berube ) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

Every parent recognizes the inextricable connections between where we live and the quality of our childrens education. Although public policies have historically contributed to disparities in both neighborhood affordability and school quality, federal programs focused on affordable housing rarely take public schools into account and school officials typically assume that they have no influence over housing patterns. This paper focuses on four principles regarding the vitality and performance of schools and communities, discussing opportunities for constructive policy interventions, summarizing what we know about their likely effectiveness, and recommending next steps for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Education.

The Qualifications and Classroom Performance of Teachers Moving to Charter Schools

paffairs@urban.org ( Celeste Carruthers ) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EST

Do charter schools draw good teachers from traditional, mainstream public schools? Using a panel dataset of all North Carolina public school teachers from 1997-2007, this research paper finds nuanced patterns of teacher quality flowing into charter schools. High rates of inexperienced and uncertified teachers moved to charter schools, but among certified teachers changing schools, the on-paper qualifications of charter movers were better or no different than the qualifications of teachers moving to comparable mainstream schools. Estimated measures of classroom performance for a subset of grade 3 - 5 teachers show that charter movers were more effective in math and reading instruction, relative to other mobile teachers. Charter movers compared less favorably, however, to non-mobile teachers and colleagues within their sending schools. The distribution of classroom performance among future charter teachers, adjusted for sampling error, was significantly lower than the distribution for exclusively mainstream teachers.

On the Road to Adulthood: A Databook about Teens and Young Adults in DC

paffairs@urban.org ( Jennifer Comey, Eshauna Smith, Peter A. Tatian ) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EST

Many young people in the District of Columbia are failing to make a successful transition to adulthood. Their challenges include poor preparation for the high-skills labor market and long-standing health problems. Recent District government efforts have centered around school reform and early childhood, but these areas are not sufficient to improve the well-being of older youth. This report provides comprehensive data indicators and analysis on the state of older youth (age 12-24) in the District and examines the role of area nonprofits that work with young people, their families, and neighborhoods.

Most-Detailed Statistical Scan of D.C. Youth Is Presented in "On the Road to Adulthood"

paffairs@urban.org ( The Urban Institute ) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EST

From health and housing to school achievement and employment, a new report from the Urban Institute provides the most comprehensive source of data on the state of teenagers and young adults in the District of Columbia.

Promoting Economic Mobility By Increasing Postsecondary Education

paffairs@urban.org ( Ron Haskins, Harry Holzer, Robert I. Lerman ) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EST

A college education strongly affects whether or not children from poor or low-income families move up the economic ladder when they become adults. But they are less likely to enroll in either two- or four-year colleges, and less likely to complete a degree when they do, relative to those from middle- and upper-income families even after accounting for differences in academic preparation. We review current federal efforts to help low-income students attend college, and recommend new policies that would improve their academic preparation, provide more effective guidance on selecting and paying for college, and improve retention and graduation rates.

A Detailed Picture of Intergenerational Transmission of Human Capital

paffairs@urban.org ( Austin Nichols, Melissa Favreault ) — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:00:00 EST

Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we consider how parental education relates to four outcomes in the children's generation: education, lifetime earnings, health, and wealth. By focusing on parents' and children's ranks, we characterize relative mobility in terms of distributions of outcomes and can see patterns that even a relatively disaggregated analysis, like a quintile-based transition matrix, can obscure. Our results show relatively high intergenerational mobility except at extremes, where very low-ranked parents are much more likely to have very low-ranked children and very high-ranked parents are much more likely to have very high-ranked children.

Who Leaves? Teacher Attrition and Student Achievement

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EST

Teacher attrition has attracted considerable attention as federal, state and local policies- intended to improve student outcomes, increasingly focus on recruiting and retaining more qualified and effective teachers. But policy makers are often frustrated by the seemingly high rates of attrition among teachers earlier on in their careers. This paper analyzes attrition patterns among teachers in New York City elementary and middle schools and explores whether teachers who transfer among schools, or leave teaching entirely, are more or less effective than those who remain. Findings show first-year teachers who are less effective in improving student math scores have higher attrition rates than do more effective teachers. This raises important questions about current retention and transfer policies.

Assessing the Potential of Using Value Added-Estimates of Teacher Job Performance for Making Tenure Decisions

paffairs@urban.org ( Dan Goldhaber, Michael Hansen ) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EST

Using individual teacher and student-level longitudinal data from North Carolina, this research brief presents selected findings from work examining the stability of value-added model estimates of teacher effectiveness, focusing on their implication for teacher tenure policies and making high stakes personnel decisions. Findings show year-to-year correlations in teacher effects are modest, but pre-tenure estimates of teacher job performance do predict estimated post-tenure performance in both math and reading, and would therefore seem to be a reasonable metric to use as a factor in making substantive teacher selection decisions.

The Stability of Value-Added Measures of Teacher Quality and Implications for Teacher Compensation Policy

paffairs@urban.org ( Tim Sass ) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EST

There is little doubt that teacher quality is a key determinant of student achievement, but finding ways to identify and reward the best teachers has proven illusive. This research brief considers the stability of value-added measures of teacher effectiveness over time and the resulting implications for the design and implementation of performance-based teacher compensation schemes.

The Texas FERPA Story

paffairs@urban.org ( Dan O'Brien ) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EST

This research brief describes the legal and operational structure of the Texas longitudinal data system related to recent changes in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA)which establishes the rights of parents to access their children's educational records and protects the confidentiality of student informationthat more closely align law and practice. The U.S. Department of Education's FERPA Final Regulations Amendments took effect January 8, 2009.

The Narrowing Gap in New York City Teacher Qualifications and Implications for Student Achievement in High-Poverty Schools

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EST

This important research explores the effects of district policy interventions on the distribution of teacher qualifications and student achievement. Authors use a 5-year span of individual teacher- and student-level longitudinal data from New York City (NYC) from 2000 through 2005 to estimate the differences in the effectiveness of teachers entering NYC schools through different pathways to teaching. The study finds that the gap between the qualifications of NYC teachers in high-poverty and low-poverty NYC schools has narrowed substantially since 2000, mostly ensuing from the city's concentrated effort to match exceptionally capable teachers with very needy students and the virtual substitution of newly hired uncertified teachers in high-poverty schools with new hires from alternative certification routes: NYC Teaching Fellows and Teach for America.

Do Disadvantaged Urban Schools Lose Their Best Teachers?

paffairs@urban.org ( Eric A. Hanushek, Steven Rivkin ) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EST

This research brief examines differences in teacher effectiveness by school transition status and school characteristics in a large urban school district in Texas, using estimates of teacher effectiveness based on teacher contributions to student learning outcomes across classrooms. This research finds little or no evidence to support the view that more effective teachers have higher exit probabilities. In fact, the study finds that teachers who exit are significantly less effective, on average, than those who stay.

Overview of Measuring Effect Sizes: The Effect of Measurement Error

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EST

This research brief estimates the overall extent of test measurement error and how this varies across students using New York City student- level longitudinal data across grades 3-8 from 1999- 2007. Results reinforce the importance of accounting for measurement error, as it meaningfully increases effect size estimates associated with teacher attributes. There are important differences in teacher effectiveness that are systematically related to observed teacher attributes. Such effects are important in the formulation and implementation of personnel policies. Also, effect sizes as traditionally measured have led analysts to understate the magnitudes of effects because the standard deviation of observed scores overstates the dispersion of true achievement in the student population.

Do Education and Training Belong in the Recovery Package?

paffairs@urban.org ( Harry Holzer ) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EST

Ramped-up education spending should be part of an economic stimulus package, Institute Fellow Harry Holzer argues, because it will increase the gross domestic product, lead to more hiring, add income to local economies, and contribute to future productivity.

DCPS Human Capital Initiatives : Before the District of Columbia City Council

paffairs@urban.org ( Jane Hannaway ) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EST

Testimony of CALDER Director Jane Hannaway before the D.C. City Council on the human capital initiatives of the District of Columbia's Public Schools, given January 16, 2009. Hannaway describes CALDER's work on teacher quality addressing three main findings: (1) Teachers are the most important school factor that affects student learning, and the variation in effectiveness across teachers is large; (2) The variation in teacher effectiveness is greater within schools than the variation between schools; and (3) The variation in teacher effectiveness, both within and between schools, is a management problem that begs for attention. Hannaway argues at least some of this variation is a civil rights problem that demands policy attention and urges DCPS to continue to pursue new human capital management strategies to ensure teacher quality for all students.

Entry-Level and Next-Step Jobs in the Low-Skill Job Market : Brief No. 1

paffairs@urban.org ( Gregory Acs, Pamela J. Loprest ) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST

This brief uses data from the 2007 Survey of Employers in the Low-Skill Labor Market to explore differences between noncollege jobs that have few if any requirements and those for which either a high school degree, prior experience, or previous skills training is extremely important.

Low-Skill Jobs, Work Hours, and Paid Time Off : Brief No. 2

paffairs@urban.org ( Gregory Acs, Pamela J. Loprest ) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST

This brief uses data from the 2007 Survey of Employers in the Low-Skill Labor Market to examine the scheduling demands employers place on workers recently hired to fill noncollege jobs and to assess the availability of paid time off, sick leave and other benefits that help workers balance their work and family lives.

Job Placement Agencies and the Low-Skill Labor Market : Brief No. 3

paffairs@urban.org ( Gregory Acs, Pamela J. Loprest ) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST

This brief uses data from the 2007 Survey of Employers in the Low-Skill Labor Market to describe the role job placement agencies play in helping employers fill noncollege jobs.

Kids Having Kids Unravels the Complex Consequences of Teen Parenthood for Individuals and Society

paffairs@urban.org ( The Urban Institute ) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST

The second edition of Kids Having Kids: Economic Costs and Social Consequences of Teen Pregnancy from the Urban Institute Press examines the context and impact of teen parenthood and finds no simple relationship between a persons early parenthood and her or her familys subsequent health, wealth, or education. Instead, the volumes 21 contributors find, many personal and economic factors combine to influence the life of a teen parent and her family.

Accountability Policies : Implications for School and Classroom Practices

paffairs@urban.org ( Jane Hannaway, Laura Hamilton ) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EST

This paper reviews the research literature associated with the implications of performance-based accountability policies for school and teacher behaviors. It examines what is known about both possibly productive responses, such as focused effort on valued subjects, and non-productive responses, such as teaching to the test, induced by performance-based accountability systems.

Quality Schools, Healthy Neighborhoods, and the Future of DC

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EST

Over the last decade, the District of Columbia implemented bold steps to improve its public schools while also experiencing population growth, property value increases, and strong city fiscal health. But its child population (0-17 years old) remained essentially the same and a dwindling share of the city's children was attending the public schools. This policy report summarizes analysis from the Quality Schools and Healthy Neighborhoods: Research Report that describes the relationships between education, housing, and neighborhood development in the District, as well as provides policy recommendations for how to make the District of Columbia a more family-friendly city.

Quality Schools and Healthy Neighborhoods: A Research Report

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EST

Over the last decade, the District of Columbia implemented bold steps to improve its public schools while also experiencing population growth, property value increases, and strong city fiscal health. But its child population (0-17 years old) remained essentially the same and a dwindling share of the citys children was attending the public schools. This research report describes in-depth the relationships between education, housing, and neighborhood development in the District of Columbia, and it is the basis for the subsequent policy research report, Quality Schools, Healthy Neighborhoods, and the Future of DC, which outlines recommended policies to make the District a more family-friendly city.

The Case for Evidence-Based Policy: Beyond Ideology, Politics, and Guesswork : (revised 2008)

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST

U.S. public policy has increasingly been conceived, debated, and evaluated through the lenses of politics and ideology. The fundamental question--Will the policy work?--too often gets short shrift or even ignored. A remedy is evidence-based policy -- a rigorous approach that draws on careful data collection, experimentation, and both quantitative and qualitative analysis to determine what the problem is, which ways it can be addressed, and the probable impacts of each of these ways. Examples of how evidence informs good policy and lack of evidence can invite bad include health insurance coverage, welfare reform, sentencing policy, and redress for housing discrimination.

High School Diploma and GED Attainment in Florida

paffairs@urban.org ( Tim Sass, Steven Cartwright ) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST

This brief calculates graduation rates for the state of Florida using longitudinal data. We describe our measurement strategies and compare them with the states official measurement procedures. We calculate the diploma and GED attainment rates of six separate cohorts of Florida 9th graders who began high school between 1995/96 and 2000/01. We then present rates of both diploma receipt and GED receipt at four years and in later years. The results show an increasing trend in graduation rates in the state over the period studied and a substantial bump at five years, with growth flattening out after that time.

Helping Poor Working Parents Get Ahead - Summary

paffairs@urban.org ( Harry Holzer, Karin Martinson ) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST

Low-wage adult workers have trouble getting and keeping higher-paying jobs. Most lack the basic skills and education needed to move up, but certain kinds of assistance might give some the edge they need to break the pattern. In this summary, Holzer and Martinson recommend competitive federal matching block grants that reward states for developing new advancement systems which are linked to state workforce development structures. They would also require partnerships with employers and training providers, including community colleges.

Classroom Peer Effects and Student Achievement

paffairs@urban.org ( Mary A. Burke, Tim Sass ) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST

Using a unique longitudinal dataset from Florida, we analyze the impact of classroom peers on individual student performance. Focusing on the influence of peers' fixed characteristics on individual test score gains, we control simultaneously for student and teacher fixed effects. We find some sizable, significant peer effects within nonlinear models, but not with linear specifications. We find peer effects depend on a student's own ability and on the ability of the peers under consideration. Peer effects tend to be smaller when teacher fixed effects are included, a result that suggests co-movement of peer and teacher quality within a student over time.

Building Evaluation Capacity

paffairs@urban.org ( Beatriz Chu Clewell, Patricia B. Campbell ) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST

This two-guide set for evaluators and others interested in evaluation grew out of a National Science Foundation funded effort to improve cross project evaluations. Guide 1, Designing a Cross-Project Evaluation, focuses on evaluation design including identification and operationalization of program goals, building of logic models, and selection of indicators and appropriate measures for these indicators. Guide 2, Collecting and Using Data in Cross-Project Evaluation, lays out multiple issues involved in data collection, strengths and weaknesses of different data collection formats, and methods for ensuring data quality, confidentiality, and the protection of human subjects.

Tax and Spending Policy and Economic Mobility

paffairs@urban.org ( Sheila R. Zedlewski, Brendan Cushing-Daniels ) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST

Tax rates can affect decisions regarding work, investment in human capital, and wealth accumulation, each of which modulates intra- and intergenerational economic mobility. Similarly, government spending affects mobility either by purchasing goods that may drive mobility, such as education and health, or by effectively lowering the cost of mobility-enhancing goods through tax deductions and credits. This review summarizes the literature on the effects of government tax and spending policy on economic mobility, with a focus on the impacts of changes in marginal tax rates, the tax treatment of wealth, and government spending on health care, education, and Social Security. (Review 10 of 11.)