Urban Institute: Education

Social Impact Bonds : Testimony before the Committee on Appropriations Maryland House of Delegates

paffairs@urban.org ( John Roman ) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:00:00 EST

Social welfare problems in Maryland and elsewhere have remained intractable because their scale is beyond the ability of government to address alone, John Roman told the Appropriations Committee of the Maryland House of Delegates. Social impact bonds integration of private capital into traditionally public-sector activities is a promising mechanism for addressing these challenges. On March 6, 2013, this testimony was presented to the Maryland Senate Committee on Budget and Taxation regarding the Senate version of the social impact bond legislation.

Education Presidents And Governors: Ain't Gonna Happen

paffairs@urban.org ( C. Eugene Steuerle ) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 EST

District-Wide Model Bullying Prevention Policy

paffairs@urban.org ( John Roman, Samuel Bieler ) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 EST

This Model Bullying Prevention Policy is a comprehensive strategy that was developed for all youth-serving agencies in the District of Columbia. The policy employs a three-level public health model to prevent bullying, which involves shifting agency norms; delivering services to at-risk youth; and responding to bullying incidents in a way that inhibits subsequent acts, with an emphasis on data analysis to measure intervention success. The policy was developed by the Urban Institute in collaboration with the 42-members of the District of Columbia Mayor's Bullying Prevention Task Force and Office of Human Rights.

National Indicators and Social Wealth

paffairs@urban.org ( Erwin de Leon ) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:00:00 EST

In The State of Society, measures of national well-being that go beyond gross domestic product (GDP) are identified. Existing indicators and systems are found lacking in assessing the full economic value of caregiving and the contributions of women. This report presents the results of a meeting of leading experts on national indicators convened by the Urban Institute and the Center for Partnership Studies. Participants considered the strengths and weaknesses of existing indicators that measure social wealth, identified measures that need to be developed, and made recommendations for the placement of social wealth indicators in U.S. National Key Indicator System.

Variation in 2010-11 Truancy Rates Among District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) High Schools and Middle Schools

paffairs@urban.org ( Akiva Liberman, Meagan Cahill ) — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 00:00:00 EST

In the 2010-2011 school year, 2,500 high school students were chronically truant in District of Columbia Public Schools; at four schools over half of the students were chronically truant. High school truancy rates were moderately related to poverty and crime in students' residential neighborhoods and to violence near school. But the absenteeism of students in eighth grade was the strongest predictor of high school truancy rates. Focusing on middle school attendance issues may therefore be the most effective means of lowering high school truancy rates.

Access to the Illinois Preschool for All Initiative: Insights from Five Lower-Incidence Immigrant Groups in Northern Cook County

paffairs@urban.org ( Gina Adams, Marla McDaniel ) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 00:00:00 EST

A key measure of success of state prekindergarten initiatives is their ability to reach and serve children who are likely to face challenges in school. This study adds to our understanding of the challenges faced by immigrant children and families in Chicago, Illinois, by focusing on the extent to which families from smaller immigrant communities - particularly Pakistani, Nigerian, Vietnamese, Polish, and Haitian families-face barriers in accessing the Illinois prekindergarten program. Based on focus groups with parents and interviews with prekindergarten providers, this study finds a number of barriers, including lack of knowledge, language barriers, and logistical challenges around enrollment.

Untapped Potential: Partnering with Community-Based Organizations to Support Participation of Lower-Incidence Immigrant Communities in the Illinois Preschool for All Initiative

paffairs@urban.org ( Gina Adams, Marla McDaniel ) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 00:00:00 EST

Smaller immigrant communities can face barriers to participating in prekindergarten programs, in particular lack of knowledge about the program, language barriers and enrollment logistics. Community-based organizations working with these communities can support outreach efforts and play a role in overcoming all of these barriers. This study presents findings from focus groups of a number of community-based organizations working with smaller immigrant populations in the Chicago metro area, and identifies a number of strategies that could be employed to support prekindergarten participation among immigrant families.

Barriers and Opportunities: Helping Smaller Immigrant Communities Access the Illinois Preschool for All Program

paffairs@urban.org ( Gina Adams, Marla McDaniel ) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 00:00:00 EST

State prekindergarten initiatives can only succeed if they actually reach at-risk children. This brief summarizes findings from two studies around prekindergarten access for smaller immigrant populations. One study examines the extent to which Pakistani, Nigerian, Vietnamese, Polish, and Haitian families face barriers in accessing the Illinois prekindergarten program; it finds barriers such as lack of knowledge of the program, language barriers, and enrollment challenges. The second presents findings from focus groups of community-based organizations serving smaller immigrant populations in the Chicago metro area, and identifies a number of strategies that could be employed to support prekindergarten participation among immigrant families.

Housing and Schools: Working Together to Reduce the Negative Effects of Student Mobility

paffairs@urban.org ( Jennifer Comey, Sophie Litschwartz, Kathryn L.S. Pettit ) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:00:00 EST

How has the recession and its resulting family instability impacted childrens residential and school mobility? Officials from housing, homeless, and school programs discussed the full spectrum of residential mobility in two recent Urban Institute roundtables: from chronic mobility, eviction, and foreclosure to doubled-up households and homelessness. Attendees explored programs and policies to reduce residential and student mobility, as well as brainstormed new ways for different organizations to work together. The discussion centered on examples of school districts, government agencies, and nonprofit housing counseling agencies working together to mitigate the negative effects of mobility.

Truancy Rates and Truancy Reduction in the District of Columbia : Testimony before the Committee of the Whole and the Committee of the Judiciary of the Council of the District of Columbia

paffairs@urban.org ( Akiva Liberman ) — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 00:00:00 EST

High rates of truancy at some DC schools are receiving considerable attention. The Family Court cannot realistically be a primary response to the chronic truancy of thousands of chronically truant high-school students, Senior Fellow Akiva Liberman of the Justice Policy Center told the City Council. Liberman commented that family-based interventions for 9th graders may be necessary but insufficient to reduce truancy without simultaneously improving the attendance norms at high-truancy schools. Reducing absenteeism before high school may be the most effective way to reduce high school truancy.

Hit Hard but Bouncing Back: The Employment of Immigrants During the Great Recession and the Recovery

paffairs@urban.org ( Maria E. Enchautegui ) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 00:00:00 EST

During the Great Recession immigrants lost more employment, relative to their initial employment level, than U.S.-born workers. During the Recovery immigrants gained more employment than U.S-born workers. The employment gains of immigrants during the recovery spread among all educational groups except those with no high school diploma. Among U.S.-born workers, only those with Bachelor's degree or more gained employment. By mid-2012, the employment of both immigrants and U.S.-born workers were still below the pre-recession level.

Evaluation of the Pilot Program of the Truancy Case Management Partnership Initiative in the District of Columbia, 2011-12

paffairs@urban.org ( Akiva Liberman, Meagan Cahill ) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 00:00:00 EST

This evaluation of the Case Management Partnership Initiative (CPMI) found that the program successfully linked high-need families with services designed to prevent truancy. The truancy prevention program, implemented at Anacostia and Ballou High Schools in 2011-2012, links chronically truant ninth graders and their families to social services and case management, and includes weekly interagency case management meetings. While the evaluation found that the program was implemented as intended, it is unclear whether the program's efforts impacted truancy among participants. Nonetheless, CMPI remains a promising platform for additional program experimentation, including possible modifications to timing, eligibility criteria, and program components.

Evaluation of the Truancy Court Diversion Program in the District of Columbia, 2011-12

paffairs@urban.org ( Meagan Cahill, Akiva Liberman ) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 00:00:00 EST

An evaluation of the Truancy Court Diversion Program (TCDP) found that despite significant implementation challenges, parent-child communication and youths' attitudes towards school both improved. A voluntary program for middle school students at risk for chronic truancy, TCDP involves judicially-led sessions that address student attitudes combined with case management and service referrals to address family-level attendance barriers. The evaluation found that families of truant youth had high levels of need and were successfully connected to services. The evaluation suggests that the program should be formalized and better supported through dedicated resources and support from school administration prior to expansion.

Governing After Over-Promising

paffairs@urban.org ( C. Eugene Steuerle ) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 00:00:00 EST

Consider especially the big three items driving upward the budget deficits: growth in health costs, growth in retirement costs, and the tax cuts that keep passing our bills and related interest costs onto future generations. One simply can't balance the long-term budget without dealing with these three. Yet both Obama and Romney remain largely silent about what we might have to give up in these arenas for years to come.

Interim Report on the Truancy Court Diversion Program in the District of Columbia, 2011-12

paffairs@urban.org ( Meagan Cahill, Akiva Liberman, Lindsey Cramer ) — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 00:00:00 EST

The Truancy Court Diversion Program (TCDP) is a voluntary program for students at risk for chronic truancy. TCDP addresses attitudes of students and parents through sessions involving Family Court judges, and addresses barriers to attendance though case management and service referrals. An implementation evaluation of a pilot TCDP found key implementation challenges concerning recruitment and program participation, and the lack of regular team meetings. The program seems to have improved attitudes of regular participants, and provided families with needed services. Several modifications are recommended to strengthen the program. Structural changes would be necessary to take the TCDP to a larger scale.

Poor Parents' Education is Key in Their Children's Escape from Poverty

paffairs@urban.org ( Urban Institute ) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 00:00:00 EST

White children born to poor high school dropouts are 12 percentage points more likely to be persistently poor (that is, poor for at least half their lives from birth through age 17) than white children whose poor parents earned a diploma. The comparable number for black children is 21 percentage points. The difference between white children whose parents did not finish 12th grade and whose parents have education beyond high school is 30 percentage points. For black children, the figure is 45 percentage points.

Child Poverty and Its Lasting Consequence: Summary

paffairs@urban.org ( Caroline Ratcliffe, Signe-Mary McKernan ) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 00:00:00 EST

Nearly half of children born to poor parents remained poor half their childhoods. Black children are especially disadvantaged: two-thirds of poor black newborns are persistently poor. Children who are poor early in life (age 0-2) are 30 percent less likely to complete high school than those first poor later in childhood, even after controlling for poverty duration and other factors. Reaching vulnerable children at birth is vital, as a childs early environment can affect brain development. This factsheet summarizes the report Child Poverty and Its Lasting Consequence".

Child Poverty and Its Lasting Consequence

paffairs@urban.org ( Caroline Ratcliffe, Signe-Mary McKernan ) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 00:00:00 EST

One in six newborns were born poor over the past 40 years, and nearly half remained poor half their childhoods. These persistently poor children are nearly 90 percent more likely than never-poor children to enter their 20s without completing high school and are four times more likely to give birth outside of marriage during their teenage years. Children whose parents did not complete high school are less likely to complete high school themselves. This paper examines the magnitude of child poverty, family characteristics related to childhood poverty persistence, and childhood povertys lasting consequences.

Interim Evaluation of the Pilot Program of the Truancy Case Management Partnership Intervention in the District of Columbia

paffairs@urban.org ( Akiva Liberman, Meagan Cahill, Lindsey Cramer ) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 00:00:00 EST

The Case Management Partnership Initiative (CMPI) addresses chronic truancy by linking truant ninth graders and their families to social services and case management, along with regular interagency case management meetings. A pilot was conducted at Anacostia and Ballou High Schools in 2011-2012. The implementation evaluation found that the pilot program successfully implemented an interagency partnership and linked families to needed services, which likely improved family well-being. Whether this impacted truancy is not yet known. To reduce chronic truancy, the CMPI is a promising platform for additional program experimentation, including possible modifications to timing, eligibility criteria, and program components.

Receipt of Assistance by Education

paffairs@urban.org ( Austin Nichols ) — Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

Individuals who finished college were far less likely to live in households where any member received public assistance than those with less education, both before and after the Great Recession. The rates of receipt of aid in households of advanced degree holders roughly doubled between 2007 and 2010, but still remained under two percent. The rate for those with less than a high school education was 22 percent, and for high school graduates the rate is 13 percent, increasing by 8 and 6 percentage points, respectively, since 2007. The increases were in food assistance, not cash assistance.

Facilitating Postsecondary Education and Training for TANF Recipients

paffairs@urban.org ( Gayle Hamilton, Susan Scrivener ) — Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

Increasing education among low-income parents is a vital component of policies to improve families economic status. This brief draws on rigorous studies to highlight what is known about effects to encourage participation in and completion of postsecondary education among recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance and other low-income populations. The research shows that it is challenging to increase higher education enrollment, particularly among low-income, employed single parents. Some community-college-based programs have succeeded, although only one has increased school persistence in the medium term.

Improving Employment and Earnings for TANF Recipients

paffairs@urban.org ( Gayle Hamilton ) — Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

State approaches to welfare reform vary considerably, but almost all of them encourage adult welfare recipients to work more and, as a result, to reduce their families long-term reliance on welfare benefits. This brief draws on a large body of evidence from rigorous studies to highlight strategies found most effective in increasing employment and earnings among welfare recipients. Research shows a clear role for skills enhancement in welfare programs that encourage or mandate certain activities. But research also suggests balancing a focus on job seeking and work with goal-directed education and training.

Housing as a Platform for Formerly Incarcerated Persons

paffairs@urban.org ( Jocelyn Fontaine, Jennifer Biess ) — Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

This policy framing paper is one of three that explores the potential for housing combined with support services to create better outcomes for vulnerable populations. The U.S. population of formerly incarcerated individuals has increased dramatically over the past decade, resulting in sweeping consequences to individuals and families, communities, safety, and public spending. Against the backdrop of these reentry challenges, this paper discusses how housing can be a platform or pathway toward more successful reentry and reintegration for formerly incarcerated persons. The authors then identify research needed to inform policymakers and practitioners in meeting the housing and service needs of this at-risk group. This framing paper is part of a series of field-building research agendas produced under the What Works Collaborative. More information can be found on the What Works Collaborative web page.

Housing as a Platform for Improving Education Outcomes among Low-Income Children

paffairs@urban.org ( Mary K. Cunningham, Graham MacDonald ) — Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

This policy framing paper is one of three that explores the potential for housing combined with support services to create better outcomes for vulnerable populations. Many experts believe that housing can be a platform for academic achievement among low-income students by providing a stable environment where children access high-performing schools and succeed academically. While existing evidence links a lack of safe, high quality housing with low academic performance, little research explores how housing can be a positive pathway to achieving better school outcomes. The authors develop a field building research scheme that addresses this gap to help inform policymakers and practitioners working to meet the needs of this at-risk group. This framing paper is part of a series of field-building research agendas produced under the What Works Collaborative. More information can be found on the What Works Collaborative web page.

Choice Neighborhoods Initiative: Testimony by Susan Popkin : Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development

paffairs@urban.org ( Susan J. Popkin ) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

Public housing expert Sue Popkin testifies before the U.S. Senate the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative.

The Foreclosure Crisis and Children: A Three-City Study

paffairs@urban.org ( Kathryn L.S. Pettit, Jennifer Comey ) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

This National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership cross-site study describes how foreclosures affected children in Baltimore, New York City, and Washington, D.C. between 2003 and 2008. The number of children living in foreclosed homes rose sharply over the time period and the majority of students affected were African-American. Foreclosure prompted more residential mobility and school switching compared to other students in all three cities. Whether foreclosure resulted in students switching to schools of lower quality compared to other school switchers was mixed across the three cities. Students moving homes due to foreclosure experience similar changes in neighborhood quality as other movers.

Bringing Promise to Washington, DC : The DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

The U.S. Department of Education's Promise Neighborhood Initiative is one of the Obama administration's major antipoverty initiatives and a core strategy of the White House's Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative. It is intended to improve educational outcomes by creating a continuum of school readiness, academic services, and family and community support for children from early childhood through college. The DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative (DCPNI) received one of the U.S. Department of Education's 21 Promise Neighborhood planning grants in October 2010. This policy brief summarizes DCPNI's planning year and how DCPNI intends to improve the educational outcomes of youth in the years to come.

DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative: Needs Assessment and Segmentation Analysis

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

In October 2010, the DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative (DCPNI) became one of 21 recipients of a US Department of Education Promise Neighborhood planning grant. The Urban Institute partnered with DCPNI to act as the data analyst and local evaluator of this ambitious initiative. The Needs Assessment and Segmentation Analysis are intended to provide a timely understanding of the needs of the community and to inform the continuum of strategies developed by DCPNI and their workgroups.

Implementation and Early Training Outcomes of the High Growth Job Training Initiative: Final Report

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

The High Growth Job Training Initiative (HGJTI) was a national grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA). Between 2001 and 2007, more than 160 grants were awarded to establish industry-focused job training and related projects designed to meet the industrys workforce challenges. This report is the third and final in a series from the national evaluation of the HGJTI conducted by the Urban Institute, the Institute for Policy Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and Capital Research Corporation. This report documents the national initiative, describes the structure and implementation of projects by selected grantees, and provides nonexperimental analysis of the early impacts of job training in selected HGJTI-funded programs. The analysis relies on a review of grant applications and quarterly reports; visits to nine selected grantee sites; data collected from grantee training programs; quarterly earnings data from state unemployment insurance wage records; and administrative data from state and local public workforce system agencies.

Evaluation Design for the Next Phase Evaluation of the Assets for Independence Program, Final Literature Review

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EST

Based on our review and synthesis of the individual development account (IDA) literature, findings in this report include that IDA accounts (in the short-term, five years after program entry) help low-income families become homeowners, start or expand a business, or pursue secondary education. Studies to date have found no relationship between IDA program participation and net worth. The report reviews empirical evidence on the effect of IDA program participation and project design features on outcomes and highlights remaining gaps in the literature.

Opportunity-Rich Schools and Sustainable Communities : Seven Steps to Align High-Quality Education with Innovations in City and Metropolitan Planning and Development

paffairs@urban.org ( Deborah McKoy, Jeffrey M. Vincent, Ariel H. Bierbaum ) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EST

Policies and strategies at all levels of government are increasingly associating educational outcomes with community planning and housing. Challenges remain for local officials and practitioners trying to align these policy areas, including persistent spatial inequity and rigid institutional silos. This report develops seven steps to link education and planning policy at the local level. The authors draw from a national scan of model activities, interviews with key experts and agency staff members, and the authors' experience working with local governing bodies. The report identifies practical solutions that encompass assessing the current educational environment, engaging the community, strategic planning and implementation of investment, and institutionalizing successful innovations.

Where Kids Go: The Foreclosure Crisis and Mobility In Washington, D.C.

paffairs@urban.org ( Jennifer Comey, Michel Grosz ) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EST

The ripple effects of the foreclosure crisis have created increased instability for children and families. In this brief we focus on two such sources of instability in the lives of public school students in Washington, D.C.: moving homes and switching schools. We find high rates of residential and school mobility for students in general, and even higher rates associated with students who lived in buildings that entered the foreclosure process. These mobile students tended to stay in the same neighborhood or move to areas that were similarly poor and high-crime. In this policy brief, we make a series of low-cost recommendations to school districts and nonprofit housing counseling agencies in order to minimize the harm of additional instability on children.

Public School Choice in the District of Columbia: A Descriptive Analysis

paffairs@urban.org ( Umut Ozek ) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EST

Increasing parental choice has been a leading theme of recent education policy intended to enhance the academic achievement of low-performing students in the United States. These policies aim to "level the playing field" in access to high-quality education for disadvantaged students who cannot otherwise afford higher-quality schooling options. Public school choice programs in D.C. are successful; disadvantaged students are able to attend higher-performing schools than their neighborhood public schools, even with prolonged commutes. Overall, the findings provide evidence that the relatively advantaged students are taking advantage of public school choice programs. However, choice exacerbates student quality disparities between low- and high-poverty schools, casting some doubt on the benefits of such programs.

Young Children of Immigrants and the Path to Educational Success : Key Themes from an Urban Institute Roundtable

paffairs@urban.org ( Olivia Golden, Karina Fortuny ) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EST

The growing presence of young children of immigrants is changing the demographic makeup of classrooms, yet debates about early education and school reform often do not mention them. As high-quality education for all becomes a prominent policy and political goal, key questions remain unanswered about whether schools and early childhood programs are addressing their needs. This paper summarizes the Urban Institute's 2010 roundtable "Young Children of Immigrants and the Path to Educational Success" discussion, which focused on the specific needs of young children of immigrants.

Power Play? Teacher Characteristics and Class Assignments

paffairs@urban.org ( Demetra Kalogrides, Susanna Loeb, Tara Beteille ) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EST

While prior research has documented differences in the distribution of teacher characteristics across schools serving different student populations, few studies have examined how teacher sorting occurs within schools. Comparing teachers who teach in the same grade and school in a given year, we find less experienced, minority, and female teachers are assigned students with lower average prior achievement, more prior behavioral problems, and lower prior attendance rates than their more experienced, white and male colleagues. Though more effective (higher value-added ) teachers and those with advanced degrees are also assigned less difficult classes, controlling for these factors does not eliminate the association between experience, race, gender, and assignments. These patterns have negative implications for teacher retention given the importance of working conditions for teachers' career decisions.

Stepping Stones: Principal Career Paths and School Outcomes

paffairs@urban.org ( Tara Beteille, Demetra Kalogrides, Susanna Loeb ) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EST

Principals tend to prefer working in schools with higher-achieving students from more advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. Principals often use schools with many poor or low-achieving students as stepping stones to what they view as more desirable assignments. District leadership can also exacerbate principal turnover by implementing policies aimed at improving low-performing schools such as rotating school leaders. Using longitudinal data from one large urban school district we find principal turnover is detrimental to school performance. Frequent turnover results in lower teacher retention and lower student achievement gains, which are particularly detrimental to students in high-poverty and failing schools.

Students and Teachers Fare Better Under Effectiveness-Based Teacher Layoffs, Studies Find

paffairs@urban.org ( CALDER Center ) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST

Faced with budget shortfalls, states and localities are considering cuts to K-12 education, including reductions in teaching staff.Consequently, governors, lawmakers, and school officials are taking a second look at seniority provisions in their collective bargaining agreements and weighing the costs and benefits of the prevailing system under which the last hired is typically the first fired.

Institutional Capacity-Building to Enhance Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education and Research: The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP)

paffairs@urban.org ( Beatriz Chu Clewell, Clemencia Cosentino de Cohen ) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST

This brief provides an overview of the evaluation of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) of the National Science Foundation (NSF), focusing on the main conclusions and recommendations arising from the evaluation.

Capacity Building to Diversify STEM: Realizing Potential among HBCUs

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST

This report presents findings from the process and summative (quasi-experimental) evaluation of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) of the National Science Foundation (NSF). HBCU-UP seeks to enhance the quality of undergraduate education and research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at HBCUs as a means to broaden participation in the nations STEM workforce. Findings suggest that the HBCU-UP program yielded an intervention model characterized by a core set of capacity-building strategies associated with successful student educational and employment outcomes. HBCU-UP graduates (mostly African Americans) outperform a national comparison sample in graduate degree completion and are more likely to be employed in STEM than African American graduates nationally. The report includes recommendations for future funding and dissemination.

Institutions in National Science Foundation's HBCU-UP Program Are Leading Gateways to Science and Engineering Degrees

paffairs@urban.org ( Urban Institute ) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST

African American students at historically black colleges are twice as likely as African American students nationally to complete graduate degrees in science and engineering if their colleges received a capacity-building grant from the National Science Foundation, an evaluation of the HBCU-UP program found.

The Economic Value of Higher Teacher Quality

paffairs@urban.org ( Eric A. Hanushek ) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:00:00 EST

Most analyses of teacher quality end without any assessment of the economic value of altered teacher quality. This paper begins with an overview of what is known about the relationship between teacher quality and student achievement. Alternative valuation methods are based on the impact of increased achievement on individual earnings and on the impact of low teacher effectiveness on economic growth through aggregate achievement. A teacher one standard deviation above the mean effectiveness annually generates marginal gains of over $400,000 in present value of student future earnings with a class size of 20 and proportionately higher with larger class sizes. Replacing the bottom 5-8 percent of teachers with average teachers could move the U.S. near the top of international math and science rankings with a present value of $100 trillion.

Value-Added Models and the Measurement of Teacher Productivity

paffairs@urban.org ( Douglas Harris, Tim Sass, Anastasia Semykina ) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:00:00 EST

Research on teacher productivity, and recently developed accountability systems for teachers, rely on value-added models to estimate the impact of teachers on student performance. The authors test many of the central assumptions required to derive value-added models from an underlying structural cumulative achievement model and reject nearly all of them. Moreover, they find that teacher value added and other key parameter estimates are highly sensitive to model specification. While estimates from commonly employed value-added models cannot be interpreted as causal teacher effects, employing richer models that impose fewer restrictions may reduce the bias in estimates of teacher productivity.

Public School Choice and Student Achievement in the District of Columbia

paffairs@urban.org ( Austin Nichols, Umut Ozek ) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:00:00 EST

This study examines the multi-faceted public school choice environment in the District of Columbia and the effects of alternative public schools on the achievement levels of students who exercise this type of school choice. The results indicate that students who attend out-of-boundary public schools and charter schools significantly outperform similar students who attend in-boundary public schools in both reading and math tests. We rely on instrumental variables framework to disentangle the underlying reasons behind this achievement gap and find that the observed differences are likely due to the positive effects of alternative public schools.

Teacher Quality and Teacher Mobility

paffairs@urban.org ( Li Feng, Tim Sass ) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:00:00 EST

This paper assesses the determinants of teacher job change and the impact of such mobility on the distribution of teacher quality. High and low-quality teachers are more likely to leave than those in the middle of the distribution. In contrast, the relationship between teacher productivity and inter-school mobility is relatively weak. Teachers who rank above their faculty colleagues are more likely to transfer to a new school within a district and exit teaching. As the share of peer teachers with more experience, advanced degrees or professional certification increase, the likelihood of moving within district decreases. There is also evidence of assortative matching among teachers. The most effective teachers who transfer tend to go to schools whose faculties are in the top quartile of teacher quality. Teacher mobility exacerbates differences in teacher quality across schools.

Assessing the Determinants and Implications of Teacher Layoffs

paffairs@urban.org ( Dan Goldhaber, Roddy Theobald ) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:00:00 EST

Over 2000 teachers in Washington state received reduction-in-force (RIF) notices in the past two years. Linking data on these RIF notices to a unique dataset of student, teacher, school, and district variables the authors determine factors that predict the likelihood of a teacher receiving a RIF notice. A teacher's seniority is the greatest predictor, but (all else equal) master's degree teachers and credentialed teachers in the "high-needs areas" of math, science, and special education were less likely to receive a RIF notice. For a subset of the teachers there is no observed relationship between effectiveness and the likelihood of receiving a RIF notice. Results suggest a different group of teachers would be targeted for layoffs under an effectiveness-based vs. seniority-driven layoff system.

Every Kid Counts in the District of Columbia: 17th Annual Fact Book 2010

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:00:00 EST

The 17th annual Fact Book is a comprehensive data source for indicators of child well-being in the District of Columbia. It tracks the progression of child well-being over time, as well as differences in child well-being across wards and races/ethnicities. It is organized to reflect the six citywide goals for children and youth in DC: children are ready for school; children and youth succeed in school; children and youth are healthy and practice healthy behaviors; children and youth engage in meaningful activities; children and youth live in healthy, stable, and supportive families; and all youth make a successful transition to adulthood.

Value Added of Teachers in High-Poverty Schools and Lower-Poverty Schools

paffairs@urban.org ( Tim Sass, Jane Hannaway, Zeyu Xu, David Figlio, Li Feng ) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:00:00 EST

Differences in teacher quality would appear to be the most likely reason for disparities in the quality of high-poverty and lower-poverty schools. However, the linkages between teacher quality and socio-economic-based disparities in student achievement are quite complex. Using data from North Carolina and Florida, this paper examines whether teachers in high-poverty schools are as effective as teachers in schools with more advantaged students. Bottom teachers in high-poverty schools are less effective than bottom teachers in lower-poverty schools. The best teachers, by comparison, are equally effective across school poverty settings. The gap in teacher quality appears to arise from the lower payoff to teacher qualifications in high-poverty schools.In particular, the experience-productivity relationship is weaker in high-poverty schools and is not related to teacher mobility patterns. Recruiting teachers with good credentials into high-poverty schools may be insufficient to narrow the teacher quality gap. Policies that promote the long-term productivity of teachers in challenging high-poverty schools appear key.

A New Vision to Increase the Academic Achievement for English Language Learners and Immigrant Students

paffairs@urban.org ( Kathleen Leos, Lisa Saavedra ) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:00:00 EST

This paper analyzes the challenges and opportunities posed by today's education reform debate for the early education and language learning of immigrant, limited English proficient, and English language learner students 3 to 8 years old. Because of the close connections between the preschool and early elementary years, the paper addresses children who attend early childhood and kindergarten-through-3rd-grade education programs throughout the United States. The analysis focuses on provisions in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (reauthorized as the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001), and other relevant legislation and Supreme Court decisions.

Education and Achievement A Focus on Latino "Immigrant" Children

paffairs@urban.org ( Eugene Garcia ) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 00:00:00 EST

The high number of English language learners (ELLs) has brought a change in the demographics of public schools and a need to account for the educational experiences of these students, both linguistically and academically. A comprehensive English language development program that facilitates English language acquisition has never been comprehensively articulated and evaluated. This paper argues that robust and rigorous research could be highly useful for policy and education practice modifications. The expanded utilization of dual-language programs is a hopeful sign of that possibility as they offer an alternative with solid empirical evidence for success in selected populations and specific conditions.

Building the Nation's Scientific Capacity: Evidence from the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation Program

paffairs@urban.org ( Clemencia Cosentino de Cohen, Urban Institute ) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 00:00:00 EST

Minorities have been traditionally underrepresented in scientific fields. For over 10 years, they have been the target of a National Science Foundation (NSF) effort to retain students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)—namely, the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program. This brief condenses key findings from the Urban Institutes four-year evaluation of LSAMP, focusing on the progression of LSAMP participants through the STEM education pipeline and comparing their outcomes with those of representative samples of minority and nonminority students.