Urban Institute: Education Policy

Reform Ideas in New Book Aim for Teacher Excellence

paffairs@urban.org ( The Urban Institute) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST

An unmistakable sense of urgency runs throughout Creating a New Teaching Profession, with the top scholars and practitioners who coauthor the book underscoring that current systems for training, hiring, retaining, and rewarding teachers not only are imperfect, but are detrimental to building the best teacher workforce possible. Contributors to the book propose such major reforms as remaking longstanding teacher training systems and using private-sector approaches to modernize recruitment and compensation.

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!"

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Making a Difference? : The Effect of Teach for America on Student Performance in High School

paffairs@urban.org ( Zeyu Xu, Jane Hannaway, Colin Taylor) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST

Teach for America (TFA) selects and places graduates from the most competitive colleges as teachers in the lowest-performing schools in the country. This paper is the first study that examines TFA effects in high school. We use rich longitudinal data from North Carolina and estimate TFA effects through cross-subject student and school fixed-effects models. We find that TFA teachers tend to have a positive effect on high school student test scores relative to non-TFA teachers, including those who are certified in-field. Such effects exceed the impact of additional years of experience and are particularly strong in math and science.

School Segregation Under Color-Blind Jurisprudence: The Case of North Carolina

paffairs@urban.org ( Charles Clotfelter, Helen Ladd, Jacob Vigdor) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST

This paper uses administrative data for the public K-12 schools of North Carolina to measure racial segregation in the public schools of North Carolina. Using data for the 2005/06 school year, the authors update previous calculations that measure segregation in terms of unevenness in racial enrollment patterns both between schools and within schools. They find that classroom segregation generally increased between 2000/01 and 2005/06, continuing, albeit at a slightly slower rate, the trend observed over the preceding six years. Segregation increased sharply in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, which introduced a new choice plan in 2002. Over the same period, racial and economic disparities in teacher quality widened in that district.

Public School Choice and Integration Evidence from Durham, North Carolina

paffairs@urban.org ( Robert Bifulco, Helen Ladd, Stephen L. Ross) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST

This paper uses evidence from Durham, North Carolina to examine the impact of school choice on racial and class-based segregation across schools. The findings suggest that school choice increases segregation. Furthermore, the effects of choice on segregation by class are larger than the effects on segregation by race. These results are consistent with the theoretical argument-developed in sociology and economics literature-that the segregating choices of students from advantaged backgrounds are likely to outweigh any integrating choices by disadvantaged students.

School Reform in the District of Columbia : Testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia

paffairs@urban.org ( Jane Hannaway) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST

The difficult tasks for District of Columbia policymakers and education administrators, the Urban Institute's Jane Hannaway told a Senate subcommittee, are how to get more high-performing teachers in the classroom (especially classrooms serving the most disadvantaged students), how to hold teachers and schools accountable for student performance, and how to do it fairly. Reforms that promote teacher effectiveness should no doubt be tried, but reforms should be guided by data systems that provide feedback on how well the reforms are doing and how they might be fine tuned.

Performance of Students Attending District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), District of Columbia Public Charter School Board (PCSB) Schools, and District of Columbia Board of Education (BOE) Schools : Submitted to the Agency Performance Oversight Hearings Committee of the Whole Council of the District of Columbia

paffairs@urban.org ( Jennifer Comey) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

Only 37 percent of tested students in District of Columbia Public Schools and the city's public charter schools earned proficient or advanced rankings in reading in 2007, and only 32 percent reached those levels in math, Jennifer Comey told the city council. However, between 2006 and 2007, the share of all public school students testing proficient or advanced increased. In 2007, public charter school students tested slightly higher on average compared with DCPS students.

Baltimore City's High School Reform Initiative

paffairs@urban.org ( Becky Smerdon, Jennifer Cohen) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST

This report presents findings from the first detailed study of Baltimore's 5 year high school reform. Using administrative data, Urban Institute researchers found that test scores and attendance rates were higher for students in Baltimore's innovation high schools than in the city's comprehensive or newly formed neighborhood high schools. Students in innovation and neighborhood schools also showed more stability in their enrollment than their counterparts in comprehensive schools. These findings remained after controlling for students' backgrounds and previous achievements even though students at innovation schools were more academically advantaged than their peers in other schools prior to entering high school.

Teacher Credentials and Student Achievement in High School : A Cross-Subject Analysis with Student Fixed Effects

paffairs@urban.org ( Charles Clotfelter, Helen Ladd, Jacob Vigdor) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EST

We use data on statewide end-of-course tests in North Carolina to examine the relationship between teacher credentials and student achievement at the high school level. The availability of test scores in multiple subjects for each student permits us to estimate a model with student fixed effects, which helps minimize any bias associated with the non-random distribution of teachers and students among classrooms within schools. We find compelling evidence that teacher credentials affect student achievement in systematic ways and that the magnitudes are large enough to be policy relevant. As a result, the uneven distribution of teacher credentials by race and socio-economic status of high school students--a pattern we also document--contributes to achievement gaps in high school. View the working paper PDF on the CALDER website.

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

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EST

In this research we explore the how the distribution of teacher qualifications and student achievement in New York City have changed from 2000 through 2005 using data on teachers and students. We find: the gap between the qualifications of New York City teachers in high-poverty schools and low-poverty schools has narrowed substantially over this period, the gap-narrowing associated with new hires has been driven almost entirely by the substitution of teachers entering through alternative certification routes, for uncertified teachers in high-poverty schools, these changes resulted from a direct policy intervention eliminating unlicensed teachers, and perhaps most intriguing, much larger gains could result if teachers with strong teacher qualifications could be recruited. View the working paper PDF on CALDER's website.

Trouble Even in Choice Paradise : NCLB Options in Miami-Dade County Public Schools

paffairs@urban.org ( Jane Hannaway, Sarah Cohodes) — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 00:00:00 EST

This chapter discusses the implementation of the school transfer and supplemental educational services (SES) options as required by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS). While M-DCPS has 22 percent of its students enrolled in school choice programs, less than one percent of eligible students use NCLB school transfer and less than twelve percent of eligible students use SES. We explore the reasoning behind these low take up rates and utilize school transfer data provided by the district to suggest that, in the case of the school transfer option, the low participation is due to a restrictive timeline for choice and the inadequate signaling power of the AYP designations.

Gender Gaps in Math and Reading Gains During Elementary and High School by Race and Ethnicity

paffairs@urban.org ( Laura LoGerfo, Austin Nichols, Duncan Chaplin) — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 00:00:00 EST

Gender differences in academic achievement have long fascinated researchers and policy-makers alike. In this paper we analyze differences in math and reading test score growth rates by gender for four different race and ethnic groups -- white, black, Hispanic, and Asian students -- for six different time periods. Our data cover both the earliest years of education and the crucial years of adolescence. In addition, we have data bracketing one non-schooling period. Together these data enable us to get a very complete picture of how gender gaps evolve over the course of early elementary and high school years and how these trajectories differ by race and ethnicity. While the gender gaps are not always statistically significant, they are for 15 of 48 comparisons made, all during school. In addition, all of the statistically significant results suggest that males learn more math and females more reading during early elementary school and again during high school.

D.C. Mayor Fenty's School Governance Reform Plan : Testimony Before the District of Columbia City Council

paffairs@urban.org ( Jane Hannaway) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 00:00:00 EST

Governance reform is "no magic bullet" for boosting student achievement, Jane Hannaway told the District of Columbia City Council, because of the effects of other direct, indirect, and interactive factors. The director of the Urban Institute's Education Policy Center pointed out, however, that mayoral control of the school system may establish conditions that make it more likely that effective education policies and practices will be put in place.

Impacts of a Summer Learning Program : A Random Assignment Study of Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL)

paffairs@urban.org ( Duncan Chaplin, Jeffrey Capizzano) — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 00:00:00 EST

A growing body of evidence indicates that the test scores of low-income children drop significantly relative to their higher-income counterparts during the summer months. This study used random assignment to evaluate the effectiveness of the Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) program--a summer program designed to improve academic skills, parental involvement, academic self-perceptions, and social behaviors among low-income children and families--and finds that a well-implemented summer learning program can improve reading test scores and increase the extent to which parents encourage their children to read during the subsequent school year. These findings provide some support for investments in out-of-school time programming for low-income children during the summer, such as those currently coming from the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program and the Supplemental Services provisions of Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Revitalizing the Nation's Talent Pool in STEM

Thu, 06 Apr 2006 00:00:00 EST

This report presents key evaluation findings for the National Science Foundation's Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program. LSAMP was designed to increase the pool of underrepresented minority students completing bachelor's degrees and pursuing graduate studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Findings reveal that LSAMP graduates were indeed more likely than national comparison groups to enroll in and complete graduate studies in STEM. Program staff report that LSAMP expanded institutions' ability to develop STEM talent. A research-based descriptive model of the program's implementation is included, establishing a critical link between theory and practice to inform future interventions.

Final Report on the Evaluation of the National Science Foundation Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation Program : Full Technical Report and Appendices

Thu, 06 Apr 2006 00:00:00 EST

This is the full technical evaluation report on the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program--a National Science Foundation effort to increase the pool of underrepresented minority students receiving bachelor's degrees and pursuing graduate studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Utilizing quantitative and qualitative methods, the evaluation describes LSAMP's implementation and assesses whether it achieved its goals. Findings reveal that LSAMP graduates are more likely to enroll in and complete graduate programs in STEM than nationally-representative comparison groups. Program staff report that LSAMP expanded institutions' ability to develop STEM talent. A research-based descriptive model of the program is included, reinforcing the link between theory and practice in effective interventions.

Achievement Gains in Elementary and High School

paffairs@urban.org ( Laura LoGerfo, Austin Nichols, Sean F. Reardon) — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 00:00:00 EST

This study estimates the typical grade-to-grade learning achievement in the United States of different type of students (race/ethnicity, gender, LEP status, disadvantaged) from pre-K through grade 3 with the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS) and from grade 8 through grade 12 with the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS). We specifically focus on differences in learning rates for different students at different grade levels. The study commissioned by the National Center for Education Statistics was intended to provide benchmarks for learning gains and to suggest what effects might be reasonably expected from interventions. Not surprisingly, the study shows large gaps in learning levels and learning rates across different subgroups of students. Achievement gaps exist at the start of kindergarten, typically increase across the first few grades, then become more stable in later years. Given these findings, we suspect that interventions targeted at early grades may produce a "bigger bang for the buck" than interventions targeted for later grades.

Motivate Teachers with Incentives

paffairs@urban.org ( Jane Hannaway) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 00:00:00 EST

[Riverside Press Enterprise] Jane Hannaway, director of the Education Policy Center, believes the United States can achieve a top-notch public education system. What can we do to catch up and excel? At the top of the list: We have to reach directly into the classroom to improve teacher quality.

Retention of New Teachers in California

paffairs@urban.org ( Deborah Reed, Kim Rueben, Elisa Barbour) — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 00:00:00 EST

In California's continuing efforts to improve the quality of public schools, teacher retention is a potentially important strategy. Using a new longitudinal database on public school teachers, the authors examine teacher retention patterns in the state. They investigate the effects on retention of two policies intended to improve retention (teacher induction programs and teacher compensation), as well as the unintended consequences of class-size reduction programs. They also consider the relationship between teacher retention and the shortage of fully credentialed teachers, with a particular focus on high-poverty districts, where the shortage is most severe. (Public Policy Institute of California, February 2006.)

The Future of Public Education in New Orleans

paffairs@urban.org ( Paul T. Hill, Jane Hannaway) — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 00:00:00 EST

Hurricane Katrina destroyed most of New Orleans' public education system. As the region rebuilds, public school availability--and quality--will play important roles in determining whether families return. For the foreseeable future, the system will need to operate amid uncertainty about how many students it needs to educate and how they will be distributed across neighborhoods. The city and state response to the challenge must be aimed at two key objectives: adaptability and quality. This essay draws upon recent experience in other cities to outline a strategy for rebuilding New Orleans' public education system. If such a strategy is implemented, it could pioneer new ways of organizing public education in cities nationwide.

Can Teacher Quality Be Effectively Assessed? : National Board Certification as a Signal of Effective Teaching

paffairs@urban.org ( Dan Goldhaber, Emily Anthony) — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 00:00:00 EST

This paper describes the results of a study of the relationship between teacher certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and elementary-level student achievement. Researchers examined whether NBPTS assesses the most effective applicants, whether its certification indicates teacher quality, and whether completing the NBPTS assessment process helps increase teacher effectiveness. Although the findings indicate that NBPTS identifies the more effective applicants and that National Board Certified Teachers are generally more effective than teachers who never applied to the program, the magnitude of the "NBPTS effect" differs significantly by grade level and student type. There is no evidence that the NBPTS certification process itself increases teacher effectiveness.

Adult Learners / Instructional Aides Initiative : Survey of States and Districts

paffairs@urban.org ( Clemencia Cosentino de Cohen, Nicole Deterding) — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 00:00:00 EST

This report presents findings from an Urban Institute study of provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requiring paraprofessionals (instructional support staff) in Title 1 schools to be "highly qualified." Commissioned by Recruiting New Teachers, Inc. (RNT), and funded by the Lumina Foundation for Education, the study examined compliance with the NCLBs paraprofessional provisions, problems faced by districts whose paraprofessionals do not meet the requirements, and strategies and funding sources for compliance. Results suggest that while most jurisdictions will meet the NCLBs 2006 deadline for compliance and testing is the most widely used assessment of paraprofessional quality, compliance and strategies used to certify paraprofessional quality vary widely across states and districts.

Crisis Brewing? : Paraprofessionals and the No Child Left Behind Act

paffairs@urban.org ( Clemencia Cosentino de Cohen) — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 00:00:00 EST

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires that, by 2006, all employees providing instructional support (paraprofessionals, teacher aides, tutors, etc.) in a program or school supported with Title I, Part A funds meet one of the following criteria: hold an associate's degree (or higher); complete at least two years in an institution of higher education; or obtain a passing score on a test that measures reading, writing, and mathematics competency. This policy brief highlights key findings of an Urban Institute study focusing on this provision of NCLB, and elaborates on the policy implications of those findings. These include an information problem (many jurisdictions cannot document paraprofessional compliance with NCLB), a trade-off between complying with the spirit of the law and preventing a staffing problem, and an emphasis on testing over further education.

Collective Bargaining in Education: Negotiating Change in Today's Schools

paffairs@urban.org ( Jane Hannaway, Andrew J. Rotherham) — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 EST

Collective bargaining shapes the way public schools are organized, financed, staffed, and operated. Understanding collective bargaining in education and its impact on the day-to-day lives of schools is critical to designing and implementing reforms that will successfully raise student achievement. But when it comes to public discussion of school reform, teachers unions are the proverbial elephant in the room. Despite the tremendous influence of teachers unions, there has not been a significant research-based book examining the role of collective bargaining in education in more than two decades. As a result, there is little basis for a constructive, empirically grounded dialogue about the role of teachers unions in education today. This timely and comprehensive volume offers a thorough and nuanced analysis of the available research and varied perspectives on its implications. It will spur and strengthen public debate over the role of teachers unions in education reform for years to come. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press, 2006).

Who's Left Behind? : Immigrant Children in High and Low LEP Schools

Fri, 30 Sep 2005 00:00:00 EST

This report offers a detailed picture of elementary schools educating limited English proficient (LEP) students. Analysis reveals that LEP students are largely segregated: nearly 70% of LEP children are enrolled in only 10% of schools. Compared to Low- and No-LEP schools, High-LEP schools are predominately urban, have mostly low-income and minority students, and face challenges in staff recruitment. The remaining 30% of LEP students are in schools with fewer LEP peers, where they are less likely to receive services tailored to their educational needs. Because the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act holds schools accountable for the performance of LEP children, the report discusses the findings' implications for implementing NCLB in High- and Low-LEP schools. [View the corresponding press release]

Explaining Girls' Advantage in Kindergarten Literacy Learning: Do Classroom Behaviors Make a Difference?

paffairs@urban.org ( Douglas Ready, Laura LoGerfo, David Burkam, Valerie Lee) — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 00:00:00 EST

This study investigated gender differences in kindergarteners' literacy skills, specifically, whether differences in children's classroom behaviors explained females' early learning advantage. Data included information on 16,883 kindergartners (8,701 boys and 8,182 girls) from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Cohort of 1998 1999 (ECLS-K). The ECLS-K directly assessed children's cognitive skills and collected extensive data on children's sociodemographic and behavioral backgrounds through structured telephone interviews with parents and written surveys with children's teachers. Findings suggested that not only did girls enter kindergarten with somewhat stronger literacy skills but also learned slightly more than boys over the kindergarten year. Taking into account teachers' reports of girls' more positive learning approaches (e.g., attentiveness, task persistence) explained almost two-thirds of the female advantage in literacy learning. Accounting for boys' more prevalent external behavior problems, thought by many to explain girls' advantage in literacy development, did little to diminish the gender gap. (The Elementary School Journal 106(1): 21-38, September 2005.)