bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Case for Participatory Evaluation
Authors: Cousins J. Bradley , Earl Lorna M.
Published: March 2008

Participatory evaluation is presented as an extension of the stakeholder-based model with a focus on enhancing evaluation utilization through primary users’ increased depth and range of participation in the applied research process. The approach is briefly described and then justified from theoretical and empirical bases. The literature on organizational learning provides theoretical support for participatory evaluation stemming primarily from the view that knowledge is socially constructed and cognitive systems and memories are developed and shared by organization members. Twenty-six recent empirical studies were found to support an organizational learning justification of the model. Studies were classified into one of six emergent categories: conceptions of use; effects of participation on the use of research; effects of participation on the use of disseminated knowledge; effects of research training; school-university partnerships; and internal evaluation. Requirements of organizations and evaluators and an agenda for research are discussed.
Educational Assessment: Expanded Expectations and Challenges
Authors: Linn Robert L.
Published: March 2008

Current national efforts to expand the role of educational assessment and radically change the nature of assessments are discussed. Rationales for expectations that a new national examination system would serve as a lever of educational reform are analyzed. Challenges posed for educational measurement by the proposed heavy reliance on complex, performance-based assessment are examined in terms of needed validation research. Particular attention is given to existing generalizability evidence and the implications of a high degree of task specificity for the design of an assessment system.
The Long-Run Effects of Proprietary Schools on Wages and Earnings: Implications for Federal Policy
Authors: Grubb W. Norton
Published: March 2008

Although proprietary schools serve large (and increasing) numbers of students, including many low-income students, the large amounts of student aid going to them, the high default rates of their students, and news about fraud and abuse suggest substantial problems. Unfortunately, information about proprietaries is sparse. This article summarizes what is known from several national data sets, particularly about the amounts of aid allocated to proprietary school students, student composition, completion and noncompletion rates, and effects on wages and earnings. The findings provide little support for proprietary schools on average, though the averages may mask substantial benefits for some schools. One implication is that the assumptions necessary for student loans are not met, and even grants to students in proprietary schools may not be warranted. Another is that requiring better information about the effects of proprietary schools would help in regulating such schools and would improve student choices.
Teachers and Principals: Gender-Related Perceptions of Leadership and Power in Secondary Schools
Authors: Lee Valerie E. , Smith Julia B. , Cioci Madalyn
Published: March 2008

This study explores teachers’ perceptions of their own power at the personal, interpersonal, and organizational levels of their schools. It investigates how the interaction between principal and teacher gender affects high school teachers’ evaluations of the principal’s leadership, as well as how it influences subsequent evaluations of their own power. The study employs a sample of almost 9,000 teachers in over 300 public, Catholic, and private secondary schools from the Administrator and Teachers Survey of the High School and Beyond study. A strong pattern of results shows that while female teachers feel empowered when working in schools headed by female principals, male teachers consider themselves less powerful in those circumstances. The interaction between teachers’ and principals’ gender contributes to understanding the persistent underrepresentation of women in the high school principalship.
Black Teachers in Indiana: A Potential Shortage?
Authors: Kirby Sheila Nataraj , Hudson Lisa
Published: March 2008

There is considerable concern regarding the declining proportion of minorities entering teaching. We use data on Indiana public school teachers to examine Black representation in the teaching force, their patterns of entry and attrition. We find that the overall picture—an aging Black teaching force, increasing attrition due to retirement, a decreasing proportion of new Black hires—suggests that Black representation in the teaching force may well become a cause for concern unless active recruitment policies are implemented.
Data Analysis Strategies for Mixed-Method Evaluation Designs
Authors: Caracelli Valerie J. , Greene Jennifer C.
Published: March 2008

Four integrative data analysis strategies for mixed-method evaluation designs are derived from and illustrated by empirical practice: data transformation, typology development, extreme case analysis, and data consolidation/merging. The appropriateness of these strategies for different kinds of mixed-method intents is then discussed. Where appropriate, such integrative strategies are encouraged as ways to realize the full potential of mixed-methodological approaches.
The Best Path to Systemic Educational Policy: Standard/Centralized or Differentiated/Decentralized?
Authors: Clune William H.
Published: March 2008

Systemic educational policy recommends creating more ambitious instruction in schools through a centralized strategy of mandatory curriculum frameworks, high-stakes student assessments, and coordinated teacher training. This article suggests serious problems with such a strategy and recommends a decentralized alternative involving local choice of curricula, technical assistance, and professional development. Arguments for, problems with, and alternatives to the centralized strategy are examined in eight dimensions of educational policy: curriculum development, curriculum stratification, educational indicators, high-stakes examinations for students, school improvement, educational finance, educational governance, and teacher training. The article concludes with recommendations for policy and research.
Measuring the Outcomes of LEP Programs: Test Scores, Exit Rates, and Other Mythological Data
Authors: Gándara Patricia , Merino Barbara
Published: March 2008

This study of test data, reclassification, and exit rates of LEP students was part of a larger study, commissioned by the California Legislature, to compare the effectiveness of a range of language assistance programs in educating the state's growing limited English proficient student population. This study sought to answer the questions, what is the relative rate of academic progress and second language acquisition across program models and which model is most successful in exiting LEP students into the English language mainstream? On the basis of data collected in exemplary schools in California, the researchers conclude that in asking about exit rates, policymakers are essentially asking the wrong question, and in asking about students’ academic progress and English language acquisition by program type, they are asking a question that even the “best” schools are ill-equipped to answer. Recommendations are offered for collecting data that would be more meaningful for teachers as well as researchers.
Choice, Empowerment, and Involvement: What Satisfies Parents?
Authors: Goldring Ellen B. , Shapira Rina
Published: March 2008

School choice advocates maintain that parents who choose their schools will be satisfied with those schools. This study examines the nature of the interrelationships between parents’ satisfaction with public schools of choice and (a) parents’ empowerment, (b) parental involvement, and (c) the congruence between what parents expected of the school when deciding to enroll their child and the actual school program. Findings from a study of school choice in Israel reveal that socioeconomic status is a major factor in understanding the relationships between parent satisfaction and choice.
Success in School: A Research Agenda on Student Attrition and Retention in the SEEK Program
Authors: Francis Kim C. , Kelly Robert J. , Bell Martha J.
Published: March 2008

Success in higher education for minorities and disadvantaged students may be more closely linked with their sociopsychological adjustments to an institution than was previously thought. At the same time, the culture of institutions of higher learning may facilitate the assimilation of minority students through an apparatus of services that assists them academically and socially. This article examines the institutional interaction processes in the Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge Program (SEEK) among students, staff, and faculty at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York (CUNY), and explores how assimilation into the institutional subculture may be enhanced. The research paradigm raises questions about how the school setting affects success or failure and how institutions offer their students resources that enable them to overcome the legacies of poverty and attitudes inimical to the culture of learning.
Curriculum Control and Teachers' Perceptions of Autonomy and Satisfaction
Authors: Archbald Douglas A. , Porter Andrew C.
Published: March 2008

High school mathematics and social studies teachers were studied to determine the influence of curriculum control policies on their sense of autonomy and job satisfaction. Control policies were found to have their largest effects on content decisions in mathematics. Nevertheless, teachers in all conditions studied reported relatively high degrees of personal control over both content and pedagogy. Further, there was little evidence that teachers felt less efficacious or satisfied about their jobs because of curriculum policy constraints.
Do Bad Programs Always Drive Out Good? A Case Study in Free-Market Religious Education
Authors: Resnick David
Published: March 2008

In the discussion of privatization of public education, there is little evidence on how competition among schools affects program quality. Jewish supplementary schooling is one network in which parents have total freedom to select the school of their choice. This article examines the dynamics of competition among four such programs during a 5-year period. Some competitive strategies reduced program demands, but others reinforced quality, though that term is problematic in this setting. The least intensive, least expensive program did not undercut the other programs in the long run, but did spur innovation. Further study of the dynamics of parental choice is warranted, focusing on denominational affiliation, cost, convenience, social factors, and quality.
Apples and Apples: Comparing Performance Indicators for Places With Similar Demographic Characteristics
Authors: Salganik Laura Hersh
Published: March 2008

Users of educational indicators frequently compare outcomes of students from demographically similar schools, districts, or states. The typical practice of presenting relevant background information along with student performance data unfortunately leaves a significant amount of additional analysis up to the reader. In considering approaches to developing indicators that facilitate comparisons among areas that have students with similar background characteristics, this article addresses concerns about such indicators and then presents a framework for deciding what characteristics to include and what methodology to use. Examples of efforts to present such indicators for schools and districts are used as illustrations. An analysis is presented showing indicators of state graduation rates relative to the average state rate and to the rate for similar states. The results demonstrate that the choice of demographic characteristics is more important than the choice of methodology, but that multiple criteria must be considered when developing such indicators.
Politics, Policy, and Categorical Aid: New Inequities in California School Finance
Authors: Timar Thomas B.
Published: March 2008

The combined effects of court-imposed school finance equalization and various tax limitation measures in California have created a centralized, state system of school finance. An immediate benefit of centralization was greater revenue equity among the state's school districts. On the other hand, new inequities have been created as decision making on school funding shifted from local districts to the state legislature. Access to decision making, mobilization of political power, and the legitimation of new interests have created a new politics of educational finance. This article examines the political tensions and conflicts that have arisen as a consequence of state control over local finance. Specifically, I argue that categorical funding has become a vehicle for politicians to channel funds to constituent interests. This article examines the growth of categorical funding in relation to the Serrano mandate and the extent to which categorical funds serve narrow political interests as opposed to broad state policy interests.
Performance Assessment and Accountability: The Experience in England and Wales
Authors: Black Paul J.
Published: March 2008

In 1988, a new act of Parliament introduced a national curriculum and national assessment to Great Britain. This article traces the background of practice and ideology that led to this innovation and then describes the development of the policy for national assessment. An initial and professionally acceptable formulation has been slowly transformed to the point where teachers have refused to carry out prescribed national testing. The reasons for this breakdown are analyzed. The political and technical lessons that can be drawn from this analysis will be of relevance to many other countries.
Principals, Shared Decision Making, and School Reform
Authors: Weiss Carol H. , Cambone Joseph
Published: March 2008

When schools adopt shared decision making (SDM), principals' authority is limited. Nevertheless, all six principals in the SDM high schools we studied supported SDM, at least in part because they had chosen to serve in an SDM school. The three principals who were most supportive of SDM also had ambitious visions of instructional reform. After 1.5 to 2 years, the high schools in which these principals served experienced a heightened level of conflict among the faculty. In large part, the conflict was due to these principals' efforts to use SDM as a vehicle to foster large changes. Teachers resisted major change, and principals became impatient with the participatory process and tried to promote their own versions of reform. Only a modest degree of reform was achieved, but it was more than was achieved by SDM principals without a reform agenda. Reformist principals in non-SDM high schools implemented modest reforms as well, although at the expense of suspicion and antagonism after changes were introduced. We explore the dilemmas that reformist principals face and suggest policy implications.
School-Level Effects of Teachers' Participation in Decision Making
Authors: Taylor Dianne L. , Bogotch Ira E.
Published: March 2008

This article presents findings from a study of teachers' participation in decision making. Data gathered from a large metropolitan district involved in restructuring are analyzed to isolate dimensions of participation and to explore linkages between these dimensions and several outcome variables. Results indicate that participation did not improve outcomes for teachers or students and that teachers did not feel sufficiently involved in decision making was sufficient despite working in a reform district. These findings suggest that restructuring models must be reexamined to identify and remedy obstacles that inhibit the success of reform efforts.
Measuring Equity at the School Level: The Finance Perspective
Authors: Berne Robert , Stiefel Leanna
Published: March 2008

This article explores conceptual, methodological, and empirical issues in resource allocation at the intradistrict and school levels. With increased attention focused on policies and data related to resources within districts, it is important that analytical problems and potential solutions be debated by researchers. The article develops ways that equity concepts can apply at the school level, identifies a series of methodological issues, and includes an empirical analysis of vertical equity at the intradistrict and school levels in New York City.
Parental Choice of Schools and Social Stratification in Education: The Paradox of Detroit
Authors: Lee Valerie E. , Croninger Robert G. , Smith Julia B.
Published: March 2008

Within the contexts of families and school districts, we investigate the effect of parental choice of schools on social stratification in education. We focus on Detroit, one of the few U.S. cities without a major choice plan (1991). Using multilevel methods to analyze data from 710 household heads in 45 Detroit-area school districts, results showed that minority and disadvantaged respondents, especially from the city, favor choice. We concluded that access to low-quality schools—measured either by respondents' perceptions or resource levels for school districts-motivates positive opinions toward choice. We discuss the potential effects on the Detroit public schools of an interdistrict choice plan, suggesting that choice would further stratify an already highly inequitable distribution of social, economic, and academic resources around education in the Detroit area. We question the individualistic premise undergirding arguments favoring choice.
Differential Regulation: Clever Customization Or Unequal Interference?
Authors: Firestone William A. , Nagle Brianna
Published: March 2008

When New Jersey passed the Quality Education Act to equalize expenditures between rich and poor school districts, it increased regulatory oversight of its 30 poorest districts. This article describes that oversight system and the additional burdens it created for those districts. It also explores the political context that contributed to new regulation and the past abuses that it was expected to correct. The article concludes that the new system was moderately effective in improving the performance of those districts. However, it questions the use of an input criterion rather than performance for determining which districts should undergo oversight.
The Influence of Prices and Price Subsidies on Within-Year Persistence by Students in Proprietary Schools
Authors: St. John Edward P. , Starkey Johnny B. , Paulsen Michael B. , Mbaduagha Loretta A.
Published: March 2008

This article uses the 1987 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study to assess the influence of prices and price subsidies on within-year persistence by students enrolled in proprietary schools. The study found that African Americans and Hispanics and students who have not attained their high school degrees were more likely to persist, indicating that proprietary schools provide opportunities for the historically disadvantaged. Further, tuition charges have a substantial negative influence on within-year persistence by proprietary students.
A Cost Effectiveness Analysis of Large and Small Classes in the University
Authors: Maxwell Nan L. , Lopus Jane S.
Published: March 2008

Using university cost data and student data collected from principles of economics classes at a medium-sized public university, this article analyzes a university policy to dramatically increase class size. We find that substantial monetary savings are realized by offering large classes. Although large classes do not produce a loss of learning, their students have a 38% decreased probability of enrolling in future economics classes. These results suggest that the monetary savings that universities receive from dramatically increasing class size may translate into a loss of enrollment for the university or an internal reallocation of resources between departments.
Group Collaboration in Assessment: Multiple Objectives, Processes, and Outcomes
Authors: Webb Noreen M.
Published: March 2008

Large-scale assessment programs are increasingly requiring students to work in collaborative small groups instead of, or in addition to, requiring them to work individually. This article considers theoretical and practical issues that need to be taken into account in the design, use, and interpretation of the results of such assessments. Theoretical issues include the compatibility of group work with different purposes of assessment and the way emerging group processes may work toward or against different purposes of assessment. Practical issues include designing and administering assessments to produce scores that are consistent with the goals of the assessment, composing groups so that the results are fair, and preparing students for collaborative group assessments.
On Getting It Right
Authors: Shavelson Richard J. , Webb Noreen M.
Published: March 2008

Leigh Burstein fully recognized that education is a complex, multilevel, highly contextualized system, and any oversimplification of the system is likely to misinform policymakers, practitioners, and scholars alike. “To Get It Right” for Leigh was to capture complexity in a meaningful way so as to elucidate the problem at hand. His research and scholarly writing on multilevel modeling, opportunity to learn, and indicator systems for monitoring the health of our education systems all exemplify his insistence on “Getting It Right.”
Furthering Our Understanding of the Effects of Educational Programs via a Slopes-as-Outcomes Framework
Authors: Seltzer Michael H.
Published: March 2008

The designs that are commonly employed in evaluation studies give rise to samples of data that have a multilevel structure—for example, students are nested within different classrooms or schools, which, in turn, are assigned to different program types. In this article, I show how a multilevel analysis strategy developed by Burstein termed slopes-as-outcomes provides a means of addressing questions connected with equity in evaluation research (e.g., Do students in a particular program appear to attain high levels of achievement irrespective of their initial levels of achievement?). Furthermore, I discuss how this strategy creates possibilities for studying how differences in program implementation relate to differences in program effectiveness across sites, thereby helping to illuminate those factors connected with program success.
Opportunity to Learn and Conceptions of Educational Equality
Authors: Guiton Gretchen , Oakes Jeannie
Published: March 2008

Focusing on the equity aspect of proposals for making opportunity-to-learn standards integral to an accountability system, this article discusses conceptual issues surrounding determination of equal educational opportunity and explores ways that these issues manifest themselves in empirical formulations of opportunity to learn (OTL). Using two databases, OTL measures are developed according to three alternative conceptions of equality—the Libertarian, Liberal, and Democratic Liberal conceptions—and the influence of these conceptions on the information provided is compared. This examination shows the intimate relation between values on equality and measures of equality and brings these issues to the fore for discussion by educators and policymakers.
Surveying Educational Opportunity in Mathematics and Science: An International Perspective
Authors: Schmidt William H. , Mcknight Curtis C.
Published: March 2008

To have meaningful policy implications, an [education] indicator is placed in a particular context. That is, within a mature set of indicators, each bears an understandable relationship to the health of the system and to each other so that together they can be viewed as a model of the system (Burstein, Oakes, & Guiton, 1992).
Teacher Reports on Opportunity to Learn: Analyses of the 1993 California Learning Assessment System (CLAS)
Authors: Wiley David E. , Yoon Bokhee
Published: March 2008

The California Learning Assessment System 1993 OTL Study allowed examination of the extent to which California public school mathematics teachers had been exposed to the practices consistent with those advocated in the California Curriculum Frameworks; the extent to which those teachers implemented these practices in their classrooms; and their impact on student performance in mathematics. The findings support the conclusion that curriculum and instruction that require higher level skills benefit students’ achievements. The data are the best available measures of California students’ learning of higher level skills, and provide consistent information for discussion and debate among educators about reform strategies.
Opportunity-to-Learn Effects on Achievement: Analytical Aspects
Authors: Muthén Bengt , Huang Li-Chiao , Jo Booil , Khoo Siek-Toon , Goff Ginger Nelson , Novak John R. , Shih Jeffrey Chen
Published: March 2008

A set of methods is proposed for the analysis of opportunity to learn (OTL) in relation to achievement in large-scale educational assessments. The focus is on how to assess the effect of OTL on performance while taking prior performance and other background factors into account. The methods are illustrated with mathematics data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress and from the National Education Longitudinal Study. Methods are discussed for combining OTL information, for studying the OTL sensitivity of test items, and for studying OTL effects in the context of multivariate proficiency scores as well as scores from several occasions. Implications for future large-scale educational assessments are discussed.
Freeing Resources for Improving Schools: A Case Study of Teacher Allocation in Boston Public Schools
Authors: Miles Karen Hawley
Published: March 2008

Increasingly, discussions of education reform end up in debate over how much money will be required to fund it. Although educators often argue for more funds and critics counter that school spending is already at an all-time high, neither group has looked systematically at the use of existing resources. This analysis addresses how school systems might reconsider their use of teachers, their most important and expensive resource, to support reform. A case study of Boston Public Schools shows how the specialization and fragmentation of teaching resources reduced the individual attention most students received and limited a school's flexibility to respond to student needs. The analysis develops three measures that might be used as indicators of the size of opportunity for freeing teaching resources. It identifies four practices that together account for over 40% of Boston's teaching resources and could provide significant opportunity to redirect resources to support reform.
Student Achievement in Public Magnet, Public Comprehensive, and Private City High Schools
Authors: Gamoran Adam
Published: March 2008

Problems with our public urban high schools are widely discussed, and many see magnet schools and private schools as the answer. But are those schools really better at increasing the academic skills of students? Using the National Educational Longitudinal Survey, I estimated the effect of attending a magnet school, Catholic school, or secular private school on the achievement of urban students in math, reading, science, and social studies. I then compared these estimates to the achievement of students who attend comprehensive public high schools. I found that magnet schools are more effective than regular schools at raising the proficiency of students in science, reading, and social studies; Catholic schools have a positive impact on math skills, while secular private schools do not offer any advantage, net of preexisting differences among students. Further analyses tested the sensitivity of the results to assumptions about independence and selectivity; these showed support for the magnet school advantages in reading and social studies, but raised doubts about the Catholic school effects in math and the magnet school effects in science.
Public School Choice: Some Evidence From the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988
Authors: Schneider Barbara , Schiller Kathryn S. , Coleman James S.
Published: March 2008

Programs to provide parents with opportunities to choose among public schools have increased to the point that more American high school students are enrolled in public “schools of choice” than private schools. Using indicators of students’ “exercise of choice “ and enrollment in a public school of choice from The National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, this article explores certain groups’ propensities to take advantage of opportunities to choose in the public sector. Controlling on the availability of opportunities for choice in their schools, African Americans and Hispanics show a greater propensity to take advantage of those opportunities than Whites and Asian Americans. Students whose parents have lower levels of education are also more likely than those with more education to take advantage of opportunities to choose.
Market Failure? Estimating Inequality in Preschool Availability
Authors: Fuller Bruce , Liang Xiaoyan
Published: March 2008

Activists within education and family-policy circles are debating two questions: Is the overall availability of preschools and child-care centers sufficient, and is supply distributed equitably? These issues grow more salient as demands on an already fragile preschool “system” intensify: Head Start spending has climbed, rising interest in “school readiness” prompts concern over preschool distribution and quality, and welfare reform will boost enrollment pressure. We report on two studies that employ differing levels of analysis to better understand the distribution of preschool availability. Study 1 examines distribution among 100 counties nationwide, revealing clear inequalities in availability associated with county wealth and demographic features. Study 2 analyzes zip-code-level data for Massachusetts, showing more similar levels of supply in low-income and affluent neighborhoods. In between we find lower availability in working-class and some middle-income communities. Together, the two studies show that the degree of distributional equity varies among states and locales, conditioned by levels of household income, parental education, family structure, and the surrounding policy environment. Assertive government action has yielded progress toward distributional equity. Carefully targeted efforts to reduce access inequality also would conserve resources to help improve preschool quality.
Transforming Knowledge: Blurring the Boundaries Between Research, Policy, and Practice
Authors: Hargreaves Andy
Published: March 2008

This paper explores ways in which the boundaries between educational research, policy, and practice are being—and can further be—blurred in the postmodern age. First, it describes two paradigms of knowledge and how knowledge is used or generated by practitioners: knowledge utilization and teachers’ self-generated knowledge. The distinctions between these two positions, it is argued, are much less clear cut than is commonly claimed. Indeed, I suggest, in a complex, diverse, and rapidly changing postmodern world, the boundaries between university discourse and school-level discourse about education should become more open still. The remainder of the paper exemplifies and analyzes how these different forms of knowledge and discourse in education can be transformed in productive ways. Four practical examples of such transformation drawn from my own research and development work are described. Finally, 10 principles for reinventing the nature of and relationships between knowledge creation and knowledge utilization in education are outlined.
Structures of Curriculum Governance and Classroom Practice in Mathematics
Authors: Westbury Ian , Hsu Chao-Sheng
Published: March 2008

It is widely believed that the patterns of curriculum governance within educational systems have significant effects on the consistency of content coverage and, as a result, on “standards” across a system. In one of the few empirical studies testing this belief, Stevenson and Baker (1991) found, using the grade 8 data from the 1EA Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS), that countries with greater central (state) control over the curriculum show less variation in content coverage of the mathematics being taught than do countries with less central control. This study re-examines Stevenson and Baker’s findings using the SIMS data sets but, instead of “country,” uses “course” as the unit of analysis. Cross-national, course-level analyses of both the SIMS grade 8 and grade 12 data found no consistent relationship between patterns of curriculum governance and consistency of teacher coverage of mathematics content. Instead between-course coverage patterns appear to reflect transcultural conceptions of the nature of a course, e.g., algebra at grade 8 and calculus at grade 12 and interactions between the conceptions of the content of the areas making up a course and teachers’ and/or cultural assumptions about students’ aptitudes.
The Nature and Impact of Policy-Induced Partnerships Between Research and Practice Communities
Authors: Cousins J. Bradley , Simon Marielle
Published: March 2008

To enhance the relevance and usefulness of social science research, large-scale research grant allocation policies are emphasizing, if not requiring, the formation of research partnerships between researchers and members of the community of practice. The emergence of a revisionist conception of traditional dissemination and utilization theoretical frameworks is consistent with this policy direction, but supportive empirical evidence remains thin. This study reports on a multi-method evaluation of a major Canadian strategic grant program that has such partnership guidelines. Surveys of 74 funded projects and four case profiles and interviews with researchers, members of the community of practice, and grant application adjudicators concerning a strategic grant program called Education and Work in a Changing Society provided the primary basis for investigating the nature and impact of policy-induced partnerships. Results show favorable effects of partnerships on research and dissemination strategies and impact in the practice community, but ideological and pragmatic issues surfaced as inhibitory factors. The results are discussed in terms of implications for the revisionist dissemination and utilization framework, the role of granting agencies and ramifications for future research and grant allocation policy.
Organizational Culture and Effectiveness in Higher Education: A Test of the “Culture Type” and “Strong Culture” Hypotheses
Authors: Smart John C. , St. John Edward P.
Published: March 2008

Two of the more promising lines of inquiry in efforts to understand the hypothesized linkage between organizational culture and effectiveness have focused on the differential effectiveness of organizations depending on their dominant culture type and their culture strength. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether these two lines of inquiry operate in an independent or conditional manner in explaining the hypothesized linkage between organizational culture and the performance of a sample of four-year colleges and universities. The findings provide support for both lines of inquiry, albeit not entirely in a manner suggested by their respective proponents. For example, while culture type has a decidedly stronger independent effect on institutional performance than culture strength, the differences are clearly more pronounced on campuses with “strong” rather than “weak” cultures. The implications of these findings for research on and efforts to improve the performance of colleges and universities are discussed.
Upgrading the High School Math Curriculum: Math Course-Taking Patterns in Seven High Schools in California and New York
Authors: White Paula A. , Gamoran Adam , Smithson John , Porter Andrew C.
Published: March 2008

Previous studies have indicated that students enrolled in the general math track do not take as much math and do not learn as much math as students in college-preparatory math courses ( Gamoran, 1987 ; Oakes, 1985 ; Porter, 1989 ). State, district, and school initiatives in California and New York have been developing mechanisms to address this problem of inequality by creating new transition math courses and eliminating the general math track. This study examines course-taking patterns of students in seven high schools in California and New York that have attempted to enroll lower level math students in more meaningful initial math courses. By examining students’ transcripts, the success of various policy options to upgrade the math curriculum are evaluated. Our data indicate that the new transition math courses meet with partial success in providing a common curriculum to students with diverse math preparation.
State Activism in Education Reform: Applying the Rasch Model to Measure Trends and Examine Policy Coherence
Authors: Lee Jaekyung
Published: March 2008

Given state activism in education reform during the 1980s, the central questions are whether the reform movement changed over time and how each state responded differently to education policy issues. This study not only attempts to examine empirical regularities in state education policy-making using the Rasch measurement method, but also to explain interstate variation in reform activism. Measuring 50 states and calibrating 43 policies show a change in the picture of state leadership and a generalized pattern of policy-making among the states. It sheds light on the possibility of applying item response theory to policy analysis.
Students and Substances: Social Power in Drug Education
Authors: Brown Joel H. , D’Emidio-Caston Marianne , Pollard John A.
Published: March 2008

A statewide evaluation of a school-based substance use and drug education program called California Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Education (DATE) was conducted from 1991 to 1994 for the State Department of Education. Researchers used multiple methods to evaluate DATE programs such as Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) and Red Ribbon Weeks. Analysis of 143 field interviews with educators and administrators, and 40 student focus groups (grades 5–12) revealed that educators attempted to prevent student substance use by providing a “no-substance-use” message through high fear appeal; offering rewards; and attempting to improve students’ self-esteem by teaching refusal skills. Student interviews indicate program dissatisfaction and service-related cognitive dissonance. Random survey results (5,045 students in grades 7–12) showed that over 40% of California’s students were “not at all” influenced by educators or drug education programs, 15% were influenced “a lot” or “completely,” and nearly 70% described a neutral to negative affect toward educators. Regression analyses showed that survey responses did not depend on self-reported substance use, nor the number of drug programs received (among other factors). This large-scale, multi-modal evidence suggests that drug, alcohol, and tobacco education programs had no positive influence on a majority of students’ substance-use decisions, and had other effects counter to those intended. This was especially true during the period when youth are faced with substance-use decisions, grades 7–12. Given the similarity of many U.S. drug education programs, student rejection of DATE programs is significant. Results and the need for a conceptual shift in how students are viewed and educated about substances are discussed.
Going to Scale: Employer Participation in School-to-Work Programs at LaGuardia Community College
Authors: Wieler Susan S. , Bailey Thomas R.
Published: March 2008

This article uses a case study of the internship program at LaGuardia Community College in New York City to explore the crucial issue of employer participation in work-based learning programs. Using a unique data set that includes information on over 17,000 internship placements occurring between 1984 and 1995, we explore how the nature and goals of the program have changed in response to the difficulties encountered in recruiting and retaining employer participants. A primary conclusion is that the program has shifted its focus from occupational training to career exploration and the acquisition of generic workplace skills.
Outmigration Among Rural High School Graduates: The Effect of Academic and Vocational Programs
Authors: Huang Gary G. , Weng Stanley , Zhang Fan , Cohen Michael P.
Published: March 2008

Although rural communities have pressing needs for educated youth, rural schools are criticized for training students with urban-oriented labor skills that facilitate rural-to-urban migration. Some analysts see such schooling contributing to the rural community’s decline. Educators and policymakers concerned about rural areas need to know what kind of school programs help retain educated youth in rural areas. Research on the comparative effectiveness of different curriculum programs in retaining youth in the community can inform the program development for rural schools.

This report presents a study that addressed the issue with data from a national longitudinal study, the High School and Beyond (HS&B) of the National Center for Education Statistics. With two-level hierarchical logit modeling that decomposed the variance into school- and individuallevels components, we examined the post-school outmigration pattern in connection with students’ coursework (at the individual level) and curriculum program enrollment (at the school level). We focused on the effects on outmigration of the academic program and the vocational program measured at the two levels, adjusting for the effects of the local labor market condition and student sociodemographic background and test scores. We also introduced interaction terms to determine the specific effects of curriculum on rural school average outmigration.

The results revealed that, controlling for the effects of local labor market and student background and academic achievement, outmigration was positively related to schools’ emphasis on academic programs and students’ high credits in the academic curriculum. To clarify the possible confounding relationship between outmigration and college attendance, we further analyzed data of youth that had not gone to college four years after high school. Essentially, the same pattern was found among this subsample of noncollege-goers. Implications for curriculum development were suggested based on the results and other perspectives regarding curriculum reform.
Title I Schoolwide Programs: A Synthesis of Findings From Recent Evaluation
Authors: Wong Kenneth K. , Meyer Stephen J.
Published: March 2008

Recent federal legislation, including the 1994 Improving America’s Schools Act, has enabled broad expansion of Title I schoolwide programs to over 8,000 schools across the nation. These regulatory changes are intended to reduce the historically fragmented or categorical character of title I programs and improve the effectiveness of entire schools rather than targeting services to meet the needs of the most disadvantaged subpopulations. Despite the dramatic increase in the number of schoolwide programs, there is little comprehensive information about them and their effectiveness relative to traditional Title I programming. This article presents a synthesis of what is known about Title I schoolwide programs, focusing on three aspects: characteristics of schools and districts implementing schoolwide programs, programmatic and organizational characteristics of schoolwide program schools and districts, and evidence of the effectiveness of schoolwide program schools, particularly in terms of student performance. In addition to reviewing these evaluation findings, we present several cautions related to their interpretation. Finally, we suggest implications for future evaluations and discuss policy implications for school improvement.
School Finance Systems: Aging Structures in Need of Renovation
Authors: Odden Allan , Clune William H.
Published: March 2008

This article argues that traditional school finance systems are aging structures in need of dramatic change to make them more supportive of the goals and strategies of standards-and school-based education reform. This article reviews the shortcomings of current finance structures, provides several suggestions for changing school finance structures, including a shift from fiscal equity toward educational adequacy, and also suggests several performance enhancement elements that could enhance such new school finance systems.
Gender Differences on High School Science Achievement Tests: Do Format and Content Matter?
Authors: Hamilton Laura S.
Published: March 2008

Gender differences on the NELS:88 multiple-choice and constructed-response science tests were explored through a combination of statistical analyses and interviews. Performance gaps between males and females varied across formats (multiple-choice versus constructed-response) and across items within a format. Differences were largest for items that involved visual content and called on application of knowledge commonly acquired through extracurricular activities. Large-scale surveys such as NELS:88 are widely used by researchers to study the effects of various student and school characteristics on achievement. The results of this investigation reveal the value of studying the validity of the outcome measure and suggest that conclusions about group differences and about correlates of achievement depend heavily on specific features of the items that make up the test.
Helping the Progress of Disadvantaged Students in Higher Education: The Federal Student Support Services Program
Authors: Chaney Bradford , Muraskin Lana D. , Cahalan Margaret W. , Goodwin David
Published: March 2008

Student Support Services (SSS) is one of the largest federal TRIO programs designed to help disadvantaged students stay in and complete college. Through a longitudinal study of participants and comparable non participants, we examined the impact of SSS on retention. Data were collected through student questionnaires, institutional and program data, and students’ postsecondary transcripts. We found that SSS had a positive impact for all three measures of retention that were used, but the impact varied depending on which services students used and how much they participated. The results confirm that retention programs should address both academic and social integration on campus.
Inequality of Access to Educational Resources: A National Report Card for Eighth-Grade Math
Authors: Raudenbush Stephen W. , Fotiu Randall P. , Cheong Yuk Fai
Published: March 2008

This article considers social and ethnic inequality in access to resources for mathematics learning in eighth grade: favorable school disciplinary climate, advanced course offerings, teacher subject-matter preparation, and emphasis on reasoning during classroom discourse. Data are from 41 states and territories 1 participating in the 1992 Trial State Assessment (TSA) of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Socially advantaged students typically had greater access to these resources than did socially disadvantaged students. Access also depended on student ethnicity. However, the degree of social and ethnic inequality in access varied significantly across states. New methods for assessing and displaying state-to-state variation in social and ethnic inequality are illustrated. We argue that “report cards” displaying state differences in student proficiency are, by themselves, misleading; state differences in access to key educational resources provide an important supplement.