ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
The Investment Case for Education and Equity. Executive Summary
Author: United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Date: 2015-01-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Access to Education,Equal Education,Civil Rights,Role of Education,World Problems,Elementary Secondary Education,Children,Adolescents,Educational Attainment,Poverty,At Risk Persons,Educational Quality,Socioeconomic Influences,Barriers,Academic Persistence,Educational Finance,Resource Allocation,Educational Equity (Finance),Financial Support,Cost Effectiveness,Intervention,Developing Nations,Developed Nations,Childrens Rights,International Law,Treaties,Foreign Countries

Education is a human right. The Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognize the essential role education plays in human and social development. As stated in article 26 of the Declaration, &quot;Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages.&quot; Education is also one of the most wide-reaching and beneficial development investments. It delivers the opportunity to acquire essential work and life skills, lifts people out of poverty, and contributes to empowerment and health. Yet, education is facing a crisis. Between 2000 and 2007, the number of primary-school- age children who were out of school was reduced from about 100 million to about 60 million. Since then, however, progress in providing education for all has stalled. In 2012, nearly 58 million primary-school- age children and about 63 million adolescents of lower secondary school age were still out of school, and 130 million children were not learning despite reaching Grade 4. Children who are excluded are essentially from the most vulnerable and marginalized segments of society. They would most benefit from the empowerment education provides, but instead they face acute challenges to accessing education, which leads to a vicious cycle of persistent poverty and inequity. Many times, the cycle results from limited, inequitably distributed and inefficiently used funding. &quot;The Investment Case for Education and Equity&quot; is a call for action: For progress to resume, there is a need to invest more, to invest more equitably, and to ensure that funds are more efficiently utilized. This publication identifies the obstacles to universal education and provides recommendations on how to address them. [For the full report, see ED560003.]
The State of the World's Children 2014 in Numbers: Every Child Counts. Revealing Disparities, Advancing Children's Rights
Author: Aslam, Abid
Date: 2014-01-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Children,Childrens Rights,Mortality Rate,Regional Characteristics,Nutrition,Child Health,Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS),Access to Education,Preschool Education,Elementary Education,Secondary Education,Literacy,Birth Rate,Demography,Economic Climate,Females,Adult Literacy,Womens Education,Mothers,Contraception,Child Labor,Marriage,Child Abuse,Family Violence,Discipline,Adolescents,Mass Media Use,Enrollment,Early Parenthood,Rural Urban Differences,Family Income,Early Childhood Education,Child Development,Child Care,Tables (Data),Foreign Countries

&quot;The State of the World's Children 2014 In Numbers: Every Child Counts&quot; highlights the critical role data and monitoring play in realizing children's rights. Credible data, disseminated effectively and used correctly, make it possible to target interventions that help right the wrong of exclusion. Data do not, of themselves, change the world. They make change possible--by identifying needs, supporting advocacy, gauging progress and holding duty bearers to account. Making the possible real is up to decision makers. A list of references and notes is included.
Does School Board Leadership Matter?
Author: Shober, Arnold F.
Date: 2014-03-25
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Boards of Education,Knowledge Level,Class Size,Accuracy,Educational Finance,Teacher Salaries,Collective Bargaining,Political Influences,Governance,Leadership,Board of Education Role,Individual Characteristics,Elections,Elementary Secondary Education

Are the nation's 90,000-plus school board members critical players in enhancing student learning? Are they part of the problem? Are they harmless bystanders? Among the takeaways are the following: (1) Board members, by and large, possess accurate information about their districts when it comes to finance, teacher pay, collective bargaining, and class size. Whether they were knowledgeable from the outset or surround themselves with savvy staff and administrators, many are making decisions from an informed point of view. (2) Such knowledge is not uniformly distributed. Surprisingly, members who were never educators themselves are more accurately informed than their peers who once were (or still are) educators. Likewise, political moderates appear to have more accurate knowledge than their liberal or conservative counterparts. (3) A district's success in &quot;beating the odds&quot; academically is related to board members' focus on the improvement of academics. Unfortunately, not all board members have this focus; some prefer a broader approach, such as developing the &quot;whole child.&quot; (4) Board members elected during on-cycle, at-large elections are more likely to serve in districts that &quot;beat the odds&quot; than those chosen by voters off-cycle or by ward. In some localities, how board members are elected may deter the best and brightest from taking on these key roles. What does this mean for education governance? School board members and their attitudes do matter--so it's important to take seriously who gets elected and how. Even as we strive to bring about structural reforms and governance innovations in the education system, we should also be working to get better results from the structures in place in most communities today. Those interested in the details of the methodology of this report are encouraged to consult the Appendix. [The foreword and summary for this report were written by Dara Zeehandelaar and Amber M. Northern.]
The State of the World's Children, 2013: Children with Disabilities
Author: United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Date: 2013-05-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Disabilities,Social Attitudes,Social Bias,Equal Education,Civil Rights,Inclusion,Attitude Change,Family Programs,Community Programs,Assistive Technology,Access to Education,Access to Health Care,Social Justice,Child Welfare,Child Abuse,Evaluation Methods,Disability Identification,Questionnaires,Advocacy,Participative Decision Making,World Problems,Child Health,Children,Adolescents,Socioeconomic Influences,Child Development

Reports such as this typically begin with a statistic designed to highlight a problem. The girls and boys to whom this edition of &quot;The State of the World's Children&quot; is dedicated are not problems. Rather, each is a sister, brother or friend who has a favourite dish, song or game; a daughter or son with dreams and the desire to fulfil them; a child with a disability who has the same rights as any other girl or boy. Given opportunities to flourish as others might, children with disabilities have the potential to lead fulfilling lives and to contribute to the social, cultural and economic vitality of their communities--as the personal essays in this volume attest. This edition of &quot;The State of the World's Children&quot; includes contributions by young people and parents who show that, when given that chance, children with disabilities are more than capable of overcoming barriers to their inclusion, of taking their rightful place as equal participants in society and of enriching the life of their communities. But for far too many children with disabilities, the opportunity to participate simply does not exist. Far too often, children with disabilities are among the last in line for resources and services, especially where these are scarce to begin with. Far too regularly, they are the objects simply of pity or, worse, discrimination and abuse. The deprivations faced by children and adolescents with disabilities are violations of their rights and the principle of equity, at the heart of which lies a concern for the dignity and rights of all children--including the most vulnerable and marginalized members of society. As this report documents, the inclusion of children with disabilities in society is possible--but it requires first a change of perception, a recognition that children with disabilities hold the same rights as others; that they can be agents of change and self-determination, not merely the beneficiaries of charity; that their voices must be heard and heeded in our policymaking and programmes. Fortunately, progress is being made--albeit unevenly. This report not only examines the challenges involved in ensuring that children with disabilities have the fair access to services that is their right. It also explores initiatives that show promise in such areas as health, nutrition, education and emergency programming--and in the data collection and analysis needed to improve policies and operations in all these fields. Other chapters also discuss principles and approaches that can be adapted to advance these children's inclusion.
Children in Africa: Key Statistics on Child Survival, Protection and Development
Author: United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Data and Analytics
Date: 2014-05-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Statistical Data,Child Health,Nutrition,Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS),Communicable Diseases,Children,Marriage,Birth Rate,Sexuality,Violence,Child Abuse,Mortality Rate,Out of School Youth,Enrollment,Gender Differences,Water Quality,Sanitation,Mothers,Child Safety

This report presents key statistics relating to: (1) child malnutrition in Africa; (2) HIV/AIDS and Malaria in Africa; (3) child marriage, birth registration and Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C); (4) education in Africa; (5) child mortality in Africa; (6) Drinking water and sanitation in Africa; and (7) maternal health in Africa. Highlighted statistics include: (1) In Africa, mortality rates among children under five decreased by 45 per cent between 1990 and 2012, but still half of the world's 6.6 million under-five deaths occur in Africa; (2) Pneumonia, malaria and diarrhoea account for 40% of all under-five deaths in Africa; (3) At least 1 in 3 children under five in Africa were stunted in 2011; (4) In 2012, there were an estimated 2.9 million children under 15 years living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa; (5) Over half of the world's out-of-school children (33 million) live in Africa; (6) The population in Africa with access to an improved drinking source more than doubled from 1990 to 2012; and (7) There has been major progress in the last decade in the use of insecticide-treated nets among children.
Public Accountability &amp; Private-School Choice: A Policy Toolkit from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Revised
Author: Thomas B. Fordham Institute
Date: 2014-05-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Accountability,Private Schools,School Choice,Educational Vouchers,Guidelines,Educational Policy,Models,Educational Benefits,Educational Quality,Academic Standards,Federal Regulation,Educational Assessment,Charter Schools

As voucher and tax-credit scholarship programs have expanded in recent years, another promising development has been the incorporation, into more such programs, of provisions that hold participating private schools to account for their students' performance. The newest and largest voucher programs, such as those in Louisiana and Indiana, have gone beyond the familiar &quot;let-parents vote-with-their-feet-and-judge-the-school-by-whether-anyone-wants-to-attend-it&quot; arguments and are doing more to assure parents and taxpayers that private schools accepting scholarship-bearing students will be held to certain expectations regarding how much those youngsters actually learn while enrolled. There are risks associated with drawing private schools into public accountability systems, however empirical evidence shows that downsides can be mitigated if policymakers are smart about how they design results-based accountability in choice programs of this kind. The Fordham Institute supports private-school choice, done right. That means that voucher and tax-credit policies ought to provide an array of high-quality choices that are held accountable to parents and taxpayers. The Fordham Institute has assembled this toolkit to help with that design. This revised edition provides key recommendations, and examples of four programs that have generally gotten policies right. Thorny questions are asked and answered. A sample opinion editorial makes the case for a balanced approach to accountability in voucher and tax-credit scholarship programs. Model statutory language is provided to guide legislators toward an ideal system of outcomes-based accountability that yields more useful information for parents and taxpayers yet respects the autonomy of private schools that participate. The hope is that this toolkit helps policymakers strike a sound balance that preserves both the school's freedom to operate as it thinks best, and taxpayers' legitimate interest in ensuring that their dollars are paying for genuine educational achievement.
Poised for Progress: Analysis of Ohio's School Report Cards, 2013-14
Author: Churchill, Aaron
Date: 2014-09-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Report Cards,Educational Assessment,Educational Quality,Public Schools,Urban Areas,Charter Schools,School Districts,Academic Standards,State Standards,Educational Change,Elementary Secondary Education,Accountability,Educational Indicators,College Readiness,Career Readiness,Statistical Analysis,Enrollment Trends,Reading,Mathematics,Scores

On September 12th, Ohio released school report-card ratings for the 2013-14 school year. This report compiles and analyzes the statewide data, with special attention given to the quality of public schools in the Ohio Big Eight urban areas: Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo, and Youngstown (both district and charter school sectors). Using the state's key report-card measures, the performance-index and value-added ratings, we assess the overall quality of each public school receiving these ratings in these areas--and calculate the number of students in high-quality seats in each area. The key findings: (1) There are too few high-quality seats in Ohio's urban areas. On average, just 16 percent of public-school seats--including both district and charter--were high-quality in the Big Eight. In contrast, 36 percent of public-school seats were low-quality. (2) &quot;High-quality seats&quot; by sector: A higher proportion of charter seats were high quality (22 percent) compared to district seats (13 percent) in the Big Eight urban areas. (3) &quot;Low-quality seats&quot; by sector: A slightly lower proportion of charter seats were low quality (32 percent) compared to district seats (38 percent) in the Big Eight urban areas. There is also variation in the performance of the charter-school sectors across the Big Eight. The charter sectors in Cleveland and Columbus had considerably higher proportions of high-quality seats than the district-run schools located in those cities. In Cleveland, 28 percent of charter seats were high quality, compared to just 12 percent in the district. Meanwhile, in Columbus, 32 percent of charter seats were high quality, compared to just 8 percent in the district. In other cities, like Akron, Canton, and Toledo, the traditional district had higher proportions of high-quality seats compared to those cities' charter-school sectors. An appendix contains tables that provide the building-level data for the following public schools in the Ohio Big Eight urban areas: (1) Akron; (2) Canton; (3) Cincinnati; (4) Cleveland; (5) Columbus; (6) Dayton; (7) Toledo; and (8) Youngstown.
Fixing the Broken Promise of Education for All: Findings from the Global Initiative on Out-of-School Children. Executive Summary
Author: United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Access to Education,Elementary Education,Childrens Rights,Out of School Youth,Secondary Education,Children,Adolescents,Disadvantaged Youth,Child Labor,Conflict,Regional Characteristics,Gender Discrimination,Disabilities,Native Language,Language of Instruction,Barriers,Educational Finance,Equal Education,Educational Policy,Foreign Countries

The numbers are out, the data have been analysed, and the conclusions are clear: despite substantial gains in school enrollment over the past 15 years, the world has missed the goal of universal primary education by 2015. The failure to deliver on what seemed to be such a realistic and achievable goal represents a broken promise to millions of children who continue to be denied their fundamental right to a primary education. This report presents the latest statistical evidence from administrative records and household surveys to better identify children who are out of school and the reasons for their exclusion from education. It aims to inform the policies needed to reach these children and finally deliver the promise of Education for All. Based on a series of national and regional studies and policy analysis by leading experts, the report explains why better data and cross-sector collaboration are fundamental to the design of effective interventions to overcome the barriers facing out-of-school children and adolescents. While highlighting the way forward for system-wide policies to improve educational quality and affordability, the report also presents the information needed for targeted approaches to address the compounding effects of disadvantage faced by children caught up in armed conflict, girls, working children, children with disabilities, or members of ethnic or linguistic minorities. This report presents a roadmap to improve the data, research and policies needed to catalyse action for out-of-school children as the world embarks on a new development agenda for education. [For the full report, &quot;Fixing the Broken Promise of Education for All: Findings from the Global Initiative on Out-of-School Children,&quot; see ED560017.]
Impact Evaluation of the Minnesota Reading Corps K-3 Program
Author: Markovitz, Carrie E.
Date: 2014-03-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Outcome Measures,Reading Programs,Primary Education,Program Effectiveness,State Programs,Reading Achievement,At Risk Students,Tutoring,Kindergarten,Grade 1,Grade 2,Grade 3,Sex,Race,English Language Learners,Socioeconomic Status

Minnesota Reading Corps (MRC) is the largest AmeriCorps State program in the country. The goal of MRC is to ensure that students become successful readers and meet reading proficiency targets by the end of the third grade. To meet this goal, the MRC program, and its host organization, ServeMinnesota Action Network, recruit, train, place and monitor AmeriCorps members to implement research-based literacy enrichment activities and interventions for at-risk Kindergarten through third grade (K-3) students and preschool children. Starting in 2011, the &quot;Corporation for National and Community Service&quot; (CNCS) sponsored a randomized controlled trial (RCT) impact evaluation of over 1,300 K-3 students at 23 participating schools who were determined to be eligible for the MRC program during the 2012-2013 school year. The goal of the impact evaluation was to determine both the short- and long-term impacts of the MRC program on elementary students' literacy outcomes. Key findings from the evaluation include: (1) Kindergarten, first, and third grade students who received MRC tutoring achieved significantly higher literacy assessment scores than students who did not; (2) MRC tutoring resulted in statistically significant impacts across multiple racial groups. In Kindergarten and first grade tutoring was effective despite important risk factors, including Dual Language Learner status and Free and Reduced Price Lunch eligibility; and (3) The MRC program is replicable in multiple school settings using AmeriCorps members with varied backgrounds. The study provides details of the: Impact Evaluation Methodology, School and Student Selection, Data Collection, Analysis, and Findings and Conclusions. [For the Appendices, see ED560019.]
Impact Evaluation: Minnesota Reading Corps K-3 Program. Appendices
Author: Markovitz, Carrie E.
Date: 2014-03-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Outcome Measures,Reading Programs,Primary Education,Program Effectiveness,State Programs,Reading Achievement,At Risk Students,Tutoring,Kindergarten,Grade 1,Grade 2,Grade 3,Models,Research Methodology,Robustness (Statistics),Statistical Analysis,Tables (Data),Sex,Race,English Language Learners,Socioeconomic Status

Minnesota Reading Corps (MRC) is the largest AmeriCorps State program in the country. The goal of MRC is to ensure that students become successful readers and meet reading proficiency targets by the end of the third grade. Starting in 2011, the &quot;Corporation for National and Community Service&quot; (CNCS) sponsored a randomized controlled trial (RCT) impact evaluation of over 1,300 K-3 students at 23 participating schools who were determined to be eligible for the MRC program during the 2012-2013 school year. The goal of the impact evaluation was to determine both the short- and long-term impacts of the MRC program on elementary students' literacy outcomes. This report of separate appendices include: Logic Model for the Process and Impact Evaluation of MRC; Illustration of the Randomization Process; Findings from Sensitivity Analysis; School Names Corresponding to School Codes; Detailed Methodology; Fall-Winter Models and Effects Tables; Findings from Robustness Analysis; IES What Works Clearinghouse Analysis; Full Year Models and Effects Tables; and the Glossary. [For the full report, see ED560018.]
UNICEF Annual Report, 2013
Author: United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Date: 2014-06-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: International Organizations,Children,Disadvantaged Youth,Childrens Rights,Strategic Planning,Development,Annual Reports,International Programs,Innovation,Cooperation,Social Change,Financial Support,Public Support,Foreign Countries

2013 was a year of positive change for millions of children, and each child has an individual story. The stories of individual children are their own; the efforts to reach them are the stories of UNICEF in 2013, and every year since the founding of UNICEF. 2013 either brought no change or violent change for far too many children, and disparities--among children from rich and poor countries and communities, among children from rural and urban environments, and among children from different ethnic groups--remain high, even as the 2015 target date for achievement of the Millennium Development Goals approaches. This report outlines UNICEF's efforts to reach the children who have gone unreached--to drive change for the most vulnerable, disadvantaged, and excluded children. The children's rights are not fulfilled as long as they are unreached, deprived, abused, exploited, and denied a voice. This report spotlights the Strategic Plan 2014-2017, UNICEF's blueprint for fulfilling the promises of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and directing equity-focused work for children beyond 2015. UNICEF's efforts in 2013 focused on multiple fronts: driving innovation; deepening partnerships; and engaging the public to mobilize change for children. In all UNICEF does, they continue efforts to streamline operations, to strengthen program monitoring to find out what is working and what is not, and to become more transparent. [Foreword by Anthony Lake.]