ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Value-Added Models for the Pittsburgh Public Schools
Author: Johnson, Matthew
Date: 2012-02-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Public Schools,Outcomes of Education,Academic Achievement,Teacher Effectiveness,Team Teaching,School Effectiveness,Achievement Gains,Empowerment,Professional Development,Teacher Salaries,Teacher Evaluation,Standardized Tests,State Standards,Attendance Patterns,Grades (Scholastic),Computation,Models,Scores,Student Characteristics,Peer Influence,Class Size,School Choice,Academic Standards,Evaluation Methods,Mathematics Achievement,Reading Achievement,Teacher Competencies

At the request of Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) and the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers (PFT), Mathematica has developed value-added models (VAMs) that aim to estimate the contributions of individual teachers, teams of teachers, and schools to the achievement growth of their students. The authors' work in estimating value-added in Pittsburgh supports the larger, joint efforts of PPS and the PFT to &quot;empower effective teachers&quot; through evaluation, professional development, and compensation. Pittsburgh's VAMs use not only state assessments but also course-specific assessments, student attendance, and course completion rates, thereby aiming to produce estimates of the contributions of teachers and schools that are fair, valid, reliable, and robust. The findings in this report suggest that the VAM estimates provide meaningful information about teacher and school performance in Pittsburgh. The VAM results for individual schools and teachers have been reported to them privately. The first three chapters of this report describe the student outcomes that are used in Pittsburgh's VAMs (Chapter II); enumerate the information on students that is used to predict their performance and account for factors outside the control of the teacher or school  (Chapter II); discuss the technical details of the VAMs (Chapter III); and explain some of the limitations of the VAMs (Chapter IV). The last four chapters of the report explain how VAMs for each student outcome are combined to create a series of composite measures for each school (Chapter V); describe the process for locating the performance of Pittsburgh's schools in the statewide distribution of value-added (Chapter VI); present summary statistics related to VAM results for Pittsburgh schools and teachers (Chapter VII); and discusses the application of VAMs for use in two programs designed to recognize and reward outstanding performance: the Promise-Readiness Corps and Students and Teachers Achieving Results (STAR) (Chapter VIII). (Contains 15 tables and 6 figures.)
Technology Enhanced Elementary and Middle School Science (TEEMSS). What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report
Author: What Works Clearinghouse (ED)
Date: 2012-05-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Physical Sciences,Science Curriculum,Inquiry,Active Learning,Computer Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Educational Research,Instructional Effectiveness,Middle School Students,Elementary School Students,Grade 3,Grade 4,Science Achievement

&quot;Technology Enhanced Elementary and Middle School Science&quot; (&quot;TEEMSS&quot;) is a physical science curriculum for grades 3-8 that utilizes computers, sensors, and interactive models to support investigations of real-world phenomena. Through 15 inquiry-based instructional units, students interact with computers, gather and analyze data, and formulate ideas for further exploration. This information is managed by software in a handheld computer and transmitted to other students and to the teacher. All classroom units use handheld computers to avoid the expense of networked desktop computers. The program includes a web-based teacher-reporting tool that allows teachers to review student portfolios and gather student responses for assessment and class discussion. Three studies reviewed by the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) investigated the effects of &quot;TEEMSS&quot; on elementary school students. One study (Zucker, Tinker, Staudt, Mansfield, &amp; Metcalf, 2008) is a quasi-experimental design that meets WWC evidence standards with reservations. This study is summarized in this report. The remaining two studies do not meet either WWC eligibility screens or evidence standards. Appended are: (1) Research details for Zucker et al. (2008); (2) Outcome measures for each domain; and (3) Findings included in the rating for the general science achievement domain. A glossary of terms is included. (Contains 4 tables, 8 endnotes and 1 additional source.)
The Center for Learning Technologies in Urban Schools (LeTUS) Program[R]. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report
Author: What Works Clearinghouse (ED)
Date: 2012-05-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Middle Schools,Urban Schools,Science Curriculum,Middle School Students,Educational Technology,Technology Integration,Active Learning,Student Projects,Computer Uses in Education,Educational Research,Instructional Effectiveness

The &quot;LeTUS&quot; program is a three-year, project-based, technology-integrated middle school science curriculum for grades 6-8. The &quot;LeTUS&quot; program is composed of multiple units, each lasting between eight and ten weeks. Topics include global warming, water and air quality, force and motion, communicable diseases, and ecological systems. The units are designed around projects through which students learn science by conducting scientific investigations and using interactive computer software along with scientific visualization and graphing tools. Each unit stresses inquiry, student collaboration, and the use of computing and communications technologies. The sequence of units can be used in different ways, depending on standards and curriculum requirements; for example, teachers can use units at grade levels other than those suggested. Each unit can also be used independently when inserted into a different curricular context. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) identified five studies of &quot;LeTUS&quot; for middle school students that were published or released between 1990 and 2011. One study is within the scope of the Science review protocol but does not meet WWC evidence standards. This study uses a quasi-experimental design but does not establish that the comparison group was comparable to the treatment group prior to the start of the intervention. Two studies are out of the scope of the Science review protocol because they have an ineligible study design; they do not use a comparison group design. Two studies are out of the scope of the Science review protocol for reasons other than study design; they do not include an eligible science outcome. A glossary of terms is included. (Contains 2 endnotes and 1 additional source.)
Astronomy Resources for Intercurricular Elementary Science (ARIES): Exploring Motion and Forces. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report
Author: What Works Clearinghouse (ED)
Date: 2012-05-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Elementary School Science,Astronomy,Physics,Motion,Inquiry,Active Learning,Hands on Science,Educational Research,Instructional Effectiveness,Middle School Students,Grade 6,Science Achievement

&quot;ARIES: Exploring Motion and Forces&quot; is a physical science curriculum for students in grades 5-8 that employs 18 inquiry-centered, hands-on lessons called &quot;explorations.&quot; The curriculum draws upon students' curiosity to explore phenomena, allowing for a discovery-based learning process. Group-centered lab work is designed to help students build an understanding of inertia, friction, gravity, speed, and acceleration. Students examine their prior ideas about the phenomena, formulate questions, build and use an apparatus to observe natural phenomena, make predictions, and gather data through structured experiments. &quot;Exploring Motion and Forces&quot; is part of the &quot;ARIES&quot; sequence of eight physical science units. The &quot;ARIES&quot; sequences can be used together for an overall curriculum or independently. Two studies reviewed by the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) investigated the effects of &quot;ARIES: Exploring Motion and Forces&quot; on middle school students. One study (Pyke, Lynch, Kuipers, Szesze, &amp; Watson, 2004, 2005, 2006) is a randomized controlled trial that meets WWC evidence standards. The remaining study does not meet WWC evidence standards. Appended are: (1) Research details for Pyke et al., 2004; (2) Outcome measures for each domain; (3) Findings included in the rating for the general science achievement domain; and (4) Subgroup findings for the general science achievement domain. A glossary of terms is included. (Contains 4 tables, 11 endnotes and 3 additional sources.)
Value-Added Estimates for Phase 1 of the Pennsylvania Teacher and Principal Evaluation Pilot. Full Report
Author: Lipscomb, Stephen
Date: 2012-04-05
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Models,Outcomes of Education,Teacher Evaluation,Administrator Evaluation,Test Construction,Observation,Data Collection,Data Analysis,Evaluation Methods,Teacher Effectiveness,Administrator Effectiveness,Principals,Achievement Gains,Teacher Influence,Computation,School Districts,Teaching Methods,Correlation,Scoring Rubrics,Reading Achievement,Mathematics Achievement,School Effectiveness,Rating Scales

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania plans to develop a new statewide evaluation system for teachers and principals in its public schools by school year 2013-2014. To inform the development of this evaluation system, the Team Pennsylvania Foundation (Team PA) undertook the first phase of the Pennsylvania Teacher and Principal Evaluation Pilot--henceforth referred to as Phase 1--2010 and 2011 in collaboration with a broad stakeholder group that included leaders from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), school districts, and the business community. The purpose of Phase 1 was to develop and implement a pilot set of performance measures to obtain lessons for improving the use of classroom observations and student data in evaluating teacher and principal performance. None of the results from Phase 1 had a bearing on actual evaluations or personnel decisions for any teacher or principal. This report presents findings for the second track of Phase 1. In this track, Mathematica Policy Research used student-level data to develop value-added models (VAMs) for estimating teacher and principal effectiveness. VAMs estimate the effects of educators on student achievement growth. VAMs belong to the class of models that are generally referred to as student growth models, but a VAM estimate is not a measure of student growth; rather, it is an estimate of an educator's or a school's &quot;contribution&quot; to student growth. VAMs can be appropriate for use in teacher or principal evaluations because they produce information about educator effectiveness. Other indicators like student proficiency rates and descriptive measures of student growth might be appropriate as targets for school accountability purposes, but they should not be viewed as indicating what a teacher or school has contributed to student learning. Appended are: (1) Technical Specifications of the VAMS; (2) Data Sources and Sample Characteristics; and (3) Technical Results from Value-Added Analyses. (Contains 34 tables, 9 figures and 52 footnotes.) [For the &quot;Value-Added Estimates for Phase 1 of the Pennsylvania Teacher and Principal Evaluation Pilot. Executive Summary&quot;, see ED531803. This report was supported by the Team Pennsylvania Foundation.]
Quality of Teaching and Learning in Resource Quandary: The Case of a University in Zimbabwe
Author: Chidindi, Joseph
Date: 2012-04-26
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Focus Groups,Academic Achievement,Educational Quality,Foreign Countries,Case Studies,Economic Impact,Interviews,Educational Finance,Resource Allocation,Administrator Attitudes,College Faculty,Educational Improvement,Educational Resources,Learning Processes

Zimbabwe faced severe economic challenges that impacted on resource accumulation leading to a decline of quality of teaching and learning in a selected university in Zimbabwe yet the Resource Dependence Theory advocates that organizations are dependent on the environment for resources for survival and achievement of their set objectives. The study investigated the critical resource related factors that influenced quality of teaching and learning at the selected university. A case study approach with one university as the case was used to study the factors that influenced the quality of teaching and learning in the institution. Department chairpersons and academics participated in the study through interviews. Students participated through focus groups. Results of the study revealed that infrastructure, staff, materials, finance, management and students influenced the quality of teaching and learning at the university. Results of the study gave evidence of the value of sufficient resources for the university to achieve quality in teaching and learning.
School District Employment Reductions Slow. Get the Facts. #1
Author: Tallman, Mark
Date: 2012-01-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: School Districts,Special Education Teachers,Special Education,Paraprofessional Personnel,Personnel Policy,School District Spending,Educational Finance,Educational Policy,Public Schools,Operating Expenses,Budgets,Costs,Economic Climate,Court Litigation,School Personnel,Retrenchment,Budgeting,Financial Problems,Job Layoff,Teacher Employment

Kansas school districts reduced employment by 327 full-time equivalent positions this school year, the smallest reduction in three years of cuts to district operating budgets. Districts reduced positions by 561 in FY 2010 and 1,626 in FY 2011. Districts eliminated nearly 400 &quot;regular&quot; teaching positions this year, but added 114 special education teachers and nearly 240 special education para-educators. The net change in classroom instructional employees was a reduction of 95.9 FTE employees, or 0.2 percent. The overall reduction in school district staff was 0.5 percent. Most other major budget categories, including student and instructional support services, all levels of administration, operations and maintenance, and food services had a higher percentage reduction than instruction. The exception was transportation, where 30 non-administrative jobs were added. Why were fewer jobs cut this year, despite a $65 million reduction in district general fund and local option budgets? Reasons vary among school districts, but probably include: (1) More planning time to make other budget adjustments, like closing buildings to save operating costs; (2) Shifting jobs to areas where funding actually increased, such as special education; (3) Replacing higher-salaried employees with lower paid positions, including more reliance on new teachers and classroom and special education aides; and (4) Directing prior year savings into reserves that could be spent this year to absorb some of the funding cuts.
What We Know about Student Achievement and School Improvement in Kansas. Focus On...
Author: Tallman, Mark
Date: 2012-01-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Achievement Gap,Graduation Rate,Educational Objectives,Educational Improvement,Outcomes of Education,Educational Attainment,Academic Achievement,Mathematics Achievement,Reading Achievement,College Preparation,Skill Analysis,Skill Development,Outcome Measures,Achievement Gains,Achievement Rating,Achievement Need,Educational Assessment,Educational Indicators,Adult Education,Student Characteristics,Economic Development,Educational Finance

Educational improvement can be measured over time and against benchmarks in four key areas: (1) mastery of basic reading and math skills; (2) high school completion; (3) preparation for postsecondary education; and (4) adult educational attainment. The first three reflect how the school system prepares students for postsecondary education. The fourth key area measures the results of that preparation and the impact on economic indicators such as employment, income and poverty. None of these measures are entirely the result of the school system. Schools have only limited control over the circumstances, motivation and abilities of their students. Students are frequently mobile and therefore the exact same students cannot be measured as they move through and exit the system, especially as adults. In addition, there are many important aspects of education that cannot be easily or consistently measured. However, this is enough data to draw the following important conclusions: (1) Kansas students have improved mastery of basic reading and math on both state and national tests over the past decade; (2) Kansas students rank in the top for all students and for low income students, who traditionally have lower academic performance; (3) Comparing similar systems and students, Kansas public schools do as well or better than private schools in Kansas and nationally; (4) Kansas has made progress closing the achievement gap among student groups. Programs targeted for at-risk students are working effectively; (5) High school completion has been rising for decades, and Kansas has improved its high school graduation rate in the past decade; (6) Schools are preparing more students for college than in the past. Kansas scores for college-bound students rank in the top 10 of all states and have improved over the past 15 years; (7) Kansas adult educational attainment has been rising since the 1940s and consistently tops the national average; (8) The economic value of increasing educational attainment is significant for both individuals and states; (9) Kansas school districts have produced top 10 educational results with per pupil spending near the national average. The state's educational outcomes have increased without spending a larger share of state personal income; and (10) Kansas has fewer at-risk students than many states, but has more at-risk students than other high achieving states, and the number of at-risk students is increasing.
Value-Added Estimates for Phase 1 of the Pennsylvania Teacher and Principal Evaluation Pilot. Executive Summary
Author: Lipscomb, Stephen
Date: 2012-04-05
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Models,Outcomes of Education,Teacher Evaluation,Administrator Evaluation,Test Construction,Observation,Data Collection,Data Analysis,Evaluation Methods,Teacher Effectiveness,Administrator Effectiveness,Principals,Achievement Gains,Teacher Influence,Computation,School Districts,Teaching Methods,Correlation,Scoring Rubrics,Reading Achievement,Mathematics Achievement,School Effectiveness,Rating Scales

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania plans to develop a new statewide evaluation system for teachers and principals in its public schools by school year 2013-2014. To inform the development of this evaluation system, the Team Pennsylvania Foundation (Team PA) undertook the first phase of the Pennsylvania Teacher and Principal Evaluation Pilot--henceforth referred to as Phase 1--2010 and 2011 in collaboration with a broad stakeholder group that included leaders from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), school districts, and the business community. The purpose of Phase 1 was to develop and implement a pilot set of performance measures to obtain lessons for improving the use of classroom observations and student data in evaluating teacher and principal performance. None of the results from Phase 1 had a bearing on actual evaluations or personnel decisions for any teacher or principal. This report presents findings for the second track of Phase 1. In this track, Mathematica Policy Research used student-level data to develop value-added models (VAMs) for estimating teacher and principal effectiveness. VAMs estimate the effects of educators on student achievement growth. VAMs belong to the class of models that are generally referred to as student growth models, but a VAM estimate is not a measure of student growth; rather, it is an estimate of an educator's or a school's &quot;contribution&quot; to student growth. VAMs can be appropriate for use in teacher or principal evaluations because they produce information about educator effectiveness. Other indicators like student proficiency rates and descriptive measures of student growth might be appropriate as targets for school accountability purposes, but they should not be viewed as indicating what a teacher or school has contributed to student learning. (Contains 2 figures, 1 table and 1 footnote.) [For the &quot;Value-Added Estimates for Phase 1 of the Pennsylvania Teacher and Principal Evaluation Pilot. Full Report&quot;, see ED531795.]
How Can School Funding Increase If Operating Budgets Are Declining? Get the Facts... #2
Author: Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB)
Date: 2012-01-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: School District Spending,Educational Finance,Boards of Education,Educational Policy,Public Schools,Operating Expenses,Budgets,Expenditure per Student,Costs,Economic Climate,Court Litigation,School Personnel,Retrenchment,Budgeting,Financial Problems,Retirement Benefits,State School District Relationship

State and local funding for general operating budgets for Kansas public schools will be at a five-year low this school year, yet total Kansas school district spending will reach an all-time high of $5.67 billion according to estimates released by the Kansas State Department of Education. Total per pupil spending is projected to reach $12,454 per full-time equivalent pupil, an increase of $171 over last year. The rise in total funding is due to a $155 million increase in state retirement contributions, equaling a $339 per pupil increase. Total district spending is expected to be slightly higher than in 2009. That was the final year of funding increases following the Montoy school finance lawsuit and before a deep recession led to state spending cuts. This report, prepared by the Kansas Association of School Boards, examines why--in spite of overall spending increases by the state--boards of education and administrators have been forced to reduce budgets and cut staff and programs for students.
Education Performance Measures Track Kansas School Improvement. Focus On...
Author: Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB)
Date: 2011-09-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Educational Objectives,Outcomes of Education,Graduation Rate,College Entrance Examinations,Educational Attainment,Adult Education,Comparative Analysis,Measurement,Educational Indicators,Educational Improvement,Educational Quality,At Risk Students,White Students,Poverty,Charter Schools,Education Work Relationship,Income,Unemployment,Educational Finance,Educational Policy,Public Schools,Expenditure per Student,Census Figures,Private School Aid,Educational Vouchers,Statistical Analysis

Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) staff created an index of educational outcomes to compare results from state to state. This report is an analysis of that study. A list of the overall rankings is included on the back page of this report. The index is based on a  combination of objective qualitative measures. The data comes from national sources, including the National Assessment of Education Progress, the annual Condition of Education report from the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Census Bureau.