ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Pakistan's Education Crisis: The Real Story
Author: Naviwala, Nadia
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Attendance,Teacher Attendance,Interviews,Specialists,Educational Finance,Expenditures,Budgets,Educational Change,Standards,Teacher Salaries,Educational Quality,International Organizations,Privatization,Educational Policy,Advantaged,Political Influences,Armed Forces

Pakistan suffers from an extensive education crisis. Millions of Pakistani children do not attend school, and those that do must deal with absent teachers and poor learning environments, among other challenges. While this crisis is frequently discussed in Pakistan and beyond, it is often misunderstood. This new Wilson Center report, based on dozens of interviews with officials and experts across Pakistan, seeks to set the record straight. It reveals, for example, that contrary to popular narratives, Pakistan's education spending has increased significantly in recent years and is now nearly equivalent to the military budget. The report argues, however, that Pakistan must spend better, not simply spend more, in order to ease and ultimately solve its education crisis. Nadia Naviwala, the report's author and a Wilson Center public policy fellow, highlights myths about Pakistan's education budget and foreign aid; and compares how foreign donors and local leaders have sought to transform education in Pakistan, with emphasis on the central challenge of very poor learning levels.
Developing Leaders: The Importance--and the Challenges--of Evaluating Principal Preparation Programs
Author: George W. Bush Presidential Center, George W. Bush Institute
Date: 2016-10-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Principals,Administrator Education,Barriers,Program Evaluation,School Statistics,Information Needs,Outcome Measures,Academic Achievement,Sample Size,Time on Task,Predictor Variables,Change Strategies,Evaluation Criteria,Educational Administration,College Programs,Evaluation Problems

Research on school leadership shows that principals can significantly impact student achievement by influencing classroom instruction, organizational conditions, community support and setting the teaching and learning conditions in schools. Moreover, strong principals provide a multiplier effect that enables improvement initiatives to succeed. The role of today's principal is changing, as is the principal workforce. The new generation of principals is younger with less teaching experience, and is more mobile, working more hours, and experiencing more job stress. Understanding how to better prepare new leaders for the role of principal is an urgent policy concern. The George W. Bush Institute, in partnership with the American Institutes for Research (AIR), has been evaluating the impact of five principal preparation programs in the United States on student outcomes. Although the information produced by an impact evaluation may have limitations in what it can tell about best practices in principal preparation program design, this information should be considered as one aspect of preparation program improvement and accountability. The study team lays out its recommendations in this policy paper: (1) Accurate and comprehensive data collection systems and analysis measures are needed to improve both principal preparation and principal performance; (2) States and districts should collect data that are more systematic on outcomes in addition to student standardized test scores; (3) Impact evaluations using student outcomes are necessary and critical for program improvement and district awareness; (4) A full evaluation of principal preparation programs should include multiple measures, and focusing on measures of individual principal effectiveness in addition to overall averages may be very informative; (5) More sustained research is needed on issues of developing and retaining our most effective principals; (6) Education leadership also can learn from the body of leadership research in other fields; and (7) Districts and policymakers should consider how preparation fits into a continuum of development and supports along principals' career pathways and work to improve all aspects of principal talent management.
What Districts Know--and Need to Know--about Their Principals
Author: George W. Bush Presidential Center, George W. Bush Institute
Date: 2016-02-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Principals,School Districts,School Statistics,Data,Administrator Education,College Programs,Evaluation Problems,Educational Practices,Check Lists,Talent Development,Information Needs,Administrator Effectiveness,Administrator Evaluation,Program Evaluation

Research on school leadership has highlighted the impact principals have on student achievement through their influence on classroom instruction, organizational conditions, community support, and setting the teaching and learning conditions in schools. However, there is limited rigorous quantitative research on the best district policies and practices for principal preparation, the selection and recruitment of effective principal candidates, effective principal career development and management, and the retention of the most effective principals. Despite this gap in clear evidence on best practices, districts are responsible for finding, supporting, and keeping effective principals for their schools. State agencies play a key role in ensuring principals are adequately prepared through their regulation of preparation programs and licensure policies. Many states are undertaking efforts to improve data systems to capture more information about teachers and school leaders, which can help begin to answer outstanding questions about the effectiveness of different policies and practices. Districts should also take steps to ensure that they have the data necessary to answer important questions about how to identify, develop, and retain great principals. This report highlights limitations of district-level data on principals encountered during data collection for a study on principal preparation programs. This report also describes the importance of improving the accuracy and availability of these data to explore questions about how to find, support, and keep the best leaders, and includes highlights from three districts that have developed comprehensive leader tracking systems. Included are guiding questions and a checklist of data elements for districts to consider in addressing key questions to support finding, supporting, and keeping the best leaders.
Reading Enjoyment, Behaviour and Attitudes in Pupils Who Use Accelerated Reader
Author: Clark, Christina
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Student Attitudes,Reading Instruction,Student Surveys,Longitudinal Studies,Elementary Secondary Education,Comparative Analysis,Gender Differences,Reading Attitudes,Predictor Variables,Psychological Patterns,Reading Habits,Self Esteem,Tables (Data),Foreign Countries,Program Effectiveness,Reading Programs,Technology Uses in Education

Do pupils who use Accelerated Reader (AR) think differently about reading, do they enjoy reading more and do they do it more often than pupils who do not use AR? We explore this question using two sources of data. The first utilises data from our 2014 annual literacy survey in which more than 32,000 children and young people aged 8 to 18 participated. 3 in 10 (29.9%; N = 9,551) of participating pupils said that they use AR. The 2014 findings are contextualised by recourse to findings we made in 2012 and 2013. The second source uses data from a longitudinal study we set up in 2011. We followed 1,500 pupils who were aged seven to eight (Year 3) in 2011 until they were aged 10 to 11 (Year 6) in 2014. 37% of these pupils said that they used AR in 2011. All pupils completed our attitudinal survey each year, and each year schools also sent us their attainment data. These data uniquely allow us to compare AR pupils with non-AR children over time on their reading enjoyment, reading behaviour and reading attitudes. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal data sets unanimously show that more pupils who use AR enjoy reading, read frequently and think more positively about reading than their peers who do not use AR. Our analyses also show that reading enjoyment is the only variable in a complex interplay of variables that has a strong bi-directional influence, regardless of gender and whether children use AR or not, not only highlights the importance of reading enjoyment as a variable that matters, but also underlines the need to develop effective methods to encourage children and young people to read for enjoyment. We are hopeful that an increased understanding of the relationships between reading enjoyment, attitudes, behaviour and skills will not only help us to strengthen the work carried out across the National Literacy Trust and the sector, but it will also help us to influence education policy and practice to promote the importance of reading for pleasure. Two appendices are included.
Giving English Language Learners the Time They Need to Succeed: Profiles of Three Expanded Learning Time Schools
Author: Farbman, David A.
Date: 2015-12-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: English Language Learners,Educational Practices,Time Factors (Learning),Elementary Schools,Case Studies,Educational Quality,Language Skills,Native Language,School Schedules,Extended School Year,Teacher Collaboration,Teaching Methods,Bilingual Education,Language of Instruction,Extended School Day

With the number of students who are English language learners (ELLs) likely to double in coming years, it is more important than ever for schools across the U.S. to design and implement educational practices and strategies that best meet ELLs' learning needs, says the report, &quot;Giving English Language Learners the Time They Need to Succeed.&quot; To inform both practitioners and policymakers in bringing about this higher level of school support, the report profiles three expanded-time elementary schools, providing both the framework and compelling examples for understanding how the strategies and effective practices aimed at helping ELL students blend together to produce a high-quality education and serve as the foundation for future success.
The Impact of Ebooks on the Reading Motivation and Reading Skills of Children and Young People: A Study of Schools Using RM Books. Final Report
Author: Picton, Irene
Date: 2015-12-00
Type: Information Analyses
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Literacy Education,Electronic Publishing,Reading Motivation,Reading Skills,Surveys,Technology Uses in Education,Handheld Devices,Telecommunications,Student Interests,Printed Materials,Gender Differences,Age Differences,Adolescents,Children,Attitude Measures,Literature Reviews,Socioeconomic Status

The National Literacy Trust is a national charity dedicated to raising literacy levels in the UK. Their research and analysis make them the leading authority on literacy. They run projects in the poorest communities, campaign to make literacy a priority for politicians and parents, and support schools. RM Books is a market-leading ebooks platform designed specifically for schools. In early 2014, RM Books provided funding to allow a study of the impact of ebooks on pupils' reading skills and motivation over the academic year September 2014 to July 2015. Prior to the study, the National Literacy Trust conducted a rapid literature review to explore some of the research available on the role of technology in the literacy lives of young people. This final report outlines findings about the impact of access to an ebooks platform on pupils' reading motivation and skills over the academic year 2014/15. Schools from across the UK provided attitudinal and attainment data before and after running an ebooks project with a group of pupils, and a selection of practitioners and pupils also took part in interviews and focus groups to allow the exploration of initial findings in more depth. [For the pilot report: &quot;The Impact of eBooks on the Reading Motivation and Reading Skills of Children and Young People: A Rapid Literature Review,&quot; see ED560635.]
Creating Learning Environments in the Early Grades That Support Teacher and Student Success: Profiles of Effective Practices in Three Expanded Learning Time Schools
Author: Farbman, David A.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Educational Environment,Elementary Schools,Primary Education,Extended School Day,Child Development,Educational Practices,Developmentally Appropriate Practices,Interpersonal Relationship,Teacher Collaboration,Progress Monitoring,School Culture,Individualized Instruction,Learner Engagement,STEM Education,Scheduling,Common Core State Standards,Enrichment Activities,Volunteers,Literacy,Feedback (Response),Intervention,Student Behavior,Alignment (Education),Kindergarten,Grade 1,Grade 2

In &quot;Creating Learning Environments in the Early Grades that Support Teacher and Student Success,&quot; the National Center on Time &amp; Learning (NCTL) profiles three expanded-time elementary schools that leverage a longer school day to better serve young students. In particular, the report describes how a longer day opens up opportunities to foster children's development across cognitive, social, physical, and emotional domains by: (1) crafting a schedule around a robust educational program; (2) focusing on building strong child-adult relationships; and (3) enabling teachers to collaborate toward continuous improvement. For disadvantaged children, having more time in productive learning environments is vital for setting them on the right path to future success in school and life. The schools profiled are located in Revere, Massachusetts; Meriden, Connecticut; and Denver, Colorado.
Student Victimization in U.S. Schools: Results from the 2013 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey. Stats in Brief. NCES 2016-145
Author: Lessne, Deborah
Date: 2016-11-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Crime,Victims,Student Characteristics,Bullying,Educational Environment,Disclosure,Fear,Student Behavior,Tables (Data),Questionnaires,National Surveys,Age Differences,Gender Differences,Racial Differences,Ethnic Groups,Socioeconomic Status,Institutional Characteristics,Statistical Analysis,Regression (Statistics)

Crime and violence in schools continue to be major concerns for educators, policymakers, administrators, parents, and students. This Statistics in Brief presents estimates of student criminal victimization at school by selected student characteristics and school conditions, experiences with being bullied, school security measures, and student avoidance behavior. To assist policymakers, researchers, and practitioners in making informed decisions concerning crime in schools, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) collects data on student reports of criminal victimization through its sponsorship of the School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). This report uses data from the 2013 NCVS Basic Screener Questionnaire (NCVS-1), NCVS Crime Incident Report (NCVS-2), and SCS. The U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), administers both surveys. The following study questions are reported: (1) How do reports of criminal victimization at school vary by student characteristics?; (2) Do reports of bullying at school vary among students reporting or not reporting criminal victimization at school?; (3) Do reports of other unfavorable conditions at school vary among students reporting and not reporting criminal victimization?; and (4) How do fear and avoidance behaviors at school vary among students reporting and not reporting criminal victimization? The following are appended: (1) Data Tables; and (2) Standard Error Tables.
Sticking Points: How School Districts Experience Implementing the Portfolio Strategy
Author: Lake, Robin
Date: 2016-10-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: School Districts,Program Implementation,Portfolios (Background Materials),Change Strategies,Public Education,Data Analysis,Educational Trends,Trend Analysis,Metropolitan Areas,Barriers,Administrative Organization,Unions,Contracts,Progress Monitoring,Accountability,Talent,Teacher Effectiveness,Student Placement,School Choice,School District Autonomy,Educational Finance

The portfolio strategy is a change strategy for public education in a district or metropolitan area. It is founded on the idea of re-missioning government agencies from rigid bureaucratic entities that mostly manage compliance requirements and interest group politics to a new role: overseeing performance and a diverse range of school choices (portfolio) from which families can choose. Since 2013, the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) has published annual &quot;dashboards&quot; of districts' progress on portfolio strategy implementation. CRPE recently analyzed the data on trends across all portfolio districts, breaking it down by the strategy's seven key components. This report shows quite starkly where cities are moving ahead rapidly and where they are getting bogged down for technical or political reasons. Key findings include: (1) While a handful of districts are at an &quot;advanced&quot; level of portfolio strategy implementation, too many are moving very slowly or are stalled; (2) Some districts are implementing portfolio strategy in a piecemeal fashion that is unlikely to produce significant results for students; (3) A group of districts not well known for portfolio implementation has been making a lot of progress lately; (4) Districts tend to get &quot;stuck&quot; on or avoid the parts of portfolio systems that require a fundamental restructuring of the central office or changes to the union contract; and (5) It will take leadership at the state and local level to overcome barriers, and sustained progress is likely to require state action. &quot;The Seven Components of the Portfolio Strategy and Their Corresponding Elements&quot; is appended.
Integrated Planning and Advising for Student Success (iPASS): State of the Literature. CCRC Working Paper No. 90
Author: Fletcher, Jeffrey
Date: 2016-10-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Success,Planning,Academic Advising,Literature Reviews,Program Implementation,Correlation,Research Methodology,Reports,Colleges,Higher Education

This paper examines the current state of the literature on Integrated Planning and Advising for Student Success (iPASS), an increasingly popular approach to technology-mediated advising reform. We limit our analysis to sixty relevant documents that have been released since 2010. We categorize these items into four different groups based on their aim and rigor: (1) &quot;descriptive documents&quot; (39 items) that describe processes and challenges of iPASS implementation, (2) &quot;output reports&quot; (12 items) that examine usage data to better understand iPASS implementation, (3) &quot;correlational studies&quot; (5 items) that examine non-causal associations between different functionalities of iPASS tools and student outcomes, and (4) &quot;rigorous outcomes studies&quot; (4 items) that employ experimental or quasi-experimental methods to provide causal or near-causal estimations of iPASSoriented interventions. iPASS is a relatively recent reform approach, and while few studies are available that rigorously evaluate its effects, early findings suggest that individual components of iPASS interventions may have a positive impact on student outcomes, including persistence and credit accrual. This paper also offers suggestions on how colleges can use non-causal research to support and improve iPASS. Appended to the report are figures.
Supporting Military Veteran Students: Early Lessons from Kohlberg Prize Recipients
Author: Karp, Melinda Mechur
Date: 2016-11-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Postsecondary Education,Veterans Education,Access to Education,Military Personnel,Grants,Community Colleges,Student Personnel Services,Student Needs

Postsecondary education participation is critical for military-connected individuals as they transition back to civilian life. The Kisco Foundation's Kohlberg Prize, a competitive grant awarded in 2015 and 2016, is aimed at making community colleges more welcoming and better able to meet the needs of veteran students. This review details the early experiences of the five 2015 prizewinners, based on an analysis of narrative reports submitted after their first semester of planning enhanced veteran services. The prizewinners determined that the needs of military veteran students would be well met by a single location on the community college campus that serves multiple needs and provides a variety of services. Thus, the colleges' grant activities were geared toward developing a one-stop veterans center that provides academic, peer, career, and nonacademic services. In the review, the authors discuss the challenges the colleges encountered in implementing one-stop centers. They also consider the relationship between efforts to create veteran-specific services and spaces and the broader community college reform trend of streamlining and integrating services across the entire college. Finally, they provide suggestions for practitioners and policymakers looking to improve supports for student veterans.
STEM-Focused Technology-Mediated Advising Reform: Plans for Implementation by Four Colleges. CCRC Research Brief No. 64
Author: Grant, Markeisha
Date: 2016-10-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Community Colleges,STEM Education,Academic Advising,Planning,Program Effectiveness,Student Needs,Change Strategies,Labor Force Development,Job Skills,Minority Group Students,Grants,Technology Uses in Education

In 2015 &quot;The Helmsley Charitable Trust&quot; provided grants to four Achieving the Dream (ATD) Leader Colleges to engage in STEM-specific iPASS reform beginning in fall 2016. iPASS, or Integrated Planning and Advising for Student Success, is a whole-school reform approach that uses technology to promote, support, and sustain long-term, intrusive advising relationships with students. As part of an evaluation of the colleges' work, Community College Research Center (CCRC) has conducted pre-implementation site visits and will conduct post-implementation visits at each of the four colleges. The primary goals of CCRC's fieldwork are to understand (1) how iPASS is being implemented within the institutional context of each college, (2) how colleges are tailoring iPASS to meet the needs of STEM students, (3) whether colleges are experiencing transformative change over time, and (4) what effect iPASS appears to be having on student outcomes. This brief presents preliminary findings from the first round of site visits on how these four institutions are approaching STEM-focused iPASS, their rationale for selecting STEM students and programs as a focus for the reform, and their implementation plans. It also discusses early evidence of transformative change.