ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Charter School Boards in the Nation&apos;s Capital
Author: Squire, Juliet
Date: 2016-09-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Charter Schools,Boards of Education,Urban Schools,Educational Quality,Administrator Characteristics,Training,Strategic Planning,Meetings,Administrator Evaluation,Board Administrator Relationship,Board of Education Role,Satisfaction,Employee Attitudes,Educational Finance,Educational Attitudes

Tens of thousands of individuals across the United States volunteer their time, energy, and expertise as members of charter school boards. Yet as the charter sector has grown, remarkably little has been learned about these individuals who make key operational decisions about their schools and have legal and moral responsibilities for the education of children in their communities. This report is one of the first attempts to use quantitative survey data to explore the relationship between charter boards and school quality. Authors Juliet Squire and Allison Crean Davis of Bellwether Education Partners queried charter school board members in Washington, D.C.--a city with one of the highest percentage of public charter school students in the nation--to determine (1) who serves on District charter boards; and (2) which board practices are associated with school quality. Key findings include: (1) Charter school board members in D.C. tend to be affluent, highly educated individuals with liberal or moderate political leanings; (2) Board members of high-quality charters are more knowledgeable about their schools; (3) Board members of high-quality schools are more likely to participate in training, engage in strategic planning, and meet monthly; (4) Board members of high-quality schools are significantly more likely to evaluate their school leaders and use staff satisfaction as a factor in such evaluations; and (5) Regardless of school quality, charter school board members have much in common, including beliefs about the importance of academic achievement, similar school finance practices, and understanding their role and responsibilities. While focused on charter board members in Washington D.C., the report nonetheless offers valuable insights for charter advocates in other cities. By recruiting informed and dedicated volunteers to lend their time to these boards--and nudging them to implement sound practices--they may be able to replicate some of the successes of one of America's most robust charter sectors. [Foreword by Amber M. Northern and Michael J. Petrilli.]
Intervention Assistance Team, 2017-2018. Research Educational Program Report
Author: Houston Independent School District (HISD), Department of Research and Accountability
Date: 2018-09-27
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Individualized Education Programs,Special Education,Elementary School Students,Secondary School Students,Students with Disabilities,Reading Difficulties,Reading Tests,Response to Intervention,Reading Achievement,Benchmarking,Achievement Tests,English,Spanish,Progress Monitoring,Student Evaluation

In the 2017-2018 school year, in an effort to ensure that all students in grades K-12 received the appropriate supports and services to meet their full potential, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) employed the Intervention Assistance Team (IAT) program to document individualized interventions implemented to support the child and provide, if needed, a bridge to special education evaluation (Houston Independent School District, 2017). The IAT program is a collaborative endeavor providing campus-based support to meet the goal that all students are provided with the appropriate supports and services. The IAT program supports HISD's Strategic Direction Core Initiative 3: Rigorous Instructional Standards and Supports. This report shows outcomes for students who were eligible for IAT support in 2017-2018.
Intervention Assistance Team, 2018-2019. Research Educational Program Report
Author: Houston Independent School District (HISD), Department of Research and Accountability
Date: 2019-09-10
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Individualized Education Programs,Special Education,Elementary School Students,Secondary School Students,Students with Disabilities,Reading Difficulties,Response to Intervention,Reading Achievement,Benchmarking,Achievement Tests,English,Spanish,Progress Monitoring,Student Evaluation

In an effort to ensure that all students in grades K-12 received the appropriate supports and services to meet their full potential, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) employs the Intervention Assistance Team (IAT) program to document individualized interventions implemented to support the child and provide, if needed, a bridge to special education evaluation (Houston Independent School District, 2017). The IAT program is a collaborative endeavor providing campus-based support to meet the goal that all students are provided with the appropriate supports and services. The IAT program supports HISD's Strategic Direction Core Initiative 3: Rigorous Instructional Standards and Supports and Board Goal 3. This report shows outcomes for students who were eligible for IAT support in 2018-2019.
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back. Fordham Sponsorship Accountability Report, 2010-11
Author: Thomas B. Fordham Foundation
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Accountability,Position Papers,Charter Schools,Educational Improvement,Governance,Elementary Secondary Education,Academic Achievement,Technical Assistance,Leadership,Comparative Analysis,School Support,Profiles,Educational Finance,Educational Quality,Educational Indicators,Federal Programs,Reading Achievement,Mathematics Achievement,Educational Legislation,Federal Legislation,Educational Philosophy,Writing Achievement,Science Achievement,Social Studies,Annual Reports

The 2010 elections were good for Republicans in Ohio, who have traditionally supported the expansion of charter schools (and choice broadly). The authors were hopeful as lawmakers and the governor set about removing caps on charter schools, lifting the e-school moratorium, and suggesting other legislative changes that would improve charter quality and accountability. However, they were disheartened when during the budget cycle, the Ohio House proposed several changes that would have been insidious to the charter movement in the Buckeye State, such as: neutering governing boards and authorizers of their oversight responsibilities; exempting charter schools from compliance with most of the state's education laws and rules; and allowing operators to essentially run schools without an authorizing entity to hold them accountable. Luckily, the charter community in Ohio and nationally stood firmly against these proposals and was united in the need for better accountability and quality. This resulted in a rejection of the House's provisions as well as a new requirement holding charter authorizers accountable. The report describes these developments over the year, and also delineates how Fordham schools fared in terms of achievement, growth, and their contractual obligations. It provides achievement comparisons to other charters in Ohio's Urban 8 cities and their home district peer schools, as well as data on student demographics, AYP, and finances. And it outlines important history and context related to its six years as an authorizer: how its portfolio has changed in terms of school composition and performance, as well as its plans for the upcoming year in taking on two new schools. For the first time ever, Fordham is authorizing two rural schools (one of which is a high school -- also a first in its authorizing portfolio), and its positioned to take on other high-performing schools looking to expand.
Global Graduate Student Survey Report, 2018-2019. Research Educational Program Report
Author: Houston Independent School District (HISD), Department of Research and Accountability
Date: 2019-05-24
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Student Surveys,High School Students,High School Graduates,College Readiness,Productivity,Critical Thinking,Communication Skills,Decision Making,School Districts,College Bound Students,Grade 9,Grade 10,Grade 11,Grade 12,Career Readiness,Aptitude Tests,High Schools,College Entrance Examinations,Adjustment (to Environment),Student Participation,Enrollment,Global Approach,Student Leadership

The Global Graduate initiative was developed to help Houston Independent School District (HISD) students be successful in college and in the global workforce upon graduation. The program emphasizes six characteristics in its Global Graduate Profile: A Leader, Adaptable and Productive, A College-Ready Learner, A Critical Thinker, A Skilled Communicator, and A Responsible Decision Maker. Board Goal #2 states that the percentage of graduates meeting the Global Graduate standards as measured by the College and Career Readiness component of the Texas accountability system will increase three percentage points annually from the 2017 baseline of 52 percent to 67 percent by 2022. To see how well the district is doing in preparing students to be Global Graduates, a survey was administered through the HUB to all HISD high school students during the Spring 2019 semester. (April 8-May 3, 2019). The same survey was administered through Survey Monkey® in Spring 2018 (April 2-20, 2018). This report analyzes survey responses collected from the 2019 administration and changes from the Spring 2018 administration.
Global Graduate Student Survey Report, 2017-2018. Research Educational Program Report
Author: Houston Independent School District (HISD), Department of Research and Accountability
Date: 2018-05-25
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Student Surveys,High School Students,High School Graduates,College Readiness,Productivity,Critical Thinking,Communication Skills,Decision Making,School Districts,College Bound Students,Grade 9,Grade 10,Grade 11,Grade 12,Career Readiness,Aptitude Tests,High Schools,College Entrance Examinations,Adjustment (to Environment),Student Participation,Enrollment,Global Approach,Student Leadership

The Global Graduate initiative was developed to help Houston Independent School District (HISD) students be successful in college and in the global workforce upon graduation. The program emphasizes six characteristics in its Global Graduate Profile: A Leader, Adaptable and Productive, A College-Ready Learner, A Critical Thinker, A Skilled Communicator, and A Responsible Decision Maker. Board Goal #2 states that the percentage of graduates meeting the Global Graduate standards will increase three percentage points annually from the 2017 baseline of 70 percent to 85 percent by 2022. In order to see how well the district is doing in preparing students to be Global Graduates, a survey was administered through Survey Monkey® to all HISD high school students during the Fall 2017 semester (November 6-17, 2017) and again during the Spring 2018 semester (April 2-20, 2018). This report analyzes survey responses collected from the Spring administration and changes from the Fall to the Spring.
A Quasi-Experimental Study on the Impact of Fine Arts Instruction on the Academic Achievement, Attendance, and Disciplinary Outcomes of HISD Students, 2017-2018. Research Educational Program Report
Author: Holmes, Venita R.
Date: 2018-10-04
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Art Education,Academic Achievement,Attendance,Discipline,Urban Schools,Fine Arts,Magnet Schools,Public Schools,Outcomes of Education,Reading Tests,Mathematics Tests,Achievement Tests,Achievement Gains,Grade 3,Grade 4,Grade 5,Grade 6,Grade 7,Grade 8,Elementary School Students,Middle School Students,Art Teachers,High Schools,Elementary Secondary Education

To measure the impact of fine arts instruction in HISD [Houston Independent School District] , the study compared the STAAR [State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness] performance, attendance, and disciplinary outcomes of fine arts students enrolled in Fine Arts Magnet schools (treatment group) with students enrolled in non-Fine Arts Magnet schools (comparison group). An underlying assumption of the study was that Fine Arts Magnet students received a more robust fine arts education; therefore, representing a reliable treatment group, while comparison-group students had similar background characteristics, which strengthened the validity of the study. The study found that treatment and comparison-group students, typically, outperformed their peers districtwide on the 2018 STAAR 3-8 English reading and mathematics subtests, relative to the percentage of students who scored at or above the Approaches Grade Level standard, regardless of the type of teacher certification (visual arts, theatre, dance, instrumental music, and music). Comparison-group students outperformed treatment-group students under similar conditions. On the 2018 Algebra I Houston Independent School District exam, higher percentages of treatment-group students scored at or above this standard relative to comparison-group students. Moreover, treatment-group students outperformed comparison group students on the 2018 English I EOC [End-of-Course] exam in four of five teacher certification areas. Paired t-test analyses showed statistically significant improvements in STAAR 3-8 reading and mathematics scale scores as both groups successively progressed to fourth, fifth, and seventh grades from 2017 to 2018. Sixth and eighth-grade students in both groups also showed statistically significant improvements in reading from 2017 to the 2018. Difference-in-differences analyses revealed benefits in treatment-group participation as evidenced by lower in-and out-of-school suspension rates over the comparison group, and an observable small, positive program effect on &quot;no&quot; in-school suspensions. This study observed evidence that fine arts instruction in HISD has contributed toward improving student achievement and behavioral outcomes. Future research could measure student engagement as well as the dosage effect of fine arts instruction for students enrolled in a coherent sequence of fine arts courses, with multiple years of instruction.
A Quasi-Experimental Study on the Utility and Efficacy of Lead4ward in HISD toward Improving Instructional Planning and Student Achievement, 2018-2019. Research Educational Program Report
Author: Holmes, Venita R.
Date: 2019-07-18
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Instructional Development,Program Effectiveness,Faculty Development,Standardized Tests,Student Improvement,Elementary School Students,Educational Resources,Teacher Attitudes,Reading Achievement,Mathematics Achievement,Teacher Orientation,State Standards,Special Needs Students,Middle School Students,Alignment (Education),Communities of Practice,State Curriculum Guides,Intervention

This program evaluation assessed the utility and efficacy of lead4ward toward facilitating meaningful instructional planning, and improving STAAR reading, English language arts, and math performance of students whose teachers participated in lead4ward professional development. A web-based survey on HISD's HUB yielded responses from 340 educators who had direct exposure to lead4ward. The highest percentages of respondents found that lead4ward was closely aligned to TEKS (87.1). In addition, 79.0% of respondents indicated that they used lead4ward in grade level, developmental planning, and PLCs meetings. Nearly 70.0% of respondents noted that the Field Guides were helpful in planning and implementing lessons well (69.8%). Respondents found that lead4ward resources improved proficiency among students &quot;more than a little&quot; in mathematics, English language arts/reading, science, social studies, teacher induction, and intervention/RTI. Instructional Tools were found to be the &quot;most useful&quot; among tools. Performance Standards, Data Tools, Academic Vocabulary Resources, lead4ward Reports in OnTrack, and lead4ward App were considered &quot;more than fairly useful&quot; by respondents. Learning Videos, Field Guides, State Accountability Quicklooks, and Test Accessibility and Special Education Resources were rated as &quot;fairly useful&quot;. Statistically significant increases were found in the STAAR 3-8 mean math scale scores of student groups as they progressed from 3rd to 4th through 7th to 8th grades. Small to medium effects were found among 3rd to 5th and 6th to 8th-grade students in reading. Propensity-score matching yielded no statistically significant differences in the 2019 English I and Algebra I EOC mean scale scores of treatment and control-group students, after controlling for background characteristics and 8th-grade reading and math scores. However, gains in favor of treatment group students were observed on the Algebra I EOC. Implications included positive benefits of lead4ward based on students' test scores and educators' perceptions.
Exemplary Science Standards: How Does Your State Compare?
Author: Porter-Magee, Kathleen, Ed.
Date: 2013-08-20
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Academic Standards,State Standards,Science Education,Elementary Secondary Education,Physical Sciences,Biological Sciences,Earth Science,Space Sciences,Scientific Methodology,Inquiry

With states weighing whether to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), this analysis from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute compares the existing science standards of thirty-eight states with the NGSS and with exemplary standards from three other states. The K-12 science standards were compared for states whose expectations were either &quot;too close to call&quot; or &quot;clearly inferior to&quot; those of the NGSS with the expectations set by three of the top-performing states, as well as with the Next Generation Science Standards themselves. Comparisons are presented side-by-side in the form of brief descriptions of the quality of the standards, including salient strengths and weaknesses. Five areas are covered: (1) treatment of scientific inquiry and practices; (2) physical science (including physics and chemistry); (3) life science; (4) earth and space science; and (5) clarity and specificity. [Introduction by Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Kathleen Porter-Magee.]
Is Détente Possible? District-Charter School Relations in Four Cities
Author: Doyle, Daniela
Date: 2015-11-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Charter Schools,Urban Schools,School Districts,Public Schools,Institutional Cooperation,Elementary Secondary Education,Objectives,Influences,Group Activities

In the past quarter-century, charter schools have grown from a ragtag insurgency into a serious force in American K-12 education, serving as the public education provider for nearly three million children across the country. But this nationwide growth has spread unevenly across U.S. cities. In most places, urban districts have successfully contained the charter insurgents, keeping them marginal and maintaining district preeminence--if not hegemony. In a small but growing number of cities, however, the charter sector has thrived and become a more serious contender for market share and educational power, too large for the prevailing power to ignore. &quot;Engagement&quot; of some kind has become necessary. But what form does that engagement take? To find out, this report examines district-charter engagement in five cities--Boston, Cleveland, Denver, Houston, and Washington, D.C.--in pursuit of three questions: (1) How are districts engaging charters? (2) Why do districts choose to engage charters? and (3) Is engagement resulting in improvement? [Foreword by Amber N. Northern and Michael J. Petrilli.]
Commentary on Appendix L: Alignment of the Next Generation Science Standards with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
Author: Wilson, W. Stephen
Date: 2013-08-20
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Elementary Secondary Education,Science Education,Academic Standards,Educational Policy,Engineering,Science Curriculum,Core Curriculum,Common Core State Standards,Mathematics

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were released in April 2013. As was done for the two public drafts that preceded it, and for the National Research Council (NRC) framework on which it is based, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute asked their expert reviewers to evaluate these standards against their criteria for content, rigor, clarity, and specificity. Among the serious challenges the analysts found in the NGSS was an acute dearth of math content, even in situations where math is essential to the study and proper understanding of the science that students are being asked to master. Analysts found this failure to include essential math content particularly troubling in light of statements by the authors of the NGSS that they intended to integrate mathematics into their new science expectations. To determine how well NGSS math is aligned with the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSSM), eminent Johns Hopkins mathematician and veteran Fordham reviewer W. Stephen Wilson was asked to take a close look and this commentary presents the findings of his analysis. Strentghs, weaknesses, missed opportunities, possible remedies and conclusions are summarized. [Foreword by Chester E. Finn Jr., and Kathleen Porter-Magee. For &quot;Review of the National Research Council's Framework for K-12 Science Education&quot;, see ED524696.]
Final Evaluation of the Next Generation Science Standards
Author: Gross, Paul
Date: 2013-06-13
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Elementary Secondary Education,Science Education,Academic Standards,Educational Policy,Engineering,Science Curriculum,Core Curriculum,Common Core State Standards,Physical Sciences,Chemistry,Biological Sciences,Earth Science,Space Sciences,Technology,Scientific Principles,Mathematics

The Thomas B. Fordham Institute monitored the evolution of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) through two public drafts, on both of which reviewers provided extensive feedback and recommendations for improvement. This third Fordham Review of the (NGSS) is the product of a nine member team that includes practicing scientists and mathematicians, a distinguished engineer, and an historian/philosopher of science. All are experienced teachers of science and/or mathematics. The final NGSS standards incorporate a number of changes from earlier drafts. Reviewers identify and discuss them, recognizing changes that they find laudable (such as the new, introductory, grade-level &quot;storylines&quot;) as well as those they find disquieting (primarily a further reduction of substantive science content). Then, using substantially the same criteria and scoring metrics as were applied earlier to reviews of state science standards, they grade the NGSS. The purpose here--and in state-specific comparisons that will follow--is to provide for state-level officials and science educators useful information as they consider adopting the NGSS and/or otherwise strengthening the science standards that are in poor repair in so many places. [This review was written with Douglas Buttrey, Ursula Goodenough, Noretta Koertge, Lawrence Lerner, Martha Schwartz, and Richard Schwartz. Foreword by Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Kathleen Porter-Magee. For &quot;Commentary &amp; Feedback on Draft 1 of the Next Generation Science Standards&quot;, see ED598747. For Draft II, see ED598748. For a related report, see ED524696. The General Electric Foundation provided additional support for this review.]