ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Location, Location, Location: How Would a High-Performing Charter School Network Fare in Different States?
Author: Lozier, Chris
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Charter Schools,Elementary Secondary Education,Educational Finance,Private Financial Support,Costs,Comparative Analysis,Expenditure per Student,School Effectiveness,School Location

In this paper the authors do not examine different operating strategies for charter schools or analyze the impact of their often educationally intensive models on finance. Instead, because public charter schools are funded predominantly by public dollars, they simply ask what impact location--and its associated variances in public funding and the cost of providing an education--exert on charter school finance. In other words, they know that charters generally receive less funding than other public schools--a problem made more acute in places where even the funding for traditional public schools is insufficient. They also know that the cost of providing an education varies considerably across states. In particular, 17% of the nation's 5,453 charter schools, including some of the highest-profile charter school networks and charter schools in the country, are located in California, a state with high labor and facilities costs and widely considered to have inadequate education funding overall. As a result, they believe that public finance plays an outsized but too little examined role in the debate about the sustainability of public charter schools. Examining this, the authors conducted a thought experiment using the finances of Aspire Public Schools, a large and highly successful network of public charter schools in California. Imagine Aspire could be dropped into another state, adjust expenses for the local conditions, and adjust public funding based on what local schools typically receive. Would Aspire's financial position be improved? Would Aspire still require philanthropy--as it does now--to operate its network of schools? These questions are important for the light they shed on two larger questions: (1) Is Aspire already an example of a high-performing and affordable system of schools that just happens to be swimming upstream in a particularly difficult environment, or does it remain a work in progress toward the goal of becoming a high-performing school network that the taxpayer can afford?; and (2) Is California fiscally more challenging than other states, and how do the most populous charter states stack up in this regard? The authors hypothesized that in different states Aspire might enjoy higher revenue, lower costs, or both. This paper provides policymakers with a high-level glimpse at what some of these hypothetical situations would look like in practice. By using research on state charter funding and geographic K-12 expense variances as well as a proxy for cost of facilities, the authors estimate what Aspire's 2006-07 financial performance would have been in 23 other states (including the District of Columbia) that have charter schools and were included in a recent comprehensive analysis of charter school finances. (Contains 7 figures and 17 endnotes.)
Quality of Early Childhood Development Programs in Global Contexts: Rationale for Investment, Conceptual Framework and Implications for Equity. Social Policy Report. Volume 25, Number 2
Author: Britto, Pia Rebello
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Collected Works - Serial
Subjects: Early Childhood Education,Child Development,Global Approach,Educational Quality,Access to Education,Young Children,Child Welfare,Educational Policy,Educational Research,Educational Opportunities,Goal Orientation

Across nations, Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs are of great interest to policymakers, service providers, and families. ECD programs are cross-cutting, often involving the health, education, child welfare, and other sectors, and their emphases shift over the early childhood years. In this paper, the authors propose equity as the construct central to the provision of ECD programs in an international context. Equity can be conceptualized relative to two components, access and quality. In the past there has been greater focus on building access to ECD program services with less emphasis placed on quality, particularly when programs are taken to scale in low- and middle-income (LAMI) countries. Quality is a key feature because when programs of low quality are provided, they are unlikely to generate the child and family outcomes intended. Moreover, quality is a relevant feature across all levels of the ecological system. To effect sustainable and meaningful change in ECD programs in developing countries, features of access and quality, must be addressed at each level of the ecological system. The paper presents a conceptualization of quality across settings and systems and identifies implications for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers on how they can work together to measure, improve and sustain program quality. (Contains 2 figures and 5 endnotes.) [Commentaries from Linda Biersteker, Belinda J. Hardin and Aisha K. Yousafzai are included. Commentaries are individually referenced.]
Evidence-Based Interventions for Juvenile Offenders and Juvenile Justice Policies that Support Them. Social Policy Report. Volume 25, Number 1
Author: Henggeler, Scott W.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Collected Works - Serial
Subjects: Intervention,Antisocial Behavior,Delinquency Prevention,Juvenile Courts,At Risk Persons,Adolescents,Program Effectiveness,Risk Management,Rehabilitation,Behavior Modification,Evidence,Federal Programs,Law Enforcement,Public Policy,Counseling,State Programs

In a context where more than 1,000,000 American adolescents are processed by juvenile courts annually and approximately 160,000 are sent to residential placements, this paper examines "what works" and "what doesn't work" in reducing the criminal behavior of juvenile offenders and presents examples of government initiatives that have successfully promoted the adoption, implementation, and sustainability of evidence-based interventions for juvenile offenders. In general, the vast majority of current juvenile justice services has little empirical support or exacerbates antisocial behavior. These include processing by the juvenile justice system (e.g., probation), juvenile transfer laws, surveillance, shock incarceration, and residential placements (e.g., boot camps, group homes, incarceration). On the other hand, several effective treatment programs have been validated in rigorous research. Effective programs address key risk factors (e.g., improving family functioning, decreasing association with deviant peers), are rehabilitative in nature, use behavioral interventions within the youth's natural environment, are well specified, and include intensive support for intervention Fidelity. Although only 5% of eligible high-risk offenders are treated with an evidence-based intervention annually, inroads to the larger scale use of evidence-based treatments have been made in recent years through federal (e.g., Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) and state (e.g., Washington, Ohio, Connecticut, Florida) policy initiatives. Based on our experience transporting an evidence-based treatment within the context of these initiatives, recommendations are made to facilitate stakeholder efforts to improve the quality and effectiveness of rehabilitative services available to juvenile offenders. [Commentaries from Samantha Harvell, Christopher Slobogin, and Peter Panzarella are included. Commentaries are individually referenced.]
Review of Three Recent Randomized Trials of School-Based Mentoring: Making Sense of Mixed Findings. Social Policy Report. Volume 24, Number 3
Author: Wheeler, Marc E.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Collected Works - Serial
Subjects: Mentors,Schools,Campuses,Intervention,Disadvantaged,Youth,Adults,Meta Analysis,Program Evaluation,Models,Evidence,Statistical Significance,Comparative Analysis,Academic Achievement,Community Programs,Partnerships in Education

Between 2007 and 2009, reports were released on the results of three separate large-scale random assignment studies of the effectiveness of school-based mentoring programs for youth. The studies evaluated programs implemented by Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) affiliates (Herrera et al., 2007), Communities In Schools of San Antonio, Texas (Karcher, 2008), and grantees of the U.S. Department of Education's Student Mentoring Program (Bernstein et al., 2009). Differences in the findings and conclusions of the studies have led to varying responses by those in practice and policy roles. The results of the BBBSA trial led the organization to undertake an initiative to pilot and evaluate an enhanced school-based mentoring model. Findings of the Student Mentoring Program evaluation were cited as a reason for eliminating support for the program in the FY 2010 federal budget (Office of Management and Budget, 2009). In this report, we present a comparative analysis of the three studies. We identify important differences across the studies in several areas, including agency inclusion criteria, program models, implementation fidelity and support, and criteria utilized in tests of statistical significance. When aggregating results across the studies using meta-analytic techniques, we find evidence that school-based mentoring can be modestly effective for improving selected outcomes (i.e., support from non-familial adults, peer support, perceptions of scholastic efficacy, school-related misconduct, absenteeism, and truancy). Program effects are not apparent, however, for academic achievement or other outcomes. Our analysis underscores that evidence-based decision-making as applied to youth interventions should take into account multiple programmatic and methodological influences on findings and endeavor to take stock of results from the full landscape of available studies. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.) [Commentaries from Jodie Roth, Michael Foster, and Graig Meyer are included. Commentaries are individually referenced.]
Safe Schools Policy for LGBTQ Students. Social Policy Report. Volume 24, Number 4
Author: Russell, Stephen T.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Collected Works - Serial
Subjects: Well Being,Homosexuality,School Safety,Educational Environment,School Culture,Social Attitudes,Social Bias,Federal Legislation,School Policy,At Risk Students,Sexual Orientation,Bullying,Foreign Countries

Two proposed U.S. federal laws would provide explicit protection for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) students in public schools. These federal laws follow actions by many states and school districts to define and implement laws or policies to protect the safety of LGBTQ students in schools. Research during the past decade has shown that LGBTQ youth are a vulnerable population, and that the negative school experiences of LGBTQ students often contribute to their vulnerability. This Social Policy Report reviews research relevant to these federal, state, and local laws and policies. Research on sexual orientation/identity development is reviewed, with attention to the growing numbers of youth that &quot;come out&quot; or disclose their LGBTQ identities to others during their school-age years. Schools are often hostile environments for LGBTQ students; this evidence is considered along with research on the consequences for compromised achievement and emotional and behavioral health. We then review strategies in education policy and practice that are associated with well-being for LGBTQ (and all) students. (Contains 5 footnotes.) [Commentaries from Ian Rivers, Susan M. Swearer, Daniel O'Donnell and Marko Liias are included. Commentaries are individually referenced.]
The National School Safety Center's Report on School Associated Violent Deaths
Author: National School Safety Center
Date: 2010-03-03
Type: Reference Materials - General
Subjects: Elementary Secondary Education,School Safety,Violence,School Security,Crime,Victims of Crime,Research Reports,Statistical Data,Statistical Surveys,School Statistics,Death,Antisocial Behavior

A school-associated violent death is any homicide, suicide, or weapons-related violent death in the United States in which the fatal injury occurred: (1) on the property of a functioning public, private or parochial elementary or secondary school, Kindergarten through grade 12, (including alternative schools); (2) on the way to or from regular sessions at such a school;   (3) while person was attending or was on the way to or from an official school-sponsored event; and (4) as an obvious direct result of school incident/s, function/s or activities, whether on or off school bus/vehicle or school property. Newspaper accounts, on which the National School Safety Center (NSSC) bases this report, frequently do not list names and ages of those who are charged with the deaths of others. Such omissions were in some cases because the person charged was a minor. In some instances, persons were killed in drive-by shootings, gang encounters or during melees in which the killer was not identified, and the killers were either never apprehended or were caught days or months after the crime was first reported. As a result, more is known about victims than about perpetrators and therefore information in this report relates more to victims than to perpetrators. This report covers all reported school associated violent deaths that the National School Safety Center knows of from the 1992-1993 School year to present. For purposes of this study, the new school year begins on August 1st.
School Meal Programs: More Systematic Development of Specifications Could Improve the Safety of Foods Purchased through USDA's Commodity Program. Report to the Ranking Member, Committee on Education and the Workforce, House of Representatives. GAO-11-376
Author: Shames, Lisa
Date: 2011-05-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Safety,Purchasing,Federal Regulation,Food Standards,Agricultural Production,Agribusiness,Audits (Verification),Research Reports,Hearings,Federal Legislation,Federal Programs,Poverty Programs,Food Service,Lunch Programs,Breakfast Programs,Change Strategies,School Responsibility,Program Improvement

Through its commodity program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides commodity foods at no cost to schools taking part in the national school meals programs. Commodities include raw ground beef, cheese, poultry, and fresh produce. Like federal food safety agencies, the commodity program has taken steps designed to reduce microbial contamination that can result in severe illness. US Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to review (1) the extent to which the program's purchasing specifications related to microbial contamination differ from federal regulations, (2) the extent to which specifications for raw ground beef differ from those imposed by some other large purchasers, and (3) examples of schools' practices to help ensure that food is not contaminated. GAO compared the program's purchasing specifications to federal regulations for food sold commercially, gathered information from seven large purchasers of ground beef, and interviewed officials in 18 school districts in five states, selected in part because of their purchasing practices. GAO recommends, among other things, that USDA strengthen its oversight of food purchased by its commodity program, by establishing a more systematic and transparent process to determine whether additional specifications should be developed related to microbial contamination. USDA generally agreed with GAO's recommendations and provided technical comments. Appended are: (1) Objectives, Scope, and Methodology; and (2) GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments. (Contains 2 tables and 8 footnotes.)
&quot;Program of Studies&quot; and College Readiness Standards Alignment
Author: Kentucky Department of Education
Date: 2008-09-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Educational Planning,School Readiness,Academic Achievement,Program Effectiveness,Grade 8,Grade 11,Grade 10,College Admission,College Entrance Examinations,Student Placement,Student Evaluation,State Standards,Articulation (Education),Tests,College Preparation

In July 2006, Senate Bill 130 was passed by the Kentucky legislature. The bill amended KRS 158.6453 to include the provision that &quot;no later than the 2007-2008 school year, and each year thereafter&quot; the Commonwealth's assessment program shall include a high school readiness examination in grade 8, a college readiness examination in grade 10 and the ACT college admissions and placement examination in grade 11. These three examinations--EXPLORE, PLAN and ACT--comprise the Educational Planning and Assessment System (EPAS). Because of this requirement, many teachers and administrators have requested an EPAS College Readiness Standards (CRS) alignment with Kentucky's curriculum standards to help teachers link instruction and assessment standards. This document includes an alignment of standards between Kentucky's &quot;Program of Studies&quot; (POS) and the EPAS CRS. For each test area, supplemental information, and references are included that may help teachers better understand the expectations of EPAS. (Contains 3 tables.)
Advanced Applications of CBM in Reading (K-6): Instructional Decision-Making Strategies Manual
Author: Stecker, Pamela M.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Curriculum Based Assessment,Reading,Formative Evaluation,Student Evaluation,Elementary School Students,Decision Making,Reading Instruction,Reading Tests,Instructional Effectiveness,Phonemic Awareness,Phonics,Reading Fluency,Vocabulary,Reading Comprehension,Repetition

Progress monitoring refers to a system of ongoing data collection on academic skills of interest. Short samples of student performance are collected on a regular basis, and the scores from these short samples of performance are graphed to create a picture of student progress. Teachers can use the graphed student performance as they make instructional decisions. The advanced reading workshop focuses specifically on a type of progress monitoring known as curriculum-based measurement (CBM; Deno, 1985, 1992, 2003). CBM is a scientifically validated form of student progress monitoring that incorporates standard methods for test development, administration, scoring, and data utilization. This paper describes the advanced applications of CBM in reading. Appendices include: (1) Sample CBM Reading Graph; (2) Examples of Common Print-Based Progress Monitoring Measures in Reading; (3) Instructional Interventions for Progress Monitoring Documentation; (4) Resources for CBM Information and Evidence-Based Interventions; and (5) Bibliography for the Advanced Reading in CBM Presentation and Manual. (Contains 3 figures.)
Using CBM for Progress Monitoring in Written Expression and Spelling
Author: Fuchs, Lynn S.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Elementary Education,Formative Evaluation,Curriculum Based Assessment,Skill Development,Special Education,Learning Disabilities,Writing (Composition),Spelling

Progress monitoring focuses on individualized decision making in general and special education with respect to academic skill development at the elementary grades. Progress monitoring is conducted frequently (at least monthly) and is designed to: (1) Estimate rates of improvement; (2) Identify students who are not demonstrating adequate progress and therefore require additional or alternative forms of instruction; and/or; and (3) Compare the efficacy of different forms of instruction and thereby design more effective, individualized instructional programs for problem learners. In this manual, the authors discuss one form of progress monitoring: Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM). A bibliography of selected CBM articles is contained. Appendix A contains a more extensive list of CBM research articles. Resources are appended. (Contains 50 figures and 67 resources.)
Using CBM for Progress Monitoring in Reading
Author: Fuchs, Lynn S.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Curriculum Based Assessment,Reading,Formative Evaluation,Student Evaluation,Elementary School Students,Identification,Response to Intervention,Decision Making,Educational Research,Accountability,Educational Policy,Educational Planning

Progress monitoring focuses on individualized decision making in general and special   education with respect to academic skill development at the elementary grades. Progress monitoring is conducted frequently (at least monthly) and is designed to: (1) Estimate rates of improvement; (2) Identify students who are not demonstrating adequate progress and therefore require additional or alternative forms of instruction; and/or; and (3) Compare the efficacy of different forms of instruction and thereby design more effective, individualized instructional programs for problem learners. In this manual, the authors discuss one form of progress monitoring: Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM). CBM provides teachers with an easy and quick method of obtaining empirical information on the progress of their students. With frequently obtained student data, teachers can analyze student scores to adjust student goals and revise their instructional programs. That way, instruction can be tailored to best fit the needs of each student. Research has demonstrated that when teachers use CBM to inform their instructional decision making, students learn more, teacher decision making improves, and students are more aware of their own performance. Included is an annotated bibliography of selected CBM articles. Appendices include: (1) CBM Materials; and (2) Resources. (Contains 59 figures and 54 resources.)
USAID Worldwide Education and Training Workshop (Arlington, Virginia, August 17-21, 2009)
Author: United States Agency for International Development
Date: 2009-08-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Economic Development,Workshops,Social Development,International Studies,Best Practices,Barriers,Profiles,Conferences (Gatherings),Conference Papers,Early Childhood Education,Higher Education,Youth Opportunities,Employment Opportunities,Technology Uses in Education,Outcomes of Education,Inservice Teacher Education,Vocational Training Centers,Early Reading,Mathematics Education,Dropout Characteristics,Partnerships in Education,Public Agencies,Private Agencies,School Effectiveness,Numeracy,Literacy,Sustainable Development,Technical Assistance,Labor Force Development,Budgets,Quality Control,Readiness,Daily Living Skills,Training Objectives,Training Methods,Educational Policy,Strategic Planning,Disadvantaged,Outreach Programs

The 2009 Worldwide Education and Training Workshop brought together over 375 members of the international development community to share best practices in addressing the growing challenges in the field of education for social and economic development. This paper presents synopses of the presentations delivered during the workshop.