ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Assessing the Distribution of Fiscal and Personnel Resources across Schools. A Report Prepared for Pasadena Unified School District. SSFR Research Report #01 (PUSD)
Author: Chambers, Jay G.
Date: 2010-07-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Student Needs,Academic Achievement,School Districts,Personnel Data,Low Income Groups,Research Reports,Teacher Distribution,Statistical Distributions,Fiscal Capacity,Statistical Analysis,Achievement Gains,Achievement Rating,Schematic Studies,Expenditure per Student,Operating Expenses,Teacher Student Ratio,Teacher Qualifications,Salary Wage Differentials,Institutional Characteristics

As a starting point for their analysis of equity, the authors begin their work here with an examination of the relationship between student performance, as measured by the California Academic Performance Index (API), and student needs, as measured by the percentage of students from low-income families (i.e., the percent of students eligible for the free and reduced lunch program). Then, using fiscal data provided by the finance office of the school district, and personnel data obtained from the California Basic Education Data System maintained by the California Department of Education (CDE), they present analyses to provide a foundation for local policymakers to assess whether there are inequities in the way fiscal and personnel resources are distributed across schools. They find that: (1) Schools with the highest percentage of students from low-income families exhibit the lowest performance on the California Academic Performance Index (API); (2) The highest need schools (those serving the highest percent of students from low-income families) generally spend somewhat more than the lowest need schools and most of this difference is driven by categorical or restricted funding; (3) In some cases, spending in elementary schools out of unrestricted funding tended to be slightly higher in the highest need schools; (4) Schools with the highest percentages of low-income students have on average more FTE teachers per 100 students; and (5) In terms of the qualifications of teachers, schools with the highest percentages of low-income students have on average less experienced, and hence lower paid, teachers and greater proportions of students exposed to out-of-field teaching. (Contains 16 exhibits and 4 footnotes.)
Assessing the Distribution of Fiscal and Personnel Resources across Schools. A Report Prepared for Los Angeles Unified School District. SSFR Research Report #01 (LAUSD). Strategic School Funding for Results (SSFR)
Author: Chambers, Jay G.
Date: 2010-05-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Student Needs,Academic Achievement,School Districts,Personnel Data,Low Income Groups,Resource Allocation,Research Reports,Funding Formulas,Strategic Planning,Educational Finance,Statistical Distributions,Teacher Distribution,School Statistics,Achievement Gains,Achievement Rating,Operating Expenses,Expenditures,Disadvantaged Schools,Economically Disadvantaged,Educationally Disadvantaged,Statistical Analysis,Expenditure per Student,Institutional Characteristics,Fiscal Capacity

Using fiscal data provided by the finance office of the school district, and personnel data obtained from the California Basic Education Data System maintained by the California Department of Education (CDE), the authors present analyses to provide a foundation for local policymakers that may be used to assess whether there are inequities in the way fiscal and personnel resources are distributed across schools. They begin their analysis with an examination of school level performance data obtained from the CDE. This is followed by an analysis of the relationship between school resource allocation (spending and staffing) and student needs. They find that: (1) Schools with the highest percentage of students from low-income families exhibit the lowest performance on the California Academic Performance Index (API); (2) The highest need schools (those serving the higher percentages of students eligible for free or reduced price lunch) generally spend somewhat more overall than the lowest need schools and most of this difference is driven by categorical or restricted funding; (3) In some cases, spending from unrestricted funding tends to be lower in the highest need schools, and these differences work against the additional spending that occurs out of restricted funding; (4) Elementary schools tend to outspend their middle and high school counterparts; (5) Schools with the highest percentages of low-income students have more FTE teachers per 100 students; and (6) Schools with the highest percentages of low-income students have on average less experienced, and hence lower paid, teachers and more teaching out-of-field. (Contains 24 exhibits and 11 footnotes.)
Perspectives of Key Central Office Staff and School Principals Regarding Resource Allocation Policies and Procedures--Technical Appendix. A Report Prepared for Twin Rivers Unified School District. SSFR Research Report #02 (TRUSD)
Author: Chambers, Jay G.
Date: 2010-07-00
Type: Tests/Questionnaires
Subjects: Budgeting,Focus Groups,Innovation,Research Reports,Interviews,School Districts,Accountability,Principals,Resource Allocation,Central Office Administrators,Strategic Planning,Administrator Attitudes,Item Banks,Questionnaires

Strategic School Funding for Results (SSFR) interviews in Twin Rivers Unified School District (TRUSD) took place in October 2009. Three key district officials were interviewed, and five principals (representing elementary, middle, and high schools) participated in a focus group. District officials were chosen for interviews because of their key role in implementing the SSFR Initiative in TRUSD. The AIR/PLP (American Institutes for Research/Pivot Learning Partners) team asked district leaders to select principals that they felt had a good understanding of the current system and who could provide the authors with some thoughtful perspectives on how to evaluate its advantages and disadvantages. The principals in this report are by no means a random sample of individuals, and may not be representative of all principals in the district. Each interviewee was asked a standard set of questions appropriate for their respective positions. This technical appendix presents the protocols that guided the interviews and focus groups. [For the full report, "Perspectives of Key Central Office Staff and School Principals Regarding Resource Allocation Policies and Procedures. A Report Prepared for Twin Rivers Unified School District. SSFR Research Report #02 (TRUSD)," see ED532360.]
Perspectives of Key Central Office Staff and School Principals Regarding Resource  Allocation Policies and Procedures. A Report Prepared for Los Angeles Unified School District. SSFR Research Report #02 (LAUSD)
Author: Chambers, Jay G.
Date: 2010-10-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Graduate Students,Campuses,Budgeting,Focus Groups,School Districts,School Location,Principals,Central Office Administrators,Administrator Attitudes,Resource Allocation,Educational Policy,Interviews,Efficiency,Educational Innovation,Accountability,Administrative Principles,Funding Formulas,Operations Research,Strategic Planning,Organizational Effectiveness

This report summarizes the perspectives and attitudes of a selected set of district and school site administrators whom the authors interviewed in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) during the fall and winter of the 2009-2010 school year. The authors carried out interviews with selected district administrators and a series of focus groups with school principals to gain an understanding of how the current budgeting system operates, and to obtain some information on the attitudes and perspectives of various administrative staff on the strengths and challenges of the current budgeting system and how this system measures up against some of the policy goals of SSFR, such as equity, transparency, accountability, innovation, and efficiency. With assistance from several graduate students from the UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management, the authors completed a series of principal interviews in seven of the eight sub-districts within LAUSD (with one district electing not to participate). Some themes that emerged from the principal interviews and focus groups include the following: (1) School leaders believe they need greater control over their budgets and how the resources are allocated. They also believe that their budgets should remain stable so that they can continue to provide programs effectively. School leaders believe that the schools and students would benefit from greater control; (2) School leaders do not feel that they currently have the capacity (human resources or technology) to handle potential increased budget control; (3) Many school leaders do not feel that they are adequately supported by the central office. They do not feel that they receive the support they need to manage their budget; (4) Not all school leaders fully understand current budgeting system nor the benefits of moving to a more transparent budgeting processes; and (5) Principals feel that they spend a lot of time planning the budget and meeting budgetary requirements rather than implementing programs outlined in the budget. (Contains 3 footnotes.) [This paper was written with the assistance of Alejandro Tinajero, Adam Mendler, Gary Marshall, Will Snyder, Saurabh Mathur, and Rachel Stark.]
Resource Allocation Analysis Brief #1 (PUSD). Strategic School Funding for Results (SSFR)
Author: Chambers, Jay G.
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Expenditure per Student,Educational Finance,Resource Allocation,Strategic Planning,Population Distribution,Population Groups,Elementary Education,Operations Research,Special Needs Students,Statistical Analysis,Statistical Distributions,Funding Formulas,Classification,Operating Expenses

This Analysis Brief shows how per-pupil spending varies with student poverty (as measured by the percent of students eligible for free or reduced price lunch) across elementary, middle, and high schools in Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD). The authors have carried out separate analyses that make use of the California Standardized Account Code Structure (SACS) to identify expenditure along the following three dimensions: (1) Expenditure by Revenue Source. The first analysis investigates unrestricted versus restricted (categorical) resources with an emphasis on how dollars break out according to the targeted student populations the latter are intended to support (students eligible for free or reduced price lunch, designated as English language learners, receiving special education services, low performers, etc.); (2) Expenditure by Object. The second analysis shows how per-pupil expenditures in the five following object categories varies across schools: salaries, benefits, books and supplies, and other (services, capital outlay and other outgoing); and (3) Expenditure by Function. The last analysis documents the variation across schools in per-pupil expenditures by four function categories: administration, instruction, pupil support, and miscellaneous (ancillary services, community services, plant services, and other outgoing). The majority of the demographics data (all but special education) were obtained from the California Basic Education System maintained by the California Department of Education (CDE). The special education figures and fiscal data used in these analyses were provided by the PUSD central office, the latter of which includes expenditures at the school level identified according to SACS. All analyses have been run separately at the elementary, middle and high school levels, respectively. (Contains 13 exhibits.)
Assessing the Distribution of Fiscal and Personnel Resources across Schools. A Report Prepared for Twin Rivers Unified School District. SSFR Research Report #01 (TRUSD)
Author: Chambers, Jay G.
Date: 2010-08-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Student Needs,Academic Achievement,School Districts,Research Reports,Low Income Groups,Personnel Data,Statistical Data,School Statistics,Resource Allocation,Input Output Analysis,Achievement Gains,Achievement Rating,Disadvantaged,Expenditure per Student,Teacher Student Ratio,Teacher Qualifications,Experienced Teachers,Educational Finance,Strategic Planning,Funding Formulas,Educational Equity (Finance)

Using fiscal data provided by the finance office of the school district, and personnel data obtained from the California Basic Education Data System (maintained by the California Department of Education, or CDE), the authors present analyses to provide a foundation for local policymakers that may be used to assess whether there are inequities in the way fiscal and personnel resources are distributed across schools. They begin their analysis of the equity of inputs with the examination of outputs; first they examine the relationship between the school percentage of students eligible for free and reduced lunch program and the school level performance data, obtained from the CDE. This is followed by an analysis of the relationship between school resource allocation (spending and staffing) and student needs. They find that: (1) Schools with the highest percentage of students from low-income families exhibited the lowest performance on the California Academic Performance Index (API); (2) The highest-need schools, those serving the higher percentages of students identified as being socioeconomically disadvantaged and/or English language learners, generally spent somewhat more per pupil than the lowest-need schools; (3) Schools with the highest percentages of low-income students had relatively more FTE teachers per 100 students; (4) In terms of the qualifications of teachers, elementary and middle schools with the highest percentages of low-income students had somewhat more experienced teachers than other elementary and middle schools (the differences were about one year, on average). The high schools with the highest percentages of low-income students tended to have the least experienced teachers compared to other high schools; and (5) Out-of-field teaching appeared to be randomly distributed across high schools, showing no consistent relationship to student needs. (Contains 16 exhibits and 4 footnotes.)
Basics of Longitudinal Cohort Analysis. Principles and Practices of Student Success
Author: Voorhees, Rick
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Cohort Analysis,Longitudinal Studies,Administrative Principles,Best Practices,Success,Educational Improvement,Improvement Programs,Student Improvement,Guides,Achievement Gains,Achievement Rating,Academic Achievement,Evaluation Needs,Management Information Systems

Longitudinal cohort analysis is a powerful tool for helping colleges understand student performance. It involves tracking students as a group or cohort over a specified period of time. The results allow administrators, faculty, and staff to identify groups of students who are succeeding or falling behind and the points in the educational pipeline where they may falter. This guide is designed to give colleges an overview of longitudinal cohort analysis and how it can be used to improve student success. A list of resources is included. (Contains 4 figures and 1 endnote.)
Using Achieving the Dream to Meet Accreditation Requirements. Principles and Practices of Student Success
Author: Manning, Terri Mulkins
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Evidence,Fundamental Concepts,Accreditation (Institutions),Administrative Principles,Best Practices,Success,Change Strategies,Educational Strategies,Educational Improvement,Improvement Programs,Program Improvement,Compliance (Legal),Academic Standards,Evaluation Criteria,Performance Factors,Institutional Characteristics,Educational Quality,Quality Assurance,Quality Control

The fundamental concepts of Achieving the Dream--using evidence to develop and evaluate strategies for improving student learning and success--are also important to successful efforts to meet accreditation requirements. Following the Achieving the Dream approach can help community colleges organize and document improvement efforts in ways that are a natural fit with the expectations of the regional accrediting agencies. During the past decade, the six regional accrediting agencies have changed their requirements and now encourage colleges to adopt processes and practices that demonstrate effectiveness in teaching and learning and improvements in institutional quality. Those processes and practices involve planning, evaluation, and outcomes assessment with the goals of enhancing student learning, strengthening programs, and improving services. This guide is designed to show how colleges can use the methodology of Achieving the Dream to provide evidence of compliance with key accreditation standards and to drive their institution's quality improvement agenda. A list of resources is included.
Engaging Faculty in the Achieving the Dream Initiative. Principles and Practices of Student Success
Author: Birnback, Lara
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Evidence,Community Colleges,Organizational Change,Educational Change,College Faculty,Teacher Participation,Success,Administrative Principles,Change Strategies,Organizational Culture,Instructional Leadership,Best Practices,Educational Improvement,Improvement Programs,Stakeholders,Performance Factors,Academic Achievement

Stakeholder engagement is critical to the success of Achieving the Dream. Broad-based support for the college's student success agenda and institutional change efforts requires engaging faculty, staff, students, community members, and others in the change process. These stakeholders can bring to light critical obstacles to student success and help generate solutions that close achievement gaps. When done skillfully, involving stakeholders in planning and implementing institutional change minimizes resistance and fosters a sense of shared responsibility. It can also create "distributed leadership" that complements leadership from the Achieving the Dream core and data teams and can help maintain momentum in the face of presidential transitions and other potential "derailers." The experiences of Achieving the Dream colleges show that it is especially important to involve faculty in efforts to improve student success. Faculty are well positioned to know what works and to design and implement innovations to better help students reach their goals. This guide offers principles and strategies for engaging faculty in efforts to create a culture of evidence and student success, along with specific examples from Achieving the Dream colleges. A list of resources is included. (Contains 4 endnotes.)
Using Data to Increase Student Success: A Focus on Diagnosis. Principles and Practices of Student Success
Author: Gonzalez, Kenneth P.
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Community Colleges,Organizational Change,Followup Studies,Success,Performance Factors,Educational Improvement,Improvement Programs,Educational Diagnosis,Achievement Need,Academic Achievement,Achievement Gains,Administrative Principles,Educational Practices,Statistical Data,Management Information Systems,Evidence,Literature Reviews,Statistical Surveys,Change Strategies,Educational Change

The Achieving the Dream (ATD) initiative works with more than 100 community colleges across the United States with the specific goal of increasing student success. Together, Achieving the Dream colleges graduate or transfer close to 250,000 students a year. With just a 5 percent increase in graduation rates, individuals can positively impact the lives of an additional 12,500 students each year--or 62,500 students over five years. That's 62,500 &quot;additional&quot; students achieving a life-changing goal because of the work to which they are committing themselves today. Facilitating institutional change is not easy. It requires new organizational language, practices, interactions, and relationships--things that do not happen overnight. This guide is designed to achieve two objectives: (a) offer new language to clarify the use and purpose of various types of data, and (b) demonstrate how colleges can engage in the practice of identifying (or diagnosing) the underlying factors impeding student success and address such factors in the design of specific interventions or policy changes. Survey Instrument for follow-up study on &quot;instructor issues&quot; is appended. A list of resources is included. (Contains 7 tables.)
Evaluating Student Success Interventions. Principles and Practices of Student Success
Author: Rincones-Gomez, Rigoberto J.
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Community Colleges,Educational Principles,Educational Practices,Intervention,Success,Program Effectiveness,Program Evaluation,Institutional Research,College Outcomes Assessment,Outcome Measures,Educational Indicators,Educational Quality,Evaluation Methods,Program Descriptions,Program Design,Program Guides,Educational Improvement,Improvement Programs

Achieving the Dream colleges engage in a process of institutional improvement to increase student success. A central component of this process is engaging internal and external stakeholders to help develop and implement interventions or changes in programs and services that improve student success. To determine whether these interventions do indeed improve student outcomes, and what changes and refinements should be made to produce further improvements, colleges need to evaluate their interventions. Achieving the Dream institutions are expected to develop plans for evaluating student success interventions before they begin their implementation. These plans should specify the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data that will form the basis of the evaluation. The plans should also indicate how the results of the evaluation will be used to improve the effectiveness of the interventions. Having the capacity to effectively evaluate student success interventions is necessary for meeting the expectations of funders, accreditation agencies, students, policy makers, and the public. It is essential for continuously improving the impact of programs and services on student learning and success. This guide is designed to help colleges plan and conduct effective evaluations of their student success interventions. A list of resources is included. (Contains 6 figures.)