ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Opportunity NYC--Family Rewards: Qualitative Study of Family Communication
Author: Fraker, Carolyn A.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Low Income,Incentives,Parenting Styles,Parent Child Relationship,Program Effectiveness,Rewards,Poverty,Program Descriptions,Qualitative Research,Academic Achievement

Aimed at low-income families in six of New York City's highest-poverty communities, the Family Rewards program ties cash rewards to a pre-specified set of activities. This paper presents the qualitative findings from interviews with 77 families. It examines how families incorporated the program into their households, and specifically the techniques parents used to communicate with children about the rewards, and how children reacted to the education incentives. Specifically, the authors ask: (1) How did parents explain Family Rewards to their elementary, middle, and high school aged children? (2) What did children retain about the program rules and goals, and what were their views on receiving monetary incentives for school performance? (3) How did pre-existing tension in parent-child relationships influence parents' abilities to communicate with their child about Family Rewards? This qualitative study provides insight on how parents communicated with their children about Family Rewards. Parental decisions around how to communicate with their children about Family Rewards greatly influenced the child's understanding of the program. As important as the basic knowledge that parents shared with their children, was the way parenting style and general family communication interacted during conversations around Family Rewards. In families that already were experiencing tensions in parent-child relationships, parents were less able to incorporate the program into their regular communication and more likely to choose to limit the child's knowledge of Family Rewards. As a result of all these factors, levels of communication varied greatly from family to family. However, in cases where parents were transparent with their child about the rules and goals of Family Rewards, children still reported a vague and sometimes inaccurate understanding of the program. Communication levels shaped the children's understanding of Family Rewards and potentially affected the strength of the program in its ability to directly influence a child's academic performance. References, Tables and figures, are appended. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)
Review of "Great Teachers and Great Leaders"
Author: Shaker, Paul
Date: 2010-10-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Evidence,Educational Change,Meta Analysis,Research Methodology,Misconceptions,Research Reports,Robustness (Statistics),Literature Reviews,Educational Policy,Leadership Effectiveness,Teacher Effectiveness,Instructional Leadership,Knowledge Base for Teaching,Merit Pay

"Great Teachers and Great Leaders" (GTGL) is one of six research summaries issued by the U.S. Department of Education in support of its Blueprint for Reform. This review examines the presentation of research about improving teacher and administrator quality in GTGL. The review concludes that there are serious flaws in the research summary. The report, however, lacks sufficient analytic depth, does not present its evidence in a logical manner, makes sweeping claims, and draws conclusions based on weak data.
Review of "Successful, Safe, and Healthy Students"
Author: Glass, Gene V.
Date: 2010-10-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Evidence,Federal Legislation,Family Involvement,Parent School Relationship,Educational Policy,Politics of Education,Program Proposals,School Safety,Comprehensive School Health Education,Neighborhoods,Extended School Day,Statistical Data,Educational Improvement,Change Strategies,Educational Change,Educational Planning,Policy Analysis

The research summary "Successful, Safe, and Healthy Students" presents the research background for the Obama administration's proposals for comprehensive, community-wide services in high-poverty neighborhoods, extended learning time, family engagement and safe schools. While these policies have broad and common-sense appeal, the research supporting the particular policies proposed by the administration is weak and poorly presented in the research summary. As promising as community-wide services may be, a broad research base does not yet exist concerning how to make them successful. The research on extended learning time is also inconclusive. Family involvement is crucial to education, but the evidence for a causal link between student achievement and the type of parent involvement discussed is ambiguous and suspect. The proposals for safe schools boil down to increased local flexibility and increased gathering of survey data, neither of which can be expected to improve outcomes. Together, the administration's proposals would require an extensive financial commitment in order to be fully implemented, but the scope and source of these funds is not explained. Overall, the evidence provided is not sufficiently strong to justify the programs they champion. While the research summary adequately documents problems, a wiser course for public policy would be a carefully structured set of pilot studies to sharply and accurately identify solutions.
SB08 212 Legislative Update Report: Colorado's Achievement Plan for Kids (CAP4K) 2010 Goals and Accomplishments
Author: Colorado Department of Education
Date: 2011-02-15
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Student Evaluation,Academic Achievement,Academic Standards,Politics of Education,Program Implementation,Educational Planning,Annual Reports,Educational Assessment,Educational Change,Educational Indicators,Activities,Educational Objectives,Outreach Programs,Transitional Programs,Developmental Studies Programs,Program Costs,Educational Policy

This paper serves as the Colorado Department of Education's (CDE's) third annual update on the progress and plan for the implementation of the Colorado Achievement Plan for Kids (CAP4K). Enclosed within this report is a narrative that documents accomplishments to date with respect to key deliverables, as well as supporting appendices, including key findings and schedules. CAP4K sets forth a common purpose--readying all students for postsecondary and workforce success--and a significant step toward achieving that goal was adopting new state academic standards that are fewer, clearer and higher. A key deliverable in 2010 was the development of the new assessment system which will provide ongoing signals and measurement of students' progress toward college and career readiness. Another key deliverable was CDE's support to Colorado districts and schools with the transition toward the new standards. Leading this effort is the CDE Standards Implementation Team, led by content specialists who provide the necessary bridge from policy to practice, bringing key supports to Colorado districts, schools and teachers. In 2011 CDE will continue to support districts with standards implementation, facilitate the development of the new assessment system and establish state graduation guidelines. In addition, CAP4K calls for the Colorado Department of Education (DHE) to align higher education policies, admissions and teacher preparation programs based on the previous steps taken to create a truly aligned P-20 system. Appendices include: (1) Standards Facilitated Curriculum Presentation; (2) List of Assessment Stakeholders; (3) List of Subcommittee Members; (4) Autumn Tour Schedule; (5) Autumn Tour PPT and Summary; (6) Winter Tour Schedule; (7) Winter Tour PPT and Summary; (8) Assessment Survey Results; (9) Assessment Capacity Survey Final Report--March 2010; (10) Adopted Final Student Assessment System Attributes--Dec. 6, 2010; (11) CCHE and SBE Final Assessment Adoption--Nov. 29, 2010; and (12) Cost Study--CAP4K Interim Report--March 2010.
Pre-Apprenticeships and Their Impact on Apprenticeship Completion and Satisfaction. Occasional Paper
Author: Karmel, Tom
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Apprenticeships,Job Training,Program Effectiveness,Factor Analysis,Vocational Education,Trainees,Comparative Analysis,Foreign Countries,Satisfaction,Graduation Rate,Skilled Occupations

Pre-apprenticeship programs have generated interest recently from government, employers and other stakeholders in the training system as one means of improving apprenticeship completion rates and thereby ameliorating skill shortages. However, there has not yet been any research which establishes that pre-apprenticeship programs actually increase apprentice satisfaction and completion rates. This report uses data from the 2010 National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) Apprentice and Trainee Destination Survey and finds that there is no universal benefit attached to undertaking a pre-apprenticeship. Instead, the impact of pre-apprenticeships varies with occupation and prior education level. Key messages from this study are: (1) Pre-apprenticeships lead to only a modest increase in satisfaction with job-related aspects of apprenticeships (but not off-the-job training aspects); (2) Pre-apprenticeships increase the likelihood of completion for apprentices in the construction, food and electro-technology trades and those with a Year 10 or Year 12 level of education; (3) Pre-apprenticeships reduce the likelihood of completing an apprenticeship for hairdressers and apprentices in the automotive and engineering trades and for those people who already have a certificate III or higher qualification. This suggests that the design of pre-apprenticeships is important; and (4) In general, apprentices who have undertaken a pre-apprenticeship are less likely to discontinue their training because they did not like the type of work or training, but this does not translate into a higher likelihood of completion. Appendices include: (1) Apprentice and Trainee Destination Survey; (2) Tables; (3) Factor analysis--satisfaction; (4) Likelihood of completing an apprenticeship or traineeship; and (5) Reason for not completing an apprenticeship or traineeship. (Contains 18 tables, 2 figures and 6 footnotes.)
Acceptable Use Policies in a Web 2.0 & Mobile Era: A Guide for School Districts
Author: Consortium for School Networking
Date: 2011-02-18
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Safety,Laws,School Districts,Internet,Information Policy,Theory Practice Relationship,Policy Formation,Access to Information,Social Networks,Computer Security,Information Sources,Educational Resources,Bullying,State Regulation,Administrator Guides,Influence of Technology

Web 2.0 applications and mobile Internet devices have added new issues to the safety/access situation for schools. The purpose of this guide is to assist school districts in developing, rethinking, or revising Internet policies as a consequence of the emergence of Web 2.0, and the growing pervasiveness of smart phone use. The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) Policy Guide addresses these questions: (1) How does policy differ from procedure and does the difference matter?; (2) What are the two major approaches used to develop district AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) policies?;(3) Is the district's AUP a part of or the totality of the district's technology policy?; (4) What are the key federal laws affecting Internet access, safety, and social networking in schools?; (5) How do state laws or district policies affect school districts' Internet policies pertaining to filtering, AUPs, cyberbullying, and cell phone use?; (6) Does the increasing prevalence of Web 2.0 and student-owned mobile devices necessitate updating district ICT (information and communication technologies) policies?; (7) Where can individuals find samples of various exemplary AUPs?; and (8) What are some timely, relevant, and useful resources pertaining to the use of Web 2.0 technologies in schools? A bibliography is included. [This guide was produced by CoSN's Participatory Learning in Schools: Leadership & Policy Initiative. Additional support for this paper was provided by Adobe, eChalk, Gartner, GlobalScholar, Learning.com, Pearson, SAS, and Smart Technologies.]
Review of &quot;District Awards for Teacher Excellence Program: Final Report&quot;
Author: Gratz, Donald B.
Date: 2010-03-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Class Size,School Culture,Program Evaluation,Teacher Persistence,Program Design,Awards,Program Effectiveness,School Districts,Academic Achievement,Merit Pay,Teacher Attitudes,Outcomes of Education

Performance pay plans for teachers are a hot topic across the nation, so the country's largest program is bound to attract attention. But caution is advised. This is a state-sponsored program evaluation of Texas' most recent incentive pay program rather than research, and it suffers from two major constraints: data not collected and questions not asked. First, although billed as &quot;final,&quot; data on teacher retention and teacher perceptions include only one award cycle, and student achievement data cover just two program years--not enough data to draw solid conclusions. In addition, little is known about how districts actually implemented D.A.T.E., or about such factors as school culture, leadership and class size. Second, the report primarily explores narrow descriptive questions about the Texas program--who participated and why, what design factors they chose to implement, and so forth. It does not consider broader questions such as whether incentive pay produces positive results, not just higher test scores, and under what conditions. The report simply answers the generally descriptive questions it poses, and its authors properly caution against drawing unwarranted conclusions beyond those questions. (Contains 11 notes.)
Change in Peer Ability as a Mediator and Moderator of the Effect of the Algebra-For-All Policy on Ninth Graders' Math Outcomes
Author: Hong, Guanglei
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Algebra,Mathematics Achievement,Grade 9,Mathematics Skills,Urban Schools,Public Schools,Secondary School Mathematics,Peer Groups,Nonverbal Ability,Educational Policy,High School Students

A recent report by the Mathematics Advisory Panel referred to algebra as a &quot;gateway&quot; to later achievement (National Mathematics Advisory Panel, 2008). To address the problem of low academic performance in algebra, an increasing number of states and districts have started to implement a policy of requiring algebra for all students in ninth-grade or earlier. The rationale is that providing all students with an opportunity to learn algebra will likely improve math achievement across the board. However, the well-intended curricular policy may have unintended consequences for some students if the change of curricular offerings leads to a reorganization of all math classrooms in a school. To explain the negative effects of the policy that required algebra for all 9th grade students in Chicago Public Schools, the authors' causal questions focus on the mediating role of changes in peer ability composition induced by the policy. Specifically, the authors address the following research questions: (1) Did change in peer ability mediate the policy effects on student outcomes? (2) What would be the direct effects of the policy on student outcomes if schools did not change class composition? (3) Did the mediated effects (i.e., indirect effects) and the direct effects of the policy depend on the direction of change in peer ability for individual students? The analysis of pre-policy course-taking has shown that almost all 9th graders whose incoming math skills were higher than 0.5 standard deviations above the overall average took algebra in the absence of the policy. Hence the policy would not change these students' algebra enrollment. However, the results indicated that these same students would have experienced a decline in peer ability on average had they instead entered high school after 1997. Among students whose incoming math skills were no more than 0.5 standard deviations above the overall average, those who were more likely to take remedial math prior to the policy showed a higher likelihood of experiencing an increase in peer ability along with a change in course taking had they instead entered high school after 1997. The authors are currently conducting mediation analysis. References, and Tables and Figures are appended. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)
The Impact of Developmental Summer Bridge Programs on Students' Success
Author: Wathington, Heather
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Summer Programs,Community Colleges,Remedial Instruction,Program Effectiveness,College Credits,Academic Persistence,Enrollment,High School Graduates

Many community colleges have implemented innovative programs to provide an alternative to traditional developmental education by helping students to build competencies and persist in college. Developmental Summer Bridge Programs (DSBP) have become increasingly popular interventions to strengthen student preparation, reduce the need for developmental education, and orient students to college. DSBPs have the potential to help students enter college without the need for remediation, especially when they are close to being college-ready (Zuniga & Stoever, 2008). They offer accelerated, focused learning opportunities that can allow students to acquire sufficient knowledge to place into college level courses. Further, they may smooth the transition into college by helping students learn how to navigate college systems and gain comfort with college faculty, staff, and students (Ackermann, 1990). The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of summer bridge programs in helping developmental students to complete remedial courses before the fall semester and improve the success and persistence rates of developmental students in other remedial and credit bearing classes. Specifically, this study addresses the following research questions: (1) How are DSBPs designed and implemented?; (2) What are the early effects of DSBPs on student outcomes? Specifically, compared to a randomized control group, what are the program effects on: (a) College enrollment?; (b) Overall credits attempted and completed?; and (c) College persistence? Preliminary impact findings indicate that (1) there is no difference in the fall enrollment between program and control group members with 76.73% and 75.87%, respectively, enrolling in a postsecondary institution for the fall 2009 semester; (2) there is no significant difference in the total number of credits attempted between the program and control group students, 9.0 and 8.9 credits respectively; (3) however, there is a significant difference in the types of credit attempted. Program students, on average, attempted 6.1 college level credits and control group students attempted 5.4 college level credits. Program group students attempted 2.9 remedial level credits and control group students attempted 3.5 remedial level credits. Both of these findings are significant at the 0.05 level. Selected Programmatic Characteristics are appended. (Contains 2 tables.)
Findings from the Reading First Implementation Study, 2008-09
Author: Gamse, Beth
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Reading Programs,Federal Programs,Primary Education,Program Effectiveness,Sustainability,Academic Achievement,Grade 5,Budgeting,Retrenchment

&quot;The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001&quot; (PL 107-110) established the Reading First Program (Title I, Part B, Subpart 1), a major federal initiative designed to help ensure that all children can read at or above grade level by the end of third grade. Reading First (RF) builds upon research indicating that effective reading instruction on specific early reading skills, particularly in the primary grades, significantly reduces the number of students who experience reading difficulties in later years. This study was designed to answer two broad sets of questions, each focusing on a different aspect of sustainability of the program. These policy questions are critical to the ongoing conversations about the directions federal education policy should take to close achievement gaps and promote high achievement. The first set of questions is the following: &quot;What are states' planned responses to the Reading First budget reduction?&quot; and &quot;Which RF program elements do state-level staff believe can be sustained beyond Reading First?&quot; These questions address the planned and likely sustainability of the program from the perspective of state-level program administrators. The second set of questions is the following: &quot;Does student achievement in later grades differ for students exposed to Reading First in K-3 compared with students in Title I Schoolwide Program (SWP) schools?&quot; and &quot;Is there evidence that the effect of RF spilled over to students in non-RF Title I SWP schools in RF districts?&quot; These questions address the sustainability of program effects on students by examining patterns of student performance after students have completed the targeted grades. Findings are embargoed pending release of report results by the U.S. Department of Education (anticipated early 2011). (Contains 1 footnote.)
Guiding Math Students to Campus Services: An Impact Evaluation of the Beacon Program at South Texas College
Author: Visher, Mary
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Remedial Mathematics,Mentors,Tutoring,Program Effectiveness,Two Year College Students,Community Colleges,Withdrawal (Education),Academic Persistence,College Credits,Grade Point Average,Part Time Students

This research rigorously evaluates whether a low-cost intervention can improve students' performance in developmental math. The &quot;Beacon Mentoring Program&quot; was developed at South Texas College by professors, administrators, and staff at the college. Surveys of students revealed that many did not have someone on campus whom they felt they could turn to for answers to questions. Further, although the college provided many services, like a tutoring center, many students said they had never visited. The &quot;Beacon Mentoring&quot; program was constructed to bring critical information to students about how to manage college, and, thus, to improve college outcomes. Overall, the Beacon Mentoring program significantly increased the fraction of students who accessed the on-campus tutoring center. There was also a statistically significant decrease in withdrawal rates from math classes. However, the program had no statistically significant impact on math class pass rates, credits earned, nor on persistence in college. However, turning to two important subgroups, part-time students and those enrolled in developmental math, the study finds statistically significant impacts on math class performance. For part-time students, the percent of students passing their math class increases by 6.6 percentage points for program students over controls. Final exam scores for part-time students in developmental math also increase. Credits earned are also significantly higher for part-time students in the Beacon program. For students enrolled in developmental math, the probability of withdrawing from math class declines, and total credits earned rises for program students over controls. References, Tables and Figures are appended. (Contains 5 tables.)