ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Nurturing Creative, Thinking Engineers
Author: Goel, Sanjay
Date: 2011-09-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Engineering,Technical Occupations,Creativity,Critical Thinking,Engineering Education,Creative Thinking,Problem Based Learning,Student Projects,Interdisciplinary Approach,Brainstorming

This paper describes some ideas and experiences with training student engineers in creativity and critical thinking. In our survey, a large majority (82%) of respondents felt that as compared to all other kind of academic engagements, their projects had contributed most to develop their creativity. About 50% had also felt that their projects were also the most effective in nurturing critical and reflective thinking in them. Thinking-oriented lectures, research literature surveys, and discussions with students and faculty were perceived to have added to the cultivation of these competencies. Written examinations, knowledge transmission-oriented lectures, and routine homework were found to be least effective. Unfortunately often engineering education revolves around these three pedagogical engagements. Nurturing the mental habits of critical and creative thinking of engineering students cannot be sacrificed or deferred for the sake of course coverage. The following is appended: What Contributes to Creative and Critical Thinking: Excerpts from Alumni's Reflections.
Public Schooling in Southeast Wisconsin, 2010-2011
Author: Chapman, Anne
Date: 2011-09-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Graduation Rate,Charts,Measurement,School Districts,Error of Measurement,Accountability,Public Policy,Minority Groups,Academic Achievement,Public Schools,Educational Trends,Budgets,Reading Tests,Mathematics Tests,Scores,Tables (Data),State Standards,College Entrance Examinations,Statewide Planning,Trend Analysis,Achievement Gains

For the past 25 years, the Public Policy Forum has compiled and analyzed data from southeast Wisconsin's public school districts to produce an annual report on trends in educational performance and demographics. This year's report, however, may take on greater importance than those of previous years in light of the monumental impacts of the new state budget and budget repair bill. The authors' analysis of data for southeast Wisconsin's public schools should provide a solid baseline from which to engage in such debate. By analyzing trends in performance indicators such as WKCE (Wisconsin Knowledge Concepts Examination) reading and math scores, ACT scores, and graduation rates--and breaking down the numbers by minority group and gender--this year's report provides a basic understanding of the strengths, weaknesses, and challenges of individual districts. Comparing these data with those from future years should provide insight into the impacts of the historic changes recently adopted at the state level. In addition, this year's report contains a new section detailing results from a new evaluation tool--value-added analysis--for 29 school districts in the region. This information provides a sense of how much students are learning over time while controlling for both measurement error and factors outside of the school's control, thus allowing for improved evaluation of the effect of teachers and schools on student growth. This report examines several specific data sets that allow the reader to pursue further analysis of the characteristics and achievement of individual school districts throughout southeast Wisconsin, with corresponding tables and charts for comparison and tracking. Appended are: (1) Glossary of Terms; (2) Union District Breakdown; and (3) District Value-Added Data. (Contains 32 tables, 8 charts, and 55 footnotes.) [This research was sponsored by Multiple Listing Service, Northwestern Mutual Foundation, Southeastern Wisconsin Schools Alliance, and Stifel Nicolaus.
Moving the Goal Posts: The Shift from Child Care Supply to Child Care Quality
Author: Dickman, Anneliese
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Child Care,Grants,State Programs,State Aid,Welfare Services,Public Policy,Objectives

As policymakers in Madison redesign the state's child care subsidy program--known as Wisconsin Shares--it is important to understand the original vision for the program. This report investigates the development and implementation of Wisconsin Shares and its linkages to the state's landmark W-2 welfare reform initiative. In particular, the authors explore how the specific foundational child care policies enacted to effectuate W-2's larger reform goals impacted child care quality, and the consequences for those now seeking to redesign the program. The authors find that the paramount goal of Wisconsin Shares' designers was to rapidly produce sufficient child care capacity to serve thousands of families transitioning from welfare to work. Conversely, the creation of high quality child care centers--the type that research shows can produce significant dividends for disadvantaged children by making them better prepared to succeed in school--was not an explicit goal, though policy debates at the time included discussion about how quality would be impacted by the new system, and in later years the state funded some quality improvement efforts. With the benefit of nearly 15 years of hindsight, it is now apparent that the key child care policies implemented in conjunction with the implementation of W-2 contributed significantly to the achievement of welfare reform's larger goals, but failed to promote child care quality. This experience provides insights for those now seeking to revamp the child care subsidy program, while also illustrating the challenges inherent in attempting to enhance child care quality by transforming a system that was initially designed with much different objectives in mind. (Contains 1 figure, 10 tables, 8 charts and 68 footnotes.) [This research was partially funded by the Charles D. Jacobus Family Foundation.]
Educational Attainment in Southeast Wisconsin
Author: Million, Laura
Date: 2010-11-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Economic Development,Educational Attainment,College Graduates,Public Policy,Grants,High Schools,Talent,Educational Improvement,High School Students,Dropouts,Graduation Rate,Academic Persistence,Student Characteristics,College Preparation

In metro Milwaukee, as a part of the WIRED Initiative, the Regional Workforce Alliance (RWA)--a collaboration of organizations representing workforce development, economic development and education across southeast Wisconsin--has established the framework for pursuing the local talent dividend goal and a regional strategy for increasing educational attainment. The RWA, through its WIRED Initiative grant, engaged the Public Policy Forum to explore and identify a set of metrics that impact educational attainment and that might be used as the basis for developing specific strategies for improvement. This research effort recognizes that the Talent Dividend Initiative goal, though narrowly defined as increasing bachelor's degree attainment, necessarily will entail making progress on several other measurable outcomes, such as reducing the number of high school drop outs, increasing high school completion rates, increasing post-secondary matriculation rates, improving retention of post-secondary students until completion of either a 2-year or 4-year degree, and attracting and retaining college graduates in southeast Wisconsin. The authors' focus, therefore, was to examine southeast Wisconsin's complete educational pipeline, from birth to career. This report is intended to serve as a baseline snapshot of the region's education pipeline and will be updated to capture regional progress toward the educational attainment goal. The metrics presented provide a general picture of the number and types of students in the system at particular points along the pipeline. A list of Southeast Wisconsin's Public and Nonprofit Colleges and Universities is appended. (Contains 7 tables, 2 diagrams, 26 charts and 24 footnotes.) [This report was funded by a grant awarded under the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Initiative as implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment &amp; Training Administration.]
Slight Decline in Use of Private School Tuition Vouchers in 2010-2011: Loss of Schools Results in Fewer Students. Research Brief. Volume 99, Number 2
Author: Dickman, Anneliese
Date: 2011-02-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Urban Schools,Parochial Schools,Educational Vouchers,School Choice,Private Schools,Parent School Relationship,Tuition,School Closing,Enrollment Trends,Educational Finance

For the first time since its 1998 expansion to include religious schools, enrollment in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) did not grow in the 2010-2011 school year. Currently, 20,996 private school students receive taxpayer-funded tuition vouchers (of $6,442 per pupil), a decrease of 66 students over last year. Chart 1 shows program enrollment since the 1998-1999 school year, as well as the number of participating private schools. The data suggest the slight decline in voucher use is related to a decline in the number of MPCP schools. In fact, 103 schools participate in the program this year, compared to a high of 128 schools in the 2005-2006 school year. The decline in schools results from fewer new schools joining the program, as well as a significant number of schools leaving the program or closing altogether. Over the past decade, an average of 10 new schools joined the program each year, compared to four new schools in 2010-2011. In addition, 12 schools no longer are participating in the program as of 2010-2011, and two Catholic schools have merged in the past year (Chart 2). The four new schools have a total enrollment of just 66 voucher students, which fails to offset the loss of 1,801 voucher seats from school closings and school withdrawals from the program. Voucher use data are collected in the aggregate and do not indicate how many individual students may have left the program and been replaced by students new to the program since the last school year. This paper presents the findings from the Public Policy Forum's 13th annual census of Milwaukee Parental Choice Program schools. (Contains 9 charts and 5 tables.)
Measuring up Education: Community-Driven Accountability in Milwaukee
Author: Dickman, Anneliese
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Urban Schools,Public Schools,School Districts,Accountability,School Effectiveness,Measurement,Academic Achievement,Educational Indicators,National Organizations,Community Organizations,Student Characteristics,Institutional Characteristics,Teacher Characteristics,College Preparation,Learner Engagement,Educational Finance

The recent appointment of a new superintendent, the need for priority-setting in the face of dramatic state budget cuts, and increased national attention on school reform have elevated the performance of the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) to the forefront of local media and civic attention. Consequently, the need for an understandable and commonly agreed-upon set of metrics with which to measure and monitor improvement at MPS is now more important than ever. In July 2010, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation engaged the Public Policy Forum to research appropriate performance metrics for MPS. The research questions included: How do other large urban school districts measure progress? What are the pros and cons of using each metric for accountability purposes? Are there best practices in accountability measurements that may be applicable to Milwaukee? Given the widespread involvement of Milwaukee's philanthropic and business communities in MPS accountability and reform initiatives, the authors first attempted to identify community-led public school performance measurement projects, as opposed to those arising from school district administrators and staff. They found five examples of districts that have seen significant community involvement in creating a performance measurement project, including one in Wisconsin. They choose to highlight the measures utilized by Cincinnati's Strive Together effort, due to the recent attention this project has received in Milwaukee. Although Cincinnati's school district is much smaller than Milwaukee's, at 33,000 students, the partnership reflects community-driven measurement and includes over 300 organizations as partners. In addition to the indicators collected by the Strive initiative, the school district itself produces a &quot;dashboard&quot; of measures similar to those outlined in this report. They also examined school performance measurement initiatives created by education policy or education reform organizations. They found several such organizations working at a national level to advocate for performance measurement by school districts. Those initiatives each recommend specific metrics that communities can use to hold their districts accountable, mostly involving academic performance. Finally, they analyzed the work of several state and local education and civic entities to glean which metrics already are used in Milwaukee to evaluate the success of MPS. They also looked to local efforts that are targeting charter and private schools in order to consider indicators that could be universally applied to all schools in the city. Appended are: (1) National and local organizations surveyed; and (2) Indicators investigated. (Contains 1 table.)
Milwaukee County Child Care Providers Appear Ready for YoungStar: Local Providers Compare Favorably to State as a Whole. Research Brief. Volume 99, Number 4
Author: Kovach, Melissa
Date: 2011-04-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Child Care,Child Caregivers,Child Care Centers,Administrators,Employees,Work Experience,Credentials,Educational Attainment,Wages,Fringe Benefits,Surveys,State Programs,Readiness,Professional Associations,Group Membership

In collaboration with the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association (WECA), the Public Policy Forum surveyed 1,425 child care center directors, center employees, and family child care providers statewide. The survey was designed to provide a picture of the status of Wisconsin's child care workforce in terms of educational attainment, experience, professional credentials, and wages and benefits earned. The survey results are useful in analyzing providers' readiness for the state's new child care quality improvement initiative, the YoungStar Initiative. Compared to the state as a whole, Milwaukee County's 223 respondents demonstrate higher rates of professional memberships, use of professional development programs, and attainment of credentials. In some categories, the county sample showed higher levels of education among staff. Because many of these factors can earn a provider a higher rating under YoungStar, Milwaukee County providers may be better prepared for the new regulations in these areas. (Contains 12 charts and 3 tables.) [This research was conducted in partnership with Wisconsin Early Childhood Association. Additional funding was provided by the Charles D. Jacobus Family Foundation.]
Sense of Direction: The Importance of Helping Community College Students Select and Enter a Program of Study
Author: Moore, Colleen
Date: 2011-08-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Community Colleges,Course Selection (Students),Credits,Associate Degrees,Decision Making,Academic Persistence,College Transfer Students,Majors (Students),Access to Education,Graduation Rate

The California Community Colleges (CCC) are committed to increasing the rate at which entering students persist to completion of a certificate or degree or transfer to a university. Recent research suggests that efforts to increase student success in community colleges need to focus on helping new students choose and enter a program of study. Too many students accumulate credits in disparate areas that don't add up to a coherent academic program. Entering a program of study also helps students connect to the college in ways that promote completion. This report examines the progress of an entering cohort of CCC students into and through programs of study to completion of a certificate, associate degree, or transfer to a university. The results point to three main conclusions: (1) Entering a program of study (defined as completing 9 college-level credits in one programmatic area) is a critical milestone on the path to completing a college certificate or degree that only half of all entering CCC students reach; (2) The earlier students enter a program, the more likely they are to complete a certificate, degree or transfer; and (3) Analyzing students' course-taking patterns provides reliable information for determining their intended programs, but better data are needed for effective student guidance and program review. The CCC's efforts to increase completion will be more successful if the access mission of the colleges is re-conceived as providing access to &quot;well-structured programs&quot; rather than to a collection of courses that may not add up to a coherent program of study. Specific steps the colleges could take to increase the numbers of students who successfully enter programs of study in their first year are presented in this report. (Contains 10 figures, 5 tables and 10 endnotes.)
The Road Less Traveled: Realizing the Potential of Career Technical Education in the California Community Colleges
Author: Shulock, Nancy
Date: 2011-02-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Credentials,Community Colleges,Associate Degrees,Information Technology,Engineering Technology,Engineering,Vocational Education,Enrollment Trends,College Transfer Students,Institutional Mission,Interviews,School Catalogs,Nursing

The Career Technical Education (CTE) mission of California's community colleges is not well understood by policymakers in comparison to the transfer mission of the colleges. This exploratory study, to be followed by a more comprehensive research agenda, is motivated by the belief that CTE is a vital piece of the college completion agenda but is not receiving sufficient attention. While students can be successful in CTE in ways besides earning a certificate or degree, the issuing of workforce-related credentials is an undeniably important function of the colleges. As a basis for exploring CTE more generally, the authors studied patterns of student enrollment and progress in four high-wage, high-need pathways (information technology, engineering technology, engineering, and nursing), visited CTE programs, interviewed faculty and staff, and reviewed college catalogs and other materials. The authors know they can't generalize to all programs in all colleges, given the great variety in both, but the following findings strike them as important to any effort to understand and improve student outcomes in CTE programs: (1) Data constraints limit knowledge and college actions; (2) Good student progress is not translating into credentials; and (3) Pathway structures do not promote attainment of technical credentials. The authors have much to learn from the work ahead, but this exploratory research, in the context of national momentum to increase structure and simplify pathways for students, leads them to make the following recommendations: (1) Require students to declare a program of study and colleges to ensure access to programs; (2) Consider fewer and more consistent program offerings; (3) Focus on basic skills for CTE; (4) Reexamine associate degree; and (5) Conduct additional research. (Contains 10 figures, 4 tables and 44 notes.)
Consequences of Neglect: Performance Trends in California Higher Education
Author: Moore, Colleen
Date: 2011-07-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Higher Education,Public Support,Public Colleges,Government School Relationship,Resource Materials,Credentials,Ethnicity,Race,Counties,Educational Assessment,Educational Trends

California lawmakers have found it increasingly difficult to protect the state's investment in its colleges and universities over the last decade despite the growing evidence that the state needs far more of its citizens to earn postsecondary credentials. Additionally, California higher education continues to operate without effective coordination and with no state-level planning, despite continued calls for the state to set goals and develop plans to ensure that its colleges and universities will drive 21st Century economic competitiveness and social well-being. This report demonstrates the consequences of resting on reputations and policies of yesteryear. California is nowhere near a leader on the measures of higher education performance that the nation's governors and educational leaders have been tracking for over a decade. The state is average, at best, and trending downward. Intended as a resource for those interested in improving the numbers of Californians who earn postsecondary credentials of value from the public colleges and universities, this report includes: (1) an assessment of California's overall performance in each of six categories, based on the data gathered by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS); (2) analyses of data from other sources that allow for a breakdown of performance by region and race/ethnicity, in order to focus attention on the key variations that warrant policy attention; (3) a summary of trends in each performance area; and (4) a brief description of some key issues in each performance area to provide the context for possible actions to improve performance, with a list of resource materials where more specific recommendations may be found for policy issues of interest. Appended are: (1) Methods for Calculating California's Performance Relative to Other States; (2) List of Counties by Region; (3) Methods for Calculating Measures by Region and by Race/Ethnicity; and (4) Resources for More Information on Key Issues and Recommendations. (Contains 6 tables, 24 figures and 51 endnotes.