ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
The Widget Effect: Our National Failure to Acknowledge and Act on Differences in Teacher Effectiveness. Executive Summary. Second Edition
Author: Weisberg, Daniel
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Teacher Effectiveness,Teacher Evaluation,Instructional Effectiveness,School Districts,Educational Improvement,Academic Achievement,Administrators,Educational Administration

This report examines the pervasive and longstanding failure to recognize and respond to variations in the effectiveness of teachers. At the heart of the matter are teacher evaluation systems, which in theory should serve as the primary mechanism for assessing such variations, but in practice tell everyone little about how one teacher differs from any other, except teachers whose performance is so egregiously poor as to warrant dismissal. The failure of evaluation systems to provide accurate and credible information about individual teachers' instructional performance sustains and reinforces a phenomenon that people have come to call the &quot;Widget Effect&quot;. The &quot;Widget Effect&quot; describes the tendency of school districts to assume classroom effectiveness is the same from teacher to teacher. This decades-old fallacy fosters an environment in which teachers cease to be understood as individual professionals, but rather as interchangeable parts. In its denial of individual strengths and weaknesses, it is deeply disrespectful to teachers; in its indifference to instructional effectiveness, it gambles with the lives of students. [For the main report, see ED515656.]
Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2009; Graduation Rates, 2003 &amp; 2006 Cohorts; and Financial Statistics, Fiscal Year 2009. First Look. NCES 2011-230
Author: Knapp, Laura G.
Date: 2011-02-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Undergraduate Students,Graduation Rate,Student Financial Aid,Enrollment,Postsecondary Education,Student Characteristics,Income,Expenditures,Educational Finance,Private Colleges,Public Colleges,Two Year Colleges,Proprietary Schools,Graduate Students,National Surveys,Educational Legislation,Federal Legislation

This &quot;First Look&quot; presents findings from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) spring 2010 data collection. This collection included five components: Student Financial Aid for full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students for the 2009-10 academic year; Enrollment for fall 2009; Graduation Rates within 150 percent of normal program completion time for full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students beginning college in 2003 at 4-year institutions or in 2006 at less-than-4-year institutions; Graduation Rates within 200 percent of normal program completion time for full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students beginning college in 2001 at 4-year institutions or in 2005 at less-than-4-year institutions; and Finance for fiscal year 2009. Appended are (1) Survey Methodology; and (2) Glossary of IPEDS Terms. (Contains 25 tables and 11 footnotes.)
This School Works for Me: Creating Choices to Boost Achievement. A Guide for Data Analysts
Author: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Date: 2010-01-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Dropout Rate,Academic Achievement,School Districts,Data Analysis,Administrator Guides,Student Records,School Statistics,Information Utilization,At Risk Students,Educational Improvement,Change Strategies,Educational Change,Cost Effectiveness,Evidence,Inferences

This document is part of a series of guides designed to help school district leaders address one of the toughest challenges in American education: dropout rates of 30 percent nationwide, 50 percent in many big cities, and 60 percent or more in the lowest-performing schools. It includes tools for data analysts to drill down into the data and use their findings to arm school leaders with actionable information. Urban districts are using data--or should be--to address the challenge of students dropping out of school. Numbers are crunched in databases with hundreds of thousands of student records to know the size of the dropout problem and the track record of schools in stemming the loss. Data tools are employed to calculate the cost of various options, from closing schools and opening new ones to providing interventions such as evening school. Performance data are analyzed to evaluate the success of the district's portfolio of schools. In sum, data provide the foundation for the myriad district decisions involved in matching student needs to school and program choices. It is quite likely that leaders in your district are intent on using data to inform some hard choices ahead--but they need your help. The analyses and charts in this guide illustrate the work you need to do to answer the questions they encountered in the "This School Works for Me: Creating Choices to Boost Achievement. A Guide for America's School Leaders" (ED515670) and "This School Works for Me: Creating Choices to Boost Achievement. An Implementation Guide for School District Administrators" (ED515665) guides.
Supplement to This School Works for Me: Creating Choices to Boost Achievement. A Guide for Data Analysts
Author: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Date: 2010-01-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Administrator Guides,Change Strategies,Educational Change,Data Analysis,Statistical Data,Academic Achievement,Educational Improvement,School Choice,Educational Planning

This paper serves as a supplement to the "This School Works for Me: Creating Choices to Boost Achievement. A Guide for Data Analysts" report. This paper contains the following sections: (1) Initial Steps; (2) Developing Baseline District Facts; (3) Identifying Effective Options; (4) Identifying Effective Options: Preventative; and (5) Identifying Effective Options: Recuperative. [For the related reports, see "This School Works for Me: Creating Choices to Boost Achievement. A Guide for Data Analysts" (ED515666); "This School Works for Me: Creating Choices to Boost Achievement. An Implementation Guide for School District Administrators" (ED515665); and "This School Works for Me: Creating Choices to Boost Achievement. A Guide for America's School Leaders" (ED515670).]
Strategies for Overcoming Barriers to Training and Education for Canadians with Disabilities. Lessons in Learning
Author: Canadian Council on Learning
Date: 2009-10-07
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Outreach Programs,Disabilities,Adult Learning,Foreign Countries,Barriers,Change Strategies,Accessibility (for Disabled),Educational Needs,Needs Assessment,Access to Education,Employment Potential,Community Based Instruction (Disabilities),Interest Inventories,Adult Education

If stronger skills and more education are key to greater labour force participation, then it is important to identify critical barriers to education and training for Canadians with disabilities. In 2008, the Canadian Council on Learning's Adult Learning Knowledge Centre funded a &quot;Community Outreach Initiative for Learner's with Disabilities&quot; that focused on those living in Atlantic Canada. The &quot;Independent Living Resource Centre&quot; (ILRC) in Halifax, Nova Scotia was selected to engage in research within the disability communities in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. Through partner organizations in each province, respondents were asked a series of questions about; their individual disabilities, their experiences with adult learning, the barriers they had encountered as learners, and the strategies and changes they recommended for overcoming those barriers. How can Canadians with disabilities overcome barriers to adult education and training in order to develop stronger skills and improve their labour force outcomes? Respondents to the ILRC community outreach project made several recommendations to assist in addressing the physical and societal barriers they face. Several common themes emerged, including the importance of: (1) securing funding accessible to learners with disabilities; (2) providing accessible transportation and building/classrooms; (3) providing alternative formats for learning and testing; (4) creating peer support networks and services for adult learners with disabilities; and (5) establishing disability awareness training for educators. (Contains 1 figure.)
Minority Francophone Education in Canada. Lessons in Learning
Author: Canadian Council on Learning
Date: 2009-08-20
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Official Languages,Foreign Countries,Literacy,Minority Groups,French,French Canadians,Change Strategies,Educational Strategies,Language Skills,Educational Improvement,Skill Development,Access to Education

Access to French-language education has been a hard-won right for francophones outside of Quebec. While this is now a right enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and in the Official Languages Act, minority francophone education continues to face important challenges, including the persistent finding that francophones in minority-language contexts are falling behind their majority-language counterparts in literacy proficiency. This paper describes the reasons for lower literacy among minority francophones and cites strategies for fostering stronger literacy skills among them. (Contains 3 figures and 1 table.)
This School Works for Me: Creating Choices to Boost Achievement. A Guide for America's School Leaders
Author: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Date: 2010-01-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Dropout Rate,Academic Achievement,School Districts,Educational Change,Administrator Guides,At Risk Students,Change Strategies,School Choice,Dropout Prevention,Educational Improvement,School Support,Educational Policy,Program Effectiveness,School Effectiveness,Barriers

This document is the first in a series of guides designed to help school district leaders address one of the toughest challenges in American education: dropout rates of 30 percent nationwide, 50 percent in many big cities, and 60 percent or more in the lowest-performing schools. It describes in abbreviated form how district leaders and decisionmakers can: (1) pinpoint how students are progressing and which students, by name, are most likely to struggle in school and drop out; (2) introduce some high-leverage strategies to get students back on track for a diploma; and (3) identify the mix of school choices and programs  that will prepare more students for colleges and careers. (Lists 5 resources.) [For the related reports, see "This School Works for Me: Creating Choices to Boost Achievement. A Guide for Data Analysts" (ED515666); "This School Works for Me: Creating Choices to Boost Achievement. An Implementation Guide for School District Administrators" (ED515665); and "Supplement to This School Works for Me: Creating Choices to Boost Achievement. A Guide for Data Analysts" (ED515667).]
The Video Game Debate--Bad for Behaviour, Good for Learning? Lessons in Learning
Author: Canadian Council on Learning
Date: 2009-11-18
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Video Games,Educational Games,Educational Philosophy,Influence of Technology,Popular Culture,Foreign Countries,Recreational Activities,Classroom Environment,Electronic Learning,Instructional Material Evaluation,Technology Uses in Education

In 2001, the Canadian Education Association concluded that &quot;technology has become an accepted fact of life and education.&quot; Nearly a decade later, digital technologies continue to evolve rapidly and video games are no exception. While the popularity of video games among children is undeniable, the debate about the risks and benefits of gaming remains unresolved. Increasingly though, research suggests that appropriate use of recreational and educational video games can facilitate learning and the development of important skills.
The Effectiveness of Work-Experience Programs in Canadian High Schools. Lessons in Learning
Author: Canadian Council on Learning
Date: 2009-10-22
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: High Schools,Academic Achievement,Program Effectiveness,Work Experience Programs,Foreign Countries,Formative Evaluation,Program Improvement

Work-experience programs, which are commonplace in most Canadian high schools, are designed to enhance learning for students while providing them with the opportunity to explore their career options. Current research on the effectiveness of such programs suggests that they have a number of important benefits, from improved self-esteem to increased motivation, but there is little evidence that they contribute to improved academic achievement. The research on such programs has identified a number of lessons for making them as effective as possible. These lessons are: (1) Care needs to be taken when matching students to placements; (2) Assign a dedicated coordinator to oversee the program to ensure its success; (3) Develop a &quot;contract&quot; between the employer and the student that sets out reasonable expectations for each party; and (4) Prepare students in advance.
Effective Literacy Strategies for Immigrant Students. Lessons in Learning
Author: Canadian Council on Learning
Date: 2009-09-23
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Second Languages,Foreign Countries,Literacy,Language Skills,French,Immigrants,Educational Strategies,Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Migrant Children,Migrant Education,Lesson Plans,English (Second Language),Improvement Programs

Canada, like many developed countries faced with shrinking birth rates, has come to rely on immigration as a way of building and maintaining a skilled workforce. For a majority of today's immigrants, English or French is a second language and, when their children start school, their education proceeds in one of these second languages. While many immigrant students thrive in Canada's schools and go on to post-secondary education and successful careers, others struggle with their second-language skills--and falter in school as a result. Effective English as a Second Language and French as a Second Language literacy instruction can help to ensure that immigrant children succeed in school and are well-positioned to join a skilled workforce when they complete their educations. (Contains 1 figure.)
Blueprint for Change in North Dakota: State Teacher Policy Yearbook, 2010
Author: National Council on Teacher Quality
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Teaching (Occupation),Elementary Secondary Education,Educational Policy,Teacher Evaluation,Teacher Effectiveness,Teacher Improvement,Tenure,Teacher Dismissal,State Government,State Regulation,Academic Achievement,Educational Improvement,Teacher Certification,Alternative Teacher Certification,Needs Assessment,Yearbooks,Retirement Benefits,Educational Change,Teacher Education,Special Education Teachers,Elementary School Teachers,Middle School Teachers,Educational Objectives,Comparative Analysis,Public Schools

The 2009 &quot;State Teacher Policy Yearbook&quot; provided a comprehensive review of states' policies that impact the teaching profession. As a companion to last year's comprehensive state-by-state analysis, the 2010 edition provides each state with an individualized &quot;Blueprint for Change,&quot; building off last year's &quot;Yearbook&quot; goals and recommendations. State teacher policy addresses a great many areas, including teacher preparation, certification, evaluation and compensation. With so many moving parts, it may be difficult for states to find a starting point on the road to reform. To this end, this paper provides a state-specific roadmap, organized in three main sections. Section 1 identifies policy concerns that need critical attention, the areas of highest priority for state policymakers. Section 2 outlines &quot;low-hanging fruit,&quot; policy changes that can be implemented in relatively short order. Section 3 offers a short discussion of some longer-term systemic issues that states need to make sure stay on the radar. In the 2009 &quot;State Teacher Policy Yearbook&quot;, North Dakota had the following grades: (1) Delivering Well Prepared Teachers (D); (2) Expanding the Teaching Pool (F); (3) Identifying Effective Teachers (D-); (4) Retaining Effective Teachers (D); and    (5) Exiting Ineffective Teachers (D+). North Dakota has an overall grade of D- for 2009. In the last year, many states made significant changes to their teacher policies, spurred in many cases by the Race to the Top competition. Based on a review of state legislation, rules and regulations, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has identified the following recent policy changes in North Dakota: No recent policy changes were identified. States were asked to review the NCTQ's identified updates and also to comment on policy changes that have occurred in the last year, other pending changes or teacher quality in the state more generally. North Dakota confirmed that there are no recent policy changes to report. Individual sections contain footnotes. (Contains 5 figures.) [For the related reports, see &quot;Blueprint for Change: National Summary. State Teacher Policy Yearbook, 2010&quot; (ED515614) and &quot;State Teacher Policy Yearbook, 2009. North Dakota&quot; (ED511921).]
Blueprint for Change in South Carolina: State Teacher Policy Yearbook, 2010
Author: National Council on Teacher Quality
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Teaching (Occupation),Elementary Secondary Education,Educational Policy,Teacher Evaluation,Teacher Effectiveness,Teacher Improvement,Tenure,Teacher Dismissal,State Government,State Regulation,Academic Achievement,Educational Improvement,Teacher Certification,Alternative Teacher Certification,Needs Assessment,Yearbooks,Retirement Benefits,Educational Change,Teacher Education,Special Education Teachers,Elementary School Teachers,Middle School Teachers,Educational Objectives,Comparative Analysis,Public Schools

The 2009 &quot;State Teacher Policy Yearbook&quot; provided a comprehensive review of states' policies that impact the teaching profession. As a companion to last year's comprehensive state-by-state analysis, the 2010 edition provides each state with an individualized &quot;Blueprint for Change,&quot; building off last year's &quot;Yearbook&quot; goals and recommendations. State teacher policy addresses a great many areas, including teacher preparation, certification, evaluation and compensation. With so many moving parts, it may be difficult for states to find a starting point on the road to reform. To this end, this paper provides a state-specific roadmap, organized in three main sections. Section 1 identifies policy concerns that need critical attention, the areas of highest priority for state policymakers. Section 2 outlines &quot;low-hanging fruit,&quot; policy changes that can be implemented in relatively short order. Section 3 offers a short discussion of some longer-term systemic issues that states need to make sure stay on the radar. In the 2009 State Teacher Policy Yearbook, South Carolina had the following grades: (1) Delivering Well Prepared Teachers (D+); (2) Expanding the Teaching Pool (D); (3) Identifying Effective Teachers (C); (4) Retaining Effective Teachers (C); and (5) Exiting Ineffective Teachers (C+). South Carolina has an overall grade of C- for 2009. In the last year, many states made significant changes to their teacher policies, spurred in many cases by the Race to the Top competition. Based on a review of state legislation, rules and regulations, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has identified no recent policy changes in South Carolina. South Carolina confirmed that there are no recent policy changes to report. (Contains 5 figures.) [For the related reports, see &quot;Blueprint for Change: National Summary. State Teacher Policy Yearbook, 2010&quot; (ED515614) and &quot;State Teacher Policy Yearbook, 2009. South Carolina&quot; (ED511946).]
Blueprint for Change in Nevada: State Teacher Policy Yearbook, 2010
Author: National Council on Teacher Quality
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Teaching (Occupation),Elementary Secondary Education,Educational Policy,Teacher Evaluation,Teacher Effectiveness,Teacher Improvement,Tenure,Teacher Dismissal,State Government,State Regulation,Academic Achievement,Educational Improvement,Teacher Certification,Alternative Teacher Certification,Needs Assessment,Yearbooks,Retirement Benefits,Educational Change,Teacher Education,Special Education Teachers,Elementary School Teachers,Middle School Teachers,Educational Objectives,Comparative Analysis,Public Schools

The 2009 &quot;State Teacher Policy Yearbook&quot; provided a comprehensive review of states' policies that impact the teaching profession. As a companion to last year's comprehensive state-by-state analysis, the 2010 edition provides each state with an individualized &quot;Blueprint for Change,&quot; building off last year's &quot;Yearbook&quot; goals and recommendations. State teacher policy addresses a great many areas, including teacher preparation, certification, evaluation and compensation. With so many moving parts, it may be difficult for states to find a starting point on the road to reform. To this end, this paper provides a state-specific road map, organized in three main sections. Section 1 identifies policy concerns that need critical attention, the areas of highest priority for state policymakers. Section 2 outlines &quot;low-hanging fruit,&quot; policy changes that can be implemented in relatively short order. Section 3 offers a short discussion of some longer-term systemic issues that states need to make sure stay on the radar. In the 2009 &quot;State Teacher Policy Yearbook&quot;, Nevada had the following grades: (1) Delivering Well Prepared Teachers (D-); (2) Expanding the Teaching Pool (D-);    (3) Identifying Effective Teachers (D-); (4) Retaining Effective Teachers (D); and (5) Exiting Ineffective Teachers (D+). Nevada has an overall grade of D- for 2009. In the last year, many states made significant changes to their teacher policies, spurred in many cases by the Race to the Top competition. Based on a review of state legislation, rules and regulations, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has identified a recent policy change in Nevada. Nevada has lifted its teacher-student data firewall, which prevented the use of achievement data in teacher evaluations. However, test scores cannot be the sole criterion for evaluating teachers. States were asked to review NCTQ's identified updates and also to comment on policy changes that have occurred in the last year, other pending changes or teacher quality in the state more generally. Nevada confirmed that the identified update represents a complete and accurate list of recent policy changes. Individual sections contain footnotes. (Contains 5 figures.) [For the related reports, see &quot;Blueprint for Change: National Summary. State Teacher Policy Yearbook, 2010&quot; (ED515614) and &quot;State Teacher Policy Yearbook, 2009. Nevada&quot; (ED511932).]