ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Sound Basic Education for All: An Action Plan for North Carolina
Author: WestEd
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Equal Education,State Government,Court Litigation,Childrens Rights,Student Rights,Access to Education,Compliance (Legal),Accountability,Academic Achievement,Resource Allocation,Educational Finance,Faculty Development,Principals,Management Development,Early Childhood Education,Poverty,School Effectiveness,Educational Assessment,Educational Improvement,Progress Monitoring,Elementary Secondary Education

Throughout every region of North Carolina, leaders of organizations in all fields -- business, education, government, community, faith-based, and others -- agree that the future prosperity and well-being of the state's citizens requires successfully educating all of its children. That means effectively supporting children of every race and ethnicity, economic level, family background, and location, from the most rural to the most urban. However, North Carolina's current education system fails to meet the educational needs of many of its children and thereby fails to provide for the future success of these individuals, their communities, and the state. The Supreme Court of North Carolina's decision in &quot;Leandro v. the State of North Carolina&quot; (1997) (&quot;Leandro&quot;) affirmed that the state has a constitutional responsibility to provide every student with an equal opportunity for a sound basic education and that the state was failing to meet that responsibility. As documented in this action plan, the challenges of meeting this responsibility have increased since the original decision, and the state needs to significantly increase its commitment and efforts to provide for the education of every student. This action plan provides recommendations for actions that will advance the state's efforts to achieve compliance with the &quot;Leandro&quot; decision. It identifies the highest leverage and most critical actions that the state needs to take immediately and over the next six years and beyond to transform the education system and provide the necessary foundational opportunities for all students.
The Four Pillars to Reading Success: An Action Guide for States
Author: Goldenberg, Claude
Date: 2020-06-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Reading Instruction,Elementary School Teachers,Reading Teachers,State Government,Government Role,Preservice Teacher Education,Knowledge Base for Teaching,School Districts,Student Evaluation,Reading Tests,Instructional Materials,State Programs,Reading Programs

Learning how to read is not something that comes naturally. Many children need instruction from their teachers that follows the research on the most effective and efficient methods of teaching reading (often referred to as the &quot;science of reading&quot;). The path to literacy is supported by many actors, but states have a role in these four essential pillars: (1) insisting that prep programs build teacher candidate knowledge; (2) recommending to districts the best tools for assessing their students' reading proficiency; (3) evaluating and recommending instructional materials; and (4) giving resources to districts so they can provide external supports for classroom teachers.
The COVID-19 Crisis and Teacher Layoffs: Research on How to Mitigate Harm. Opinion Brief. CALDER Policy Brief No. 20-0620
Author: Goldhaber, Dan
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Opinion Papers
Subjects: Crisis Management,Disease Incidence,Public Health,Job Layoff,Teachers,Budgeting,Educational Finance,Public Schools,Status,Teacher Effectiveness,Faculty Mobility

One of the unfortunate consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic is that the sharp downturn in tax revenues, in the absence of a federal bailout, likely foretells unprecedented cuts in state and local budgets. This will in turn mean large cuts in teaching positions across the country; indeed, some projections suggest that the number of teacher layoffs in public schools could be in the hundreds of thousands. There is little doubt that this will have significant impacts on students. But we've also learned some lessons from the Great Recession, the last time that layoffs (and the threat of layoffs) were a prominent feature of the education landscape. These lessons won't allow policymakers to eliminate the educational harm associated with layoffs, but they do suggest concrete ways to mitigate the harm to students associated with painful cuts to educational budgets. In this brief, the authors describe some of the research on the effects of teacher layoffs, and what it suggests about impacts on students.
Juvenile Rehabilitation Integrated Treatment Model. Legislative Report
Author: Fox, Andrew M.
Date: 2020-05-00
Type: Legal/Legislative/Regulatory Materials
Subjects: Delinquent Rehabilitation,Juvenile Courts,Delinquency Prevention,Models,Juvenile Justice,Program Evaluation,Fidelity,Program Implementation,Family Counseling,Sexual Abuse,Substance Abuse,Mental Health,Outcomes of Treatment

Juvenile Rehabilitation (JR) became part of Washington State's Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) on July 1, 2019. JR serves the state's highest-risk youth who have been charged with a qualifying offense and either adjudicated in a county's juvenile court or convicted in an adult criminal court. In 2000, JR needed to further define and specify the appropriate interventions with both the individual youth in residential care and subsequently in families as the youth returned to their home communities. JR formed the Integrated Treatment Model (ITM) Workgroup, charged with the task of developing a research-based treatment model that utilized cognitive-behavioral principles. The model was to be tailored for use in both residential and community settings in the juvenile justice continuum of care. This model views all behavior, including a youth's criminal behavior as occurring in a larger social and historical context, serving a specific function. As such, criminal behavior is a product of one's learning history, encompassing family dynamics, specific circumstances and thoughts and feelings. In 2019, the Washington State Legislature allocated funds for a fidelity assessment of the ITM in DCYF's Juvenile Rehabilitation. To accomplish this task, the DCYF Office of Innovation, Alignment and Accountability (OIAA) collaborated with external experts to assess the current implementation fidelity of the treatment areas in the ITM. This report presents first the findings that apply to the ITM as a whole, and then summarizes the area-specific findings.
COVID-19 School Closures: Addressing Education Issues of Students with Disabilities
Author: Advocates for Children of New Jersey
Date: 2020-05-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: School Closing,Barriers,Distance Education,Individualized Education Programs,Students with Disabilities,Special Needs Students,Compliance (Legal),Access to Education,Federal Legislation,Information Dissemination,Family School Relationship,Special Education,Student Needs,Preschool Education,Elementary Secondary Education,Student Rights,Advocacy,State Legislation,COVID-19,Pandemics

Federal and state education laws have not changed since the COVID-19 outbreak. Because they were not meant to be implemented during a pandemic, schools and parents are facing barriers in implementing IEPs and 504 plans with remote learning at home. More than ever students will need strong advocates to express concerns and collaborate with school staff.
It&apos;s about Time: Time to Recover, to Bond, to Adjust
Author: Chen, Peter
Date: 2019-09-00
Type: Guides - General
Subjects: Leaves of Absence,Fringe Benefits,Employed Parents,State Legislation,Parent Child Relationship,Eligibility,Federal Legislation,Wages

New Jersey is a national leader in paid family leave. Currently, only five states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation that allow parents to take paid leave to bond with their new children, whether that child was born into the family, adopted or is being fostered. Thanks to new legislation signed by Governor Murphy in February 2019, major improvements are coming to both programs to make them more accessible and affordable. Having access to paid leave time ensures that families have critical time to bond and adjust in the first few weeks, helping to build a strong relationship between the child and their most important caregivers, especially during this critical time period for babies.
Advancing Evidence-Based Decision Making: A Toolkit on Recognizing and Conducting Opportunistic Experiments in the Family Self-Sufficiency and Stability Policy Area. OPRE Report #2015-97
Author: Meckstroth, Alicia
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Guides - General
Subjects: Evidence Based Practice,Decision Making,Educational Experiments,Randomized Controlled Trials,Educational Policy,Intervention,Family Programs,Welfare Services,Feasibility Studies,Statistical Analysis,Sample Size,Data Collection

This report describes in detail how researchers, policymakers, and program administrators can recognize opportunities for experiments and carry them out. Specifically, the report focuses on opportunistic experiments, defined as randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that study the effects of initiatives, program changes, or policy actions that agencies or programs plan or intend to implement -- as opposed to studying an intervention or policy action that is developed and implemented specifically for a research study. [This report was adapted from &quot;Recognizing and Conducting Opportunistic Experiments in Education: A Guide for Policymakers and Researchers. REL 2014-037&quot; (ED544801).]
Academic Reading and Writing Needs of Undergraduate Nursing Students in Research
Author: Padagas, Reynold Culimay
Date: 2020-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Content Area Reading,Content Area Writing,Undergraduate Students,Nursing Students,Reading Skills,Writing Skills,Nursing,Research,English for Academic Purposes,Student Needs,Foreign Countries

Like other students of any discipline, nursing students are taught to develop and enhance their cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills. They are being trained for their future nursing responsibilities in the clinical or community-based facilities and are empowered to create positive changes in healthcare through the conduct and publication of quality research. However, conducting and publishing quality research could be challenging for many nursing students as these entail a myriad of skills, including reading and writing in the discipline. This study investigated students' needs in academic reading and writing in nursing research using sequential-explanatory mixed methods design. Quantitative data were first gathered through a self-administered questionnaire from a group of 18 nursing students. Afterward, six conveniently selected students from the same group were subjected to a semi-structured interview conducted online. Descriptive statistics such as Mean and Standard Deviation and content analysis were employed as data analyses for the survey and interview data. The following are the findings of the study: (1) on academic reading, nursing students' needs include organizing literature items reviewed, and synthesizing general concepts to generate a new idea; and (2) on academic writing, students' needs encompass the use of correct grammar, paraphrasing, adherence to a publication format, and confidence in academic writing. The study draws pedagogical implications for an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classroom, suggesting that language teachers employ explicit teaching of reading strategies that facilitate critical reading and teach academic writing both at the micro and macro levels.
The Interplay between Race/Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, and Social and Emotional Skills. ACT Research Report 2020-2
Author: Kuo, Yi-Lung
Date: 2020-06-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Racial Differences,Ethnicity,Socioeconomic Status,Emotional Response,Emotional Development,Interpersonal Competence,Social Development,Self Control,Study Habits,Minority Group Students,Cultural Differences,Grade 6,Grade 7,Grade 8,Middle School Students,African American Students,Hispanic American Students,Asian American Students,Interaction,American Indian Students,Alaska Natives

The interactions of race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) in predicting social and emotional (SE) skills was examined for 81,950 6th-8th graders. At low levels of SES, White students tended to have the lower SE scores. However, as SES increased, they tended to have higher scores relative to minority groups. Across SES levels, Asian students showed higher Academic Discipline and Self-Regulation scores. The SES and SE skill relationship was less pronounced for underserved minority groups. This may be among the first reports where a measure of SE skills has documented different relationships with SES as a function of race/ethnicity. Possible explanations for these findings, as well as implications for designing culturally responsive programs that focus on SE skills, are discussed.
Predicting the Impact of COVID-19 School Closures on ACT Test Scores: Methods and Considerations for States and Districts. Issue Brief
Author: Allen, Jeff
Date: 2020-05-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Predictor Variables,Outcomes of Education,School Closing,College Entrance Examinations,Scores,Web Based Instruction,Instructional Effectiveness,Academic Achievement,Achievement Gains,COVID-19,Pandemics

This brief presents a method for predicting the impact of school closures on average ACT® test scores. The purpose is to illustrate a methodology and major conditions that should be considered in predicting aggregate ACT scores when school closes prematurely and learning and testing are disrupted. Across three scenarios examined herein, the impact on academic achievement was predicted to be between -0.71 and -0.31 Composite score points. The predictions are based on a number of assumptions and may not be applicable in every case. ACT can assist state and district partners in applying and interpreting this or similar models to predict the effect of COVID-19 on learning and performance within their local context.
Increasing Your ACT Composite Score: Should You Test a Second Time? Technical Brief
Author: Harmston, Matt
Date: 2020-04-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: College Entrance Examinations,Repetition,Scores,Probability,College Admission

Out of over 1.9 million students in the 2018 ACT-tested graduating class, 44% took the full ACT® test at least twice in hopes of improving their scores. Camara and Allen (2017) support this practice, confirming that factors such as time in the classroom between test administrations are associated with increases in ACT Composite scores from the first to second testing. Obvious benefits of increased scores include improved chances of meeting college admission and merit-based scholarship criteria (Doyle, 2006). Given motivation for and potential benefits of retesting with the ACT, an important question centers on the likelihood of students improving their Composite score between the first and second test. This paper and its associated web application are intended to provide student-specific information that assists students, families, counselors, and educators in deciding whether a student's chances of increasing his/her Composite score warrants taking the full ACT test for a second time.
School-Based Interventions: Targeting Social and Emotional Skills to Increase the College Readiness of Hispanic Students from Underserved Backgrounds. Technical Brief
Author: Albert, Melissa A.
Date: 2020-06-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Intervention,College Readiness,Hispanic American Students,Poverty,At Risk Students,Federal Programs,Grants,Skill Development,Program Effectiveness,Secondary School Students,Social Development,Emotional Development,Study Habits,Academic Persistence,Success,Low Income Students

Learners from underserved backgrounds tend to show lower levels of college readiness (ACT, 2016a; ACT, 2018). In part to address these disparities, the authors investigated growth in social and emotional (SE) skills in a cohort of largely Hispanic, high-poverty students who participated in GEAR UP. GEAR UP is a discretionary federal grant program designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in college. GEAR UP offered services designed to increase the college readiness of students over the six years of this study. These services, aimed at students, parents, and teachers, included activities such as academic planning and financial aid counseling, college fairs and field trips, leadership development, and college readiness training. Students also received training on skills such as studying, time management, planning and organization, and managing stress. Services were specifically aligned to the ACT SE skills through crosswalks. This study suggests that GEAR UP has a positive effect on students' SE skills and thus on their overall college readiness. It also shows that lower-performing students displayed the greatest improvement in SE skills by the end of the study, closing the gap with higher-performing students. However, the authors did find that interventions take time to produce change. This is important to note in the current educational reform climate in which interventions are often attempted and abandoned within an academic year or less.
A Case Study: ACT Section Retest Scores and Superscores Are Predictive of First-Term Grades. Technical Brief
Author: Radunzel, Justine
Date: 2020-05-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: College Entrance Examinations,Scores,Pretests Posttests,Predictor Variables,Grade Point Average,College Freshmen,English Instruction,Mathematics,Sciences,Reading

This study conducted in collaboration with a postsecondary institution highlights results from a concurrent validity study of administering ACT® section tests to their entering freshmen who previously took the ACT test in high school. Students' ACT scores obtained from section retesting were found to be as predictive of first-term grade point average (GPA) as scores obtained via traditional ACT testing. Additionally, ACT Superscores that were computed across test administrations that included single-subject section test events were found to be predictive of first-term GPA, alone and in combination with high school GPA. Moreover, the strength of this relationship did not significantly differ from that based on students' most recent ACT Composite scores.
Reliability of English Learners&apos; Test Scores. Technical Brief
Author: Moore, Joann L.
Date: 2020-05-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: College Entrance Examinations,Scores,English Language Learners,Accountability,Standardized Tests,Classification,Test Bias,Test Validity,Test Reliability,Limited English Speaking,Academic Achievement,Error of Measurement,Elementary Secondary Education,Postsecondary Education

The Every Student Succeeds Act requires that English Learners (ELs) are included in annual state testing (grades 3-8 and once in high school) and included in each state's accountability system disaggregated by subgroup to ensure that they receive the support they need to learn English, participate fully in their education experience, and graduate ready for college or career (US Department of Education, 2016). As more states are using the ACT® test as part of their accountability systems, one concern that educators and policymakers may have is whether the scores of English Learners (ELs) are valid and reliable indicators of their actual academic achievement level. This research brief addresses the following research questions: (1) How does the reliability of ELs' ACT scores compare to that of non-ELs?; (2) How does the reliability of ACT scores for ELs compare to the reliability of other standardized assessment scores?; and (3) How does classification consistency and differential item functioning (DIF) analyses provide additional evaluative information about score validity? Findings show that limited English proficiency can be a source of measurement error when ELs are assessed in the English language such that students who have difficulty comprehending and responding accurately to test content may not be able to fully demonstrate their true achievement level. The reliability of ELs' scores on the ACT is comparable to that seen in other assessments and is sufficiently high that it does not by itself raise concerns about the validity of their scores. The study did not find evidence of DIF for ELs, and classification consistency analyses revealed similar agreement rates for ELs and non-ELs. These findings are encouraging and suggest that item characteristics are not introducing additional bias that would raise concerns about score validity for ELs.
Benefits of PreACT: What Does the Evidence Say? Issue Brief
Author: Allen, Jeff
Date: 2020-06-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: College Entrance Examinations,Test Preparation,Educational Benefits,Multiple Choice Tests,Predictor Variables,Scores,College Planning,Access to Education,College Readiness,Career Readiness,Advanced Courses,High School Students,Advanced Placement

This brief summarizes five benefits of schools providing the PreACT® to all their students. The PreACT 8/9 (an earlier version of the PreACT test that is more appropriate for students in grades 8 and 9) and PreACT assessments are designed to provide students with an indication of their educational progress in the context of preparing for the ACT® and exploring postsecondary educational and career options. The PreACT assessments include four multiple-choice tests: English, math, reading, and science. The five benefits of adopting the PreACT discussed in this brief include: (1) PreACT scores are accurate predictors of ACT test scores; (2) PreACT ensures equitable access to practice for the ACT test; (3) Adopting the PreACT can improve readiness for college and careers; (4) PreACT scores identify students who are ready to succeed in advanced high school courses--including AP; and (5) PreACT scores provide a baseline for measuring growth and improvement.
Exploring Students&apos; Thinking Process in Mathematical Proof of Abstract Algebra Based on Mason&apos;s Framework
Author: Faizah, Siti
Date: 2020-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematical Logic,Validity,Algebra,Cognitive Processes,Mathematics Instruction,Foreign Countries,College Students,College Mathematics,Intuition

Mathematical proof is a logically formed argument based on students' thinking process. A mathematical proof is a formal process which needs the ability of analytical thinking to solve. However, researchers still find students who complete the mathematical proof process through intuitive thinking. Students who have studied mathematical proof in the early semester should not have completed abstract algebraic proof intuitively. Therefore, the aim of this research is to explore students' thinking process in conducting mathematical proof based on Mason's framework. The instrument used to collect data was mathematical proof problems test related to abstract algebra and interviews. There are three out of 25 students who did abstract algebra through intuitive thinking as they only used two stages of the Mason's thinking framework. Then, two out of three students were chosen as the subjects of the study. The selection of research subjects is based on the student's ability to express intuitive thinking verbally process which were conducted while completing the test. It is found that students can form structural-intuitive warrant that they use to complete the mathematical proof of abstract algebra. Structural-intuitive warrant formed by students at the stage of attack and review are in the form of: institutional warrant and evaluative warrant, while at the entry and attack stage are a priori warrant and empirical warrant.