ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Valuing School Quality via School Choice Reform
Author: Machin, Stephen
Date: 2010-03-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: School Choice,Counties,Educational Quality,Educational Change,High Schools,Housing,Costs,Academic Achievement,Foreign Countries,Access to Education

Among policymakers, educators and economists there remains a strong, sometimes heated, debate on the extent to which good schools matter. This is seen, for instance, in the strong trend towards establishing accountability systems in education in many countries across the world. In this paper, in line with some recent studies, we value school quality using house prices. We, however, adopt a rather different approach to other work, using a policy experiment regarding pupils' choice to attend high schools to identify the relationship between house prices and school performance. We exploit a change in school choice policy that took place in Oslo county in 1997, where the school authorities opened up the possibility for every pupil to apply to any of the high schools in the county without having to live in the school's catchment area (the rule that applied before 1997). Our estimates show evidence that parents substantially value better performing schools since the sensitivity of housing valuations to school performance falls significantly by over 50% following the school choice reform. A Descriptive Statistics table is appended. (Contains 7 tables and 22 footnotes.)
Individual Teacher Incentives, Student Achievement and Grade Inflation
Author: Martins, Pedro S.
Date: 2010-03-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Control Groups,Grade Inflation,Incentives,Academic Achievement,Educational Change,Foreign Countries,Change Strategies,Merit Pay,Robustness (Statistics),Educational Trends,Trend Analysis,Predictor Variables,Private Schools,Teacher Retirement,Comparative Analysis,Program Effectiveness

There is great interest in understanding the potential of teacher incentives to improve student achievement. In fact, teacher incentives, either individual or collective, may improve student achievement if they succeed in aligning the public or social goals with the goals of the teacher. However, an approach in which reward is based on outputs can also be fraught with difficulties: For instance, setting specific measurable outputs may lead to potentially dysfunctional behaviour such as teaching to test. Moreover, while individual incentives may disrupt collaborative work, collective incentives may also generate free riding and, in the end, little effect on performance. This paper sheds light into this question by examining the recent introduction of performance-related pay in all public schools in Portugal. The approach is based on a difference-in-differences analysis drawing on two complementary control groups. The structure of the paper is as follows: Section 2 describes the main characteristics of the education reform studied in the paper and discusses some of its theoretical implications. Section 3 presents the data used in the paper, a matched school-student panel data set; Section 4 describes the main results, while Section 5 presents the robustness analysis. Finally, Section 6 concludes. (Contains 4 figures, 9 tables and 14 footnotes.)
Interest Subsidies on Student Loans: A Better Class of Drain. CEE DP 114
Author: Barr, Nicholas
Date: 2010-03-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Student Loan Programs,Foreign Countries,Grants,Educational Policy,Financial Policy,Finance Reform,Student Financial Aid,Cost Effectiveness,Loan Repayment,Audits (Verification),Comparative Analysis,Comparative Education,Financial Problems,Paying for College,Program Effectiveness,Consumer Economics,Economic Impact

The British system of student loans has a zero real rate of interest, less than it costs the government to borrow the money. This paper discusses the problems that arise from interest subsidies in the UK system of student loans; systems in other countries, for example Australia and New Zealand, face similar problems. The topic appears to be narrow and technical, and of significance only to the most nerdy of commentators, so the opening section sets out the broader context in order to establish the educational importance of the issue, not least that the cost of interest subsidies is a contributory cause of the current shortage of university places. The second section explains why the interest subsidy is a major distortion with strategic and unintended ill-effects: interest subsidies tip large volumes of taxpayer resources down the drain with no educational benefit. The third section offers indicative estimates of the impact in terms of cost saving and distributional effects of different policies for addressing the problem. The concluding section sets out the wide range of desirable policy options that result from charging an interest rate related to the government's cost of borrowing. (Contains 5 boxes, 5 figures, 4 tables and 23 footnotes.)
Investing for the Future: Post-Secondary Education Issues and the Canadian Federal Election
Author: Educational Policy Institute
Date: 2008-09-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Student Financial Aid,Educational Policy,Investment,Postsecondary Education,Position Papers,Educational Finance,Research Administration,Tuition,Student Costs,Politics of Education,Change Strategies,Educational Change,Agenda Setting,Academic Persistence,Access to Education,Elections

On October 14, 2008, Canadians will travel to the polls for the 40th Canadian General Election--only two years since the 2006 election which brought the Conservative Government to power. In preparation for the election, the Educational Policy Institute (EPI) is publishing a series of election-related papers, including an overview of the top post-secondary education issues in Canada and platform analyses of each party's positions. This paper provides an overview of four key post-secondary education issues from a federal perspective: (1) Funding Post-Secondary Education; (2) Investments in Research; (3) Tuitions, Student Aid and Affordability; and (4) Access and Persistence. The purpose of this document is to act as a resource for those interested in education as an election issue. It provides factual, up-to-date information on existing government policies and spending, along with key recent research findings. (Contains 10 figures.)
Going the Distance: Online Education in the United States, 2011
Author: Allen, I. Elaine
Date: 2011-11-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Strategic Planning,Online Courses,Deans,Annual Reports,Administrator Attitudes,Educational Development,College Outcomes Assessment,College Programs,Educational Indicators,College Planning,Distance Education,Enrollment Trends,College Faculty,Teacher Attitudes,Professional Development,School Surveys,Statistical Data,Educational Trends,Trend Analysis

&quot;Going the Distance: Online Education in the United States, 2011&quot; is the ninth annual report on the state of online learning in U.S. higher education. The survey is designed, administered and analyzed by the Babson Survey Research Group. Data collection is conducted in partnership with the College Board. This year's study, like those for the previous eight years, is aimed at answering fundamental questions about the nature and extent of online education. Based on responses from more than 2,500 colleges and universities, the study addresses: Is online learning strategic? After remaining steady for several years, the proportion of chief academic officers saying that online education is critical to their long-term strategy took an upward turn in both 2010 and 2011. Sixty-five percent of all reporting institutions said that online learning was a critical part of their long-term strategy, a small increase from sixty-three percent in 2010. The year-to-year change was greatest among the for-profit institutions, which increased from fifty-one percent agreeing in 2009 to sixty-nine percent in 2011. For-profit institutions are the most likely to have included online learning as a part of their strategic plan. (Contains 4 footnotes.) [For the previous report, &quot;Class Differences: Online Education in the United States, 2010,&quot; see ED529952.]
Missouri Students and the Pathways to College
Author: Swail, Watson Scott
Date: 2007-11-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Focus Groups,Grade 11,Career Counseling,Educational Opportunities,Grade 7,Grade 9,Academic Aspiration,Barriers,College Students,Occupational Aspiration,College Bound Students,Student Attitudes,High School Students,Junior High School Students,Middle School Students,Access to Information,Clubs,Coaching (Performance),Peer Influence,Parent Influence,Family Influence,School Counselors

In spring 2005, the Educational Policy Institute was contracted by an anonymous, non-profit, Missouri-based organization to conduct analysis of data from a series of focus groups of 7th, 9th, and 11th grade students. The purpose of the focus groups, conducted by the Change and Innovation Agency in Jefferson City, was to examine the postsecondary aspirations and the perceived barriers faced by students in achieving their career and postsecondary goals. In short, students were asked what they wanted to be when they grew up and why. Students were then questioned about their plans immediately after high school, including whether they were planning on attending a postsecondary institution, why, and what general impressions they had of college. Probing deeper, the students were subsequently asked to identify who and/or what influenced their postsecondary plans, as well as the potential barriers they saw to achieving their goals. Students also offered suggestions about how to break down the barriers they saw to postsecondary education. For this study, 11 schools from 3 areas in Missouri were selected to participate. Four schools were located in or near St. Louis, four in Kansas City, and three in the Southeast region of the state. Six of the schools were high school, one was a junior high school, and the remaining four were middle schools. Based on the findings of this study, the authors' knowledge of the research literature, and understanding of programs and strategies in use around the US, they provide, as summary to this report, a series of recommendations for consideration. These are: (1) Ensure that all Missouri middle and high school students have the information needed to make prudent decisions about their future; (2) Improve the amount and quality of career counseling made available to Missouri middle and high school students; (3) Develop a &quot;Career and College Club&quot;; (4) Develop a &quot;college coach&quot; program; (5) Create a Regional Educational Opportunity Partnership (REAP); (6) Conduct research on &quot;what works&quot; in Missouri; and (7) Evaluate all activities for impact toward educational goals. A bibliography is included. (Contains 5 exhibits.)
Examining NAEP Achievement in Relation to School Testing Conditions in the 2010 Assessments
Author: Mullis, Ina V. S.
Date: 2012-02-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Testing,National Competency Tests,Program Effectiveness,Scores,Data Collection,Standardized Tests,Educational Environment,Academic Achievement,Disadvantaged Youth,Test Items,Grade 4,Grade 8,Grade 12,African American Students,White Students,Racial Differences,Achievement Gap,Evaluation Methods

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has expended considerable effort to ensure high quality in data collection by developing standardized materials and survey operation procedures and using well-trained professional administrators. However, schools are allowed to minimize the disruption associated with pulling students out of classrooms by having all students assessed at one time. This policy is intended to encourage sampled schools to participate, but may have unintended negative consequences for the testing conditions experienced by these students. This study examined NAEP testing conditions in schools and investigated whether being assessed in less than optimal testing conditions is associated with lower student achievement on the assessments. The testing conditions study confirms that NAEP assessed most students in 2010 in conditions that were consistent with best practices. Also, students assessed in large sessions did not necessarily have lower achievement. However, in general, achievement was lower when the number of problems in a session increased, particularly when the session had as many as 6-10 problems. Appended are: (1) 2010 Session Debriefing Form; (2) Classification of NAEP Assessment Administrators' Comments Provided on Session Debriefing Forms; (3) Number of Sessions and Students in the Testing Conditions Study, by Assessment Subject; and (4) Percentage of Students and Average Achievement (in Normits) for Each Type of Testing Condition Problem, by Assessment Subject. (Contains 23 tables and 7 footnotes.) [This report was prepared for the National Center for Education Statistics.]
Class Differences: Online Education in the United States, 2010
Author: Allen, I. Elaine
Date: 2010-11-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Strategic Planning,Online Courses,Educational Technology,Computer Uses in Education,Colleges,Distance Education,Learning Strategies,Conventional Instruction,Economic Impact,Federal Government,Student Financial Aid,Enrollment Trends,Deans,Outcomes of Education

"Class Differences: Online Education in the United States, 2010" represents the eighth annual report on the state of online learning in U.S. higher education. The survey is designed, administered and analyzed by the Babson Survey Research Group with support from Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Data collection is conducted in partnership with the College Board. This year's study, like those for the previous seven years, is aimed at answering some of the fundamental questions about the nature and extent of online education. Based on responses from more than 2,500 colleges and universities, the study addresses: Is online learning strategic? After remaining steady for a number of years, the proportion of chief academic officers saying that online education is critical to their long-term strategy took an upward turn in 2010. Sixty-three percent of all reporting institutions said that online learning was a critical part of their institution's long term strategy, a small increase from fifty-nine percent in 2009. The year-to-year change was greatest among the for-profit institutions, which increased from fifty-one percent agreeing in 2009 to sixty-one percent in 2010. For-profit institutions also were the most likely to have included online learning as a part of their strategic plan. (Contains 9 footnotes.) [For the previous report, "Learning on Demand: Online Education in the United States, 2009," see ED529931.]
A Discourse of &quot;Performativities&quot; and &quot;Fabrications&quot; in Performance Management for Teachers: An Australian Perspective
Author: Naidu, Sham
Date: 2012-03-06
Type: Information Analyses
Subjects: Performance Based Assessment,Personnel Management,Teachers,Evaluation,Foreign Countries,Ideology,Models,Public Sector,Educational Change,Accountability,Employees,Feedback (Response),Public Service,Administrator Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Professional Development,Teacher Education

Performance Management clearly illustrates an attempt by the State to control the work of teachers by making them more efficient, more effective and more accountable. This article will critically scrutinise this bureaucratic process and amplify the voices of those being controlled and will highlight first-hand accounts of how teachers employ defence mechanisms (&quot;performativities and fabrications&quot;) in order to resist evaluation as a form of bureaucratic and ideological control.
Mapping the Ethnographic Journey: A &quot;Road Map&quot; for Novice Researchers Wanting to Engage in Ethnography, Critical Theory and Policy Analysis
Author: Naidu, Sham
Date: 2012-03-06
Type: Information Analyses
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Critical Theory,Qualitative Research,Ethnography,Policy Analysis,Ethics,Researchers,Novices,Research Methodology,Figurative Language,Theories,Praxis,Interviews,Research Tools,Reflection,Interpersonal Communication,Guidelines,Research Utilization,Teacher Evaluation,Educational Policy,Teacher Attitudes,Semi Structured Interviews,Participant Observation,Evaluation Methods,Teaching Conditions

In this article, the &quot;researcher&quot; narrates the issues faced by novice researchers in choosing the correct lenses to conduct research when searching for the truth via the use of qualitative methodology. It is argued that choosing an appropriate research approach and methodology can be described as an &quot;arduous&quot; journey. For the inexperienced traveller [researcher], the journey may not run a straight course from beginning to end but the quest for new knowledge overcomes obstacles faced thereby enabling the traveller to transcend the actual. The ethnographic journey narrated here, describing the struggle to embrace qualitative research, the use of metaphors, using appropriate theory, choosing the correct lens, research as critical praxis, the characteristics of qualitative research, the emancipatory paradigm, appropriating critical theory, ethnography, &quot;partial ethnography&quot;, &quot;policy ethnography&quot;, &quot;critical policy ethnography&quot;, entering the field, managing reciprocal relationships, &quot;purposeful conversations&quot;, interviewer skills, ethical issues, ascertaining the truth and reflexivity, serves as a useful &quot;road map&quot; for other novice researchers wanting to embrace ethnographic research.
Using Student Progress to Evaluate Teachers: A Primer on Value-Added Models. Policy Information Perspective
Author: Braun, Henry I.
Date: 2005-09-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Teacher Evaluation,Teacher Effectiveness,Academic Achievement,Achievement Gains,Scores,Models,Statistical Analysis,Evaluation Problems,Federal Legislation,Educational Legislation

The concept is simple and attractive: Evaluate teachers on the basis of how much academic growth their students experience over the course of the school year. Often referred to as &quot;value-added,&quot; this concept and the statistical methods for implementing it have been a topic of debate in state legislatures and at state and national education conferences over the past decade. Recently, the concept and the practice have also been catching on in schools, districts and states across the country. Results from value-added models are already playing an increasing role in the process of identifying teachers in need of targeted professional development. But, as is often the case, the issues involved in implementing this seemingly straightforward idea are complex and pose both statistical and practical challenges. In this Policy Information Perspective, the author examines value-added models and concludes with advice for policymakers who are seeking to understand both the potential and the limitations inherent in using such models to evaluate teachers. While welcoming the possibility of introducing a quantitative component into the teacher evaluation process, the author counsels policymakers to move forward with caution, especially if high stakes are attached to the results. (Contains 48 footnotes.)
Researching Disturbed, Disturbing Art: Using Typography to Re/Present Educational Research
Author: Loveless, Douglas J.
Date: 2012-03-06
Type: Information Analyses
Subjects: Educational Research,Graphic Arts,Art Products,Case Studies,Elementary School Teachers,Teaching Experience,Research Methodology,Qualitative Research,Interviews

This paper argues that typography can be an affective re/presentational strategy when used as a medium within the research framework of arts-based inquiry. Grounded in a larger comparative case study exploring the experiences of two elementary teachers in south Texas, the purpose of this paper is to (1) situate typography within the field of arts-based inquiry, (2) explore typography as a research process and product, (3) examine interpretive aspects of typography as representations of research data, and (4) present a rationale for the use of typography in educational research. Purposeful and criterion sampling enabled the selection of teachers who were able to provide insight on the topic being investigated. Data includes open-ended interviews and typographies created by the researchers and participants in a collaborative process. As a nexus of both literary and visual art, typography conceives of an object by manipulating the visual form of language. This juxtaposition of language with art is appropriate and important in educational research, enabling the author/artist to communicate in a manner that provides insights into participants' experiences with space for emotion, interpretation, and reflection. (Contains 4 figures and 2 tables.)
The Effects of Differentiating Instruction by Learning Styles on Problem Solving in Cooperative Groups
Author: Westbrook, Amy F.
Date: 2011-04-25
Type: Dissertations/Theses - Masters Theses
Subjects: Individualized Instruction,Cognitive Style,Homogeneous Grouping,Cooperative Learning,Problem Solving,Mathematics Instruction,Student Attitudes,Action Research,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Grade 9,High School Students,Secondary School Mathematics,Scoring Rubrics,Attitude Measures,Answer Sheets,Student Surveys

It can be difficult to find adequate strategies when teaching problem solving in a standard based mathematics classroom. The purpose of this study was to improve students' problem solving skills and attitudes through differentiated instruction when working on lengthy performance tasks in cooperative groups. This action research studied for 15 days whether students in a treatment group (n = 28), who were grouped by learning styles (auditory, kinesthetic, and visual), would display greater ability learning the standards or display better attitudes towards problem solving when compared to a control group (n = 28) who were grouped in random cooperative groups. When the qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed, the results demonstrated that the treatment group did not show significant gains when compared to random cooperative groups. The following are appended: (1) Instructional Unit Plan: Quadratic Investigations; (2) Peer-Review Instructional Plan Rubric; (3) Unit 5 Math I Test: Factoring and Solving Quadratics; (4) Student Problem Solving Attitudes Scale; (5) Performance Task Answer Sheet; (6) Product Grading Rubric; (7) Learning Channel Preference; (8) Learning Style Menu; (9) Note Taking for Reflective Journal; (10) Reflective Journal Prompts; and (11) Learning Style Survey. (Contains 12 tables.)