ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Under What Assumptions Do Site-by-Treatment Instruments Identify Average Causal Effects?
Author: Reardon, Sean F.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Educational Research,Social Science Research,Research Design,Causal Models,Compliance (Psychology),Context Effect,Measures (Individuals)

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the assumptions that must be met if this--multiple site, multiple mediator--strategy, hereafter referred to as "MSMM," is to identify the average causal effects (ATE) in the populations of interest. The authors' investigation of the assumptions of the multiple-mediator, multiple-site IV model demonstrates that such models rely on a large number of non-trivial assumptions. Of most importance are the assumptions regarding the relationship between compliance and effect. Any correlation--whether within or between sites--between compliance (with respect to any mediator) and effect (again, of any mediator) will potentially bias the estimates of the effect of any mediator. Because individuals or groups (sites) with the most to gain from a specific practice (mediator) may be more likely to comply with treatment assignment, there is good reason to worry that compliance-effect covariances are non-zero in many cases.
Understanding the What Works Clearinghouse Standards for Regression Discontinuity Designs
Author: Deke, John
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Educational Research,Intervention,Context Effect,Identification,Research Design,Regression (Statistics),Standards,Cutting Scores,Control Groups,Researchers,Educational Improvement,Goal Orientation

Regression discontinuity designs (RDDs) are considered to be one of the strongest nonexperimental designs available for the purpose of identifying the effects of an intervention. RDD can be used in situations in which assignment to a treatment group is based on a cutoff value on a continuous assignment variable. The impact of the intervention is calculated as the regression-adjusted difference in the predicted outcomes for treatment and control group members at the cutoff value of the assignment variable. The purpose of this paper is to explain the RDD standards and some of their implications for researchers who are designing new RDD studies. Based on the involvement in the development of these standards, the authors hope to help researchers better understand the standards, what they can do to design and conduct studies that are more likely to meet these standards, and how the standards might evolve in the future.
Assessing Compliance-Effect Bias in the Two Stage Least Squares Estimator
Author: Reardon, Sean
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Least Squares Statistics,Bias,Compliance (Psychology),Context Effect,Educational Research,Measures (Individuals),Intervention,Simulation,Models

The proposed paper studies the bias in the two-stage least squares, or 2SLS, estimator that is caused by the compliance-effect covariance (hereafter, the compliance-effect bias). It starts by deriving the formula for the bias in an infinite sample (i.e., in the absence of finite sample bias) under different circumstances. Specifically, it considers the following cases: (1) A single site study with one mediator; (2) A multiple site study with one mediator; and (3) A multiple site study with multiple mediators. The formulas demonstrate how the magnitude of the compliance-effect bias varies with different parameters (e.g., compliance-effect correlation, mean and variance of the compliance and effect) in infinite samples. However, as the situation under consideration gets more complicated, the bias formula quickly becomes intractable. The second part of the paper, therefore, uses simulations to demonstrate the relationship between the compliance-effect bias and various parameters, as well as the behavior of the estimated 2SLS standard errors. Furthermore, the simulation exercise assesses how the compliance-effect bias interacts with the finite sample bias when the analysis sample is small or when the instrument is weak. The paper also uses simulations to compare the properties of the 2SLS estimator with those of the ordinary least squares (OLS) estimator in the presence of the compliance-effect bias, the finite sample bias, and the omitted variable bias. (Contains 6 footnotes.)
Mediation and Spillover Effects in Group-Randomized Trials with Application to the 4Rs Evaluation
Author: VanderWeele, Tyler J.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Educational Research,Classroom Environment,Research Design,Inferences,Control Groups,Intervention,Reading Programs,Literacy,Conflict Resolution,Interpersonal Competence,Program Evaluation,Elementary Education

In this paper the authors extend recent work on mediation in a multilevel setting and on causal inference under interference among units to develop a template for the mediation analysis of group randomized educational interventions. The present work will contribute to the literature on interference, in particular on interference in the context of mediation analysis. They will show that not only does the total effect of the intervention decompose into a direct effect and an indirect effect mediated through classroom quality but also that the indirect effect itself decomposes into an effect mediated through the quality of a child's own classroom and a spillover effect from the quality of the other classrooms at a school. They will give some results for the identification of these direct, indirect and spillover effects and consider the consequences of ignoring interference when it is in fact present. They will then analyze the effects of the Reading, Writing, Respect and Resolution (4Rs) intervention in a group randomized trial. (Contains 1 table.)
Using a Virtual Classroom to Teach Online Mathematics
Author: Lu, Yun
Date: 2011-05-18
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Virtual Classrooms,Web Based Instruction,Synchronous Communication,Asynchronous Communication,Web Sites,Instructional Effectiveness,Guidelines,Course Evaluation,Mathematics Instruction,Communication Strategies,Educational Technology,Online Courses,Computer Mediated Communication,Computer Software,Electronic Learning,Distance Education,College Students,Student Attitudes,Student Surveys

The purpose of this study was to share the author's experience of using the virtual classroom when teaching online mathematics course. Various softwares including MyMathLab and Wimba are introduced and the teaching methods and tips are provided and analyzed. Results show that the use of the virtual classroom enhance the communication in the online mathematics teaching. Educators are recommended to adapt the virtual classroom to enhance their communication.
Shining a Light on College Remediation in Colorado: The Predictive Utility of the ACT for Colorado and the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP)
Author: Lefly, Dianne L.
Date: 2011-03-01
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Postsecondary Education,Remedial Instruction,National Competency Tests,State Government,State Legislation,Alignment (Education),School Readiness,Middle School Teachers,Prediction,Academic Achievement,Strategic Planning,Data Analysis,Test Results,Grade 6,Grade 8,Program Effectiveness

The purpose of this study was to examine postsecondary readiness for 17,499 Colorado students by exploring the congruence between middle school and high school state assessment results (Colorado State Assessment Program) from 2007, ACT results from 2008 and the need for remediation for Colorado students who graduated from high school in the spring of 2009 and entered a Colorado postsecondary institution in fall 2009. By examining the assessment results for these students from as early as the sixth grade, it was clear that if students were not proficient on the state assessment in sixth grade, they were likely to require remediation in their first year of college. If middle school teachers would analyze the state assessment data for this purpose they would be better able to identify which students are very likely be postsecondary ready and which students are not. Also teachers could use the assessment results to target the academic skills of struggling students early in middle school to focus on preparing them to be postsecondary ready. The eighth grade results could be used to gauge how successful the middle and K-8 schools have been in moving students toward Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR). High schools could use the data from the middle school years to target incoming ninth graders who are not yet proficient on the state assessment. More precise use of state assessment data could focus educators on the ultimate goal of developing postsecondary- and workforce-ready students in all grades, not just those for which graduation is rapidly approaching. Five appendixes present: (1) USDOE approval letter; (2) Colorado College Ready Indicators; (3) Figures 2 through 5; (4) ACT's College Readiness Standards; and (5) information on CSAP [Colorado state assessment] proficiency in each content area. (Contains 9 footnotes, 22 tables, and 5 figures.)
The Magnitude, Destinations, and Determinants of Mathematics and Science Teacher Turnover. CPRE Research Report # RR-66
Author: Ingersoll, Richard M.
Date: 2010-10-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Public Schools,Teacher Persistence,Labor Turnover,Science Teachers,Faculty Mobility,Mathematics Teachers,Predictor Variables,Incidence,Career Choice,Interest Inventories,School Statistics,Occupational Surveys,Teacher Attitudes,Organizational Theories,Questionnaires,Administrator Attitudes,Comparative Analysis,Educational Research,Data Analysis,Etiology,Performance Factors,Personnel Data,Personnel Management

This study examines the magnitude, destinations, and determinants of the departures of mathematics and science teachers from public schools. The data are from the National Center for Education Statistics' nationally representative Schools and Staffing Survey and its longitudinal supplement, the Teacher Follow-up Survey. Our analyses show that rates of mathematics and science teacher turnover, both those moving between schools and those leaving teaching altogether, have increased over the past two decades, but have not been consistently different than those of non-mathematics/science teachers. Mathematics and science teachers who left teaching were also no more likely than other teachers to take non-education jobs, such as in technological fields, or to be working for private business or industry. The data also show that, like other teachers, there are large school-to-school differences in mathematics and science turnover. High poverty, high minority, and urban public schools have among the highest mathematics and science turnover levels. In the case of cross-school migration, the data show there is an annual asymmetric reshuffling of a significant portion of the mathematics and science teaching force from poor to not poor schools, from high-minority to low-minority schools, and from urban to suburban schools. However, our multivariate analyses showed that a number of key organizational characteristics and conditions of schools accounted for these school differences in turnover. The strongest factors for mathematics teachers were the degree of individual classroom autonomy held by teachers, the provision of useful professional development, and the degree of student discipline problems. For science teachers, the strongest factors were the maximum potential salary offered by school districts, the degree of student discipline problems in schools, and useful professional development. (Contains 3 figures, 8 tables and 8 endnotes.)
A Study of Chicago New Teacher Center Induction Coaching in Chicago Public Schools: 2009-2010
Author: Lesnick, Joy
Date: 2010-11-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Public Schools,Formative Evaluation,Teacher Centers,Beginning Teachers,Beginning Teacher Induction,Mentors,Professional Development,Coaching (Performance),Learner Engagement,Interprofessional Relationship,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Program Effectiveness,Interviews,Observation

To support new teachers during the challenging transition to the profession, schools and districts across the country often establish induction supports such as professional development, mentorship, and coaching. This report describes the findings of a research study designed to examine how the Chicago implementation of the New Teacher Center (NTC) induction model supports teachers who are new to the profession. As part of this model, CNTC provides beginning teachers in Chicago Public Schools with an individual coach who acts as an expert colleague. This study looks specifically at the ways in which coaches supported beginning teachers toward becoming autonomous professionals. The study was designed as a formative evaluation to inform the organizational knowledge and decision making at the Chicago New Teacher Center; as such, the findings are meant to be reflective and descriptive. Appended are: (1) Sample, Data Collection, and Analytic Methods; and (2) Summary of the Coaching Log Analysis. (Contains 6 figures, 5 boxes and 15 footnotes.)
From Testing to Teaching: The Use of Interim Assessments in Classroom Instruction. CPRE Research Report # RR-65
Author: Goertz, Margaret E.
Date: 2009-12-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Elementary School Mathematics,Formative Evaluation,Data Analysis,Elementary School Teachers,Teaching Methods,Mathematics Instruction,Case Studies,School Policy,Board of Education Policy,Professional Development,Educational Improvement,Instructional Effectiveness,Student Evaluation,Summative Evaluation,Evaluation Methods,Interviews,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Principals,Leadership Responsibility,Accountability

The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine the use of interim assessments and the policy supports that promote use to improve instruction, focusing on elementary school mathematics. The authors use the term &quot;interim assessments&quot; to refer to assessments that a) evaluate student knowledge and skills, typically within a limited time frame; and b) the results of which can be easily aggregated and analyzed across classrooms, schools, or even districts. Drawing on in-depth case studies of nine elementary schools located in two school districts, this study addresses four questions: (1) What policy supports at the school and district levels enhance the use of interim assessments to change instruction? How does instructional support, the nature of professional development, the sophistication of local data systems, and the school- and teacher-level incentives for improved instruction affect teachers' use of interim assessment data?; (2) How do elementary school teachers, individually and collectively, learn from interim assessment results in mathematics and apply that knowledge to instructional decisions about content, pedagogy, and working with individual students?; (3) In what ways are interim assessments situated within the wider context of teachers' formative assessment practices and tools?; and (4) What is the relationship among teacher capacity, analysis of assessment information, and teaching practice? This paper synthesizes the study's findings and discusses implications for the design of more effective interim assessment policies and practices. Each chapter contains figures, footnotes and references.
Learning Trajectories in Mathematics: A Foundation for Standards, Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction. CPRE Research Report # RR-68
Author: Daro, Phil
Date: 2011-01-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Mathematics Education,Instructional Effectiveness,Learning Processes,Educational Strategies,Mathematics Instruction,Educational Assessment,Academic Standards,Mathematics Curriculum,Mathematics Achievement,State Standards,Core Curriculum,Mathematical Concepts,Response to Intervention,Educational Policy,Guidelines

The concept of learning progressions offers one promising approach to developing the knowledge needed to define the &quot;track&quot; that students may be on, or should be on Learning progressions can inform teachers about what to expect from their students. They provide an empirical basis for choices about when to teach what to whom Learning progressions identify key waypoints along the path in which students' knowledge and skills are likely to grow and develop in school subjects. Such waypoints could form the backbone for curriculum and instructionally meaningful assessments and performance standards. In mathematics education, these progressions are more commonly labeled learning trajectories. These trajectories are empirically supported hypotheses about the levels or waypoints of thinking, knowledge, and skill in using knowledge, that students are likely to go through as they learn mathematics and, one hopes, reach or exceed the common goals set for their learning. Trajectories involve hypotheses both about the order and nature of the steps in the growth of students' mathematical understanding, and about the nature of the instructional experiences that might support them in moving step by step toward the goals of school mathematics. This report aims to provide a useful introduction to current work and thinking about learning trajectories for mathematics education; why everyone should care about these questions; and how to think about what is being attempted, casting some light on the varying, and perhaps confusing, ways in which the terms trajectory, progression, learning, teaching, and so on, are being used by the authors and their colleagues in this work. Appended are: (1) A Sample of Mathematics Learning Trajectories; and (2) OGAP Multiplicative Reasoning Framework-Multiplication. (Contains 2 figures, 1 table and 18 footnotes.) [This report was prepared with Jeffrey Barrett, Jere Confrey, Wakasa Nagakura, Michael Battista, Vinci Daro, Marge Petit, Douglas Clements, Alan Maloney and Julie Sarama.]
YOUmedia Chicago: Reimagining Learning, Literacies, and Libraries--A Snapshot Of Year 1. Working Paper
Author: Austin, Kimberly
Date: 2010-03-02
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Research Methodology,Adolescents,Public Libraries,Learning Motivation,Electronic Learning,Library Services,Access to Computers,High School Students,Program Implementation,Program Effectiveness,Partnerships in Education,Learning Activities,Web Sites,Social Networks,Computer Literacy,Influence of Technology,Computer Uses in Education,Informal Education,Program Descriptions,Urban Education

With the rise in the number of types of digital media and the time youth spend on these platforms, researchers theorize that interacting with digital media can provide significant motivation for youth to participate, create, and become active learners. The Consortium on Chicago School Research, with funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, is in the process of studying the impact of a new youth-centered digital learning initiative at the Chicago Public Library. This space, called YOUmedia, is aimed at providing useful and engaging learning experiences for high school teens through access to new and traditional media. This snapshot report presents an overview of strengths and weaknesses of the program and details some of the changes that took place in year one. Appended are: (1) Creation of Partnerships; (2) Research Methods; and (3) Structured Activities at YOUmedia. (Contains 3 figures and 23 endnotes.)
Achieving Ambitious Goals: Case Studies of Scaling-Up Programs for Advancing Low-Skilled Adults
Author: Endel, Barbara
Date: 2011-05-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Credentials,Community Colleges,Measures (Individuals),Program Effectiveness,Organizational Change,Access to Education,Academic Persistence,Grants,Case Studies,Skill Development,Job Skills

A college credential is essential for individuals seeking to earn family-supporting wages. However, over 90 million Americans face considerable barriers in obtaining the basic academic skills necessary to enroll in college-level courses. Research, combined with the challenges experienced daily by those in the workforce development field, has led individuals to expect--and even accept--that nothing will change this situation for a large proportion of millions of men and women. Attaining significantly better outcomes requires transformations in policy and in practice, but it begins with a commitment: to believe in and support the advancement of low-skilled, low-literacy students to and through college-credential programs. That is what &quot;Breaking Through&quot; set out to do when Jobs for the Future and the National Council for Workforce Education launched the initiative in 2004. Transformational change begins with an institutional affirmation to help all students enter and succeed in college, especially those with the most need. In 2009, five community colleges received $40,000 grants from the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation to scale up their &quot;Breaking Through&quot; programs. The case studies in this report were prepared for practitioners, policymakers, foundation staff members, and others interested in strategies to advance low-skilled adults to increasingly higher levels of learning. The case studies illustrate how &quot;Breaking Through&quot; promotes scale and impact along a number of fronts, using data to stimulate institutional change and ensure that students progress along their pathways toward credentials or degrees. &quot;Breaking Through&quot; colleges commit to collecting data on several core indicators and to taking part in comparison-group analyses in order to measure impact. [This paper was written with Jeremy Kelley.]
Innovations in Developmental Math: Community Colleges Enhance Support for Nontraditional Students
Author: Le, Cecilia
Date: 2011-04-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Nontraditional Students,Technical Institutes,Community Colleges,Developmental Programs,College Students,College Preparation,Mathematics Instruction,College Mathematics,At Risk Students,Online Courses,Student Needs,Blended Learning,Remedial Mathematics

Nearly 60 percent of incoming community college students are unprepared for college-level work and must take at least one pre-college, &quot;developmental&quot; course, usually in math or English, before enrolling in any credit-bearing classes toward a degree. Within developmental education, students are most likely to need help with mathematics, and students who enter community college needing to take developmental math fare the worst in terms of outcomes making this an issue that deeply affects students. Lack of readiness for college math is as damaging as it is widespread. Students are more likely to fail developmental mathematics than any other course in higher education, according to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Thus, it is not surprising that many students referred to developmental math choose to bypass such courses and services, without knowing the detrimental consequences of this decision on their overall educational goals. This brief looks at three community colleges that have made significant investments in programs to improve student success in developmental math. These colleges are spotlighted for their implementation of the varied approaches to developmental math described above and for their ability to demonstrate outcomes for their students. The community colleges featured in this brief are: (1) Florence-Darlington Technical College in South Carolina; (2) Delaware County Community College in Pennsylvania; and (3) Chaffey College in California. (Contains 4 tables and 11 endnotes.)