ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Supporting New Teachers: What Do We Know about Effective State Induction Policies? Policy Snapshot
Author: Potemski, Amy
Date: 2014-05-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Beginning Teacher Induction,Beginning Teachers,Mentors,State Policy,Special Education,Special Education Teachers,English Language Learners,State Departments of Education,Teacher Effectiveness,Faculty Workload,Elementary Secondary Education

Finding effective ways to support all teachers--especially new and struggling teachers--has never been more critical. According to the U.S. Department of Education, approximately 419,000 new teachers will be hired in 2015 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2011). Estimates suggest that between 40 percent and 50 percent of these new teachers will leave the education workforce within five years (Ingersoll, 2012). Research suggests that induction programs can increase teacher retention rates--but this impact depends on the quality of supports provided (Ingersoll, 2012; Smith &amp; Ingersoll, 2004). A systematic approach to induction ensures that new teachers have the resources and supports they need to be effective in the classroom. Although this topic has gained much traction in the literature and in states and districts across the country, states continue to seek guidance on how to leverage their resources to create high-quality induction and mentoring programs. In this Policy Snapshot, the authors summarize existing research about induction and identify important state policy considerations for building a systematic, comprehensive approach to teacher induction. This brief also provides considerations for differentiating supports for special educators and teachers of English language learners (ELLs), which are often hard-to-staff positions. Although federal and local policies also have potential for positive impact, this policy snapshot focuses on the role of state education agencies. To help support states in making policy decisions, practical examples of mentoring policies and programs are also included.
The Evolution of Charter School Quality. Research Briefs in Economic Policy, Number 16
Author: Baude, Patrick
Date: 2014-12-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Charter Schools,Traditional Schools,Educational Improvement,Educational Quality,Reading Achievement,Mathematics Achievement,Public Schools,Governance

The role of charter schools in improving academic achievement is controversial, and existing evidence has led to contrasting conclusions about appropriate future policies. Past incongruous findings provide support for both advocates and opponents of charter schools. For a deeper understanding of charters as a market-oriented reform, it is necessary to examine the dynamics of the charter sector. The research of the authors on charter school quality in Texas brings new evidence to bear. Their analysis clearly indicates that charter school quality has improved over time. Figures presented in this brief report show the distribution of charter school quality initially lies to the left of that for traditional public schools but then converges and subsequently moves slightly to the right of the public school distribution. This improvement is the result of three consistent changes that are briefly discussed in this report.
Development of STEM Readiness Benchmarks to Assist Educational and Career Decision Making. ACT Research Report Series, 2015 (3)
Author: Mattern, Krista
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: STEM Education,Benchmarking,Majors (Students),College Freshmen,College Readiness,Career Readiness,Course Selection (Students),Required Courses,Grade Point Average,High Achievement,Academic Persistence,Regression (Statistics),Probability

Although about 40% of high school graduates who take the ACT® test express interest in pursuing a career in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field, the percentage of first-year students in college who declare a STEM major is substantially lower. The pool of prospective STEM workers shrinks further as the majority of STEM majors do not earn a STEM degree. A lack of academic preparation in science and mathematics has been offered as one explanation for the leaky STEM pipeline. The purpose of this research was to develop STEM readiness benchmarks to provide prospective students more tailored information on the level of knowledge and skills needed to have a reasonable chance of success in first-year STEM courses. The research had three components: Study 1-identified the mathematics and science courses that STEM majors take most often in the first year of college. In mathematics, the most prevalent course was Calculus. In science, multiple courses were identified as typically taken by STEM majors: Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, and Physics, Study 2-derived empirically based STEM readiness benchmarks in mathematics and science by estimating the ACT Mathematics and Science test scores associated with a 50% probability of earning a grade of a B or higher in the identified STEM courses. Specifically, the median ACT Mathematics score associated with a 50% probability of earning a B or higher grade in Calculus is 27. The median ACT Science score associated with a 50% probability of earning a B or higher grade in Chemistry, Biology, Physics, or Engineering is 25, and Study 3-validated the STEM readiness benchmarks on more distal indicators of success. Results demonstrated that STEM majors who met the STEM readiness benchmarks were more likely to earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, persist in a STEM major, and earn a STEM-related bachelor's degree. Providing STEM readiness information to prospective students may help facilitate the transition to college by aligning students' expectations with course demands. An appendix contains additional tables.
Use of Data to Support Teaching and Learning: A Case Study of Two School Districts. ACT Research Report Series, 2015 (1)
Author: Dougherty, Chrys
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Case Studies,School Districts,Research Reports,Information Utilization,Management Information Systems,Coaching (Performance),Teacher Evaluation,Accountability,Instructional Effectiveness,Academic Achievement,Teacher Supervision,Program Descriptions,Interviews,Classroom Observation Techniques,Meetings,Attendance,Referral,Student Surveys,Administrator Attitudes,Educational Quality,Information Sources,School Support,Enrollment Trends,College Readiness,Achievement Tests,Standardized Tests,Grades (Scholastic),Discipline,Graduation Rate,Dropout Rate,Teacher Surveys,Parent Surveys,Curriculum Development,Benchmarking,Mentors,Teacher Collaboration,Collegiality,Scheduling,Goal Orientation,Needs Assessment,Elementary Secondary Education,Educational Practices,Educational Policy

This report summarizes how school and district leaders and academic coaches in two Texas school districts used assessment and other types of data to assess the quality of teaching and learning, to coach and supervise teachers, and to guide management decisions. The report also describes how district and school leaders supported teachers' use of data. The results in this report are based on interviews with district and school leaders and academic coaches, supplemented by observations of teacher team meetings. The data most frequently used were from three- or nine-week tests and from classroom observations. School leaders also reported using data from non-assessment sources such as attendance, discipline referrals, and surveys to intervene with students and adjust school procedures. The following are appended: (1) Questions for District Leaders; (2) Questions for School Leaders; and (3) List of Codes Used for Interview Analysis.
Creating Coherence: Common Core State Standards, Teacher Evaluation, and Professional Learning. Special Issues Brief. Revised
Author: Leo, Sheri Frost
Date: 2013-10-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Academic Standards,State Standards,Alignment (Education),Core Curriculum,Program Implementation,Guidelines,Educational Policy,Teacher Evaluation,Educational Practices,Educational Change,Professional Education,Language Arts,Mathematics

This Special Issues Brief from the &quot;Center on Great Teachers and Leaders&quot; (GTL Center) introduces an approach to creating coherence among three potentially transformative instructional reforms: implementation of the Common Core State Standards for student learning, new standards-based teacher evaluation systems, and job-embedded professional learning designs. State, district, and school practitioners are requesting guidance on fitting these pieces together into a coherent plan for improving instruction. This brief aims to begin addressing this request by helping state education agency (SEA) staff guide practitioners through a coherence-building process. The brief is also intended for use by regional centers, SEA policymakers and staff, and regional support providers who aid districts in their local implementation of the Common Core State Standards, teacher evaluation systems, and professional learning. It is hoped the approach described in this brief can be useful to guide the policies, processes, and supports to districts to help them build an understanding of the connections between the Common Core, teacher evaluation, and professional learning. The following are appended: (1) Creating the Core Instructional Practices; and (2) Glossary of Key Terms.
Donating the Voucher: An Alternative Tax Treatment of Private School Enrollment. Research Briefs in Economic Policy, Number 1
Author: Samwick, Andrew
Date: 2014-05-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Enrollment,Taxes,Public Schools,Income,Community Surveys,Private Schools,Expenditure per Student,Tax Rates,Federal Government,School Districts,Educational Vouchers,Donors

In the United States, parents send about 10 percent of elementary and secondary school-age children to private schools, which through their accreditation meet the requirement that students receive an adequate education. By paying out of pocket for their children's private education, these families relieve a financial burden on local, state, and federal taxpayers, who would otherwise have to fund the public education of these children. If sending children to private schools generates a positive externality, then parents may be underutilizing private schools because they do not consider the financial benefit they provide others by sending their children to private schools. To see the implications of this externality for tax policy, consider that the current arrangement is equivalent to the following: all families with school-age children receive vouchers in an amount equal to the per pupil expenditures in their school district. Most families take these vouchers to their local public schools and redeem them for educational services. The others return the vouchers to the school district unclaimed. This voucher donation by parents who use private schools enables public school districts to reduce their expenditures on public education; this is the beneficial externality. The author's research examines one way to offset this externality: allow a federal (and possibly state) tax deduction for parents who send their children to private schools, in the amount of the per pupil expenditure in their local public schools. In this brief document, the author discusses his research on voucher donations and thoughts on allowing tax relief for parents sending their children to private schools. [For the full report, &quot;Donating the Voucher: An Alternative Tax Treatment of Private School Enrollment. NBER Working Paper No. 18525&quot;, see ED541254.]
Evaluating Evaluation Systems: Policy Levers and Strategies for Studying Implementation of Educator Evaluation. Policy Snapshot
Author: Matlach, Lauren
Date: 2015-03-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Evaluation Research,Evaluation,Teacher Evaluation,State Aid,State Action,Funding Formulas,Program Implementation,Case Studies,State Policy,Change Strategies,Evaluation Needs,Needs Assessment,Research Projects,Systems Analysis

Evaluation studies can provide feedback on implementation, support continuous improvement, and increase understanding of evaluation systems' impact on teaching and learning. Despite the importance of educator evaluation studies, states often need support to prioritize and fund them. Successful studies require expertise, time, and a shared commitment to conduct the research--from the state education agency down to the educators participating in the study. In this policy snapshot, we focus on how states can prioritize and fund studies of educator evaluation systems. We highlight the importance of studying evaluation implementation, share strategies for prioritizing and funding studies, and share examples of successful funding strategies from various states and districts, including the following: Connecticut, Nevada, Tennessee, Texas, Arizona, Maryland, District of Columbia, and Florida.
Expanding Opportunities: A College Choice Report for the Graduating Class of 2014. Part 1: Preferences and Prospects
Author: ACT, Inc.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: College Choice,Research Reports,High School Graduates,Educational Opportunities,Preferences,Testing Programs,College Readiness,Trend Analysis,Student Participation,Disclosure,Scores,School Registration,Grades (Scholastic),Academic Records,College Admission,School Counseling,College Bound Students,Educational Assessment,Educational Indicators

This College Choice Report series follows the ACT-tested high school graduating class of 2014, focusing on specific testing behaviors that may expand college opportunities available to students. This is an important topic for enrollment managers and admissions officers to consider, as students' participation in these testing behaviors have implications for colleges' chances to recruit, advise, and place these prospective students. Part 1 of this series, &quot;Preferences and Prospects&quot; (released October 2014), provides both 10-year trends and a profile of the current high school graduating class regarding such testing behaviors as the high school grade level in which students first took the ACT® college readiness assessment, the rate at which students elected to send score reports to colleges at the time of ACT registration, and the rate at which students opted into the ACT Educational Opportunity Service (EOS). The following key findings are summarized in this report: (1) More high school students than ever before take the ACT; (2) Students are taking the ACT earlier in high school; (3) More students withhold their test scores during ACT registration; (4) Additional score reports are rising, and most are sent by withholders;and (5) More students take advantage of the ACT Educational Opportunity Service.
The Condition of College &amp; Career Readiness 2014: National
Author: ACT, Inc.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Academic Aspiration,Academic Persistence,Academic Standards,Achievement Tests,African American Students,Alignment (Education),American Indian Students,Asian American Students,Benchmarking,Career Readiness,College Bound Students,College Entrance Examinations,College Readiness,Comparative Analysis,Core Curriculum,Economic Development,Educational Assessment,Educational Attainment,Educational Improvement,Educational Needs,Educational Practices,Educational Policy,English Instruction,Ethnicity,High School Graduates,Higher Education,Hispanic American Students,Mathematics Instruction,Occupational Aspiration,Pacific Islanders,Postsecondary Education,Race,Reading Instruction,Science Instruction,Scores,Secondary Education,State Standards,Student Behavior,White Students,Difficulty Level,Tables (Data)

Since 1959, ACT has collected and reported data on students' academic readiness for college. This annual report focuses on the progress of the graduating class of 2014 relative to college readiness on a national level. In 2014, 57% of the graduating class took the ACT® college readiness assessment. The increased number of test takers over the past several years enhances the breadth and depth of the data pool, which provides a comprehensive picture of the current graduating class in the context of readiness levels, and offers a glimpse of the emerging educational pipeline. This report is designed to help educators understand and answer the following questions: (1) Are your students prepared for college and career, and are your younger students on target?; (2) Are enough of your students taking core courses, and are those courses rigorous enough?; (3) What are the most popular majors/occupations, and what does the pipeline for each look like?; (4) What other dimensions of college and career readiness, like academic behaviors, should educators track?; and (5) How are educators tracking progress on STEM initiatives? The following key findings are discussed: (1) graduating class representation; (2) academic achievement; (3) opportunity for growth; (4) student aspirations; and (5) next steps for improving college and career readiness of students. This report contains notes. [For the 2013 report, see ED558039.]
The Condition of College &amp; Career Readiness 2013: National
Author: ACT, Inc.
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: College Readiness,Career Readiness,National Curriculum,Standards,State Standards,Benchmarking,High School Students,Reading Achievement,Science Achievement,Scores,Academic Accommodations (Disabilities),Profiles,Comparative Analysis,Employment Opportunities,College Entrance Examinations,Academic Achievement,Core Curriculum,STEM Education,Majors (Students),Academic Aspiration,Occupational Aspiration,College Attendance

For nearly a decade, ACT has measured student progress in the context of college readiness. This report is ACT's annual report on the college readiness of the high school graduating class of 2013. The data in this report provides insights to catalyze and guide efforts to improve college and career readiness for the next generation of young people now making their way through the US education system. In 2013, 54% of the graduating class took the ACT® college readiness assessment. The increased number of test takers over the past several years enhances the breadth and depth of the data pool, which provides a comprehensive picture of the current graduating class in the context of readiness levels, and offers a glimpse of the emerging educational pipeline. This report reflects the following modifications that were prompted by results of the 2012 ACT National Curriculum Survey®: (1) Reformatting the ACT College Readiness Standards--Language was reformatted to better facilitate comparison between the ACT College Readiness Standards and the Common Core State Standards; (2) Updating the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks--Routine monitoring of the predictive validity of the benchmarks indicated a need to update the Reading and Science Benchmarks; and (3) Changing ACT aggregate reporting practices to now include college-reportable scores for accommodated students--Beginning with the &quot;ACT Profile Report: Graduating Class 2013&quot; and &quot;The Condition of College &amp; Career Readiness 2013,&quot; ACT summary reports include results from all ACT-approved accommodated administrations that result in college-reportable ACT scores. Notes pertain to the following: (1) ACT® College Readiness Assessment; (2) ACT National Curriculum Survey®; (3) ACT College Readiness Benchmarks; (4) ACT College Readiness Standards; and (5) Career Fields and Projected Job Openings.
Through the Student's Eyes: A Perspective on Personalized Learning and Practice Guide for Teachers
Author: Redding, Sam
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Guides - Classroom - Teacher
Subjects: Individualized Instruction,Technology Uses in Education,Blended Learning,Classroom Environment,Teacher Role,Teacher Student Relationship,Family School Relationship,Student Motivation,Self Efficacy,Student Attitudes,Metacognition,Emotional Development,Individual Development,Lesson Plans

The standard definition of &quot;personalized learning&quot; stresses instruction that is varied in pace, method, objectives, and content for each student and tailored to the student's interests and preferences. Technology is seen as a means to efficiently manage this level of differentiation, access a cornucopia of learning opportunities and resources, and give the student greater control over his or her learning. This paper expands upon the standard definition of personalized learning to assert a multidimensional role for the teacher and vivify the place of motivation, metacognition, and social and emotional competency in personalized learning. Although this more comprehensive approach to personalized learning may be facilitated by technology, its tenets may be applied without technology or, more likely, in a blended context. Following an explication of this broader view of personalized learning, a lesson plan format is provided as a structure for personalizing learning.ended. The following is appended: Social and Emotional Learning Indicators.
&quot;High&quot; Achievers? Cannabis Access and Student Performance. CEP Discussion Paper No. 1340
Author: Marie, Olivier
Date: 2015-03-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Marijuana,Academic Achievement,Foreign Countries,Grades (Scholastic),Age Differences,Mathematics Skills,College Students,Public Policy,Ethnicity,Citizenship,Tourism,Retailing,Business Administration Education,Course Evaluation

This paper investigates how legal cannabis access affects student performance. Identification comes from an exceptional policy introduced in the city of Maastricht which discriminated legal access based on individuals' nationality. We apply a difference-in-difference approach using administrative panel data on over 54,000 course grades of local students enrolled at Maastricht University before and during the partial cannabis prohibition. We find that the academic performance of students who are no longer legally permitted to buy cannabis increases substantially. Grade improvements are driven by younger students, and the effects are stronger for women and low performers. In line with how THC consumption affects cognitive functioning, we find that performance gains are larger for courses that require more numerical/mathematical skills. We investigate the underlying channels using students' course evaluations and present suggestive evidence that performance gains are driven by improved understanding of material rather than changes in students' study effort. [This paper was produced as part of the Centre's Education Programme. The Centre for Economic Performance is financed by the Economic and Social Research Council.]
Schools: The Evidence on Academies, Resources and Pupil Performance. Paper No. EA023
Author: McNally, Sandra
Date: 2015-03-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Evidence,Academic Achievement,Performance Based Assessment,International Education,Teacher Effectiveness,Educational Quality,Educational Resources,Educational Policy,Educational Finance,Educational Assessment,Educational Indicators,Educational Improvement,National Curriculum,Basic Skills,Accountability,Professional Autonomy,Class Size,Free Schools,Elementary Secondary Education,Foreign Countries

England's performance in international tests of student achievement continues to be disappointing. Further improvement is essential not only for students' themselves but also for economic growth. This briefing considers the impact of Academies, school spending and teacher quality. Research evidence suggests that it is right to protect school budgets but too early to judge the Coalition's Academies policy. Although there was a large improvement in the first 200 schools (about 4 years after conversion), those schools were disadvantaged and underperforming (unlike the more recent academies) and the current programme is much larger scale. There is broad agreement that high quality teaching matters hugely for student achievement, but there is no magic national formula to bring this about.