ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Moving Young Learners Forward: How to Fix No Child Left Behind
Author: Bornfreund, Laura
Date: 2015-03-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Educational Legislation,Federal Legislation,Preschool Education,Primary Education,English Language Learners,Accountability,Educational Finance,Educational Policy,Elementary Secondary Education

Pre-K and other early learning programs have generated growing interest over the past several years. More and more states are developing pre-K programs, and some states and local communities are thinking about how to better connect and coordinate children's pre-K experiences and learning with what happens in kindergarten and the early grades. At present, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) does very little to encourage states to focus significant resources beyond the tested grades and subject areas. This means that states generally don't spend much money, energy, or reflection on those grades. Right now, most federal incentives are primarily targeted at 3rd grade and above because that is where NCLB's annual assessments kick in. Schools are held accountable for student achievement in these grades. Elementary schools are not held accountable for what happens in the early grades and pre-K (if it is under their umbrella). Unless principals are playing the long game, they are more likely to put precious resources and effort into the upper elementary grades. As Congress works to find common ground in the reauthorization of The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the authors present ideas that have been proposed for incorporating a more robust focus on PreK-3rd grades and supporting early learners in a newly authorized ESEA. Ideas for how to improve the federal government's education policies for dual language learners are also offered. [The New America Education Policy Program's work is made possible through generous grants from the Alliance for Early Success; the Annie E. Casey Foundation; the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; the Grable Foundation; the Foundation for Child Development; the Joyce Foundation; the Kresge Foundation; Lumina Foundation; the Pritzker Children's Initiative; the McKnight Foundation; Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund; the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; and the W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation.]
RIT Stability through the Transition to Common Core-Aligned MAP® Tests. How Using MAP to Measure Student Learning Growth is Reliable Now and in 2014
Author: Northwest Evaluation Association
Date: 2013-02-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Achievement Tests,Computer Assisted Testing,Adaptive Testing,Item Response Theory,Achievement Gains,Test Reliability,Academic Standards,State Standards,Scores,Test Norms,Alignment (Education),Elementary Secondary Education

While many educators expect the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) to be more rigorous than previous state standards, some wonder if the transition to CCSS and to a Common Core aligned MAP test will have an impact on their students' RIT scores or the NWEA norms. MAP assessments use a proprietary scale known as the RIT (Rasch unit) scale to measure student achievement and growth. The RIT scale, based on item response theory (IRT), has been used since the late 1970s by NWEA and is a proven, stable scale for educational assessment. The principle behind the RIT scale is simple: Test questions vary in difficulty and can be given a score on the RIT scale. A student's achievement level can then be measured on the same scale by referencing the questions they were able to answer correctly. Every item in MAP tests is calibrated against one of the stable RIT scales: Reading, Language, Math or Science. Student responses on these items are used to generate a final RIT score for each student. An individual item with its associated RIT value may appear in tests aligned to various learning standards, such as state standards and the Common Core State Standards. Regardless of the standards alignment of a particular test, a given item has a single RIT value associated with it. This RIT value is obtained using a rigorous calibration process in which each item is field tested with thousands of students across the nation. The purpose of MAP tests is to measure growth by examining RIT scores over time. If two different MAP tests are on the same scale (e.g. Math) and measure similar constructs, then scores for these two tests can be compared directly. MAP tests aligned to CCSS, as well as other state standards (state-aligned) on a given scale, measure similar constructs due to the high degree of content overlap among learning standards. This underlying design of MAP tests is critical to ensuring that RIT scores carry the same meaning, in terms of student ability, regardless of which test was used to obtain them. Because the RIT scales are independent of standards alignment, transitioning between two tests is not anticipated to have a significant impact, however, States that are transitioning (or who have already transitioned) to teaching the CCSS, and are working to understand the gap between their state standards and what's required by the CCSS, are seeing some key shifts. Those shifts are detailed in this report, and questions and answers are provided.
Reporting of NSC Additional (A2) Data Elements. Updated July 29, 2014
Author: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center
Date: 2014-07-29
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Databases,Student Records,Enrollment,Postsecondary Education,Colleges,Academic Degrees,Full Time Students,Gender Differences,High Schools,Student Characteristics,Racial Differences,Ethnic Groups,Two Year Colleges,Public Colleges,Private Colleges,Majors (Students),Academic Persistence,Undergraduate Students,Graduate Students,Reports

Since the 2008-09 academic year, the National Student Clearinghouse has provided its participating institutions with the option to include 13 additional data elements in their enrollment submissions. These additional data elements help make Clearinghouse data more comprehensive and enable StudentTracker? participants to utilize a more robust data set, thus gaining a greater understanding of prospective, current, and former students. Additionally, postsecondary institutions are eligible to receive StudentTracker for free when three particular data elements are populated for more than half of the students in their enrollment submissions: Class/Credential Level, College Student ID, and Current Major or CIP Code. (To receive StudentTracker for free, an institution must also participate in the free DegreeVerify? and EnrollmentVerify? services.) Since it is optional for institutions to report these elements, researchers may find it helpful to know how frequently these elements have been reported. The subsequent pages of this document provide this information for the last six academic years, disaggregated by institutional sector. In this analysis, the denominator is the number of distinct student-school enrollment combinations submitted to the Clearinghouse for any given academic year (based on the term begin date of an enrollment record). It should be noted that a typical postsecondary institution submits enrollment data to the Clearinghouse multiple times throughout the year. This analysis considers only the most recently reported enrollment record for any student-school combination in any given year.
Using NSC StudentTracker for High Schools Reports: &quot;Considerations for Measuring the College Enrollment Rates of High School Graduates&quot;
Author: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center
Date: 2014-12-19
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Enrollment Rate,High School Graduates,College Students,Colleges,Data,Accuracy

Thousands of high schools currently use StudentTracker reports from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center to measure how many of their graduates go on to college, where, and how many persist to graduation. The reports were designed to help schools to measure their success in preparing students for college, and to evaluate the effectiveness of college access programs and curricula. Increasingly, the results are also being used to inform accountability metrics for schools, districts and states concerned about the performance of secondary schools. In many cases, these metrics are published without fully explaining the source and nature of the data and its limitations. As the most comprehensive source of national student-level college enrollment data, the Clearinghouse is committed to providing transparency regarding the quality, reliability and accuracy of its data, and of the reports that can be derived from it. The belief is that the more the data users understand about the data, the better equipped they will be to use it wisely. This document is intended to inform high schools and districts about what to expect from National Student Clearinghouse data accessed through StudentTracker reports.
Slowing Entropy: Instructional Policy Design in New York City, 2011-12. Policy Brief #14-3
Author: Supovitz, Jonathan
Date: 2014-10-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Instructional Design,Educational Policy,Policy Formation,State Standards,Administrative Principles,Program Implementation,Design Preferences,Best Practices,Educational Administration,Change Strategies

How do policymakers craft policies, particularly centered on the Common Core State Standards, to be more resilient and less likely to disintegrate during enactment? Researcher Jonathan Supovitz in &quot;Slowing Entropy: Instructional Policy Design in New York City, 2011-12&quot; examines the design of a New York City Department of Education policy intended to engage teachers and principals across NYC with the instructional challenges of Common Core State Standards (CCSS). This summary provides an instructive backstory to some of the thought processes of the policy architects and provides insight into the way that careful policymaking can be more resilient to decay as it enters the rough-and-tumble reality of school communities.
Interstate Mobility. Snapshot™ Report, Spring 2015
Author: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Student Mobility,Undergraduate Students,College Graduates,Enrollment

Nationally, 14.6 percent of all 2013-14 college graduates attended college in at least one other state or territory in the 10 years prior to receiving a credential. The comparable figure for 2010-11 graduates was 13.9 percent. As shown in the map presented in this document, for each state and territory, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center has calculated the percentage of undergraduate credential completers in the 2013-14 academic year who had prior enrollments in at least one other state or territory. The median per state/territory was 17.5 percent.
Optimizing Reverse Transfer Policies and Processes: Lessons from Twelve CWID States. Thought Paper
Author: Taylor, Jason L.
Date: 2015-01-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Transfer Programs,Transfer Policy,College Transfer Students,Associate Degrees,Bachelors Degrees,Partnerships in Education,State Legislation,Program Implementation,Educational Change,Eligibility,Identification,State Policy,Student Participation,Informed Consent,Academic Records,Audits (Verification),Academic Advising

In 2012, five foundations launched the Credit When Its Due (CWID) initiative that was &quot;designed to encourage partnerships of community colleges and universities to significantly expand programs that award associate degrees to transfer students when the student completes the requirements for the associate degree while pursuing a bachelor's degree&quot; (Lumina Foundation, 2012, n.p.), also known as &quot;reverse transfer.&quot; Initially, 12 states (Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Oregon) were funded to develop and implement these reverse transfer programs and policies, and the Office of Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was chosen as the research partner. In late 2013, three states (Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas) were added to bring the total number of states to 15. At least six additional states have legislation, pending legislation, or statewide initiatives related to reverse transfer. This thought paper describes changes that are occurring at the state, system, and institution levels with implementation of reverse transfer in the 12 original states. Using qualitative and quantitative data collected from the CWID Implementation Study, the authors describe efforts related to the optimization of reverse transfer in these 12 states. The authors define optimization as policy and program change at any level--state, system, or institution--that yields the largest number of students who are eligible for and able to benefit from reverse transfer. The initial results suggest that some states are piloting reverse transfer with a limited set of public community college and university partnerships, and others are striving for system-level reforms that eventually may impact all forms of transfer. Understanding what optimization means and how it works is possible because of this variation in implementation approaches among states, and this thought paper explores how states are implementing and optimizing reverse transfer.
Utilizing Readiness Tools to Support Student Success. Fact Sheet
Author: Children Now
Date: 2015-02-10
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: School Readiness,State Standards,Educational Planning,Alignment (Education),Kindergarten,Predictor Variables,Success,Measures (Individuals),Developmentally Appropriate Practices

Every teacher, principal, and school administrator wants their young students to thrive as they move through the transitional kindergarten and kindergarten years and into the early elementary grades. With the implementation of the Common Core State Standards and the Local Control Funding Formula, school districts have new opportunities to strengthen support for young learners. When students' strengths and areas for growth are identified and addressed early in their education, they are better prepared for future success. And when districts and communities broadly understand the readiness trends of students entering kindergarten, they can plan and allocate resources to ensure children are supported as early as possible. The statewide use of a uniform, valid, and reliable readiness assessment tool that measures children's learning and development holistically also provides the state with a meaningful way to gauge the diverse and changing needs of its youngest learners. State leaders need this information to better inform early childhood and K-12 planning and resource allocation, as well as to assess the impact of early learning investments and school readiness trends over time. Over half of the states (29) in the country collect kindergarten readiness information in a state-level data system, but unfortunately California is not one of them. There are promising readiness assessment tools that can be used for statewide purposes. However, successful statewide implementation of a readiness tool will require local- and state-level resources and support, as well as leadership, to build momentum among local educational leaders and other key stakeholders across the state. Therefore, policymakers must also play a role in moving California towards a universal, school readiness assessment system that provides uniform data on our state's youngest learners to support their future success by guiding smart and efficient policies at the state level and teaching practices in the classroom.
Community College Online
Author: Fishman, Rachel
Date: 2015-02-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Two Year College Students,Community Colleges,Student Characteristics,Undergraduate Students,Dropouts,Technology Uses in Education,Public Colleges,Teaching Methods,Barriers,Student Needs,Access to Education,Online Courses,Student Employment,Parents,Nontraditional Students,Commuting Students,Part Time Students,Remedial Instruction,Place of Residence,Income,Minority Group Students,Distance Education,Blended Learning,Competency Based Education,College Transfer Students,Student Financial Aid,Faculty Development

This report explores the demographics of community college students and how they compare to those in other sectors of higher education. Next, it reviews the common reasons undergraduate students stop their studies or drop out. The report then examines technology-enhanced education in community colleges and presents several case studies showing how the public two-year sector can use technology to improve content delivery, student support, credential attainment, and transfer. It concludes with a list of recommendations on how to remove the barriers that impede the flexibility needed by community college students for institutional, state, and federal policymakers. [The New America Education Policy Program's work is made possible through generous grants from the Alliance for Early Success; the Annie E. Casey Foundation; the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; the Grable Foundation; the Foundation for Child Development; the Joyce Foundation; the Kresge Foundation; Lumina Foundation; the Pritzker Children's Initiative; the McKnight Foundation; Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund; the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; and the W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation.]
Building a Lattice for School Leadership: The Top-to-Bottom Rethinking of Leadership Development in England and What It Might Mean for American Education. Research Report #RR-83
Author: Supovitz, Jonathan
Date: 2014-10-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Leadership Training,Professional Development,Instructional Leadership,Management Development,Social Networks,Certification,Accountability,Educational Improvement,Educational Change

This report examines the educational leadership development system in England over the last 15 years to identify ideas American leaders and policymakers might learn from looking cross-nationally. The report describes the rise of the National College for School Leadership in England, which spearheaded much of the early policy development and enactment and the subsequent governmental shift towards a more decentralized policy of fostering school networks. Supovitz envisions the potential assimilation of these two movements into an integrated lattice for school leadership. The lattice for school leadership in England is the careful integration of formal and social learning opportunities for leaders. It features a centrally developed, high-quality leadership development program combined with lateral social networks. These complementary elements of leadership development are carefully enmeshed in a system that provides clear responsibilities for multiple levels of leadership within schools, incentives for identifying and grooming leadership within schools, pathways for leadership progression, and certification for leader attainments. All of these elements are supported by an accountability structure that emphasizes the contribution of school leadership and teaching in school improvement. [Includes a foreword by Andy Hargreaves. For the companion Policy Brief, &quot;Building a Lattice for School Leadership: Lessons from England. Policy Brief #15-1,&quot; see ED558746.]
School-Based Health Centers Make Sense: Ensuring All Kids Have Access to the Health Care They Need to Be Healthy and Safe, and to Do Their Best in School. Issue Brief
Author: Children Now
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: School Health Services,Access to Health Care,Child Health,School Community Programs,Health Promotion

School-based health centers (SBHCs) are an innovative and effective way to address California's severe health care access problem among children. By providing critical health care services to kids in school, SBHCs ensure children get the medical, mental health, and dental care they need to be healthy and safe, and to support their ability to learn. It's clear that learning and good health are entwined: education outcomes improve along with the health of students. For these and other reasons outlined in this brief, offering health services to children where they are--at school--just makes sense.
Better Policies for Dual Language Learners: Bridging Research, Policy, Implementation, and Classroom Practice
Author: Williams, Conor P.
Date: 2015-02-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Educational Practices,Educational Policy,Educational Research,Program Implementation,Alignment (Education),Best Practices,Bilingual Education,Instructional Innovation,Convergent Thinking,Focus Groups,Public Education,Context Effect,State Action,School Districts,Barriers,Information Needs,Needs Assessment,English Language Learners,Educational Change,Change Strategies

On December 11, 2014, &quot;New America&quot; convened a group of leading experts on dual language learners (DLLs) to launch its new Dual Language Learners National Work Group. The group aimed to address three questions: (1) What are the key best practices for dual language learner instruction, policy, and research?; (2) What are the areas of substantive agreement on best practices? How can we convert this into meaningful policy reform?; and (3) Are there areas where dual language learner stakeholders substantively disagree to such a degree that it impedes progress? This brief offers both a summary of the Work Group's founding event and a rough synthesis of the core messages from the day's discussions. [The New America Education Policy Program's work is made possible through generous grants from the Alliance for Early Success; the Annie E. Casey Foundation; the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; the Grable Foundation; the Foundation for Child Development; the Joyce Foundation; the Kresge Foundation; Lumina Foundation; the Pritzker Children's Initiative; the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; and the W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation.]
The 2015-16 Pro-Kid Policy Agenda for California: A Guide to Pro-Kid Policymaking
Author: Children Now
Date: 2015-01-14
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Advocacy,Well Being,Child Development,Minority Group Children,Low Income Groups,Poverty,Social Justice,Child Health,Elementary Secondary Education,Preschool Education,Early Childhood Education,Child Welfare,Juvenile Justice,Access to Education,School Community Relationship,Educational Finance,Academic Standards,STEM Education,Accountability,Teacher Effectiveness,Educational Innovation,Access to Health Care,Educational Technology

The 2015-16 Pro-Kid Policy Agenda for California is the only comprehensive roadmap at the state level for policymakers, stakeholders, and others who want all children--especially children of color and children from low-income families--to have the opportunity to reach their full potential. A plethora of research shows that investments in quality programs for kids more than pay for themselves in terms of increased earnings and revenues and a stronger overall economy, and decreases healthcare, corrections, and other public costs later on. Given the far-reaching impact of ensuring that all kids have the supports they need, the Pro-Kid Agenda is a critical component of the other major agendas facing the state, including the anti-poverty, pro-economic growth, social justice, governmental efficiency, equity, pro-safety, and pro-family support agendas. Yet unlike many of these other agendas, the Pro-Kid Agenda is one that can be readily embraced by policymakers across the political spectrum, a range of diverse stakeholders and the general public. Prioritizing kids should be a unifying goal. Who, for example, thinks it makes sense that, while California is a relatively high tax state (ranking 11th in per capita state and local tax revenues), it ranks in the bottom half of states in per-capita expenditures on education and children's health? The &quot;Agenda&quot; can unite Democrats and Republicans, business and labor, liberals and conservatives, urban and rural and people of all ethnicities, incomes and ages. Provided here is the 2015-16 Pro-Kid advocacy agenda for California at a glance.