ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Continuous Improvement in Education. Advancing Teaching--Improving Learning. White Paper
Author: Park, Sandra
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Educational Improvement,Total Quality Management,Instructional Improvement,Case Studies,Organizations (Groups),School Districts,Public Schools,Partnerships in Education,Classification,Leadership,Communication (Thought Transfer),Administrative Organization,Methods,Data Collection,Data Analysis,Capacity Building,Elementary Secondary Education

In recent years, &quot;continuous improvement&quot; has become a popular catchphrase in the field of education. However, while continuous improvement has become commonplace and well-documented in other industries, such as healthcare and manufacturing, little is known about how this work has manifested itself in education. This white paper attempts to map the landscape of this terrain by identifying and describing organizations engaged in continuous improvement, and by highlighting commonalities and differences among them. The findings classify three types of organizations engaged in continuous improvement: those focused on instructional improvement at the classroom level; those concentrating on system-wide improvement; and those addressing collective impact. Each type is described in turn and illustrated by an organizational case study. Through the analysis, six common themes that characterize all three types of organizations (e.g., leadership and strategy, communication and engagement, organizational infrastructure, methodology, data collection and analysis, and building capacity) are enumerated. This white paper makes four concluding observations. First, the three case studies provide evidence of organizations conducting continuous improvement work in the field of education, albeit at different levels and in different ways. Second, entry points to continuous improvement work are not mutually exclusive, but are nested and, hence, mutually informative and comparative. Third, continuous improvement is not synonymous with improving all organizational processes simultaneously; rather, research and learning cycles are iterative and gradual in nature. Fourth, despite being both iterative and gradual, it is imperative that improvement work is planned and undertaken in a rigorous, thoughtful, and transparent fashion. The following are appended: (1) Selected Continuous Improvement Methodologies; (2) Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence Framework; (3) Examples of Improvement Artifacts from the School District of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin; (4) Examples of Improvement Artifacts from Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland; and (5) Examples of Improvement Artifacts from Strive Partnership Cincinnati.
How Might We Use Multiple Measures for Teacher Accountability? What We Know Series: Value-Added Methods and Applications. Knowledge Brief 11
Author: Harris, Douglas N.
Date: 2013-10-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Teacher Evaluation,Accountability,Measures (Individuals),Evaluation Methods,Weighted Scores,Screening Tests,Matrices,Evaluation Criteria,Teacher Effectiveness

The idea that multiple measures should be used when evaluating teachers is widely accepted. Multiple measures are important not only because education has multiple goals, but because each measure is an imperfect indicator of any given goal. For a variety of reasons, states and districts use multiple measures in one particular way: to make personnel decisions about teachers based on a weighted average of the separate measures. Also known as a &quot;composite&quot; or &quot;index,&quot; the weighted average provides one bottom-­line metric through which teachers can be placed into performance categories. The federal Race to the Top (RTTT) initiative is one reason why states and districts use the weighted average. This competitive grants program required states to hold teachers accountable in a way that made student test scores a &quot;significant factor&quot; in personnel decisions. The meaning of this term is never explained, and the most likely way to meet the vague requirement was to assign large or significant weight--50 percent in some cases--to measures of student achievement growth, such as value-added. While weighted averages are a common and intuitive approach for using multiple measures, there are other options that have their own advantages. In this brief, Douglas Harris also considers the &quot;matrix&quot; and &quot;screening&quot; approaches, which do not involve combining multiple measures. After describing and comparing the weighting, matrix, and screening methods, Harris discusses their strengths and weaknesses according to specific criteria. More than anything else, this brief contributes some new and concrete ways of thinking about how value-added and other measures are used in accountability systems.
Friendly Forces: Returning Veterans Need Staunch Allies on College Campuses. Lumina Foundation Focus™. Spring 2013
Author: Pulley, John
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Veterans Education,Military Personnel,College Students,Student Needs,Transitional Programs,Nontraditional Students,Special Needs Students,Disabilities,Student Personnel Services,Peer Influence,Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

The transition to college presents significant challenges to many returning veterans. These students are, in many ways, the most nontraditional of all nontraditional students. These soldier/scholars are set apart from their campus peers--by age, by life experience, by envelopment in the military culture, and all too often by a close-up view of war's horrors. Colleges and universities simply can not conduct business as usual and expect to properly serve these students. This issue of &quot;Lumina Foundation Focus&quot; highlights institutions and programs that are working well for returning veterans. In this issue, the reader will meet several students who speak candidly about their transition to campus life, and the reader will meet the people who are helping to ease those transitions.
Fast and Focused: Accelerated Degree Programs Keep Students Locked in on Learning. Lumina Foundation Focus™. Fall 2013
Author: Giegerich, Steve
Date: 2013-11-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Acceleration (Education),Associate Degrees,Educational Innovation,High Schools,Community Colleges,Dual Enrollment,High School Students,Peer Teaching,Mentors,At Risk Students,Two Year College Students,Block Scheduling,Sequential Approach,Grouping (Instructional Purposes),Adult Students,Full Time Students,Program Effectiveness

Employers point to a large and growing &quot;skills gap,&quot; saying thousands of jobs are already going unfilled because applicants lack the skills and knowledge they need. Forecasters say that, by the end of this decade, two-thirds of all jobs will require some form of high-quality postsecondary credential such as a degree or certificate. The higher education system must find innovative ways to help millions more students--all types of students, from all backgrounds, in all life situations--earn college credentials more quickly and more affordably. Just as important: the system must make sure that those credentials are genuinely valuable, that they point directly to rigorous and relevant learning, that they represent the knowledge and skills that graduates need to thrive--in their careers and their lives. In short, higher education needs to move rapidly but wisely, with pace and purpose. This issue of &quot;Lumina Foundation Focus&quot; throws the spotlight on three innovative programs that are doing just that--accelerated courses of study that are helping students earn highly valuable associate degrees more quickly than ever before. This &quot;Focus&quot; presents: (1) Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) in Brooklyn, N.Y. In P-TECH, students begin in ninth grade and--thanks to peer learning and other innovations, including ongoing mentorship from professionals at IBM Corp.--earn both a high school diploma and an associate degree in as little as four years; (2) The Associate Accelerated Program (ASAP) at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis. ASAP, which will soon expand to all Ivy Tech campuses in Indiana, uses block scheduling and an intensive approach to help at-risk students earn &quot;two-year&quot; degrees in just 11 months; and (3) The Accelerated Higher Education Associate Degree (AHEAD) program at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tenn. AHEAD features compressed, sequenced courses and extensive, cohort-based peer support--all to enable full-time, working adults to be full-time students as well.
Pathways to Improvement: Using Psychological Strategies to Help College Students Master Developmental Math
Author: Silva, Elena
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Remedial Mathematics,Two Year College Students,Psychological Patterns,Teaching Methods,Instructional Effectiveness,Academic Persistence,Student Attitudes,Student Motivation,Relevance (Education),Educational Improvement

Drawing on a research base developed over many years in education, Carnegie is testing a set of strategies to help students persist and succeed academically. This kind of persistence, what the researchers and faculty who developed the Pathways call &quot;productive persistence,&quot; is a key driver of Quantway® and Statway®. Broadly defined, productive persistence is the package of skills and tenacity that students need to succeed in an academic setting. These interventions and others, as well as the story of how Carnegie developed this new program of work addressing the alarming failure rates of students in developmental mathematics, are covered in this report.
Virginia Board of Education Student Code of Conduct Policy Guidelines
Author: Virginia Department of Education
Date: 2015-01-00
Type: Legal/Legislative/Regulatory Materials
Subjects: Student Behavior,Discipline Policy,School Policy,State Policy,Guidelines,State Legislation,Legal Responsibility,Boards of Education,Suspension,Expulsion,Discipline Problems,Administrator Role,Parent Responsibility,Law Enforcement,Weapons,Drug Abuse,Disabilities,Admission (School),Policy Formation,Staff Development,Age Differences,Instructional Program Divisions,Alcohol Abuse,Violence,Attendance Patterns,Truancy,Bullying,Transportation,Cheating,Handheld Devices,Behavior Problems,Dress Codes,Crime,Juvenile Gangs,Language Usage,Educational Legislation

The Virginia Board of Education's &quot;Student Conduct Policy Guidelines&quot; were first developed in 1994 in response to action by the 1993 General Assembly requiring the Virginia Board of Education to establish such guidelines. In 2004, the &quot;Guidelines&quot; underwent a major revision in response to requirements of § 22.1-279.6. of the Code of Virginia, and reflecting numerous changes in state and federal laws and regulations, relevant case law, and emerging best practice principles. The &quot;Virginia Student Conduct Policy Guidelines, 2004,&quot; were originally adopted by the Virginia Board of Education on September 22, 2004. The &quot;Guidelines&quot; were updated in 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2013 to incorporate changes in state laws and regulations. The &quot;Guidelines&quot; are intended specifically to aid school boards in implementing student conduct policies. Local school boards are required to adopt and revise regulations on codes of student conduct that are consistent with, but may be more stringent than, these &quot;Guidelines.&quot; This edition of the &quot;Guidelines&quot; is broken up into two parts: (1) Introduction (Background and Legal Base); and (2) Student Conduct Policy Guidelines (Elements of Student Conduct Policy, Application of Policy, Administrative Discretion, Offenses, and Related Policy Issues). The following are appended: (1) Applicable Provisions of the &quot;Code of Virginia&quot;; (2) Discipline of Students with Disabilities; and (3) Sample Forms and Formats; (4) Related Resources; and (5) Public Law 107-110, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Title IV, Part A, Section 4141, Gun-Free Requirements.
Strengthening the Math-Related Teaching Practices of the Early Care and Education Workforce: Insights from Experts. Policy Report
Author: Ryan, Sharon
Date: 2014-03-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Early Childhood Education,Elementary School Mathematics,Mathematics Instruction,Mathematics Teachers,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Knowledge Level,Young Children,Educational Practices,Educational Strategies,Teaching Methods,Teacher Competencies,Teacher Education,Professional Development,Interviews,Transcripts (Written Records),Content Analysis,Expertise,Delphi Technique,Best Practices,Mathematics Curriculum,Curriculum Development,Video Technology,Archives,Community Colleges,Access to Information,Educational Resources

As a growing body of evidence links school success and early mathematical experiences, there is increasing interest in offering young children opportunities to bridge their informal understanding of mathematics with more formal concepts and processes. At the same time, many teachers and caregivers in the early care and education (ECE) field may not be adequately equipped to provide appropriate math-related experiences and instruction to young children age birth through five. The aim of this project, Strengthening the Math-Related Teaching Practices of the Early Care and Education Workforce, has been to identify promising practices and strategies for enhancing the ability of ECE practitioners to promote children's mathematical understanding and competence. This paper summarizes the perspectives of nationally recognized experts in the field of mathematics and early care and education, and how their work is being used, or could be used, in teacher education and professional development opportunities for practitioners working with children age five and younger. This policy report explores the following issues: (1) The knowledge and competencies that practitioners need in order to teach mathematics to young children; (2) Effective strategies for educating practitioners to support young children's mathematical development; and (3) The challenges and successes that these experts have experienced in math-related ECE workforce development efforts. A summary of experts' responses to structured conversations conducted by the research team is followed by recommendations to private funders and policymakers for better equipping the nation's ECE workforce to engage in teaching practices that promote children's mathematical competency and school success.
Implementation and Impacts of Pay-for-Performance: The 2010 Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) Grantees after Two Years. NCEE Study Snapshot. NCEE 2015-4022
Author: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (ED)
Date: 2015-09-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Merit Pay,Teacher Salaries,Principals,Salaries,Incentives,Grants,Program Effectiveness,Program Implementation,Reading Achievement,Mathematics Achievement

The Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) provides grants to support performance-based compensation systems for teachers and principals in high-need schools. The study measures the impact of pay-for-performance bonuses as part of a comprehensive compensation system within a large, multisite random assignment study design. The treatment schools were to fully implement their performance-based compensation system. The control schools were to implement the same performance-based compensation system with one exception--the pay-for-performance bonus component was replaced with a one percent bonus paid to all educators regardless of performance. This second report provides implementation and impact information. Ninety percent of all TIF districts in 2012-2013 reported implementing at least 3 of the 4 required components for teachers, and only about one-half (52 percent) reported implementing all four. This was a slight improvement from the first year of implementation. In a subset of 10 districts participating in the random assignment study, educators' understanding of key program components improved during the second year, but many teachers still did not understand that they were eligible for a bonus. The pay-for-performance bonus policy had small, positive impacts on students' reading achievement; impacts on students' math achievement were not statistically significant but similar in magnitude. [For the full final report with technical details: Chiang, Hanley, Alison Wellington, Kristin Hallgren, Cecilia Speroni, Mariesa Herrmann, Steven Glazerman, and Jill Constantine (2015), &quot;Evaluation of the Teacher Incentive Fund: Implementation and Impacts of Pay-for-Performance After Two Years&quot; (NCEE 2015-4020), see ED559723.]
Governor's Youth Development Academy. Progress Report
Author: Jones, Brandon
Date: 2013-10-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Youth Programs,High School Students,Summer Programs,Grade 9,Grade 10,Career Readiness,College Readiness,Citizenship Education,STEM Education,Program Development,Program Administration,Personnel Selection,Partnerships in Education,School Community Relationship,Budgets,Organizational Communication,Student Surveys,Public Schools,High Schools

Newport News is a city of 193,000 people, located between Williamsburg and Norfolk in Southeastern Virginia. Newport News Public Schools (NNPS) educates approximately 30,500 children, grades Pre-K to 12, of whom 55.7% are Black, 29% are White, 9.9% are Hispanic, 2.9% are Asian, and 2.5% are other races. Newport News Public Schools' (NNPS') Special Education population is 12.5%, its Talented and Gifted population is 8.2%, and its Economically Disadvantaged population is 46.5%. Newport News Public Schools has five traditional high schools, and two smaller non-traditional high schools. The high schools offer a wide range of specialty program choices for students. There is an Arts and Communications Magnet Program at Woodside HS, a Governor's STEM Academy at Heritage HS, a University Magnet Program at Heritage HS, an International Baccalaureate Program at Warwick HS, a Governor's Health Sciences Academy at Warwick HS, and an Aviation Academy at Denbigh HS. The mission of NNPS is to ensure that that every student will graduate &quot;college, career and citizen ready.&quot; The NNPS Governor's Youth Development Academy (GYDA) intentionally aligned its purpose with Newport News Public Schools' college, career and citizen ready mission. The Academy began with a 3-week summer Youth Development experience for rising 9th and 10th graders. The NNPS Governor's Youth Development Academy connected students to a wide range of local businesses, institutions of higher education, and service organizations to increase students' awareness of colleges, careers, and citizenship opportunities in their community. This intentional focus will continue throughout the school year with additional opportunities for students to develop leadership skills while exploring college and career options. This document describes the implementation of the NNPS GYDA, including staff selection and training, procedure for student selection, selection of community partner, budget, logistics, communication, curriculum/content development and delivery, and evaluation. Appendices include: (1) Staff Roles and Responsibilities; (2) Poster; (3) GYDA Application; (4) Facebook; (5) OHA Meals Program Menu; (6) GYDA Newsletter; (7) Excursion Glendale; (8) Save the Date Flyer (STEM Community Day); (9) Pre-Survey; and (10) Post-Survey.
The Leadership Model of Philanthropy
Author: Merisotis, Jamie
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Philanthropic Foundations,Private Financial Support,Leadership Styles,Models,Institutional Characteristics,Organizational Change,Organizational Culture,Organizational Objectives,Organizational Effectiveness,Organizational Theories,Administrative Organization,Higher Education

As the nation's largest private foundation focused solely on increasing Americans' success in higher education, Lumina Foundation seeks to maximize its effectiveness in serving the public trust through a &quot;leadership model&quot; of philanthropy, in favor of following a strictly charitable role. Merisotis shares his thoughts on how that leadership model can lead to more significant and lasting change that will &quot;permanently alter the conditions that make assistance necessary.&quot;
Two-Way Street: When College Mentors Help Students Achieve, Success Is Shared. Lumina Foundation Focus™. Spring 2014
Author: Pulley, John
Date: 2014-05-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: College Students,Mentors,Academic Achievement,Educational Benefits,Models,At Risk Students,Academic Persistence,Partnerships in Education,High School Students,Academic Advising,School Counseling,Guidance

According to a report released in January by MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, at-risk young adults who had a mentor are more likely to aspire to be college graduates than those who did not have a mentor (76 percent versus 56 percent). They're also more likely than their nonmentored peers to actually be enrolled in college (45 percent versus 29 percent). Models vary, but the underlying premise of mentoring programs is the same: Caring, knowledgeable adult mentors help at-risk kids over the hurdles they encounter during the college-going process. When kids do stumble, mentors help them up. In the process, mentors are themselves lifted up--not just emotionally, but also practically and professionally, by sharpening their leadership skills and improving time management and customer relationship management. This issue of Lumina Foundation Focus explores the benefits of mentoring by shining the spotlight on three different programs. All are making a measurable difference for the students they serve--and for the mentors who provide that service. This Focus presents (1) iMentor, a one-on-one mentoring model that has served more than 12,000 at-risk students since it got its start in New York City in 1999; (2) The College Advising Corps (CAC), a national program that got its start in 2005 at the University of Virginia and has since grown to touch the lives of nearly 130,000 students at 425 high schools in 14 states; and (3) College Mentoring for Access and Persistence (College MAP), which was developed in 2009 as a corporate responsibility program of Ernst &amp; Young (EY), and has since grown to serve nearly 900 students in 20 U.S. cities. The people and programs featured in this issue of Focus represent just a fraction of the mentoring activity now under way all over the nation. However it's done--whether in organized programs such as these or in more informal, individualized efforts--this work is vital and needs to be expanded.