ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Absenteeism: Beyond Reporting and beyond Another Special Initiative. Addressing Barriers to Learning Vol. 21, #2
Author: Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Attendance Patterns,At Risk Students,Truancy,Dropouts,Delinquency,Accountability,Educational Legislation,Reports,School Districts,Federal Aid,Professional Development,Federal Legislation,Student Behavior,Student Needs,Educational Policy,Intervention,Prevention

An estimated five to seven and a half million students miss 18 or more days of school each year, or nearly an entire month or more of school, which puts them at significant risk of falling behind academically and failing to graduate from high school. Every student absence jeopardizes the ability of students to succeed at school and schools to achieve their mission. School attendance is a constant concern in schools. Average daily attendance rates are a common determiner of school funding, so schools funded on the basis of average daily attendance have less resources to do the job. Students who are not at school cannot receive instruction, and school performance indicators suffer. Excessive school absence is a precursor of school dropout. Some youngsters who are truant from school engage in behaviors that are illegal. The negative correlates related to school attendance problems go on and on. One early impact of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) will be increased attention to attendance problems. For many schools attendance will become the additional accountability indicator stressed in ESSA. Under the new act, States will be required to report chronic absenteeism rates for schools, and school districts will be allowed to spend federal dollars on training to reduce absenteeism. Since all schools take attendance, an immediate focus will be on establishing systems for reporting chronic absenteeism (including truancy). At this juncture, the federal government has decided to create a national Every Student, Every Day initiative to &quot;address and eliminate chronic absenteeism&quot;. Such special initiatives do focus attention on a problem, but usually only for a brief interval of time. Because they are extraordinarily funded and implemented under exceptional conditions, sustainability beyond two to three years is rare. Replication of major intervention elements on a large scale often is not feasible. While it's hard to argue that more mentors and more public information are anything but good, the reality is that effectively dealing with the problem of chronic absenteeism over the long-run requires a fundamental rethinking of policies and practices. In particular, the need is for a unified, comprehensive, and equitable system that directly addresses barriers to learning, re-engages disconnected students in classroom instruction, and re-engages disconnected families with schools.
ESSA: Will Adding a Nonacademic Accountability Indicator Enhance Student and Learning Supports? Research for School Improvement and Transformation. Center Report
Author: Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA
Date: 2016-01-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Educational Legislation,Federal Legislation,Accountability,Educational Indicators,Academic Achievement,Educational Improvement,Equal Education,Educational Opportunities,School Turnaround,Block Grants,Resource Allocation,Barriers,Teacher Collaboration,Achievement Gap,Graduation Rate,Outcomes of Education,College Readiness,School Community Relationship

As Congress recognized in passing the &quot;Every Student Succeeds Act&quot;, it is time for school improvement to encompass policy and planning that enables every school to replace the outdated patchwork of programs and services used in addressing barriers to learning and teaching. The way to do this involves transforming student and learning supports. The &quot;Every Student Succeeds Act&quot; will lead to revisiting school improvement plans. Moreover, for the bottom 5 percent of schools, for schools where less than two-thirds of students graduate, and for schools where subgroups of students are chronically struggling, the focus on school turnaround will remain intensive. Block grant funding will open up discussions about the best way to allocate resources. These are opportunities for schools to enhance equity of opportunity by unifying and then developing a comprehensive and equitable system for addressing barriers to learning and teaching and re-engaging disconnected students and families. Such a system is essential for ending the fragmentation and marginalization of student and learning supports that are found in every school. Such a system is a fundamental component in increasing collaboration among teachers and support staff, closing gaps in achievement and graduation rates, enhancing post-secondary readiness, fostering positive school-community relationships, and promoting a positive school climate. &quot;Expanding the Outcome Framework for School Accountability&quot; is provided in the appendix.
ESSA, Equity of Opportunity, and Addressing Barriers to Learning. Research for School Improvement and Transformation. Policy Brief
Author: Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA
Date: 2016-02-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Federal Legislation,Educational Legislation,Access to Education,Barriers,Equal Education,Success,Student Needs,State Government,Local Government,Intervention,Change Strategies,Elementary Secondary Education,Budgets,Accountability

The &quot;Every Student Succeeds Act&quot; (ESSA) recognizes that significant numbers of students require supports to successfully meet challenging state academic standards. This brief (1) analyzes the act to assess how it addresses the nature and scope of supports to address barriers to learning and re-engage disconnected students and (2) presents frameworks and prototypes for improving how schools provide student and learning supports. The analysis finds the legislation clearly underscores that student and learning supports permeate efforts to enable every student to succeed. At the same time, the act muddies the nature and scope of such supports by scattering references to them throughout the various Titles, Parts, Subparts, and Sections. That is, by addressing barriers to learning in a piecemeal and mostly indirect manner, ESSA conveys a fragmented picture and a lack of coherence with respect to essential supports. The shift to more local control is discussed as an opportunity for state and local stakeholders to escape the limitations of the federal act and move away from existing fragmented and marginalized approaches for dealing with factors interfering with student success. As aids for systemic change, the brief highlights frameworks and prototypes for developing a unified and comprehensive system for addressing barriers to learning and teaching--with an emphasis on enhancing equity of opportunity for success at school and beyond. Appended are: (1) President's Proposed 2017 Budget Related to Pre-K-12: Key Education Investments Emphasized by the Administration; and (2) Resources to Aid Moving Forward In Addressing Barriers to Learning and Teaching.
Enhancing English Language Planning Strategy Using a WebQuest Model
Author: Al-Sayed, Rania Kamal Muhammad
Date: 2016-03-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Web Sites,Questionnaires,Writing Strategies,Protocol Analysis,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Planning,Pretests Posttests,Student Centered Learning,Likert Scales

The present study aimed at developing English language planning strategy of second year distinguished governmental language preparatory school pupils using the a WebQuest model. Fifty participants from second year at Hassan Abu-Bakr Distinguished Governmental Language School at Al-Qanater Al-Khairia (Qalubia Governorate) were randomly assigned into two groups: experimental group (N = 25) and control group (N = 25). Two main instruments were used: writing strategies questionnaire and think-aloud protocol. The instruments were administered before and after the experiment. Quantitative and qualitative data analyses were conducted. T-test was used to compare the mean scores of the control group and the experimental one in the pre-post applications. Results showed that the experimental group pupils have developed their English language planning strategy. It was concluded that the WebQuest model was effective in developing English language planning strategy of the participants. It was also recommended that the WebQuest model should be integrated into writing instruction programmes. The Writing Strategies Questionnaire is appended.
Fostering the Memoir Writing Skills as a Creative Non-Fiction Genre Using a WebQuest Model
Author: Al-Sayed, Rania Kamal Muhammad
Date: 2016-03-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Autobiographies,Personal Narratives,Writing Skills,Nonfiction,Writing Improvement,Web Based Instruction,Second Language Instruction,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Creative Writing,Writing Tests,Pretests Posttests,Scoring Rubrics,Statistical Analysis,Scores,Comparative Analysis,Models,Writing Instruction,English (Second Language),Writing Evaluation,Content Validity,Reliability,Check Lists,Statistical Significance,Literary Genres,Program Effectiveness,Web 2.0 Technologies

The present study aimed at developing the memoir writing skills as a creative non-fiction genre of second year distinguished governmental language preparatory school pupils using the a WebQuest model. Fifty participants from second year at Hassan Abu-Bakr Distinguished Governmental Language School at Al-Qanater Al-Khairia(Qalubia Governorate) were randomly assigned into two groups: experimental group (N = 25) and control group (N = 25). Two main instruments were used: a creative writing pre-test, and a creative writing post-test with a scoring rubric. Quantitative data analyses were conducted. T-test was used to compare the mean scores of the control group and the experimental one in the pre-post applications. Results showed that the experimental group pupils have developed their skills in memoir writing (eleven skills were developed while one skill is not). It was concluded that the &quot;WebQuest&quot; model was effective in fostering the memoir writing skills of the participants. It was also recommended that the WebQuest model should be integrated into writing instruction programmes.
World Bank Education Policy and Human Resource Development in Sub-Saharan Africa
Author: Mutamba, Charlene
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Information Analyses
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Educational Policy,Labor Force Development,International Organizations,Banking,Developing Nations,Influences,Literature Reviews,Vocational Education,Higher Education,Adult Education

There is increasing interest in the intersection of education and training through societal development in the developing world, a concept linked to national human resource development (NHRD). In addition, education and training is known to correlate strongly with employment outcomes that are connected to economic success, health and family stability and social connections (Hout, 2012). The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of World Bank education policies on national human resource development in sub-Saharan Africa. It is important for policy makers to consider how World Bank education policy and funding shapes national human resource development policy in the region of sub-Saharan Africa. This review of literature focuses on NHRD literature identifies World Bank education policy and NHRD policy to provide a framework for understanding the link between policies developed at the World Bank and national policy initiatives in sub-Saharan African nations. The implications for human resource development (HRD) and importance to NHRD research and practice are discussed.
Statewide Indicators of Educational System Health: 2014 Report to the Legislature
Author: Washington State Board of Education
Date: 2014-12-01
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Educational Assessment,Educational Indicators,School Effectiveness,State Programs,School Readiness,Kindergarten,Reading Fluency,Mathematics Achievement,Grade 4,Grade 8,Graduation Rate,Postsecondary Education,College Outcomes Assessment,College Graduates,Employment Potential,Enrollment Rate,Remedial Programs,Educational Quality,High School Equivalency Programs,Annual Reports,Evidence Based Practice,State Legislation,Accountability

This report is in response to the requirement of RCW 28A.150.550 that the State Board of Education, with assistance from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (WTECB), the Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee (EOGOAC), and the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC), report on the statewide indicators of educational system health by December 1 of each even-numbered year. RCW 28A.150.550 directs that the SBE, with assistance from the other agencies, report on the status of each indicator and provide an evaluation of how Washington student performance compares nationally and to peer states. The report must recommend evidence-based reforms intended to improve student achievement in the area of any indicator if the system is not on target to meet the performance goals for that indicator, or if Washington students are falling behind students in peer states, or if Washington is not within the top 10 percent nationally. The specified indicators are: (1) Kindergarten Readiness, as measured on the WaKIDS assessment; (2) Fourth Grade Reading Proficiency; (3) Eighth Grade Math Proficiency; (4) Four-year Graduation Rate; (5) Postsecondary Education and Workforce Attainment, as measured by enrollment and employment rates; and (6) Quality of the High School Diploma, as measured by postsecondary remediation enrollment. The following are appended: (1) Status of Indicators; (2) Peer Agency Feedback; and (3) Peer Agency Alignment with Recommended Reforms.
State Education Reform within Reach? Exploring the Effectiveness of State Support Teams for Districts and Schools
Author: Hanna, Robert
Date: 2013-07-15
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Educational Improvement,Educational Change,State Policy,State Government,Federal Legislation,Educational Legislation,Elementary Secondary Education,Academic Achievement,State Agencies,School Districts,Program Effectiveness,Educational Strategies,Governance,School District Autonomy,Technical Assistance,Intervention,Educational Cooperation,Government School Relationship

Since Congress enacted the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965, the federal government has emphasized states' shared responsibility for improving student achievement. When Congress reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 2001 as the No Child Left Behind Act, it called upon states to provide technical support to schools. Specifically, Congress asked states' education agencies to organize &quot;school support teams&quot; to work closely with school and district staff on school improvement. In theory, the task of support teams is straightforward: Improve the performance of districts and schools. But there is nothing simple about what support teams do. This issue brief explores one part of states' work for school improvement--specifically, how state support teams have improved school performance. This brief also considers what issues school leaders face and how these support teams have attempted to help schools meet these challenges. The brief includes some examples of support teams that have changed the ways district and school leaders do their work, but their impact to date on student achievement has been limited. It also explores three themes that emerged in this examination of support teams: (1) State support-team effectiveness varies widely; (2) State support teams in their current form may have done little to improve student achievement; and (3) State support teams, if they are to become a more effective reform strategy, may require some redesign.
School-Finance Reform: Inspiration and Progress in Colorado
Author: Herman, Juliana
Date: 2013-06-03
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Educational Finance,Finance Reform,Educational Equity (Finance),Educational Change,State Legislation,Educational Legislation,Public Schools,Resource Allocation,Enrollment Rate,Expenditure per Student,At Risk Students,Lunch Programs,State Aid,Federal Aid,Charter Schools,Productivity,Accountability,School Districts,Early Childhood Education

This report takes a look at Colorado's redesigned school-funding system whose fate was decided by Coloradan voters in Fall 2013. Voters were asked to approve a $1.1 billion tax increase to finance Colorado's schools, an approval required for the funding reforms to kick in. The proposed system represented a significant step forward in the push for more equitable school funding and targeted investments in essential areas such as preschool, full-day kindergarten, and teachers and leaders. Coloradans, however, are not the only ones who should pay attention to the legislature's efforts to improve school funding. The rest of the country should also take note. Many if not most of the other 49 states, and certainly the District of Columbia, need substantial school-funding reform, and Colorado's efforts provide the substantive guidance, and more importantly, the political inspiration, to undertake similar funding reforms elsewhere. This report discusses what inspired Colorado's reform efforts, what the reform efforts entailed, and how they work.
Maltese: The Maltese Language in Education in Malta. Regional Dossiers Series
Author: Sciriha, Lydia, Comp.
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Semitic Languages,Language Usage,Statistical Data,Multilingualism,Geographic Regions,Educational Practices,Language Proficiency,Official Languages,Native Language Instruction,Bilingual Education,National Curriculum,Modern Language Curriculum,Language Planning,Preschool Education,Elementary Secondary Education,Vocational Education,Higher Education,Adult Education,Educational Research,Educational Legislation,Instructional Materials

This regional dossier aims to provide concise, descriptive information and basic educational statistics about minority language education in a specific region of Europe--Malta. Aspects that are addressed include features of the education system, recent educational policies, main actors, legal arrangements, and support structures, as well as quantitative aspects, such as the number of schools, teachers, pupils, and financial investments. This kind of information can serve several purposes and can be relevant for policymakers, researchers, teachers, students, and journalists. They can also use this Regional dossier as a first orientation towards further research or as a source of ideas for improving educational provisions in their own region. The subject of this dossier is Maltese or &quot;il-Malti,&quot; a Semitic language closely related to Arabic in structure and morphology though unlike Arabic, Maltese is written from left to right and in the Latin script. This dossier focusses exclusively on the Maltese language spoken by the Maltese living in the Maltese archipelago which comprises Malta, Gozo, and Comino with the overwhelming majority of the Maltese residing in Malta, the largest of the three islands. A list of references and further reading is included.
Serbian: The Serbian Language in Education in Hungary. Regional Dossiers Series
Author: Paulik, Anton, Comp.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Slavic Languages,Language Minorities,Geographic Regions,Educational Practices,Educational Policy,Language Planning,Statistical Data,Bilingual Education,Language Usage,Educational Legislation,Preschool Education,Elementary Secondary Education,Primary Education,Vocational Education,Adult Education,Higher Education,Educational Research,Instructional Materials,Hungarian

This regional dossier aims at providing a concise description of and basic statistics on minority language education in a specific region of Europe--the territory of Magyarország (Hungary). Aspects that are addressed include features of the education system, recent educational policies, main actors, legal arrangements, and support structures, as well as quantitative aspects, such as the number of schools, teachers, pupils, and financial investments. Policymakers, researchers, teachers, students, and journalists may use the information provided to assess developments in European minority language schooling. Several national communities have lived in the territory of Magyarország (Hungary; hereafter: Hungary) since the foundation of the Hungarian state. The modern ethnic and linguistic composition of the population was basically established after the Ottoman occupation, with spontaneous mass migration and organised resettlement of people in the seventeenth and eighteenth century. Within the Indo-European language family, the Serbian language belongs to the group of southern Slav languages. Diglossia, the parallel use of the srpskoslovenski (Old Serbian or Serbian Slavonic) language for ecclesiastic purposes and that of a spoken vernacular also used for practical written records, was characteristic from early times, also in Hungary. Today, the language used by Serbs in Hungary is almost entirely identical with the standardised literary Serbian language, although it preserved some archaic expressions and took over some words from Hungarian. This dossier consists of an introduction to Hungary, followed by six sections each dealing with a specific level of the education system. Sections eight to ten cover research, prospects, and summary statistics. A list of references and further reading is included.
Investing in Our Children: A Plan to Expand Access to Preschool and Child Care
Author: Brown, Cynthia G.
Date: 2013-02-06
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Young Children,Preschool Education,Child Care,Access to Education,Early Childhood Education,Federal Aid,Human Capital,Low Income Groups,At Risk Persons,Alignment (Education),Primary Education,Kindergarten,Infants,Toddlers,Educational Finance

This issue brief presents a plan to expand educational opportunities and care for children ages 0-5 years old by investing significant federal dollars to: (1) Make high-quality preschool universally accessible to all 3- and 4-year-old children; and (2) Enable more lower-income families to afford child care for children ages 0-3 years old. These policies would advance several important national priorities. First, expanding access to preschool and affordable child care would directly improve the lives of millions of mothers and fathers who are struggling to balance the demands of work and family. In addition to the increase in single-parent households, many more two-parent households now have two working spouses. Second, investing in young children will also help strengthen America's human capital. Years of research demonstrate that the first five years of a child's cognitive and emotional development establish the foundation for learning and achievement throughout life. Finally, early childhood investments will help address our growing economic inequality and diminishing rates of upward mobility. These trends have been exacerbated by the dramatic changes in America's family structure.