ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Data Driven Decision-Making in South Dakota: Effective Use of State Data Systems
Author: Armstrong, John
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Data Collection,Decision Making,Higher Education,Information Utilization,Student Records,College Readiness,Enrollment,Educational Attainment,Academic Degrees,Outcomes of Education,College Graduates,Employment Potential

Analysis of student-level data to inform policy and promote student success is a core function of executive higher education agencies. Postsecondary data systems have expanded their collection of data elements for use by policymakers, institutional staff, and the general public. The State Higher Education Executive Officers association (SHEEO), as part of a project funded by the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), surveyed state coordinating and governing boards on their collection and use of postsecondary student-level data. Following this, SHEEO identified seven states whose survey responses indicated an exemplary use of data in specific subject areas. In-person interviews were conducted by SHEEO agency staff in seven states selected for follow-up. In 2015, SHEEO visited the South Dakota Board of Regents (SDBOR) to discuss the presentation of data to external stakeholders, its unique focus on Native American students, and the relationship between SDBOR leadership and its research staff. Regents Information Systems (RIS) contain unit record information on college readiness, enrollment, completions, degree trends, transfer outcomes, employment outcomes of graduates, and a variety of course level data, among many other data elements. SDBOR has generated an annual Fact Book using the information institutions have submitted to RIS since 1985. In recent years, SDBOR has also generated a series of publicly available dashboards using RIS data and nationally available data sets. Many of South Dakota's responses to SHEEO's survey on data systems referenced the dashboards, which are continually updated to reflect the most recent RIS data. South Dakota is not the only state to publish interactive tools that allow for the general public to drill down into specific student success indicators. However, their dashboards, coupled with the close relationship between research staff and agency leadership, serve as an example to the higher education research community of the value of data transparency.
Does College Board Deserve Public Subsidies?
Author: Phelps, Richard P.
Date: 2018-08-29
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College Entrance Examinations,College Readiness,Standardized Tests,Educational Finance,Financial Support,Grants,Taxes,Federal Aid,State Aid,Advanced Placement Programs

The century-old College Entrance Examination Board (College Board) sponsors, develops, and administers standardized testing programs, most famously the &quot;SAT suite of tests,&quot; which includes the SAT college admission test and the &quot;pre-SAT,&quot; or PSAT, and the more than thirty Advanced- Placement (AP) courses and exams that high-school students take for college credit. Legally, College Board is a nonprofit, charitable organization (a 501(c)(3)) and pays no taxes on revenues derived from activities aligned with its public mission. But College Board activities also affect public policy, even while it remains a private organization governed only by its own board of trustees. Moreover, College Board peripatetically pursues public funds, with much success, which either directly or indirectly support its programs. Which prompts the question: Should taxpayers and foundations subsidize College Board activities (and its revenues)? Should College Board receive subsidies at all? This line of inquiry focuses more on the character of the College Board. Is it a public charity like, for example, the Salvation Army or Habitat for Humanity, which dedicate their efforts to optimizing social good? Or is it more like a private, for-profit corporation, dedicated to maximizing profit and increasing market share? Moreover, if College Board is a monopoly, as some believe, does it use its monopoly position to create greater efficiencies in the public service as does, for example, the Red Cross, or does it leverage what some claim is monopoly power to increase profit and market share?
KT4TT: Knowledge Translation Embedded in Technology Transfer. FOCUS Technical Brief No. 30
Author: Leahy, James A.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Technology Transfer,Information Dissemination,Grants,Disabilities,Research and Development,Manufacturing

This &quot;FOCUS Technical Brief&quot; provides examples of how technology-focused grantees funded by NIDRR [National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research], such as Small Business Innovation Research projects and Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers, can embed knowledge translation efforts throughout the technology transfer process. This issue also describes the Product Utilization Support and Help (PUSH) Award in a broader context of knowledge translation.
Privacy, Confidentiality, and Security in Arkansas: Effective Use of State Data Systems
Author: Whitfield, Christina
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Student Records,College Students,Data Collection,Information Security,Privacy,Confidentiality,Elementary Secondary Education,Educational Legislation,Parent Rights

Analysis of student-level data to inform policy and promote student success is a core function of executive higher education agencies. Postsecondary data systems have expanded their collection of data elements for use by policymakers, institutional staff, and the general public. State coordinating and governing boards use these data systems for strategic planning, to allocate funding, establish performance metrics, evaluate academic programs, and inform students and their families. The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) surveyed state coordinating and governing boards on their collection and use of postsecondary student-level data. Following this, SHEEO identified seven states whose survey responses indicated an exemplary use of data in specific subject areas. In-person interviews were conducted by SHEEO agency staff in seven states selected for follow-up. In 2015, SHEEO visited the Arkansas Research Center to discuss their efforts to promote privacy, confidentiality, and data security. Over the past decade, a broad consensus has emerged among researchers and policymakers that more and better data are needed to inform postsecondary education's various constituencies and improve performance and student success. In response to these calls for better data and greater access to information, and to changes at the state level, including the proliferation of performance funding models, postsecondary student unit records systems (PSURSs) are becoming more complex and are increasingly linked to other data systems. PSURSs practitioners must be aware of the evolving state legislative landscape. Responding primarily to parental concerns about protecting children's data privacy while engaged with K-12 systems, legislators in many states have introduced laws aimed at protecting data privacy. This report describes Arkansas Research Center's (ARC's) commitment to privacy and the innovative nature of their approach to security.
Detroit-Area Early Childhood Workforce Study
Author: Research for Action
Date: 2018-11-00
Type: Reports - Research-practitioner Partnerships
Subjects: Early Childhood Education,Preschool Teachers,Teacher Student Relationship,Early Intervention,Educational Quality,Teacher Recruitment,Teacher Effectiveness,Teacher Persistence,Faculty Development,Teacher Morale,Teacher Salaries,Fringe Benefits,Labor Turnover,Student Recruitment,Teacher Education Programs,Teaching Conditions,Barriers

Research shows that process quality in early childhood education (ECE) programs--specifically teacher-child interactions--is the strongest predictor of children's gains in learning and development. Due to a number of factors associated with the city's early childhood infrastructure and the budgets of the current Head Start grants, it has been difficult for Detroit Head Start programs to recruit and retain effective teachers to engage in the types of interactions that are most important for children's development and learning. Three of the four Detroit grantees are facing competition because of low process quality as measured by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS). This report provides clear evidence for the need for stronger ECE workforce supports in Detroit that increase staff retention, provide more impactful and valuable professional development, and improve staff morale. The Detroit Head Start Funding Opportunity Announcement provides an opportunity for grantees to propose the following to address these issues: A common, clearly defined pay scale with higher staff salaries; year-round benefits packages for all programs; and more impactful professional development opportunities. This paper is organized into the following sections: (1) Data and methodological approach; (2) The state and community context affecting the ECE workforce pipeline in Detroit; (3) ECE workforce pipeline: Perspectives of local institutes of higher education; (4) The staff recruitment and retention challenge in Detroit-area Head Start programs; (5) Workplace and professional supports in Detroit-area Head Start programs; and (6) What will it take? How agencies can improve Head Start workforce stability and quality. [This report was also produced by the Policy Equity Group.]
Students Experiencing Homelessness in Pennsylvania: Under-Identification and Inequitable Enrollment. A PACER Policy Research Brief
Author: Shaw-Amoah, Anna
Date: 2018-12-00
Type: Reports - Research-practitioner Partnerships
Subjects: Homeless People,Federal Legislation,Public Schools,Identification,Poverty,Correlation,State Departments of Education,Elementary Secondary Education,School Districts,Charter Schools,State Legislation,Comparative Analysis

Housing instability and homelessness are highly detrimental to children and youth, and the effects often linger long after the experience itself. Students who have experienced homelessness are more likely to drop out of school and, in turn, adults without a high school degree or GED are more likely to experience homelessness themselves. Under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, public schools are mandated to identify students experiencing homelessness and provide services to alleviate the negative impacts. Because homelessness and poverty are so closely related, this is a particularly salient issue for Pennsylvania, home to Philadelphia--the poorest large city in America--and multiple other communities with poverty rates well above the national average. New national data show that the Pennsylvania Department of Education identified 30,264 children and youth experiencing homelessness in 2016-17, including close to 25,000 students in grades K-12. In this brief, we use a well-known method of calculating the number of students experiencing homelessness and find the following: (1) Pennsylvania likely under-identifies students experiencing homelessness compared to the nation as a whole; and (2) Identification of students experiencing homelessness varies widely within the state and across school districts, with Pittsburgh identifying at twice the rate of the state overall, and Philadelphia identifying at a lower rate than the state overall. These new data also reveal that Pennsylvania's charter schools under-serve these students compared to their school districts of residence.
Knowledge Value Mapping of National Organizations: A Knowledge Translation Strategy to Efficiently Communicate Research-Based Knowledge to Multiple Stakeholder Audiences. FOCUS Technical Brief No. 32
Author: Lane, Joseph P.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Knowledge Management,Information Dissemination,Assistive Technology,Augmentative and Alternative Communication,Visual Aids,Stakeholders,Information Management,Research,Training,Staff Development,Cooperation,Researchers,National Organizations,Communication Strategies

This issue of &quot;FOCUS&quot; describes the results from a series of comparative case studies exploring how selected national organizations, representing different stakeholder groups, can play an important role in communicating new research findings to diverse audiences. Knowledge value mapping helps understand the context of each organization's mission and the interests of their members
Measuring the Effects of Outcomes-Based Funding on Certificate Production: Challenges, Inconsistencies and Recommendations for Future Research. Research Brief
Author: Research for Action
Date: 2019-02-00
Type: Reports - Research-practitioner Partnerships
Subjects: Financial Support,Outcome Based Education,Certification,State Aid,Public Colleges,Postsecondary Education,State Policy,Educational Policy,Educational Certificates,Two Year Colleges,Criteria,Geographic Location,Student Financial Aid

Outcomes-based funding (OBF) has become an increasingly common tool for states seeking to improve student outcomes, and the inclusion of certificates in OBF policies has been subject to considerable scrutiny. But studying the effects of OBF on certificates is exceptionally challenging. Certificates vary greatly in length, type, and labor market value. Additionally, states vary in how they define and reward certificate completions, and OBF policies change frequently. Finally, available databases do not adequately capture these variations. These factors make it difficult to ascertain whether and how OBF policies have affected certificate attainment and student economic and social mobility. This research brief lays out both the challenges and opportunities inherent in studying the effects of OBF on certificate attainment by: (1) Summarizing what is known about variation in the type, length, and value of certificates; (2) Documenting variation in how states currently define and reward certificates in OBF formulas; (3) Illustrating the limitations of available datasets to capture this variation; and (4) Providing a set of recommendations for how the field can better examine the intended and unintended effects of including certificates in OBF policies. This brief identifies a range of challenges as well as possible solutions to better capture important variations in certificates and how they are recognized in OBF formulas.
Illinois Community College Board Fiscal Year 2008 Spring Enrollment Report
Author: Illinois Community College Board
Date: 2008-03-10
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Enrollment Trends,Full Time Equivalency,Community Colleges,Enrollment Rate,Two Year College Students,Public Colleges

Community colleges report opening Spring term enrollment figures to the Illinois Community College Board via a brief web based survey. This report contains information on student enrollments as of the end of registration -- usually the 10th day of the term -- for the Spring 2008 semester. Overall, statewide results of the fiscal year 2008 Spring enrollment survey show relative continuity compared to last year. Statewide Spring 2008 headcount enrollments decreased slightly and full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollments increased compared with the same term one year ago. The Spring 2008 semester headcount was 351,777 compared to 353,735 last year (a headcount decrease of -1,958 or -0.6 percent). The latest FTE count was 194,594 compared with 191,976 a year ago (an FTE increase of 2,618 or 1.4 percent). Figure 1 illustrates a comparison of headcount and FTE trends from 2004-2008. Table 1 contains comparative statewide Spring 2008 tenth-day enrollments for the last five years. Table 2 provides a comparison of fiscal year 2004 through fiscal year 2008 Spring headcount enrollments for each community college. Table 3 contains a comparison of FTE enrollments for the same five-year period. [For the 2007 report, see ED496798.]
Promoting Transparency and Accountability in North Carolina: Effective Use of State Data Systems
Author: Pearson, Denise
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Data,State Policy,Educational Policy,Data Collection,State Agencies,Governing Boards,Information Utilization,Universities,Information Management,Accountability,Decision Making,Evaluation Methods,Teacher Effectiveness,Enrollment,Education Majors,Time to Degree

Analysis of student-level data to inform policy and promote student success is a core function of executive higher education agencies. Postsecondary data systems have expanded their collection of data elements for use by policymakers, institutional staff, and the general public. State coordinating and governing boards use these data systems for strategic planning, to allocate funding, establish performance metrics, evaluate academic programs, and inform students and their families. The State Higher Education Executive Officers association (SHEEO) surveyed state coordinating and governing boards on their collection and use of postsecondary student-level data. Following this, SHEEO identified seven states whose survey responses indicated an exemplary use of data in specific subject areas. In-person interviews were conducted by SHEEO agency staff in seven states selected for follow-up. In 2015, SHEEO visited the University of North Carolina to discuss teacher preparation data, reverse transfer, and database structures. In complex political and social environments where the demand for transparency and accountability is on the rise, the University of North Carolina (UNC) has succeeded in meeting that demand through its development of an integrated, public, postsecondary data system designed to meet the diverse needs of key stakeholders including policymakers, institution leaders, faculty, students, and communities. This paper highlights the innovative work of the University of North Carolina, including its collaboration with the state's 58 community colleges. The system's new Interactive Data Dashboard offers other institutions of higher education a model for transforming the nature and application of institutional data. This paper also provides an in-depth examination of UNC's approach to accountability and transparency with intentionality around collaboration.
Lessons Learned in Technology Transfer from Dr. Gregg Vanderheiden and the Trace Research &amp; Development Center. FOCUS Technical Brief No. 37
Author: Vanderheiden, Gregg C.
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Technology Transfer,Disabilities,Assistive Technology,Augmentative and Alternative Communication,Financial Support,Models,Design,Research,Problem Solving,Intellectual Property,Research and Development,Industry,Business

This brief describes the technology transfer (TT) and knowledge translation (KT) work of Dr. Gregg Vanderheiden and the Trace Research &amp; Development Center. The Trace Research &amp; Development Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison was established in 1971 with the development of an early augmentative communication system, which was ultimately transferred to a well-known assistive technology manufacturer. Founded by a group of students, the Center has always focused on outcomes rather than outputs. That is, the purpose of the Center was not to produce prototypes and research papers. Instead it set out to change the technology solutions available for consumers, and along with that to impact clinical practice, industry practice, and government policy so that people with disabilities could participate more fully in education, work, and community living.
Children&apos;s Literacy Initiative&apos;s Blueprint for Early Literacy: Year 2 Evaluation Report
Author: McCarty, Alyn
Date: 2018-11-00
Type: Reports - Research-practitioner Partnerships
Subjects: Emergent Literacy,Literacy Education,Teaching Methods,Preschool Education,Preschool Teachers,Preschool Children,At Risk Students,Faculty Development,Coaching (Performance),Best Practices,Educational Resources,Program Effectiveness,Training,Program Implementation,Fidelity,Oral Reading,Student Participation,Reading Strategies,Reading Instruction

Research for Action's Year Two evaluation report indicates that most lead teachers demonstrated high fidelity to the key elements of the Blueprint approach in the classroom, though some teachers experienced issues related to differentiating instruction and the simultaneous implementation of Blueprint and Creative Curriculum. The authors found strong evidence of impact on teachers and students: multiple data sources demonstrated that teachers and children in Blueprint centers benefitted from the Blueprint curriculum and professional development. Children in Children's Literacy Initiative (CLI)-served classrooms made 2-3 months of additional progress in vocabulary development compared to children in similar classrooms not supported by CLI. Though less than a quarter of lead teachers in Blueprint classrooms in Spring 2018 received intended amount of training and coaching due to high turnover and variable attendance, most teachers had at least attended the Introduction to Blueprint 3.0 training and received at least one full year's worth of coaching (over 20 hours). This report is comprised of two studies that provide in-depth findings of Year Two Blueprint implementation (resources and activities) and impacts (teacher and student outcomes). Study 1: Blueprint Implementation is a descriptive study of the quality of implementation of Blueprint in 11 Philadelphia pre-K centers. This study also followed up on findings from Year One, including an in-depth exploration of challenges to implementation-- consistent attendance at trainings, finding time for coaching conferences, and coaching amidst high teacher turnover--and CLI strategies to address them. Study 2: Impact of Blueprint on Teachers and Students is a study that employed a mixed-methods quasi-experimental research design, involving 11 centers receiving Blueprint professional development and curriculum and 11 centers serving as a comparison group. [Additional funding for this report was provided by The 25th Century Foundation, The Caroline Alexander Buck Foundation, and The Capital Group Companies.]
Illinois Community College Board Fiscal Year 2009 Spring Enrollment Report
Author: Illinois Community College Board
Date: 2009-02-25
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Enrollment Trends,Full Time Equivalency,Community Colleges,Enrollment Rate,Two Year College Students,Public Colleges

Community colleges report opening Spring term opening enrollment figures to the Illinois Community College Board using a brief web based survey. This report contains information on student enrollments as of the end of registration -- usually the 10th day of the term -- for the Spring 2009 semester. Overall, statewide results of the fiscal year 2009 Spring enrollment survey show both short term and longer term increases. Statewide Spring 2009 headcount enrollments increased and full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollments increased compared to the same term one year ago. The Spring 2009 semester headcount was 362,537 compared to 351,777 last year (a headcount increase of 10,760 or 3.1 percent). The latest FTE count was 202,804 compared with 194,594 a year ago (an FTE increase of 8,210 or 4.2 percent). Therefore, compared to last spring there are more individuals enrolling at community colleges across the state and overall those students are taking heavier class loads. Table 1 contains comparative statewide Spring 2009 tenth-day enrollments for the last five years. Figure 1 illustrates a comparison of headcount and FTE trends from 2005-2009. Table 2 provides a comparison of fiscal year 2005 through fiscal year 2009 Spring headcount enrollments for each community college. Table 3 contains a comparison of FTE enrollments for the same five-year period. Table 4 provides fiscal year 2008 and fiscal year 2009 Spring opening enrollments in internet based courses at each community college. [For the 2008 report, see ED593706.]