ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Distributional Effects of a School Voucher Program: Evidence from New York City
Author: Bitler, Marianne
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Elementary School Students,Evaluation Research,Equal Education,Low Income Groups,Academic Achievement,Educational Vouchers,Educational Policy,Intervention

Excellence and equity goals motivate much of American educational policy. These two goals are not always mutually reinforcing. Some policies boost average academic achievement even as they broaden educational inequalities. Others depress academic achievement even as they narrow inequalities. The twin goals of excellence and equity should lead policy-makers to be interested in both the average effects of educational policies and their distributional consequences. But although developmental science suggests that many interventions should have heterogeneous effects, most educational evaluation research focuses on the estimation of mean treatment effects either for the population at large or for particular subgroups of interest. In this paper, by contrast, the authors use distributional approaches to estimate the effects of a school voucher experiment for low income elementary school students in New York City on the distribution of academic skill. The distributional approaches will test competing hypotheses that school vouchers boost achievement either primarily at the bottom of the distribution (thus mitigating inequality) or primarily at the top of the distribution (thus exacerbating inequality). The authors' preliminary findings suggest that vouchers may have different effects at different points in the distribution of student achievement. Further work will reveal how systematic this finding is, and explore the extent to which effects within subgroups are similar to those for the whole distribution. (Contains 1 figure.)
Preschool Center Quality and Socioemotional Readiness for School: Variation by Demographic and Child Characteristics
Author: Keys, Tran D.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Preschool Children,Preschool Education,Educational Quality,Educational Environment,Individual Characteristics,Interpersonal Competence,School Readiness,Child Behavior,Behavior Problems,Parent Background,Educational Attainment,Mothers,Race,Ethnicity,Sex,Attention,Thinking Skills,Meta Analysis,Longitudinal Studies

The aim of this paper is to address two research questions related to the policy goal of having all children ready to learn at kindergarten entry. First, to what extent are children's socioemotional skills and behavior higher when they experience higher quality preschools? Second, are the effects of preschool center quality on these school readiness skills different by demographic (i.e. race/ethnicity, gender, maternal education) or child characteristics (i.e. child's initial cognitive/achievement skills, attention, problem behaviors)? All data included in these secondary data analyses were collected in preschool center-based care. While policymakers justifiably attach considerable weight to experimental evaluations of child care programs, there is much to be learned from rigorous analyses of longitudinal data that are more representative of the population. This paper applies meta-analytic techniques to summarize results from original analyses of four longitudinal data sets to estimate variation in preschool. In summary, the consistency of these generally null results and the precision with which they are estimated across the different databases, multiple outcomes, and multiple child care quality measures suggests the following: (1) there are no significant preschool center quality main effects on socioemotional child outcomes, (2) there is generally an absence of &quot;differential&quot; preschool center quality effects on these socioemotional school readiness outcomes for subgroups of children defined by demographic or child characteristics, and (3) preschool center quality may not be adequately measured in currently available databases. (Contains 14 tables.)
A Conceptual Approach to Understanding Treatment Heterogeneity in Human Capital Interventions
Author: Duncan, Greg J.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Human Capital,Intervention,Psychologists,Developmental Psychology,Developmental Stages,Child Development,Children,Hypothesis Testing,Heterogeneous Grouping

Policy research on children is heavily balkanized by discipline. Economists bring strong experimental and quasi-experimental methods to their policy research, and recognize in their conception of causation that policies may have heterogeneous treatment impacts. But economic theories make few concrete predictions regarding either the nature of that heterogeneity or the processes by which the black-box policy impacts they estimate come about. Sociologists bring a sophisticated conception of the many contexts (e.g., neighborhoods, schools) in which children develop, but rarely link such conceptions to the circumstances of individual children within a given context. Developmental psychologists have strong conceptual models of how policy interventions and other environmental conditions may differentially affect children within and across developmental stages--birth to school entry, middle childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. And while they have developed some of the most rigorous and consequential child interventions (e.g., Perry Preschool, Abecedarian), some of which incorporate random-assignment evaluation designs, most of their empirical research relies on nonexperimental data and relatively weak causal empirical methods. To generate hypotheses regarding the likely impacts of education policies across and within children's developmental stages, the authors draw from the developmental psychology literature and conceptualize the importance of the "congruence" ("fit") between the developmental needs of children and youth and the design and nature of the intervention policies for understanding the nature of program treatment heterogeneity. In this view, children and youth profit from interventions to varying degrees, for two fundamental reasons. First, policies may not fit the developmental stage of the children or youth they target. They call this "stage/policy fit". Second, there is substantial variation in treatment impacts across children within a given stage. They call this "child/policy fit". The authors discuss each of these in turn and then apply them in the context of early childhood intervention programs. (Contains 3 figures.)
Credit Constraints for Higher Education
Author: Solis, Alex
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Family Income,Dropout Rate,Dropouts,Economically Disadvantaged,Enrollment,College Admission,Higher Education,Experiments,Credit (Finance),Foreign Countries,Colleges

This paper exploits a natural experiment that produces exogenous variation on credit access to determine the effect on college enrollment. The paper assess how important are credit constraints to explain the gap in college enrollment by family income, and what would be the gap if credit constraints are eliminated. Progress in college and dropout rates are also investigated. On each year, an average of 211,000 students took the PSU test and participate in the college admission process. To estimate the RD parameters the author is able to use a very small window around the threshold. To be conservative, all the RD results shown in the paper consider 2 PSU points around the threshold, that implies 6,000 students around the cut-off. The author observed that the elimination of the credit restriction has a significant effect on college enrollment. The effects are stronger for the poorest quintile. When loan access is granted for students above the cut-off, college enrollment gap by family income disappeared. This evidence suggests that an important part of the gap is a consequence of imperfect access to credit markets among the poorest. These results strongly support programs that grant access to the credit markets to the poor, who may alleviate in some degree the intergenerational inequality. The effects on medium run enrollment and dropout rates indicate that credit constraints are not only important for initial enrollment, but also play an important role for college progress. Having access to financing may allow students to focus on studying rather than in part-time jobs. The effects are particularly important for the lowest two income quintiles which were expected to be more constrained. All these evidence put together indicates that credit access have a very important effect on college enrollment, and college attainment, that may explain the big gap by family income. These shed light on the importance of programs that alleviate financial burden for the poor. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.)
Overcoming the Governance Challenge in K-12 Online Learning. Creating Sound Policy for Digital Learning. A Working Paper Series from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute
Author: Chubb, John E.
Date: 2012-02-14
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Web Based Instruction,Blended Learning,Virtual Classrooms,Charter Schools,Class Size,Elementary Secondary Education,Online Courses,Educational Technology,Boards of Education,Governance,School Districts,Educational Policy,Policy Formation,Policy Analysis,Barriers,Resistance to Change,State Government,State School District Relationship,School District Autonomy,Change Strategies,Educational Change,Commercialization,Statewide Planning,Educational Finance,Teacher Certification,School Choice,Accountability,Guidelines,Outcomes of Education,Politics of Education,Teacher Effectiveness,Standards

Online learning and our current system of local education governance are at odds with one another, to say the least. In this paper, John Chubb examines how local school district control retards the widespread use of instructional technologies. He argues that the surest way to break down the system's inherent resistance to technology is to shift control from the local district--and thus the school board--and put it in the hands of states. He then outlines ten steps to get us to this brave new governance system: (1) Set K-12 Online-Learning Policy at the State Level; (2) Create a Public Market for K-12 Online Learning; (3) Provide Students the Right to Choose Online Learning Full Time; (4) Provide Students the Right to Choose Online Learning Part Time; (5) Authorize Statewide Online Charter Schools, Overseen by Statewide Charter Authorizers; (6) License Supplementary Online Providers; (7) Fund All Learning Opportunities Equally Per Pupil; (8) Exempt Online and Blended Teaching from Traditional Teacher Requirements Including Certification and Class Size; (9) Establish Student Learning as the Foundation of Accountability for Online Schools and Providers; and (10) Address Market Imperfections by Providing Abundant Information to Students, Families, Schools, and Districts. (Contains 42 endnotes.) [For a review of this paper, &quot;Review of 'Overcoming the Governance Challenge in K-12 Online Learning'&quot;, see ED530436.]
Coaching as a Key Component in Teachers' Professional Development: Improving Classroom Practices in Head Start Settings. OPRE Report 2012-4
Author: Lloyd, Chrrishana M.
Date: 2012-02-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Early Childhood Education,Disadvantaged Youth,Workshops,Professional Development,Interpersonal Competence,Preschool Children,School Readiness,Emotional Development,Social Development,Coaching (Performance),Low Income Groups,Early Intervention,Quality Assurance,Teacher Effectiveness,Teacher Recruitment

Head Start CARES (Classroom-based Approaches  and Resources for Emotion and Social Skill Promotion) is a large-scale, national research demonstration that was designed to test the effects of a one-year program aimed at improving pre-kindergarteners' social and emotional readiness for school. To facilitate the delivery of the program, teachers attended training workshops and worked with coaches throughout the school year. This report focuses on the planning and implementation of the coaching component in the Head Start CARES demonstration. Beginning with an overview of coaching as a model of professional development generally and the demonstration's coaching model in particular, the report then offers practical lessons learned about coaching social-emotional curricula in a large and complex early childhood education system. Geared toward early childhood education administrators and practitioners who are interested in adopting or modifying a coaching model, the lessons learned address the selection of the coaching model; coach hiring and training; coaching processes; coach support and supervision; and program management, data, and quality assurance. (Contains 4 tables, 1 box and 22 footnotes.)
Does More Money Matter? An Introduction to the Performance-Based Scholarship Demonstration in California. Policy Brief
Author: Ware, Michelle
Date: 2012-03-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Low Income Groups,State Aid,Educational Finance,Scholarships,Equalization Aid,Community Colleges,Program Effectiveness,Academic Persistence,Academic Achievement,Demonstration Programs,Program Implementation,College Attendance,Eligibility,College Credits,Control Groups,School Holding Power,Student Financial Aid,Program Evaluation,Enrollment,Performance Based Assessment

The expense of attending college is one factor that may explain why low-income students often drop out of school. In California, despite generous state aid and relatively low fees at community colleges, many low-income students still have substantial college-related costs that they cannot cover. To compound matters, federal support for students has come under intense pressure, heightening the importance of available resources for low-income students. In 2008, MDRC launched the national Performance-based Scholarship Demonstration, now running in six states, to evaluate whether performance-based scholarships--an innovative type of financial assistance that is intended to supplement existing financial aid--are effective at improving academic success. This brief describes the California program, through which students are eligible for scholarships that vary in amount and duration. The California study is aiming to learn more about the types of scholarships that work best for low-income students and to inform policymakers and others about the academic gains that modest amounts of additional aid can trigger. (Contains 1 table, 2 figures, and 8 notes.)
Review of "Overcoming the Governance Challenge in K-12 Online Learning"
Author: Barbour, Michael
Date: 2012-03-22
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Evidence,Electronic Learning,Free Enterprise System,Elementary Secondary Education,Academic Achievement,Online Courses,Governance,Educational Policy,Educational Innovation,Achievement Gains,Virtual Classrooms,Statistical Bias,Criticism,Research Methodology,Research Problems,Administrative Organization,Research Reports,Influence of Technology,Validity,Educational Practices,Experimenter Characteristics,Performance Factors,Barriers

This fifth and final paper in the Fordham Institute's series examining digital learning policy is "Overcoming the Governance Challenge in K-12 Online Learning". The purpose of this report is to outline the steps required to move the governance of K-12 online learning from the local district level to the less restrictive state level and to create a free market for corporate innovation in K-12 online learning. Unfortunately, the report is based on an unsupported premise that K-12 online learning will lead to increased student achievement. The body of research to date suggests that there is no learning advantage for virtual schools. Further, no evidence is presented that supports the wisdom or efficacy of centralizing governance at the state level or that moving to a market model is a superior, productive or economical practice. The recommendation that virtual schools should be funded at the same per-pupil amount traditional public schools raises the question of profiteering, given Fordham's claim that virtual schools operate more economically (a claim for which there is limited evidence). This report appears to be ideologically motivated and designed to open up the $600 billion market of K-12 education to for-profit corporations. (Contains 27 notes.) [This paper reviews the following document: "Overcoming the Governance Challenge in K-12 Online Learning. Creating Sound Policy for Digital Learning. A Working Paper Series from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute" (ED530433).]
Review of &quot;Public Charter Schools: A Great Value for Ohio's Public Education System&quot;
Author: Miron, Gary
Date: 2008-12-10
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Evidence,Charter Schools,Educational Finance,Public Education,Private Schools,Cost Effectiveness,Statistical Bias,Research Methodology,Research Problems,Research Reports,Validity,Educational Policy,Educational Practices,Enrollment Rate,Educational Resources

This Buckeye Institute policy brief sets out to document problems and inequities in charter school finance in Ohio, but it falls short in providing a comprehensive presentation of evidence. It ignores relevant research literature and extensive findings from the official state evaluation. It incorrectly assumes that charter schools serve the same types of students and provide the same range of services, and it does so based on only partial revenues. Perhaps most troubling, the report's primary findings--that districts gain revenue for each student who attends a charter school and that there would be a net loss of revenues for districts if charter schools were closed--are based on an ungrounded and misleading interpretation of Ohio's mechanism for funding schools. To illustrate these problems, this review presents a comprehensive description of particular cost advantages and disadvantages that charter schools face. Such comprehensiveness is important for seeing through one-sided arguments from opponents or advocates that may not take into consideration the whole range of factors that affect the equitable distribution of revenues. (Contains a list of 30 notes and references.)
Review of &quot;Promising Start: An Empirical Analysis of How EdChoice Vouchers Affect Ohio Public Schools&quot;
Author: Lubienski, Christopher
Date: 2008-09-08
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Achievement Gap,Public Schools,Private Schools,School Choice,Educational Vouchers,Achievement Gains,Predictor Variables,Educational Finance,State Programs,Elementary Schools,Charter Schools,Minority Group Students,Academic Achievement,Educational Policy,Program Evaluation,Program Effectiveness,Outcome Measures,Policy Analysis,Competition,Commercialization,Outcomes of Education,Research Problems,Statistical Bias,Statistical Analysis,Evaluation Problems

A Friedman Foundation report attempts to find empirical support for the contention that competition from private schools, through voucher programs, improves the effectiveness of public schools. In the first year of Ohio's new EdChoice voucher program, the report claims to have found substantial academic gains at public schools exposed to the possibility of losing students to vouchers. Despite being presented as scientifically rigorous, the report suffers from serious methodological shortcomings. The analysis uses weak variables and an incorrect approach to measuring academic gains and tries to make claims based on cherry-picking uneven results. Moreover, even accepting the study's analysis, it produces a finding very much at odds with the author's intent: that vouchers are not likely to close the achievement gap between high- and low-performing schools. (Contains 39 notes.) [This paper reviews the following document: &quot;Promising Start: An Empirical Analysis of How EdChoice Vouchers Affect Ohio Public Schools. School Choice Issues in the State&quot; (ED508477).]
Review of &quot;Evaluation of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program: Impacts after Three Years&quot;
Author: Carnoy, Martin
Date: 2009-05-21
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Control Groups,Private Schools,Program Effectiveness,Scoring,Scholarships,Educational Vouchers,Program Evaluation,Experimental Groups,Cohort Analysis,Achievement Gains,Statistical Bias,Research Reports,Research Problems,Evaluation Methods,Research Methodology,Robustness (Statistics),Validity,Educational Policy,Educational Practices,Experimenter Characteristics

The third-year evaluation of the federally funded Washington, D.C. voucher program shows that low-income students offered vouchers in the first two years of the program had modestly higher reading scores after three years but showed no significant difference in mathematics. Students were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups, and the authors assessed the treatment effect on the overall, combined sample as well as some sample subgroups. The authors, however, interpret the results in ways that raise questions given some of their own findings. For instance, the report downplays the implications of the subgroup results showing that higher reading scores for those offered vouchers were concentrated in the first (2004) cohort, which did not include elementary-grade students and had more private school places available to it. The effect was also focused on students scoring higher on the baseline test, on those who had not attended the most troubled D.C. public schools, and on female students. Further, some of the most interesting results of the study were related to student choice behavior rather than increases in test scores. For example, one-fourth of voucher recipients never used their vouchers, many used them only part of the time, and almost all switched schools at least once. The report could have done far better in analyzing the results of the experiment by presenting them in a more nuanced fashion that focused on the possibility of varied effects with different populations and in different contexts and discussed the limitations of the results for more generalized large-scale applications. (Contains a list of 20 notes and references.) [This paper reviews the following document: &quot;Evaluation of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program: Impacts after Three Years. NCEE 2009-4050&quot; (ED504783).]
Review of &quot;The Misplaced Math Student: Lost in Eighth-Grade Algebra&quot;
Author: Burris, Carol Corbett
Date: 2008-10-14
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Low Achievement,Grade 8,Algebra,Mathematics Instruction,Mathematics Achievement,Mathematics Skills

The Brookings Institution report questions the efficacy of increasing the number of students who take algebra in eighth grade. Although this policy has resulted in more equitable access to advanced math study, the report argues that a subgroup of students enrolled lack the basic mathematical skills needed to succeed. The report further argues that the presence of lower achievers may weaken the instructional opportunities of highly proficient students. The report recommends that algebra placement be based on student readiness, not grade level. Although the report presents a sound case for better mathematical preparation for all students, the suggested remedy--delaying algebra for most until &quot;readiness&quot; is achieved and allowing fewer students to take algebra in eighth grade--is a flawed solution to address the problem of low achievement. A brief overview of the experience with eighth-grade algebra for all in the district where the reviewer works yields findings consistent with the report's call for better math preparation but inconsistent with its call for fewer to take algebra in eighth grade. (Contains a list of 13 notes and references.) [This paper reviews the following document: &quot;The Misplaced Math Student: Lost in Eighth-Grade Algebra. The 2008 Brown Center Report on American Education. Special Release&quot; (ED502716).]