ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Is Separate Still Unequal? New Evidence on School Segregation and Racial Academic Achievement Gaps. CEPA Working Paper No. 19-06
Author: Reardon, Sean F.
Date: 2019-09-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: School Segregation,Achievement Gap,Public Schools,Racial Segregation,Disadvantaged Schools,Poverty,Equal Education,White Students,African American Students,Hispanic American Students,Institutional Characteristics,Teacher Characteristics

U.S. public schools are highly segregated by both race and class. Prior research shows that the desegregation of Southern schools in the 1960s and 1970s led to significant benefits for black students, including increased educational attainment and higher earnings. We do not know, however, whether segregation today has the same harmful effects as it did 50 years ago, nor do we have clear evidence about the mechanisms through which segregation affects achievement patterns. In this paper we estimate the effects of current-day school segregation on racial achievement gaps. We use 8 years of data from all public school districts in the U.S. We find that racial school segregation is strongly associated with the magnitude of achievement gaps in 3rd grade, and with the rate at which gaps grow from third to eighth grade. The association of racial segregation with achievement gaps is completely accounted for by racial differences in school poverty: racial segregation appears to be harmful because it concentrates minority students in high-poverty schools, which are, on average, less effective than lower-poverty schools. Finally, we conduct exploratory analyses to examine potential mechanisms through which differential enrollment in high-poverty schools leads to inequality. We find that the effects of school poverty do not appear to be explained by differences in the set of measurable teacher or school characteristics available to us.
Using Pooled Heteroskedastic Ordered Probit Models to Improve Small-Sample Estimates of Latent Test Score Distributions. CEPA Working Paper No. 19-05
Author: Shear, Benjamin R.
Date: 2019-09-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Computation,Scores,Statistical Distributions,Sample Size,Data Analysis,Statistical Bias,Error of Measurement,Models,Statistical Analysis,Achievement Tests

This paper describes a method for pooling grouped, ordered-categorical data across multiple waves to improve small-sample heteroskedastic ordered probit (HETOP) estimates of latent distributional parameters. We illustrate the method with aggregate proficiency data reporting the number of students in schools or districts scoring in each of a small number of ordered &quot;proficiency&quot; levels. HETOP models can be used to estimate means and standard deviations of the underlying (latent) test score distributions, but may yield biased or very imprecise estimates when group sample sizes are small. A simulation study demonstrates that pooled HETOP models can reduce the bias and sampling error of standard deviation estimates when group sample sizes are small. An analysis of real test score data suggests the pooled models are likely to improve estimates in applied contexts.
Text as Data Methods for Education Research. CEPA Working Paper No. 19-04
Author: Fesler, Lily
Date: 2019-06-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Educational Research,Data Analysis,Automation,Methods,Discussion Groups,Online Courses,Artificial Intelligence,Gender Bias

Recent advances in computational linguistics and the social sciences have created new opportunities for the education research community to analyze relevant large-scale text data. However, the take-up of these advances in education research is still nascent. In this paper, we review the recent automated text methods relevant to educational processes and determinants. We discuss both lexical-based and supervised methods, which expand the scale of text that researchers can analyze, as well as unsupervised methods, which allow researchers to discover new themes in their data. To illustrate these methods, we analyze the text interactions from a field experiment in the discussion forums of online classes. Our application shows that respondents provide less assistance and discuss slightly different topics with the randomized female posters, but respond with similar levels of positive and negative sentiment. These results demonstrate that combining qualitative coding with machine learning techniques can provide for a rich understanding of text-based interactions.
Can Repeated Aggregate Cross-Sectional Data Be Used to Measure Average Student Learning Rates? A Validation Study of Learning Rate Measures in the Stanford Education Data Archive. CEPA Working Paper No. 19-08
Author: Reardon, Sean F.
Date: 2019-11-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Measurement Techniques,Growth Models,Cohort Analysis,Longitudinal Studies,Public Schools,School Districts,Elementary Secondary Education,Correlation,Student Mobility

In this paper we compare two approaches to measuring the average rate at which students learn in a given school or district. One type of measure--longitudinal growth measures--relies on student-level longitudinal data. A second type--cohort growth measures--relies only on repeated aggregated, cross-sectional data. Because student-level data is often not readily available, cohort growth measures are sometimes the only type available. The estimated school and district learning rates reported in the Stanford Education Data Archive (SEDA), for example, are cohort growth measures based on aggregated data. Understanding how much researchers and policymakers can rely on these cohort growth estimates requires one to know how well, and under what conditions, the estimates obtained from this approach align with those based on longitudinal data. In this report we address these questions. We do so by using longitudinal student data from three states (Massachusetts, Michigan, and Tennessee) to construct both average gain score measures (longitudinal growth) and change-in-average measures (cohort growth) for each public school district and school serving students in any of grades 3-8 in the three states. We then compare the two sets of estimates in order to assess how well the latter replicates the former. We do this separately for districts and schools. We find that the longitudinal and cohort growth measures are generally highly correlated in these three states. On average, the cohort growth measures largely rank schools and districts similarly to longitudinal growth measures. The correlations at the district-level (r=0.87) are somewhat higher than the school-level correlations (r=0.80), which reflects the fact that there is less student mobility among districts than among schools. Additionally, in cases where student mobility in and out of schools or districts is high, the measures are less well aligned. Mobility rates are higher, on average, in small schools and districts, schools with long grade spans, and in charter schools. As a result the alignment of the two measures is weaker in these cases. We conclude that the cohort growth measures are useful proxies for longitudinal growth measures in most, but not all cases. [This work was completed in collaboration with Michigan's Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI) and the Tennessee Education Research Alliance (TERA).]
The Perception of Devoted Teaching: Teacher Perspectives
Author: Yazar, Taha
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Attitudes,Secondary School Teachers,Altruism,Personality Traits,Teacher Responsibility,Foreign Countries,Teacher Characteristics,Teacher Student Relationship,Employment Level

The purpose of this research is to examine the devoted teachers' devoted teacher perceptions. For this purpose, according to the perceptions of teachers in a sense the answer was sought for the question &quot;who is devoted teachers&quot;. The research is expected to contribute to the literature in this respect. In this research, screening method was used. In research it was tried to be revealed as the teachers' perceptions of devoted teaching. The universe of the research was composed of teachers working in secondary school and high school. The sample consisted of 355 teachers working in secondary and high school. The research data were collected during the 2016-2017 academic year spring semester. A devoted teacher scale developed by the researchers was used in the research. The scale consists of 37 items with one factor. According to the findings of the research, teachers' devoted teaching perceptions are &quot;always&quot; at the level of 4.29. Teachers' perceptions of devoted teaching do not make a meaningful difference in terms of gender, educational status, branch, school, and graduated faculty. However, teachers 'perceptions of devoted teachers vary according to seniority, and according to seniority variable, devoted teachers' perceptions differ significantly. According to the results of the research, teachers perceive themselves as devoted at the &quot;always&quot; level.
Striving Readers Final Evaluation Report: Danville, Kentucky
Author: Cantrell, Susan C.
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Intervention,Reading Programs,Reading Achievement,Reading Strategies,Reading Motivation,Reading Difficulties,At Risk Students,Learning Strategies,Grade 6,Grade 9,High School Students,Middle School Students,Writing Achievement,Faculty Development,Literacy Education,Teaching Methods,Teacher Effectiveness,Coaching (Performance),Teacher Attitudes,Program Evaluation,Program Descriptions

This Striving Readers evaluation examined the impact of a targeted intervention for struggling adolescent readers and investigated the impact of a whole-school literacy model on students in participating schools. This study was conducted in ten middle, nine high, and two 6-12 schools in seven rural school districts serving large percentages of at-risk students in Kentucky. The targeted intervention for struggling readers was the Learning Strategies Curriculum (LSC) developed by the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning. The whole-school intervention was the Collaborative for Teaching and Learning Adolescent Literacy Model (ALM). The LSC intervention was evaluated through a multiple cohort within-school randomized field trial in which new students were assigned to treatment and control groups each year of the project. This study examined the impact of the LSC on struggling sixth- and ninth-grade students' reading achievement, strategy use, and motivation. In addition to the targeted intervention, this study evaluated the impact of ALM on teacher efficacy and student achievement in reading and writing. This school-wide model provided professional development for content teachers in integrating literacy strategies across content areas in service of content learning. All teachers in the Striving Readers schools were expected to implement the whole-school intervention, and all students were expected to receive instruction in the whole-school techniques across the content areas. The impact research questions that motivated the study design and analysis plan are: (1) What is the impact of the LSC on the reading achievement, strategy use, and motivation of struggling adolescent readers? (2) What changes occurred in the personal and collective efficacy of the LSC teachers/ALM coaches over the course of the project? (3) What is the impact of the ALM on student achievement in reading and the content areas? and (4) What is the impact of the ALM on content teachers' personal and collective efficacy for literacy teaching?
Supporting Educators through Employee Wellness Initiatives. Policy Update. Vol. 26, No. 4
Author: Faggert, Michelle
Date: 2019-09-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Wellness,State Policy,Board of Education Policy,Elementary Secondary Education,Educational Legislation,Federal Legislation,Employee Absenteeism,Physical Health,Mental Health,Teacher Welfare,Teaching Conditions,Health Promotion

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model as a framework to align support for the whole child through community engagement, collaboration between education and health sectors, and evidence-based school policies and practices. One of the 10 components of the WSCC model is employee wellness, which focuses on factors such as healthy eating and active lifestyles, tobacco and drug abuse, workplace hazards, and stress management. According to the National Association of State Boards of Education's (NASBE) recently updated State Policy Database on School Health, which reports and links to state policies across all WSCC components, 12 states have policies on at least one aspect of employee wellness. The database details eight areas: staff wellness programs, tobacco cessation, substance abuse, stress management, health assessments, flu shots, physical activity, and healthy food policies. This policy update discusses how three states--Mississippi, Rhode Island, and Nevada--address multiple areas. Mississippi provides comprehensive coverage, addressing all eight areas of employee wellness, while Rhode Island and Nevada address four each.
Is Effective Teacher Evaluation Sustainable? Evidence from DCPS. CEPA Working Paper No. 19-09
Author: Dee, Thomas S.
Date: 2019-11-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Teacher Evaluation,Teacher Effectiveness,Sustainability,Public School Teachers,Urban Schools,School Districts,Evaluation Methods,Program Design,Performance Based Assessment,Teacher Persistence,Teacher Improvement

Ten years ago, many policymakers viewed the reform of teacher evaluation as a highly promising mechanism to improve teacher effectiveness and student achievement. Recently, that enthusiasm has dimmed as the available evidence suggests the subsequent reforms had a mixed record of implementation and efficacy. Even in districts where there was evidence of efficacy, the early promise of teacher evaluation may not sustain as these systems mature and change. This study examines the evolving design of IMPACT, the teacher evaluation system in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). We describe the recent changes to IMPACT which include higher performance standards for lower-performing teachers and a reduced emphasis on value-added test scores. Descriptive evidence on the dynamics of teacher retention and performance under this redesigned system indicate that lower-performing teachers are particularly likely to either leave or improve. Corresponding causal evidence similarly indicates that imminent dismissal threats for persistently low-performing teachers increased both teacher attrition and the performance of returning teachers. These findings suggest teacher evaluation can provide a sustained mechanism for improving the quality of teaching.
Harnessing Service Learning to Build Social, Emotional, and Academic Skills. Policy Update. Vol. 26, No. 5
Author: Blanco, Megan
Date: 2019-11-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Service Learning,Teaching Methods,State Boards of Education,Board of Education Role,Student Development,School Districts,Elementary Secondary Education,Experiential Learning,Credits,Graduation Requirements,Community Involvement

Schools seeking to develop students' social, emotional, and academic skills should consider service learning as one way to help students apply those skills. As of the 2017-18 school year, 37 states and the District of Columbia required or encouraged school districts to offer community service education and service-learning programs. This NASBE analysis explores how state boards of education are uniquely positioned to support and model such community service initiatives.
Striving Readers Cohort II Evaluation Report: Kentucky
Author: Cantrell, Susan C.
Date: 2012-03-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Intervention,Program Evaluation,Program Effectiveness,At Risk Students,Reading Programs,Reading Achievement,Writing Achievement,Literacy Education,Reading Strategies,Reading Motivation,Grade 9,Self Efficacy,Reading Difficulties,Program Implementation,High School Students,Teaching Methods,Educational Quality,Program Descriptions,Learner Engagement

This Striving Readers evaluation examined the impact of a targeted intervention for struggling adolescent readers in participating schools. This study was conducted in nine high schools in nine school districts serving large percentages of at-risk students in Kentucky. The targeted intervention for struggling readers was the Kentucky Cognitive Literacy Model (KCLM) developed by the Kentucky Department of Education. This study examined the implementation of KCLM and its impact on struggling ninth-grade students' reading and writing achievement, self-efficacy with reading strategies, and motivation for reading. The impact research questions that motivated the study design and analysis plan are: (1) What is the impact of Kentucky's Cognitive Literacy Model (KCLM) on the reading achievement of low-achieving readers? (2) What is the impact of KCLM on the writing achievement of low achieving readers? (3) What is the impact of KCLM on the perceived reading strategy use of low achieving readers? and (4) What is the impact of KCLM on the motivation and engagement of low achieving readers? In addition, the following implementation questions were answered: (1) What is the state-level implementation of the professional development training and support for intervention teachers in the project? (2) Which components of KCLM were implemented most frequently by teachers in classrooms? and (3) What was the quality of KCLM implementation in classrooms?
Implementing Comprehensive Literacy Instruction for Students with Severe Disabilities in General Education Classrooms
Author: Hunt, Pam
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Literacy Education,Reading Instruction,Students with Disabilities,Severe Disabilities,Regular and Special Education Relationship,Early Intervention,Instructional Effectiveness,Special Education,Emergent Literacy,Individualized Education Programs,Reading Improvement,Elementary School Students,Outcomes of Education

The purpose of this conceptual replication study was to investigate the efficacy of an early literacy intervention when it was implemented by special educators in general education classrooms with students in the class participating in the lessons. The study was conducted in 16 schools in three states. Eighty students with severe disabilities participated in the study. Students in the intervention group received Early Literacy Skills Builder (ELSB) instruction; while students in the &quot;business-as-usual&quot; control group received literacy instruction planned by special education teachers to address the students' IEP literacy goals. Literacy assessments were conducted in five waves scheduled across the school year. Results showed that students receiving ELSB instruction made greater gains in assessed literacy skills than students in the control group. These findings provide evidence that students with severe disabilities can benefit from comprehensive emergent literacy instruction when it is implemented in general education settings. [This is the online version of an article published in &quot;Exceptional Children.&quot;]
Advancing Practitioner Understandings of Equity in Illinois Community Colleges. Insights on Equity and Outcomes. Issue 21
Author: Rockey, Marci
Date: 2019-09-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Equal Education,Community Colleges,Student Adjustment,Transitional Programs,Postsecondary Education,Two Year College Students,Barriers,Success,Access to Education,At Risk Students

Equity-minded leadership is critical to closing equity gaps for historically marginalized student populations within higher education systems (Malcom-Piquex &amp; Bensimon, 2017). Pathways to Results (PTR) is an outcomes-focused, equity-guided process to improve student transition to and through postsecondary education and into employment. PTR began with six pilot sites in 2009 and has since expanded to over 100 projects throughout the Illinois community college system. Built on the foundational work of the Center on Urban Education at the University of Southern California, PTR supports community college practitioners in understanding obstacles to student success and implementing changes in both policy and practice toward advancing equitable outcomes (Office of Community College Research and Leadership, 2019). This article examines the highlights of the program.
Report of Intent to Treat Estimates of Program Impacts on Student Achievement: New York State English Language Arts Examination. Striving Readers Project
Author: Newman, Dianna L.
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Reading Programs,Reading Difficulties,Middle School Students,Program Implementation,Program Evaluation,Program Effectiveness,Literacy Education,Grade 7,Reading Fluency,Word Recognition,Vocabulary,Reading Comprehension,Reading Skills,Writing Skills,Learner Engagement,Reading Teachers,Reading Achievement

The New York State Education Department (NYSED), in partnership with the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE), was granted funding as part of the &quot;Striving Readers Project&quot; to address the literacy needs of adolescent struggling readers early in middle school. The goal of the project was to implement and examine the impact of a one-year, comprehensive supplemental literacy intervention that was provided to seventh grade students across 11 New York City middle schools. The supplemental literacy intervention used in this study was the REWARDS Program (REWARDS Secondary-Multisyllabic Word Reading Strategies; REWARDS Plus; REWARDS Writing). The REWARDS Program provides comprehensive instruction in word analysis, fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension and writing, and uses content-related text and extended discussion of text meaning and interpretation to enhance student motivation and engagement in literacy learning. The three components in the REWARDS Program were taught in an integrated sequence with careful attention to fidelity, by specially trained teachers who were assisted throughout the year with skilled coaching and expert support. This report summarizes the examination of the impact of the REWARDS reading intervention on student achievement. Specifically, this evaluation examined differences between the treatment and control groups on reading achievement as measured on the New York State English Language Arts examination (NYS ELA).
STEM Completion at Hispanic-Serving Community Colleges. Hispanic-Serving Community Colleges STEM Pipelines
Author: Zamani-Gallaher, Eboni M.
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: STEM Education,Two Year College Students,Hispanic American Students,Community Colleges,Racial Composition,Minority Groups,Minority Group Students,Disproportionate Representation,Academic Persistence,College Transfer Students,Racial Differences,Ethnicity,Gender Differences,Enrollment,Institutional Characteristics,Student Characteristics,Academic Degrees

The Hispanic-Serving Community Colleges STEM Pipelines (HSCC-STEM) study is a research project that explores the transitions to and through Hispanic-serving two-year institutions for underrepresented minoritized STEM students. This brief uncovers the most viable HSCC STEM pathways for Latinxs and other underrepresented minoritized students as well as which fields they are more likely to persist in and the promising practices at HSCCs that provide transfer pathways leading to further education--on ramps to STEM baccalaureates. This research brief focuses on STEM degrees conferred nationally by race and gender at three institutional types: HSCCs, which are two-year institutions with 25% or more Latinx student enrollment; emerging HSCCs, which are two-year institutions with 15% to 24% Latinx student enrollment; and non-HSCCs, which are institutions with less than 15% Latinx student enrollment.