ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Education Priorities for the 83rd Texas Legislature: Policy Recommendations for Public Education and Higher Education
Author: Texas Business Leadership Council (TBLC)
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Higher Education,Educational Change,Graduation,Public Education,Elementary Secondary Education,Education Work Relationship,Correlation,College Readiness,Charter Schools,Scholarships,Educational Innovation,Teacher Effectiveness,Educational Finance,Financial Support,Student Financial Aid,Developmental Studies Programs,Educational Policy,State Legislation

Texas' ability to create an education system that delivers on workforce and post-secondary readiness for all students is crucial to our long-term prosperity. We must fully transform our state's education system to meet the challenges and opportunities so clearly evident today. Yet, according to a report commissioned by the Houston Endowment from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, only 20 percent of Texas students are earning any sort of postsecondary credential within six years of expected high school graduation. Without a doubt, Texas is losing its workforce competitiveness in terms of education and the implications, given the high correlation between income and education, are dire for our state's ongoing economic vitality. How state leaders respond to this clarion call for education reform will ultimately define our ability to remain globally competitive, create jobs, attract investment and expand our dynamic economy. This paper presents K-12 education policy recommendations.
Kindergarten to College (K2C): A First-in-the-Nation Initiative to Set All Kindergartners on the Path to College. Asset Building Program
Author: Phillips, Leigh
Date: 2011-09-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Kindergarten,Money Management,College Preparation,Comprehensive Guidance,Developmental Studies Programs,Educational Resources,Paying for College,Access to Information,City Government,Program Descriptions,Organizational Objectives,Educational Planning,Articulation (Education),Incentive Grants,Evaluation Methods,Partnerships in Education,Performance Factors,Formative Evaluation

In the Spring of 2011, the City of San Francisco automatically opened college savings accounts for over 1,000 San Francisco Kindergartners. The City also "seeded" every account with an initial deposit of $50. The account openings marked the official launch of San Francisco's Kindergarten to College initiative, or "K2C." This initiative, the first of its kind in the nation, aims to improve the odds for San Francisco Kindergartners and set all San Francisco public school children on a path to college, from the very first day of school. This case study provides an overview of Kindergarten to College (K2C), why city leaders started it, and how it works. Resources and Key Contacts are appended. (Contains 19 footnotes.)
Watching Teachers Work: Using Observation Tools to Promote Effective Teaching in the Early Years and Early Grades
Author: Guernsey, Lisa
Date: 2011-11-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Teacher Effectiveness,Elementary Schools,Kindergarten,Observation,Instructional Effectiveness,Instructional Improvement,Teacher Improvement,Early Childhood Education,Classroom Observation Techniques,Teacher Evaluation,Quality Assurance,Professional Development,Rewards

This paper paints a picture of the dismal state of early education for many children--especially the disadvantaged--who are rarely given access to the kinds of stimulating, content-rich conversations that provide them with the cognitive and social-emotional skills they need to succeed throughout their years in school. With many states currently redesigning their teacher-evaluation systems, the report urges policymakers to include objective observation-based assessment as a measure of teacher effectiveness. "Observation tools allow for measurements that are far less subjective than many of the checklists and rubrics currently used today," the report says. Based on in-depth interviews at several leading sites around the country already using observation tools, the report describes how strong teaching and caregiving can be fostered in infant-toddler programs, pre-K settings, and elementary schools.  The report also describes how objective observation could be used to improve teaching across the full education spectrum, PreK-12th grade. The report offers 17 recommendations to policymakers at all levels of government, as well as to educators and teacher-preparation programs. Among them: Use valid and reliable observation tools to identify, promote and reward good teaching; harness the power of these tools to integrate professional development with formal evaluation; and use observation-based assessments to promote PreK-3rd reforms, providing teachers with a common language for describing good teaching across pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and elementary schools. (Contains 2 tables and 68 notes.)
Meaningful Credential Renewal: A Policy Proposal to Strengthen Teaching Quality in California
Author: Esch, Camille
Date: 2011-04-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Teacher Effectiveness,Credentials,Teacher Competencies,State Policy,Teacher Certification,Change Strategies,Educational Change,Teacher Qualifications,Teacher Improvement,Program Improvement,State Regulation,Educational Policy,Alignment (Education),Quality Assurance,Teacher Evaluation

Teacher effectiveness is known to be a critical factor in student learning and success. California has made some notable efforts to strengthen teaching, but the most coherent state-level initiatives have been limited to the earliest stages of teachers' careers. After the credentialing and induction phase, state policy does virtually nothing to ensure teaching quality or foster continual improvement. This report argues the state should play a stronger role in strengthening teaching quality beyond these early phases. One underutilized policy lever for doing so is the renewal of the Clear teaching credential. Currently, teachers renew their credentials every five years by paying a fee to the state--nothing more. This is a missed opportunity for the state both in terms of accountability &quot;and&quot; improvement. By implementing a new process--local review--at the point of renewal, the state could ensure that teachers are demonstrating acceptable levels of performance and professional growth, while providing districts and teachers a structure for improving instructional practice. In the new process for credential renewal proposed here, local panels would review teacher professional portfolios and use the results of these reviews as the basis for recommending renewal of teacher Clear credentials every five years. Reforming the credential renewal process as suggested in this paper would strengthen the state role in ensuring teaching quality while maintaining local authority and influence over the process. Appended are: (1) Frequently Asked Questions; and (2) Estimated Recurring Costs. (Contains 17 notes.) [For &quot;Meaningful Credential Renewal: A Policy Proposal to Strengthen Teaching Quality in California. Executive Summary,&quot; see ED540789.]
Meaningful Credential Renewal: A Policy Proposal to Strengthen Teaching Quality in California. Executive Summary
Author: New America Foundation
Date: 2011-04-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Teacher Effectiveness,Portfolios (Background Materials),State Policy,Educational Quality,Instructional Effectiveness,Instructional Improvement,Teacher Qualifications,Teacher Certification,Program Proposals,Teacher Evaluation

This paper is part of a nonpartisan project to identify specific state-level policy changes that could have a significant impact on teaching quality and be accomplished in a constrained fiscal environment. Of course, many aspects of California's teacher development system could be strengthened, better funded, or otherwise changed for the better. This proposal focuses on teacher credential renewal because it is an underutilized state policy lever that could be enhanced significantly and at relatively low cost. In the new process for credential renewal proposed here, local panels would review teacher professional portfolios and use the results of these reviews as the basis for recommending renewal of teacher Clear credentials every five years. Electronic portfolios would contain information about: (1) Growth in student learning (with a variety of allowed sources of assessment data); (2) Teaching performance in the classroom, as documented by the principal and other instructional experts; and (3) The teacher's individual efforts to improve his or her teaching practice and grow professionally. Reforming the credential renewal process would strengthen the state role in ensuring teaching quality while maintaining local authority and influence over the process. [For the full report, &quot;Meaningful Credential Renewal: A Policy Proposal to Strengthen Teaching Quality in California,&quot; see ED540788.]
Congressional Budget Action for Fiscal Year 2012 and Its Impact on Education Funding. Issue Brief
Author: Delisle, Jason
Date: 2011-09-13
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Federal Government,Budgeting,Budgets,Federal Aid,Educational Finance,Education,Federal Programs,Federal Legislation,Student Financial Aid

The fiscal year 2012 budget process has been anything but typical or predictable. While fiscal year 2012 starts in just a few weeks on October 1, 2011, the annual appropriations process is far from complete, and funding for federal education programs has not yet been finalized. Nevertheless, congressional action in the months that have led up to the start of fiscal year 2012 will have important effects on education funding levels set in the appropriations process as well as for other programs, such as student loans and education tax benefits. This brief by the New America Foundation's Federal Education Budget Project explains how the congressional budget process affects education funding, with special emphasis on the unique circumstances of the fiscal year 2012 budget process. (Contains 24 notes.)
2011 Education Appropriations Guide. Issue Brief
Author: Delisle, Jason
Date: 2011-05-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Federal Government,Federal Programs,Federal Aid,Budgets,Educational Finance,Federal Legislation,Scheduling,Time Management

Congress completed the fiscal year 2011 appropriations process on April 14th, 2011, finalizing annual funding for nearly all federal education programs through September 30, 2011 at $68.3 billion, up $4.2 billion from the prior year. Making sense of the federal education budget and the appropriations process can be a frustrating task for education advocates, state and local policymakers, the media, and the public. The fiscal year 2011 appropriations process has been particularly confusing. Congress bypassed several steps in the normal budget and appropriations process this fiscal year. Lawmakers chose not to debate or adopt an annual budget resolution that sets funding limits for appropriations bills, and lawmakers failed to bring the appropriations bill that funds education programs up for a vote in either chamber. Instead, Congress passed a series of stop-gap funding bills that temporarily provided fiscal year 2011 funding at prior year levels for programs subject to annual appropriations, though funding for some education programs was reduced or eliminated along the way. This issue brief is a helpful guide to the appropriations process and recently enacted fiscal year 2011 education funding. It includes an analysis of funding for major education programs and a timeline of the 2011 appropriations process. It also includes tables comparing 2011 funding to earlier House and Senate proposals, prior year funding levels, and the president's 2011 budget request. (Contains 12 notes.)
12 Ideas for Early Education in the 112th Congress. Issue Brief
Author: Guernsey, Lisa
Date: 2011-02-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Legislators,Federal Government,Public Education,Early Childhood Education,Access to Education,Kindergarten,Elementary Secondary Education,Budgets,Federal Aid,Educational Finance,Education,Federal Programs,Instructional Effectiveness,Charter Schools,Educational Improvement,Learning Strategies,Sanctions

As the 112th Congress gets to work, its members face an important opportunity to make lasting changes to public education. With the pending reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA, also currently known as No Child Left Behind) lawmakers could enact significant improvements to strengthen early learning, as they also could in legislation related to the appropriation of funding at federal agencies. In this brief, the New America Foundation's Early Education Initiative proposes 12 policy ideas to improve access, quality, and alignment for children before kindergarten and through the early grades of elementary school. These include: (1) Think PreK-12, not K-12; (2) In grant competitions, favor states with effective early learning strategies; (3) Use School Improvement Grants to  expand full-day kindergarten and high-quality pre-k; (4) Build stronger links between principals and early childhood programs; (5) Encourage the use of valid and reliable observation tools to measure teacher effectiveness throughout the PreK-12 system; (6) Promote high-quality traditional and alternative teaching programs to recruit talented individuals in STEM to become pre-k and early elementary school teachers; (7) Fund research on young children and digital technology; (8) In rewriting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) sanctions, give credit to elementary schools that show evidence of using student data to improve instruction in the early grades; (9) Target elementary absenteeism; (10) Support the ability of effective charter schools to offer high-quality pre-k programs; (11) Recognize the connection between the prosperity of families with young children and the economic future of our country; and (12) Channel funding to &quot;effective&quot; programs.
Summary and Analysis of President Obama's Education Budget Request, Fiscal Year 2012: Issue Brief
Author: New America Foundation
Date: 2011-02-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Federal Programs,Public Agencies,Federal Aid,Budgets,Annual Reports,Program Budgeting,Federal Legislation,Tax Allocation,Resource Allocation,Funding Formulas,Finance Reform,Educational Policy,Politics of Education,Program Termination,Higher Education,Elementary Secondary Education

President Barack Obama submitted his third budget request to Congress on February 14th, 2011. The detailed budget request includes proposed funding levels for federal programs and agencies in aggregate for the upcoming 10 fiscal years, and specific fiscal year 2012 funding levels for individual programs subject to appropriations. Congress will use the president's budget request to inform its consideration of tax and spending legislation later this year, including the fiscal year 2012 appropriations bill that will set specific funding levels for federal education programs. Fiscal year 2012 begins October 1, 2011. The administration pledged to freeze "non-security discretionary spending" for five years in its fiscal year 2012 budget proposal. This spending category includes all federal agencies except the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, and State, international aid programs, and the National Nuclear Security Administration. This issue brief provides a summary and analysis of the president's fiscal year 2012 education budget request. All comparisons to fiscal year 2011 funding levels reflect funding through the Continuing Resolution (CR) if it were annualized.
The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund and Higher Education Spending in the States: Part 1 of 4. Issue Brief
Author: Cohen, Jennifer
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Higher Education,Educational Finance,Resource Allocation,Student Financial Aid,Annual Reports,Budgeting,Budgets,Economic Impact,Federal Legislation,Federal Programs,Expenditures,State Action,Educational Policy,State Policy,Politics of Education,Funding Formulas,Equalization Aid

By late 2008, the United States was in the midst of its most severe economic recession since the 1930s, brought on by a collapse in real estate prices and exacerbated by the failure of many large banks and financial institutions. Heeding calls from economists, Congress and the Obama administration passed a historic law in early 2009 to stimulate the economy with $862 billion in new spending and tax cuts. This paper is the first in a four-part series examining the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's of 2009 (ARRA's) effect on state spending for higher education. The forthcoming reports will provide an analysis of state allocations of State Fiscal Stabilization Funds (SFSF) to higher education, a study of how those funds were used in select states, and a look at the status of state higher education funding after the SFSF monies are no longer available at the end of fiscal year 2011. (Contains 3 tables and 9 notes.) [For related reports, see &quot;The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund and Higher Education Spending: Part 2 of 4&quot; (ED540795); and &quot;The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund and Higher Education Spending Part 3: State Case Studies&quot; (ED540796).]
The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund and Higher Education Spending: Part 2 of 4
Author: Cohen, Jennifer S.
Date: 2011-05-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Higher Education,Educational Finance,Trend Analysis,Economic Impact,Budgeting,Budgets,Program Budgeting,Funding Formulas,State Federal Aid,Annual Reports,Expenditures,Resource Allocation,State Action,State Officials,State Policy,Federal Legislation,Federal Programs

By late 2008, the United States was in the midst of its most severe economic recession since the 1930s, brought on by a collapse in real estate prices and exacerbated by the failure of many large banks and financial institutions. Heeding calls from economists, Congress and the Obama administration passed a historic law in early 2009 to stimulate the economy with $862 billion in new spending and tax cuts. This law, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), included nearly $100 billion in one-time funding for new and existing education programs, a historic sum given that annual appropriations for federal education programs at the time were approximately $60 billion. This paper is the second in a four-part series examining these trends. Forthcoming reports will provide a study of how select states used SFSF funds and a look at the status of state higher education funding after the SFSF monies are no longer available at the end of fiscal year 2011. Division of ARRA Education Stabilization Funds by Education Sector and Year are appended. (Contains 3 tables and 14 notes.) [For related reports, see &quot;The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund and Higher Education Spending in the States: Part 1 of 4. Issue Brief&quot; (ED540794); and &quot;The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund and Higher Education Spending Part 3: State Case Studies&quot; (ED540796).]
Higher Education Spending and the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, Part 3: State Case Studies
Author: Cohen, Jennifer
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Higher Education,Educational Finance,Case Studies,Institutional Characteristics,Budgeting,Expenditures,Funding Formulas,Audits (Verification),Operations Research,State Federal Aid,Trend Analysis,State Officials,State Surveys,Interviews,Educational Legislation,Federal Legislation,Economic Impact,Budgets,Resource Allocation,Elementary Secondary Education

By late 2008, the United States was in the midst of its most severe economic recession since the 1930s, brought on by a collapse in real estate prices and exacerbated by the failure of many large banks and financial institutions. Heeding calls from economists, Congress and the Obama administration passed an historic law in early 2009 to stimulate the economy with $862 billion in new spending and tax cuts. This law, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), included nearly $100 billion in one-time funding for new and existing education programs, an historic sum given that annual appropriations for federal education programs at the time were approximately $60 billion. The largest single education program included in the law was the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, a new $48.6 billion program that provided direct grant aid to state governments in fiscal years 2009, 2010, and 2011. The program was designed to help states maintain support for both public K-12 and higher education funding that they might have otherwise cut in response to budget shortfalls brought on by the economic downturn. This paper examines how eight states and their public institutions of higher education used the funds to support higher education and what will happen to these institutions' budgets in fiscal year 2012 when the funds are no longer available. It uses information collected through phone interviews with officials in state higher education offices and at public institutions of higher education to determine how states distributed the funds and how institutions actually used them. Using this information, some general conclusions can be made about how the ARRA funds actually affected higher education in America and what is likely to happen once the funds are no longer available. While every state used the funds differently, the author and her colleagues find that the states they studied used the vast majority of their funds to support salaries and benefits for instructional staff. And while these funds played an important part in keeping these institutions of higher education financially solvent in 2009, 2010, and 2011, many institutions will face budgetary challenges in 2012 and beyond. This paper is the third in a three-part series examining these trends. (Contains 17 notes.) [For related reports, see &quot;The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund and Higher Education Spending in the States: Part 1 of 4. Issue Brief&quot; (ED540794); and &quot;The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund and Higher Education Spending: Part 2 of 4&quot; (ED540795).]