ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Avoiding Boundary Estimates in Hierarchical Linear Models through Weakly Informative Priors
Author: Chung, Yeojin
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Statistical Analysis,Models,Computation,Maximum Likelihood Statistics,Bayesian Statistics

Hierarchical or multilevel linear models are widely used for longitudinal or cross-sectional data on students nested in classes and schools, and are particularly important for estimating treatment effects in cluster-randomized trials, multi-site trials, and meta-analyses. The models can allow for variation in treatment effects, as well as examination of the reasons for treatment effect variation. In this paper the authors propose a method that pulls the group-level standard deviation estimate off the boundary while producing estimates that are consistent with the data. The idea is to specify a weakly informative prior distribution for the standard deviation and to maximize the resulting posterior distribution, a method that can also be viewed as penalized maximum likelihood estimation.
Understanding Treatment Effects Heterogeneities Using Multi-Site Regression Discontinuity Designs: Example from a &quot;Double-Dose&quot; Algebra Study in Chicago
Author: Nomi, Takako
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Mathematics Instruction,Algebra,Regression (Statistics),Research Design,Urban Schools,Public Schools,Grade 9,High School Students,Mathematical Enrichment,Ability Grouping,Instructional Effectiveness,Mathematics Achievement

To understand heterogeneity in the effects of double-dose algebra across schools, the authors focus on two policy implementation features and their variation across schools. The first source of variation is the degree to which schools followed the cutoff-based course assignment policy. The second source of variation is the degree to which schools segregated algebra classes on the basis of students' prior skills in response to the policy. They ask the following research questions: (1) to what extent did double-dose algebra effects vary across schools?, and (2) how were these variations related to the ways in which schools implemented double-dose Algebra? (Contains 2 tables, 6 figures and 3 footnotes.)
A Meta-Analysis of K-8 Summer Reading Interventions: The Role of Socioeconomic Status in Explaining Variation in Treatment Effects
Author: Kim, James S.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Reading Achievement,Summer Schools,Reading Comprehension,Reading Fluency,Vocabulary,Socioeconomic Status,Intervention,Reading Instruction,Instructional Effectiveness,Low Income Groups,Disadvantaged Youth,Meta Analysis,Elementary Education

The purpose of this meta-analytic review is twofold. First, the authors estimate the impact of K-8 summer literacy interventions on reading achievement. They measure reading achievement using a composite outcome and specific measures of word reading and fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Second, they examine the moderating role of the socioeconomic characteristics of the sample on a composite reading outcome and reading comprehension. Although there is a growing literature on the negative impact of summer vacation on low-income children's reading achievement, little is known about the moderating  role of children's socioeconomic status on the effects of interventions. This review updates a comprehensive meta-analysis of summer school and also extends prior work by including interventions that take place in the home setting.
A Descriptive Analysis of the Principal Workforce in Wisconsin. Summary. Issues &amp; Answers. REL 2012-No. 135
Author: Clifford, Matthew
Date: 2012-03-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Labor Force,Principals,Administrator Characteristics,Race,Sex,Age,Educational Attainment,Labor Turnover,Faculty Mobility,Teachers,Teacher Characteristics,Public Schools,Longitudinal Studies,Comparative Analysis,Demography

This summary describes a study that responds to a request from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction for information on Wisconsin's school principal workforce population. In the study, descriptive analyses addressed two research questions: (1) How do the demographic characteristics of Wisconsin school principals compare how did these characteristics change over 1999-2009?; and (2) How does the eight-year retention rate for a cohort of new Wisconsin principals from 2000 to 2002 compare with the retention rate of returning Wisconsin principals? Data were gathered for the 11 academic years from 1999 to 20092 from the Wisconsin public school personnel and certification databases. The sample consisted of 1,703 principals and 59,803 teachers in 1999. A cross-sectional analysis was used to describe principal and teacher demographic characteristics. The following are key findings: (1) The majority of Wisconsin principals in 2009 were male, but the percentage of female principals increased 7.1 percentage points, from 35.5 percent in 1999 to 42.6 percent in 2009; (2) The majority of Wisconsin teachers in 2009 were female, and the percentage of female teachers increased 4.1 percentage points, from 69.5 percent in 1999 to 73.6 percent in 2009; (3) The majority of Wisconsin principals and teachers in 2009 were White, but the percentage of racial/ethnic minority principals increased 0.7 percentage point, from 6.6 percent in 1999 to 7.3 percent in 2009, and the percentage of racial/ethnic minority teachers increased 0.4 percentage point, from 3.9 percent in 1999 to 4.3 percent in 2009; (4) The average age of the Wisconsin principal workforce fell 0.5 year, from 48.6 years in 1999 to 48.1 years in 2009, and the average age of teachers did not change, remaining at 43.0 years; (5) The majority of Wisconsin principals in 2009 held a master's degree, and the percentage of principals and teachers who held a master's degree increased from 1999 to 2009. The percentage of principals holding a master's degree increased 2.8 percentage points, from 84.2 percent in 1999 to 87.0 percent in 2009, and the percentage of teachers holding a master's degree increased 13.4 percentage points, from 36.3 percent in 1999 to 49.7 percent in 2009; and (6) After eight years, 43.7 percent of the new principal cohort and 46.1 percent of the comparison cohort remained principals. Annual attrition rates for new principals ranged from 9.0 percentage points to 13.4 across the eight years, while annual attrition rates for comparison principals ranged from 8.8 percentage points to 12.0. (Contains 3 notes.) [For the full report, &quot;A Descriptive Analysis of the Principal Workforce in Wisconsin. Issues &amp; Answers. REL 2012-No. 135,&quot; see ED530569.]
Experimental Evaluations of Two Strategies to Improve Reading Achievement in Kenya: Enhanced Literacy Instruction and Treatment of Malaria
Author: Jukes, Matthew
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Elementary School Students,Reading Achievement,Literacy,Reading Instruction,Diseases,Disease Control,Public Health,Inservice Teacher Education,Elementary School Teachers,Program Effectiveness

There is less quality evidence on how malaria may affect cognitive abilities and educational achievement or on how schools can tackle the problem of malaria among school children. A randomised trial among Sri Lankan children showed that weekly malaria chemoprophylaxis with chloroquine can improve school examination scores. The Health and Literacy Intervention (HALI) project evaluated two strategies for improving educational achievement: (i) periodic screening and treatment of malaria in schools by public health workers and (ii) training workshops and text-message support for teachers to promote explicit and systematic literacy instruction. (Contains 1 figure.)
The Pedagogy of College Access Programs: A Critical Analysis. Critical Essay. ASHE/Lumina Fellows Series. Issue 5
Author: Bloom, Janice
Date: 2008-06-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: First Generation College Students,Higher Education,Race,Middle Class,Low Income Groups,Ethnography,Criticism,College Bound Students,Research,Social Class,Socioeconomic Background,Access to Education,College Preparation,Academic Aspiration,College Applicants,College Choice

This critical essay is based on ethnographic research that followed thirteen students (from different social classes and racial background) through the college application process during their senior year of high school (Bloom, 2007). The study's purpose was to understand the accumulation and use of social and cultural capital by critically analyzing the resources first-generation students and families appear to lack. Moreover, the study was concerned with identifying important social and cultural resources that middle- and upper-middle-class students and families bring to the college transition. This essay asks: What are the processes through which students develop concrete college aspirations and a sense of efficacy in pursuing those aspirations? How is an understanding of the landscape of higher education (the differences between public and private, small and large, liberal arts or vocational colleges, etc.) built over time, and what exactly leads students to consider--or not consider--more selective institutions and schools across a greater geographic range? What kinds of social networks are needed to successfully navigate the application process? In each of these areas, the study attempts to move beyond noting differences across race and class to exploring the processes through which these differences are created. Three specific areas in relation to access to dominant social and cultural capital are addressed: (1) What Appadurai (2004) has termed the "capacity to aspire" by students from differing backgrounds, as it relates to higher education; (2) Students' knowledge of the landscape of higher education and their choice process as they consider a range of institutions; and (3) The ways that students and families navigate the actual college application process. Finally, the essay addresses the pedagogy behind many existing college access programs. Specifically, it assesses programs' knowledge about crucial but subtle differences in resources across race and class, including ability to provide true access to the kinds of institutional supports that middle- and upper-income students have. Moreover, the ways that college access programs do (or do not) position first-generation college-going students as actors and owners of their own transition process are addressed. In doing so, this essay hopes to raise important--but currently unasked--questions about the pedagogy of college access programs, and illuminate why some current programs may not be successfully ameliorating existing inequities. (Contains 3 footnotes.) [This essay was written with the assistance of Michelle Fine, Stephen Porter, Laura Rendon, and Lori Chajet.]
Putting Money in the Right Places: Supporting First-Generation African American Women in College. Policy Brief. ASHE/Lumina Fellows Series. Issue 6
Author: Winkle-Wagner, Rachelle
Date: 2008-11-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Mentors,Early Intervention,Females,African Americans,College Students,First Generation College Students,Racial Differences,Minority Groups,Ethnography,Barriers,Paying for College,Resource Allocation,Influences,Student Needs,Financial Support,Educational Finance

This brief considers the policy implications of the college experiences of African American women at a predominantly White, research institution. The findings of this ethnographic study indicate that first-generation Black women grappled with academic and financial barriers to both their initial and continued transitions through college. Their struggles suggest a need to put resources toward need-based financial aid, early intervention programs providing both financial and academic assistance, and continued support/mentoring programs. The data presented here are part of a larger, critical ethnographic study of 30 Black women's college experiences and identity (Winkle-Wagner, in press; Winkle-Wagner, 2006). The author primarily focuses on the 25 first-generation women in the study. The primary research question for this brief was: What influences the early and continued college transitions of first-generation African American women?
Cluster Randomized Trial of a Large-Scale Education Initiative in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Baseline Findings and Lessons
Author: Aber, John Lawrence
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Grade 2,Grade 3,Grade 4,Elementary School Students,Reading Achievement,Mathematics Achievement,Mental Health,Child Health,Well Being,Correlation,Student Characteristics,Family Characteristics,Risk,Teacher Characteristics,Institutional Characteristics,Class Size,School Size

The main purpose of the current paper is to describe and discuss the scientific and practical implications of pursuing rigorous developmental research in a low-income, war-afflicted country such as DRC. In addition, the paper aims to explore the individual, household and school correlates of children's academic performance and mental health and socio-emotional wellbeing in a large sample of 2nd and 4th grade children form Katanga province. Results from these analyses will serve to identify key correlates of children's outcomes, which may be useful for relevant stockholders to improve their intervention strategies. In addition, estimation of intraclass correlations (ICCs) and of the amount of variance explained by the observed covariates will permit a calibration of the power analysis for the second wave of data collection. This is particularly important in a context in which there is a dearth of background information about children's academic, and especially, socio-emotional outcomes. (Contains 3 tables.)
Low-Income, Urban Latinas' Student Aid Decisions: The Effect of Family Ties. Policy Brief. ASHE/Lumina Fellows Series. Issue 1
Author: Venegas, Kristan
Date: 2007-09-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Scholarships,Financial Support,Paying for College,Urban Schools,Student Financial Aid,Low Income Groups,Hispanic Americans,Females,Family Relationship,College Bound Students,Decision Making,Personal Narratives,Interviews,College Entrance Examinations,Socioeconomic Influences,Cultural Influences,College Housing

This policy brief is based on a qualitative study of eight, low-income, urban, pre-college Latinas in California. Data for this study were collected using a narrative approach, guided by two questions: (1) What are the experiences of low-income, urban Latina students seeking financial aid to attend college?; and (2) Based on their efforts, experiences, and final choices in financial aid decision-making, what are the outcomes for this student population? The study participants, as the storytellers, offered detailed accounts of their &quot;student aid&quot; stories during one-on-one interviews over a 10-month period as they made their college and financial aid decisions. Many aspects of Latinas' college-going processes are similar to their peers representing other income levels. Similar to other students who aspire to attend college, some take the SAT, and others do not. All work toward completion of academic requirements and college applications. All consider applying for scholarships and other forms of financial aid. However, Latinas face multiple issues such as serving as financial support agents for the family, navigating the citizenship process, and being pulled away from college housing to live with family. These additional cultural pressures mark key differences between the experiences of low-income Latinas and those of middle- and upper-class peers. (Contains 1 table.) [This paper was written with the assistance of Nana Osei-Kofi, Laura Perna, Laura Rendon, Ed St. John, Estela Zarate, Adrianna Kezar, Kristen Renn, Margaret Sallee, and Jose Cabrales.]
Evaluating Developmental Education Programs in Higher Education. Policy Brief. ASHE/Lumina Fellows Series. Issue 4
Author: Lesik, Sally A.
Date: 2008-04-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Research Design,Developmental Programs,Program Effectiveness,Educational Policy,School Holding Power,Higher Education,Mathematics,Mathematics Education,Mathematics Instruction,Regression (Statistics)

This brief presents the results of a study which found that a developmental mathematics program at a four-year institution is an effective mechanism for retaining students (Lesik, 2007). This study employed a regression-discontinuity model that researchers can use to establish a causal link between participation in a developmental program and student retention. Because a causal inference can be made, policy makers have an opportunity to base their decisions regarding the effectiveness of developmental programs strictly on the merits of the program, without bias. The basic theory behind the regression-discontinuity design will be described along with the findings. Finally, this brief closes with some implications for how the regression-discontinuity design can be a crucial tool for policy makers who are interested in making data-informed decisions about the effectiveness of their developmental programs, and how using such a research design can shape educational policy and assess measurable outcomes. (Contains 1 figure.) [This paper was written with the assistance of Laura Rendon and Jose A. Cabrales, Jr.]
Mentoring Programs: The Great Hope or Great Hype? Critical Essay. ASHE/Lumina Fellows Series. Issue 7
Author: Smith, Buffy
Date: 2009-06-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: First Generation College Students,Mentors,Research Universities,Graduation Rate,Academic Achievement,Social Networks,College Students,Higher Education,Ethnic Groups,School Holding Power

Mentoring has oftentimes been touted as critical to the academic success of underrepresented students defined as first-generation college students and/or students of color. Several studies on traditional mentor programs have reported success increasing the retention and graduation rates among underrepresented students (Haring, 1997; Jacobi, 1991; Johnson, 1989; Laden, 1999; Smith, 2005). Three major implicit goals of mentoring programs are to: (1) Reduce alienation underrepresented students experience at predominantly White institutions; (2) Grant students greater access to informal social networks with faculty and academic professionals (Girves, Zepeda, Gwathmey, 2005; Johnson, 1989; Watson, Johnson, & Austin, 2004); and (3) Improve overall academic achievement and retention rates. This critical essay examines the influence that different kinds of academic mentor programs have on underrepresented students' academic achievement and success. Data presented are based on a qualitative study consisting of 8 mentors and 12 mentees who participated in one of two academic mentor programs at a large Midwest research university. [This essay was written with the assistance of Jose Cabrales.]
Ending College Remediation: Consequences for Access and Opportunity. Policy Brief. ASHE/Lumina Fellows Series. Issue 2
Author: Parker, Tara L.
Date: 2007-10-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Higher Education,Equal Education,Educational Quality,Educational Change,Educational Opportunities,Remedial Instruction,Bachelors Degrees,Accountability,Case Studies,Interviews,Universities,Colleges,Community Colleges,Two Year Colleges

To what extent does eliminating remedial education impede or facilitate the opportunity to earn bachelor's degrees for underprepared students? Educating underprepared students is often viewed as one of the most challenging and complex issues facing higher education today. Recent policy decisions to end remedial education, however, signify a much too simplified resolution to a multifaceted problem. To date, approximately 22 states or higher education systems (particularly in four-year colleges) reduced or eliminated college remedial coursework. At the same time, many higher education institutional leaders have raised admissions standards in the name of improving educational quality. These policy decisions, under the guise of standards-based reform and accountability, more often succeed not so much in improving educational opportunities, but in limiting promise. Many students seeking a baccalaureate degree, too often those challenged by inequities in the K-12 system, find themselves pushed out of four-year colleges and universities (Brint &amp; Karabel, 1989). Many students are diverted to community colleges where attrition remains high and degree completion rates are quite low (Dougherty, 1992; Laanan, 2001). This essay examines the potential consequences of policy decisions that reduce or end college remediation. Drawing from case studies of the California State University (CSU) and the City University of New York (CUNY), this essay uses interviews with system and institutional leaders and document analyses of reports, meeting minutes, and press releases to uncover some of the underlying access and equity issues related to changes in college remediation policy. As the second and third largest university systems in the nation, CSU and CUNY are two of the most prominent cases of universities that reduced remedial education. Together they offer lessons to policymakers when considering changes in remediation policy. (Contains 2 footnotes.) [This paper was written with the assistance of Laura Rendon, Jose Cabrales, Stephen Porter, Leticia Bustillos, Shaila Mulholland, and Kris Renn.]
Examining the Postsecondary Experiences of Pilipino 1.5-Generation College Students. Critical Essay. ASHE/Lumina Fellows Series. Issue 8
Author: Buenavista, Tracy Lachica
Date: 2009-12-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: First Generation College Students,Student Attitudes,Income,Tagalog,Filipino Americans,College Students,Minority Groups,Disproportionate Representation,Student Experience,Immigration,Parents,Educational Attainment,Generational Differences,Interviews,Parent Influence,Student Needs

Institutions of higher education have been lauded for attempts to diversify the face of the academy by implementing programs and services specifically designed to conduct outreach and recruit &quot;non-traditional&quot; college students. Among those considered non-traditional college students are historically underrepresented Students of Color, low-income students, and first-generation college students. However, these categories need to be re-examined as they do not apply neatly to all students. In this essay, the author focuses on U.S. Pilipinos and how (1) their life experiences are often overlooked and misunderstood; (2) they remain underserved as a result of not being fully understood; and (3) the categories usually reserved for identifying underrepresented students, particularly education generational status, do not adequately reflect the experiences of U.S. Pilipinos. More specifically, the author introduces the experiences of U.S. Pilipinos as &quot;1.5-generation college students.&quot; These are second-generation college students of Pilipino descent whose postsecondary experiences more resemble those of first-generation U.S. born college students, due to factors associated with immigration. The author also argues that the methods colleges and universities employ to ascertain generational status are inadequate. The way students are typically asked to identify their experiences often prevents them from sharing contextual information that complicates how they are categorized in terms of education generational status. (Contains 3 tables and 4 footnotes.)