ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Understanding Conscientiousness and Its Role in Improved Student Achievement
Author: Best, Jane
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Student Improvement,Academic Achievement,Performance Factors,Achievement Need,Personality Traits,Educational Policy,Intervention,Early Experience,Parent Education,Family Programs,Faculty Development,Case Studies,Change Strategies,Developmental Studies Programs,Improvement Programs,Elementary Secondary Education

In today's rapidly changing global economy, &quot;21st century skills&quot; means much more than proficiency in basic academic subjects. One of the most important noncognitive competencies for student success is conscientiousness, which encompasses traits such as perseverance, self-regulation, resilience, and responsibility. Researchers have found that conscientiousness and its related 21st century skills are better predictors of student success than any other personality trait. This brief looks at the formative experiences and interventions that promote conscientiousness in the classroom as well as outside of the classroom, in professional development, educator preparation programs, and parent/family support training. The authors give examples of steps that some states and districts have already taken and offer questions and recommendations for others to consider in terms of: (1) supporting educators; (2) building parent capacity; and (3) enhancing existing research and resources.
Educational Equity: Challenges for Educator Effectiveness
Author: Best, Jane
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Equal Education,Teacher Effectiveness,Barriers,Performance Factors,Teacher Recruitment,Teacher Distribution,Teacher Persistence,Faculty Development,Teacher Evaluation,Educational Policy,Educational Practices,State Programs,Change Strategies,Student Diversity,Educational Improvement,Elementary Secondary Education

With increasingly diverse student populations, educational equity is a bigger challenge than ever for public schools across the United States. While federal government, states, and school districts work to identify and address the root causes of equity gaps, efforts are often hampered by a limited body of research-based strategies and approaches that work best. This brief provides an overview for policymakers on addressing equity gaps for vulnerable student populations through educator effectiveness. Specifically, the authors examine three components: (1) recruiting and distributing effective educators; (2) supporting and retaining teachers through targeted professional development; and (3) improving educator evaluation practices to address equity gaps for vulnerable student populations. Included are essential questions to consider and policy recommendations.
Increasing Participation, Student Engagement, Quality, and Capacity: STEM Legislative Action by the 113th Congress
Author: Best, Jane
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: STEM Education,Educational Legislation,Student Participation,Learner Engagement,Educational Quality,Educational Policy,Educational Improvement,Minority Group Students,Disproportionate Representation,Teacher Improvement,Science Activities,Teacher Effectiveness,Teacher Recruitment,Teacher Persistence,Change Strategies,Program Attitudes,Improvement Programs,Elementary Secondary Education,Capacity Building

The importance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has gained national attention in recent years, with educators, policymakers, and others advocating for greater participation and enhanced performance in STEM in order to bolster the U.S. economy and provide greater national security. This brief summarizes several pieces of legislation proposed by the 113th Congress to promote STEM, strengthen the science and engineering workforce, and secure the nation's role as a global leader in the field. The brief outlines and gives the status of proposed legislation, which focuses on: (1) Promoting the participation of underrepresented populations in STEM; (2) Enhancing the quality of professionals teaching STEM subjects; and (3) Promoting STEM-related activities to engage students of all ages. In addition, the brief summarizes responses to the proposed legislation and provides considerations and recommendations for policymakers.
Curriculum-Embedded Performance Assessments (CEPAs): Policy Considerations for Meaningful Accountability
Author: Best, Jane
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Performance Based Assessment,Accountability,Educational Policy,Formative Evaluation,Summative Evaluation,Evidence,Educational Practices,Curriculum Based Assessment,Instructional Improvement,Progress Monitoring,Capacity Building,Educational Cooperation,Case Studies,Performance Factors,Change Strategies,Elementary Secondary Education

Educational assessments provide data that give policymakers a &quot;snapshot&quot; of how students are performing and serve as a means of holding teachers, schools, and districts accountable. Many contend, however, that assessments could do more to promote deeper learning in K-12 environments. One interesting possibility is the use of Curriculum-Embedded Performance Assessments (CEPAs). CEPAs are instructional units designed to promote subject matter learning and the acquisition of skill sets while providing data that can be used for both summative and formative purposes. The ultimate goal of CEPAs is to maintain consistency between what is taught, assessed, and how teachers are prepared. This brief provides policymakers an overview of CEPAs, gives examples of successful CEPA application at the classroom, school, district, and state levels, and suggests ways that CEPAs can improve policy-driven outcomes. Questions to consider and recommendations for policymakers are included.
Getting College and Career Ready during State Transition toward the Common Core State Standards. Working Paper 127
Author: Xu, Zeyu
Date: 2015-03-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: College Readiness,Career Readiness,State Standards,Academic Standards,Academic Achievement,Longitudinal Studies,Cohort Analysis,Grade 8,Grade 11,Secondary School Students,Comparative Analysis,Educational Change

This study provides a first look at how student college- and career-readiness have progressed in the early years of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) implementation. It is motivated by concern that changes triggered by the standards transition might be disruptive to student learning in the short run, even when those changes may become beneficial once fully implemented. Using longitudinal administrative data from Kentucky, an early adopter of the CCSS, we followed three cohorts of students from the end of the 8th grade to the end of the 11th grade and found that students exposed to the CCSS--including students in both high- and low-poverty schools--made faster progress in learning than similar students who were not exposed to the standards. Although it is not conclusive whether cross-cohort improvement was entirely attributable to the standards reform, we found that students made large gains in proficiency in the years immediately before and after the transition. Additionally, we found student performance in subjects that adopted CCSS-aligned curriculum framework experienced larger, more immediate improvement than student performance in subjects that carried over last-generation curriculum framework.
Reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA): The SKILLS Act and Its Impact on Education
Author: Best, Jane
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Labor Force Development,Career Education,Federal Legislation,Federal Programs,Skill Development,Job Skills,Investment,Federal Aid,Educational Benefits,Program Effectiveness

The Workforce Investment Act, enacted in 1998, aims to enhance the capacities of the national workforce and improve working conditions. The Act, which funds workforce education, career pathways programs, and other programs typically aimed at assisting low-income and other vulnerable populations, has not been reauthorized since its passage; however, in March 2013, the House of Representatives showed renewed interest in this legislation by passing the Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act. The SKILLS Act and its implications for the education sector are reviewed in this brief. This brief outlines concerns from both proponents and opponents about the SKILLS Act and possible impacts on education, including: (1) Key programs that help disadvantaged and low-income youth obtain their Graduate Equivalency Diploma (GED), access job training, and enter the workforce will be cut; (2) Higher unemployment and a shortage of skilled workers among the populations WIA targets could lead to changing roles of universities and community and technical colleges; (3) Individual program areas won't be guaranteed funding; and (4) Decisions about reductions could carry over to other education legislation, such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
How Can We Ensure That All Children Have Excellent Teachers? A Choicework Discussion Guide
Author: Public Agenda
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Teacher Competencies,Teacher Qualifications,Educational Quality,Equal Education,Low Income Groups,At Risk Students,Racial Differences,Labor Turnover,Teaching Conditions,Teacher Burnout,Teacher Placement,Educational Policy,Teacher Education

The U.S. Department of Education has renewed its focus on ensuring that all students--especially those in under-resourced communities--have access to excellent educators. By June of 2015, all states must engage education stakeholders on locally-developed solutions to ensure every student has effective educators. This discussion starter is designed to help educators, administrators and other school and district employees work through how their school, community, district and state can best tackle equal access to excellent educators. This guide can be used in dialogue and focus groups, and insights from these discussions can be used to inform state and federal policy.
Next Generation Science Standards: Considerations for Curricula, Assessments, Preparation, and Implementation
Author: Best, Jane
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Science Education,Academic Standards,State Standards,Program Implementation,Educational Policy,Adoption (Ideas),Change Strategies,Educational Practices,Curriculum Development,Student Evaluation,Faculty Development,Family Programs,Student Improvement,Case Studies,Strategic Planning,Elementary Secondary Education

This policy brief provides an overview of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), discusses policy considerations for adopting or adapting the new standards, and presents examples from states considering or implementing the NGSS. Changing academic standards is a complex process that requires significant investments of time, money, and human resources. As such, states, districts, and schools reviewing or implementing the NGSS have much to consider. This brief outlines key questions and recommendations for policymakers to consider for: (1) Developing curricula and assessments; (2) Preparing educators for the NGSS; (3) Preparing students and families for the NGSS; and (4) Planning NGSS implementation.
Common Core State Standards and Implications for Special Populations
Author: Best, Jane
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: State Standards,Special Needs Students,Program Implementation,Accessibility (for Disabled),American Indian Students,English Language Learners,Case Studies,Performance Factors,Educational Practices,Educational Policy,Change Strategies,Elementary Secondary Education

The goal of the Common Core State Standards is to address the academic needs of all students and prepare them for college and the workforce. Implementation guidance and professional training for teachers, particularly for those working with special populations of students, requires thoughtful consideration. While the Common Core allows teachers to diversify instruction and to structure lessons around students' strengths and needs, this effort can also be enhanced through collaboration between general education and special instruction teachers. This brief explores the potential impact of the implementation of Common Core State Standards on students with disabilities, Native American students, and English language learners and gives examples of implementation targeting these populations, followed by recommendations and questions for policymakers to consider.
The Art and Science of Student Learning Objectives: A Research Synthesis
Author: Lachlan-Haché, Lisa
Date: 2015-04-00
Type: Information Analyses
Subjects: Behavioral Objectives,Synthesis,Program Implementation,Educational Research,Student Educational Objectives,Outcome Measures,Educational Practices,Teacher Attitudes,Educational Policy,Instructional Improvement,Instructional Effectiveness,Data Analysis,Performance Factors,Student Evaluation,Organizational Communication,School Support,Educational Quality,Achievement Gains,Correlation,Academic Achievement,Research Needs,Meta Analysis

Student learning measures have rapidly become common in teacher evaluation systems across the United States. Over half of the country's states have required, recommended, or identified &quot;student learning objectives&quot; (SLOs) as a measure of student growth for use in educator evaluation. Although SLO-type measures vary significantly in terms of scope, stakes, scoring, and use of assessment, all SLO measures require a combination of analysis and professional judgment. This report provides an overview of key findings from the nearly 20 studies of SLO measures that have been conducted to date, along with considerations for future research and for practice. The highlighted studies largely focus on early implementation, examining implementation challenges, educator perceptions of SLO effects on teacher practice, SLO quality and attainment over time, and correlations between SLOs and other educational outcomes. Two appendices are provided: (1) Use of Student Learning Objectives by States in Teacher Evaluation Systems; and (2) Resources: Student Learning Objectives.
High Costs, Uncertain Benefits: What Do Americans without a College Degree Think about Postsecondary Education?
Author: Kelly, Andrew P.
Date: 2015-04-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Postsecondary Education,Educational Attitudes,Labor Market,Employment Potential,National Surveys,Online Surveys,Community Colleges,Paying for College,Student Costs,Outcomes of Education,Academic Aspiration,Salaries

The path to economic mobility increasingly runs through postsecondary education. Although the combination of rising tuition prices and a difficult labor market have raised questions about the value of education after high school, degree and certificate holders are still better off than those with just a high school diploma. As a group, young adults with a high school diploma have suffered through a sustained period of declining labor-market prospects. Those with some college have done somewhat better, but recent evidence suggests that those who started a degree but failed to finish it now do little better than their peers who have not gone to college at all. Some of these citizens would benefit from further education and training, but how much do they know about their options? Using a new, nationally representative survey, this report explores how adults without a college degree perceive the postsecondary system as a whole and the costs and benefits of their potential options. Specifically, the study examines the following questions: (1) Do adults without a college degree aspire to higher levels of education? (2) Do they feel that the current higher education system is well designed to meet their needs? (3) Do these adults hold accurate beliefs about the costs of public community colleges? (4) How do they see the economic returns to different types of education? The 20-minute Internet-based survey asked respondents a battery of questions about their current economic situation, their educational history and current aspirations, the costs and potential benefits of different postsecondary options, and the types of information they see as important in choosing a college or program. This report provides the top-line findings from this survey, and future analysis will dig deeper into the data. It briefly describes the survey and the data set; explores the main findings on aspirations, attitudes, and beliefs; and concludes with implications for policy.
Still Learning from the Past: Drawing on California's CLAS Experience to Inform Assessment of the Common Core. Policy and Practice Brief
Author: Knudson, Joel
Date: 2015-03-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Academic Standards,State Standards,Measurement,Educational Assessment,Educational History,Elementary Secondary Education,Capacity Building,Teacher Participation,Test Content,Test Format,Testing,Scoring,Politics of Education,Public Support

The Common Core State Standards represent an exciting step forward for California, and for the nation as a whole, in supporting instruction that can better prepare students for college and career success. Concurrent with the transition to the new standards, the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), of which California is a governing member, is introducing a new, large-scale assessment system in 2015 that aligns with the Common Core. The SBAC assessments aim to capture student learning in a deeper and more authentic way than the state's previous assessment system--the California Standards Test (CST). This is not the first time California has transitioned to a new system of academic standards, instruction, and assessment. In particular, potential parallels exist between the SBAC assessments and the short-lived California Learning Assessment System (CLAS) of the early 1990s. As educators embrace the challenges associated with assessment of the Common Core, it is instructive to learn from the CLAS experience, both to build on its successes and to avoid the mistakes that led to its demise. In September 2012, the California Collaborative on District Reform released a brief that drew connections between assessment efforts tied to the Common Core and the CLAS. Reflecting on both the successes and failures of the CLAS, &quot;Learning From the Past&quot; identified four key lessons that should inform current activities related to Common Core implementation and assessment. The standards and assessments landscape has evolved dramatically since the 2012 brief was published, and education leaders have taken steps to avert some of the problems that undermined the CLAS. Nevertheless, key challenges remain. The goal of this brief is to chart the progress that has been made since the original brief was released in 2012, while also highlighting areas that remain in need of attention as the state continues to develop and implement student assessment systems around the Common Core. Doing so emphasizes the importance of assessment not solely as an external accountability tool, but as an essential component of implementing the Common Core. As the first administration of the SBAC assessments begins in spring 2015, the brief will be most effective if read as a set of considerations for improving the ways in which educators at all levels can respond to evidence of, and develop better approaches to, improving student learning. [Additional funding for the development of this brief was provided by the California Education Policy Fund, and the Silver Giving Foundation.]
Facilitating Reading Acquisition in Multilingual Environments in India (FRAME-India). Final Report
Author: Nakamura, Pooja
Date: 2014-11-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Multilingualism,Reading Skills,Reading Tests,Thinking Skills,Predictor Variables,Test Items,Statistical Distributions,Orthographic Symbols,Phonemes,Syllables,Curriculum Design

Most of the world is multilingual--multilingual at the national level (policies), at the community and family level (practices), and at the individual level (cognitive)--and each of these has implications for teaching and learning. Yet, at present, most reading decisions are not based on empirical research of how children learn to read in multilingual contexts. Several large-scale assessments of reading at early grade levels have shed light on the extremely low reading scores that many countries in the developing world have across these multilingual contexts. The reasons for these low scores are multifaceted; however, the most central unanswered question is which languages should be taught--and how and when--in multilingual contexts? To begin addressing this need, the &quot;Facilitating Reading Acquisition in Multilingual Environments in India (FRAME-India)&quot; research study examined the process of acquiring literacy in multilingual environments. Findings from this study are converted into policy and practice guidelines for effectively and quickly improving reading outcomes. This is one of the first studies to focus on formative, pre-intervention research for developing a theory of change that is relevant for multilingual learners in the developing world. While continuing to conduct rigorous impact evaluations, technical assistance, and program design and implementation, the authors emphasize that there must be a focus on understanding the mechanisms of learning that underpin successful reading acquisition in contexts characterized by multilingualism and limited resources. This is extremely important in order to construct successful programs that are likely to benefit millions of children who are learning in these multilingual environments every day. The following are appended: (1) Test Item Construction Details; (2) Sample Items from the Tests and Photos of Data Collection Activities; (3) Training Agenda for Data Collectors and Hub Monitors; (4) Flowchart of Test Eligibility Criteria; and (5) Means, Standard Deviations, and Summary Statistics for All Reading Subskills. [World Vision International also contributed support for this study.]