ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Profiles of For-Profit and Nonprofit Education Management Organizations: Thirteenth Annual Report, 2010-2011
Author: Miron, Gary
Date: 2012-01-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Privatization,Profiles,Educational Administration,Educational Indicators,Institutional Characteristics,Nonprofit Organizations,Educational Trends,Educational Change,Academic Achievement,Organization Size (Groups),Charter Schools

While past annual "Profiles" reports have focused on either for-profit EMOs (education management organizations) or nonprofit EMOs, this is the first annual "Profiles" report to cover both categories in a single report which allows for easier comparisons. The 2010-2011 school year marked another year of relatively slow growth in the for-profit education management industry and another year of steady growth in the nonprofit EMO industry. The authors believe their key finding from the past three years, that the for-profit school management sector has leveled off and that many for-profit companies are expanding into supplemental services, continued in the 2010- 2011 school year. The nonprofit management sector's growth remains steady, both in terms of new nonprofit EMOs and new managed schools. While the number of new schools under for-profit EMO management has slowed, enrollments in all managed schools continue to grow at a rapid pace. Appended are: (1) Reader's Guide; (2) State Resources Table; (3) For-Profit EMO Response Table; (4) Nonprofit EMO Response Table; (5) No Longer Profiled Companies; and (6) Methods for Compiling School Profiles. (Contains 10 tables, 13 figures and 1 footnote.) [For "Profiles of For-Profit Education Management Organizations: Twelfth Annual Report, 2009-2010," see ED513917.]
Do Charter Schools Improve Student Achievement? Evidence from a National Randomized Study. Working Paper
Author: Clark, Melissa A.
Date: 2011-12-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Evidence,Charter Schools,Academic Achievement,Program Effectiveness,Scores,Educational Improvement,Student Improvement,Admission Criteria,Achievement Gains,Performance Factors,Institutional Characteristics,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Attendance,Middle School Students,Comparative Analysis,Comparative Testing,Standardized Tests

This paper presents findings from the first national randomized study of the impacts of charter schools on student achievement, which included 36 charter middle schools across 15 states. The paper compares students who applied and were admitted to these schools through randomized admissions lotteries with students who applied and were not admitted. It finds that, on average, charter middle schools in the study were neither more nor less successful than traditional public schools in improving student achievement. However, impacts varied significantly across schools and students, with positive impacts for more disadvantaged schools and students and negative impacts for the more advantaged. Appended are: (1) Baseline Characteristics of Treatment and Control Group Students in Full Sample; (2) Baseline Characteristics of Treatment and Control Group Students Included in Analysis of Year 2 Test Score Data; (3) Covariates Included in Impact Analysis Models; and (4) Impacts on State Proficiency Levels. (Contains 13 tables, 1 figure and 28 footnotes.)
Student Engagement in Law School: Knowing Our Students. Annual Survey Results, 2007
Author: Indiana University, Law School Survey of Student Engagement
Date: 2007-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Learner Engagement,Legal Education (Professions),Law Students,Law Schools,Student Surveys,Student Attitudes,Student Characteristics,Age Differences,Institutional Characteristics,Minority Group Students,Student Experience,Student Participation,Time on Task,Student Development,Individual Development,College Environment,School Size,Learning Activities,Selective Admission

The Law School Survey of Student Engagement (LSSSE) documents dimensions of quality in legal education and provides information about law student participation in effective educational activities that law schools and other organizations can use to improve student learning. This paper presents select findings from the 2007 survey administration, focusing on some main themes. "Engagement and Age" looks at issues surrounding the new face of law student populations. Much has been written about the differences between the Millennial generation and its predecessors, and the LSSSE data help individuals understand such differences in the law school context. Next, "Law School Characteristics and Student Engagement" explores the ways in which the student experience differs by the types of law school students attend. "Race and Ethnicity and Student Engagement" explores the experiences of minority law students. Finally, "Another look at the 3L Experience" takes a closer look at the third year of law school to better understand how 3Ls spend their time, and what experiences seem to be most beneficial during this final year of study. A list of resources is included. (Contains 9 tables, 6 footnotes and 7 figures.) [For "Engaging Legal Education: Moving beyond the Status Quo. Annual Survey Results, 2006," see ED528384.]
Working with Teachers to Develop Fair and Reliable Measures of Effective Teaching. MET Project
Author: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Date: 2010-06-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Urban Schools,Teacher Effectiveness,Program Effectiveness,Instructional Effectiveness,Measurement Objectives,Measurement Techniques,Achievement Gains,Classroom Observation Techniques,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Classroom Environment,Student Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Teaching Conditions,Partnerships in Education,Improvement Programs,Teacher Improvement,Educational Indicators,Benchmarking,Standard Setting

In fall 2009, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project to develop and test multiple measures of teacher effectiveness. The goal of the MET project is to improve the quality of information about teaching effectiveness available to education professionals within states and districts--information that will help them build fair and reliable systems for teacher observation that can be used for a variety of purposes, including feedback, development, and continuous improvement. To help identify the best mix of teacher effectiveness measures, more than 3,000 teacher volunteers are participating in the MET project across six predominantly urban school districts: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Dallas Independent School District, Denver Public Schools, Hillsborough County Public Schools, Memphis City Schools, and the New York City Department of Education. As the MET project progresses and the researchers learn more about teacher effectiveness, how to measure it and how to increase the quality of information and tools used within state, district, and school evaluation systems, they will share a series of publications and tools more broadly. Their reports will address the following topics: (1) interim findings and results; (2) study design, methods, and empirical analyses; (3) teacher observational protocols, training, and scoring requirements; (4) final findings and results (fall 2011); and (5) implementation guides and data requirements, showing how to use the composite measure and gather and store the data. (Contains 7 endnotes.)
Early Learning in Washington State
Author: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Date: 2011-04-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Child Care,Emergent Literacy,Partnerships in Education,Educational Resources,Access to Education,State Action,State Departments of Education,State Programs,Educational Quality,Educational Improvement,Alignment (Education),Success,Home Visits,Strategic Planning,Educational Planning,Family Programs,School Community Programs

About 80,000 children enter kindergarten in Washington each year, and many lack basic language and behavioral skills--such as knowing letters and colors, following directions, getting along with others, and exhibiting impulse-control. In 2006, based on the recommendation of the Washington Learns Commission, Governor Christine Gregoire created the Department of Early Learning to bring the state's early learning programs together under one agency. Together with Thrive by Five Washington, a public-private partnership, the Department of Early Learning is working to provide resources and support for families, child care providers, and communities to ensure that every child in Washington state has access to high-quality, safe, and healthy early education. The Gates Foundation has supported several key projects to create a strong, coordinated early learning system that measures and improves the quality of services for children. These projects are: (1) WaKIDS; (2) Seeds to Success; (3) Preschool Through Third Grade Alignment; and (4) Home Visiting. The Gates foundation is committed to working with a broad range of partners to increase school readiness.
Learning about Teaching: Initial Findings from the Measures of Effective Teaching Project. Policy Brief. MET Project
Author: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Teacher Effectiveness,Teacher Evaluation,Urban Schools,Academic Achievement,Achievement Gains,Scores,Mathematics Achievement,Reading Achievement,Writing (Composition),Student Attitudes,Feedback (Response)

In fall 2009, the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation launched the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project to test new approaches to recognizing effective teaching. The project's goal is to help build fair and reliable systems for teacher observation and feedback to help teachers improve and administrators make better personnel decisions. With funding from the foundation, the data collection and analysis are led by researchers from academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and several private firms and are carried out in seven urban school districts. Although the project is ongoing (the final report will not be released until winter 2011-12), the researchers report their findings as they become available in order to inform the important reform work already under way in states and districts around the country. The researchers currently have four general findings to report. First, in every grade and subject they studied, a teacher's past success in raising student achievement on state tests (that is, his or her value-added) is one of the strongest predictors of his or her ability to do so again. Second, the teachers with the highest value-added scores on state tests also tend to help students understand math concepts or demonstrate reading comprehension through writing. Third, the average student knows effective teaching when he or she experiences it. Fourth, valid feedback need not be limited to test scores alone. By combining different sources of data, it is possible to provide diagnostic, targeted feedback to teachers who are eager to improve. (Contains 3 footnotes.) [For &quot;Learning about Teaching: Initial Findings from the Measures of Effective Teaching Project. Research Paper. MET Project,&quot; see ED528382.]
False Performance Gains: A Critique of Successive Cohort Indicators. Working Paper
Author: Glazerman, Steven M.
Date: 2011-12-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Accountability,Achievement Gains,Educational Indicators,Evaluation Methods,Methods Research,Scoring Rubrics,Evaluation Criteria,Alternative Assessment,Evaluation Problems,Academic Standards,Test Bias,Cohort Analysis,Correlation,Educational Policy,Student Evaluation

There are many ways to use student test scores to evaluate schools. This paper defines and examines different estimators, including regression-based value-added indicators, average gains, and successive cohort differences in achievement levels. Given that regression-based indicators are theoretically preferred but not always feasible, we consider whether simpler alternatives provide acceptable approximations. We argue that average gain indicators potentially can provide useful information, but differences across successive cohorts, such as grade trends, which are commonly cited in the popular press and used in the Safe Harbor provision of federal school accountability laws, are flawed and can be misleading when used for school accountability or program evaluation. (Contains 5 tables, 2 figures and 7 endnotes.)
Race to the Top: Characteristics of Grantees' Amended Programs and Education's  Review Process. GAO-12-228R
Author: Scott, George A.
Date: 2011-12-08
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Grants,Federal Aid,Educational Change,Public Education,Elementary Secondary Education,State Programs,Change,Budgets,Time Management,Public Agencies,Federal State Relationship,Evaluation Methods

The U.S. Department of Education (Education) established the Race to the Top (RTT) grant fund to encourage states to support school reform efforts. In 2010, Education awarded 12 RTT grants totaling nearly $4 billion, making RTT the largest competitive grant fund ever administered by Education. Individual grantee awards ranged from $75 million to approximately $700 million. The size of each grantee's award was based in part on its population, among other factors, and each grantee has 4 years to use grant funds. The researchers recently reported on grantees' plans to implement a variety of school reform efforts and how Education has provided extensive support to states. Their report also discussed implementation challenges with RTT. Specifically, they reported that grantees have had difficulty finding and hiring qualified personnel to run their grant-funded activities, have encountered difficulty complying with state procedures for awarding contracts, and that Education took more time than anticipated to review grantees' RTT implementation plans. In an effort to ensure that states are held accountable for the terms of their awards, the researchers are asked to provide information on the following questions: (1) What amendments have grantees requested to their RTT plans, and what reasons have grantees given for their amendment requests, particularly those that significantly changed projects, project timelines, or budgets?; and (2) What process has Education established to review and approve grantees' requests for amendments to their RTT plans? In summary, the researchers found that: (1) According to Education officials, most amendments consisted of minor adjustments to grant budgets, activities, and timelines, and some amendments involved significant changes to the grant award. Grantees have cited a variety of reasons for these amendments, such as timeline delays and difficulty finding qualified staff; and (2) Education established a review process in which Education officials consider amendment requests on a case-by-case basis. In addition, the department distinguishes significant amendment requests from minor requests based on how the amendment would change project timelines, budgets, performance measures, and the implementation of other related projects. Education reportedly applied greater scrutiny to requests that involved significant changes to grantees' planned activities, often by requiring that grantees provide additional information or seek consultation from issue-area experts within the department. Rather than reject amendment requests, Education officials explained that they generally asked grantees to resubmit requests with more information. Comments from the Department of Education are attached. (Contains 14 footnotes.)
Legislative Update, June 2011. Report 11-06
Author: Blair, Julia
Date: 2011-06-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: State Legislation,Educational Legislation,Postsecondary Education,Community Colleges,Public Colleges,Student Financial Aid,Educational Facilities,School Policy,Social Discrimination,Sexual Orientation,Educational Assessment,College Transfer Students,Faculty Development,Educational Strategies,Accountability,Feasibility Studies,Bachelors Degrees,Pilot Projects,Data Collection,Tuition,Fees,College Admission,Private Colleges,Distance Education,Bids,Budgets,Academic Achievement,Contracts,Meetings

This report updates the status of bills that the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) is tracking. It has positions as adopted by the Commission at its June 14, 2011 and earlier meetings. A matrix of bills tracked by CPEC staff is included.
The Impact of Socioeconomic Factors on College-Going Rates. FS 06-04
Author: California Postsecondary Education Commission
Date: 2006-12-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Socioeconomic Status,College Attendance,High School Graduates,Low Income Groups,Disproportionate Representation,Gender Differences,Community Colleges,State Universities,African Americans,Hispanic Americans,Asian Americans,Whites

A primary goal of California's higher education system is to provide capable students access to higher education regardless of the high school they attended, their ethnicity, their gender, or their socioeconomic status. Overall, college-going rates declined between 1985 and 2005. The percentage of public high school graduates going to community college decreased from 37.4% to 29.6%. Rates for the California State University increased slightly from 11.1% to 11.3% and decreased slightly at the University of California from 8.6% to 7.1% (see Display 1). College-going rates show that there are still significant inequities among students from different backgrounds. The data shows students graduating from high schools in low-income neighborhoods are going to college at lower rates than students from high schools located in wealthier neighborhoods. When ethnic trends are examined, data show that underrepresented low-income students are impacted the most. Gender also plays a role in college-going rates. Females from high schools in high-income neighborhoods consistently outperform their male counterparts in college-going rates at UC and CSU, and males graduating from high schools in low-income areas tend to have the lowest college-going rates. The data suggest that current policies and programs targeting students from high schools in low-income neighborhoods are not eliminating the gap in college-going rates. What remains to be determined are the necessary mechanisms needed to eliminate this gap. Further analysis is needed to determine effective and efficient policies that will improve college-going rates and equity for underrepresented students, especially those from low socioeconomic neighborhoods. (Contains 6 displays.)
Summary of the Governor's Proposed 2008-09 Budget for Higher Education. FS 08-01
Author: California Postsecondary Education Commission
Date: 2008-01-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Higher Education,Budgets,State Aid,Financial Support,Educational Finance,State Universities,Community Colleges,Student Financial Aid,Elementary Secondary Education

On Thursday, January 10, 2008, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger released his proposed budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year. The proposal attempts to address an estimated $14.5 billion deficit projected for the next 18 months by reducing 2008-09 State funding for most programs by an average 10% below the figure projected based on growth in workload and other factors. For example, proposed General Fund spending for higher education is $1 billion below the figure projected based on growth in workload and other factors, but is only $104 million (-0.9%) below the $11.8 billion spending in the 2007-08 revised budget. The budget proposes to revise current-year State spending down by $217 million. Table 1 shows projected budget revenues and expenditures and proposed funding reductions in State program categories. The budget proposes less General Fund spending in the budget year than in the current year: a year-to-year reduction of $2.4 billion (2.3%). For higher education, the 2008-09 budget proposes increased funding for enrollment growth and other factors, but this increase is offset by a budget-balancing reduction. Table 2 shows anticipated funding for higher education entities in the current and budget years. This paper presents the highlights of the education budget. (Contains 2 tables.)
The Effects of a Small-Group Computer-Assisted Tutoring Program on Reading Outcomes for First Graders
Author: Chambers, Bette
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Grade 1,Tutoring,Computer Assisted Instruction,Technology Uses in Education,Reading Difficulties,Reading Improvement,Reading Strategies,Reading Tests,Teaching Methods,Pretests Posttests,Cooperative Learning,Small Group Instruction,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Instructional Effectiveness,Remedial Reading,Outcomes of Education

This presentation will report on a cluster randomized evaluation of a small-group computer-assisted tutoring program for struggling readers, called Team Alphie. Using computers and DVDs to supplement instruction, regular and supplementary teachers (usually special education, ESL, and Title I teachers) are able to integrate their efforts, communicate immediately about students' progress and difficulties, share results of assessments, and give students a seamless, fully integrated instructional experience in which supplementary instruction truly supplements core instruction, instead of competing with it. Thirty-three schools already using the Success for All reading program were recruited to participate in the study. The 40 lowest achieving students in each of first and second grade were pretested and two tutors at each school designated to participate in the study. Of those students, the 20 students in each grade with the lowest pretest scores were assigned to tutoring. The results of this study will help determine the effectiveness of providing remedial support to struggling beginning readers in small groups supported by technology, compared to one-to one tutoring. If the study demonstrates the program to be as effective, or more so, than individual tutoring it will have implications for policy and practice in supporting struggling readers. Most schools do not have the resources to provide tutoring to all of the struggling readers who need it but programs that combine technology and cooperative learning may provide the answer. [This paper was submitted as part of the symposium Evidence for Interventions for Struggling Readers, which was chaired by Robert E. Slavin.]
Five Randomized Trials to Assess the Effectiveness of Adolescent Literacy Interventions: Realities of Design and Implementation and Influences on Impact
Author: Sprague, Kim
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Conferences (Gatherings),Evaluators,Program Effectiveness,Evaluation Methods,Intervention,Literacy,Program Evaluation,Adolescents,Reading Instruction,Reading Programs,Grants,Program Implementation,Educational Research,Research Design,School Districts,Minority Group Students,Racial Differences,Low Achievement,Middle School Students,High School Students,English (Second Language),Low Income Groups,Delinquency,Correctional Institutions,Correctional Education,Elementary School Students,Curriculum Implementation,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Federal Programs

Rigorous research provides information that will allow other schools and districts to select interventions that have a scientifically based track record of effectiveness. All Striving Reader grants include the mandate to evaluate literacy intervention(s) targeted to adolescents who are reading significantly below grade level. Although all studies followed the same guidelines for evaluation, each was implemented in a different context, evaluated different interventions or curricula, and utilized different evaluation designs. This symposium will bring together five evaluations to share information about the challenges in both designing and implementing the designs of such studies after two years of implementation. In addition, the consideration of implementation context in the interpretation of the results and what should be done when planning to implement will also be discussed. As a result evaluators hope to provide important information to those planning similar studies in school districts and other complex social settings.