ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Using Meta-Analysis to Explain Variation in Head Start Research Results: The Role of Research Design
Author: Shager, Hilary M.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Intervention,Early Childhood Education,Economically Disadvantaged,Disadvantaged Youth,Parent Participation,Parent School Relationship,Meta Analysis,Program Effectiveness,Early Intervention,Program Evaluation,Cognitive Development,Academic Achievement,Research Methodology

Head Start was designed as a holistic intervention to improve economically disadvantaged, preschool-aged children's cognitive and social development by providing a comprehensive set of educational, health, nutritional, and social services, as well as opportunities for parent involvement (Zigler & Valentine, 1979). Given the current interest in ECE (early childhood education) as an intervention strategy for disadvantaged children and the magnitude of public investment in Head Start ($6.9 billion in FY 2007), it is important for researchers and policy makers to be effective designers and consumers of Head Start evaluations (Office of Head Start, 2008). Although some previous meta-analyses suggest a link between evaluation characteristics and results, evidence is mixed, and recent methodological advances have not been considered. A more detailed empirical test of the contribution of particular research design characteristics is needed to enable scholars to better understand findings from prior studies, as well as to inform future studies. This study investigates the role of such factors in explaining variation in Head Start evaluation results for children's cognitive and achievement outcomes. Specifically, the authors test whether the following research design characteristics explain heterogeneity in the estimated effects of Head Start on children's cognitive and achievement outcomes: type and rigor of design, quality of dependent measure, attrition, and activity level of control group. Although the authors are still completing coding for some Head Start studies that will ultimately be included in their final analyses, preliminary examination of the available data reveals interesting variation along methods-related characteristics between contrasts. For example, they see substantial variation in the activity level of the control group; type of research design; whether baseline equivalency was tested, and if so, whether significant differences between groups were detected; and whether other sources of bias were detected by coders. Additional variation in the type and reliability of dependent measures, timing of tests, and attrition was also detected at the effect size level. (Contains 2 tables.)
Assessing the Conditional Reliability of State Assessments
Author: May, Henry
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Intervention,Statistical Analysis,Academic Achievement,Test Reliability,Benchmarking,State Standards,Achievement Tests,Pretests Posttests,Correlation,Simulation,Testing,Academic Ability,Item Response Theory

The purpose of this study is to provide empirical benchmarks of the conditional reliabilities of state tests for samples of the student population defined by ability level. Given that many educational interventions are targeted for samples of low performing students, schools, or districts, the primary goal of this research is to determine how severe the attenuation in conditional reliability is, depending on the test, subject matter, and average ability level of the students in the research sample. This objective is addressed, along with implications for future research, in research questions 1 and 2 below: (1) What are the conditional reliabilities (defined as the median and 95% CI for pretest-posttest correlations) of given state tests for subsets of the population defined by achievement level?; and (2) What are the implications for power analysis when state assessments are the outcomes of interest for samples of students taken from the tails of the achievement distribution? The results of research question 1 will be used to explore the implications of conditional reliability in the prospective power analysis for a study using state assessments as outcomes. This study demonstrates that the reliability of these assessments may be compromised when low and/or high ability segments of the student population are to be sampled for the intervention. The simulation results indicate that if a study were to be performed on a sample of low performing students (students 2 standard deviations below the mean), the use of a state test would be far less appropriate than if the intervention was focused on students whose ability levels were closer to the average ability level of the population as a whole. These findings have important implications for prospective power analysis and the precision of impact estimates for randomized trial designs. (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.)
Learning Communities for Students in Developmental Reading: An Impact Study at Hillsborough Community College. NCPR Brief
Author: Weiss, Michael J.
Date: 2010-08-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Community Colleges,Two Year Colleges,Higher Education,Reading Instruction,Remedial Reading,Academic Achievement,Outcomes of Education,Control Groups,Integrated Curriculum,Statistical Significance

This Brief, based on a report of the same title, presents results from a rigorous study of a basic learning communities program operated at Hillsborough Community College. Hillsborough, one of six community colleges participating in the National Center for Postsecondary Research's (NCPR) Learning Communities Demonstration, is a large, urban community college located in Tampa, Florida, a Gulf Coast city on the west coast of Florida. Hillsborough serves around 24,000 students each year, and three of the college's five campuses--Dale Mabry, Ybor City, and Brandon--participated in the Learning Communities Demonstration. This study targeted a particular subset of the student body, first-semester students whose placement test scores required them to take developmental reading courses. The overall result (for the full sample) of this study is that the learning communities program at Hillsborough did not appear to add value above and beyond the college's usual services. [This brief was written with Jed Teres and Emily Schneider. For the full report, &quot;Learning Communities for Students in Developmental Reading: An Impact Study at Hillsborough Community College&quot;, see ED510961.]
Building Ready States: A Governor's Guide to Supporting a Comprehensive, High-Quality Early Childhood State System
Author: Demma, Rachel
Date: 2010-10-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Early Childhood Education,Young Children,Educational Policy,State Government,Child Development,Governance,Standards,School Readiness,Dropout Prevention,Best Practices

Developing an effective and efficient early childhood state system will involve efforts to support program quality and a highly qualified professional workforce based on clearly articulated standards for child development and school readiness. This kind of system improvement will rely on collaborative governance, integrated data to drive and measure improvement, and sustained resources. Governors are uniquely positioned to communicate their vision for an effective system and prioritize this work over time. To ensure they are leading &quot;ready states&quot; where young children are supported by a comprehensive, high-quality early childhood system, state leaders can take six actions. These actions are: (1) Coordinating early childhood governance through a state early childhood advisory council (ECAC); (2) Building an integrated professional development system; (3) Implementing a quality rating and improvement system (QRIS); (4) Developing a longitudinal and coordinated early childhood data system; (5) Aligning comprehensive early learning guidelines and standards for children from birth to age 8 with K-3 content standards; and (6) Integrating federal, state, and private funding sources. Governors who adopt these strategies will take significant steps towards improving school readiness, closing the achievement gap, and reducing high school dropout rates. Particularly in this fiscal climate, the investment of public dollars in building a comprehensive early childhood system can bring about strong returns. Ultimately, this commitment will position states to nurture the next wave of learners, workers, and parents who will shape future generations. (Contains 5 figures and 74 notes.)
Evaluation Highlights. Client Feedback from March 2009-March 2010, Compiled April 2010
Author: National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
Date: 2010-04-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Technical Assistance,Early Childhood Education,Accessibility (for Disabled),Publications,Participant Satisfaction,Program Effectiveness,Partnerships in Education,National Surveys,Related Services (Special Education),Integrated Services,Program Evaluation

The National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC) Evaluation Unit collects and analyzes data to describe the quantity and nature of the technical assistance services provided by NECTAC staff. The Unit evaluates the quality and relevance of NECTAC services and products and whether TA recipients use the information and resources gained to improve state and local systems and services. In addition, in February 2010, a national survey was conducted by an independent external evaluator with all primary clients (Part C and Section 619 Coordinators from all states and jurisdictions) regardless of their level of participation in NECTAC TA. The highlights included in this report include data from both internal and external evaluation efforts from March 2009 to March 2010. Evaluation data show that NECTAC has strengthened service systems to ensure that children with disabilities (birth through 5 years) and their families receive and benefit from high quality, culturally appropriate and family-centered supports and services.
Complete to Compete: Common College Completion Metrics
Author: Reyna, Ryan
Date: 2010-06-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Higher Education,State Action,College Graduates,State Government,Educational Assessment,Global Approach,Competition,Public Officials,Educational Policy,Educational Improvement,Barriers,Data Collection,Achievement Gap,Academic Achievement,Low Income Groups

Governors face unprecedented demands across state government to deliver vital services in an environment of constrained resources. Higher education is no exception. States must increase the number of high-quality college graduates within available funding to meet workforce needs and compete globally. To meet this goal, policymakers--including governors--and higher education leaders need comprehensive and consistent performance metrics for public campuses and systems to inform policy decisions and pinpoint areas for improvement. This requires overcoming the barriers posed by incomplete and inconsistent data. Recognizing the importance of college completion to the nation's economic vitality, incoming NGA (National Governors Association) Chair West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin III, is launching an initiative to help all states improve higher education performance. In Complete to Compete, states will work to increase college completion and improve higher education efficiency. To accomplish this objective, states will need to collect and report comparable data and implement policies aligned with these goals. As a foundation for future state action, NGA convened a Work Group on Common College Completion Metrics to make recommendations on the common higher education measures that all states should collect and report publicly. The work group benefited from an extensive, external review of the metrics and found substantial consensus on which to build their recommendations. This paper aims to equip states with a set of common college completion metrics that can be used to monitor system performance and inform future policy decisions. Comparable higher education outcome and progress data are necessary to meet the guiding priorities of increased graduates, decreased minority and low-income attainment gaps, and improved performance using existing resources. (Contains 11 endnotes.)
Effectiveness of Inclusion in an Indiana Middle School
Author: Bowers, Clinton Todd
Date: 2009-11-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Constructivism (Learning),Program Effectiveness,Scores,Special Needs Students,Inclusion,Mainstreaming,Program Evaluation,Comparative Analysis,Comparative Testing,Achievement Gains,Educational Assessment,Educational Indicators,Criterion Referenced Tests,Academic Accommodations (Disabilities)

Repeated poor performance by students with special needs on the Indiana Statewide Test of Educational Progress (ISTEP) in an Indiana middle school supported the need for instructional changes. Following the implementation of a full inclusion program, a problem arose in that the program had not been evaluated and effectiveness was in question. This study, grounded in the constructivist and social reproduction theoretical frameworks, is important in explaining the effectiveness of a fully inclusive school. Whether placing middle school aged children with special needs in inclusive classrooms in the middle school setting is an effective practice is the research question guiding this work. A program evaluation was used to determine effectiveness by examining same student test score data in math and English from 2005 through 2007. The 2007 test scores reflected the first scores following a full year of inclusion. The test score data were compared using repeated-measures ANOVA to study overall performance from year to year. The findings of the project show that inclusion had a significant positive effect on ISTEP scores and is an effective method of instructing children with special needs in the least restrictive environment. The information gained from this work could be used to provide improved learning opportunities for middle school students with special needs in their current setting as well as influence their future learning opportunities through high school and beyond resulting in positive social change. Students with special needs may realize higher graduation rates and academic success while this work could be used to guide the implementation of an inclusion program by examining the methods explained in this paper. (Contains 2 figures and 7 tables.)
Section 619 Profile. 17th Edition
Author: Lazara, Alex
Date: 2010-07-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: State Programs,Disabilities,Preschool Children,Program Implementation,Profiles,Grants,Public Education,Federal Legislation,Special Education,Preschool Education,Special Needs Students,Special Education Teachers,Educational Administration,Language Impairments,Speech Impairments,Accountability,Educational Environment,Educational Finance,Individualized Education Programs

With the passage of P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, now the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and subsequent amendments, states and jurisdictions have made great strides in the provision of services to young children, ages 3 through 5 years, with disabilities. As of Fall 2007, America's schools were serving 710,310 preschool children with a free appropriate public education. This 17th edition of the &quot;Section 619 Profile&quot; describes services provided under the Preschool Grants Program (Section 619 of Part B) of IDEA. The &quot;Profile&quot; presents current and/or historical information for all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, which are eligible to receive IDEA Part B, Section 619 funds. The information presented in this edition of the &quot;Profile&quot; has been gathered and updated through July 2010. This edition contains four parts: (1) Section 619 Coordinators' Profile Updates; (2) Section 619 Program Implementation Resources; (3) State Program Contacts; and (4) Section 619 Program Data from www.ideadata.org.
Evaluating SPP/APR Improvement Activities
Author: National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
Date: 2009-12-16
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: State Departments of Education,Technical Assistance,Program Improvement,Guidelines,Evaluation Methods,Disabilities,Early Childhood Education,Program Evaluation,Program Effectiveness,Program Administration,Program Implementation,Educational Indicators,Federal Legislation,Federal Programs,State Programs,Data,Decision Making,Accountability,Systems Approach

This document is intended to assist State Education Agency (SEA) and Lead Agency (LA) staff and technical assistance providers in designing a meaningful evaluation for the State Performance Plan (SPP)/Annual Performance Report (APR) improvement activities. It provides: (1) information about the relevance of evaluation in the context of improvement planning and strategic systems thinking; (2) guidance on selecting an appropriate design for evaluating different types of improvement activities; and (3) additional resources and tools that support the overall design, implementation and evaluation of the SPP which may serve as a State's blueprint for systems improvement.
Induction Programs Effect on Beginning Teachers' Feelings of Preparedness and Plans to Remain in Teaching
Author: Flanagan, Jennifer
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Teacher Attitudes,Beginning Teachers,Teacher Persistence,Beginning Teacher Induction,Participant Satisfaction,Teaching Experience,Quality of Working Life,Teacher Surveys,National Surveys,Program Effectiveness,Schematic Studies,Work Attitudes

This study was conducted for the purpose of reporting the possible relationships between induction programs on beginning teachers' feelings of preparedness as well as their plans to remain in teaching. The exploration of the experiences of teachers during their first year of teaching aims to evaluate the support system they are offered during their first year of teaching. Findings from this study suggest a possible relationship between new teachers' experiences with their induction programs and feelings of preparedness. (Contains 1 table.)
Pre-K Gifted Program Standards
Author: Wilson, Andrea
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Gifted,Position Papers,Preschool Education,Preschool Evaluation,Academic Standards,State Standards,Standard Setting,Ability Identification,Curriculum Evaluation,Educational Environment,Play,Emotional Intelligence,Social Indicators,Parent Participation

(Purpose) After an extensive search, which included the Internet, four state Departments of Education, and national and state agencies for the gifted, were told by a national agency for gifted children that no standards, specifically for gifted preschool children, existed. The purpose of this paper is to create standards for a preschool gifted program. (Methodology) With the help of: The NAGC Position Paper on Early Childhood, the Connecticut Association for the Gifted &quot;A Teacher's Handbook,&quot; the Connecticut Department of Education Preschool Assessment Framework (PAF), the Connecticut Dept of Ed. Prekindergarten to Grade 8 Curriculum Standards for: English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies, the Stanford University and University of California 2005 study by S. Loeb et al, the American Association for Gifted Children website at Duke University, &quot;A Special Guide For Parents,&quot; and the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT) at the University of Connecticut, we developed standards. (Results) The standards were reviewed by the NRC/GT and then presented to teachers and administrators who attended the early childhood strand at the 2010 Confratute at the University of Connecticut. (Conclusions) The standards address seven critical areas: identification, curriculum, learning environment, play, social &amp; emotional considerations, problem solving &amp; the scientific method, and parental involvement. The teachers and administrators who attended the strand, agreed the standards were helpful to frame their thinking when working with talented preschoolers in all domains. (Recommendations) Educators need to increase their knowledge of gifted children in the preschool setting.
A Media-Rich Curriculum for Improving Early Literacy Outcomes of Low-Income Children: Evaluation Results for the &quot;Ready to Learn&quot; Initiative
Author: Penuel, William R.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Preschool Curriculum,Television Viewing,Evaluation Research,School Readiness,Learning Readiness,Low Income,Early Childhood Education,Curriculum Evaluation,Phonological Awareness,Programming (Broadcast),Outcomes of Education,Literacy,Outreach Programs,Program Descriptions,Metropolitan Areas,Literacy Education,Scores,Pretests Posttests,Alphabets,Measures (Individuals),Teaching Methods

Described here is a study on the efficacy of a digital media-rich curriculum based on the idea that children can learn best from &quot;media synergy&quot;, that is, when children have opportunities to learn skills by engaging in repeated practice with them in many different formats and media (Neuman, 1995). The study is part of the &quot;Ready to Learn Initiative&quot;, a program to develop educational television programming and outreach activities that increase school readiness for 2- to 8-year-old children living in low-income households. In 2005, the U.S. Department of Education awarded one of two Ready to Learn programming grants to the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The study took place in early childhood education centers in the New York City or San Francisco metropolitan areas, where researchers were located. The results show that digital media, including public television programming, can support early literacy skills when thoughtfully integrated with teacher-led interactive activities. Although children in each group improved their literacy scores, children in the early literacy condition showed significantly more improvement than those in the science condition. As a point of comparison, the magnitude of the estimated effects of the literacy curriculum was larger than the magnitude of effects reported in the recent U.S. Department of Education-sponsored review of 15 preschool programs (Preschool Curriculum Evaluation Research Consortium, 2008). In that review, reported effects of curricula on phonological awareness ranged from -0.16 standard deviations to +0.32 standard deviations. For 13 of the programs reviewed, estimated effects on these skills were lower than the effects estimated for this curriculum.