ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Education by the Numbers: The Fiscal Effect of School Choice Programs, 1990-2006. School Choice Issues in Depth
Author: Aud, Susan L.
Date: 2007-04-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: School Choice,Scholarships,Educational Vouchers,Tax Credits,Educational Finance,Program Costs,Debate,Student Participation,Educational Assessment,Educational Indicators,Audits (Verification),Economic Impact,State Surveys,Politics of Education,Policy Analysis,Cost Effectiveness

School choice programs, which allow students to attend the public or private school of their choice using public funds, have taken root in the U.S. and are growing rapidly both in number and size. Their fiscal impact has become an important political issue. Proponents say school choice saves money because private schooling is more efficient, producing savings for both public schools and state budgets. Meanwhile, opponents say school choice drains money from public schools. This study calculates the fiscal impact of every existing voucher and tax-credit scholarship program, in order to bring empirical evidence to bear on the debate over the fiscal impact of school choice. Of the 18 voucher and tax-credit scholarship programs in the United States, twelve began operations before the current school year and their fiscal impact can thus be assessed. Key findings include: (1) School choice programs have saved a total of about $444 million from 1990 to 2006, including a total of $22 million saved in state budgets and $422 million saved in local public school districts; (2) Every existing school choice program is at least fiscally neutral, and most produce a substantial savings; (3) In nearly every school choice program, the dollar value of the voucher or scholarship is less than or equal to the state's formula spending per student; (4) When a student uses school choice, the local public school district no longer needs to pay the instructional costs associated with that student, but it does not lose all of its per-student revenue, because some revenue does not vary with enrollment levels; and (5) Programs that offer vouchers or scholarships both to public school students and to students who did not previously attend public schools are now offering large enough dollar amounts to attract at least 25 percent of their participants from public school students. (Contains 17 tables, 1 figure and 21 endnotes.)
The High Cost of South Carolina's Low Graduation Rate. School Choice Issues in the State
Author: Gottlob, Brian J.
Date: 2007-06-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: High Schools,Private Schools,Taxes,Low Income Groups,At Risk Students,Graduation Rate,Dropout Rate,School Choice,Dropouts,Graduation,High School Students,Economic Impact,Social Services,Institutionalized Persons,Crime,Competition,Public Schools,Income,Public Health,Educational Attainment,Unemployment,Racial Differences,African Americans,Whites,Hispanic Americans,Employment Level,Males

Research has documented a crisis in South Carolina's high school graduation rate. While state officials report a graduation rate above 70 percent, researchers from South Carolina and elsewhere place the rate just above 50 percent, with rates among minority students lower than 50 percent. South Carolina's graduation rate is the worst of all 50 states. This study documents the public costs of high school dropouts in South Carolina, and examines how school choice could provide large public benefits by increasing public school graduation rates. It calculates the annual cost of South Carolina dropouts caused by reduced tax revenue, increased Medicaid costs and increased incarceration costs, and documents the employment impacts that dropouts have on the South Carolina economy. It then examines how competition from private schools already raises public school graduation rates, and calculates the public benefits that would follow from increasing South Carolina's public school graduation rates by enacting a modest school choice program. (Contains 10 figures, 7 tables and 28 endnotes.) [This study was released jointly by the Milton &amp; Rose D. Friedman Foundation and the South Carolina Policy Council.]
The High Cost of Failing to Reform Public Education in Indiana. School Choice Issues in the State
Author: Gottlob, Brian J.
Date: 2006-10-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Public Schools,Private Schools,Taxes,Graduation Rate,Dropout Rate,Economic Impact,High School Students,Social Services,Institutionalized Persons,Correctional Institutions,School Districts,Enrollment Trends,Competition,State Government,Income,Educational Attainment,Unemployment,Employment Level,Racial Differences,Males,Whites,African Americans,At Risk Students

This study documents the public costs of high school dropouts in Indiana, and examines how school choice would provide large public benefits by increasing the graduation rate in Indiana public schools. It calculates the annual cost of high school dropouts in Indiana due to lower state income tax payments, increased reliance on Medicaid, and increased incarceration costs. It then examines how competition from higher private school enrollments currently raises public school graduation rates across Indiana's school districts, and calculates the dollar value of the public benefits that would follow from reducing Indiana's public school dropout rate by enacting even a modest school choice program. Key findings include: (1) Indiana spends about as much on dropouts each year after they leave school as it spent when they were in school; and (2) School choice improves public school graduation rates, producing millions in public savings. (Contains 6 figures, 7 tables, and 24 endnotes.)
Reading Instruction for Low-Achieving and At-Risk Students. Publication Series No.3
Author: Kamil, Michael L.
Date: 2005-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Reading Instruction,Reading Research,Synthesis,Low Achievement,At Risk Students,Reading Comprehension,Reading Difficulties,Evidence,Professional Development,Context Effect,Reading Achievement,Computer Uses in Education,Reading Motivation,Reading Programs,Phonemic Awareness,Reading Fluency

In recent years there have been several attempts at integrating the research on reading. Snow, Burns, and Griffin (1998) delineated three areas of knowledge that, if appropriately dealt with, will prevent reading difficulties: knowledge of the alphabetic principle, fluency, and comprehension. Snow, Burns, and Griffin suggest that these areas represent opportunities for appropriate instruction. If students do not acquire the skills, they will be at risk for developing reading difficulties. The National Reading Panel (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [NICHD], 2000) systematically synthesized the research on reading instruction relevant to these three areas. The report examined effective reading instruction and conducted meta-analyses where appropriate. A third effort (RAND, 2002) specifically targeted reading comprehension with the intent of generating a research agenda to add to knowledge about comprehension. In order to develop such an agenda, the RAND report synthesized what is known about comprehension. It is the synthesis of what people know that is important, rather than the research agenda, for the purposes of the paper. In this paper, the author attempts to synthesize some of the material from these various reports and to add material that was not included in them. This report is not entirely bound by some of the restrictions of the other reports. For example, The National Reading Panel Report "only" reviewed published reports of experimental and quasi-experimental research. This report reviews those studies, but goes beyond those criteria, where appropriate, and includes other genres of research.
Educational Leadership. A Review of the Research
Author: Leithwood, Kenneth
Date: 2005-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Instructional Leadership,Central Office Administrators,Superintendents,Principals,Context Effect,Administrator Evaluation,Academic Achievement,Educational Improvement

What is educational leadership? Why should individuals care about it? How does it work? What forms might it take? Which leadership practices are useful in almost all contexts? Which are context-specific? What are the sources of successful leadership? These questions--addressed in this paper--are questions presently of concern to a growing number of people who are convinced that one of the central keys to the success of present efforts to improve student learning is leadership. Leadership, for this purpose, may come from many sources--school and district administrators, teachers, parents, school-board members, and state officials, for example. Although leadership from these sources has a bearing on the improvement of student learning, the leadership of school and district administrators, along with teachers, has demonstrably more influence than leadership from other sources; it is the leadership of such people with which this review is most concerned. This paper provides a brief overview of important concepts central to the meaning of educational leadership, as well as a synopsis of evidence about the nature and effects of leadership practices that are successful in improving student learning. (Contains 1 figure.)
There Is More to Teaching than Instruction: Seven Strategies for Dealing with the Social Side of Teaching. Publication Series No.1
Author: Stemler, Steven E.
Date: 2005-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Teaching (Occupation),Noninstructional Responsibility,Teacher Role,Social Experience,Measures (Individuals),Teaching Skills,Teacher Characteristics,Interpersonal Competence,Skill Development,Teacher Education Programs,Communication Strategies

In this paper, the authors discuss three main ideas. First, they examine traditional approaches to teacher preparation, and argue that teacher-preparation programs currently tend to train teachers mostly on issues related to instruction. They propose that teacher-preparation programs would benefit from expanding their focus to include explicit instruction on practical skills for dealing with social interactions with others. Second, they outline a framework for developing practical skills in teachers that will prepare them to effectively deal with parents, administrators, students, and other teachers. Third, they discuss how these practical skills can be measured. (Contains 3 figures and 1 table.)
Distributed Leadership and the Culture of Schools: Teacher Leaders' Strategies for Gaining Access to Classrooms. Publication Series No.2
Author: Mangin, Melinda M.
Date: 2005-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Teacher Leadership,Change Agents,Instructional Improvement,Resistance to Change,School Culture,Power Structure,Participative Decision Making,School Districts,Role,Educational Change,Teaching Methods,Mathematics Achievement,Change Strategies,Interprofessional Relationship,Development,Principals,Administrator Responsibility,Social Support Groups,Trust (Psychology),Classroom Environment

This study examines how 12 teacher leaders from five school districts negotiate access to classrooms and encourage instructional change in light of teacher resistance. Drawing from observations and interviews, the findings indicate that, in order to gain access to teachers, teacher leaders frequently compromise their instructional improvement objectives, limiting their work to instructional assistance and minimizing the amount of change expected of teachers. Further evidence suggests that administrative support for changed teaching practice can help teacher leaders gain access to the classroom and promote instructional improvement. (Contains 1 footnote and 2 tables.)
Beyond Prejudice: Inclusive Learning in Practice
Author: Smith, Vikki
Date: 2005-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Social Justice,Inclusive Schools,Foreign Countries,Womens Education,Student Diversity,Student Needs,Ethnic Groups,Females,Computer Literacy,Males,Self Esteem,Motivation,Interviews,Academically Gifted,Access to Education,Equal Education,Educational Planning,Cooperative Planning,Compliance (Legal),Educational Legislation,Educational Policy,Action Research,Special Needs Students,Educational Discrimination,Social Bias,Lifelong Learning,Postsecondary Education,Adult Learning

Promoting an inclusive learning environment that caters for all learners and their individual needs and meeting challenging targets set in this area is a huge under taking for providers across the learning and skills sector. This booklet provides an overview that illustrates the breadth and variety that the broad banner of inclusive learning encapsulates, signposting further information and focusing on a number of key issues that have challenged providers across the learning and skills sector in recent times. These key areas are supplemented by illustrative case studies drawn from the Support for Success and Adult and Community Learning Quality Support Programmes that outline how some providers are responding to the challenges inclusive learning can present. (Contains 7 figures and 1 table.)
The Impact of Different Modes of Assessment on Achievement and Progress in the Learning and Skills Sector. LSRC Research Report
Author: Torrance, Harry
Date: 2005-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Research Design,Context Effect,Evaluation Methods,Academic Achievement,Adult Education,Adult Learning,Postsecondary Education,Vocational Education,Cognitive Style,Student Certification,Awards,Student Evaluation,Program Effectiveness

This study was commissioned to investigate whether or not, and if so, how, use of different assessment methods makes a difference to learner achievement and progress in the learning and skills sector (LSS). This is the first comprehensive study of assessment procedures and practices employed across the full range of LSS contexts--school sixth forms, further education colleges, workplaces and adult learning environments. The study identified an enduring divide between post-16 academic and vocational tracks and the different methods of assessment employed in those tracks. The study also identified many anomalies of structure and practice across post-16 awards. Overall the study found that assessment methods &quot;per se&quot; do not directly affect learners' choice of award or likelihood of success, but the association of certain awards with methods which employ extensive writing (coursework, exam essays, etc) does. In a social and economic environment which supposedly privileges the consumer over the producer, consumer choice in assessment, coupled with the need for equality of consumer choice across the LSS, should be given more attention. A range of assessment methods could be made available for all awards, with the candidate choosing that combination of methods which most suits their learning style and maximises their chances of success. This report has five sections. Following an introduction, an overview of the development of assessment in the sector is provided in the next section to sketch out the social and political context in which debates about assessment in the LSS are located. A full understanding of the multi-faceted nature of assessment in the LSS and how different practices in different sub-sectors relate to one another--or not, as the case may be--warrants a preliminary discussion of this complexity in order to contextualise the findings set out in Section 4. The main body of the report (Section 4) then draws extensively on the case reports to present detailed evidence of the role of assessment in the LSS. This allows procedures and practices to be compared and contrasted across settings and sub-sectors. Finally, conclusions and recommendations are presented in Section 5. Appendices include: (1) Methodology and summary of case study data sources; (2) Theoretical model and research design of assessment in the learning and skills sector; (3) Examples of questionnaires; and (4) Summary of key elements of questionnaire data. (Contains 1 figure, 28 tables, and 15 footnotes.) [Funding for this paper was provided by the City &amp; Guilds Awarding Body, with additional support from Ufi.]
Being, Having and Doing: Theories of Learning and Adults with Learning Difficulties
Author: Dee, Leslie
Date: 2006-00-00
Type: Information Analyses
Subjects: Learning Theories,Adults,Learning Disabilities,Adult Education,Literature Reviews,Outcomes of Education,Learning Processes,Behaviorism,Constructivism (Learning),Foreign Countries

The starting point for this review of literature on theories of learning and adults with learning difficulties is the FEFC's 1996 landmark report, &quot;Inclusive Learning&quot; (also known as the Tomlinson Report). This report made learning its central focus, arguing that unless we understand how students learn we cannot begin to make the right provision for them. The purpose of this project therefore is to explore the literature on theories of learning and their implications for those who experience difficulties in learning. The objectives of this review of literature were twofold: (1) to identify the principal theoretical perspectives which indicate or  reflect effective teaching or training approaches for learners with learning difficulties; and (2) to provide a theoretical framework for evaluating current provision and informing the development of future provision for learners with learning difficulties. Implications for both practitioners and the Learning and Skills Council are presented. Appended to this report are:  (1) Twentieth Century Theories of Learning; (2) List of Search Terms; (3) List of Databases; (4) List of Journals; and (5) Key Database Fields. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.) [&quot;Being, Having and Doing: Theories of Learning and Adults with Learning Difficulties&quot; was written with Steve Cochrane.]
Do You Have a Disability--Yes or No? Or Is There a Better Way of Asking? Guidance on Disability Disclosure and Respecting Confidentiality
Author: Rose, Christine
Date: 2006-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Disabilities,Confidentiality,Legislation,Self Disclosure (Individuals),Methods,Enrollment,Admission (School),Language Usage,Vocabulary,Staff Development,Opportunities,School Policy,Postsecondary Education,Adult Education,Foreign Countries

Many providers are keen to implement the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), seeing this as an opportunity to further improve the experience of disabled learners. However, the DDA Part 4 raises many issues about the ways in which education providers encourage a learner to disclose an impairment in order to make adjustments, the procedures organisations have in place for passing on relevant information, and the ways in which they can respect a learner's desire for confidentiality. National guidance &quot;Disclosure, passing on of information and confidentiality; guidance for post-16 education providers on implementing the DDA Part 4&quot; was published in October 2003 and subsequently released to all post-16 education providers via local LSCs (Learning and Skills Councils). The purpose of this report is to discuss how the sector has responded to this national guidance, the challenges that providers face in implementing the requirements of legislation and to provide some examples of practice in the sector. This report builds on, rather than repeats, the information contained in the national guidance, so providers may find it useful to read this report in conjunction with the guidance document. Section 2 of this report provides an overview of the context of disclosure, summarising the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and the Data Protection Act (DPA). This section also explores the language of &quot;disability&quot; and the medical and social models of disability. The remaining sections provide practical examples of how the sector has responded to the legal requirements of the DDA and the DPA. Section 3 explores how to encourage disclosure by effectively communicating support options and availability. Sections 4 and 5 examine how to encourage disclosure during admissions and how to provide ongoing opportunities for disclosure. Section 6 discusses confidentiality and the mechanisms for obtaining consent. Section 7 looks at the process of producing disclosure and confidentiality and procedures, while Section 8 considers aspects that influence the successful embedding of these in practice. Appendices include: (1) Suggested training plan and case studies; and (2) Skeleton disclosure and confidentiality policy. (Contains 3 footnotes.)
The Inevitable Corruption of Indicators and Educators through High-Stakes Testing. Executive Summary
Author: Nichols, Sharon L.
Date: 2005-03-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Cheating,Dropouts,High Stakes Tests,Social Indicators,Teacher Morale,Decision Making,Public Schools,News Reporting,Administrator Behavior,Teacher Behavior,Testing,Low Achievement,Student Behavior,Accountability,Scores,Criticism,Testing Problems,Deception

This research provides lengthy proof of a principle of social science known as Campbell's law: &quot;The more any quantitative social indicator is used for social decision-making, the more subject it will be to corruption pressures and the more apt it will be to distort and corrupt the social processes it is intended to monitor.&quot; Applying this principle, this study finds that the over-reliance on high-stakes testing has serious negative repercussions that are present at every level of the public school system. Evidence of Campbell's law at work was found in hundreds of news stories across America, and almost all were written in the last few years. In addition to news stories, traditional research studies, and stories told by educators about the effects of high-stakes testing are also part of the data. The data fell into 10 categories. Taken together these data reveal a striking picture of the corrupting effects of high-stakes testing: (1) Administrator and Teacher Cheating; (2) Student Cheating; (3) Exclusion of Low-Performance Students From Testing; (4) Misrepresentation of Student Dropouts; (5) Teaching to the Test; (6) Narrowing the Curriculum; (7) Conflicting Accountability Ratings; (8) Questions about the Meaning of Proficiency; (9) Declining Teacher Morale; and (10) Score Reporting Errors. [For full report, see ED508483.]
Bill Gates, If You're so Rich, How Come You're Not Smart? Point of View Essay
Author: Bracey, Gerald
Date: 2005-03-00
Type: Opinion Papers
Subjects: Misconceptions,Academic Achievement,Elementary Secondary Education,Labor Force Development,Educational Change,Economically Disadvantaged,Disadvantaged Youth,Achievement Gap

Bill Gates and the governors were quite vague about what makes the schools obsolete or what to do about it. What is it, exactly, that schools are not teaching that they need to? Bill Gates also claimed that American kids were at the top in fourth grade, but at the bottom by 12th. The author congratulates Gates for focusing some attention on economically deprived schools. However, he contends that Gates and the governors appear to think that school reform can, all by itself overcome their problems. But poor students arrive at school behind their middle class peers. As measured by tests, they learn the same amount during the school year, but lose the gains over the summer, leaving them farther behind. Gates and the governors should look for ways to eliminate the factors that cause poor children to lose ground during the months when the schools are closed.