ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
State High School Exit Exams: A Policy in Transition
Author: McIntosh, Shelby
Date: 2012-09-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Student Evaluation,State Standards,Exit Examinations,High Schools,Graduation Requirements,State Surveys,Trend Analysis,Educational Assessment,Educational Indicators,Educational Policy,State Regulation,Evaluation Methods,Enrollment Trends,Academic Standards,High School Graduates,Scores,Disabilities,Alignment (Education),Mathematics Tests,Reading Tests,Career Readiness,College Readiness,Federal Legislation,Educational Legislation,Writing Tests,Curriculum Design,Graduation,Academic Achievement,Accountability,Language Tests,High School Students,Minority Group Students,Low Income Groups

Since 2002, the Center on Education Policy (CEP) at The George Washington University, a national advocate for public education and improving public schools, has been studying state high school exit examinations--tests students must pass to receive a high school diploma. This year marks the 11th year CEP has reported on exit exams in order to help policymakers reach informed decisions about assessment policies in their states. Information from this year's report comes from several sources: a formal verification process through which department of education officials in states with exit exams confirmed and updated information about their exit exam policies from CEP's previous reports on this topic; a special survey of states both with and without exit exams about the future of these policies; state Web sites; media reports; and past CEP publications. Chapter 1 of this report focuses on the present status of state high school exit exam policies, including which states have exit exams, specific characteristics of these exams, how many students are impacted, and changes that have occurred in these policies over the past year. Chapter 2 discusses the future of these policies, such as the shift to assess college and career readiness and the impact of the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and common assessments. Chapter 3 reviews states' past 11 years of experience in implementing exit exams to draw out lessons that may be valuable to state leaders and policymakers as they decide about future policy changes and their implementation. Impact of Common Core State Standards in states with high school exit exams is appended. (Contains 6 figures, 3 tables, 2 boxes, and 2 footnotes.)
Teachers Matter: Feelings of School Connectedness and Positive Youth Development among Coos County Youth. New England Issue Brief No. 23
Author: Stracuzzi, Nena F.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Adolescents,Adolescent Development,Gender Differences,School Attitudes,Student Attitudes,Positive Attitudes,Interpersonal Relationship,Student Behavior,Student Characteristics,Academic Achievement,Teacher Student Relationship,Rural Schools,Rural Areas,Data Analysis,Student School Relationship,Student Surveys,Correlation,Educational Environment,Student Welfare

Students who feel positively about their education, have a sense of belonging in school, and maintain good relationships with students and staff generally feel connected to their schools. In fact, 63 percent of Coos youth report feeling this way. It is one of the most important factors in promoting socio-emotional well-being and positive youth development, according to authors Nena Stracuzzi and Meghan Mills. Their research, using surveys of Coos students, shows that students who feel more connected to their schools usually get better grades, have higher self-esteem, use fewer substances, and engage in aggressive behaviors less frequently. Their latest brief also shows that Coos County students who feel their teachers are supportive of them are often more connected to their schools. (Contains 12 figures and 46 endnotes.) [This work was supported by the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund and the Carsey Institute endowment.]
Coos County's Class of 2009: Where Are They Now? New England Issue Brief No. 31
Author: Jaffee, Eleanor M.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Employment Patterns,Graduate Surveys,High School Graduates,Enrollment Rate,Postsecondary Education,Objectives,Economic Climate,Rural Schools,Rural Areas,Comparative Analysis,Data Analysis,Longitudinal Studies,Residential Patterns,Mobility

This brief reports on the first follow-up survey of the Coos Youth Study participants beyond high school. The focus of the Coos Youth Study, a ten-year panel study following the lives of youth in Coos County, New Hampshire, is the transition of Coos youth into adulthood. Author Eleanor Jaffee reports that approximately half of the Coos County Class of 2009's follow-up survey participants (49 percent) are living in Coos County the majority of the time. Of those living outside Coos County, 81 percent are attending school full time. The most frequently reported combinations of school and work situations were in school full time, working part time (41 percent), followed by in school full time, not employed (19 percent). Seventy-six percent rate leaving Coos County as highly or moderately important; however, 93 percent also report living close to family as highly or moderately important, suggesting conflicted priorities. (Contains 3 figures, 1 table, and 9 endnotes.) [This work was supported by the The Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.]
Students in Rural Schools Have Limited Access to Advanced Mathematics Courses. Issue Brief No. 7
Author: Graham, Suzanne E.
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Rural Schools,Rural Areas,Rural Urban Differences,Community Characteristics,Municipalities,Access to Education,Comparative Analysis,STEM Education,Advanced Courses,Mathematics Instruction,Mathematics Tests,Education Work Relationship,Mathematics Education,Suburban Schools,Urban Schools

This Carsey brief reveals that students in rural areas and small towns have less access to higher-level mathematics courses than students in urban settings, which results in serious educational consequences, including lower scores on assessment tests and fewer qualified students entering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) job pipelines. (Contains 3 figures and 3 endnotes.)
Beginning Teachers Are More Common in Rural, High-Poverty, and Racially Diverse Schools. Issue Brief No. 53
Author: Gagnon, Douglas
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Teacher Effectiveness,Racial Composition,Minority Group Students,Beginning Teachers,Rural Schools,Poverty,Labor Turnover,Rural Urban Differences,Community Characteristics,Municipalities,Comparative Analysis,Teacher Distribution,Geographic Isolation,Census Figures,Data Analysis,Urban Schools,Suburban Schools,African American Students,American Indian Students,Hispanic American Students

This brief considers whether the concentration of beginning teachers in a district is associated with the district's poverty rate, racial composition, or urbanicity. Authors Douglas Gagnon and Marybeth Mattingly report that poor communities have moderately higher percentages of beginning teachers than communities with lower poverty rates and that a higher concentration of minority students in a district is associated with a higher percentage of beginning teachers. Large cities, remote towns, and rural districts have higher percentages of beginning teachers than midsized-small cities, suburbs, and fringe-distant town districts. The combined impact of poverty, race, and urbanicity has a substantial effect on the probability that a district has a critically high percentage of beginning teachers. A high percentage of beginning teachers likely reflects higher teacher turnover in the district, and could suggest issues of teacher quality. The brief uses combined data from the 2009-2010 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), the 2009 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), and the 2010 U.S. Census to form a nationally representative data source of 6,569 districts. (Contains 2 figures, 1 table, and 15 endnotes.)
Mathematics Achievement Gaps between Suburban Students and Their Rural and Urban Peers Increase over Time. Issue Brief No. 52
Author: Graham, Suzanne E.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Mathematics Achievement,Achievement Gap,Ethnic Groups,Kindergarten,Socioeconomic Status,Grade 8,Achievement Gains,Minority Group Students,Racial Differences,Rural Schools,Rural Areas,Urban Schools,Suburban Schools,Comparative Analysis,Data Analysis,Correlation,Regional Characteristics,Differences,Longitudinal Studies,National Surveys

In this brief, authors Suzanne Graham and Lauren Provost examine whether attending a school in a rural, urban, or suburban community is related to children's mathematics achievement in kindergarten, and whether increases in mathematics achievement between kindergarten and eighth grade differ for children in rural, urban, and suburban schools. They also consider whether achievement differs by region of the country and for children of different racial and ethnic groups. Finally, they discuss the impact of a family's socioeconomic status, and the ways in which place and socioeconomic status together affect both early mathematics achievement levels and change over time. They report that rural and urban kindergarten students have slightly lower average mathematics achievement levels than their suburban peers. In addition, the average increase in mathematics achievement from kindergarten to eighth grade for rural and urban children is smaller than the increase for suburban children, resulting in a widening achievement gap over time. (Contains 5 figures, 1 table, 22 endnotes.)
Federal Child Nutrition Programs Are Important to Rural Households. Issue Brief No. 11
Author: Wauchope, Barbara
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Transportation,Nutrition,Rural Schools,Federal Programs,Barriers,Costs,Census Figures,Breakfast Programs,Lunch Programs,Federal Legislation,Eligibility,Rural Areas,Regional Characteristics,Differences,Economic Climate,Comparative Analysis,Data Analysis,Rural Population,Child Care Centers,Child Health,Urban Areas,Suburbs

This brief, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, examines how rural families use four of the major federal child nutrition programs. It finds that 29 percent of rural families with children participate but that there are barriers to these nutrition programs, such as the lack of public transportation and high operating costs for rural schools and child care programs. (Contains 1 figure, 2 tables, and 15 endnotes.)
Youth Opinions Matter: Retaining Human Capital in Coos County. New England Issue Brief No. 19
Author: Rebellon, Cesar J.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Human Capital,Youth,Opinions,Migration,High School Students,Middle School Students,Expectation,Intention,Age Differences,Rural Schools,Rural Areas,Comparative Analysis,Data Analysis,Student Surveys,Correlation,Attachment Behavior,Population Trends,Employment Opportunities,Student Empowerment,Economic Climate,Employment Potential,Student Attitudes

As Coos County youth age, their attachment to their communities may deteriorate. This brief presents new data from the Coos Youth Study. This research indicates efforts to keep young people in Coos may benefit from efforts to show students that their views matter to adults in their communities. (Contains 8 figures and 10 endnotes.) [This work was supported by the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund and the Carsey Institute endowment.]
Students Training for Academic Readiness (STAR): Year Three Evaluation Report
Author: Rainey, Katharine
Date: 2010-06-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Academic Standards,College Preparation,Advanced Courses,Information Management,Program Effectiveness,Management Systems,Student Attitudes,Teaching Methods,Scoring Rubrics,Undergraduate Study,Program Evaluation,Institutional Characteristics,Student Characteristics,Teacher Characteristics,Parents,Individual Characteristics,Program Implementation,Academic Achievement,Interviews,Surveys,Middle School Students,High School Students,Access to Information,Workshops,Planning

This report presents findings from the Year 3 evaluation of Texas' state-level Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, or GEAR UP, grant. GEAR UP grant requirements include an evaluation component designed to assess program effectiveness and to measure progress toward project goals. To this end, the evaluation considers the following research questions: (1) What are the characteristics of participating STAR schools, students, teachers, and parents?; (2) How is STAR implemented across participating campuses?; and (3) What are the effects of STAR implementation on indicators of student achievement and college preparation? The evaluation employs a mixed-methods research design that combines qualitative and quantitative approaches to analyses. Data sources include interviews with district and campus-level administrators, core subject area teachers, counselors, and STAR coordinators; surveys of students, parents, teachers, librarians, and counselors; observations in STAR classrooms; and demographic and performance data collected through the Texas Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) and the Texas Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS). On average, STAR campuses &quot;partially&quot; implemented STAR activities and services in 2008-09. Across the program, schools supported STAR, but had difficulty implementing specific initiatives and achieving project goals, such as supporting  teachers' and students' professional and academic growth, increasing academic standards, and providing postsecondary information to parents and students. Findings from the 2008-09 evaluation suggest that increased experience with the STAR project may improve implementation quality. On average, middle schools, in their third year of implementation, earned higher scores than high schools, which were in their first year of implementation in 2008-09. Appended are: (1) Results from the Survey of Teachers, Counselors, and Librarians; (2) Results from the Parent Survey; (3) Results from the Middle School Student Survey; (4) Results from the High School Student Survey; (5) Instruments and Protocols; (6) STAR Goals and Objectives; (7) Implementation Analysis: Data Sources and Methodology; (8) Implementation Analysis: Scoring Rubric; and (9) Advanced Course Performance Measures. (Contains 123 tables, 43 figures and 27 footnotes.) [For &quot;Students Training for Academic Readiness (STAR): Year Three Evaluation Report. Executive Summary,&quot; see ED535999.]
Word Study: A Look at Improving Learning and Retention of Spelling
Author: Dew, Tracy
Date: 2012-09-09
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Elementary School Students,Grade 1,Spelling,Word Recognition,Word Study Skills,Teacher Made Tests,Program Effectiveness,Program Evaluation,Pretests Posttests,Individualized Instruction,Spelling Instruction,Student Surveys,Likert Scales

The purpose of this paper is to share the effectiveness of the word study program &quot;Words Their Way&quot; (Bear et. al., 2008) to improve spelling retention of first graders in a regular education classroom in the Spring of 2012. After implementing a traditional spelling program and seeing students continuously spell previous spelling words wrong, different word study programs were researched and decided &quot;Words Their Way&quot; (Bear et. al., 2008) was a viable option. Therefore, &quot;Words Their Way&quot; (Bear et. al., 2008) was implemented. The data tools used were: spelling pre and post tests, teacher made tests, checklists, Likert scales, anecdotal records, writing artifacts, teacher student interviews, and a teacher journal. .  Students were grouped according to their stage in spelling development and instructed accordingly. It was shown &quot;Words Their Way&quot; (Bear et. al., 2008) allows individualized instruction to meet the development spelling levels of all students. Appended are: (1) Research Questions; (2) Pre and Post Test; (3) Teacher Made Tests--Weekly Spelling Tests; (4) Checklist; (5) Student Survey; (6) Anecdotal Record Form; (7) Writing Artifact Rubric; (8) Teacher Student Interview; and (9) Teacher Journal.
Closing the Expectations Gap, 2012: 50-State Progress Report on the Alignment of K-12 Policies and Practice with the Demands of College and Careers
Author: O'Hara, Marie
Date: 2012-09-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Graduation Requirements,Accountability,Graduation,Elementary Secondary Education,Global Approach,Academic Achievement,College Preparation,High Schools,State Standards,Academic Standards,High School Graduates,Educational Policy,Student Evaluation,Education Work Relationship,High School Students,College Entrance Examinations,State Surveys,Educational Change,Educational Improvement,Career Readiness,College Readiness,Alignment (Education),Higher Education,Algebra

At the 2005 National Education Summit on High Schools, governors from 45 states joined with business leaders and education officials to address a critical problem in American education: Too few students graduate from high school prepared for the demands of college and career in an increasingly competitive global economy. Since then, to monitor and report on state progress in adopting policies that prepare &quot;all&quot; students for their next steps after high school graduation, Achieve has conducted an annual survey of all 50 states and the District of Columbia on key college- and career-ready (CCR) policies, including aligning standards, graduation requirements, assessments, and data and accountability systems with the expectations of postsecondary institutions and employers. With policy adoption nearly universal in many of these critical areas, for the first time this year's survey and report also address issues regarding the implementation of these policies. This report provides an overview of the progress states are making--as well as draws attention to key issues states should consider as adoption and implementation work continues. Appended are: (1) Achieve Resources; and (2) Methodology. (Contains 22 endnotes.)
Make Rural Schools a Priority: Considerations for Reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Author: Ayers, Jeremy
Date: 2011-08-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Federal Programs,Rural Education,Educational Change,Urban Schools,Elementary Secondary Education,Rural Schools,Federal Legislation,Rural Urban Differences,Educational Legislation,Grants,Educational Improvement,Public Schools,Federal Aid,School Turnaround,School Effectiveness,Low Achievement,Labor Force Development,Academic Achievement,Integrated Services

The public usually thinks of large urban schools when it considers reforms to the American education system. But rural students account for a large and growing segment of the school-age population, and their needs have too often been overlooked in school improvement efforts. Policymakers and the public must make rural education a priority if the nation as a whole is to make marked gains in student outcomes. Unfortunately, federal education efforts do not always consider the issues of rural students and schools in ways they could, despite their unique challenges. Congress has the opportunity to move forward on education reform by reauthorizing Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to ensure all children achieve their greatest potential. ESEA is the largest and most significant federal education law supporting public schools. The law, currently known as No Child Left Behind, was due to be reauthorized in 2007. Congress now has the opportunity to fix numerous flaws in NCLB and to ensure the needs of rural students and schools are met. Congress should keep the following considerations in mind so that federal education law better addresses the needs of rural students and schools: (1) Ensure rural schools and districts have fair chances to receive and compete for federal education funds; (2) Make school-based wraparound services available to rural students in recognition of the special circumstances and sometimes limited capacity of rural schools; (3) Ensure options are available to rural districts for the successful turnaround of low-performing schools; and (4) Enhance supports for building the teacher and principal workforce for rural schools. These points are by no means exhaustive. Others have done important work on how to improve rural education. This paper offers a few key considerations for how a new ESEA can improve the way federal programs and policies serve rural interests. (Contains 19 endnotes.)
Measuring Inequity in School Funding
Author: Epstein, Diana
Date: 2011-08-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Educational Finance,Educational Equity (Finance),Taxes,School Districts,Income,Federal Government,Resource Allocation,Low Income Groups,At Risk Students,Educational Resources,State Aid,Local Government,State Government,Federal Aid,School District Wealth,Expenditure per Student,Measurement Techniques

Low-income children tend to be concentrated in low-income school districts, and these children often attend schools that receive far fewer resources per pupil despite their greater need. Since education is primarily a state responsibility, more than 90 percent of school funding comes from state and local sources, and the federal government provides the rest. Districts have traditionally drawn much of their revenue from local property taxes, which means districts in high-wealth parts of a state are often funded more generously than districts in low-wealth areas. Over time, some states have moved to school finance models in which districts receive more funding from state sources and rely less on local revenue streams. The shift to higher proportions of state funding is aimed at ensuring districts in lower-wealth areas have access to additional resources so funding across districts is more equitable. In other states, however, the level of school funding is still largely driven by local taxes. This paper discusses the differences in per pupil funding across states by highlighting measures of spending and effort. It then examines the problem of intrastate fiscal inequity and surveys some of the different measures that are used to characterize a state's level of funding equity among districts within a state. It then compares and contrasts the different measures and presents data on states' fiscal equity using a variety of measures. The data demonstrate that many states are not fairly funding their school districts. (Contains 4 figures and 19 endnotes.)