Bringing urban K-12 education resources to policymakers, parents, advocates, and district and school staff in the District of Columbia
Research on DC Schools
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Reports
Achievement Alliance
www.achievementalliance.org
This new coalition of educators, civil-rights advocates, and business leaders has joined together to protect bipartisan support for the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). While acknowledging the challenges of implementing NCLB, the Achievement Alliance aims to provide objective information about student achievement under the landmark law.
NCLB Grassroots Database
www.NCLBGrassroots.org
This Civil Society Institute database tracks the challenges associated with the implementation and the effects of the No Child Left Behind Act. In addition to providing access to nationwide newspaper articles, the website solicits grassroots participation for the modification of NCLB.
SchoolsMovingUp Website
www.SchoolsMovingUp.net
Through this website, WestEd links educators and administrators to research-based strategies for improving academic achievement. Resources include profiles of schools from across the country that have improved student achievement, easily implemented or replicated school and district tips to assist in school improvement efforts, and articles, books, and abstracts offering practical ideas and models for school improvement. Frequent online events bring experts to the Web to share lessons learned, new ideas, and related resources. SchoolsMovingUp also offers practical information about the sweeping reform of the No Child Left Behind Act.
2004
Getting the Mission Right in the Middle Grades
www.sreb.org/main/Goals/Publications/04E05-Middle_Grades_Mission.pdf *
The Southern Regional Education Board analyzed middle school performance in their member states, finding that students made gains overall, but there is much progress to make toward gaps. The report identifies four things policymakers need to do to improve middle school achievement: 1. Make sure the mission of middle schools is high school preparation; 2. Align state standards with the assessment system; 3. Close achievement gaps; and 4. Focus on preparing students for Algebra I.
2004
Need Space? School-Facility Public-Private Partnerships: An Assessment of Alternative Financing Arrangements
www.edfacilities.org/pubs/appleseed.pdf *
The Appleseed Foundation surveyed a variety of experts about the use of public-private partnerships (PPPs) to finance the construction and renovation of public school facilities. The study stresses that there is no one answer to the facilities problems facing public schools, but there are conditions under which PPPs are likely to succeed. The report includes several case studies, including the successful public-private partnership at James F. Oyster Bilingual Elementary School, a DCPS school.
Fall 2004
Competition Passes the Test
www.educationnext.org/20043/66.html
Jay Greene and Marcus Winters explore the effect of Florida's voucher policy, which gives students in "failing" schools the opportunity to use vouchers to attend private schools. Voucher-eligible schools had the highest student gains, but the authors consider explanations other than the threat of vouchers.
Fall 2004
The Detracking Movement
www.educationnext.org/20044/72.html
In this Education Next article, Maureen Hallinan provides the history and current nature of tracking. Today's tracking consists of grouping students by ability within subjects (e.g. grouping students into advanced, regular, or basic courses). Educators find that ability grouping facilitates instruction, but opponents argue that ability grouping isolates low-performing students, who are further hampered by being assigned the weakest teachers and curriculum.
Fall 2004
Falling Behind
www.educationnext.org/20044/64.html
Roland Fryer and Steven Levitt present evidence in this Education Next article that closing the black-white achievement gap between students is the best policy intervention toward closing the wage inequality gap among adults. Holding economic background constant, Black and White students performed similarly upon entering kindergarten. However, Black children fell behind approximately 10% of a standard deviation per year by the end of first grade, compared to similar white students. Hispanic students started behind their White peers but closed the gap by the end of first grade, compared to similar White students. While encouraging further research, the authors find that improving economic conditions by one standard deviation is associated with a 40% increase in math scores and a 66% increase in reading scores, on average. The authors hypothesize that the gap between economically-similar Black and White students may grow due to differences in school quality related to segregation. The achievement gap does seem not to be caused by: 1. Factors outside of school (parents and environment), 2. The "summer set-back," or 3. Lower teacher expectations.
September 2004
Closing Low-performing Schools and Reopening Them as Charter Schools: The Role of the State
www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/54/25/5425.doc
Todd Ziebarth explores the role of the state in converting low-performing schools into charter schools, a strategy available to states under No Child Left Behind to address schools that miss AYP for five consecutive years. The paper reviews the benefits and challenges of converting low-performing schools into charter schools. There are three roles the state can play to facilitate the conversion of these schools by external operators, including: 1. establishing criteria and process guidelines, 2. creating an RFQ/RFP process, and 3. providing additional resources to school operators. Alternatively, the state can act as the school converter/operator.
September 2004
Fast Break in Indianapolis: A New Approach to Charter Schooling
www.ppionline.org/documents/Indy_0921.pdf *
In this Progressive Policy Institute policy brief, Brian Hassel reviews the development of the unique charter school movement in Indianapolis and provides lessons learned and recommendations based on these experiences. Mayor Bart Peterson of Indianapolis is the nation's only mayor who grants new charters. Charter schools have broad support in the city, and student improvement has been substantiated through value-added analysis. Findings support the positive effects of mayoral support in local school initiatives. Challenges include fitting the demands of charter schools into the mayor's schedule and maintaining a supply of high-quality charter applicants.
September 2004
Graduation Rates for Choice and Public School Students in Milwaukee
www.schoolchoicewi.org/data/currdev_links/grad_rate.pdf *
Jay Greene examines achievement outcomes for voucher students and public school students in Milwaukee, finding that participants in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program graduated at a higher rate than non-participants. Further, the voucher students graduated at a higher rate than their peers who attended selective high schools. Findings were virtually replicated with an alternate method of calculating the graduation rate.
September 2004
Report Card on American Education: A State by State Analysis: 1981-2003
www.alec.org/meSWFiles/pdf/2004_Report_Card_on_Education.pdf *
In this annual report, the American Legislative Exchange Council finds no correlation between educational inputs (e.g. expenditures and other resources) and educational outputs (e.g. academic achievement) over the past 12 years. The few positive relationships between funding-related factors and student achievement were weak and did not hold up over time.
September 2004
Seeds of Change in the Big Apple: Chartering Schools in New York City
www.ppionline.org/documents/NewYork_0921.pdf *
Robin J. Lake reviews the charter school movement in New York and recommends next steps for city and state policymakers in this Progressive Policy Institute policy brief. Lessons learned include: 1. address funding equity between charters schools and regular public schools; 2. facilitate provision of facilities and technical assistance between charter schools and independent organizations; 3. use charter schools strategically to address district wide goals; 4. be accountable for failing charter schools; and 5. ensure placements for students whose charter schools has been closed.
September 2004
Stimulating the Supply of New Choices for Families in Light of NCLB: The Role of the State
www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/54/26/5426.doc
Brian Hassel and Lucy Steiner identified the state’s three roles in stimulating the supply of school choices: 1. assessing needs, 2. creating a favorable environment for innovation, and 3. attracting/developing the new supply. The brief gives examples of what states have done to address these roles.
September 2004
Where Do Public School Teachers Send Their Kids to School?
www.edexcellence.net/doc/Fwd-1.1.pdf *
In the first edition of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute’s Fwd: Arresting Insights in Education, the authors found that, overall, urban public school teachers were more likely than other urban parents and parents overall to send their children to private schools. In general, this trend increases as teacher income decreases. However, the trend does not hold in Milwaukee, where public school teachers are less likely than other urban parents to send their children to private schools. The authors suggest that, in Milwaukee, the choice movement enabled public school teachers to keep their children in the public school system.
Please see the reaction to the findings in “Where Do Public School Teachers Send Their Kids to School?” from American Federation of Teachers President Edward J. McElroy in a USA Today editorial dated October 4, 2004.
August 2004
Research Sheds New Light on the Hispanic-White Achievement Gap
www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/53/97/5397.pdf *
The Education Commission of the States reviews recent research on the achievement gap between Hispanic and White students, as well as variations among Hispanic students in the following five reports:
- “Status and Trends in the Education of Hispanics” touches on demographics, all levels of education, and labor market/social trends. www.nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003008.pdf *
- “Closing Achievement Gaps” recommends what state legislators can do to improve outcomes for Hispanic students at all levels. www.trpi.org/PDFs/Closing_Achievement_Gaps.pdf *
- “Structuring Failure and Success” explores the relationship between opportunity for social mobility and academic achievement. www.gse.uci.edu/doehome/DeptInfo/faculty/gilbertoRP/HER_2001.pdf *
- “Hispanic Youth Dropping Out of US Schools” reveals the influence of immigration trends on dropout statistics. www.pewhispanic.org/site/docs/pdf/high%20school%20dropout%20report--final.pdf *
- “Latino Youth Finishing College” explores some reasons why Hispanic high school graduates are as likely to attend college, but half as likely as their white peers to complete college. www.pewhispanic.org/site/docs/pdf/THe%20Role%20of%20Selective%20Pathways_formattedFINAL-06-23-04.pdf *
August 2004
State High School Exit Exams: A Maturing Reform
www.cep-dc.org/highschoolexit/ExitExamAug2004/ExitExam2004.pdf *
The Center for Education Policy finds that states are implementing high school exams with a great deal of variety, and the effects of high schools exams are not yet clear. States with a favorable context (such as a history of standards-based reform) that offer flexibility (such as an appeals process) are more likely to implement exit exams smoothly.
July 2004
Meeting the Highly Qualified Teachers Challenge: The Secretary's Third Annual Report on Teacher Quality
www.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/teachprep/2004Title2-Report.pdf *
The purpose of this report is for the US Department of Education to inform Congress on the progress of teacher quality as mandated by Title II of No Child Left Behind. Throughout the report, there are examples of recognized teacher recruitment/preparation programs and those with promise. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the issue; Chapter 2 reviews activities by Department of Education and other organizations to implement the law; Chapter 3 overviews state progress on six teacher quality indicators collected through the Higher Education Act (HEA) Title II data system; and Chapter 4 details forthcoming initiatives.
Please visit “State Report 2003: District of Columbia” at www.title2.org/title2dr/StateHome.asp for details on DC's implementation of the six key indicators: 1. Alignment of teacher and student standards, 2. State certification requirements for new teachers, 3. Numbers of teachers receiving initial state certification, 4. State identification of low-performing teacher preparation programs, 5. Alternative routes to teaching, and 6. Numbers of teachers on waivers (teaching on temporary/emergency certificates/licenses, pursuing alternative certification, and/or teaching as long-term substitutes).
The State Education Office is not responsible for the views expressed in the reports contained in the SEO Ed Digest.
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