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Ohio Student Mobility Research: Statewide Overview

November 1, 2012

In 2011, Community Research Partners (CRP) and The Thomas B. Fordham Institute (Fordham) entered into a partnership to conduct research on student mobility in Ohio. Fordham, a national leader in advancing educational excellence through quality research, commentary, and advocacy, wanted to build on their recent research on student mobility in the Dayton area and examine student mobility throughout the state. CRP brought to the project its experience in undertaking research on student mobility in the Columbus City Schools (CCS) and in processing and analyzing student-level records from the Ohio Department of Education (ODE).In June 2011, Fordham provided CRP with a planning grant to develop a workable research plan. ODE provided CRP with student-records from the Education Management Information System (EMIS). Beginning with the 2008 -- 2009 school year, EMIS has included unique student identifiers that charter schools in Ohio. With assistance from ODE staff in understanding and using the EMIS data, CRP analyzed student records for Franklin County districts. The outcome of the planning phase was a design for a large-scale study of student mobility in Ohio, to be conducted by CRP. Work on the project began in February 2012.

Putting a Price Tag on the Common Core: How Much Will Smart Implementation Cost?

May 30, 2012

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English language arts and mathematics represent a sea change in standards-based reform and their implementation is the movement's next -- and greatest -- challenge. Yet, while most states have now set forth implementation plans, these tomes seldom address the crucial matter of cost. Putting a Price Tag on the Common Core: How Much Will Smart Implementation Cost? estimates the implementation cost for each of the forty-five states (and the District of Columbia) that have adopted the Common Core State Standards and shows that costs naturally depend on how states approach implementation. Authors Patrick J. Murphy of the University of San Francisco and Elliot Regenstein of EducationCounsel LLC illustrate this with three models:

Education Reform for the Digital Era

April 25, 2012

Will the digital-learning movement repeat the mistakes of the charter-school movement? How much more successful might today's charter universe look if yesterday's proponents had focused on the policies and practices needed to ensure its quality, freedom, and resources over the long term? What mistakes might have been avoided? Damaging scandals forestalled? Missed opportunities seized?

Defining Strong State Accountability Systems: How Can Better Standards Gain Greater Traction?

April 4, 2012

This report is a pilot study intended to inform a larger analysis of the accountability systems in every state (and the District of Columbia) during the  early years of Common Core implementation. We ask that the reader treat it as  such and provide us with feedback on the accountability principles contained  herein. We plan to apply these principles, once revised, to all fifty state  accountability systems in order to appraise their quality. Our first national report  is slated for early 2013, with follow‐up studies two and four years later. Tracking  systems in this manner will prove beneficial because many states will be in "flux"  over the next several years as they refine and adapt their systems based on the  demands of the Common Core and on the plans and promises outlined in their  recently approved waivers (and/or those provisions detailed by ESEA  reauthorization legislation—assuming Congress one day gets its act together).Fordham is also conducting three other studies pertinent to CCSS implementation.  The first is an analysis of Common Core implementation costs; the second, an in‐ depth study of district‐level implementation of CCSS; and the third, a nationally  representative survey of English language arts teachers that assesses the rigor of  their reading assignments both before and after implementation of CCSS (summer  2012 and spring 2015).

The State of State Science Standards 2012

January 31, 2012

American science performance is lagging as the economy becomes increasingly high tech, but our current science standards are doing little to solve the problem. Reviewers evaluated science standards for every state for this report and their findings were deeply troubling: The majority of states earned Ds or Fs for their standards in this crucial subject, with only six jurisdictions receiving As. Explore all the state report cards and see how your state performed.

Halting a Runaway Train: Reforming Teacher Pensions for the 21st Century

October 20, 2011

When it comes to public-sector pensions, writes lead author Michael B. Lafferty in this report, "A major public-policy (and public-finance) problem has been defined and measured, debated and deliberated, but not yet solved. Except where it has been." As recounted in "Halting a Runaway Train: Reforming Teacher Pensions for the 21st Century", these exceptions turn out to be revealing -- and encouraging.

Do High Flyers Maintain Their Altitude? Performance Trends of Top Students

September 20, 2011

"Do High Flyers Maintain Their Altitude? Performance Trends of Top Students," is the first study to examine the performance of America's highest-achieving children over time at the individual-student level. Produced in partnership with the Northwest Evaluation Association, it finds that many high-achieving students struggle to maintain their elite performance over the years and often fail to improve their reading ability at the same rate as their average and below-average classmates. The study raises troubling questions: Is our obsession with closing achievement gaps and "leaving no child behind" coming at the expense of our "talented tenth" -- and America's future international competitiveness?

State Teacher Policy Yearbook

June 27, 2007

Examines the policies that determine how teachers are prepared, certified, hired, paid, evaluated, encouraged and dismissed -- in all fifty states and the District of Columbia -- and offers recommendations for improvement.