Clear all

39 results found

reorder grid_view

The Future of Education Research at IES: Advancing an Equity-Oriented Science

March 31, 2022

In 2002 Congress passed the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA), authorizing the creation of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) as the research, evaluation, statistics, and assessment arm of the Department of Education, and crystallizing the federal government's commitment to providing national leadership in expanding fundamental knowledge and understanding of education from early childhood through postsecondary study. IES shares information on the condition and progress of education in the United States, including early childhood education and special education; educational practices that support learning and improve academic achievement and access to educational opportunities for all students; and the effectiveness of federal and other education programs.In response to a request from the Institute of Education Sciences, this report provides guidance on the future of education research at the National Center for Education Research and the National Center for Special Education Research, two centers directed by IES. This report identifies critical problems and issues, new methods and approaches, and new and different kinds of research training investments.

Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement: Indicators of Effective Practice

February 28, 2018

This document is designed to help school, district, and state teams identify with greater certainty whether a relevant practice from the four domains is standard and routinely operational in their part of the education system or whether more work is needed.

Family Engagement Toolkit: Continuous Improvement Through an Equity Lens

August 1, 2017

This toolkit offers districts and schools practical planning and evaluation tools designed to engage all families, particularly those of underrepresented and underserved students.

An Inquiry Into Pennsylvania's Keystone STARS: Research Report

November 9, 2015

This study examines opportunities for improvement in Pennsylvania's Keystone STARS Rating System and recommends next steps for improved child outcomes. The goal of this research was to support the continued advancement of quality early learning programs state-wide to ultimately strengthen student outcomes. In 2003, Pennsylvania implemented Keystone STARS, one of the first state-level Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) in the country, as a tool to improve access to quality early learning programs for young children. The study explores three areas of the Keystone STARS program: the relationship between STARS ratings and child outcomes; the link between child outcomes and each of the 12 quality components assessed in the STARS system; and the perspectives of childcare providers and system developers. The research findings aim to inform improvements to the Keystone STARS program in order to positively impact child outcomes. As a well-established QRIS program, one of just eight nationwide with more than a decade of experience, Pennsylvania has a strong base on which to build in order to support positive child outcomes.This research provides guidance to Pennsylvania as it considers revisions to Keystone STARS. The opportunities uncovered in this report provide an opportunity for Pennsylvania to lead the nation in ensuring that the next generation of QRISs better support early care programs, families, and young children.

Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation

January 1, 2015

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well.Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning.Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children

Greatness by Design: Supporting Outstanding Teaching to Sustain a Golden State

May 21, 2013

All schools deserve great teachers and principals. Recently, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, in conjunction with Mary Sandy, Executive Director of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, convened the Educator Excellence Task Force (EETF) to draft recommended actions that could be woven together into a coherent system that would produce exceptional teachers and principals. The task force produced a report of its recommendations, Greatness by Design: Supporting Outstanding Teaching to Sustain a Golden State.In the report, EETF identified the following critical priorities as the basis for implementing these reforms:Creating a coherent continuum of learning expectations and opportunities for educators across their entire careersDeveloping a learning system that supports collaborative learning about effective practices, among educators, across schools and districts, between and among school boards and unions, and within state agenciesDeveloping a consistent revenue base for high-quality professional learning by creating a category of flexible funding to support itThis summary report is designed to provide policymakers, educators, and other stakeholders with a succinct overview of EETF recommendations.

Partnerships in Arts Integrated Research

January 25, 2013

The PAIR (Partnerships for Arts Integration Research) complete final report is an evaluation of a four year, federal Department of Education funded Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination (AEMDD) project administered by the Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE) in partnership with the Chicago Public Schools. This project brought together 3 pairings of school populations (a world languages focused magnet cluster school with a fine-arts focused magnet cluster school; a math and science focused magnet cluster school with a fine arts focused magnet cluster school; and a literature and writing focused magnet cluster school with a fine arts magnet cluster school) to work with teaching artists in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade classrooms. Results from the six schools were compared with six control schools of similar status, resources, student population, demographic factors, and comparable levels of academic achievement prior to the start of the PAIR project.The PAIR research and evaluation focuses extensively on teacher impact and student achievement. Two principal investigators noted for their work in the fields of teacher education, student learning, and arts in education teaching and learning practices engaged in this research: Dr. Gail Burnaford, School of Education faculty at Florida Atlantic University, who examined the impact of PAIR on classroom teachers, and Dr. Lawrence Scripp, Director of the Center for Music-In-Education, Inc, who analyzed student arts integration and academic learning outcomes and their relation to PAIR teacher professional development outcomes and controlled for student demographic factors. Burnaford's and Scripp's cumulative findings on the impact of PAIR on teacher professional development, student learning and the intersections between teacher and student outcomes over the three-year time period of the project are presented in the three-part comprehensive report.Lawrence Scripp and Laura Tan Paradis (PAIR research coordinator) provide a brief summary of the project findings as an addendum to the comprehensive three-part PAIR Report.

ARISE 2010 Final Performance Report to the US Department of Education

February 28, 2011

This is the final performance reports from the Performing Arts Workshop to the U.S. Department of Education about Project ARISE (Arts Residency Interventions in Special Education). The report includes performance measure data for the Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination (AEMDD) grants program. The ARISE Project offers public schools weekly artist residencies lasting between 25 and 30 weeks in theater arts and creative movement for third to fifth grade students. Classrooms participating in ARISE are identified as Special Day Classes or general education classes with special education inclusion (or mainstreamed) students. The ARISE residencies emphasize critical-thinking while engaging in the creative process. Over three years from 2008 to 2010, the Workshop provided ARISE residencies to 63 classrooms from five schools within the San Francisco Unified School District.

ARISE 2010 Annual Performance Report to the US Department of Education

September 30, 2010

This is the third of three performance reports from the Performing Arts Workshop to the U.S. Department of Education about Project ARISE (Arts Residency Interventions in Special Education). The report includes performance measure data for the Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination (AEMDD) grants program. The ARISE Project offers public schools weekly artist residencies lasting between 25 and 30 weeks in theater arts and creative movement for third to fifth grade students. Classrooms participating in ARISE are identified as Special Day Classes or general education classes with special education inclusion (or mainstreamed) students. The ARISE residences emphasize critical-thinking while engaging in the creative process. In the 2009-2010 school year, the Workshop provided ARISE residencies to 18 classrooms from four schools within the San Francisco Unified School District.

The Evaluation of Enhanced Academic Instruction in After-School Programs: Final Report

September 30, 2009

This report presents two-year implementation and impact findings on two supplemental academic instruction approaches developed for after-school settings -- one for math and one for reading. It addresses whether one-year impacts are different in the second year of program operations and whether students benefit from being offered two years of enhanced after-school academic instruction.

More Guidance, Better Results? Three-Year Effects of an Enhanced Student Services Program at Two Community Colleges

August 21, 2009

In a program at Lorain County Community College and Owens Community College in Ohio, low-income students received enhanced counseling and advising services and were eligible to receive a modest stipend for two semesters. The program improved academic outcomes during the second semester and continued to have a positive effect on registration rates in the semester that followed, but it did not have any meaningful effects on academic outcomes in subsequent semesters.

Getting Back on Track: Effects of a Community College Program for Probationary Students

April 7, 2009

Rates of graduation and degree completion at community colleges remain distressingly low. This report evaluates two versions of a program designed to help probationary students at community college succeed in school. One version increased the average number of credits earned, the proportion of students who earned a grade point average of "C" or higher, and the proportion who moved off probation.