Poverty levels in schools key determinant of achievement gaps, not racial or ethnic composition, study finds

Posted on October 23, 2019October 20, 2019 by coreeducation

A team of current and former Stanford University researchers studied whether racial and ethnic segregation at school still matters today by looking at 350 million test scores across nearly every school in the United States from the 2008-09 school year to the 2015-16 school year. The study looked at student test performance in math and Read more about Poverty levels in schools key determinant of achievement gaps, not racial or ethnic composition, study finds[…]

Brain Fitness and Executive Function: Evidence-Based Interventions

Posted on October 22, 2019October 20, 2019 by coreeducation

BrainFutures recently released a report that makes a clear case for integrating proven brain fitness programs into all U.S. classrooms. Over a decade of research has shown that evidence-based programs can improve students’ executive function skills and prosocial behaviors, which are more accurate predictors of academic readiness and life success than IQ or any other Read more about Brain Fitness and Executive Function: Evidence-Based Interventions[…]

What Do Teachers Know About The Science of Learning?

Posted on October 10, 2019October 6, 2019 by coreeducation

Scientists know a lot about effective learning and teaching. In the past several decades, cognitive psychologists and other learning researchers have performed thousands of studies on effective learning and teaching practices. In some cases, research findings have gone against conventional wisdom or common practice. For example, varied practice (in terms of the variety of problems Read more about What Do Teachers Know About The Science of Learning?[…]

Early-College High School Students More Likely to Earn Postsecondary Degrees

Posted on October 8, 2019October 6, 2019 by coreeducation

Building on a previous randomized experiment of the impact of Early Colleges (ECs) (Berger et al., 2013), the American Institutes for Research (AIR) has released a new follow-up study that assesses the longer-term impacts of ECs on students’ postsecondary outcomes 6 years after expected high school graduation. Using data from the National Student Clearinghouse, researchers Read more about Early-College High School Students More Likely to Earn Postsecondary Degrees[…]

Scientific research on how to teach critical thinking contradicts education trends

Posted on October 3, 2019September 18, 2019 by coreeducation

Recently for The Hechinger Report, Jill Barshay provided an overview of scientific research that finds that content knowledge is crucial to effective critical thinking. Portions of the piece appear below: Critical thinking is all the rage in education. Schools brag that they teach it on their websites and in open houses to impress parents. Some Read more about Scientific research on how to teach critical thinking contradicts education trends[…]

What are the factors that affect learning at your school?

Posted on September 25, 2019September 25, 2019 by coreeducation

Reducing chronic absence and developing conditions for learning are instrumental to improving outcomes for students and can be improved through policy reform and leadership. Schools and educators have the power to improve both student attendance and conditions for learning. A new Hamilton Project data interactive, “Chronic Absence: School and Community Factors,” examines the factors that Read more about What are the factors that affect learning at your school?[…]

The New Testing Landscape: How State Assessments Are Changing Under ESSA

Posted on September 24, 2019September 18, 2019 by coreeducation

State testing systems are in transition. Buffeted by anti-testing sentiment on the left and right, budget battles, and renewed debates over the role that testing plays, the recent, unprecedented push for states to collaborate on high-quality, standards-aligned assessments has given way to an increasingly fragmented marketplace. A new report from FutureEd Senior Fellow Lynn Olson Read more about The New Testing Landscape: How State Assessments Are Changing Under ESSA[…]

Education Research: Does the United States Have the Right Model?

Posted on September 17, 2019September 13, 2019 by coreeducation

Recently in NCEE’s blog, Marc Tucker asked a compelling question: Is the United States employing the right approach to education research? The evidence points to an answer of no. Excerpts from the piece appear below: Many years ago, in 1971, I (Tucker) was asked to join the White House unit set up to plan for Read more about Education Research: Does the United States Have the Right Model?[…]

The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth

Posted on August 15, 2019August 8, 2019 by coreeducation

Researchers from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, D.C. have released a new report, “The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth.” Adolescents—young people ages 10 to 25—make up nearly one-fourth of the U.S. population. Drawing upon recent scientific advances, the report finds ample evidence that adolescence offers great promise: Read more about The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth[…]

Trio of Studies Confirms Benefits from Teachers’ Visits to Students’ Homes

Posted on June 12, 2019June 8, 2019 by coreeducation

When teachers visit families at home and ask, “What are your hopes and dreams for your child,” chronic absenteeism goes down, test scores go up, and teachers change their own mindsets. Studies from Johns Hopkins University and RTI International evaluated Parent Teacher Home Visits model in use in 700 communities in 27 states & D.C. Read more about Trio of Studies Confirms Benefits from Teachers’ Visits to Students’ Homes[…]

New Evidence Bolsters the Argument for Arts Education

Posted on March 19, 2019March 17, 2019 by coreeducation

“Investigating Causal Effects of Arts Education Experiences,” reports on a first-of-its-kind arts education experiment from Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research. The authors, Daniel H. Bowen of Texas A&M, and the University of Missouri’s Brian Kisida, find measurable academic, social, and emotional outcomes associated with arts education for elementary and middle school students. Bowen Read more about New Evidence Bolsters the Argument for Arts Education[…]

Reframing Education Data for Equity

Posted on March 13, 2019March 4, 2019 by coreeducation

State leaders have outlined bold equity goals to improve the outcomes of all students. But these goals can’t be met if the data used to measure and support them reflect bias. The Data Quality Campaign’s latest blog series dives into the concept of asset framing and examines how data can be better constructed, presented, and Read more about Reframing Education Data for Equity[…]

Inequity in Education Funding

Posted on March 6, 2019March 4, 2019 by coreeducation

Predominantly white school districts in the US get $23 billion a year more than districts that educate mostly non-white children, an education advocacy group says. A report from EdBuild, which promotes equity in public schools, found that the average white school district got $13,908 for every student in 2016, compared to $11,682 per student in Read more about Inequity in Education Funding[…]

Thinking About Classroom Practice: Five Ideas for Education Reformers

Posted on February 21, 2019February 16, 2019 by coreeducation

Recently in Fordham’s Flypaper, Robert Pondiscio reflected a new direction for education reform: a focus on instructional practice. He writes: Shifting ed reform’s focus to improving practice is an acknowledgment that underperformance is not a failure of will, but a lack of capacity. It’s a talent-development and human capital-strategy, not an accountability play. Forcing changes Read more about Thinking About Classroom Practice: Five Ideas for Education Reformers[…]

How to get Schools to Use Practices that Work

Posted on January 23, 2019January 19, 2019 by coreeducation

Writing for the Fordham Institute’s Flypaper blog, Michael Petrilli recently explored ways to encourage educators to implement evidence-based practices. He asks: How might we dramatically increase the chances that our schools scale up the most effective practices, resulting in significantly better outcomes for students? Petrilli offers the following ideas: There are six plausible approaches that Read more about How to get Schools to Use Practices that Work[…]