Reports

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Showing 10 of 31 resources

Report

How Money Matters for Schools

Bruce D. Baker

Dec 13 2017
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For decades, some politicians and pundits have argued that “money does not make a difference” for school outcomes. While it is certainly possible to spend money poorly, this viewpoint is strongly contradicted by a large body of evidence from rigorous empirical research. This document presents a brief explanation of the goal of school finance reforms, followed by summaries of the main bodies of evidence that illustrate how equitable and adequate school funding improves student outcomes.

Topic Equitable Resources and Access
Report

Taking Deeper Learning to Scale

Pedro A. Noguera

Sep 13 2017
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This report analyzes the efforts of schools and school districts to improve academic achievement, particularly among students who have been historically underserved. Three case studies provide insights into both the potential of using deeper learning as a reform strategy that can lead to greater equity in academic outcomes and the obstacles that have prevented others from obtaining similar results.

Topic Deeper Learning
Report

Minority Teacher Recruitment, Employment, and Retention: 1987 to 2013

Richard M. Ingersoll

Henry May

Greg Collins

Aug 28 2017
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Although the number of minority teachers more than doubled between 1987 and 2012, high turnover rates have undermined efforts to diversify the teacher workforce. Improving school organization, management, and leadership can support improved retention of minority teachers, according to this report, which examines and compares the recruitment, employment, and retention of minority and nonminority teachers over the past quarter century.

Topics Educator Quality, Educator Quality: Recruitment & Retention
Report

Teacher Turnover: Why It Matters and What We Can Do About It

Desiree Carver-Thomas

Linda Darling-Hammond

Aug 16 2017
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As students return to school this year, many will be in one of the more than 100,000 classrooms across the country staffed by an instructor not fully qualified to teach. This shortage of qualified teachers is almost entirely due to teachers leaving the profession and about 2/3 of teachers who leave do so for reasons other than retirement. This study looks at who is leaving, why, who is impacted, and policy considerations.

Topics Educator Quality: Recruitment & Retention, Educator Quality, Equitable Resources and Access
Report

Effective Teacher Professional Development

Linda Darling-Hammond

Maria E. Hyler

Madelyn Gardner

Jun 05 2017
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Well-designed and implemented professional development is an essential component of a comprehensive system of teaching and learning that supports students to develop the knowledge, skills, and competencies they need to thrive in the 21st century. This report details key components of effective professional development and offers rich descriptions of model programs to inform education leaders and policymakers seeking to leverage professional development to improve student learning.

Topics Educator Quality, Educator Quality: Professional Learning, Deeper Learning
Report

Understanding California’s Early Care and Education System

Hanna Melnick

Titilayo Tinubu Ali

Madelyn Gardner

Anna Maier

Marjorie Wechsler

Jun 01 2017
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Early care and education (ECE) can have a positive effect on many aspects of children’s development, including the language, literacy, mathematics, executive functioning, and social-emotional competencies needed for a smooth transition into kindergarten and later life success. But for many families, high-quality ECE is out of reach. California has established a range of programs to support the development of children from birth to age 5, but these programs are uncoordinated, insufficient in scope, and of variable quality. This report provides a comprehensive overview of the state’s ECE system, describing its administration and funding, access to care, program quality, and data limitations.

Topics Early Childhood Learning, Equitable Resources and Access
Report

Encouraging Social and Emotional Learning in the Context of New Accountability

Hanna Melnick

Channa Cook-Harvey

Linda Darling-Hammond

Apr 18 2017
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How can schools be encouraged to help students develop socially and emotionally and to foster positive school environments in the context of new accountability under the Every Student Succeeds Act? This report provides a framework for considering how measures of social and emotional learning (SEL) and school climate may be incorporated into an accountability and continuous improvement system.

Topics The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Accountability and Improvement, Deeper Learning
Report

Developing and Measuring Higher Order Skills: Models for State Performance Assessment Systems

Linda Darling-Hammond

Mar 17 2017
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Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), state assessment systems must be designed to measure higher-order thinking skills and understanding. This report, published in partnership with the Council of Chief State Schools Officers (CCSSO), details how states can use performance assessments—including portfolios, projects, and extended-performance tasks—to assess what students know and are able to do.

Topics The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Accountability and Improvement, Deeper Learning, Deeper Learning: Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
Report

Supporting Principals’ Learning: Key Features of Effective Programs

Leib Sutcher

Anne Podolsky

Danny Espinoza

Feb 27 2017
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Principals play a central role in creating schools in which students thrive academically and the teaching staff is strong, stable, and supported. This report analyzes the research on quality preparation and professional development programs for principals, highlighting examples of effective programs and providing guidance for policymakers.

Topics Educator Quality, Educator Quality: Professional Learning, Educator Quality: Recruitment & Retention, Equitable Resources and Access
Report

Advancing Educational Equity for Underserved Youth

Jessica Cardichon

Linda Darling-Hammond

Feb 23 2017
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Strategic selection and use of performance indicators can illuminate disparities in our schools and focus attention and resources on rectifying long-standing inequities. This report explores how states can use a multiple-measure accountability system to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for underserved youth and begin to dismantle the school-to-prison-pipeline.

Topics The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Accountability and Improvement, Equitable Resources and Access, Deeper Learning, Deeper Learning: School Organization & Design

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Report

The Tapestry of American Public Education: How Can We Create a System of Schools Worth Choosing for All?

Oct 25 2018

Often forgotten in the policy debates on school choice are fundamental questions of whether and how choice influences access to high-quality schools, and whether, in our diverse democracy that requires common ground, choices promote or undermine integration. This report reviews research on a variety of school choice strategies and examines how public school choices can be managed to ensure all students have excellent schools to choose from and are chosen by excellent schools.

Report

Educating the Whole Child: Improving School Climate to Support Student Success

Sep 07 2018

Each year in the United States, 46 million children are exposed to violence, crime, abuse, homelessness, or food insecurity—experiences that can affect attention, learning, and behavior. This report looks at neuroscience, science of learning, and child development research on whole child approaches to education that improve learning for all students, especially those living with trauma.

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Making ESSA’s Equity Promise Real: State Strategies to Close the Opportunity Gap

Sep 05 2018

Under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), in addition to the required indicators of schools performance, states can select indicators to measure schools’ efforts to support students and provide equitable opportunities or to identify places where additional investments need to be made to improve education and support underserved students. This report documents how states are taking advantage of this opportunity to address disparities, make schools more inclusive, and help all students succeed.

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