HS Transcript data

Not sure if this data set will help with anyone's current and/or future research, but thought I would make the link available.
"The NAEP Data Explorer for the High School Transcript Study database now provides more information on the coursetaking patterns of high school graduates. Users can access the data and create statistical tables and charts on the types of courses students take, credits earned, grade point averages, the relationship between coursetaking patterns and achievement on NAEP assessments, and performance on other assessments."
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/hstsdata/

A wealth of data: Create your own tables!

"The International Data Explorer (IDE) has been updated to include data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007. The TIMSS IDE allows users to create statistical tables and charts based on data for the United States and 57 other jurisdictions. Results include mathematics and science achievement of fourth and eighth-grade students; responses to student questionnaires about their background, attitudes, and school experiences; responses to a teacher questionnaire about instructional practices, resources, and background and training; and responses to a school questionnaire about school characteristics and resources.

The TIMSS IDE can be accessed at
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/international/ide/

Data from earlier administrations of TIMSS in 1995, 1999, and 2003 will be added in the future, allowing users to examine trends in student performance across a large number of countries and other education jurisdictions."

PISA 2009 results from NCES

photo © 2005 Tahbepet | more info (via: Wylio)
(with small apology for the visual joke ;-) Whether or not you think such international comparisons are valid, they are part of the education conversation, so keep up to date with the newest release.

"PISA, or the Program for International Student Assessment, is designed to assess what students have learned – both inside and outside of school – as they near the end of compulsory schooling, and how well they apply that knowledge in real-world contexts. Some 69 percent of the U.S. students sampled for PISA are tenth-graders. PISA is coordinated by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental organization made up of 34 mostly industrialized member countries such as the United States, Japan, Germany, Korea, and the United Kingdom. Some non-OECD member countries, such as Brazil, as well as non-national education systems like Shanghai and Dubai, also participated in the administration of PISA 2009.

NCES’s PISA 2009 report provides international comparisons of average performance in reading literacy and three reading literacy subscales and in mathematics literacy and science literacy; average scores by gender for the United States and other countries, and by student race/ethnicity and school socioeconomic contexts within the United States; the percentages of students reaching PISA proficiency levels, for the United States and the OECD countries on average; and trends in U.S. performance over time."

Links to summary findings, full report and supplemental tables are at:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2011004

Longitudinal data on HS graduation & dropout rates

Nevada still tops the list--of lowest graduation rates (51.3%). Wisconsin must be doing something right since they graduate 89.6% of their students. Data from NCES covers the period 1978-2008 and is also broken down by race/ethnicity, sex and age. Overall, "approximately 3 million 16- through 24-year-olds were not enrolled in high school and had not earned a high school diploma or alternative credential as of October 2008, [representing] 8 percent of the 38 million non-institutionalized, civilian individuals in this age group living in the United States..." Highest dropout rates continue to be among Hispanic Americans while Asian Americans and students of more than one race have the lowest rates. Full report is here:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2011012

Ethnicity and reward structure effects on learning

The greatest benefits on learning for African American students were seen when students in small groups were asked to help each other (communal learning, no reward condition); whereas, the greatest increase in learning for white students (also working in small groups) occurred in response to offers of reward for individual performance. The study met WWC evidence standards:
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/quickreviews/QRReport.aspx?QRId=136
The original study citation is:
Hurley, E. A., Allen, B. A., & Boykin, A. W. (2009). Culture and the interaction of student ethnicity with reward structure in group learning. Cognition and Instruction, 27(2), 121–146.

Want to increase college enrollment?

photo © 2010 Kristin Wall | more info (via: Wylio)
A study that looked at both independent adults and dependent students (ages 15 - 30 in low to moderate SES groups) found that providing information about and assistance with completing forms for federal financial aid had positive effects on the numbers of people applying for aid, the numbers receiving aid, and the numbers enrolling in college. For specifics, see http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/quickreviews/QRReport.aspx?QRId=142

National Center for Public Policy & Higher Ed to close

A short news item from Inside Higher Ed (Dec. 13, 2010) notes that the higher ed policy body is slated to close next July.  An editorial by two board members in the latest issue of the policy center's publication, CrossTalk, discusses the decision

Newest data on college retention and graduation

photo © 2008 Jackie Bucci | more info (via: Wylio)
Nice summary from Inside Higher Ed today (Dec. 2, 2010) on the graduation rates of the 2003-04 cohort of students entering college. 49% had earned a certificate or degree from a post-secondary institution within 6 years and these rates have not improved since the last cohort (1994-95) was surveyed. The article provides a table comparing data from the two cohorts. This survey looks at retention and graduation from the student rather than the institutional perspective so is able to offer information on the relative completion rates of students who do and don't transfer, as well as comparisons between those who start at community colleges vs. 4-year institutions. Data on different ethnic groups is also provided. A link to the full report from NCES/IES is here: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2011151