Income level gaps exceed racial ones in educational achievement

This article from today's (3/6/12) Education Week, "Growing Gaps Bring Focus on Poverty's Role in Schooling," had this quote which summarized findings from several studies,
"But upward mobility through the mechanism of a good education, which is a widely held value in this country that cuts across the political spectrum, is in serious jeopardy."
Based on standardized test scores in reading and math from 1960-2007, one expert found that, "The achievement gap between poor children and rich children has grown significantly over the past three decades and is now nearly twice as large as the black-white gap."
A new book, Whither opportunity: Rising inequality, schools, and children's life chances  (currently on order but also available through LINK+), summarizes similar research.

HS academic performance of student with hearing impairments

photo © 2010 woodley wonderworks | more info (via: Wylio)
"A gap exists between the academic achievement of youth with hearing impairments and their peers in the general population in reading, mathematics, science, and social studies, according to a new release by The National Center for Special Education Research. Facts from NLTS2: The Secondary School Experiences and Academic Performance of Students With Hearing Impairments uses data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 dataset to provide a national picture of the secondary school experiences and academic achievement of students with hearing impairments who received special education services.

The outcomes cover several key areas, including students’ experiences in general education academic courses and non-vocational special education courses, accommodations, supports, services provided to students, and academic achievement. In addition to the findings for the overall group, this fact sheet provides findings by parent-reported levels of hearing impairments. "

The report is available here: http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/pubs/20113003/

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/

IES compares effectiveness of 4 early elementary math curricula

Four math curricula, (1) Investigations in Number, Data, and Space, (2) Math Expressions, (3) Saxon Math, and (4) Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics (SFAW), were compared for effectiveness in the 1st and 2nd grades of 110 schools in 12 participating districts in 10 states. A brief overview of the findings and links to the full reports are located here: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20114001/

Charter Schools: Not better grades, but more satisfied customers

In a well designed study of over 2,100 students in 15 states, children who attended charter schools via lottery selection fare no better than those who were not selected--but their parents were happier. According to the WWC brief, "On average, students admitted to charter middle schools through the lottery scored no differently on math and reading assessments than students not offered admission. These program impacts varied widely across study sites; some had positive outcomes and some had negative outcomes.
The authors also found no significant overall effects on attendance, grade promotion, or student conduct.
When comparing student and parent satisfaction, however, the authors reported consistent statistically significant positive results for students offered a spot in the charter schools." The Quick Report is here: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/quickreviews/QRReport.aspx?QRId=160

Study finds EARLY absenteeism significantly affects academic performance

Children with chronic absenteeism in kindergarten show deficits in reading and math performance throughout their school career. A study sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, "Present, Engaged, and Accounted For," found that a pattern of absence in kindergarten significantly lowered reading and math scores in first and still in fifth grade. Additionally, these patterns are strong predictors of later dropping out of school--even better predictors than test performance. The decrements were especially significant for children who missed more than 10% of classes and according to the report, 10% of kindergarten and first grade students miss a month of school a year. Strategies to address this often overlooked problem are offered. See also the Attendance Counts website which has some great videos on projects to reduce absenteeism.

High quality schools CAN close the achievement gap for the poorest minority students

What Works Clearinghouse reviewed this study and found it to meet their evidentiary standards. This was a study of the Promise Academy Middle School in Harlem which provided:

• Extended school day and year with additional after-school tutoring and Saturday classes
• Intensive test preparation including morning, mid-day, after-school, and Saturday sessions
• Student incentives for high achievement, such as money and trips to France
• School health clinic provides students free medical, dental, and mental-health services

Sixth graders were admitted by lottery and showed significant improvements on math and English Language Arts on standardized tests by the 8th grade. The full report is here.
Citation:
Dobbie, W., & Fryer, R. G., Jr., (2009). Are high-quality schools enough to close the achievement gap? Evidence from a social experiment in Harlem. (NBER Working Paper No. 15473). Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.

Gaps for high achievers persist

A new report from the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy finds that, "Achievement gaps between students of different genders and racial, economic, and linguistic groups are large and persistent for the nation’s top-performing students, even as they seem to be narrowing for K-12 students as a whole" (Education Week, Feb 5, 2010).
The study's authors conclude with this thought, "We encourage educators, parents, and policymakers to focus more attention on the excellence gap. This attention need not come at the cost of addressing minimum competency gaps – the shrinking of which remains a necessary and noble goal. Yet continuing to pretend that a nearly complete disregard of high achievement is permissible, especially among underperforming subgroups, is a formula for a mediocre K-12 education system and long-term economic decline."
The full text of the report and state profiles are linked here: "Mind the (Other) Gap: The Growing Excellence Gap in K-12 Education"

Interventions to Reduce Stereotype Threat in the Classroom

Stereotype threat arises from a fear among members of a group of reinforcing negative stereotypes about the intellectual ability of the group. The report identifies three randomized controlled trial studies that use classroom-based strategies to reduce stereotype threat and improve the academic performance of Black students, narrowing their achievement gap with White students.

NCSER Report on HS Exprience of Students with Mental Retardation

The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) within the Institute of Education Sciences has released "Facts from NLTS-2: Secondary School Experiences and Academic Performance of Students with Mental Retardation." The report uses data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) to provide a national picture of the secondary school experiences and academic achievements of students with mental retardation who received special education services. The NLTS2, initiated in 2001 and funded by NCSER, has a nationally representative sample of more than 11,000 students with disabilities.

U.S. Performance Across International Assessments of Student Achievement

This Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2009, for the first time, pulls together the evidence from the most recent international assessments taken by nearly a million students from 85 countries worldwide. This includes three internationally benchmarked exams -- the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)--to reveal how the United States compares with other countries across all three core subjects (math, science, reading) at the elementary, middle and high school level in terms of students' average scores and the percentage of students reaching internationally benchmarked performance levels. It also examines trends in U.S. student performance and the range of performance for the highest- and lowest-scoring students in each country.
The executive summary with major findings as well as links to the full text of the report is available here: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/2009/analysis/

Writing assignments can improve minority school achievement

A recently published study finds that personal writing assignments can improve both improve GPA and reduce the level of grade remediation. This is particularly effective for low achieving African American students. You can see the full article here.
Geoffrey L. Cohen,^1* Julio Garcia,¹ Valerie Purdie-Vaughns,² Nancy Apfel,³ Patricia Brzustoski³ (2009). Recursive processes in self-affirmation: Intervening to close the minority achievement gap. Science, Vol. 324. no. 5925, pp. 400 - 403

Black-White achievement gaps persist

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the Institute of Education Sciences has released a new report analyzing Black-White achievement gaps at both the national and state levels, using NAEP scores as a common yardstick. The study examines data from all main NAEP mathematics and reading assessments through 2007, supplemented by data from long-term trend NAEP results through 2004. Readers will find context for understanding these gaps, as the report examines both the changes in the performance of Black and White students and the changes in the Black-White achievement gap over time.

The impact of work on college students--it's complicated

Two recent studies reported at last week's Association for Institutional Research meeting examined the relationship between hours worked and student achievement, engagement, critical thinking, moral reasoning, socially responsible leadership, and psychological well being. In general, an excess of hours (over 20) has detrimental effects on student academic achievement, but not always on other areas measured. The implications for retaining students are discussed in today's Inside Higher Ed article.

New NCES/IES Report: Comparative Indicators of Education in the United States and Other G-8 Countries: 2009

This report describes how the education system in the United States compares with education systems in the other G-8 countries--Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom. Twenty-seven indicators are organized in five sections: (1) population and school enrollment; (2) academic performance (including subsections for reading, mathematics, and science); (3) context for learning; (4) expenditure for education; and (5) education returns: educational attainment and income. This report draws on the most current information about education from four primary sources: the Indicators of National Education Systems (INES) at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).
Download the report from: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2009039

The importance of middle school for college readiness

New research by ACT shows "the level of academic achievement that students attain by eighth grade has a larger impact on their college and career readiness by the time they graduate from high school than anything that happens academically in high school." The lack of college readiness, as assessed by ACT's three-stage assessment, is "alarming":

• Only 20% of tested high school grads were ready for entry-level college courses in the four areas of biology, social science, English composition and college algebra
• 25% of tested students were not prepared for entry-level college courses in any of the four subject areas.
• Less than 20% of tested eighth graders were on target to be college-ready by the time they graduate.

"This report also reveals that students’ academic readiness for college and career can be improved when students develop behaviors in the upper elementary grades and in middle school that are known to contribute to successful academic performance."

U.S. Students improve in math but not science on the TIMMS

This report from the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences summarizes the performance of U.S. fourth- and eighth-grade students on the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), comparing their scores with their peers internationally as well as documenting changes in mathematics and science achievement since 1995. The report also describes additional details about trends in the achievement of students within the United States, by sex, racial/ethnic background, and the poverty level of the schools they attend....
TIMSS has been administered four times: in 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. The United States participated in all four administrations. In 2007, 36 countries participated at grade four, while 48 participated at grade eight.

Mathematics

Results show that the 2007 average mathematics scores of both U.S. fourth- and eighth-grade students were higher than the TIMSS scale average. At grade four, the average U.S. mathematics score was higher than those in 23 of the 35 other countries, lower than those in 8 countries (all 8 were in Asia or Europe), and not measurably different from those in 4 countries. At grade eight, the average U.S. mathematics score was higher than those in 37 of the 47 other countries, lower than those in 5 countries (all located in Asia), and not measurably different from those in 5 countries.

Comparing average scores from the first administration of TIMSS in 1995 to the most recent results from 2007 showed that both U.S. fourth- and eighth-graders improved in mathematics.

Science

In science, the average scores of both U.S. fourth- and eighth-graders were higher than the TIMSS scale average. At grade four, the average U.S. science score was higher than those in 25 of the 35 other countries, lower than those in 4 countries (all of them in Asia), and not measurably different from those in 6 countries. At eighth grade, the average U.S. science score was higher than the average scores in 35 of the 47 other countries, lower than those in 9 countries (all located in Asia or Europe), and not measurably different from those in 3 countries.

Unlike in mathematics, the average science scores for both U.S. fourth- and eighth-grade students were not measurably different in 2007 compared to the first TIMSS results collected in 1995.

2007 College Student Health Survey

All those things your mother told you were true--watching too much TV, spending too much time on the computer, drinking, etc. will hurt your grades--and here's the evidence. Nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students from 14 Minnesota colleges were surveyed. Surprises had to do with the negative relationship of smoking to GPA. Stress is the most commonly reported problem, but doesn't necessarily effect grades. Pertinent perhaps to our local students is the linear negative relationship between gambling and GPA. You can find the full report here.

Results of Childhood Longitudinal Study

This new report looks at the children who were in the kindergarten cohort of 1998-99 (representing about 4m children) and who are now in eighth grade. The report itself is not long with most data presented in tabular form. Narrative Introduction and Selected Findings are just a couple of pages and provide an overview of the findings. Factors such as ethnicity/race and parental characteristics (e.g., mother's level of education) are correlated to performance on reading, math and science measures, as well as participation in school activities, and educational aspirations.