Contributor

Sarah D. Sparks

Reporter Sarah D. Sparks covers education research and tracks education happenings in Idaho, Maine, South Carolina, and Tennessee. She blogs at Inside School Research.
Send an email to Sarah D. Sparks.

Studies Illustrate Plight of Introverted Students
May 22, 2012 - Education Week
 Academic outcomes improve for quiet students when there's less pressure to speak up, according to experts.

Motivation
May 22, 2012 - Education Week
 A new report argues that educators can lead students to knowledge, but they can't make them learn unless the students are motivated.

Girls and STEM
May 22, 2012 - Education Week
 The push to promote more "feminine" role models for the science, technology, engineering, and math fields may backfire, says a new study.

Attendance
May 22, 2012 - Education Week

8th Grade Scores Inch Upward on National Science Assessment
May 15, 2012 - Education Week

Studies on Multitasking Highlight Value of Self-Control
May 15, 2012 - Education Week

Most 8th Graders Fall Short on NAEP Science Test
May 10, 2012 - Education Week

Despite Downturn, Few Men Sign Up to Teach
May 8, 2012 - Education Week

Research Yields Insights Into Distracted Driving Among Teens
May 8, 2012 - Education Week

Studies Shed Light on 'Twice Exceptional' Students
May 8, 2012 - Education Week

Scholars Say Pupils Gain Social Skills in Coed Classes
May 7, 2012 - Education Week

Studies Test for Ways to Spot Good Teachers
April 24, 2012 - Education Week

Cognition
April 24, 2012 - Education Week

Studies Question Value of Early Algebra Lessons
April 20, 2012 | Updated: April 25, 2012 - Education Week

Matching Up States, Countries Offers Fresh Perspective
January 9, 2012 - Quality Counts

Online Algebra I Class Can Boost Rural Students' Access, Skills
January 10, 2012 - Education Week

Transitions to Adulthood
January 10, 2012 - Education Week

Youth Suicide
December 13, 2011 - Education Week

Survey Shows Nearly All States Can Track Data on Students
December 1, 2011 | Updated: March 24, 2012 - Education Week

Experts Say Social Sciences Are 'Left Behind'
November 30, 2011 | Updated: March 24, 2012 - Education Week

Study Links Academic Setbacks to Middle School Transition
November 28, 2011 - Education Week

'Value-Added' Formulas Strain Collaboration
November 15, 2011 - Education Week

Rules Raise Bar for Head Start Centers
November 14, 2011 - Education Week

New Census Measure Shifts the Face of Poverty
November 15, 2011 - Education Week

Swift Growth Found for 'Early Warning' Data Systems
November 8, 2011 - Education Week

Many Teens Endure Sexual Harassment
November 7, 2011 - Education Week

Study: Principals Need More Time to Be Leaders
November 1, 2011 - Education Week

More States Flag Potential Dropouts With Warning Data
November 1, 2011 | Updated: March 24, 2012 - Education Week

Innovation Criteria Is a Model for Feds
October 27, 2011 - Education Week

ESEA Bill Boosts Research Role in Ed. Programs
October 25, 2011 - Education Week

Brain Imaging Provides Clues on Math Anxiety
October 25, 2011 - Education Week

IQ Changes
October 25, 2011 - Education Week

ESEA Draft Ramps Up Role of Education Research
October 20, 2011 | Updated: March 24, 2012 - Education Week

International Education Entrepreneurs Look to U.S.-Style Models
October 14, 2011 - Education Week

Study: Ways to Use More Time Well
October 4, 2011 - Education Week

International Achievement
October 4, 2011 - Education Week

Lectures Are Homework in Schools Following Khan Academy Lead
September 27, 2011 - Education Week

Fryer Named MacArthur Fellow
September 27, 2011 - Education Week

Charter-District Collaborations Get Additional Gates Funding
September 27, 2011 - Education Week

Single-Sex Schooling
September 27, 2011 - Education Week

Study: Illegal Status Harmful to Children
September 27, 2011 - Education Week

Student Mobility
September 27, 2011 - Education Week

Study Finds U.S. Losing Its Postsecondary Edge
September 20, 2011 - Education Week

Study Reveals Brain Biology Behind Self-Control
September 20, 2011 - Education Week

Study: Urban Charters Outdo Those in Nonurban Areas
September 13, 2011 - Education Week

Study Probes Absences
September 13, 2011 - Education Week

Educational Attainment
September 13, 2011 - Education Week

Urban Charters Outstrip Performance of Nonurban, Study Finds
September 7, 2011 - Education Week

Study Finds Metal Detectors More Common in High-Minority Schools
August 29, 2011 - Education Week

High Schools
August 29, 2011 - Education Week

Gates Joins Stanford ELL Project
August 23, 2011 - Education Week

Census: Parents Reading More With Their Children
August 19, 2011 - Education Week

Simulations Help School Leaders Hone People Skills
August 16, 2011 - Education Week

Grandparents Increasingly Getting Involved in Education
August 9, 2011 - Education Week

N.Y.C. Ends Merit-Pay Program
August 9, 2011 - Education Week

U.S. Pupils Lost in Geography, NAEP Shows
August 9, 2011 - Education Week

Grade Retention
August 9, 2011 - Education Week

Study Finds Learning Gains for Title I Students
August 9, 2011 | Updated: March 24, 2012 - Education Week

Statistics Show More Grandparents Caring for Grandchildren
August 3, 2011 - Education Week

Students Lose Way in NAEP Geography Test
July 19, 2011 - Education Week

Research Begins to Pinpoint Math Disabilities in Students
July 12, 2011 - Education Week

Study Finds Few Learning Gains from Gifted Services
July 13, 2011 - Education Week

20-Year Hispanic Academic Gaps Persist in Math, Reading
July 12, 2011 - Education Week

Predictive Data Tools Find Uses in Schools
July 12, 2011 - Education Week

Studies Find Students Learn More by 'Acting Out' Text
July 12, 2011 - Education Week

Study Finds Gaps Remain Large for Hispanic Students
June 23, 2011 - Education Week

Schools Find Uses for Predictive Data Techniques
June 30, 2011 - Education Week

Study Helps Pinpoint Math Disability
June 17, 2011 - Education Week

Bullying
June 14, 2011 - Education Week

Study Finds Few Learning Gains from Gifted Services
June 13, 2011 - Education Week

Data Shed Light on Career Costs and Benefits
May 31, 2011 - Education Week

Study Finds Sudden Insights Key to Learning Words
June 6, 2011 - Education Week

Panel Finds Few Learning Benefits in High-Stakes Exams
June 7, 2011 - Education Week

Annual Data Report Charts Private School Enrollment Dip
June 7, 2011 - Education Week

Per-Pupil Spending
June 7, 2011 - Education Week

Teacher Qualifications
June 7, 2011 - Education Week

Jack Jennings Named to National Academy of Education
June 7, 2011 - Education Week

Panel Finds Few Learning Gains From Testing Movement
May 26, 2011 | Updated: March 24, 2012 - Education Week

Report Charts Enrollment Drop in Private Schools
May 26, 2011 - Education Week

Instructional Style
May 24, 2011 - Education Week

Studies Home In on 'Quieter' ADD Students
May 20, 2011 | Updated: March 24, 2012 - Education Week

Experts Call for Expanding Boys' Career Options
May 19, 2011 | Updated: March 24, 2012 - Education Week

Researchers Probe Causes of Math Anxiety
May 16, 2011 - Education Week

Study Finds Safe Schools Are High-Achieving, Closely Knit
May 17, 2011 - Education Week

School Improvement Grants
May 10, 2011 - Education Week

Schools May Be Asked to Report on Progress of Military Children
May 10, 2011 - Education Week

Education Pipeline
May 10, 2011 - Education Week

Study Links School Safety to Achievement, Relationships
May 10, 2011 - Education Week

Chicago Study Finds Mixed Results for AVID Program
May 6, 2011 | Updated: March 24, 2012 - Education Week

Schools May Track Military Students' Progress
May 3, 2011 - Education Week

Proposed Rules Guide States on Managing Student Privacy
April 29, 2011 | Updated: March 24, 2012 - Education Week

Studies Find 'Desirable Difficulties' Help Students Learn
April 26, 2011 - Education Week

Social Skills
April 26, 2011 - Education Week

Studies Find 'Easy' Material May Not Be Easy to Learn
April 21, 2011 | Updated: March 24, 2012 - Education Week

Parents' Deployments Found to Exact a Toll on Students' Learning
April 19, 2011 - Education Week

Experts Envision Hurdles to Come for Common-Core Tests
April 19, 2011 - Education Week

Digital Tutor Nudges Students to Slow Down and Seek Help
April 19, 2011 - Education Week

Study: Reading Problems Can Flag Potential Dropouts
April 19, 2011 - Education Week

English-Language Learners
April 19, 2011 - Education Week

Computer Tutors Prod Students to Ask for Help
April 14, 2011 | Updated: March 24, 2012 - Education Week

Experts See Hurdles Ahead for Common Core Tests
April 12, 2011 - Education Week

Science Shared on Online Communities
April 1, 2011 - Education Week

Study Finds Children's Learning Suffers When Parents Are Deployed
April 6, 2011 - Education Week

Researchers Play Catch-Up in Gauging Beyond-School Effects
April 1, 2011 - Education Week

Study Flags Drawbacks in Growth Models for AYP
April 1, 2011 | Updated: March 24, 2012 - Education Week

Urban Study Partnerships Start to Yield Research Results
March 29, 2011 - Education Week

Federal Officials Aim to Reshape Regional Education Laboratories
March 29, 2011 - Education Week

Studies Shed Light on How Cheating Impedes Learning
March 29, 2011 - Education Week

Federal Officials Seek to Reshape Regional Education Labs
March 29, 2011 - Education Week

Studies Find Cheaters Overinflate Academic Ability
March 24, 2011 | Updated: March 24, 2012 - Education Week

District-Scholar Partnerships Yield New Insights
March 18, 2011 | Updated: March 24, 2012 - Education Week

Study Finds Late-Hired Teachers Likely to Leave
March 15, 2011 - Education Week

Research Collaborations Not Seen as Two-Way
March 15, 2011 - Education Week

D.C. Success Must Go Beyond Test Scores, Study Says
March 15, 2011 - Education Week

Study Seeks More Data to Judge Rhee's D.C. Changes
March 10, 2011 - Education Week

NSF Hires Ed. Research Leader
March 8, 2011 - Education Week

Striving Readers Pilot Yields Results as Budget Ax Falls
March 4, 2011 | Updated: March 24, 2012 - Education Week

Districts Must Walk a Fine Line to Fund RTI Programs
February 28, 2011 - Education Week

Experts Say RTI's Use May Outrun Its Research Base
February 28, 2011 - Education Week

Scholars Say Causes of Stuttering Are Multiple and Interconnected
March 1, 2011 - Education Week

Studies Show Stuttering Has Complex, Interrelated Roots
February 25, 2011 - Education Week

White House Floats New Education Research Initiative
February 22, 2011 - Education Week

States Make Swift Progress on Student-Data Technology
February 22, 2011 - Education Week

School Administrator Groups Join Forces
February 22, 2011 - Education Week

Studies Find Language Is Key to Learning Math
February 17, 2011 | Updated: March 24, 2012 - Education Week

States Making Swift Progress on Student-Data Systems, Report Finds
February 16, 2011 - Education Week

Obama Unveils Education Research Initiative Modeled on DARPA
February 14, 2011 | Updated: March 24, 2012 - Education Week

NYC Charter Imports Model from Swedish For-Profit
February 8, 2011 | Updated: March 24, 2012 - Education Week

Study Finds Social-Skills Teaching Boosts Academics
February 4, 2011 | Updated: March 24, 2012 - Education Week

Studies Take Aim at Playground Gossip
February 1, 2011 - Education Week

Education Innovation: Tougher Than It Looks
January 27, 2011 | Updated: March 24, 2012 - Education Week

Sargent Shriver, Public-Service Advocate, Dies
January 25, 2011 - Education Week

Study Calls for Changing ELL-Funding Formulas
January 18, 2011 - Education Week

School Choice
January 18, 2011 - Education Week

Study Finds Special Educators Have Less Access to Mentors
January 11, 2011 - Education Week

Experts Zero In on Non-Academic Skills for Success
January 11, 2011 - Education Week

School Improvement
January 11, 2011 - Education Week

Data Mining Gets Traction in Education
January 11, 2011 - Education Week

Researchers Seek Faster Answers to Innovation Questions
January 11, 2011 - Education Week

Study Finds Special Educators Get Less Mentoring
January 6, 2011 - Education Week

Education Research Seeks a Faster Pace
December 30, 2010 - Education Week

Experts Begin to Identify Nonacademic Skills Key to Success
December 23, 2010 - Education Week

Study Finds Bad Schools Rarely Get Better—or Shut Down
December 14, 2010 - Education Week

'Data Mining' Gains Traction in Education
December 13, 2010 - Education Week

Study Finds Fewer 'Dropout Factory' Schools
December 7, 2010 - Education Week

Program Builds School Supports for Foster Pupils
December 7, 2010 - Education Week

Early Literacy
December 7, 2010 - Education Week

Achievement Gap
November 30, 2010 - Education Week

Study Points to Fewer 'Dropout Factory' Schools
November 30, 2010 - Education Week

Class Sizes Show Signs of Growing
November 24, 2010 | Updated: March 23, 2012 - Education Week

Klein-Era Initiatives Assessed by Scholars
November 16, 2010 - Education Week

Efforts to Improve Evolution Teaching Bearing Fruit
November 16, 2010 - Education Week

Studies Paint a Picture of Klein's Legacy
November 12, 2010 - Education Week

Guidance Offered on Guarding Student Privacy in School Data
November 5, 2010 - Education Week

Student Behavior
November 9, 2010 - Education Week

Federal Board Sets Priorities for Education Research
November 4, 2010 - Education Week

Federal Study Tests Early-Grade Math Programs
November 4, 2010 | Updated: March 23, 2012 - Education Week

Tests' Rigor Varies Plenty State to State
November 2, 2010 - Education Week

Report: States Should Track Early Dropout Indicators
November 2, 2010 - Education Week

Study Tracks Training Of Principals in 8 Cities
November 2, 2010 - Education Week

Preschool
November 2, 2010 - Education Week

Benefits Seen for Students Teaching Virtual Pupils
October 28, 2010 | Updated: March 23, 2012 - Education Week

Study Finds Few Benefits in Character Education
October 26, 2010 - Education Week

Study Skills
October 26, 2010 - Education Week

Pathways Seen for Acquiring Languages
October 25, 2010 - Education Week

States Set Widely Varying 'Proficiency' Bars
October 25, 2010 - Education Week

Science Grows on Acquiring New Language
October 22, 2010 - Education Week

Character Education Found to Fall Short in Federal Study
October 21, 2010 - Education Week

STEM Issues Among Those on New NSF Chief’s Platter
October 19, 2010 - Education Week

'What Works' Broadens Its Research Standards
October 19, 2010 - Education Week

Early Grades Are New Front in Absenteeism Wars
October 19, 2010 - Education Week

Southern Education Foundation Hires New Chief
October 18, 2010 - Education Week

Gulf Recovery
October 19, 2010 - Education Week

Teacher Effectiveness
October 19, 2010 - Education Week

Early Grades Become the New Front in Absenteeism Wars
October 14, 2010 - Education Week

Bullying
October 12, 2010 - Education Week

Effort Targets 'Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations'
October 12, 2010 - Education Week

Spurred by Statistics, Districts Combat Absenteeism
October 1, 2010 | Updated: March 23, 2012 - Education Week

Think Tank Critics Launch Policy Center
September 29, 2010 - Education Week

Study Finds Homeless Pupils Hard Hit by School Closures
September 28, 2010 - Education Week

Book Giveaways
September 28, 2010 - Education Week

School Closures Hit Homeless Students Hard, Study Finds
September 24, 2010 | Updated: March 23, 2012 - Education Week

Time and Stability Seen as Key to Effective Mentoring
September 20, 2010 - Education Week

Research Suggests a 'Gap Year' Motivates Students
September 21, 2010 - Education Week

Teacher Pay
September 21, 2010 - Education Week

Gender and Education
September 21, 2010 - Education Week

Early Childhood
September 21, 2010 - Education Week

Research Suggests a 'Gap Year' Motivates Students
September 15, 2010 - Education Week

Race to Top Winners Face Data System Challenges
September 14, 2010 - Education Week

Scholars Worry Conflicts Over Data Could Hamstring Future Research
September 14, 2010 - Education Week

Study Gives K-8 Schools an Edge Over Middle Schools
September 14, 2010 - Education Week

Adolescent Literacy
September 14, 2010 - Education Week

International Education
September 14, 2010 - Education Week

L.A. and Ariz.: Will Data Conflicts Spur a Chill Effect?
September 3, 2010 - Education Week

NYC Study Gives K-8 Schools an Edge Over Middle Schools
September 1, 2010 - Education Week

San Diego Schools Set a New Agenda After Backlash
August 31, 2010 - Education Week

Hill Study Hints at ESEA Evidence Definition
August 30, 2010 - Education Week

Disaster Preparedness
August 31, 2010 - Education Week

Senate Report Hints at a Definition for What Works
August 26, 2010 - Education Week

Few Studies Track Post-Katrina School Changes
August 24, 2010 - Education Week

Race to Top Winners Rejoice, Losers Parse Scores
August 24, 2010 - Education Week

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