Inside School Research
The Inside School Research blog covered education research behind big policy debates and daily classroom concerns. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: research, teaching research, and leadership research.
Education
Group Says Study Calling Upward Bound "Ineffective" Was Flawed
The Council for Opportunity in Education has submitted a request for correction to a study that suggested that Upward Bound, a program that provides supplemental programming to disadvantaged students, did not have a significant positive impact on its participants. The COE says that, among other design flaws, an unrepresentative programs was disproportionately weighted in the study's analysis and resulted in the "ineffective" designation.
Education
Small Schools Spur Academic Growth, Says MDRC Report
A new report by the New York-based education & social research organization MDRC indicates that students in 105 of New York City's 123 so-called small schools of choice grew more academically and were more likely to graduate than students in New York's larger public high schools. The positive outcomes held true for all subgroups, including African-American and Latino males, students who tested at all levels of proficiency in math, and students who were eligible for free and reduced lunch. New York City's small schools initiative resulted in 216 new schools being opened between 2002 and 2008, and was sponsored by prominent funders like the Gates Foundation. The report focuses on 123 non-selective small schools, which the researchers dubb "small schools of choice" and describe as the "heart of the small schools movement."
Education
Does Handwriting Matter in a Digital World?
Guest post by Jackie Zubrzycki
Today's National Handwriting Day, and researchers, educators, and administrators are gathering in Washington, D.C. to discuss the state of research on handwriting. The American Association of School Administrators and Zaner-Bloser, an educational company that makes handwriting materials, are co-sponsoring Handwriting in the 21st Century? An Educational Summit, where researchers Virginia Berninger, Steve Peverly, Steve Graham, Jane Case-Smith, Karin Harman-James, and Gerry Conti are presenting (or, at this point in the day, have presented) findings in areas ranging from occupational therapy to neuroscience that document the impact of handwriting on kids' learning. My most recent article in Ed Week takes up this conversation about the role of handwriting in school. Check it out.
Today's National Handwriting Day, and researchers, educators, and administrators are gathering in Washington, D.C. to discuss the state of research on handwriting. The American Association of School Administrators and Zaner-Bloser, an educational company that makes handwriting materials, are co-sponsoring Handwriting in the 21st Century? An Educational Summit, where researchers Virginia Berninger, Steve Peverly, Steve Graham, Jane Case-Smith, Karin Harman-James, and Gerry Conti are presenting (or, at this point in the day, have presented) findings in areas ranging from occupational therapy to neuroscience that document the impact of handwriting on kids' learning. My most recent article in Ed Week takes up this conversation about the role of handwriting in school. Check it out.
Education
Study: Underutilized Young Adults Cost Society Trillions
The Corporation for National and Community Service and the White House Council for Community Solutions just released a report called "The Economic Value of Opportunity Youth" in which they analyze the social and taxpayer burdens of "Opportunity Youth" — 16-24-year-olds who are "not investing in their human capital or earning income."
School Choice & Charters
Study Finds Grad, College-Going Results Mixed for Charter Networks
A national study shows that some, but not all, charter-management organizations boost students' chances of graduating from high school and enrolling in college.
Families & the Community
Study: Head Start Programs May Increase Parents' Involvement
Parents of children enrolled in Head Start programs spend more time reading, engaging in academic activities, and attending museums and other events with their children, according to new research from Alexander M. Gelber and Adam Isen at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Fathers who don't live with their children spend more time with children when they have enrolled in Head Start, and continue to do so even after the child has left Head Start.
Education
What Makes A Scholar Relevant?
Rick Hess Straight Up ranks education scholars' impact on the public discourse.
Education
ISR Blogger Dives into Child Development Case Study
It's easy for a research reporter to get buried in the technical details of education science and miss out on exploring the real-life implications of all those lab findings.
School & District Management
New Faces Among Contract Winners for Regional Educational Labs
The next iteration of the nation's regional educational laboratory system will have some new faces.
School & District Management
NCES: Young Adults Extending Education, Delaying Work
American young adults are extending their education and putting off some major adult milestones, such as entering the workforce and marrying, compared to decades past, according to a new demographic report by the National Center for Education Statistics.
Federal
UPDATE: Kindergarten Reading Program Effects Falter in 1st Grade
A federal follow-up study of a successful kindergarten reading intervention finds its benefits do not hold over time.
Student Achievement
Study: More States Give High Schools Data on Students' College Progress
States are doing a better job of telling high schools how their graduates fare at college, according to a new report from the Data Quality Campaign.
School & District Management
Online Algebra I Class Can Boost Rural Students' Access, Skills
Online algebra classes can bridge the gap for rural students who are ready for advanced math but whose schools lack the resources for a formal class, according to the first federal longitudinal study of online algebra instruction.
School & District Management
Researchers Probe 'Myths' Around Math Gender Gap
Comparisons of recent international test data undermine the evidence for several of the hypothesized causes of the math achievement gap between boys and girls, according to a new analysis in the Notices of the American Mathematical Society.