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Subcategory: Studies and Reports
Innovative Countries, Energized Campuses
Nov 19 2009 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
A new report on Innovation for Development out of the European Business School ranks countries' ability to propel innovation in ways that advance societies. (The U.S. comes in third, behind Sweden and Finland.)
Exercise Balls Get Education Rolling
Nov 18 2009 - The Los Angeles Times
Classrooms that have replaced chairs with balls and ball chairs see better results. The devices sharpen students' attention and improve posture, teachers say.
Minority Students Earned Greater Number of Academic Degrees in Fiscal Year 2006
Nov 6 2009 - National Science Foundation
A new National Science Foundation report shows an increase in the number of academic degrees awarded to minority students since 2004, the last time such data were published.
The New Myths of Gifted Education
Nov 3 2009 - ScienceDaily
More than 25 years after myths about gifted education were first explored, they are all still with us and new ones have been added, according to new research.
Many States Set Low Bar on Student Proficiency
Oct 30 2009 - The Boston Globe
Many states declare students to have grade-level mastery of reading and math when they do not, the Education Department reported yesterday.
Wash. Report: Health and Grades Related
Oct 29 2009 - The Seattle Times
A report based on data from a health survey of Washington state's young people has found a direct connection between healthy living and good grades.
STEM Defection Seen to Occur After High School
Oct 28 2009 - Education Week
Despite popular opinion, the flow of qualified math and science students through the American education pipeline is strong—except among high-achievers, who appear to be defecting to other college majors and fields.
Report Urges Colleges to Emphasize Math, Science, and International Studies
Oct 28 2009 - The Chronicle of Higher Education
Americans ages 25 to 34 are less educated, on average, than their parents' generation, and are less likely than their predecessors to earn degrees in science, technology, and mathematics, according to a new report by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
Student's Research: Energy Drinks Are Bunk
Oct 19 2009 - CBS News
Energy drinks are a growing industry, but some question how much energy beverages actually generate. As Russ Mitchell reports, a young researcher finds that high energy drinks are running on empty.
Study: 4-H Sparks Science Achievement in Children
Oct 8 2009 - Associated Press
American universities have an ally in their efforts to educate more students in science, technology, and engineering and keep the nation competitive in the global economy, a Tufts University study released Wednesday shows.
Algebra 2 Test Yields Poor Results in Year II
Oct 5 2009 - Education Week
States that voluntarily took part in a demanding test of advanced algebra skills, given for a second straight year, again saw large proportions of their students struggle with that math content.
Kids Eat Few Fruits, Veggies
Sep 30 2009 - The Wall Street Journal
Fewer than 10% of U.S. high-school students are eating the combined recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables, a finding that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called "poor" in a report.
Experts: Prepare Now for Autism's Rising Flood
Sep 18 2009 - eSchool News
As the number of school-age children diagnosed with autism continues to rise at an alarming rate, parents and special-education teachers are trying desperately to make school leaders aware of the often-overlooked education needs and costs associated with the condition.
Professor Hopes to Change Science Education
Sep 16 2009 - University Chronicle
This semester students enrolled in the Scientific Reasoning and Methodology class will be experiencing science education in a new way.
A New Vision for Teaching Science
Sep 16 2009 - Scientific American (requires registration)
Recent studies from neuroscience and psychology suggest ways to improve science education in the U.S.
Researchers Try to Promote Students' Ability to Argue
Sep 15 2009 - Education Week
Researchers say, the ability to argue is getting fresh recognition as a skill that is vital to success in college and the workplace.
Panel Urges Engineering Be Added to Curriculum
Sep 8 2009 - Education Week
The National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council committee recommends integrating engineering into other subjects.
Multi-City Study Eyes Best Gauges of Good Teaching
Sep 2 2009 - Education Week
New research, involving New York City, Charlotte, N.C., and elsewhere, is part of a Gates Foundation push on teacher effectiveness.
Science Panel Seeks Ways to Fan Student Innovation
Sep 1 2009 - Education Week (requires registration)
How can schools produce more mathematics and science students with a distinct and
harder-to-define skill: the ability to innovate and become future innovators in American
business, science, medicine, and other areas? That question is at the heart of work being
conducted by a committee of the National Science Board.
The Deficit of Women in Math
Aug 31 2009 - The Boston Globe
Explaining the gender gap in math achievement is one of the hotter issues in social science. It's even credited with helping to bring down a president of Harvard. Adding to the debate is a new paper by economists at MIT suggesting that the gender gap may be more than simply an ability gap or a discrimination gap.
Science Teachers: Give Us a National Curriculum—and More Training!
Aug 27 2009 - Education Week
An informal survey of the nation's science teachers shows that a majority like the idea of a national curriculum—and crave more professional development. At the elementary school level, the help they seek appears to be in short supply. Conducted by the National Science Teachers Association, the survey of 3,500 science professionals found, among other things, that 53 percent of those polled favored a national curriculum in science, compared with about 41 percent opposed.
Explaining U.S. Research Slide
Aug 18 2009 - Inside Higher Ed
A paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research finds that one measure of U.S. research prowess is dipping, and it attributes that decline to a larger issue—the growing disadvantage of public universities against their private counterparts.
Looking to the Source
Aug 17 2009 - Inside Higher Ed
Much of the discussion of women in science—and their relative scarcity in faculty positions—focuses on the hiring departments. But a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society shows that among top chemistry departments, there is huge variation in how successful their female doctoral graduates and postdocs are at landing tenure-track positions.
Flaws Decried in Data on US Children's Well-Being
Jul 30 2009 - The Boston Globe
Serious shortcomings in national data, including an outdated federal measure of household poverty, are undermining the task of identifying and assisting America's most vulnerable children, according to a report issued Tuesday.
New "Science of Learning" Could Reinvent Teaching Techniques
Jul 22 2009 - USA Today
Scientists are quietly tackling education issues, offering up new tools, new approaches, and even a new discipline.
Black-White Achievement Gap Narrows on NAEP
Jul 14 2009 - Education Week
American schools have made modest progress in closing the achievement gap between black and white students in math and reading, though that narrowing varies by grade and subject and from state to state, a study released today shows.
New Data Show Jump in Science and Engineering Graduate Study
Jun 26 2009 - National Science Foundation
New data show that enrollment in U.S. science and engineering graduate programs in 2007 grew 3.3% over comparable data for 2006—the highest year-over-year increase since 2002 and nearly double the 1.7% increase seen in 2006.
Carnegie Corporation: "Do School Differently"
Jun 24 2009 - eSchool News
Urging the nation to "do school differently," a new report recommends a set of concrete actions for federal, state, and local education leaders to take to transform math and science instruction and bring the United States back to the forefront of global competition.
Researchers Mull STEM Gender Gap
Jun 19 2009 - Education Week
Despite evidence that women have achieved parity on math and science achievement tests, men still outnumber women at the top levels of most of those fields.
Poor Grades for U.S. Math Students
Jun 18 2009 - ScienceInsider
Imagine a global math class: U.S. students would receive a grade of C while the top nations—Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Japan—would earn a B. The grades come from a Washington, D.C., think tank that has reinterpreted the results of a well-known international math assessment to highlight how much U.S. students need to improve to be proficient.
Larks and Owls: How Sleep Habits Affect Grades
Jun 12 2009 - Time
New data presented this week at the annual Associated Professional Sleep Societies suggest that a student's preferred sleeping schedule has a lot to do with his or her grade-point average in school.
Too Much Computer Gaming Can Steal Your Sleep
Jun 8 2009 - HealthDay
The thrills and chills of computer games can be a nocturnal nightmare for some people, new research suggests.
New Report Sets Forth Principles of Earth Science Literacy
Jun 4 2009 - National Science Foundation
NSF and other organizations have released a report on Earth science literacy importance entitled "Earth Science Literacy Principles: The Big Ideas and Supporting Concepts of Earth Science."
A Changing Student Body
Jun 4 2009 - The Washington Post (requires free registration)
Public school enrollment across the country is hitting a record this year with just less than 50
million students, and classrooms are becoming more diverse, according to a new federal report.
Tenure-Track Jobs in Science and Math Are Open to Women, if They Want Them
Jun 3 2009 - The Chronicle of Higher Education
Female professors seeking tenure-track positions in science and mathematics have generally found improving opportunities and upward mobility nationwide, according to a recent report by the National Research Council of the National Academies.
Girls Worse at Math? No Way, New Analysis Shows
Jun 2 2009 - The Boston Globe
Girls can do just as well at math as boys—even at the genius level—if they are given the same opportunities and encouragement, researchers reported on Monday.
New CEO: Gates Foundation Learns from Experiments
May 28 2009 - Education Week
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation spent billions of dollars exploring the idea that smaller high schools might result in higher graduation rates and better test scores. Instead, it found that the key to better education is not necessarily smaller schools but more effective teachers.
Hong Kong's Math Content Harder Than Massachusetts'
May 14 2009 - Education Week
A study released today finds that elementary students in Hong Kong are exposed to more difficult and complex math than pupils in Massachusetts, an elite scorer on national and international exams.
Less Education May Mean Poorer Health
May 7 2009 - Healthday
American adults with the least education have the worst health, a new study finds. Almost half of U.S. adults ages 25 to 74 reported being in less than very good health, and levels of health differ depending on level of education.
Stephen Hawking Hospitalized, Reported Very Ill
Apr 20 2009 - MSNBC
Cambridge University says famed mathematician Stephen Hawking has been rushed to a hospital and is very ill. The university said Hawking had been fighting a chest infection for several weeks.
Task to Aid Self-Esteem Lifts Grades for Some
Apr 17 2009 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
Some seventh graders who were struggling in class did significantly better after performing a series of brief confidence-building writing exercises, and the improvements continued through eighth grade, researchers reported Thursday.
Field Stations Foster Serendipitous Discoveries in Environmental, Biological Sciences
Apr 10 2009 - National Science Foundation
North America's biological field stations have long been home to a rich legacy of research results, scientists say, making them important places for serendipitous discoveries in the biological and environmental sciences.
Sleep Clears Way for New Learning
Apr 6 2009 - WebMD
Want to learn something new? Try getting a good night’s sleep or taking a long nap. Sleep is now recognized as being critical for learning and memory, and now a new study in fruit flies offers clues as to why.
Kids with ADHD May Learn Better by Fidgeting
Mar 26 2009 - Time
A new study suggests that a good approach for ADHD kids is to let them move all they want. Researchers say that excessive movement might not prevent learning but actually facilitate it.
U.S. Education Department Releases Annual Digest of Statistics
Mar 19 2009 - The Chronicle of Higher Education
The U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics released yesterday its "Digest of Education Statistics, 2008"—an annual compilation of data on American education from prekindergarten through college.
Study of Charters in 8 States Finds Mixed Effects
Mar 18 2009 - Education Week (requires registration)
A new study of hundreds of charter schools in eight states contains both good news and bad news for supporters of the nation's roughly 4,600 public charter schools.
"Depth" Matters in High School Science Studies
Mar 16 2009 - Education Week (requires free registration)
High school students who focus more intensely on core topics within their biology, chemistry, and physics classes fared better in beginning college science than those who delved a little bit into a larger list of topics, according to a new study.
Teach a Healthy Body, Get a Healthy Mind
Mar 12 2009 - CBS News
Results from a recent Texas study shows what many of have long suspected—children who exercise do better in the classroom.
Public Schools Outperform Private Schools in Math Instruction
Mar 9 2009 - ScienceDaily
A team of University of Illinois education professors has found that public-school students outperform their private-school classmates on standardized math tests, thanks to two key factors: certified math teachers, and a modern, reform-oriented math curriculum.
Fee-Based Journals Get Better Results, Study in Fee-Based Journal Reports
Feb 24 2009 - The Chronicle of Higher Education
A study by a pair of investigators at the University of Chicago has concluded that researchers may find a wider audience if they make their findings available through a fee-based website rather than make their work freely available on the internet.
Is Technology Producing a Decline in Critical Thinking and Analysis?
Jan 30 2009 - ScienceDaily
As technology has played a bigger role in our lives, our skills in critical thinking and analysis have declined, while our visual skills have improved, according to research by Patricia Greenfield, UCLA distinguished professor of psychology.
Experts: Recess Improves Student Behavior
Jan 29 2009 - USA Today
Children who have recess during the day behave better in class. Children learn as much on breaks as they do in the traditional classroom, experimenting with creativity and imagination and learning how to interact socially, experts say.
Recognizing Children's Successes in All Areas May Prevent Teenage Depression
Jan 16 2009 - ScienceDaily
Students' successes in the first grade can affect more than their future report cards. In a new study, researchers found links among students' weak academic performance in the first grade, self-perceptions in the sixth grade, and depression symptoms in the seventh grade.
Learning Science in Informal Environments
Jan 15 2009 - National Science Foundation
A new report from the National Research Council examines science learning outside of school. The reports pulls together existing research about informal learning to advance the field and help practitioners create more effective informal learning experiences.
Literacy Study: 1 in 7 U.S. Adults Is Unable to Read This Story
Jan 9 2009 - USA Today
A long-awaited federal study finds that an estimated 32 million adults in the USA—about one in seven—are saddled with such low literacy skills that it would be tough for them to read anything more challenging than a children's picture book or to understand a medication's side effects listed on a pill bottle.
U.S. School Meals May Be Key to Better Child Health
Dec 18 2008 - Yahoo! News
Many American children are not eating enough fruit and vegetables and their diet lacks key nutrients, according to a report released on Wednesday that focuses on school food programs as a way to help prevent long-term health problems.
Report Shows Success of All-Day Kindergarten
Dec 11 2008 - The Salt Lake Tribune
In Utah, an optional, extended-day kindergarten program is in its second year and proving to be a major success. According to a recent State Office of Education report, extended-day kindergartners are advancing faster than their half-day peers and few parents turn down the opportunity.
Study: Poverty Dramatically Affects Children's Brains
Dec 8 2008 - USA Today
A new study finds that certain brain functions of some low-income 9- and 10-year-olds pale in comparison with those of wealthy children and that the difference is almost equivalent to the damage from a stroke.
Major Study Urges U.S. to Retool School Finance
Dec 3 2008 - Education Week (requires registration)
When school systems spend more money on wealthy students than they do on poor students, more money on electives than on core academic courses, and more on Advanced Placement program classes than on remedial instruction, the education finance system is out of kilter. That’s the conclusion of a six-year, $6 million investigation of the federal, state, and local mechanisms that guide spending for the nation’s 97,000 K-12 schools.
Women Gain in Education but Not Power, Study Finds
Nov 13 2008 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
Women still lag far behind men in top political and decision-making roles, although their access to education and health care is nearly equal, according to the World Economic Forum.
Math Skills Suffer in U.S., Study Finds
Oct 15 2008 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
The United States is failing to develop the math skills of both girls and boys, especially among those who could excel at the highest levels, a new study asserts, and girls who do succeed in the field are almost all immigrants or the daughters of immigrants from countries where mathematics is more highly valued.
Largest Study of US Children to Begin in January
Oct 6 2008 - Education Week (requires registration)
The largest study of U.S. children ever performed—aiming to track 100,000 from conception to age 21—will start recruiting mothers-to-be in North Carolina and New York in January. The ambitious National Children's Study aims to learn how the environment and other factors affect youngsters' health, especially development of such conditions as autism, asthma, learning disabilities, diabetes, and obesity.
Urban School Superintendents Hard to Keep
Sep 29 2008 - USA Today
St. Louis is looking for its eighth school superintendent since 2003. Kansas City is on its 25th superintendent in 39 years. Despite good salaries and plenty of perks, a recent study found that the average urban superintendent nationwide stays on the job only about three years—which educators say isn't enough time to enact meaningful, long-lasting reform.
Elementary, Middle School Kids Make Gains
Sep 16 2008 - The Boston Globe
Students are doing better in elementary and middle school, but key indicators show little progress among high school and college students, according to Education Secretary Margaret Spellings.
N.Y. Begins Tracking Obesity Levels in Some Schools
Sep 4 2008 - ABC News
As New York students return to public schools this year, some will find themselves asked to step up to the scale. Legislation passed in 2007 goes into effect this month, requiring public schools outside of New York City to collect and report a summary of students' weights and body mass indexes as part of an effort to combat childhood obesity.
"Bravest" Students Do Not Cheat
Aug 18 2008 - BBC News
Students who are bravest are least likely to cheat, say researchers. Two studies of more than 400 students at Ohio State University found those who did not cheat scored highest in tests of courage and empathy. They also, perhaps unsurprisingly, scored higher than cheaters on tests of honesty.
Costs, Concerns Push Schools to Use Eco-Friendly Elements
Aug 4 2008 - USA Today
Classrooms are slowly going green, prodded by rising energy bills, public health concerns, and a general desire to adopt eco-friendly principles. Green schools cost a little more to build (generally 1% to 2% extra) than conventional schools but promise payback through lower utility bills and, some studies suggest, better student achievement.
Transcending Boundaries
Jul 24 2008 - National Science Foundation
From understanding climate change to predicting infectious disease outbreaks to engineering solutions to address disability, scientific research is increasingly crossing the boundaries between disciplines.
ECS Responds to National Demand for Science and Math Workforce
Jul 22 2008 - Education Commission of the States
The Education Commission of the States has launched two key resources for policymakers. The first focuses on increasing the workforce in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The second responds to a projected, growing national demand for students with advanced skills in career and technical fields.
Passive Learning Imprints on the Brain Just Like Active Learning
Jul 15 2008 - Science Daily
According to a study by Dartmouth researchers, people can acquire motor skills through the "seeing" as well as the "doing" form of learning.
Pa. Moves Up in Science, Technology Ranking
Jun 25 2008 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
When it comes to technology and science assets, Pennsylvania is doing better than four years ago, enough to boost a national ranking from 16th to 13th. The rankings come from the Milken Institute, a California-based think tank, which last week gave each state a technology and science index in a report on the "intangible economy."
Kids Who Need Preschool the Most Aren't Enrolled
Jun 23 2008 - San Francisco Chronicle
Low income and minority children could benefit most from quality preschool, but a new report from the RAND California Preschool Study finds that they're least likely to be enrolled in good early development programs. Researchers estimate that only 15% of those who could benefit most are in high-quality programs that prepare them for success in K-12.
Many States Watch--and Like--Florida's Education Policy
Jun 20 2008 - St. Petersburg Times
Florida is No. 1 in the nation in vouchers. It's No. 2 in charter school enrollment. It's No. 4 in the percentage of high school students passing college-level exams. Numbers like these have made Florida the nation's most-watched laboratory for education policy.
Special Certification Signals Good Teachers
Jun 16 2008 - U.S. News & World Report
While top teachers can be hard to identify, those certified through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards are a good bet, according to a new report by a committee of the National Research Council. Students taught by NBPTS-certified teachers make greater gains on achievement tests than students taught by teachers who are not board certified, according to the report "Assessing Accomplished Teaching: Advanced-Level Certification Programs."
Report: Asian-Americans' Academic Success Hides Problems
Jun 10 2008 - The Washington Post (requires free registration)
With their high visibility on elite college campuses, Asian-Americans have picked up a nickname that makes many uncomfortable: the "model minority." But a new report argues that Asian-Americans' reputation for academic success has obscured important variations within the group--and created a false sense that all their education needs are being met.
Girls’ Gains Have Not Cost Boys, Report Says
May 21 2008 - New York Times (requires free registration)
The American Association of University Women, whose 1992 report on how girls are shortchanged in the classroom caused a national debate over gender equity, has turned its attention to debunking the idea of a boys' crisis. The group says that the largest disparities in educational achievement are between those of different races, ethnicities, and income levels.
Has U.S. Science Lost Its Competitive Edge?
Apr 30 2008 - Science Magazine
How far has the United States risen above the gathering storm of global competition in science? Not nearly far enough, warned a succession of luminaries at a symposium held by the U.S. National Academies. Speakers at the event--designed to assess how the government has responded to an influential 2005 report to the U.S. Congress on how the nation could improve its research enterprise--offered up myriad solutions, from rallying the public behind the role of clean energy independence to the importance of curbing the national debt.
For Children, a Better Beginning
Apr 25 2008 - Washington Post (requires free registration)
In a wide-ranging look at how children have fared in their first decade of life, a new study offers a promising picture of American childhood. The analysis, which created a composite index of more than 25 key national indicators, reports an almost 10% boost in children's well-being from 1994 to 2006.
Lack of Skilled Workers Will Lead to Fiscal Crisis, Experts Say
Apr 22 2008 - Los Angeles Times
With baby boomers preparing to retire as the best educated and most skilled workforce in U.S. history, a growing chorus of demographers and labor experts is raising concerns that workers in California and the nation lack the critical skills needed to replace them.
Study Finds Sharp Math, Science Skills Help Expand Economy
Mar 3 2008 - Wall Street Journal
Increased years of education boost economic growth -- but only if students' cognitive skills, as measured by math and science tests, are improved as a result, a new study says. The study concluded that if the U.S. performed on par with the world's leaders in science and math, it would add about two-thirds of a percentage point to the gross domestic product, or the total value of goods and services produced in a nation, every year.
As Schools Spend More Time on Reading and Math, Magnitude of Curriculum-Narrowing Effect is Revealed
Feb 21 2008 - EducationNews.org
Last summer, a groundbreaking report verified what many in the education and policy communities had long suspected: that a majority of the nation's school districts were increasing time spent on reading and math in elementary schools since the No Child Left Behind Act became law in 2002, while most of these districts cut back on time spent on other subjects. Now, a follow-up report issued by the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Education Policy provides an unprecedented look at the magnitude of those changes.
Employers Want New Way to Judge Graduates Beyond Tests, Grades
Jan 23 2008 - USA Today
More than 300 business leaders across the nation say colleges need to find new ways to assess a student’s ability to apply college learning to real-world settings, according to a survey released by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Forty percent of respondents said a faculty supervisor’s assessment of a student’s internship in a real-world setting would be “very useful.” Six percent of respondents noted scores from a multiple choice test would be helpful. The poll builds on a 2006 survey that found business leaders saying 63% of graduates are unprepared for a global economy.
Grading the States
Jan 10 2008 - Education Week (Requires free subscription)
The latest edition of Education Week’s Quality Counts report continues the cradle-to-career framework launched in the 2007 study. But it also reintroduces some of the categories in which the publication has graded states in the past, though some of the indicators and the grading have changed.
Talk More in Class, Experts Say
Dec 14 2007 - BBC News
Students should be allowed to talk more in class, according to a new Cambridge University study. The report questioned the concept that encouraging students to compete increases their motivation to learn. Instead, the study said, that activities should encourage cooperation and group cohesion instead of competitiveness. The findings revealed that working together in science, math, and arts should be an intrinsic part of classroom life. But researchers noted students had few opportunities to engage in cooperative discussions.
U.S. Students Do Worse in Science and Math
Dec 4 2007 - USA Today
U.S. students continue to fall behind their peers in math and science, according to new test results. Scores from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) revealed Finland’s 15-year-old’s performed the best on the science portion of the test followed by students in Hong Kong and Canada. Students in Finland, Taiwan, South Korea, and Hong Kong were the best performers in math. The test was administered last year to students in 30 industrialized countries.
More Nations Pass U.S. in Reading Skills
Nov 30 2007 - Boston Globe (Requires free registration)
A new study reveals that U.S. fourth graders are falling behind their peers around the world in reading. Ten countries, including Hong Kong, and three Canadian provinces, scored above the United States on the Progress in International Reading Literacy test. The International Study Center at Boston College conducted the global reading assessment.
Good Marks for AP and IB
Nov 14 2007 - Washington Post (Requires free registration)
A new report gives high marks to both the Advanced Placement (AP) program and the International Baccalaureate (IB). Academic experts who wrote the report gave a B-plus to the AP and IB English literature courses and a B-minus to history courses in both programs. However, IB biology received an A and AP biology earned an A-minus. Both programs lost points in math because they allowed more use of calculators than the authors considered appropriate.
Texas Study Finds 39 Model High Schools in Math, Science
Nov 1 2007 - Dallas Morning News (Requires free registration)
A new report reveals that a select group of Texas high schools is showing positive results in math and science teaching. Many of the schools identified have a large percentage of low-income students. Common characteristics of the 39 best practice schools include teacher certification, larger class sizes, and paying math and science educators more money than other teachers. The report’s researchers noted they wanted to conduct the study so the best practices could be shared with other schools.
South's Schools Swell With Poor Kids
Oct 30 2007 - News & Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina)
A new report concludes that the majority of students in public schools in the South are poor. Eleven southern states have students that live below the poverty line. The findings have prompted school district officials to search for solutions on how to best educate students who come from economically disadvantaged communities. “The future of the South’s ability to have an educated population is going to depend on how well we can improve these students’ education,” observed Steve Suitts, a program coordinator with the Southern Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization that authored the study.
Science Courses Nearly Extinct in Elementary Grades, Study Finds
Oct 25 2007 - San Francisco Chronicle (California)
A survey of California elementary educators shows about 80% of teachers spend less than an hour each week teaching science. The study of Bay Area teachers and school districts also found that 16% of teachers teach no science at all. Many educators surveyed noted they felt more unprepared to teach science compared to math or reading. The survey was conducted by researchers at the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley, and WestEd, an education think tank based in San Francisco. The research results and a short video summarizing the results are available online.
Rising Scores Might Say More About the Exam Than Student Achievement, Report Concludes
Oct 22 2007 - Washington Post (Requires free registration)
A new report contends that states are creating a false impression of academic achievement through various strategies, including manipulation of passing, or “cut” scores on standardized tests. Supporters of the No Child Left Behind Act say the rising pass rates on tests are “evidence that the law’s focus on reading and math has led to gains in student achievement.” However, the report questions those claims, noting state tests vary in difficulty, and that math tests are consistently more difficult to pass than reading exams.
Public vs. Private Not Seen as Key to Learning
Oct 10 2007 - San Antonio Express-News (Texas)
A new study shows low-income students who attend urban public high schools have similar academic performance levels as private school students with similar backgrounds. The Center on Education Policy report considered income levels and other family characteristics, such as parental involvement in schools. “When these were taken into account, the private school advantage went away,” the report stated.
Segregation in U.S. Schools Rising
Sep 17 2007 - Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Two new national studies show a recipe for resegregation in U.S. schools. The recipe includes a population growth among Latino and African American students and a decline in white students. A continuing pattern in which whites, blacks, and Latinos generally live separately from each other is also part of the mix. The findings come at the same time as the 50th anniversary of the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, a milestone in efforts to end legal segregation of schools.
Report: Schools Aren't Preparing Kids for College
Sep 13 2007 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
A new report claims there is a fundamental disconnect between the way high school teachers prepare their students for the future and how students meet the demands of and succeed in college. The Alliance for Excellent Education (AEE) convened a panel on September 12 to discuss the report. Panelists noted the problem is a result of high school standards, course requirements, and assessments not being aligned with those of colleges. To help solve the problem, the AEE and ACT have outlined definitions for college readiness.
Neighborhoods' Effect on Grades Challenged
Aug 14 2007 - Washington Post (Requires free registration)
New reports released on August 14 dispute a belief by many social reformers that low academic achievement among inner-city children cannot be improved significantly without moving their families to better neighborhoods. Researchers examining what happened to 4,248 families that were randomly given or denied federal housing vouchers to move out of their high poverty neighborhoods found no significant difference about seven years later between the achievement of students who moved to more middle class neighborhoods and those who did not.
Survey: Math Courses Aid Science Studies
Jul 27 2007 - Boston Globe (Requires free registration)
Researchers report that students who take more math classes in high school perform better in science once they are in college. However, while high school courses in biology, chemistry, or physics improved college performance in each of the individual sciences, taking a high school class in one science did not result in better college performance in the others, the researchers said. Gerry Wheeler, NSTA’s executive director, welcomed the research as a source of new data for making decisions regarding science teaching. The new findings are published in the journal Science.
Study: Rural Students Better in Science
Jul 26 2007 - CBS News
Science is a strong subject for rural students, according to a new Education Department study released on July 25. The federal report also found that in all grade levels, rural students performed better on national science tests compared to their urban counterparts. Marty Strange, policy director of the Rural School and Community Trust, an advocacy group, noted the difference could be attributed to rural students receiving their education in real-world settings as well as classrooms.
Tutoring Helps Students, Study Says
Jun 28 2007 - Boston Globe (Requires free registration)
A federal study has found that taxpayer-funded tutoring for poor children is paying off in some city schools. Students who received tutoring services under the No Child Left Behind Act improved in reading and math, according to the study conducted by independent researchers for the Department of Education. The study examined schools in nine urban school districts, including Baltimore, Maryland; Chicago; Denver, Colorado; Long Beach, California; Los Angeles; Palm Beach, Florida; Philadelphia, San Diego, California; and Washington.
Study Estimates High Teacher Turnover Costs Millions
Jun 21 2007 - Washington Post (Requires free registration)
A new report reveals that the high rate of teacher turnover in the U.S. school systems costs more than $7 billion a year. The findings are a clear indication that America’s teacher dropout problem is spiraling out of control,” according to the study, which was released June 20 by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future. The study is based on school systems in Chicago, Milwaukee, Granville County in North Carolina, and the Jemez Valley and Santa Rosa systems in New Mexico.
Poll: Public Supports NCLB Reauthorization
Jun 20 2007 - NSTA News--Kristin Collins
A new poll finds that the majority of public school teachers and administrators support reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, even though they have misgivings about it. Teachers and administrators believe “it’s better to have the devil you know versus the devil you don’t know,” observed Peter Hart, who conducted the poll with David Winston, for the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The ETS released the poll’s results at a June 19 press conference held in Washington, D.C.
Report: Online Schools are Virtual Education Labs
Jun 18 2007 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
A new Education Sector report says the growing popularity and success of online learning is an important, but “largely unnoticed” trend that reform-minded educators and policy makers could use to a much greater advantage as they seek to improve public education. “Virtual schooling is driving the same sorts of transforming changes in public education as Apples iTunes has been producing in the way people collect and listen to music,” the report noted.
Data Suggest States Satisfy No Child Law by Expecting Less of Students
Jun 7 2007 - USA Today
Almost every fourth grader in Mississippi knows how to read. In Massachusetts, only half do. So what is Mississippi doing that Massachusetts, the state with the most college graduates, is not? Setting expectations too low, critics say. The No Child Left Behind Act was designed to raise education standards across the country by punishing schools that fail to make all kids proficient in math and reading. But the law allows each state to chart its own course in meeting those objectives. The result, according to a Gannet News Service analysis of test scores, is that many states have taken the safe route, keeping standards low and fooling parents into believing their kids are prepared for college and work. On June 7, federal education officials plan to release a report that is expected to reach the same conclusion.
High Education Costs Hurting Public Trust
May 31 2007 - Desert News (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Americans support efforts many colleges and universities make to turn out an educated work force, but a recent survey shows those same people believe increasing costs are making higher education less accessible. Earning a degree is more important than ever, according to the survey, released on May 31 by the Public Agenda and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.
Report Highlights Best Practices for Student Success
May 24 2007 - National Center for Educational Accountability
Why are some schools helping more students reach higher standards than other schools? In its 2005-2006 Just for the Kids' Best Practice Studies and Institutes report, the National Center for Educational Accountability interviewed district leaders, principals, and teachers at high- and average-performing schools nationwide to focus on the practices of teachers in schools that consistently outperformed their peers.
Study Finds College-Prep Courses in High School Leave Many Students Lagging
May 16 2007 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
Only a quarter of high school students who take a full set of college-preparatory courses, four years of English and three each of math, science, and social studies, are well prepared for college, according to a study of last year’s high school graduates released May 15 by ACT, an Iowa testing organization. The study analyzed about 1.2 million students who took the ACT, one of the country’s major college admission tests, along with the SAT, and graduated from high school in June 2006. The study predicted whether students had a good chance of scoring a C or better in introductory college courses based on their test scores and the success rates of past test takers.
No Child Law is Leaving Isles Behind, Study Finds
May 10 2007 - Star Bulletin (Honolulu, Hawaii)
Lack of funding, staff, and technology support are to blame for Hawaii’s struggle to keep up with the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, according to a national study by the Center on Education. The report noted those problems were worse in states where 26% or more schools are failing testing benchmarks known as adequate yearly progress. The study was compiled from interviews with education officials and questionnaires about the law. States were not named or ranked so the center could “get honest answers” and avoid political bias, said Jack Jennings, president of the Washington, D.C.-based center.
Top Teachers Issue Call for Revamped Pay Plans
Apr 30 2007 - Washington Post (Requires free registration)
Tired of reports by business executives and Cabinet officers on how to fix U.S. schools, 18 award-winning teachers produced their own recommendations this month, starting with a major overhaul of how teachers are paid. The report says teachers should be able to advance through three tiers: novice, professional, and expert, and schools should stop paying teachers more just because they have more years on the job.
Linking NAEP Achievement Levels to TIMSS
Apr 27 2007 - American Institutes for Research
Average eighth graders across the globe would not meet U.S. National Assessment of Educational Progress math and science "proficient" levels, according to an American Institutes for Research Analysis of international achievement data. Almost 11% of countries, all Asian, would achieve the proficient level in math, but only Singapore and Taiwan would reach the proficient level in science. About half of countries would, as the United States does, attain basic levels in math and science, but more than 41% of countries, mostly in the Middle East and Africa, would score below basic.
Interactive Engagement Versus Traditional Methods
Apr 24 2007 - American Journal of Physics/ResearchBrief
In an effort to increase student engagement, some instructors have encouraged the use of strategies that seek to stimulate access to the curriculum by letting students work together on content-related activities, such as through "think-pair-share" and interactive engagement. A study published in the American Journal of Physics and highlighted in the latest issue of ASCD’s ResearchBrief compares student achievement in lecture-based physics classes with that of classes using interactive engagement strategies.
Study Tackles Teacher Wages
Apr 16 2007 - The Advocate (Louisiana)
Attention teachers: What if you could bypass the politicians and the bureaucrats and design your own pay system from scratch? What might it look like? Eighteen distinguished teachers from across the nation recently did just that, and came up with some surprising suggestions.
Study Shows City Schools Test Scores are Improving
Apr 12 2007 - Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Urban school districts nationwide are boosting overall achievement levels and narrowing racial achievement gaps, but they still have a lot of ground to gain, according to an analysis of test scores released April 11 by the Council of the Great City Schools. The council, a consortium of the nation’s 67 largest urban school districts, also noted that many districts continue to miss achievement standards that states were required to set under the No Child Left Behind Act.
Differences Slither Between School Teachers, Professors on What Students Should Know
Apr 10 2007 - USA Today
State learning standards may help high school teachers focus their coursework, but college faculty say they are focusing on the wrong things, according to a report that finds a “significant gap” between what high school instructors teach and what college faculty think entering freshmen should know. The ACT released the study on April 9.
Going High Tech Does Not Bring Higher Math, Reading Scores
Apr 6 2007 - Dallas Morning News (Requires free registration)
Going high-tech does not lead to higher math and reading scores, according to a new study released by the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, a research arm of the Education Department.
Study Gives Teachers Barely Passing Grade in Classroom
Apr 4 2007 - USA Today
The typical child in the United States stands only a one-in-14 chance of having a consistently, rich supportive elementary school experience, according to researchers who examined the daily life of students in classrooms. Published in the journal Science, the findings take teachers to task for spending too much time on basic reading and math skills and not enough time on problem solving, reasoning, science, and social studies. The findings also suggest that U.S. education focuses too much on teacher qualifications and not enough on teachers being engaging and supportive.
Parents, Teachers, Kids Speak Up on Ed Tech
Mar 23 2007 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
For the second year in a row, students and teachers who responded to a national survey on educational technology expressed a strong desire for schools to focus more on the integration of technology and real world problem solving into math and science classes. However, one area of concern revealed in the survey was a decline in students interested in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.
Expert Teachers 'Key to Physics'
Mar 20 2007 - BBC News
A new study suggests that the decline in school physics in England can be reversed if expert teachers can teach the subject in a fun way. Researchers at the University of Buckingham said a key step, seen in schools that were rejecting the trend, was teaching physics as physics. Too often it was “wrapped up in science taught by biologists,” so students could not see whether they were good at it, the researchers noted.
Pew: Latinos Less Likely to Be Online
Mar 15 2007 - MSNBC.com
Latinos are not going online as much as nonHispanic whites and blacks, even at younger ages where internet use is far greater, according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
U.S. Chamber Report Card on Public Education
Mar 5 2007 - EdNews.org
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s report on sate educational effectiveness shows that America’s K–12 schools are failing their students and putting America’s future competitiveness at risk.
Hard Recovery for Failed U.S. Schools
Mar 1 2007 - Christian Science Monitor
Under the mandates of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, low-performing schools undergo a series of interventions. The last phase is known as restructuring. After five years of not meeting targets for adequate yearly progress on test scores, schools must plan for significant reform and implement it the following year. However, a few states, such as California and Michigan, have put accountability measures into place prior to NCLB.
Advanced Courses May Not Be All That Advanced
Feb 23 2007 - St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Years of education reforms have failed to lift the performance of U.S. high school students, according to new data that has stunned educators and brought calls for more urgency. In the most recent national test on reading, the nation’s twelfth graders scored lower than they did in 1992. Only 73% percent scored at or above the basic level on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Students showed a similar lack of traction in science.
Teachers Back TV Viewing Concerns
Feb 20 2007 - BBC News
A spokesperson for the National Union of Teachers says students can arrive in school “tired and exhausted” from watching too much television. The claim follows a report by a psychologist listing 15 health problems that previous studies have attributed to excessive television viewing. Teachers note they are already aware of the negative impact of television on children.
Coming U.S. Challenge: A Less Literate Workforce
Feb 6 2007 - Christian Science Monitor
U.S. workers may be significantly less literate in 2030 than they are today. The reason: Most baby boomers will be retiring and a large wave of less-educated immigrants will be moving into the workforce. This downward shift in reading and math skills suggests a huge challenge for educators and policy makers in the future, according to a new report from the Educational Testing Service.
Report Gives Edge in Pay to Teachers
Jan 31 2007 - Des Moines Register (Iowa)
School teachers nationwide earned an average of $34.06 per hour in 2005, which was $8.98 more than the average nonsales, white collar worker, according to a study by the Manhattan Institute, a New York–based conservative think tank. The report used data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for public schools nationally and in 66 metro areas.
A Very Good Place to Grow Up, for Almost Everyone
Jan 30 2007 - Washington Post (Requires free registration)
The Washington, D.C., region is one of the nation’s best metropolitan areas for Hispanic, Asian, and nonHispanic white children, based on a study of health, housing, economic, crime, and education data. The report compared living conditions for children in the country’s 100 largest metropolitan areas.
Studies Find Benefits to Advanced Placement Courses
Jan 29 2007 - Washington Post (Requires free registration)
In the midst of a national debate over whether Advanced Placement (AP) courses place too much pressure on U.S. high schools, a team of Texas researchers has concluded the difficult courses and three-hour exams are worth it. Another study shows students who use their AP credits to take more advanced courses in college had better grades in those courses than similar students who first took college introductory courses instead of AP in 10 subjects. The new studies run counter to an unpublished Harvard University and University of Virginia study that casts doubt on the worth of AP science courses and contradict some critics who say that high school courses, even with an AP label, cannot match the depth of college introductory courses.
Love of Learning: Which Children Have it Most
Jan 24 2007 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
Which children like school the most? Asians and girls, and the children of parents, who are married, make the most money, have advanced academic degrees, and live in the suburbs of the northeast. Which children are most likely to be enrolled in programs for gifted students? Children of better-educated parents. These are some of the findings in the Census Bureau’s analysis titled A Child’s Day. The report surveyed parents nationwide to analyze benchmarks of well being for 73 million children under 18 from a 2003 review of income and participation in various government assistance programs.
World Falling Behind on 2015 Education Goal
Jan 18 2007 - Alertnet.org/Reuters
Access to education increased dramatically over the past century, but 323 million children worldwide are still not in school and efforts to achieve universal primary education by 2015 are likely to fail, a new study contends. Despite the findings, the study by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences said the goal of providing a high-quality education to all children could be achieved at a reasonable cost with more support and funding from governments worldwide.
Panel Urges Collegians to Focus on Liberal Arts
Jan 12 2007 - USA Today
A panel of national higher education and business leaders has issued a roadmap for reforming higher education, arguing that college graduates must be able to do more than equip themselves for their first job. Rather, it says in a report, "In an economy fueled by innovation, the capabilities developed through a liberal education have become America's most valuable economic asset."
Cutting Provisions in Union Contracts Could Free Funds
Jan 8 2007 - Washington Post (Requires free registration)
U.S. public schools could have as much as $77 billion more a year to improve teaching if they reduced spending on seniority pay increases, teacher's aides, class size limits and other measures often found in teacher union contracts, a new study contends. The report from the Washington–based think tank Education Sector analyzed research on eight common provisions of contracts that require schools to spend substantial sums but have what the report called "a weak or inconsistent relationship with student learning."
Report: School Aid Not Distributed Evenly
Dec 21 2006 - CNN.com
Poor students are shortchanged by federal and state policies, according to a new report. The report’s authors note that when Congress reviews federal education spending in the coming year, lawmakers should reconsider how they distribute funds for poor students.
To Fix U.S. Schools, Panel Says, Start Over
Dec 15 2006 - Christian Science Monitor
What if the solution to American students' stagnant performance levels and the wide achievement gap between white and minority students wasn't more money, smaller schools, or any of the reforms proposed in recent years, but rather a new education system altogether? That's the conclusion of a bipartisan group of scholars and business leaders, school chancellors and education commissioners, and former cabinet secretaries and governors. They declare that America's public education system, designed to meet the needs of 100 years ago when the workplace revolved around an assembly line, is unsuited to today's global marketplace.
State Learning Gap Persists
Dec 13 2006 - Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
The Education Trust's state-by-state snapshot of American education finds Wisconsin and Nebraska have among the worst racial achievement gaps in the nation, while other states have used policy tools to narrow their gaps. Massachusetts, for example, equalized funding between districts serving high and low–income children and created strong standards and accountability systems, says the report's author.
Amid Privilege, Crushing Pressure to Excel
Dec 11 2006 - Philadelphia Inquirer (Requires free registration)
More than 40% of teens feel intense pressure to succeed academically at any cost, according to a new ethics poll. The poll also found that 22% of the 787 students surveyed cheated on a test in the last year.
A Snapshot of the State of U.S. Education
Nov 21 2006 - Washington Post (Requires free registration)
Did you know that despite all the criticisms leveled from coast to coast about K–12 public schools, most parents report being very satisfied with their child's school? Did you know that distance education courses are offered at more than half of the country's two- and four-year postsecondary institutions? These and other statistics are in the 2006 Condition of Education report published by the U.S. Department of Education.
World's Students Trickle In
Nov 20 2006 - Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
Global campaigns have cropped up since the U.S. government clamped down on international student visas. U.S. embassies in many countries seem to award only 20% of the visas applied for. "A lot of people expressed concern, especially those who needed graduate students. Academic departments were not able to staff their labs," said Bill Barnhart, director of the University of Utah’s international center. "International students play a really significant role in how we function, especially at research institutions." Such concerns have slowly led to more visas being issued; so international enrollment has grown nationwide, according to a new report by the Institute of International Education.
Testing Improves Retention--Even If Material Not on Exam
Nov 13 2006 - Scientific American
Teachers who give tests on a daily or weekly basis—often at the expense of their popularity—can take solace in a new study out of Washington University in St. Louis. Researchers found that tests help students remember what they have been taught, including the material that does not appear on the exam. The findings appear in the November issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
Report: Online Study Surges Among College Students
Nov 9 2006 - Dallas Morning News (Requires free registration)
The number of U.S. college students taking at least one online course increased 35% last year, amid faculty concern that such courses are less valuable than traditional classes, according to a survey by the College Board and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Hispanic Kids Bolster Boom at U.S. Schools
Oct 6 2006 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Requires free registration)
Georgia and other Southeastern states have seen the nation’s largest percentage of growth in enrollment of Hispanic students in their public schools, according to a new study. At 390%, Georgia’s increase was the fourth largest in the nation. Arkansas, North Carolina, and South Carolina all had higher percentages of growth. Latinos have been the key [to the growth of] student population over all of American public education,” observed Richard Fry, a senior researcher at the Pew Hispanic Center and author of the study.
Study: Ed Tech Has Proven Effective
Sep 28 2006 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
Technology has produced a small, yet significant boost to learning in all content areas, but not to the extent many "overly confident" educators initially predicted, concludes a meta-study by Cisco Systems and the Metiri Group. The full potential of technology for improving learning will not be realized, their report says, until educators reassess how electronic tools are being used in schools and ensure funds are directed to proven solutions, among other strategies.
Report Calls for Improvement in K-8 Science Education
Sep 22 2006 - Washington Post (Requires free registration)
A National Research Council report says K-8 science classes are in "urgent need" of improvement. Science standards that have driven reforms in the past 15 years are too broad. To provide a more comprehensive science education, the report says that educators should concentrate on core concepts central to the understanding of science rather than the many strands that exist in school systems around the country. Gerry Wheeler, NSTA's executive director, noted, "I think [the report] should be required reading for anyone who cares about our kids and how they learn science." To access the report, click here.
Study Finds U.S. Bias Against Women in Science
Sep 19 2006 - MSNBC.com
Women are being filtered out of high-level science, math, and engineering jobs in the United States, and there is no good explanation for it, according to a National Academies report released on Sept. 18. A committee of experts examined a variety of possible factors, including biological differences in ability, hormonal influences, child rearing demands, and even differences in ambition but found no good reasons to help explain the trend. Donna Shalala, a former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and head of the committee who wrote the report noted, “it is not a lack of talent, but an unintended bias…that is locking women out.”
Debate Grows as Colleges Slip in Graduations
Sep 15 2006 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
Approximately 50 colleges across the country have a six–year graduation rate below 20%, according to the Education Trust, a nonprofit research group. Many low–income and minority students are served by the institutions. Such numbers have prompted a fierce debate in Chicago, where the finding was made, and in the nation’s education circles about who is to blame for the results, whether they are acceptable for nontraditional students, and how universities should be held accountable if the vast majority of students do not graduate.
The Children Left Behind
Sep 14 2006 - Inside Higher Ed
Much has been said and written in recent years about how rising college tuitions and insufficient need–based financial aid are combining to diminish access to higher education for students from low and moderate–income backgrounds. Now an independent federal panel has tried to quantify exactly how many students have failed to get a bachelor’s degree because of those factors, and the numbers are striking.
Students in Richer Nations Slipping
Sep 13 2006 - Philadelphia Inquirer (Requires free registration)
American and European students are losing ground to countries such as China and India that are adapting faster to changing needs and producing more of the high–skilled workers the 21st century demands, according to a new report. Richer nations, especially in Europe, face a growing lack of ambition among their children, fed partly by social inequality that schools have failed to redress. Education at a Glance, an annual study by the Paris–based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), covers 30 of the world’s richest nations, but also discusses how they rank with key nonOECD members like India and China.
Report Urges Changes in the Teaching of Math in U.S. Schools
Sep 13 2006 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
In a significant shift away from its 1989 stance on the teaching of math, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has issued a report recommending students in each K–8 grade master only three basic skills, rather than study dozens of math topics, as most states' curriculums now demand. The group stopped short of advocating the memorization of basic math facts and recommending a national math curriculum.
Report Finds U.S. Students Lagging in Finishing College
Sep 7 2006 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
The United States has fallen behind other nations in its college enrollment and completion rates, as the affordability of American colleges and universities has declined, according to a new report. The study, from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, found that although the United States still leads the world in the proportion of 35 to 64–year–olds with college degrees, it ranks seventh among developed nations for 25 to 34–year–olds. On rates of completion, the United States is in the lower half of developed nations.
Digital Divide Separates White, Minority Students
Sep 6 2006 - Boston Globe (Requires free registration)
A federal study has found that more white children use the internet than black or Hispanic students. “This creates incredible barriers for minorities,” observed Mark Lloyd, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and a specialist on how communications can influence civil rights. Based on a national representative survey of households in 2003, the new data comes from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Repeating a Grade Has No Benefit
Aug 30 2006 - Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Repeating a grade offers little academic benefit and makes students 20 to 50% more likely to leave school, according to a Deakin University survey of dozens of Australian and American studies on retention. Researcher Helen McGrath says that rather than simply promote struggling students, schools should instead consider tailoring support and instruction to their needs.
Study: U.S. Teenagers Setting Overly Ambitious Goals
Aug 29 2006 - CNN.com
American teenagers are under pressure to set higher goals for themselves, but often these objectives are unrealistic and out of their reach, according to a Florida State University study. The report, using data from several national surveys, found that 50% of school leavers in 2000 planned to continue their education after college to get an advanced degree compared to 26% in 1976. Sixty–three percent planned to work in professions like law, medicine, or engineering by age 30, an increase from 41% four years earlier.
Study: Teacher's Gender Affects Learning
Aug 27 2006 - Associated Press
A teacher’s gender can impact a student’s ability to learn, according to a new study. Thomas Dee, an associate professor at Swarthmore College and visiting scholar at Stanford University, has found that boys learn more from men and girls learn more from women. Some leading education advocates disagree with Dee’s findings. Dee says he is not endorsing single–sex education or any other policy. Instead, Dee hopes his work will promote more research into gender’s effect on students’ learning abilities and what can be done about it.
Voucher Support Weaker, Poll Finds
Aug 23 2006 - Indianapolis Star
A Gallup and Phi Delta Kappa International Poll shows that 36% of Americans support vouchers, compared with nearly 50% four years ago. Voucher advocates say the survey question was framed in a slanted way that encouraged negative responses. The question: Do you favor or oppose allowing students and parents to choose a private school to attend at public expense? has not changed since the poll’s findings showed growing support for vouchers in the 1990s, said poll author Lowell Rose.
Reading, Math Scores Lower in Charter Schools
Aug 22 2006 - MSNBC.com
A new report from the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) shows fourth graders in traditional public schools score better in reading and math than their peers in charter schools. The study cautions readers that the results could be influenced by factors other than the quality of charter schools. To make their assessment, NCES officials examined fourth grade math and reading test scores at 150 charter schools and 6,764 traditional public schools across the nation.
Graduation Rates
Aug 15 2006 - Deseret News (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Schools in Utah are among the nation’s leaders in making certain that students earn high school diplomas. But the state is lacking in its efforts to get more students to graduate from college, according to a new American Community Survey. The District of Columbia, however, remains the leader in higher education, with 45.3% of its population holding college degrees. Massachusetts ranks second with 36.9%.
Panel Calls for 'Urgent Reform' of Higher Education
Aug 11 2006 - USA Today
A national panel has created a bold set of proposals to reform higher education. The Commission on the Future of Higher Education is recommending that colleges and universities change their financial systems and be held more accountable for their students’ progress. Some panel members expressed hope that the recommendations would lead to legislation. Critics argue that monitoring students could violate student-privacy laws. They also note that many issues, such as grade inflation and faculty tenure, should have been addressed but were not.
Students Do Better in Private Schools, Researchers Find
Aug 3 2006 - Detroit Free Press
A Harvard University study has found that private schools perform better in 11 of 12 categories when compared with public schools. The findings contradict a report released July 14 by the Education Department. The Harvard study used the original data from the department’s National Center for Education Statistics and “an improved methodology” for interpreting the data, the school said in a statement.
Teaching the 'Least Boring Job'
Jul 27 2006 - BBC News
A new survey suggests that college graduates who pursue teaching careers are least likely to bored in their jobs. When asked why they found their job interesting, 81% of teachers said they enjoyed their job because it had variety and was challenging. Eighty-six percent of respondents said the opportunity to interact with people was the best part of the job. The Training and Development Agency for Schools questioned more than 2,000 graduates ages 21 to 45 for the survey.
Climb Every Mountain
Jul 25 2006 - Education Next
Urban Institute researcher Laura Logerfo says her study of first graders and their teachers suggests teachers' sense of responsibility for their students' reading achievement affects how students perform in the classroom. She recommends that public schools adopt certain Teach for America's recruitment and selection techniques that seek to assess a candidate's "responsibility quotient."
Harvard Rethinks Science
Jul 17 2006 - Inside Higher Ed
A new report released by Harvard University might change the way science and technology is taught and the way faculty members are hired at the school. The university is recommending 75 new full-time interdisciplinary professor positions be created in the next decade. The report also calls for the hiring and setting of research and teaching priorities come from a new committee that would include administrators and faculty members from several Harvard colleges that deal with science instead of individual departments. The committee would also determine university research priorities and allocation of laboratory and other space needs.
Public Schools Perform Near Private Ones in Study
Jul 15 2006 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
Students in public schools generally perform as well or better in math and reading compared to their peers in private schools, according to a report released by the Education Department. The study, however, found that eighth graders in private schools fared better in reading than eighth graders in public schools. Previous research has indicated that students in private schools typically score higher than those in public schools. But the report’s authors note that when they compared students of similar racial, economic, and social backgrounds, the private school advantage disappeared in all areas except eighth grade reading.
Education Tests: Who's Minding the Scores?
Jun 30 2006 - Philadelphia Inquirer (Requires free registration)
Although there is funding and prestige associated with standardized test results under the No Child Left Behind Act, only about half all states perform any sort of statistical analysis of scores to identify signs of organized cheating, a new survey says. The survey found that some states leave the policing to individual school districts. The analysis also found that many states do minimal checking in the absence of specific complaints. Meanwhile, a separate study found that 80% of education assessment directors are spending more time dealing with security issues than they did five years ago.
Scientists 'Too Busy' For Pupils
Jun 29 2006 - BBC News
A new poll suggests that scientists facing pressure to publish research are too busy to participate in school visits or other outreach activities. However, 81% of scientists who responded to the Royal Society’s survey said they would be motivated to pursue more public commitments if there was a monetary incentive for their department. A spokesperson for the Royal Society noted that both students and teachers could benefit from interacting with scientists.
Panel's Draft Report Calls for an Overhaul of Higher Education Nationwide
Jun 27 2006 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
A draft report by a national commission says nearly every aspect of the country’s higher education system is in need of change. The report calls for an overhaul of the student financial aid system, improved cost controls by colleges and universities, and more evidence of results, including testing. The commission was formed last year to study how to increase access, affordability and accountability in higher education. The report’s recommendations could prove important for the country’s 17 million college students and their parents.
Study Casts Doubt on the 'Boy Crisis'
Jun 26 2006 - Washington Post (Requires free registration)
A new study examining trends in test scores and academic achievement argues that widespread reports of U.S. boys being in crisis and failing to perform well in school may be overstated. Using data compiled from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the Washington-based think tank Education Sector found that during the past three decades, boys’ test scores are increasing; more males are going to college and are earning bachelor’s degrees. “The real story is not bad news about boys doing worse,” the report notes, “it is good news about girls doing better.”
Women on Faculty Still Lag at Harvard, Report Finds
Jun 14 2006 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
A year after Harvard University’s president Lawrence Summers promised a major effort to make the faculty more diverse amid a controversy about his remarks concerning women in science, a report released by the school shows that most of the work remains to be completed. Women represent less than half of the faculty in all but one of Harvard’s schools. While the number of women in tenure-track positions grew slightly from the last academic year to the current one, females continue to comprise a small fraction of the university’s tenured professors, the report found.
The Disappearing Chinese Engineers
Jun 13 2006 - Inside Higher Ed
A Duke University study examining the reality behind the number of engineering graduates has prompted the National Academies to change its numbers. The Duke study discussed how several media reports have stated that China graduated 600,000 engineers in 2005, while India produced 350,000 engineers, and the U.S. 70,000. The numbers were included in report titled Rising Above the Gathering Storm, which was released in October by the National Academies. However, the organization changed the numbers in response to the report in February. A spokesperson for the Gathering Storm report noted the new numbers do not change the overall findings or recommendations of the report.
Fast Learners Benefit From Skipping Grades, Report Concludes
Jun 13 2006 - Washington Post (Requires free registration)
A new report suggests that students who are fast learners can benefit from skipping grades. A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students is part of a national effort to move gifted-education programs away from keeping students in the same grades and giving them extra, enriched classes and projects.
Testing Kids' Web Smarts
Jun 12 2006 - Hartford Courant (Requires free registration)
Believed to be one of the only studies of its kind in the U.S., researchers from the University of Connecticut and Clemson University in South Carolina are examining the reading skills needed by students to explore the Internet. “My agenda is to fundamentally change the nature of reading instruction so kids are better prepared,” says University of Connecticut professor Donald J. Leu, who heads the research team.
Women Gaining on Men in Advanced Fields
Jun 1 2006 - Associated Press
Women are earning the majority of diplomas in fields such as science and business, areas that men used to dominate. The finding is part of a new report titled The Condition of Education, a yearly compilation of statistics from the Education Department that give a picture of academic trends. Although women are making gains, they continue to be paid less than men in comparable jobs and fall behind in landing top positions on college campuses. Click here to read more highlights from the report.
State Getting Off Easy on No Child Law, Report Says
Jun 1 2006 - Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
By using broad definitions and statistical methods that paint the rosiest possible picture of student progress, Wisconsin leads the country in thwarting the purposes of the No Child Left Behind Act, according to an analysis by the Education Sector, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. Deputy State Superintendent of Schools Tony Evers denies that claim and insists the Department of Public Instruction is doing everything it can to close the achievement gap. For the analysis, states were ranked on how they are implementing provisions of the federal law. Other states at the top of list are Iowa, Connecticut, and Nebraska.
Black, Hispanic Pupils See School as Tough
May 31 2006 - Boston Globe (Requires free registration)
A new poll shows black and Hispanic students see school as a more rowdy, disrespectful, and dangerous place compared to white students. Minority parents are also more likely to see problems in schools, according to the survey by Public Agenda, a nonpartisan opinion research group that tracks education trends. The poll found positive results that cut across race and ethnicity. A majority of students reported they were learning a lot in reading, writing, and math and noted that at least one teacher motivated them to become interested in a subject they disliked.
Survey: Firms Can Do More for Math, Science Students
May 9 2006 - Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
A majority of executives at science and technology companies worry about attracting and retaining enough qualified workers to remain competitive, but only a few believe that recruiting more women and minorities to pursue careers in male-dominated fields will help solve the problem, according to a new survey. “The disconnect is that a large majority of CEOs are concerned about the U.S. losing its predominance in science and technology because of manpower…but they are not fully recognizing the untapped talent pool of women and minorities,” Bayer Corp. spokeswoman Sarah Toulouse said of the study’s findings. The organization’s survey, part of the Making Science Make Sense Initiative, polled 100 executives of firms with specialties like biotechnology, computers, life sciences, and engineering.
Ready or Not
May 8 2006 - Inside Higher Ed
Whether they are headed to college or directly into the workforce, high school graduates need to be educated at comparable levels in reading and math to succeed, according to a new report by ACT Inc. The testing company suggests that all high school students “experience a common academic program…regardless of their post-graduation plans.” But according to recent research by ACT and others, most states are doing a poor job of fulfilling this mission. ACT officials hope to change the situation by encouraging policymakers to establish a national college and work readiness standard.
Poll: Parents Confident About 'No Child'
Apr 20 2006 - Boston Globe (Requires free registration)
Nearly 80% of parents are confident their local school will have students up to state standards in reading and math by 2013–2014. But only half of teachers are confident that all students in their school will meet that deadline, according to a new AP–AOL Learning Services poll. Observers note that the finding underscores the theme that parents and teachers often disagree on daily aspects of education.
Teacher's View: The Human Touch
Apr 13 2006 - Time Magazine
Although in many high schools teaching is now a technical marvel of computer labs, laptops, digital cameras, and DVD players, the most important element of education—the human connection—continues to be important, Marilyn Jones, a teacher from Indiana, writes in this editorial. Jones notes that the most wired students still need that one-on-one, teacher-student relationship to learn and succeed.
School Science Held Back By Battle of the Sexes
Mar 13 2006 - The Independent (London, England)
A study of what 15-year-olds want to learn in science class shows boys want to study weapons of mass destruction and the effect of chemical weapons on the human body, while girls like to learn how to deal with anorexia or bulimia or the significance of their dreams. The stark contrast in what students look for in science lessons has prompted researchers to call for curriculum planners to consider drafting separate syllabuses for each sex.
New Study Reveals High Minority and High Poverty Children Can Rise to Meet the Requirements of No Child Left Behind
Mar 13 2006 - EducationNews.org
As high poverty and high minority schools continue to struggle to close the achievement gap, one Title 1 school district in Colorado has achieved unprecedented results. During the past eight years, Pueblo School District 60 (PSD60) and Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes have proven that low socio-economic status is not a social liability. Findings from a new study published in the American Education Research Journal confirm that PSD60’s district-wide literacy reform model has significantly closed the student achievement gap.
Dropout Rates High, But Fixes Under Way
Mar 3 2006 - Christian Science Monitor
Boring classes. That’s the major reason 90% of students with passing grades drop out of school, according to a new survey released by Civic Enterprises. “We’ve gone in and talked face to face with kids who have dropped out of school. What they are telling us debunks popular assumptions,” explains John Bridgeland, CEO of Civic Enterprises and an author of the study. “The problem is solvable.” Among the recommendations discussed in the report is adopting a curriculum that is more relevant and engaging and that helps struggling students get more access to support.
Report: Hispanics Lagging in Education
Mar 2 2006 - USA Today
Hispanics have the highest high school dropout rate of any ethnic or racial group in the United States. A National Research Council report says persuading students of Spanish-speaking immigrants to finish high school and go to college is crucial to the economy as much of the nation’s workforce edges toward retirement. “Hispanics are coming of age in an aging society,” said Marta Tienda, a Princeton University professor who headed a panel that studied the impact of the nation’s 41-million Hispanics. “Education is the bottom line.”
Study Says Complex Reading Skill is Key to College Success
Mar 1 2006 - Detroit Free Press
The ability to handle complex reading is the major factor separating high school graduates who are ready for college from those who are not, according to a new report. The study by ACT, a nonprofit organization that tests students, found that most states don’t have reading standards for high school grades and no state defines the kind of complexity that high school reading should have. The ACT isolated reading complexity as a critical factor by analyzing the results of the 1.2 million high school seniors in 2005 that took the ACT test. Based on that test, 51% of students showed they were ready to handle the reading requirements of a typical first-year college course.
Study Finds Test Scores Not Lowered by Television
Feb 27 2006 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
A new study says when it comes to test scores, parents can let children watch television without fear of future harm. Most studies that find negative effects from television compare groups of children who watch television to those who do not, even though the economic situations of the two groups are typically different. The new study is based on what the authors call a “natural experiment” that resulted from the way television was introduced in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, when some cities had television service five years ahead of others. Data from cities where preschoolers were and were not exposed to the new technology was correlated with test scores from 300,000 students nationwide in 1965.
Closing the High School-College Gap
Feb 23 2006 - Inside Higher Ed
A new report finds states are making progress toward better connecting the standards and requirements of their public high school systems with the expectations and needs of local colleges and employers. States have made minimal progress in instituting high school assessment tests that are “rigorous enough to signal whether students are ready for college-level work,” according to the report titled Closing the Expectations Gap 2006. Produced by Achieve, a nonprofit education group created by governors and business leaders, the report also found that only four states have successfully implemented longitudinal data systems that would allow policymakers to track their residents as they move throughout an educational system.
Study Hints AP Classes Overrated
Feb 18 2006 - Boston Globe (Requires free registration)
Advanced Placement (AP) courses are typically the toughest classes in high school. But a new study is generating debate on the merits of AP classes, especially in the sciences. The report shows that students who scored high on AP exams in biology, chemistry, and physics did not earn higher grades than students who never took the advanced classes. “They are certainly not as powerful as many people think they are,” said the study’s co-author Philip M. Sadler, a senior lecturer in Harvard University’s astronomy department. A spokesman for the College Board, which owns the AP exams, said the findings “were shaky because they did not examine a broader group of students.”
Parents, Students Fine With Math, Science
Feb 15 2006 - CBS News
A national poll shows 57% of parents are satisfied with the math and science education offered in their child’s public school. Students are not too worried either, according to the poll released by Public Agenda, a public opinion research group that tracks education trends. The survey found half of students in grades six to 12 believe understanding science and having strong math skills are essential for success after high school. But lawmakers, business leaders, and scientists have a different view. In recent months, they have called for schools to raise the rigor and amount of math and science for students.
Differing Views on Role of Teachers
Feb 9 2006 - Contra Costa Times-Walnut Creek, Calif. (Requires free registration)
Parents and teachers share different views about what goes on in school, according to an AP–AOL Learning Services Poll. For example, less than half of parents say student discipline is a serious concern at school. But two out of three teachers say students’ misbehavior is a serious problem. On testing, the poll found teachers are more likely than parents to say standardized exams receive too much emphasis. The two parties, however, agree on the need to hire and keep good teachers. Knowledge Networks conducted the poll of 1,085 parents and 810 K–12 teachers online in January after respondents were initially contacted by telephone.
More Tests Emphasizing Multiple-Choice Questions
Feb 7 2006 - Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A new report says that the quality of tests in schools is declining as companies producing the exams rely more on multiple-choice questions because of a surge in demand sparked by the No Child Left Behind Act. Produced by the Education Sector, the report recommends the federal government increase payments to $860 million from $408 million to states for new tests. The report also suggests more federal spending to help colleges increase the supply of technicians who write tests and more federally funded research of test-writing methods.
Public School Students Score Well in Math in Large Scale Government Study
Jan 28 2006 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
When it comes to math, students in public schools perform as well or significantly better than their peers in private schools, according to a new study funded by the government. Conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, the study compared fourth and eighth grade math scores of more than 340,000 students in 13,000 public, charter, and private schools on the 2003 National Assessment of Educational Progress. Researchers noted they compared math scores instead of reading ones because math was considered “a clearer measure of a school’s overall effectiveness.”
The Post-Sputnik Era, Redux
Jan 27 2006 - Inside Higher Ed
Nearly 50 years ago, Russia’s launch of the Sputnik satellite threw a major scare into public officials in the United States, prompting a flurry of policy-making aimed at ensuring that the country’s chief rival did not get a leg up in the competition for global economic, technological, political, and military dominance. Among the results were the National Defense Education Act of 1958. Today, as several reports have argued, the country’s economic and technological dominance is waning. The situation has led to a chorus of calls for a response similar to that of the post-Sputnik era and now a group of leading research universities has added its voice.
Scientific Discourse or Prior Restraint?
Jan 24 2006 - Inside Higher Ed
An attempt by scientists to delay the print publication of a study they felt was flawed has prompted intense criticism both of the study and the intervention tactic. Six of the nine scientists who wrote a letter to Science are Oregon State University faculty members. The lead author of the study they sought to halt is a graduate student at the school. The letter writers say the article has serious scientific flaws that should not have passed peer review. Many academics, however, have noted the article passed peer review and attempting to delay publication is “a move not befitting scientists.”
Young Students Who Look Away Answer Teachers' Questions Correctly More Often
Jan 20 2006 - BBC News
Five-year-olds who avert their gaze before answering their teachers are not daydreaming; they, more often than not, are coming up with the right answer. A new study from Stirling University reveals that adults often mistake children's lack of eye contact for their not understanding the questions, and they don't give them enough time to come up with the answer. "The mistake that adults make is to interject too quickly, they need to try and hold back," said Dr. Doherty-Sneddon.
2006 Quality Counts: A Decade of Standards-Based Education
Jan 5 2006 - Education Week
The 10th annual report by Education Week examines the progress that states have made on a core set of policy indicators related to standards-based education over the past decade. It also explores the relationship between changes on those indicators and gains in student learning.
Left Out of the Elites
Dec 8 2005 - Inside Higher Ed
Elite institutions like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton should increase by 30% the number of low income students they admit – and they can do so without lowering the quality of their student bodies, a new report by researchers at Williams College asserts. The report’s authors and some other scholars are confident that such shifts in policy will happen — probably not fast enough for advocates for underprivileged students, but perhaps too quickly for some in the upper class.
Upturn for Science Doctorates
Nov 28 2005 - Inside Higher Ed
Amid a sea of statistics and dire warnings suggesting the decline of American science, a new National Science Foundation report offers some hopeful signs. The number of doctorates awarded in scientific and technical fields by universities in the United States rose in 2004, representing the second straight annual increase after several years of decline. The increases were spread across many different disciplines, with fields such as mathematics, computer sciences, and most engineering fields seeing significant growth.
State-Run Preschools Gain in Popularity in U.S.
Nov 16 2005 - Des Moines Register
A new report has found that more students are attending state-run preschools across the country. Conducted by Pre–K Now, an organization that advocates for high quality, voluntary preschool for three-and-four year-olds, the report also showed that spending for state-run preschools has increased. Twenty-six states and the District of Columbia boosted spending on state-run preschools while two states decreased spending. The Pre–K group compared states’ spending on preschool programs during the 2005 legislative session
Making Grade in U.S. Schools
Nov 2 2005 - Los Angeles Times (Requires free registration)
A new study confirms what many teachers have long suspected—the performance of immigrant children in U.S. schools may reflect the education they may or may not have received in their home countries. Foreign-born students, especially those from Mexico, are far more likely to drop out of high school if they had a spotty educational record before arriving in the United States, according to the report. But those who start school in the United States by the second grade are scarcely more likely than native-born American children to drop out. Data also show immigrant students from Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Caribbean are far less likely than their American-born peers to leave school.
Bush Education Law Shows Mixed Results in First Test
Oct 20 2005 - New York Times (requires free registration)
The first nationwide test to permit an appraisal of President Bush's signature education law (No Child Left Behind) rendered mixed results on Wednesday, with even some supporters of the law expressing disappointment. Math scores were up slightly but eighth-grade reading showed a decline, and there was only modest progress toward closing the achievement gap between white and minority students, which is one of the Bush administration's primary goals. In many categories, the results indicated, the gap remains as wide as it was in the early 1990s. By some measures, students were making greater gains before the law was put into effect.
U.S. Education Slips in Rankings
Sep 13 2005 - CBS News
A new study reveals the United States is losing ground in education. Among adults age 25 to 34, the U.S. is ninth among industrialized nations in the share of its population that have at least a high school degree. In the same age group, the United States ranks seventh, with Belgium, in the share of people who hold a college degree. The report also underscores that women continue to be paid less than men. The Organization for Cooperation and Development develops the yearly rankings as a way for countries to evaluate their education systems and determine whether to change their policies.
Americans Grow Skeptical as School Reform Takes Toll
Aug 24 2005 - Christian Science Monitor
More than two-thirds of Americans don’t believe a single test gives a fair picture of whether a school needs improvement. Americans also don’t believe students with disabilities should be evaluated by the same standards as other students, a new survey says. Poll director Lowell Rose notes the most important finding is the public wants the achievement gap closed, but does not approve of the strategies used in the No Child Left Behind Act. In a separate survey, teachers cite compliance with new federal testing requirements as the most serious problem they face. The new findings come from the annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll and the National Center for Education Information.
Survey of Teens Raises Questions about Education
Aug 17 2005 - Indianapolis Star
Many teens fear for their safety at school, believe teachers don’t care about them and feel their classes lack demanding challenges, according to a new study. The report found 62 % of teens believe their teachers don’t encourage them to learn more while 50 % of students said they don’t receive prompt feedback from educators. Researchers who compiled the High School Survey of Student Engagement said the student responses were unexpected and that American high schools should reevaluate their priorities and examine how they communicate with students.
Kids are Caught Up in the Net, Survey Says
Jul 28 2005 - Arizona Republic
A new survey shows the Internet has all but saturated the youth market. Nearly nine out of 10 young people ages 12–17 have access to online services, according to the report compiled by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. By comparison, the report found 66 percent of American adults use the Internet. Completed in 2004, the study included responses from 1,100 youths who were randomly contacted by phone. The survey has a margin of error of four percentage points.
Arizona Dropout Rate Worst in U.S.
Jul 27 2005 - Arizona Republic
Arizona and Louisiana have something in common. Both states have the worst high school dropout rates in the nation, according to a new report. New Jersey, North Dakota, and Wisconsin share top billing. Based on 2003 census data, the findings are part of the annual Kids Count report released July 27 by the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore, Maryland.
ACT: Students Need Tough Classes
Jun 24 2005 - Des Moines Register (Iowa)
High school students who fail to take at least three years of math, science, and other subjects are likely to have trouble in college or in the workforce, according to a new report. Authors of the ACT study say a lack of rigor in high schools, too many course offerings from which to choose, and students avoiding difficult classes are the reasons students are unprepared for college or the workforce. ACT officials say state and local school district educators need to establish specific course requirements rather than just numbers of credits for high school graduates. ACT officials also recommend better aligning secondary and post-secondary course curricula.
ETS Poll Finds Support for Changes to High Schools
Jun 22 2005 - Education Week
A national poll released today shows most Americans believe high school students are not being adequately challenged by their studies. The survey, Ready for the Real World? Americans Speak on High School Reform, found nine percent of Americans believe high schools set high academic expectations for students. A third of respondents said students are not challenged at all, while more than half believe that students are “somewhat” challenged. A majority of those polled support various measures to improve high schools such as making teachers experts in the subjects they teach, increasing taxes to boost teachers’ salaries, and requiring exit exams.
Charter Schools Failing on Reform Goals, ASU Study Concludes
Jun 13 2005 - The Arizona Republic
A new study shows charter schools in seven states have failed in their promise to reform the public school system and boost academic achievement in students. The Arizona State University study found that charter and district schools are producing similar student test scores. Despite smaller classes on smaller campuses, charters are not improving academic achievement of needy students, who traditionally fall behind their affluent peers. The report’s author noted the failure is more difficult to understand given the advantages that charter schools enjoy. The president of the Alliance for School Choice called the report “ideology, not scholarship” and said competition from charters has forced district schools to improve.
An Outside Chance for School Kids
Jun 7 2005 - Los Angeles Times (Requires free registration)
A new study examining the educational effect of the outdoors has found that students can improve their science grades and gain confidence if they participate in outdoor classroom experiences. The study also found students are more cooperative and more engaged in the classroom if they participate in environmental science courses. The author of the study, the nonprofit American Institutes for Research for the California Department of Education, notes the report is unique “because it compares the knowledge and attitudes of children who attended such courses with those who did not.”
Schools in U.S. Set Enrollment Record
Jun 2 2005 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
America’s elementary and secondary schools were filled with more than 49 million students in 2003, according to a new Census Bureau report. The growth stems from children born to baby boomers. An increase in immigration also played a role, Census Bureau officials said. Observers note the record tally of students in the first 12 grades poses steep challenges for schools. These challenges include recruiting teachers, helping students who do not speak English, keeping class sizes manageable, and coming up with financial aid for college students.
Turnaround for Women at Harvard
May 17 2005 - Inside Higher Ed
Harvard University has released the reports by two committees created in the wake of comments made by the school’s president, which questioned whether women face discrimination in the sciences and suggested that females may be less talented than men in the field. The recommendations listed in the reports call for new mentoring programs, efforts to identify and encourage undergraduates in the sciences, more flexibility about the tenure clock and a better balance of work and family life. Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers has pledged $50 million to support the programs, but has not endorsed every element of the plans.
Public Schools: Do They Outperform Private Ones?
May 10 2005 - Christian Science Monitor
The crumbling neighborhood public school down the block or that gilded private school on a hill? There is a tendency to imagine the two this way, and to assume the private school will produce better students. But beleaguered public schools have recently received a small, though noteworthy, boost. After accounting for students’ socioeconomic background, a new study shows public school children outperforming their private school peers on a federal math test.
Study Finds Shortcoming in New Law on Education
Apr 13 2005 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
A new study shows the academic growth students experience in a given school year has slowed since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, a federal law designed to promote academic achievement. The study found reading and math scores have decreased. But within grades, students have made less academic progress during the school year than they did before the law took effect in 2002. The study states students will need to make three times as much progress as they are currently making to realize the goal of universal proficiency. The Northwest Evaluation Association used test data from 320,000 students in 23 states to compile the report.
Progress Report on 'No Child' Law Shows Hits and Misses
Mar 23 2005 - Education Week
A report scheduled for release this week sounds concerns on impending problems that could undermine the No Child Left Behind Act. The most serious sign of trouble is the inability of states and districts to help low-performing schools through funding and staffing, according to the study by the Center on Education Policy. The report also found the law’s school choice provisions are making a poor impression on students. The U.S. Department of Education declined comment on the report last week because officials have not had time to review the study.
Study Finds Poor Performance by Nation's Education Schools
Mar 15 2005 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
A new report says American colleges and universities are doing a poor job of training the nation’s future teachers and school administrators. Nearly half of the elementary and secondary school principals surveyed claim the curriculums at undergraduate or graduate schools lacked academic rigor and were outdated. More than 80 percent of principals said education schools were too detached from what took place at local elementary and high schools. The report notes most of the problem stems from a “consumer mentality.” But observers contend education schools cannot be held completely responsible for the failures of their graduates.
Report Faults Bush Initiative on Education
Feb 24 2005 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
A “flawed, convoluted, and unconstitutional education reform initiative that has usurped state and local control of public schools.” That’s the conclusion of a bipartisan panel of lawmakers who have completed a study of the No Child Left Behind Act. Based on comments from public hearings held in six cities, the report notes the law’s accountability system undermines school improvement efforts in several states and relies on the wrong indicators. The study also found the law’s rules for educating disabled students conflicts with another federal law. Several education experts say the panel has accurately captured the views of many state lawmakers and local educators. The Education Department has rebutted the report’s findings.
When it Comes to School, Girls Rule
Jan 4 2005 - Indianapolis Star
What once was a playground taunt has turned out to be true: Girls are better than boys. Girls have eclipsed boys on state and national tests. They are more likely to stay in school and graduate, as well as demand less special attention than boys, according to new data. “Boys are lagging, and in my view we are seeing the tip of a very serious national problem,” noted Judith Kleinfeld, a psychology professor at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
Advanced Courses in High School May Not Mean Success at College
Dec 23 2004 - Washington Post (requires free registration)
College-level courses offered in high school, such as Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate, do not appear to improve academic performance in college unless students take the tests at the end of each course, according to a major study by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley. But, the report emphasized, performing well on the difficult exams is a better predictor of success in college than nearly anything else in a student's high school record.
Math Educators Find Common Denominators
Dec 21 2004 - Washington Post (requires free registration)
A "peace summit" was held in Washington, DC, in an attempt to make sense of seemingly contradictory results from recent international studies of science and math education and find good practices for US students that all educators can agree on. There was more agreement than some participants imagined possible, suggesting that they may be moving toward a "centrist position." Among the topics they said they agreed on were (1) heavy reliance on calculators in the early elementary grades is a bad idea; (2) elementary school children must have automatic recall of number facts, which involves memorization of multiplication tables, for example; (3) children must master basic algorithms.
Charter Schools Fall Short in Public Schools Matchup
Nov 23 2004 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
A new Department of Education study shows students in charter schools are less likely to meet state performance standards than their counterparts in public schools in five states. Deputy Education Secretary Eugene W. Hickok minimized the report’s significance when releasing the results. But academics, who have been critical of charter school performance, have called the study’s findings “an important contribution.”
Research Council Studies to Explore Teaching and Testing of Science
Nov 10 2004 - Education Week
As schools nationwide brace for a new wave of federal mandates in science, the National Research Council plans to conduct three studies aimed at exploring how students learn most effectively in that subject, and how it is best taught and tested. One of the studies will address the topic of helping states devise tests that will comply with the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. A second project will examine how students learn science, with an emphasis on grades K–8. The third study will look at the role that science laboratories should play in the high school classroom.
Study of College Readiness Finds No Progress in Decade
Oct 14 2004 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
A new study shows American high school students are no better prepared for college than they were 10 years ago. The report by the ACT revealed only 22 percent of students who took the organization’s tests this year were ready for college work in math, science, and English. The study also found that students who took a full core curriculum were not necessarily prepared for college because the courses were not rigorous enough. ACT officials plan to work with school districts to evaluate the rigor of courses they offer and provide help in other ways.
Public Schools No Place for Teachers' Kids
Sep 22 2004 - The Washington Times
Public school teachers nationwide are almost twice as likely as other parents to choose private schools for their own children, according to a study conducted by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Educators from public schools who participated in the survey said that private and religious schools impose greater discipline, gain higher academic achievement, and offer an overall better atmosphere. The National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers declined comment on the study’s findings.
Report: U.S. Slips in Education Ratings
Sep 14 2004 - The Detroit News
A new comparison of industrialized nations shows the United States is falling behind other countries such as Norway and Japan in having a high school educated public. The report, Education at a Glance, also found the older the population, the better America fares. The United States remains first in high school completion among older adults and fifth among adults ages 35–44. The report also shows the United States has a higher share of residents with a four-year college education than any other country except Canada.
Rural Schools in South Cited
Sep 14 2004 - Richmond Times-Dispatch
Sixteen southern states must improve their rural schools so they can guarantee students educational and economic success, according to a new study. The report, New Traditions: Options for Rural High School Excellence, notes rural schools face shallow tax bases, isolation from job growth centers, and an inability to attract teachers, and other problems. The study suggests governors improve their rural schools by establishing incentives to recruit teachers, providing students special help in summer school, and implementing partnerships between rural schools and universities
U.S. Students' Well-Being Scrutinized
Sep 8 2004 - USA Today
A trio of studies released separately today focus on the welfare of students and how that can impact learning. Schools should keep students “engaged” or risk worsening social problems, according to one report. Another study warns that too few low-income students attend preschool. A third study discusses how several indicators of child well-being have improved during the past 30 years, making the typical U.S. student more “teachable.”
Public Schools Expect 48.2 Million Students
Sep 1 2004 - Education Week
Public schools in America will open their doors to 48.2 million students in grades preK–12 this September, according to recent projections by the National Center for Education Statistics. Student enrollment in the nation’s schools was about 44 million a decade ago. Private schools can expect to see 6.3 million students this fall, an increase of about 23,000 from the 2003–2004 academic year. Experts attribute the growth in enrollment to increased immigration and the “baby boom echo”—a 25 percent increase in annual births that began in the mid 1970s and peaked in 1990.
Federal Officials Curtail Charter School Data
Aug 29 2004 - San Francisco Chronicle
Department of Education officials have decided to curtail the amount of the information they will collect about charter schools for an upcoming federal report that details various types of schools nationwide. The National Center for Education Statistics, which conducts the survey, plans to cover a random sample of about 300 charter schools instead of providing an in-depth profile for the report. “There is nothing sinister or untoward about this,” an Education Department spokeswoman said. Education researchers say the change will limit their ability to study charter schools.
Poll: Views on Schools Clash
Aug 25 2004 - The Detroit News
A new poll shows that Americans have mixed views about testing, school vouchers, and other education topics. The annual survey conducted by the Gallup Organization and Phi Delta Kappa International revealed at least two in three adults oppose the way test scores in reading and math are used to judge school performance under federal law. However, nearly the same amount of respondents, noted schools give the right emphasis to tests or don’t emphasize them enough. With school vouchers, 43 percent of respondents said they would probably vote for a national candidate who supports private school vouchers. The poll’s authors note vouchers continue to lack majority support.
Education Study Finds Weakened Charter Results
Aug 17 2004 - San Francisco Chronicle
A national comparison of test scores among children in charter schools and regular public schools shows fourth graders attending charter schools performing about half a year behind students in other public schools in both reading and math. "The scores are low, dismayingly low," said Chester E. Finn Jr., a supporter of charters and president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, who was among those who asked the Bush administration to do the comparison. (Click here for the full story from the New York Times [requires free registration].)
Immigrants' Kids: Nation's Brainy Superstars
Jul 20 2004 - The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH)
A new study shows that children of immigrants are becoming America’s top students in math and science. The report by the National Foundation for American Policy found, for example, that more than half of the top scorers in this year’s Intel Science Talent Search and the U.S. Math Olympiad are children of immigrants. “If opponents of immigration had succeeded over the past 20 years, two-thirds of the most outstanding future American scientists and mathematicians would not be here today because U.S. policy would have barred their parents from entering the United States,” observed NFAP executive director Stuart Anderson, who authored the report.
How School Reform is Altering Classrooms
Jul 15 2004 - The Christian Science Monitor
Although several states have resisted the No Child Left Behind Act in recent months, a new study shows that most states are implementing the requirements mandated by the law. The report by the Education Commission of the States reveals that the majority of states test students and new teachers and have improved their record-keeping efforts. States, however, need to do a better job of ensuring that a highly qualified teacher is placed in every classroom.
Report: Reading in U.S. Falls
Jul 8 2004 - The Arizona Republic
A new study by the National Endowment for the Arts shows the reading of books is on the decline in America. Television, movies, and the Internet are to blame for the problem, according to the report. A National Education Association spokesman added there has been a cultural shift from the print media to the electronic media. Observers note the decline comes, despite the efforts of Oprah Winfrey forming a book club and the Harry Potter craze that started among students and adults in the late 1990s. NSTA members looking to increase their reading resources can refer to the July 2004 issues of Science & Children, Science Scope, and The Science Teacher.
Education Rates Rise in U.S., But Minority Groups Still Lag
Jun 29 2004 - The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH)
New data from the Census Bureau shows that more Americans have high school or college diplomas, but rates continue to vary when it comes to race and ethnicity. For example, more than 89 percent of whites graduated from high school, compared to 80 percent of blacks and 57 percent of Hispanics, according to the Bureau’s estimates. The figures also show that educated whites continue to make more money than Asians, Hispanics, or blacks. The national average salary for a college graduate, regardless of race, was $44,000, the Bureau reports.
Study Faults Colleges on Graduation Rates
May 27 2004 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
A new study shows as more students enter college, most universities and colleges fail to ensure those students graduate. Graduation rates are especially low for minority and low-income students, according to the report released by the Education Trust, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC. The Education Trust has suggested colleges improve their graduation rates by tracking student progress and giving students more contact with professors. The organization has also recommended that states link their financial support for colleges to their students’ progress and their graduation rates.
Poll Finds Split on Educational Equality
Apr 27 2004 - USA Today
A new Gallup poll shows Americans have mixed reactions on educational equality. The survey revealed 90 percent of adults agree educational opportunities for black students have improved since 1954. However, fewer than one in three blacks say opportunities for black children are now on par with those of white students. One of every three adults of both races said the difference in educational opportunities could be attributed to discrimination. The poll of 3,017 adults was conducted from January to March.
Report: College Science Classes are Boring
Apr 23 2004 - MSNBC
College graduates will be more scientifically literate and society will benefit if science lectures are replaced with hands-on classes, according to a new study. The report, written by a team of experts, found that most introductory science courses at research universities rely on “transmission of information” lectures and “cookbook” laboratory activities. The experts claim these techniques are not highly effective when it comes to fostering conceptual understanding or scientific reasoning. “Active participation in lectures and discovery-based laboratories helps students develop the habits of mind that drive science,” the experts said.
Snails, Highly Valued by Teachers, are Blacklisted
Feb 18 2004 - Pioneer Press (MN)
Last summer, the US Agriculture Department banned the interstate transport of Helix aspersa, throwing school science into disarray and setting off a last-minute search for a substitute that has at least as much personality as the snail. French immigrants apparently introduced Helix aspersa to California in the 1800s. The ravenous, fast-breeding organism took hold, infesting the state's citrus crop and threatening its nursery plant industry. The snail is now seen as "a major pest beyond the hope of eradication" in California, and as it inches east, state agriculture departments everywhere are wary.
"No Child" Called Impractical
Feb 10 2004 - Richmond Times-Dispatch
A study by Harvard University's Civil Rights Project concludes that, while the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has the noble goal of having all children succeed in school, it seeks to get there in impractical ways. The study's four reports examine how the law has played out at the federal, state and local levels. "The reality for too many public educators is confusion and frustration as No Child Left Behind is leaving too many children - and teachers - behind," said Gary Orfield, the project's co-director, in a statement accompanying the study. [Click here for links to the full text of the reports.]
Study Says Women Scarce in Sciences
Jan 15 2004 - The Atlanta Journal Constitution
A new study of science and engineering faculty at America’s top 50 research universities shows women remain scarce in tenure-track positions. The survey conducted by Donna Nelson, a University of Oklahoma chemistry professor, revealed three percent to 15 percent of professors in science and engineering departments are females. The situation is worse for minority women. In the top 50 computer science departments, for example, there are no black, Hispanic, or native American women on the tenure track or in tenured jobs.
Quality Counts 2004
Jan 8 2004 - Education Week
Education Week has released Quality Counts 2004. The eighth annual report on the condition of public education focuses on special education this year. The study also provides the latest information on various facets of states’ education systems and grades them in four areas: standards and accountability, efforts to improve teacher quality, school climate, and resources. States averaged a C-plus across those categories. What grade did your state receive? Click on the link above to find out!
'Deception' Alleged in Graduation Rates
Dec 23 2003 - Baltimore Sun
A study conducted by the Education Trust has revealed that several states reported “suspiciously rosy” high school graduation rates this fall under the No Child Left Behind Act. The report also notes U.S. education officials failed to provide guidance, leadership and enforcement, thus allowing the states to hide the fact that thousands of students—a disproportionate number of them poor, black and Latino—leave school without a diploma. Education Department officials said they disagree with the results of the study and plan to convene a group of experts to examine the graduation and dropout issue.
Poor, Minority Kids Face Long Odds in Education
Nov 23 2003 - USA Today
A new study shows that poor and minority students are at risk of not doing well in school even before they are born. Researcher Paul Barton of Educational Testing Service cites 14 factors that result in this finding, including low birth weight, poor nutrition, family mobility, watching too much television, as well as having unqualified teachers and unsafe schools. “Unless you deal with those life conditions and factors from birth through school, you’re not going to close the achievement gap,” observed Barton, who collected previous studies to write his report.
Panel Says Choice's Benefits Worth Risks
Nov 19 2003 - Education Week
School choice is here to stay and lawmakers should start harnessing its power to further the goals of public education. That’s the message behind a new report by the National Working Commission on Choice in K–12 Education. The panel, which spent two years working on the study, has suggested that ample funding be provided for new schooling options, targeting benefits to disadvantaged students, and reconsidering existing policies so that district-run schools that are being shortchanged don’t suffer more under choice.
Too Few Go to College, Reports Say
Oct 2 2003 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
New reports from the Department of Education and the Education Commission of the States show very few Americans are going to college. The commission’s study, Closing the College Participation Gap, revealed the United States ranks 11th in college participation leading to a bachelor’s degree. The study also revealed that other industrialized nations invested more in their high education and training programs.
Study: Homework Load Doesn't Add Up
Oct 1 2003 - USA Today
A new study shows America’s students spend less than an hour most nights doing homework. The study contradicts the popular belief that teachers give students too much homework. “All of this hoopla about kids being burdened just is not backed up by evidence,” observed the study’s author Tom Loveless of Brookings Institution’s Brown Center on Education Policy. John Buell, co-author of the book, The End of Homework, noted the fight over homework is part of a larger debate about the quality of schools.
U.S. Spends More, Gets Less, Says Annual Education Report
Sep 17 2003 - The Seattle Times
A new study shows the United States spends the most amount of money on education, but is receiving poor results for its investment compared to other countries. The annual review by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris revealed America’s 15-year-olds had average scores in reading, math, and science in 2000. The report also showed America’s high school graduation rate was below the world average in 2001.
Spike in Students Strains Budgets, Staffs
Aug 29 2003 - The Washington Times
A new U.S. Census Bureau report shows a significant increase in student enrollment has increased pressure for higher government spending on education and resulted in teacher shortages and overcrowded classrooms. The report, School Enrollment 2000, is one of a series of studies the bureau has produced since the 2000 Census to help Congress and government decision-makers in their allocation of federal funds and grants, which for many school programs are pegged to student enrollment and statutory formulas, according to a bureau spokeswoman.
Survey Finds Most Americans Think Teachers Are Underpaid
Aug 21 2003 - The Baltimore Sun
A new survey shows nearly 60 percent of Americans believe teacher salaries are too low. The poll also revealed that support for school voucher programs has decreased from 46 percent to 38 percent. The Gallup Organization and Phi Delta Kappa International conducted the annual poll.
U.S. School System Continues to Grow
Aug 12 2003 - The Washington Times
The nation’s school system continues to grow. According to Census Bureau figures released August 11, more than 73 million students attended the country’s preschools, elementary and high schools, colleges and universities. The figures also show an increase in school spending and Internet access for students and teachers.
Urban Scores Show Huge Room for Improvement
Jul 23 2003 - CNN
A new study has revealed that students in six major U.S. cities fall behind their peers nationwide in reading and writing. School districts in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C. volunteered to set an urban benchmark as part of the 2002 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Known as the nation’s report card, NAEP previously covered student achievement only on the state and national levels.
The Story Behind Dropout Rates
Jul 1 2003 - The Christian Science Monitor
Should teachers be celebrating or worrying when it comes to high school graduation rates? According to a recent study by the Child Trends DataBank in Washington, D.C., high school dropout rates have fallen. The numbers, however, tell a different story when they are organized by race.
Study: Teachers' Outlook Glum
Jun 4 2003 - The Dallas Morning News
Seventy-six percent of teachers believe they are "scapegoats for all the problems facing education," according to a new study by Public Agenda, a nonpartisan policy research group. The report, called Stand by Me: What Teachers Really Think about Unions, Merit Pay, and Other Professional Matters, discusses the views of more than 1,300 teachers on unions, tenure, pay-for-performance, alternative certification, and other issues. Access a free online copy of the report by clicking here.
The Condition of Education 2003
May 29 2003 - National Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics has published The Condition of Education 2003, a report that summarizes important developments and trends in education using the latest available data. Click on the above link to learn more and to order a free copy of the report.
Schools Subpar for Blacks and Poor
May 14 2003 - The Detroit News
A new study shows minorities continue to receive a substandard education despite the legal end of school segregation, according to a new report by the Education Trust. The advocacy group also found that minority students are not often enrolled in rigorous upper-level courses and are more likely to be taught by unqualified teachers. “Students don’t have to be in legally segregated schools to be segregated into different classes and therefore different futures,” observed Kati Haycock, the group’s director.
New Tests for Nation's Students to Cost $1.9B to $5.3B
May 9 2003 - USA TODAY
A new report from the General Accounting Office shows tests mandated for America’s students would cost $1.9 billion to $5.3 billion over the next seven years. If all states were only to use multiple-choice tests, the cost would be $1.9 billion. The cost grows, however, to $5.3 billion if all states were to use tests that contain multiple-choice and essay questions, according to the report.
Report: Uh, It's Like Student Writing is Bad
Apr 25 2003 - CNN
The National Commission on Writing in America's Schools and Colleges is calling for teachers and professors in all disciplines to be trained in how to teach writing, after discovering that most high school students lack satisfactory writing skills. The group has also recommended that writing be assigned in all classes and for tests to be revamped so they assess how well students plan and edit prose.
Teacher Morale, Unruly Pupils Top School Concerns
Apr 23 2003 - The Arizona Republic
A new study shows that Americans are more worried about teacher morale, ill-mannered students, and the lack of parental involvement and bureaucracy in public schools compared to standardized tests and accountability issues. The report by Public Agenda, a research and policy group in New York City, noted that standardized testing is important, but that other factors are hurting academic performance.
Report Finds Nation Still 'at Risk' in Education
Feb 26 2003 - The Washington Times
A report scheduled for release by the Koret Task Force on K–12 Education blames the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) for hindering school improvement efforts during the past two decades. According to the report, while “the NEA and AFT tout themselves as supporters of rigorous standards, their state affiliates regularly use their political clout to push for standards that are easily met and taught and that give the impression—through high pass rates—that teachers are doing a great job.” The report also states the primary objective of both organizations is to ensure no one loses a job.
Study Links Teachers, Failing Students
Feb 24 2003 - The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)
A new study has linked failing students in public schools to teachers with poor professional test scores. The report by the Louisiana Department of Education also revealed that teachers educated in other states score higher on professional exams than educators who earn degrees from any university in Louisiana. Education experts say to break this cycle “test scores should be given more weight in hiring teachers for struggling schools.”
Study: Teachers Fail to Grasp the Web's Potential
Aug 16 2002 - New York Times (requires free registration)
When it comes to the Internet and how it is used, who has the edge: teachers or students? A report released this week comes down firmly on the side of students, concluding that students tend to be far more adept than their teachers at finding creative educational uses for the Internet. The report was undertaken for the Pew Internet and American Life Project by the American Institutes for Research. Click above for the New York Times article, click here for a commentary on the report in the Christian Science Monitor, or visit www.pewinternet.org to download the full report.
Report: Exit Tests Hurt At-Risk Students
Aug 15 2002 - Washington Post
Eighteen states now require students to pass exams before graduating from high school, with that number projected to grow in the next six years. Is this a good or bad development? Supporters say that high-stakes exit exams offer a strong incentive for students to improve their academic performance. But a report released yesterday by the Center on Education Policy warns that the trend toward mandatory tests could put an increasing number of poor and minority students at risk of being denied diplomas, particularly because schools are not doing enough to prepare them for the exams. Click above for the news article, or visit www.ctredpol.org to access the full report.
Report: Neediest Schools Receive Less Money
Aug 12 2002 - New York Times (requires free registration)
In most states, school districts that educate the greatest number of low-income students receive far less state and local money per student than districts with the fewest poor students, a new report concludes. The greatest disparities can be found in New York ($2,152 per student) and Illinois ($2,060), notes the report, which was prepared by the nonpartisan Education Trust. The report strongly urges states to take responsibility for closing the gaps. Click above for the news article, or visit www.edtrust.org to access the full report.
Report: Number of Math Majors Down Sharply
Jul 24 2002 - American Mathematical Society
According to the American Mathematical Society’s most recent survey of undergraduate mathematics programs, the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded in mathematics in 2000 was down 14 percent from 1995 (and 19 percent from 1990). On the bright side, the number of students enrolled in statistics courses rose by 45 percent over the decade. Click above for the press release, or click here for the full 303-page report, which contains comprehensive data on mathematics majors, enrollments, curriculum, and faculty.
Census Report Says Education Pays, Even More So Now
Jul 18 2002 - Washington Post
Looking for ways to motivate your students to work hard in school? Try this message on for size: The more you learn, the more you earn. Researchers have known for years that people with more education make more money, but a new Census Bureau report concludes that the earnings gap is larger than ever, with college graduates earning almost two times as much as high school graduates over the course of their lifetimes. Workers with doctoral and professional degrees do even better. "The bottom-line message is that education pays off," said the report's co-author. "Over a lifetime, it makes a shockingly big difference." Click above for the news article, or click here for the Census report.
Report Ranks State Testing Programs
Jun 19 2002 - USA Today
North Carolina has the best testing program in the nation for K-12 students, says a new report by The Princeton Review. Rounding out the top five were: Texas, New York, Massachusetts, and Arizona. In determining the rankings, the report considered four criteria: how well the tests are aligned with state curriculum standards; test quality; openness of the testing program to public scrutiny; and whether the program spurs changes that lead to improved learning. Click above for the news article, or click here to go to the full report.
Report: Greater Percentage of Americans Educated
Jun 5 2002 - USA Today
Eighty percent of Americans are graduates of high school or higher, compared with 75.2% in 1990, according to data from the 2000 U.S. Census. In addition, more Americans than ever before are attending college and earning degrees. Experts say the trend towards a more educated populace makes sense. "The more you learn determines, on average, how much you earn," said Terry Hartle of the American Council on Education. "The public gets it, and they are rushing to increase their human capital."
Three New Reports Examine Status of Schools, Teaching Profession
Jun 4 2002 - NSTA
The National Center for Education Statistics, the statistical arm of the U.S. Department of Education, released three reports last week that examine key trends in education and the teaching profession. Of particular interest is a report that highlights trends in “out-of-field” teaching over a 13-year period, as well as across subjects (e.g., biology, chemistry, physics) and grade levels. Click above for more information…
Report Documents Trends in Science and Math Education
May 24 2002 - NSTA
What percentage of eighth grade students scored at or above the proficient level on the most recent NAEP science exam? How many high school students took upper-level science courses by the time they graduated in 2000? What percentage of science teachers are certified in their main field? And, on average, how many hours of professional development do science teachers participate in per year? For the answers to these and other questions, check out State Indicators of Science and Mathematics Education 2001, a biennial report produced by the Council of Chief State School Officers. The report provides national and state data on trends in science and math education, with a focus on four areas: student achievement, content and instruction, teacher preparation and supply, and conditions for teaching. Click here to read an online version of the report.
Research Underscores Need for Tough Courses
May 22 2002 - Education Week
If you know any students with college aspirations, you'd be wise to impart the following advice: Take demanding courses in high school. According to a set of papers presented last week, students who take more advanced coursework -- particularly in math and science -- are significantly more likely to attend college, finish college, and achieve high scores on college-entrance exams. And there's more good news: These findings appear to hold for students of all backgrounds and abilities. The problem, however, lies in the fact that too few students are taking a rigorous course sequence in high school. "We're simply not challenging our students enough," one researcher noted. Read more...
High School Boys Lagging Behind Girls, Study Says
May 21 2002 - Boston Globe
When the "gender gap" is invoked, it is common for educators to think in terms of girls needing to catch up with boys. But a new study centered on Massachusetts suggests just the opposite: It's the boys who face deeper trouble. According to the analysis, boys across the state -- and especially those in urban areas -- drop out of high school in significantly greater numbers than girls. Moreover, the education gap grows even wider by the end of college, with 130 women earning bachelor's degrees for every 100 men. What are the implications of this research, and how should educators respond? Click above to learn more...
National Survey Shows Continued Support for Standards Movement
Mar 8 2002 - Education Week
The research organization Public Agenda has released its chief findings from Reality Check 2002, the group's fifth annual survey on the academic-standards movement. According to the report, the standards movement continues to attract widespread support among teachers and parents, and public school students nationwide appear to be adjusting comfortably to the new status quo. In addition, despite some headlines trumpeting a "backlash to testing," the report finds strong agreement on the useful role standardized tests can play, with large numbers of adults giving testing a general thumbs-up. Click above to read the full report, which was published in the Mar. 6 issue of Education Week.
Study: Solid Curriculum Improves Math and Science Achievement
Feb 8 2002 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Preliminary findings from a new study of international math and science test results suggest that school districts can best improve student achievement by adding coherence (logical structure) and rigor (tough courses) to their curricula. In fact, a strong curriculum can cut in half the differences in academic performance caused by social class, the lead researcher estimates. Find out more...
New Report Examines Effective Professional Development for Math and Science Teachers
Feb 1 2002 - AERA News
Based on a national survey of math and science teachers, a team of educational researchers has identified six features of effective professional development. The team's findings are reported in the winter issue of the American Educational Research Journal. Click above to read a press release...
Researchers: Nature x Nurture = Startling Jump in IQs
Jan 25 2002 - Education Week
Since the early 1900s, average IQ scores have increased sharply--nearly 9 to 20 points a generation, researchers estimate. But if people’s intelligence is due mostly to heredity, as many experts contend, why is it that IQ scores have been rising at such a rapid pace? A pair of researchers think they might have the answer—-and if they’re right, the implications for education could be huge.
Many Schools Built Near Toxic Sites, Study Finds
Jan 23 2002 - Washington Post
According to a new report by an environmental coalition, hundreds of thousands of children nationwide are attending schools that were built on or near toxic waste sites, putting them at increased risk of developing asthma, cancer, learning disorders, and other diseases linked to environmental pollutants. At the heart of the problem, the report says, is the fact that most states and public school systems lack environmental standards for selecting school construction sites, leading many cash-strapped school systems to build on cheap land on or near toxic waste sites. The report calls on federal or state officials to develop guidelines that prohibit school construction near such sites. Click above for the Washington Post article, or click here to read the full report.
New Report Documents States' High-Tech Readiness
Jan 17 2002 - American Electronics Association
How well is your state preparing students to compete in a high-tech workforce? CyberEducation 2002, a new report by the American Electronics Association and the Nasdaq stock market, examines the condition of math, science, and technology education at the national and state levels. The report analyzes such factors as computer and Internet access in schools, student achievement scores in math and science, performance standards for K-12 students and teachers, and the number of engineering degrees conferred by colleges and universities. Click above for national highlights, or click here for state-by-state press releases.
National Survey Depicts Status of K-12 Science and Math Education
Jan 15 2002 - NSTA
What's the status of K-12 science and math education in the United States? A recently released report provides data on trends relating to teacher background and experience, curriculum and instruction, and the availability and use of instructional resources. Click above for more information...
Education Week Newspaper Releases Sixth Annual Report on States' Efforts to Improve Education; States Average a "C" Across Range of Categories
Jan 8 2002 - Education Week
Education Week (EW) released yesterday "Quality Counts 2002," the newspaper's sixth annual report on education progress in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to presenting the latest data on student achievement (including in science), the report grades the states in three areas: standards and accountability, efforts to improve teacher quality, and resources (adequacy and equity). This year, states averaged a C across those categories. Quality Counts 2002 also includes a special focus on states' efforts to provide high-quality pre-K and kindergarten experiences for young children. Past QC editions, which are still available at EW's website, have focused on such issues as standards, testing, and accountability; teacher quality; and urban education. Click the link above for this year's report, or click here for past reports.
U.S. Students Average Among International Peers in Reading, Math, and Science Literacy, New Study Shows
Dec 4 2001 - NSTA
U.S. 15-year-olds perform at the international average of their peers in other highly industrialized countries in reading, math, and science literacy, according to the first round of results from a new international study. Click above for a summary of the results (including science results), as well as for links to the full report and additional information.
Behind the Numbers: More Coverage of National Science Test Scores
Nov 28 2001 - Education Week
As reported in a previous story, the science test scores of the nation's public school students have remained essentially flat since 1996. But what's the story behind the numbers? As the article below points out, an analysis of NAEP test and survey data hints at how to improve science scores in the future. Of particular interest are two findings: 1) The more science courses that students take, the better they perform; and 2) Eighth graders whose teachers had an undergraduate major in science education scored higher than those whose teachers had majored in education. Read the complete Education Week article
for more analysis...
National Science Test Scores Show Flat Student Achievement; NSTA Responds
Nov 20 2001 - NSTA
The National Center for Education Statistics, an arm of the U.S. Education Department, released a key report today detailing student science achievement among the nation's fourth, eighth, and 12th graders. Overall, the report shows stagnant student test scores in science since 1996. Click the above link to get more information, including NSTA's response to the report.
Teaching, Standards, Tests Found Not Aligned
Nov 2 2001 - Education Week
What math and science teachers teach, what state standards expect, and what states' assessments test are rarely the same, researchers involved with the Survey of the Enacted Curriculum Project reported last week. "For the states we looked at, it doesn't look like their tests are driving instruction all that much," said Andrew C. Porter, who directed the research.
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