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2. How Governors Scale High-Quality Youth Apprenticeship. White Paper
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National Governors Association, Baddour, Kristin, and Hauge, Kimberly
- Abstract
The outlook for high school graduates who have no postsecondary or industry-recognized credentials can appear bleak. Today, it is critical that young people obtain at least some training beyond high school to succeed in the job market. States bear a cost, too, when this is not achieved: They have a less skilled workforce to attract business investment and must allocate limited federal and state resources to more social services for their unemployed and underemployed youth. That is why governors are considering youth apprenticeship to connect more young people to career paths at an earlier age, while at the same time filling businesses' unmet workforce needs. Youth apprenticeship offers paid, hands-on work experience and related classroom instruction that result in postsecondary or industry-recognized credentials. Youth apprenticeship programs often remain underused, especially in high-growth, white-collar industries, but governors are exploring ways to guide development and expansion of these programs. This white paper explores three strategies that governors can use to expand youth apprenticeship: (1) Act as a public champion by setting a statewide vision and convening stakeholders to collaboratively implement that vision; (2) Allocate and use dedicated funding to start and expand programs that support youth apprentices and guide them through their career pathways; and (3) Implement policies that provide long-term support for high-quality youth apprenticeship programs. The governors of Colorado, Kentucky, Maryland and North Carolina have used these strategies to successfully develop and expand youth apprenticeship in their states. These states are highlighted in the case studies presented in this paper, which offer insights to inform other governors' efforts to expand youth apprenticeship and further connect high school education to workforce preparation and high-quality employment opportunities.
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- 2020
3. Education Topic Papers: A Governor's Dual Enrollment Framework for Success
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National Governors Association
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This topic paper details how dual and concurrent enrollment programs can help states overcome workforce readiness and postsecondary access and completion challenges and how governors can strengthen these programs by using their bully pulpit, agenda setting authority and budgetary authority to do so. It concludes with a number of examples of how governors are acting to strengthen equity and access to these programs. It also includes a number of resources for interested policy makers.
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- 2019
4. Turning the Page: A Behavior Change Toolkit for Reducing Paper Use
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Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), Van Leuvan, Nya, Highleyman, Lauren, Kibe, Alison, and Cole, Elaine
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In 2017, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and Root Solutions, with funding from the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund, created the "Turning the Page on Campus Paper Use" initiative to assist higher education institutions in developing and implementing paper reduction behavior change projects. "Turning the Page: A Behavior Change Toolkit for Reducing Paper Use" draws upon real world experiences from the Turning the Page initiative as well as other paper reduction campaigns. The concepts, concrete examples, and tools in this guide will empower practitioners to more effectively target paper consumption behaviors at their institutions. Although this guide focuses on tackling paper reduction efforts at higher education institutions, the advice and examples provided can be applied by any organization looking to foster more sustainable behaviors. The hope is that this guide gives the reader the background, inspiration, and confidence to ideate and implement the kinds of evidence-based behavior campaigns that can result in transformational impact at their organization. [This report was produced by Root Solutions. Funding was provided by the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund.]
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- 2019
5. Spending More on the Poor? A Comprehensive Summary of State-Specific Responses to School Finance Reforms from 1990-2014. CEPA Working Paper No. 19-01
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Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis (CEPA), Shores, Kenneth A., Candelaria, Christopher A., and Kabourek, Sarah E.
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Sixty-seven school finance reforms (SFRs) in 26 states have taken place since 1990; however, there is little empirical evidence on the heterogeneity of SFR effects. We provide a comprehensive description of how individual reforms affected resource allocation to low- and high-income districts within states, including both financial and non-financial outcomes. After summarizing the heterogeneity of individual SFR impacts, we then examine its correlates, identifying both policy and legislative/political factors. Taken together, this research aims to provide a rich description of variation in states' responses to SFRs, as well as explanation of this heterogeneity as it relates to contextual factors.
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- 2019
6. Apprenticeship in Brief. A Discussion Paper
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Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED) and Cheney, Gretchen Rhines
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A growing number of U.S. companies across a range of industries are designing apprenticeship programs to give workers access to on-the-job learning opportunities that allow them to transition into in-demand jobs and careers. This discussion paper provides a snapshot of the current state of apprenticeship in the United States based on interviews with national experts and key stakeholders engaged in apprenticeship implementation, including employers, community colleges, unions, and intermediaries. It explores what is needed to build successful programs and highlights current federal and state policy efforts to encourage registered apprenticeship expansion, noting barriers and lessons learned. Four recommendations for how to grow registered apprenticeship opportunities in the United States are: (1) Provide standardized models; (2) Reduce complexity; (3) Measure Value; and (4) Learn from Innovative Models. A sidebar presents examples of state incentives and supports for apprenticeship programs in Colorado, Maryland, and South Carolina. [This paper was produced with funding from the Nestlé USA corporation.]
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- 2017
7. Can You Hear Us Now? A White Paper on Connecting Minority-Serving Institutions in the West to U.S. Advanced Cyberinfrastructure. Lariat Summit on Minority Institutions and Cyberinfrastructure in the West (Bozeman, Montana, August 14-15, 2006)
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Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education and Fox, Louis
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Advanced information, communication, computation and collaboration technologies, known as "cyberinfrastructure," have become essential elements for research, education, and innovation in the 21st century. A major challenge confronting the United States today is how to ensure that all colleges and universities, including those that have not traditionally benefited from leading-edge research infrastructure, can participate seamlessly in national and multinational cyberinfrastructure-enabled efforts. The minority-serving-institution community has unique expertise, knowledge, and resources to share. Western leaders from the fields of science, education and cyberinfrastructure recognize an urgent need for action. Participants in the 2006 "Lariat Summit on Minority Institutions and Cyberinfrastructure in the West" gathered in Bozeman, Montana to develop strategies and recommendations for connecting minority-serving institutions in the West to national advanced cyberinfrastructure. This document is a first step towards developing both the will and the resources to ensure that minority-serving institutions are among the "connected" institutions in the Western states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, and Washington. (Contains 2 figures and 11 endnotes.) [Financial support for this white paper was provided by the University of Washington, Internet2, and the Pacific Northwest Gigapop.]
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- 2007
8. Last Paper Standing: A Century of Competition Between the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News: by Ken J. Ward, Denver, Colorado, University Press of Colorado, 2023, 271 pp.
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Hirshon, Nicholas
- Subjects
ELECTRONIC newspapers ,ASSAULT & battery ,LEAVE of absence ,POLICE shootings ,CHRISTMAS - Abstract
"Last Paper Standing: A Century of Competition Between the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News" by Ken J. Ward explores the rivalry between the two newspapers and the decline of multiple newspaper cities. The book highlights the intense competition between the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News, which lasted for over a century. It also delves into the personalities involved and the innovative ways the newspapers differentiated themselves to benefit readers. The author suggests that both newspapers could have coexisted, preserving the high standard of journalism, but ultimately only one newspaper survived. The book emphasizes the importance of preserving good newspapers and the loss that occurs when they fold. [Extracted from the article]
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- 2024
- Full Text
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9. Model Specifications for Estimating Labor Market Returns to Associate Degrees: How Robust Are Fixed Effects Estimates? A CAPSEE Working Paper
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Center for Analysis of Postsecondary Education and Employment (CAPSEE), Belfield, Clive, and Bailey, Thomas
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Recently, studies have adopted fixed effects modeling to identify the returns to college. This method has the advantage over ordinary least squares estimates in that unobservable, individual-level characteristics that may bias the estimated returns are differenced out. But the method requires extensive longitudinal data and involves complex specifications, raising the possibility that results are sensitive either to sample restrictions or to alternative specifications. Also, the extra requirements might not be justified if results from fixed effects models are broadly similar to those from conventional ordinary least squares models. In this paper we review results from fixed effects models of the earnings gains from completing an associate degree relative to non-completion for community college students. We examine both sampling restrictions and specification issues. We find results to be sensitive to assumptions about missing earnings data and to how time trend specifications are modeled. However, we find no substantively meaningful differences between estimates using fixed effects models and ordinary least squares methods. A main benefit of fixed effects models--controlling for unobservable student characteristics--should be weighed against the difficulty in interpreting coefficients and more intensive data requirements. On the other hand, a distinct advantage of fixed effects models is that they allow for analysis of earning profiles over the period from before to after college. Given the large fluctuations in earnings over this period, this advantage may be significant in yielding evidence on the full returns to college. The following two tables are appended: (1) Robustness Checks on Returns to Associate Degrees; and (2) Percentage Decline in Earnings From Two Quarters Prior to College Entry to Quarter of College Entry (Kentucky, Ohio).
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- 2017
10. Interpretation and Use of K-12 Language Proficiency Assessment Score Reports: Perspectives of Educators and Parents. WCER Working Paper No. 2016-8
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University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), Kim, Ahyoung Alicia, Kondo, Akira, Blair, Alissa, Mancilla, Lorena, Chapman, Mark, and Wilmes, Carsten
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A number of English language proficiency exams target grades K-12 English language learners (ELLs) because of the rising need to identify their needs and provide appropriate support in language learning. A good example is the WIDA ACCESS for ELLs (hereafter ACCESS), designed to measure the English language proficiency of students identified as ELLs. Every year approximately two million K-12 ELLs in the WIDA Consortium take ACCESS. After students complete the exam, score reports are provided to relevant stakeholders, including teachers and parents of the students. Because score reports are widely used by stakeholders for many purposes (e.g., placement, reclassification of ELLs), it is necessary to understand how they are interpreted and used in educational and home settings. Such information could be used to understand the usefulness of score reports and also to enhance their quality. However, there is little research on stakeholders' interpretation and use of score reports, especially in the context of K-12 ELL exams in the Unites States. Existing research is limited to teachers' interpretation of score reports (Impara, Divine, Bruce, Liverman, & Gay, 1991; Luecht, 2003; Underwood, Zapata-Rivera, & VanWinkle, 2007). For example, Impara et al. (1991) investigated the extent to which teachers were able to interpret student-level results on a standardized state assessment and the extent to which interpretive information provided on the reverse side of the student score report improved teacher understanding. Findings suggest that interpretive material helped facilitate teachers' understanding of student scores on the assessment. However, few studies have examined how stakeholders actually use the interpreted information. Moreover, very few (Miller & Watkins, 2010) have examined score reports from the parents' perspective. To gain a deeper understanding of the meaningfulness and utility of score reports, it is necessary to examine both educators' and parents' perspectives. The study on which this paper is based investigated how two stakeholder groups--K-12 ELL educators and parents--interpret and use ACCESS score reports. Findings from qualitative interviews offer implications for score report development in general and how to further enhance the quality of ACCESS score reports. In the study, the authors addressed the following research questions: (1) How do K-12 ELL educators and parents interpret the information in an English proficiency exam score report?; and (2) How do K-12 ELL educators and parents use the information in an English proficiency exam score report?
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- 2016
11. State Strategies to Scale Quality Work-Based Learning. NGA Paper
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National Governors Association, Center for Best Practices, Hauge, Kimberly, and Parton, Brent
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Industries in every state are struggling to find qualified applicants for jobs, while job seekers too often find they lack the skills needed to enter or move along a career pathway to a good job. Preparing a workforce that is poised to meet the needs of businesses and ultimately to make the state more economically competitive is a top priority for many governors. "State Strategies to Scale Quality Work-Based Learning" highlights strategies governors can implement to increase opportunities for high-quality, demand-driven work-based learning and prepare their citizens for the modern workforce.
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- 2016
12. The Untapped Potential of an Early Childhood Assessment System: A Strategy for Improving Policies and Instruction from Early Childhood through 3rd Grade. White Paper
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National Governors Association, Szekely, Amanda, and Wat, Albert
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Children's academic and social development before third grade is highly predictive of later success in school and beyond. Research shows that during those early years, the gains children make in language and literacy, mathematics and social skills, and their growth as learners and thinkers are associated with a range of benefits, from academic achievement to economic stability to healthy habits and behaviors. "The Untapped Potential of an Early Childhood Assessment System: A Strategy for Improving Policies and Instruction from Early Childhood through 3rd Grade" outlines how state leaders can reduce or streamline the assessments being used in early learning programs and elementary schools, achieve economies of scale for educator training and leverage existing data systems to yield more powerful data to inform decision-making.
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- 2016
13. Colorado K-12 & School Choice Survey: What Do Voters Say about K-12 Education? Polling Paper No. 26
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Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, Braun Research, Inc., and DiPerna, Paul
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The purpose of the "Colorado K-12 & School Choice Survey" is to measure public opinion on, and in some cases awareness or knowledge of, a range of K-12 education topics and school choice reforms. A total of 601 telephone interviews were completed from August 29 to September 16, 2015, with questions on the direction of K-12 education, statewide performance, education spending, grades and preferences for different types of schools, charter schools, school vouchers, education savings accounts, and tax-credit scholarships. The organization of this paper has three sections. The first section describes key findings and presents charts for additional context. The second section details the survey's methodology, summarizes response statistics, and provides additional technical information on call dispositions for landline and cell phone interviews and weighting. The third section lists the survey questions and results, allowing the reader to follow the survey interview as it was conducted with respect to item wording and ordering.
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- 2015
14. Evaluating Progress: State Education Agencies and the Implementation of New Teacher Evaluation Systems. White Paper. WP #2015-09
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Consortium for Policy Research in Education and McGuinn, Patrick
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In a 2012 paper for the Center for American Progress, "The State of Evaluation Reform," Patrick McGuinn (Drew University) identified the opportunities and challenges facing education agencies in Race to the Top (RTTT) grant-winning states as they prepared for the implementation of new teacher evaluation systems. The 2012 study undertook in-depth comparative case studies of six states: Tennessee, Colorado, Delaware, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania. For this paper the individuals interviewed in those states two years ago (or their replacements if necessary) were re-interviewed to understand how and why their efforts differ today. By analyzing state implementation efforts at two different points in time, the new study utilizes a longitudinal qualitative approach that can reveal the extent to which states are learning and adapting in this work over time. Rather than the detailed state case studies of State Education Agency (SEA) implementation work provided in the 2012 paper, this report uses a more thematic approach that will synthesize the lessons that have emerged from the field. This paper serves 2 purposes: (1) To provide a snapshot in time (Jan 2015) of SEA implementation efforts around new teacher evaluation systems; and (2) To contrast more recent implementation efforts with those two years earlier to understand the ways in which SEAs have (and have not) learned and adapted their implementation work over time. More specifically, the paper will address the following questions: What kinds of capacity--financial, personnel, technical--have SEAs added to support the implementation of new teacher evaluation systems? What kind of capacity is still lacking? How rapidly and how effectively are states implementing their new teacher evaluation systems? Why do some states appear to be having more success/smoother implementation than others? How are states approaching this implementation work differently from one another--do some approaches appear to be more or less effective than others? What challenges are emerging and how are states addressing these? What lessons can be learned from these "early adopter" states that can inform teacher evaluation reform in the rest of the country? How are states approaching the training of evaluators and the principals and teachers who are supposed to use the evaluations to improve personnel decisions and classroom instruction? How well are new teacher evaluation systems being aligned with other reforms such as the move to Common Core and new assessments? How are states dealing with the challenge of measuring student achievement in non-tested subjects? The following is appended: Interviews Conducted As Part of Research.
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- 2015
15. Optimizing Reverse Transfer Policies and Processes: Lessons from Twelve CWID States. Thought Paper
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Illinois University, Office of Community College Research and Leadership, Taylor, Jason L., and Bragg, Debra D.
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In 2012, five foundations launched the Credit When Its Due (CWID) initiative that was "designed to encourage partnerships of community colleges and universities to significantly expand programs that award associate degrees to transfer students when the student completes the requirements for the associate degree while pursuing a bachelor's degree" (Lumina Foundation, 2012, n.p.), also known as "reverse transfer." Initially, 12 states (Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Oregon) were funded to develop and implement these reverse transfer programs and policies, and the Office of Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was chosen as the research partner. In late 2013, three states (Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas) were added to bring the total number of states to 15. At least six additional states have legislation, pending legislation, or statewide initiatives related to reverse transfer. This thought paper describes changes that are occurring at the state, system, and institution levels with implementation of reverse transfer in the 12 original states. Using qualitative and quantitative data collected from the CWID Implementation Study, the authors describe efforts related to the optimization of reverse transfer in these 12 states. The authors define optimization as policy and program change at any level--state, system, or institution--that yields the largest number of students who are eligible for and able to benefit from reverse transfer. The initial results suggest that some states are piloting reverse transfer with a limited set of public community college and university partnerships, and others are striving for system-level reforms that eventually may impact all forms of transfer. Understanding what optimization means and how it works is possible because of this variation in implementation approaches among states, and this thought paper explores how states are implementing and optimizing reverse transfer.
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- 2015
16. Scaling Completion College Services as a Model for Increasing Adult Degree Completion. Lumina Issue Papers
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Lumina Foundation for Education, Johnson, Nate, and Bell, Alli
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An estimated 46 million adults have some college education but have not completed their degrees. For many, especially those who have accumulated several years' worth of credits, the inability to finish college remains a frustration. If the United States is to achieve its ambitious education attainment goals, many more adults with such experience must finish their degrees. While there is a role in this effort for every college and university, "Completion Colleges" offer an extremely cost-effective route to degrees for students who have substantial amounts of prior credit or experiences that can be translated into credit through prior-learning assessment. Serving adults with some college experience, while widely recognized as important, rarely gets the same attention from policymakers, trustee boards, and the news media as other key issues in American higher education. This paper, supported by Lumina Foundation, highlights the potential of Completion College services to help states, higher education systems, and separately accredited institutions to affordably graduate larger numbers of adults who have stepped out of college. There clearly is a market nationally for the types of flexible, student-centered, outcomes-based degree programs Completion Colleges deliver. In the vast majority of states that do not have a Completion College, this demand is often met by for-profit colleges, which market aggressively to recruit non-traditional students. Completion Colleges offer a public or nonprofit alternative to these students, for whom traditional public institutions are not always well suited. States with Completion Colleges are benefiting from a decades-old service model that is as relevant today as when the institutions were created. The potential for scaling these models is strong and should be explored.
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- 2014
17. A Human Capital Framework for a Stronger Teacher Workforce. Advancing Teaching--Improving Learning. White Paper
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Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Myung, Jeannie, Martinez, Krissia, and Nordstrum, Lee
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Building a stronger teacher workforce requires the thoughtful orchestration of multiple processes working together in a human capital system. This white paper presents a framework that can be used to take stock of current efforts to enhance the teacher workforce in school districts or educational organizations, as well as their underlying theories of how the teacher workforce improves over time. The paper refines and provides evidentiary support for a human capital system framework composed of four subsystems that ideally work together to build a stronger teacher workforce: (1) getting the right teachers in the right positions on time (Acquire); (2) supporting professional growth in school-based learning communities (Develop); (3) nurturing, rewarding, and challenging high-performing teachers (Sustain); and (4) informing evidence-based personnel decisions (Evaluate). Attention to this framework will engender a corps of teachers with the capacity and expertise to collectively facilitate enhanced educational outcomes.
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- 2013
18. Pathways to Postsecondary Education for Pregnant and Parenting Teens. Working Paper #C418
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Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) and Costello, Cynthia B.
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This report focuses on pathways to postsecondary education (PSE), including high school completion, for pregnant and parenting teens. Although birth rates among teens have declined in the United States over the last 20 years, one in seven adolescent females (14.4 percent) is expected to give birth before age 20 with females of color (24 percent of Hispanics and 21 percent of African Americans) more than twice as likely to have a child when compared with white females (10 percent) (OAH 2014). For too many of these adolescents, parenthood marks the end of their high school careers and aspirations for attending college. This is unfortunate because completing high school and earning a postsecondary degree or credential are critical for the economic well-being of both teen parents and their children. Very little is known about pathways to PSE for pregnant and parenting teens. Although some studies have focused on programs to prevent subsequent pregnancies among teen parents (Klerman 2004), research is lacking on effective approaches for preparing these students for college. This report represents a first step towards filling that gap. Drawing on a literature and program review, analysis of a small online survey conducted with Health Teen Network (HTN), and consultations with experts in the field, "Pathways to Postsecondary Education," examines barriers and promising approaches to support educational success for pregnant and parenting teens. Among the findings are: (1) More than two out of three young single mothers aged 18 to 24 are poor, and almost half of their children are poor; (2) Only about half of teen mothers receive a high school diploma by the age of 22, compared with about nine in ten women who do not have a child during their teen years; and (3) A survey supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation found that a third of the young women surveyed reported that becoming a parent played a major role in their decision to leave school. This report features eight programs that provide a range of academic and other supports and services to support pathways to PSE, including high school completion, among pregnant and parenting teens: (1) Florence Crittenton High School (FCHS) in Denver, Colorado; (2) Cal-SAFE in California; (3) New Heights in Washington, DC; (4) The Care Center in Holyoke, Massachusetts; (5) Keys to Degrees at Endicott College in Massachusetts; (6) Student Parent HELP Center (SPHC) at the University of Minnesota; (7) Generation Hope, a program started by a former teen mother in Washington, DC; and (8) The Jeremiah Program, a residential program in the twin cities of Minnesota. A list of experts consulted is appended. [This report is a product of IWPR's Student Parent Success Initiative.]
- Published
- 2014
19. Colorado Education: Looking to the Future. A Discussion Paper Prepared for the Colorado State Board of Education
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Colorado State Dept. of Education, Denver.
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In seeking a better match-up between the mission and the resources of the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), its senior leadership has not only been examining their own responsibility areas, but also the entire Department and how its highly varied components fit together. The starting point for this discussion paper was the State Board of Education's (SBE) Strategic Plan, which is the most global and coherent expression of the SBE/CDE mission. The other key reference point was the annual CDE budget, which comprehensively describes the resource allocation and is the foundation of annual dialogs with both the Executive and Legislative branches over both money and mission. The overview section of this paper examines perspectives on higher education, noting that those in K-12 must also have an understanding of post-secondary education realities. The succeeding sections--"Six Themes"--provides reflections on topics that recur in CBE's meetings and discussions about its work. The six themes are: (1) Prioritizing School Finance: Change in a Constant Cost Environment; (2) Early Childhood: The Unknown Imperative; (3) Literacy: Without Which Little Else Matters; (4) Choice: The Unfolding Revolution; (5) Data and Accountability: A Continuum; and (6) Focus, Intensity, and the Achievement Gap. The final section, "CDE: As We Are and As We Might Better Be," is a status report on the ongoing efforts to bring the mission and resources of CDE into the most realistic and productive relationship possible. An overarching purpose of this paper is to strongly resist the tendency to discuss mission and resources separately. In so doing, this discussion paper intends to bring clarity, strength, and renewed energy to CBE's role in charting a brighter course for the children of Colorado.
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- 2006
20. Developing and Evaluating an Eighth Grade Curriculum Unit That Links Foundational Chemistry to Biological Growth: Paper 5--Using Teacher Measures to Evaluate the Promise of the Intervention
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Flanagan, Jean C., Herrmann-Abell, Cari F., and Roseman, Jo Ellen
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AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) is collaborating with BSCS (Biological Sciences Curriculum Study) in the development of a curriculum unit for eighth grade students that connects fundamental chemistry and biology concepts to better prepare them for high school biology. Recognizing that teachers play an influential role in delivering the curriculum to students, we developed teacher support materials and professional development designed to help teachers use the unit effectively. In order to learn about the promise of the teacher support materials, we developed an assessment targeting aspects of participating teachers' (n = 8) science content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for the specific learning goals of the unit. Specifically, the assessment targeted three areas of teachers' knowledge: 1) content knowledge 2) knowledge of student thinking, and 3) knowledge of strategies to move student thinking forward, across four item contexts: 1) chemical reactions, 2) conservation of mass, 3) flow of matter in living systems, and 4) plant growth. Teachers took the assessment three times: before PD, after PD, and after teaching the unit. The assessment items were mainly constructed response and were scored using indicators of success and difficulty. Teachers made gains over time in most of the knowledge areas and across most of the contexts. Areas where they did not make clear progress, or where their knowledge was particularly low, indicated that either the assessment instrument or the teacher support materials could be improved. Revisions based on these findings are reported. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)
- Published
- 2013
21. Participation and Performance on Paper- and Computer-Based Low-Stakes Assessments
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Nissen, Jayson M., Jariwala, Manher, Close, Eleanor W., and Van Dusen, Ben
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Background: High-stakes assessments, such the Graduate Records Examination, have transitioned from paper to computer administration. Low-stakes research-based assessments (RBAs), such as the Force Concept Inventory, have only recently begun this transition to computer administration with online services. These online services can simplify administering, scoring, and interpreting assessments, thereby reducing barriers to instructors' use of RBAs. By supporting instructors' objective assessment of the efficacy of their courses, these services can stimulate instructors to transform their courses to improve student outcomes. We investigate the extent to which RBAs administered outside of class with the online Learning About STEM Student Outcomes (LASSO) platform provide equivalent data to tests administered on paper in class, in terms of both student participation and performance. We use an experimental design to investigate the differences between these two assessment conditions with 1310 students in 25 sections of 3 college physics courses spanning 2 semesters. Results: Analysis conducted using hierarchical linear models indicates that student performance on low-stakes RBAs is equivalent for online (out-of-class) and paper-and-pencil (in-class) administrations. The models also show differences in participation rates across assessment conditions and student grades, but that instructors can achieve participation rates with online assessments equivalent to paper assessments by offering students credit for participating and by providing multiple reminders to complete the assessment. Conclusions: We conclude that online out-of-class administration of RBAs can save class and instructor time while providing participation rates and performance results equivalent to in-class paper-and-pencil tests.
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- 2018
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22. Experiments in Political Socialization: Kids Voting USA as a Model for Civic Education Reform. CIRCLE Working Paper 49
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McDevitt, Michael and Kiousis, Spiro
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This report describes how an innovative curriculum promoted the civic development of high school students along with parents by stimulating news media attention and discussion in families. Evidence is based on a three-year evaluation of Kids Voting USA, an interactive, election-based curriculum. Political communication in the home increased the probability of voting for students when they reached voting age during the 2004 election. Thus, the interplay of influences from school and family magnified curriculum effects in the short term and sustained them in the long term. This bridging of the classroom with the living room suggests how Kids Voting offers a model for reforming civic education in the United States. Data are derived from a series of natural field experiments, beginning with interviews of 491 student-parent pairs in 2002. The authors evaluate the curriculum as it was taught in the fall of that year in El Paso County, Colorado, with Colorado Springs as the largest city; Maricopa, County, Arizona, which includes the Phoenix region; and Broward/Palm Beach counties, Florida, the epicenter for the ballot-recount saga of 2000. Students who were juniors or seniors in 2002 were interviewed in the fall/winter of 2002, 2003, and 2004. They were all of voting age by the fall of 2004, allowing the authors to determine whether participation in the curriculum in 2002 affected turnout in the presidential election two years later. The authors also interviewed one parent from each family each year. The voting records in the four counties were examined to provide a definitive assessment of whether the curriculum increased the likelihood of voting. Finally, the panel survey data was supplemented with qualitative insights obtained from focus group interviews. An appendix provides: (1) Electoral Contexts; (2) Data Collection Procedures; (3) Item Wording & Coding for All Measures; and (4) three supplemental tables. (Contains 7 tables and 7 figures.) [This Working Paper was produced by CIRCLE (The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement). For CIRCLE Working Paper 48, see ED494024.]
- Published
- 2006
23. Diversifying Teacher Compensation. Issue Paper
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Education Commission of the States, Denver, CO., Azordegan, Jennifier, Byrnett, Patrick, Campbell, Kelsey, Greenman, Josh, and Coulter, Tricia
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This issue paper builds on an earlier ECS publication that reviewed five leading pay-for-performance models or proposals at the time titled, Pay-for-Performance: Key Questions and Lessons from Five Current Models (2001). The Education Commission of the States and The Teaching Commission have joined together on this issue paper to provide: (1) An overview of the research on compensation systems that have ventured beyond the single salary schedule; (2) Some of the key findings about such a shift from both researchers and practitioners; (3) Key questions that have been gleaned from previous experiences; (4) An overview of some recent attempts to diversify teacher pay, both at the incremental and sweeping level; and (5) A comparison and detailed summaries of four leading programs and proposals at the district and school levels. Appended are: (1) Summaries of Four District and School Programs; (2) Governors' Current Teacher Compensation Initiatives; (3) Updates from 2001 Paper; and (4) Bibliography.
- Published
- 2005
24. Where Has the Money Been Going? A Preliminary Update. EPI Briefing Paper #281
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Economic Policy Institute, Alonso, Juan Diego, and Rothstein, Richard
- Abstract
For two decades, researchers at the Economic Policy Institute have been tracking nine school districts, typical of districts nationwide, to understand how the spending levels and composition in elementary and secondary education have changed over time. The first report, "Where's the Money Gone?" (1995) tracked expenditures from 1967 to 1991. The second report, "Where's the Money Going?" (1997) carried the analysis forward to 1996. These reports concluded that conventional views of the rise of education spending are exaggerated because inflation in educational services is more rapid than inflation in the economy overall. When an appropriate education price deflator is applied, elementary and secondary school spending increases since 1967 have been substantial, but not as much so as commonly believed. The authors have now completed a new analysis that carries the data through 2005. They find that the trends identified in earlier reports have continued: real spending increases that are slower than conventionally believed when an appropriate price deflator is used, and a continued growth of special education as a share of total elementary and secondary expenditures. Publication of the full report, covering changes in the level and composition of spending from 1967 to 2005, is forthcoming. Until that time, to assist researchers and policy makers, this briefing paper contains the data tables that will eventually appear in that full report. (Contains 40 tables.)
- Published
- 2010
25. Middle School Students' Conceptual Understanding of Equations: Evidence From Writing Story Problems. WCER Working Paper No. 2009-3
- Author
-
Wisconsin Center for Education Research, Alibali, Martha W., Kao, Yvonne S., Brown, Alayna N., Nathan, Mitchell J., and Stephens, Ana C.
- Abstract
This study investigated middle school students' conceptual understanding of algebraic equations. Participants in the study--257 sixth- and seventh-grade students--were asked to solve one set of algebraic equations and to generate story problems corresponding with another set of equations. Structural aspects of the equations, including the number of operations and the position of the unknown, influenced students' performance on both tasks. On the story-writing task, students' performance on two-operator equations was poorer than would be expected based on their performance on one-operator equations. Students made a wide variety of errors on the story-writing task, including (a) providing story contexts that reflected operations different from those in the given equations, (b) failing to provide a story context for some component of the given equations, (c) failing to include mathematical content from the given equations in their stories, and (d) including mathematical content in their stories that was not present in the given equations. The nature of students' story-writing errors suggests two main gaps in students' conceptual understanding. First, students lacked a robust understanding of the operation of multiplication. Second, students demonstrated difficulty combining multiple mathematical relationships into coherent stories. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.) [The research reported in this paper was supported by the McDonnell Foundation (Grant No.JSMF 97-56), the Interagency Education Research Initiative (Grant No. REC 0115661), and the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, School of Education, University of Wisconsin--Madison.]
- Published
- 2009
26. Can Online Learning Reproduce the Full College Experience? Center for Policy Innovation Discussion Paper. Number 3
- Author
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Heritage Foundation and McKeown, Karen D.
- Abstract
With the tuition cost of traditional colleges and universities soaring and education technology advancing, online courses and degree programs are becoming more common. Some critics argue that an online degree cannot provide all the important features of a traditional college education, from extracurricular activities to new professional networks, but the evidence disputes much of that criticism, especially for certain groups of students. Indeed, some aspects of online education may provide a better experience than a traditional brick-and-mortar college for some students. (Contains 49 footnotes.)
- Published
- 2012
27. Learning about Teaching: Initial Findings from the Measures of Effective Teaching Project. Research Paper. MET Project
- Author
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Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Abstract
In fall 2009, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project to test new approaches to measuring effective teaching. The goal of the MET project is to improve the quality of information about teaching effectiveness available to education professionals within states and districts--information that will help them build fair and reliable systems for measuring teacher effectiveness that can be used for a variety of purposes, including feedback, development, and continuous improvement. The project includes nearly 3000 teachers who volunteered to help researchers identify a better approach to teacher development and evaluation, located in six predominantly urban school districts across the country: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Dallas Independent School District, Denver Public Schools, Hillsborough County Public Schools (including Tampa, Florida), Memphis City Schools, and the New York City Department of Education. As part of the project, multiple data sources are being collected and analyzed over two school years, including student achievement gains on state assessments and supplemental assessments designed to assess higher-order conceptual understanding; classroom observations and teacher reflections on their practice; assessments of teachers' pedagogical content knowledge; student perceptions of the classroom instructional environment; and teachers' perceptions of working conditions and instructional support at their schools. The current findings include: (1) In every grade and subject, a teacher's past track record of value-added is among the strongest predictors of their students' achievement gains in other classes and academic years. A teacher's value-added fluctuates from year-to-year and from class-to-class, as succeeding cohorts of students move through their classrooms. However, that volatility is not so large as to undercut the usefulness of value-added as an indicator (imperfect, but still informative) of future performance; (2) Teachers with high value-added on state tests tend to promote deeper conceptual understanding as well; (3) Teachers have larger effects on math achievement than on achievement in reading or English Language Arts, at least as measured on state assessments; and (4) Student perceptions of a given teacher's strengths and weaknesses are consistent across the different groups of students they teach. Moreover, students seem to know effective teaching when they experience it: student perceptions in one class are related to the achievement gains in other classes taught by the same teacher. Most important are students' perception of a teacher's ability to control a classroom and to challenge students with rigorous work. Appended are: (1) Sample 8th Grade BAM Item; and (2) Example from Stanford 9 Open-Ended Reading Assessment. (Contains 1 figure, 11 tables and 14 footnotes.) [For "Learning about Teaching: Initial Findings from the Measures of Effective Teaching Project. Policy Brief. MET Project," see ED528388.]
- Published
- 2010
28. Education for Deliberative Democracy: The Long-Term Influence of Kids Voting USA. CIRCLE Working Paper 22
- Author
-
McDevitt, Michael and Kiousis, Spiro
- Abstract
This progress report provides evidence for persistent influence of Kids Voting USA (KVUSA), an interactive civic curriculum taught during election campaigns. The entire research project consists of multiple waves of student and parent interviews, covering a three-year period. Respondents were recruited from families in Arizona, Colorado, and Florida. The students were juniors and seniors when first interviewed in the aftermath of the 2002 election. The survey results from that year, described in an earlier report, are used as a baseline indication of the immediate influence of KVUSA. Those results provided substantial evidence for the initial effects of Kids Voting on students, on parents, and on family norms for political competence. The question now is whether this optimistic impression is warranted once one looks at the long-term effects. In other words, did the curriculum exert a lasting influence or was its impact fleeting and ultimately inconsequential in the lives of students and parents? Based on a second wave of interviews, this report describes the extent of Kids Voting effects one year after student participation. The results show a consistent and robust influence of Kids Voting after the passage of 12 months despite controlling for demographics such as family socioeconomic status and parent history of voting. In 25 tests of curriculum influence, Kids Voting USA netted 21 effects in the areas of news media use, discussion, cognition, opinion formation, and civic participation. An appendix presents: Item Wording & Coding for Measures. (Contains 10 tables, 2 figures, and 2 endnotes.) [This working paper was produced by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE).]
- Published
- 2004
29. A Cost Allocation Model For Shared District Resources: A Means For Comparing Spending Across Schools. CRPE Working Paper 2004-4
- Author
-
Washington Univ., Seattle. Center on Reinventing Public Education., Miller, Lawrence J., Roza, Marguerite, and Swartz, Claudine
- Abstract
Recent policy changes at the state and federal levels have made schools the focus of accountability. However, under current district budgeting practices, it is difficult to assess how resources are distributed between schools and whether every school is afforded the same opportunity to meet its educational goals. This paper addresses one key driver of spending variation between schools: shared district resources. Shared resources, including programs, staff, and funds managed by the central office for the purpose of educating children, are not reported in school budgets despite the fact that they can represent a substantial portion of the total resources which benefit any one school. To capture these funds and gain an understanding of how they are distributed, a cost allocation for shared district resources is presented here. Application of the model to Denver Public Schools increased reported school-level spending by one-third. A spending comparison of two middle schools demonstrates how spending from shared resources varies significantly from one school to another. As a result, simple measures of spending, such as school-based resources, often miss important sources of spending variation. Contains three tables, and seven end notes.
- Published
- 2004
30. The Civic Bonding of School and Family: How Kids Voting Students Enliven the Domestic Sphere. CIRCLE Working Paper 07
- Author
-
McDevitt, Michael, Kiousis, Spiro, Wu, Xu, Losch, Mary, and Ripley, Travis
- Abstract
The influence of Kids Voting USA, an interactive civics curriculum taught during election campaigns, is assessed in the context of three field experiments that took place during the fall of 2002. The research sites are Maricopa County, Arizona; El Paso County, Colorado; and Broward/Palm Beach counties, Florida. The authors present findings from the first wave of a panel study on the long-term effects of the curriculum on high school juniors and seniors and their parents. Data were collected from N=559 student-parent dyads. Results from standardized questionnaires are supplemented with focus-group interviews of students. The authors identify the initial curriculum effects on students, on parents, and on the family system as a setting for developmental growth. After looking at impacts of the entire curriculum, they examine whether specific components help to account for particular results. Finally, they point to implications for innovations in civics education. The following is appended: Item Wording & Coding for Measures. (Contains 5 figures and 16 tables.) [This working paper was produced by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE).]
- Published
- 2003
31. As a State, What Level of Participation in Postsecondary Education Is Necessary To Assure a Just and Economically Successful Society? Colorado Commission on Higher Education Master Plan Background Paper.
- Author
-
Colorado Commission on Higher Education, Denver.
- Abstract
This paper presents an evaluation of Colorado's educational needs related to economic competitiveness and to providing equal access to higher education. The paper looks at the Colorado economy's shift toward an information/service based system. Thus the paper argues, the educational needs of Colorado's workforce are higher and to maintain its competitive edge, those needs must be met. Also discussed are demographic shifts changing the makeup of the future workforce which will be older, more female and more diverse. Also, the paper argues, demographic shift will not lead to an equitable distribution of educational participation without efforts to increase the participation of previously disenfranchised individuals. Consequently a statewide ethnic minority graduation goal of 18.6 percent by the year 2000 has been adopted. If that goal is funded by the state, the public institutions would need to graduate an additional 1,484 minority graduates above current projects in the year 2000. The paper argues that if Colorado public educational institutions are to continue to produce their current percentage of the demand for sub-baccalaureate and baccalaureate degrees, the estimated annual cost to the state for public institutions to meet that demand is $45 million above the costs already estimated in the higher education demand projections. Ten references are included. (JB)
- Published
- 1992
32. 2000 NAEP--1999, TIMSS Linking Report. Working Paper Series. NCES 2005-01
- Author
-
National Center for Education Statistics (ED), Washington, DC.American Institutes for Research (CRESS), Kensington, MD., Educational Testing Service, Atlanta, GA., Johnson, Eugene, Cohen, Jon, Chen, Wen-Hung, Jiang, Tao, and Zhang, Yu
- Abstract
This is the second study linking NAEP to TIMSS. The first study linked the 1996 NAEP to the 1995 TIMSS (Johnson, 1998). This study attempted to link the 2000 grade 8 NAEP in mathematics and science to the 1999 grade 8 TIMSS (which also assessed mathematics and science). The major purpose of both studies, assuming a successful link, was to allow comparisons of states that participated in NAEP with nations that participated in TIMSS. The earlier study offered little opportunity for validation of the resulting linkage, and the possible validations yielded mixed results. The link worked at grade 8 in the sense that the predicted TIMSS results for Minnesota and Minnesota's actual TIMSS results were close to each other. The link did not work at grade 4. The predicted TIMSS results for both Colorado and Minnesota were considerably higher than the actual TIMSS results. What went wrong with the grade 4 linkage was never definitively determined.
- Published
- 2005
33. How Can Postsecondary Education Be More Accountable to Colorado Citizens? Colorado Commission on Higher Education Master Plan Background Paper.
- Author
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Colorado Commission on Higher Education, Denver.
- Abstract
This paper explores current Colorado postsecondary academic assessment and accountability efforts and offers a framework for decision-making about how to alter or enhance those efforts. The paper makes a distinction between assessment and accountability efforts from the statewide perspective. Assessment is defined as the use of measurement techniques to determine the impact of education on students. Accountability is defined as the use of assessment results to inform the public of the performance of the state's postsecondary education system. Also described are current practices which range from the legislatively mandated Higher Education Accountability Program (HEAP) to institution-based activities. A following section analyzes the adequacy of these current efforts arguing that HEAP is generally successful, that program accreditation and program review are effective, and that "The Scorecard," an annual publication offering a summary of a number of measures, has potential for becoming a valuable tool. National perspectives on postsecondary assessment and accountability are also reviewed. The paper concludes by proposing four options: (1) maintain assessment and accountability efforts currently underway; (2) discontinue or scale back current assessment activities, while enhancing accountability; (3) develop one system to do both assessment and accountability; and (4) continue current assessment activities, while enhancing accountability efforts. (Author/JB)
- Published
- 1992
34. How Can the Postsecondary Education Process Become More Effective, Particularly at the Undergraduate Level? Colorado Commission on Higher Education Master Plan Background Paper.
- Author
-
Colorado Commission on Higher Education, Denver.
- Abstract
This paper identified factors within the higher education environment that significantly influence student retention rates and the timely graduation of traditional full-time, first-time, degree seeking students in the state of Colorado. The paper uses the research findings of national studies and other studies conducted by Wisconsin and California. Profiles of Colorado students were developed with information from a state longitudinal student tracking system. The first of three main sections looks at factors influencing undergraduate student productivity rates: student academic preparedness, family socioeconomic status, and the higher education academic environment. A second section looks at the amount of time that students take to complete baccalaureate degree requirements noting that it has been increasing. Several factors that increase time to graduation are examined including taking fewer credits in order to work while in school, taking additional courses, changing the major field of study, difficulties with registering for courses, repeating coursework, and needing better advising. A summary argues that increasing the productivity of higher education institutions is subject to many complex factors and that each institution must have their own particular plan for affecting graduation and retention rates. Fourteen references are cited. (JB)
- Published
- 1992
35. Education by Chance or by Choice: Challenges and Options Facing Colorado Postsecondary Education as It Prepares To Enter the Twenty-First Century. Colorado Commission on Higher Education Master Plan Background Paper.
- Author
-
Colorado Commission on Higher Education, Denver.
- Abstract
This paper looks at current trends in higher education nationally and in Colorado. It offers projections for the future to assist the development of possible strategies and directions for higher education in the early 21st Century. Opening sections look at higher education broadly noting the Colorado vision statement for postsecondary education, the current public crisis of confidence in higher education, the slow economy, projected increasing demands on the higher education system, and changes in labor market expectations. A central section argues that Colorado citizens' desires for higher education will increase significantly by the turn of the century but that the state is not in a good position to meet the financial obligation involved in such an increased demand. The paper argues that, in order to sustain the state's vitality, the state must consider ways to provide for increased needs within the given financial constraints and that decision-makers will be forced to decide among competing values. The balance of the paper discusses six possible strategies for solving this dilemma: (1) sustain public funding for increased postsecondary education demand; (2) prioritize access to postsecondary education; (3) constrain convenience to postsecondary education; (4) allow the quality of postsecondary education to decline; (5) improve the productivity of postsecondary education; and (6) consider new ways of subsidizing postsecondary education. (JB)
- Published
- 1992
36. Traumatic Brain Injuries. Guidelines Paper.
- Author
-
Colorado State Dept. of Education, Denver. Special Education Services Unit.
- Abstract
This paper on traumatic brain injuries begins with statistics on the incidence of the disorder, especially as they relate to Colorado. Traumatic brain injury is then defined, and problems caused by traumatic brain injury are discussed. The components of effective programming for students with traumatic brain injuries are described, followed by the implications for schools at the district level, the building level, the classroom level, and the personal service provider level. Appendices offer suggestions for transition programming, physical care planning and support, individual health care plans, environmental management and support, differentiated academics, programming in the life skills area, developmental/compensatory skill development, and effective instruction. A list of print resources and organizational resources serving Colorado concludes the paper. (JDD)
- Published
- 1991
37. The Colorado Commission on Higher Education Implementation of House Bill 1187. Colorado Commission on Higher Education Master Plan Background Paper.
- Author
-
Colorado Commission on Higher Education, Denver.
- Abstract
This paper reviews progress on Colorado's Postsecondary Education Master Plan which forms the policy direction of the state's higher education system. In particular it reviews the Colorado Commission on Higher Education's (CCHE) implementation of Colorado State legislative House Bill 1187 (HB1187). Each major section of the legislation is presented with background, statutory directive, CCHE response, and a summary. The review suggests that some sections might be eliminated because they are overly specific, obsolete, or no longer serve the purpose for which they were adopted. Also identified are sections that may need to be strengthened, updated, or amended. The legislation's sections include the following: (1) finance and appropriations; (2) capital construction and long-range planning; (3) program approval, review, reduction and discontinuance; (4) admission standards; (5) tuition reciprocal agreements; (6) off-campus programs; (7) systemwide planning; (8) accountability; and (9) programs of excellence. A conclusion argues that CCHE has been successful in developing policies, procedures and studies that satisfy the major directives and reinforce the goals of HB1187. This section also argues that some areas of legislation may need revision if the state's fiscal resources continue to decline and if amendments to the state's constitution force change in higher education policy. (JB)
- Published
- 1992
38. What Must Postsecondary Education Provide To Meet Individual Student Expectations? Colorado Commission on Higher Education Master Plan Background Paper.
- Author
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Colorado Commission on Higher Education, Denver.
- Abstract
This paper looks at meeting Colorado student expectations of higher education by looking at demographic trends within Colorado's current undergraduate student population and some of the factors that may influence future student needs. Section I looks at the state's student population and notes that, though nationally 33 percent of undergraduates are traditional students, in Colorado 52 percent are still traditional with only rural areas of the state experiencing an increase in nontraditional students and a decrease in traditional student populations. This rural population has influenced a statewide shift toward more nontraditional students. Among racial and ethnic groups the Hispanic and White student populations increased while the Black, Native American, and Asian representation in the total student population remained relatively constant. An increase in the number of women in undergraduate study came primarily among nontraditional students in urban and rural areas. The largest increase in part-time students occurred among the traditional age rural population. Also the state population as a whole is expected to increase by nearly 10 percent by 2001. Implications of these trends are that the state must adjust the provision of educational opportunities to be more responsive to the needs of the student population. A conclusion notes some specific programs and initiatives that have already been successful. (JB)
- Published
- 1992
39. The School-to-Work Transition of High School and Community College Vocational Program Completers: 1990-1992. EQW Working Papers WP27.
- Author
-
National Center on the Educational Quality of the Workforce, Philadelphia, PA. and Stevens, David W.
- Abstract
The school-to-work transition of high school and community college vocational program completers in 1990-1992 was examined by analyzing administrative records and employment and earnings data of vocational program completers from state education agencies in Colorado, Florida, Missouri, and Washington. A consistently high percentage of vocational program completers at both the high school and postsecondary levels continued an uninterrupted affiliation with the same employer during the bridge period encompassing their last months in school and first few months after leaving school; however, substantial movement between/among employers during the first years after the former students left school was observed. Former students who continued with the same employer through the bridge period were consistently found to have higher earnings than their classmates while they were still in school, shortly after leaving school, and at the end of the postschool reference period. It was concluded that knowledge about a former student's occupational assignment within a place of employment is not needed to predict that employee's earnings; rather, awareness of the person's industry affiliation is an acceptable substitute for that purpose. (Forty tables/figures and 86 endnotes are included. Appended are additional information on the wage-record components examined and calculation of a full-time earnings threshold amount.) (MN)
- Published
- 1994
40. Student Demand and Financial Projections for Colorado Higher Education, Fiscal Years 1993 through 2002. Colorado Commission on Higher Education Master Plan Background Papers.
- Author
-
Colorado Commission on Higher Education, Denver.
- Abstract
This report presents tables, charts and analysis on projection of demand for Colorado postsecondary education from 1993 to 2002 for use as a baseline in policy making discussion. The projections are called "baseline" because they are based on an "All Things Remaining the Same" assumption, assuming that current enrollment patterns as measured by the last 6 years will apply in the future. The data and analysis cover the following topics: (1) headcount by institution type; (2) in-state graduate and undergraduate students; (3) out-of-state graduate and undergraduate students; (4) projections of first-time students; (5) population projections; (6) enrollment levels (full- or part-time); and (7) percentages of females. A section on financial implications of the projections covers revenue estimates, changes from 1986-87 to 1992-93, 1993-94 projections and 2001-02 projections. A final section looks at projection of degrees granted by level. An executive summary notes that overall, public, in-state headcount enrollment is likely to increase by 22.2 percent by 2001 and that to maintain a state share of cost per student of 66 percent, a $100 million increase in state funding will be needed. In addition, overall undergraduate enrollment could grow at a slightly higher rate than graduate enrollment. (JB)
- Published
- 1992
41. Validation Studies for Early Learning and Care Quality Rating and Improvement Systems: A Review of the Literature. Working Paper WR-1051-DOEL
- Author
-
RAND Labor and Population, RAND Education, Delaware Office of Early Learning, and Karoly, Lynn A.
- Abstract
Care Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRISs) have advanced and matured, a number of states and localities have undertaken evaluations to validate the systems. Such efforts stem from the desire to ensure that the system is designed and operating in the ways envisioned when the system was established. Given that a central component in a QRIS is the rating system, a key concern is whether the rating process, including the use of particular measures and the manner in which they are combined and cut scores are applied, produces accurate and understandable ratings that capture meaningful differences in program quality across rating levels. The aim of this paper is to review the set of studies that seek to validate QRIS rating systems in one of several ways: by examining the relationship between program ratings and objective measures of program quality; by determining if program ratings increase over time; and by estimating the relationship between program ratings and child developmental outcomes. Specifically, we review 14 such validation studies that address one or more of these three questions. Together, these 14 studies cover 12 QRISs in 11 states or substate areas: Colorado, Florida (two counties), Indiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia. In reviewing the literature, we are interested in the methods and measures they employ, as well as the empirical results. To date, most validation studies have found that programs with higher ratings had higher environment rating scores (ERSs), but the ERS is often one of the rating elements. Independent measures of quality have not always shown the expected positive relationship with quality. The handful of studies that have examined how ratings change over time have generally shown that programs participating in the QRIS did improve their quality or quality ratings. Studies that examine the relationship between QRIS ratings and child development are the most challenging to implement and can be costly to conduct when independent child assessments are performed. Consequently, there has been considerable variation in methods to date across these studies. Among the four studies with the stronger designs, two found the expected relationship between QRIS ratings and child developmental gains. The lack of robust findings across these studies indicate that QRISs, as currently configured, do not necessarily capture differences in program quality that are predictive of gains in key developmental domains. Based on these findings, the paper discusses the opportunities for future QRIS validation studies, including those conducted as part of the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge grants, to advance the methods used and contribute not only to improvement of the QRIS in any given state, but also to add to the knowledge base about effective systems more generally. [This report was prepared for the Delaware Office of Early Learning.]
- Published
- 2014
42. Who Chooses Incentivized Pay Structures? Exploring the Link between Performance and Preferences for Compensation Reform in the Teacher Labor Market. CEDR Working Paper. WP #2014-8
- Author
-
Center for Education Data & Research (CEDR), Goldhaber, Dan, Bignell, Wes, Farley, Amy, Walch, Joe, and Cowan, James
- Abstract
In this paper we report on research examining the revealed preferences of teachers in Denver Public Schools who were given the opportunity to select between remaining on a traditional salary schedule or opting in to one of the nation's highest profile pay reform systems, Denver's Professional Compensation System for Teachers. The incentive structure creates differential earnings risk for teachers according to their experience and measured effectiveness as well as their staffing assignment and school. We find that teachers are generally responsive to the eligibility criteria, but many teachers who would have earned more under the new system chose not to participate. Survey evidence suggests that teachers' notions of fairness and confusion about the structure of the new system may have contributed to these decisions. The following are appended: (1) ProComp Program Information; and (2) Survey Details.
- Published
- 2014
43. Toward a More Comprehensive Model of Teacher Pay. Working Paper 2008-06
- Author
-
Koppich, Julia
- Abstract
Since the announcement in 1999 of a plan to tie teachers' salary increases to student achievement by Denver Public Schools, there has been a flood of nationwide policy activity around teacher compensation. This paper examines pay plans in Denver, Toledo, Minneapolis, and New York City, offering a snapshot of the changing landscape of teacher compensation while suggesting a number of factors and conditions that contribute to developing and implementing these new forms of teacher pay. (Contains 8 online resources and 11 footnotes.)
- Published
- 2008
44. Fiscal Response of School Districts to District Fiscal Capacity and State Aid. Working Papers in Education Finance, Paper No. 15.
- Author
-
Education Commission of the States, Denver, CO. Education Finance Center., Adams, E. Kathleen, and Vincent, Phillip E.
- Abstract
Data on 174 Colorado school districts were used to measure districts' responses (as indicated by per-pupil expenditures) to their own fiscal capacity and to state aid that changes over time. Colorado's modified guaranteed tax base (GTB) formula was analyzed and a model constructed that took into account the formula's limits on district spending and its year-to-year changes in a district's state aid based on the district's tax revenues in the preceding year. Such changes comprise an "intertemporal price variable." Data were collected on such variables as district wealth (total and residential assessed value), income, state and federal aid, enrollment size and growth, percentage of minority pupils, and agricultural land prices. Using linear and log-linear correlation equations, researchers analyzed the variables' effects on districts' total and locally-derived expenditures and on the elasticity of these expenditures in relation to changes in other variables' values. Results indicate that Colorado's GTB formula has had significant effects neither on differences across districts in expenditures per student nor on the strong correlation between assessed valuation and expenditures. The results also carry implications for the construction of models of districts' fiscal responses. (RW)
- Published
- 1978
45. Tax Base Composition and Family Income in Measuring School District Fiscal Capacity. Working Papers in Education Finance, Paper No. 12.
- Author
-
Education Commission of the States, Denver, CO. Education Finance Center., Vincent, Phillip E., and Adams, E. Kathleen
- Abstract
The authors' review of several studies on school district fiscal response to state aid formulas precedes a summary of their research results from case studies of Colorado and Minnesota. The studies reviewed examined factors influencing district fiscal capacity and expenditure changes made in response to aid formulas, especially to formulas'"fiscal price" aspects (where additional aid is made dependent on district tax rate increases). In the summary of research on Colorado and Minnesota, both of which have modified guaranteed tax base formulas, the authors examine numerous variables' effects on district fiscal response and note the elasticity of the responses. The variables covered include household income, residential property values, state and federal aid, the formulas' fiscal price effects, pupil density and growth rate, percentage of minority pupils, and number of districts per square mile in a district's surrounding region. In their conclusions the authors discuss modifications in state aid formulas, including weighting for income and other variables, and long term changes in such factors as property values and fiscal capacity. A lengthy appendix provides 10 tables showing the Colorado and Minnesota results and also lists the data sources. (RW)
- Published
- 1978
46. Teaching Standard Versus Non-Standard Spanish in a Study Abroad Program. Lektos: Interdisciplinary Working Papers in Language Sciences, Special Issue.
- Author
-
Louisville Univ., KY. Interdisciplinary Program in Linguistics. and Lozano, Anthony Girard
- Abstract
The question of teaching a standard dialect to Chicano students who are studying abroad has implications for teaching any standard versus nonstandard dialect. The University of Colorado has a program at the Universidad Veracruzana in Jalapa, Mexico, in which the policy is to teach standard Mexican Spanish (the cultivated norm of Mexico City) as an additional dialect to those students who already speak Chicano Spanish. One technique is to provide written exercises which develop the reading and writing skills of those students fluent in Colorado Spanish. Broadly speaking, the main differences between this dialect and standard Mexican Spanish lie in different pronunciations of the same lexical items and in the use of different lexical items for the same concept. Although the syntactic patterns of the two dialects are similar, there are certain recurring syntactic patterns in Colorado Spanish which can be termed nonstandard forms, calques or anomalous forms. Various types of exercises dealing with these dialect differences are used in the composition class: dictations, "proof reading" exercises, two-page compositions, and translation exercises. Four passages from student compositions are examined in this paper for instances of nonstandard usage. (Author/CFM)
- Published
- 1976
47. Learning from the Successes and Failures of Charter Schools. Discussion Paper 2012-06
- Author
-
Brookings Institution, Hamilton Project and Fryer, Roland G.
- Abstract
Our education system is in desperate need of innovation. Despite radical advances in nearly every other sector, public school students continue to attend school in the same buildings and according to the same schedule as students did more than a hundred years ago, and performance is either stagnant or worsening. One of the most important innovations in the past half-century is the emergence of charter schools, which, when first introduced in 1991, came with two distinct promises: to serve as an escape hatch for students in failing schools, and to create and incubate new educational practices. We examine charter schools across the quality spectrum in order to learn which practices separate high-achieving from low-achieving schools. An expansive data collection and analysis project in New York City charter schools yielded an index of five educational practices that explains nearly half of the difference between high- and low-performing schools. We then draw on preliminary evidence from demonstration projects in Houston and Denver and find the effects on student achievement to be strikingly similar to those of many high-performing charter schools and networks. The magnitude of the problems in our education system is enormous, but this preliminary evidence points to a path forward to save the 3 million students in our nation's worst-performing schools, for a price of about $6 billion, or less than $2,000 per student. (Contains 1 table, 2 boxes, 3 figures and 5 endnotes.)
- Published
- 2012
48. Strategic Pay Reform: A Student Outcomes-Based Evaluation of Denver's ProComp Teacher Pay Initiative. CEDR Working Paper No. 2011-3.0
- Author
-
Center for Education Data & Research (CEDR), Goldhaber, Dan, and Walch, Joe
- Abstract
There is significant and growing interest in teacher pay reform as a number of states and localities have begun experimenting with departures from the single salary schedule--a pay system employed in most school districts, which links teacher pay solely to degree and experience level (Chait, 2007; Goldhaber, 2009; Podgursky and Springer, 2007). Denver's Professional Compensation System for Teachers (ProComp) represents what is arguably the nation's most high-profile example of strategic pay reform. ProComp's origins date back to 1999 when Denver Public Schools (DPS), with the local teachers union's cooperation, initiated a pilot program meant to increase student achievement and attract and retain highly effective teachers. The program gained support as a pilot, and in 2004, union members ratified a proposal for a more comprehensive program which became ProComp. In order to assess whether ProComp has succeeded in increasing student achievement, the authors explore three primary questions: (1) Is there a ProComp "system effect"? Is student achievement higher in years after the implementation of ProComp?; (2) How effective are teachers who choose to opt in to ProComp, compared to teachers who choose not to opt in?; and (3) How does the allocation of rewards in the ProComp system correspond to teacher effectiveness? The authors' findings document significant student learning gains in DPS across grades and subjects. The source of those gains, however, are not altogether clear as there is not a consistent pattern across grade level and subject: in some cases the gains appear primarily amongst students with ProComp teachers, while in other cases non-ProComp teachers are found to be more effective. Though puzzling, these findings are not inconsistent with research on other well-known interventions that include elements similar to ProComp. Two other results that have potentially far-reaching policy implications are clearer. The first is that "ProComp effects" are not always concentrated solely amongst teachers enrolled in ProComp. The second is that some of the ProComp awards do successfully target teacher effectiveness. However, several of the ProComp bonuses appear unrelated to either current or future teacher value-added measurements. Whether this is good or bad is clearly a normative question as some might argue that these awards are rewarding aspects of classroom instruction not strongly associated with students' test achievement. (Contains 5 figures, 6 tables, and 56 footnotes.)
- Published
- 2011
49. State Level Library Acquisitions Resource Allocation Model. AIR Forum 1980 Paper. Forum 1980 Paper.
- Author
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Geiger, Joseph J. and Feagler, Virginia M.
- Abstract
A state-level library acquisitions model is described, and the results of a two-year implementation by Colorado appropriating agencies are analyzed. The model was developed to address two problems: (1) determining library collection standards for each campus; and (2) presenting campus acquisition needs in a way that differentiated campus roles and needs. It employs a simultaneous quantitative (two-digit) approximation of campus role and mission with respect to the roles and missions of all other campuses in the state. Acquisition costs are determined, and a process is developed for full or partial funding of each campus' need without disrupting the overall relative needs of all campuses. State legislative response is noted. (Author)
- Published
- 1980
50. Planning Faculty Staffing for the 1980's: A Case Study. AIR Forum 1981 Paper.
- Author
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Geiger, Joseph and Manning, Charles W.
- Abstract
The development and use of the faculty staffing forumla for Colorado, prepared by the Association of Public College and University Presidents (APCUP), is examined, and a recent major attempt to update or modify the formula is described, along with the outcome. Based on the work of representatives from many campuses, a large scale computer simulation was developed, using as input numbers of full-time-equivalent faculty and students for each two-digit code of the Higher Education General Information Survey and for four student levels. The student-faculty ratios were initially determined for each discipline/level combination, and by overlaying the student mix for each campus on the matrix of ratios, projections were made of the total faculty needed by each campus. The first iteration of the process resulted in substantial reallocation of faculty both within and between campuses. Subsequent iterations caused the individual ratios to be adjusted based upon experience, campus data, and analyses of individual campus priorities. The 4 x 36 matrix clearly differentiates by level of instruction and by discipline at the same time equity in the distribution of resources is promoted by requiring all campuses to request resources at the same productivity level for instruction at a given level and discipline. Role differentiation is promoted by overlaying each campuses' student mix, by discipline and level, on the matrix of ratios. It is suggested that the formula achieved the goal of moderating the decline of faculty resources but failed to reduce the general debates over equity, role differentiation, and appropriate funding levels. A new approach that reduces line item accountability and that is compatible with increased budget flexibility has been approved. (SW)
- Published
- 1981
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