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The study evaluated the Personalized, Relevant, Engaged for Postsecondary (PREP) intervention implemented by Portland Public Schools (PPS) to promote student engagement in alternative high schools. The PREP intervention integrated three key components: project-based learning (PBL); career technical education (CTE), including certified CTE programs and career-related learning experiences (CRLEs); and social and emotional learning (SEL). The study examined the fidelity of implementation over two years using a pre-defined rubric. The study also used a comparative interrupted time series design to examine the effects of the intervention on measures of engagement and high school progression. The study found that PREP key components were implemented with adequate fidelity during the 2020-21 school year but not during the 2021-22 school year. Results from the impact study did not identify a statistically significant impact of the PREP intervention on retention and credit accumulation. However, the study found promising evidence that PREP may have decreased rates of severe absenteeism. The findings indicate that providing comprehensive assistance is crucial in helping opportunity youth.

The call for more expansive access to bilingual education is grounded in a comprehensive synthesis of evidence on the benefits of bilingual education, bilingualism, and biliteracy for students and the larger social fabric. Many studies find that access to bilingual education programs has a medium to large positive impact on students' academic achievement, while also supporting a higher likelihood of being reclassified out of English learners (EL) status to fluent English proficient. Importantly, the benefits of bilingual education and bilingualism go beyond academic and English language outcomes, with benefits for students' home language development, cognitive functioning, social-emotional and sociocultural outcomes, and students' future employment and earnings. This paper looks at the next 25 years of education and policy making regarding students classified as EL. Given the strong research evidence on the benefits of bilingual education and need to address barriers to opportunity experienced by English learners, this paper strengthens the case for federal, state and local education policy and action that looks toward the implementation of bilingual education as the standard service--rather than exception--for EL-classified students. [For the executive summary, see ED628814.]

Teachers Educating All Multilingual Students (TEAMS) is a teacher professional development program at Oregon State University that culminates in an English for speakers of other languages endorsement and/or a dual language specialization. TEAMS is partially funded through an Office of English Language Acquisition National Professional Development grant from the U.S. Department of Education, and participants receive scholarships to cover tuition. This study explores whether TEAMS professional development had an impact on the academic outcomes of English learner students whose teachers participated in TEAMS. The study authors used a two-step matching procedure to identify a group of comparison teachers in TEAMS school districts who appeared likely to enroll in TEAMS. They then selected a subset of students who had statistically indistinguishable demographic characteristics, program enrollment, and academic achievement from TEAMS students. Due to complications related to the COVID-19 pandemic, reliable assessment data were only available for the academic year 2018/19. The study found that teachers' participation in TEAMS positively impacted English learner students' English language arts assessment outcomes. English language arts testing scores of English learner students taught by TEAMS teachers were 0.348 standard deviations higher than those of comparison students taught by comparison teachers. This difference is statistically significant and of moderate size, representing a 13.6 percentile point increase for an average English learner student. Teachers' participation in TEAMS had no impact on students' English language proficiency outcomes.

The call for more expansive access to bilingual education is grounded in a comprehensive synthesis of evidence on the benefits of bilingual education, bilingualism, and biliteracy for students and the larger social fabric. Many studies find that access to bilingual education programs has a medium to large positive impact on students' academic achievement, while also supporting a higher likelihood of being reclassified out of English learners (EL) status to fluent English proficient. Importantly, the benefits of bilingual education and bilingualism go beyond academic and English language outcomes, with benefits for students' home language development, cognitive functioning, social-emotional and sociocultural outcomes, and students' future employment and earnings. This is the executive summary for the report, "Bilingual Education and America's Future: Evidence and Pathways. A Civil Rights Agenda for the Next Quarter Century." [For the full report, see ED628813.]

The purpose of this research brief was to synthesize key findings about levers to increase course access for students classified as English Learners in secondary settings. Specifically, we focus on malleable levers that are under the control of educators and policymakers. We reviewed eleven levers under three domains: (1) state and district policies, (2) school programmatic decisions, and (3) school staffing. For each lever, we assigned one of four ratings that best summarized the strength of the relationship between the lever and course access for students classified as English Learners. Overall, our brief finds limited research that directly connects individual levers to course access for students classified as English Learners. Among the eleven levers we examined, only two had a clear body of prior research that directly linked these levers to course access for students classified as English Learners. However, we found that three additional levers had evidence of impacting other educational outcomes for students classified as English Learners. Meanwhile, we found four levers with research linking the levers to Learners. Finally, we identified two levers that theory suggests could improve course access for students classified as English Learners, but where there was not empirical research on the topic, or current research has found mixed or limited support for the levers' impact. Importantly, we found that levers within each of the three domains we explored--state and district policies, school and programmatic decisions, and school staffing--were linked to improved course access (or related outcomes) for students classified as English Learners. Individual policymakers, administrators, and teachers all have the ability to remove barriers and open opportunities for students classified as English Learners.

This study examines trends in educator turnover and retention, and the relationships of those trends to educator and school characteristics, during a six-year period (2012/13 to 2017/18, with 2011/12 as the base year) in Alaska. Turnover refers to educators leaving their positions, while retention refers to educators staying in their positions at schools and districts. The study also summarizes the retention strategies used by eight school districts from across the state. Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Northwest conducted this study in response to a request from a group of school superintendents who are members of the Alaska State Policy Research Alliance, a REL Northwest partnership. The alliance brings together policymakers and education stakeholders, including the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, the Alaska Superintendents Association, and the University of Alaska, to use research and evidence to inform state and local education policy. These stakeholders were seeking a more in-depth understanding of educator turnover and retention patterns in Alaska to inform the development and prioritization of recruitment and retention strategies by state and district policymakers. To address the stakeholders' request, the study team explored the following research questions: (1) What were the teacher, principal, and superintendent (educator) turnover rates by year in Alaska during the 2012/13 to 2017/18 school years? (2) What community, school, educator, and student characteristics are associated with educator turnover? and (3) What is the relationship between superintendent and principal turnover and teacher turnover? Key findings: (1) From 2012/13 to 2017/18, statewide turnover rates for teachers remained steady at around 22 percent. Rates for principals varied from 23 to 33 percent. Rates for superintendents fluctuated from 19 to 40 percent. Most of the teachers, principals, and superintendents who turned over were leavers, meaning they left the state or remained in the state but were no longer educators; (2) Turnover rates were higher in rural areas than in urban areas, with the highest rates in more remote schools; (3) Many teachers who changed districts moved from one rural school to another rural school; (4) Teachers and principals who were prepared outside Alaska and teachers who were in their first year in either their school or the Alaska K-12 school system were more likely to turn over the following year; (5) Lower salaries, holding more than one position, and teaching at more than one school site were related to increased teacher turnover; (6) High-poverty, high-diversity, and smaller schools were more likely to experience teacher turnover; and (7) Principal and teacher turnover were linked: Schools that experienced principal turnover also had high teacher turnover. We found no evidence that superintendent turnover was related to teacher or principal turnover. Implications: This study suggests that state and local policymakers may want to consider increasing the supply of Alaska-educated teachers; improving teacher working conditions, especially in rural schools; and equipping principals to better support teachers and leverage their input to improve educator retention. The implications of this study may also apply to rural districts and other communities that have many non-local educators.