Mathematics Coursetaking and Achievement at the End of High School: Evidence from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002)
This report from the National Center for Education Statistics documents and examines the relationship between the number and types of math courses taken in the 11th and 12th grade and growth in mathematics proficiency over the same time period. The analysis identifies the coursetaking sequences most prevalent among contemporary high school students in their junior and senior years, sociodemographic characteristics of the students who follow these course sequences, and the association between specific courses and course sequences and mathematics gains over the last two years of high school. (1/08)
Aligning High School Graduation Requirements with the Real World: A Road Map for States
Recognizing that the standards students have to meet in the "real world" have become more demanding, a growing number of states are taking action to increase the requirements for earning a high school diploma. A policy brief from Achieve captures lessons learned by states that have put higher requirements in place. (1/08)
Minding the Gap: Why Integrating High School with College Makes Sense and How to Do It
A new book from Jobs for the Future explores policies and practices that the authors argue would quickly enable a larger number of low-income and first-generation college students to earn postsecondary degrees. Edited by Nancy Hoffman, Joel Vargas, Marc S. Miller, and Andrea Venezia, Minding the Gap calls for a system that thoroughly integrates secondary and postsecondary education—a system in which a college degree is the goal for all students. (11/07)
Accelerating Remedial Math Education: How Institutional Innovation and State Policy Interact
A new policy brief from Jobs for the Future looks at efforts in three community colleges to revamp their remedial mathematics programming. These three colleges and their efforts to accelerate developmental math provide a look at how institutional practice can be shaped by state and system policies. (10/07)
The Proficiency Illusion
A new report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and the Northwest Evaluation Association makes the case that tests that states use to measure academic progress under NCLB are creating a false impression of success, especially in reading and especially in the early grades. As a result, students may be performing worse than is readily apparent by looking at passing rates on state tests. (10/07)
Important, but Not for Me: Parents and Students in Kansas and Missouri Talk About Math, Science and Technology Education
A report from Public Agenda details Kansas and Missouri parents' and students' thinking about mathematics, science and technology education and their satisfaction with the existing curriculum. The report also explains why advanced courses aren't a priority in their families and what kinds of changes might be helpful in building more interest in and support for more rigorous math, science and technology courses. (10/07)
Encouraging Girls in Math and Science
According to a Practice Guide issued by the National Center for Education Research (NCER), to encourage girls in math and science, educators need to strengthen girls' beliefs about their abilities in math and science, spark and maintain greater interest in these subject areas and build associated skills. Developed by a panel of experts, this guide brings together the best available evidence and expertise to provide educators with specific and coherent evidence-based recommendations on how to encourage girls in the fields of math and science. Other school personnel having direct contact with students, such as coaches, counselors and principals also may find the guide useful. (10/07)
Career and Technical Education’s Role in Dropout Prevention and Recovery
A new issue brief from the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) argues that high-quality career and technical education can help more students persist in and complete high school, preparing them for the postsecondary education and training that will be critical to future economic success. (9/07)
CTE’s Role in Secondary-Postsecondary Transitions
The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) has released an issue brief which outlines strategies to ensure students’ successful transitions from high school to postsecondary education. The brief presents information on career and technical education initiatives that help strengthen the transition by preparing students for the rigor and expectations of postsecondary curriculum, helping to reduce remediation and adding relevance to academic study. (8/07)
The Promise of Dual Enrollment: Assessing Ohio’s Early College Access Policy
KnowledgeWorks Foundation presents results of an evaluation of Ohio’s Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) policy, a program that funds dual enrollment courses for high school students. The study found that students who participated in PSEO courses were more likely to complete degrees and got their degrees more quickly, but data limitations made it difficult to determine whether the program actually increases college access for underrepresented groups. (8/07)
Closing the Expectations Gap 2007
Achieve has released its annual report outlining states’ efforts to align high school standards, graduation requirements, assessments, and accountability systems with the demands. (7/07)
Rigor at Risk: Reaffirming Quality in the High School Core Curriculum
A study from ACT concludes that nearly three-quarters of high school graduates who take a core curriculum are still not prepared to take and succeed in credit-bearing college courses. Most of these students may need only a small amount of additional preparation to be ready for college, but 19 percent need substantial help in all four subject areas—English, mathematics, social science, and natural science. (7/07)
Hitting Home: Quality, Cost, and Access Challenges Confronting Higher Education Today
The Lumina Foundation for Education’s Making Opportunity Affordable project presents research that addresses the need for a high-skilled workforce. It recommends focusing resources on core academic priorities, streamlining student transitions to reduce rework and attrition, promoting timely degree completion to create increased capacity for new enrollment, and redesigning academic programs to improve student results while reducing cost. (7/07)
Course Credit Accrual and Dropping Out of High School
An Issue Brief from the National Center for Education Statistics examines differences in the average number of course credits earned between high school graduates and dropouts. Differences in course credit accrual by selected subjects (English, mathematics and science) also are reported. The findings from the analysis indicate that high school dropouts earn fewer credits than do on-time graduates within each academic year, and the gap in course credits accrued between dropouts and on-time graduates increased across academic years. (6/07)
The Learning Compact Redefined: A Call to Action
In their studies, the Commission on the Whole Child calls for increased attention to the conditions that are essential to learning. The authors argue that current educational practice and policy focuses overwhelmingly on academic achievement, a necessary but insufficient element of student learning and development, and only a part of any complete system of educational accountability. (6/07)
ACT National Curriculum Survey 2005–2006
A study by ACT finds a gap between what U.S. high schools are teaching in their core college preparatory courses and what colleges want incoming students to know in order for them to succeed in first-year courses. The findings of the study—a national curriculum survey completed by thousands of high school and college instructors across the country—suggest that colleges generally want all incoming students to attain in-depth understanding of a selected number of fundamental skills and knowledge in their high school courses, while high schools tend to provide less in-depth instruction of a broader range of skills and topics. (5/07)
Leaders and Laggards: A State-by-State Report Card on Educational Effectiveness
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has released a state-by-state report rating educational effectiveness. The report examines nine categories, including academic achievement of low-income and minority students, return on investment, rigor of standards and data quality. (3/07)
Strategies for Improving Student Success in Postsecondary Education
A report from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) examines why the U.S. has higher levels of access and lower levels of readiness and completion than other countries. The report also provides suggestions for how states can improve the preparation and performance of all students in postsecondary education, but particularly for the most disadvantaged students. (3/07)
Voices of Students on Engagement: A Report on the 2006 High School Survey of Student Engagement
The Center for Evaluation and Education Policy released results of the latest High School Survey of Student Engagement. Three-quarters of students surveyed said they were bored in class because the "material wasn't interesting," and students said activities in which they learn with and from peers are the most exciting and engaging. (3/07)
Advanced Placement Report to the Nation
The College Board has released its third annual report on the AP program, which includes statistics on the number of high school graduates who take the exams and how they score, by state and race ethnicity. The 2007 report also highlights the results of two independent studies, showing evidence for a relationship between AP participation and college success. (2/07)
America’s High School Graduates: Results from the 2005 NAEP High School Transcript Study
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) presents information and examines the types of courses 2005 high school graduates completed, how many credits they earned, and the grades they received. Information on the relationships between high school academic records and performance on the NAEP mathematics and science assessments also is included. Highlights of the findings include:
- graduates in 2005 completed more rigorous curricula than previous graduates;
- overall GPA has been climbing since 1990 and was 2.98 in 2005; and graduates with stronger academic records obtain higher NAEP scores. (1/07)
Lost Learning, Forgotten Promises: A National Analysis of School Racial Integration, Student Achievement, and “Controlled Choice” Plans
A report from the Center for American Progress considers the educational consequences of the considerable racial segregation that remains in schools today and the potential of controlled choice to address them. Using test score information required by the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the study analyzes the effects of segregation in more than 22,000 schools across the country that enroll more than 18 million students. The study finds that minorities in integrated schools learn more and perform better in both college attendance and employment. (12/06)
Academic Pathways, Preparation, and Performance: A Descriptive Overview of the Transcripts from the High School Graduating Class of 2003-04
A report from the National Center for Education Statistics uses transcript data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002) to provide nationally representative information about the level of academic preparation the high school graduating class of 2003-04 had when leaving high school. The report links coursetaking patterns with test achievement in mathematics, grade point average, and expectations for future educational attainment. (11/06)
Act on Fact: Using Data to Improve Student Success
The Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) has released the results of a survey administered directly to community college students at CCSSE member colleges during randomly selected classes. The survey asks questions about institutional practices and student behaviors that are highly correlated with student learning and retention. Results include national benchmarks and institutional benchmark scores for five key areas of engagement: active and collaborative learning, student effort, academic challenge, student-faculty interaction, and support for learners. (11/06)
Engaged Learning: Fostering Success for All Students
Findings from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) show that while student engagement helps all learners, those who come to college less well prepared academically or are from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds tend to benefit even more. Being involved in educationally purposeful activities such as interacting with faculty members and working with peers on projects inside and outside of class has positive effects on grades and increases the odds that students will return to college for a second year. (11/06)
The Fordham Report 2006: How Well Are States Educating Our Neediest Children?
The Thomas B. Fordham foundation appraises how states are doing in educating the neediest children in a report looking at 30 indicators across three major categories: student achievement for low-income, African American and Hispanic students; achievement trends for these same groups over the last 10-15 years; and the state's track record in implementing bold education reforms. (11/06)
Does School Choice Work: Effects on Student Integration and Achievement
A report from the Public Policy Institute of California examines the effects of school choice on achievement and integration in San Diego, a large and ethnically diverse district. The authors also discuss the possible national implications of their findings, owing to certain provisions of NCLB. (11/06)
The Progress of Education Reform 2006: Mentoring
The ECS’ Progress of Education Reform summarizes several recent reports on how and to what extent young people benefit from mentoring. The issue also contains links to Web sites with information on other research findings, tools for designing programs, and details about initiatives in all 50 states. (11/06)
Dual-Credit and Exam-Based Courses in U.S. Public High Schools: 2002-03
The Department of Education NCES issued the results of a national survey on information regarding dual credit courses at the high school level. These students earn both high school and postsecondary credits for the same course. This data provides collected information regarding the prevalence and characteristics of dual credit courses as well as information on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exam-based courses. (4/05)