Cpre Knowledge Hub

In a new study, researchers found that a suite of digital games and videos centered on "The Cat in the Hat" had meaningful impacts on young children's knowledge of - and engagement with - science and engineering concepts. Study coauthors Todd Grindal (SRI International) and Megan Silander (EDC) join CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss their team's findings, and some important implications for early childhood education, policy and future research.

More than 100,000 public schools across the U.S. have closed their doors as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, spurring an unprecedented shift to online education. Millions of instructors and students - from kindergarten through college - are now teaching and learning at home. And many are doing so for the first time. We sit down with Nada Dabbagh, George Mason University professor and coauthor of the 2019 book “Meaningful Online Learning: Integrating Strategies, Activities, and Learning Technologies for Effective Designs.” Dabbagh offers some research-backed strategies for effective online teaching and learning, and some practical tips for instructors – and families – trying to maintain a quality educational experience outside of the classroom.

Can homeschooling research provide some guidance for the millions of American families impacted by school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic? We talk with Robert Kunzman, Martha Lee and Bill Armstrong Chair for Teacher Education at Indiana University Bloomington and managing director of the International Center for Home Education Research. Kunzman shares insights from more than 15 years of research into homeschooling practice and policy, and offers some evidence-based strategies for families hoping to maintain a quality educational experience at home.

On the 100th episode of Research Minutes, renowned researchers Jennifer O’Day and Marshall “Mike” Smith join CPRE Director Jonathan Supovitz to discuss an ambitious vision of the future of American education. Drawing on their new book “Opportunity for All,” Smith and O’Day discuss decades of research into educational inequality and the failures of past efforts aimed at addressing it. They also present a research-backed framework to promote quality – and equality – in schools across the country.

Researchers have found that teacher turnover costs U.S. schools billions of dollars each year. Significantly less is known, however, about its impacts on teaching quality and staff composition. A new study of those "hidden costs," coauthored by the University at Albany’s Lucy Sorensen and Duke University’s Helen Ladd, finds that turnover can have significant and lasting negative impacts on instructional staff quality and student achievement. Sorensen joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss the study and some important takeaways for education policy and future research.

A new study of thousands of American families examined the relationship between teacher race, ethnicity and parental engagement in Head Start early childhood programs. The study, coauthored by UCLA's Anna Markowitz, found that race and ethnicity matching between teachers and parents can lead to notable impacts on parental involvement, workshop attendance and even student absenteeism. Markowitz joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss those findings and some important implications for policymakers, practitioners and families across the country.

In a new study, researchers examined the accuracy and consistency of grades and test scores in measuring a high school student’s academic readiness for the college. The study, coauthored by the University of Chicago’s Elaine Allensworth, found that students with the same GPA or ACT score can complete college at significantly different rates, depending on the high school they attended. Allensworth joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss those and other findings, and some important implications for education policy and future research.

Community schools – which offer a variety of supports to serve the comprehensive needs of students, families and their communities – have dramatically expanded in the U.S. in recent years, with more than 5,000 now operating nationwide. In a new study, researchers from the RAND Corporation examined the implementation and impacts of the New York City Community Schools Initiative, the largest program of its kind in the nation. The study, coauthored by RAND’s William Johnston, found that the initiative has had positive impacts on a range of outcomes, including student attendance and grade progression. Johnston joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss his team’s findings, and some key takeaways for community school policymakers, school leaders, researchers and other stakeholders.

For many prospective students and families, it can be difficult to understand the full costs of attending and completing a post-secondary degree program. To make those costs more transparent, the federal government requires all colleges participating in federal student aid programs to post a net price calculator (NPC) on their official website. A recent study, however, finds that NPCs can provide incomplete, outdated or even misleading information to prospective students. Study co-author and Penn AHEAD executive director Laura Perna joins CPRE Executive Director Jonathan Supovitz to discuss her team's findings and some important implications for higher education policymakers and college officials.

In the first study of its kind, researchers examined the impacts of dual-credit math coursework on a range of student outcomes, including college enrollment and course-taking behavior. The study, performed in Tennessee and co-authored by UNC Chapel Hill's Steven Hemelt, finds that certain dual-credit courses can have a significant impact on a student's academic journey. Hemelt joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss his team's findings, and their implications for policy, practice and future research.

Nearly 20 states use the edTPA performance assessment system to determine if pre-service teachers are ready for the classroom. A new study led by Rutgers University's Drew Gitomer and UCLA's Jose Felipe Martinez now raises questions about the reliability and validity of edTPA measurements. Gitomer and Martinez join CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss their findings, recently published in the American Educational Research Journal, and some important implications for performance assessment policy and future research.

A new study of hundreds of K-12 math teachers examines how race and gender can play a role in grading practices - and potential implicit biases - in the classroom. The study, coauthored by University of Southern California researcher Yasemin Copur-Gencturk, finds that student "ability ratings" can change based on the race or gender of both the student and the teacher. Copur-Gencturk joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss the study and some important implications for policy, practice and future research.

While many studies have examined the impact of gentrification on urban neighborhoods and housing, relatively few have examined its effects on local schools. A new study led by Stanford University’s Francis Pearman provides the first national evidence on patterns and relations of gentrification with respect to urban schooling, finding links between race, socioeconomic status and enrollment in neighborhood schools. Pearman joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss his findings and their potential implications for urban policy and future research.

Do skills like working memory and inhibitory control play a role in reading comprehension? A new study of more than 18,000 students led by Temple University’s Isabelle Chang examines the relationship between executive function and reading comprehension outcomes throughout elementary school. Chang joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss her findings and some important takeaways for teachers, parents, policymakers, and fellow researchers.

More than half of all students enrolling in community college are placed into developmental education, the non-credit math and English courses designed to prepare students for college-level work. A newly published statewide study, however, found that a significant percentage of Florida students had been misplaced in the developmental education system. CNA research analyst Daniel Leeds and Florida State University’s Christine Mokher join CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to the discuss the study, and what their findings might say about our current approach to college placement.

Nearly 800,000 low-income families across the U.S. receive childcare subsidies through the federal Child Care Development Fund each month. A new study, led by IDB's Wladimir Zanoni and Georgetown University's Anna Johnson, finds that those subsidies can play a role in a student's academic performance throughout elementary school. Zanoni joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss the study, and its potential implications for early childhood policy and future research.

As part of our new Cornerstone Series, we look back at two articles that have helped change the way educators, policymakers, and researchers view systemic education reform efforts in the U.S. We welcome Teacher’s College professor Thomas Hatch, author of the 2002 article “When Improvement Programs Collide” and co-author of the seminal 2004 study, led by Meredith Honig, “Crafting Coherence: How Schools Strategically Manage Multiple, External Demands.” Hatch joins Fordham University’s Elizabeth Leisy Stosich to discuss his and Honig's work, its ongoing influence, and new knowledge he’s accumulated over the past two decades.

Gifted services - the academic programs and supports offered to children with exceptional talents or abilities - can open new doors for students throughout their education. A new national study, however, finds that those services are significantly more likely to be directed to students from wealthier, more advantaged families. Study co-author and Vanderbilt University researcher Jason Grissom joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss his team's findings, and some important implications for gifted services policy and practice.

Advanced degree borrowers now account for roughly 40 percent of the nation's $1.6 trillion in total student loan debt, and a new study finds that some students are more likely to bear that burden than others. The study, coauthored by Stanford University researcher Jaymes Pyne, examines the growth of graduate student debt in the U.S., and its disproportionate impacts on African Americans and economically disadvantaged students. Pyne joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss his findings, their implications, and some important takeaways for stakeholders across the country.

In an effort to address workforce needs and serve local students and families, a growing number of U.S. community colleges have begun offering bachelor's degree programs in recent years. A new national study finds that those offerings - while beneficial to students - can also lead to college-wide increases in tuition and fees. Study co-author and University of Florida researcher Justin Ortagus joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss the study, and some important implications for higher education policy and future research.