Cpre Knowledge Hub

A new study by American Institutes for Research (AIR) researchers Jordan Rickles and Kristina Zeiser examines the effects of a school-wide focus on deeper learning in 16 U.S. high schools. They join CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss their findings, which include significant positive impacts on post-secondary enrollment, interpersonal skills, and academic outcomes. Rickles and Zeiser also offer some key takeaways for school leaders, teachers, and policymakers hoping to understand and promote deeper learning in their own schools.

Can exposure to high-achieving boys or girls have long-term impacts on a student's behavior, decision making, and academic success? A new study of more than 10,000 students examines the influence of gender composition in middle and high school classrooms. Co-author and Cornell University researcher Angela Cools discusses her findings - which include notable effects on female students - and some important takeaways.

Each year millions of American K-12 students take classes online, augmenting traditional coursework or attempting to recover lost credits on the road to graduation. Despite its growing presence in schools, however, digital instruction can often have mixed results. Vanderbilt University's Carolyn Heinrich recently led a multi-year study of dozens of urban high schools to find out how - and how well - students are learning online. She joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss her findings - including a negative association between online course taking and learning - and some valuable takeaways for schools leaders, teachers, and policymakers.

In many urban districts, where cost constraints and expanding school choice options have reduced or eliminated access to traditional school bus service, students increasingly rely on public transportation. In a new study, Johns Hopkins University researcher Marc Stein examines the impact of public transportation use on student absenteeism, finding a significant link between how - and whether - students get to school. He joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss his findings and their potential implications for families, school leaders, and other stakeholders.

Eight states have now formally banned affirmative action, prohibiting the use of race in the evaluation of college applicants. A new study by Southern Methodist University's Dominique Baker set out to understand the political, social, and economic climates of those states prior to ban adoption. Baker joins Marybeth Gasman, director of the Penn Center for Minority-Serving Institutions, to discuss her findings, their potential implications, and the impacts affirmative action bans can have on diversity, equity, and college admissions.

For decades, research has documented notable and persistent gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged students. From funding to teacher quality to external school support, many of these gaps continue to pose complex challenges for schools, districts, and policymakers. Those issues drive the May 2019 issue of Phi Delta Kappan Magazine, and this week we partner with Kappan to discuss their causes, impacts, and potential solutions. Today we welcome Harvard University researcher Ebony Bridwell-Mitchell, whose new article explores how external school partnerships can perpetuate and even grow inequalities between advantaged and disadvantaged schools. She joins Rand Quinn, senior researcher with the Consortium for Policy Research in Education, to discuss her findings and their potential implications for school leaders, policymakers, and other stakeholders. To read more about educational resources and equity, pick up the May 2019 issue of Kappan Magazine or visit www.kappanonline.org.

For decades, research has documented notable and persistent gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged students. From funding to teacher quality to external school support, many of these gaps continue to pose complex challenges for schools, districts, and policymakers. Those issues drive the May 2019 issue of Phi Delta Kappan Magazine, and this week we partner with Kappan to discuss their causes, impacts, and potential solutions. Today we welcome Dan Goldhaber, director of the Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) at the American Institutes for Research, to discuss the latest research on teacher quality gaps in U.S. schools. He joins Doug Ready, director of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) at Teachers College. To read more about educational resources and equity, pick up the May 2019 issue of Kappan Magazine or visit www.kappanonline.org.

A new study led by Harvard University's Carly Robinson shows that attendance awards - one of the oldest and most widely used interventions for absenteeism - can actually lead students to miss more days of school. Robinson joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss her findings, their potential explanations, and some key takeaways for those hoping to curb absenteeism in their own schools.

In the wake of a national college admissions scandal, involving wealthy parents, bribes, cheating, and some of the country's elite universities, undergraduate admissions practices - and their impact on equity and student diversity - are facing renewed scrutiny. Don Hossler, senior scholar with the Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice at USC, discusses the ongoing reverberations of the scandal, and a new exploratory study of the nonacademic factors used by some universities to evaluate applicants.

When new charter schools open, how do they impact traditional public schools in the same district? Charter opponents claim they increase district costs and alter student composition at traditional schools, while proponents claim they drive competition, efficiency, and force positive change. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis researcher Christian Buerger recently led a study to find out who was right. He joins CPRE Director Jonathan Supovitz to discuss his findings, which include some noteworthy short- and long-term impacts on traditional schools. Research Minutes is also available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, YouTube and more.

For decades arts education has been disappearing from American schools, particularly those serving minority student communities. But a new initiative is attempting to turn back the clock. Texas A&M University researcher Daniel Bowen discusses his new study of Houston's Arts Access Initiative, a collaborative effort launched in 2013 to expand arts education opportunities for city students. He discusses his findings - which include notable impacts on academic performance and engagement - and their implications for stakeholders nationwide.

Each year millions of entering college students are required to take non-credit, developmental education courses in subjects like math, reading, and writing, an unforeseen speed bump that can contribute to "stopout" and racial achievement gaps. In 2013 Florida took a new approach, making developmental education optional for the vast majority of students. Florida State University's Toby Park recently led a multi-year study of the initiative, finding that it led to notable gains in course passing rates and minority student achievement. He joins CPRE research specialist Robert Nathenson to discuss his findings and some important takeaways for stakeholders across the U.S.

Each year nearly 14 percent of Americans - including millions of school-age children - move from one home to another. In cities like New York, where roughly 40 percent of students move at least once between third and eighth grade, residential mobility can have significant impacts - both positive and negative - on student outcomes. We sit down with Temple University's Sarah Cordes, who recently led a comprehensive study of more than 90,000 New York City students to understand the impacts of moving on school performance. Cordes joins CPRE research specialist Adrianne Flack to discuss her findings and offer some key takeaways for families, policymakers, and stakeholders across the country.

While many studies have examined the connections between minority students, minority teachers, and immediate outcomes like test scores, few have attempted to track those impacts through high school and into college. A new study led by American University's Seth Gershenson did just that, and uncovered some dramatic findings about the long-run impacts of same-race teachers. Gershenson joins University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education researcher Rand Quinn to discuss those findings, and their potential implications for practitioners, policymakers and researchers across the country.

For decades, education researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders have advocated for a wide range of reforms to elementary school instruction. A new study of five urban school districts set out to determine how - and how well - those reforms are being implemented in the classroom. Harvard University's Heather Hill joins CPRE senior researcher Caroline Ebby to talk about her article "Learning Lessons From Instruction: Descriptive Results From an Observational Study of Urban Elementary Classrooms." Hill discusses her key findings and provides some important takeaways for districts, teachers, researchers, and policymakers across the country.

Catherine Augustine, director of the RAND Corporation's Pittsburgh Office, discusses one of the first ever rigorous evaluations of restorative practice in a city school district. Augustine joins CPRE senior researcher Ryan Fink to discuss her findings, which included notable impacts on school climate and student suspension.

New York City's "school improvement industry" - the myriad external groups and organizations working to help schools meet specific goals - is so large, and often so fragmented, that it can be difficult to even measure. Thomas Hatch, a Columbia University researcher and co-director of the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools, and Teaching, recently set out to map those organizations working to support K-3 reading in New York schools, and understand how they operate, interact, and impact education. Hatch sits down with CPRE senior researcher Ryan Fink to discuss his new research brief - "The Role of External Support Providers in Improving K-3 Reading Outcomes in New York" - and its potential implications for stakeholders across the country.

Internationally acclaimed researcher Richard Ingersoll discusses his new edition of "Seven Trends: The Transformation of the Teaching Force," a landmark study examining 30 years of data on the teacher labor market. Ingersoll joins CPRE Director Jonathan Supovitz to highlight a number of key findings, including an ongoing "greening" of the workforce and an "unheralded victory" for minority recruitment initiatives. Ingersoll also provides some important takeaways for those hoping to understand, and make use of, the latest data on America's teachers.

Three Ohio community colleges grew enrollment and more than doubled two-year graduation rates following implementation of the CUNY-developed Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP). MDRC senior associate Colleen Sommo joins guest host Peter Horn to discuss her team's new multi-year study of the initiative, and its potential implications for colleges, policymakers, and researchers across the U.S.

Teacher preparation programs have long been judged on criteria such as licensing exam scores and teacher retention rates. Now, states are moving toward multi-outcome measures, including teacher evaluation ratings, to assess program quality. UNC researcher and associate director of the Education Policy Initiative at Carolina (EPIC) Kevin Bastian recently led a statewide study of the relationships between teacher preparation programs and their graduates’ evaluation ratings after entering the workforce. He joins University of Wisconsin-Madison research Peter Goff to discuss his findings and their potential implications for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners.