Efforts by federal and state governments to increase the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) workforce in support of innovation and competitiveness are frustrated by a shortage of adequately prepared and interested students. Less than half of 12th graders meet the math proficiency benchmark that indicates college readiness.…

States are increasingly implementing college readiness assessments as part of statewide efforts to increase student awareness of, preparation for, and access to higher education. This brief outlines the long-term impact and benefits of statewide implementation of EXPLORE[R] and PLAN[R], two elements of the longitudinal-assessment program within…

Buchmann, Condron and Roscigno argue in their article, "Shadow Education, American Style: Test Preparation, the SAT and College Enrollment," that the activities in which students engage to prepare for college entrance exams are forms of shadow education, a means by which more advantaged parents seek to pass their privileged status along…

The 2013 edition of the "Annual Condition of Education Report" provides a rich tapestry of information about Iowa's education system. The data presented in the report examines longitudinal trends about Iowa's students, teachers, and schools from many perspectives. Information such as demographic characteristics, assessment results,…

The Annual Condition of Education Report provides a wide range of state-level data, including shifts in student populations and demographics, teacher salaries and characteristics, student achievement results, and school financial information. The report provides important metrics to the education community about the status of the education system.…

For 24 consecutive years, the Public Policy Forum has compiled and analyzed data from southeastern Wisconsin's public school districts in order to better inform policymakers and the public about the effectiveness of the region's K-12 education system. This analysis of the 2009-10 academic year, like many of the previous reports, indicates cause…

The Oregon Statewide Report Card is an annual publication required by law (ORS 329.115), which reports on the state of public schools and their progress towards the goals of the Oregon Educational Act for the 21st Century. The purpose of the Oregon Report Card is to monitor trends among school districts and Oregon's progress toward achieving the…

The authors interviewed Black and Latino students from five high-poverty high schools as they attempted to make the transition into college. Their ability to exert individual agency with regard to their entrance exams and their college transition was circumscribed by the messages and behavioral norms that dominated their low-performing high school…

In a direct reversal from last year, the 2007-08 achievement gap between schools in southeast Wisconsin and those in the rest of the state, as measured by Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam (WKCE) standardized test scores, narrowed in all subjects at all grade levels. While the region lags the state in WKCE test scores and schools making…

In this paper, we follow up the important class size reduction randomized experiment in Tennessee in the mid 1980s (Project STAR) to attempt to further understand the long-lasting influences of early education interventions. While STAR led to large test score benefits during the intervention, these benefits quickly faded at its conclusion.…

Foster High School, located in Richmond, Texas, is a school with a substantial enrollment of minority students (29 percent Hispanic students, 15 percent African American students) that has made noteworthy strides in improving the academic achievement and the college and career readiness of its students. Moreover, the gaps in academic achievement…

Public education matters, whether you're a student, parent, teacher, administrator, employer, or taxpayer. Although you undoubtedly know something about public education, you may be unaware of important facts about the U.S. educational system or may be surprised to learn how things have changed in recent years. This edition of "A Public…

This report summarizes 2006-2007 evaluation results of AISD's Project ADVANCE activities. Project ADVANCE staff worked with high school students and their parents to prepare students for postsecondary enrollment.

The Arizona Minority Education Policy Analysis Center (AMEPAC) is a policy center of the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education. AMEPAC's mission is to stimulate, through studies, statewide discussion, and debate, constructive improvement of Arizona minority students' early awareness, access, and achievement throughout the educational…

The achievement gap between southeastern Wisconsin schools and those in the rest of the state has widened in all subjects and at all grade levels from 2006. Although school spending is above the state average in the region, and removing the Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha public school districts from the equation currently improves overall…