Texas state grant aid programs provide significant support to many low- and moderate-income state residents pursuing postsecondary education. Only a small share of eligible students receives state grants, however, and students often cannot predict whether they will receive aid, especially if they apply to different types of institutions.…

The purpose of this study was to analyze the high school curriculum and instruction per pupil allocation and the effect on the Algebra I and English I State Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) End of Course (EOC) scores. A mixed Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to find if the high school curriculum and instruction per pupil allocation…

The Career and Technical Education (CTE) playbook series has explored strategies and processes states can use to strengthen CTE program quality and provide students with pathways to postsecondary credentialing and middle- and higher wage career opportunities. In the first three CTE Playbooks, ExcelinEd provided a high-level view of how states can…

State Compensatory Education (SCE) is a supplemental program designed to eliminate disparities in (1) student performance on assessment instruments administered under chapter 39 of the Texas Education Code (1995, amended 2013); and (2) the rates of high school completion between students who are at risk of dropping out of school, as defined by…

Almost 7 million young Americans (age 16-24) are insufficiently attached to school or work. Based on conservative estimates, we can generate over $1 billion just by helping a mere 0.1 percent earn a high school credential and complete their first year of college through Back on Track Designs. This brief lays out the cost of setting up these GED-…

This report summarizes compliance and service data from AISD's federal Title I, Part A grant during 2012-2013. Title I, Part A funds were used to serve more than 46,000 students during 2012-2013, and funds were used to provide campus and district services and resources to support students, parents, and staff. For more information, please read the…

This study analyzes the relationship between school management strategies and student's academic achievement, while controlling for factors such as the school principals' age, gender, experience, as well as school size and location, Student's Social Economics Status (SES), English as a Second Language learner's population (ESL), Special Education…

Mastering mathematics has become more important than ever before in the United States. Students with a strong background in mathematics have an advantage over those students who struggle, when competing for jobs. In the job market, workers who have a strong mathematics and science background are more likely to be employed and earn more than those…

Since 1994, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) has provided funding to new charter schools through Charter School Program (CSP) grants designed to provide support for the planning and implementation of effective new charter programs. Grants are awarded to state education agencies, which then provide funding to approved charter schools through…

Through executive orders, legislative initiatives, referenda, or constitutional amendments, a number of states have proposed measures to require school districts to spend at least 65 percent of their operational budgets on "in-class instruction." The current national average for such expenditures, using accounting categories from the…

In 2007, the Texas Legislature (80th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2007) authorized the creation of the Texas Rural Technology (R-Tech) Pilot program, which provides $8 million in funding to support rural districts in implementing technology-based supplemental education programs. In order to be eligible for funding, districts must have…

This paper is one of four individual case study reports presenting the qualitative findings from a five-year investigation of the impact of accountability reform on students with disabilities in four states, eight districts, and twenty schools. This case study report presents qualitative data collected over a four-year period--2001-2004--from…