This appendix describes the data collection and analytic processes used to develop the findings in the report "Promising Opportunities for Black and Latino Young Men." A central challenge was creating an analytic framework that could be uniformly applied to all schools, despite the individualized nature of their Expanded Success…

In 2011, the New York City Mayor's Office, the Open Society Foundations, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and over 20 local agencies launched the Young Men's Initiative (YMI), a citywide effort to improve outcomes for Black and Latino young men in the areas of education, health, employment, and criminal justice. YMI is one of the single largest…

Addressing the problem of youth disengagement from school is of paramount importance to the improvement of academic outcomes. Unfortunately, today's climate of accountability under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)--with its focus on data from standardized tests--has created a policy environment that makes it exceedingly difficult to…

In December 2007, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gave MDRC a grant to conduct reconnaissance on promising strategies to reengage disconnected young people and improve their long-term outcomes. The primary objective of the grant was to identify key leverage points for future investment by government and foundations. MDRC consulted with…

The issue of gender differences in female math achievement, especially among highly able females has been studied by researchers over the last few decades. The Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT), the most widely used instrument in the screening of college applicants, continues to show large and consistent differences among high-ability students,…

This study is an investigation of how school consolidation between 2003 and 2006 affected the lived experience of students and educators in four Arkansas high schools. We present findings from twenty-three interviews with students, teachers, and school administrators who moved to a new high school because of consolidation, as well as those who…

In 2011, the Campaign for Educational Equity established the Safeguarding Sound Basic Education Project. One of the major components of this project has been to gather and analyze data about the availability of resources and services in high-needs schools both in New York City and around the state. A number of groups have issued statistical…

This report seeks to give a balanced view of the issues that exist for young men of color as identified by the research. Its particular value is that it looks at six distinct pathways that young men of color--and all students--take after high school and arranges the research in this way, and for the first time synthesizes the literature for males…

This impact evaluation looks at three years of growth for "high school-based dual credit" courses exclusive of Canton's Early College High School in Stark and Wayne Counties. As "high school based dual credit" is increasingly implemented in low wealth and urban districts, accompanied by an increase in high school teachers…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Education Secretary Outlines Obama Education Agenda: In Appearance Before House Committee, Duncan Stresses Reform…

For many students, school is a forward-looking endeavor, with implications for future educational opportunity, job prospects, and financial success. How does believing that school is linked to a desired future outcome--known as an instrumentality belief--influence motivation? A number of studies have indicated that rewards, or other concerns that…

Providing equitable learning opportunities for all students has been a persistent issue for some time. This is evident by the science achievement gap that still exists between male and female students as well as between White and many non-White student populations (NCES, 2007, 2009, 2009b) and an underrepresentation of female, African-American,…

Today, America faces a shifting and demanding economic and workforce environment. Americans know that the workplace is changing but not where it's heading. Each demonstration of the latest breakthrough technology can have enormous impact on the society, opening up entire new industries and markets and instantly limiting the viability of others. Of…

In response to more than two decades of criticism that American students exit high school lacking the skills and knowledge necessary for a productive citizenry, states have implemented graduation policies intended to raise academic standards for all students. Such policies have included state and local district testing, development of exit…

Nearly one third of U.S. students will fail to graduate from high school this year and another one-third will graduate without the skills needed to be successful after high school. These statistics are even more alarming for minority and low income students, with fewer than 10% of low income minority students going on to earn bachelors' degrees…