Recent increases in high school graduation rates have been linked anecdotally to online course-taking for credit recovery. Online course-taking that supports high school completion could open opportunities for postsecondary education pursuits. Alternatively, poorer quality online instruction could diminish student learning and discourage…

Defining and measuring teacher effectiveness is one of the most hotly debated topics in public education today. The "No Child Left Behind" Act placed considerable emphasis on high quality teaching standards, making it a focal point of study among educators, administrators, and curriculum developers. Recruitment and retention of high…

Federal policy now focuses on teacher "effectiveness" rather than teacher "quality" as its central policy concern. Rather than measuring inputs, the new focus looks to measure the outcomes of a teacher's work--that is, the extent to which the educator has met crucial student needs, such as improved student achievement. As…

Since the first edition of "Schools and Data", the No Child Left Behind Act has swept the country, and data-based decision making is no longer an option for educators. Today's educational climate makes it imperative for all schools to collect data and use statistical analysis to help create clear goals and recognize strategies for…

Nearly twenty million children in the United States do not have computers in their homes. The role of "home" computers in the educational process, however, has drawn very little attention in the previous literature. We use panel data from the two main U.S. datasets that include recent information on computer ownership among children--the…

The No Child Left Behind Act (P.L. 107-110) called for the U.S. Department of Education to carry out a national study of the effectiveness of educational technology. With computers becoming ubiquitous in American schools, and purchases of hardware and software now substantial expenses for school districts, whether funding is supporting effective…