Under waivers to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the federal government required states to identify schools where targeted subgroups of students have the lowest achievement and to implement reforms in these "Focus Schools." In this study, we examine the Focus School reforms in the state of Kentucky. The reforms in this state are…

This technical supplement to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training (E&T) evaluation final reports presents details of the technical approach used for creating analysis variables and estimating impacts of treatment group services on outcomes, including employment, earnings, and SNAP participation. It also…

This brief report offers analysis of ACT and SAT results from 2008 to 2013 in the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) region. The brief focuses on the increase in test participation rates and points to policies that SREB states initiated that affected these rates. Five SREB states currently require 100 percent student participation on the…

Adequate funding for the nation's schools to meet the call for higher student achievement has been a litigious issue. Spending on schools is a political choice. The choices made by state legislatures, in some cases, have failed to fund schools adequately and have incited school finance lawsuits in almost all states. These proceedings are generally…

Using an equal-group stratified sample of 42 Kentucky public P-12 school districts, the researcher conducted a quantitative correlational analysis to examine the relationship between per pupil expenditures in reading and mathematics proficiency. Repeated measures t tests analyzed the differences of the mean scores for the study variables of…

This study explores the use of a mapping technique to test the invariance of proficiency standards over time for state performance tests. First, the state proficiency standards are mapped onto the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scale. Then, rather than looking at whether there is a deviation in proficiency standards directly,…

This study examined whether or not an approved change to Kentucky's subgroup size increased the exclusion of the disabilities subgroup from middle grade AYP calculations, the influence poverty and disability have on these subgroups' inclusion in middle grade level AYP calculations, and the accuracy of middle grade AYP status determinations based…

This report examines the status of women and the laws that have been enacted to protect women from discrimination in employment. Written in lay language, it examines employment and occupational statistics for women in the United States and in Kentucky. Following an introduction in Chapter 1, the report presents four chapters surveying the problem,…

This collection of articles delivers the knowledge and insights one needs to understand policymaking at many levels, by reviewing viewpoints in categories: (1) Policy-driven research; (2) Policy communications research; and (3) Critical policy research. Educators can use this book to learn how to analyze policy issues, engage in policymaking with…

Examines effectiveness of court challenges to education-finance systems in achieving need-driven educational equity, focusing on California, Kentucky, and Texas. Provides overview of education-finance litigation and goals of finance reform. Describes funding system in each state both pre- and post-litigation; uses statistical measures to discuss…