This paper provides the first population-based evidence on how much standardized test scores vary among public school districts within each state and how segregation explains that variation. Using estimates based on roughly 300 million test score records in math and English Language Arts (ELA) for Grades 3 through 8 from every U.S. public school…

Critics of charter schools in New York City, America's largest school district, often allege that charters score better on standardized tests, on average, than traditional public schools because charters "cream-skim" (i.e., attract) the brightest, most motivated, students. Yet this accusation neglects the fact that not all traditional…

This paper provides the first population-based evidence on how much standardized test scores vary among public school districts within each state and how segregation explains that variation. Using roughly 300 million standardized test score records in math and ELA for grades 3 through 8 from every U.S. public school district during the 2008-09 to…

This study explored the differences in student achievement on New York State standardized tests between blended learning and traditional instructional methodologies. Specifically, the study compared student achievement in iLearnNYC schools, to their peer schools that deliver instruction in a traditional manner. iLearnNYC is a blended learning…

This article reports on a 3-year ethnographic study in a Boston Public school of the performance of Haitian students on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) and its lasting and likely impact upon them. MCAS is a mandated exam required for students to graduate from high school. Although there are certain provisions for students…

This Research Brief summarizes the performance of Miami-Dade Public Schools (M-DCPS) students participating in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. The IB program was offered at six M-DCPS high schools in 2014-2015. The number of IB examinations taken in M-DCPS remained relatively stable from 2013-2014 to 2014-2015, decreasing by less…

This Research Brief summarizes the performance of Miami-Dade Public Schools (M-DCPS) students participating in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. The IB program was offered at six M-DCPS high schools in 2015-2016. The number of IB examinations taken in M-DCPS decreased by two percentage points from 2014-2015 to 2015-2016. During the…

The achievement gap between private and public school college-bound students has continued to widen each year since 1972. The researcher studied the relationship of Christian school college-bound students' religiosity/spirituality using a validated survey instrument and their achievement as measured on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. The literature…

Do "no excuses" charter high schools merely help students succeed on standardized tests? Are their students more likely to succeed after they leave school behind? Is it test prep, or true learning? Little prior research is available on this question. Although there is a robust positive correlation between test performance and college…

Critics of school disciplinary policies have long noted that African American, male, low-achieving, and special education students experience higher rates of school suspensions and expulsions. However, research that seeks to estimate the effects of suspensions on student outcomes rarely accounts for the preexisting differences that distinguish…

America spends $115,000 per-pupil on education, one of the highest in the world. Even with high funding being provided for the educational budget, standardized state assessment scores are not reflecting the aim for higher quality of education that NCLB is trying to accomplish. Teachers use an assortment of assessments to gauge student's mastery…

"Wisconsin Public Schools at a Glance" provides in a single page document statistical information on the following topics: (1) Total number of public schools (2015-16); (2) Student (2015-16); (3) Attendance & Graduation (2014-15);(4) Staff (2013-14); (5) School Funding; and (6) Student Performance (2014-15). [For the previous report…

The topic of arts integration creates continuing dialog among educators and arts advocates. This study examined the degree to which student achievement was affected when arts education is limited or eliminated from schools to meet the mandates of NCLB (2001) legislation. Standardized test scores from 12 schools in Central Mississippi were used to…

This study sought to expand the evidence base for the effectiveness of Spanish literacy interventions by examining the effectiveness of Leamos para Avanzar: Un programa de lectura para niños (Let's Read to Advance: A reading program for children; LPA). Participants included three students (2 females, 1 male) who (a) were classified as English…

Using qualitative data from two Chilean public schools, I interrogate the expectation that standardised testing motivates staff to critically self-assess themselves and to be accountable for failing evaluations. The research findings bring new insights into looking at ways in which school members, especially head managers, strategically debate,…