This evaluation of the KIPP school leadership programs, funded by a grant from the Supporting Effective Educator Development program in the Office of Innovation and Improvement at the U.S. Department of Education, aims to support sustained implementation of effective programs to prepare and support school leaders. KIPP administers three school…

Educational technology is evolving and growing at a faster pace than ever before. Such fast-paced growth makes it difficult to evaluate and measure its effectiveness in a timely manner and creates a need for independent academic literature in this area. This study serves to address to this need and contribute to the body of literature. The intent…

Technology is necessary for students to become digitized citizens in an information-driven society. Digital literacy skills and 21st Century Skills (collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity) were also needed to ensure success in the digital world. This research project explored a school with a predominantly African American…

The task of principals to improve teaching and learning by establishing and sustaining a cohesive school culture is very challenging. In an urban setting, the task is more challenging due to so many deficits that students, staff, and leaders are faced with that their counterparts do not encounter. The researcher's review of the literature yielded…

This post is one in a series highlighting MDRC's methodological work. In the past decade, rapid growth in the number of charter schools and school district choice systems has provided education researchers with exciting opportunities to use naturally occurring pockets of randomization to rigorously study the effects of policy-relevant education…

There is a dearth of research comparing the effects of iPad technology and paper-and-pencil-delivered interventions on student mathematics outcomes. Nine studies have compared intervention modalities such as computer-mediated instruction and teacher-mediated instruction to examine differences in student performance, but only two of these have used…

This study explores segregation and privatization in NYC public schools through the lens of early childhood music education. On a "macro level" (district/citywide), this article compares access to music in charter schools and traditional public schools serving kindergarten through third grade (K-3) and examines how different…

Educators use universal screening to identify students who may be at risk for not meeting proficiency on the state assessment. Given the potential high-stakes of state tests, using accurate screeners is critical. Independent research is emerging on screeners such as the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), a computer adaptive test, and the…

This Data Point examines whether teachers are required to help students with their academic or social and emotional needs outside regular school hours in public and private schools in the United States before the coronavirus pandemic. It uses data from the public and private school principal data files of the 2017-18 National Teacher and Principal…

Charter schools are publicly funded schools freed from some of the regulations placed on traditional public schools (TPS). In exchange for that greater level of autonomy, public charter schools are required to meet performance goals contained in their authorizing charter or face the prospect of closure. Most public charter schools may enroll…

This report examines the results of the Senior Exit Survey, which is administered annually to all graduating high school students. The fivefold purpose of the survey is to examine: (1) seniors' post-secondary plans; (2) the credentials they plan to acquire; (3) the institutions they plan to attend; (4) the fields of study they choose to pursue;…

In the national expedition for ways to improve PK-12 public education, teacher hiring emerges as a considerable factor in academic achievement. The intersection of federal, state, and district policies, recruitment and hiring processes, decision-makers' criteria and preferences are some factors that impact teacher selection. More importantly,…

In the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 virus shuttered schools across the country and world and calls for racial justice expanded into nearly every sphere of social and political life as the nation reeled at another life violently taken at the hands of a police officer. School system leaders faced difficult decisions about delivering instruction…

As England attempts to close educational attainment gaps faced by socioeconomically disadvantaged children using Pupil Premium funding, no attention is given to how different types of academies do so, nor to policy transfer's role in informing policies for disadvantaged pupils. Employing a qualitative comparative case study methodology with…

Leaders set the tone and the culture for their schools. The purpose of this phenomenology study is to examine how the increase in racial diversity among urban middle school teachers impacts the school's culture. The author utilized the Invitational Education model as a conceptual framework. The researcher conducted a total of 28 interviews with…