Your search found 13 results.

Descriptors:
Federal Legislation; Testing; Academic Achievement; Multivariate Analysis; Minority Groups; Ethnic Groups; Accountability; Least Squares Statistics; Scores; Achievement Tests; Regression (Statistics); Reading Achievement; Mathematics Achievement; Elementary Secondary Education; Algebra

Abstract:
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires states to test students in reading and math and identify them as below proficient, proficient, or advanced. Schools are held accountable only for ensuring that students test proficient or better (both considered passing), leading to concerns that a focus on increasing the percentage of students testing proficient on state assessments may have an unintended consequence of reducing--or not increasing--the percentage of students testing advanced. Analysis of the data in Kentucky and Virginia finds that schools with the greatest increases in the percentage passing also have the greatest increases in the percentage testing advanced. This study examines the statistical association between changes in the percentage of students in a school testing below proficient, proficient, and advanced in Kentucky and Virginia in the early years of NCLB accountability. The study was designed to answer four questions: (1) What are the overall school-level trends in the percentage of students passing (testing proficient or advanced) and the percentage testing advanced on state assessment tests in Kentucky and Virginia? (2) What is the statistical association between annualized changes in the school-level percentage of students passing and annualized changes in the school-level percentage testing advanced? (3) Does this association vary when controlling for the percentage of students passing in 2001/02? and (4) Does this association vary when controlling for characteristics of a school's students, such as level and change in the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, level and change in the percentage of racial/ethnic minority students, and the school's locale (urban, suburban, town, or rural)? The study answered these questions using data on the percentages of students testing below proficient, proficient, and advanced provided by the Kentucky Department of Education and the Virginia Department of Education. In addition, the Common Core of Data (data sets maintained by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics) was used for information on school characteristics. The picture that emerges from this study is that, in general, schools with the smallest increases in the percentage of students passing in reading and math have the smallest increases in the percentage testing advanced, and schools with the largest increases in the percentage passing have the largest increases in the percentage testing advanced. Appended to this report are: (1) Data sources and methodology; (2) Detailed results of the bivariate analysis; and (3) Detailed results of the multivariate analysis. (Contains 4 notes, 2 boxes, 21 figures, and 27 tables.) [This report was prepared for the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences (IES) by the Regional Educational Laboratory Appalachia administered by the CNA Corporation.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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 ERIC Full Text (1426K)

Descriptors:
Credentials; Family Income; Graduation Rate; Educational Attainment; Grade 9; Social Mobility; Low Income Groups; Career Development; Postsecondary Education; High Schools; Labor Force Development; Public Schools; Outcomes of Education; Wages; Majors (Students); Career Choice; Access to Education; Equal Opportunities (Jobs); Attendance Patterns; College Preparation; Paying for College; Tuition; Student Financial Aid; Academic Persistence; Institutional Characteristics

Abstract:
Attaining a post-secondary credential has become increasingly important for securing opportunities to get high-return jobs in the United States in the 21st century. Students from low-income families are underrepresented at every milestone in the educational pipeline, limiting their ability to attain post-secondary credentials and break the intergenerational transmission of poverty. This study seeks to identify educational pathways to high-paying careers that may improve social mobility. The authors assess the extent to which successful transit of these pathways is contingent upon students' educational preparation and performance. This study uses comprehensive data on the high school, postsecondary, and workforce experiences of every public school student in the state of Florida belonging to a cohort of 144,545 students in the 9th grade in 1996. Florida has one of the lowest high school graduation rates in the country, and thus faces particular challenges to increasing the educational attainment of its students. Key findings are summarized in three sections: (1) Effect of Education on Earnings; (2) Postsecondary Outcomes; (3) Differences in Earnings and Postsecondary Outcomes by Family Income. Findings lead the authors to believe that low-cost informational services would be highly effective in increasing course completion, credential attainment and earnings, thereby boosting the earnings of low-income students. Four appendixes are included: (1) Abbreviations and Definitions; (2) Methodology for Regression Models; (3) Descriptive Statistics; and (4) Results for Regression Models. (Contains 19 footnotes, 30 figures and 7 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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 ERIC Full Text (662K)

Descriptors:
School Districts; English (Second Language); Student Diversity; Student Needs; Needs Assessment; Enrollment Trends; School Demography; Delivery Systems; Resource Allocation; Social Capital; School Administration; Administrator Responsibility

Abstract:
This report aims to help school districts deal with the challenges of newly enrolling or rapidly increasing English language learner students by offering background information and sharing the experiences of districts that have addressed similar challenges in providing services and infrastructure to support the success of English language learner students. This study examines the demographic changes nationally and in the Appalachia region. It also examines school districts that are receiving English language leaner students for the first time or that are seeing their initially small English language learner populations increase rapidly. The goal is to better understand the needs of districts with emerging English language learner communities and to describe how they are responding to their newly diverse student populations. Appended to this report are: (1) research objectives, methods, and data sources and detailed findings; (2) lists of districts with English language learner students in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia; and (3) resources for districts serving English language learner students. (Contains 8 notes, 4 boxes, 5 figures, 4 maps, and 14 tables.) [This report was prepared for the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) by the Regional Educational Laboratory Appalachia administered by the CNA Corporation.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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 ERIC Full Text (972K)

Descriptors:
Federal Legislation; Grade 4; National Competency Tests; Public Schools; Reading Skills; Mathematics Skills; Educational Change; Elementary Secondary Education; Regression (Statistics); Academic Achievement; Achievement Gains; State Standards; Futures (of Society); Educational Trends

Abstract:
This report investigates progress in Virginia public schools in satisfying the requirement of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 that every student be proficient in reading and math by 2014. It develops a variable change model that uses observed baseline proficiency and proficiency trends at individual schools to forecast gains for six subgroups in elementary, middle, and high schools. The study finds that there were substantial increases in proficiency overall and especially large increases for schools and subgroups that had low proficiency levels in 2002. The forecasts indicate that there will continue to be substantial proficiency increases in the near term, but that with few exceptions proficiency will plateau at levels well below 100 percent before 2014. Appendices include: (A) Variables in database used to estimate proficiency change-level models; (B) Regressions used to estimate proficiency change-level relationships and steady-state levels, by school type and subgroup; (C) Past performance as a guide to future performance; and (D) Piecewise linear regressions used to estimate reading proficiency change-level relationships and steady-state levels, by school type and subgroup. (Contains 14 notes, 3 boxes, 9 figures, and 10 tables.) [This report was prepared for the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences (IES) by Regional Educational Laboratory Appalachia administered by The CNA Corporation.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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 ERIC Full Text (1645K)

Descriptors:
Dislocated Workers; Community Colleges; Outcomes of Education; Retraining; Social Capital; Labor Force; Reentry Workers; Educational Status Comparison; Educational Benefits; Attendance Patterns; College Attendance; Economic Impact; Salary Wage Differentials; Age Differences; Midlife Transitions

Abstract:
This paper estimates the returns to retraining for older displaced workers--those 35 or older--by estimating the impact that community college schooling has on their subsequent earnings. Our analysis relies on longitudinal administrative data covering workers who were displaced from jobs in Washington State during the first half of the 1990s and who subsequently remained attached to the state's work force. Our database contains displaced workers' quarterly earnings records covering 14 years matched to the records of 25 of the state's community colleges. We find that older displaced workers participate in community college schooling at significantly lower rates than younger displaced workers. However, among those who participate in retraining, the per-period impact for older and younger displaced workers is similar. We estimate that one academic year of such schooling increases the long-term earnings by about 8 percent for older males and by about 10 percent for older females. These per-period impacts are in line with those reported in the schooling literature. These percentages do not necessarily imply that retraining older workers is a sound social investment. We find that the social internal rates of return from investments in older displaced workers' retraining are less than for younger displaced workers and likely less than those reported for schooling of children. However, our internal rate of return estimates are very sensitive to how we measure the opportunity cost of retraining. If we assume that these opportunity costs are zero, the internal rate of return from retraining older displaced workers is about 11 percent. By contrast, if we rely on our estimates of the opportunity cost of retraining, the internal rate of return may be less than 2 percent for older men and as low as 4 percent for older women. (Two appendices are included: (1) Notes on Administrative Earnings and Community College Records; and (2) Specification of the Displacement Parameters. Contains 30 footnotes, 4 figures and 8 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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 ERIC Full Text (501K)

Descriptors:
Age Groups; Community Colleges; Dislocated Workers; Education Work Relationship; Educational Benefits; Employment; Job Layoff; Job Skills; Job Training; Salaries; Two Year Colleges; Vocational Education; Vocational Rehabilitation

Abstract:
This study examines the earnings histories of displaced workers in the state of Washington. The study sample included approximately 97,000 workers who had three or more years of job tenure when they were permanently laid off from their jobs between 1990 and 1994. About 16,000 of the workers in the sample earned some community college credit by 1996. The authors found that displaced workers who enroll in community college classes are typically prime-aged adults, many of whom have attended college before, and who have been displaced from jobs from a wide array of industries. The average age for this study was 36 for males and 37 for females. Results of the study indicate that for males, completing at least one credit is associated with about a 2.5% increase in quarterly hours worked and a 3.0% increase in average wage rates. For females, it is associated with a 3.0% increase in hours, but a trivial increase in wages. The authors also found that the effects of community college credits on earnings depend significantly on the nature of courses taken. A year of credits in technically oriented math, science, and vocational courses is estimated to increase earnings by 14% for men and 29% for women. (Contains 9 tables, 1 figure, and 32 references.) (NB) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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 ERIC Full Text (603K)

Descriptors:
Adult Vocational Education; Age Groups; Community Colleges; Dislocated Workers; Employment; Job Layoff; Job Skills; Job Training; Labor Force; Labor Force Development; Outcomes of Education; Retraining; Two Year Colleges

Abstract:
This paper presents new evidence regarding the benefits of retraining prime-aged adults by analyzing the impacts of community college schooling on displaced workers in Washington State during the 1990s. The authors also conducted a similar analysis of a small program that provided community college courses to workers displaced from their jobs during the mid-1980s in Alleghany County, (Pittsburgh) Pennsylvania. The samples were constructed by matching displaced workers' state unemployment insurance earnings records to their community college transcripts. The samples included only workers who had three or more years of job tenure when they were permanently displaced from their jobs. The Washington State sample consists of 21,000 workers displaced between 1990 and 1994 who enrolled in at least one community college course, and 64,000 displaced workers who did not take courses. The Pittsburgh sample consists of 3,200 displaced workers who took part in a county training program, and 3,500 displaced workers who did not enroll in the program. Both samples include dropouts in the samples of workers who enrolled in retraining programs. Findings of this study indicate that one year of community college training raised the hourly wage of both male and female workers by less than 2%. But earnings increased 5-6% because of increased hours worked due to training. (Contains 8 tables and 25 references.) (NB) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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 ERIC Full Text (620K)

Descriptors:
Benchmarking; Cost Effectiveness; Dislocated Workers; Employment Experience; Employment Level; Employment Opportunities; Employment Patterns; Employment Services; Job Placement; Program Effectiveness; Quasiexperimental Design; Reentry Workers; Referral; Research Methodology; Research Problems; Research Utilization; Sampling; Surveys; Unemployment; Unemployment Insurance

Abstract:
The utility of a quasi-experimental evaluation design for estimating benefits derived from a program to match job-seekers to openings listed by employers was examined in three studies of Job Service referrals and placements in Washington and Oregon. Data examined included a mail survey of a sample of 587 Washington residents referred to job openings in the first half of 1998 and records of 328,815 spells of unemployment experienced by unemployment insurance (UI) claimants in 1987-1995. The effectiveness of job service placement services and referral services were estimated using program cost-benefit ratios, duration of joblessness, success in obtaining interviews, and successful job placement for job-seekers with strong and spotty work records. An expert panel examining the methodology concluded that: 1) survey results were imperfect because of the possibility that some job-seekers who failed to secure interviews were screened out by employers; 2) the sample was small and may not have been representative; 3) improving the survey and using telephone follow-up should overcome the problems; and 4) the design holds promise for obtaining credible estimates of the value of being placed that also can be used as benchmarks in assess the bias in non-experimental estimators. (Contains 11 tables.) (MN/CG) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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 ERIC Full Text (510K)

Descriptors:
College Programs; Community Colleges; Dislocated Workers; Job Training; Program Effectiveness; Retraining; State Legislation; State Programs; Technical Education; Two Year Colleges; Unemployment; Vocational Education; Wages

Abstract:
An evaluation of net impact of programs funded under the Washington State Employment and Training Act (ESHB 1988) of 1993, which provided money to community and technical colleges to expand existing courses and create new ones for Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants most likely to lose jobs. The evaluation focused on whether the displaced UI claimants targeted for aid were at risk of experiencing unusually large earnings losses; whether their community college training raised their earnings above what they otherwise would have been; and whether the program increased the claimants' receipt of such training. Information was gathered through wage and claim records of the state's Employment Security Department covering 10 percent of some 400,000 UI claimants from 1989-1994 who left preclaim employers for whom they had worked for at least 6 quarters. Three key findings reported were as follows: (1) some of the courses offered by community colleges had strong, positive effects on subsequent earnings; (2) the program emphasized taking technical, vocationally oriented courses most likely to raise earnings; and (3) college attendance and completion of courses shown to raise earnings among displaced claimants markedly increased after the program started, and grew as the program matured. (The report contains 16 figures and 26 tables reporting data about program participants and the effects of the program.) (KC) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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 ERIC Full Text (5044K)

Descriptors:
Case Studies; Costs; Dislocated Workers; Economic Climate; Economic Impact; Employment Patterns; Employment Programs; Job Training; Labor Economics; Labor Market; Models; Policy Formation; Public Policy; Retraining; Salary Wage Differentials; State Surveys

Abstract:
A study examined the earnings losses suffered by a group of experienced workers who separated from their firms in the early and mid-1980s. The quarterly earnings histories of a large number of Pennsylvania workers covering the period 1974 through 1986 merged with employment information about their firms served as the data set. Workers' earnings losses were estimated by comparing their postdisplacement earnings to their expected earnings had they not been displaced. The relationship between earnings losses and various worker and employer characteristics was examined. Experienced workers were found to have incurred substantial immediate and persistent earnings losses after they separated from their firms. Even 5 years after separation, many displaced workers' earnings were still down by more than 25% of their predisplacement earnings. Moreover, displaced workers' earning began diverging from their expected levels 2-3 years before they left their firms. Existing government programs were found to be incapable of compensating for more than a small portion of displaced workers' losses because most losses accumulate after workers are reemployed. It was recommended that, instead of bolstering existing programs, policymakers assist displaced workers by introducing income or wage subsidies. (Contains 10 tables; 29 figures; 73 references.) (MN) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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