As a condition of its i3 grant, KIPP contracted with an independent evaluator (Mathematica) to address a key research question: does KIPP maintain its demonstrated effectiveness as it scales? While this question sounds simple enough in theory, it poses several methodological and practical challenges. This paper outlines some of those key…

Elite public schools must use some method of selecting their students. Given the desirability of this scarce resource, these methods are closely scrutinized. Demographic and other changes in the school districts may make unstable procedures that were deemed successful at one point. This "recurring problem" is the subject of this article,…

First-year students are still failing at an alarming rate. This is an international issue that universities face and there is currently no clear indication of the cause of the problem as universities move from being elite to providing mass education. This article examines the possible correlation between students' high school performance and…

The study examined the effect of being offered enrollment at a charter middle school on student achievement and behaviors. The study analyzed data from two cohorts of more than 2,100 students in 29 sites across 15 states between 2005 and 2008. Enrollment offers at each charter school were granted by lottery. The study compared outcomes of students…

This article describes briefly the education system of Cyprus and elaborates on the recent changes in its large-scale assessment (LSA) programme. Until 2005, two independent LSA programmes existed: one for school-graduation purposes and one for gaining entrance to higher education. The introduction of a dual-purpose LSA program in 2006, due to…

This study examined the effects on academic achievement of offering students enrollment in the Promise Academy charter middle school. The school is sponsored by the Harlem Children's Zone[R], which combines reform-minded charter schools with a web of community services designed to provide a positive and supportive social environment outside of…

Teach for America (TFA) is a marvel at marketing, offering elite college students a win-win option: by becoming corps members, they can do good and do well at the same time. Teacher education (TE) programs are in a hopeless position in trying to compete with TFA for prospective students. They cannot provide students with the opportunity to do…

Strategic planning is an important tool, but the sole dependence on it across departments and campuses has resulted in the underutilization of equally important methods of analysis. The evolution of higher and postsecondary education necessitates a systemic industry analysis, as the combination of new providers and delivery mechanisms and changing…

Ireland's computerized, national system of university admission, which assigns all students to institutions simultaneously, and Britain's system using a single set of admissions forms and centrally coordinated admissions, suggest that centralization can be an efficient and cost-effective method of linking students with colleges in the United…

Comparative data are gathered on (1) the institutional and nontransferrable fellow awards and (2) individual and portable awards of the Danforth Fellowship program. Results indicate that students attending elite universities will overwhelm their competitors in a national competition that is academically oriented and that open competition does not…

Comprehensive or nonselective schools have been in existence in the United Kingdom for over 40 years, having gradually replaced the old selective system of grammar schools for able pupils and secondary modern schools for less able pupils. In spite of their growth in numbers, comprehensive schools have been subject to continual controversy, and…

Evaluates the effectiveness of five admission models in predicting student performance in a Masters of Business Administration program. Found the regression model predicts graduate success better than the other models, but none of the models improved upon the admission officer's judgment. (Author/JAC)