Our study used a case-control matching design to assess the influence of a voluntary tutoring program in improving first-year students' Grade Point Averages (GPA). To evaluate program effectiveness, we applied case-control matching to obtain 215 pairs of students with or without participation in tutoring, but matched on high school GPA and…

Due to the growing importance of the professional role of teachers, effective evaluation practices are essential to ensuring highly qualified educators. The problem addressed was how Volusia County School teachers in the state of Florida experienced the teacher evaluation process and how that impacted the effectiveness of instructional practices…

This report summarizes the complex research literature on quantitative methods for assessing how impacts of educational interventions on instructional practices and student learning differ across students, educators, and schools. It also provides technical guidance about the use and interpretation of these methods. The research topics addressed…

In this set of four supplemental tables, the authors compare the baseline test scores of the treatment and matched control group samples observed in each year after KIPP entry (outcome years 1 to 4). As discussed in Chapter III, the authors used an iterative propensity score estimation procedure to calculate each student's probability of entering…

A strong base of research is needed to guide investments in teacher professional development (PD). This article considers the status of research on PD and articulates a particular direction for future work. Little is known about whether PD can have a positive impact on achievement when a program is delivered across a range of typical settings and…

Examining the implementation efforts associated with NCLB mandates and policies can help educational leaders frame their associated school responses and actions to better meet the challenges set forth by the federal legislation in meeting the needs of their local student populations. This study addressed the question, "How are middle school…

This study examined the relationship between data use and achievement at 13 urban Title I schools. Using multiple methods, including test scores, district surveys, school transformation plans, and four case study site visits, the researchers found wide variation in the use of data to inform instruction and planning. In some cases, schools were …

Demands for more complete information on educational programs have emanated from national, state and local sources. Their focus is on the processes that are occurring in individual classrooms. The information that is collected to provide insight into educational programs is customarily summative in nature, answering, for example, questions…

The Voluntary Public School Choice (VPSC) Program supports the emergence and growth of choice initiatives across the country, by assisting states and local school districts in developing innovative strategies to expand public school choice options for students. This report contains the final assessment of the first five years of the VPSC Program…

This evaluation handbook was written for school district personnel who may be either novices or experts in the use of educational research techniques. Tailored to categorically aided projects, the handbook describes techniques that will isolate specific activity effects as reflected by pupil achievement. Chapters are devoted to the construction of…

Research shows that learning communities are an effective way to improve student performance and persistence, but the success of any particular implementation is not guaranteed. Each program should be evaluated with regard to the likelihood that better-prepared students tend to participate. The protocol used for evaluation at Indiana…

This paper is one of a group that describes the research methodology for an evaluation of individually guided education (IGE) in American elementary schools. The paper covers the first phase activities from solicitation of participants (April 1977) through preparation of final data tapes for the structural equations analysis (September 1978).…

A study investigated the usefulness of a new ambulatory medicine clerkship design by randomly assigning students to it or to an existing traditional general medicine rotation, then comparing student performance on the licensing examination, a laboratory interpretation test, written work, and a problem-solving exam. Performances were the same…

The National Institute of Education is in the process of designing and conducting a study of compensatory education in accordance with the Education Amendments of 1974. Special attention will be devoted to examining the relative effectiveness of "standardized" versus "individualized" instructional programs. The stated purpose of this report is:…

This study explored the assumption that the percentile rank of a group of students should be expected to remain the same on a post-test as on a pretest when the treatment of the group in the intervening period was the same as the treatment of the norms population. This assumption is basic to the use of the norm-referenced model for the assessment…