Recently in this journal, Sciffer, Perry, and McConney (2020) argued that school socioeconomic-background (SES) compositional effects are important for both research and policy. In response, this commentary argues that realistic school SES effects can only be identified in properly specified models. Otherwise, the estimated school effects are very…

Background/Context: School principals have long played a central role in managing building operations and supervising school employees. Over the past two decades, however, policy developments--including site-based management, external accountability measures, and teacher evaluation systems--have increased expectations that principals also improve…

This paper develops models to measure growth in student achievement with a focus on the possibility of differential growth in achievement for low and high-achieving students. We consider a gap-closing model that evaluates the degree to which students in a target group -- students in the bottom quartile of measured achievement -- perform better…

In research on math self-concept (MSC) formation, very few studies have juxtaposed the effects of math grades, math ability, school-average math grades, and school-average math ability. However, these factors are important in enabling Taiwanese senior school students to achieve proper MSC and choose a suitable academic track. Thus, the present…

A compositional effect is when pupil attainment is associated with the characteristics of their peers, over and above their own individual characteristics. Pupils at academically selective schools, for example, tend to out-perform similar-ability pupils who are educated with mixed-ability peers. Previous methodological studies however have shown…

The 2018 NSSME+ was based on a national probability sample of schools and computer science, mathematics, and science teachers in grades K-12 in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The sample was designed to yield national estimates of course offerings and enrollment, teacher background preparation, textbook usage, instructional techniques,…

Measures of school-level growth in student outcomes are common tools used to assess the impacts of schools. The vast majority of these measures are based on standardized tests, even though emerging evidence demonstrates the importance of social-emotional skills (SEL). This paper uses the first large-scale panel surveys of students on SEL to…

This article examines the relationship between preschool quality and children's early development in a sample of over 7900 children enrolled in 578 preschools in rural Indonesia. Quality was measured by: (1) classroom observations using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R); (2) teacher characteristics; and (3) structural…

This year signifies two key milestones in the GradNation campaign to raise high school graduation rates. First, the release of the 2015 federal graduation rate data marks five years since states began reporting the Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR). The ACGR, for the first time, created a common formula for collecting graduation rate…

Transfer students' adjustment to college has received substantial attention by researchers. This focus has predominately investigated the observation of "transfer shock": a decrease in grade point average (GPA) experienced after transferring. In response to the persistent focus on transfer shock, growing attention has been directed…

The nested data structure inherent in education (i.e. students nested in schools nested in districts) makes intact school matching an appealing approach in observational studies of educational interventions and policies for both theoretical and practical purposes. This paper provides guidance to applied education researchers who are employing…

The web tables in this report provide original and revised estimates of statistics previously published in 2007-08 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:08): Student Financial Aid Estimates for 2007-08 (NCES 2009-166). The revised estimates were generated using revised weights that were updated in August 2013. NPSAS:08 data were…

This report presents selected findings from the Public School Principal Status and Private School Principal Status Data Files of the 2012-13 Principal Follow-up Survey (PFS). The PFS is a nationally representative sample survey of public and private K-12 schools in the 50 states and District of Columbia and was initiated to inform discussions and…

This brief considers the problem of using value-added scores to compare teachers who work in different schools. The author focuses on whether such comparisons can be regarded as fair, or, in statistical language, "unbiased." An unbiased measure does not systematically favor teachers because of the backgrounds of the students they are…

Notwithstanding criticisms and discussions on methodological grounds, much attention has been and still will be paid to university rankings for various reasons. The present paper uses published information of the 10 top-ranking universities of the world and demonstrates the problem of spurious precision. In view of the problem of measurement error…