While numerous studies have been conducted to determine the impact of grade retention on future academic achievement and psychosocial development, few studies have targeted Florida-specific grade retention as mandated by Florida law. As it exists today, there is very little evidence that the practice of retaining students resulted in increased…

The 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) emphasized that students, regardless of group membership, should graduate ready for college or work. The economic impact of not being ready is significantly negative. Non-cognitive skills (NCSs) assessments have been used to identify students at risk and intervene to help prevent undesirable outcomes.…

A continuing focus for American Education is to bridge, lessen, and eliminate the persistent achievement gap that has existed for over 50 years. Due to mandates of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), each state currently creates an individualized plan to narrow the gap. This study allowed for understanding of how the percentage of the total…

Background: Local governments increasingly rely on sales taxes to raise revenue, often justifying the need for a local sales tax increase with a specific programmatic goal, such as better education or transportation. In Washington State, the legislature explained that a local sales tax increase was necessary to support criminal justice because…

The public narrative surrounding efforts to improve low-performing K-12 schools in the United States has been notably gloomy. But what is known empirically about whether school improvement works, which policies are most effective, which contexts respond best to intervention, and how long it takes? We meta-analyze 141 estimates from 67 studies of…

The public narrative surrounding efforts to improve low-performing K-12 schools in the U.S. has been notably gloomy. Observers argue that either nothing works or we don't know what works. At the same time, the federal government is asking localities to implement evidence-based interventions. But what is known empirically about whether school…