We analyze the rollout of a Statewide Dual-Credit (SDC) program intended to expand access to college-level courses during high school. We find that SDC increased early postsecondary course-taking among students in the middle of the achievement distribution, especially through courses in vocational subjects, without decreasing participation in…

Indiana, Oklahoma, and Washington each have programs designed to address college enrollment gaps by offering a promise of state-based college financial aid to low-income middle school students in exchange for making a pledge to do well in high school, be a good citizen, not be convicted of a felony, and apply for financial aid to college. Using a…

We replicate and extend prior work on Florida's Bright Futures merit aid scholarship to consider its effect on college enrollment and degree completion. We estimate causal impacts using a regression discontinuity design to exploit SAT thresholds that strongly determine eligibility. We find no positive impacts on attendance or attainment, and…

This article exploits a natural experiment to estimate the effects of need-based aid policies on first-year college persistence rates. In fall 2006, Ohio abruptly adopted a new state financial aid policy that was significantly more generous than the previous plan. Using student-level data and very narrowly defined sets of students, I estimate a…

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires states to identify and turn around struggling schools, with federal school improvement money required to fund evidence-based policies. Most research on turnarounds has focused on individual schools, whereas studies of district-wide turnarounds have come from relatively exceptional settings and…

Many policymakers suggest that school-based reading coaches can improve teachers' practice, which consequently will improve students' literacy skills. Although reading coaches are increasingly prevalent in schools nationwide, empirical evidence for their effects on student achievement is scarce. This article helps to address this gap by conducting…

Results from an evaluation of 11 academy programs in California high schools designed to reduce dropout rates in the state are reported for 1987-88. Results of the matched comparison study were generally positive, and the estimated net economic benefit from dropout prevention for 327 students was 1 to 1.3 million dollars. (SLD)

Describes developments in the fields of learning theory, assessment, and politics of national and state assessments. Shows how use of these developments and modern assessment and evaluation methodologies can address some long-standing problems in Chapter 1 evaluation. Focuses on linking classroom and school improvement with Chapter 1 program…

Interpretation, assimilation, and adjustment to the Utah Career Ladder Program and the extent to which these responses reflect fundamental changes in the structure of teacher work were assessed. Promotional positions and differentiated salaries--distinctive features of a career ladder--were being compromised at all levels of the system. (SLD)

Initial findings of a longitudinal study of the efficacy of public preschool programs in South Carolina are presented. Two separate research designs were used to study 362 preschoolers in comparison with 1,662 non-preschoolers. School readiness was increased by participation in preschool when a minimum level of quality was maintained. (SLD)

The evaluation design described was used to aid the governing board to reach a policy decision about expanding the California Early Childhood Education program (renamed the School Improvement Program) in the Lafayette School District. Descriptions of procedures, question formats, audiences involved, and results are included. (MH)

Local implementation responses to the Utah teacher career ladder program (CLP) initiated in 1983 were assessed using previously collected data. Circumstances/conditions under which schools implement CLPs in accordance with state policy were studied. Local implementations of the program are classified into four modes: pro forma; programmatic;…

Studied Kentucky's efforts to include students with disabilities in its statewide assessment, exploring the inclusion achieved, the kinds of accommodations offered, student performance, and the relationship between performance and the use of accommodations. Statewide results show that most students were included, but that some scores may not be…

Ideological bases of the current debate about remedial education are explored, and data from three urban community colleges are used to examine the interplay between ideology and policy is reflected at individual schools. Data suggest that colleges respond differently to state-level remediation policies and can help shape these policies. (SLD)

Studied beyond students' failing scores on a state reading assessment to investigate the needs of struggling students and implications for policy. Results for 108 students in 17 elementary schools suggest that scores on state tests mask distinctive and multifaceted patterns of students'reading abilities that require dramatically different…