The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is a multicycle international survey of adult skills and competencies sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The survey examines a range of basic skills in the information age and assesses these adult skills consistently across…

The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is a multicycle survey of adult skills and competencies sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The survey examines a range of basic skills in the information age and assesses these adult skills consistently across participating…

In the summer of 2013, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) issued public, highly-visible ratings of teacher education programs as part of their ambitious and controversial Teacher Prep Review. We provide the first empirical examination of NCTQ ratings, beginning with a descriptive overview of the ratings and documentation of how they…

Arts and culture are essential components of a vibrant community. This new report revisits the issue of financial support for the nonprofit arts sector in Boston and compares it to 10 other cities. The 10 comparison cities are: (1) Baltimore; (2) Chicago; (3) Cleveland; (4) Houston; (5) Minneapolis-St. Paul; (6) New York; (7) Philadelphia; (8)…

Contemporary state math standards emphasize that students must demonstrate an understanding of the mathematical ideas underlying the computations that have typically been the core of the elementary school math curriculum. The standards have put an increased emphasis on the study of fractions in upper elementary grades, which are the years during…

In 1988, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) developed a private school data collection that improved on the sporadic collection of private school data dating back to 1890 and at the same time developed an alternative to commercially available private school sampling frames. Since 1989, the U.S. Bureau of the Census has conducted…

The Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES) program is a collaboration between MCPS, Montgomery College, and the Universities at Shady Grove to create a seamless pathway from high school to college completion; it targets students who are underrepresented in higher education, the first in their family to attend college, or both. As one…

This study documents the magnitude of the gaps in student performance for public school students in Pennsylvania and estimates the economic consequences of those education performance gaps. Although Pennsylvania is one of the top-scoring states on the 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) on average, the achievement gaps between…

This First Look report provides selected key findings on adults' attainment of nondegree credentials (licenses, certifications, and postsecondary certificates), and their completion of work experience programs such as apprenticeships and internships. This version of the report corrects an error in three tables in the originally released version…

Nearly 24 million children age 5 and under resided in the United States in 2014. Previous research has shown that about 60 percent of these children have some type of nonparental care arrangement before entering kindergarten. Studies of nonparental care arrangements are important because it is through such arrangements that many children receive…

This report presents data on adults' training and education in the United States as of 2016. The report focuses on nondegree credentials and work experience programs. Nondegree credentials include two types of work credentials--certifications and licenses--and postsecondary educational certificates. A certification is an occupational credential…

As they think about their future, high school students can face a wide range of education and career choices. How do they choose? Who helps young people make their educational and career choices? In particular, to what extent do schools help students with these decisions? Given the importance of education and career decisions for life success,…

The MIND Research Institute contracted with the Evaluation Research Program at WestEd to conduct an independent assessment of mathematics outcomes in elementary school grades across California that were provided with the ST Math program. Spatial-Temporal (ST) Math is a game-based instructional software designed to boost K-5 and secondary-level…

One of the original purposes of student financial aid was to ensure fairer access to post-secondary education to those least able to afford it and to those traditionally underrepresented. Various federal and state programs were put in place to achieve this goal, including the federal Pell Grant and state aid programs. Yet policymakers and…

This paper analyzes the relation between public, education-related infrastructure and the quality of education in schools. The analysis uses a case study of the establishment of two large, high-quality public libraries in low-income areas in Bogotá, Colombia. It assesses the impact of these libraries on the quality of education by comparing…