Education Research Roundup October 2008
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Spotlight Study: “The State of Connecticut Public Education: A 2008 Report Card for Connecticut Public Schools”
ConnCAN, Tori Truscheit, October 2008
Summary
ConnCAN has released its 2008 State of Connecticut Public Education report, detailing Connecticut students’ sagging global competitiveness and the state’s ever-widening achievement gap. ConnCAN’s analysis also highlighted a newly revealed weakness in Connecticut public education: science. The report supplements the release last month of annual school report cards and ConnCAN’s annual Top 10 rankings for student performance improvement.
CT Context
With the state budget in deficit and Gov. Rell requiring that each state agency put forward a contingency plan with a 10 percent budget cut, ConnCAN’s report shines a spotlight on the urgent need to keep the focus on getting public education right. International comparisons reveal Connecticut students scoring below Hungary in math, a country with one-quarter of Connecticut’s per capita income. Poor and Hispanic students in Connecticut score below Moldova, a country whose per-capita income ($2,900) is approximately five percent of Connecticut’s ($54,117). African-American students in Connecticut score just above Egypt and Palestine.
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CT Research: “Still Working Hard, Still Falling Short,” The Working Poor Families Project and Connecticut Association for Human Services, October 2008
Summary
This report finds that more than one in four working families with children lives in poverty, a number that has increased by 350,000 since 2002. In total, 21 million children live in a low-income working family. Authors cite the failure of the American education system to prepare adults for higher-skilled, higher-paying jobs as one factor in this increase.
CT Context
In addition to having the largest achievement gap between poor and non-poor students in the country, Connecticut ranks 49th out of 50 states in terms of income inequality, according to the study. Housing costs are particularly expensive in Connecticut, where 70 percent of low-income families spend more than 1/3 of their income on housing, ranking 44th out of 50 states.
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National Research: “Counting on the Future: International Benchmarks in Mathematics for American School Districts,” American Institutes for Research, Dr. Gary W. Phillips and John A. Dossey, October 2008
Summary
In a follow-up to a 2007 report linking the Nation’s Report Card to international mathematics results on the TIMSS assessment, Phillips and Dossey take the international comparison a step further, linking large American cities’ test results with international data. In fourth grade, Charlotte, Austin, and San Diego perform above the world’s economic leaders (countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), while three others perform near the OECD average and five perform below. By eighth grade, however, when students are closer to entering the job market, America’s urban students score significantly below OECD countries with the exception of students in Charlotte and Austin.
CT Context
Connecticut’s racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic achievement gaps split largely along urban-suburban lines. While the study’s sample of urban districts did not include cities in Connecticut, the poor performance of many American cities in comparison to international results highlights the national crisis in urban education. The most successful districts in the study, rather than being simply points of comparison, may be useful models for how to run a successful Connecticut urban district.
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National Research: “The Red Tape Report: An Exploratory Study of the Regulatory Interference Faced by School Leaders in Five States,” Matthew Carr, Marc Holley, and Nathan Gray, Fall 2008
Summary
In this study of five states’ regulatory practices, the authors find that state laws hinder prinicpals’ decision-making abilities in key areas for student achievement. Researchers identified teacher tenure, teacher hiring, teacher transfers, teacher licensure, and alternative certification as regulatory areas with the most impact on the school level – and found that four of five pilot states in the study over-regulate in these areas. The authors suggest that lawmakers step back and allow more autonomy on the school level.
CT Context
This report highlights the direct impact that state legislation can have on the school level. Regulations limiting alternative certification, for example, can prevent would-be teachers from making a difference in the classroom. Entrusting principals with the important decisions about their schools while maintaining their accountability for results can give principals the freedom to try creative solutions – all in the name of increasing student achievement.
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National Research: “Counting on Graduation: An Agenda for State Leadership,” The Education Trust, Anna Habash, October 2008
Summary
The study takes a frank look at low graduation rates in the United States, especially among black and Hispanic students. To reverse this trend, the report advocates high-quality local data collection to ensure accurate graduation rates, setting high improvement targets in high schools, and prioritizing improved high school graduation rates.
CT Context
Graduation rates in many of Connecticut’s districts are substantially inflated, according to June 2008 ConnCAN findings. In combination with low state expectations that grant schools AYP for any progress in increasing graduation rates, Connecticut’s high schools are in dire need of stronger accountability measures. The study’s recommendations are timely in light of the Connecticut State Department of Education’s focus on high school reform.
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National Research: “Changing the Game: The Federal Role in Supporting 21st Century Educational Innovation,” Brookings Institution, Sara Mead and Andrew J. Rotherham, October 2008
Summary
In a look ahead to the next administration’s education policy, this report recommends a new federal role in education: an Office of Educational Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Instead of marginal increases, the crisis in American education demands “game-changing” ideas and aggressive support for organizations like Teach for America and KIPP. Given the severity of the problems in urban education in particular, the authors provide multiple examples of social entrepreneurship ventures that address the achievement gap in creative ways.
CT Context
As a state with its fair share of proven and would-be educational entrepreneurs, Connecticut stands to benefit from an investment in education innovation from the Feds. At a time when many such programs are threatened by cutbacks on the state level, this new approach could ensure that innovative home-grown programs have a chance to grow to scale.
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National Research: “Funding Student Learning: How to Align Education Resources with Student Learning Goals,” School Finance Redesign Project, Center for Reinventing Public Education, October 2008
Summary
Americans spend $500 billion a year on public education, a number than has increased dramatically in the past two decades. Yet, spending increases have consistently exceeded academic gains. Researchers argue that our school finance system is not set up to promote student achievement and that instead resources should be specifically targeted to increase student achievement efficiently.
CT Context
On the school level, the authors recommend structuring schools around the idea of “continuous improvement,” a cycle of setting goals and evaluating progress towards those goals. On the policy level, finances should be set up to support this type of continuous improvement, integrating resources with learning. As Connecticut looks for a higher return on its investment in education, policymakers may find the report’s suggestions for smart school finance particularly relevant.
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Previous Editions: September 2008, August 2008, July 2008
