STRONGER ACCOUNTABILITY


OPEPD: Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development
   Current Section

Evaluation Reports


Elementary and Secondary


Title I

State and Local Implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, Volume IV—Title I School Choice and Supplemental Educational Services: Interim Report (2008) draws on data from the 2004-05 data collection cycles of two federally funded studies—the National Longitudinal Study of NCLB (NLS-NCLB) and the Study of State Implementation of Accountability and Teacher Quality Under NCLB (SSI-NCLB)—to describe patterns in the implementation and usage of choice options that are offered to students in Title I schools that have been identified as in need of improvement.

National Assessment of Title I: Final Report to Congress (2007) presents findings from the congressionally mandated National Assessment of Title I on the implementation and impact of the program. Volume I contains key findings on the implementation of the program under No Child Left Behind, and Volume II presents a report on follow-up findings from Closing the Reading Gap, an evaluation of the impact of supplemental remedial reading programs on achievement of 3rd and 5th grade students.

State and Local Implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, Volume III-Accountability Under NCLB: Interim Report (2007) draws on data from the 2004-05 data collection cycles of two federally funded studies -- the Study of State Implementation of Accountability and Teacher Quality Under NCLB (SSI-NCLB) and the National Longitudinal Study of NCLB (NLS-NCLB) -- to describe patterns in state, district, and school implementation of NCLB provisions concerning accountability and school improvement.

State and Local Implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, Volume I-Title I School Choice, Supplemental Educational Services, and Student Achievement (2007) examines the impact of participation in Title I school choice and supplemental educational services on student achievement, as well as the characteristics of participating students. The quasi-experimental analysis used data from nine large urban districts for 2000-01 through 2004-05.

National Assessment of Title I: Interim Report to Congress (2006) includes two parts: Volume I, "Implementation of Title I," and Volume II, "Closing the Reading Gap: First Year Findings from a Randomized Trial of Four Reading Interventions for Striving Readers."

Title I Accountability and School Improvement Efforts From 2001 to 2004 (2006) examines the implementation of accountability and school improvement under Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) from 2001-02, the year before NCLB went into effect, through 2003-04, the second year of implementation of NCLB. The report includes a special focus on 2003-04, with findings on identification of schools for improvement, interventions implemented at schools identified for improvement, and public school choice and supplemental educational services under Title I.

Evaluation of Title I Accountability Systems and School Improvement Efforts: Findings From 2002-03 (2005) examines the implementation of Title I accountability provisions during the 2002-03 school year, the first full year NCLB was in effect. The report provides information on the identification of schools for improvement and interventions implemented in these schools, including public school choice and supplemental educational services under Title I.

Case Studies of Supplemental Services Under the No Child Left Behind Act: Findings from 2003-04 (2005) examines implementation of supplemental educational services provisions of Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) during the 2003-04 school year, the second year the requirements were in effect, through case studies of nine districts in six states. Building on findings reported in the Year One Report for the case studies, this report details how supplemental services were implemented at all levels, considers continuing challenges to implementation, and provides additional examples of promising approaches.

State ESEA Title I Participation Information for 2003-04 (2007) summarizes Title I information reported by states in their performance report for school year 2003-04 as well as comparisons to 2002-03 and previous years. The report covers the Title I, Part A, Grants to Local Educational Agencies program and provides information on the numbers of districts, schools, and students served; the numbers meeting adequate yearly progress (AYP) criteria and those identified for school improvement; instructional and other services supported under Title I; and staffing.

State ESEA Title I Participation Information for 2002-03 (2006) summarizes Title I information reported by states in their performance report for school year 2002-03 as well as comparisons to previous years. The report covers the Title I, Part A, Grants to Local Educational Agencies program and provides information on the numbers of districts, schools, and students served; the numbers meeting adequate yearly progress (AYP) criteria and those identified for school improvement; instructional and other services supported under Title I; and staffing.

State ESEA Title I Participation Information for 2001-02 (2005) summarizes Title I information reported by states in their performance report for school year 2001-02 as well as comparisons to previous years. The report covers the Title I, Part A, Grants to Local Educational Agencies program and provides information on the numbers of districts, schools, and students served; the numbers meeting adequate yearly progress (AYP) criteria and those identified for school improvement; instructional and other services supported under Title I; and staffing.

State Education Indicators with a Focus on Title I: 2003-04 (2007) provides information on key indicators of the condition and progress of K-12 public education in the 2003-04 school year, including indicators of state progress in implementing state accountability systems. It includes two-page state profiles as well as summary tables of several accountability-related indicators. State profiles, a national summary, and the complete report are available.

State Education Indicators with a Focus on Title I: 2002-03 (2007) provides information on key indicators of the condition and progress of K-12 public education in the 2002-03 school year, including indicators of state progress in implementing state accountability systems. It includes two-page state profiles as well as summary tables of several accountability-related indicators. State profiles, a national summary, and the complete report are available.

State Education Indicators with a Focus on Title I: 2001-02 (2005) provides information on key indicators of the condition and progress of K-12 public education in the 2001-02 school year, including indicators of state progress in implementing state accountability systems. It includes two-page state profiles as well as summary tables of several accountability-related indicators. State profiles, a national summary, and the complete report are available.

Early Implementation of the Supplemental Educational Services Provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act: Year One Report (2004) examines the implementation of the supplemental educational services provisions of Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) during the 2002-03 school year, the first school year that the requirements were in effect. Through case studies of nine districts in six states, the report describes how states, districts, schools and providers implemented supplemental services. The report also looks at how challenges experienced during the first year of implementation can be overcome in future years and provides some examples of promising approaches.

Evaluation of Title I Accountability and School Improvement Efforts (TASSIE): First Year Findings (2004) examines the implementation of Title I accountability provisions during the 2001-02 school year, the year before NCLB went into effect, and provides a baseline for tracking the implementation of NCLB accountability provisions over time. The report provides information on the identification of schools and districts in need of improvement. It also describes support and interventions implemented for low-performing schools and schools identified for improvement.

Fact Sheet on Title I Part A (2002) summarizes participant demographics, student achievement trends, and budget information for Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

State ESEA Title I Participation Information for 2000-2001 (2004) summarizes Title I information reported by states in their performance report for school year 2000-2001, as well as comparisons to 1999-2000 and previous years. The report covers the Title I, Part A, Grants to Local Educational Agencies program and provides information on the numbers of districts, schools, and students served; the numbers meeting adequate yearly progress (AYP) criteria and those identified for school improvement; instructional and other services supported under Title I; and staffing.

High Standards for All Students: A Report from the National Assessment of Title I on Progress and Challenges Since the 1994 Reauthorization (2001) provides a comprehensive summary of the most recent data available from the National Assessment of Title I on the implementation of the Title I program and the academic performance of children in high-poverty schools.

National Longitudinal Survey of Schools examines the implementation of the Title I program from 1998-99 to 2000-01 based on surveys of principals and teachers in a nationally representative sample of Title I schools. Two reports and three evaluation briefs are available:

  • A Snapshot of Title I Schools, 2000-01 (2003) examines the implementation of the Title I program in 1998-99 through 2000-01 based on surveys of principals and teachers in a nationally representative sample of Title I schools.
    download files PDF (424K) | MS Word (2.5MB)

  • A Snapshot of Title I Schools Serving Migrant Students, 2000-01 (2003) provides information on implementation of the Title I program in schools serving migrant students. It compares Title I schools with migrant students to all Title I schools in the areas of social, demographic, and organizational characteristics and the implementation of Title I provisions between 1998-99 and 2000-01.
    download files PDF (237K) | MS Word (1.3MB)

  • Evaluation Brief: Schools Identified as in Need of Improvement Under Title I (2002) examines levels of understanding of school improvement status by school principals; technical assistance received by these schools; whether schools have been subjected to corrective actions; schools' progress in meeting adequate yearly progress targets and moving out of school improvement status.
    download files PDF (347K) | MS Word (186K)

  • Evaluation Brief: Teacher Professional Development in Title I Schools (2002) provides information on professional development in Title I schools in 1998-99 and 1999-2000.
    download files PDF (306K) | MS Word (172K)

  • Evaluation Brief: Provision of Title I Services (2002) examines the extent to which changes in Title I legislation have helped promote school improvement activities, as well as the provision of instructional services including extended time, use of pullout and in-class instruction, use of teacher aides; and coordination of services for special population students.
    download files PDF (339K) | MS Word (222K)

Longitudinal Evaluation of School Change and Performance: Final Report (2001) examines changes in student performance in a sample of 71 Title I schools, based on a longitudinal sample of students as they progressed from 3rd to 5th grade between 1997 and 1999. The study analyzes student outcomes associated with specific aspects of curriculum and instruction and identified policy conditions-especially regarding standards-based reform-under which effective classroom practices were likely to flourish.

Promising Results, Continuing Challenges: National Assessment of Title I (1999) summarizes findings from a variety of studies conducted for the National Assessment of Title I, examining the implementation and impact of the program. The report examines progress in the performance of students in high-poverty schools, the development of state standards and assessment systems, accountability systems and school improvement efforts, the targeting of Title I funds, Title I services at the school level, support for family involvement, services for students in private schools, and services provided under the Even Start, Migrant Education, and Neglected and Delinquent programs.

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Teacher Quality

State and Local Implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, Volume II-Teacher Quality under NCLB: Interim Report (2007) draws on data from the 2004-05 data collection cycles of two federally funded studies -- the Study of State Implementation of Accountability and Teacher Quality Under NCLB (SSI-NCLB) and the National Longitudinal Study of NCLB (NLS-NCLB) -- to describe patterns in state, district, and school implementation of Title I and Title II provisions concerning teacher quality, professional development, and paraprofessionals.

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Transition to Teaching Program Evaluation: An Interim Report on the FY 2002 Grantees (2007) presents the results of the interim evaluation of the program with data from the FY 2002 grantees in the third year of five-year grants. Data were collected from November 2004-February 2006 through an online Annual Performance Report in which grantees provided project-level characteristics and outcomes, eight case studies of grantees, a participant survey of teachers of record, and interim evaluations submitted by grantees.

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Evaluation of the Teaching American History Program (2005) examines the implementation of this professional development program and characteristics of the activities, content, and teacher participants for projects awarded during the first two years of the program. Findings are based on surveys of program participants and project directors as well as case studies of projects and analyses of program documents, and a pilot study of lesson plans produced by program participants.

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Improving Teacher Quality in U.S. School Districts (2004) provides descriptive data from a nationally representative sample of school districts showing how they used their Title II, Part A funds during the 2002-2003 school year. The brief provides data on how districts distributed their funds among the variety of allowable Title II activities, and it disaggregates the data by district size and poverty level.

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Even Start

Third National Even Start Evaluation: Program Impacts and Implications for Improvement (2003) provides information from the third national evaluation of the Even Start Family Literacy Program. The third national evaluation includes two complementary studies: (1) the Even Start Performance Information Reporting System (ESPIRS) and (2) the Experimental Design Study (EDS). The ESPIRS provided annual data from 1997-1998 through 2000-2001 on the universe of Even Start projects. The EDS is an impact study that used an experimental design; families in the study were randomly assigned either to participate in Even Start or to be in a control group. This report presents descriptive information on all Even Start programs and participants based on all four years of ESPIRS data collection, and discusses program impacts based on pretest and posttest data collected from the 18 EDS projects.

State Administration of the Even Start Family Literacy Program (2003) is based on a survey of state Even Start coordinators during the 2001-02 school year, as well as case studies in 12 states. The report describes Even Start administration at the state level and factors that facilitate or impede program improvement activities conducted by state coordinators. The report is intended to: 1) help federal staff better target their guidance and technical assistance to states; and 2) provide state coordinators with descriptions of program administration practices in other states as a self-assessment guide.

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Migrant Education

Migrant Education Program Annual Report: Eligibility, Participation, Services (2001-02) and Achievement (2002-03) (2006) provides information from the Consolidated State Performance Report (CSPR) about migrant children and youths who were eligible and who participated in MEP-funded services during 2001-02. and discusses the academic achievement of migrant students in 2002-03.

Title I Migrant Education Program Trends Summary Report: 1998-2001 (2004) summarizes the participation information provided by state education agencies (SEAs) on the Migrant Education Program for the school years 1998-99 through 2000-01.

State Title I Migrant Participation Information: 1999-2000 (2004) is an annual report that summarizes the participation information provided by the state education agencies (SEAs) on the Migrant Education Program for a given school year.

State Title I Migrant Participation Information: 1998-1999 (2002) summarizes state-reported participation data on the Title I Part C Migrant Education Program for the 1998-99 school year.

The Same High Standards for Migrant Students: Holding Title I Schools Accountable (2003) examines whether and how states and schools include migrant students in standards-based reforms.

  • Executive Summary: download files PDF (275K) | Word (170K)

  • Volume I, Title I Schools Serving Migrant Students: Recent Evidence From The National Longitudinal Survey of Schools examines whether and how Title I schools that serve migrant students are implementing the provisions of Title I, and to describe the characteristics of and conditions in schools serving migrant children during the 1998-99 school year.
    download files PDF (588K) | Word (1.71MB)

  • Volume II, Measurement of Migrant Student Educational Achievement investigates the extent to which migrant students participate in state and local assessment and accountability programs, and the types and quality of academic outcome data on migrant students collected and maintained by state and local educational agencies.
    download files PDF (577K) | Word (1.05MB)

  • Volume III, Coordinating the Education of Migrant Students: Lessons Learned from the Field examines promising practices in migrant education programs. Four groups of two or three districts that share students who move back and forth between them were chosen for study.
    download files PDF (499K) | Word (506K)

A Snapshot of Title I Schools Serving Migrant Students, 2000-01 (2003) provides information on implementation of the Title I program in schools serving migrant students. It compares Title I schools with migrant students to all Title I schools in the areas of social, demographic, and organizational characteristics and the implementation of Title I provisions between 1998-99 and 2000-01.

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Education for Homeless Children

The Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program: Learning to Succeed (2002) provides evidence that states and school districts have made significant progress in revising laws, policies, regulations' and practices that have served as barriers to the enrollment, attendance, and school achievement of homeless students.

  • Executive Summary: download files PDF (280K) | Word (137K)

  • Volume I: Reducing Barriers for Homeless Children and Youth for Access and Achievement examines state and local efforts to serve the educational needs of homeless children and youth, and to overcome barriers that affect these students' enrollment, attendance, and school success.
    download files PDF (879K) | Word (352K)

  • Volume II: Educating Homeless Children and Youth: A Resource Guide to Promising Practices suggests strategies and processes that states, districts, and schools can use to overcome some of the many barriers that keep homeless children and youth from getting the education to which they are entitled. It also presents approaches for helping them to achieve the same high standards expected of all children. The promising practices the guide describes all come from states and districts that have placed a strong emphasis on enrolling homeless children and youth in school and helping them to be successful students.
    download files PDF (1.24MB) | Word (501K)

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Safe and Drug-Free Schools

Educator Sexual Misconduct: A Synthesis of Existing Literature (2004) is a report requested by Congress. It examines the incidence and prevalence of abuse, patterns of misconduct, and prevention strategies, among other items.

Wide Scope, Questionable Quality: Three Reports from the Study on School Violence and Prevention (2000) investigates the extent of problem behavior in schools nationally and several aspects of delinquency prevention efforts in schools, such as the types and quality of prevention efforts, how schools plan and use information about prevention options to improve their own efforts and school management, and sources of funding for school prevention activities.

  • Executive Summary: download files PDF (219K) | Word (200K)

  • Wide Scope, Questionable Quality: Drug and Violence Prevention Efforts in American Schools presents findings from surveys of a national sample of elementary, middle, and high schools, including surveys of school principals and prevention activity providers, and, in the middle and high schools, of teachers and students, along with surveys of district Safe and Drug-Free Schools program coordinators.
    download files PDF (911K) | Word (910K)

  • A Closer Look at Drug and Violence Prevention Efforts in American Schools presents case studies of 40 schools (20 middle schools and 20 high schools) included in the national survey.
    download files PDF (837K) | Word (436K)

  • School Crime Patterns: A National Profile of U.S. Public Schools Using Rates of Crime Reported to Police examines data from a previous NCES survey asking principals about the number and types of crimes they report to police. New analysis focuses on high schools, profiling schools with high and low levels of reported crime.
    download files PDF (617K) | Word (311K)

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Magnet Schools

Evaluation of Magnet Schools Assistance Program: 1998 Grantees: Year 1 Interim Report (2001) focuses on the 57 districts funded by the Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) for the school years 1998-99, 1999-2000, and 2000-01, and on the 292 magnet schools supported by MSAP. The first report of a four-year evaluation, it provides descriptive information about the MSAP-supported districts and schools: their desegregation and achievement objectives, the systemic reforms they are designed to support, and the innovative methods and practices they are implementing. The final report will present data on the extent to which the desegregation and achievement objectives have been met and will include case studies of eight of the MSAP projects.

  • Report website including highlights, executive summary and the complete report.

Evaluation of the Magnet School Assistance Program (MSAP): 1998 Grantees (2003), the final report for this study examines the progress of MSAP projects in achieving four legislative purposes of the program. Particular attention is given to program outcomes in reducing minority student isolation and improving student achievement.

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Charter Schools

Implementation of the Credit Enhancement for Charter School Facilities Program: Final Report (2008). examines implementation of the Credit Enhancement for Charter School Facilities Program and documents loan activities facilitated by the program. The program makes grants to eligible public entities to help absorb some of the risk of making loans to charter schools to finance suitable facilities. The study focuses on the nine organizations that received grants in FY 2002 through FY 2004. It draws on information from program applications and annual performance reports; secondary data sources; and discussions with grantees, unsuccessful applicants, charter school facilities lenders, and nine schools assisted by grantees.

Evaluation of Public Charter Schools Program: Final Evaluation Report (2004). The final report examines the operations of the Public Charter Schools Program (PCSP) in supporting continued growth and development of the charter school sector in American public education. In addition, it provides information on the characteristics of the sector as of 2001-02, with particular attention to the nature of charter school accountability.

Evaluation of Public Charter Schools Program: Year One Evaluation Report (2000) uses Year 1 data to paint a comprehensive picture of a number of issues: the development of the Public Charter Schools Program, state and charter school authorizer perspectives on charter school flexibility and accountability, and the charter school activities of states and a sample of charter school authorizers. This picture, however, is also a "snapshot" of a rapidly evolving movement during a narrow time interval (summer and fall 1999).

  • Report website including the executive summary and the complete report.
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Educational Technology

Teachers' Use of Student Data Systems to Improve Instruction (2007) provides the first national estimates of the prevalence of K-12 teachers' access to and use of student data systems. This paper was developed through a secondary analysis of national survey data from over 6000 teachers and over 1000 district technology coordinators conducted in 2005 as part of the National Educational Technology Trends Study. Evaluation questions include: (1) How broadly are student data systems being implemented in districts and schools?, (2) Within these systems, how prevalent are tools for generating and acting on data?, and (3) How are school staff using student data systems?

Teachers' Use of Student Data Systems to Improve Instruction: 2005 to 2007 (2008) This issue brief is the second in a two-part series examining teachers' access to and use of data from student data systems. This brief was developed through a secondary analysis of data from teachers and district technology coordinators surveyed at two points in time from 2005 to 2007 as part of the National Educational Technology Trends Study.

National Educational Technology Trends Study State Strategies Report: Vol. 1
The Enhancing Education Through Technology program (EETT) is among the largest federal programs seeking to improve student achievement through the use of technology. This report examines the state priorities and programs that EETT supports and the relationship between state educational technology program activities and the overarching goals and purposes of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Chapter 1 of this report describes state educational technology policies and related programs, including the role of the EETT program in state efforts. Chapter 2 presents individual state profiles that present data summarized in Chapter 1.

National Educational Technology Trends Study State Strategies Report: Vol. 2
Using data collected for the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), this report examines educational technology access and use in fourth- and eighth-grade mathematics classrooms all across the country. Chapter 1 provides national data and documents differences between states in teachers' and students' access to instructional technology, in teachers' efforts to integrate technology in mathematics instruction and assessment, in students' use of technology in mathematics learning, and in the technology-related development and support that states provide to teachers. These data are provided in Chapter 2 on a state-by-state basis.

National Educational Technology Trends Study: Local-level Data Summary
This summary presents data from the National Educational Technology Trends Study (NETTS), a multiyear evaluation that documents the implementation of the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program from fiscal year (FY) 2002 to FY 2007. It briefly reviews the methods used to collect and analyze the NETTS data collected from states in the winter of 2004-05, from districts in the spring of 2005 and from teachers in fall of 2005. It also provides descriptive analyses of district and school implementation of the EETT program, focusing on issues that are central to the program: distribution of funds; EETT district investment in educational technology; teacher and student access to technology; technology-related teacher professional development; and technology integration in teaching and learning.

Federal Funding for Educational Technology and How It Is Used in the Classroom: A Summary of Findings from the Integrated Studies of Educational Technology (2003) summarizes the three final reports produced by the Integrated Studies of Educational Technology (ISET). ISET consisted of a nested set of state, district, school, and teacher surveys, to provide nationally representative information on federal funding for, and uses of, educational technology.

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Smaller Learning Communities

Implementation Study of Smaller Learning Communities: Final Report (2008). This report describes the strategies and practices used in implementing SLCs based on surveys and case studies of the first cohort of grantee schools funded under this program, as well as analysis of annual performance reports submitted by SLC grantees. The study examines the principal strategies, models, and practices that these schools implemented, the factors facilitating and inhibiting implementation in SLC schools, and how outcomes for SLC schools, as measured by student achievement and school behavior, change over time.


Crosscutting Studies

An Evaluation of the Participation of Faith-Based and Community Organizations in U.S. Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs and as Supplemental Educational Services Providers (2007) discusses the success of Faith-Based and Community Organizations (FBCOs) in winning discretionary grants, whether the pool of high-quality applicants has increased with the participation of FBCOs, and how many Faith-Based Organizations are approved as supplemental educational services providers.

Study of the Voluntary Public School Choice Program: Interim Report (2007) uses a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods to measure the progress VPSC sites have made in meeting the program's legislative goals to: 1) maximize choice, 2) encourage students to transfer to higher achieving schools, and 3) promote interdistrict transfers. The interim report discusses the evaluation findings during the first three years of implementation of the VPSC Program.

Evaluation of Flexibility Under No Child Left Behind (2007) examines the Transferability, REAP-Flex, and Local-Flex provisions of No Child Left Behind. Volume I is an executive summary of findings about all three types of flexibility examined in this study. Volumes II and III present more detailed findings on Transferability and REAP-Flex provisions, while Volume IV is a case study of the single district that is implementing Local-Flex (Seattle). These reports examine the extent to which districts choose to utilize these flexibility provisions, why districts choose to participate, what barriers prevent districts from participating, and potential strategies for increasing participation.

Study of Education Resources and Federal Funding (2000) examines where federal education dollars go and what the money buys for six of the Department's largest elementary-secondary programs: Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Title II (Eisenhower Professional Development), Title III (Technology Literacy Challenge Fund), Title IV (Safe and Drug-Free Schools), Title VI, and Goals 2000.

Federal Legislation Enacted in 1994: Evaluation of Implementation and Impact (1999) examines a range of federal elementary and secondary education programs that support early childhood education, standards-based reform, professional development, safe and drug-free schools, technology, school choice, school-to-work programs, and flexibility and accountability.

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Comprehensive School Reform

The Longitudinal Analysis of Comprehensive School Reform Implementation and Outcomes evaluation (LACIO) (2004) is a five-year evaluation of the Comprehensive School Reform program (CSR). LACIO examines how schools that first received CSR funds in 2002-03 implemented CSR and the relationships between CSR implementation and student achievement outcomes. This first year report focuses on how states target CSR program funds and what reform activities schools undertake in the first year of implementation.

Implementation and Early Outcomes of the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) Program (2004) summarizes data relating to CSRD schools from a variety of sources including surveys and case studies, state assessment data, and a database of grantee information. The report examines the targeting of CSRD funds, how well CSRD schools are implementing the nine components of comprehensive school reform described in the 1998 law, and achievement trends in CSRD schools compared with non-CSRD schools.

Field-Focused Study of the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration Program (2003) presents findings from the Field-Focused Study (FFS), one of several components in the National Evaluation of the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) Program. FFS provides information on the initial implementation of the CSRD program, including progress in implementing the components of CSRD, the role of district and state influences on implementing the program, and early signs regarding the potential sustainability of the program at the school level. The report is presented in two volumes. Volume I contains the main text. Volume II contains six appendices to Volume I, including short summaries of the 18 schools that were studied.

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Class Size

A Descriptive Evaluation of the Federal Class-Size Reduction Program (2004) presents findings from the 2000-2001 school year on the distribution and use of federal Class-Size Reduction (CSR) funds, the implementation of CSR, and the effects of CSR on class size. Surveys of district staff and school principals provide generalizable information about the federal CSR program, while qualitative information from site visits to six states, 12 districts (two in each state), 24 schools (two in each district), and 48 CSR classrooms (two from each school) illuminates and verifies the survey findings.

  • Report website includes highlights, executive summary, and full report
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Reading

Reading First Implementation Evaluation Final Report (2008) compares reading practices in a national representative sample of Reading First and non-Reading First Title I schools, and analyzes reading achievement trends in both groups. Results are based on surveys completed in spring 2005 and 2007 by K-3 teachers, principals, and reading coaches, as well as from state and national databases of school-level reading scores on state assessments. The findings focus on the provision of scientifically based reading instruction, amount of time devoted to reading instruction, interventions for struggling readers, the uses of assessments, professional development activities, and achievement on state assessments.

The Reading First Implementation Evaluation (2006) presents findings on providing scientifically based reading instruction in grades K-3, the amount of time for reading instruction, the interventions for struggling readers, the uses of assessment, and professional development activities.

Analysis of State K-3 Reading Standards and Assessments (2005) examines the extent to which the five essential components of effective reading instruction (identified by the National Reading Panel in 2000) have been incorporated into state standards and assessments.

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Libraries

The Improving Literacy through School Libraries Evaluation Final Report (2005) provides findings on how grant funds are allocated to districts and targeted to schools, how these funds are being used, and how program participation relates to staff collaboration and professional development.


Private Schools

Private School Participants in Programs under the No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: Private School and Public School District Perspectives (2007) describes private school participants in federal education programs through surveys in 2005-06 of public school districts and private schools.


Single Sex Education

Early Implementation of Public Single-Sex Schools: Perceptions and Characteristics (2008) has two components. The first component is a review of literature on single sex schooling that was published in the fall of 2005. The second component is based on surveys and site visits conducted in 2005, which provide additional descriptive data on public single sex schools in the U.S. This report summarizes studies and programs implemented before ED issued its recent regulations on single sex schools and classes. Therefore, educators should not rely on the study's findings about perceived effects of single-sex schools or classes in establishing single-sex programs consistent with the ED's regulations. This report may be helpful in considering topics on which further research and evaluation may be warranted.

Single-Sex Versus Coeducation Schooling: A Systematic Review (2005) examines the existing literature on single-sex schooling at the elementary and secondary level, using an unbiased, transparent, and objective selection process adopted from the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC). The review was conducted as part of the ongoing study of single-sex public schools.

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Student Financial Assistance

Borrower Debt Burden (2004) is one of the major issues in student financial assistance. PPSS has undertaken several analyses combining data on federal borrowing from a sample of borrowers from the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) maintained by the Department of Education, with income data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). These data allow us to calculate the percentage of a borrowers’ income, and their spouse if married filing jointly, that is needed to meet their scheduled federal student loan payments.

  • Data from our analysis has been made available on the NCES website.

National Study of the Operation of the Federal Work-Study Program (2000) analyzes student and institutional experiences with the FWS program and describes how the program is operated, based on a nationally representative survey of Federal Work-Study (FWS) administrators and recipients conducted in 1998.

Factors Related to College Enrollment (1998) examines factors related to postsecondary education enrollment. The emphasis is on how early indicators,such as expectations and course-taking behavior in the eighth grade, are related to college attendance six years later. The report examines attendance at all types of postsecondary education: 4-year public, 4-year private, less than 4-year public, and less than 4-year private institutions.

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Higher Education

Early Outcomes of GEAR UP Program: Summary of Evaluation Findings (2008) discusses findings from an evaluation of the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grant program. GEAR UP provides services to improve parents' and students' knowledge and preparation for postsecondary attendance. The report presents middle school outcomes for a small sample of schools participating in the program and a matched comparison group of non-GEAR UP schools.

The Educational and Employment Outcomes of The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program Alumni (2008) examines the extent to which former McNair Program participants who were in the program between 1989 - 1998, completed doctoral studies and the extent to which they had obtained faculty or research positions at institutions of higher education. An early cohort of former program participants in the McNair Program between 1989 and 1993 and a middle cohort of former participants in the program between 1994 and 1998 were the focus of the analysis of doctoral completion rates. Survey results indicate that combined, 6.1 percent of former McNair participants from the early and middle cohorts reported obtaining a doctoral degree by 2004. Former McNair Program participants indicated that they received their doctoral degrees in an array of disciplines. The largest percentage of doctoral degrees earned by survey respondents was reportedly in the life sciences. Twenty-nine percent of program participants reported being employed in higher education. However, among those McNair participants with either a Ph.D. or other doctorate, 65 percent indicated that they were employed in higher education (75 percent of the Ph.D. recipients and 50 percent of other doctoral degree holders).

Study of the Effect of the Talent Search Program on Secondary and Postsecondary Outcomes in Florida, Indiana, and Texas (2006) examines the effectiveness of the Talent Search Program in Florida, Indiana, and Texas. The analysis is based on administrative data (federal financial aid, state, local, and Talent Search records) compiled in these three states and a quasi-experimental design to create matched comparison groups. Study findings suggest that Talent Search participants were more likely than comparison students to apply for federal financial aid and enroll in public postsecondary institutions in the three study states.

Partnerships for Reform: Changing Teacher Preparation Through the Title II HEA Partnership Program: Final Report (2006) provides information on the implementation of the Title II Partnership grant program from the 2000-01 school year through the 2003-04 school year. The study collected information on the 1999 grantees through surveys of representatives from institutions of higher education, participating school districts, and participating school principals. The study also included secondary data analyses on school characteristics, achievement data, and pass rates on teacher assessments.

The Review of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Comprehensive Program (2004) assesses the extent to which the FIPSE Comprehensive Program meets its key objectives and is the first outside review of the program in over two decades. The report is based on a sample of 60 randomly selected projects funded from 1996 through 1998, 16 of which were selected for a more intensive review by individuals with expertise specific to the individual project. Information for the study was obtained mainly from project reports and documentation maintained by the FIPSE office, supplemented by discussions with project staff members, staff members at institutions replicating FIPSE projects, and FIPSE staff.

The Impact of Regular Upward Bound: Results from the Third Follow-up Data Collection (2004) assesses the impact of program participation on students' preparation for college, college enrollment, persistence, and completion. Findings are based on a nationally representative sample of 67 Upward Bound projects hosted by two-and four-year colleges, from which 2,800 eligible applicants were randomly assigned to Upward Bound or to a control group. At the time of the most recent follow-up data collection, all sampled students had sufficient time to complete high school and about two years in which to enter college. This report, therefore, focuses on high school preparation for college, enrollment, and early college persistence.

Upward Bound Math-Science: Program Description and Interim Impact Estimates (2006) examines the Upward Bound Math-Science (UBMS) program established in 1990 to prepare disadvantaged high school students for college success in the areas of math and science. The study collected data (participant surveys and student transcripts) on a random sample of UBMS students who participated between 1993 and 1995. A matched comparison group was drawn from the regular Upward Bound impact study. The focus is on high school preparation for college, enrollment, and early college persistence. The findings suggest that UBMS improved high school grades in math and science, increased the likelihood of majoring in math and science, and increased the likelihood of completing a four-year degree in math and science.

Implementation of the Talent Search Program, Past and Present - Final Report from Phase I of the National Evaluation (2004) presents a comprehensive, in-depth description of the implementation of the Talent Search Program. Data for this report were collected from a national survey of all Talent Search and Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) projects, and case studies of 14 Talent Search projects. The Talent Search Program, part of the federal TRIO programs, is a pre-college program that provides low income, first generation students at the middle and high school levels with information and support services to graduate high school and to enter and succeed in college.

Partnerships for Reform: Changing Teacher Preparation Through the Title II HEA Partnership Program Interim Report (2004) is an interim report providing descriptive data from the evaluation of the Title II HEA Partnership Grant Program. It examines how 1999 Partnership grantees are implementing reforms to improve preservice teacher preparation and meet the teacher quality needs of school districts. The evaluation focuses on several key topics: 1) changes to the content and structure of grantees' teacher preparation programs over the grant period; 2) connections between the Partnership grants and changes to the teaching force; 3) connections between collaborative activities among institutions of higher education and schools and school-level student achievement; 4) organizational changes and relationships among Partnership members; and 5) efforts to institutionalize Partnerships.

National Evaluation of GEAR UP (2003) evaluates the early effects and implementation of Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), which seeks to increase postsecondary access and completion through partnership grants that require recipients to begin providing services to students by seventh grade and to continue services to these students in participating high schools until graduation, and through grants to state agencies.

The Performance Measurement Study Of The Title III Institutional Aid Program (2000) presents the results of a survey of all 1995-96 Part A and Part B Title III grantees as well as in-depth case studies conducted at 19 institutions. The Aid for Institutional Development programs (commonly referred to as the Title III programs) support improvements in educational quality, management, and financial stability at qualifying postsecondary institutions that enroll large proportions of minority and financially disadvantaged students. The study indicates that institutions used Title III grants primarily to strengthen academic programs rather than on institutional management. The study also found that most Title III schools were not in severe financial difficulty.

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Vocational Education

National Assessment of Vocational Education (NAVE) Final Report to Congress (2004) presents a synthesis of evidence on the implementation and outcomes of vocational education and of the 1998 Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act (Perkins III). It examines questions about the effectiveness of vocational education in improving student outcomes, the consequences of new funding and accountability provisions for programs and participants, the implementation and quality of vocational education, and the extent of its alignment with other reform efforts. The report also provides options for the future direction of vocational education legislation.

Report of the NAVE Independent Advisory Panel (2004) fulfills the NAVE Independent Advisory Panel's obligation under Perkins III to provide advice on conducting the NAVE and to submit to Congress and the Secretary of Education its independent analysis of NAVE findings and recommendations.

Supplemental Reports of the National Assessment of Vocational Education (2004) are studies commissioned from independent researchers and evaluators that examine different aspects of vocational education in the United States, such as vocational student outcomes, the implementation of vocational programs, and funding and accountability systems at the secondary and postsecondary levels. The supplemental reports are source materials for the National Assessment of Vocational Education: Final Report to Congress. Links to these reports are available on the NAVE home page.

National Assessment of Vocational Education: Interim Report to Congress (2002) focuses on describing patterns of vocational education participation at the secondary and postsecondary school levels. The extent and nature of involvement, how students combine vocational and academic course taking, and the characteristics and goals of those who participate - are all important factors in determining the importance of vocational education. This report is based on findings from analyses completed prior to November 2001.

NAVE Independent Advisory Panel Members

NAVE Contacts

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Last Modified: 10/09/2008

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