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Evaluation Reports

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Elementary and Secondary


Title I

Title I Implementation: Update on Recent Evaluation Findings (2009) provides a summary of findings from Title I evaluation studies that have become available after the publication of the National Assessment of Title I final report in 2007. The report presents data collected in 2006-07 through the National Longitudinal Study of NCLB and the Study of State Implementation of Accountability and Teacher Quality Under NCLB. The report includes findings from interviews with state education officials in all states, surveys of nationally representative samples of districts, principals, and teachers, data from consolidated state performance reports, and analyses of student achievement trends on state assessments and NAEP.

Key findings include: In states with consistent achievement trend data from 2004-05 to 2006-07, the percent of students reaching the state's proficient level rose for most student groups, but most states would not meet NCLB's goal of 100 percent proficiency by 2013-14 unless student achievement increases at a faster rate. Nearly 11,000 Title I schools were identified for improvement in 2006-07, and almost half were in the more advanced stages of corrective action and restructuring. Most elementary teachers reported no change from 2004-05 to 2006-07 in the amount of instructional time that they spent on specific subjects. Student participation in Title I school choice and supplemental educational services (SES) continues to rise, and district expenditures on these choice options doubled from 2003-04 to 2005-06. In a subsample of seven districts, student SES participants showed greater achievement gains than non-participating students, but no statistically significant relationship was found between school choice participation and student achievement. Most teachers have been designated as highly qualified under NCLB, but teachers in high-poverty schools had less experience and were less likely to have a degree in the subject that they teach.

An Exploratory Analysis of Adequate Yearly Progress, Identification for Improvement, and Student Achievement in Two States and Three Cities (2009). This report presents the results of exploratory quasi-experimental analyses that use a Regression Discontinuity (RD) design to examine the relationships between certain features of NCLB accountability and subsequent student achievement in Title I schools in two states and three school districts. Specifically, the report examines the effects of not making AYP or of being identified for the first year of school improvement status (after missing AYP for two consecutive years).

Key findings include: The study found some positive achievement impacts for schools that missed AYP, but not for schools that were identified for the first year of school improvement; effects were not consistent across years and outcomes. Findings from two states and three cities cannot be generalized to produce a national estimate of program effects on student achievement. In addition, the report discusses several study limitations, including technical features of the RD method requiring that the analysis focus on schools that had missed AYP or had been identified for improvement for the first time, which may be relatively weak interventions relative to the full set of progressively more intensive interventions prescribed under Title I.

State and Local Implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, Volume VII—Title I School Choice and Supplemental Educational Services: Final Report (2009) provides updated information on the implementation and usage of choice options that are offered to students in Title I schools that have been identified for improvement. The report is based on the second round of data collection from the National Longitudinal Study of NCLB and the Study of State Implementation of Accountability and Teacher Quality Under NCLB. The report presents findings from interviews with state education officials in all states and surveys of nationally-representative samples of districts, principals, and teachers conducted in 2004-05 and 2006-07, as well as surveys of parents in eight large urban school districts in those same years.

Key findings include: Numbers of students eligible for and participating in choice and supplemental educational services (SES) have increased substantially, although participation rates remained stable at about 1 and 17 percent, respectively. Nearly all districts required to offer these options reported that they notified parents, and the timeliness of parent notifications has improved. However, eligible parents who were surveyed in the eight districts were often unaware of the choice options, even though all eight districts provided evidence that they had sent notification letters to parents about the options. Among parents surveyed who took advantage of the Title I choice options, over 80 percent said they were satisfied.

State and Local Implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, Volume VI—Targeting and Uses of Federal Education Funds (2009) examines how well federal funds are targeted to districts and schools serving economically disadvantaged students, how Title I targeting has changed over the past seven years, how districts have spent federal funds, and the base of state and local resources to which federal funds are added. The report covers six federal programs: Title I, Part A; Reading First; Comprehensive School Reform (CSR); Title II, Part A; Title III, Part A; and Perkins Vocational Education State Grants. The report uses data on federal program allocations from all states, as well as data from a nationally representative sample of 300 school districts on federal program allocations and expenditure data for the 2004-05 school year.

Key findings include: Federal education funds were more strongly targeted to high-poverty districts than were state and local funds. However, the higher level of federal funding in high-poverty districts was not sufficient to close the funding gap between high- and low-poverty districts. The overall share of Title I funds going to the highest-poverty districts and schools changed little between 1997-98 and 2004-05, and the highest-poverty schools continued to receive smaller Title I allocations per low-income student than did the lowest-poverty schools. Schools that were identified for improvement were more likely to receive Title I funds than non-identified schools, but they received smaller allocations per low-income pupil. Most funds for the six federal programs in this study were used for instruction and instructional support.

State and Local Implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, Volume V—Implementation of the 1 Percent Rule and 2 Percent Interim Policy Options (2009) presents findings about the implementation of regulations and guidelines issued under the No Child Left Behind Act that provide flexibility for the treatment of certain students with disabilities in state assessment and accountability systems. These findings are from the Study of State Implementation of Accountability and Teacher Quality Under NCLB, based on surveys of state officials in 2004-05 and 2006-07 and analysis of extant data about state implementation of NCLB assessment and accountability requirements.

Key findings include: Most states with accurate data reported that less than 10 percent of tested students with disabilities participated in an alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards. Twenty-two states granted exceptions to districts to exceed the 1 percent cap on the inclusion of proficient and advanced scores from alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards for AYP calculations for 2005-06 testing, and 21 states used the 2 percent proxy option for AYP calculations. Data from a subset of states suggested that the effects of using the 2 percent proxy varied greatly by state. For example, in one state, use of the 2 percent proxy did not enable any schools to make AYP, whereas in another state, 159 schools made AYP in 2005-06 through the 2 percent proxy.

Supplemental Educational Services and Student Achievement in Waiver Districts: Anchorage and Hillsborough (2009). School districts that have been identified for improvement are not eligible to be supplemental educational service (SES) providers under Title I, but five such districts have received waivers, on a pilot basis, to allow them to serve as SES providers. This report examines whether students served by district providers in two of these waiver districts--Anchorage, Alaska, and Hillsborough County, Florida--show achievement gains that are at least comparable to those of students served by non-district providers. The report also examines issues related to student participation and communication with parents.

Key findings include: In both districts, the percentage of eligible students participating in SES increased after the waivers were granted, reaching 11 percent in Anchorage and 14 percent in Hillsborough in 2006-07. In Hillsborough, students who received supplemental educational services experienced larger academic gains in mathematics and reading than eligible non‑participants. In both districts, students served by non-district providers showed, on average, larger gains than eligible non-participants in mathematics (but not in reading). Students served by the two district providers did not show achievement gains in either subject that were statistically distinguishable from those of eligible non-participants; however, the student sample sizes were smaller for district providers than for non-district providers. Both districts provided parents with unbiased materials describing all SES providers, but the notification materials were sometimes difficult to understand.

State and Local Implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, Volume IV—Title I School Choice and Supplemental Educational Services: Interim Report (2008) provides information on the implementation and usage of choice options that are offered to students in Title I schools that have been identified for improvement. The report is based on the first round of data collection from the National Longitudinal Study of NCLB and the Study of State Implementation of Accountability and Teacher Quality Under NCLB. The report presents findings from interviews with state education officials in all states and surveys of nationally-representative samples of districts, principals, and teachers conducted in 2003-04 and 2004-05, as well as surveys of parents in eight large urban school districts in those same years.

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 (SES) on student achievement, as well as the characteristics of participating students. The quasi-experimental analysis used student-level participation and state assessment data from nine large urban districts for 2000-01 through 2004-05.

Key findings include: On average, across seven districts that could be included in the achievement effects analysis, participation in SES had a statistically significant, positive effect on students' achievement in reading and math. Students participating for multiple years experienced larger gains. In contrast, across six districts, no statistically significant effect on achievement, positive or negative, was found for students participating in Title I school choice, but sample sizes for school choice were much smaller than were those for supplemental services. Across the nine districts, SES participants had lower prior achievement than eligible students who did not participate, while Title I school choice participants had similar prior achievement levels to eligible nonparticipants.

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 VIII-Teacher Quality Under NCLB: Final Report (2009) provides updated information on the progress that states, districts, and schools have made in implementing NCLB's teacher quality, professional development, and paraprofessional provisions. The report is based on the second round of data collection from the National Longitudinal Study of NCLB and the Study of State Implementation of Accountability and Teacher Quality Under NCLB. The report presents findings from interviews with state education officials in all states and surveys of nationally representative samples of districts, principals, and teachers conducted in 2004-05 and 2006-07.

Key findings include: By 2006-07, the vast majority of teachers met their states' requirements to be considered highly qualified under NCLB. However, state requirements for the demonstration of content-knowledge expertise varied greatly. Teachers in high-poverty and high-minority schools were more likely to report that they were not highly qualified. Moreover, even among teachers who were considered highly qualified, teachers in high-poverty schools had less experience and were less likely to have a degree in the subject they taught. Although nearly all teachers reported taking part in content-focused professional development related to teaching reading or mathematics during the 2005-06 school year and summer, a relatively small proportion participated in such learning opportunities for an extended period of time.

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.

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.

The study found that 59 percent of program FY 2002 participants were midcareer professionals, 27 percent were recent college graduates, and 14 percent were paraprofessionals. TTT teachers were significantly more racially and ethnically diverse than public school teachers as a whole. TTT teachers were generally placed in subjects in which schools have the greatest need for teachers, including math, science, and special education.

The Evaluation of the Teaching American History (TAH) Program (2005) examines the implementation of this professional development program and the 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; case studies of projects; analyses of program documents; and lesson plans produced by program participants.

The study found that summer institutes were the most frequently offered professional development activity. The teachers who participated in TAH activities were often not those traditionally thought of as most in need of history professional development. TAH participants were most likely to be experienced secondary teachers (70 percent) with academic backgrounds in history.

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). The Credit Enhancement for Charter School Facilities Program was established in 2001 to address a critical problem faced by many charter schools - lack of suitable facilities and difficulty obtaining financing to secure suitable facilities. The program makes competitive grants to eligible public entities that provide credit enhancements to absorb some of the risk in making facilities loans to charter schools. This study examines, broadly, how the program was implemented by the nine organizations that received grants in FY 2002 - FY 2004, and specifically, whether the program is providing: (1) improved access of charter schools to capital markets, (2) better financing rates and terms than the schools otherwise could obtain, and (3) assistance to charter schools that are serving students with the greatest need for school choice. The study draws on information from grantee applications and annual performance reports; several secondary data sources; and discussions with samples of grantees, lenders, and schools assisted by grantees.

Results indicated that credit enhancements provided by the program facilitated a total of $168 million in loans to 84 schools that served over 23,000 students. Students in these schools were more likely to be low-income and minority than students enrolled in all charter schools and in all U.S. public schools. Many of the assisted schools could not have received facility loans at any price without the program because lenders believed that these schools reflected a prohibitively high level of risk. With the credit enhancements provided by grantees, assisted charter schools received loans with rates and terms that were better than otherwise would have been available to them.

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

Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies (2009). A systematic search of the research literature from 1996 through July 2008 identified more than a thousand empirical studies of online learning. Analysts screened these studies to find those that (a) contrasted an online to a face-to-face condition, (b) measured student learning outcomes, (c) used a rigorous research design, and (d) provided adequate information to calculate an effect size. As a result of this screening, 51 independent effects were identified that could be subjected to meta-analysis. Key findings include:

  • Students who took all or part of their class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction. Learning outcomes for students who engaged in online learning exceeded those of students receiving face-to-face instruction, with an average effect size of +0.24 favoring online conditions. The mean difference between online and face-to-face conditions across the 51 contrasts is statistically significant at the p < .01 level.
  • Instruction combining online and face-to-face elements had a larger advantage relative to purely face-to-face instruction than did purely online instruction. The mean effect size in studies comparing blended with face-to-face instruction was +0.35, p < .001. This effect size is larger than that for studies comparing purely online and purely face-to-face conditions, which had an average effect size of +0.14, p < .05.
  • Few rigorous research studies of the effectiveness of online learning for K–12 students have been published. The systematic search of the research literature found just five experimental or controlled quasi-experimental studies comparing the learning effects of online versus face-to-face instruction for K-12 students. As such, caution is required in generalizing to the K-12 population because the results are for the most part based on studies in other settings (e.g., medical training, higher education).

Evaluation of the Enhancing Education Through Technology Program: Final Report (2009). This study collected information about educational technology practices related to the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program. The report is structured around the EETT program objectives and specific performance measures developed by the Department to meet the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993. The program objectives and performance measures focus on teachers' and students' access to technology, technology-related professional development, technology integration, and student technology literacy. The study collected data from nationally representative samples of states, districts and teachers between school years 2002-03 and 2006-07.

Key findings:

  • High-speed Internet access in K-12 classrooms. Overall, 63 percent of teachers reported in 2006-07 that students had high-speed Internet access in their classrooms. There were no statistically significant differences in reported classroom access to high-speed Internet for students between teachers in high-poverty schools and those in low-poverty schools in either 2004-05 or 2006-07. However, seventy-two percent of teachers in elementary grades, compared with 55 percent in middle school grades and 49 percent in high school grades, reported having high-speed Internet access within their classrooms. Differences in subject taught and in school location (rural, suburban, urban) were not significant predictors of classroom Internet access.
  • Quality of technology-related professional development. Seven practices often cited as elements of best practice for technology-related teacher professional development were identified through review of the literature. When asked to describe their most useful technology-related professional development experience in 2006-07, 20 percent of teachers indicated that this professional development did not include any of the seven research-suggested characteristics.
  • Technology integration. The GPRA measure for technology integration is "the percentage of districts receiving Educational Technology State Grants funds [EETT funds] that have effectively and fully integrated technology." As reported on the 2007 state survey, most states either had not adopted a definition of effective integration of technology or did not measure the percentage of districts meeting the statewide definition.
  • Assessing student technology literacy. One of the GPRA measures for the EETT program is "the percentage of students who meet state technology standards by the end of the eighth grade." Forty-four states had either stand-alone technology standards for students or technology standards that were integrated into other student academic standards. Six states reported conducting statewide assessments of student technology literacy in 2005-06, up from just two states in 2002-03. Twenty-five states reported relying on districts to assess student technology literacy.

Implementing Data-Informed Decision Making in Schools: Teacher Access, Supports and Use (2009) describes the student data systems available to school staff members, how school staff members are using the systems and other forms of student data, teachers' understanding of data displays and data interpretation issues, and the supports and challenges for school-level use of student data in planning and implementing instruction. This report draws on case study findings in nine purposively sampled districts, nominated on the basis of the strength of their data use activities. Researchers interviewed district staff members as well as principals and teachers from three schools within each district. In addition, a set of scenarios involving hypothetical student data were presented to teachers at each school to probe their understanding of student data. In addition to case study data, this report also draws on data from secondary sources (spring 2007 district and teacher surveys from the U.S. Department of Education's National Educational Technology Trends Study).

Key findings: Data from student data systems are being used in school improvement efforts but are having little effect on teachers' daily instructional decisions. Typically, the information needed for instructional decision making was spread across multiple systems without mechanisms for regular transport of information from one system to another. As a result, neither teachers nor administrators see a comprehensive record of students' educational experiences and performances that is both longitudinal and up to date. In addition, only a minority of data systems incorporate resources such as instructional materials, model lesson plans, and formative assessment results linked to frameworks and curriculum guides.

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.

Key findings include: The percent of teachers reporting access to an electronic student data system grew significantly between 2005 and 2007, rising from 48 percent in 2005 to 74 percent in 2007. Even though 74 percent of all teachers reported having access to student data systems in 2007, the proportion of teachers with data system access who also have tools for making instructional decisions informed by data remains below 20 percent. The majority of teachers continue to use these systems to provide information to parents (68 percent), and track individual student test scores and monitor student progress (65 percent, respectively).

National Educational Technology Trends Study State Strategies Report: Vol. 1 (2007). 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.

Key findings include: Of the 42 states that had student technology standards in place by the fall of 2004, 18 reported having "stand-alone" standards, and 16 reported embedding technology standards with other academic content standards. The remaining eight states reported having both stand-alone technology standards and integrated standards. Two states reported that they used statewide assessments of students' proficiency with technology. In addition to student technology standards, more than half of states (27) reported that they had technology standards for teachers in order to specify the knowledge and skills that teachers need to use technology for administrative or instructional purposes. Five states formally assessed teachers' technology skills at the state level.

National Educational Technology Trends Study State Strategies Report: Vol. 2 (2007). 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. Chapter 2 reports similar information on a state-by- basis.

Key findings include: Only about 10 percent of fourth- and eighth-graders were in classrooms in which teachers used technology at least once a week to present mathematics concepts to them in 2004-05. State-by-state data showed as much as a 25 percentage-point difference between states in the proportion of students whose teachers used computers at least weekly to present mathematics concepts. More than 30 percent of students were in mathematics classes that did not make use of computers at all in 2004-05. In addition, survey responses of mathematics teachers suggest that in 2004-05 almost half of America's students were in classrooms where teachers lacked access to district- or school-provided professional development on the use of computers for mathematics instruction.

National Educational Technology Trends Study: Local-level Data Summary (2008). 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.

Key findings include: A small percentage of teachers (often under 5%) report using technology to support advanced instructional practices with their students on a weekly basis, such as inquiry based strategies (3%) and solving real-world problems (3%) in school year 2004-05. However, more teachers in high-poverty than in low-poverty schools reported that their students regularly used technology to work cooperatively with other students and solve real-world problems.

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 in two specific programs, whether the pool of higher-quality applicants has increased with the participation of FBCOs, and how many Faith-Based Organizations are approved as supplemental educational services providers.

With the exception of FY 2003, between FY 2002 and FY 2004, the success rates for FBCO applicants to the Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) and the Mentoring Program remained fairly stable while they declined for FBCO applicants to the Community Technology Centers (CTC) grant program. In FY 2003, both PEP and CTC saw large increases in the percentages of successful FBCO applicants. The participation of FBCOs was associated with an increase in the pool of higher-quality applicants to PEP and Mentoring as measured by applicant scores; the evidence for CTC is neutral. Finally, states approved an increasing number of faith-based organizations as supplemental educational services providers between December 2002, when states first began approving SES providers, and March 2005.

The Study of the Voluntary Public School Choice (VPSC) Program: Final Report (2008) 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 evaluation draws from multiple data sources, including: site visits, surveys, program documents, and student achievement records. Data collection started in the fall of 2002 and continued through the end of the five-year grant cycle in the spring of 2007.

The study found that in 2005-06, the overall participation rate in the program was 2.8 percent of the students eligible to enroll. The VPSC program made progress on the first statutory priority, providing a wide variety of choice options overall, but less progress on the second and third statutory priorities. Only five of the 13 sites either limited or tracked their transfers from low- to higher-performing schools, and in these sites, only 21.8 percent of the total transfers in 2005-06 were from low- to higher-performing schools. In addition, most of the VPSC sites limited their choice initiatives to within-district options, rather than develop interdistrict options. The study's achievement analyses, conducted among six cohorts across four of the 13 VPSC sites for at least three years, found that students enrolling in the VPSC initiatives had higher achievement gains in mathematics and reading than those not enrolling.

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, based on surveys of nationally representative samples of eligible districts. 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.

Key findings include: REAP Flex is widely used by eligible rural districts, but districts were less likely to participate in Transferability, and only one district opted to participate in Local Flex. Districts that chose to participate in the three flexibility programs did so in order to focus funds on achieving their goals of making AYP by targeting particular areas of need. Rural districts found flexibility particularly useful because of the small allocations for individual programs and funding constraints associated with declining enrollments. Lack of information and districts' inability to distinguish clear benefits from the flexibility programs were the two main reasons districts gave for not using flexibility provisions.

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 Evaluation of the Comprehensive School Reform Program Implementation and Outcomes: Third Year Report (2008) provides third-year study findings regarding schools receiving comprehensive school reform (CSR) assistance awards in 2002, focusing on 1) how CSR award receipt was related to subsequent changes in achievement; 2) whether aspects of program implementation were associated with achievement gains. Findings are based on analyses of survey, case study, and assessment data collected from grantees and comparison schools from fall 2002 through spring 2005. Key findings show: 1) receipt of a CSR award was not associated with gains in mathematics or reading achievement through the first three years of award; 2) there was limited evidence that schools adopting models with scientific evidence of effectiveness experienced positive gains, especially in math.

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 study found that RF schools devote more time to reading instruction in K-3 classrooms, and are more likely to: a) have reading coaches who assist teachers in implementing their reading programs; b) use reading materials aligned with scientifically based reading research; c) use assessments to guide instruction; d) place struggling readers into intervention services; and e) have their teachers participate in reading-related professional development. Based on analyses of states' reading assessment scores, there is limited but statistically significant evidence that successive cohorts of third- and fourth-grade students in RF schools improved their reading performance over time more quickly than did their counterparts in non-RF Title I schools.

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.

The study found that comprehension and, to a lesser extent, vocabulary are better represented by sampled states K-3 reading standards than are the other three essential elements of reading instruction. States with larger numbers of K-3 reading standards organized to make the five essential elements more visible were judged to represent these elements better. With the possible exception of vocabulary and comprehension in grade 3, statewide reading assessments in 2003-04 do not significantly address expected student outcomes from reading instruction in the five essential areas.

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Libraries

The Second Evaluation of the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries Program (2009) provides findings on how grant funds are targeted to schools, uses of the grant funds, staff collaboration and professional development, and the relationship between participation in the program and reading achievement scores. The report analyzes data from a survey of school libraries, district performance reports, case studies and test scores.

The study found that grantees roughly tripled their expenditures on books and subscriptions and computer hardware, while nongrantees showed little change. In the first evaluation, grantees roughly doubled their expenditures on these items. In schools that participated in LSL in 2003-04, the percentage of students who met or exceeded the proficiency requirements on state reading assessments increased by an extra 2.7 percentage points over the increase observed among nonparticipating schools during the same time period. However, some or all of the increase may be associated with other school reform efforts that also appeared in the schools. Thus, no definitive statement can be made based on these data on whether LSL participation was associated with improved test scores that was separate from these other programs.

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 participation of private school participants in federal education programs, the consultation process between private schools and public school districts, and public school district allocation of federal funds for services for private school participants. The results presented in this report are based on surveys conducted in 2005-06 among a nationally representative sample of public school districts with at least one private school located within their boundaries and a nationally representative sample of private schools located within the boundaries of the sample districts.

The study found that less than half of private schools reported having at least one participant (students, teachers, or parents) in an ESEA program, though Catholic schools were more likely than other private schools to have at least one participant in an ESEA program (80 percent). Forty percent of private schools with no ESEA participants reported not participating in ESEA programs because they had no knowledge of these programs. Public school districts and private schools with participants in a particular ESEA program generally reported similar levels of consultation about that ESEA program.


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.

The results of the systematic review are mixed, though the findings suggest some support for the premise that single-sex schooling can be helpful and little evidence that it is harmful. Among the concurrent academic accomplishment outcomes, 53 percent were null (favored neither single-sex nor coed schooling), 10 percent had mixed results across sex or grade levels, 35 percent favored single-sex schooling, and only 2 percent favored coed schooling. Among the concurrent socio-emotional outcomes, 39 percent were null, 6 percent were mixed, 45 percent favored single-sex schooling, and only 10 percent favored coed schooling.

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

A Study of Four Federal Graduate Fellowship Programs: Education and Employment Outcomes (2008) describes the academic and employment outcomes as of 2006 for graduate students who received financial support between 1997 and 1999 through one of four federal fellowship programs: The Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) fellowship program, the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship program, the Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) fellowship program, and the Jacob K. Javits fellowship program. The programs vary significantly with respect to their goals, the number of fellowships supported, and the amount of funding dispersed. Despite their differences, however, all of these programs are intended to encourage academically talented students to become experts in fields important to the national interest.

Key findings include:

  • Despite differences among these four fellowship programs in purpose and implementation, there are noteworthy similarities in their outcomes. With respect to education outcomes, the majority of fellows in each of the four programs completed their degrees, with the percentage of degree completions ranging among programs from about two-thirds to nine-tenths of fellowships.
  • Fellows who completed their degrees tended to do so in less time than graduate students overall. National surveys indicate that doctoral students who complete their degrees do so in seven to twelve years, depending on their field of study, with students in the humanities and social sciences taking more time than students in the natural sciences.
  • With respect to employment outcomes, large proportions of students who received fellowships participated in the labor force after completing their fellowships, most commonly in work that was related to their fellowship-gained expertise and was part of a career they were pursuing.

The Impacts of Regular Upward Bound on Postsecondary Outcomes7-9 Years After Scheduled High School Graduation: Final Report (2009). This report has been approved through the Department's executive secretariat clearance process. However, final editorial changes have yet to be made by the Department's Editorial Policy Team. A new version may be posted in the coming weeks following this final editing step.

The study findings are based on a random assignment design implemented in a nationally representative sample of 67 Upward Bound projects hosted by two-and four-year colleges and universities. About 1,500 eligible applicants were randomly assigned to the evaluation's treatment group, and allowed to participate in Upward Bound, and about 1,300 students were randomly assigned to the control group. Data were collected periodically on high school and postsecondary outcomes for both groups from an initial baseline in 1992-1994 through a final survey in 2003-2004. Impact estimates are based on a comparison of outcomes for students in the treatment and control groups.

The study concluded that Upward Bound 1) had no detectable effect on the rate of overall postsecondary enrollment, or the type or selectivity of postsecondary institution attended; 2) increased the likelihood of earning a postsecondary certificate or license from a vocational school but had no detectable effect on the likelihood of earning a bachelor's or associate's degree; and 3) increased postsecondary enrollment and completion for students with lower educational expectations at baseline.

Academic Competitiveness and SMART Grant Programs: First-Year Lessons Learned (2009). Two new grant programs, Academic Competitiveness Grants (ACG) and National SMART Grants (NSG) were created in Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 (HERA). ACGs are intended to encourage students to take more challenging courses in high school-making success in college more likely. NSGs are intended to encourage post-secondary students to take college majors in high demand in the global economy, such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and critical foreign languages. Students eligible for Pell Grants who completed a 'rigorous program of study' in high school received an ACG of up to $750 in their first year and, if they earned a 3.0 or better grade point average (GPA), up to $1,300 in their second year. Pell-eligible students who majored in a STEM field or critical foreign language and maintained a 3.0 GPA received an NSG for up to $4,000 for their third and fourth years.

Academic Competitiveness and SMART Grant Programs: First-Year Lessons Learned describes the early implementation of the new legislation and the number and distribution of students receiving the first grants in academic year 2006-2007. Key findings are:

  • Given the rapid implementation of the programs, many stakeholders reported difficulties in identifying eligible students.
  • Of the $790 million appropriated for these programs for the initial year FY 2006, approximately $448 million (57 percent) was disbursed. Fewer students received awards than estimated: About 300,000 ACGs and 60,000 NSGs were awarded, as compared to initial budget estimates of 425,000 ACGs and 80,000 NSGs.
  • About three-quarters of ACG recipients were first-year students, suggesting that second-year students had difficulty meeting the 3.0 GPA requirement.
  • Of 3,600 postsecondary institutions eligible to award Pell Grants and ACGs, about 2,800 (78 percent) participated.

Based on site visits, student and parent surveys, and school records, this report Early Outcomes of GEAR UP Program: Summary of Evaluation Findings (2008) discusses findings from an analysis 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 GEAR UP model is to provide services to the entire grade cohort starting no later than the 7th grade and stresses partnership with schools, districts, community organizations and postsecondary institutions. 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 evaluation described early implementation (during junior high school) and describes the association between GEAR UP participation and early parent and student outcomes. Compared to the comparison group, attending a GEAR UP school was associated with improvement in parents' knowledge of opportunities and benefits of a postsecondary education, improved student knowledge of available postsecondary education opportunities, increases in parents' involvement in the school and their children's education, increases in parents' expectations for their children, and increased enrollment in above-grade level science courses. GEAR UP schools were also more likely to offer honors and above-grade-level classes.

The Educational and Employment Outcomes of The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program Alumni (2008) This study examines the extent to which former McNair Program participants enrolled in the program between 1989-1998, completed doctoral studies, and obtained faculty or research positions at institutions of higher education. A telephone survey was conducted with the census of 813 doctoral and professional degree recipients, and a sample 580 McNair participants who had earned master's degrees, 615 who had earned bachelor's degrees, 604 who had not earned any degree between the fall of 1989 and the spring of 2000. Estimates presented throughout this report use weighted data to account for probability of selection, non-response, and post-stratification. Data analyses indicated that 14.4 percent of the 1989-93 cohort of former McNair program participants and 3.9 percent of the 1994-1998 cohort reported earning doctorates. Findings also suggest that a high percentage (73 percent) of former participants with bachelor's degrees had enrolled in graduate school at some time within a five- to sever-year period after receiving their bachelor's degree. As a point of reference, 30 percent of typical B.A. recipients surveyed in the NCES' Baccalaureate and Beyond Survey entered graduate schools within five years after college graduate. Also, among 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).

A Study of the Effect of Talent Search on Secondary and Postsecondary Outcomes in Florida, Indiana, and Texas (2006). This report presents an analysis of the effectiveness of the Talent Search in Florida, Indiana, and Texas, drawing upon project, state, and federal administrative records to examine short-term program outcomes for program participants, and a quasi-experimental design to create matched comparison groups. Study findings suggested that Talent Search participants were more likely than comparison students to apply for federal financial aid and enroll in public postsecondary institutions in Florida, Indiana, and Texas.

In addressing the efficacy of using large state databases to inform policy, the study also that this is a challenging approach given that not all data on student characteristics and on secondary or postsecondary outcomes of interest were available in any one state, and the type of information that was missing differed across states. However, such data should be easier to attain as more states develop systems for compiling secondary and postsecondary school records, and federal programs are more consistent in reporting information on the participants served and maintain records electronically.

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). This report presents descriptive findings from an Upward Bound Math Science (UBMS) project survey conducted in 1999 and impact estimates from post high school follow up to 2002 of early cohorts of project participants between 1993 and 1995. The Upward Bound Math Science initiative was established in 1990 within the Upward Bound program to foster increased math and science participation among disadvantaged students in high school as a preparation for success in college in math and science and to increase in the number of students participating in math and science fields. The UBMS sample of about 1,500 UBMS participants was added to the existing National Evaluation of Upward Bound, and utilized a propensity analysis matched comparison group selected from the existing UB sample. Descriptively the project survey found that the average program provided a total of 240 hours of academic instruction per participant, most of it in a 6-week summer program in which much of the instruction focused on math and science subjects. The impact study found there was an association between UBMS participation and improved high school grades in math and science and overall, an increase in the likelihood of taking chemistry and physics in high school, and an increase in enrolling in more selective four-year institutions. The study also increased the likelihood of math and science major field choice and 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). This report presents a comprehensive, in-depth description of the implementation of Talent Search throughout the country. Study relied on information obtained from multiple sources: a survey of Talent Search project directors, student-centered case studies conducted in 14 Talent Search projects, performance reports, and other education data sets.

Descriptive findings indicated that despite recent modest increases in average funding per participant, Talent Search remains a generally nonintensive program. For the most part, participation in program services is optional; basic services might be offered biweekly or even just once a month; and many students spend less than 10 hours in program activities over the course of a year. Overall, the program still adheres to the original assumption that small amounts of service, delivered at crucial times, can make a difference in students' decisions concerning college preparation and enrollment. Talent Search projects, both at the middle and high school levels, typically provided many diverse activities rather than focusing on just a few types of services. Service delivery approaches varied, too, by type of service, time, place, target group, and providers. Additionally, some projects are finding it increasingly difficult to pursue the traditional pull-out approach of delivering services during the regular school day due to increased pressure on schools to improve academic performance. Many students stay in Talent Search a relatively short time-and not just those who join toward the end of high school.

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). The comprehensive report 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.

Studies included found that vocational education increased short- and medium-run earnings benefits for most students, and these benefits extend to those who are economically disadvantaged. Students in vocational programs have also significantly increased their academic course taking and achievement over the last decade, although there was little evidence that vocational courses contributed to improving those outcomes.

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. The panel's report discusses the value of vocational education and suggests program improvement strategies that future federal legislation could address.

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: 08/17/2009