Income inequality among the families of school-aged children in the US has grown sharply over the last 40 years. How has rising income inequality affected patterns of educational outcomes? In this seminar Sean Reardon from Stanford University will addresses this...
A Fellow Researcher’s Take on Tierney and Hallett’s New Chapter
Commentary author
Peter Miller
Published
Summary
In Tierney and Hallett's chapter, "Homeless Youth and Educational Policy: A Case Study of Urban Youth in a Metropolitan Area," the authors make a significant contribution to understanding and addressing the educational needs of homeless students. They highlight the broadness of the homeless label, emphasizing the diversity of backgrounds and experiences within this group. The focus on high school-aged homeless youth, a fast-growing yet understudied subgroup, is identified as crucial due to the unique challenges they face, including stigma and detachment from supportive relationships. The authors provide a useful typology for understanding the different subpopulations of homeless students, emphasizing the need for nuanced insights into their situations. The chapter also underscores the critical intersection of policy, student/family conditions, and school design in addressing homelessness. The authors' recommendations for school design, despite potential fiscal and political challenges, are praised for their thoughtfulness and ecological awareness. Notably, Tierney's leadership role in advocating for research and action in support of homeless students, given his influential position, is seen as encouraging and likely to have a positive impact on the broader field of education research.
A 2007 study in Los Angeles explored the educational experiences of homeless youth, revealing that while they face low academic achievement and high dropout rates, there was limited research on their understanding and engagement with the educational process. The study, based on interviews with 120 homeless youth and 45 policymakers and educators, found that homeless youth are diverse, requiring educational supports tailored to their varied needs. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act offers federal protections, but there are issues with enforcement, such as transportation barriers and registration requirements. The study recommends enforcing federal law, developing educational alternatives like transitional schools, providing long-term mentors for homeless youth, and establishing sustained relationships between shelters and educational organizations. These recommendations aim to address the challenges faced by homeless youth in accessing and succeeding in education, emphasizing the need for targeted support and collaboration between schools, shelters, and community organizations.
Income inequality among the families of school-aged children in the US has grown sharply over the last 40 years. How has rising income inequality affected patterns of educational outcomes? In this seminar Sean Reardon from Stanford University will addresses this...
A slim majority of Californians favor enacting Proposition 30, Gov. Jerry Brown’s ballot initiative that would raise taxes in order to avoid further spending reductions in education and public safety, according to results from a new Policy Analysis for California...
Los Angeles Unified elementary students from overcrowded schools earned higher test scores after moving to newly built schools, but students in new high schools experienced no similar bump in scores, according to a policy brief released today.
In a state where one in every four public K-12 students is an English-language learner, there’s a whole lot riding on how well California’s educators are able to support this population of students as they face the greater language demands...
California cannot afford to ignore or postpone questions of how to support the academic success of its K-12 English learners. This group represents more than 40 percent of the state’s K-12 public education students, and its share of enrollment is...
These reports analyze the impact of the fiscal cutbacks on opportunity for higher education in the California State University system, the huge network of 23 universities that provides the bulk of bachelor-level education in the state. The CSU has a...
We continue a special live broadcast from Oakland's Castlemont High School on the dropout crisis in public schools. In this hour, we turn to policymakers and education reformers who have given this issue a lot of thought. Do they think...
Senioritis. Senior slump. The Year of the Zombies. Forget preparing for the rigors of college. The final year of high school is for sleeping in, flipping burgers, hanging out with pals, surfing, partying, fighting with your girlfriend, making up with...
Almost all the politics of education concerns rearranging adult power and privilege. Relatively little political energy is spent consciously designing a contemporary system of public education. That should change.
By focusing political energy on how students learn rather than the...
The upcoming implementation of Common Core instructional standards in California is described as a significant transformation for the state's education system. Michael Kirst, President of the California State Board of Education, testified that the Common Core brings about substantial changes by emphasizing deeper learning and moving away from traditional multiple-choice testing. He outlined the extensive work required for successful implementation, emphasizing the need for new policies to align various educational aspects with Common Core standards. California, one of 45 states adopting Common Core, anticipates better alignment with post-secondary study demands, emphasizing a deeper understanding of complex material, particularly in math and nonfiction text analysis. Despite a tighter focus, the standards aim to use fewer, more impactful benchmarks. The current assessment system, reliant on standardized multiple-choice tests, is considered inadequate for measuring Common Core skills. New assessments for English and math are in development, with the state adopting the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. The Common Core provides more curriculum flexibility, abandoning the traditional seven-year textbook adoption cycle in favor of an expedited endorsement process for local districts. Despite the complexity, Kirst expressed confidence in California's ability to navigate this transformative shift, drawing parallels to past successful educational transformations.
Lower transportation costs. Less money spent on facilities and overhead. Increased teacher and student attendance. And higher test scores? New research suggests, perhaps counterintuitively, that the four-day school week not only doesn’t hurt student achievement, but seems to help. The...
Governor Jerry Brown’s proposed budget has cast a darker shadow over the future of hundreds of model high school programs that help prepare students for college and careers. About half of the nearly 500 California Partnership Academies, essentially “schools within...
Educational assessment policy must produce measures of performance that are fair and accurate for all students in order to convey clear and helpful information to educators, parents, and the students themselves. Achieving these objectives is especially challenging when it comes...
Learning to collaborate and to solve ill-defined problems are to the 21st Century what industrial discipline was to the last hundred years, according to those who have studied what employers and society need. They need to be considered basic skills...
In 2004, leaders in the California State University system, collaborating with the state Department of Education and the State Board of Education, developed a novel and much-noted effort to help college-bound high school students determine their readiness for postsecondary academics...
Economists distinguish between two equity principles: horizontal equity treats equals equally, advocating for the same opportunities for all students regardless of their background. Vertical equity suggests unequal treatment for unequal circumstances, providing additional support for students facing various challenges, like those from poor backgrounds or with disabilities. Balancing these principles is complex; determining which differences among students justify differential treatment poses a challenge. Recent years have seen a dominance of the idea that all students should be treated alike, overlooking the need for tailored support. This shift has led to a stalemate in discussions about alternative policies. Advocates for underserved children fear differential treatment could revive harmful tracking practices, while proponents of uniform standards worry it may excuse educators' failures. This fear of the "slippery slope" stifles productive policy conversations, limiting consideration of anything beyond uniform standards. Embracing vertical equity and exploring how schools can better address diverse student needs could invigorate policy debates and offer innovative solutions for improving education. Reaffirming the importance of accommodating varied student requirements might inject fresh perspectives into the education system's functioning.
The assessment policy debate centers on the trade-off between the desire for comprehensive, accurate student performance data and the practical constraints of information's cost. A recent PACE report, in collaboration with the Rennie Center, explores innovative assessment methods promising deeper insights into student learning than current tests offer. These approaches, including computer-adaptive assessment, evaluating English learners, and virtual performance assessments, aim to enhance understanding of students' strengths and weaknesses. While improved assessments could significantly enhance educational strategies, the policy landscape presents challenges. Utilizing this richer data would demand substantial educational system changes, such as organizing and presenting vast amounts of information effectively, adapting curricula, and training teachers to interpret and apply detailed student data. These hurdles are surmountable but necessitate considerable effort. The pivotal policy question revolves around whether the benefits of enhanced assessments justify the extensive work required or if current flawed assessments are sufficient for educational goals.
The Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy and Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) have jointly produced a report that offers policy guidance for a new generation of state assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards. The report...
University Distinguished Professor Mark Reckase is co-author of “The Road Ahead for State Assessments,” a new report that outlines changes needed to improve large-scale student assessment methods, especially as states adopt the Common Core State Standards in math and reading...
Revising Identification and Reclassification Policies
Commentary author
William Perez
Published
Summary
In Southern California, initial schooling as an English Learner (EL) involved segregated classes and academic challenges. Even in later research, little progress was evident in EL programs, now termed ELD, with students sharing similar discontent. Despite my transition to English Proficient status in sixth grade, which allowed access to college prep, outdated identification policies and inadequate ELD methods persist for many ELs. Current practices, relying on the Home Language Survey (HLS) and the California English Language Development Test (CELDT), oversimplify language assessment, often misidentifying students and limiting their access to mainstream curriculums. Bilingual students face unfair burdens, and lacking English proficiency does not always hinder success in English classrooms. The flawed classification system disproportionately affects certain ethnic groups, perpetuating inequalities for low socio-economic status families and recent immigrant parents. Reforms should prioritize early support for ELs and reevaluate reclassification criteria to prevent prolonged disadvantage. Public schools must offer viable pathways to mainstream education for EL students, safeguarding their right to quality education.
States that have adopted the Common Core State Standards are in the early stages of revising curriculum frameworks, adopting new instructional materials, developing new assessment systems, and providing professional development for teachers to prepare them to deliver instruction aligned to...
The prevailing educational focus on "college and career readiness" lacks consensus on defining and measuring career readiness, showcasing a deeper divide in assessment policy discussions. During the Bush administration, a stance simplifying tests to a universal concept clashed with the nuanced understanding of varied test types. This underlines a fundamental divide: comprehensive assessments seeking detailed insights into students' strengths versus standardized tests sorting students based on proficiency in specific subjects like math and English. This predominant view oversimplifies readiness, equating college and career readiness and reducing it to performance in math (such as Algebra II in California) and English. Challenging this status quo demands demonstrating how more complex assessments—providing insights into diverse skills and knowledge—justify their costs in determining students' readiness for adult life. Shifting this perspective entails proving the value of intricate assessments against the expenses, aiming to showcase how comprehensive insights into students' abilities outweigh the complexities—a challenging endeavor in assessment policy.