Addressing the academic achievement gap among minority and low socioeconomic status students, especially in majority-minority states like California and Texas, has gained attention regarding language variety as a potential factor. A study reviewed by Educational Policy presents recommendations for state policymakers based on a Texas Legislature-commissioned study. This study urges recognizing students who speak language varieties other than standard English as Standard English Learners (SELs), highlighting their unique educational needs. The expert panel offers five key recommendations: enhancing educators’ understanding of language diversity, teaching strategies for students to acquire standard English, integrating language variety into curricula, and fostering a tolerant environment among stakeholders. The study emphasizes the necessity of increasing teacher capacity to identify and support SELs in classrooms, proposing considerations and strategies for states or local education agencies (LEAs) to design effective programs and policies. The report advocates for legislative and administrative actions to equip teachers for specialized instruction to meet the needs of SELs and ensure policy success.

The high school dropout issue carries significant societal and personal costs, impacting unemployment, lower income, mental health, and crime rates among dropouts. Despite its gravity, there's a lack of comprehensive data on effective interventions or policies addressing this problem. Existing research primarily identifies risk factors and describes interventions, but lacks strong experimental evidence. A systematic review examined characteristics of dropout interventions and effective policy/practice components. It highlighted a mismatch between known risk factors and intervention focus, often centered on individual student-level efforts. The review suggested that many dropouts disengage from school over time, urging interventions tailored to diverse subgroups. However, current studies lack subgroup-specific intervention analyses. Researchers propose a tiered prevention approach, yet empirical evidence supporting this method remains scarce. While experts advocate school-level interventions, empirical research doesn't offer clear guidance on matching interventions to specific risk factors or subgroups. This gap challenges the integration of dropout interventions into comprehensive frameworks, hindering effective and efficient solutions.

Researchers explore the journey of Latino English learner (EL) students toward reclassification, a significant milestone shifting them from specialized language services to mainstream classes. Data from a 12-year period in a major urban district examined progress toward reclassification among different language programs. A new study finds that Latino EL students in bilingual programs take longer to be reclassified but show higher reclassification and proficiency rates by high school. While it takes longer, a greater proportion of students in bilingual programs eventually become proficient in English and are reclassified compared to those in English immersion programs. These findings suggest the need for districts to assess the effectiveness of bilingual instruction over time and consider different benchmarks for instructional models based on language of instruction. Additionally, the study emphasizes the importance of EL programs ensuring full access to rigorous content and interaction with English-speaking peers, suggesting that English language development should not limit enrollment in other classes and should be integrated into content area classes.

Educators face growing pressure to utilize data for informed decision-making, yet the research supporting this movement remains underdeveloped. A recent Educational Administration Quarterly article delves into organizational factors influencing data use, drawing from four California school systems. Across traditional districts and charter management organizations (CMOs), state and federal accountability systems heavily shape data use. These systems prioritize data from state assessments and benchmark exams, crucial for program improvement and attracting families in charter schools. Organizational conditions, like decision-making structures, financial resources, and regulatory environments, impact resource allocation for data use. While financial constraints universally limit efforts, CMOs’ decentralized structures enable investments in human capital and technology. These findings highlight tensions arising from diverse accountability demands and propose revisiting metrics underpinning success. They also suggest avenues for sharing best practices, such as districts aiding teacher support while CMOs demonstrate advanced data management systems. Policymakers can leverage these insights to navigate accountability complexities and foster cross-system learning.

Urban high schools often struggle with low attendance and high dropout rates, contributing to socio-economic and racial academic disparities. Attention has turned to students' experiences during summer breaks and the impact of large-scale summer employment programs on educational success. Recent research delves into the influence of such programs on high school students' attendance and academic achievements in the subsequent school year. Many cities, including those in California, offer publicly-funded summer employment programs not explicitly aimed at improving educational outcomes. Yet, these programs may enhance attendance and other educational factors. Employment can foster non-cognitive skills and positive habits while keeping students engaged during breaks. A new study, utilizing New York City's Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) data, employs a lottery system for program allocation, creating a control group for causal analysis. Examining 36,550 applicants, the research reveals a 1 to 2 percent attendance increase on average, particularly beneficial for students at higher educational risk. SYEP also enhances the likelihood of attempting and passing statewide exams, indicating its positive influence despite not affecting test scores. Amid fluctuating public funding for such programs, this study highlights the potential impact of summer employment on academic outcomes. It provides crucial insights, suggesting that while not explicitly education-focused, summer youth employment programs may significantly contribute to addressing low school attendance issues.

Research into the gender gap in STEM fields indicates persistent disparities despite women's similar math abilities and educational achievements. While prior explanations focused on societal perceptions and work-life balance, recent studies, including "Pathways to Science and Engineering Bachelor’s Degrees for Men and Women" and "The High School Environment and the Gender Gap in Science and Engineering," delve into the crucial role of high school experiences in shaping STEM aspirations. Analyzing data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, these studies reveal that if female high school seniors held comparable STEM interests as males, the STEM degree gap could diminish by as much as 82 percent. Notably, disparities among high schools in attracting students to STEM fields based on pre-high school inclinations highlight the impact of factors like robust STEM curricula and reduced gender-segregated activities. Policy implications emphasize the potential effectiveness of high school interventions, signaling the need for further research and targeted strategies, as the lasting influence of the high school environment on STEM orientations presents a promising avenue for narrowing the gender gap in STEM.

A new study compares Hispanic students' performance on Advanced Placement (AP) English exams across California, Texas, and Arizona from 1997 to 2012. Significant differences were found among the states, with Arizona having the highest passing rates, California following, and Texas consistently showing the lowest passing rates. Despite increased Hispanic participation in AP English exams, most students didn't achieve scores for college credit or advanced placement. The College Board urged equity in AP classrooms, advocating for demographic parity in successful AP students. However, none of the states met this criterion for Hispanic students. Placing unprepared students in AP courses was highlighted as an issue, emphasizing the importance of aligning prerequisite curriculum for college readiness. While AP programs aim for wider access, reducing funding without addressing readiness and support risks being wasteful, missing opportunities to prepare students effectively for college. Efforts focusing on prerequisite skills and additional support for students are crucial to ensure AP participation truly aids in college preparation and success.

Recent state policies, such as Proposition 227 in California, advocate integrating English Language Learner (ELL) students into general education classrooms alongside non-ELL peers. While existing research has mainly focused on ELL student outcomes, a new study explores how the presence of ELL students impacts the social development of their non-ELL classmates, an area less explored in prior studies. Utilizing data from kindergarten and first grade students, the study examines the relationship between the number of ELL classmates and the social development of non-ELL students. Findings suggest a positive correlation: higher numbers of ELL classmates relate to reduced problem behaviors and enhanced social skills among non-ELL students. Additionally, teacher training in English as a Second Language (ESL) appears to amplify these positive effects. This understanding holds significance for California's educational landscape, witnessing an increase in ELL students in general education settings. Identifying influential classroom factors can shape more effective practices, particularly in fostering social development, crucial for lifelong educational success.

In 1981, the National Commission on Excellence in Education spurred 26 states to heighten graduation requirements in math and science by 1989. Intended to enhance college readiness, these changes raised concerns about increased dropout rates among ill-prepared students. Analyzing data from over 2.8 million individuals, a new study has unveiled worrisome trends. Higher course graduation requirements (CGRs) correlated with elevated high school dropout rates across the board, particularly affecting groups like Black men, experiencing a 1.9 percentage point increase. The increased CGRs showed no significant effect on overall college enrollment. Conversely, they diminished the likelihood of post-high school college attendance for Black women and Hispanic men and women. However, within these groups, individuals less prone to childhood relocations demonstrated improved college degree attainment with heightened CGRs, notably observed among Hispanic men and women. Despite some benefits for specific groups, the study underscores the limited short-term gains from heightened CGRs. It stresses the need to anticipate unintended consequences in policy changes, especially in diverse populations. This insight remains crucial, particularly in implementing more rigorous academic standards, emphasizing the necessity for robust academic and psychosocial support for potentially underprepared students.

Performance-based accountability (PBA) encourages using achievement data for school improvement, including student assignment decisions. A recent study focuses on Florida elementary schools under PBA to understand their practices. While all schools used performance data (test scores, course grades) for student assignments, there was little variation between high- and low-performing schools. Despite PBA's intent to assist struggling students, researchers found no significant shift in assigning them to more effective teachers. Schools aimed for balanced classrooms, distributing high, middle, and low performers equally across teachers. Principals emphasized fairness and conducive learning environments over targeting struggling students to specific teachers. This study reveals that while PBA influenced using performance data for assignments, it did not prompt schools to allocate struggling students to the most effective teachers. Principals prioritized fairness, maintaining balanced classrooms, and spreading students evenly across teachers rather than concentrating struggling students with particular educators.

Over the last 15 years, federal and California laws have aided older foster care adolescents in completing high school and accessing higher education. Education is crucial for these youths, often lacking family support. Attainment significantly influences stable employment and self-sufficiency. Despite investments, few studies focus on educational impact for foster care teens. Research in three Midwest states showed small differences in employment and earnings between those with no credential and a GED. High school diploma completion offered a substantial advantage, while some college yielded further benefits, and the highest outcomes were seen in college graduates. On average, former foster care youths earned half of their general population counterparts and faced a 22-point employment gap. However, similar education levels narrowed these gaps, with education impacting foster care youths more than their peers. GED completion didn't significantly alter outcomes, emphasizing the importance of high school diplomas. Legislation emphasizing high school completion and college entry aligns with findings. Yet, to ensure sustained support during degree completion, laws might require reevaluation or expanded partnerships. The California Fostering Connections Act extension to 21 might boost college participation, but higher earnings suggest the need for ongoing support through degree completion.

Over decades, rural areas consistently lose younger residents, especially in economically challenged regions offering unstable work. This outmigration leads to imbalanced demographics, with better-educated individuals leaving and those remaining having lower education and incomes. This shift creates uncertainty about education's significance linked to leaving. Retaining youth becomes vital for rural areas. Recent studies suggest schools inadvertently encourage departure by prioritizing high achievers, yet research involving 9,000 rural students counters this. While high-achieving rural students tend to leave, they share strong community ties and similar desires to depart as their peers. Schools aren't actively pushing students away; instead, students' views on local economies shape their aspirations, irrespective of academic status. This emphasizes rural youths' connections and potential retention if opportunities arise. It underscores the need for national/regional policies supporting rural sustainability, addressing the wider lack of opportunities in rural America. It might not merely be local underinvestment but rather a systemic absence of regional/national investment in rural areas.

The stringent focus on standardized tests in California has narrowed teaching to align with state assessments, potentially reducing exposure to subjects like the arts, especially for disadvantaged students. To test the impact of arts exposure, a large-scale experiment took students to an art museum. Results showed a significant improvement in critical thinking skills, notably among minority and economically challenged students, with a 9% increase in the critical thinking measure after the museum visit. Despite the modest intervention—a brief museum visit guided by professionals—students reaped notable benefits. This suggests that cultural institution visits could offer meaningful learning experiences. Policymakers and educators should consider targeting such opportunities, especially for disadvantaged students. The study highlights the risk of curtailing such experiences due to budget constraints and test pressures, underscoring the potential loss of valuable outcomes like critical thinking skills. Therefore, preserving or enhancing these experiences is crucial for students' holistic development, particularly for those facing economic challenges.