New research investigates early absenteeism in elementary school, particularly in kindergarten, exploring factors contributing to chronic absence. While existing studies focus on individual and family-level drivers like disengagement and family structure, limited attention has been given to how early childhood programs might impact absenteeism. Analyzing a national dataset, a study reveals that attending center-based care before kindergarten associates with lower chronic absenteeism in kindergarten. However, this link isn't observed when attending such care during the kindergarten year, suggesting that pre-kindergarten experiences shape school attendance more than concurrent reinforcement during kindergarten. Chronic absenteeism affects California's educational and social systems, leading to significant costs and limiting children's potential. The findings emphasize the influential role of early childhood programs in reducing absenteeism, urging a shift from identifying contextual factors to implementing early interventions to counteract this detrimental behavior. This study's insights offer valuable data to inform truancy reduction initiatives and discussions on preventive measures.

Students often interrupt their college education for various reasons, such as engaging in professional internships or taking voluntary breaks known as gap years or semesters. While past research has extensively explored the positive labor market outcomes of internships, little attention has been paid to their academic effects, or the impact of gap years, on students. In a comprehensive study examining over 100,000 undergraduate students across 463 U.S. institutions, internships emerged as beneficial, enhancing study habits, GPAs, satisfaction with coursework, future educational aspirations, and career ambitions. Conversely, gap years were linked to negative academic consequences, decreasing study habits, GPAs, satisfaction with college experiences, aspirations for further education, and interpersonal skill development, while increasing the preference for part-time employment post-graduation. The study suggests that institutions should promote and expand internship programs to support academic and career growth, while discouraging or providing disincentives for students considering gap years, highlighting the need for students to evaluate the academic implications before taking such breaks.

Educational institutions are increasingly revamping teacher evaluations, integrating student performance measures and classroom observations. LAUSD’s shift in evaluation systems and Vergara v. California’s ruling against certain teacher employment statutes spotlight this transformation. However, research across six urban districts reveals shifts in the role of value-added measures in decision making. Principals find value-added data problematic due to its infrequency, complexity, and limited applicability to teachers in untested subjects. Instead, they value the transparency, timeliness, and specificity of teacher observation systems, which provide comprehensive insights into teaching practices for all educators. While acknowledging differences between value-added and observation systems, research also emphasizes the advantages of teacher observation systems in informing timely and specific decisions. Despite concerns about observation systems’ time-intensive nature and the recent legal implications, these frameworks offer enhanced transparency and actionable feedback, potentially compensating for the limitations of value-added measures. Overall, the rise of observation systems signifies a positive step in leveraging data for informed human capital decisions in education.

Immigration has surged in the U.S., leading to increased numbers of Limited English Proficient (LEP) children in public schools. States like North Carolina and Virginia have seen a doubling of LEP students in the last 15 years, with over 10% of students classified as LEP. The linguistic diversity among LEP students is vast, with Spanish, Indo-European, Asian, and Pacific Island languages being the primary spoken languages at home. This diversity in classrooms can have both positive and negative effects on student achievement. A study conducted in North Carolina middle schools from 2006 to 2012 found that an increase in LEP peers, about two students per classroom, correlated with a decline in mathematics and reading scores for non-LEP students, suggesting a negative impact. However, the mix of languages spoken by LEP students did not significantly affect the achievement of non-LEP students. For LEP students, having more peers speaking the same language positively affected reading but negatively affected mathematics achievement. The study suggests separating LEP and non-LEP students for language arts may benefit both groups, but the effects on mathematics instruction are less straightforward and might adversely affect LEP students.

The change in California's kindergarten entry age, moving the cutoff date from December 2 to September 1, brought about transitional kindergarten for affected children born in the transitional period. This impacted both those who delayed entry and those who didn't. Older entrants might show better readiness and learning skills compared to younger peers, a reason why parents often choose to delay their child's entry ("redshirting"). However, the benefits of this additional year might vary based on available activities. The shift also influences non-delayed children due to grade age averages affecting peer dynamics and learning. In a study assessing this change's impact on crime, incarceration rates dropped by 10-13% among those directly and indirectly affected by the entry age policy. While both groups benefitted, the reduction in crime was smaller for those delaying entry, hinting at potential harms from late entry, perhaps due to less learning during the "redshirt" year or lower educational attainment. This emphasizes early education's long-term benefits, supporting transitional kindergarten's role. Yet, caution is needed in generalizing these findings, considering the availability of alternative pre-kindergarten programs today, absent in earlier decades, possibly lessening the negative impacts of delayed entry.

The shortage of women in STEM fields has sparked considerable attention due to its impact on the STEM workforce. Despite being the majority in colleges, women remain a minority among STEM degree holders, leading researchers to focus on their underrepresentation in these critical fields. The prevailing literature primarily examines the influence of college faculty gender on STEM outcomes, neglecting the crucial pre-college setting's role in shaping students' STEM choices. This NSF-funded study, using data from North Carolina public schools and universities, delves into the impact of the gender composition of high school math and science teachers on students' decisions to pursue STEM majors in college. Findings indicate a notable positive effect of a higher proportion of female math and science teachers on the likelihood of female students declaring and graduating with STEM degrees, particularly among those with strong math skills. This influence doesn't extend to male students, suggesting that schools with more female STEM teachers positively disrupt stereotypes, making STEM fields more appealing specifically to high-skilled young women without significantly affecting their male counterparts. The research highlights the significance of early educational opportunities challenging gender stereotypes in math and science, potentially cultivating a larger cohort of women pursuing STEM careers and challenging outdated perceptions about STEM being unsuitable for women.

Enrichment programs, such as arts education, often face cuts in K–12 schools where language arts and math take precedence due to standardized testing. Despite this, evidence supports the long-term benefits of the arts on college access, academics, and civic engagement. Integrating arts into school curricula is seen as a solution, yet there is limited research on its widespread implementation. Inner-City Arts collaborates with LAUSD through Learning and Achieving Through the Arts (LATA), where teachers learn various art forms alongside students, supported by professional development linking arts experiences with literacy. LATA aims to enhance English language skills, especially for marginalized groups like English Language Learners (ELLs), by promoting arts-based learning, teacher training, and teacher-artist collaborations for innovative lesson plans. A study comparing LATA-integrated schools with standalone arts instruction revealed significant gains in standardized English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency, particularly among ELL students, emphasizing the vital role of arts integration in academic achievement. Policymakers and investors interested in educational reform should prioritize integrated arts models and teacher development, as demonstrated by the LATA approach, which offers a holistic pathway to improve academics applicable in diverse urban districts.

The persistence of high school dropout rates, especially among low-income and minority students, remains a concern despite recent declines. Targeting student engagement as a key prevention method, studies examine whether in-school arts participation can reduce dropouts. Research based on Texas high school data suggests that students engaged in arts courses face a lower dropout risk. However, caution is necessary as this correlation doesn't confirm causation. Factors like student background and unobserved characteristics may influence both arts participation and dropout behavior. While controlling for various student and school factors reduces dropout risk associated with arts participation, it doe not eliminate it entirely, suggesting a potential causal link. Presently, evidence doesn't explicitly advocate for investing solely in arts education to tackle dropout rates. Yet, it warns against abrupt cuts in arts budgets, stressing the need for a deeper understanding of how robust arts programs engage at-risk students. Despite fiscal pressures leading to cuts in arts education, mounting evidence, including controlled trials, underscores the value of arts in public school curricula, urging policymakers to consider these findings when making decisions.

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.

Head Start, the primary federally-funded preschool program in the U.S., serving over 1 million children yearly, emphasizes not just child education but also parental engagement and growth. However, research traditionally prioritizes children’s outcomes over parents’. Leveraging the Head Start Impact Study (HSIS)—the comprehensive evaluation and reporting program initiated in 1998—a new study explores if children’s participation in Head Start affects parents' education and employment. HSIS found short-term benefits for kids, fading by third grade, stirring doubts about long-term effectiveness. Research analysis, considering the family as a unit, discovered that parents of 3-year-olds in Head Start showed greater educational advancements by kindergarten compared to the control group. This effect was particularly pronounced for parents with some college but no degree and African American parents. These findings highlight Head Start's potential to support parents' educational pursuits, offering quality childcare, support networks, and pathways to higher education. This underscores how early education programs like Head Start can bolster parental growth alongside children's development, potentially influencing other similar programs.

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.

Current approaches to determining college readiness often rely on standardized placement tests in math and English, leading to nearly half of community college students being placed into remedial classes. However, research suggests that a significant portion of students placed in remediation based on these tests could succeed in college-level courses. By examining high school performance alongside placement test scores, studies have shown that using high school achievement data could significantly reduce placement errors and improve success rates in college-level courses. Integrating high school grades in placement decisions has demonstrated remarkable success, with programs like Long Beach City College’s Promise Pathways quadrupling placement rates in college English courses and significantly increasing completion rates in both English and math. These findings have influenced California’s community college system, prompting a shift toward multiple measures for placement, offering a more equitable and effective approach to remedial education. The adoption of a nuanced placement system utilizing various academic measures shows promise for improving outcomes and fairness in remediation.

Education policies often focus on evaluating the effectiveness of interventions without considering their costs. This oversight limits policymakers’ ability to make informed decisions about resource allocation. Understanding intervention costs in relation to their effectiveness is crucial for efficient policymaking. For instance, reducing high school dropout rates, a national priority, could alleviate substantial economic burdens, yet education budgets are limited. Researchers conducted cost-effectiveness analyses on five dropout prevention programs, finding considerable variations in costs and effectiveness. Remedial programs aimed at dropouts were notably more expensive per additional graduate compared to preventative programs, which targeted at-risk students still in school. These findings emphasize the need for cost-effectiveness assessments in educational program evaluations to guide policymaking effectively. Without such analyses, research evidence alone may not provide policymakers with a comprehensive view for decision-making, potentially leading to inefficient resource allocation.

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.