Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) incur significantly higher educational costs due to mandated services, yet face higher suspension rates, lower academic proficiency, and higher dropout rates. However, the selection of accommodations, modifications, and interventions lacks clarity and evidence of effectiveness. A comprehensive literature review identified 68 potential accommodations for EBD/ADHD students, but only 18 studies covering 12 strategies were found, with limited evidence supporting their efficacy. Notably, the widely used strategy of extended time showed no significant benefit and may potentially harm students with ADHD. Recommendations call for policymakers to clarify federal mandates, define accommodations, and promote evidence-based selections. They advocate for increased funding and rigorous research to determine effective interventions and emphasize implementing competency-building interventions alongside accommodations. Adoption of models prioritizing student competency, like the Life Course Model, is encouraged for policymakers and educators to streamline effective accommodation selection. These steps aim to bridge the gap between policy, research, and effective implementation to better support students with EBD/ADHD.

Proponents support school choice to enhance education, but research often overlooks its impact on school practices and achievement. A new study delves into whether charter school proximity influences school practices and its relation to math and reading achievement using Early Childhood Longitudinal Study data. Results show minimal impact on school practices based on charter proximity. Closer schools reported lower teacher absenteeism and better-aligned instruction, yet these changes did not remarkably affect reading or math achievement. Contrary to beliefs, charter growth does not appear to prompt organizational shifts in public schools due to entrenched cultural norms. Similarities between charter and public schools overshadow differences, hindering learning exchanges. Moreover, charters in disadvantaged areas may lack resources to impact public school competition. This study questions the efficacy of market-driven approaches in addressing educational challenges. Understanding the connection between competition, school practices, and student achievement is vital for directing policy initiatives effectively.

Access to arts education in US public schools varies greatly and remains largely undocumented. The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities highlighted this lack of data on offered courses, hindering policymakers' understanding. A recent study in Texas with data from 870 public high schools aimed to illustrate this variation by developing indices measuring arts education access. Surprisingly, schools with numerous arts courses didn’t always have high student engagement, and high participation rates often lacked diverse courses. Researchers suggest policymakers consider both course offerings and student engagement rates to accurately identify exceptional arts programs.Recommendations propose creating indices combining course offerings and participation rates in other states to address equity and ensure sufficient arts opportunities in public high schools. Additionally, California policymakers are urged to use their education databases, like the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System, to document arts education access. Furthermore, researchers propose a dialogue among educators, practitioners, and policymakers to define what constitutes an arts-rich school. Establishing standardized thresholds for course offerings and participation rates can ensure a more comprehensive understanding of arts education access. While incomplete, descriptions of course offerings and participation rates are crucial first steps toward understanding arts education access.

The concern over charter schools potentially excluding low-performing students has sparked debate. Analyzing a major urban district's data, researchers studied exit patterns suggesting such exclusions. Explicit evidence of schools expelling low-performing students is hard to find. Subtle methods like counseling or strict disciplinary actions might influence exits. While research is unable to confirm reasons for student transfers, data analysis did not support the claim that charter schools push out low-performing students more than traditional public schools. The study also found exiting charter students had lower performance, similar to those leaving traditional public schools. Analytical analyses, considering student characteristics, did not show evidence supporting the notion that charter schools disproportionately expel low-performing students. While findings counter the claim within our district, they are not conclusive for all settings. Variations may exist elsewhere. The researchers advocate for evidence-based discussions around charter schools, stressing the need for empirical backing before making or accepting claims about their student retention practices.

The United States witnesses frequent school changes among children due to various reasons, contributing to stress and educational disruption, especially among marginalized groups. Scholars suggest schools should foster better relationships with families to minimize unnecessary mobility, yet these strategies often lack rigorous testing. Researchers evaluated the Families and Schools Together (FAST) intervention's impact on reducing mobility by enhancing parent-school relations in low-income Hispanic elementary schools. Overall, the intervention didn't significantly lower mobility rates, with 35-45% of students changing schools. However, for Black families in the intervention, mobility dropped notably, aligning with other groups. The study underscores that school mobility hinges on diverse reasons; while socioeconomic factors might limit interventions' effectiveness, dissatisfaction or social isolation could be mitigated by fostering stronger school-family ties.

States moved from assessing students' proficiency to using growth models to track academic progress. Researchers analyzed three growth models in a California district, finding more prediction errors for English learners (ELs) than non-ELs. The models often misjudged ELs as remaining non-proficient by 7th grade when they were proficient. This error was more frequent for ELs (16–28%) than non-ELs (13–17%). ELs' steeper learning trajectories might explain this discrepancy; their growth is faster despite early low scores due to language support needs. These model inaccuracies have policy implications, potentially causing unnecessary interventions and not crediting effective instruction in early grades. They could influence the selection of accountability models, especially for student subgroups. Although California hasn't implemented growth-based accountability, it's part of the Smarter Balanced Assessment plans. Notably, the LA Times used a growth model to evaluate teachers, a contentious practice in education due to concerns about validity. The study's evidence questions any model's validity assuming uniform student growth without considering a teacher's student demographics.

The Coleman Report highlighted the strong link between school socioeconomic composition (SEC) and student achievement, supported by subsequent research. However, little focus has been given to school segregation's impact on student attainment, critical for future life outcomes. A new study in the American Educational Research Journal aimed to bridge this gap by examining 10th graders from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002. The findings revealed that high SEC schools significantly correlated with higher high school graduation and college enrollment rates, with a 68% greater likelihood for 4-year college enrollment. Peer influence and school emphasis on academics emerged as key mechanisms, showcasing positive influences in high SEC schools but negative impacts in low SEC ones. However, low SEC schools often struggle with student disorder linked to their demographics. Addressing the effects of SEC on attainment requires altering school demographics, necessitating integration by resolving structural barriers. While large-scale busing isn't viable, incentivizing neighborhood integration could facilitate successful school integration, allowing states and municipalities to embrace integration plans willingly.

High school counselors, often overlooked, are vital in guiding students toward college. The Pathways to College Act acknowledges their role, yet many schools lack systematic ways to provide crucial college and financial aid information. A national study explored how counseling norms and resources impact college-going rates. Findings revealed that a school's environment significantly shapes its college culture. Counseling departments are crucial, with their workload and focus on college counseling directly influencing a school's atmosphere. Resources like financial aid assistance, college fairs, and college-level courses also impact college attendance rates. Schools were categorized based on counseling structures: divergent, emergent, and convergent. Effective counselor education is vital for meaningful college counseling, and counselor caseloads should align with counseling goals. Beyond counselors, school climate and student attitudes shape the college culture, demanding engagement from administrators to foster a supportive environment. Policy implications stress comprehensive counselor education, aligned caseloads, and broader school involvement in promoting a college-going culture. Understanding a school's counseling structure aids administrators in resource allocation, fostering values that enhance college access for all students.

Research largely opposes grade retention due to its negative effects on students academically and developmentally. While this impact on retained students is well-documented, little attention has focused on how retention affects non-retained classmates. a new study delves into the influence of retained classmates on the absence behavior of non-retained students in urban schools. It utilizes a large dataset from an entire school district, finding that a higher percentage of retained classmates correlates with increased absences among non-retained students, particularly unexcused absences, suggesting potential academic disengagement. These results emphasize the need for California to proactively document retention effects and craft supportive policies, crucial for success, especially in high-needs urban schools where retention practices persist despite their potential negative impact.

In California, income-based reading gaps persist. Summer reading programs, including home-based ones, combat the "summer slide." A meta-analysis of 35 studies shows they enhance reading, especially comprehension. School-based programs with research-based strategies notably impact comprehension scores. Low-income students benefit more, perhaps due to differing summer learning loss patterns. Control group students from higher-income backgrounds gain reading scores over summer, contrasting with stable or declining scores for low-income peers, magnifying program effects. However, benefits diminish over time for all. The analysis supports summer programs for literacy. While both school-based and home-based approaches seem equally effective overall, school-based methods stand out with research-based strategies. Despite initial advantages, low-income students also experience fading effects. Addressing this fade-out and ensuring year-round support become crucial for sustaining summer gains.

Researchers spotlight the importance of evaluating the progress of English Learners (ELs), those Reclassified as Fluent English Proficient (RFEPs), and their combined group. An inherent issue emerges: successful RFEPs are often excluded from EL progress assessments due to their reclassification. Analyzing 2010 California data reveals critical insights: RFEPs constitute a significant portion of initially classified ELs (IELs), demonstrating the underestimation of the IEL population when focusing solely on current ELs. Additionally, RFEPs' achievements closely align with English-only students (EOs), suggesting an exaggerated achievement gap between EOs and IELs when RFEPs are omitted. Furthermore, neglecting RFEPs hinders recognizing positive trends; their increasing numbers and enhanced English Language Arts proficiency between 2005 and 2010 remain unnoticed. Policy suggestions emphasize the consistent inclusion of RFEPs in progress assessments to ensure accurate evaluations, especially within federal mandates like the Common Core Initiative.

In California, student mobility disrupts education for both students and educators, especially in urban schools serving disadvantaged communities. A recent study delves into the Success for All (SFA) program's effectiveness, focusing on early literacy skills for grades K–5. Research utilized a large-scale trial's unique setup to assess SFA's impact on later elementary grades (3–5) by comparing schools implementing SFA in different grade clusters. Surprisingly, the study found no positive or negative effects of SFA in grades 3–5 compared to standard instruction. This contradicts the program's previously observed positive effects in earlier grades from the same trial. These findings suggest that strategies successful in early grades might not seamlessly translate to later ones. However, it is important to note that this study's setup does not mirror the intended SFA implementation. Still, it echoes the experiences of many mobile students who begin in later grades at new schools. The paper concludes that more research is necessary to understand how schools can better support mobile students, emphasizing the need for improved instructional designs in later elementary years, despite earlier successes.

Researchers explore the impact of class diversity on cross-racial interaction in higher education, particularly pertinent in states post-affirmative action bans like California. While class diversity indirectly influenced interactions, racial diversity had a direct effect. Interacting across class lines correlated with greater racial interaction, but class diversity alone did not ensure robust engagement with racial diversity. A new study finds that despite a relationship between race and class diversity, they are not interchangeable. Racial diversity's impact was not overshadowed by class diversity, indicating its distinct influence on cross-racial interaction. Class diversity, coupled with racial diversity, was noted to challenge racial barriers and enhance conditions for interracial contact, aligning with Gordon Allport's contact theory. In California's higher education, threats to diversity arise from limited state funding and increased out-of-state enrollments. Despite enrolling many Pell Grant recipients, racial diversity remains limited, highlighted in legal cases such as Fisher v. University of Texas. The study underscores the crucial role of both class and racial diversity in preparing students for engagement in a diverse society and contributing to civic good.

Policymakers aim to boost four-year college attendance for disadvantaged students who often end up in less advantageous two-year colleges. Navigating complex college procedures without parental guidance poses challenges. Traditional counseling falls short due to time constraints and individualized approaches. Chicago Public Schools introduced a coaching model focusing solely on postsecondary plans, engaging students proactively, fostering relationships, and utilizing group sessions. Studying students post-high school revealed gaps in the enrollment process, especially among Latino and low-SES students. Encouraging completion of college-related tasks bridged these gaps, increasing specific plans and enrollment chances. Schools with coaches saw higher rates of students attending four-year colleges, particularly benefiting low-SES and Latino students. However, questions linger about neglecting high achievers, early intervention's impact, and long-term college persistence effects. New research underscores that group advising, like the coach program, may enhance educational outcomes for disadvantaged students, promising potential improvements in the future.

Career and technical education (CTE) battles outdated perceptions as a fallback for struggling students. Despite national academic reforms, CTE has evolved, emphasizing college and career readiness through blended academic and technical skills. Federal initiatives like the Perkins Acts transformed CTE into a broader curriculum, aiming to equip students with various skills through career clusters and integrated courses. Analyzing over 7,000 students' transcripts, a recent study found that those taking occupational CTE courses alongside academics showed similar math learning gains to those solely in academic courses. This challenges expectations of CTE's academic impact, particularly amidst initiatives like the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which emphasize academics and integration. The study questions CTE's effectiveness in improving math learning and suggests the need for refined courses that better reinforce academic skills. It prompts a reevaluation of federal investments in CTE, highlighting the necessity for alignment with evolving academic standards to benefit students' overall educational outcomes.

California, a pioneer in school-based accountability, established the Academic Performance Index (API) in 1999, encompassing subjects and graduation rates. With the move past No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the state aims to enhance the API by embracing student growth, college readiness, and broader academic and social objectives. A RAND study identified additional measures adopted by 20 states, expanding beyond NCLB requirements, including student performance in extra subjects, growth over time, performance indices, and college readiness indicators. Emerging measures cover safe school environments, graduation risk, and interim assessments. RAND suggests customized local indicators, aligned incentives, supportive teaching structures, local validation studies, and collaborative statewide systems to foster comprehensive data collection and decision-making. As the Common Core assessments approach, the paradigm shifts towards redefining student achievement measurement, urging a holistic approach to data collection to inform stakeholders effectively.

In response to the No Child Left Behind Act, discourse around "failing schools" disproportionately affects minoritized communities, sidelining broader educational visions and eroding arts from public school learning. California's arts programs suffer, with 89% of K–12 schools lacking consistent arts education. This scarcity predominantly affects minoritized youth, amplifying disparities in resource-deprived schools, denying these students the qualitative problem-solving and social growth inherent in arts engagement. Advocating for arts and diversity education reform, a new study urges reconsideration of teachers' attitudes toward arts and challenges limited perspectives on students' experiences. Researchers emphasize the transformative potential of arts as a tool for minoritized school reform, fostering agency and cultural representation for impacted communities. The study dismantles the term "minority," advocating for a reimagining of multicultural education as universally designed to cater to all communities' needs. Researchers further propose leveraging arts as research tools to comprehend classroom dynamics and family roles within school communities, redefining research purposes and literacy values in K–12 education. The study ultimately calls for open engagement and dialogues involving minoritized and majoritized youth to underscore the potential impact of arts in research, curriculum, and pedagogy, challenging binary thinking and inviting exploration toward equitable, hopeful futures for all.

In recent years, budget cuts led to increased class sizes across the US. California notably saw a 20% rise, adding over 4 students per class between 2009–2010. This sparks debate on allocating limited resources, with class size at its core due to its impact on educational costs. Studies on class size effects show inconsistent, modest benefits. Although reducing class size incurred substantial costs in the past, raising it could mitigate harm amid budget cuts. California's prior investment in smaller classes yielded limited effects due to swift implementation. Rising class sizes’ impact depends on implementation; layoffs based on teacher effectiveness might counteract negative effects on student achievement. The debate centers on balancing budgets without compromising student learning, especially crucial amid fiscal challenges in education.

English language learners (ELLs) surge in K–12 enrollment, especially in regions with historically low numbers of ELLs, intensifying the shortage of qualified bilingual/ESL teachers in states like Arizona. Budget constraints push ELLs into mainstream classrooms, often lacking specialized teachers, with nearly 50% receiving minimal or no special services due to limited teacher certification. A new study debates the necessity of specialists for this population, advocating for their effectiveness in nurturing language, literacy, and content development. Specialized training must embrace ELLs' linguistic and cultural contributions to content learning, encourage multilingual practices, and counter negative narratives. Arizona’s generic training for all teachers shows no positive impact, whereas states like California and Illinois requiring specialist training witness improved classroom outcomes. Specialist training is pivotal for equitable and effective instruction for ELLs.

In a recent study of Head Start's impact on early childhood education, a meta-analysis reviewed 28 studies from 1965 to 2007. Head Start yielded a 0.27 effect size, indicating modest improvement in children's short-term cognitive outcomes, aligning with general early childhood education programs. Yet, its effects were smaller compared to more intensive programs like Perry Preschool, but within the range of wider ECE averages. Research design significantly influenced these outcomes, particularly the nature of the control group. Studies with an "active" control group, exposed to other forms of ECE, showed smaller effects than those with a "passive" group, receiving no alternative ECE. As ECE attendance rises, communities with multiple ECE options could produce smaller Head Start effects. This does not question Head Start's efficacy but highlights other effective ECE alternatives, skewing comparative evaluations. Skills closely tied to ECE curricula, like early reading and math, responded better to Head Start than broader cognitive skills, suggesting tempered expectations for effects on measures like vocabulary or IQ. Finally, the study emphasizes considering measurement quality when interpreting program evaluation outcomes.

California's 2011–12 academic year showed a drop in dropouts and a rise in high school graduation rates. Graduates from the ninth grade in 2008–9 reached 78.5%, a 3.8% increase over two years. Federal data also highlight this trend, marking California's highest graduation rate in two decades. However, challenges persist, with significant disparities among racial groups. Factors like national campaigns and local initiatives contribute to these positive shifts, yet broader improvements will require addressing societal issues like unemployment and poverty. These advancements in graduation rates reflect collaborative efforts from various stakeholders, but the trajectory for future progress hinges on deeper community and familial support, especially in tackling socioeconomic challenges.