Report Round-Up: April 13, 2012

Transforming Schools Through Expanded Learning Time: Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School– National Center on Time & Learning

This study from the National Center on Time & Learning asserts that drastic staff and culture changes, along with expanded learning time and data use, drove significant student achievement gains in just one year at Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School in Boston.

Tinkering Toward Transformation: A Look at Federal School Improvement Grant Implementation– Center on Reinventing Public Education

This report recommends that that U.S Department of Education abolish the transformation model of improvement in student performance and instead opt for the turnaround method and/or the requirement for unions to sign off on the reform model chosen.

School Improvement Grants: Education Should Take Additional Steps to Enhance Accountability for Schools and Contractors– Government Accountability Office

Congress’s Investigation office released in this report information on how the U.S. Department of Education needs to do a better job of making sure that the performance of contractors hired through the School Improvement Grant program is reviewed, and of making sure states have the information they need to make grant renewal decisions

Is Administration Leaner in Charter Schools? Resource Allocation in Charter and Traditional Public Schools –National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education

This study examines school spending in Michigan and concludes that charter schools spend more per-pupil on administration and less on instruction than traditional public schools, even when controlling for enrollment, student populations served, and other factors.

Suspended Education in California– Center for Civil Rights Remedies at UCLA’s Civil Rights Project

According to this analysis of discipline data from nearly 500 California school districts, racial minorities and students with disabilities are suspended at substantially higher rates than their white and non-disabled peers. Researchers said the disparities are a civil rights issue and cause for alarm.

Do College-Prep Programs Improve Long-Term Outcomes?– National Bureau of Economic Research Working

There are a variety of programs offered to support minority and disadvantaged students as they transition from high school to college by providing mentoring, counseling, tutoring, and instruction in study skills and research. Yet this recent study observed that while federal and state governments fund college incentive programs, there is little research on their outcomes.

Making Progress: Rethinking State and School District Policies Concerning Mobile Technologies and Social Media– Consortium for School Networking and the FrameWorks Institute

This report is aimed at helping school and district leaders develop and revise digital media policies related to the use of mobile technologies and social media in schools.