Report Round-Up: April 6, 2012

Findings From A Survey Of Registered Voters In Nine Key Swing States– College Board

The College Board organization, also responsible for the ACT and SAT, released a survey of swing state voters, showing that voters want to hear way more about how they plan to address issues like school funding and college affordability. Overall, education is certainly a top-tier issue during for the 2012 presidential election.

Annual Program Performance Report– Program for the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At Risk of Educational Failure (U.S. Department of Education)

This report from the Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education notes that although the percentage of Title I, Part D students entering the program with below-average math and reading proficiency is rising, the educational services provided to neglected, delinquent, and at-risk students are helping them make academic strides.

Defining Strong State Accountability Systems: How Can Better Standards Gain Greater Traction?– Thomas B. Fordham Institute

This report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute outlines key elements to strong state accountability systems that will support new common standards and aligned assessments. The report includes analyses of the strengths and weaknesses of seven state accountability systems that have displayed a strong history of education reform before the Obama administration introduced the NCLB waiver process.

A Count For Quality: Child Care Center Directors on Rating and Improvement Systems– National Women’s Law Center

This report finds that directors want early educators to have bachelor’s degrees, but are concerned that without commensurate salary increases, early educators will be lured into higher paying jobs in school districts. They recommend that QRIS systems be linked with scholarships and grant opportunities to pay for teachers’ education.

Teacher Quality and Teacher Mobility– National Center for Longitudinal Data in Education Research

Using matched student-teacher panel data from the state of Florida, the National Center for Longitudinal Data in Education Research examines the determinants of teacher job change and the impact of such mobility on the distribution of teacher quality.