Student Mobility: Does it affect educational outcomes? - Access related research titles from the ECS Research Studies Database. Links embedded in titles will take you to each study's major findings and recommendations....

Do Schools Challenge Our Students?: What Student Surveys Tell Us About the State of Education in the United States - Based on an analysis of a federal survey of students in elementary and high schools around the country, the authors find that many schools are not challenging students and large percentages of students report that their school work is “too easy”; many students are not engaged in rigorous learning activities; students don’t have access to key science and technology learning opportunities; too many students don’t understand their teacher’s questions and report that they are not learning during class; and students from disadvantaged background are less likely to have access to more rigorous learning opportunities. The authors conclude with recommendations. (Center for American Progress, July 2012)...

Charting the Path from Engagement to Achievement - The High School Survey of Student Engagement has been measuring the engagement of secondary students since 2003 and offers teachers and administrators actionable information on school characteristics that shape the student experience. Since 2006, more than 300,000 students in over 40 states have taken the survey. It’s a short, reliable, paper-based survey that is easy for students to complete. The most recent results from the annual High School Survey of Student Engagement closely resemble past findings, reflecting bored students who say they are not connected to their school. (Center for Evaluation and Education Policy, June 2010)...

Staying the Course: Online Education in the United States, 2008 - Online enrollment in college classes jumped 13% in 2007 and growth is expected to continue because of a weak economy. Good jobs are scarce and commuting requires time and money. Most popular fields are psychology, liberal arts and social sciences. (I. Elaine Allen and Jeff Seaman, The Sloan Consortium, November 2008)...

Power of Longitudinal Data: Measuring Student Academic Growth - The use of growth models statewide requires that states develop longitudinal data systems to track individual student performance over time. This report identifies the eight essential elements which should be incorporated in the growth model and indicates the policy and practice questions growth models can help address. (Data Quality Campaign, 2008)...

They Can Pass, But Are They College Ready? Using Longitudinal Data to Identify College and Career Readiness Benchmarks on State Assessments - This resource guide focuses on data that states must collect and analyze to identify scores on the state test that provide strong assurance that the student is college-ready. To inform the setting of these benchmarks, states need information on the relationships among state test scores and other indicators of student readiness for college and workforce training programs. (Chrys Dougherty, Data Quality Campaign, October 2008)...

Teachers' Use of Student Data Systems to Improve Instruction: 2005 to 2007 - Using data from national surveys of teachers and school districts, this brief documents the results of efforts to promote data-informed decision-making within schools. Estimates of the prevalence of K-12 teachers’ access to and use of electronic student data systems at two time points (schools years 2004-05 and 2006-07) are provided. Specifically, the brief addresses three research questions: (1) How broadly are student data systems being implemented in districts and schools; (2) How prevalent are supports for data use and tools for generating and acting on data; and, (3) How are school staff using student data systems. (Lawrence Gallagher, Barbara Means and Christine Padilla, U.S. Department of Education, 2008)...

What is a Comprehensive Approach to Student Supports? - Too often, what is identified as "comprehensive" is not comprehensive enough, and generally the approach described is not about developing a system of supports, but is instead a proposal to enhance coordination of fragmented efforts. This paper discusses the barriers to developing a comprehensive approach to student supports and uses a matrix for reviewing scope and content of a component to address barriers to learning. (Center for Mental Health in Schools, School Mental Health Project, Department of Psychology, UCLA, 2008)...

Every Child, Every Promise: Turning Failure into Action - This study examines how well children are receiving the "Five Promises" – caring adults, safe places and constructive use of time, a healthy start and healthy development, effective education for marketable skills and lifelong learning, and opportunities to make a difference through helping others – key developmental resources that correlate with success. Although the report finds good news shows how to turn failure into action, it also finds that there is much work to do: (1) Only 31% of school-age children are receiving enough promises to be confident of success; (2) More than 10 million children are experiencing only 0 or 1 Promise; (3) 20% of young people, or 8.5 million, lack caring adults in their lives; only 8% of children have a formal mentor; (4) More than 40% do not believe they will be able to reach their goals in the future. (America's Promise, 2006) ...

The State of Our Nation’s Youth 2005-2006 - This survey – the latest in a series – reports on the lives and aspirations of American youth ages 13-19. Young people share both facts and opinions on their future aspirations, schools, personal habits and preferences, and families. Among the numerous findings: Half of students rated their schools a “B,” while their schools seem to be more generous graders — 73% of students reported getting either mostly all "A's" or a mix of "A's" and "B's"; 57% of students described expectations at their school as “moderate”; and 31% as having to meet high expectations. Four in five believe exit exams in mathematics and English would improve their schools, while a whopping 95% felt providing opportunities for more real-world learning would make their schools better. (Horatio Alger Association, 2005)...

The Uhlich Report Card - Now in its sixth year, the Uhlich Teen Report Card examines where America's teens get their information from and who influences them. The researchers found that America's teens say television (56%) most impacts their opinions about world, national and local events. Newspapers come in a distant second (11.5%). Magazines come in last at (3%), while the Internet influences 8.8% of America's teens about the news. Forty-one percent of America's young people turn to parents and family members for perspective on the news. Young people give adults a grade of “B” in providing education and a “C-“ in “really listening to and understanding young people.” (Uhlich Children's Advantage Network, June 2004)...