Using Research to Inform Decisions—An On-line Summer Workshop for Practitioners

I think this is an online workshop that readers might benefit from…

Using Research to Inform Decisions—An On-line Summer Workshop for Practitioners
State and local education officials are invited to take part in a two-week online training designed to help practitioners find and use research to inform educational decisions. The training is offered by the National Center for Research in Policy and Practice (an IES-funded research and development center) and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The program, Using Research to Inform Decisions, is designed for state and district education officials, school leaders, and school district decision-makers, including directors of research, curriculum and instruction, and special education. The training will guide participants in how to find and evaluate pertinent research, with an eye toward how such research is used to inform various school- and district-level decisions. Participants will get an overview of how practitioners can use research and will learn about several simple tools to help attendees find the relevant studies. They will also learn strategies and structures that help foster an environment where research truly informs the decision-making process. The workshop will be jointly led by Harvard Professor Heather Hill, University of Colorado Professor Bill Penuel, and will feature other leaders in the field. The online format will consist of video lectures, readings, facilitated online discussions, and exploration exercises to help participants engage with research and gain confidence in using evidence to make sound decisions. Dates: August 7-20, 2017 Sponsored by: Harvard Graduate School of Education (on-line training) Cost: $149.00 Registration Deadline: August 6, 2017. Registration information is available on-line. For additional information, contact the admissions team at ppe@gse.harvard.edu or call 800-545-1849. For questions about the IES grant supporting the National Center for Research in Policy and Practice, please contact Dr. Rebecca McGill-Wilkinson.
The Institute of Education Sciences, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, is the nation’s leading source for rigorous, independent education research, evaluation and statistics.
You have received this message because you subscribed to a newsflash service through IES or one of its centers. By visiting Newsflash you may also sign up to receive information from IES and its four Centers NCES, NCER, NCEE, & NCSERto stay abreast of all activities within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). To obtain hard copy of many IES products as well as hard copy and electronic versions of hundreds of other U.S. Department of Education products please visit http://www.edpubs.org or call 1-877-433-7827 (877-4-EDPUBS).

Learn How To Conduct Meta-Analyses Using WWC Tools And Databases

This may be of interest to some graduate students, researchers and those interested in meta-studies.

Learn How to Conduct Meta-Analyses Using WWC Tools and Databases
Meta-analysis can be a powerful technique to examine the effects of an intervention, and how the effects vary depending on programmatic, setting, or research-specific conditions. However, collecting data for meta-analyses can be labor intensive. Attend a free IES webinar to learn how the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) makes it easy to access the data from nearly 10,000 studies of educational interventions. This webinar will guide researchers on how to use information from the WWC website to obtain study-specific information that can be incorporated into a meta-analysis. Dr. Josh Polanin, of Development Services Group, and Dr. Lauren Scher, of Concentric Research and Evaluation, will provide an overview of the key steps in conducting a meta-analysis and describe how researchers can use WWC resources during nearly every step of the process. In particular, the webinar will discuss how to export study-specific details from the WWC’s individual studies database, including data on effect sizes that may not be available in published study reports. The presentation will also demonstrate how to extract information from the database files and conduct a meta-analysis using R, a free statistical software package. This presentation is intended for researchers who have a general understanding of meta-analytic techniques and familiarity with the WWC website and its offerings. Using the WWC to Support Data Collection for Meta-Analyses Thursday, July 27, 2017  2:00–3:30 p.m. (ET) Register here
The Institute of Education Sciences, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, is the nation’s leading source for rigorous, independent education research, evaluation and statistics.
By visiting Newsflash you may also sign up to receive information from IES and its four Centers NCES, NCER, NCEE, & NCSERto stay abreast of all activities within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). To obtain hard copy of many IES products as well as hard copy and electronic versions of hundreds of other U.S. Department of Education products please visit http://www.edpubs.org or call 1-877-433-7827 (877-4-EDPUBS).

New Report Examines The Outcomes And Experiences Of Early Millennials As Young Adults

The second item from IES.

New report examines the outcomes and experiences of Early Millennials as young adults.
By 2012, 96 percent of students who were high school sophomores in 2002 had completed high school, 84 percent of them had attended postsecondary education, and about one-third of them had earned a bachelor’s or higher degree. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in the Institute of Education Sciences, released a new Statistical Analysis Report today (June 29), entitled Early Millennials: The Sophomore Class of 2002 a Decade Later. This report examines the extent to which 2002 high school sophomores achieved various milestones of early adulthood as of 2012, when most of them were 26 years old, including high school completion, enrollment in postsecondary education, and progress toward or completion of a college degree. The report also looks at family formation (marriage and having children), as well as employment status and earnings. This report uses data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), a multifaceted survey conducted by NCES that was designed to study the 2002 sophomore cohort’s transition from adolescence to adulthood. Main findings include: In 2012, the majority of 2002 high sophomores (93 percent) were in the workforce, including 82 percent who were employed and 11 percent who were unemployed but looking for a job. Seven percent were out of the labor force; Fewer cohort members had taken on such roles as spouse and parent by 2012, however. Thirty-one percent had married, including 28 percent who were currently married and 3 percent who had subsequently divorced, separated, or become widowed. About 23 percent were living with their parents, and one-third had become parents themselves; Outcomes varied among groups defined by various demographic and high school academic characteristics. In general, cohort members from advantaged backgrounds (e.g., those from families of high socioeconomic status and those with strong academic preparation in high school) tended to have higher educational attainment, employment rates, and earnings. Many of these differences were apparent when controlling for a wide range of characteristics in multivariate analyses; and Labor market outcomes were associated with educational attainment. For example, employed master’s or other advanced degree holders earned a significantly higher hourly wage ($21) in their 2012 job than did those with a high school education or less ($15), even while controlling for demographic and academic backgrounds, job characteristics, current enrollment status, and marital and parenthood status. To view the full report, please visit http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2017437.
The Institute of Education Sciences, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, is the nation’s leading source for rigorous, independent education research, evaluation and statistics.
By visiting Newsflash you may also sign up to receive information from IES and its four Centers NCES, NCER, NCEE, & NCSER to stay abreast of all activities within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). To obtain hard copy of many IES products as well as hard copy and electronic versions of hundreds of other U.S. Department of Education products please visit http://www.edpubs.org or call 1-877-433-7827 (877-4-EDPUBS).

New State-level Information Available on School Choice, College Entrance Exams, and Arts Education

A couple of IES items today that are not specific to K-12 distance, online, or blended learning; but do include topics that are tangentially related.

New State-level Information Available on School Choice, College Entrance Exams, and Arts Education
State-level data on charter schools, voucher programs, college entrance exams, and arts education are now available on the State Education Reforms website. The State Education Reforms website draws primarily on data collected by organizations other than the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which compiles and disseminates the information in five sections: Accountability; Assessment and Standards,; Staff Qualifications and Development; State Support for School Choice and Other Options; and Student Readiness and Progress through School. Updates were made to one table in the “Accountability” section and two tables in each of the following sections: Assessment and Standards, Staff Qualifications and Development and Student Readiness and Progress Through School. In the State Support for School Choice and Other Options section, one table was updated and one table was added. These tables may be easily located by looking for the “Updated!” and “New” tags next to the table title. To view the site, please visit: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/ The State Education Reforms website is a product of the National Center for Education Statistics at the Institute of Education Sciences, part of the U.S. Department of Education.
The Institute of Education Sciences, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, is the nation’s leading source for rigorous, independent education research, evaluation and statistics.
By visiting Newsflash you may also sign up to receive information from IES and its four Centers NCES, NCER, NCEE, & NCSER to stay abreast of all activities within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). To obtain hard copy of many IES products as well as hard copy and electronic versions of hundreds of other U.S. Department of Education products please visit http://www.edpubs.org or call 1-877-433-7827 (877-4-EDPUBS).

Research On TNTP Teaching Fellows Shows No Effects On Math Achievement For Middle And High School Students

Another item from Tuesday’s inbox…

Research on TNTP Teaching Fellows Shows No Effects on Math Achievement for Middle and High School Students
The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) recently reviewed the research on TNTP Teaching Fellows teachers and their impact on academic achievement. A new intervention report, released today (June 27) by the Institute of Education Sciences, concludes that TNTP Teaching Fellows teachers were found to have no discernible effects on the mathematics achievement of middle and high school students. TNTP Teaching Fellows is a highly selective route to teacher certification that aims to prepare people to teach in high-need public schools. The program recruits professionals seeking to change careers and recent college graduates who are not certified teachers. Read the full report and learn more about the study that contributed to this rating. To see other WWC reports, visit whatworks.ed.gov and check your inbox for more updates and new releases throughout the year. For the latest news, follow the WWC on Twitter and Facebook.
The Institute of Education Sciences, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, is the nation’s leading source for rigorous, independent education research, evaluation and statistics.
By visiting Newsflash you may also sign up to receive information from IES and its four Centers NCES, NCER, NCEE, & NCSER to stay abreast of all activities within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). To obtain hard copy of many IES products as well as hard copy and electronic versions of hundreds of other U.S. Department of Education products please visit http://www.edpubs.org or call 1-877-433-7827 (877-4-EDPUBS).