Your search found 7 results.

Descriptors:
State Programs; State Departments of Education; Decision Making; Data; Information Utilization; Educational Policy; Educational Practices; Local Issues; Educational Finance; Politics of Education; Human Resources

Abstract:
This report documents how four state education agencies are supporting local data-driven decisionmaking through their policies, practices, and programs for creating data systems, improving data access and use, and building district and school capacity to use data. Responding to District of Columbia Office of State Superintendent of Education and Pennsylvania Department of Education requests, this report describes how Arkansas, Florida, Texas, and Virginia are supporting local data-driven decisionmaking. Statewide policies, practices, and programs for creating data systems, improving access to data, and building district and school capacity to use the data are documented. [For the full report, see ED526134.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

 ERIC Full Text (296K)

Descriptors:
Data; Decision Making; Educational Policy; Educational Practices; State Departments of Education; Educational Finance; Politics of Education; Human Resources; Information Utilization; Local Issues; State Programs

Abstract:
This report documents how four state education agencies are supporting local data-driven decisionmaking through their policies, practices, and programs for creating data systems, improving data access and use, and building district and school capacity to use data. Specifically, this report, responding to District of Columbia Office of State Superintendent of Education and Pennsylvania Department of Education requests, describes how Arkansas, Florida, Texas, and Virginia are supporting local data-driven decisionmaking. Two questions guide this study: (1) What policies or practices in Arkansas, Florida, Texas, and Virginia support local use of data for education purposes; and (2) How do Arkansas, Florida, Texas, and Virginia support local use of data in selected state education agency-administered programs? This study found that the four states have implemented a range of policies and practices in all three categories of the study's analytical framework: (1) Creating, expanding, and linking data systems. The four states have created and built state repositories and are expanding the types of data collected and warehoused to better equip districts and schools to rigorously assess whether students, schools, and districts are meeting state college readiness requirements and career readiness expectations. (2) Ensuring data access and use. The four states have implemented policies and practices to help local educators and administrators access, understand, and use data effectively. In doing so, they are making data and analyses timely, readily available, and easy to understand for parents, educators, and policymakers. (3) Building district and school capacity to use data. The four states have focused on strengthening local human resource capability, mainly through partnerships and professional development. By building local capacity to access and analyze data stored in state longitudinal data systems, the states intend to help local policymakers and practitioners use data inform key policy questions on performance and improvement. In addition to state policies, the study also identified five state programs supporting district and school use of data (one in Florida, two in Texas, and two in Virginia). Appended are: (1) Summaries of studies with strong findings on state education agency support for local data-driven decisionmaking; and (2) Study methods. (Contains 3 boxes, 2 figures, 3 tables, and 7 notes.) [For the Summary Report, see ED526135] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

 ERIC Full Text (521K)

Descriptors:
Educational Change; Partnerships in Education; Cooperation; Grants; School Community Relationship; Goal Orientation; Elementary Secondary Education; Educational Improvement; Sustainability; Financial Support

Abstract:
The Ford Foundation began the Collaborating for Education Reform Initiative (CERI) in 1997-1998 by issuing grants and providing grantees with funds, guidance, and technical assistance to develop collaboratives and carry out activities to improve teaching and learning. CERI's collaborative activities were directed at three possible community groups: the district, a feeder pattern or cluster of schools in a district, and the larger community, such as parents and voters. After restructuring, the foundation ceased giving technical assistance and laid down a new set of goals for grantees: Develop interorganizational linkages to become a well-functioning collaborative and achieve financial independence; develop and implement plans for improving the quality of teaching and learning; develop and implement plans for systemic changes in policy to support improved teaching and learning; and develop a unique voice for underserved communities to air concerns about educational services. RAND Corporation researchers assessed (1) whether grantees showed progress toward the desired outcomes, (2) what lessons came out of the grantees' experiences, and (3) whether the foundation created financially sustainable collaboratives to promote education improvement. The researchers found that the restructured effort yielded functioning collaboratives with varying abilities to meet their goals and that those abilities were influenced by such factors as strong leadership and a positive funding environment. They also found that collaboratives can grow out of deliberate foundation efforts, though the process is not straightforward and their financial sustainability in a bad economy is uncertain. Each chapter includes footnotes. (Contains 7 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website

Descriptors:
Systems Approach; After School Programs; Grants; Data; Management Information Systems; Barriers; Program Implementation; Training; Agency Cooperation; Cooperative Planning; Public Agencies; Surveys; Summer Schools; Financial Support; Urban Schools; Sustainability; Program Improvement; Decision Making; Program Descriptions; Urban Environment; Public Officials; Influences; Stakeholders; Educational Policy; Program Administration; Information Technology; Philanthropic Foundations; Case Studies; Interviews; Guidelines; Program Effectiveness

Abstract:
High-quality out-of-school-time (OST) programs have a positive effect on youth development, but many cities have found it difficult to address the challenges of expanding and improving the quality of programs offered to underserved and high-need students. In response, The Wallace Foundation sponsored an initiative to help five cities increase collaboration, access, quality, information sharing, and sustainability in their OST systems. The third in this three-volume series presents in-depth case studies of the five Wallace Foundation grant cities: Providence, Boston, New York City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. A review of the history of the grant in each city, the role played by the local context in which it was implemented, the initiative's progress toward a range of goals, and enablers and challenges to implementation reveals both lessons learned and best practices for the OST field. For example, strong interagency coordination and mayoral involvement, gaining stakeholder buy-in, a comprehensive approach to training and professional development, and shared goals were all associated with the more successful OST improvement efforts. However, all the cities faced challenges in implementing their respective initiatives, including staff turnover at the agency and program levels, funding constraints, obstacles to coordination, and issues related to data entry and tracking student outcomes. Individual chapters contain footnotes. (Contains 10 figures and 5 tables.) [For the related reports, see Volume 1 (ED514586) and Volume 2 (ED514587).] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  Publisher's website

Descriptors:
After School Programs; Management Information Systems; Financial Support; Data; Public Agencies; Data Collection; Internet; Computer Uses in Education; Surveys; Participation; Barriers; Program Implementation; Enrollment; Training; Attendance; Summer Schools; Educational Finance; Urban Schools; Program Improvement; Decision Making; Program Descriptions; Influences; Educational Policy; Program Administration; Information Technology; Philanthropic Foundations; Case Studies; Interviews; Guidelines; Systems Approach; Agency Cooperation; Cooperative Planning

Abstract:
High-quality out-of-school-time (OST) programs have a positive effect on youth development, but many cities have found it difficult to address the challenges of expanding and improving the quality of programs offered to underserved and high-need students. In response, The Wallace Foundation sponsored an initiative to help five cities increase collaboration, access, quality, information sharing, and sustainability in their OST systems. In many cities that provide financial support for OST, funding is funneled through a variety of youth-serving agencies that lack basic information about the programs they fund. The second in this three-volume series describes how the grantees and three other cities used management information systems to collect and use data on OST programs, including enrollment, attendance, and student outcomes. Cities' use of management information systems to collect and report data on OST programs is relatively new, so the experiences of the case-study cities offer valuable lessons for the field. For example, management information systems are capable of supporting OST system improvement but require careful planning, the use of data from these systems can lead to additional funding and support, the customization of web-based systems encourages their use, providing high-quality training to providers increases the use of the systems, and many providers are overburdened by requirements to use multiple management information systems, so eliminating redundancies and coordinating data requirements can ensure more efficient program provision and reporting. Survey Administration, Sampling, Weighting, and Modeling is appended. Individual chapters contain footnotes. (Contains 15 tables.) [For the related reports, see Volume 1 (ED514586) and Volume 3 (ED514588).] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website

Descriptors:
Summer Schools; After School Programs; Cooperation; Information Systems; Grants; Educational Finance; Urban Schools; Sustainability; Program Improvement; Decision Making; Program Descriptions; Urban Environment; Public Officials; Influences; Stakeholders; Educational Policy; Program Administration; Information Technology; Philanthropic Foundations; Case Studies; Interviews; Guidelines; Systems Approach

Abstract:
High-quality out-of-school-time (OST) programs have a positive effect on youth development, but many cities have found it difficult to address the challenges of expanding and improving the quality of programs offered to underserved and high-need students. In response, The Wallace Foundation sponsored an initiative to help five cities increase collaboration, access, quality, information sharing, and sustainability in their OST systems. The overall goals of the initiative were to increase access, improve quality, develop information systems for decisionmaking, and plan for financial stability. Each city received a planning grant, which it focused on particular efforts tied to city context and area of need. The first in this three-volume series describes the cities' early work under the grant and analyzes the conditions and activities that contributed to their progress in building a coordinated system of services to meet the initiative's goals. Specifically, it addresses how city context affected the approaches implemented, the effectiveness of these approaches, and important enablers of progress, particularly in the areas of collaboration and coordination. Of particular note was the finding that city context and the involvement of the mayor had a significant influence on both decisionmaking and outcomes. In addition, the cities depended on the ability to gain buy-in from the schools and other key stakeholders, as well as financial assistance through city budgets and grants to ensure sustainability. Individual chapters contain footnotes. (Contains 10 tables.) [For the related reports, see Volume 2 (ED514587) and Volume 3 (ED514588).] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website

Descriptors:
Private Schools; Elementary Secondary Education; Academic Achievement; Program Effectiveness; Instructional Materials; Educational Change; Foreign Countries; Change Strategies; Case Studies; Observation; Interviews; Public Schools; Educational Policy; Semitic Languages; English; Student Evaluation; Academic Standards; Faculty Development; Teacher Recruitment; Teaching Methods; Curriculum Development; Teacher Evaluation; Achievement Gains; Student Motivation; Parent Participation; Teacher Persistence; Teaching Conditions; Teacher Salaries; Student Centered Curriculum

Abstract:
The leadership of Qatar is greatly invested in its K-12 education reform, "Education for a New Era," because it views education as the key to the nation's economic and social progress. This study, one of a number of RAND studies that trace and document the reform process in Qatar, was designed to assess progress made in the first years of the K-12 reform's implementation in Qatar's schools. The study team relied on two complementary approaches--a case study analysis of classroom- and school-level observational and interview data from 16 schools (four traditional, Ministry of Education schools; 12 new, Independent schools), and an analysis of national survey and student performance data--to assess the school-level implementation of key reform components and a key interim reform output: the academic performance of students in Independent schools compared with that of students in Ministry schools. The study's findings, based on data collected from 2004 to 2007, indicate that in the early years: (1) The reform was working, but more progress was needed. The new, Independent schools were more student focused than were Ministry schools and differed from Ministry schools in many expected ways; principals, teachers, parents, and students, for the most part, recognized and appreciated the differences. (2) Few changes had occurred in the Ministry schools. (3) Although reform institutions and components were in place, a substantial number of policy changes precipitated by implementation concerns during these early years resulted in uncertainty and concern among stakeholders, potentially limiting the reform's future power. (4) Independent school students outperformed their Ministry peers on new national assessments in Arabic and English. Independent school students assessed in Arabic also outperformed Ministry students in mathematics and science. However, most students were not yet meeting the reform's new, higher standards. This monograph contains eight chapters: (1) Introduction; (2) Methods; (3) Recruiting, Retaining, and Developing Staff in Qatar's Independent Schools; (4) Developing Curriculum and Instructional Materials; (5) Evaluating Classroom Practice and Pedagogy; (6) Improving Student Performance Through Motivation Strategies and Parent Engagement; (7) Measuring Student Performance; and (8) Summary of Findings and Recommendations. Appended is a Summary of Classroom Observations; and a Student Achievement Model. (Contains 18 figures and 16 tables.) [This report was prepared for the Supreme Education Council. For the related research brief, see ED507319.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website