Download or read book Whither Opportunity written by Greg J. Duncan and published by Russell Sage Foundation. This book was released on 2011-09-01 with total page 573 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the incomes of affluent and poor families have diverged over the past three decades, so too has the educational performance of their children. But how exactly do the forces of rising inequality affect the educational attainment and life chances of low-income children? In Whither Opportunity? a distinguished team of economists, sociologists, and experts in social and education policy examines the corrosive effects of unequal family resources, disadvantaged neighborhoods, insecure labor markets, and worsening school conditions on K-12 education. This groundbreaking book illuminates the ways rising inequality is undermining one of the most important goals of public education—the ability of schools to provide children with an equal chance at academic and economic success. The most ambitious study of educational inequality to date, Whither Opportunity? analyzes how social and economic conditions surrounding schools affect school performance and children’s educational achievement. The book shows that from earliest childhood, parental investments in children’s learning affect reading, math, and other attainments later in life. Contributor Meredith Phillip finds that between birth and age six, wealthier children will have spent as many as 1,300 more hours than poor children on child enrichment activities such as music lessons, travel, and summer camp. Greg Duncan, George Farkas, and Katherine Magnuson demonstrate that a child from a poor family is two to four times as likely as a child from an affluent family to have classmates with low skills and behavior problems – attributes which have a negative effect on the learning of their fellow students. As a result of such disparities, contributor Sean Reardon finds that the gap between rich and poor children’s math and reading achievement scores is now much larger than it was fifty years ago. And such income-based gaps persist across the school years, as Martha Bailey and Sue Dynarski document in their chapter on the growing income-based gap in college completion. Whither Opportunity? also reveals the profound impact of environmental factors on children’s educational progress and schools’ functioning. Elizabeth Ananat, Anna Gassman-Pines, and Christina Gibson-Davis show that local job losses such as those caused by plant closings can lower the test scores of students with low socioeconomic status, even students whose parents have not lost their jobs. They find that community-wide stress is most likely the culprit. Analyzing the math achievement of elementary school children, Stephen Raudenbush, Marshall Jean, and Emily Art find that students learn less if they attend schools with high student turnover during the school year – a common occurrence in poor schools. And David Kirk and Robert Sampson show that teacher commitment, parental involvement, and student achievement in schools in high-crime neighborhoods all tend to be low. For generations of Americans, public education provided the springboard to upward mobility. This pioneering volume casts a stark light on the ways rising inequality may now be compromising schools’ functioning, and with it the promise of equal opportunity in America.

Download or read book Raising Educational Attainment in Deprived Areas written by and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Report of Conferences on Improving the Education of Disadvantaged Children Nov 25 26 1968 Dec 2 3 1968 Silver Spring Md and Dec 11 12 1968 Denver Colorado written by United States. Office of Education and published by . This book was released on 1969 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Report of Conferences on Improving the Education of Disadvantaged Children written by United States. Office of Education and published by . This book was released on 1969 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind written by Eric Jensen and published by ASCD. This book was released on 2013 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing from research, experience, and real school success stories, this galvanizing book explores engagement as the key factor in the academic success of economically disadvantaged students.

Download or read book Next Steps for Children and Families written by United States. National Commission on Children and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Changing Poverty Changing Policies written by Maria Cancian and published by Russell Sage Foundation. This book was released on 2009-08-27 with total page 441 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Poverty declined significantly in the decade after Lyndon Johnson's 1964 declaration of "War on Poverty." Dramatically increased federal funding for education and training programs, social security benefits, other income support programs, and a growing economy reduced poverty and raised expectations that income poverty could be eliminated within a generation. Yet the official poverty rate has never fallen below its 1973 level and remains higher than the rates in many other advanced economies. In this book, editors Maria Cancian and Sheldon Danziger and leading poverty researchers assess why the War on Poverty was not won and analyze the most promising strategies to reduce poverty in the twenty-first century economy. Changing Poverty, Changing Policies documents how economic, social, demographic, and public policy changes since the early 1970s have altered who is poor and where antipoverty initiatives have kept pace or fallen behind. Part I shows that little progress has been made in reducing poverty, except among the elderly, in the last three decades. The chapters examine how changing labor market opportunities for less-educated workers have increased their risk of poverty (Rebecca Blank), and how family structure changes (Maria Cancian and Deborah Reed) and immigration have affected poverty (Steven Raphael and Eugene Smolensky). Part II assesses the ways childhood poverty influences adult outcomes. Markus Jäntti finds that poor American children are more likely to be poor adults than are children in many other industrialized countries. Part III focuses on current antipoverty policies and possible alternatives. Jane Waldfogel demonstrates that policies in other countries—such as sick leave, subsidized child care, and schedule flexibility—help low-wage parents better balance work and family responsibilities. Part IV considers how rethinking and redefining poverty might take antipoverty policies in new directions. Mary Jo Bane assesses the politics of poverty since the 1996 welfare reform act. Robert Haveman argues that income-based poverty measures should be expanded, as they have been in Europe, to include social exclusion and multiple dimensions of material hardships. Changing Poverty, Changing Policies shows that thoughtful policy reforms can reduce poverty and promote opportunities for poor workers and their families. The authors' focus on pragmatic measures that have real possibilities of being implemented in the United States not only provides vital knowledge about what works but real hope for change.

Download or read book Improving Educational Equity in Urban Contexts written by Carlo Raffo and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-12-17 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An enduring educational concern that has plagued researchers and policy makers in a number of affluent countries is the endemic nature of educational inequalities. These inequalities highlight distinct differences in the educational skills, knowledge, capabilities and credentials between learners’ demographic characteristics. They also point to issues of educational disadvantage that emanate from a combination of factors including family life, communities, the geographies of space and place, gender and ethnicity. This book examines some of the causes and responses to educational inequalities, and focuses upon poor urban contexts where educational disadvantage is at its most concentrated, and where educational policy and practice has, over time, proliferated. It questions how wider inequities experienced by young people in urban contexts generate educational inequalities and disadvantage, detailing explicitly what an equitable approach to education might look like. Included in the book is an innovative educational equity framework and toolkit with illustrative policy and practice case studies, bringing together unique scholarship and analysis to examine future educational policy in a holistic, comprehensive and equitable way. It will be valuable reading for postgraduate students, researchers and policy makers with an interest in education and educational equity.

Download or read book Report of the National Advisory Council on the Education of Disadvantaged Children written by National Advisory Council on the Education of Disadvantaged Children (U.S.) and published by . This book was released on 1966 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Too Many Children Left Behind written by Bruce Bradbury and published by Russell Sage Foundation. This book was released on 2015-06-30 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The belief that with hard work and determination, all children have the opportunity to succeed in life is a cherished part of the American Dream. Yet, increased inequality in America has made that dream more difficult for many to obtain. In Too Many Children Left Behind, an international team of social scientists assesses how social mobility varies in the United States compared with Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Bruce Bradbury, Miles Corak, Jane Waldfogel, and Elizabeth Washbrook show that the academic achievement gap between disadvantaged American children and their more advantaged peers is far greater than in other wealthy countries, with serious consequences for their future life outcomes. With education the key to expanding opportunities for those born into low socioeconomic status families, Too Many Children Left Behind helps us better understand educational disparities and how to reduce them. Analyzing data on 8,000 school children in the United States, the authors demonstrate that disadvantages that begin early in life have long lasting effects on academic performance. The social inequalities that children experience before they start school contribute to a large gap in test scores between low- and high-SES students later in life. Many children from low-SES backgrounds lack critical resources, including books, high-quality child care, and other goods and services that foster the stimulating environment necessary for cognitive development. The authors find that not only is a child’s academic success deeply tied to his or her family background, but that this class-based achievement gap does not narrow as the child proceeds through school. The authors compare test score gaps from the United States with those from three other countries and find smaller achievement gaps and greater social mobility in all three, particularly in Canada. The wider availability of public resources for disadvantaged children in those countries facilitates the early child development that is fundamental for academic success. All three countries provide stronger social services than the United States, including universal health insurance, universal preschool, paid parental leave, and other supports. The authors conclude that the United States could narrow its achievement gap by adopting public policies that expand support for children in the form of tax credits, parenting programs, and pre-K. With economic inequalities limiting the futures of millions of children, Too Many Children Left Behind is a timely study that uses global evidence to show how the United States can do more to level the playing field.

Download or read book Closing the Achievement Gap from an International Perspective written by Julia V. Clark and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-10-24 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a changing world that demands new skills, a vital concern of public education is the gap in academic performance between low- and high-achieving students. There is no excuse for the achievement gaps that persist among poor and minority students in schools today. All students can succeed at high levels, regardless of race, ethnicity and economic background. Several countries have successfully confronted inequities in achievement, demonstrating that any school can close achievement gaps regardless of the community they serve, and that all students can achieve at high levels when they are provided with the right opportunities. This book is about understanding what factors selected countries have applied to promote progress and what factors contribute to progress in the closing of achievement gaps. It is about creating opportunities for all students. Closing the Achievement Gap from an International Perspective: Transforming STEM for Effective Education is written in response to rising concern for the improvement of quality education – especially in mathematics and science – provided to all students. The contributors take a systematic view of the subject, beginning with a cross-national analysis of teacher qualifications and the achievement gap that spans 50 countries. The content of the book is organized in sections describing education around the globe: North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Individual chapters offer close-up analysis of efforts to close achievement gaps in the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, England, Turkey, China, South Africa and Australia among many others. The contributors provide information on the achievement gap in mathematics and science, review current research, and present strategies for fostering improvement and raising performance with a focus on school-related variables that adversely affect educational outcomes among poor and minority students. The authors of the various chapters looked at how students’ data correlated with classroom practices, teacher instruction and academic programming, as part of their efforts to measure student growth. Qualitative and quantitative data are provided to provide evidence not only of the problem, but also for the solution. The book concludes with a chapter on promoting equality and equity to shrink the achievement gap worldwide.

Download or read book Impact Assessment of Stem Initiatives in Improving Educational Outcomes written by Pallavi Amitava Banerjee and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2017-08-09 with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Impact assessment of STEM initiatives in improving educational outcomes explores research evidence and labour market reports to show why successive governments think STEM education matters. It maps the policy background and the STEM crisis in the UK which led to the launch of the STEM informal education sector. These schemes funded by the government, educational charities and private organisations have now mushroomed at the local and national level. In the midst of so many activities for various age groups do we know what works or works better for specific group of students? Does one size fit all? The book provides a detailed report of a longitudinal national evaluation conducted in the UK by making use of official datasets. The activities evaluated here have not had a major influence on educational outcomes such as improved standardized national test results or increased STEM subject choices. The robust evaluation protocol described in this well-structured and thoughtful text will help schools to decide what works best for the students activity providers to evaluate long term outcomes for the activities they run researchers to replicate the protocol for similar activities in other settings Masters and PhD students understand how evidence from research can be used to inform policy and practice The results and implications combined with the recommendations made here will interest all those who are directly involved in the delivery of these enrichment and enhancement activities, practitioners using evidence, policy makers, the research community and schools wanting to run their own evaluations.

Download or read book Improving Educational Outcomes of Vulnerable Children written by Lloyd D. Beachum and published by Plural Publishing. This book was released on 2017-10 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Improving Educational Outcomes of Vulnerable Children seeks to examine the plight of vulnerable students in America's educational system. Scholars and practitioners will benefit from this in-depth and unique resource for working with diverse populations of students. The term "vulnerable" is the current construct used to address students who are at-risk of dropping out of school or of being mislabeled because of myriad social-economic, structural, educational, cultural, racial, linguistic, and societal burdens that impinge upon their learning and survival in school environments. These populations can include students in urban areas, students with "special" needs, and/or at-risk students who are disenfranchised, disadvantaged, and disillusioned. While the term "vulnerable" is used most often, authors also address students who are oppressed. In such cases, the authors explore power relations, contexts, and situations that place students in positions of powerlessness. A few of the topics discussed include students with special needs, the scholar identity of black males, parent perspectives, teacher preparation, and using technology in the classroom. A diverse group of contributors offer their expertise in this distinctive text. Authors include scholars and practitioners from fields such as educational leadership, special education, teacher education, educational technology, and educational psychology. Key Features Explores the diversity of students in today's classrooms: culturally, linguistically, and racially different students; students in urban areas; students with "special" needs; and/or at-risk students who are disenfranchised, disadvantaged, and disillusioned.Details multiple strategies for teacher preparation and mentoringDiscusses methods for effective parent-teacher collaboration

Download or read book Federal Policy Options for Improving the Education of Low income Students written by Rand Corp., Santa Monica, CA. Inst. on Education and Training and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Rand Institute on Education and Training, in consultation with the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives, undertook an analysis of federal policy options to improve education in low-income areas. This analysis focuses on Chapter 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the federal program for assisting disadvantaged students. This study draws on a comprehensive review of existing evaluation data, invited commentaries, and a commissioned study of federal options for school finance equalization. Results are reported in three volumes. This volume contains the invited commentaries of 91 policymakers, researchers, and educators describing the strengths and shortcomings of Chapter 1 exactly as submitted to RAND. Appendixes to this volume contain a letter soliciting commentaries and a description of the whole study. (Contains 124 references.) (SLD)

Download or read book Overcoming Disadvantage in Education written by Stephen Gorard and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-08-22 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Governments, local authorities, school leaders, and teachers all over the world want to improve the educational attainment and participation of all students, and to minimise any systematic differences in outcomes for social and economic groups. A particular concern is for those students from backgrounds that may objectively disadvantage them at school and beyond. However, considerable effort and money is currently being wasted on policies, practices and interventions that have very little hope of success, and that may indeed endanger the progress that is being made otherwise. The poor quality of much education research evidence, coupled with an unwillingness among users of evidence to discriminate appropriately between what we know and do not know, means that opportunities are being missed. At a time of reduced public spending it is important that proposed interventions are both effective and efficient. Overcoming Disadvantage in Education is unique in the way that it: Shows where the solutions to underachievement and poverty lie combines primary(new), secondary (official) and published (review) evidence distinguishes between those possible causes of underachievement that are largely fixed for individuals, and those that are modifiable. There are evidence-informed ways forward in handling under-achievement and increasing social justice in education. This book shows which the more likely approaches are, and where further work could yield further benefits. This book will be a key text for students, developing academic researchers and supervisors in the social sciences, and for those research users charged with improving educational outcomes.

Download or read book Disease Control Priorities Third Edition Volume 8 written by Donald A. P. Bundy and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2017-11-20 with total page 977 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More children born today will survive to adulthood than at any time in history. It is now time to emphasize health and development in middle childhood and adolescence--developmental phases that are critical to health in adulthood and the next generation. Child and Adolescent Health and Development explores the benefits that accrue from sustained and targeted interventions across the first two decades of life. The volume outlines the investment case for effective, costed, and scalable interventions for low-resource settings, emphasizing the cross-sectoral role of education. This evidence base can guide policy makers in prioritizing actions to promote survival, health, cognition, and physical growth throughout childhood and adolescence.

Download or read book Advancing Equity written by Graciela Perez and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Talented students from underserved backgrounds face many barriers to attaining higher education. Two of the most significant impediments are the low quality of primary and secondary schools they attend and the lack of access to top-tier universities providing sufficient financial aid and targeted support. Lower levels of educational attainment are linked to higher unemployment rates, lower earnings, and higher risk of poor-health outcomes. This dissertation builds upon the extant body of literature evaluating the effectiveness of large-scale interventions that pursue a more egalitarian, inclusive, and diverse educational system. Specifically, I assess the effectiveness of education policy efforts in (i) improving the quality of teachers to equalize low-income students' educational opportunities at earlier stages of schooling, and (ii) increasing the representation of low-income, high-achieving students at top-tier universities. My research is concerned with the effectiveness of education policy efforts in Chile, a middle-income country in Latin America with high levels of educational attainment but social class segregation of students that undermines the provision of equal opportunities. The country has implemented innovative policies and programs to address educational inequity, yet the impacts of these programs have not been systematically studied. This dissertation aims to fill this gap. The findings can be used by policymakers, university officials and administrators as well as governmental agencies. In the first paper, "The Effects of Educational Supports for the 'Missing One-Offs' in Vocational High Schools, " I study a two-year early-college program that prepares low-income, high-achieving students from underserved vocational public high schools to enter and graduate from the most selective universities in Chile. A growing body of evidence suggests that vocationally focused programs of study substantially improve high-school completion and longer-run economic success. However, the corresponding recommendations to expand vocational programs may have unintended, negative consequences for low-income, academically successful students who have the capacity and motivation to attend highly selective universities (i.e., the "missing one-offs"). This study contributes to the understanding of these issues by examining an innovative, college-preparatory program targeted to academically successful Chilean students attending vocational high schools serving lower-income communities. This program, Escuela Desarrollo de Talentos (EDT), provides academic and social-emotional support aligned with admission to selective universities. I examine the educational effects of EDT program participation using a fuzzy regression-discontinuity design based on its eligibility rules. I find that the EDT program did not increase the probability of graduating from high school but did increase performance in math courses. I also find corresponding evidence suggesting that EDT participation increased math performance on college entrance exams and shifted students away from further postsecondary vocational training and towards matriculation at elite universities. In the second paper, "The Effects of Priority Admissions in Elite Universities for High-Achieving, Low-Income Students, " I study the effectiveness of a special admissions quota program at the University of Chile, Sistema de Ingreso Prioritario de Equidad Educativa (SIPEE), that assigns seats to underrepresented students, prioritizing those from more disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. By lowering the required university entrance exam score threshold, the University of Chile admits intellectually talented students who, due to their family or high school backgrounds, cannot surmount the barrier of minimum curriculum knowledge required by this exam. Based on the score threshold required in admissions, I use a regression-discontinuity design to assess the educational effects of the SIPEE program on its first four cohorts of beneficiaries (2012 to 2015). I find evidence that SIPEE eligibility increased the probability of underserved students' application to the University of Chile degree programs. Also, matriculation and retention rates significantly increased in seven of the 37 degree programs (commercial engineering, public administration, history, psychology, architecture, agricultural engineering, and engineering). Depending on the degree program, the increase in the likelihood of matriculation ranges between 0.3 and 2 percentage points, and the increase in the likelihood of retention ranges between 0.2 and 1.3 percentage points. Overall, the most effective degree programs in increasing matriculation provide academic support to ease the transition between high school and college for low-income, high-achieving students admitted via SIPEE. Teachers are one of the most important resources for equalizing opportunities and improving outcomes in schools. Unfortunately, a growing body of evidence indicates increasing quality-teacher shortages and that these high-quality teachers are unequally distributed among schools. Disadvantaged students are more likely to experience the adverse effects of teacher shortages and turnover related to this unequal teacher distribution. In the third paper, "Building a Teacher Pipeline: Evidence from a Merit-Based Tuition Scholarship, " I study a public policy that addresses the pipeline of Chilean teachers. This program (Beca Vocación de Profesor, BVP) provides a full-tuition scholarship for high-performing individuals who apply to university teacher education programs and requires them to teach in publicly funded schools after graduation. I examine the educational and labor effects of BVP program adoption using a regression-discontinuity design based on the program's merit-based eligibility rules. Using a comprehensive dataset that tracks individuals' progression from high school to higher education and to their future jobs, I assess the causal effect of the BVP program on the 2011 to 2014 cohorts of all applicants to higher education in Chile. As a result of the BVP program, I find that matriculation in teacher education programs increased by 2 percentage points (i.e., 25% of the total enrollees in the four cohorts), teacher degree attainment increased by 1 percentage point (i.e., 22% of the total of the new certified teachers produced in the four cohorts), and the number of teachers working in schools increased by 1 percentage point (i.e., 27% of the teachers working in schools from the four cohorts). The vast majority of these new teachers end up working in publicly funded schools. This represented 4,124 new teachers working in publicly funded schools due to BVP program eligibility and 56,324 new teachers as a result of actually receiving the BVP scholarship. In the first four cohorts of grantees, the resulting supply of teachers increased by almost 30 percent. This study contributes valuable empirical evidence to the policy debate surrounding effective ways to improve teachers' recruitment and the allocation of higher-quality teachers to under-resourced schools. This research has implications for how selective universities can play a more active role in mitigating achievement gaps rooted in unequal educational opportunities and meet goals for increasing student body diversity. Similarly, policies that increase the number of quality teachers and promote their early assignment to public schools have the potential to improve learning opportunities, especially for marginalized students. The conclusions of this dissertation contribute policy-relevant information on the effectiveness of programs designed to equalize educational opportunities and improve academic outcomes for underserved students.