Education Reform / NCLB

Using a ten-year student-level panel dataset from North Carolina, we examine how school-specific pressure related to two school accountability approaches (status and growth) affects student achievement at different points in the prior-year achievement distribution. We find little or no evidence that schools in North Carolina ignore students far below proficiency under either approach. Importantly, we find that the status, but not the growth, approach reduces the reading achievement of higher performing students, with the losses in aggregate exceeding gains at the bottom. The distributional effects of accountability pressure depend on the type of accountability pressure and on the tested subject.

This paper brings to bear new evidence from a remarkable five-year survey conducted of a census of public schools in Florida, coupled with detailed administrative data on student performance. We show that schools facing accountability pressure changed their instructional practices in meaningful ways. In addition, we present medium-run evidence of the effects of school accountability on student test scores, and find that a significant portion of these test score gains can likely be attributed to the changes in school policies and practices that we uncover in our surveys.

This brief describes estimation and measurement issues relevant to estimating the quality of instruction in the context of a cumulative model of learning. It also discusses implications for the use of value-added estimates in personnel and compensation matters. The discussion highlights the importance of accounting for student differences and the advantages of focusing on student achievement gains as opposed to differences in test scores. Despite potential shortcomings, value-added analysis can provide valuable information for use in evaluating and compensating teachers. The key is not to be cavalier about the information contained in value-added estimates but to understand the pieces that go into producing estimates of teacher quality.

In this Washington Times op-ed, senior education researcher Jane Hannaway explains that few school districts and states link student test performance to individual teachers. Getting good information on teacher quality might be the most important thing for a better school system.

This brief presents research findings as well as policy recommendations arising from a study of the No Child Left Behind Act and its implications for immigrant children and English language learners (ELLs). Analyses are based on nationally-representative data from the Schools and Staffing Survey and detailed case studies of selected elementary schools and school districts serving high concentrations of ELL students. Results reveal an extraordinary degree of concentration of ELL students in a few schools that tend to be large, urban and serve a predominantly minority student population. Case studies at some of these schools suggest that, while implementation of NCLB has resulted in problems associated with increased testing (exacerbated by the use of inappropriate tests), the law has also had a positive effect on the education of ELL students as it has increased the attention paid to these students; fostered the alignment of curriculum, instruction and professional development; and raised the bar for student achievement. Implications of findings for the education of ELL students, particularly in schools serving low concentrations of English language learners, are discussed. Policy recommendations presented include the development of appropriate tests for ELLs, the inclusion of pre-K in NCLB legislation, and the provision of professional development for teachers.