Research Update – A Summary of Recent Education Research

Recent reports from the DOE

	Dropout Rates in Massachusetts Public Schools, 2005-06. The dropout rate for the 05-06 school year was 3.3 percent, as compared to 3.8 percent last year. Much of the decrease is due to better tracking of GED recipients this year. From the Information Services Unit.
	Grade Retention in Massachusetts Public Schools, 2005-06. Our state-wide retention rate has remained relatively stable at 2.5 percent of all students in grades 1-12. Grade nine students are the most likely to be retained, at 7.9 percent. From the Information Services Unit.

Reports about DOE programs and policies

Seeking Effective Policies and Practices for English Language Learners. Reviews the ELL programs at three Massachusetts schools achieving better-than-average results with their ELL students and identifies next steps for policy and practice. From the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy.

Other reports of interest

	State Teacher Policy Yearbook 2007. State-by-state and national data on a variety of policies affecting the teaching profession, including preparation, licensure, evaluation, and compensation. Also includes policy recommendations for states. From the National Council on Teacher Quality.
	Answering the Question That Matters Most: Has Student Achievement Increased Since No Child Left Behind? Finds that "in most states with three or more years of comparable test data, student achievement in reading and math has gone up since 2002, the year NCLB was enacted," and achievement gaps, though wide, appear to be narrowing. However, it's not clear how much of the change was caused by NCLB versus other program and policy changes made by states at the same time. From the Center on Education Policy.
	Mapping 2005 State Proficiency Standards Onto the NAEP Scales. Comparing each state's percent proficient on NAEP versus state assessments and finds that most states' standards for proficiency are substantially lower than NAEP's. Massachusetts was an exception, with grade 4 and 8 math proficiency standards higher than NAEP's and with a grade 4 reading proficiency standard just below NAEP's. From the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education.
	Race-Conscious Policies for Assigning Students to Schools: Social Science Research and the Supreme Court Cases. Summarizes and interprets the social science research used in the recent Supreme Court ruling on race-based assignment of students to schools. Examines the impact of desegregation on academic achievement, intergroup relations, and long-term outcomes, as well as other policy issues. From the National Academy of Education.
	A Survey of Finance Adequacy Studies. Summarizes the definition of educational adequacy in 12 states and analyzes why studies may result in different recommendations for an "adequate" budget depending on the methodology chosen. From the Education Commission of the States.