District/School Resources Administration
Office of Strategic Planning, Research, and Evaluation

ESE Research Update, September 2009

Research from ESE

Galileo Instructional Data System Pilot Project Evaluation (Final) MAGI Services' evaluation found that teachers who made full use of Galileo data to drive instruction had the potential of raising student benchmarks by one grade level compared to teachers not using benchmark data. Correlations between Galileo assessments and MCAS showed that Galileo was a significant predictor of MCAS performance.

Reports from ESE

Technology in Massachusetts Schools (April 2009) The annual report on educational technology noted that teacher use of technology continued to increase slowly, though not yet reaching state targets.

Legislative Reports:    Statewide Assistance for Professional Development Plans - FY09 (June 2009)    Professional Development Expenditures - FY08 (June 2009)    English Language Acquisition Professional Development - FY09 (May 2009)    MCAS Academic Support Programs - FY09 (May 2009)    School Leadership Academies Training Initiative (April 2009)    After-School and Out-of-School Time Quality Grant (May 2009)    Implementation of the Special Education Reimbursement ("Circuit Breaker") Program (April 2009)    Intervention and Targeted Assistance Efforts (April 2009)    Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Partnership Programs for Students with Disabilities (April 2009)

Research on Massachusetts Education Policy

	Where we go to school…Latino Students and the Public Schools of Boston The Gaston Institute's study compared Boston Latino student outcomes across school types and found that Latino students typically attend the types of schools in which they do most poorly: traditional district schools that are large and have high poverty rates.
	Seeking Effective Policies and Practices for Students With Special Needs The Rennie Center found that vocational technical schools educate the highest percentage of special education students for less cost and with solid results. Top-performing academic districts had core practices of inclusion in general education classrooms and teaming between general and special education teachers on curriculum and instruction.
	College Access and Retention of Career and Technical Education Graduates This white paper for the Rennie Center found that among graduates of vocational technical programs black and Hispanic students had higher rates of post-secondary enrollment than white students, and black students had the highest one-year retention. Students with disabilities had lower enrollment rates, but equaled the group in their one-year retention rate.
	Raise the Age, Lower the Dropout Rate? Considerations for Policymakers The Rennie Center looked at research and analysis of other states' policies for credible empirical evidence on whether raising the compulsory attendance age has a positive effect on the dropout rate and concluded that there is none.
	Toward Interagency Collaboration: The Role of Children's Cabinets This Rennie Center brief examined children's cabinets in other states to inform the general public about the purpose of children's cabinets and to highlight the potential role of non-government stakeholders.
	Public School Funding in Massachusetts: Where We Are, What Has Changed, and Options Ahead for Fiscal Year 2011 The Massachusetts Center for Budget and Policy examined the impact of the state's fiscal crisis on Chapter 70, describing the changes in Chapter 70 incorporated in the 2010 budget and evaluating the desirability of cost-saving changes for 2011, including a comprehensive review of the Foundation Budget.
	Incomplete Grade: Massachusetts Education Reform at 15 MassINC reports new evidence that Massachusetts' education reform and investment in public education has had a clear and significant impact on student achievement. While the achievement gap remains, the trend line for achievement in low-income districts was declining and education reform prevented the gap from widening.