This report is drafted with state leaders and policy makers in mind, including those who work with or support these education leaders. The information shared in this report will likely be most relevant to states that have either not yet considered a new data system on teacher preparation providers, are only now starting to consider the idea, or…

With many cities showing an interest in afterschool system building and research providing a growing body of useful information, this Wallace Perspective offers a digest of the latest thinking on how to build and sustain an afterschool system, and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for this promising work. The report (a follow-up to a…

To stem the tide of students dropping out, many schools and districts are turning to early warning systems (EWS) that signal whether a student is at risk of not graduating from high school. While some research exists about establishing these systems, there is little information about the actual implementation strategies that are being used across…

Launched in 2008, the Strategic Data Project, housed at the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, seeks to bridge the divide between educational research and practice in order to transform the use of data in education to improve student achievement. Through the project, the authors build robust research partnerships with…

Continuing and professional education units are faced with the constant need to keep pace with dynamic labor markets when assessing program offerings and content. Real-time labor-market data derived from detailed analysis of online job postings offers a new tool for more easily aligning programs to local labor-market demand. The authors describe a…

Making Connections was the Annie E. Casey Foundation's signature place-based, community-change initiative of the 2000s. It sought to build on previous work and launch an effort focused firmly on the framework of family strengthening. The Foundation started Making Connections in 22 places, focusing eventually on first 10, then seven sites. It…

This module provides a set of quantitative snapshots of the Community Science Workshops (CSWs) to complement the other reports that comprise the CSW Evaluation Portfolio--the Description of CSWs, the Benefits to Youth, and the Evaluation Brief modules--and to build a solid representation of the scope and scale of the CSW's work and…

The report describes activities and findings of an 18-month project which surveyed day and other non-residential services provided to persons with mental retardation in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. An introductory section describes project purposes, followed by a description of project methods (sampling plan, questionnaire development,…

ON AUGUST 1, 1964, HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION BEGAN A STUDY TO INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A REGIONAL DATA BANK FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH PURPOSES. THE PLAN INCLUDED CONVENING A SERIES OF CONFERENCES OF EDUCATORS TO DETERMINE WHAT SUCH A DATA BANK SHOULD CONTAIN AND WHAT FORM IT SHOULD TAKE. THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN…

The 1977-78 Massachusetts statewide assessment of Career and Occupational Development (COD) included the development of test instruments, administration of the tests to a sample of thirteen- and seventeen-year-olds throughout the state, analysis and interpretation of the data, and dissemination of the results. The COD test was objective-referenced…

To give states the information they need to sustain hard-fought education reform effectively, Achieve conducted research on state education reforms that have been sustained successfully for over a decade or more. Funded by the GE Foundation, Achieve hopes this work will help other state leaders, wherever they may be on their road to reform,…

This report addresses the four research objectives that were established by the Massachusetts Primary Prevention Group (MPPG) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's HIV/AIDS Bureau. The objectives were to: (1) review and summarize literature that formally evaluated HIV prevention interventions; (2) describe how currently funded…

THIS RESEARCH INVESTIGATED WHY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS CHOSE TO ATTEND OR NOT TO ATTEND A SUMMER ENRICHMENT PROGRAM. INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED WITH A SAMPLE OF GIRLS AND THEIR MOTHERS TO DETERMINE THE INFLUENCE OF SCHOOL AND FAMILY ON THEIR CHOICE. SOME OF THE SPECIFIC FACTORS AFFECTING THEIR ATTENDING WERE CONSIDERED IN PLANNING THE PROGRAM FOR…

A survey instrument developed in 1991 by the Massachusetts Job Council to ascertain basic information regarding funds spent on job training and to provide state policymakers with information about those being served and what services are being provided was used as a model to develop a program assessment instrument. The program assessment…

Academic achievement and high test scores are not the only indicators of a successful school. A good school is also a safe school. Unfortunately, every year in the United States, approximately 3.7 million students suffer an injury at school severe enough to require medical attention or to limit activity. Most of the injuries are preventable. Data…