The Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) has synthesized key data on English learners (ELs) into two-page sheets on a variety of subjects. This fact sheet reports data from the 2015-16 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), a survey of nearly all public schools and school districts in the United States, which includes data on chronic…

A Comprehensive early literacy policy establishes support and intensive reading interventions for K-3 students to ensure they read on grade level by the end of 3rd grade. The policy also requires 3rd grade students to demonstrate sufficient reading skills for promotion to 4th grade. For students severely below grade level and who do not qualify…

Propensity score analysis is a statistical method that balances pre-existing differences across treatment conditions achieving a similar condition as randomization and thus, allowing the estimation of causal effects in non-randomized experimental designs. The four stages in propensity score analysis are (1) propensity score estimation, (2)…

Three years after the onset of the pandemic, there is little evidence of academic recovery in the U.S. The latest data reveal a sobering reality: In spite of many school districts' efforts to accelerate learning, students remain far behind pre-pandemic levels of achievement. Even more troubling, many students did not accelerate their progress at…

The Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) is a biennial survey required by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights since 1968. This survey measures factors that impact education equity and opportunity for students, including student access to courses, programs, resources, instructional and other staff -- and school climate factors.…

This brief is one in a series aimed at providing K-12 education decision makers and advocates with an evidence base to ground discussions about how to best serve students during and following the novel coronavirus pandemic. Learning losses are likely to show up differently across grades and subjects, with intensive recovery needs concentrated in…

Prior research substantially overstates the cost of retention under test-based promotion policies to both taxpayers and students who delay labor market entry because it omits two important factors. First, there is a delay between the intervention and the taxpayer's expenditure. Second, on average, the treatment leads to less than a full year of…

The READ Act is the signature literacy legislation in Colorado that prioritizes early literacy by ensuring all students achieve early-grade reading proficiency for later academic success. In 2019, the Colorado General Assembly passed significant revisions to the READ Act in Senate Bill 19-199 (S.B. 19-199), which were signed into law by the…

African American students are retained at a higher rate compared to Hispanic and White students (National Center of Education Statistics, 2015). While there are many causative variables identified as explanations for racial disparities in grade retention practices, school counselors are encouraged to facilitate efforts to bridge existing gaps.…

The Reading to Ensure Academic Development (READ) Act is the signature literacy statute in Colorado. The READ Act prioritizes early literacy by ensuring all students achieve early-grade reading proficiency for later academic success. In 2019, the Colorado General Assembly passed revisions to the READ Act in S.B. 19-199, which were signed into law…

The Colorado Reading to Ensure Academic Development Act (the READ Act) passed 10 years ago and provided Colorado educators with a roadmap for grade level reading by third grade. Over the past decade, there have been many opportunities to learn and evolve the state's implementation of this key legislation. With an emphasis on early identification…

The goal of a Comprehensive K-3 Reading Policy is to ensure all students read on grade level by the end of third grade. A comprehensive policy ensures early identification of struggling readers and establishes intensive reading intervention for K-3 students who need more support to become successful readers. The policy focuses on demonstrated…

Children should develop literacy skills that progress from learning to read to reading to learn as they move from kindergarten through early elementary. These skills support reading proficiency and build knowledge in all subject areas. Students who struggle with literacy skills as early as kindergarten often continue to read below grade level…

In 2013, California implemented an ambitious school funding reform, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), which allocates state funding by the proportion of unduplicated "high-need" students in the district: those from low-income families, English learners, and those in foster care. Using student-level longitudinal data for all…

Malagasy adolescents face severe challenges in accessing and completing basic education. Among those students who complete the primary cycle, one in four does not transition into lower secondary school. Economic constraints among vulnerable households coupled with low-quality education result in widespread dropout and poor learning outcomes.…