In 2008, The James Irvine Foundation launched the Concurrent Courses initiative to make dual enrollment programs--which allow high school students to take college courses and earn college credit--available to low-income youth who struggle academically or who are from populations historically underrepresented in higher education. This work advances…

In "The Louisiana Recovery School District: Lessons for the Buckeye State," the Thomas B. Fordham Institute criticizes local urban governance structures and presents the decentralized, charter-school-driven Recovery School District (RSD) in New Orleans as a successful model for fiscal and academic performance. Absent from the review is…

The Civil Rights Project has been examining out-of-school suspensions since 1999 due to concerns about the frequency of suspensions, observed racial disparities in their systemic use and the possible negative impact, especially for children of color. Most important, a robust study of school discipline by the Council of State Governments tracked…

The purpose of this study was to examine research studies conducted at the K-6 grades of public school in the U.S. covering from 1997-2008 with regard to how diverse students, in particular Latino, White, African American and Asian are identified, placed, and represented in special education programs at the national, state and school district…

We investigated whether and to what extent children who are racial-ethnic minorities are disproportionately represented in early intervention and/or early childhood special education (EI/ECSE). We did so by analyzing a large sample of 48-month-olds (N = 7,950) participating in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), a…

Response to Intervention (RtI) consists of multi-tiered instructional delivery systems in which educators provide research-based interventions to students that increase in intensity depending on students' instructional response. RtI is currently being implemented in schools across the United States. RtI's shift away from standardized testing…

This chapter examines the following central question: How do direct democratic ballot initiatives affect the public good? A second, related question is this: When voters collectively make policy decisions, what responsibilities do researchers have to contribute to informing public deliberation about the relevant issues? In an attempt to answer…

Purpose: This directory identifies, describes, and contains evaluative data evidence-based practices that improve academic performance, close the achievement gap, and improve persistence towards graduation for low-income, first-generation, and historically-underrepresented 6th grade through college students. Methodology: The directory was a…

Excelencia in Education is committed to using data to inform public policy and institutional practice to achieve our mission of accelerating student success for Latinos in higher education. Every educational experience from early childhood to high school and into the workforce influences the potential for college success. For this reason, this…

In conjunction with its fall quarterly meeting, NCD convened a stakeholder forum in Atlanta in October 2014 to receive testimony on the role of special education in the School-to-Prison Pipeline. The findings and recommendations in this report are based upon the culmination of that testimony, interviews with experts, and review of available…

Education is growing at a phenomenal pace. Inclusiveness has been accommodated by the advantages that come with ICT and its link to ODL. The human capital levels of women stand far below that of men in institutions of higher learning. Whereas women (and the youth) are bound to reap abundantly from the much compensation that ICTs and ODL have to…

The purpose of this explanatory mixed method study was to examine the affect of the blended learning format on underrepresented, community college student motivation. This study was conducted at one California Community College and consisted of two samples of underrepresented students. Demographics from both samples demonstrated that the majority…

Each year, nearly 400,000 minority students enroll as freshmen in a four-year college, hoping to realize all of the opportunities that earning a bachelor's degree affords. Many arrive on campus having overcome underfunded high schools, an intimidating college-admissions process, and daunting financial circumstances. Yet despite their persistence…

Although there has been considerable focus on the underrepresentation of minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines and the need for science instruction that fosters diversity, much of the associated effort has focused on the goal of diversity and tended to assume that science and science learning are…

We report the results of a five year evaluation of the reform of introductory calculus-based physics by implementation of Modeling Instruction (MI) at Florida International University (FIU), a Hispanic-serving institution. MI is described in the context of FIU's overall effort to enhance student participation in physics and science broadly. Our…