234 results found
How Foundations Are Responding to the U.S. Supreme Court Affirmative Action Rulings
February 21, 2024In June 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled against university policies that take race directly into account for admissions. In the wake of the rulings, there was concern that the Supreme Court decisions could have a "chilling effect" on philanthropic efforts that support racial equity. This CEP Research Snapshot sets out to determine whether foundations are walking away from — or continuing to support — these efforts. We find that most foundations are having discussions about the rulings, but few are making changes as a result of the discussions regarding the rulings. Our data were collected on 280 foundations between September and November 2023, and therefore represent a snapshot in time. They nonetheless suggest that the repercussions of the Court's decisions had not, at least at the time of the survey, significantly changed foundations' work.Our findings should be read with two important caveats in mind. The first is that the repercussions of the Supreme Court's decision are still playing out, and foundations' responses may change over time. The long-term effects of the decision on philanthropy will of course only be fully visible in grantmaking and strategy decisions that will play out over time. The second is that there may be some nonresponder bias at play in our survey: it is possible that those that have shifted their grantmaking in response to the decision were less likely to respond.
“Hyperlocal” Career Pathway Programs in New Hampshire: Collaborating to Support Youth at the Secondary/Postsecondary Transition
January 11, 2024With public debates about the value of college escalating and demographic forecasts threatening to reshape higher education, K–12 institutions are adapting by engaging youth more deliberately in "learning for careers" as they approach graduation. Some commentators argue that broadening options to include career and technical education (CTE), certificates, and 2-year degrees—while recognizing the earnings still afforded by a college degree—is essential for realizing equity gains across racial and socioeconomic groups. Successfully building such pathways cannot be accomplished by educational institutions alone; it requires collaboration across public, nonprofit, and private sectors, as well as financial and policy incentives that reduce barriers and risks.This paper describes an innovative effort to address these challenges in New Hampshire, focusing on a set of programs that follow a "hyperlocal" approach to career pathway development. Seeking to expose participants to careers in high-demand areas, the programs simultaneously address specific, local industry, community, and individual needs. Their purpose is to increase the likelihood of social mobility by using career exposure and hands-on involvement to spur interest and motivation toward additional education and training in promising fields. The research reported here focused on programs that target youth approaching the secondary-postsecondary transition.The paper begins by briefly describing New Hampshire's unique demographic characteristics as they relate to the state's approach to education and workforce development. The characteristics help us understand the challenges involved in helping individuals make the transition from secondary education to postsecondary roles. The study's main findings focus on key elements of career pathway programs that align with the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation's (NHCF) hyperlocal model. Excerpts from participant interviews across six programs help to show what works in different career pathway sites, in terms of realizing effective collaboration among partners and providing learners with a positive experience. The paper concludes with a discussion about areas of ongoing need both within and outside of individual pathway programs.
P-TECH 9-14 Pathways to Success: Implementation, Impact, and Cost Findings from the New York City P-TECH 9-14 Schools Evaluation
October 30, 2023The New York City P-TECH 9-14 schools are an educational model that ties together the secondary, higher education, and workforce systems to improve outcomes across domains. The distinguishing feature of the model is a partnership among a high school, a community college, and one or more employer partners that focuses on preparing students for both college and careers within six years.P-TECH 9-14 schools collaborate with local colleges to provide students with an opportunity to earn a high school diploma within four years, followed by a cost-free, industry-recognized associate's degree. During the six-year program, employer partners provide students with work-based learning experiences such as internships, mentoring, and job shadowing. This model has proliferated rapidly both nationally and internationally since the first school was opened in Brooklyn, NY in 2010.This study provides impact, implementation, and cost study findings from the first rigorous evaluation of the model, examining the first seven P-TECH 9-14 schools that opened in New York City. The study follows entering classes of students for seven years after they begin ninth grade, which would carry them through the end of their expected high school graduations and through three years of postsecondary education. The study takes advantage of the random lottery process created by the New York City high school admissions system to identify the model's effects: It compares students who won lotteries to attend P-TECH 9-14 schools (the P-TECH 9-14 group) with students who applied but did not win (the comparison group). It also includes an in-depth implementation study that assesses how schools carried out the model, and a cost-effectiveness study that examines costs per college degree earned for P-TECH 9-14 schools compared with other schools.
Digital Dystopia: The Danger in Buying What the EdTech Surveillance Industry is Selling
October 2, 2023Over the last two decades, a segment of the educational technology (EdTech) sector that markets student surveillance products to schools — the EdTech Surveillance industry — has grown into a $3.1 billion a year economic juggernaut with a projected 8% annual growth rate. The EdTech Surveillance industry accomplished that feat by playing on school districts' fears of school shootings, student self-harm and suicides, and bullying — marketing them as common, ever-present threats.Education officials and school administrators play a vital role in determining how best to keep students safe. But as long as school districts continue to make decisions based on information provided by the very same companies that are seeking to sell schools their EdTech Surveillance products, the EdTech Surveillance industry, and not their students, will be the biggest beneficiary."Digital Dystopia" is meant to equip school decisionmakers, influencers, and community members with the full and reliable information they need to make the best decisions possible when it comes to student surveillance technologies and keeping students safe.
Grantmakers for Education New Mexico Study Tour: Building the Future for Students in College and Career
August 14, 2023This past spring, a group of education grantmakers met in New Mexico to tour the the postsecondary pathways programs in the rural Four Corners area. The study tour was arranged by EdFunders' Postsecondary Access and Attainment Impact Group. This report provides information on college and career pathways and highlights the experiences and learnings from the study tour.
A Culturally Responsive School Leadership Approach to Developing Equity-Centered Principals: Considerations for Principal Pipelines
July 12, 2023Principals are important. A recent synthesis of two decades of research on school leadership has documented that effective principals can have a positive impact on school climate, teacher satisfaction and retention, and student academic and other outcomes such as attendance and disciplinary behaviors (Grissom, Egalite, & Lindsay, 2021). Earlier research found that adopting a particular district-wide approach to principal development—known as building "a comprehensive, aligned principal pipeline"—was a powerful way to recruit and support a large corps of effective school leaders (Gates et al., 2019). The research about this approach, however, stopped short of fully addressing one of the most pressing issues in American education: educational equity, where all students learn and flourish in a welcoming, caring, and inclusive environment. Equity requires a commitment to fair and just treatment of each student, a willingness to address structural barriers to their success, and the delivery of resources aimed at providing equitable outcomes.
New Jersey Tutoring Corps, Inc. School Year 2022-23 Efficacy Report
July 11, 2023With funding from the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund (NJPRC) and the Overdeck Family Foundation (OFF), The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) School of Education launched the New Jersey Tutoring Corps pilot program in summer 2021. The overall purpose of the NJ Tutoring Corps pilot program was to provide tutoring for PK-5 students in New Jersey (NJ) in order to address pandemic-related learning loss.TCNJ's Tutoring Corps pilot program ran in the summer of 2021 and the 2021-22 school year and focused on mathematics, aiming to improve students' confidence in and attitudes toward learning math as well as build their self-esteem and growth mindset. The program partnered with two prominent youth organizations in NJ – Boys and Girls Clubs of NJ (BGC) and the Y Alliance of New Jersey (YMCA) – to implement small group tutoring in under-resourced communities around the state. While at TCNJ, the program also operated in the summer of 2022.
National Call to Action for Summer Learning: How Did States Respond?
July 1, 2023High-quality, school district-run summer learning programs can increase student achievement and provide other benefits, research has shown. Findings in this report, the second of a planned three from the Westat research organization's National Summer Learning and Enrichment Study, can help build a better understanding of the role state education agencies can play in fostering strong summer learning programs. The report also offers insights into how state summer learning efforts that were launched as a response to the pandemic could have benefits beyond the health crisis.
Large School District Report: Operating School Nutrition Programs as the Nation Recovers From the Pandemic
June 28, 2023Many large school districts across the country reported decreased participation in school breakfast and lunch when the nationwide child nutrition waiver that allowed schools to offer school meals to all of their students at no charge ended, according to FRAC's latest report, Large School District Report: Operating School Nutrition Programs as the Nation Recovers from the Pandemic.Key FindingsThe 91 school districts highlighted in this report included a total of 10,748 schools representing 6,520,586 students.Average daily participation in breakfast decreased by more than 100,000 students across all surveyed districts — from 1.84 million children participating in breakfast each day in April 2022 to 1.74 million participating daily in October 2022.Average daily participation in lunch decreased by more than 250,000 students — from 3.61 million students participating in lunch each day in April 2022 to 3.36 million participating daily in October 2022.Collectively, most school districts served fewer children both school breakfast and lunch in October 2022 compared to April 2022. Thirty-three districts saw an increase in breakfast participation from April 2022 to October 2022, and 28 districts saw an increase in lunch participation from April 2022 to October 2022.
The Conservative Case for Public School Open Enrollment
June 15, 2023Key PointsAmerica's school choice moment has finally arrived. More states are adopting private school choice programs that provide universal access to education savings accounts. But the traditional public system serves the vast majority of students and will for the foreseeable future; those students deserve more choice as well.Public school choice, which allows students to transfer to schools outside their zoned district, has shown great promise in increasing access to educational opportunities and spurring improvements across school districts.Few states, however, have implemented effective public school choice programs. Policymakers would be wise to learn lessons from the nation's most successful public school choice program—in Wisconsin.
Race, Elite College Admissions, and the Courts: The Pursuit of Racial Equality in Education Retreats to K–12 Schools
June 12, 2023If the Supreme Court bans race-conscious affirmative action, as expected, selective higher education institutions almost certainly will become less diverse, reducing the rates of degree attainment among students from historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. This report explores the legal history of racial equity in education, evaluates alternatives to using race/ethnicity in college admissions, and considers changes to the K–12 education system that would improve educational opportunity. In the long term, the only way to ensure diversity at selective higher education institutions is to confront the segregation and inequity in K–12 education and society at large.
Toward Pay Equity: A Case Study of Washington DC’s Wage Boost for Early Childhood Educators
June 8, 2023This short report presents findings from interviews—with key informants, including DC early childhood education leaders, advocates, and implementation partners; parents and legal guardians of young children enrolled in licensed DC child care facilities; and child care center directors and home and expanded home providers—on the nation's first early childhood educator wage supplement with dedicated public funding.
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