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Career academies are characterized by these three basic features: a
school-within-a-school organizational structure, curricula that
combine academic and career or technical courses based on a career
theme, and partnerships with local employers. In a 10-year
longitudinal study of the academy model, begun in 1993 in 9 schools
around the country, some 1,700 academy applicants in the 8th or 9th
grade were randomly assigned to their high schools' academy or any
other high school program. The evaluation found, as of the year
after scheduled high school graduation, that although the career
academies enhanced the high school experiences of their students in
ways that were consistent with the reform's short-term goals, these
positive effects did not translate into changes in high school
graduation rates or initial transitions to postsecondary education
and jobs. Other key findings included: (1) the academies had little
influence on course content, classroom instructional practices, and
standardized test scores; (2) for students at high risk of dropping
out, the academies increased the likelihood of staying in school
through 12th grade, improved attendance, and increased number of
credits earned; and (3) relative to similar students nationally,
both studied groups had high rates of high school graduation,
college enrollment, and.
This book presents findings from the Reading First Impact Study, a
congressionally mandated evaluation of the federal government's
$1.0 billion-per-year initiative to help all children read at or
above grade level by the end of third grade. The No Child Left
Behind Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-110) established Reading First (Title
I, Part B, Subpart 1) and mandated its evaluation. This evaluation
is being conducted by Abt Associates and MDRC with RMC Research,
Rosenblum-Brigham Associates, Westat, Computer Technology Services,
DataStar, Field Marketing Incorporated, and Westover Consulting
under the oversight of the U.S. Department of Education, Institute
of Education Sciences (IES). The present book is the first of two;
it examines the impact of Reading First funding in 2004-05 and
2005-06 in 17 school districts across 12 states and one state-wide
program (18 sites). The book examines program impacts on students'
reading comprehension and teachers' use of scientifically based
reading instruction.
Will America find enough good teachers to staff its public schools?
How can we ensure that all our children will be taught by skilled
professionals? The policies that determine who teaches today are a
confusing and often conflicting array that includes tougher
licensing requirements, higher salaries, mandatory master's
degrees, merit pay, and alternative routes to certification. Who
Will Teach? examines these policies and separates those that work
from those that backfire. The authors present an intriguing
portrait of America's teachers and reveal who they are, who they
have been, and who they will be. Using innovative statistical
methods to track the professional lives of more than 50,000 college
graduates, the book describes, in many cases for the first time,
just how prospective, current, and former teachers respond to the
incentives and disincentives they face. The authors, a group of
noted educators, economists, and statisticians, find cause for
serious concern. Few academically talented college graduates even
try teaching, and many of those who do leave quickly, never to
return. Current licensing requirements stifle innovation in
training and dissuade many potentially talented teachers at the
outset. But Who Will Teach? shows that we can reverse these trends
if we get the incentives right. Although better salaries are
essential, especially for new teachers, money is not enough.
Potential teachers should be offered alternative paths into the
classroom. School districts should improve their recruiting
strategies. Licensing criteria should assess teaching skills, not
just academic achievement and number of courses completed. The
authors offer a promising strategy based on high standards and
substantial rewards.
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