Create young readers and lifelong learners
Nearly half of low-income fourth graders cannot read at a basic level. Children who do not reach reading proficiency by the end of third grade risk never catching up and are in danger of dropping out later. Until third grade, students are mastering reading and writing; after third grade, they depend on those skills to master everything else.
How You Can Help
Support programs that strengthen early literacy, at the pre-school and/or early elementary stage. Some programs focus on providing extra support directly to at-risk students, while others concentrate on curriculum and on improving teachers’ skill and knowledge.
High Impact Opportunity
Children’s Literacy Initiative (CLI) is an example of an early literacy program focused on professional development of teachers. It trains pre-K through third grade teachers in literacy techniques and provides books and coaching to help teachers implement strategies in their classrooms. Several randomized control studies have verified the effectiveness of CLI training in increasing the number of children achieving literacy benchmarks on time. In New York, an internal evaluation estimated that for every 100 students in participating classrooms, an additional 32 made benchmarks. We estimated that for less than $600 per student, CLI enables an additional student to hit literacy benchmarks. Other benefits include improved teacher satisfaction and retention.
Take Action
CLI currently operates in nine states, plus the District of Columbia, and has recently received a federal grant to expand the program. Other models that have succeeded in improving early literacy include the Success for All whole school reform model and the Reading Recovery program, a school-based tutoring program focused on at-risk first graders.
Tips
Look for teacher training programs in which mentors, coaches, and instructors are seasoned and successful classroom teachers themselves; where coaching is sustained over time; and where teacher preparation is supported by active strategies such as modeling and group assessment of student work rather than lecturing.
For more discussion of effective teacher development, see pages 26-28 of High Impact Philanthropy to Improve Teaching Quality. For more on CLI and other programs to support preschool and early elementary school children, see pages 18-25 of Pathways to Student Success.
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UPDATES
Jumpstart Read for the Record 2010: CHIP reads The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
October 7, 2010 marks the day of Jumpstart’s Read for the Record campaign which aims to break a world record for having the most people read the same book on the same day. This event is also in partnership with the Pearson Foundation. The Center for High Impact Philanthropy wanted to participate in this event by reading this book online. You can also participate by visiting: http://www.readfortherecord.org/site/PageServer?pagename=prepare_online.
In Pathways to Student Success: A Guide to Translating Good Intentions Into Meaningful Impact, Jumpstart was identified by our Center as a Promising Practice for “Building school readiness skills through increased time in one-on-one relationships with trained, caring adults.”
Autumn Walden and Ashley Bernard took some time out of their day to read and record The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. You can listen to this recording on our podcast channel and on iTunes. We’re happy to be a part of this great event to promote reading and literacy not only in the United States, but around the world. Please visit the Center’s website to find out more about our work in U.S. Education: http://www.impact.upenn.edu/us-domestic-issues/reports/category/education/.
You can follow Jumpstart on twitter at @Jumpstartkids and find them on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jumpstartkids. Keep up with the Center for High Impact Philanthropy’s education work on twitter by following @ImpactTeaching and @ImpactPathways.
Download the mp3 file: http://impactsp2.podbean.com/mf/web/28nc/DW_20101007_Autumn-AshleySnowyDay.mp3
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April 09 2010Drop-outs
Additional Resources
Education Equality Project. (2010). High School Dropout Rate. Retrieved January 28, 2010, from
http://www.edequality.com/fast_facts/entry/drop_out_rate/
The Broad Prize for Urban Education. (n.d.). The education crisis: Statistics. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://www.broadprize.org/crisis/stats.html
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April 09 2010Achievement Gaps
International achievement gaps:
- American students rank 25th in math and 21st in science compared to students in 30 industrialized countries.
- America’s top math students rank 25th out of 30 countries when compared with top students elsewhere in the world.
- By the end of 8th grade, U.S. students are two years behind in the math being studied by peers in other countries
Source: The Broad Prize for Urban Education. (n.d.). The education crisis: Statistics. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://www.broadprize.org/crisis/stats.html
Racial/ethnic achievement gaps:
- By 4th grade, African-American and Latino students are, on average, nearly three academic years behind their white peers
- 89% of Latino and 86% of African-American middle and high school students read below grade level
- As of 2004, 31% of white students required college remediation compared with 42% of African-Americans, 41% of Latinos, and 41% of Native-Americans.
- Barely half of African-American and Latino students graduate from high school, with Latinos graduating at 55%, African-Americans at 51%, and their white counterparts at 76%
- 18% of all college-ready high school graduates are African-American or Latino.
Source: Education Equality Project. (2010). What is the achievement gap? Fact. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://www.edequality.org/what_we_stand_for/achievement_gap
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April 09 2010Limited opportunities for individuals
- 44% of dropouts under age 24 are jobless, and the unemployment rate of high school dropouts older than 25 is more than three times that of college graduates
- The poverty rate for families headed by dropouts is more than twice that of families headed by high school graduates
- Over a lifetime, dropouts earn $260,000 less than high school graduates
- The health of an 18-year-old high school dropout is similar to that of a more educated person over two decades older
Source: The Broad Prize for Urban Education. (n.d.). The education crisis: Statistics. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://www.broadprize.org/crisis/stats.html
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April 09 2010Threat to our economy
McKinsey & Company. (2009, April). The economic impact of the achievement gap in America’s schools. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://www.mckinsey.com/App_Media/Images/Page_Images/Offices/
SocialSector/PDF/achievement_gap_report.pdf
The Broad Prize for Urban Education. (n.d.). The education crisis: Statistics. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://www.broadprize.org/crisis/stats.html
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April 09 2010Threat to our society
Baum, S., & Ma, J. (2007). Education pays: The benefits of higher educations for individuals and society. Washington, DC: College Board. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/about/news_info/trends/ed_pays_2007.pdf
Lochner, L. J., & Moretti, E. (2001, November). The effect of education on crime: Evidence from prison inmates, arrests, and self-reports. National Bureau of Economic Research. Working Paper 8605. Cambridge, MA. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://www.nber.org/papers/w8605.pdf?new_window=1
Putnam, R. D. (2001). Civic disengagement in contemporary America. Government and Opposition, 36(2), 135-156. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/119017013/PDFSTART
The Broad Prize for Urban Education. (n.d.). The education crisis: Statistics. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://www.broadprize.org/crisis/stats.html
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April 09 2010Threat to our national security
Information gathered from:
Investment in America Forum, November 12-13 2009, West Point
http://www.conference-board.org/events/iaf/
Additional Resource:
Wallace, W. S. Commanding General. (2008, October). An imminent and menacing threat to national security. TRADOC Information Pamphlet. U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.
http://www.tradoc.army.mil/PAO/TNSarchives/June%202008/060208-1.html
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April 09 2010Importance of Teaching Quality
Note: For some sources, subscription or library access is required to view full-text.
Aaronson, D., Barrow, L., & Sander, W. (2007). Teachers and student achievement in the Chicago public high schools. Journal of Labor Economics, 25 (1), 95-135. (Abstract is available at http://ideas.repec.org/p/fip/fedhwp/wp-02-28.html)
Darling-Hammond, L. (2000). Teacher quality and student achievement: A review of state policy evidence. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 8(1), 1-44. Retrieved August 11, 2008, from http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/article/view/392/515
Gordon, R., Kane, T. J., & Staiger, D. O. (2006). Identifying effective teachers using performance on the job. Washington: The Brookings Institution. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2006/
04education_gordon/200604hamilton_1.pdf
Jordan, H. R., Mendro, R. L., & Weerasinghe, D. (1997, July). Teacher effects on longitudinal student achievement: A report on research in progress. A Preliminary report on research on teacher effectiveness presented at the CREATE Annual Meeting, July 1997, Indianapolis IN. Retrieved November 17, 2009, from http://www.dallasisd.org/eval/research/articles/Jordan-Teacher-Effects-on-Longitudinal-Student-Achievement-1997.pdf
Nye, B., Konstantopoulos, S., & Hedges, L.V. (2004). How large are teacher effects? Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 26(3), 237-257. Retrieved January 26, 2010 from: http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/scmsAdmin/uploads/002/834/127%20-%20Nye%20B%20%20Hedges%20L%20%20V%20%20%20Konstantopoulos
Paone, J. J. (2008). Guide to teacher quality for local education leaders: A tool for school board members, teacher leaders, superintendents, school personnel administrators and others with an interest in education. Retrieved December 8, 2008, from http://www.qualityteaching.org/Documents/guide_to_teacher_quality_8-18-08.pdf.
Rivkin, S.G., Hanushek, E. A., & Kain, J. E. (2005, March). Teachers, schools, and academic achievement. Econometrica, 73(2), 417-458. Retrieved January 25, 2010, from http://www.econ.ucsb.edu/~jon/Econ230C/HanushekRivkin.pdf
Rockoff, J. E. (2004, May). The impact of individual teachers on student achievement: Evidence from panel data. American Economic Review, 94 (2), 247-252. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://129.3.20.41/eps/pe/papers/0304/0304002.pdf
Sanders, W., & Rivers, J. C. (1996, November). Cumulative and residual effects of teachers on future student academic achievement. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Value-Added Research and Assessment Center. Retrieved January 25, 2010, from http://www.mccsc.edu/~curriculum/cumulative%20and%20residual%20
Shen, J., Mansberger, N. B., & Yang, H. (2004). Teacher quality and students placed at risk: Results from the baccalaureate and beyond longitudinal study, 1993-97. Educating students placed at risk. Educational Horizons, 82(3), 226-235. (Abstract is available at http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/
detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ684778&ERICExtSearch
_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ684778)
Wright, S. P., Horn, S. P., & Sanders, W. L. (1997). Teacher and classroom context effects on student achievement: Implications for teacher evaluation. Journal of Personal Evaluation in Education, 11, 57-67. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://www.sas.com/govedu/edu/teacher_eval.pdf
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April 09 2010Teaching Quality (Our team’s working definition)
“A quality teacher is one who has a positive effect on student learning and development through a combination of content mastery, command of a broad set of pedagogic skills, and communications/interpersonal skills. Quality teachers are life-long learners in their subject areas, teach with commitment, and are reflective upon their teaching practice. They transfer knowledge of their subject matter and the learning process through good communication, diagnostic skills, understanding of different learning styles and cultural influences, knowledge about child development, and the ability to marshal a broad array of techniques to meet student needs. They set high expectations and support students in achieving them. They establish an environment conducive to learning, and leverage available resources outside as well as inside the classroom.”
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April 09 2010No overall teacher shortage
Education Policy Studies Division, Center for Best Practices, National Governors Association. (2000, January 25). Teacher supply and demand: Is there a shortage? Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://www.nga.org/cda/files/000125TEACHERS.pdf
Ingersoll, R. M. (2003, September). Is there really a teacher shortage? A research report. Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy. Retrieved January 13, 2010, from http://depts.washington.edu/ctpmail/PDFs/Shortage-RI-09-2003.pdf
The National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future. (2002, August 20-22). Unraveling the “teacher shortage” problem: Teacher retention is the key. A symposium of The National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future and NCTAF State Partners. Washington, D.C. Retrieved from ERIC database (ED 475057). http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/
recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_
SearchValue_0=ED475057&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_
0=no&accno=ED475057. Also available at: http://www.ncsu.edu/mentorjunction/text_files/teacher_
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April 09 2010Growth in math and science teachers outpacing student growth
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April 09 2010Majority of turnover is pre-retirement
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Additional Resources
Ingersoll, R. M. (2003, September). Is there really a teacher shortage? A research report. Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy. Retrieved January 13, 2010, from http://depts.washington.edu/ctpmail/PDFs/Shortage-RI-09-2003.pdf
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April 09 2010Highest need students being taught by less effective/qualified teachers
Note: For some sources, subscription or library access is required to view full-text.
Barr, J. M. (2004). Teacher location choice and the distribution of quality: Evidence from New York City. Retrieved August 13, 2008, from http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~econnwk/workingpapers/2004-006.pdf.
DeAngelis, K. J., & White, B. R. (2006). The distribution and impact of teacher quality in Illinois. Retrieved August 13, 2008, from http://ierc.siue.edu/documents/BW_AEFA_March_2006.pdf.
Hanushek, E. A., Kain, J. E., & Rivkin, S. G. (2004). Why public schools lose teachers. Journal of Human Resources, 39, 326-354. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://jhr.uwpress.org/cgi/content/abstract/XXXIX/2/326
Henke, R. R., Choy, S. P., Chen, X., Geis, S., & Alt, M. N. (1997). America's teachers: Profile of a profession, 1993–94. NCES 97-460. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved August 13, 2008, from: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs97/97460.pdf.
Peske, H.G., & Haycock, K. (2006, June). Teaching inequality: How poor and minority students are shortchanged on teacher quality: A report and recommendations by the education trust. Washington D.C. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/
content_storage_01/0000019b/80/27/fa/aa.pdf
Presley, J. B., White, B. R., & Gong, Y. (2005). Examining the distribution and impact of teacher quality in Illinois. Illinois Education Research Council Policy Research Report: IERC 2005-2. Retrieved August 13, 2008, from http://ierc.siue.edu/documents/Teacher%20Quality
Sanders, W., & Rivers, J. C. (1996, November). Cumulative and residual effects of teachers on future student academic achievement. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Value-Added Research and Assessment Center. Retrieved January 25, 2010, from http://www.mccsc.edu/~curriculum/cumulative%20and%20residual%20
White, B. R., Presley, J. B., & DeAngelis, K. J. (2008, June). Leveling up: Narrowing the teacher academic capital gap in Illinois. Illinois Education Research Council 2008-1 Policy Brief. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://ierc.siue.edu/documents/IERC2008-1PB.pdf
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April 09 2010Individual teacher skills and enabling environment as mutually reinforcing
Note: For some sources, subscription or library access is required to view full-text.
Allensworth, E., Ponisciak, S., & Mazzeo, C. (2009, June). The schools teachers leave: Teacher mobility in Chicago public schools. Consortium on Chicago School Research. Urban Education Institute at The University of Chicago. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/publications/CCSR_Teacher_Mobility.pdf
Berry, B., Rasberry, M., & Williams, A. (2008). Recruiting and retaining quality teachers for high-needs schools: Insights from NBCT summits and other policy initiatives. Center for Teaching Quality. National Strategy Forum: Supporting & Staffing High-Needs Schools. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/mf_nationalstrategyforumreport.pdf
Jackson, C. K., & Bruegmann, E. (2009, July). Teaching students and teaching each other: The importance of peer learning for teachers. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 1(4), 85–108. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://works.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&
Leana, C.R., & Pil, F. K. (2006, May-June). Social capital and organizational performance: Evidence from urban public schools. Organization Science, 17(3), 353-366. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://orgsci.journal.informs.org/cgi/reprint/17/3/353
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April 09 2010Teacher U
Organization website: http://www.teacheru.org/
Carey, K. (2009, December 13). 'Teacher U': A New Model in Employer-Led Higher Education. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved February 17, 2010, from
http://chronicle.com/article/Teacher-U-A-New-Model-in/49442
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April 09 2010New Leaders for New Schools (NLNS)
Organization website: http://www.nlns.org
Aportela, A., & Goetz, M. (2008, September). Strategic Management of Human Capital: New Leaders for New Schools. Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE). Retrieved February 17, 2010, from http://www.smhc-cpre.org/download/42/.
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April 09 2010The Teacher Advancement Program (TAP)
The Teacher Advancement Program. (2009). TAP: The system for teacher and student advancement. Retrieved January 27, 2010, from http://www.tapsystem.org/
The Teaching Commission. (2006). Teaching at risk: Progress and potholes. The Final Report. Retrieved January 27, 2010, from http://www.nctq.org/nctq/images/ttc_teachingatrisk.pdf (Profile of TAP can be found on page 33).
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April 09 2010The New Teacher Project
The New Teacher Project. (2010). The new teacher project. Retrieved January 27, 2010, from http://www.tntp.org/
The Teaching Commission. (2006). Teaching at risk: Progress and potholes. The Final Report. Retrieved January 27, 2010, from http://www.nctq.org/nctq/images/ttc_teachingatrisk.pdf (Profile of TNTP can be found on page 53).
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April 08 2010Benwood Initiative
Silva, E. (2008, April). The Benwood plan: A lesson in comprehensive teacher reform. Educator Sector Reports. Retrieved January 27, 2010, from http://www.educationsector.org/usr_doc/TheBenwoodPlan.pdf
Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education. (2009). Promising practices: Benwood Initiative. Retrieved January 27, 2010, from http://www.tennesseescore.org/index.cfm?Page=BenwoodInitiative
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March 20 2010Brooklyn Generation School
Generation Schools. (2009). An award-winning new model for urban public schools. Retrieved January 27, 2010, from http://www.generationschools.org/
Silva, E. (2009, October). Teachers at work: Improving teacher quality through school design. Educator Sector Reports. Retrieved January 27, 2010, from http://www.educationsector.org/usr_doc/Teachers_at_Work.pdf
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March 19 2010Increase Teacher Retention
Factors affecting teacher retention
Additional Resources
Allensworth, E., Ponisciak, S., & Mazzeo, C. (2009, June). The schools teachers leave: Teacher mobility in Chicago public schools. Consortium on Chicago School Research. Urban Education Institute at The University of Chicago. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/publications/CCSR_Teacher_Mobility.pdf
Futernick, K. (2007). A possible dream: Retaining California teachers so all students learn. The Center for Teaching Quality. Sacramento: The California State University. Retrieved January 27, 2010, from http://www.calstate.edu/teacherquality/documents/possible_dream.pdf
Ingersoll, R.M. (2004). Why do high-poverty schools have difficulty staffing their classrooms with qualified teachers? Washington, DC: Center for American Progress. Retrieved August 12, 2008, from http://www.americanprogress.org/kf/ingersoll-final.pdf.
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March 12 2010Weekend Wrap-up: Presidential Philanthropy, Haiti News, and Upcoming Events
From the High Impact Philanthropy Blog:
And just like that, another week in March has passed. As a heads-up, this weekend marks the start of Daylight Savings in the U.S.—remember to “Spring Forward” on Saturday night.
In national news, I learned yesterday, from the Associated Press, that President Obama will donate a portion of his Nobel Prize award to two education organizations that were highlighted in Pathways to Student Success. College Summit, featured on pg. 39, and the Posse Foundation, featured on pg. 51, will both receive $125,000. Read more...
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December 16 2009Pathways to Student Success: One Year Later
From the High Impact Philanthropy Blog:
Hello readers! I hope you are all getting ready to wrap up your 2009 with not only a sigh of relief but also a sight of something brighter in 2010. It was this time last year when the Center released its first philanthropic investment guide in education titled, Pathways to Student Success: A Guide To Translating Good Intentions Into Meaningful Impact. Authored by Dr. Hilary Rhodes, et al., it outlines the education pathway, defines the core problem of high school drop out rates among at-risk, disadvantaged youth and its negative societal effects, and provides opportunities for philanthropic help along each step of the pathway. Read more...
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September 08 2009The Posse Foundation, featured in Pathways to Student Success, Partners with UPenn
From the High Impact Philanthropy Blog:
An article in today’s issue of the Penn Almanac, announced a partnership between Posse Miami (Miami-Dade County Public Schools) and the University of Pennsylvania. Starting in September of 2010, students in the Posse Miami program will begin their first semester at Penn. Read more...
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