The Rennie Center conducts independent research to promote public discourse on educational improvement and inform policy discussions by key decision makers and opinion leaders. Research efforts culminate in the publication of reports and policy briefs, which are broadly disseminated to policy stakeholders in the public, private, nonprofit and media sectors.
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Featured titles: 37 available.
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Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers: The Role of Practice-Based Teacher Preparation Programs in Massachusetts
Over the past decade, alternative teacher preparation programs have proliferated across the nation -- and in Massachusetts -- in response to projected teacher shortages and in an effort to better prepare teachers for the challenges of today's classrooms. While the vast majority of Massachusetts teachers are trained through traditional teacher preparation programs, both the number of alternative route programs and the number of teachers completing them has grown significantly.
National research comparing alternative and traditional routes to teaching offers little empirical evidence to guide policy changes. Yet there has been a shift in teacher preparation programs toward: longer and more intense field-based experiences; closing the gap between theory and practice; partnerships between preparation programs and local school districts; and accountability in teacher preparation. It is within this context that the Rennie Center embarked upon a project to examine the role of alternative routes to teaching in Massachusetts. As part of this project, the Rennie Center convened a diverse working group, which examined the characteristics of alternative teacher preparation programs in the Commonwealth, including the type of candidates they attract, and examined issues associated with the expansion and sustainability of these programs. This report is the culmination of the Rennie Center's year-long project. Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers: The Role of Practice-Based Teacher Preparation Programs in Massachusetts highlights gaps in knowledge and areas for improvement, and lays the groundwork necessary for a deeper look at issues associated with drawing exceptional candidates into the teaching profession; filling vacant positions; measuring teacher quality; and holding teacher preparation programs accountable. The final section of the report puts forth considerations for policymakers, K-12 school and district leaders, and institutions of higher education. The report encourages the state to facilitate and encourage communication and collaboration between those that train teachers and those that hire them, and provide teacher preparation programs with access to the state data system so they may more easily evaluate their programs. The report also encourages K-12 district leaders and deans of college and university departments of education to create lend-lease programs that would allow expert teachers to work as adjunct professors in schools of education without forfeiting their role as K-12 teachers as a way to bring both the clinical and contextualized knowledge of schools and districts into teacher training. The report was the subject of discussion at a public event on November 19, 2009. Complete listing and access info » |
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White Paper: College Access and Retention of Career and Technical Education Graduates
This White Paper on post secondary access and persistence of career and technical education (CTE) graduates, particularly those with disabilities, is produced in collaboration with the Center for Labor and Market Studies at Northeastern University. Currently, little is known about the actual post secondary enrollment of graduates from Massachusetts public high schools and less is known about the post secondary outcomes of the subset of high school graduates with disabilities. Yet, the labor market environment that these young adults will enter is one characterized by a large and growing lifetime earnings advantage to earning a college degree. The findings are based on data about nearly 4,600 high school students from the Classes of 2004 through 2006 who graduated from seven vocational-technical high schools in Massachusetts. Complete listing and access info »
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Toward Interagency Collaboration: The Role of Children's Cabinets
Today in our Commonwealth, children and families in need are served by multiple agencies -- Department of Children and Families, Department of Youth Services, Department of Mental Health - as well as by their local public schools. Yet, there is often little or no coordination among the agencies and public school systems. Social workers rarely talk with, or even know, the teacher of the child with whom they are working -- a teacher who may spend as many as six hours each day with the child. Too often the burden of navigating the labyrinth of social services falls on these already struggling families -- or, worse, on the children themselves. In an effort to better align state and local services for children, youth and their families, many states have begun establishing children or youth cabinets. Here in Massachusetts, in October 2008, Governor Patrick signed an executive order establishing the Child and Youth Readiness Cabinet -- a state leadership team focused on streamlining state efforts to improve services for children, youth and families. The Readiness Cabinet is jointly chaired by Paul Reville, Secretary of Education, and Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, Secretary of Health and Human Services, and includes the state secretaries of Administration and Finance, Housing and Economic Development, Labor and Workforce Development, Public Safety and the Child Advocate. The Rennie Center's new policy brief, Toward Interagency Collaboration: The Role of Children's Cabinets, is designed to inform the general public about the purpose of children's cabinets and to highlight the potential role that non-government stakeholders (such as parents, youth leaders, advocacy groups, and service providers) might play as the Governor's Child and Youth Readiness Cabinet begins their work in Massachusetts. It was also written to contribute to the policy dialogue about how to increase the level of collaboration among state departments and agencies that serve Massachusetts children, youth and families by putting forth examples of structures and strategies being used by other states' children's cabinets to carry out their work. The policy brief was the subject of discussion at a public event on June 10, 2009, co-hosted by the Full-service Schools Roundtable. Complete listing and access info » |
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Seeking Effective Policies and Practices for Students with Special Needs
Data from the 2008 administration of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) examination reveal an alarming 84% of districts did not meet Adequate Yearly Progress for the "special education subgroup" in both subject areas. In addition, 53% of Grade 10 special education students failed to earn a passing score on the MCAS in all three subject areas (ELA, math, science and technology). In light of these findings, the Rennie Center's recent report, entitled Seeking Effective Policies and Practices for Students with Special Needs, highlights schools making progress in educating students with special needs. The Rennie Center's study features four districts, two vocational technical high schools and one additional K-8 school that is "beating the odds" in serving students with special needs. The report examines the status of special education in the Commonwealth including legislation surrounding special education, the incidence of students receiving special education services and the distribution of students by disability type in different types of districts. These include the state's ten large urban districts, the 50 most demographically advantaged districts, charter schools and vocational technical schools. Among the findings, vocational technical schools educate more special education students (23%) than all other types of districts yet spend less on special education students and get solid results. Out of the 25 districts with the lowest percentage of special education spending, 23 are vocational schools. The report identifies the core practices of districts ranking in the top 5-10% for growth in the performance of students with special needs. Districts that are making progress no longer isolate students with special needs in separate classrooms; instead they adapt their general education classrooms to accommodate the needs of all students. These districts have adopted a culture in which faculty view "all kids as my kids" and in which general and special education teachers collaborate to design curriculum that meets the needs of all learners -- including those with special needs. In a series of recommended next steps, the report offers several considerations for district leaders and state policymakers. It highlights the importance of data, including the use of ongoing formative assessment to provide teachers with timely feedback. The report recommends that schools and districts adapt their instructional practice and curriculum to best meet diverse students' needs. The Rennie Center report also pushes for further study of effective practices found within the state's thirty vocational technical schools. Finally, the report urges the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and districts to work together to disseminate effective practices in educating students with special needs. Complete listing and access info » |
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Raise the Age, Lower the Dropout Rate? Considerations for Policymakers
In the United States, nearly 1.23 million public school students from the class of 2008 failed to graduate with a diploma. In Massachusetts, 91 students drop out of high school each day. Nationally, and in our state, there has been much recent attention paid to the dropout crisis. One initiative being used by states in their efforts to reduce the dropout rate is to increase the compulsory attendance age to 18. In Massachusetts, the current compulsory attendance age is 16. The passage of a new law in August 2008 led to the establishment of a state-level Graduation and Dropout Prevention and Recovery Commission in Massachusetts. The Commission is charged with making informed recommendations on ten issues, including whether or not the compulsory attendance age should be raised from 16 to 18. The Rennie Center's recent policy brief, entitled Raise the Age, Lower the Dropout Rate? Considerations for Policymakers, focuses on the question: Is there empirical evidence to support Massachusetts raising its compulsory school attendance age to 18? Through an examination of research and analysis of other states' policies, the Rennie Center examines the arguments for and against raising the compulsory age of school attendance to 18 and concludes that there is no credible empirical evidence to support this policy alone as an effective strategy to combat the dropout crisis. The Center argues that prior to considering a raise in the compulsory age of attendance, the Commonwealth should focus its energy and resources on developing policies and programs that research has shown to be successful in helping at-risk students stay in school and persist to earning a diploma. We recommend the following considerations for policymakers. Our hope is that this information will contribute to the current policy discussions focused on the issue of raising the age of compulsory school attendance in Massachusetts.
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Ready for the Next Challenge: Improving the Retention and Distribution of Excellent Teachers in Urban Schools (A Proposal by Teachers)
Much of the current policy discussion in education revolves around the relationship between teacher quality and student achievement: questions such as how to identify effective teachers, how to retain and develop these teachers, and how to ensure that effective teachers teach in the schools where they are most needed. The voices of teachers themselves, however, are often notably absent from the discussion. We believe that the expertise and experiences of effective teachers are critical if we hope to understand both what motivates such teachers to stay in the classroom and what causes them to leave. We present this policy proposal as classroom teachers. Some of us teach in charter schools, some of us in traditional public schools, but all currently teach in urban classrooms. All of us are committed to closing the achievement gap and to addressing the equity issues present in education in general, and in urban education in particular. In addition to our own personal experience as classroom teachers, we have spent the last year and a half participating in a rigorous policy fellowship designed to train successful teachers in high-need, urban schools to participate meaningfully in the field of education policy. This is a proposal designed to give policymakers a window into our aspirations for our profession and to communicate unequivocally that it is possible to retain us and ensure that we are working with high-need students. Following a brief overview of the proposal, the present: - An analysis of the research on teacher quality and school turnaround; - Case examples from our own teaching experiences; - Our theory of change; - The key features of our proposed staffing model. This document delineates the principles that we believe should be involved in staffing low-performing schools. We are eager to work with policymakers, to fill in the further details that would be required for implementation of our model in schools and districts. Complete listing and access info » |
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Alternative High School Math Pathways in Massachusetts: Developing an On-Ramp to Minimize College Remediation in Mathematics
Of the Massachusetts graduates from the Class of 2005 who enrolled in public colleges, an appalling 29 percent enrolled in a developmental (remedial) math course during the fall semester. Nationally, 63 percent of college students who remediate in mathematics do not earn a 2- or 4-year degree. At a time when a college degree is one of the critical components of one's ability to afford a home and support a family, that such high rates of Massachusetts' high school graduates require remediation in math is cause for alarm - and action. The Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy has produced a policy brief that proposes a new pathway in high school mathematics aimed at eliminating the need for college remediation in math.
The policy brief, entitled Alternative High School Math Pathways in Massachusetts: Developing an On-Ramp to Minimize College Remediation in Mathematics, proposes a plan designed to significantly reduce, and ultimately, eliminate the number of students who require college remediation in mathematics. Rather than the traditional progression of math courses (Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Calculus), we propose three new math courses at the middle and high school levels - including a new fourth year math course titled: Topics in Applied Mathematics for College Preparation that would provide an alternative to Pre-calculus/Calculus for students pursuing non-math related majors. We recommend that Massachusetts policymakers and school and district leaders should take the following steps toward establishing to a well-aligned, effective system that ensures all students are ready for college-level mathematics:
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Meeting the Challenge: Promising Practices for Reducing the Dropout Rate in Massachusetts Schools and Districts
One in five Massachusetts students does not graduate from high school in four years. At a time when a high school diploma is essential to ensuring future success, such large numbers of students struggling to earn a diploma is cause for concern. Yet, there are Massachusetts schools and districts making progress; a review of district data over the past four years revealed that several districts and schools throughout the Commonwealth are steadily reducing their dropout rates. The Rennie Center's latest policy brief, Meeting the Challenge: Promising Practices for Reducing the Dropout Rate in Massachusetts Schools and Districts analyzes practices and policies within these schools and districts to help inform the work of educators and policymakers and to address the question: "In schools that are reducing their dropout rates, what is working?" The Rennie Center's research is based on interviews with district leaders and principals from 11 high schools in 9 Massachusetts districts that have reduced their student dropout rates over the past four years. Through these interviews, several themes emerged. Nearly all of these districts and schools: 1) used data to identify students at-risk of dropping out (including early indicators of potential dropouts and high school attendance); 2) offered targeted interventions such as personalizing the learning environment and supporting the transition to ninth grade; 3) connected high school to college and careers; 4) provided alternatives to traditional high school; and 5) formed collaborations and partnerships to bring in additional resources for students at-risk of dropping out. Considerations Based On Findings The Importance of Leadership - All of the schools studied in this policy brief had leaders who initiated and sustained a focus on students at-risk of dropping out. These leaders placed a high value on struggling students and emphasized the needs of these students with their entire faculty so that adults in the school felt a sense of ownership for the outcomes of these students. No Silver Bullets - Students at-risk of dropping out have varied needs and the schools studied in this brief provided a correspondingly diverse set of interventions and supports to address students' behavioral/emotional and academic needs. Persistent Effort Over Time - It is important to note that for the schools that participated in this study, there have been no quick fixes. The success of these schools' efforts has been dependent on a sustained focus on the needs of these learners and a steadfast commitment of resources over time. More Than Academics - Rather than focusing exclusively on providing academic supports for students at-risk of dropping out, the schools studied in this brief combined academic support with initiatives to foster students' increased engagement in school. Follow-Up with Dropouts - Most of the schools did not follow up with students once they had dropped out - either to find out why they had dropped out, or to encourage them to return to some course of study that would lead to a diploma. This is an area that warrants future attention. The policy brief was the subject of discussion at a public event on February 12, 2009. For more information about the dropout crisis in Massachusetts, visit: www.projectdropout.org. Complete listing and access info » |
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Opportunity to Learn Audit: High School Science
It is widely acknowledged that today's students will need to compete in a global economy that requires proficiency in science and technology. In an attempt to ensure that all Massachusetts students reach a minimal level of proficiency in these subjects, the class of 2010 high school students will have to earn a passing score on one MCAS science exam (biology, chemistry, physics, or technology/engineering) in order to receive a diploma. Results of national assessments show that while Massachusetts students score better in science than their peers in other states, there are disturbing gaps in the performance of certain sub-groups of students -- black and Hispanic students, students from low-income homes, English language learners -- who fail to meet proficiency standards at satisfactory rates. Indeed for all students, undeniable gaps exist in students' achievement, knowledge, expectations and comprehension of the needs of the future economy. Given that the state is now holding all students accountable for their performance in science, it is necessary to examine whether or not all students are receiving equitable opportunities to learn and succeed in science. This report seeks to identify concretely what top-performing schools do to support science instruction and to draw out considerations for policymakers at the district and state levels. Themes across the Schools The following is a description of greater opportunities to learn science that are present in top-performing schools, compared to low-performing schools:
Policy Considerations For school and district leaders:
For state policymakers: Providing additional resources and ensuring that all high school students in Massachusetts have opportunities to learn science and to achieve at high levels will require coordinated efforts by both state legislators and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The following are recommendations for consideration by both state legislators and the Department.
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Opportunity to Learn Audit: Elementary School Science
Despite widespread media and public attention to the need for U.S. students to be globally competitive in science-related fields, remarkably little emphasis is placed on improving elementary science in U.S. public schools. Yet, it is effective elementary science programs that provide the foundation for a sound K-12 education in science. In a new report, Opportunity to Learn: Elementary Science, the Rennie Center analyzes whether students in high- and low-performing schools receive equitable opportunities to learn in science and, importantly, profiles the promising practices of schools that are beating the odds and succeeding at educating students to high levels in science. This report is the first in a two-part study that the Rennie Center is producing on Massachusetts students' opportunity to learn science. The second report, to be released in late Fall 2008, is being developed in partnership with the Education Development Center and will highlight opportunities to learn science at the high school level (9-12). The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation and state accountability systems have created external incentives to improve student achievement in science in addition to English language arts (ELA) and math. In 2010, Massachusetts will require all 10th graders to pass one of the science MCAS tests (in biology, physics, chemistry or technology/engineering) in order to receive a diploma. Yet, to date, schools have increasingly placed their emphasis on math and ELA, to the detriment of science. There also exists a substantial racial/ethnic achievement gap in the sciences, just as there is in math and ELA. English language learners, those who are African American or Hispanic, and students from low-income homes are all falling well below the standards for proficiency set by the state. Given that the state holds all students accountable for their performance in science, it is necessary to examine whether all students are receiving equitable opportunities to learn and succeed at science. This report seeks to identify concretely what top-performing schools do to support science instruction and to draw out considerations for policymakers at the district and state levels. Themes across the Schools The following is a description of greater opportunities to learn science that are present in top-performing schools, compared to low-performing schools:
For school and district leaders:
For state policymakers: Providing more resources and ensuring that all elementary students in Massachusetts have opportunities to learn science and to achieve at high levels will require coordinated efforts by both state legislators and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The following are recommendations for consideration by both state legislators and the Department.
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