Spotlight On: Recent research

The fifth annual Educational Equity Symposium is happening today and tomorrow at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York.  This year's focus, "Stimulating Equity? The Impact of the Federal Stimulus Act on Educational Opportunity" features the first in-depth analysis of how states are spending education stimulus funds.

Pennsylvania's own Governor Edward Rendell will deliver a keynote address (via live video) to kick off the event.  While Rendell and other champions of public education in Pennsylvania have pushed to continue funding for educational equity in spite of the economic downturn, other states have used education stimulus money to backfill budget gaps instead of promoting innovation and increased equity.  These findings are the result of researchers' studies of state budgets and interviews with state leaders.  If you couldn't make it to the symposium, the presenters' papers are available online.  Read more...

More interested in research focusing on Pennsylvania?  Here are two recent, regional studies:

• Research for Action (RFA), a Philadelphia-based research non-profit specializing in public education has just released a policy brief on the high school transition process for students in the School District of Philadelphia.  The transition into high school has been proven to influence student outcomes, but certain so-called "school choice" policies and a lack of information about those choices can have a negative effect on the transition process for freshmen in neighborhood schools.  Read more...

• The Lehigh Valley Research Consortium recently released a study (for the Latino Education Coalition of the Latino Economic Council) on the growing Latino student population in Lehigh Valley schools, including recommendations on how to improve educational opportunities for ELL and non-ELL Latino students.  Read more...

Want to learn more about the research being done on education issues?  Browse School Victories for research activities, and check back regularly. 

If you've done any kind of education-related research yourself recently (or know someone who has), don't forget to share it with the rest of the School Victories community. 

Photo Credit: Flickr User  foreverdigital