Absenteeism

Teacher Perceptions of Chronically Absent Young Students May Add to the Challenges of Missing School
A study finds that early elementary school teachers report feeling less close to chronically absent students and view them less positively, even when those students do not cause trouble in the classroom. Read more

Student Absenteeism Crisis May Be Hurting Teacher Job Satisfaction
As student absenteeism reaches record highs in schools across the United States, research finds that student absences are linked to lower teacher job satisfaction, raising concerns that this may exacerbate growing teacher shortages. Read more

Admissions

Admissions Policies that Consider Grades and Test Scores in Context of Available Opportunities Are Linked to College Success
Indicators of high school grades and standardized test scores that take into account the levels of school, neighborhood, and family resources available to students are strongly associated with those students’ success in college, according to research published in AERA Open. Read more

Algorithms Used by Universities to Predict Student Success May Be Racially Biased
Predictive algorithms commonly used by colleges and universities to determine whether students will be successful may be racially biased against Black and Hispanic students, according to research published in AERA Open. Read more

Admissions Lotteries at Selective Colleges Might Dramatically Reduce the Enrollment of Students of Color, Low-Income Students, and Men
Simulations of lottery admissions conducted in a study find dramatic and negative potential effects of lotteries on the admission of students of color, low-income students, and men. Read more

College Value

College Degree Remains a Sound Investment Despite Rising Tuition
An analysis of 5.8 million Americans finds that earning a college degree is still a sound investment, although the rate of economic return varies across college majors and student demographics. Read more

Reading

Digital Leisure Reading Does Little to Improve Reading Comprehension for Students
A comprehensive review of research on digital leisure reading habits finds a virtually nonexistent relationship between digital reading and improvement in reading comprehension among students. Read more

Digital Picture Books Harm Young Children’s Learning—Unless the Books Have the Right Enhancements
A comprehensive meta-analysis of prior research has found, overall, that children ages 1 to 8 were less likely to understand picture books when they read the digital, versus print, version. However, when digital picture books contain the right enhancements that reinforce the story content, they outperform their print counterparts. Read more

School Choice

Giving Parents Better School Quality Data Encourages Them to Consider Less Affluent, Less White Schools—To a Point
In a study published in AERA Open, researchers found that providing parents with achievement growth data encourages them to consider schools with greater economic and racial diversity, but only up to a point. Read more

School Discipline

Small Number of Teachers Effectively Double the Racial Gaps Among Students Referred for Disciplinary Action
The top 5 percent of teachers most likely to refer students to the principal’s office for disciplinary action do so at such an outsized rate that they effectively double the racial gaps in such referrals, according to research. Read more

Special Education

Black Boys Are Less Likely to Be Identified for Special Education When Matched with Black Teachers
Black male elementary school students matched to Black teachers are less likely to be identified for special education services, according to research published in American Educational Research Journal. Read more

Student Learning Loss

Federal Pandemic Aid to U.S. Public Schools Was Insufficient to Address Student Learning Loss
Although the federal government provided an unprecedented level of emergency funding to U.S. public schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, this support was insufficient and poorly targeted to offset the cost of recovering student learning loss. Read more

Research Confirms Substantial Benefits of Summer Math Programs
The first comprehensive review of research on summer math programs in over 15 years suggests they may help mitigate the learning losses disproportionately experienced by low-income pre-K–12 students during the pandemic. Read more

“Thriving Gap” Between Students Who Attended High School Remotely Versus in Person
Research finds that high school students who attended school remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic suffered socially, emotionally, and academically compared with those who attended in person. Read more

Student Outcomes – General

Strong Link Between Childhood Opportunities and Educational Attainment and Earnings as a Young Adult
The number of educational opportunities that children accrue at home, in early education and care, at school, in afterschool programs, and in their communities as they grow up are strongly linked to their educational attainment and earnings in early adulthood, according to research. Read more

Student Outcomes – Higher Education

Study: Diverse College Classrooms Linked to Better STEM Learning Outcomes for All Students
Students achieve better grades in college science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses when those classrooms have higher numbers of underrepresented racial-minority and first-generation college students. Read more

State-Mandated Civics Test Policy Does Not Improve Youth Voter Turnout
Research finds that a commonly used state-mandated civics test policy—the Civics Education Initiative—does not improve youth voter turnout, at least in the short term. Read more

Including Videos in College Teaching May Improve Student Learning
A comprehensive review of research finds that, in many cases, replacing teaching methods with pre-recorded videos leads to small improvements in learning and that supplementing existing content with videos results in strong learning benefits. Learn more

Interacting with Therapy Dogs Can Improve Struggling College Students’ “Thinking” Skills
Research finds that college students at risk of failing academically showed significant improvement in executive functioning after interacting with therapy dogs one hour a week for a month. Read more

Student Outcomes – K-12

Rise in English Learner Students in “New Destination” States Helps, Does Not Hurt, Academic Outcomes for Existing Students
A study finds significant positive spillover effects of new English learner students in "new destination" states across the South and Midwest. Read more

Earlier Start Times Have Little Effect on Elementary School Outcomes
Earlier elementary school day start times predict less sleep for students but have little to no effect on their educational outcomes, according to research published today in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. Read more

Struggling Students Who Repeat Third Grade See Improved Achievement
Third-grade retention can increase the reading and math scores of struggling students, with positive effects lasting into middle school. Read more

School Debate Programs Linked to Improvements in Academic Achievement, Graduation Rates, and College Enrollment
Participating in policy debate programs in middle and high school is associated with improvements in English language arts achievement and increases in the likelihood that students graduate from high school and enroll in postsecondary education. Read more

Student Privacy

Schools’ Social Media Posts May Be Compromising Student Privacy
U.S. schools and school districts have shared an estimated 4.9 million posts that include identifiable images of students on public Facebook pages, unintentionally putting student privacy at risk, according to a study. Read more

Teacher Well-being

Teachers Experienced More Anxiety than Healthcare Workers During the Pandemic
Teachers experienced significantly more anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic than healthcare, office, and other workers, according to research released in Educational Researcher. Read more