Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) May 13, 2011 Education-Related Reports: U.S. Department of Education, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, American Institutes for Research
May 19, 2011
The Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability published the following education-related reports on May 13, 2011:
U.S. Department of Education
Public Elementary and Secondary School Student Enrollment and Staff Counts from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2009-10
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2011/2011347.pdf
This report presents national and state level data on student enrollment by grade and by race/ethnicity within grade, the numbers of teachers and other education staff, and several student/staff ratios for the 2009-10 school year. Public elementary and secondary schools had 49.4 million students in membership in school year 2009-10. Public elementary and secondary schools and local education agencies employed a total of 6.4 million full-time equivalent staff, of which 51% were teachers. The overall student/teacher ratio in public schools in 2009-10 was 15.4 (i.e., there were about 15 students for every full-time equivalent teacher employed). The ratio ranged from a high of 22.9 in Utah to a low of 10.6 in Vermont. The ratio in Florida was 14.3. Florida’s elementary student/teacher ratio was 25.7, while the secondary student/teacher ratio was 11.9.
U.S. Department of Education
The Nation’s Report Card: Civics 2010
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/main2010/2011466.pdf
This civics report presents assessment results for students from across the nation in grades 4, 8, and 12. The average score for fourth-graders was higher than in previous assessments in 2006 and 1998. The average score for eighth-graders in 2010 was not significantly different from either 2006 or 1998. At grade 12, the average score in 2010 was lower than in the 2006 assessment, but not significantly different from the average score in 1998. Average scores for Hispanic students in grade 8 were higher in 2010 than in 2006; average scores for Hispanic students at all three grade levels were higher than in 1998. Average scores for students eligible for either free or reduced price school lunch were higher in 2010 than in 2006 at both grades 4 and 8; additionally, a higher percentage of fourth-graders eligible for free lunch performed at or above ‘Basic’ than in 2006.
U.S. Department of Education
Numbers and Types of Public Elementary and Secondary Local Education Agencies From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2009-10
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2011/2011346.pdf
This report presents findings on the numbers and types of public elementary and secondary local education agencies in the United States and the territories in the 2009-10 school year. There were 17,807 operating local education agencies in 2009-10. During the same time period, 298 local education agencies closed and 222 opened for the first time. Most operating agencies were regular school districts (13,629) that were responsible for educating students residing within their jurisdiction. A total of 1,521 were administrative or service agencies that typically provide services to school districts. A total of 2,236 were charter agencies in which all the associated schools were charter schools. An additional 421 agencies were operated by a state, federal, or other agency. Of the 49.2 million students served by local education agencies, 48.0 million attended schools in regular school districts.
President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Reinvesting in Arts Education: Winning America’s Future Through Creative Schools
http://www.pcah.gov/sites/default/files/photos/PCAH_Reinvesting_4web.pdf
This report presents a review of the current condition of arts education, surveying recent research about its documented benefits and identifying opportunities for advancing arts education. A growing body of research supports positive educational outcomes associated with arts-rich schools. However, there is considerable variety in the delivery of arts education. Several actions can advance arts education. These include building collaborations among different approaches, developing the field of arts integration, and expanding in-school opportunities for teaching artists. In addition, the authors recommend utilizing federal and state policies to reinforce the place of arts in K-12 education, and widening the focus of evidence gathering about arts education.
American Institutes for Research
Making the Most of Extra Time: Relationships Between Full-Day Kindergarten Instructional Environments and Reading Achievement
http://www.air.org/files/AIRBriefkindergarten_reading.pdf
This brief provides some of the first evidence on how full-day kindergarten programs might structure instructional resources and practices in ways that prepare children for first grade and later school success. It found that children in kindergarten programs that devote a larger portion of the school day to academic instruction, and to reading instruction in particular, make greater gains in reading over the school year than children who spend less time in such instruction. In addition, children tend to make optimal gains in reading when teachers use an equal balance of discrete literacy skills and comprehension skills instruction. Class size interacts significantly with some instructional practices to increase or decrease children’s average reading gains in kindergarten.