Best Practices of Career and Technical Education
This report provides an overview of strong Career and Technical Education (CTE) models in secondary school settings. In addition to exemplars, the report provides considerations and resources for implementing new CTE programs.
Secondary Block and Alternative Scheduling Models
This report explores the strengths and challenges of common block scheduling models in use in secondary schools along with evidence of their impact on student outcomes and recommendations for implementation. Additionally, the report reviews the literature on alternative schedule considerations such as flex time, rotating schedules, and intersessions.
Developmentally Responsive Grade 6 Structures
This report compares the strengths and challenges of two approaches to Grade 6 within the middle school model: self-contained humanities and STEM instruction versus departmentalized instruction. Additionally, the report also reviews the existing research on academic behavioral impacts within both self-contained humanities and STEM and departmentalized classes.
College Readiness
Data analysis of student transcripts helped determine student college preparedness. This includes the examination of student grades in core courses, the distribution of students taking AP and IB courses, the percentage of students meeting Oregon University System entrance requirements, and gaps in achievement.
Freshman Academy
An analysis of the newly adopted Freshman Academy was performed, including a data analysis comparing students attending the Freshman Academy and a main stream high school. Research was reviewed to determine the benefits of implementing a ninth grade alternative program, and recommendations for further research and review were provided.
Academic Pathways
This report was a review of the literature on college readiness with the goal of improving understanding of the three-year enrollment pipeline for four different college prep programs, including International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Placement (AP), and to disaggregate attendance and final grades by Gender, SES, and Race/Ethnicity.
College Readiness Indicators
The purpose of this literature review was to provide research-based evidence and support for contributing indicators that impact college and career readiness. This report includes articles and reports taken from the fields of sociology, psychology, and education and provides a broad view of the factors contributing to or possibly creating barriers for college and career trajectories of students beginning at birth through post-secondary enrollment. For each indicator, a brief overview of the literature is included to illustrate the complexity of the factors underlying college and career readiness.
Evaluation of AVID Effectiveness
The purpose of this program evaluation was to review the literature on a program designed to provide at-risk students with organizational and study skills necessary to take advanced level coursework in order to be prepared for and accepted into college. This report provides an overview of the program, describes essential elements and program components, and reviews research on program implementation. Research focuses on the impact of the program on participant post-secondary entrance, retention, and completion rates and includes recommendations for methods of further program evaluation.
Ninth Grade Counts
This report included data analysis of student achievement scores from a summer school program, exploring whether academic-priority students, those students at greater risk of disengaging from school, who participated in a summer program prior to entering their freshman year were more engaged than non-participants throughout their high school careers.
World Language as a Graduation Requirement
This evaluation project included a literature review and data analysis analyzing the impact of a world language requirement on student academic achievement and persistence in school. The program evaluation includes a review of pertinent literature pertaining to the value of world language as a high school course, as preparation for college, and the impact the course may have on high school completion.
Evolving Industries in Career Technical Education (CTE)
This report analyzes past, current, and possible future trends in the area of career and technical education.
Middle School Models
This report explored the literature on characteristics of effective middle schools. The literature review included research on creating a school climate and how to help under-served youth.
Graduation Indicators
This report addresses common indicators within several influential grade levels including sixth, ninth, and tenth, and provides recommended interventions and programs which lead to high school graduation.
Measure 98
This report provides a literature review surrounding best practices for the three areas of focus for Measure 98 implementation: 1) career and technical education (CTE), 2) high school college credit opportunities, and 3) dropout prevention strategies.
Placement of 6th Grade
This report explored the impacts of sixth grade configurations (grades within schools structured in either in an elementary K-6 or middle school 6-8 grade configuration) on sixth grade students. Included are findings surrounding the behavioral and academic impacts middle school grade configurations have on sixth grade students.
The Impact of a Reconnections Program on Student Engagement, Part 1
This study analyzed interview data from students participating in a reconnections program in order to determine common reasons why these students chose to leave or ultimately reengage with school.
The Impact of a Reconnections Program on Student Engagement, Part 2
In the second part to this study, researchers analyzed archived case note data to estimate approximately how many students a reconnections program had successfully re-engaged with school. Researchers also created an updated data tracking template that the school district could use to gather data in the future for the purposes of determining the efficacy of their reconnections program.