Explore · I4I

Talent Search

2006

Talent Search aims to help low-income and first-generation college students (those whose parents do not have four-year college degrees) complete high school and gain access to college. The program serves both middle and high school students and provides a combination of services including test taking and study skills assistance, academic advising, tutoring, career development, college campus visits, and financial aid application assistance. Most participants received services in their junior and senior years of high school. According to a 2000 survey of project directors, nearly half of Talent Search participants received 10 or fewer hours of services a year. Participants were either recruited to participate or volunteered to be in the program.

9th Grade 10th Grade 11th Grade 12th Grade

Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) Middle Schools

2010

The Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) is a network of charter middle schools designed to transform educational opportunities for low-income families and prepare students to enroll and succeed in college. KIPP middle schools typically serve grades 5-8 and are distinguished by five pillars: high expectations for all students regardless of background, choice and commitment from students/parents/faculty, more time on learning (extended school days/weeks/years), power to lead for principals with budget and personnel accountability, and focus on results through regular assessment. The program actively engages students and parents, expands time and effort students devote to studies, reinforces social competencies and positive behaviors, and aims to dramatically improve academic achievement. KIPP schools are public charter schools of choice that students and families actively decide to attend.

5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade

Problem Based Economics

2010

Problem Based Economics is a curriculum developed by the Buck Institute for Education that uses problem-based instruction to teach high school economics. The curriculum consists of nine modules, with five modules used in this study covering fundamental economics concepts aligned with state standards. Each module takes 4-15 instructional days and uses real-world economic problems as the basis for student learning. Teachers received a five-day professional development workshop during summer 2007, followed by ongoing support through group conference calls and direct access to developers throughout the 2007/08 academic year. The curriculum was designed for grade 11-12 students in regular economics courses and implemented over two consecutive semesters. Teachers used the five modules to cover approximately 50-70 percent of their economics curriculum content. The intervention included specific curricular materials, professional development training, and ongoing teacher support to implement problem-based pedagogical strategies in economics classrooms.

11th Grade 12th Grade

Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP)

2010

The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) provides government-funded vouchers (maximum $6,607 in 2008-09) for low-income children to attend private schools (secular or religious) in the City of Milwaukee. Approximately 20,000 children use vouchers to attend private schools. The program serves students in grades K-12. Students receive instruction in private schools using the voucher funding. The evaluation compares a random sample of MPCP students to a matched sample of Milwaukee Public School (MPS) students, with matching based on neighborhood location, baseline test scores, and demographic information.

3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade 9th Grade

Kindergarten PAVEd for Success (K-PAVE)

2010

Kindergarten PAVEd for Success (K-PAVE) is a 24-week vocabulary instruction program designed to increase students' expressive vocabulary in kindergarten. The program is built around three instructional components: Explicit Vocabulary Instruction (New Vehicles), which involves explicit instruction of 240 target vocabulary words using word-learning strategies, exposure to vocabulary words embedded in storybooks through repeated reading, and hands-on extension activities; Interactive Book Reading (CAR Talk), which involves teacher engagement of children during story reading through questions that promote comprehension and oral language skills; and Adult-Child Conversations (Building Bridges), which involves frequent teacher conversations with individual or small groups of students to provide opportunities for teachers to use new vocabulary and for students to increase their productive use of new vocabulary and oral language skills. K-PAVE is implemented as a supplement to regular kindergarten literacy instruction. Teachers receive two days of initial group training, three follow-up telephone conference calls, and up to three rounds of classroom observation and remediation support.

Kindergarten

12 for Life

2018

12 for Life is a program for high school students at high risk of dropping out that provides a rigorous STEM curriculum combined with on-the-job training, work/life skills development, mentoring, and paid employment opportunities. Students attend a modern, fully-equipped manufacturing plant and learning community where they hold paid apprenticeships at a Southwire satellite plant while continuing their education. The program features low teacher-student (1:10) and supervisor-student (1:12) ratios, multiple classroom and work shift options from 8 AM to 9:30 PM five days per week year-round, and support services including tutoring, mentoring, work supervision, and an Academic Counselor who provides individualized assistance. Students must be at least 16 years old, have earned sufficient credits to enter 10th grade, pass a drug screen, and demonstrate high need based on a selection rubric assessing dropout risk factors.

10th Grade 11th Grade 12th Grade

Quality English and Science Teaching (QuEST)

2010

Quality English and Science Teaching (QuEST) is a science curriculum intervention designed for middle grade English language learners and their English-proficient classmates. The program targets sixth grade students studying Living Systems and the Environment. QuEST combines inquiry-based science instruction (based on the BSCS approach emphasizing hands-on experimentation) with scaffolding techniques specifically designed for English language learners. Key features include consistent use of visuals (vocabulary illustrations and graphic organizers), activity previews, explicit vocabulary instruction of general and discipline-specific terms, and pairing of ELLs with English-proficient students as language models. The intervention is delivered face-to-face over 9 weeks in regular science classrooms. Materials include teacher guides with instructional charts, student guides with instructional charts, and hands-on science activity supplies. Teachers receive three training sessions plus ongoing weekly mentoring to learn how to encourage student expression, build on student experiences, and guide students to increasingly sophisticated understanding and language use.

6th Grade

NYC School-Wide Bonus Program

2010

The NYC School-Wide Bonus Program is a group-based teacher incentive pay program implemented in New York City public schools serving kindergarten through eighth grade. Schools randomly selected into the treatment group were eligible to earn school-level bonuses based primarily on student achievement on state math and reading exams. Schools that achieved target scores or received an 'A' accountability grade for two consecutive years received bonuses of $3,000 per union teacher, while schools meeting 75% of the target score received $1,500 per union teacher. The program required 55% of a school's United Federation of Teachers staff to vote in favor of participation. Each participating school formed a four-member compensation committee to determine bonus distribution schemes after exams. The program was implemented in the 2007-2008 school year and continued in 2008-2009, with 181 schools originally selected for the treatment group (128 assigned to treatment, 53 to control) from high-poverty schools.

Kindergarten 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade

Enhanced Reading Opportunities (ERO) Study

2009

The Enhanced Reading Opportunities (ERO) Study evaluates two supplemental literacy programs—Reading Apprenticeship Academic Literacy (RAAL) and Xtreme Reading—designed for ninth-grade students reading two to five years below grade level. The programs consist of year-long courses that replace a ninth-grade elective class and aim to help students develop reading strategies, improve comprehension skills, and increase motivation to read. Classes meet for a minimum of 225 minutes per week with 10 to 15 students per section. One experienced English/language arts or social studies teacher per school teaches four sections of the ERO class exclusively. Teachers receive a three-day summer training institute, off-site booster training sessions, and on-site coaching visits during the school year from program developers.

9th Grade

Four Reading Interventions: Corrective Reading, Failure Free Reading, Spell Read P.A.T., and Wilson Reading

2006

This study evaluates four widely used remedial reading programs for struggling readers in grades 3 and 5: Corrective Reading, Failure Free Reading, Spell Read P.A.T., and Wilson Reading. The interventions were delivered as pull-out programs in small groups of three students, meeting five days per week for approximately 50-minute sessions from November 2003 through May 2004, totaling about 90 hours of instruction on average. Three interventions (Corrective Reading, Spell Read P.A.T., and Wilson Reading) focus primarily on word-level skills including phonemic awareness, phonemic decoding, and reading fluency through systematic and explicit instruction. Failure Free Reading focuses on building sight vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension through computer-based lessons, workbook exercises, and teacher-led instruction. Teachers were recruited from participating schools and received approximately 70 hours of professional development and support during the implementation year, including 30 hours of initial intensive training, 24 hours during a practice period, and 14 hours of supervision during the intervention phase.

3rd Grade 5th Grade