Pemberton Research

The time students spend outside of school hours, including after school, can be important opportunities for their social and academic development. The 21st CCLC program intends to provide these opportunities by funding a broad range of academic enrichment activities in community learning centers, particularly for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. But little is known about the extent and diversity of recent program activities, or whether a systematic approach to support program quality c

Helping teachers be as effective as possible remains a key national priority, given their role in student success. Classroom management and instructional practices are foundational to effective teaching, but mostly a struggle for lower-performing teachers and those early in their career to do well. This is particularly problematic because these teachers disproportionately work in high-need schools where strong teaching is essential to close student achievement gaps. This study expands the curr

Principals are increasingly required to be instructional leaders, not just managers, as schools seek to improve their academic climate and performance. States and districts can provide professional development to help principals become more effective in this role, with new opportunities to use funds from the federal Title II, Part A program of the updated Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Given this recent shift in federal policy and the limited information about how to help principals i

The April 2011 Scholarships and Opportunities for Results (SOAR) Act provided for a five-year continuation of a school choice program for low-income residents of Washington, DC. The program, still titled the Opportunity Scholarship Program or OSP, now provides annual scholarships of about $8,000 for grades K–8 or $12,000 for grades 9–12 to enable low-income students to attend private schools in the District of Columbia in lieu of the public schools already available to them.The pre

Title II, Part A, the Improving Teacher Quality State Formula Grants program, is the primary federal funding under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to improve teacher quality. Research has shown that, on average, novice teachers are less effective in improving student achievement than their more experienced peers. This is particularly an issue given that new teachers tend to be concentrated in high-poverty schools with lower-performing students. Little research exists, however, to in