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The RPM-PX Take on a Report Exploring Practices in Successful "Turnaround" Schools

There is no single solution to improving persistently low-performing schools; instead improvement takes a variety of supports and strategies and will work differently in the unique circumstances of individual schools.


Stopping Bullying: Effective Approaches

High-profile cases of school bullying have made their way into the media recently. What have we learned about what reduces child and adolescent bullying and why does it matter? A new paper looks at the research…
Date: April 29, 2010
Related Categories: RSIN Premium Content, Rural Policy Matters
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Teaching Performance Assessments: A Discussion of Review of Teaching Performance Assessments for Use in Human Capital Management

The Race to the Top and Investing in Innovation federal grant programs include provisions that push states and districts to measure teacher performance based on the test scores of their students. It remains to be seen how strict these requirements will be and how much they will be tied to other performance issues like pay, promotion, and tenure. It is, however, clear that states and districts will be required to do more around issues of teacher evaluation. This paper examines seven systems for assessing teacher performance…
Date: January 28, 2010
Related Categories: RSIN Premium Content, Rural Policy Matters, Teacher
Related Tags: Race to the Top, RPM Premium Exclusive, Teacher Issues


Achievement Gap Study Offers More Data for Understanding How Schools and Policymakers Can Respond

In this issue of RPM-PX we take a final look at a series of recent reports on the Achievement Gap with a review of David Berliner’s paper, Poverty and Potential: Out-of-School Factors and School Success. We offer our thoughts on its implications for rural schools…
Date: November 29, 2009
Related Categories: RSIN Premium Content, Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Achievement Gap, RPM Premium Exclusive


The Achievement Gap: Further Exploration of Factors That Undermine Achievement

RPM-PX continues its exploration of the achievement gap and how barriers to learning affect different groups of students…


Understanding and Addressing the Achievement Gap

A number of factors explain the devastating gap in achievement between middle and upper income white students and students from historically disadvantaged backgrounds. In this report we look at one of several recent reports that examines the gap and what can be done about it…


Rural Students Less Likely to Aspire to or Attend College

Blurb: Rural students are, on average, less likely to aspire to college, less likely to attend, and less likely to earn a degree than their urban and suburban counterparts. There are several explanations and things schools can do…


Teacher and Administrator Knowledge and Attitudes about the Dropout Problem

We take a new approach in this edition of RPM-PX. We provide an informal overview – one that emphasizes our own take – on an important issue. This month we look at On the Frontlines of Schools: Perspectives of Teachers and Principals on the High School Dropout Problem.


Helping Middle Grade Students Stay — Or Get — On Track for Graduation

Many students who drop out of school begin to get off track early in the middle grades. The good news is that schools can often identify students who may be at risk and provide them with the support to stay in school and succeed....


Creating Testing (And Other Performance) Environments that Can Help Students Beat Negative Expectations in High-Stakes Events

People perform more poorly when subjected to communication that suggests they are less competent. Such communication can be subtle and often comes as a negative societal stereotype. Studies confirm the effect and its significant impact on students. But schools can take steps to address the problem....


Improving Adolescent Reading Will Take More Than Top-Down Technocratic Solutions

A new report outlines a process for improving reading achievement in middle and high school grades. We offer a synopsis of the study and a broad overview of additional issues we think should be considered....


Understanding and Developing Programs for English Language Learners in Rural Districts

Across the country English Language Learners (ELL) are enrolling in rural schools in record numbers. Many schools that have never enrolled ELL students find themselves stumped about how to best respond when the first few ELL students enroll or when their numbers rapidly increase. In this edition of RPM-PX we share a report that explores how rural school districts respond to emergent ELL student communities.


Education Funding in the Stimulus: An Overview

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides significant additional funding for public schools. Details are still forthcoming, but we outline the basic funding streams and their requirements…


"Are Zero Tolerance Policies Effective in the Schools?" A Review

Many schools and districts across the country have adopted “zero tolerance” policies that impose specific, often severe, penalties on students for behavior infractions. Research suggests these policies may be counter-productive…


"Placing Teachers?"

Some important insights for the appropriate training of teachers for rural schools...