Home > What's New > 2007 Archives

• Dec 14, 2007: An Analysis of Purchasing and Cooperative Agreements Among School Corporations, Charter Schools, and Education Service Centers
• Dec 14, 2007: Analysis of Indiana's Mathematics and Reading Scores on the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress
• Dec 7, 2007: Improving School Climate and Student Behavior: A New Paradigm for Indiana Schools
• Nov 19, 2007: Leveraging Education Technology to Keep America Competitive
• Oct 22, 2007: Focus On Indiana
• Oct 15, 2007: Outcomes of the School Choice and Supplemental Educational Services Provisions of NCLB
• CEEP Research Highlighted at the 58th Annual ISBA/IAPSS Fall Conference
• Oct 10, 2007: Alternative Education Issues Panel Discussion
• September 19, 2007: Indiana’s Mathematics and Science Performance: Do We Measure Up?
• September 4, 2007: The Daily Schedule: A Look at the Relationship Between Time and Academic Achievement
• August 20, 2007: Latino Language Minority Students in Indiana: Trends, Conditions, and Challenges
• July 9, 2007: Assessing the Policy Environment for School Corporation Collaboration, Cooperation, and Consolidation in Indiana.
• June 20, 2007: Public Opinion Survey on Higher Education Issues in Indiana
• May 11, 2007: Perspectives on Indiana’s Key K-12 Legislation of 2007
• May 11, 2007: Alternatives to the Traditional School-Year Calendar
• April 12, 2007: Mr. Andrew Rotherham to Present at Upcoming CEEP Education Policy Chat
• March 30, 2007, Special Education Service Delivery in Indiana: Year 2 Study
• March 8, 2007: CEEP Presents Dr. Chester Finn, Jr. as the March Education Policy Chat Speaker
• March 5, 2007: CEEP Annual Report issued.
• March 5, 2007: CEEP report on Student Engagement Published.
• February 14, 2007: What is the Complexity Index?
• February 13: Dr. Plucker will be a guest of Wisconsin Public Radio
• January 22, 2007: Is it Time to Change Indiana’s School-Year Calendar?
• January 3, 2007: The 2006 Public Opinion Survey on Education in Indiana

December 14, 2007: CEEP released two new publications today, a new Special Report and a new Focus On Indiana report.

The new CEEP Special Report, “An Analysis of Purchasing and Cooperative Agreements Among School Corporations, Charter Schools, and Education Service Centers,” summarizes and analyzes 2006-07 data collected by the Indiana Department of Education about these agreements.  The report also makes comparisons to the 2005-06 data.

The 2006-07 data was collected from 203 school corporations and charter schools and Indiana’s nine Education Service Centers (whose membership includes 283 school corporations, 38 nonpublic schools, and one state institution).

Research has documented that consolidated purchasing and shared services between school corporations can be effective in reducing school operating expenses.  The state collects this data from schools each year.  However, the research is not compelling that school corporation consolidation would be uniformly beneficial for Indiana (see Plucker et.al., 2007).

Click HERE to link to a PDF of the special report on the CEEP web site.

The new CEEP Focus On Indiana report provides an, “Analysis of Indiana's Mathematics and Reading Scores on the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress.”

With the release of the 2007 NAEP mathematics and reading results in September, this report provides a summary and analysis of NAEP mathematics and reading performance trends in Indiana.  Included in this report are an examination of Indiana’s general performance among all participating jurisdictions, an examination of the performance levels achieved by Indiana students broken down by race, gender, and socio-economic status, and an examination of trends in achievement gaps between these groups of students.  This information provides a timely comparison of Indiana’s educational performance to that of other states and the nation.

Click HERE to link to a PDF of this Focus On Indiana report on the CEEP web site.

December 7, 2007:  New CEEP Education Policy Brief... “Improving School Climate and Student Behavior: A New Paradigm for Indiana Schools.” 

This eight-page Education Policy Brief presents common discipline practices in schools and discusses current Indiana discipline data. The brief examines school-wide Positive Behavior Support (PBS), an alternative approach to student discipline, and its implementation nationally. Perspectives are included from an Indiana school principal who has implemented PBS in her school, and a University of Oregon researcher familiar with PBS systems in a variety of school settings. The brief presents possible PBS implementation recommendations for Indiana educators and policymakers to consider as a way to shift the paradigm of school discipline.

Click HERE to link to a PDF of the full policy brief.

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November 19, 2007:  Leveraging Education Technology to Keep America Competitive.  : “Leveraging Education Technology to Keep America Competitive” is the first-of-its-kind nationwide study of how current and emerging technologies are being used in classrooms and how to prepare new teachers to best use these tools. The project is funded by the US Department of Education ($3.1 million). Click HERE to see the IU media release.

October 22, 2007:  Focus On Indiana.  CEEP announces a new series of reports for Indiana policymakers and educators.  CEEP staff are often asked for their perspective on recently released reports from federal agencies, think tanks, and other groups.  As these reports have proliferated in recent years, mirroring the increase in attention for education policy nationally, we sensed a need for a new report series that provided people with a concise summary of the major data points from a report, with a focus on Indiana and surrounding states whenever possible.

Whenever a new Focus On Indiana report is published, it will be posted on CEEP’s web site and a notice will be sent to CEEP subscribers.  The first two reports have been added to the Publications list.

October 15, 2007: CEEP’s newest education policy brief, Outcomes of the School Choice and Supplemental Educational Services Provisions of NCLB, is intended to provide an overview of NCLB Title I sanctions, examine the use and funding of the school choice and supplemental educational service (SES) provisions of NCLB across the states, and identify many of the remaining issues surrounding school choice and SES.

Click HERE to find a copy of the 16-page policy brief in PDF format on the CEEP web site.

CEEP Research Highlighted at the 58th Annual ISBA/IAPSS Fall Conference

Terry Spradlin, Associate Director for Education Policy, was a featured speaker during two clinical sessions at the 58th Annual Indiana School Boards Association & Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents Fall Conference at the Indianapolis Convention Center on Monday, October 1, 2007. Mr. Spradlin’s presentation, “A CEEP Research Update on Hot Topics in K-12 Education Policy” addressed a number of significant education policy topics that have been researched at the Center for Evaluation & Education Policy including: Indiana’s educational achievement gaps, benefits of prekindergarten programs, consideration of the long-term benefits of full-day kindergarten, and an examination of the research on school district consolidation and shared services. To access a copy of Mr. Spradlin’s presentation, click here.

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October 10, 2007: Alternative Education Issues Panel Discussion The Center for Evaluation & Education Policy hosted a panel discussion on October 10, on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington. The panel discussion focused on both state and national issues related to alternative education.

Panelists included Dr. Ronald Barnes, Indiana University School of Education; Dr. Chris Chalker, Simon Youth Foundation; Ms. Molly Chamberlin, Indiana Department of Education; Mr. John Loflin, Alternative Education Consultant; and Ms. Elizabeth McGovern, School of Academic and Career Development, Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation.

Click HERE to view a few video highlights of this CEEP Education Policy Chat. (You need a Real Player to watch. If you don't have it, click HERE to download)

The next CEEP Education Policy Chat will be on Wednesday, November 14. This will be a panel discussion of English Language Learner (ELL) Issues in K–12 Education. Panelists will include Dr. Sylvia Martinez, Indiana University School of Education & Department of Latino Studies; Ms. Darlene Slaby, Indiana Department of Education; and Ms. Debbie Thomas, ESL Coordinator, Bartholomew Consolidated Schools.

The November 14 Policy Chat will start at 1:30 in State Room East of the Indiana Memorial Union, on the IU campus in Bloomington.

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September 19, 2007: Indiana’s Mathematics and Science Performance: Do We Measure Up? There is an increasing concern that American students are being outperformed by their international peers in the areas of science and mathematics. In this Education Policy Brief, CEEP describes how Indiana performs as a whole in the areas of mathematics and science, examines Indiana’s academic progress in these subject areas compared to other Midwestern states and nationally, and explores how Indiana compares on an international level.

Click HERE to find a copy of the 12-page policy brief in PDF format on the CEEP web site. Click HERE to see the Fast Facts sheet related to the brief.

September 4, 2007: The Daily Schedule: A Look at the Relationship Between Time and Academic Achievement In an effort to deliver academic instruction in the most effective and efficient manner possible, many school systems have experimented with alternative school-day structures. This new CEEP Education Policy Brief, part of a series devoted to school-time issues, profiles nontraditional school initiatives that have emerged across the nation, including a profile of innovative uses of instructional time that have proved effective. The success of alternative school-day structures is considered, and issues related to school start time and school-day length are reviewed.

Click HERE to find a copy of the 8-page policy brief in PDF format on the CEEP web site. Click HERE to see the Fast Facts sheet related to the brief.

August 20, 2007: Latino Language Minority Students in Indiana: Trends, Conditions, and Challenges is a Special Report just released by CEEP. The report was prepared by nine authors with broad and deep experience and knowledge of this subject. They review conditions for Latino language students in Indiana’s schools and identify significant problems and challenges for improving their learning.

Click HERE to find a copy of the 20-page special report in PDF format on the CEEP web site. Click HERE to see the media release from Indiana University about this Education Policy Brief.

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July 9, 2007: Assessing the Policy Environment for School Corporation Collaboration, Cooperation, and Consolidation in Indiana The latest CEEP Education Policy Brief examines the research regarding the efforts occurring in the United States to consolidate school corporations or form cooperative agreements for shared services. The brief also examines those policy levers which are contributing to the elevated discussion concerning consolidation and shared services in Indiana. Based upon the body of state and federal research, the brief offers recommendations to advance the dialogue on consolidation, collaboration, and cooperation for consideration by educators, education interest groups, and policymakers.

Click HERE to find a copy of the 16-page policy brief in PDF format on the CEEP web site. Click HERE to see the Fast Facts sheet related to the brief. Click HERE to see the media release from Indiana University about this Education Policy Brief.

June 20, 2007: Public Opinion Survey on Higher Education Issues in Indiana  At the request of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, CEEP has completed a survey of Indiana residents about their perceptions of higher education in the state.  The 17-question survey examined public perceptions on the value and importance, quality, accessibility and affordability, and the priority and choices of higher education.

CEEP staff presented the survey findings to the Commission in May 2007.  Click HERE to find a copy of the survey report.

May 11, 2007: Perspectives on Indiana’s Key K-12 Legislation of 2007 CEEP staff have prepared a summary of the nine key K-12 education bills enacted by the Indiana legislature. A unique feature of this legislative summary is the inclusion of commentary and perspectives on each bill shared by six representatives of statewide education or business associations. Click HERE to find a copy of the legislative summary in PDF format on the CEEP web site.

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May 11, 2007: Alternatives to the Traditional School-Year Calendar The latest CEEP Education Policy Brief, continues a three part series on the use of time in schools. Alternatives to the Traditional School-Year Calendar examines the use of year-round and extended school-year calendars, reviews the research on the effectiveness of these options, and addresses emerging alternative policies on the use of instructional time.

Click HERE to find a copy of the policy brief in PDF format on the CEEP web site. Click HERE to see the Fast Facts sheet related to the brief. Click HERE to see the media release issued by the IU Office of Media Relations.

The first CEEP policy brief in this series, Is It Time to Change Indiana’s School-Year Calendar?, was published in January 2007. Click HERE to see a PDF version of that brief.

A subsequent policy brief will focus on the daily school schedule, further examining the relationship between time and academic achievement, and reviewing emerging policies and trends impacting the use of instructional time during the school day.

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Mr. Andrew Rotherham to Present at Upcoming CEEP Education Policy Chat The Center for Evaluation and Education Policy will host Mr. Andy Rotherham, of Education Sector, on Thursday, April 12, 2007 at 3:30 p.m. in the Georgian Room of the Indiana Memorial Union.

Rotherham is co-founder and co-director of Education Sector, an independent national education policy think tank. Considered one of the nation's leading education policy analysts, he is also a member of the Virginia State Board of Education, author of the blog Eduwonk.com, and a senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute.

Prior to co-founding Education Sector, Rotherham launched the 21st Century Schools Project at the Progressive Policy Institute, which he directed from 1998 until 2005. He also served at The White House as Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, where he advised President Clinton on a wide range of education issues. He was also the youngest person to lead the White House Domestic Policy Council education team. Mr. Rotherham is a widely published author, and has co-edited three books on education policy, most recently Collective Bargaining in Education: Negotiating Change in Today's Schools with Jane Hannaway (Harvard Education Press, 2005).

Rotherham earned a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Virginia Tech, and a master’s degree in education from the University of Virginia, where he is currently completing his doctorate in political science.

All students, faculty, staff, media personnel, and community members are welcome to attend.

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On March 30, 2007, the Center for Evaluation & Education Policy (CEEP) completed the Special Education Service Delivery in Indiana: Year 2 Study for the Indiana Department of Education, Division of Exceptional Learners. This study examined whether one of the four special education planning district models used in the state stood above the other models in providing the most efficient and effective services to students with disabilities. In this study, “efficiency” was defined as programs that provide a high percentage of per-pupil special education funding to instructional services for students relative to direct, non-instructional services and administrative expenses. ISTEP+ results were examined to determine whether the type of governance structure impacts student performance. Revenue, personnel salary, expenditure, and student performance data were analyzed for the 2000-05 school years. Opinions and perspectives of stakeholders including teachers and administrators were gathered through focus groups, onsite and phone interviews, and questionnaires to contribute to the formulation of findings and recommendations issued in the study.Please click here to view the findings of the report.

Click HERE to find a copy of the CEEP Education Policy Brief about the study.

CEEP Presents Dr. Chester Finn, Jr. as the March Education Policy Chat Speaker The Center for Evaluation & Education Policy will host Dr. Chester Finn, Jr., President of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, on Thursday, March 8, 2007 at 1:30 p.m. in the Whittenberger Auditorium of the Indiana Memorial Union.

For 25 years, Dr. Finn has been in the forefront of the national debate about school reform. Dr. Finn received his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and doctoral degree in education policy from Harvard University. From 1985 to 1988, he served as Assistant Secretary for Research and Improvement at the U.S. Department of Education. Additionally, he has worked as Staff Assistant to the President of the United States; Special Assistant to the Governor of Massachusetts; Counsel to the U.S. Ambassador to India; Research Associate at the Brookings Institution; and Legislative Director for Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Dr. Finn is the author of 14 books, including his most recent Leaving No Child Behind: Options for Kids in Failing Schools, co-edited with Dr. Frederick Hess.

All students, faculty, staff, media personnel, and community members are welcome to attend.

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The CEEP Education Policy Chat Featuring Dr. Frederick Hess on February 15 has been CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER RELATED PROBLEMS The Center for Evaluation & Education Policy is sorry to announce the presentation by Dr. Frederick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute scheduled for Thursday, February 15, had to be cancelled. A winter storm in Washington, DC interrupted Dr. Hess’ ability to get to Bloomington. CEEP and Dr. Hess will attempt to reschedule his presentation this May.

Upcoming CEEP Education Policy Chat sessions include Dr. Chester Finn of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation on March 8, and Andrew Rotherham of Education Sector on April 12.

March 5, 2007: CEEP Annual Report issued. The Center for Evaluation & Education Policy released its Annual Report this week.  This is the first such report since CEEP was created by the merger of two long-established Indiana University centers.  The Indiana Center for Evaluation and the Indiana Education Policy Center were united in 2004.  The new report reviews CEEP’s work since the merger through the 2005-2006 fiscal year.

Examples of CEEP’s program evaluation and education policy research are highlighted along with its groundbreaking Equity Project and study of student engagement.  Information is included about the Center’s purpose, management philosophy, and people.

Click HERE to see and Adobe PDF version of the Annual Report.

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March 5, 2007: CEEP report on Student Engagement Published. A report on findings from the 2006 High School Survey of Student Engagement (HSSSE) was released last week. More than 81,000 students responded to the annual survey. HSSSE was administered in 110 high schools, ranging in size from 37 students to nearly 4,000, across 26 states.

The findings include:

• 2 out of 3 students are bored in class every day, while 17% say they are bored in every class.
• 73% of students who have considered dropping out said it was because "I didn't like the school." 61% said, "I didn't like the teachers," and 60% said, "I didn't see the value in the work I was being asked to do."
• Students said activities in which they learn with and from peers are the most exciting and engaging. More than 80% of students responded that "discussion and debate" are "a little," "somewhat" or "very much" exciting and engaging, and more than 70% responded in this way about "group projects." By contrast, just 52% said teacher lecture is "a little," "somewhat" or "very much" exciting and engaging.
• The survey found that students aren't spending a lot of time on homework. While 80% of the students surveyed indicated that doing written homework is either "somewhat important," "very important" or a "top priority," 43% reported spending an hour or less doing homework each week. Similarly, 73% of the students said reading and studying for class is either "somewhat important," "very important" or a "top priority." But 55% said they spent an hour or less per week reading and studying for class.

Each participating school receives a report detailing how their students answered the survey.  The schools use the data to improve programs, activities, and their staff/faculty professional development efforts.

To see an Adobe PDF version of the full report, click HERE.  To see the Media Release issued by Indiana University about the report, click HERE. To learn more about the High School Survey of Student Engagement, or to find out how to register a school to participate in the survey, click HERE.

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February 14, 2007: What is the Complexity Index? The latest CEEP Education Policy Brief, What is the Complexity Index?, by Dr. Robert Toutkoushian and Dr. Robert Michael, examines Indiana’s school funding formula and the efforts by policymakers and education leaders to provide equitable and adequate funding for all students. Similar to other states, Indiana has implemented a funding formula that allocates revenue to school corporations in part based on the socioeconomic status of the students served by the corporations. The mechanism in the formula to do this is known as the Complexity Index (CI). This Education Policy Brief (EPB) explains how the Complexity Index was derived and how it is used, and considers whether it is working to fulfill its school funding objectives.

Click HERE to find a copy of the policy brief in PDF format on the CEEP web site. Click HERE to see the Fast Facts sheet related to the brief. Click HERE to see the Additional Web Resources and Suggested Readings. Click HERE to see the media release issued by the IU Office of Media Relations.

Dr. Plucker will be a guest of Wisconsin Public Radio on Tuesday, February 13, from 5:00 - 6:00pm EST. The topic will be the recent report of the No Child Left Behind commission. Related CEEP documents are listed below:

- No Child Left Behind Spring 2005 Implementation Update
- Closing the Achievement Gap Series: Part III: What is the Impact of NCLB on the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities?

January 22, 2007: Is it Time to Change Indiana’s School-Year Calendar? Indiana statute presently requires a minimum of 180 instructional days be conducted in all public schools. The General Assembly will likely consider possible changes to provide more time for teachers’ professional development and parent-teacher conferences during the school-year.

The Education Policy Brief issued today by the Center for Evaluation & Education Policy (CEEP) reviews the changes that may be proposed, the impact they may have on the number of instructional hours provided for students, and how Indiana’s instructional time requirements compare with other states and countries. The brief includes other states’ policies on student dismissal for professional development activities, and highlights research on the effects of the amount of instructional time and professional development on student achievement.

Click HERE to find a copy of the policy brief in PDF format on the CEEP web site. Click HERE to see the Fast Facts sheet related to the brief. Click HERE to see the media release issued by the IU Office of Media Relations.

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January 3, 2007: The 2006 Public Opinion Survey on Education in Indiana, released by CEEP today, gauged the attitudes and perceptions of a representative sample of Hoosiers on such key educational issues as kindergarten and pre-kindergarten programs, No Child Left Behind and P.L. 221, school funding and taxes, teacher quality, school choice and charter schools, and the achievement gap in the state. The survey found, for example, that the great majority of residents support state-funded full-day kindergarten programs, as well as state-sponsored pre-school for at-risk children. Attitudes toward standardized testing varied, with a majority of residents viewing ISTEP as beneficial, but fewer than 50 percent identifying benefits from No Child Left Behind or P.L. 221. As a whole, Hoosiers continue to hold positive attitudes about public K-12 schools, but non-whites were more likely than whites to give unfavorable ratings.

CEEP Director Jonathan Plucker and Associate Director for Education Policy Terry Spradlin presented the survey data and discussed the results with members of the Indiana State Board of Education this morning.  This is the fourth consecutive year that CEEP has conducted the Public Opinion Survey on Education in Indiana.

Click HERE to find a copy of the survey report in PDF format on the CEEP web site. Click HERE to view the Microsoft PowerPoint presentation about the survey prepared for the State Board of Education. Click HERE to read the IU Press Release about the survey.

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