Mean scores on the New South Wales Basic Skills Test (BST) in the period 1996-2002 among 71 Count Me In Too (CMIT) schools from across the whole of the state were analysed. In conjunction, background data on the schools and their staff perceptions of CMIT were gathered. The results showed that the mean Year 3 BST numeracy score increased steadily and significantly during the period, while all o...

In this paper, we report the results of a pilot study of the cost of teacher turnover in five school districts. We examine the rate of turnover, the relationship between turnover and teacher and school characteristics, and the costs associated with recruiting, hiring, and training replacement teachers. We find evidence that turnover costs, although difficult to quantify, are significant at both...

Seldom does a school day go by in most school buildings in the United States without at least one student reporting to either the principal’s office or the nurse’s office for treatment of a sudden illness or injury. The National Safety Council statistics indicate that 57% of the accidents involving children of school age which require the attention of a doctor or cause absence from school of on...

The literature on effective schools emphasizes the importance of a quality teaching force in improving educational outcomes for students. In this article we use valueadded methods to examine the relationship between a school’s effectiveness and the recruitment, assignment, development, and retention of its teachers. Our results reveal four key findings. First, we find that more effective school...

When U.S. children enter school, their reading skills vary widely by their socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, and immigrant status. Because these literacy gaps exist before children enter school, observes Jane Waldfogel, the disparities must arise from conditions outside of schools--from the children's families and communities. And the same out-of-school factors may continue to influence...

This study informs community science, and seeks to narrow the research-to-practice gap, by examining how the interpersonal networks within a setting influence individuals' use of interventions. More specifically, it explores the role of two network mechanisms-cohesion and structural similarity-in urban elementary school teachers' use of interventions designed to improve academic and behavioral ...

Children growing up in low-income families face many challenges that children from more advantaged families do not.1 These children are more likely to experience multiple family transitions, move frequently, and change schools.2 The schools they attend are less well funded, and the neighborhoods they live in are more disadvantaged.3 The parents of these children have fewer resources to invest i...