Student Achievement

Other reports

When Principals Rate Teachers

March 1, 2006

Brian Jacob, Lars Lefgren

Elementary- and secondary-school teachers in the United States traditionally have been compensated according to salary schedules based solely on experience and education. Concerned that this system makes it difficult to retain talented teachers and...

Two people with laptops reviewing a document

EPI Working papers

The Effect of School Choice on Student Outcomes: Evidence from Randomized Lotteries

November 1, 2003

Brian Jacob, Julie Berry Cullen, Steven Levitt

School choice has become an increasingly prominent strategy for enhancing academic achievement. Evaluating the impact of such programs is complicated by the fact that a highly select sample of students takes advantage of these programs. To overcome...

Student walking down a hallway at school

EPI Working papers

Accountability, Incentives, and Behavior: The Impact of High-Stakes Testing in the Chicago Public Schools

June 1, 2002

Brian Jacob

The recent federal education bill, No Child Left Behind, requires states to test students in grades three to eight each year, and to judge school performance on the basis of these test scores. While intended to maximize student learning, there is...

EPI Working papers

The Impact of Teacher Training on Student Achievement: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from School Reform Efforts in Chicago

April 1, 2002

Brian Jacob, Lars Lefgren

While there is a substantial literature on the relationship between general teacher characteristics and student learning, school districts and states often rely on in-service teacher training as a part of school reform efforts. Recent school reform...

Support for K-12

Evaluation of Michigan's Read by Grade Three Law

September 2019

Brian Jacob, Christina Weiland, Katharine Strunk, Tara Kilbride, Nicole Wagner Lam, Jasmina Camo-Biogradlija, Kyle Kwaiser, Thomas Staines

Literacy knowledge and skills developed in the early elementary grades predict long-term literacy achievement, on-time graduation, and later-life outcomes. In recognizing the critical importance of establishing early literacy skills, there has been substantial instructional and policy attention given to improving rates of reading proficiency in the elementary grades. In 2016, based on the recommendation of the Michigan Third Grade Reading Workgroup, the Michigan legislature passed the Read by Grade Three Law (RBG3), which requires schools to identify learners who are struggling with reading...

Young child completing a written assignment

Postsecondary preparation & success

College Acceleration Programs in Michigan

September 2020

Kevin Stange, Sabrina Solanki, Jonathan Hartman, Nicole Wagner Lam, William Metz, Yincheng Ye

In 2020, the Michigan Legislature asked that the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) produce a report analyzing trends in college acceleration program participation in Michigan and the extent to which postsecondary access and outcomes is improved as a result of these programs. To meet these aims, MDE has partnered with EPI to study enrollment, performance, and postsecondary outcomes for students who enrolled in international baccalaureate (IB), advanced placement (AP), dual or concurrent enrollment (DE), early or middle college high schools (EMC), and career and technical education (CTE)...