Online courses can serve as a practical way for students to recover credit in courses they have failed. This research brief, one in a series investigating the implementation and impacts of the credit recovery courses in the Back on Track Study, describes the study findings for students’ math course accumulation and high school graduation by the end of their fourth year of high school..

Online courses can serve as a practical way for students to recover credit in courses they have failed.This research brief, one in a series investigating the implementation and impacts of the credit recovery courses in the Back on Track Study, describes the study findings for students’ math course accumulation and high school graduation by the end of their fourth year of high school.

AIR experts offer reflections on state ESSA plans submitted to the U.S. Dept. of Education as of May 2017. The plans lay out educational priorities for years to come. Highlighted topics include accountability, college and career readiness, and school improvement.

This fifth brief in a series highlighting findings from the Study of California’s Transitional Kindergarten Program summarizes what we have learned about the impact of TK on EL students’ school readiness skills, including mathematics skills, language and literacy skills, and English proficiency.

This final brief in a series about ISAs explores the current state of the income share agreement market and highlights opportunities and threats to expansion.

After test scores on a state language arts assessment at P.S. 52 Sheepshead Bay School in Brooklyn were unsatisfactory, the school's principal searched for a way to improve academic outcomes for his students. Partnering with AIR, the school used response to intervention, a research-based framework that uses data-based decision-making and three levels of instruction to address a wide range of student needs. Here's what they learned.

Principals influence student learning by leading efforts to improve school climate; recruiting, retaining, and supporting effective teachers; and driving organizational change. Too often, however, states and districts focus on teachers rather than principals when planning for professional supports. This brief offers an easy to digest overview of current school leadership research, and highlights helpful state policy examples.

To improve graduation rates, districts and schools need clear, evidence-based information about the impact of dropout prevention strategies. Check & Connect is a mentoring program designed to promote positive outcomes (including student engagement, progress and persistence, and school completion) through the provision of continuous, individualized student support. This research brief describes a longitudinal study of Check & Connect in a large, urban district in California.

Charter schools have become a widely used alternative to traditional public schools, and play an increasingly important role in state reform efforts. South Carolina stakeholders wanted to broaden their understanding of why some charter schools are more successful than others to inform their consideration of whether to expand this school choice option. This study identifies charter schools that are “beating the odds,” or performing better than expected in math and language arts, given the demographic characteristics of the students they serve.