Showing papers by "Susanna Loeb published in 2017"
TL;DR: The authors found that taking a course online, instead of in-person, reduces student success and progress in college, and that students are less likely to remain enrolled at the university after taking online courses.
Abstract: Online college courses are a rapidly expanding feature of higher education, yet little research identifies their effects relative to traditional in-person classes. Using an instrumental variables approach, we find that taking a course online, instead of in-person, reduces student success and progress in college. Grades are lower both for the course taken online and in future courses. Students are less likely to remain enrolled at the university. These estimates are local average treatment effects for students with access to both online and in-person options; for other students, online classes may be the only option for accessing college-level courses.
228 citations
TL;DR: Even when teachers remain in the same school, they can switch roles by moving to new or new-to-school teachers as mentioned in this paper, even when they are still employed at the same institution.
Abstract: Educators raise concerns about what happens to students when they are exposed to new or new-to-school teachers. However, even when teachers remain in the same school they can switch roles by moving...
58 citations
TL;DR: This article found that principals' evaluations of teachers are quite positive whether the stakes are high or low, but the low-stakes evaluations show substantially more use of lower rating categories, and many teachers rated ineffective on the lowstakes assessment receive “effective” or “highly effective” high-stakes ratings.
Abstract: Teacher effectiveness varies substantially, yet principals’ evaluations of teachers often fail to differentiate performance among teachers. We offer new evidence on principals’ subjective evaluations of their teachers’ effectiveness using two sources of data from a large, urban district: principals’ high-stakes personnel evaluations of teachers, and their low-stakes assessments of a subsample of those teachers provided to the researchers. We find that principals’ evaluations of teachers are quite positive whether the stakes are high or low, but the low-stakes evaluations show substantially more use of lower rating categories, and many teachers rated ineffective on the low-stakes assessment receive “effective” or “highly effective” high-stakes ratings. Teacher characteristics, such as experience, partially explain the discrepancy between the two scores. Also, despite the fact that principals overwhelmingly assign teachers to the two highest rating categories on the high-stakes evaluation, their high- and l...
54 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors build a broader framework for Chinese principal leadership and determine what aspects of principal leadership correlate most highly with school outcomes, and find out which aspects correlate most with school performance.
Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this study is to build a broader framework for Chinese principal leadership and to determine what aspects of principal leadership correlate most highly with school outcomes ...
43 citations
TL;DR: The authors hypothesize that a relatively effective teacher can positively affect the performance of a teacher in terms of student peer effects, but they do not study the effect of teacher peer effects among teachers.
Abstract: Student peer effects are well documented; however, we know far less about peer effects among teachers. We hypothesize that a relatively effective teacher can positively affect the performance of hi...
42 citations
TL;DR: This paper used longitudinal administrative data, including achievement data from untested grades, and teacher survey data to find out whether school performance pressures apply disproportionately to tested grades and subjects, and found that test scores disproportionately applied to tested classes and subjects.
Abstract: School performance pressures apply disproportionately to tested grades and subjects. Using longitudinal administrative data—including achievement data from untested grades—and teacher survey data f...
31 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the federal government channeled resources to the country's lowest performing schools through School Improvement Grants (SIG), but prior research on this grant-based approach was limited.
Abstract: Hoping to spur dramatic school turnaround, the federal government channeled resources to the country’s lowest-performing schools through School Improvement Grants (SIG). However, prior research on ...
27 citations
01 Aug 2017
TL;DR: Improvements are identified indicating the process through which change occurred, including reduced unexcused absences, increased family preference for SIG schools, improved retention of effective teachers, and greater development of teacher professional capacity.
Abstract: Hoping to spur dramatic school turnaround, the federal government channeled resources to the country’s lowest-performing schools through School Improvement Grants (SIG). However, prior research on ...
27 citations
08 Mar 2017
23 citations
TL;DR: This article studied the effects of class size on student outcomes in online college classes and found that small class size changes have little impact on student success in the course and subsequent persistence in college.
23 citations
01 Jan 2017
01 Mar 2017
01 Jan 2017
TL;DR: The authors investigate the persistence of teachers' value-added effects on student learning over multiple school years and across subject areas, and find that teachers' impacts on same-subject standardized achievement scores are smaller in the year of instruction, but that teacher-induced gains to ELA achievement appear to reflect more broadly applicable skills that persist in supporting student learning in the long run across disciplines.
Abstract: Evidence that teachers’ short-term instructional effects persist over time and predict substantial long-run impacts on students’ lives provides much of the impetus for a wide range of educational reforms focused on identifying and responding to differences in teachers’ value-added to student learning. However, relatively little research has examined how the particular types of knowledge or skills that teachers impart to students contribute to their longer-term success. In this article, we investigate the persistence of teachers’ value-added effects on student learning over multiple school years and across subject areas. We find that, in comparison with math teachers, English language arts (ELA) teachers’ impacts on same-subject standardized achievement scores are smaller in the year of instruction, but that teacher-induced gains to ELA achievement appear to reflect more broadly applicable skills that persist in supporting student learning in the long run across disciplines. Our results highlight important...
01 May 2017
TL;DR: This article found that children in the differentiated and personalized program were 50 percent more likely to read at a higher level (p<0.01) compared to the general group; and their parents reported engaging more in literacy activities by 0.31 standard deviations (p <0.1) compared with the control group.
Abstract: Recent studies show that texting-based interventions can produce educational benefits in children across a range of ages. We study the effects of a text-based program for kindergarten parents, distinguishing a general program from one that adds differentiation and personalization based on the child’s developmental level. Children in the differentiated and personalized program were 50 percent more likely to read at a higher level (p<0.01) compared to the general group; and their parents reported engaging more in literacy activities by 0.31 standard deviations (p<0.01) compared to the control group. Effects were driven by children further from average levels of baseline development. 1 Center for Education Policy Analysis, 520 Galvez Mall, CERAS Building, Stanford, CA 94305 cdoss@stanford.edu; 626-676-8568, efahle@stanford.edu, sloeb@stanford.edu. 2 10 Mulberry Ct. #3, Belmont, CA, 94002; ben.york@parentpowered.com We give special thanks to Carla Bryant, Meenoo Yashar, Pamela Geisler, and numerous other employees of the San Francisco Unified School District for the many ways in which they supported this study. The research reported here was supported in part by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305B090016 to Stanford University as well as generous grants from the Silver Giving Foundation and the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Foundation. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.
02 Nov 2017