News & Events
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Sept. 21, 2012 | Two New CEEP Education Policy Briefs. The 2011 Indiana General Assembly passed a bill that significantly changed the way Indiana teachers will be evaluated and compensated. An earlier CEEP policy brief, Revamping the Teacher Evaluation Process (Whiteman, Shi, & Plucker, 2011), provides an extensive review of this law and the various evaluation models available to school districts to use. School districts worked during the 2011-12 school year to put together evaluation plans that align with the legislation. This brief is the first of a two-part series exploring how Senate Enrolled Act 001 is being implemented across Indiana school districts. The brief includes the results of a survey of superintendents. It also presents the features of quality evaluation plans and introduces essential elements of a planning process that ensures equitable, effective, and efficient plans for evaluating educators. The second brief will be released later in the fall, and will present challenges and implications of Public Law 90 for professional development, policy, and teacher education programs. Click HERE to open a downloadable PDF version of the new policy brief. 2. The Evolution of Indiana’s School Accountability System This new education policy brief reviews the history of Indiana education reform efforts over the past 25 years, and includes a look at how these efforts may continue into the future. School accountability has been, and continues to be, the focus of these reform efforts at all levels of Indiana’s K-12 system. The brief includes the different perspectives of four current education leaders in the state. The brief also offers several conclusions and recommendations to guide future discussions. Click HERE to open a downloadable PDF version of the new policy brief. Click HERE to open a PDF version of the Fast Facts sheet for this brief. |
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Sept. 20, 2012 | The Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Indiana University Bloomington announced that it has been awarded a Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The project includes a partnership with CEEP to provide program evaluation. Click HERE to see IU’s media release. |
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Sept. 13, 2012 |
CEEP will host the fall mini-symposium of The Indiana Public School/University Partnership “Partnershare.” (Read more: Show/Hide) The event will be held in the Presidents’ Room at the University Club at the Indiana Memorial Union. Discussion topics will include chronic absenteeism, school accountability, the excellence gap, disproportionality in special education and education reform. CEEP’s Director Jonathan Plucker, Education Policy Director Terry Spradlin, and Faculty Associates Russell Skiba and Suzanne Eckes will present. |
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Sept. 9, 2012 | New CEEP Website. The Center for Evaluation & Education Policy launched a totally new website this month. Those interested in CEEP’s work with program evaluation and educational policy research will want to bookmark this site as a resource. The address for CEEP’s home on the Web remains: http://ceep.indiana.edu. Please email CEEP with your questions or feedback about the new website. |
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August 31, 2012 | Indiana University Bloomington has been awarded a projected $1.1 million, five-year grant through the U.S. Department of Education's Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program. The project includes a partnership with CEEP to provide program evaluation. Click HERE to see IU’s media release. |
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July 25, 2012 |
CEEP’s newest Education Policy Brief, Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism in Indiana: The Impact on Student Achievement, was issued today. (Read more: Show/Hide) CEEP research staff studied Indiana’s student attendance and absenteeism data to examine the impact of chronic absenteeism on student achievement. The brief summarizes analysis and conclusions and presents recommendations for policymakers to consider. The study was initiated by The Indiana Partnerships Center, and conducted by CEEP with funding from the USA Funds and State Farm. Additional partners included the Marion County Commission on Youth, Net Literacy, and Attendance Works. Click HERE to find a PDF version of the Education Policy Brief that summarizes the study. Click HERE to see related content and resources on the “Missing School Matters” website of The Indiana Partnerships Center. |
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July 17, 2012 |
A study by CEEP Faculty Associate Adam Maltese indicates that students at schools showing consistent improvement on the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress exam performed no better on the ACT science and math college entrance exams than classmates from declining schools.
(Read more: Show/Hide) "The Consequences of 'School Improvement': Examining the Association Between Two Standardized Assessments Measuring School Improvement and Student Science Achievement," published this week in the Journal of Research in Science Teaching, is the work of Dr. Maltese, assistant professor of science education in the Indiana University School of Education, and Craig Hochbein, assistant professor of leadership, foundations and human resource education in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Louisville. Click HERE to see IU’s media release. |
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July 16, 2012 | CEEP Faculty Associate Hannah Schertz has been awarded $3.5 million to help improve communication in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder. The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Dr. Schertz, Indiana University School of Education assistant professor of special education, and two colleagues at other universities to study a method aimed at bolstering developmental foundations that support language for children with autism spectrum disorders. Click HERE to see IU’s media release. |
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June 21-22, 2012 | Along with the IU School Administrators Association, the IU School of Education, with support from the Midwest Regional Education Laboratory, CEEP will co-host the 45th Annual Education Leadership Summer Conference.
Day 1 will feature two panel discussions, “The Evolution of School Accountability in Indiana: the Proposed Changes and Likely Impact to K-12 Schools” (moderated by CEEP Director Jonathan Plucker) and “Education Law for School Leaders” (moderated by CEEP Faculty Associate Dr. Suzanne Eckes). See the conference site for more information.
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June 20, 2012 | CEEP's Terry Spradlin will participate in national webinar on school absenteeism. "Using Attendance Data to Inform Policy and Practice" is sponsored by Attendance Works, a national and state initiative that promotes awareness of attendance issues and promotes practices to address the problem, and the Data Quality Campaign, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, national advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., that provides education data to all stakeholders. |
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June 5, 2012 |
International Education Impact of U.S. Funding Cut from UNESCO
is the topic of a new CEEP report.
(Read more: Show/Hide) The United States withheld its contribution to the budget of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) after the international body voted to grant member state status to Palestine last Fall. CEEP has just published its report on possible impacts of this action, “UNESCO Without U.S. Funding? Implications for Education Worldwide.” The new CEEP report presents the facts around the controversy, and includes the perspectives of four leaders in international education. The four contributors present widely different views on how this will impact UNESCO programs and operations around the world. They agree cutting the funds for the organization’s educational programs is very likely counter-productive to U.S. interests in international development, health, education, and economic growth. However, they have different perspectives about what concerns them most and what the U.S. should do next. Click HERE to read or download the report as a PDF document on the CEEP website. Click HERE to see the IU media release that was issued about the report. |
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May 14, 2012 |
Three new CEEP publications released today. The two CEEP Education Policy Briefs and a CEEP Special Report are described below. Childhood Obesity and Nutrition Issues in the United States: An Update on School-based Policies and Practices Student Count Mechanisms for Funding Purposes Perspectives on the Key K-12 Education Legislation of 2012
Childhood Obesity and Nutrition Issues in the United States: An Update on School-based Policies and Practices follows up on a 2005 CEEP brief on this topic. The new brief examines the latest research and statistics. Reasons for the continuing increase in obesity rates among children, and the latest federal and state initiatives to combat these causes are considered in the brief. A summary of 41 wellness policies collected from Indiana school districts is included. The brief also offers conclusions and recommendations to schools, education leaders, policymakers, and parents about how to curb the obesity epidemic. Click HERE to see read or download the policy brief in Adobe PDF version. Click HERE to find a PDF of the related Fast Facts sheet. Student Count Mechanisms for Funding Purposes
is a new Education Policy Brief that provides an overview of the student enrollment count mechanisms that are currently employed by states. It then reviews Indiana’s outgoing count mechanism, the Single Count Date, and compares it with the newly enacted Multiple Count Dates mechanism. To conclude the discussion, the brief examines how other states use the Multiple Count Dates mechanism and highlights their varied experiences, to draw insights into how this new mechanism may impact Click HERE to see read or download the policy brief in Adobe PDF version. Perspectives on the Key K-12 Education Legislation of 2012 is a CEEP Special Report that summarizes 14 education bills enacted by the 117th Indiana General Assembly. These specific bills are included in the report for their significance and potential long-term impact on the K-12 education delivery system in the state. The report includes commentary and perspectives from statewide education and advocacy associations on the new laws. Representatives from those associations were invited to share their views concerning the pros and cons of the new laws because of their knowledge and expertise of topics covered by the legislation. The summary also includes the perspectives of Terry Spradlin, Director for Education Policy at CEEP. Click HERE to see read or download the special report in Adobe PDF version. |
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April 2, 2012 | CEEP Director Jonathan Plucker is guest writer for Education Week “Straight Up”' blog this week. Dr. Plucker will post blogs for the Rick Hess "Straight Up" blog for Education Week starting today. |
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Feb. 15, 2012 |
Sexual Violence Prevention is the topic of a new special report issued today by CEEP. “Sexual Violence Prevention in Indiana: Toward Safer, Healthier Communities” presents the related issues from a national perspective, and then focuses on the problem and how it is being addressed in Indiana. (Read more: Show/Hide)
The report concludes with a review of actions being taken in Indiana and other states to address the problem, and recommendations for researchers, school officials, and policymakers.
The prevalence of sexual violence in the United States is a serious public health problem. Based on known statistics there is approximately one sexual assault every two minutes within the U.S. But researchers suspect this is only a fraction of the real instances because they estimate more than half of the assaults are not reported. Along with the many serious emotional, physical, personal, and societal effects of sexual violence, the economic costs to society total more than $5.8 billion each year ($4.1 billion in health costs alone). In Indiana, survey results suggest approximately 1 in 5 women in the state have been victims of rape at some point within their lifetime. Further data indicate females in 9th – 12th grades in Indiana schools have the second highest rate in the nation of forced sexual intercourse. Clearly, sexual violence is a serious concern within the state as well as nationwide. Click HERE to read or download the report in PDF format from the CEEP website. Click HERE to read the related media release issued by Indiana University. |
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Feb. 7, 2012 | Columnist Matthew Tully will discuss new book chronicling troubled IPS school at IU's CEEP Policy Chat. Tully's yearlong observation at Manual High School and resulting columns are the basis for "Searching for Hope: Life at a Failing School in the Heart of America," a book from IU Press. The book won't be in stores until March 1, but copies will be available for purchase and signing at the Education Policy Chat at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, in the Indiana Memorial Union's Dogwood Room. |
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Feb. 1, 2012: |
CEEP Director Elected AAAS Fellow and Recognized as a Top Contributor to Public Debate About Education Jonathan Plucker, director of the Center for Evaluation & Education Policy and IU professor of educational psychology and cognitive science, has been elected to the distinction of Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. (Read more: Show/Hide)
Dr. Plucker was recognized for this achievement today at a reception hosted by Indiana University President Michael McRobbiie.
Jonathan’s AAAS citation of merit was, "For distinguished contributions to the science of creativity and the creation of research-supported education policy." Founded in 1848, AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science. In his blog on the Education Week website, education researcher and author Rick Hess, included Jonathan as one of the nation’s Top Contributors to Public Debate About Education. Click HERE to view the university’s media release about the AAAS honor, and click HERE for the release about the listing by Dr. Hess. |
