Leadership Blog

Inside School Research

The Inside School Research blog covered education research behind big policy debates and daily classroom concerns. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: research, teaching research, and leadership research.

Education Is a Scholarship Promise Enough to Keep Students on a Path to College?
Results are unimpressive so far from a Washington state program that guarantees college scholarships to middle school students who keep a pledge to make it through high school with a 2.0 GPA, avoid trouble with the law, and apply for student aid.
Megan Ruge, January 3, 2020
3 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Anxiety Can Make Kids Avoid Math. Here's How They Can Talk Through the Fear
New research suggests anxiety can make students avoid engaging in math, even when they could gain big rewards from doing so. But a separate study also offers a simple way teachers can help math-anxious students build confidence.
Sarah D. Sparks, December 19, 2019
4 min read
School & District Management In Math, Teachers' Unconscious Biases May Be More Subtle Than You Think
Racial and gender stereotypes may color teachers' perceptions of students' math abilities, even when they rate students' performance equally, finds a new study in the journal Educational Researcher.
Sarah D. Sparks, December 13, 2019
3 min read
Federal America's Literacy, Numeracy Problems Don't End in K-12, Global Test Shows
On the heels of a troubling "report card" on reading and math skills among U.S. students, a global test of adult skills suggests older generations may echo those problems.
Sarah D. Sparks, November 19, 2019
2 min read
Science Boys' and Girls' Brains the Same When It Comes to Math
Boys and girls start out on the same biological footing when it comes to math, according to the first neuroimaging study of math gender differences in children.
Sarah D. Sparks, November 12, 2019
2 min read
Student Achievement 'No Progress' Seen in Reading or Math on Nation's Report Card
"Over the past decade, there has been no progress in either mathematics or reading performance, and the lowest-performing students are doing worse," Peggy Carr, the associate commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, said of the latest national assessment results.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 30, 2019
7 min read
Science Infants Recognize Counting Long Before They Can Say, '1, 2, 3'
It generally takes until preschool age for children to understand that a word like "four" represents a set, but new research from Johns Hopkins University suggests infants understand the concept of counting years earlier.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 24, 2019
3 min read
Science Video-Based Teacher Collaboration Helps Teachers Find the 'Story of Science'
After a successful pilot, a professional development program is looking to expand its lesson-study approach to rural teachers.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 10, 2019
3 min read
School & District Management KIPP Middle School Students More Likely to Enroll in College, Seek 4-Year Degrees
The Knowledge Is Power Program schools were created in 1994 to help more low-income and minority students get into college. A new study suggests the charter network's goal is being met.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 26, 2019
4 min read
School & District Management Neighborhood Poverty Deepens in 10 States, and Children of Color Bear the Brunt
More than 1 in 4 black and Native American students live in deeply impoverished communities, finds a new analysis by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, adding stress to schools serving them.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 24, 2019
1 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Advice on Choosing a 'Brain Training' Program for Students
The hype around methods for boosting the brain's executive functions often outstrips the still-emerging research, but a new report offers ways education leaders can evaluate programs.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 18, 2019
3 min read
Federal U.S. Students and Teachers Top Global Peers for Time Spent in School in OECD Study
U.S. teachers and their students alike spend significantly more time at school than their peers internationally, according to the latest Education at a Glance compendium by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 10, 2019
2 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement What Students Write to the President Sheds Light on Their Civics Learning
America's students want to be civically engaged on everything from immigration to school spending, according to a study of more than 11,000 letters students wrote to the "next U.S. president." The missives show wide variation in how students inform their writing on civic issues.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 4, 2019
3 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Are End-of-Course Exams an Alternative to Exit Exams? Maybe
End-of-course tests in some courses may support graduation rates, finds a new study.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 27, 2019
2 min read