Education Commons^™

Integration In Little Rock Area, Part 5: Are Students Moves More Integrative Or Segregative?, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

School integration has been a contentious policy issue in Little Rock since the 1950s. Recent charter expansions have raised questions about the current level of integration in public schools (charter and traditional) in the Little Rock metro area. As part of our series on integration in Little Rock, this brief examines the impact of student moves on the overall level of integration in the Little Rock area public school system.

Integration In The Little Rock Area, Part 4: What Is The Current Level Of Integration In Little Rock?, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

School integration has been a contentious policy issue in Little Rock since the 1950s. Recent charter expansions have raised questions about the current level of integration in public schools (charter and traditional) in the Little Rock Area. As part of our series on integration in Little Rock, this brief examines the prevalence of hyper segregated white, black, and economically disadvantaged schools, and calculates the average difference between school demographics and the area’s demographics.

Integration In The Little Rock Area, Part 3: Where Do Students Move?, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

School integration has been a contentious policy issue in Little Rock since the 1950s. Recent charter expansions have raised questions about the current level of integration in public schools (charter and traditional) in the Little Rock Area. As part of our series on integration in Little Rock, this brief examines the differences in school-level demographics and academics between the schools students leave and the schools these students enter

Integration In The Little Rock Area, Part 2: Disproportionalities Among Student Movers, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

School integration has been a contentious policy issue in Little Rock since the 1950s. Recent charter expansions have raised questions about the current level of integration in public schools (charter and traditional) in the Little Rock Area. As part of our series on integration in Little Rock, this brief examines the demographics and academic performance of students switching between public school sectors, and disproportionate representation of certain students among sector switchers

Were High-Poverty Districts In Texas Disproportionally Impacted By State Funding Cuts? School Finance Equity In Texas Following The Great Recession, David S. Knight

Policy Briefs

While almost all states cut education funding following the Great Recession, and few have restored budgets back to pre-recession levels, there is little understanding among policy makers about how state funding cuts were distributed across districts.

When Texas cut K-12 education budgets by $4 billion in 2011, legislators reached a compromise over whether to cut funding evenly for all districts, or whether to protect high-need districts. This policy brief shows that despite state legislators’ efforts, the highest-poverty districts in Texas experienced a disproportionate share of the recessionary budget cuts. Although this trend holds nationally, the funding gap between rich and …

Integration In The Little Rock Area, Part 1: Demographic Trends In Enrollment, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

School integration has been a contentious policy issue in Little Rock since the 1950s. Recent charter expansions have raised questions about the current level of integration in public schools (charter and traditional) in the Little Rock Area. As an introduction to this work, we begin by examining broad changes in enrollment before we drill down in later briefs and study the impacts of individual moves

Postsecondary Remediation And Rogers’ Academic Guarantee, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

Over a decade ago, Rogers School District implemented a policy called the Academic Conclusion P.4 Guarantee, promising to reimburse eligible graduates who have to enroll in remedial courses in college. In this brief, we examine Arkansas’s college remediation policy, Rogers’ policy, and how this might affect other Arkansas school districts.

Kids Through College: How Helena-West Helena And Kipp Delta Are Serving All Students, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

Two years ago, KIPP Through College advisors from KIPP Delta Collegiate High School started working at Central High in Helena. What’s happened since reveals the power of collaboration and suggests best practices for all schools.

Advanced Placement In Arkansas: Increasing Equity, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

Each spring, secondary students across Arkansas sit for Advanced Placement (AP) Exams. Arkansas has one of the most aggressive policies promoting AP in the nation. Despite this, Arkansas students are still struggling with inequitable and inadequate access to AP courses. This brief examines the effects of Arkansas’ AP legislation on equity, adequacy, and productivity in AP policy, particularly for the state’s low-income and minority students.

Quality Counts 2016, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

Last week, Education Week released their 20th annual Quality Counts report. This year’s report discusses school accountability and examines state and federal accountability policies. It also grades the nation and each state on academic performance and outcomes. Overall, Arkansas received a C– and was ranked 41st among the 50 states. This policy brief examines Arkansas’ rank in each category of the report as well as the quality of the report itself.