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EWA Research Briefs

The briefs collected on this page are designed to give reporters an overview of what research says about timely education issues. They are produced with input from EWA's Research Roundtable.

  • What Studies Say About College Readiness (May 2012) Among school reformers and policymakers, “college readiness” has become a ubiquitous rallying cry. But for all of the recent buzz about college readiness, it is difficult to say what that term means, how such readiness might be measured, or what schools might do to produce it. EWA's new research brief delves into the current debates around, and research into, efforts to ensure that the majority of the country’s young people receive a K-12 education that truly prepares them to succeed in college.
  • What Studies Say About School Turnarounds (February 2012) Efforts to overhaul struggling schools have existed for decades, but it wasn’t until President Obama fortified the process with $3.5 billion in 2009 that the term school turnaround became etched in the public consciousness. While there is a lack of empirical studies on turnaround practices that result in improved student achievement, it is possible to work backward—to examine successful turnarounds, in the world of education and elsewhere, and determine what characteristics they have in common. This brief draws on a review of over 50 research studies or syntheses, as well as scholarly articles and interviews with scholars involved in the many aspects of school turnaround research.
  • What Studies Say About Teacher Effectiveness (June 2011) As policymakers and school leaders seek new ways to measure and improve teacher effectiveness, it’s important for journalists and others to understand what is known about the topic so far, and what remains unsettled or unknown. This research brief does not synthesize all the studies in this highly technical field. But it does aim to improve the accuracy and clarity of reporting by exploring what the research says about timely questions surrounding the complex topic of teacher effectiveness.