Educational Researcher

Includes bibliographical references.

The Complexity of College Readiness: Differences by Race and College Selectivity -- Comparing the Efficiency of Schools Through International Benchmarking: Results From an Empirical Analysis of OECD PISA 2012 Data -- Suspensions and Achievement: Varying Links by Type, Frequency, and Subgroup.

[Article Title : The Complexity of College Readiness: Differences by Race and College Selectivity / Daniel Klasik and Terrell L. Strayhorn, p. 334-351] Abstract : To make the abstract idea of "college readiness" legible for public purposes, readiness indicators have tended to treat students identically: If a student meets a simple benchmark, he or she is ready for any college. This shorthand ignores that indicators of readiness may differ according to students' backgrounds and where they choose to enroll in college. We use nationally representative data to show that readiness measures that are sensitive to students' race/ethnicity and the selectivity and level of colleges in which they enroll reveal important nuance in readiness predictions. We find different readiness benchmarks indicate readiness for different groups of students when high school performance measures are used to predict different college outcomes, complicating the interpretation and use of conventional readiness measures.;[Article Title : Comparing the Efficiency of Schools Through International Benchmarking: Results From an Empirical Analysis of OECD PISA 2012 Data / Tommaso Agasisti and Pablo Zoido, p. 352-362] Abstract : This paper derives efficiency scores for around 8,500 schools in 30 countries, using Programme for International Student Assessment 2012 data and a nonparametric approach called data envelopment analysis as method. On average, achievement scores of schools can be increased by 27%, holding inputs constant. Efficiency scores vary considerably both between and within countries; the role of managerial efficiency and structural differences due to operating in different contexts (countries) is disentangled. Subsequently, a number of school-level factors are found to be correlated with efficiency scores and indicate potential directions for improving educational results. Heterogeneity of such characteristics across countries and along the distribution of efficiency is explored.;[Article Title : Suspensions and Achievement: Varying Links by Type, Frequency, and Subgroup / NaYoung Hwang, p. 363-374] Abstract : Researchers have shown that receiving suspensions is associated with negative educational outcomes. However, existing studies fail to control for unobservable differences between those students who received suspensions and those who did not. In this study, I compare achievement for a given student across school quarters with varying types and levels of suspensions by taking advantage of a unique dataset that measures student achievement at 12 time points across 3 academic years. Results show that multiple suspensions are associated with lower math and English language arts achievement even after controlling for differences between students. Furthermore, I find suggestive evidence that these associations are stronger for students who have an elevated risk of suspensions.