After more than 20 years of research, class size continues to be at the forefront of the educational and political agenda for schools, school districts, and school boards. Here is a snapshot of what research tells us about class size and student achievement.

Research indicates that certain characteristics are associated with schools that succeed in raising student achievement while educating a large number of students living in poverty. Here is a snapshot of what research tells us about of high-poverty, high-performing schools.

Do high-stakes tests help or hinder student learning? Much has been written about the effects of high-stakes tests on instruction, but little is based on hard evidence. This summary highlights what we do know about high-stakes testing and instruction.

Posted: April 5, 2007

Summary: research offers important lessons for districts that decide to tackle the dropout problem head on. We now know a surprising amount about how to identify potential dropouts, and how to keep students in school and on track to graduate. Districts should pay close attention to these lessons when developing plans to raise graduation rates.

Topic areas: dropout prevention, high school graduation, students at risk

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Summary: What have we learned from the research on pre-K? What does a quality pre-k program look like? Key lessons help answer these questions and more.

Topic areas: Early childhood education, school readiness, student achievement, funding

Posted: September 21, 2006

Summary: Like class size reduction, increasing instructional time has lots of common-sense appeal as mechanism for raising student achievement.  But like smaller classes, more time in school can be costly, especially if it’s gained through lengthening the school year or adding hours to the school day. These key lessons summarize the current research on different approaches to organizing school time and schedules, beginning with the obvious question: Does more time make a difference?

Topic areas: class schedules, school calendars, instructional time

How much homework is too much? Not enough? Who should get it? These are just a few of the questions that have been debated over the years. While the research produces mixed results, there are some findings that can help inform decisions about homework.

Teacher quality stands out in the research for its potential to close the gap in academic achievement between students from traditionally poor, non-white, and/or urban backgrounds and their better-off peers. This summary highlights the most salient findings of the research on teacher quality.