State and Local Implementation of the 'No Child Left Behind Act.' Volume I--Title I School Choice, Supplemental Educational Services, and Student Achievement. A Report from the National Longitudinal Study of 'No Child Left Behind' (NLS-'NCLB')

US Department of Education. Available from: ED Pubs. P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Tel: 877-433-7827; Fax: 301-470-1244; Web site: http://www.edpubs.org

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Federal Legislation; Educational Legislation; School Choice; Supplementary Education; Academic Achievement; Longitudinal Studies; Student Participation; Student Characteristics; Institutional Characteristics; School Districts; Public Schools

California; Colorado; District of Columbia; Florida; Illinois; Maryland; Pennsylvania

This report presents findings about the relationship between participation in the Title I school choice and supplemental educational services options and student achievement from the National Longitudinal Study of "No Child Left Behind" (NLS-"NCLB"). A key component of the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" ("NCLB") was to provide options to parents whose children had been attending Title I schools identified for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring due to failure to achieve adequate yearly progress toward meeting state standards for two or more years. Under "NCLB," parents have the option of: (1) transferring their children to another school in the district that is not in need of improvement; or (2) enrolling their children in supplemental education services (e.g., tutoring, remediation, or other academic instruction) in addition to instruction provided during the school day. This study used data from nine large, urban school districts to examine the characteristics of students participating in the two options and the resulting impact on student achievement. The study found the following: that participation was highest in elementary grades; that African-American students had the highest participation rates of all racial and ethnic groups; that participating students had lower achievement levels than eligible but nonparticipating students; that students who transferred tended to transfer to higher-achieving, racially balanced schools; and that there was no statistically significant (positive or negative) effect on achievement among students participating in the two options. In sum, although participation rates were not high, the users of the two Title I parental options came from the disadvantaged populations that "NCLB" is intended to target. Appendix A provides a description of the nine-district data set. Appendix B presents the full results of the alternative analyses of the school choice option, comparing achievement gains of current and future choosers. Appendix C presents a meta-analysis of effects of Title I school choice and supplemental educational services. The information in this report was provided through the congressionally mandated National Longitudinal Study of "No Child Left Behind" (NLS-"NCLB"), which was conducted by the RAND Corporation and the American Institutes for Research. (Contains 23 exhibits.) [This report was prepared for Policy and Program Studies Service, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, US Department of Education.]

ERIC

37

ED505962

2007

ED497259