Linked Learning is an approach for transforming high schools to prepare all students for college, career, and life. It works through career-themed pathways that integrate college preparatory academics, rigorous technical training, work-based learning, and supports to help students stay on track. With support from The James Irvine Foundation, SRI International has evaluated this approach at … Continue reading What it Takes to Create Linked Learning: A Report on Lessons Learned from Evaluating the Approach in Practice
This report is geared toward leaders in education, industry, workforce development, and human services interested empowering working age adults to build sustainable 21st century careers. Personal success skills are the foundational capacities that all adults need to thrive in the workforce, beyond technical and disciplinary knowledge. As part of a multi-pronged approach, strengthening personal success … Continue reading Empowering Adults to Thrive at Work: Personal Success Skills for 21st Century Jobs. A Report on Promising Research and Practice
Little is known about postsecondary pathways and persistence among college students with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2, 2001–2009, a nationally representative sample of students in special education with an ASD who progressed from high school to postsecondary education. Findings suggest that most college students with … Continue reading Postsecondary Pathways and Persistence Among College Students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder
Little is known about how special education services received by students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) differ by age, disability severity, and demographic characteristics. Using three national data sets, the Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study, the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study, and the National Longitudinal Transition Study–2, this study examined the age trends in special education … Continue reading Special Education Services Received by Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders from Preschool Through High School
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Postsecondary Success initiative seeks to understand what is required for technology applications to produce positive student impacts at scale. SRI analyzed the features of 137 different courses from 12 major postsecondary courseware-related projects and performed a quantitative meta-analysis of student outcomes to estimate the impact of digital courseware on … Continue reading A Review of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Postsecondary Success Portfolio: Lessons from Five Years of Funding Digital Courseware
Little research has examined the popular belief that individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely than the general population to gravitate toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. This study analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2, a nationally representative sample of students with an ASD in special education. Findings … Continue reading Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Participation Among College Students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder
Accelerated learning opportunities are becoming increasingly common strategies to promote high school graduation and encourage college enrollment. Through mechanisms such as Dual Enrollment, Advanced Placement (AP), and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, students get a head start on earning college credit while still in high school. The goals for enrolling students in these courses are to … Continue reading Dual Enrollment: Lessons Learned on School‐Level Implementation
SRI examined the academic and economic impacts and implementation of the OER Degree Initiative. The OER Degree Initiative seeks to boost college access and completion, particularly for underserved students, by engaging faculty in the redesign of courses and degree programs through the replacement of proprietary textbooks with open educational resources (OER). SRI, along with partner … Continue reading OER Degree Initiative
Los Angeles City College’s STEM Pathways Program is supporting success for students who are underrepresented in STEM disciplines. Launched in 2016, the STEM Pathways Program at Los Angeles City College aimed to increase low-income and Hispanic/Latinx students’ participation and success in STEM fields. The program included STEM tutoring, specialized counseling, faculty mentoring, math boot camps, … Continue reading Evaluation of LA City College’s STEM Pathways Program
Through an evaluation of career and technical education programs in Texas, SRI is determining what makes high-quality programs sustainable and scalable. SRI examined the characteristics and quality of career and technical education (CTE) programs in Texas. The study team described CTE programs in the state, including programs offered, students served, and student attainment and developed … Continue reading Statewide Evaluation of Career and Technical Education Programs
SRI Education leads a first-of-its-kind longitudinal study on the schools’ effectiveness in Texas, North Carolina, and Ohio. SRI researchers identified and recruited 39 inclusive STEM-focused high schools (ISHS) and 3,022 comprehensive (or traditional) high schools serving similar student populations but without a school-wide STEM focus in North Carolina, Texas, and Ohio. An additional comparison school … Continue reading iSTEM: Impacts of Inclusive STEM High Schools on Student Outcomes
The rapidly expanding Linked Learning approach blends career technical and college preparatory course sequence in a single high school pathway, representing the convergence of two strands of high school reform from the past thirty years. Using data from nine California districts, we examine the effect of high school Linked Learning participation on students’ early community … Continue reading Community College On-Track Indicators for Linked Learning Students
SRI evaluated NGC projects funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to understand the technology features and implementation practices that achieve positive educational impacts at scale. The Next Generation Courseware Challenge (NGC) was launched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop personalized courseware to improve learning outcomes and postsecondary success, particularly for … Continue reading Evaluation of the Next Generation Courseware Challenge
SRI examined the impact of a program that combines strong academics with real-world experience. Its goal: help students build a foundation for success in college, careers—and life. In 2009, recognizing the challenges inherent for individual schools or pathways trying to redesign the high school experience, The James Irvine Foundation launched the California Linked Learning District … Continue reading Evaluation of the California Linked Learning District Initiative
This research brief compares the postsecondary outcomes of students in certified Linked Learning pathways with those of peers with similar demographic characteristics and prior achievement in traditional high school programs. Certified pathways are those deemed to have met established quality standards through an external review. We found that Linked Learning students enrolled in college, remained … Continue reading Linked Learning and Postsecondary Transitions: A Report on the Early Postsecondary Education Outcomes of Linked Learning Students