WestEd in the News

Improving Student Achievement by Extending School: Is It Just a Matter of Time?

Research Yields Clues on the Effects of Extra Time for Learning
Education Week—September 24, 2008

Julie Aronson, Senior Research Associate for WestEd's Evaluation Program, was interviewed for an Education Week article on time and learning. Aronson noted that education researchers distinguish between different types of time: allocated school time, allocated class time, instructional time, and academic learning time. More information can be found in the WestEd report, Improving Student Achievement by Extending School: Is It Just a Matter of Time?, and a WestEd Policy Brief, Making Time Count (PDF).

REL West Study Breaks New Ground: Projects California Teacher Demand County by County

Report: Riverside County to need 10,000 new teachers, S.B. County 7,000, by 2015
Press-Enterprise—September 18, 2008

Trends in California Teacher Demand: A County and Regional Perspective, a groundbreaking WestEd report prepared for the Regional Educational Laboratory West and funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, projects California's teacher demand county by county. While previous teacher demand studies have recorded statewide trends and projections, this report highlights the regional differences when projecting teacher retirements and student enrollment by 2015/16. The Press-Enterprise covered the projected challenges that two counties, San Bernardino and Riverside, will face in their local teacher labor markets.

Regional Educational Laboratory West Study On the Air

Local News: Study Finds San Diego County Needs More Teachers
KPBS (National Public Radio affiliate)—September 18, 2008

Melissa White, WestEd Senior Policy Associate for the Regional Educational Laboratory West, was interviewed on KPBS, San Diego, California's local National Public Radio affiliate. The station covered the release of a new study, Trends in California Teacher Demand: A County and Regional Perspective, which projects statewide teacher demand county by county based on expected teacher retirements and student enrollment over the next ten years.

WestEd Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West) Study Featured in Article

Educators Focus Attention on Ninth Graders' Transition to High School
Los Angeles Times—September 15, 2008

A WestEd report, Course-Taking Patterns and Preparation for Postsecondary Education in California's Public University Systems Among Minority Youth, was referenced in an article about the transition from middle to high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The report, prepared by REL West, found that the high school program for college preparation begins in the 9th grade and that making up missed preparatory courses and academic content is likely to be difficult for students who put off college-preparatory work until later in their high school career.

WestEd Study Hits the Airwaves

Morning News: High School Dropout Study
KPBS (National Public Radio affiliate)—September 8, 2008

BethAnn Berliner, lead author of the Regional Educational Laboratories West (REL West) study, Reenrollment of High School Dropouts in a Large, Urban School District, was interviewed by San Diego's KPBS Morning News. Berliner noted, "The field needs longitudinal studies to document dropout and reenrollment patterns, and [California's] San Bernardino City Unified School District provided a unique opportunity to, for the first time, track the high school trajectories of dropouts over the four or five year conventional time frame for completing a high school diploma."

"Eye on Research" Focuses on WestEd Study

Returning High School Dropouts Said to Face Too Tough a Road to Graduation
Education Week—August 27, 2008

Education Week's "Eye on Research" series provided in-depth coverage of a WestEd study regarding reenrolling high school dropouts. WestEd conducted the study in response to requests to Regional Educational Laboratory West from policymakers and education administrators, who identified an information gap in the dropout literature. While the spotlight has focused on calculating dropout rates and identifying predictors, no attention had been paid to the numbers and graduation outcomes of dropouts who returned to school, and to the effects this "revolving door" of students has on district resources.

WestEd Policy Brief: Are Small Schools Better? School Size Considerations for Safety and Learning

School Merger Progress Wends Slowly Forward
Kennebec Journal—August 27, 2008

A WestEd Policy Brief, Are Small Schools Better? School Size Considerations for Safety and Learning, was cited in an article from a Maine newspaper, the Kennebec Journal. According to the article, several towns are grappling with how to respond to a state mandate to consolidate smaller schools into larger sites.

Paul Koehler Cited on Equity Issue

Lagging Web Access Puts Arizona Kids Behind
Arizona Republic—August 24, 2008

Paul Koehler, Director of WestEd's Policy Center and the Southwest Comprehensive Center at WestEd, was cited in an article regarding Arizona students' internet access. Koehler noted that internet access is an equity issue and a growing national concern. The article frames internet access as an issue related to the skills students need to succeed and thrive in the workforce.

WestEd Report Cited in High School Dropout Reenrollment Article

New Class Gets Kids in School
Press-Enterprise—August 20, 2008

A WestEd report was cited in an article regarding Riverside County, California's efforts to convince dropouts to reenroll. While much media and research literature focus on high school dropouts, little is known about those who reenroll and the obstacles these students face to graduate. The WestEd report, prepared by the Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West), is among the first to examine this overlooked population.

Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West) Study Shines Spotlight on Reenrolling High School Dropouts

Study: Dropout Recovery Not Enough Without Support
Education Daily—August 19, 2008

BethAnn Berliner, lead author of a REL West study, Reenrollment of High School Dropouts in a Large, Urban School District, was quoted at length in an Education Daily feature. WestEd researchers found that both reenrolling students and district staff face significant obstacles in getting dropouts back in school and on track for graduation. The study also reports what the district's students and staff say about policies and practices that could improve student graduation outcomes.