President-Elect Obama’s Choice for Secretary of Education: Arne Duncan
Volume 5, Issue 9
December 18, 2008
This short policy brief analyzes the recent choice by President-elect Obama for Secretary of Education.
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Stakes Increase for End of Course Exams in 2009-10
Volume 5, Issue 8
December 18, 2008
OEP provides this brief for you in response to the change in regulations for end-of-course exams.
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How Does the 2007 Seattle Decision Affect Arkansas?
Volume 5, Issue 7
December 11, 2008
The recent Supreme Court decision regarding racial integration in Seattle schools brings into question the constitutionally of the current form of Arkansas’ school choice law. To provide some background info for lawmakers who will have to wrestle with this important issue, OEP provides this policy brief to provide some useful context and suggest a possible course of action.
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Presidential Candidates on K-12 Education
Volume 5, Issue 6
October 24, 2008
OEP provides a summary of the presidential candidates’ views on education in this 2 page brief.
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Are All State Exams Equal?
Volume 5, Issue 5
August 13, 2008
Federal NCLB legislation requires that state policymakers set curricular standards and administer exams aligned to these standards in reading, math, and science. With a nod toward local control, NCLB allows each state to set unique standards for proficiency in each of these subject areas. The predictable result: in many states, policymakers have set low standards to create the appearance of success with high numbers of students meeting those standards. Interestingly, the standards set in Arkansas are among the highest in the nation!
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2008 Test Scores Show General Improvement with Room to Grow
Volume 5, Issue 4
August 13, 2008
OEP highlights the Benchmark and SAT-10 results for Arkansas students that were released earlier this summer. These results reveal that students throughout the state continue to improve each year with respect to state standards.
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Time Spent on Testing
Volume 5, Issue 3
April 1, 2008
Many claim that our students are over-burdened by far too many hours of standardized testing each year. So how much time do our students really spend taking these exams?
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An Interview with Lawrence Picus
Volume 5, Issue 2
February 1, 2008
Picus is a professor at the USC Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California, whose research focuses on adequacy and equity in school finance.
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Full Interview with Lawrence Picus
Volume 5, Issue 2(a)
February 1, 2008
Picus is a professor at the USC Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California, whose research focuses on adequacy and equity in school finance. Unlike the policy brief above, this is the full, raw and [mostly] unedited interview transcript from our interview with Dr. Picus
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