Publications and Reports
Murphy, J., & Bleiberg, J. (2019). School Turnaround Policies and Practices in the US – Learning from Failed School Reform. Springer International Publishing.
This volume provides an analysis of what we know about turning around “failing” schools in the United States. It starts with an in-depth examination of the barriers that hinder action on turnaround work. The book analyses the reasons why some schools that find themselves in serious academic trouble fail in their efforts to turn themselves around. Beginning with a discussion of what may best be described as “lethal” reasons or the most powerful explanation for failed reform initiatives, which include an absence of attention to student care and support; a near absence of attention to curriculum and instruction; the firing of the wrong people. Covered in this volume are “critical” explanations for failed turnaround efforts such as failure to attend to issues of sustainability, and “significant” explanations for failed turnaround efforts such as the misuse of test data.
Bleiberg, J., Harbatkin, E. (2019). Innovation and Diffusion of Teacher Evaluation Reform: A Convergence of Federal and Local Forces. Educational Policy.
This article employs event history analysis to explore the factors that were associated with the rapid uptake of teacher evaluation reform. We investigate three hypotheses for this rapid adoption: (a) downward diffusion from the federal government through Race to the Top (RTTT), (b) upward diffusion from large school district policies, and (c) the influence of intermediary organizations. Although RTTT clearly played a role in state adoption, our analysis suggests that having a large district implement teacher evaluation reform is the most consistent predictor of state adoption. Intermediary organizations appeared to play a role in the process as well.
Grissom, J., Redding, C., & Bleiberg, J. (2019). Can a Child Be Poor and Gifted? Socioeconomic Gaps in Receipt of Gifted Services. Harvard Education Review.
We investigate receipt of gifted services by the socioeconomic status (SES) of elementary school students and their families. Using nationally representative longitudinal data, we show that gaps in the receipt of gifted services between the highest- and lowest-SES students are profound; a student in the top SES quintile is more than six times more likely to receive gifted services than a student in the bottom quintile. The SES gap is especially large for White and Asian students. Moreover, the gap remains substantial even after taking students’ achievement levels and other background factors into account and using school fixed effects to account for school sorting. Even among students within the same school, we estimate that a high-SES student is about twice as likely to receive gifted services as an observationally similar low-SES student. We discuss several potential approaches schools and districts can use to ameliorate the apparent advantages students from high-SES families enjoy in processes surrounding receipt of gifted services.
Bleiberg, J. (2019). An Exploration of Spillover Effects: Evidence from Threat-Induced Education Reform. Journal of Education Policy. Forthcoming.
This study explores spillover effects between national security and education issues. I examine whether the rise of new foreign threats is correlated with education issues rising onto the congressional agenda and with the passage of education laws. To answer this question several data sources on military conflicts and congressional activity from 1947-2015 were combined. I estimate the relationship between changes in deployed troops, the presence of education issues on the congressional agenda, and the passage of education laws. I find that total troop changes were a significant predictor of the passage of education legislation. This relationship is partially mediated by education issues rising onto the congressional agenda. The arrival of a foreign threat appears to create a shock that raises national security issues and subsequently education onto the congressional agenda. These findings help to explain delays to policy maintenance and the focus on short term goals in education reform.
Bleiberg, J., & West, D. (2014). In defense of the Common Core standards. Center for Technology Innovation. Brookings Institution: Washington, DC.
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are under attack from the right and the left. Liberals fear that policy makers will use the standards to punish teachers. Conservatives believe the Common Core is an attempt by the federal government to take over schools. Supporters of the Core have their own bipartisan alliance that argues standards will help eliminate achievement gaps. Standards can increase coordination between diverse sets of stakeholders which aids in school reform. Well implemented education standards increase innovation, simplify the transfer of ideas, and improve personalized learning systems.
West, D. M., & Bleiberg, J. (2013). Education technology success stories. Issues in Governance Studies. Brookings Institution: Washington, DC.
Advances in technology are enabling dramatic changes in education content, delivery, and accessibility. Throughout history, new technologies have facilitated the exponential growth of human knowledge. In the early twentieth century, the focus was on the use of radios in education. But since then, innovators have seen technology as a way to improve communication, learning, and the mastery of instructional material. The next generation of education technologies is facilitating substantial change. Education technologies are evolving beyond lecture and group work to games, simulations, and augmented reality. Software is creating environments where students can direct the creation of their own knowledge with nearly invisible prompts from teachers. While there are many innovations in education technology, this report highlights five education technology success stories. Each has demonstrated the ability to improve efficiency and effectiveness in education systems. From language teaching robots to educational games, each has the potential to help students and teachers. The authors review these education success stories in order to offer lessons on how education stakeholders can better serve students and add value to their learning.