Pennsylvania’s two-decade experience with standards-based education reform has been marked by an increasing reliance on test-based accountability. This research brief provides education stakeholders with accurate, comprehensive analysis to inform the growing debate about Keystone Exams.
PA Keystone Exams: Analysis of 2013-14 Publicly-Available Data
Date: June 2015
Related Publications
Publication
The Negative Fiscal Impact of Cyber Charter School Expansion in Pennsylvania Due to COVID-19
Pennsylvania has the highest cyber charter school enrollment in the country with student enrollment soaring in 2020-21 due to concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. School districts paid over $1 billion in tuition for students…
Publication
From State Commitment to District Implementation: Approaches and Strategies for Personalized, Competency-Based Learning
View the Publications From State Commitment to District Implementation: Approaches and Strategies for Personalized, Competency-Based Learning Executive Summary of District Implementation Findings Executive Summary State Level Findings From State Commitment to District Implementation: Approaches and…
Publication
The Need for More Teachers of Color
This booklet, The Need for More Teachers of Color, was released as part of a Teach-In hosted by Research for Action on April 23, 2022, in FDR Park in Philadelphia. The booklet provides highlights of…
Publication
Addressing Structural Barriers to High School Graduation: Examining the Impacts of the Éxito program at Kensington Creative and Performing Arts
Earning a high school diploma is a milestone that has been linked to many later life outcomes, from employment to incarceration to physical health, and impacts society as a whole through tax revenues and government…
Publication
FAQ: Superintendents in Pennsylvania School Districts
Superintendent leadership plays an important role in charting the trajectory of school district operations and ultimately of student learning. Meanwhile, several school districts undergo a superintendent transition each year, yet relatively little is known about…
Publication
Costs And Quality in Virtual/Hybrid Summer Youth Employment Programming
Since 2003, Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN), a Philadelphia-based non-profit organization, has provided young people summer employment opportunities through the WorkReady program. In Spring 2020, as a result of the impact of COVID-19, PYN pivoted WorkReady…
Publication
Access to Experienced Teachers in Allegheny County
Using personnel records from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), this ACER report, takes a closer look at teacher experience in Allegheny County, examining whether equity gaps exist between district and charter schools and between…
Publication
Teacher Mobility in Allegheny County, 2014-15 through 2019-20
Teacher mobility, or teacher turnover, has long garnered attention as a critical educational equity gap. This attention is warranted as, within schools, teachers have the single greatest impact on student achievement. The unprecedented interruptions to school-based learning and the trials…
Publication
Final Report: Evaluation of the Aspiring to Educate Philadelphia Pilot
In November 2019, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced the Aspiring to Educate (A2E) program and its intention to pilot the program in the Philadelphia area. The goals of A2E include diversifying and developing…
Publication
Where Do We Go Next? Youth Insights on the High School Experience During a Year of Historic Upheaval
Our new report, Where Do We Go Next? Youth Insights on the High School Experience During a Year of Historic Upheaval, made in collaboration with America’s Promise Alliance, presents findings from a national survey focused…
Publication
All Learning Counts Policy Toolkit
Associated Project Expanding the Knowledge Base on State Policies that Validate Learning that Occurs Outside of the Classroom Abstract Every year millions of Americans gain valuable college credit-worthy learning through workplace training, the military, apprenticeships,…
Publication
Students Experiencing Homelessness in Allegheny County
Close to 3,000 students in Allegheny County public schools were identified as experiencing homelessness during the 2018-19 school year, or 2.0% of the total student population. Meanwhile, homelessness rates have been growing in recent years…