Literature on Strategies and Performance in Pre-Kindergarten through 12th Grade

Policy makers, educators and parents are all struggling with the challenge of improving student performance. They want to know what strategies will be most effective and what these strategies will cost. The Human Services Policy Center (HSPC) has conducted a systematic review of the existing education literature in order to provide guidance on anticipated results and potential effectiveness of these financing and policy choices.

HSPC has reviewed a wide range of research, selecting only studies that meet a high standard of methodological rigor. The research summaries are presented in major categories that address the types of practical issues policy makers face. These include early education of young children, compensation structure to better recruit and retain qualified teachers, professional development for teachers, length of the school day and school year, school and class sizes that best promote learning, student and family support services and effects of various comprehensive school reform models.

Information in our literature review database is presented at two levels of detail for each topic: 4-6 page category summaries that provide detailed information regarding the literature's scope and tentative conclusions, indicating where there may be controversies and showing the range of impact on achievement; and detailed reviews of selected major studies, specifying the sample, research methods and detailed findings, and considering the robustness of the research methods. The research summaries were refined by review and comments from recognized experts in the various topic areas, and were found to have covered the significant research findings and summarized them in a fair and balanced manner.

The research summaries were prepared as part of the HSPC Education Policy and Finance Simulation project, which is working with state and district teams to explore the costs and impacts of alternative policy packages to improve student performance.