NEPC Review: 'Systemwide and Intervention-Specific Effects of Denver Public Schools' Portfolio District Strategy on Individual Student Achievement' (Center for Education Policy Analysis, University of Colorado Denver, September 2024)
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| Title: | NEPC Review: 'Systemwide and Intervention-Specific Effects of Denver Public Schools' Portfolio District Strategy on Individual Student Achievement' (Center for Education Policy Analysis, University of Colorado Denver, September 2024) |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Robert Shand, University of Colorado at Boulder, National Education Policy Center (NEPC) |
| Source: | National Education Policy Center. 2024. |
| Availability: | National Education Policy Center. School of Education 249 UCB University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309. Tel: 303-735-5290; e-mail: nepc@colorado.edu; Web site: http://nepc.colorado.edu |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 14 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice |
| Document Type: | Reports - Evaluative Opinion Papers |
| Education Level: | Elementary Education Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Educational Improvement, Educational Change, Public Schools, Demography, Research Reports, Review (Reexamination), School Districts, Elementary Schools, Secondary Schools, Organizational Change, Research Methodology |
| Geographic Terms: | Colorado (Denver) |
| Abstract: | The Center for Education Policy Analysis (CEPA) at the University of Colorado Denver recently published a report that attempts to assess the effect of a "portfolio district strategy" on student performance in the Denver Public Schools. This report addressed criticism of a previous CEPA report on Denver's reform strategy, including that it misattributed academic gains to the portfolio reform by inadequately addressing possible alternative explanations, especially student demographics that had changed during the reform period. While the new report does convincingly demonstrate that the gains are not significantly due to changing demographics, it fails to address other critiques of the prior study, including (1) that the portfolio model was undertheorized, with unclear mechanisms of action and insufficient attention to potential drawbacks; and (2) that circumstances, events, and resources besides the portfolio reform and student demographics were changing concurrently with the reform. Additionally, the report's sweeping conclusion--that Denver's reform is the most effective in U.S. history--is unsupported. The improved outcomes in Denver during this time period are impressive, but the authors seem overly determined to cite a package of favored reforms as the cause. Therefore, although the new report provides some additional suggestive evidence in support of the portfolio reform, its conclusions are exaggerated in both magnitude and certainty. Further study is needed before policy implications become clear. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | ED677415 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 CustomLinks: – Url: https://eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED677415 Name: ERIC Full Text Category: fullText Text: Full Text from ERIC |
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| Header | DbId: eric DbLabel: ERIC An: ED677415 AccessLevel: 3 PubType: Report PubTypeId: report PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: NEPC Review: 'Systemwide and Intervention-Specific Effects of Denver Public Schools' Portfolio District Strategy on Individual Student Achievement' (Center for Education Policy Analysis, University of Colorado Denver, September 2024) – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Robert+Shand%22">Robert Shand</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22University+of+Colorado+at+Boulder%2C+National+Education+Policy+Center+%28NEPC%29%22">University of Colorado at Boulder, National Education Policy Center (NEPC)</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22National+Education+Policy+Center%22"><i>National Education Policy Center</i></searchLink>. 2024. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: National Education Policy Center. School of Education 249 UCB University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309. Tel: 303-735-5290; e-mail: nepc@colorado.edu; Web site: http://nepc.colorado.edu – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: Y – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 14 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2024 – Name: SourceSuprt Label: Sponsoring Agency Group: SrcSuprt Data: Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Reports - Evaluative<br />Opinion Papers – Name: Audience Label: Education Level Group: Audnce Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Elementary+Education%22">Elementary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Secondary+Education%22">Secondary Education</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Improvement%22">Educational Improvement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Change%22">Educational Change</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+Schools%22">Public Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Demography%22">Demography</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+Reports%22">Research Reports</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Review+%28Reexamination%29%22">Review (Reexamination)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+Districts%22">School Districts</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Elementary+Schools%22">Elementary Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Secondary+Schools%22">Secondary Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Organizational+Change%22">Organizational Change</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+Methodology%22">Research Methodology</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Colorado+%28Denver%29%22">Colorado (Denver)</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: The Center for Education Policy Analysis (CEPA) at the University of Colorado Denver recently published a report that attempts to assess the effect of a "portfolio district strategy" on student performance in the Denver Public Schools. This report addressed criticism of a previous CEPA report on Denver's reform strategy, including that it misattributed academic gains to the portfolio reform by inadequately addressing possible alternative explanations, especially student demographics that had changed during the reform period. While the new report does convincingly demonstrate that the gains are not significantly due to changing demographics, it fails to address other critiques of the prior study, including (1) that the portfolio model was undertheorized, with unclear mechanisms of action and insufficient attention to potential drawbacks; and (2) that circumstances, events, and resources besides the portfolio reform and student demographics were changing concurrently with the reform. Additionally, the report's sweeping conclusion--that Denver's reform is the most effective in U.S. history--is unsupported. The improved outcomes in Denver during this time period are impressive, but the authors seem overly determined to cite a package of favored reforms as the cause. Therefore, although the new report provides some additional suggestive evidence in support of the portfolio reform, its conclusions are exaggerated in both magnitude and certainty. Further study is needed before policy implications become clear. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: As Provided – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2025 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: ED677415 |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=ED677415 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 14 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Educational Improvement Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational Change Type: general – SubjectFull: Public Schools Type: general – SubjectFull: Demography Type: general – SubjectFull: Research Reports Type: general – SubjectFull: Review (Reexamination) Type: general – SubjectFull: School Districts Type: general – SubjectFull: Elementary Schools Type: general – SubjectFull: Secondary Schools Type: general – SubjectFull: Organizational Change Type: general – SubjectFull: Research Methodology Type: general – SubjectFull: Colorado (Denver) Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: NEPC Review: 'Systemwide and Intervention-Specific Effects of Denver Public Schools' Portfolio District Strategy on Individual Student Achievement' (Center for Education Policy Analysis, University of Colorado Denver, September 2024) Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: University of Colorado at Boulder, National Education Policy Center (NEPC) – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Robert Shand IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 11 Type: published Y: 2024 Titles: – TitleFull: National Education Policy Center Type: main |
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