Laura M. Desimone

Dr. Laura Desimone is Professor and Director of Research in the College of Education and Human Development, with a faculty appointment in the School of Education and an affiliation with the Evaluation, Measurement and Statistics faculty group. She holds a secondary appointment in the Biden School of Public Policy and Administration. Before that, she was a professor at the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania from 2007 until 2018, with a secondary appointment at the School of Social Policy and Practice.

New study: Schools prioritizing social-emotional learning see strong academic benefits

A recent study out of the University of Chicago showed high schools that prioritized social- emotional development had double the positive long-term impact on students as compared to those that focused solely on improving test scores.

As part of their work, researchers determined school’s effectiveness based upon its impact on students’ social-emotional development, test scores and behaviors. They concluded that the most effective schools provide a welcoming environment for students, an experience that shapes their later years...

Schools received billions in stimulus funds

When the pandemic shut down schools across the country, the federal government responded with billions of dollars to help districts support remote learning, serve free meals to students and safely reopen schools.

In 2021, the Biden administration gave districts another $122 billion through its $1.9 trillion stimulus package, an amount that far surpassed previous rounds. Districts were required to spend at least 20 percent of those funds on helping students recover academically, while the rest could be used on general efforts to respond to the pandemic...

HISD student test scores aren’t everything

Some would like nothing more than to see Mike Miles go.

At last week's meeting of Houston ISD's new board of managers, the public pushback against the recently named superintendent overseeing the takeover by the Texas Education Agency was fierce. We criticized the board for attempting to run its first meeting with minimal presentation and without answering questions, though it's likely board members wouldn't have heard much anyway because of the shouting from some attendees during that part of the meeting. It was not an exercise in good governance or good listening...

Chicago promised students would do better after closing 50 schools

When Chicago officials were closing Henson Elementary in North Lawndale, Archie Hayes was sad that he might never see his friends or teachers again. But he assumed his next school would be a big improvement.

“If there’s not that many students here or enough going on in this school, what [can] the next school do better?” Hayes remembers wondering in fourth grade...

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