PROVIDENCE, R.I. — One year after its launch, the Annenberg Institute at Brown’s EdWorkingPapers Policy & Practice Series has established itself as a critical resource for closing the gap between rigorous academic research and real-world education decision-making. The series delivers timely, accessible summaries of newly released EdWorkingPapers, distilling complex findings into actionable insights for policymakers, education leaders, and journalists.

“Nobody has time to read a 60-page study before a school board meeting," said Christina Claiborne, Director of EdResearch for Action and lead writer of the series. “If we want research to inform practice, not just sit on a shelf, then the findings have to be easy to find, easy to understand, and easy to use. The Policy & Practice Series is our answer.”

The EdWorkingPapers Policy & Practice Series represents a collaborative effort between the EdResearch for Action and EdWorkingPapers initiatives within the EdExchange. Each installment summarizes a newly released EdWorkingPaper and highlights the most actionable insights for practitioners and policymakers. Summaries are produced swiftly following the acceptance of a paper to ensure that the field has access to the latest findings without delay.

“Having my work translated into a clear, accessible summary meant that the implications could reach practitioners and policymakers much faster — while the conversation is still happening," said Matthew Kraft, Annenberg Institute Affiliate and Professor of Education, Brown University.

The Series in Action: A Timely Example

The importance of rapid research dissemination is illustrated by a recent summary of the EdWorkingPaper “Cultural Relevance at Scale: The Effects of an Ethnic Studies Expansion on Academic Outcomes.” The paper presents findings with significant implications for curriculum policy currently under active debate in districts and state legislatures across the country.

Among the paper’s most striking findings: the effect size of taking an ethnic studies course was 0.24 standard deviations — a magnitude that exceeds the average pooled effect of large-scale tutoring programs (0.16–0.21 SD), widely considered one of the most effective education interventions available. Critically, positive academic outcomes were found across all student subgroups examined.

“What is most important about the study is that it moves beyond evidence from a pilot setting and shows positive effects under district-wide implementation, with benefits across all student groups we examined,” said paper co-author Sade Bonilla, Assistant Professor in the Policy, Organizations, Leadership, and Systems Division at Penn GSE. “That makes the findings especially relevant for policymakers considering whether ethnic studies can deliver benefits at scale.”

All Policy & Practice summaries are available through the EdExchange. As the series enters its second year, the Annenberg Institute remains committed to ensuring that rigorous research reaches the people who need it when it matters most.

Christina Claiborne
Director, EdResearch for Action
The Annenberg EdExchange
christina_claiborne@brown.edu 

DreJean Cummings
Assistant Director for Strategic Communications
Annenberg Institute at Brown University
drejean_cummings@brown.edu 

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Annenberg Institute at Brown University released a report that takes a closer look at how Massachusetts districts are serving immigrant newcomer English learners in high school. The report, Land of Opportunity? Immigrant Newcomers in Massachusetts High Schools, highlights the significant challenges districts face in helping newcomers make progress toward both English proficiency and graduation. The Institute’s Educational Opportunity in Massachusetts team produced the report as part of its research-practice partnership with the state of Massachusetts.

Land of Opportunity? is a follow-up to the team’s 2023 report, which documented the rapid growth in the number of immigrant newcomers to Massachusetts high schools and the diversity within this population in demographic characteristics like home language and country of origin and in their educational outcomes. Newcomers, defined as English learners in their first 12 months of schooling in the United States, remain largely concentrated in urban districts like Boston, Lynn, and Lawrence. That said, a growing number of Massachusetts districts now serve this population: 102 districts served more than five high-school newcomers as of spring 2024.

Starting in 2025, travel bans, increased entry restrictions, and other measures designed to curtail immigration had real impacts, with 1,000 fewer newcomers arriving in Massachusetts public high schools that year. The report highlights how high-school newcomers differ from other vulnerable student groups in key respects.

"Newcomers are unique in that half of each year's group arrives well after the start of the school year, meaning they miss the opening rituals and information sessions designed to orient new high-school students," said Ann Mantil, Research Scientist with the Educational Opportunity in Massachusetts team. "Also, nearly half of newcomers are at least 16 years old in September of their entry year; many of these older students face work obligations that make school attendance and engagement more difficult."

Across the state, the report finds that districts are struggling to accomplish the dual goals of helping newcomers progress toward English language proficiency while mastering academic content in the state’s curriculum frameworks. For newcomers who arrive in high school with very limited English skills and/or gaps in prior learning, the path to graduation is extremely demanding, and many students do not complete it. The report also notes that uncertainty about their futures in the U.S. may lower newcomers’ academic expectations and aspirations.

The report highlights five key findings:

1. Until very recently, many Massachusetts districts have experienced large growth in their newcomer populations and rapid changes in newcomers’ backgrounds and needs.
2. Half of high-school newcomers are 16 years or older when they arrive, and districts vary widely in how they serve these older newcomers.  
3. District differences in policies and practices for newcomers reflect the state’s long tradition of local control and differences in newcomer populations – but also the degree to which educators are adapting programs and structures in response to newcomers’ needs.
4. Allowing newcomers to access rigorous courses and specialized programs, such as Career and Technical Education (CTE), is necessary but not sufficient for equity.
5. Across districts, newcomers’ graduation rates remain low, and many who do graduate have not attained English language proficiency.

Reflecting on what the report reveals, Mantil noted, "‘Land of Opportunity?’ refers to the struggles of the public education system, which has long been held as the locus of opportunity in the U.S., to serve newcomers effectively. The data we examined show that many opportunities afforded to other high-school students are out of reach for newcomers. Our findings raise questions about whether Massachusetts high schools are doing enough to unlock opportunities for this extremely vulnerable population."

The full report is available at annenberg.brown.edu/edopportunity/land-of-opportunity.  

Ann Mantil
Research Scientist in Education Policy
Educational Opportunity in Massachusetts, Annenberg Institute at Brown University
ann_mantil@brown.edu

DreJean Cummings
Assistant Director for Strategic Communications
Annenberg Institute at Brown University
drejean_cummings@brown.edu