Mark Berends
Biographic Data
| ID | 300750 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mark Berends |
| GIVEN NAMES | Mark |
| FAMILY NAME | Berends |
| SIGNATURE | BERENDS M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Notre Dame |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-1281-8649 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 28 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 276 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 28 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1987 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 8 |
Feeling Responsible Together
Although collective teacher responsibility can play a critical role in student learning and development, our understanding of it remains limited. Using data from state-representative elementary and middle schools in Indiana, this study examines the relationship between collective teacher responsibility and student achievement. Regression analyses show that schools with higher poverty rates, larger proportions of racial/ethnic minority students, a…
An Anxious Teacher
This study combines state-level teacher survey data with administrative records for Indiana students in Grades 3 through 8 to examine the association between math teaching anxiety and student math achievement. We find that students from underserved backgrounds, including those from low-income, Black, and Hispanic families, are more likely to be assigned to teachers who report higher levels of math teaching anxiety. Student fixed-effects models sh…
The Impacts of Virtual Charter High Schools on Secondary and Postsecondary Outcomes
As demand for virtual schools continues to grow in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a pressing need to understand how these schools influence long-term student outcomes. Utilizing administrative data from Indiana, this article estimates the impacts of virtual charter high schools on high school graduation, dropout, and college enrollment and contrasts these results to the brick-and-mortar charter high schools in the state. Using a matc…
Charter schools after three decades
Charter school policies have focused on improving three aspects of schools—autonomy, innovation, and accountability—with the intention of promoting advances in curriculum, instruction, and learning that lead to better student outcomes. However, most research on charter schools tends to neglect school organizational and instructional conditions. Overall, reviews show that charter schools have inconsistent effects on student achievement scores, a f…
Timing and Frequency Matter
Existing research examines whether studying with teachers of the same race/ethnicity affects student achievement, but little is known about whether those effects vary by timing and frequency. We use 7 years of administrative data from third through eighth graders in Indiana to estimate the heterogenous links between same race/ethnicity teachers and achievement by school level (i.e., elementary vs. middle schools) and self-contained classroom (i.e…
Insufficient Accountability? Heterogeneous Effects of Charter Schools Across Authorizing Agencies
We estimate the longitudinal effects of charter schools authorized by different authorizing bodies on student achievement by using student-level data from Indiana. The results of our analysis point to substantial variation, especially between the state’s two largest authorizers: Ball State University and the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office. Some of the variation is driven by the types of operators these bodies authorize to run charter schools. Howeve…
The Mechanics of Treatment-effect Estimate Bias for Nonexperimental Data
To measure 'treatment' effects, social science researchers typically rely on nonexperimental data. In education, school and teacher effects on students are often measured through value-added models (VAMs) that are not fully understood. We propose a framework that relates to the education production function in its most flexible form and connects with the basic VAMs without using untenable assumptions. We illustrate how, due to measurement error (…
The current landscape of school choice in the United States
Over the last 30 years, the school choice movement has been one of the most prominent large-scale reform efforts in American education. In recent years, charter schools and voucher programs, in particular, have been a focus of policy makers and philanthropists. Mark Berends presents an overview of these two models, their prevalence, and what research says about their effectiveness
Improving Reading Instruction and Students’ Reading Skills in the Early Grades
In Haiti, 49% of students cannot read a single word in Creole by the time they start grade 3, which is reflective of a broader learning crisis in low‐income and fragile contexts. Read to Learn, an early‐grade literacy intervention, was implemented and evaluated from fall 2014 through spring 2016 with the aim of improving students’ reading skills. Students were given learning materials in their mother tongue, teachers were provided with training a…
Virtual Illusion
As researchers continue to examine the growing number of charter schools in the United States, they have focused attention on the significant heterogeneity of charter effects on student achievement. Our article contributes to this agenda by examining the achievement effects of virtual charter schools vis-à-vis brick-and-mortar charters and traditional public schools and whether characteristics of teachers and classrooms explain the observed impac…
Impact of the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program
This paper examines the impact of the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program on student achievement for low‐income students in upper elementary and middle school who used a voucher to transfer from public to private schools during the first four years of the program. We analyzed student‐level longitudinal data from public and private schools taking the same statewide standardized assessment. Overall, voucher students experienced an average achievemen…
Standardized Educational Tests
Standardized tests are tests that are administered under controlled (or “standardized”) conditions – specifying where, when, how, and for how long test‐takers may respond to questions. The test questions provide a way to gather, describe, and quantify information that assesses performance on particular tasks to demonstrate knowledge of specific topics or processes. Standardization is important to compare individuals or groups and involves a consi…
School Choice
Sociology and School Choice
Charter schools have been on the educational reform landscape for over twenty years. In the last ten years, a number of rigorous studies have examined the effects of these schools on student achievement and educational attainment. Findings reveal mixed results where student achievement is concerned (i.e., some positive, some negative, some neutral) and positive results in terms of educational attainment (i.e., high school graduation and college a…
Survey Methods in Educational Research
A neo-classical education transitions approach
Obituary
Instructional Conditions in Charter Schools and Students’ Mathematics Achievement Gains
Since charter school research on student achievement is mixed, many researchers and policy makers advocate looking inside the “black box” of schools to better understand the conditions under which schools of choice may be effective. We begin to address this issue with data from charter schools and a comparison group of traditional public schools. We also conduct propensity score matching at the student level to further understand achievement gain…
How Changes in Families and Schools Are Related to Trends in Black-White Test Scores
Through several decades of research, a great deal has been written about trends in black-white test scores and the factors that may explain the gaps in different subject areas. Only a few studies have examined the changing relationships between gaps in students' test scores and family and school measures in nationally representative data over several periods. This article builds on this previous work and addresses some of its limitations by analy…
Race and track location in U.S. public schools
Editors' Preface
In the Wake of A Nation at Risk
Since its publication in 1983, A Nation at Risk has caused several waves and ripples of educational reform. This article puts that report in the context of earlier responses to perceived education crises. One such important response was from the private sector: the New American Schools Development Corporation (NAS). NAS attempted to create, develop, and widely disseminate "break the mold" whole-school designs to improve student achievement in the…
In (Re)Search of Evidence-Based School Practices
Two types of inquiry have been at the heart of recent discussions of systematic evidence in educational policy and practice: randomized field trials (RFTs) and nationally representative surveys. We argue that integrating these 2 modes of inquiry has the potential to strengthen the evidence base for school reform. In particular, national surveys can help determine the focus of RFTs, by identifying factors that place schools at risk of poor achieve…
Sociodemographic Diversity, Correlated Achievement, and De Facto Tracking
De facto tracking-the association between students' courses in disparate subjects, regardless of the decline of institutional mechanisms that organized de jure tracking-is a contested feature of secondary schools. Some analysts imply that de facto tracking arises simply because students who do well in one area often do well in other areas. Other analysts contend that pronounced tracking systems maintain racial, ethnic, and social-class segregatio…
Watching Channel One
Sociology and School Choice
Charter schools have been on the educational reform landscape for over twenty years. In the last ten years, a number of rigorous studies have examined the effects of these schools on student achievement and educational attainment. Findings reveal mixed results where student achievement is concerned (i.e., some positive, some negative, some neutral) and positive results in terms of educational attainment (i.e., high school graduation and college a…
Sociodemographic Diversity, Correlated Achievement, and De Facto Tracking
De facto tracking-the association between students' courses in disparate subjects, regardless of the decline of institutional mechanisms that organized de jure tracking-is a contested feature of secondary schools. Some analysts imply that de facto tracking arises simply because students who do well in one area often do well in other areas. Other analysts contend that pronounced tracking systems maintain racial, ethnic, and social-class segregatio…
An Organizational Analysis of the Effects of Ability Grouping
Ability grouping appears to be a logical means of organizing a student body with diverse academic skills. Many observers contend, however, that the practice favors students in high-ability groups at the expense of students in lower groups. An organizational conception of ability grouping clarifies the rationale for ability grouping but also illuminates its shortcomings: Grouping students leads to segregation on nonacademic as well as academic cri…
Race and track location in U.S. public schools
How Changes in Families and Schools Are Related to Trends in Black-White Test Scores
Through several decades of research, a great deal has been written about trends in black-white test scores and the factors that may explain the gaps in different subject areas. Only a few studies have examined the changing relationships between gaps in students' test scores and family and school measures in nationally representative data over several periods. This article builds on this previous work and addresses some of its limitations by analy…
Educational Stratification and Students’ Social Bonding to School
This paper examines the polarization model from qualitative research in both Great Britain and the US, which claims that educational stratification practices polarize students into pro- and anti-school orientations. Because few researchers have adequately conceptualized school attitudes and behavior, social bonding theory (Hirschi, 1969) is used to provide a framework for examining the polarization hypothesis. Relying on High School and Beyond da…
Impact of the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program
This paper examines the impact of the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program on student achievement for low‐income students in upper elementary and middle school who used a voucher to transfer from public to private schools during the first four years of the program. We analyzed student‐level longitudinal data from public and private schools taking the same statewide standardized assessment. Overall, voucher students experienced an average achievemen…
Virtual Illusion
As researchers continue to examine the growing number of charter schools in the United States, they have focused attention on the significant heterogeneity of charter effects on student achievement. Our article contributes to this agenda by examining the achievement effects of virtual charter schools vis-à-vis brick-and-mortar charters and traditional public schools and whether characteristics of teachers and classrooms explain the observed impac…
Instructional Conditions in Charter Schools and Students’ Mathematics Achievement Gains
Since charter school research on student achievement is mixed, many researchers and policy makers advocate looking inside the “black box” of schools to better understand the conditions under which schools of choice may be effective. We begin to address this issue with data from charter schools and a comparison group of traditional public schools. We also conduct propensity score matching at the student level to further understand achievement gain…
A neo-classical education transitions approach
In (Re)Search of Evidence-Based School Practices
Two types of inquiry have been at the heart of recent discussions of systematic evidence in educational policy and practice: randomized field trials (RFTs) and nationally representative surveys. We argue that integrating these 2 modes of inquiry has the potential to strengthen the evidence base for school reform. In particular, national surveys can help determine the focus of RFTs, by identifying factors that place schools at risk of poor achieve…
Insufficient Accountability? Heterogeneous Effects of Charter Schools Across Authorizing Agencies
We estimate the longitudinal effects of charter schools authorized by different authorizing bodies on student achievement by using student-level data from Indiana. The results of our analysis point to substantial variation, especially between the state’s two largest authorizers: Ball State University and the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office. Some of the variation is driven by the types of operators these bodies authorize to run charter schools. Howeve…
Improving Reading Instruction and Students’ Reading Skills in the Early Grades
In Haiti, 49% of students cannot read a single word in Creole by the time they start grade 3, which is reflective of a broader learning crisis in low‐income and fragile contexts. Read to Learn, an early‐grade literacy intervention, was implemented and evaluated from fall 2014 through spring 2016 with the aim of improving students’ reading skills. Students were given learning materials in their mother tongue, teachers were provided with training a…
In the Wake of A Nation at Risk
Since its publication in 1983, A Nation at Risk has caused several waves and ripples of educational reform. This article puts that report in the context of earlier responses to perceived education crises. One such important response was from the private sector: the New American Schools Development Corporation (NAS). NAS attempted to create, develop, and widely disseminate "break the mold" whole-school designs to improve student achievement in the…
The Effects of Stratification in Secondary Schools
On the topic of stratification in secondary schools, this paper uses ethnographic research to interpret the findings of survey analyses and uses survey studies to assess the causal implications and generalizability of ethnographic findings. The authors criticize survey research for ambiguity concerning the measurement of within-school stratification and for lack of attention to the mechanisms through which the effects of grouping and tracking occ…
Educational Stratification and Students’ Social Bonding to School
This paper examines the polarization model from qualitative research in both Great Britain and the US, which claims that educational stratification practices polarize students into pro- and anti-school orientations. Because few researchers have adequately conceptualized school attitudes and behavior, social bonding theory (Hirschi, 1969) is used to provide a framework for examining the polarization hypothesis. Relying on High School and Beyond da…
An Organizational Analysis of the Effects of Ability Grouping
Ability grouping appears to be a logical means of organizing a student body with diverse academic skills. Many observers contend, however, that the practice favors students in high-ability groups at the expense of students in lower groups. An organizational conception of ability grouping clarifies the rationale for ability grouping but also illuminates its shortcomings: Grouping students leads to segregation on nonacademic as well as academic cri…
Watching Channel One
In (Re)Search of Evidence-Based School Practices
Two types of inquiry have been at the heart of recent discussions of systematic evidence in educational policy and practice: randomized field trials (RFTs) and nationally representative surveys. We argue that integrating these 2 modes of inquiry has the potential to strengthen the evidence base for school reform. In particular, national surveys can help determine the focus of RFTs, by identifying factors that place schools at risk of poor achieve…
Sociodemographic Diversity, Correlated Achievement, and De Facto Tracking
De facto tracking-the association between students' courses in disparate subjects, regardless of the decline of institutional mechanisms that organized de jure tracking-is a contested feature of secondary schools. Some analysts imply that de facto tracking arises simply because students who do well in one area often do well in other areas. Other analysts contend that pronounced tracking systems maintain racial, ethnic, and social-class segregatio…
In the Wake of A Nation at Risk
Since its publication in 1983, A Nation at Risk has caused several waves and ripples of educational reform. This article puts that report in the context of earlier responses to perceived education crises. One such important response was from the private sector: the New American Schools Development Corporation (NAS). NAS attempted to create, develop, and widely disseminate "break the mold" whole-school designs to improve student achievement in the…
Race and track location in U.S. public schools
Editors' Preface
How Changes in Families and Schools Are Related to Trends in Black-White Test Scores
Through several decades of research, a great deal has been written about trends in black-white test scores and the factors that may explain the gaps in different subject areas. Only a few studies have examined the changing relationships between gaps in students' test scores and family and school measures in nationally representative data over several periods. This article builds on this previous work and addresses some of its limitations by analy…
Instructional Conditions in Charter Schools and Students’ Mathematics Achievement Gains
Since charter school research on student achievement is mixed, many researchers and policy makers advocate looking inside the “black box” of schools to better understand the conditions under which schools of choice may be effective. We begin to address this issue with data from charter schools and a comparison group of traditional public schools. We also conduct propensity score matching at the student level to further understand achievement gain…
A neo-classical education transitions approach
Obituary
Survey Methods in Educational Research
School Choice
Sociology and School Choice
Charter schools have been on the educational reform landscape for over twenty years. In the last ten years, a number of rigorous studies have examined the effects of these schools on student achievement and educational attainment. Findings reveal mixed results where student achievement is concerned (i.e., some positive, some negative, some neutral) and positive results in terms of educational attainment (i.e., high school graduation and college a…
Standardized Educational Tests
Standardized tests are tests that are administered under controlled (or “standardized”) conditions – specifying where, when, how, and for how long test‐takers may respond to questions. The test questions provide a way to gather, describe, and quantify information that assesses performance on particular tasks to demonstrate knowledge of specific topics or processes. Standardization is important to compare individuals or groups and involves a consi…
Impact of the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program
This paper examines the impact of the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program on student achievement for low‐income students in upper elementary and middle school who used a voucher to transfer from public to private schools during the first four years of the program. We analyzed student‐level longitudinal data from public and private schools taking the same statewide standardized assessment. Overall, voucher students experienced an average achievemen…
Virtual Illusion
As researchers continue to examine the growing number of charter schools in the United States, they have focused attention on the significant heterogeneity of charter effects on student achievement. Our article contributes to this agenda by examining the achievement effects of virtual charter schools vis-à-vis brick-and-mortar charters and traditional public schools and whether characteristics of teachers and classrooms explain the observed impac…
The current landscape of school choice in the United States
Over the last 30 years, the school choice movement has been one of the most prominent large-scale reform efforts in American education. In recent years, charter schools and voucher programs, in particular, have been a focus of policy makers and philanthropists. Mark Berends presents an overview of these two models, their prevalence, and what research says about their effectiveness
Improving Reading Instruction and Students’ Reading Skills in the Early Grades
In Haiti, 49% of students cannot read a single word in Creole by the time they start grade 3, which is reflective of a broader learning crisis in low‐income and fragile contexts. Read to Learn, an early‐grade literacy intervention, was implemented and evaluated from fall 2014 through spring 2016 with the aim of improving students’ reading skills. Students were given learning materials in their mother tongue, teachers were provided with training a…
The Mechanics of Treatment-effect Estimate Bias for Nonexperimental Data
To measure 'treatment' effects, social science researchers typically rely on nonexperimental data. In education, school and teacher effects on students are often measured through value-added models (VAMs) that are not fully understood. We propose a framework that relates to the education production function in its most flexible form and connects with the basic VAMs without using untenable assumptions. We illustrate how, due to measurement error (…
Charter schools after three decades
Charter school policies have focused on improving three aspects of schools—autonomy, innovation, and accountability—with the intention of promoting advances in curriculum, instruction, and learning that lead to better student outcomes. However, most research on charter schools tends to neglect school organizational and instructional conditions. Overall, reviews show that charter schools have inconsistent effects on student achievement scores, a f…
Timing and Frequency Matter
Existing research examines whether studying with teachers of the same race/ethnicity affects student achievement, but little is known about whether those effects vary by timing and frequency. We use 7 years of administrative data from third through eighth graders in Indiana to estimate the heterogenous links between same race/ethnicity teachers and achievement by school level (i.e., elementary vs. middle schools) and self-contained classroom (i.e…
Insufficient Accountability? Heterogeneous Effects of Charter Schools Across Authorizing Agencies
We estimate the longitudinal effects of charter schools authorized by different authorizing bodies on student achievement by using student-level data from Indiana. The results of our analysis point to substantial variation, especially between the state’s two largest authorizers: Ball State University and the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office. Some of the variation is driven by the types of operators these bodies authorize to run charter schools. Howeve…
School Choice and Performance (20 works) · Psychology (18 works) · Sociology (16 works) · Mathematics education (15 works) · Political science (14 works) · Academic achievement (12 works) · Pedagogy (9 works) · Charter (8 works) · Higher Education Research Studies (8 works) · Law (8 works)