Meryle Weinstein

Training Your Own The Impact of New York City’s Aspiring Principals Program on Student Achievement

The New York City Leadership Academy represents a unique experiment by a large urban school district to train and develop its own school leaders. Its 14-month Aspiring Principals Program (APP) selects and prepares aspiring principals to lead low-performing schools. This study provides the first systematic evaluation of achievement in APP-staffed schools after 3 or more years. We examine differences between APP principals and those advancing through other routes, the extent to which APP graduates serve and remain in schools, and their relative performance in mathematics and English language arts. On balance, we find that APP principals performed about as well as other new principals. If anything, they narrowed the gap with comparison schools in English language arts but lagged behind in mathematics.

New Schools, New Leaders: A Study of Principal Turnover and Academic Achievement at New High Schools in New York City

This condition report focuses on how principal turnover at new high schools affects school culture and student performance and how principals manage the transition to new leadership to minimize this impact. Using both quantitative and qualitative data on high schools in New York City, we examine the organizational structures that allow a sustained focus on student learning while the leadership is undergoing a transition.

The New York City Aspiring Principals Program: A School-Level Evaluation

New York suffers from a persistent shortage of principals. The Leadership Academy - an independent, not-for-profit organization - represents the centerpiece of New York City’s attempts to expand its principal labor pool while at the same time increasing the autonomy and day-to-day responsibilities of its school leaders. In particular, the Leadership Academy seeks to prepare principals for schools marked by high student poverty, low achievement and frequent staff turnover - schools in which principal vacancies had been historically hard to fill. Aspiring Principals (APP), the Leadership Academy’s pre-service principal preparation program, is a 14-month intensive program involving three components. This report represents the first systematic comparison of student outcomes in schools led by APP graduates after three years to those in comparable schools led by other new principals. We provide both a straightforward comparison of average achievement in these two groups of schools, and in efforts to isolate a potential program effect, we conduct a formal regression analysis that accounts for pre-existing differences in student performance and characteristics. We also report key differences between the school leaders themselves and the schools in which they were placed. All principals in this study were installed in 2004-05 or 2005-06, remained in the same school for three or more consecutive years, and led their school through the 2007-08 school year.

Museums, Zoos, and Gardens: How Formal-Informal Partnerships Can Impact Urban Students' Performance in Science

Background: Informal science education institutions (ISEIs) are critical partners in public science education, as they support the science efforts of school systems by providing authentic opportunities for scientific inquiry. This study reports findings from an evaluation of urban advantage (UA), a collaboration between the New York City Department of Education and eight ISEIs designed to improve science education in New York City (NYC) middle schools. Now in its 10th year, the program harnesses the resources and expertise of NYC’s ISEIs to (a) enhance the science content knowledge of middle school science teachers, (b) develop teachers’ skills at using inquiry-based approaches in their classrooms, and (c) improve the science achievement of middle school students. Objectives: We examine whether the UA program has led to increased student achievement on the eighth-grade New York State standardized science exam for students in participating schools; in supplemental analyses, we examine the effects on longer term (ninth-grade) outcomes. Research Design: We use a difference-in-differences framework with school fixed effects to estimate the impact of attending a UA school in eighth grade on science achievement. Measures: Our key outcome is performance on New York State’s eighth-grade intermediate-level science assessment; longer term outcomes include enrollment at specialized science, technology, engineering, and math high schools as well as taking and passing the high school (Regents) science exams. Results: We find that attending a UA school increases student performance on the eighth-grade science exam by approximately 0.05 SD, and there is some evidence of small effects on Regents taking and passing rates.

Concussive Injuries in Rugby 7s: An American Experience and Current Review.

PURPOSE There is a comparative lack of concussion incidence data on the new Olympic sport Rugby 7s. This study aimed to determine the incidence (number of concussions per 1000 playing hours [ph]), mean and median severity (days absence), and cause of concussive injuries. METHODS This is a prospective epidemiology study, amateur to elite/national candidate, male (9768) and female (3876) players in USA Rugby sanctioned tournaments, compliant with the international consensus statement for studies in rugby union. RESULTS Concussions in US Rugby 7s were 7.7/1000 ph (n = 67). Women encountered concussions at 8.1/1000 ph, and men at 7.6/1000 ph (risk ratio [RR] = 1.10, P = 0.593). Elite/national-level players encountered concussions at higher rates (18.3/1000 ph) than lower levels (6.4/1000 ph; RR = 5.48, P < 0.001). Nonelite backs had higher concussive injury rates compared with forwards (7.7/1000 ph; 3.6/1000 ph; RR = 1.28, P = 0.024). Women missed 36.7 d absence from play, meanwhile men missed 27.9 d (P = 0.245). Retrospective history recall reflected previous concussive injuries occurred in 43% of the current studys cohort; of these, 57% encountered multiple concussions within 1 yr. The incidence of repetitive concussions was not statistically different between genders (RR = 1.09, P = 0.754). Most concussions occurred from tackles (63%) and collisions (24%) (P = 0.056). CONCLUSIONS Sports-related concussions occurred with frequency among US amateur Rugby 7s players. US Elite tournament players sustained concussions at much higher rates than international male Rugby 7s counterparts. A substantial portion of US players who sustained a concussion had previous concussion injuries. Given the high rate of concussion, including repetitive concussive injuries, US Rugby 7s may benefit from concussion prevention measures similar to other contact sports such as instruction on proper tackling techniques, in-game and postgame medical assessment, and a standardized return-to-play protocol.

Injury profile of american women's rugby-7s

PURPOSE The objective of this study is to determine incidence (injuries/1000 playing hours (ph)), severity (days of absence), and cause of match injuries in US womens Rugby-7s. METHODS We performed a prospective epidemiological study (2010-2013) of injury of 3876 under-19 to elite/national female Rugby-7s players (nonelite = 3324, elite = 552) on 323 teams (nonelite = 277, elite = 46), applying methodology and injury definitions compliant with the international consensus statement on rugby research. Injuries occurred in USA Rugby-sanctioned tournament series: USA Rugby Local Area (2010), Territorial Union (2011-2013), National and All-Star Sevens Series, and USA Sevens Invitational (2011-2012) and Collegiate Rugby Championships (2012). RESULTS One hundred and twenty time-loss injuries were encountered (elite, n = 15; 13%) with an injury rate of 46.3 injuries/1000 ph. Injury rates in nonelite were 49.3/1000 ph, and in national level (elite) candidates, 32.6/1000 ph (RR = 1.5, P = 0.130). Mean days missed found elite level players at 74.9 d per injury, whereas nonelite at 41.8 d (P = 0.090). Acute injuries were significant (95%, RR = 1.9, P < 0.001), resulting in immediate removal from the pitch (56%, P < 0.001). The main mechanism of injury occurred when tackling players (73%, P < 0.001). The most common type of injury seen were ligament sprains (37%, 13.9/1000 ph), involving the lower extremity (45%, 20.5/1000 ph). The most common body parts injured were the knee and head/face (16%, 7.3/1000 ph). CONCLUSIONS Time-loss injuries occurred with frequency in the US womens Rugby-7s tournaments. Overall injury rates in US women are lower than those in international elite men and womens Rugby-7s. The head and neck area in our female players was injured at greater rates (16%) than in international male Rugby-7s (5%). Injury prevention in US womens Rugby-7s must focus on injuries of the knee, head, and neck. Understanding risk factors will allow safe return-to-play decisions and formulate injury prevention protocols.

What are the Financial Implications of Public Quality Disclosure? Evidence from New York City’s Restaurant Food Safety Grading Policy

Grading schemes are an increasingly common method of quality disclosure for public services. Restaurant grading makes information about food safety practices more readily available and may reduce the prevalence of foodborne illnesses. However, it may also have meaningful financial repercussions. Using fine-grained administrative data that tracks food safety compliance and sales activity for the universe of graded restaurants in New York City and its bordering counties, we assess the aggregate financial effects from restaurant grading. Results indicate that the grading policy, after an initial period of adjustment, improves restaurants’ food safety compliance and reduces fines. While the average effect on revenues for graded restaurants across the municipality is null, the graded restaurants located geographically closer to an ungraded regime experience slower growth in revenues. There is also evidence of revenue convergence across graded and ungraded restaurants in the long term.

An American Experience with a New Olympic Collision Sport: Rugby Sevens

Objectives: Rugby Sevens is a future Olympic collision sport that is played globally with a high incidence of injury. The sport is growing exponentially in the U.S. There is limited injury data on Rugby Sevens. Currently, there is no study evaluating incidence of injury in the National Rugby Sevens population in the U.S. The objective of this study was to characterize the injury rates among amateur Rugby Sevens players in the U.S. Methods: This was a prospective descriptive injury epidemiology study involving American Rugby Sevens tournaments from 2010-2013. The injury data were collected from both male and female Rugby Sevens players (13, 524 players) and conformed to the international consensus statement on rugby injury definitions. The study included a total of 1,127 teams competing in under-15 to national candidate level tournaments (USA Rugby Local Area, Territorial Union, National and All-Star Sevens Series, USA Sevens Invitational and Collegiate Rugby Championships). A total of 2746 matches were played, 2734 lasting 14-minutes (0.23 hours) in length and 12 lasting 20-minutes (0.33 hours) in length. The overall injury exposure for all players was 8858.9 playing hours (7 players per side * 2 teams per match * 0.23 hours per match * 2734 matches + 7 players per side * 2 teams per match * 0.33 hours per match * 12 matches). Player injury data were reported as proportion (%), mean (SD), and rate of injury as injuries per 1000 playing hours. Results: Incidence of combined medical attention and time-loss injuries was 97.7/1000 playing hours (n=875 injuries) (23.6±5 years old). Time-loss injuries alone were encountered at 43.1/1000 playing hours (n=380 injuries) (forwards, 14.3/1000, n=127; backs 25.7/1000, n=228) (RR: 1.8; 1.53-2.11, P < 0.001). Elite/national male competitors (242.6/1000) were injured more often than lower playing levels (147.6/1000) (P < 0.001). Most injuries were acute injuries (96%) that occurred during the tackling phase of play (97%), and it resulted mainly from contact with an opposing player (67%). The main injuries seen were ligament sprain in lower extremities (43%). Upper extremity injuries were seen more often among male players (76%) than female players (24%) (RR: 0.31, CI: 0.25-0.40, P < 0.001). Knee injuries were seen more often in women’s elite players than men’s elite players (P = 0.014). Head/neck injuries (backs, 58%; forwards, 42%) occurred more often in male players (74%) (RR: 0.34; CI: 0.26-0.44, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Injury prevention in American Rugby Sevens should focus on proper tackling technique as most injuries in our series occurred during tackling. We also saw a significant number of head/neck injuries in our U.S. playing population, which may reinforce the importance of proper tackling technique in this collision sport. The rate of head/neck injuries (23%) in our U.S. cohort (National candidates, 25%; lower competitors, 23%) was higher than the rate reported among international male Rugby Sevens players (5%) (Table 1). Overall, our National candidates had higher rates of time loss injuries than lower American amateur playing levels. Our observed injury rate among U.S. elite players is also higher than that reported for international male Rugby Sevens population. Understanding the injury profile of American Rugby Sevens is important to healthcare providers and would direct the growth and safety of this growing collision sport, allowing safe return-to-play decisions and formulation of prevention protocols.

Can Formal-Informal Collaborations Improve Science Literacy in Urban Middle Schools? The Impact of Urban Advantage

This brief presents findings from a study on Urban Advantage, a collaboration between the American Museum of Natural History, other New York City informal science institutions, and the New York City Department of Education to improve the science literacy of NYC public school students. The following analysis draws on a rich longitudinal database, containing student- and school-level data for all NYC public schools and students from 2004-05 to 2009-10. Results indicate that these collaborations can have a positive impact on student achievement and science learning. The findings from this study are especially timely given that U.S. students consistently show low levels of achievement on tests of science literacy. On the 2009 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), only 63% of eighth-graders demonstrated “partial mastery of the knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work” in science. For urban school districts like New York City, the NAEP scores are even more alarming.

Urban Advantage Interim Report

Urban Advantage (UA) is a comprehensive program, designed to improve scientific learning and investigation in middle schools in New York City. It provides professional development to teachers, school administrators, and parent coordinators along with resources to schools, students, and families. UA takes advantage of the wealth of intellectual and institutional capacity available in the city and facilitates access to those resources for the city’s students. This report presents the first results of the study being conducted by the Institute for Education and Social Policy at New York University of the first five years of UA.