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Eric.ed.gov – Tracking Transfer of Reform: Tracking Transfer of Reform Methodology from Science and Math College Courses to the Teaching Style of Beginning Teachers of Grades 5-12. Technical Report.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The purpose of this study was to determine whether reformed science and math courses at community colleges and universities were impacting education majors as they began a teaching career. The reformed courses, in contrast to typical lecture classes, implemented inquiry-based methods that emphasized deep understanding of fundamental science and math concepts. Trained evaluators, utilizing the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) gathered a total of 86 classroom observations to gauge the level of reform that beginning teachers (1-3 years teaching experience) were implementing in grades 5-12. The preservice experience of the beginning teachers varied from having had zero to four reform courses. Results indicated that teachers who had completed reform college courses instructed in a significantly more reformed manner. Furthermore, analysis of years of teaching experience revealed that,… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Professional Development Schools and Developing a Curriculum in the Making with Students

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In this article, the author shares his experiences on a journey with 10-12-year-old students from Chicago’s Cabrini Green neighborhood. The quintessential point he wants to make is that curriculum is not all about what state boards of education decide is important for teachers to do with children, or what a teacher decides to construct alone. It also is certainly not fixed or finite. Rather, it is a journey of co-creation and looking to the students for what is worthwhile–what is worth knowing, doing, being, becoming, thinking about, pondering, and wondering. The author became fascinated by the idea of an integrated curriculum–not one that merely connected math and science and threw in a little bit of music, but one that takes into consideration the subjects and ideas that… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Parents and Teachers: Education in Concert.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Involving parents in young children’s literacy development is a challenge being met by many school districts. Several programs and strategies are being used at various levels to enhance literacy development and to address literacy needs of parents. Suggestions for preschool children include playing classical music, participating in meaningful learning experiences, and reading aloud. In addition, Even Start and Mothers Understanding Methods of Schooling are effective family-based literacy programs. Strategies for use with elementary school students and their parents include: morning meetings for parents at school to share information and present cooperative ventures; home visitor teams to bring parents into school; Reading (or Math) Family Nights; Family Technology Resource Centers offering child care and computer and literacy training; and the hiring of parents as ombudsmen. Strategies tried at… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Teaching and Learning Conditions Are Critical to the Success of Students and the Retention of Teachers. Final Report on the 2006 Teaching and Learning Conditions Survey to the Clark County School District and Clark County Education Association

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Emerging research from across the nation demonstrates that school working conditions–time, teacher empowerment, school leadership, professional development, and facilities and resources–are critical to increasing student achievement and retaining teachers. The existing national data regarding working conditions impact on student achievement and teacher turnover provided a meaningful impetus for the Clark County School District of Nevada (CCSD) and its schools to conduct a survey to gather data with which to inform local working condition reform strategies. By placing the perceptions of Clark County educators at the center of school and district efforts to better recruit and retain teachers, the goal is to create a stable teaching force that allows for a high quality teacher in every classroom across the district. Analysis of the approximately 8,500 survey responses (representing… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Promising Practices in Professional Growth & Support: “Case Study of Agile Mind”

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Four organizations with promising practices in teacher Professional Growth & Support have significantly raised outcomes for low-income students. The charter management networks, Achievement First and Aspire Public Schools, and the two reform organizations, Teach Plus and Agile Mind, have successfully increased student achievement with a sustained focus on teaching effectiveness and capacity. As these organizations respond to the challenges of Common Core standards, invest heavily in teaching capacity through teacher leadership and collaborative planning time, and capitalize on assessment and evaluation data and technology, they exemplify best practices in Professional Growth & Support. They also reinforce what Education Resource Strategies (ERS) terms the Eight Principles of a Strategic Professional Growth & Support System which are presented here. The eight principles summarize ERS research and work with partner… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – A Final Case Study of SCALE Activities at California State University, Northridge: How Institutional Context Influenced a K-20 STEM Education Change Initiative. WCER Working Paper No. 2009-5

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This qualitative case study reports on processes and outcomes of the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded System-Wide Change for All Learners and Educators (SCALE) project at the California State University, Northridge (CSUN). It addresses a critical challenge in studying systemic reform in complex organizations: the lack of methodologies that incorporate technical, social, cultural, and cognitive elements. Guiding questions include (a) how the institutional context influenced the project, (b) whether project activities affected science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instruction, interdisciplinary collaboration on preservice programs, and inter-institutional collaboration on in-service programs, and (c) if and how change initiatives are accepted and incorporated. In-depth interviews (N = 34), relevant documents, and observation data were collected in 2006 and 2007. Findings identified several factors that supported and several that inhibited achievement… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Voices from the Field: Collaborative Innovations in Early Childhood Educator Preparation

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: “Voices from the Field: Collaborative Innovations in Early Childhood Educator Preparation” is jointly published by the Illinois Education Research Council (IERC) and the Illinois Board of Education (IBHE), and highlights the accomplished work of many of the state’s two- and four-year faculty to redesign early childhood educator preparation programs to meet regional and state workforce needs. This edited book has chapters authored by EC faculty from both the 2-year and 4-year sectors and provides clear, tangible examples of how universities across Illinois worked together, often with regional employers, to design pathways for early childhood educators to earn the state’s industry-recognized Gateways credentials while taking college coursework leading to degrees. Each chapter has a unique focus and together, their “Voices” provide significant insight into the innovative partnerships that… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Rural School-Community Partnerships: The Case of Science Education

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The U.S. Department of Education (USDOE, 2004) administers a formula grant program to states that is intended to increase the academic achievement of students in mathematics and science by enhancing the content knowledge and teaching skills of classroom teachers. Partnerships between high-need school districts and the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty in institutions of higher education are at the core of these improvement efforts. These programs articulate the President’s priority of using partnering to close the achievement gap in math and science between majority and minority and/or disadvantaged students in order to keep the U.S. competitive in international markets. However, in rural communities, the infrastructure for developing these partnerships (i.e., nearby institutions of higher education, stable economic base, human resources) is often not available. In… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Strategies for Improving School Performance

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The document is from a presentation at the Texas Region VII 2014 Curriculum Conference. The study examined the effects of a three-tiered high school program designed to increase student achievement and Texas end-of-course (EOC) TAKS and STAAR chemistry scores. The student sample (n = 625) consisted 75% high school sophomores and 25% high school juniors. EOC test results showed the presenter’s students (on-level, inclusion (IN) special education, limited English proficiency (LEP), economically disadvantaged (EDS), and 504 monitored) scored yearly in the 90% passing range. From 2008 to the present, results indicated that the students made significant academic progress. The three-tiered program components were based on school culture findings, productive classroom management research, and classroom programs and strategies. This program will also apply to 6-12 math and social… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – A Case Study: Teaching Engineering Concepts in Science

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This study was conducted to describe a high school engineering curriculum, identify teaching strategies used to increase math and science literacy, and discover challenges and constraints that occur during its development and delivery, as well as what strategies are used to overcome these obstacles. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the engineering instructor. In addition, students were observed and curriculum documents, teacher lesson plans, and teacher resources were examined. Concepts created the platform for delivery, curricular trial and error was at work, science and engineering competitions were leveraged as a basis for learning activities, and project based learning and teaching was critical. There was a clear emphasis on creative thought and work. Assessment of student learning was dubious and elusive and stakeholders tended to be uneasy with this… Continue Reading