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Eric.ed.gov – Partnerships, Policy, and Educational Change: The Role of Mathematics and Science in K-16 Reform

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Concerns about American competitiveness and innovation have led to increasing scrutiny of science, technical, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Leaders in the higher education, business, and legislative communities have all issued calls for expanded opportunities and training in STEM fields to improve the skills of the U.S. workforce. Older arguments for change, including stronger alignment of K-12 and higher education curriculum and the overall reform of teacher preparation, are incorporated within these recent calls, and share similar policy and implementation challenges. This analysis identifies the National Science Foundation Math Science Partnerships program as an emblem of the challenges of engaging K-12 and higher education in major reform efforts within a dynamic policy environment. Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – Standards Deviation: How Schools Misunderstand Education Policy. CPRE Policy Briefs. RB-43

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This brief summarizes the findings of a recent book, “Standards Deviation: How Schools Misunderstand Education Policy” (Spillane, 2004), that examines state and local government relations as the standards move from the statehouse to the district policymakers and teachers who attempt to make sense of them. It takes a case study approach, focusing on a single state, Michigan, and strategically sampled school districts. The study is based on empirical data from a four-year examination of approaches to the use of standards in nine Michigan districts between 1992 and 1996. This overview of the study’s findings first frames the subject of standards-based reform, and then moves to a discussion of the Michigan math and science standards. Variation in the progress of standards among districts is explored next, followed by… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Role Perceptions and Role Dynamics between Graduate Scientists and K-12 Teachers in a School-University Outreach Project: Understudied Constructs

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Partnerships between scientists and teachers are an important focus of the current reform in science education. This study examined the roles and the dynamics of interactions in an NSF-funded Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12) project. Data sources included interviews with teachers, fellows, and students at eight K-12 schools. Data were analyzed for emergent categories recognized by teachers and fellows alike. Roles played by the fellows were those of science/ math expert, scientist/mathematician role model, source of material resources, source of curricular enrichment, and teaching partner. Teacher roles were perceived as liaison between fellow and schools, teaching partner, teaching mentor, and science/math learner. Although the project underdefined the roles of the teachers, teachers showed noteworthy consistency in perception of their roles. The roles of the fellows… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Science and Math Assessment in K-6 Rural and Small Schools. Rural, Small Schools Network Information Exchange: Number 14, Spring 1993.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This packet includes reprints of journal articles and other resources concerning the assessment of science and math in small, rural elementary schools. Articles include: (1) “Standards, Assessment, and Educational Quality” (Lauren B. Resnick); (2) “A True Test: Toward More Authentic and Equitable Assessment” (Grant Wiggins); (3) “How World-Class Standards Will Change Us” (Arthur L. Costa); (4) “Smart Tests” (Deborah L. Cohen); (5) “Laser Disk Portfolios: Total Child Assessment” (Jo Campbell); (6) “Portfolios Invite Reflection–from Students and Staff” (Elizabeth A. Hebert); (7) “Portfolio Assessment in the Hands of Teachers” (Clare Forseth); (8) “Portfolio Assessment” (Susan Black); (9) “Assessing the Outcomes of Computer-Based Instruction: The Experience of Maryland” (Gita Z. Wilder, Mary Fowles); (10) “Why Standards May Not Improve Schools” (Elliot W. Eisner); (11) “Assessing Alternative Assessment” (Gene I.… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Establishing a Strong Foundation: District and School Supports for Classroom Implementation of the MDC Framework

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has invested in the development and dissemination of high-quality formative assessment tools to support teachers’ incorporation of the Core Common State Standards (CCSS) into their classroom instruction. Lessons from the first generation of standards-based reforms suggest that intense attention to high quality instructional tasks, use of formative assessments embedded in those tasks, and professional development (PD) that attends to both content knowledge and instruction are essential considerations if teachers are to meet the demands of the CCSS. Experts from the Shell Centre have developed a set of formative assessment lessons (FALs) for high school mathematics teachers to facilitate CCSS-based student mathematics learning and provide teachers with feedback about student understanding and mastery. The tools are designed to target the “instructional core”… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – IDRA Newsletter. Volume 35, No. 7

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Each edition of the IDRA Newsletter strives to provide many different perspectives on the issues in education topics discussed and to define its significance in the state and national dialogue. This issue focuses on Teaching Quality and includes: (1) The “Fourth-Grade Slump” and Math Achievement: Addressing the Challenge with Student Engagement (Kristin Grayson and Veronica Betancourt); and (2) Transformations: They’re not just for Functions! (Kathryn A. Brown). Additional features include: Tools for Action; Effective Parent Outreach; Highlights of Recent IDRA Activities; Immigrant Students Rights; and Classnotes Podcast Episodes. (Individual articles contain references.) Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – Mathematics: Essential Research, Essential Practice. Volumes 1 and 2. Proceedings of the 30th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This is a record of the proceedings of the 30th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (MERGA). The theme of the conference is “Mathematics: Essential research, essential practice.” The theme draws attention to the importance of developing and maintaining links between research and practice and ties in with the joint day of presentations with the 21st biennial conference of the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers (AAMT). This special feature highlights the benefits of collaboration between researchers, practicing classroom teachers, and curriculum developers. Volume 1 contains the following papers: (1) The Beginnings of MERGA (Ken Clements); (2) Teaching and Learning by Example: The Annual Clements/Foyster Lecture (Helen L. Chick); (3) Introducing Students to Data Representation and Statistics (Richard Lehrer); (4) Studies in the Zone… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Engaging STEM Faculty in K-20 Reforms–Implications for Policies and Practices

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The Math and Science Partnership (MSP) program at the National Science Foundation (NSF) is a major national research and development effort that supports innovative partnerships among institutions of higher education (IHEs), local K-12 school systems, and their supporting partners in order to improve K-12 student achievement in mathematics and science. Deep engagement of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplinary faculty is a hallmark of the MSP program. The program posits that disciplinary faculty hold the content knowledge that K-12 teachers need and that, if faculty are substantially involved, teachers’ disciplinary knowledge will be strengthened, resulting in improved student achievement. Drawing on a larger study that examines the effects of STEM faculty engagement in MSP, this article specifically looks at the tenure and promotion policies in a… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Should Business Reform Public Education? A “Rainy Night” for Georgia Teachers and Implications for Science Education.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Into the “quality of public schools” issue step politicians with quick fixes–“proven” business practices variously rejected by experts Peter Drucker (Management by Objectives) and W. E. Deming (Quality Management). These include the following. Determine product quality by inspection–hence, compare school quality by testing teachers and students. Deming opposed maintaining quality by inspection, instead focusing on design Assume that the quality by product is not due to defective design, but due to incompetent personnel. Deming rejected making personnel the focus of problem solving. Make or perpetuate schools as authority oriented systems in which, paraphrasing Drucker (via Marc Tucker), teachers are treated as unskilled production line workers with little autonomy or pay. Apply a narrow focus on goals. In this case, they are economic. Public education has the long… Continue Reading

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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