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Eric.ed.gov – Comprehensive Private School Model for Low-Income Urban Children in Mexico. Policy Research Working Paper 8669

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In low-income countries, private schools are perceived as superior alternatives to the public sector, often improving achievement at a fraction of the cost. It is unclear whether private schools are as effective in middle-income countries where the public sector has relatively more resources. To address this gap, this paper takes advantage of lottery-based admissions in first grade for a Mexico City private school that targets and subsidizes attendance for low-income children. Over three years, selected students via lottery scored 0.21 standard deviation higher than those not selected in literacy tests, corresponding to a normalized gain of one-half of a grade level every two years. Lottery winners also statistically outperformed those not selected in math, but the gains were more modest. Relative to the control group, parents of… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – When Does Preschool Matter?

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: We have many reasons to invest in preschool programs, including persistent gaps in school readiness between children from poorer and wealthier families, large increases in maternal employment over the past several decades, and the rapid brain development that preschool-age children experience. But what do we know about preschool education’s effectiveness? In this article, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Christina Weiland, and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn report strong evidence that preschool boosts children’s language, literacy, and math skills in the short term; it may also reduce problem behaviors such as aggression. Over the elementary school years, however, test scores of children who were exposed to preschool tend to converge with the scores of children who were not. Many factors may explain this convergence. For example, kindergarten or first-grade teachers may focus on helping… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Children’s Outcomes through Second Grade: Findings from Year 4 of Georgia’s Pre-K Longitudinal Study

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In 2011-2012, the Georgia legislature funded a series of ongoing studies to evaluate Georgia’s Pre-K Program. The 2016-2017 Georgia’s Pre-K Program Evaluation focuses on the results of the fourth year of this longitudinal study, through second grade. The purpose of the current evaluation study was to examine longitudinal outcomes for children related to key academic and social skills as well as the quality of their classrooms from pre-k through second grade. The primary evaluation questions included: (1) What are the learning outcomes through second grade for children who attended Georgia’s Pre-K Program?; (2) What factors predict better learning outcomes for children?; and (3) What is the quality of children’s instructional experiences from pre-k through second grade? To address these questions, the evaluation study included a sample of… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Children’s Outcomes through Second Grade: Findings from Year 4 of Georgia’s Pre-K Longitudinal Study. Executive Summary

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In 2011-2012, the Georgia legislature funded a series of ongoing studies to evaluate Georgia’s Pre-K Program. The 2016-2017 Georgia’s Pre-K Program Evaluation focuses on the results of the fourth year of this longitudinal study, through second grade. The purpose of the current evaluation study was to examine longitudinal outcomes for children related to key academic and social skills as well as the quality of their classrooms from pre-k through second grade. The primary evaluation questions included: (1) What are the learning outcomes through second grade for children who attended Georgia’s Pre-K Program?; (2) What factors predict better learning outcomes for children?; and (3) What is the quality of children’s instructional experiences from pre-k through second grade? To address these questions, the evaluation study included a sample of… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Preparing and Supporting STEM Educators. STEM Smart Brief

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Teachers do make a difference in student outcomes–and it can be a big one. Research has shown this to be especially true in mathematics, which forms the foundation for all future STEM learning. But most U.S. students do not get a series of good teachers–and highly skilled math and science teachers are not the norm. Excellent instruction requires both deep content knowledge and expertise in teaching that content to all kinds of learners. Developing inspiring STEM instruction is particularly demanding, while STEM teachers are particularly poorly prepared. This STEM Smart Brief describes the research and promising practices regarding teacher preparation, professional development, and school leadership strategies that are effective in improving teacher quality or student outcomes. Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – Children’s Pre-K Outcomes and Classroom Quality in Georgia’s Pre-K Program: Findings from the 2013-2014 Evaluation Study. Executive Summary

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This the executive summary of the 2013-2014 study which provided the baseline year for the longitudinal study. The study included observations of teaching practices in a random sample of 199 Georgia’s Pre-K classrooms and assessments of the language, literacy, math, general knowledge, and behavior skills of a sample of 1,169 children attending these classrooms, including parallel assessments in English and Spanish of 139 dual-language learners (DLLs). Classroom/teacher characteristics were examined as predictors of the quality of classroom practices, while both classroom quality as well as child/family and classroom/teacher characteristics were examined as moderators of children’s growth in skills. [To view the full report, see ED593274.] Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – Factor Structure and Validity of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Third Edition (ECERS-3)

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Third Edition (ECERS-3) is the latest version of one of the most widely used observational tools for assessing the quality of classrooms serving preschool-aged children. This study was the first assessment of its factor structure and validity, an important step given its widespread use. An ECERS-3 observation was conducted in 1063 preschool classrooms in three states. In a subset of those classrooms (n = 119), Classroom Assessment Scoring System-Pre-K (CLASS Pre-K) and child assessment data were also collected. Analyses of the ECERS-3 suggested that a single factor does not adequately capture item variability. Of the solutions tested, the four-factor (Learning Opportunities, Gross Motor, Teacher Interactions, and Math Supports) provided the best combination of statistical support and theoretical utility. In general, the ECERS-3… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Gearing up to Teach the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics in the Rural Northeast Region. Stated Briefly. REL 2015-066

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This study describes key challenges and necessary supports related to implementation of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) identified by rural math educators in the Northeast. The research team interviewed state and district math coordinators and surveyed teachers in Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont, to assess their most pressing challenges and associated needs. Key challenges included time and support for teachers to change their instructional practices to meet the CCSSM, availability of high-quality instructional materials, and opportunities for collaboration. The report was produced in response to input from the Northeast Rural Districts Research Alliance (NRDRA), one of eight research alliances working with REL Northeast & Islands. This “Stated Briefly” report is a companion piece that summarizes the results of another report entitled “Gearing… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The Realities of K-12 Virtual Education

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In a decade, virtual education in its contemporary form of asynchronous, computer-mediated interaction between a teacher and students over the Internet has grown from a novelty to an established mode of education that may provide all or part of formal schooling for nearly one in every 50 students in the US. In a non-random 2007 survey of school districts, as many as three out of every four public K-12 school districts responding reported offering full or partial online courses. There can be little question that virtual courses in certain areas (e.g., math, English, social studies) produce tested achievement results on a par with those of their conventionally taught counterparts. Nor is it debatable that more complex areas of the curriculum (e.g., the arts) are beyond the reach… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Closing the Math and Science Gap.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: High schools throughout the United States are turning out graduates who are deficient in mathematics and science education. The field of education has come to be staffed by less competent teachers, as more qualified and more able individuals have been lured away to higher paying professions. The result of this has been the impairment of American ability to compete in the world market. Many high schools have deemphasized traditional core courses along with mathematics and the sciences. The National Education Association (NEA) has been a barrier to quality science and mathematics education in the public schools. The NEA has resisted efforts to institute standardized testing for teachers or assessment of teacher competence. The Department of Education has had deleterious effects on education, since it tends to promote… Continue Reading