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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 – Personalized Learning: A Guidebook for City Leaders

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Leaders of urban school systems are faced with a daunting fact: Some individual schools achieve incredible results for students from low-income communities, but no urban “school systems” achieve those results for all–or even most–children in an entire city. For generations, students in urban America have been underserved, with few achieving basic proficiency in reading and math, and even fewer completing college. At the same time, as cities and districts face shrinking education budgets while demands for college and career readiness increase, teachers are expected to do more with less. As new promising practices emerge at the classroom, school, district, and city levels, how can more educators and administrators be exposed to what is working elsewhere? For the purpose of this guidebook, personalized learning (PL) means that students’… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Preparing STEM Teachers: The Key to Global Competitiveness

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Like many sectors in society, the teacher preparation community is working to address challenges the nation faces in relation to global competitiveness. This document highlights institutions around the country that are preparing tomorrow’s teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Well-known shortages of qualified math and science teachers continue to exist in most states and districts across the country. Thus unprepared teachers are assigned to teach math or science “out of field,” although research shows that students learn more from mathematics and science teachers who studied teaching methods in the subject they teach than from those who did not. In addition, the annual turnover rates of both math and science teachers of 16% are the highest of all fields. Schools, colleges, and departments… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Charter Schools as Nation Builders: Democracy Prep and Civic Education. Policy Brief 4

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This policy brief is the first in a series of in-depth case studies exploring how top-performing charter schools have incorporated civic learning in their school curriculum and school culture. This paper introduces Democracy Prep, a network of seven public charter schools with a civic mission at its core. Democracy Prep’s founder and superintendent is Seth Andrew, an energetic former teacher born and raised in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. Andrew’s passion for civic activism and academic rigor are at the center of Democracy Prep’s model. The network’s motto–“Work hard. Go to college. Change the world!”–couples the “no-excuses” charter school movement’s emphasis on student achievement with a decidedly civic focus. The fact that Democracy Prep is a charter school is crucial to its civic mission.… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Leadership for Indigenous Education: Culture-Based Communication and the Impact on Student Achievement in Hawaii

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In this quantitative correlational research study, the degree to which a school leader’s culture-based communication style could predict student achievement outcomes in the Hawaii State Assessment (HSA) in reading and math in: (a) schools with a Native Hawaiian mission, and (b) schools without a Native Hawaiian mission, were examined. The population of the study was all 284 K-12 Department of Education schools in Hawaii and publicly funded charter schools. Within this selected population of K-12 schools, 20 schools and corresponding school leaders were selected from Hawaiian-missioned schools, and 20 from Western-missioned schools. Findings include that culture-based communication style of leaders only influences learner reading sores, where school leaders who use engagement culture-based communication style score significantly high than those who have leaders who use other communication styles.… Continue Reading