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Eric.ed.gov – Getting Ready for Kindergarten: Children’s Progress during Head Start. FACES 2009 Report. OPRE Report 2013-21a

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This brief report focusing on children’ s kindergarten readiness i s the third in a series of reports describing data from the 2009 cohort of the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES 2009). Previous FACES 2009 reports described the characteristics of children and their families and programs as they entered Head Start in fall 2009 ( Hulsey et al. 2011) and, in spring 2010, at the end of one year in the program (Moiduddin et al. 2012). This brief report describes the family backgrounds and developmental outcomes of children as they completed the Head Start program and also describes progress in children’s outcomes between Head Start entry and exit. It focuses on the population of children who entered Head Start for the first time in… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Can Formal-Informal Collaborations Improve Science Literacy in Urban Middle Schools? The Impact of Urban Advantage. IESP Policy Brief 03-11

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This brief presents findings from a study on Urban Advantage (UA), a collaboration between the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), other New York City informal science institutions, and the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) to improve the science literacy of NYC public school students. The 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. Key findings include: (1) Students at UA schools outperform students at non-UA schools. In 2006- 07, the third year of the program, 44.2% of students at UA schools are proficient on the Intermediate Level Science Test (ILS) exam, compared to… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Academic Achievement and School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Turning around chronically low-performing schools requires a multifaceted school-wide, systematic effort that includes strong leadership and data-based decision making. School-wide efforts to turn-around low-performing schools should address the academic, social, and behavioral needs of all students. One evidence-based, systematic school-wide approach for addressing social and behavioral concerns in schools and, distally, increasing students’ access to academic instruction, is school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS). SWPBIS is associated with increased positive school climate, increased teacher self-efficacy, decreased problem behaviors for the whole school, and potentially, increased academic achievement. The underlying assumption is that by improving social behavior, schools have more time and ability to deliver effective curriculum and instruction. However, to-date, this assumption has not been fully investigated. The goal of this paper is to explicitly examine… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The Skyline TEAMS Model: A Longitudinal Look at the Impacts of K-12 Engineering on Perception, Preparation and Persistence

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This paper describes the longitudinal impacts of a partnership between the University of Colorado Boulder’s K-12 Engineering Education initiative and the St. Vrain Valley School District. Together, university and high school educators created a replicable pre-college engineering model in a nine-school feeder system, which serves many Colorado students who are traditionally underrepresented in the engineering profession, and culminates with a high school STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) Academy whose graduates are motivated to thrive in engineering colleges. However, the following question, “Is this an effective model for increasing student STEM persistence and performance?” remains a driver for our investments as we refine the K-12 engineering program based on partner school feedback and quantitative and qualitative assessment results. Data show that our K-12 engineering program has positively… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Learning in Linguistically Diverse Middle School Classrooms: The Role of the Classroom Peer Network

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The literature suggests there is much to be gained from exploring the role of the peer network in linguistically diverse “mainstream” middle school classrooms (i.e., classrooms that include English language learners alongside fluent English-speakers). The present study uses social network analysis to examine whether between-classroom and between-student variation in cross-language-status integration in the classroom peer network may contribute to between-classroom and between-student differences in learning. Data from a larger mixed-methods study at a linguistically diverse middle school in the southeastern United States are analyzed to test two hypotheses: (1) Classrooms with more linguistically integrated peer networks (i.e., those in which the network of friendships in the classroom is less segregated by ELL status) will show greater growth in classroom mean standardized test scores across the school year;… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The Aftermath of Accelerating Algebra: Evidence from a District Policy Initiative. Working Paper 69

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In 2002/03, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools initiated a broad program of accelerating entry into algebra coursework. The proportion of moderately-performing students taking 8th grade algebra increased from less than half to nearly 90%, then reverted to baseline levels, in the span of just six age cohorts. We use this policy-induced variation to infer the impact of accelerated entry into algebra on student performance in math courses as students progress through high school. Students affected by the acceleration initiative scored significantly lower on end-of-course tests in Algebra I, and were either no more likely or significantly less likely to pass standard follow-up courses, Geometry and Algebra II, on a college-preparatory timetable. We also find that the district assigned teachers with weaker qualifications to Algebra I classes in the first… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Changes in the Characteristics, Services, and Performance of Preschoolers with Disabilities from 2003-04 to 2004-05. Wave 2 Overview Report from the Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study (PEELS). NCSER 2008-3011

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: PEELS involves a nationally representative sample of children, 3 to 5 years of age when they entered the study, with diverse disabilities who are receiving preschool special education services in a variety of settings. Topics covered in the report include declassification (children leaving special education), reclassification (movement from one primary disability group to another), changes over time in the special education and related services provided to preschoolers with disabilities, and changes in children’s performance on a series of direct and indirect assessments in the areas of emerging literacy, early math skills, social behavior, and motor skills from 2003-04 to 2004-05. The study found that fifteen percent of children were declassified between 2003-04 and 2004-05. Children were more likely to be declassified when they transitioned from preschool to… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Beyond Introductory Programming: Success Factors for Advanced Programming

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Numerous studies document high drop-out and failure rates for students in computer programming classes. Studies show that even when some students pass programming classes, they still do not know how to program. Many factors have been considered to explain this problem including gender, age, prior programming experience, major, math background, personal attributes, and the programming language itself. Research in this area has mainly been confined to introductory programming courses. This study explores the problem at a higher level. It tracks students longitudinally as they move from the first introductory programming class, to the second introductory class, and finally, to completion of an advanced programming course. The research question answered was: What are the factors contributing to the success or lack of success in advanced programming? The success… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Children’s Outcomes and Program Quality in the North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten Program: 2012-2013 Statewide Evaluation

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The purpose of the 2012-2013 North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten (NC Pre-K) Evaluation study was to examine the quality of the program and the outcomes for children, along with comparisons to previous years. The primary research questions addressed by this evaluation included: (1) What were the key characteristics of the local NC Pre-K programs?; (2) What was the quality of the NC Pre-K classrooms attended by children and what factors were associated with better quality?; (3) What were the outcomes of children attending the NC Pre-K Program and what factors were associated with better outcomes?; and (4) To what extent have there been any changes over time in these results? To address these questions, information was gathered from multiple sources, including monthly service reports, teacher surveys, observations of classroom… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Influences on Beginning Teachers’ Literacy-Related Instructional Beliefs: A Longitudinal Case-Study Comparison of Five Non-Traditional Math and Science Teachers.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This paper reports on a study to document influences on five beginning mathematics and science teachers’ instructional beliefs after a preservice methods course in secondary literacy. The participants were former military officers who had selected teaching as a second career. The study looked at: the teachers’ beliefs about uses of literacy in their content instruction from preservice through the second teaching year; influences the teachers perceived as affecting their beliefs; and how and why the teachers’ beliefs about literacy in their content instruction changed or remained constant over the 3-year period. Results showed: all five teachers’ beliefs had been influenced by the methods course; the teachers’ instructional beliefs became more elaborate and specific during their student teaching and first year of teaching; as student teachers, they were… Continue Reading