eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Oregon Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) focuses its afterschool programs with middle and high school students on inventions that address key problems in developing countries, such as sustainable lighting, water transportation, water filtration, and prosthetics. With the support of a grant from the Oregon Community Foundation, MESA expanded its afterschool program to four Salem-Keizer Public Schools middle schools in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 school years. The goal of this expansion was to help underrepresented minority and low income students achieve scholastic success, leadership skills, and social support for college enrollment through (1) afterschool STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs led by teachers from the school served; (2) science and technology competitions; (3) family involvement and advocacy; and (4) mentorship by local college students. At the request… Continue Reading →
eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Given the importance of early mathematics instruction and curricula for preventing mathematics difficulties in later grades, it is necessary to identify effective mathematics curricula and instruction to ensure that children become proficient in early mathematics content and procedures. Everyday Mathematics (EM), was reviewed by the What Works Clearinghouse and is reported to have “potentially positive effects” on students’ mathematics achievement. However, most of the studies that have evaluated EM have used quasi-experimental designs or are small-scale randomized control trials. This study reports the preliminary year one findings for Kindergarten and 3rd grade cohorts of the first scale-up evaluation of this widely used curriculum. The results of this study will contribute to understanding whether EM is effective in promoting mathematic proficiency in the elementary grades when implemented “at… Continue Reading →
eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This brief applies value-added models to student surveys in the CORE Districts to explore whether social-emotional learning (SEL) surveys can be used to measure effective classroom-level supports for SEL. The authors find that classrooms differ in their effect on students’ growth in self-reported SEL–even after accounting for school-level effects. Results suggest that classroom-level effects within schools may be larger than school-level effects. However, the low explanatory power of the SEL models means it is unclear that these are causal effects that have appropriately controlled for student-level characteristics. Finally, there are generally low correlations between classroom-level growth in SEL and classroom-level growth in English language arts (ELA) or math, suggesting the SEL measures may capture growth not measured by academic test scores. Although results are preliminary, they indicate… Continue Reading →
eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Following the recommendations of a 2013 instructional audit, the Academically or Intellectually Gifted department implemented a co-teaching instructional strategy in 41 volunteer schools starting in the 2014-15 school year. Implementation data and discussions with central office staff suggest that while implementation fidelity was relatively strong in the first year, it declined in 2015-16. Still, the first year of implementation offered evidence to guide any future co-teaching implementation. First, the “one teach, one assist” method of co-teaching was most frequently observed, suggesting that co-teachers may have defaulted to one of the less optimal instructional strategies under the model. Second, AIG teachers and co-teachers perceived the initiative similarly but differed on a few particularly meaningful survey items pertaining to the perceptions and role of the specialist. Third, AIG students… Continue Reading →
eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Act, Sing, Play (ASP) offered music and drama tuition to Year 2 pupils. The aim of the programme was to evaluate whether music workshops had a bigger impact than drama workshops in terms of pupils’ maths and literacy attainment. The evaluation was based on the hypothesis that participation in high-quality music instruction promotes educational attainment over and above instruction in other artistic pursuits (see Schellenberg, 2004). The ASP programme was developed specifically for this trial and ran from September 2013 to June 2014: 909 pupils participated in 19 schools across London, Essex, Sussex and Coventry. In each participating Year 2 class, pupils were randomly allocated to one of three groups: violin or cello workshops (ASP-strings), singing lessons (ASP-singing), or drama workshops (ASP-drama). The two music groups (strings… Continue Reading →
eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Charter schools are largely viewed as a major innovation in the public school landscape, as they receive more independence from state laws and regulations than do traditional public schools, and are therefore more able to experiment with alternative curricula, pedagogical methods, and different ways of hiring and training teachers. Unlike traditional public schools, charters may be shut down by their authorizers for poor performance. But how is charter school performance measured? What are the effects of charter schools on student achievement? Assessing literature that uses either experimental (lottery) or student-level growth-based methods, this analysis infers the causal impact of attending a charter school on student performance. Focusing on math and reading scores, the authors find compelling evidence that charters under-perform traditional public schools in some locations, grades,… Continue Reading →
eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts (PA PKC) is a state-funded prekindergarten program for 3- and 4- year-old children to help them gain school readiness skills. The goal of PA PKC is to help reduce educational disparities by providing high quality prekindergarten for children who lack opportunities or reside in environments that place them at risk of school failure. This Impact Study examined the effects of participation in PA PKC on children’s early academic, social, and executive function skills in kindergarten. In particular, the study focused on whether there were differences in performance for children with 1 or 2 years of enrollment in PA PKC compared to children with no early childhood education (ECE) experience in the 2 years prior to kindergarten. Two primary research questions (1 and 2) guided… Continue Reading →
eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Under waivers to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the federal government required states to identify schools where targeted subgroups of students have the lowest achievement and to implement reforms in these “Focus Schools.” In this study, we examine the Focus School reforms in the state of Kentucky. The reforms in this state are uniquely interesting for several reasons. One is that the state developed unusually explicit guidance for Focus Schools centered on a comprehensive school-planning process. Second, the state identified Focus Schools using a “super subgroup” measure that combined traditionally low-performing subgroups into an umbrella group. This design feature may have catalyzed broader whole-school reforms and attenuated the incentives to target reform efforts narrowly. Using regression discontinuity designs, we find that these reforms led to… Continue Reading →
eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Recognizing the role numbers play in people’s everyday lives is crucial to students’ math understanding now and down the road. That’s why Bob Krech, a curriculum specialist in New Jersey’s West Windsor-Plainsboro district, likes to teach a lesson he calls “Numbers All Around Us.” This lesson uses real-world examples to show that numbers help people answer many questions, including “How much?” “How fast?” and “Where do I go?” Expert teacher Bob Krech shares strategies for teaching real-world math. Link til kilde
eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Council for American Private Education (CAPE) is a coalition of national associations serving private schools K-12. “Outlook” is published monthly by CAPE. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Math Scores Continue Upward Trend; Reading Remains Flat; (2) Duncan Supports Amending BRS Provisions in Senate Bill; (3) ESEA Changes Stall in Congress, Move Through Waivers; (4) Melinda Gates Recalls How Teacher Inspired Success; (5) School Crime; and (6) CAPE Notes. Link til kilde
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