0

Eric.ed.gov – A Year in the Life: Two Seventh Grade Teachers Implement One-to-One Computing

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Maine was the first state to put laptops in the hands of an entire grade of students. This interpretive case study of two middle school science-math teachers was driven by the general question: Given ubiquitous computing, how do teachers use computers in constructing curriculum and delivering instruction? Specifically, the researchers sought to examine the facilitators and barriers for teachers in using laptops in the classroom. Using qualitative methods, the researchers collected data during the first year of the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI). Differential effects of one-to-one computing on each teacher were found along two dimensions: the effect of technical technological issues, and the educational effect of technology policies. For both teachers, the effects were deeply altered by the teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning, which in… Continue Reading

0

Eric.ed.gov – Testing the Test: A Study of PARCC Field Trials in Two School Districts. Policy Brief

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The potential use of computer-based assessments has raised concerns from educators, policymakers, and parents about information technology infrastructure in school districts and the preparation of staff and students to use new technologies for assessment purposes, and the potential impact of testing activities on core school functions, particularly teaching and learning. This case study documents lessons learned in the district- or school-wide administration of computer-based student assessments in the Burlington and Revere School Districts during the spring 2014 Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) field test. The case study focused on three research questions: (1) What was the preparation process for district- and school-wide implementation of an online student assessment, including decision making on scheduling, staffing, professional development, technology and hardware, and test materials… Continue Reading

0

Eric.ed.gov – Mathematics Academies: Cohort 1 Evaluation Study, 2011-2013

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Commencing in 2011, the Mathematics Academies Initiative is a series of professional development academies (lasting 1 to 2 years, depending on cohort) with the primary objectives of (a) providing educators with a high quality professional development experience that enhances their mathematical content knowledge and pedagogical skills, and (b) increasing positive attitudes and confidence when providing mathematical instruction. As coordinator of the initiative, the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) Office of Special Programs (OSP) partners with regional education service agencies (RESAs) and local school districts to identify and invite teachers to the math academies, and with Carnegie Learning Inc., an external vendor, to provide instruction and materials. This research study is an evaluation of the first cohort (hereafter, Cohort 1) of the Mathematics Academies Initiative. Cohort 1,… Continue Reading

0

Eric.ed.gov – WWC Quick Review of the Report “Middle School Mathematics Professional Development Impact Study: Findings after the First Year of Implementation”

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The study examined whether 7th-graders’ knowledge of rational numbers improved when the students’ math teachers participated in related professional development activities. The study analyzed data on about 4,500 students and 200 teachers from approximately 80 schools in 12 districts during the 2007-08 academic year. The study found that students in schools where teachers were offered extensive professional development by the study performed no better on a test of math achievement in rational numbers than students in comparison schools at the end of the 2007-08 academic year. However, the study found a significant positive impact of the professional development on one of the three measures of teacher instructional practices examined. Teachers who were offered the study’s extensive professional development engaged in 1.03 more activities per hour that elicited… Continue Reading

0

Eric.ed.gov – Effectiveness Evaluation of the Positive Family Support Intervention: A Three-Tiered Public Health Delivery Model for Middle Schools

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This article presents the results of an evaluation of Positive Family Support, an ecological family intervention and treatment approach to parent supports and family management training developed from a history of basic and translational research. This effectiveness trial, with 41 public middle schools randomly assigned to intervention or control, examined student-, teacher-, and parent-reported outcomes, as well as math and reading scores and school attendance. Multilevel analyses suggested that for students at risk for behavior problems, immediate-intervention schools outperformed control schools on parent-reported negative school contacts for students at risk for behavior problems. Implementation, however, was hampered by several challenges, including school funding cuts, lack of staff time to provide parenting supports, and staff turnover. Given that preventive interventions are generally cost effective, it is critical that… Continue Reading

0

Eric.ed.gov – Pathways to STEM Initiative (PSI): Evaluation Report for an Investing in Innovation (I3) Development Grant

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of the Pathways to STEM Initiative (PSI) on students and science teachers and to describe the level of PSI implementation. One group of middle schools participated in PSI, which included project-based science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) coursework; extra-curricular STEM opportunities for students; and teacher professional development. A multivariate matching algorithm was used to identify a comparison group of schools that received the participating district’s standard science curriculum. The students in the study schools were 62% Hispanic/Latino, 17% Black/African American, and 12% White. Additionally, 23% of the students were English language learners. The study compared students’ science achievement and teachers’ beliefs about science and attitudes toward STEM across the treatment and comparison schools and assessed the fidelity… Continue Reading

0

Eric.ed.gov – Instrumental Appropriation of a Collaborative, Dynamic-Geometry Environment and Geometrical Understanding

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: To understand learners’ appropriation of technological tools and geometrical understanding, we draw on the theory of instrumental genesis (Lonchamp, 2012; Rabardel & Beguin, 2005), which seeks to explain how learners accomplish tasks interacting with tools. To appropriate a tool, learners develop their own knowledge of how to use it, which turns the tool into an instrument that mediates an activity between learners and a task. The tool used in our study is the Virtual Math Teams with GeoGebra (VMTwG) environment. It contains a chat panel and multiuser version of GeoGebra. The learners are seven middle and high school mathematics teachers who participated in a professional development course in which they collaborated synchronously in VMTwG to solve geometrical tasks. We use conventional content analysis to analyze the work… Continue Reading

0

Eric.ed.gov – Environmental Systems Simulations for Carbon, Energy, Nitrogen, Water, and Watersheds: Design Principles and Pilot Testing

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Guided by the Next Generation Science Standards and elements of problem-based learning, four human-environment systems simulations are described in brief–carbon, energy, water, and watershed–and a fifth simulation on nitrogen is described in more depth. These science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education simulations illustrate design principles that make them engaging to students, such as dynamic visual environments that are controlled by the user and immediate visual feedback to user actions taken. The simulations are contextualized in real-world natural resources management challenges involving biogeochemical cycles, such as Gulf of Mexico hypoxia, which provide an opportunity to “win the game,” while the introduction of complexity in steps provides scaffolding. Pretest versus posttest results indicate a substantial and statistically significant improvement in learning outcomes resulting from using the nitrogen simulation,… Continue Reading

0

Eric.ed.gov – EdTrAc Teacher Education Program: First-Year Implementation Evaluation (2005-2006)

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The Educational Training Academy (EdTrAc) is an NSF-funded project of Normandale Community College to increase the number, diversity, and skills of students preparing to be elementary and middle school teachers with a specialty in math and science. Overall, this evaluation indicates that the EdTrAc implementation is on track after its first year (2005-2006). Face-to-face interviews with project leaders and advisors as well as the surveying of students indicate the following as the key accomplishments this year: (1) Improving existing courses and adding new ones in education, math, and science; (2) A strong Teachers of Tomorrow (TOT) club that is instrumental in successful implementation of events and activities such as the Future Teachers Conference; and (3) Improvements in student tracking through the implementation of a new software system… Continue Reading

0

Eric.ed.gov – Teach for America Impact Estimates on Nontested Student Outcomes. Working Paper 146

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Recent evidence on teacher productivity suggests teachers meaningfully influence noncognitive student outcomes that are commonly overlooked by narrowly focusing on student test scores. These effects may show similar levels of variation across the teacher workforce and are not significantly correlated with value-added test score gains. Despite a large number of studies investigating the TFA effect on math and English achievement, little is known about nontested outcomes. Using administrative data from Miami-Dade County Public Schools, we investigate the relationship between being in a TFA classroom and non-test student outcomes. We validate our use of nontest student outcomes to assess differences in teacher productivity using the quasi-experimental teacher switching methods of Chetty, Friedman, and Rockoff (2014) and find multiple cases in which these tests reject the validity of candidate… Continue Reading