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Eric.ed.gov – Teacher Perceptions and Implementation of a Content-Area Literacy Professional Development Program

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The Common Core State Standards recommend that all educators equip students with the literacy skills needed for college and careers. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine middle-level content-area teachers’ perspectives on a district-led literacy professional development program and their implementation of the literacy strategies they learned. The conceptual framework included Bruner’s constructivist, Bandura’s self-efficacy, and Knowles’s andragogy theories. These theories informed the investigation of adult learners’ perspectives regarding the way they learn and gain confidence in providing literacy instruction. Eleven English, math, science, and social studies teachers participated in the study through individual interviews. Data were also gathered via classroom observations and lesson plans. The findings of the study indicated that teachers did implement the literacy strategies following the professional development provided despite… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Inclusive Education in the United States: Middle School General Education Teachers’ Approaches to Inclusion

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Research examined how three middle school teachers included students with disabilities in their general education classrooms. Purposive sampling was used to select a sixth grade science teacher, seventh grade social studies teacher, and eighth grade math teacher whose classrooms were identified as exemplifying the characteristics of inclusive settings. Each participant had at least six years of teaching experience. The qualitative techniques of interviews, observations, and document analyses were utilized to tell the stories of the three teachers. The specific themes and areas that emerged from the data were preparation, attitudes, and expectations; planning time, collaboration and in-class supports; and instructional strategies. Data revealed that all participants had little pre-service preparation specific to working with students with disabilities and varying levels of in-class supports, but all had positive… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Segregation within Integrated Schools: Racially Disproportionate Student-Teacher Assignments in Middle School

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Racial segregation has been an ongoing issue in American education and one of the leading contributors to the racial achievement gap. Prior to the Brown v. Board decision of 1954, Black Americans were legally relegated to substandard schools and educational opportunities. Post-Brown, racial segregation continues to manifest as a result of “de facto” segregation and “second-generation segregation.” Moreover, the predominantly White teaching force — a negative consequence of desegregation — has been linked to poorer outcomes for Black and Latino students. Our study examines trends in racially disproportionate assignment of Black and Latino students to less experienced teachers than their White counterparts. Specifically, our analysis illustrates statistically significant trends in the assignment of less experienced teachers to Black and Latino students in middle school math over several… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Understanding Secondary School Teachers’ TPACK and Technology Implementation in Mathematics Classrooms

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) framework provides an understanding of a teacher’s knowledge in the three areas and how it is used to effectively teach with technology (Koehler, Mishra, & Cain, 2013). This study explores the TPACK of middle and high school math and special education teachers and how teachers integrate technology in their mathematics classrooms. Teachers in a rural public school district in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S were surveyed. In the concurrent mixed-method design, data were collected using a survey with 22 close-ended questions from Zelkowski, Gleason, Cox, & Bismark (2013) to measure teachers’ TPACK (Likert scale of 1 to 5) and 7 open-ended questions regarding technology integration. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the quantitative data while a two-cycle coding process,… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The Impact of Graduate Education on Teacher Effectiveness: Does a Master’s Degree Matter? MHEC Research Brief

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Many school districts and states have long encouraged teachers to pursue graduate education. Teachers are frequently permitted to use graduate credits for recertification (Hill, 2007), and teachers with graduate degrees generally earn a higher salary or receive an annual stipend (Miller & Roza, 2012). Advocates have argued that graduate education may improve teacher effectiveness (e.g., Harris & Sass, 2011) and raise the status of the teaching profession (e.g., Sahlberg, 2015). The purpose of this brief is to examine the prevalence of graduate degrees among teachers in the United States and to summarize research on the relationship between teacher educational attainment and student achievement. Main findings include: (1) Among early childhood, primary, middle, and junior high school teachers, those with a master’s degree do not have a larger… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Measuring Student Progress and Teachers’ Assessment of Student Knowledge in a Competency-Based Education System. REL 2017-238

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Competency-based education has received growing attention in recent years as a way to address preK-12 learning goals. In competency-based education, students are promoted to the next course of study or grade level in each subject area after demonstrating mastery of identified learning targets aligned to standards. Westminster Public Schools in Colorado began the transition to a competency-based education system in 2009. In the Westminster Public Schools system, courses of study are organized according to performance level rather than according to traditional grade levels. Westminster Public Schools, a member of the Regional Educational Laboratory Central College and Career Readiness Research Alliance, asked for assistance in examining how long it takes students in the district to progress through their performance levels, especially students who are below their traditional grade… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Connecting PD to Practice: Using a Task in 7th Grade Math

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In this study, we expand the Cohen and Ball triangle of interactions to explore the relationship of professional development to classroom practice. We consider a case study of one teacher’s implementation of a task from professional development in her 7th grade classroom. We were specifically interested in how the content and pedagogy of the professional development would be adopted by the teacher. Our findings suggest that this teacher treated pedagogy and mathematical content as separable, which led to problematic implementation of PD practices. [For the complete proceedings, see ED585874.] Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – A Parallel Mixed-Methods Exploration of Inclusion Strategies Being Used by Middle School Math and Science Teachers for Included Students with Autism

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: General education teachers are seeing an increase of students with disabilities being included. A major contributing factor to this is that students with disabilities are required to be in least restrictive environments and given access to the general curriculum in the major subjects like math and science as mandated by federal legislation (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2004; No Child Left Behind, 2001). This parallel mixed methods design study (Newman, Newman, & Newman, 2011) investigated inclusion strategies with classroom observations, teacher interviews, and archival document reviews. The focus was on nine middle school teachers, six of whom were math and science teachers, in inclusive classrooms and the curriculum modifications/instructional accommodations they were using for their students with autism. Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – A Case Study of Coaching in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Professional Development

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: A professional development experience for science and mathematics teachers that included coaches was provided for ten science and math teachers. This professional development experience had the teachers develop a lesson that utilized the engineering context to teach a science or mathematics concept through guided inquiry as an instructional methodology. Developing a guided inquiry lesson can be a difficult task for teachers. Science teachers have inquiry standards that they must meet and research indicates that teaching through guided inquiry is an effective method of teaching science content. Mathematics teachers are being asked to incorporate more active and cooperative instructional experiences in in their classrooms. Results of the professional development experience indicate that all but one of the teachers were successful in developing and implementing guided inquiry lessons within… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – A Multilevel Analysis of the Impact of Teachers’ Beliefs and Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching on Students’ Mathematics Achievement

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Teachers’ content knowledge and beliefs about teaching and learning are among the key factors for effective teaching and, in turn, for student achievement-related outcomes. This study explores the extent to which K-8 math teachers’–who teach in high-poverty urban schools–professional background, motivational beliefs, and mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) have an impact on students’ math achievement. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) results indicated that although students’ prior mathematics achievement was the most determining factor of their subsequent math achievement, teachers’ MKT and holding a bachelor’s degree in mathematics had significant positive effects on students’ math achievement. Results provide support for professional development (PD) to focus on improving mathematics teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching. Results may also have implications for education policies at both the district and state level for… Continue Reading