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Eric.ed.gov – Community and Place in Mathematics Instruction in Selected Rural Schools

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The teaching of mathematics, which arguably is so abstract as to transcend place and community and even culture (according at least to a Platonic view of mathematics), will seem to some observers particularly ill-suited to instruction in place- or community- or culture-based approaches. Nevertheless, current thinking in mathematics education, with its emphasis on the construction of meaning and the application of problem solving to “real-world” situations, might logically be interpreted as supporting these varied approaches to instruction. Because both rural education and math education scholars collaborated in conducting this study, the project did indeed have its eye as much on the “community purposes of mathematics instruction” as on the “mathematical purposes of community engagement”. The related complexities are legion–and, the authors find, them interesting. This report begins… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Locating Differential Effectiveness of a STEM Initiative through Exploration of Moderators

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In randomized control trials, such as the one the authors conducted in Alabama, moderators are potentially an important source of variation in treatment effects. Whether moderators used in the RCT’s analysis are pre-existing characteristics of students, their teachers, or the school or other organizational context, they can point toward differences in the way the program (treatment) is implemented, the way teachers interact with different kinds of students when implementing the program, or how effects are operating at levels in the organization above the level where the differences were measured. The authors appreciate Cronbach’s (1975) metaphor of the “hall of mirrors” to point to the endless possibilities for higher-order interactions complicating the explanation of what was found. But the goal of this paper is to illustrate a disciplined… 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 – The Narrowing Gap in New York City Teacher Qualifications and Its Implications for Student Achievement in High-Poverty Schools. Working Paper 10

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Studies have found substantial sorting of teachers across schools, with the schools with the highest proportions of poor, non-white, and low-scoring students having the least qualified teachers as measured by certification, exam performance, and inexperience (Lankford, Loeb and Wyckoff, 2002). Yet, there have been substantial changes in the educational policy landscape over the past five years. New laws, including the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), have changed requirements for teachers. Assessment-based accountability policies at the state-level have created standards and increased oversight of schools, especially those with low-achieving students. New routes into teaching, many with fewer requirements before teaching, have changed the cost for individuals to enter the teaching profession. These changes have affected teacher labor markets profoundly. In this paper the authors examine… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Problem Solving: The “Wright” Math. The Centennial of Flight Special Edition. An Educator Guide with Activities in Mathematics, Science, and Technology. NASA CONNECT[TM].

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: NASA CONNECT is an annual series of integrated mathematics, science, and technology instructional distance learning programs for students in grades 6-8. This program is designed for students to learn about the evolution of flight. The program has three components–television broadcast, Web activity, and lesson guide–which are designed as an integrated instructional package. Students learn how the Wright Brothers became the first human beings to successfully design, construct, and fly an airplane and which method the Wright Brothers used in designing their airplane. Students also observe NASA engineers and researchers using problem-solving skills to design wings that will change their shape during flight. By conducting hands-on and Web activities, students make connections between NASA research and the mathematics, science, and technology they learn in the classroom. The educator… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Parent Engagement Representatives (PERS), 2015-2016. Research Educational Program Report

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Parent, school, and community engagement is widely established as a collaborative strategy to improve the school experience and educational outcomes for children and youth (Epstein & Sanders, 2006; SEDL, 2013; Weiss, Lopez, & Rosenberg, 2011; Barr & Saltmarsh, 2014). Consistent with this viewpoint, the Houston Independent School District (HISD), through the Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Department, initiated the Parent Engagement Representatives (PERs) program. The PERs program is funded by the Title I, Part A Parent Involvement grant. The program was aligned with the Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships. This home to school partnership model incorporates activities that are designed to enhance parent/teacher conference participation and parent awareness of district and community programs and resources. PERs partnered with school staff at 20 HISD elementary, middle, and… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Enacting Common Core Instruction: How Intermediate Unit 13 Leveraged Its Position as an Educational Service Agency to Implement and Scale the LDC Initiative

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Funded by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) and Math Design Collaborative (MDC) offer a set of instructional and formative assessment tools in literacy and math, which were developed to help educators better prepare all students to meet the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and succeed beyond high school. Following three years of extensive data collection in LDC study sites throughout the country, Research for Action (RFA) has produced three case studies to illustrate how the LDC and MDC tools have been adopted in different settings and contexts, and which approaches and supports have contributed to the successful adoption and use of the tools. The case studies provide a set of “road maps” for other sites that will be adopting or scaling… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Promising Practices in Professional Growth & Support: “Case Study of Agile Mind”

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Four organizations with promising practices in teacher Professional Growth & Support have significantly raised outcomes for low-income students. The charter management networks, Achievement First and Aspire Public Schools, and the two reform organizations, Teach Plus and Agile Mind, have successfully increased student achievement with a sustained focus on teaching effectiveness and capacity. As these organizations respond to the challenges of Common Core standards, invest heavily in teaching capacity through teacher leadership and collaborative planning time, and capitalize on assessment and evaluation data and technology, they exemplify best practices in Professional Growth & Support. They also reinforce what Education Resource Strategies (ERS) terms the Eight Principles of a Strategic Professional Growth & Support System which are presented here. The eight principles summarize ERS research and work with partner… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Teacher Perspectives as a Framework for Strengthening Teacher Education. Draft.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This presentation reports on the third phase of research associated with the Teacher as Decision Maker Program (TADMP), a graduate-level program for middle/secondary school certification at Indiana University. Seven teacher perspectives have emerged from the study of 86 individuals from the fields of science, English, foreign language, math, and social studies: (1) Scholar Psychologist; (2) Friendly Scholar; (3) Inculcator; (4) Facilitator of Thinking; (5) Friendly Pedagogue; (6) Empowerer, and (7) Nurturer. The latest research explores the utility of these teacher perspectives as a tool for strengthening self-reflection on teaching among TADMP students. The paper describes and analyzes the impact of four interventions based on the perspectives: (1) initial reflections; (2) choosing a center and gaining confidence; (3) reflecting back on perspectives and teaching; and (4) confirming and… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Evaluation of Instructional Model Applied to Functional Math. Project on Effective Computer Instruction for Effective Special Education, Prince George’s County Public Schools.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This study evaluated an instructional model entitled “Integrating Computer Software into the Functional Mathematics Curriculum: A Diagnostic Approach,” which was intended to prepare middle-school special education students for the Maryland Functional Mathematics Test. The model consisted of eight major components: pretests/posttests, diagnostic evaluations, domain directories, software matrix, software summaries, skill sheets, computer software, and miscellaneous materials. The model was evaluated by comparing math performance and attitudes of students who received instruction based on the model with those of matched control students, and by conducting interviews with teachers using the model. Analysis of scores of 26 experimental and 26 comparison subjects on the 9th-grade Maryland Functional Mathematics Test indicated that 27% of experimental subjects passed the test, while 12% of the comparison students passed. Interviews with 17 teachers… Continue Reading