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Eric.ed.gov – A Preliminary Case Study of SCALE Activities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison: Factors Influencing Change Initiatives in STEM Undergraduate Education, Teacher Training, and Partnerships with K-12 Districts. WCER Working Paper No. 2007-2

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This report on the SCALE Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) Case Studies line of work provides preliminary findings about SCALE activities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison). This study focuses on the structural and behavioral dynamics influencing the implementation of the four core SCALE strategies for effecting change in IHEs: (1) reform undergraduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses; (2) promote collaboration between STEM and education departments regarding pre-service teacher education; (3) promote collaboration between IHEs and K-12 districts regarding in-service professional development; and (4) improve institutional policies and practices at the IHE level that support faculty engaged in pre- and in-service activities. Preliminary findings indicate that SCALE is making progress in each of these areas. Through the Math Masters and Immersion Unit professional development programs… Continue Reading

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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

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Eric.ed.gov – A Case Study: Teaching Engineering Concepts in Science. Research in Engineering and Technology Education

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This study was conducted to describe a teacher developed high school engineering course, to identify teaching strategies used in the process of delivering math and science literacy through this course, to identify challenges and constraints that occurred during its development and delivery, and to describe the strategies that were used to overcome those obstacles. A case study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with the engineering instructor at Benilde-St. Margaret’s in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. In addition, the researcher conducted classroom observations and reviewed instructional materials, teacher lesson plans, and teacher journals. Themes that developed regarding the strategies used to deliver this particular course identified that concepts created its platform for delivery, curricular trial and error was at work, science and engineering competitions were leveraged as a basis… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – STEM Education and Leadership: A Mathematics and Science Partnership Approach

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The issue of attracting more young people to choose careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has become critical for the United States. Recent studies by businesses, associations, and education have all agreed that the United States’ performance in the STEM disciplines have placed the nation in grave risk of relinquishing its competitive edge in the marketplace. A Congressional Research Service (2006) report stated that, a “large majority of secondary students fail to reach proficiency in math and science, and many are taught by teachers lacking adequate subject matter knowledge.” Students lacking in STEM skills will not have the ability or skills to enter in the professions of science and engineering or areas requiring mathematics, science, and technology literacy. To counteract these circumstances, multiple STEM-based initiatives… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Expectations Meet Reality: The Underprepared Student and Community Colleges. 2016 National Report

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Improving college completion is a shared objective of higher education. It is the focus of colleges, foundations, state governments, and the White House. Students have gotten the message–their aspirations are on the rise. But the nation’s collective ambition far exceeds today’s outcomes. Many students are not attaining their goals. College readiness is at the heart of this disconnect between aspirations and results. If student outcomes are to equal student aspirations, colleges must be more effective in helping underprepared students move into–and successfully complete–college-level work. This 2016 National Report presents innovative strategies that are showing promise– multiple measures for assessing readiness, corequisite courses, redesigned math, accelerated developmental courses, computer-assisted developmental math, developmental education paired with workplace skills, high school partnerships, and improved preparation for placement tests. Examples of… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – “Educate to Innovate”: How the Obama Plan for STEM Education Falls Short. Backgrounder. No. 2504

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: President Obama’s Educate to Innovate initiative has provided billions in additional federal funding for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education programs across the country. The Administration’s recognition of the importance of STEM education– for global competitiveness as well as for national security–is good and important. But the past 50 years suggest that federal initiatives are unlikely to solve the fundamental problem of American underperformance in STEM education. Heritage Foundation education and national security analysts explain that, though Educate to Innovate is intended to raise the U.S. “from the middle to the top of the pack in science and math,” the federal program’s one-size-fits-all approach fails to remedy the underlying problems of academic performance and does not plug the leaky pipeline in the American education system. (Contains… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Implementing Cross-Sector Collaboration through the District-Charter Collaborative: A Case Study of Promising Practices

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: District-Charter Partnerships (DCP) is an initiative that is part of the Equity and Excellence for All agenda established by Mayor De Blasio. Its goal is to support meaningful collaboration between the district and charter sector in order to increase educator capacity and student learning in all New York City public schools. The District-Charter Collaborative (DCC) is one of the principal programs under the DCP umbrella. Spearheaded by the NYC Department of Education’s (DOE) Office of School Design and Charter Partnerships and Office of Leadership, the program brings quads of schools (2 district and 2 charter) together to engage in structured collaboration through the creation of professional learning communities (PLCs). These PLCs aim to improve practice in one of the following Learning Focus Areas (LFAs): math instruction, supporting… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Mathematics and Science Teacher Academy Evaluation. MSTA Final Report

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In a time of evolving Algebraic standards and expectations for Minnesota teachers and students, the establishment of quality professional development and technical assistance can help educators move more confidently toward greater mathematics understanding and, subsequently, successful teaching and learning. To this end, the Minnesota Department of Education has developed the Math and Science Teacher Academy (MSTA), a statewide infrastructure focused on the improvement of mathematics and science instruction. As external evaluators, Hezel Associates has supported Minnesota’s initiative through formative and summative research since the program’s inception during the summer of 2008. In this report of the MSTA evaluation’s activities, findings, commendations and recommendations, the evaluators focus on presenting new information that has not been presented elsewhere. They combine this new information with key points that were described… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – REAL School Gardens Program: Learning Gardens and Teacher Training to Improve Student Engagement and Academic Performance in Low-Performing Elementary Schools

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Children who grow up in poverty are less likely to graduate high school, enter college and find economic stability. REAL School Gardens believes the right educational opportunities — ones that engage and motive children to learn — can break this cycle. The REAL School Gardens Program builds learning gardens and offers teacher training to improve academic engagement and performance in low-income elementary schools. Since its launch, REAL School Gardens has partnered with 92 low-income schools, and preliminary findings show that 84% of students experiencing hands-on academic lessons in a REAL School Garden report high levels of engagement, specifically in math in science. Another study demonstrated that REAL School Gardens’ partner schools exhibit, on average, standardized science test score pass rates 5.5% higher than non-partner schools. This article… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The Right Trajectory: State Teachers of the Year Compare Former and New State Assessments

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: “The Right Trajectory” brings to the forefront an often-overlooked voice in the debate about new state assessments developed in consortia: that of the best teachers in the country. This research suggests, despite challenges still to overcome, that these front-line experts believe that the new consortia tests are an improvement on the former assessments and so represent movement in the right direction for students and for education in their states. What do great teachers think of the new assessments compared to the previous ones? As part of state transitions to college and career ready (CCR) standards, including the Common Core State Standards in more than 40 states (NGA & CCSSO, 2010), states are for the first time administering new summative assessments aligned to those standards and aiming for… Continue Reading