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Eric.ed.gov – A Perspective on Race Equity and Science and Math Education: Toward Making Science and Math for All.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This keynote address focuses on equity in science and mathematics education. The science and math achievement of minority and poor children are discussed from an instructional policy perspective with emphasis on who gets access to what knowledge. The discussion about the politics of knowledge acquisition involves a discussion of race, class, and gender and highlights the fact that even though there have been substantial gains, the fact remains that a student’s status as minority or poor or female severely impairs that student’s likelihood of acquiring a quality educational experience, particularly with regard to science and math. An analysis of data reveals that with respect to curriculum there are no substandard schools; however, there are significant differences in teacher qualifications and teacher attitudes. Compared to students not in… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Critical Consciousness and Schooling: The Impact of the Community as a Classroom Program on Academic Indicators

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The present study investigates the extent to which a program guided by the principles of critical pedagogy, which seeks to develop “critical consciousness,” is associated with the improved academic performance of students attending a low-performance middle-school in Buffalo, New York. The students were enrolled in an in-school academic support program called the “Community as Classroom”, which used critical project-based learning to show students how to improve neighborhood conditions. The study found that the Community as Classroom program bolstered student engagement as reflected in improved attendance, on-time-arrival at school, and reduced suspensions. Although class grades did not improve, standardized scores, particularly in Math and Science, dramatically improved for these students from the lowest scoring categories. We suspect that given increased student engagement and dramatically improved standardized test scores,… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Evaluation of the Computer and Team Assisted Mathematical Acceleration (CATAMA) Lab for Urban, High-Poverty, High Minority Middle Grade Students. Final Report to the Institute of Education Sciences

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This project entailed a three-year efficacy evaluation of the Computer and Team Assisted Mathematical Acceleration (CATAMA) Lab developed by the Center for Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins University. The CATAMA Lab was proposed as an immediate and practical approach to addressing the different types of math deficits held by students at urban high-poverty schools. The Lab required only 1 teacher per school reducing staff and professional development requirements. It used multiple instructional techniques (including individualized computer instruction, direct instruction, pair and team learning, and individual instruction) to teach math concepts and skills. By taking the place of an elective it allowed students to continue with their on-grade math class. For a more detailed description of the Lab see Appendix 2. The original goal of the… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Do Poor Kids Deserve Lower-Quality Education than Rich Kids? Evaluating School Privatization Proposals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. EPI Briefing Paper #375

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: During the past year, Wisconsin state legislators debated a series of bills aimed at closing low-performing public schools and replacing them with privately run charter schools. These proposals were particularly targeted at Milwaukee, the state’s largest and poorest school district. Ultimately, the only legislation enacted was a bill that modestly increases school reporting requirements, without stipulating consequences for low performance. Nevertheless, the more ambitious proposals will likely remain at the core of Wisconsin’s debates over education policy, and legislative leaders have made clear their desire to revisit them in next year’s session. To help inform these deliberations, this report addresses the most comprehensive set of reforms put forward in the 2013-2014 legislative session. Backers of these reforms are particularly enamored of a new type of charter school… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Development of Curricula, Teacher Supports, and Assessments for Pre-Kindergarten Mathematics and Science

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The “MTP-Math/Science” curricula specifically target the teaching and learning of children at risk of early school failure, a population for whom achievement gaps in mathematics and science are visible even in Pre-K years. “MTP-Math” is based on Focal Areas defined by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) (2006) for Pre-K through the 8th grade and developmental trajectories for Mathematics from Pre-K to grade two advanced by Clements (2004), and further focused through a review of state Pre-Kindergarten standards. In the authors’ earlier research with the “MTP” model to support language and literacy (Pianta, Mashburn, Luckner, Myers, & Kilday, 2008), the “MTP” teacher professional development program improved the quality of classroom interactions that Pre-K students experience, which in turn, promoted children’s development of language and literacy… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Structural and Social Constraints in the Teaching of Life Skills for HIV/AIDS Prevention in Malawi Primary Schools

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The Ministry of Education in Malawi introduced a life skills education program with the intention to empower children with appropriate information and skills to deal with social and health problems affecting the nation, including the fight against HIV infections. This study investigated factors affecting the teaching of the life skills education in four primary schools in the Zomba district, Malawi. Cornbleth’s (1990) notions of the structural and social contexts and Whitaker’s (1993) identification of key role players in curriculum implementation framed the study. Data was collected through interviews with teachers and principals and observations of teachers’ lessons. Findings suggest that the teaching of life skills is constrained by a variety of social and structural contextual factors such as the poor conditions under which teachers are working; greater… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Math and Science Education. IDRA Focus.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This newsletter focuses on efforts to make math and science more attractive, relevant, and accessible to students, especially limited-English-proficient, minority, economically disadvantaged, female, and at-risk students. “TAAS Math Performance” (Linda Cantu) outlines recent statewide results for the controversial Texas Assessment of Academic Skills and describes Project Pathways, a staff development program to help Texas students, especially minority and disadvantaged students, master the test. “Content in Context: Technology That Makes Sense in Education” (Felix Montes) discusses the trend in educational technology towards engaging students as active creators of knowledge by making an assortment of learning tools available to them in a flexible format. “Texas Statewide Systemic Initiative” (David Hill) describes a collaborative effort among education, business, government, and community to provide Texas communities with the resources to implement… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Do Disadvantaged Students Get Less Effective Teaching? Key Findings from Recent Institute of Education Sciences Studies. NCEE Evaluation Brief. NCEE 2014-4010

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Lack of researcher consensus on how to measure disadvantaged students’ access to effective teaching has made it challenging for practitioners to draw lessons from the data. This brief aims to help policymakers understand the emerging evidence by synthesizing findings from three peer-reviewed studies that collectively span 17 states. The studies provide two lessons: (1) on average, disadvantaged students received less effective teaching than other students, equivalent to about four weeks of learning for reading and two weeks for math, or about 2 to 4 percent of the student achievement gap between these groups; and (2) access to effective teaching for disadvantaged students varied across districts, with a statistically significant difference between more and less disadvantaged students’ access in some districts and no statistically significant difference in access… 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 – Out before the Game Begins: Hispanic Leaders Talk about What’s Needed to Bring More Hispanic Youngsters into Science, Technology and Math Professions

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Hispanics are one of the largest and fastest-growing minority groups in the United States. Projections indicate a need for an increase of 20% of practicing engineers by 2010. Despite the growing number of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers in the American economy, education statistics suggest that too few Hispanic students are being encouraged and equipped to take advantage of opportunities in technical disciplines. American business and industry and the nation’s Hispanic communities would both benefit from addressing this mismatch. In summer 2007, the IBM International Foundation asked Public Agenda to interview Hispanic and Latino leaders in a variety of fields, asking for their views on what will be needed to bring more Hispanic students into the technical and scientific disciplines. This report is based on… Continue Reading