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Eric.ed.gov – Preparing STEM Teachers: The Key to Global Competitiveness

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Like many sectors in society, the teacher preparation community is working to address challenges the nation faces in relation to global competitiveness. This document highlights institutions around the country that are preparing tomorrow’s teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Well-known shortages of qualified math and science teachers continue to exist in most states and districts across the country. Thus unprepared teachers are assigned to teach math or science “out of field,” although research shows that students learn more from mathematics and science teachers who studied teaching methods in the subject they teach than from those who did not. In addition, the annual turnover rates of both math and science teachers of 16% are the highest of all fields. Schools, colleges, and departments… 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 – Facilitating Student Learning through Math Journals.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In the last two decades, mathematics teachers have shown a great deal of interest in how students learn mathematics through journal writing. I have also used journals in mathematics classes for the last five years. Based on the analysis of more than 1800 journal entries written by approximately 200 students in the last five years, I conclude that journal writing has potential to aid in student mathematical learning even though teachers need a large amount of time to examine student journals and provide feedback. Math journals not only help instructors in understanding students’ feelings, likes, and dislikes about classes but also help students to demonstrate their mathematical thinking processes and understanding. (Author) Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – Online Peer Observation: An Exploration of a Cross-Discipline Observation Project

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In this article the authors compare two phases of an ongoing, annual online peer observation project at the Open University. Adopting a non-managerialist approach, the project aims to give teachers a renewed sense of collegiality, allowing them to take responsibility for aspects of their professional development and share practice points. While the first phase focused on a single discipline group in languages, the second brought together teachers in languages with teachers of Math, Computing, and Technology, all employing Elluminate Live as their online teaching platform. The authors comment on congruent and divergent gains emerging from the two phases. Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – Louisiana’s Pre-K through Third Grade Guidebook for Sites & System Leaders

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The years between pre-K and third grade are vital for creating the foundation for later school success. The skills students develop at one age level or grade must be built upon and reinforced in later grades. Furthermore, for students to sustain gains made in one grade, they must continue to receive high-quality teaching in subsequent grades. Despite the growing efforts to expand quality pre-Kindergarten opportunities for 4-year olds and to close early achievement gaps, many young children in Louisiana still lack access to a high-quality continuum of learning that could make a difference in positive, long term achievement outcomes. Gaps and disparities in learning exist even as children enter pre-Kindergarten and these persist and grow larger throughout early elementary school. Though both early childhood community networks and… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Charter Schools as Nation Builders: Democracy Prep and Civic Education. Policy Brief 4

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This policy brief is the first in a series of in-depth case studies exploring how top-performing charter schools have incorporated civic learning in their school curriculum and school culture. This paper introduces Democracy Prep, a network of seven public charter schools with a civic mission at its core. Democracy Prep’s founder and superintendent is Seth Andrew, an energetic former teacher born and raised in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. Andrew’s passion for civic activism and academic rigor are at the center of Democracy Prep’s model. The network’s motto–“Work hard. Go to college. Change the world!”–couples the “no-excuses” charter school movement’s emphasis on student achievement with a decidedly civic focus. The fact that Democracy Prep is a charter school is crucial to its civic mission.… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Update on the Improving Teacher Quality Program. Report 09-05

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The Improving Teacher Quality (ITQ) State Grants Program is currently operating professional development grants for California teachers at 40 sites statewide. This is as large a cadre of projects as the California Postsecondary Education Commission has operated since the ITQ Program began with the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The projects are: (1) Academic Literacy in Secondary Education (seven projects); (2) Science and Math Teacher Retention Master Grant Initiative (19 sites); (3) K-2 Education (eight projects); and (4) Elementary Education (six projects). This paper reports updates on the Improving Teacher Quality Program. Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – Math and Science Academy: Year 4 Evaluation Report. CSE Technical Report 648

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This evaluation report summarizes Year 4 of the Math and Science Academy (MSA), an initiative of the Northern New Mexico Council on Excellence in Education (NNMCEE). The report begins with an overview of the project and its objectives, and then outlines the research questions and methods used to carry out the evaluation. Findings from the Year 4 evaluation are presented next; the report concludes with recommendations and refinements for future years of MSA. Years 1, 2, and 3 of the UCLA/CRESST evaluation of the MSA project were designed to describe how the program was implemented, to assess program effects and to generate recommendations for the improvement and enhancement of the project. Year 4 of the MSA evaluation paralleled the same research questions as Years 1 – 3… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Professional Learning Activities in Context: A Statewide Survey of Middle School Mathematics Teachers

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Based on a statewide survey of professional learning activities among 577 middle school mathematics teachers in Missouri, this study examined two questions: 1) What professional learning activities do middle school math teachers participate in and how much time do they spend in these activities?, and 2) How are teacher qualifications and contextual characteristics associated with the amount of their professional learning activities? The study examined seven types of formal and informal professional learning activities: 1) professional development programs, 2) teacher collaboration, 3) university courses, 4) professional conferences, 5) mentoring/coaching, 6) informal communications, and 7) individual learning activities. The study found that middle school mathematics teachers spend the greatest amount of time involved in teacher collaboration, professional development programs, and individual learning activities. In addition, mathematics teachers in… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The Effects of “Math Pathways and Pitfalls” on Students’ Mathematics Achievement: National Science Foundation Final Report

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This study was designed to assess the impact of “Mathematics Pathways and Pitfalls” (“MPP”) on the mathematics that second-, fourth-, and sixth-grade students learn. The specific research questions that were addressed are: (a) What is the impact of “MPP” on students’ knowledge of the mathematics topics addressed, compared to that of students using the regular math curriculum? and (b) How equitable is the impact of “MPP” on students’ mathematics knowledge across levels of English language proficiency and entering mathematics ability? A cluster-randomized experimental design was implemented in five school districts. In the first year of the study, second-, fourth-, and sixth-grade teachers were randomly assigned within their school districts to either an experimental or a control group. The experimental group teachers were taught how to implement “MPP”… Continue Reading