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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 – Socrates Lives: Dialogue as a Means of Teaching and Learning

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The purpose of this paper is to argue for the ongoing use of dialogue as a modern pedagogical and andragogical method. The author reviewed 18 scholarly sources from three education databases in this literature review. The use of dialogue as mode of instruction dates from the Socratic Method of 399 B.C.E. to present uses. The literature reveals current studies of successful use in math, ESL, business, law, and teacher preparation instruction. Also, the dialogue as avenue into reflective self-learning appears prominently in modern practice. Multimedia, computer, and online dialogue methods also show good results in several well designed models. The author concludes that dialogue in different forms remains an effective method of instruction in wide applications. The research revealed several improvements and new applications for dialogue as… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Mathematics: Essential Research, Essential Practice. Volumes 1 and 2. Proceedings of the 30th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This is a record of the proceedings of the 30th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (MERGA). The theme of the conference is “Mathematics: Essential research, essential practice.” The theme draws attention to the importance of developing and maintaining links between research and practice and ties in with the joint day of presentations with the 21st biennial conference of the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers (AAMT). This special feature highlights the benefits of collaboration between researchers, practicing classroom teachers, and curriculum developers. Volume 1 contains the following papers: (1) The Beginnings of MERGA (Ken Clements); (2) Teaching and Learning by Example: The Annual Clements/Foyster Lecture (Helen L. Chick); (3) Introducing Students to Data Representation and Statistics (Richard Lehrer); (4) Studies in the Zone… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Task Force on the Education of Maryland’s African-American Males

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: On June 9, 2003, the Task Force on the Education of Maryland’s African-American Males was convened by the Maryland K-16 Leadership Council (chaired by the University System of Maryland Chancellor William E. Kirwan, former Maryland Acting Secretary of Higher Education John A. Sabatini, Jr., and Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick) to evaluate Maryland’s progress in addressing persistent academic achievement problems imperiling African-American boys and men. This Task Force was co-chaired by Vice President Dunbar Brooks, Maryland State Board of Education and Treasurer Orlan M. Johnson, Board of Regents, University System of Maryland. The task force evaluated the successes and failures of Maryland’s public schools with regard to African-American males’ school readiness; reading, math, and science achievement; attendance, graduation, suspension, and expulsion rates; participation in… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Research Mathematicians’ Participation in the MSP Program

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The purpose of this study was to examine the involvement of higher education STEM faculty in disciplinary departments with pre-K-12 public schools. In particular, the study focused on 15 nationally funded awards, targeted at education in mathematics, in the National Science Foundation’s Math and Science Partnership (NSF MSP) Program. One important goal of the MSP Program is to further cultural change in the STEM departments. Other studies have analyzed the effectiveness of efforts to engage STEM faculty in education activities; however, the groups studied previously included those faculty whose primary research field was STEM education. Taking the view that achieving cultural change in disciplinary departments may require an attitudinal shift among disciplinary research faculty, this analysis selected only the faculty group self-identified as “mathematics researchers” for study.… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – How the Racial and Socioeconomic Composition of Schools and Classrooms Contributes to Literacy, Behavioral Climate, Instructional Organization and High School Graduation Rates. Research Brief No. 2. Updated

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This is the second in a series of briefs summarizing findings from the newest and most rigorous research related to racial and socioeconomic diversity in public schools. The studies on which this brief is based were published recently in three special issues of the peer-reviewed journal, “Teachers College Record,” edited by Professors Roslyn Arlin Mickelson of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Kathryn Borman of the University of South Florida. This brief considers the relationship between the racial and socioeconomic composition of a school and/or classroom and a variety of important educational measures. This research augments an already extensive body of work in this area, which has reached similar conclusions. However, the work published this year in “Teachers College Record” is particularly rigorous. It draws… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The Impact of Racially Diverse Schools in a Democratic Society. Research Brief No. 3. Updated

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This is the third in a series of briefs summarizing findings from the newest and most rigorous research related to racial and socioeconomic diversity in public schools. The studies on which this brief is based were published recently in three special issues of the peer-reviewed journal, “Teachers College Record,” edited by Professors Roslyn Arlin Mickelson of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Kathryn Borman of the University of South Florida. For more than two decades, the success of school desegregation has been judged mainly by the degree to which it benefits individuals, either through academic achievement or social mobility. This research augments an already extensive body of work in this area, which has reached similar conclusions. However, the work published this year in “Teachers College… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Student Achievement in Schools Managed by Mosaica Education, Inc

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This report by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is the first comprehensive effort to assess student achievement in public schools managed by Mosaica Education, Inc., one of the leading private management companies in education, marketing itself to charter boards and school districts since 1997. Schools examined in the report had been managed by Mosaica for at least two years, some for three or more years, to provide an analysis of trends. The first part of the evaluation compares student achievement between 11 charter schools managed by Mosaica during 2000-2001, to other schools in the state with the same grade levels and a comparable percentage of low-income students. The AFT study ranks each Mosaica school among the comparison schools based on the 2000-2001 average math and reading… Continue Reading