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Eric.ed.gov – Learning in Linguistically Diverse Middle School Classrooms: The Role of the Classroom Peer Network

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The literature suggests there is much to be gained from exploring the role of the peer network in linguistically diverse “mainstream” middle school classrooms (i.e., classrooms that include English language learners alongside fluent English-speakers). The present study uses social network analysis to examine whether between-classroom and between-student variation in cross-language-status integration in the classroom peer network may contribute to between-classroom and between-student differences in learning. Data from a larger mixed-methods study at a linguistically diverse middle school in the southeastern United States are analyzed to test two hypotheses: (1) Classrooms with more linguistically integrated peer networks (i.e., those in which the network of friendships in the classroom is less segregated by ELL status) will show greater growth in classroom mean standardized test scores across the school year;… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Hampshire Hundreds: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The Hampshire Hundreds project was a local authority-led intervention which brought together lead teachers from Hampshire primary schools to provide them with evidence and support for effective teaching strategies to decrease the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils (aged 9-11) and their peers. The intervention involved a facilitator working with staff from a number of schools, and providing supporting materials comprising the “Hampshire Hundreds Handbook,” to provide good quality teaching and support to disadvantaged pupils. The evaluation was set up as a randomised control trial to test the impact of the Hampshire Hundreds intervention in comparison to a ‘business as usual’ control group, with the local authority leading the training and overseeing the provision of the intervention. As the intervention was run by the local authority it is… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act: Toward a Coherent, Aligned Assessment System

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In December 2015, President Barack Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaced No Child Left Behind (NCLB), as the nation’s major law governing public schools. ESSA retains the requirement that states test all students in reading and math in grades three through eight and once in high school, as well as the requirement that states ensure those tests align with states’ college- and career-ready standards. However, the law makes significant changes to the role of tests in state education systems. For example, ESSA requires states to include a broader set of factors in school accountability systems rather than just test scores; provides funding for states and districts to audit and streamline their testing regimes; and allows states to cap the amount of instructional time… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Talking with U.S. Secretary of Education: Margaret Spellings

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This summer, “Instructor’s” Editor in Chief, Bernadette Grey, traveled to Washington, D.C., for an exclusive one-on-one meeting with the U.S. Department of Education’s high-profile leader, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. Appointed by President Bush, Spellings is responsible for the overall direction, supervision, and coordination of activities and functions as the Chief Operating Officer for the entire Department. Spellings, who replaced the controversial Rod Paige earlier this year, has been focused thus far on implementing No Child Left Behind and on sharing the stories of improved test scores in many American school districts. Charming and tenacious, she also made it clear that she feels a special bond with teachers and wants and needs them on her side. This article presents the conversation between Grey and Spellings wherein they… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – How Stable Are Value-Added Estimates across Years, Subjects and Student Groups? What We Know Series: Value-Added Methods and Applications. Knowledge Brief 3

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Value-added models measure teacher performance by the test score gains of their students, adjusted for a variety of factors such as the performance of students when they enter the class. The measures are based on desired student outcomes such as math and reading scores, but they have a number of potential drawbacks. One of them is the inconsistency in estimates for the same teacher when value added is measured in a different year, or for different subjects, or for different groups of students. Some of the differences in value added from year to year result from true differences in a teacher’s performance. Differences can also arise from classroom peer effects; the students themselves contribute to the quality of classroom life, and this contribution changes from year to… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Multiple Languages and the School Curriculum: Experiences from Tanzania

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This is a research report on children’s use of multiple languages and the school curriculum. The study explored factors that trigger use of, and fluency in, multiple languages; and how fluency in multiple languages relates to thought processes and school performance. Advantages and disadvantages of using only one of the languages spoken were explored. Data were collected in five schools in three regions in Tanzania. This context provided multilingual children for the study. Data included faculty and parent questionnaires, parent interview notes, teacher observation notes on children&’s interactions, and performance scores as secondary data. The data were processed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 15.0) as well as content analysis. Results revealed school related and family related factors that trigger and support childhood multilingualism,… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – 12th Annual Comparative Analysis of the Racine Unified School District: Demographics, Attendance, Finances, Student Engagement, and Achievement

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This is the 12th annual report on conditions affecting the Racine Unified School District (RUSD). This year, the analysis again focuses on the long-term historical trends in RUSD. The analysis compares RUSD data to data of nine peer school districts as well as statewide data. The peer districts are defined as those Wisconsin districts with enrollments most similar to the enrollment in Racine. In addition to enrollment trends, the findings pertain to three RUSD quality objective measures: operational efficiency, student engagement, and student achievement. Operational efficiency includes finance data, student engagement includes attendance and disciplinary data, while student achievement includes test scores and graduation rates. Major findings include: (1) RUSD enrollment declined for the second year in a row; (2) RUSD jumped up in the peer rankings,… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Perception, Curriculum, and Subject Matter: Reforming Instruction

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The purpose of this study is to illuminate the reciprocal relation between teacher leaders’ perception and practice to subject matter. The researcher conducted interviews and observations of 30 teachers from 8 urban elementary schools. The data and results evidently identify those teachers’ views of subject matter both shaped and were shaped by their teaching strategies. Teachers’ strategies for improving math instruction focused on external supports such as professional training in mathematics and building skills through sequenced instruction and curriculum. In improving literacy instruction, teachers emphasized the school community as the locus for development of literacy programs and materials that applied to a variety of academic subjects. (Contains 2 tables.) Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – Analyzing Performance by Pennsylvania Grade 8 Hispanic Students on the 2007/08 State Assessment. REL Technical Brief. REL 2012-No. 025

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Between 2000 and 2009, the Hispanic population more than doubled in 25 of 67 Pennsylvania counties. Over the same period, the Hispanic student population in Pennsylvania schools also rose, from 4 percent to 8 percent (Pennsylvania State Data Center 2011). The focus on Hispanic students’ level of academic achievement rose along with this rapid population growth. Recent research reveals that, although the achievement gap between ethnic subgroups at the national level has been shrinking over the past five years, the gap remains wide (Aud et al. 2010). This is also the case and a matter of concern in Pennsylvania. Research has identified several student-level factors associated with academic achievement among ethnic minority students, including gender and socioeconomic status (Freeman 2004; McGraw, Lubienski, and Strutchens 2006; Pong 2010);… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Self-Report and Academic Factors in Relation to High School Students’ Success in an Innovative Biotechnology Program

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Biotechnology constitutes one of the most challenging, cutting-edge, and rapidly growing fields in science today. Both the practical implications and the hands-on nature of this “modern science” make the topic of biotechnology an attractive addition to the high school science curriculum. The current study is the first of its kind to explore how student characteristics and biotechnology course outcomes relate to one another. Results indicated that students’ general attitudes about science and their overall math skills predicted success across a number of measures, including both self-reported skill ratings as well as the more traditional measures of course grade and exam score. The results also demonstrated the association between skill, as measured through self-reported proficiency ratings, and achievement on an articulation exam. It documented the relation between skills… Continue Reading