eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Wisconsin’s gaps between Black and White student high school graduation rates (Richards, 2016) and Black and White fourth-grade math and reading scores (U.S. Department of Education, 2015) are the largest in the nation. These inequalities have led to criticisms of Wisconsin’s schools and teachers as ineffective in bolstering the success of students of color and those who are economically disadvantaged. However, serious attention to disparities in school readiness has largely been absent from these conversations. The authors know that nationally, students of color and children who are poor enter Kindergarten substantially behind their peers (Reardon & Portilla, 2016) and that disparity can account for much, if not most, of the achievement gap seen later in primary and secondary school (Bradbury, Corak, Waldfogel, & Washbrook, 2015). This report… Continue Reading →
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eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This paper examines the role of teaching assistants and other personnel on student outcomes in elementary schools during a period of recession-induced cutbacks in teachers and teaching assistants. Using panel data from North Carolina, we exploit the state’s unique system of financing its local public schools to identify the causal effects of teaching assistants and other staff on student test scores in math and reading and other outcomes. We find remarkably strong and consistent evidence of positive contributions of teaching assistants, an understudied staffing category, with larger effects on outcomes for minority students than for white students. A supplemental table is appended. Link til kilde
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eric.ed.gov har udgivet: What are high school students thinking? The purpose of this study was to examine the degree that psychosocial attitudes affect academic achievement in mathematics for students of different races during secondary schooling. Based on a quantitative methodology, data was gathered from a nationally distributed survey involving over 16,000 student participants under the auspices of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Transcript information was incorporated into the analysis, so student math attitudes and student racial profiles could be correlated to courses taken and grades. Significant differences were found when comparing Latina/o to non-Latina/o students with regard to student self-evaluations of mathematics affinity, appreciation and capacity. Subsequent analyses revealed that Latina/os are significantly less prepared than their non-Latina/o peers in terms of the highest level of math course… Continue Reading →
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eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Background: The Waterford Early Math & Science (WEMS) program is a comprehensive educational software program designed to build math and science skills and concepts in grades K-2, alone or to supplement existing curricula. The program’s capability to individualize lessons, assess and track student progress, and reteach lessons is aimed at keeping potentially “at risk” students at grade level. Purpose: The present evaluation of the Waterford Early Math & Science program is the first independent study of its effectiveness. Setting: The study was carried out in five low-income, largely Hispanic schools in the Tucson Unified School District during the 2005-06 school year. Study Sample: This report covers the 22 kindergartens (345 students) of a larger study of 59 K-2 classrooms (923 students) in the five schools. Intervention: Treatment… Continue Reading →
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eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Understanding disparities in school readiness among America’s children when they begin kindergarten is critically important, now more than ever. In today’s 21st century global economy, it is expected that the great majority of children will complete high school ready to enter college or begin a career, and assume their civic responsibilities. This requires strong math, reading, science, and other cognitive skills, as well as the abilities to work well and communicate eeffectively with others, solve problems creatively, and see tasks to completion. Unfortunately, the weak early starts that many children are getting make it hard to attain these societal goals. Knowing which groups of children tend to start school behind, how far behind they are, and what factors contribute to their lag, can help in developing policies… Continue Reading →
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eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Private and public investments in early childhood education have expanded significantly in recent years. Despite this heightened investment, we have little empirical evidence on whether children today enter school with different skills than they did in the late nineties. Using two large, nationally representative datasets, this paper documents how students entering kindergarten in 2010 compare to those who entered in 1998 in terms of their teacher-reported math, literacy and behavioral skills. Our results indicate that students in the more recent cohort entered kindergarten with stronger math and literacy skills. Results for behavioral outcomes were mixed. Increases in academic skills over this period were particularly pronounced among black children. Implications for policy are discussed. [This paper was published in “Educational Researcher” v46 n1 p7-20 2017 (EJ1132546).] Link til… Continue Reading →
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eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Previous research suggests that there are academic benefits when students and teachers share the same race/ethnicity because such teachers can serve as role models, mentors, advocates, or cultural translators. In this paper, we obtain estimates of achievement changes as students are assigned to teachers of different races/ethnicities from grades 3 through 10 utilizing a large administrative dataset provided by the Florida Department of Education that follows the universe of test-taking students in Florida public schools from 2001-02 through 2008-09. We find small but significant positive effects when black and white students are assigned to race-congruent teachers in reading (0.004 to 0.005 standard deviations) and for black, white and Asian/Pacific Island students in math (0.007 to 0.041 standard deviations). We also examine the effects of race matching by… Continue Reading →
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eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This report presents the results of an experiment conducted in Alabama beginning in the 2006/07 school year, to determine the effectiveness of the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI), which aims to improve mathematics and science achievement in the state’s K-12 schools. This study is the first randomized controlled trial testing the effectiveness of AMSTI in improving mathematics problem solving and science achievement in upper-elementary and middle schools. AMSTI is an initiative specific to Alabama and was developed and supported through state resources. An important finding is the positive and statistically significant effect of AMSTI on mathematics achievement as measured by the SAT 10 mathematics problem solving assessment administered by the state to students in grades 4-8. After one year in the program, student mathematics scores… Continue Reading →
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eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Racial segregation has been an ongoing issue in American education and one of the leading contributors to the racial achievement gap. Prior to the Brown v. Board decision of 1954, Black Americans were legally relegated to substandard schools and educational opportunities. Post-Brown, racial segregation continues to manifest as a result of “de facto” segregation and “second-generation segregation.” Moreover, the predominantly White teaching force — a negative consequence of desegregation — has been linked to poorer outcomes for Black and Latino students. Our study examines trends in racially disproportionate assignment of Black and Latino students to less experienced teachers than their White counterparts. Specifically, our analysis illustrates statistically significant trends in the assignment of less experienced teachers to Black and Latino students in middle school math over several… Continue Reading →
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eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Everyone knows that there is racial inequality in achievement returns from advanced math; however, they do not know why black students and white students taking the same level of math courses are not leaving with the same or comparable skill levels. To find out, the author examines variation in course coverage by the racial composition of the classroom. She hypothesizes that content coverage varies by classroom composition, because teachers respond to the needs and abilities of their students and make adjustments to teaching. More specifically, she asks: (1) Within advanced math courses with the same title, to what extent does content coverage breadth vary by classroom minority composition; (2) Within advanced math courses with the same title, to what extent does content coverage depth vary by classroom… Continue Reading →
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