Teachers’ Marks and Intelligence

ABSTRACT

The authors conducted a third-party study of the student achievement effects of Struggling Schools, a user-generated approach to Comprehensive School Reform (CSR). The design was a quasiexperimental, pre–post matched sample (N = 180) with school as unit of analysis, drawing on 3 years of achievement data from standardized external assessments. Struggling Schools had a statistically significant positive effect on Grade 3 reading achievement (effect size = .48 in 2005–2006 and .60 in 2006–2007). There were enduring achievement effects 2 years after exit from the program. The outcomes indicate that CSR approaches based on capacity building, partnerships with an external agency, and accountability enhance student learning.     

City of London School and Communities that Care: Researching Pupil Experience to Inform Policy and Practice in the Independent Sector

This article is an account of the decision by an independent school to participate in its local Healthy Schools Scheme. One of the factors that influenced this decision was the value the school gained from a pupil survey. The same survey was used to track the impact of the school's Personal, Social and Health Education curriculum and pastoral work on pupils' experience of the school, and academic achievement. In particular, the authors explore the role of survey analysis and consultancy advice in interpreting survey results and developing school practice. The survey contributed to pupil participation in school development. The use of an external consultant as critical friend was perceived as an aid to school reflection and self-review.     

Project Proficiency: Assessing the Independent Effects of High School Reform in an Urban District

ABSTRACT.

The authors sought to determine if an urban school district's effort to fundamentally change teaching, assessment, and intervention practices increased student achievement and decreased achievement variation among classrooms in 11 high schools. They examined Grade 11 mathematics achievement data from the 2009–2010 and 2010–2011 Kentucky Core Content Test. The sample consisted of 2,451 students in 11 high schools that implemented an initiative called Project Proficiency. The study used hierarchical linear modeling to determine if changes in instructional practices yielded academic gains, while controlling for individual and school socioeconomic status (SES) and prior student achievement. The analysis revealed that Project Proficiency had a significant impact on state mathematics achievement and reduced classroom variation by 55% in the final model, as opposed to 16% in the control group. Results also indicated that a school's SES had a greater influence on student achievement than an individual student's SES.     

School Goals,Principals, and Achievement

ABSTRACT

Much has been written about the need for schools to engage in activities which promote the academic achievement of students. Two major factors which appear to influence student achievement are an organization's goals and the instructional leadership of the principal. The focus of this study was to investigate whether differences exist between schools which were successful in promoting student achievement and schools which were not successful in promoting student achievement in each of these areas. This paper is based upon a study conducted in an urban school district with a diverse student population. It identified 10 High Achieving Schools and 10 Low Achieving Schools (based upon student gain scores calculated from standardized achievement tests). Data regarding school goals and the instructional leadership of the principal were based upon responses to questionnaires designed to measure staff perceptions of these factors. The findings suggest that no clear differences are evident in the “official” goals selected by schools but differences do appear when the “operative” goals are analyzed. Specifically, the evidence suggests that High Achieving Schools emphasize goals stressing academic excellence to a greater degree than Low Achieving Schools. More important, the evidence from this study also suggests that principals in High Achieving Schools emphasize and engage in activities related to instruction to a much greater degree than principals in Low Achieving Schools. Those activities, which are identified and discussed at length, reinforce the view that a principal's behaviors rather than style are the primary factor in being an instructional leader.     

REVIEWS

Books reviewed:
Lindsay Paterson, Scottish Education in the Twentieth Century .
Stephen Ball, Class Strategies and the Education Market: the Middle Classes and Social Advantage .
Wendy Robinson, Power to Teach: Learning through Practice .
Chris Kearney, The Monkey's Mask: Identity, Memory, Narrative and Voice .
Mike Wallace and Louise Poulson (eds.) Learning to Read Critically in Educational Leadership and Management .
Angela Calabrese Barton with Jason L. Ermer, Tanahia A. Burkett and Margery D. Osborne, Teaching Science for Social Justice .
John Potter, Active Citizenship in Schools: A Good Practice Guide to Developing a Whole-School Policy .
Alan Peacock, Eco-literacy for Primary Schools .
Geoffrey Walford (ed.), British Private Schools: Research on Policy and Practice .
Miraca Gross, Exceptionally Gifted Children .     

Notes and News

The January 1981 issue of the Journal (Vol. 10, No. 2) carried news of the Social Morality Council's Plan for Moral Education in Schools and a more recent issue (Vol. 11. No. 1, October, 1981) looked at the development of its Moral Education Resource and Information Centre at St. Martin's College, Lancaster. As part of an ongoing series of short reports on aspects of the SMC's work, the following paper reviews progress which has been made by their field adviser for personal, social and moral education in Devon.     

Teacher Effects on Minority and Disadvantaged Students’ Grade 4 Achievement

ABSTRACT

The authors examined the differential effects of teachers on female, minority, and low-socioeconomic status (SES) students’ achievement in Grade 4. They used data from a randomized experiment (Project STAR) and its follow-up study (LBS). Student outcomes included Grade 4 SAT scores in mathematics, reading, and science and student demographics included gender, race, and SES. The authors used multilevel models to determine how teacher effectiveness interacted with student gender, race, and SES. We also explored whether teacher effects were more pronounced in schools with high proportions of minority or female students. Results indicated that all students benefited from having effective teachers. The differential teacher effects on female, minority, and low-SES students’ achievement, however, were insignificant. There is some evidence in mathematics that teacher effects are more pronounced in high-minority schools. Finally, teacher effects seem to be consistent within and between schools.     

The Effects of Within-Class Ability Grouping on Academic Achievement in Early Elementary Years

Abstract

By incorporating two theoretical frameworks this study examines how school characteristics shape first-grade reading ability-grouping practices, and how this, in turn, affects students’ reading achievement. The author uses the data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study and applies the propensity-score method to examine whether first-grade ability grouping improves student achievement, whether ability grouping increases achievement inequalities, and whether its effects vary by student initial abilities and/or school contexts. Findings support an argument that ability grouping is an organizational response to problems of diversity in the student body. Schools that use ability grouping are likely to have heterogeneous ability compositions. They are also public, low-performing, low socioeconomic status, and high-minority schools. In these schools, ability grouping has no effects or negative effects, particularly for low-ability students. In contrast, ability grouping may improve achievement for all students in schools with advantageous characteristics, mostly private schools, and may reduce achievement inequalities, because low-ability students benefit the most from this practice.     

The Present Status and Significance of Manuscript Writing

Abstract

Teachers’ expectations as they relate to student achievement outcomes have received much research attention. Student expectations for their own achievement have not. Noninduced student expectations for their individual achievement, and for male and female differential achievement, in mathematics classes were assessed for 698 eighth grade students. Expectations were measured early in the school year via written self-report. Student ability level was also ascertained and controlled. Individual achievement expectations were found to relate to students’ subsequent achievement across criterion variables and times of the year.     

A study of the effect of sustained,whole‐school professional development on student achievement in science

This longitudinal study of middle school science teachers explored the relationship, if any, between teacher participation in whole‐school, sustained, collaborative professional development and student achievement in science. Eleven teachers from Glendale Middle School participated in the Discovery Model Schools Initiative 2‐week summer institute, followed by monthly release day professional development sessions focused on implementing instruction outlined in the National Science Education Standards. Student achievement was assessed using the Discovery Inquiry Test in Science. The same students completed the test in grades 6–8. Students of teachers at Glendale Middle School significantly outperformed students at the control school. Findings in this study revealed the positive impact that whole‐school, sustained, collaborative professional development programs have on student achievement, indicating that programs of this nature could be a means to narrowing or eliminating achievement gaps in science. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 44: 775–786, 2007     

An Investigation of the Relationship between Recognized Problems of Adolescents and School Achievement

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to provide statistical evidence to support the assumption that adolescents have personal and social problems which affect their school achievement. 217 eighth and ninth grade students from the Shawnee Mission Public Schools, Shawnee Mission, Kansas were given the Mooney Problems Check Lists and the SRA Achievement Series in September, 1964. Coefficients of correlation were then computed between the seven areas and a composite score of the Mooney and the ten subtest scores of the SRA. The statistical analysis revealed an inverse relationship between the number of problems reported on the Mooney and the student achievement scores as reported by the SRA. The relationship was statistically significant at the .01 level of confidence.     

How Good Are Our Schools

ABSTRACT

Research suggests a positive relationship between schools’ efforts to engage parents and parents’ involvement in their child's education. The authors investigated school socioeconomic status, school size, grade level, and student–teacher ratio as predictors of schools’ efforts to engage parents of students receiving special education services. The dependent variable was the Schools’ Efforts to Partner with Parents’ Scale, which has been validated for states’ use in their federal accountability systems. Mean school-level scores were calculated for 265 schools in a large southeastern state. Results indicated that student–teacher ratio was the strongest predictor of parents’ perceived school engagement efforts. Implications are drawn for ways in which all schools, including those with high student–teacher ratios, can improve their collaboration with parents of students receiving special education services.     

Book Reviews

ABSTRACT

Student foundational knowledge of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is formed in their elementary education. Paradoxically, many elementary teachers have constrained background knowledge, confidence, and efficacy for teaching STEM that may hamper student STEM learning. The association between teacher preparation to teach STEM and student achievement in STEM motivated the authors' professional development program. The authors created and implemented a professional development program to address K–5 teacher confidence for, attitudes toward, knowledge of, and efficacy for teaching inquiry-based STEM. Using data from 2 independent cohorts the authors found significant and consistent increases in pre- to postinstitute assessments of teacher confidence, efficacy, and perceptions of STEM. Further, they found increased participant attention toward linking STEM curriculum and instruction to learning standards. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Effective Schools for All

The study investigated the relation between district culture, student achievement, and student attitudes about their schools. Perceptions of students as expressed in more than 2,000 essays written about their schools were explored. Seven cultural categories were examined for differences across grade levels and districts. Statistical differences were found for 3 categories (Social/People, Education/Curriculum, and Extra-curricular Activities) for writing achievement, for whether the district culture were rated as positive or negative, and for whether student's comments revealed a positive or negative view of their schools. This study suggests that district culture has a noticeable effect on school culture and on student achievement.     

农远工程教学应用症结的调查研究

当前我国农远工程的深层次推进面临着新的机遇和挑战。该研究的目的重在探索农远工程教学应用的症结。研究采用了调查研究法,收集的数据来自于五个不同省份的市县。该研究认为,创新的信息化教学理论、模式与方法的缺失是农远工程教学应用症结的内因;过高的硬软件技术门槛是农远工程教学应用症结的外因;由农远工程本身引发的多种"两难关系"是农远工程教学应用症结的衍生。     

Measuring teachers' and student teachers' perceptions of practice-based research in PDS and non-PDS settings

Professional Development Schools (PDS) have been established to realise supportive and stimulating environments for practice-based research activities for both teachers and student teachers. The questions investigated in this study concerned the perceptions of experienced teachers and student teachers with respect to different aspects of practice-based research in PDS and non-PDS settings and to what degree these perceptions differed. For this purpose, the Questionnaire on Teacher Research was developed. Respondents (N = 102) were asked for their perceptions of the research environment, their research motives, the research process and perceived (learning) outcomes. The questionnaire appeared to be a valid, reliable and sensitive instrument.     

Variability in Reading Scores on a Given Level of Intelligence Test Scores

ABSTRACT

Previous studies have shown that several key variables influence student achievement in geometry, but no research has been conducted to determine how these variables interact. A model of achievement in geometry was tested on a sample of 102 high school students. Structural equation modeling was used to test hypothesized relationships among variables linked to successful problem solving in geometry. These variables, including motivation, achievement emotions, pictorial representation, and categorization skills, were examined for their influence on geometry achievement. Results indicated that the model fit well. Achievement emotions, specifically boredom and enjoyment, had a significant influence on student motivation. Student motivation influenced students’ use of pictorial representations and achievement. Pictorial representation also directly influenced achievement. Categorization skills had a significant influence on pictorial representations and student achievement. The implications of these findings for geometry instruction and for future research are discussed.     

Computer-Assisted Instruction Augmented with Planned Teacher/Student Contacts

This paper discussed a study of the differences in student learning achievement and retention in a college-level statistics course taught in a variety of teaching/learning environments. Statistical test results revealed that students experiencing a CAI environment performed no differently on achievement or retention tests than students experiencing a traditional lecture/discussion environment. However, students experiencing an “enriched” CAI environment (CAI plus planned teacher/student contacts) performed significantly better on achievement tests than students experiencing any of several other environments, including: lecture/discussion, lecture/discussion supplemented with planned teacher/student contacts, PI texts, PI texts supplemented with planned teacher/student contacts, and CAI.     

Improving Outcomes for English Language Learners by Integrating Social Studies and Literacy with OCDE Project GLAD Strategies

ABSTRACT

Elementary teachers are challenged to maximize instructional time to cover standards in all content areas and to meet a wide variety of student needs including students who are not proficient in English. This action research looks at how one fourth-grade teacher improved achievement for English Language Learners by integrating social studies into the literacy block using a Project GLAD® unit and the school district Literacy Comprehension Frameworks. It describes the changes to the literacy instruction and examines the benefits to students, families, the teacher, and the school.     

Supporting asylum seekers in schools

In this article Lucy Clarke provides us with a ‘hands-on’ view of her work with the East Oxford Schools Inclusion Project where she is a project worker supporting asylum seekers. Her post has been funded jointly by The Children's Society, Oxfordshire Social Services and Oxfordshire Local Education Authority.