Modelling Student Progress in Studies of Educational Effectiveness∗

It is argued that a crucial requirement in studies of educational effectiveness is the modelling of change or growth in student learning. To illustrate one approach to achieving this end, results are presented from multivariate multilevel analyses of three‐waves of data for three Grade level cohorts of students from a longitudinal study designed to explain variation in elementary school students' progress in literacy achievement. The article provides estimates of the influence of prior achievement and social background factors including ‘critical events’, on students’ progress, examines the extent to which progress can be accounted for by the grouping effects of students within classes and schools over successive years, and provides estimates of the effects of explanatory variables at the student‐and class/teacher‐levels.

     

What Do Test Score Really Mean? A Latent Class Analysis of Danish Test Score Performance

Latent class Poisson count models are used to analyse a sample of Danish test score results from a cohort of individuals born in 1954–1955, tested in 1968, and followed until 2011. The procedure takes account of unobservable effects as well as excessive zeros in the data. We show that the test scores measure manifest or measured ability as it has evolved over the life of the respondent and is, thus, more a product of the socioeconomic status of the parents and the human capital formation process than some latent or fundamental measure of pure cognitive ability. We find that variables which are not closely associated with traditional notions of intelligence explain a significant proportion of the variation in test scores. This adds to the complexity of interpreting test scores and suggests that school culture and possible incentive problems make it more difficult to understand what the tests measure.     

“It’s My Place”: Student Perspectives on Urban School Effectiveness

This study investigated how graduates of an urban alternative school understood, interpreted, and compared their experiences in previous schools that they considered ineffective with their experiences at an effective alternative school. This study found that students find those schools effective that create or allow spaces where they can be empowered, leading to a sense of place. Students’ ownership or affinity to school spaces that lead them to refer to school as “my place” derived from school practices that were instrumental in promoting a sense of identification, commitment, integration, and alliances among students and faculty at the school. Based on the findings of the study, this article argues that for urban schools to be effective for students at risk, they not only need to focus on caring relationships and diverse learning experiences, they also need to create the space to foster a sense of “my place” for students.     

Complexities in the Judgement of School Effectiveness∗

ABSTRACT

This article examines the aims and goals of school effectiveness research and definitions of effectiveness. Five issues in school effectiveness research which are relevant to the development of better methods of judging and measuring relative effectiveness, drawing on evidence from studies in different countries and contexts, are reviewed. These are (1) size and significance of effects; (2) consistency across outcomes; (3) stability over time; (4) the long term effects of schools; and (5) differential effects for different student groups.

It is concluded that effectiveness is best regarded as a relative concept dependent upon time period and age groups studied, and the choice of educational outcomes and intake measures

     

Are Student Evaluations of Teaching Effectiveness Valid for Measuring Student Learning Outcomes in Business Related Classes? A Neural Network and Bayesian Analyses

In this study we investigate the underlying relational structure between student evaluations of teaching effectiveness (SETEs) and achievement of student learning outcomes in 116 business related courses. Utilizing traditional statistical techniques, a neural network analysis and a Bayesian data reduction and classification algorithm, we find little or no support for the validity of SETEs as a general indicator of teaching effectiveness or student learning. In fact, the underlying structure appears to be non-linear and possibly negatively bimodal where the most effective instructors are within the middle percentiles of student course ratings, while instructors receiving ratings in the top quintile or the bottom quintile are associated with significantly lower levels of student achievement.     

Does Investing in School Capital Infrastructure Improve Student Achievement?

Within the research community, there is a vigorous debate over whether additional educational expenditures will lead to improved performance of schools. Some of the debate is an outgrowth of the lack of causal knowledge of the impacts of expenditures on student outcomes. To help fill this void, we examine the causal impact of capital expenditures on school district proficiency rates in Michigan. For the analysis, we employ a regression discontinuity design where we use the outcomes of bond elections as the forcing variable. Our results provide some evidence that capital expenditures can have positive effects on student proficiency levels.     

“That’s How We Roll”: A Case Study of a Recently Arrived Refugee Student in an Urban High School

This critical case study of one, Somali Bantu male high school student illuminates the struggle for recently arrived refugees at the high school level. Few educational research studies describe how recently arrived refugee students and their families make their transition to US schools (Ngo et al. in Hmong Stud J 8:1?C35, 2007; Hones and Cha in Educating new Americans: immigrant lives and learning. Erlbaum, Mahwah, 1999; Igoa in The inner world of the immigrant child. Erlbaum, Mahwah, 1995). Studies that examine how race, county of origin, and low socio-economic status affect refugee students also are few in number. Specifically Kamya (Soc Work 42:154?C165, 1997) argues that there is a compelling need for research that investigates how racism and stereotypes of Black Americans affect the experiences of African black immigrants and refugees. Rong and Brown (Educ Urban Soc 2:247?C273, 2002) add that black newcomers students often face a triple disadvantage of being black, having limited access to educational opportunity, and being poor. These challenges are particularly relevant for high school students as they have a limited amount of time to acquire proficiency in English and content area knowledge before transitioning to post-secondary education or the work force. In order to better understand how some of these processes work for a recently arrived refugee student in an urban school district, this paper examines the educational adaptation and coping strategies of one Somali Bantu male high school student and his family to the US public school system during the 2007?C2008 school year through the lens of intersectionality.     

Exploitation or opportunity? Student perceptions of internships in enhancing employability skills

Internships are now widely promoted as a valuable means of enhancing graduate employability. However, little is known about student perceptions of internships. Drawing on data from a pre-1992 university, two types of graduate are identified: engagers and disengagers. The engagers valued internship opportunities while the disengagers perceived these roles as exploitative and worthless. Few were able to distinguish paid, structured internship opportunities from unpaid, exploitative roles. We conclude that higher education institutes need to be more proactive in extolling the value of paid internships to all students and not just those most likely to engage with their services.     

Student Discourse on Tokokyohi (School Phobia/Refusal) in Japan: Burnout or empowerment?

Tokokyohi (school phobia/refusal) has been steadily increasing in Japan since the 1980s. It is causing an exodus of students from schools, thus creating a legitimation crisis of the education system. This paper examines this phenomenon by focusing on its various discourses. Four types of adult discourse are discussed: the psychiatric (tokokyohi as mental illness); the behavioural (tokokyohi as laziness); citizens' (tokokyohi as resistance to school); and socio-medical (tokokyohi as physical and psychological burnout). These are compared with the student discourse drawn from autobiographical accounts of tokokyohi. This paper argues that tokokyohi is a process in which students who burn out in the extremely demanding and alienating school system try to empower themselves in their search for subjectivity.     

Teachers’ Evaluation of Enterprise Education in the Secondary School

Abstract

This investigation was undertaken as part of research into ‘mini‐enterprise'activity in the secondary school. The research aimed to evaluate ‘mini‐enterprise’ as an approach to learning and to offer different examples in practice. Fundamental to this evaluation was an examination of the views and attitudes of teachers towards ‘mini‐enterprise’ work. This paper describes the survey undertaken to determine teachers’ attitudes towards certain key ‘enterprise’ issues and offers a summary of the research findings concluding in a discussion of the wider educational implications.     

Going Charter? A Study of School District Competition in Wisconsin

The question that drives this article is why some school districts decide to open up charter schools and others do not. Several answers are plausible: (a) entrepreneurial initiative, (b) structural explanations, and (c) spatial competition. We use data for the state of Wisconsin derived from extensive case studies of 19 charter schools and quantitative data on Wisconsin school district from state files and the U.S. Department of Education common core databases. We find evidence to support all three explanations for why districts “go charter.” First, in almost every school and district we visited for case studies, at the heart of either the district or the charter school, and often both, there were entrepreneurial administrators, school board members, teachers, or parents. Our evidence was anecdotal but very consistent across 19 case studies. Second, there are two general sets of structural characteristics that were shown to be quantitatively correlated with becoming a charter district. The first set comprised resource characteristics (size, federal revenue, and available seats); the second set comprised indicators of unmet students needs (the percentage of students eligible for free lunch). Finally, we argue and believe we provide significant evidence that competition is also a motivation for going charter. We posit that open enrollment and charter schools are working together to enhance the flows of students from homeschooling, private schools, dropouts, and other public school districts into charter school districts. Thus using several different indicators and models, estimating both which districts become charter districts and the flow and net gain directly from open enrollment, there is no question that charter schools are increasing competition for students in Wisconsin.     

A Study of Establishing Effective School Climate——A Comparative Description of School Climate and Classroom Climate in the UK and China

School environmental culture and classroom educational climate play a significant role in affecting all the teachers and students’work attitude,personal development,sense of belonging and teaching & learning achievements.It is necessary for all the school members to concern about creating comfortable,positive and effective working environment.This paper tries to generally analysis the different school and classroom climate between British and Chinese schools through observation,and to make suggestions of school & classroom climate component parts and improving proposals.     

A Critical Evaluation of a Reading Comprehension Test （ Ⅰ ）

This paper evaluates a reading test designed as the final examination of some third year secondary school students in Singapore. Based on the data, histogram is made to illustrate the distribution of different marks among the candidates. The paper then proceeds on to discuss the reliability and validity of the test. Problems affecting the validity of the test are pointed out and improvements are suggested.     

A Critical Evaluation of a Reading Comprehension Test （Ⅱ）

Of the whole scores of meaningful items, 52-61 per cent areattributed to literal understanding, followed by inferring un-derstand, 30-39 per cent and critical understanding, 9 percent. Worth mentioning is that the hierarchy has indicatedmore emphasis being attached to lowest-level reading thanhigher ones. Considering educational requirement of see-ondary 3,