Fulfilling Their Dreams: Marginalized Urban Youths' Perspectives on a Culturally Sensitive Social and Emotional Learning Program

A growing body of research suggests educators need to focus on cultivating social and emotional competencies that youth will need to thrive in the new knowledge economy (Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, &; Schellinger, 2011 Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., &; Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing student's social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82, 405–432. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). For marginalized urban youth, in particular, few have derived programs and interventions to assist with these competencies. This study illuminates the perspectives of 9 African American youth at risk for academic failure taking part in the Fulfill the Dream (FTD) program. FTD is a social and emotional learning curriculum emphasizing social justice and critical consciousness through the utilization of hip-hop culture. Information regarding the nature of the collaboration of this research project and recommendations for education professionals working with marginalized youth are discussed.     

Predicting Faculty Integration of Faith and Learning

Concern regarding the secularization of Christian higher education has prompted researchers to investigate the extent that faith and learning is integrated at a faculty level and what factors might predict faculty integration (Lyon, Beaty, Parker, &; Mencken, 2005 Lyon, L., Beaty, M., Parker, J., &; Mencken, C. (2005). Faculty attitudes on integrating faith and learning at religious colleges and universities: A research note. Sociology of Religion, 66, 61–69.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). This research attempted to replicate Lyon et al.’s (2005 Lyon, L., Beaty, M., Parker, J., &; Mencken, C. (2005). Faculty attitudes on integrating faith and learning at religious colleges and universities: A research note. Sociology of Religion, 66, 61–69.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) logistic regression model predicting faculty integration of faith using survey responses gathered as part of Phase II of the Council for Christian Colleges &; Universities (CCCU) Denominational Study (Rine, Glanzer, &; Davignon, 2013 Davignon, P., Glanzer, P., &; Rine, P. J. (2013). Assessing the denominational identity of American evangelical colleges and universities: Part III. The student experience. Christian Higher Education, 12, 315–330. doi:10.1080/15363759.2013.825127[Taylor &; Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]). Respondents included 2,074 faculty from 55 institutions. The first model used in this study suggested that the most powerful predictors of faculty integration are full-time employment status, earning a degree from an institution that shares the same denominational affiliation, and a match between the faculty member's religious denominational affiliation and the institutional affiliation. A second logistic regression model added faculty academic specialization as a predictor of integration to investigate if that model was a better fit. Results suggested that religion and philosophy instructors are the most likely to integrate faith into their teaching, and professors specializing in computer science, math, and engineering were the least likely. As faculty are considered the primary influence on the integration of faith and learning, existing faculty and institutional administrators concerned with maintaining faith in the classroom may want to consider the contributing factors discussed.     

Reading Achievement in the Middle School Years: A Study Investigating Growth Patterns by High Incidence Disability

Numerous research studies (e.g., Anderson, Kutash, &; Duchnowski, 2001; Lane, Carter, Pierson, &; Glaeser, 2006 Lane, K. L., Carter, E. W., Pierson, M. R., &; Glaeser, B. C. (2006). Academic, social and behavioral characteristics of high school students with emotional disturbances or learning disabilities. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 14, 108–117. doi:10.1177/10634266060140020101[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Volpe, Dupaul, Jitendra, &; Tresco, 2009 Volpe, R. J., Dupaul, G. J., Jitendra, A. K., &; Tresco, K. E. (2009). Consultation-based academic interventions for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Effects on reading and mathematics outcomes at 1-year follow-up. School Psychology Review, 38, 5–13.[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Wei, Blackorby, &; Schiller, 2011 Wei, X., Blackorby, J., &; Schiller, E. (2011). Growth in reading achievement of students with disabilities, age 7 to 17. Exceptional Children, 78, 89–106.[Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) have shown that students with disabilities generally exhibit lower reading scores than their peers without disabilities. However, questions remain about the possibility of longitudinal differences among high-incidence disability classifications (e.g., speech/language impairments, SLI; emotional disturbances, ED; learning disabilities, LD; and attention deficit disorders, ADD). This study investigated growth patterns in reading achievement among middle school students from 5th to 8th grade with different high incidence disability classifications on one state's high-stakes assessment. After a repeated measures analysis of variance and post hoc testing, results reveal that students identified as LD and SLI evidenced more growth in reading than those classified as either ADD or ED. In light of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 legislation, findings about the various growth patterns are discussed with respect to policy, measurement, and practical implications.     

Multilevel analysis of student civics knowledge scores

Compositional effects of scholarly culture classroom/school climate on civic knowledge scores of 9th graders in the United States were examined using the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) 1999 Civic Education Study data. Following Evans et al. (2010 Evans, M. D. R., Kelley, J., Sikora, J., &; Treiman, D. J. (2010). Family scholarly culture and educational success: Books and schooling in 27 nations. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 28, 171–197.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 2014 Evans, M. D. R., Kelley, J., &; Sikora, J. (2014). Scholarly culture and academic performance in 42 nations. Social Forces, 92, 1573–1605.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), we conceived that the number of books at home, referred to as the home literacy score by IEA, can be an index of scholarly culture of the student's home, and its aggregated average constitutes scholarly culture of the classrooms/schools. The results obtained through multilevel analysis indicated that there were indeed large unique compositional effects and its effect size was comparable to that of mean parent education, individual level scholarly culture, and parent education. Implications of the results in terms of educational policy were discussed.     

Involvement of working memory in mental multiplication in Chinese elementary students

The authors' aim was to examine the relation between two-digit mental multiplication and working memory. In Study 1, involving 30 fifth-grade students, we used digit span backward as an abbreviated measure of working memory. In Study 2, involving 41 fourth-grade students, working memory comprised measures of phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad, and central executive (i.e., updating) based on A. Miyake et al. (2000 Miyake, A., Friedman, N. P., Emerson, M. J., Witzki, A. H., Howerter, A., &; Wager, T. D. (2000). The unity and diversity of executive functions and their contributions to complex “frontal lobe” tasks: A latent variable analysis. Cognitive Psychology, 41, 49–100.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). In Study 1, working memory measured through the use of digit span backward explained unique variance in response time. In Study 2, participants' accuracy and response time were most susceptible to phonological loop influence. The findings support the argument that multiplication facts are stored in a verbal form and the retrieval of multiplication facts relies more on verbal modality. Unique features of Chinese mathematics instruction of mental multiplication were discussed. The findings suggested that the involvement of different subcomponents of working memory in mental arithmetic may be subject to instructional, contextual, and linguistic factors.     

Active Learning Strategies for the Mathematics Classroom

Active learning involves students engaging with course content beyond lecture: through writing, applets, simulations, games, and more (Prince, 2004 Prince, M. 2004. “Does Active Learning Work? A Review of the Research.” Journal of Engineering Education 93: 223–232.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). As mathematics is often viewed as a subject area that is taught using more traditional methods (Goldsmith &; Mark, 1999 Goldsmith, L. T., &; J. Mark. 1999. “What is a Standards-Based Mathematics Curriculum?”. Educational Leadership 57: 40—44.[Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), there are actually many simple ways to make undergraduate mathematics courses more active, starting with the discussion of the syllabus. This article describes simple ways to turn course introductions, review of prior knowledge, and formative assessment into active learning experiences for students.     

Literacy Teachers Engage in Service-Learning via Community Organization Involvement

Service-learning provides community service as well as authentic, curriculum-driven learning experiences (Furco &; Root, 2010 Furco, A. and Root, S. 2010. Research demonstrates the value of service-learning. Kappan, 91(5): 16–23. [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and has been an effective component of teacher education courses (García, Arias, Murri, &; Surna, 2010 García, E., Arias, M. B., Murri, N. J. H. and Serna, C. 2010. Developing responsive teachers: A challenge for a demographic reality. Journal of Teacher Education, 61: 132–142. doi:10.1177/002248710934787[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Mitton-Kukner, Nelson, &; Descrochers, 2010 Mitton-Kukner, J., Nelson, C. and Desrochers, C. 2010. Narrative inquiry in service-learning contexts: Possibilities for learning about diversity in teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26: 1162–1169. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2010.01.001[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Spencer, Cox-Petersen, &; Crawford, 2005 Spencer, B. H., Cox-Petersen, A. M. and Crawford, T. 2005. Assessing the impact of service-learning on preservice teachers in an after-school program. Teacher Education Quarterly, 32(4): 119–135.  [Google Scholar]). With these authentic experiences, teachers construct conceptions of literacy learning as broader than classroom teaching and learning. This study investigates how 54 preservice elementary teachers (hereafter called teachers) learned about literacy development and cultural responsivity by engaging in a service-learning experience.     

Hands-On Learning: A Problem-Based Approach to Teaching Microsoft Excel

The development of a student's ability to make data-driven decisions has become a focus in higher education (Schield 1999 Schield, M. 1999. “Statistical Literacy: Thinking Critically about Statistics.” Of Significance: A Topical Journal of the Association of Public Data Users 1 (1): 15–21. [Google Scholar]; Stephenson and Caravello 2007 Stephenson, E., and P. Caravello. 2007. “Incorporating Data Literacy into Undergraduate Information Literacy Programs in the Social Sciences; a Pilot Project.” Reference Services Review 35 (4):525–40. doi:10.1108/00907320710838354.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). Data literacy, the ability tounderstand and use data to effectively inform decisions, is a fundamental component of information competence (Mandinach and Gummer 2013 Mandinach, E. B., and E. S. Gummer. 2013. “A systemic view of implementing data literacy in educator preparation.” Educational Researcher 42 (1): 30–37. doi:10.3102/0013189X12459803.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Stephenson and Caravello, 2007 Stephenson, E., and P. Caravello. 2007. “Incorporating Data Literacy into Undergraduate Information Literacy Programs in the Social Sciences; a Pilot Project.” Reference Services Review 35 (4):525–40. doi:10.1108/00907320710838354.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). This commentary highlights the structure of a data literacy course that aims to simultaneously teach problem-solving skills and Microsoft Excel skills through real-world examples and problem based learning. This commentary aims to provide insight to other educators teaching similar courses regarding using technology as a tool for developing a student's problem solving ability.     

BOOK REVIEW

The number of positive youth development (PYD) programs focusing on providing opportunities for optimal development has grown tremendously in recent years (Catalano, Berglund, Ryan, Lonczak, &; Hawkins, 2004 Catalano, R. F., Berglund, M. L., Ryan, J. A., Lonczak, H. S. and Hawkins, J. D. 2004. Positive youth development in the United States: Research findings on evaluation of positive youth development programs. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 591: 98–124. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Larson and Walker (2010) Larson, R. W. and Walker, K. C. 2010. Dilemmas of practice: Challenges to program quality encountered by youth program leaders. American Journal of Community Psychology, 45: 338–349. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] assert that it is important to understand challenges program leaders face when implementing programs and strategies they use to overcome such challenges. However, little research or discussion in the literature has focused on the everyday challenges of implementing youth programs. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to present four case studies of programs implemented in four different countries designed to enhance the psychosocial development of underserved youth using the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility Model and/or life skills framework. Each case study is presented with a forthright discussion of the challenges faced and the strategies implemented to overcome these challenges. In addition, we offer potential strategies for furthering collaboration with nongovernmental organizations, enhancing program implementation, and transferring program ownership.     

Taking a Different Route: Contribution of Articulation and Metacognition to Intervention With At-Risk Third-Grade Readers

This study compared the impact of 2 types of small-group interventions targeting below-level 3rd-grade students. The study compared WordWork decoding and spelling instruction (Calfee, Miller, Norman, Wilson, &; Trainin, 2006 Calfee, R. C., Miller, R. G., Norman, K., Wilson, K., &; Trainin, G. (2006). Learning to do educational research. In M. A. Constas &; R. J. Sterenberg (Eds.), Translating theory and research into educational practice: Developments in content domains, large scale reform, and intellectual capacity (pp. 77–103). New York, NY: Routledge. [Google Scholar]; Calfee &; Patrick, 1995 Calfee, R. C., &; Patrick, C. L. (1995). Teach our children well: Bringing K–12 education into the 21st Century. Stanford, CA: Stanford Alumni Assoc. [Google Scholar]), which includes attention to articulation and metacognition, with a more traditional phonological awareness program (Torgesen &; Bryant, 1993 Torgesen, J. K., &; Bryant, B. R. (1993). Phonological awareness training for reading. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed. [Google Scholar]). University education students delivered the interventions with equal instructional time and fidelity, to both groups. Students in both intervention groups engaged in repeated readings of connected text to promote transfer. The impact of training was assessed through decoding, spelling, and oral reading fluency measures. Results indicated that WordWork produced more positive results in decoding, spelling, and fluency, and had significantly fewer treatment resisters.     

Student Disengagement in English-Speaking Montréal

This article discusses how student disengagement is conceptualized by English-speaking youth attending English urban public schools in Montreal, Quebec. School dropout is theorized as being a culminating event in a process of school disengagement (Rumberger, 2011 Rumberger, R. W. (2011). Dropping out: Why students drop out of high school and what can be done about it. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). Using 2 qualitative methods (maps and interviews) in a grounded theory approach (Charmaz, 2014 Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. [Google Scholar]), a theory of disengagement is presented and supported by existing literature in student engagement and school dropout. Student disengagement is framed from a socio-ecological perspective (Lawson &; Lawson, 2013 Lawson, M. A., &; Lawson, H. A. (2013). New conceptual frameworks for student engagement research, policy, and practice. Review of Educational Research, 83(3), 432–479.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) in a move away from its predominant conceptualization as an individual trait. In doing so, we highlight some issues of urban education in Montreal, addressing such themes as inequity, low-income status, experiences of failure and the pass/fail paradigm, the elementary/secondary school transition, normativity, and, finally, the public/private distinction in schooling.     

A Technology Integration Education (TIE) Model for Millennial Preservice Teachers: Exploring the Canonical Correlation Relationships Among Attitudes,Subjective Norms,Perceived Behavioral Controls,Motivation, and Technological,Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge (TPACK) Competencies

Intellectual goods can follow the same pattern as physical goods with the product life cycle of birth, growth, maturity, and decline. For the intellectual good of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK), its birth began with Shulman (1986 Shulman, L. S. (1986). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4–14.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 1987 Shulman, L. S. (1987). Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform. Harvard Educational Review, 57(1), 1–22.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) was used to test the relationships among five of the 12 constructs in the technology integration education (TIE) model developed by Holland and Piper (2014 Holland, D. D., &; Piper, R. T. (2014). Technology integration education (TIE) model: Millennial preservice teachers' motivations about technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) competencies. Journal of Education Computing Research, 51(3), 257–294.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Based on the patterns of cross-loading correlations, this study found that there were limited correlational relationships between the set of independent variables and the set of dependent TPACK variables. For this pilot study, the sample consisted of 90 elementary education majors and 51 secondary education majors.     

Student Perceptions of Autonomy-Supportive Instructional Interactions in the Middle Grades

Autonomy support in classrooms is believed to coordinate students' inner motivational resources in ways that enhance student engagement (e.g., Jang, Kim, &; Reeve, 2012 Jang, H., Kim, E. J., &; Reeve, J. (2012). Longitudinal test of self-determination theory's motivation mediation model in a naturally occurring classroom context. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104(4), 1175–1188. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0028089[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Yet, to our knowledge, no study has investigated student-generated interpretations of the motivational significance of their teachers' autonomy-supportive practices. Interpretations gathered from students' responses to video clips of their own teacher were studied with a diverse sample of students (N = 59, 50.8% male, 64.4% African American) in six urban classrooms from fourth- to eighth-grade class sections. Through this method of cued video response, we explore whether or not students experience the significance of autonomy-supportive instructional events or interactions as motivational theory predicts. Our results suggest that consideration of the social and relational features of the classrooms within which teachers enact autonomy support may identify influential contextual factors relevant to how and why autonomy support is linked to positive outcomes.     

The Why of Learning

Alexander, Schallert, and Reynolds's (2009 Alexander, P. A., Schallert, D. L. and Reynolds, R. E. 2009. What is learning anyway? A topological perspective considered. Educational Psychologist, 44: 176–192. this issue[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]/this issue) what, where, who, and when framework situates different perspectives on learning in different places in this multidimensional space and by doing so helps us to better understand seemingly disparate approaches to learning. The framework is in need of a fifth, why dimension. The why dimension helps to place learning within an evolutionary and cultural perspective and to better understand students' motivation to learn and their preferences for what, where, and how to learn.     

The Role of Collective Efficacy in Closing Student Achievement Gaps: A Mixed Methods Study of School Leadership for Excellence and Equity

Previous research demonstrates that collective efficacy positively predicts students' academic achievement (e.g., Bandura, 1993 Bandura, A. (1993). Perceived self-efficacy in cognitive development and functioning. Educational Psychologist, 28(2), 117–148. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep2802_3[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Goddard et al., 2000 Goddard, R. D., Hoy, W. K., &; Woolfolk Hoy, A. (2000). Collective teacher efficacy: Its meaning, measure, and effect on student achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 37(2), 479–507. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312037002479[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). However, unaddressed by the current literature is whether collective efficacy also works to reduce inequity by closing achievement gaps. To learn about the operation of collective efficacy, we designed a mixed-methods study, situated in the elementary and middle schools of one large urban district in Texas. Hierarchal linear modeling was employed to model the degree to which collective efficacy explained differences among schools in student mathematics achievement and the Black-White achievement gap. We also drew upon focus group data collected at 6 schools. We found that collective efficacy was associated with an increase in mathematics achievement as well a 50% reduction in the academic disadvantage experienced by Black students. Focus groups revealed the importance of school principals in supporting teacher collaboration and peer observation as well as a sustained focus on instructional improvement.     

Patterns of Early Reading and Social Skills Associated With Academic Success in Elementary School

Research Findings: Researchers and policymakers emphasize that early childhood is a critical developmental stage with the potential to impact academic and social-emotional outcomes (G. Conti &; J. J. Heckman, 2012 Conti , G. , &; Heckman , J. J. ( 2012 ). The economics of child well-being (No. w18466) . Washington , DC : National Bureau of Economic Research .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]; J. J. Heckman, 2012 Heckman , J. J. ( 2012 ). The case for investing in young children . In B. Falk (Ed.), Defending childhood: Keeping the promise of early education (pp. 235 – 242 ). New York , NY : Teachers College Press . [Google Scholar]; R. Murnane, I. Sawhill, &; C. Snow, 2012 Murnane , R. , Sawhill , I. , &; Snow , C. ( 2012 ). Literacy challenges for the twenty-first century: Introducing the issue . The Future of Children , 22 ( 2 ), 3 – 15 .[Crossref], [PubMed] , [Google Scholar]). Although there is substantial evidence that children's early prereading skills predict later academic achievement (K. M. La Paro &; R. C. Pianta, 2000 La Paro , K. M. , &; Pianta , R. C. ( 2000 ). Predicting children's competence in the early school years: A meta-analytic review . Review of Educational Research , 70 , 443 – 484 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), there have been mixed findings regarding the contribution of early social skills to later achievement (e.g., G. J. Duncan et al., 2007 Duncan , G. J. , Dowsett , C. J. , Claessens , A. , Magnuson , K. , Huston , A. C. , Klebanov , P. , … Brooks-Gunn , J. ( 2007 ). School readiness and later achievement . Developmental Psychology , 43 , 1428 – 1446 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Using data from the national Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort, we found that subgroups of children with a combination of low/average reading skills and higher levels of social skills (86% of the sample) in kindergarten performed better on later academic assessments than children with similar reading skills but lower levels of social skills during kindergarten. In contrast, children who were very strong early readers (14% of the sample), regardless of their level of social skills, performed similarly on the 5th-grade academic outcomes. Practice or Policy: Implications for early education and policy are discussed.     

Interrogating Discursive Data: How News Media Narratives Assemble Truths About the Teaching Profession

This project provides a framework for interrogating the language often used in media reporting on education, and making those often hidden ideological underpinnings more visible. Explored through this analysis are the language, metaphors, logic, and rhetorical devices used by various news media reporting on educational concerns, and in particular the concerns revolving around teacher quality and teacher preparation, which allow the construction and circulation of specific kinds of knowledge and assert certain kinds of truths. This analysis is guided by the premise that education writ large, which includes the profession of teaching as well as the field of teacher preparation, is charged with helping students, our youngest citizens, develop an understanding of the practices and problems of people-power, self-rule, and shared governance in our democratic society. If education primarily involves preparing students for democratic citizenship, as a long history of scholarship has established (Barber, 2001 Barber, B. (2001). An aristocracy of everyone. In S. J. Goodlad (Ed.), The last best hope: A democracy reader (pp. 11–22). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. [Google Scholar]; Bean &; Apple, 1995 Beane, J. A., &; Apple, M. W. (1995). Democratic schools. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. [Google Scholar]; Beard, 1937 Beard, C. (1937). The unique function of education in American democracy. Washington, DC: National Education Association. [Google Scholar]; Dewey, 1916 Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and education. New York, NY: Free Press. [Google Scholar]; Bode, 1937 Bode, B. H. (1937). Democracy as a way of life. New York, NY: Macmillan. [Google Scholar]; Giroux, 1989 Giroux, H. (1989). Schooling for democracy: Critical pedagogy in the modern age. London, England: Routledge. [Google Scholar]; Gore, 1993 Gore, J. (1993). The struggle for pedagogies: Critical and feminist discourses as regimes of truth. New York, NY: Routledge. [Google Scholar]; Gutman, 1999 Gutmann, A. (1999). Democratic education. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]; McLaren, 2001 McLaren, P., &; Farahmandpur, R. (2001). Educational policy and the socialist imagination: Revolutionary citizenship as a pedagogy of resistance. Educational Policy, 15(3), 343–378. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904801015003002.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Nussbaum, 2010 Nussbaum, M. (2010). Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. [Google Scholar]), educating citizens to critically examine, analyze, and understand social worlds is essential to democracy.     

The Humanities vs. Careerism

ABSTRACT

Integrating research in the classroom experience is recognized as potentially important in enhancing student learning (Price 2001 Price, J. N.. 2001. “Action Research, Pedagogy and Change: The Transformative Potential of Action Research in Pre-Service Teacher Education.” Journal of Curriculum Studies 33 (1): 43–74.[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Schmid 1992 Schmid, T. J. 1992. “Classroom-Based Ethnography: A Research Pedagogy.” Teaching Sociology 20 (1): 28–35.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). This article asks if student integration as research subjects augments their learning about political science. A quasi-experimental project focused on media usage, construction, and influences on the political context of election competition finds that participation as research subjects fostered increased awareness among students of their own media usage, of media effects on politics and of politics in general. Findings also suggest that this process of learning happens within the context of students' pre-existing ideological frameworks despite experimental controls over ideological exposure.     

A Simple Technique for Determining Whether Children Know the Meaning of Spelling Words

ABSTRACT

Empirical research has provided evidence supporting the validation and prediction of 4 major sources of self-efficacy: enactive performance accomplishments, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and emotional states. Other research studies have also attested to the importance and potency of self-efficacy in academic learning and achievement. Despite this emphasis, very few, if any, research has explored the impact of the 4 sources of information on self-efficacy from a developmental perspective. The author used latent growth modeling to explore the impact of the 4 sources of information on self-efficacy over 4 occasions. This methodological approach, similar to recent studies (Caprara et al., 2008 Caprara, G. V., Fida, R., Vecchione, M., Del Bove, G., Vecchio, G. M., Barbaranelli, C. and Bandura, A. 2008. Longitudinal analysis of the role of perceived self-efficacy for self-regulated learning in academic continuance and achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 100: 525–534. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), is significant, as it allowed the author to trace the developmental trajectories of elementary school children's self-efficacy beliefs in English and mathematics over time. Three hundred and thirty-nine 3rd- and 4th-grade students (147 girls, 192 boys) took part in this study. Two Likert-type inventories were administered and the data collected were analyzed with the statistical software SPSS AMOS 18. Causal modeling analyses indicated that children's self-efficacy for English and mathematics learning increased over time. Furthermore, of the 4 informational sources, enactive performance accomplishments associated closely with the growth of change of English and mathematics self-efficacy beliefs. Children's emotional states also associated negatively with the growth of change of mathematics self-efficacy. Enactive performance accomplishments and verbal persuasion associated positively with the initial levels of English and mathematics self-efficacy. Finally, the results provide methodological support for the psychometric properties of the inventories used.     

School–Community Partnerships,Friend or Foe? The Doublespeak of Community With Educational Partnerships

In recent reform efforts, school–community partnerships have been touted as a means for promoting student success (Decker, Decker, &; Brown 2007 Decker, L.E., Decker, V.A., &; Brown, P.M. (2007). Diverse partnerships for student success: Strategies and tools to help school leaders. Lanham, MD: Rowman &; Littlefield Education. [Google Scholar]; Epstein 2010 Epstein, J.L. (2010). School/family/community partnerships: Caring for the children we share. Phi Delta Kappan, 92, 81–96.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) and meeting student needs (Hands 2010 Hands, C.M. (2010). Why collaborate? The differing reasons for secondary school educators' establishment of school–community partnerships. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 21, 189–207.[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Yet, despite any accolades, the motives and results of school–community partnerships are contested. Gary Anderson (1998 Anderson, G. (1998). Toward authentic participation: Deconstructing the discourses of participatory reforms in education. 715 American Educational Research Journal, 35, 571–603.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) points out that partnerships tend to be designed to graft members into prior objectives and goals instead of being designed to facilitate staff members in working together to redefine goals. Auerbach (2010 Auerbach, S. (2010). Beyond coffee with the principal: Toward leadership for authentic school–family partnerships. Journal of School Leadership, 20, 728–757. [Google Scholar]) echoes this concern, suggesting that the literature regarding school partnerships focuses primarily on academic achievement while operating under “limited school agendas or mandates for collaboration” which do little to promote “socially just” schools (p. 729). And, schools are egregiously unjust. Thus, in this article, I first evaluate the school–community partnership in a new light by broadly conceptualizing how community exists as a term within the public education system and considering the impact of the historical situatedness of communities and political lines on renderings of community. Second, I offer an understanding of how school–community partnerships are discussed in terms of doublespeak, illustrating how the very word community can be employed across a spectrum of different meanings, interpretations, and implications. Last, I argue that community partnerships have been promoted as educational reform with little prospect of challenging meta-narratives that tell a story of who has something to offer to our schools and who does not.