The price of admission: Who gets into private school,and how much do they pay?

I analyze how elementary and secondary private schools decide which students to admit from their applicant pool using mechanism design theory. The problem for an individual private school of who to admit and how much to charge in tuition, is complicated by the existence of peer-effects: the value students place on attending school is increasing with the average ability of the entire class at that school. This feature, coupled with the fact that students can always attend public school for free, places constraints on the types of classes the private school can admit. In my model, students have an ability type that is known to the school through testing, as well as a wealth type that is private information. Students report their wealth to the school and on the basis of the results from the ability test and wealth reports, the school institutes an allocation rule and a payment rule. Allocation rules which only admit all high ability students and no others, or all high wealth students and no others are not feasible. I utilize a simple example to show how in a revenue-maximizing allocation, the private school always under-admits the highest ability students relative to the allocation rule that maximizes social welfare.     

Increasing the uptake of peer feedback in primary school writing: findings from an action research enquiry

This article reports on how an action research strategy was used to increase children's uptake of feedback during peer assessment in primary school writing. Several different strategies were used in the study that had been successful in increasing students’ uptake of peer feedback in contexts such as higher education. In order to evaluate how successful these actions were, several different data collection methods were drawn upon to triangulate findings including children's work, observations, informal interviews and mind mapping. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data generated. Findings are consistent with those from research in other settings which suggest that pupils make better use of feedback if: it is task-involving and useful; there is sufficient time given for them to act on it and discuss it with their peers; and they are asked to reflect on how it has been used to improve the quality of the assessed work.     

Making learning interesting and its application to the science classroom

Generations of students are graduating from secondary school disinterested in post-secondary study of science or pursuing careers in science-related fields beyond formal education. We propose that destabilising such disinterest among future students requires science educators to begin listening to secondary school students regarding their views of how science learning is made interesting within the science classroom. Studies on students’ interest in response to instructional strategies applied in the classroom communicate the opinions (i.e. the ‘voice’) of students about the strategies they believe make their classroom learning interesting. To this end, this scoping study (1) collects empirical studies that present from various science and non-science academic domains students’ views about how to make classroom learning interesting; (2) identifies common instructional strategies across these domains that make learning interesting; and (3) forwards an instructional framework called TEDI ([T]ransdisciplinary Connections; Mediated [E]ngagement; Meaningful [D]iscovery; and Self-determined [I]nquiry), which may provide secondary school science teachers with a practical instructional approach for making learning science genuinely interesting among their students within the secondary school science classroom context.     

Strategic development of multiplication problem solving: Patterns of students' strategy choices

Low mathematics achievement is a persistent problem in the United States, and multiplication is a fundamental area in which many students manifest learning difficulties. This study examined the strategic developmental levels of multiplication problem solving among 121 elementary school students in Grades 3 through 5. A latent class analysis modeling was used to identify three valid groups representing different patterns of strategy choices for each of three types of multiplication problems. Findings indicated intra-group variability for problem-solving accuracy, for frequency of using different strategies, and for accuracy of executing direct retrieval/algorithm (DR/AG) strategies. Students demonstrated relative consistency in their strategy choices for solving the three problem types. Students who used DR/AG strategies most frequently showed the highest problem-solving accuracy and the highest accuracy of executing the DR/AG strategies. Students who most frequently relied on incorrect operations or who indicated they did not know how to solve problems demonstrated the lowest problem-solving accuracy among the three groups; the number of students in this group increased with problem difficulty levels. Implications are discussed in terms of identifying students' strategic developmental levels and providing differentiated instruction based on the identified levels.     

Grade Difference in Metacognitive Strategy Use of Rural Junior Middle School Students in English Learning

Among so many learning strategies,metacognitive strategy is considered as the most crucial one and higher than other strategies.This thesis attempts to know the current situations of metacognitive strategy use of rural junior middle school students in different grades and the existing problems.This study conducted the quantitative method by sending questionnaires.The subjects were 120 rural junior middle school students of a town-level middle school in the mountainous area.The result of the study shows that,students in different grades have much difference on the metacognitive strategy use.     

Environmental Threats to College Counseling Strategies in Urban High Schools: Implications for Student Preparation for College Transitions

Preparing high school students to skillfully and successfully navigate the pathway to college is a growing concern among researchers and policymakers. This issue has raised important questions about what urban school districts can do to build capacity among their high schools to guide students and families toward successful college transitions. This analysis examines how district-level policies impacted the capacity of two urban high schools to establish and maintain college counseling strategies that effectively prepare students to manage the transition to college. Drawing upon concepts from institutional theory, the analysis illustrates how pressures from urban policy environments can threaten the viability of a college counseling strategy that has strong positive implications for urban high school students.     

Selling Schools: Marketing and Recruitment Strategies in New Orleans

Under new school-choice policies, schools feel increasing pressure to market their schools to parents and students. I examine how school leaders in New Orleans used different marketing strategies based on their positions in the market hierarchy and the ways in which they used formal and informal processes to recruit students. This study relied on qualitative interviews, observations of board meetings, and board-meeting minutes from a random sample of 30 schools in New Orleans. Findings indicate that marketing was a very common strategy. Yet even though choice policies were meant to give parents, not schools, power in selecting where their children attend school, some schools found ways to avoid enrolling disadvantaged students, often by not marketing. Faced with the pressure of accountability and charter renewal, these schools traded greater funding for potentially greater averages in student achievement. At the same time, some schools that were oversubscribed invested in marketing and recruitment anyway to draw less affluent parents to the school, who might not be aware of the open application and enrollment process. I discuss the implications of these marketing strategies.     

英语学习高分者与低分者使用学习策略的差异

对高中生使用英语学习策略的情况进行调查,发现高中生低分者使用各类学习策略的频率都低于高分者,惟有在补偿策略使用上,频率略高于高分者;低分者与高分者在记忆策略、元认知策略、认知策略、情感策略和社交策略的使用上差异显著。     

如何提高初中生英语书面表达能力

中考英语书面表达分值逐年升高,但有相当一部分学生的书面表达能力差,如何提高初中生英语书面表达能力一直困扰着许多英语教师,基于这一问题展开论述,提出三方面的具体策略,以期能为初中英语教师提供一些参考。     

Mental Health,Drug Use and Adolescence: Meeting the Needs of Vulnerable Students in Secondary School

Today, an increasing number of students are suffering from different kinds of mental health problems. Still, we know little about how professionals in secondary school and other professionals in society handle and collaborate around these issues. The findings from the present study make an important contribution to the research field regarding professionals’ efforts to meet the needs of vulnerable students. The present study investigates how school professionals in two Swedish urban schools and the local police describe their experiences with meeting the needs of students who are suffering from mental health problems and drug use. The study draws on semi-structured interviews with the professionals and observations of the schools’ student welfare team meetings. The findings reveal that self-medication, through use of pills or drugs (or both), has become quite common among adolescents, who see it as a way to ‘solve their mental health problems. Although students’ wellbeing and school safety were reported to be major concerns, the professionals’ collaborations were sometimes obstacles. Issues connected to the complexity of adolescents’ mental health not only highlight the importance of collaboration between schools and other societal institutions, but also indicate the necessary resources for such collaboration.     

Socioeconomic status, self-efficacy, and mathematics achievement in Australia: a secondary analysis

Previous studies have shown that both student and school socioeconomic status (SES) are strongly associated with student outcomes, but less is known about how these relationships may vary for different students, schools and nations. In this study we use a large international dataset to examine how student SES, school SES and self-efficacy are associated with mathematics performance among 15-year-old students in Australia. We found that increases in school SES are consistently associated with substantial increases in achievement in mathematics and this phenomenon holds for all groups, regardless of their individual SES. Furthermore, our findings show that the association of school SES with maths achievement persists even when subject-specific self-efficacy is taken into account. However, our findings also suggest modest differences among student groups disaggregated by these factors. In particular, the association between maths achievement and school SES appears moderately stronger for students with higher levels of self-efficacy compared with their peers with lower self-efficacy. Furthermore, among students with similar levels of self-efficacy, the association between maths achievement and school SES tends to be stronger for lower SES students than for their more privileged peers. From these findings, we highlight the importance of the Australian case for comparable systems of education, and provide a discussion of policy implications and strategies for mitigating the influence of school socioeconomic composition on academic achievement more generally.     

Countering plutocracies: increasing autonomy and accountability through culturally relevant leadership

In urban school districts across the USA there are mandates to implement zero tolerance policies. As this occurs, there is an increasing number of students, specifically students of colour, who are being jettisoned out of the educative process. When school principals have little autonomy regarding how they handle disciplinary infractions within their schools, it becomes relatively easy for them to opt out of making tough decision. The authors assert that Culturally Relevant Leadership is a framework that, if applied correctly, can help school leaders reduce the multiple school suspensions and expulsions that are occurring among students of colour.     

Cumulative versus rapid introduction of new information

This study investigated the way new information is presented to students. Subjects were 60 elementary and middle school students, most with learning disabilities. Students used two versions of a specially designed computer-assisted instruction (CAI) program. One version rapidly presented students with seven pieces of information (rapid-introduction group); the other cumulatively presented smaller "chunks" of information (cumulative-introduction group). Both groups worked to mastery level successfully but students in the cumulative group spent one-third the time, required fewer responses, showed less frustration, and made fewer errors in the process. Results suggest that students with learning disabilities need much more practice than most commercial CAI programs supply.     

Transformational Leadership: How Principals Can Help Reform School Cultures

ABSTRACT

Collaborative school cultures have been associated with the achievement of a number of school reform objectives for both teachers and students. Little is known, however, about how such cultures develop and whether or how school administrators can facilitate that process. This study examined the practices of administrators in each of 12 schools which had developed highly collaborative professional relationships over a three year period in the context of school improvement initiatives. Results suggest the feasibility of developing more collaborative school cultures in a relatively brief period of time and clarify the role played by the larger context of school improvement for fostering collaboration. Specific strategies used by the administrators are described. These strategies are associated with a concept of leadership termed “transformational”.     

教师专业发展的新视野:“学校群”策略

"学校群"策略是信息技术环境下教师专业发展的新模式,其关注区域性校际协作,其从组织策略、学习服务支持策略和效能策略三个方面组织和实施教师专业发展活动。通过讨论"学校群"教师专业发展的三个策略和新思路与方法,试图实现延伸校本培训、共享优质资源和推进协作研究,实现教师共同体和学校群体共同发展。     

The Use of Listening Comprehension Strategies by Non English Majors

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英语学习策略及在课堂中的训练

根据学习和信息加工的一般认知模式,中学阶段学生英语学习过程中要培养的学习策略应为认知策略、元认知策略和资源管理策略。学生学习策略能力的提高,需要进行必要的训练,为此教师应做好以下准备:1.建立一个以学习者为主体的课堂;2.培养学生反思的意识;3.学生对语言学习的自我评估;4.帮助学生识别正在使用的学习策略;5.教学生学写学习日记。学生学习策略的课堂训练主要包括:介绍、讲授、练习、评价、扩展五个步骤。     

Dynamics of mental model construction from text and graphics

When students read for learning, they frequently are required to integrate text and graphics information into coherent knowledge structures. The following study aimed at analyzing how students deal with texts and how they deal with graphics when they try to integrate the two sources of information. Furthermore, the study investigated differences between students from different school types and grades. Forty students from grades 5 and 8 from higher track and lower track of the German school system were asked to process and integrate texts and graphics in order to answer items from different levels of a text–picture integration taxonomy. Students’ eye movements were recorded and analyzed. Results suggest fundamentally different functions of text and graphics, which are associated with different processing strategies. Texts are more likely to be used according to a coherence-formation strategy, whereas graphics are more likely to be used on demand as visual cognitive tools according to an information-selection strategy. Students from different tracks of schooling revealed different adaptivity with regard to the requirements of combining text and graphic information.     

School Efficiency and Student Subgroups: Is a Good School Good for Everyone?

State and federal accountability reforms are putting considerable pressure on schools to increase the achievement of historically low-performing groups of students and to close test score gaps. In this article, we exploit the differences among the large number of elementary schools in New York City to examine how much schools vary in the efficiency of the education they provide to subgroups. In addition, we examine the extent to which observable school characteristics can account for the variation that exists. We find that New York City elementary schools vary in how well they educate poor students compared to nonpoor students and Asian and White students compared to Black and Hispanic students. The disparities in school efficiency measures between boys and girls are lower than for the other subgroups. There is no conclusive evidence about which school resources and characteristics are associated with more or less efficient education across all subgroups.     

欧美学校微观政治研究的进展

学校微观政治研究是教育组织研究的新分支，是对学校各类行为主体运用权力影响他人，扩展利益，并在冲突中达成理解，形成互相支持与合作关系的研究。其一般研究涉及微观政治的产生条件、策略和伦理等内容，近年来专题案例研究焦点集中在学校改革中的微观政治行为和教育教学活动中的学生微观政治行为表现及其对教师行为的影响。学校微观政治能力和数控县管理会的必修课。