Urban Students’ Perceptions of Teachers: Views of Students in General, Special, and Honors Education

Students’ satisfaction with school experiences has been linked to their sense of belongingness, connection to school, and achievement. Though the extant research addresses students’ perceptions of school climate and sense of belonging, there is a paucity of research about students’ views of teacher–student interactions. Five hundred and seventy-seven students from one ethnically and academically diverse urban high school were surveyed and interviewed about the nature of teacher talk with students. Findings from this mixed-methods investigation indicate students from general, special, and honors programs experience a wide range of interactions based on academic services received, gender, and ethnicity. More frequent perceived punitive feedback was reported by all students in special education as well as males in general and honors education programs, while Hispanic students indicated a greater frequency of perceived supportive feedback. Findings also reflect a wide range of attitudes and feelings about teachers, the educational system, and learning.     

Risk or resilience? What makes a difference?

Dropping out of school has been associated with a student’s ethnicity, socioeconomic status, challenging behaviours and low academic achievement. This paper describes research conducted with 1050 students aged 12–15, in three North Queensland urban high schools to investigate issues related to Indigenous and non-Indigenous students at risk of dropping out of school before gaining adequate qualifications.     

Experiences of violence and deficits in academic achievement among urban primary school children in Jamaica

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the relationship between children's experiences of three different types of violence and academic achievement among primary school children in Kingston, Jamaica.MethodsA cross-sectional study of 1300 children in grade 5 [mean (S.D.) age: 11 (0.5) years] from 29 government primary schools in urban areas of Kingston and St. Andrew, Jamaica, was conducted. Academic achievement (mathematics, reading, and spelling) was assessed using the Wide Range Achievement Test. Children's experiences of three types of violence – exposure to aggression among peers at school, physical punishment at school, and exposure to community violence – were assessed by self-report using an interviewer administered questionnaire.ResultsFifty-eight percent of the children experienced moderate or high levels of all three types of violence. Boys had poorer academic achievement and experienced higher levels of aggression among peers and physical punishment at school than girls. Children's experiences of the three types of violence were independently associated with all three indices of academic achievement. There was a dose–response relationship between children's experiences of violence and academic achievement with children experiencing higher levels of violence having the poorest academic achievement and children experiencing moderate levels having poorer achievement than those experiencing little or none.ConclusionsExposure to three different types of violence was independently associated with poor school achievement among children attending government, urban schools in Jamaica. Programs are needed in schools to reduce the levels of aggression among students and the use of physical punishment by teachers and to provide support for children exposed to community violence.Practice implicationsChildren in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean experience significant amounts of violence in their homes, communities, and schools. In this study, we demonstrate a dose–response relationship between primary school children's experiences of three different types of violence and their academic achievement. The study points to the need for validated violence prevention programs to be introduced in Jamaican primary schools. Such programs need to train teachers in appropriate classroom management and discipline strategies and to promote children's social and emotional competence and prevent aggression.     

Students’ perceptions of parental and teacher academic involvement: Consequences on achievement goals

The present study examined whether students’ perceptions of two major facets of parental and teacher academic involvement (i.e., academic support and academic monitoring), contribute to the process of students’ achievement goals adoption. French junior high-school students completed two questionnaires assessing first their perceptions of parental and teacher academic involvement, and then their achievement goals three months later. Factorial analyses showed that students differentiated parental academic monitoring from parental academic support, while predominantly perceiving their teacher academic involvement as reflecting monitoring. Multilevel modeling analyses indicated that, as expected, students’ perceptions of parental academic support were positively related to mastery goals while unrelated to performance goals. Also as expected, perceived academic monitoring was associated with performance goals, although the findings revealed an equal contribution of perceived parental and teacher involvement. This new insight about the antecedents of students’ achievement goals emphasizes how important is the role of parental and teacher academic socialization.     

Greater Mindfulness is Associated With Better Academic Achievement in Middle School

Despite increasing interest in improving academic outcomes for students by enhancing mindfulness, there is a paucity of evidence that greater mindfulness is associated with success in school. We measured mindfulness with the short‐form Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) in over 2,000 urban students in Grades 5–8. The MAAS had good internal consistency and scale homogeneity. Greater mindfulness correlated significantly with better academic achievement as measured by grade point average and standardized tests of mathematics and literacy, greater improvement in academic performance from the prior school year, better attendance, and fewer suspensions. The relation between mindfulness and academic achievement was similar across demographic characteristics. These findings support the reliability of the MAAS as a measure of mindfulness among youth and provide initial evidence of an association between mindfulness and academic achievement. This association strengthens the rationale to explore whether mindfulness‐based interventions can enhance academic outcomes by leveraging the malleability of mindfulness.     

Do Your Homework! Investigating the Role of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in Comprehensive School Reform Models Serving Diverse Student Populations

Like the African proverb, ‘It takes a village to raise a child’, many educational researchers charge that it takes a comprehensive school reform to raise student achievement. With the passing of the No Child Left Behind legislation in 2002, national officials authorized the Comprehensive School Reform program to support low performing schools as they struggled to improve student achievement. As a result of this national effort, an increase in implementation of comprehensive school reforms is occurring in schools serving predominantly diverse student populations in urban areas. Therefore, this article explores the framework of comprehensive school reforms and challenges stakeholders to do their homework by investigating whether the school reform allows for the implementation of culturally responsive educational experiences for students.     

Mapping Educational Opportunity Zones: A Geospatial Analysis of Neighborhood Block Groups

The author uses geospatial analysis to examine the “educational opportunity spaces” of two adjacent urban neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Organizing insights are gathered from Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological perspectives on human development, which posit that students are significantly impacted by multiple environmental systems—including their immediate family and school surroundings and several other mutually affective layers of systems. The author suggests that while school and district-based reform initiatives targeting “within school factors” clearly have direct and significant relevance on student performance, neighborhood and community factors are also worthy of consideration. Based on analyses of multiple block-level data, several recommendations are made toward the further integration of school and community-based practice.     

Academic achievement among first semester undergraduate psychology students: the role of course experience, effort, motives and learning strategies

This study investigated the relationship between multiple predictors of academic achievement, including course experience, students’ approaches to learning (SAL), effort (amount of time spent on studying) and prior academic performance (high school grade point average—HSGPA) among 442 first semester undergraduate psychology students. Correlation analysis showed that all of these factors were related to first semester examination grade in psychology. Profile analyses showed significant mean level differences between subgroups of students. A structural equation model showed that surface and strategic approaches to learning were mediators between course experience and exam performance. This model also showed that SAL, effort and HSGPA were independent predictors of exam performance, also when controlling for the effect of the other predictors. Hence, academic performance is both indirectly affected by the learning context as experienced by the students and directly affected by the students’ effort, prior performance and approaches to learning.     

The Interrelation of First-Year College Students’ Critical Thinking Disposition, Perceived Academic Control, and Academic Achievement

While a great deal of research has examined students’ critical thinking skills, less is known about students’ tendencies to use these skills. Specifically, little is known about what factors contribute to students developing a disposition to think critically or what impact this disposition has on college students’ academic achievement. Perceived control, which has been found to be an important factor in college students’ academic success, may be an important factor in developing this disposition. The current longitudinal study examined the reciprocal-effects between critical thinking disposition and perceived academic control, and their comparative influences on academic achievement in 1196 first-year college students. Using a two-wave, two-variable cross-lag structural equation model, a reciprocal-effect was found whereby students’ perceived academic control predicted their subsequent critical thinking disposition, and students’ critical thinking disposition predicted their subsequent perceived academic control. Furthermore, after controlling for high school academic performance, perceived academic control was found to have a stronger impact on students’ GPAs than critical thinking disposition. Implications of fostering a critical thinking disposition and perceived academic control among college students are discussed.

Perceptions of Community and Experiences in School: Understanding the Opportunities, Resources, and Education Within one Neighborhood

The purpose of this study is to consider how mothers of kindergartners navigate their families’ experiences within a community and how their children’s school experiences affect their interactions and investment in a place. The questions this research asks is: How do mothers define and describe their neighborhood? What role does the school play as mothers navigate their children’s experiences in the community? Findings indicate that the way that families conceptualize and manage their context indicates that their values, needs, and life aspirations, which are clearly connected to their experiences and perceptions of the school.     

The relationship between growth in principal leadership and growth in school performance: The teacher perspective

Using a multilevel multiset time-series model, the present study aimed to examine whether changes in teacher perceived principal leadership practices were associated with the change in school academic performance. Teacher perceived principal leadership practices tapped into various aspects of school process and principal leadership. School academic performance was measured as a school’s average in reading and mathematics at a certain grade level (Grades 5–8) in a certain calendar year (2013–2017). Change in teachers’ perceptions regarding principals’ efforts to improve parent involvement was identified as the single most important teacher perceived principal leadership practice for growth in both school reading and school mathematics performance across grade levels (moderate effect size of .481 in reading and small effect size of .254 in mathematics). Implications were discussed, including the hypothesis of “growth” factors in principal leadership practice.     

Examining behavioral, relational, and cognitive engagement in smaller learning communities: A case study of reform in one suburban district

The purpose of this project was to examine the impact of Smaller Learning Community reform on students’ behavioral, relational, and cognitive engagement in a suburban school district experiencing urbanization. We describe a project in which we evaluated the engagement of a cohort of 8th grade students as they transitioned to high school (n = 605). Specifically, we disaggregated the data to identify how students’ engagement differed as a function of their participation in Smaller Learning Community structures, prior achievement, and race.     

Student Achievement, Selected Environmental Characteristics, and Neighborhood Type

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of neighborhoods on student achievement. Demographic data gathered from school officials, the results of building-level fourth- and sixth-grade achievement scores (n = 61), and selected data from the 1990 Census of two mid-size urban school districts were analyzed. The analysis showed that the predictive quality of neighborhoods was mostly revealed when sixth-grade achievement scores (n = 53) were isolated. With a multiple correlation of .88 and an adjusted R ² of .76 (p = .009), neighborhood type represented a 3% increase in the prediction with a large effect size (f ²) of .35. Although it would be erroneous to conclude that the target variable is a major correlate of academic achievement, neighborhood type was nonetheless significant as it impacted the older youth in the study. Implications for educators and policymakers are discussed. In addition, an important and significant statistical finding regarding the effect of a suppressor variable was uncovered.     

Roscoe Elementary School: Cultivating a Caring Community in an Urban Elementary School

The cultivation of a caring community within an urban neighborhood public elementary school is viewed by some educators as an impossibility, by others as being in conflict with academic effectiveness, and by still others as unnecessary for the successful achievement of students. Nevertheless, a significant group of educators advocates schools as caring communities, particularly in meeting the needs of low-income urban students of color. The research reported in this article is grounded in the assumption that there is a relationship between school culture and student achievement. An ethnographic case study of one urban public elementary school that exhibited both a strong caring community and a push toward academic excellence resulted in an analysis of the underlying characteristics that existed in the school. The findings suggest that a climate of mutual trust and respect, fluid boundaries centered around an ethic of caring, and a schoolwide sense of ownership and responsibility for students were central to the cultivation of the school' s caring community. Adapted school structures also fostered an ethos of community and ownership. In addition, the school expanded the definition of effectiveness beyond standardized test scores by focusing broadly on student learning, the link between the success of the individual and the success of the group, and the role of affect in promoting student achievement.     

A Case Study of a Turnaround High School: An Examination of the Maryland State Department of Education Breakthrough Center Intervention

This study examined the Maryland State Department of Education Breakthrough Center (BTC) engagement in a Baltimore City turnaround high school. Utilizing a case-study design and mixed-methods research, data were collected through interviews, informal observations, and review of administrative and achievement documents. Beginning in the 2011–2012 academic year, the BTC has been working in collaboration with school personnel to improve the educational experiences and academic achievement of students. School personnel recognized that the BTC has been responsive to teachers' requests and has exhibited a flexible approach building collaborative and nonevaluative relations. Administrative and achievement data also indicated improvement in school outcome measures during the past 3 years. Nevertheless, school faculty also identified important challenges of the BTC intervention, such as the relevance of this intervention for veteran teachers, the extent to which the needs of all student populations were met, and the sustainability of the intervention.     

Three Factors of School Achievement

Abstract

In an attempt to examine the structure of achievement measures used in public school systems, assessments of achievement at different points in the child's academic career were obtained for a sample of 671 students. A factor analysis of 21 achievement variables yielded a clearly defined three-factor structure. The factors emerging from this analysis were: (1) Objective Achievement defined by all the intelligence measures and most of the standard achievement test scores; (2) Early Citizenship defined by early measures of citizenship and marks; and (3) High School Achievement defined primarily by 9th and 12th grade marks. From this analysis, it would appear that children are assessed relatively independently on each of these three factors as they proceed through their school career.     

School and community factors involved in Chilean students’ perception of school safety

Identifying and understanding predictors of school safety perceptions is important due to its consequences for students. However, it is not clear what school‐related factors most contribute to explaining students’ perception of school safety, and how they relate to community‐related factors such as neighborhood safety. The purpose of this study was to understand the factors associated with Chilean elementary and middle school students’ perceptions of school safety. We used a sample of 5,455 students from low socioeconomic status public schools, and analyzed the predictive value of peer physical and verbal victimization; teacher and school staff victimization; teacher's social support; and perception of safety in the students’ neighborhoods on perceptions of school safety. Findings showed that although different forms of school violence, particularly peer physical victimization and physical and sexual victimization from teachers and school staff, contribute to students’ perception of school safety, the highest contribution came from students perceiving their neighborhoods as unsafe. In contrast, teacher social support contributed to increased levels of perceived school safety. We discuss the need for school‐based interventions that address physical victimization and engage teachers in prosocial and less punitive approaches to foster a positive and safe school climate, and in fostering school–community partnerships.     

Neighborhoods Matter: The Role of Universities in the School Reform Neighborhood Development Movement

Where you find distressed neighborhoods, you will also find poorly performing public schools. Yet many contemporary school reform efforts ignore neighborhood-level factors that undeniably impact school performance. The purpose of this study is to use a case study approach with social institutional and urban school reform regime frameworks to demonstrate why school reform and the re-creation and redevelopment of distressed neighborhoods should occur simultaneously. At the same time, researchers will examine the role of higher education in catalyzing partnerships with so-called anchor institutions for the explicit purposes of simultaneously improving neighborhoods and reforming schools. By focusing on a federal Choice neighborhood initiative, the study will not only make the case for connecting school reform and neighborhood development but also present a model that demonstrates how this can happen. The study will also make a strong case for the university's unique role in fostering neo-collaborative structures fit to take on wicked problems of neighborhood distress and urban decline.