Teachers of Color Speak to Issues of Respect and Image

This paper explores the issue of the respectability and changing image of public school teachers through interviews with 114 teachers of color in three urban school districts: Cincinnati, Ohio; Seattle, Washington; and Long Beach, California. Almost one half of the respondents felt that either the negative image or the low status of teaching was one of the main reasons that students of color are not entering the profession. This assessment seemed to have little to do with money and a great deal to do with self-respect as defined in terms of dress, posture, and class. There was strong consensus that a professional image is important to people of color. The judgment that there has been a decline in respect for teaching was mixed. Many informants perceived themselves as leaders within their communities and as professionals and claimed that their people and their families did respect teachers. The problem seemed to lie less with communities of color and more with the dominant society, which devalues teaching.     

Effects of Consultation on Professional Learning Communities

ABSTRACT

School psychologists can impact student outcomes by consulting with teams around data. The current study investigated the effects of consultation with Professional Learning Communities (PLC) teacher teams. The study included four teacher teams, observing their PLC practices and providing consultation. Each team was observed with a PLC-implementation rubric using a multiple baseline design, including baseline, intervention, and maintenance phases. The specific areas of observation on the PLC Implementation Rubric were “How Effective Teams Work,” “What Students Need to Know and Do,” and “Assessment for/of Learning.” The data were visually analyzed and a nonoverlap of all pairs effect size was computed. During the intervention phase, each team chose an item to focus on from the same observation strand. Therefore, the data were analyzed on the single strand and the three strands taken together. The results from the study indicated a change in PLC implementation occurred when consultation was added, and the change was maintained after consultation ended. However, the improvements for each team during the intervention and maintenance phases were small in comparison to the baseline phase. In addition, teams displayed greater improvements in implementation fidelity on the single strand in comparison to the three strands taken together. Future research is needed to determine the impact of consultation with PLCs on student outcomes. Implications for research and practice, limitations, and future directions are discussed.     

Reasons for Attending,Expected Obstacles,and Degree Aspirations of Asian Pacific American Community College Students

This study examined how the academic aspirations of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) attending community colleges are influenced by their demographic and educational background, reasons for attending, and obstacles they expect to encounter. The sample consisted of 846 APAs out of a total student sample of 5,000 in an urban community college district. The analyses compared results for ethnic groups within the APA community as well as APAs with other racial groups. The key finding—that APA community college students often consist of recent immigrants—should lead institutional researchers to collect data on their numbers, characteristics, and needs.     

Teenagers’ Experiences With Social Network Sites: Relationships to Bridging and Bonding Social Capital

Many studies have examined the relationship between social network sites (SNSs) and the development of social capital. However, most studies to date have only considered college and adult populations. This study examines the patterns of SNS use in an urban, teenage sample in the United States. It tests the hypothesis that use of SNSs is related to higher levels of social capital. The results show that youth who use Facebook and Myspace report higher social capital in both their school and online relationships. In addition, the analysis suggests that distinct modes of SNS experiences are differentially related to bridging and bonding social capital. Time spent in SNSs is related to bridging capital, while positive or negative experiences are related to bonding capital. The study offers new insights into how youth experience SNSs and the relationship of that experience with their connection to the world.     

‘Do You Have to Pack?’—Preparing For Culturally Relevant Science Teaching in the Caribbean

This paper reports on the attempts by some Caribbean science teachers to make links between their students' everyday lives and school science in their planning for teaching. It describes how these teachers drew on their exposure to a university graduate course on science education and culture in seeking to access the background cultural knowledge of their students and to incorporate this knowledge in their plans for teaching science. The paper critically examines the experiences of these teachers and highlights both the rewards and challenges that ensued as these teachers prepared for culturally relevant science teaching     

Poor relations in the preschool family: the funding of playgroups 1

Playgroups provide for more children under five than any other preschool service, and now regard themselves as an alternative to, rather than a substitute for, nursery education. There are, however, a number of major issues concerning their funding: income depends largely on parental fees and fund‐raising; playgroups are less well resourced than nursery education; and current resourcing may be too low to ensure quality. Based on research in 45 playgroups in three areas (rural, inner city, and suburban), the paper looks in more detail at the consequences for playgroups of their current funding position and, more specifically, at the impact on various aspects of playgroups ‐ including premises and equipment; opening hours and usage; the position of playgroup workers; the satisfaction of mothers and playgroup leaders; and the playgroup environment ‐ of different funding policies pursued by local authorities in the three study areas. One local authority provided substantial support to individual playgroups, while the other two gave minimal support. The paper concludes by considering three options for the future funding of playgroups.