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The Impact of Supplemental Educational Services Participation on Student Achievement: 2005-2006 Los Angeles Unified School District After controlling for differences in student characteristics, students who attended a SES program had a statistically higher, yet substantively negligible (about 2 to 3 scale score points), performance gain than those who applied but did not attend. Greater SES exposure was modestly associated with higher student performance. As in 2004-05, the SES program had a greater impact for elementary school students than secondary school students, and some providers had a positive impact on student performance while others did not. The low overall participation rates and small average increase in CST performance among participants suggests that the SES program did not have a substantively meaningful impact for Program Improvement schools. To see full report: An Evaluation of Year 3 in the Chicago Public Schools Although there was only a small effect, participation in the SES program resulted in a small significant improvement in the reading achievement levels of students compared to other lowincome, low-achieving students, attending the same schools. Overall, participation in the SES program had a negligible effect on student math achievement scores. Low achieving students not eligible for the SES program demonstrated the largest improvement in both math and reading achievement from 2005 to 2006. Younger and lower achieving students demonstrated the largest benefit from participating in the SES program. Students tutored in the EdSolutions Inc, Unparalleled Solutions Inc, and SCORE! Educational Centers Inc. programs demonstrated the largest improvement in achievement from 2005 to 2006. Students tutored in the CS&C and Failure Free Reading programs typically fell further behind. Generally, the effect of larger programs tended to be more stable, with less pronounced changes in achievement demonstrated by students. The Unparalleled Solutions program was one exception, in that it was shown to be a highly effective program and it was among the larger providers. In general, more expensive tutoring programs did not translate into greater improvement in student achievement levels. Not only was the A.I.M. High program by far the least expensive provider, but A.I.M. High students performed significantly better on math and reading than students tutored by many of the other providers. To see full report: Supplemental Educational Services in the State of Tennessee This report presents the findings of a study conducted by the Center for Research in Educational Policy (CREP) on the implementation progress of Supplemental Educational Services (SES) in Tennessee. The major goal of this research was to evaluate perceived progress and outcomes of the SES implementation in six school districts in Tennessee during the 2005-06 school year. The three analytical models yielded no statistically reliable effects for any of the SES providers. Thus, it cannot be interpreted with sufficient confidence that students receiving tutoring services from any of the 12 providers in Math or 9 providers in R/LA differed in end-of-year achievement from non-tutored students. To see full report: Closing the Teacher Quality Gap in Philadelphia: New Hope and Old Hurdles A new report by authors Elizabeth Useem, Robert Offenberg, and Elizabeth Farley notes that the School District of Philadelphia has made significant progress in upgrading the qualifications of classroom teachers since 2002 and has drastically cut the number of teachers with emergency certifications, reduced classroom vacancies, and raised the certification rate, especially among new teachers. At the same time, however, the district did not change the pattern of having the least qualified teachers in schools serving the highest percentages of poor and minority students. To see full report: Persistently Dangerous Schools After almost a year of meetings and testimony from parents, researchers and state and local education leaders, the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools Advisory Committee—appointed by Secretary Margaret Spellings in June 2006—presented her with its 50-page report: "Enhancing Achievement and Proficiency through Safe and Drug-Free Schools." The Committee’s report stresses the importance of enhanced efforts to determine whether schools are truly safe through the use of specific safety measures including data collection beyond incidents of violence at schools. To assist both victims and perpetrators of school violence, the report outlines a series of possible interventions including movement options for both the victim and perpetrator, and counseling. The report realistically notes problems caused by varying State criteria for identifying persistently dangerous schools and an undue stress on incident reporting. The report strongly urges a change in the terminology of “persistently dangerous schools” and a shift in focus towards providing help for potentially unsafe schools, perhaps by adding them to a “watch list.” For States with adequate measures currently in place to ensure students will not be trapped in unsafe school environments, the report notes the possibility of a waiver of USCO requirements. To read the report in its entirety: The report is also available in alternate formats such as Braille, large print and audiotape. To obtain a copy in an alternate format, call (202) 260-9895 or (202) 205-8113. Virtual High Schools as Laboratories of Reform Spreading rapidly, virtual schools are leading innovation in areas that traditional schools have struggled for decades to improve. They are personalizing student learning and extending it beyond the traditional school day. They are creating new models for teaching—with opportunities to easily observe, evaluate, and assist instructors. And they are pioneering performance-based education funding models. But this important trend in public education has gone largely unnoticed in the cacophony of policy proposals and solutions being put forth to improve the nation's public schools. In a new Education Sector report, Chief Operating Officer Bill Tucker shows how the practices found in virtual schools are bringing about reforms that have long eluded traditional public schools and prompting educators and policymakers to question and change key components of our traditional, classroom-based public system. Tucker spotlights some of the most successful models of virtual schooling and provides policy recommendations, for both school reformers and virtual school leaders to help improve quality, spur innovation, and use virtual schooling to strengthen current reform efforts. Read "Laboratories of Reform: Virtual High Schools and Innovation in Public Education": Research Links Childhood Social Skills and Learning Abilities While federal programs such as No Child Left Behind emphasize the importance of academic skills to school success and achievement, there is growing interest in how social skills develop and how they contribute to learning. Research presented at the 2007 meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development by a team of Michigan State University researchers indicate that a child’s social skills at age three could predict his or her future social and academic performance. Important social skills in early childhood include emerging abilities to manage feelings and behaviors, recognize social cues from others and engage in positive interactions with peers. Findings from related studies by the MSU research team include:
"Early intervention is an important tool for enhancing and supporting early development,” said Holly Brophy-Herb, an associate professor of family and child ecology who led the research team. “But we must also focus on how interventions work, whether they are curricular interventions or comprehensive early intervention services, such as Early Head Start (EHS), under what circumstances and for whom.” Early Head Start is a national intervention and support program for income-eligible families and provides comprehensive services to families prenatally until the child is three years old. The Brophy-Herb led group is currently working with EHS providers in six Michigan counties to evaluate an infant/toddler curriculum, targeting early social and emotional development that was developed by the MSU team and their EHS partners. The project is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The MSU research team is also part of a National Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Consortium, which has been engaged in a study of EHS eligible children and their families since 1996. With 3,001 families participating, this research was conducted at 17 sites across the country, including the one at the Jackson Community Action Agency, an MSU partner. Findings reported by the national consortium reflect the long term impacts of EHS:
These findings have boosted the long-held belief that early childhood intervention is key to helping children who are at risk of behavior problems, poor developmental health outcomes, decreased school readiness and higher dropout rates. Brophy-Herb and colleagues on the MSU research team, with the EHS Consortium, are currently engaged in a grade five follow-up of the children and families. For more information, visit the Web at http://www.fce.msu.edu/. Cognitive Scores Vary as Much Within Test Takers as Between Age Groups Making Testing Less Valid Getting a 'mental batting average' from a short series of repeated tests may more precisely define mental function How precise are tests used to diagnose learning disability, progressive brain disease or impairment from head injury" Timothy Salthouse, PhD, a noted cognitive psychologist at the University of Virginia, has demonstrated that giving a test only once isn’t enough to get a clear picture of someone’s mental functioning. It appears that repeating tests over a short period may give a more accurate range of scores, improving diagnostic workups.' The study is published in the July issue of Neuropsychology, which is published by the American Psychological Association (APA). Salthouse gave 16 common cognitive and neuropsychological tests to evenly divided participants (90 in the first, 1600 in the second) into groups of ages 18-39, 50-59 and 60-97 years old. In both studies, the variation between someone’s scores on the same test given three times over two weeks was as big as the variation between the scores of people in different age groups. It’s as if on the same test, someone acted like a 20-year-old on a Monday, a 45-year-old the following Friday, and a 32-year-old the following Wednesday. This major inconsistency raises questions about the worth of single, one-time test scores. “I don’t think many people would have expected that the variability would be this large, and apparent in a wide variety of cognitive tests – not simply tests of speed or alertness,” says Salthouse. Psychologists frequently use tests of vocabulary, word recall, spatial relations, pattern comparison and the like to understand normal function and diagnose impairment. Experts use the scores to differentiate between diagnoses, detect changes in level of functioning or to give a diagnosis in the first place. Where scores fall relative to standardized cutoffs affects treatment, insurance, education plans and more. Yet the apparent fuzziness of one-time assessments could make it hard to tell whether someone is truly impaired, or truly improving or worsening, instead of showing normal short-term fluctuation. Accordingly, Salthouse has come to believe that everyone has a range of typical performances, a one-person bell curve. Any given test will net a performance somewhere along that curve, as when a hitter’s good and bad days are factored into a seasonal batting average. Some persons’ scores would hew more closely to their average, but for those who have high internal variation, classification based on one assessment could be way off the mark. Salthouse says it may be time to view cognitive abilities as a distribution of many potential levels of performance instead of as one stable short-term level. He proposes the use of a “measurement burst” procedure that bases understanding on several parallel assessments within a relatively short period. Results gained in this manner are likely to be more stable, offering a better basis for calibrating individual change. Before any procedural updates, Salthouse says, “More will have to be learned about this phenomenon and the conditions under which it operates.” Multiple assessments involve more time and expense but may be necessary, he notes, to distinguish short-term fluctuation from true ability level. In addition, psychologists would have to develop new test norms and truly equivalent versions of the same test. Finally, Salthouse believes that measures of within-person variability could be a useful diagnostic marker in their own right. For example, he and other cognitive psychologists are discussing whether wilder fluctuations within one person’s test scores are an early warning of mental decline. Full text of the article: http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/neu214401.pdf ‘Segregated’ Schools Hinder Reading Skills Children in families with low incomes, who attend schools where the minority population exceeds 75 percent of the student enrollment, under-perform in reading, even after accounting for the quality of the literacy instruction, literary experiences at home, gender, race and other variables, according to a new study. The majority of black and Hispanic children in the United States attend such “minority segregated” schools, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The study, by the FPG Child Development Institute (FPG) and the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, examined reading development from kindergarten to third grade for 1,913 economically disadvantaged children. The children were part of the Children from Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Kindergarten Cohort, a nationally representative sample of more than 22,000 children enrolled in approximately 1,000 kindergarten programs. “Good instruction is essential, but it’s not enough,” said Kirsten Kainz, an investigator at FPG, senior research associate in the School of Education and author of the study. “Most current reading instruction initiatives and policies are aimed at improving classroom instruction,” Kainz said. “This research shows that characteristics of the child, the home, the classroom and the school influence reading development, and that maximally effective reading policy should address all four systems simultaneously.” Kainz and her colleagues found that classroom and school characteristics had a larger affect on low-income students’ long-term reading abilities than the method of instruction or a child’s background, such as the parents’ employment patterns or size of the household. The study also showed that the percentage of struggling readers in a classroom negatively influenced every student’s reading performance, erasing any benefits of comprehensive literacy instruction. Children attending kindergarten classrooms with higher percentages of students reading below grade level demonstrated constrained performance in reading at the end of kindergarten. The same was true for children in first grade. Children were assessed in basic reading skills, vocabulary and comprehension. Researchers then considered how four levels of variables – child, family, classroom and school – affected reading skills. Data was collected as part of a survey via telephone interviews and written questionnaires with caregivers, teachers and administrators in 48 states and Washington D.C. “These findings support policies that promote comprehensive reading instruction, but indicate that just as much attention needs to be paid to ensuring that schools are integrated and to reducing classroom concentrations of children reading below grade level,” said Lynne Vernon-Feagans, a fellow at FPG and co-author of the study. For a chart showing the percentage of black and Hispanic students in minority segregated schools, by state, visit: http://www.fpg.unc.edu/assets/media/outreach/used_nces_black-and-hispanic-students_2004-2005.pdf For a chart showing the percentage of Hispanic students in minority segregated schools, by state, visit: http://www.fpg.unc.edu/assets/media/outreach/used_nces_hispanic-students_2004-2005.pdf For a chart showing the percentage of black students in minority segregated schools, by state, visit: http://www.fpg.unc.edu/assets/media/outreach/used_nces_black-students_2004-2005.pdf New Study Reveals Strong Relationship Between Quality Music Education Programs and Higher Standardized Test Scores Students in high-quality school music education programs score higher on standardized tests compared to students in schools with deficient music education programs, according to a study published in last week's issue of the Journal for Research in Music Education. This is the first study ever to examine the quality of school music programs as a factor affecting test scores, independent of the socioeconomic level of the school or school district. The study comprised 4,739 elementary and middle school students in four U.S. regions and revealed a strong relationship between elementary (third- or fourth-grade) and middle school (eighth- or ninth-grade) students' academic achievement and their participation in school music programs that differed based on quality. Results from the elementary schools show:
Results from the middle schools show:
"It is crucial to note that this project has revealed a relationship between quality music instruction and heightened academic performance," stated Dr. Christopher Johnson, professor of music education and music therapy and associate dean of the school of fine arts at the University of Kansas, and lead investigator for the study. "Clearly, music supports academic performance, and quality music programs are related to higher test scores." Though the arts, including music education, were designated as a core academic subject by the No Child Left Behind Act, the act does not specify standards for arts education. Local communities and school districts continue to make curriculum decisions that emphasize instructional time for reading and math, which may well impinge on access to music and arts education. This study demonstrates the importance of considering music education programs in any definition of a quality curriculum, thereby ensuring that all children have equal opportunities to succeed in school. "Music education provides a solid foundation for children, giving them benefits in childhood that lead to success in life," said Joe Lamond, president and CEO of NAMM. "School administrators, teachers and parents all agree that music and arts education contribute to children achieving their full potential, which is the purpose of our educational system and something we all care deeply about." The study was funded by the NAMM Foundation under its "Sounds of Learning" initiative, and was published the week of June 10, 2007, in the Journal for Research in Music Education. About the NAMM Foundation The NAMM Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs from the international music products industry. For more information, interested parties should visit http://www.nammfoundation.org/ Quality Time After School This executive summary provides an overview of key findings from Quality Time After School: What Instructors Can Do to Enhance Learning. The executive summary focuses on the importance of two features of high-quality activities: good group management and positive adult support of learning. Drawing from surveys and interviews with more than 400 participants and instructors from five Philadelphia-based Beacon Centers, this study will begin to help program managers and funders make headway in identifying key features of high-quality after-school programs: Full report: http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/213_publication.pdf Study Focusing on Six Great Lakes States Finds Traditional Public Schools Do Better, But Charters Are Closing the Gap A new study of student achievement in charter schools in six Great Lakes states finds that as a group they perform less well than comparable traditional public schools. The study also finds, however, that charter schools are improving over time and closing the gap between themselves and traditional public schools. The study looked at charter schools in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. Miron and his colleagues tracked test performance for math and reading over five years. Sophisticated statistical analyses based on state-wide data sets were used to create comparisons with demographically similar traditional public schools. The study’s primary finding is that 60 percent of the comparisons drawn between charter and traditional public schools favored the traditional public schools. But the authors have also found important differences among states, some of which offer hope that charter school performance may catch up to the performance of other public schools. They note, for instance, examples of “successful charter schools [that] are consistently performing better than expected.” The researchers also identified differences among states, in terms of current charter school performance and of improvements in the charter school sector over time. “Lowest performance appears in the states with the newest charter school initiatives, Indiana and Ohio. Illinois has the highest relative results, perhaps because some 15 percent of its charter schools have closed since 2000; when poor performing schools close, aggregate results for remaining schools rise.” But, Miron and his colleagues write, while Indiana and Ohio “have the lowest current results, over time their charter schools are making relatively large improvements,” the researchers write. These two state’s improvement has been greater than states with the longest-standing charter school laws -- Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The study’s focus on academic achievement in charter schools reflects the current national commitment to demanding high and ever-improving test scores. The authors conclude, “If the charter school reform is to serve as a lever for change, it must demonstrate accountability: overall, charter schools should outperform similar district schools on standardized tests. Aside from recent advancements in Illinois, charter schools reforms in the Great Lakes Region, have so far failed to meet this key expectation.” Find “Evaluating the Impact of Charter Schools on Student Achievement: A Longitudinal Look at the Great Lakes States,” on the web at: http://epsl.asu.edu/epru/documents/EPSL-0706-236-EPRU.pdf High School Counselors Say Debt Worries Affect College Choices Survey: Student loans support access, but present challenges to families According to our nation’s high school counselors, worries about the risks of student loans influence families’ decisions about whether children go to college as well as which college they should attend. Meanwhile, most school counselors themselves are concerned about how much debt students are taking on to cover rising college costs. These are among the findings of a national survey of high school counselors, co-sponsored by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and the Project on Student Debt, and released today in Balancing Acts: How High School Counselors View Risks and Opportunities of Student Loans. The survey found widespread concern about student debt; some significant challenges in advising students and parents about loans; and generally positive views of how student loans can expand educational opportunities mixed with worries about the risks loans pose for low-income and less academically prepared students. Some of the key findings include:
Easier questions: More than half of counselors find it at least “somewhat easy” to answer questions about whether to borrow to pay for college (62 percent) and what happens if the student does not graduate from college (53 percent). Harder questions: Three-fourths (76 percent) of counselors find it at least “somewhat hard” to advise students and families about how much they can afford to borrow. Two-thirds say it is hard to answer questions about what type of loan to get (66 percent) and what happens if borrowers cannot pay back their loans (64 percent). “Historically, loans for college have provided opportunities for many students, and counselors generally see student loans as potentially effective levers for college access,” said NACAC president Mary Lee Hoganson. “However, with borrowing at record levels, counselors must strike a balance between encouraging young people to pursue their best college opportunities and acknowledging the real risks of taking on student debt. The survey results demonstrate that counselors could use more information to help students navigate the increasingly complex market for student loans.” Balancing Acts also includes two recommendations for addressing the issues raised by the survey findings. The first is for the U.S. Department of Education, state education agencies, and school districts to significantly improve the student-loan related training and materials available to high school counselors. The second is to implement the student loan policy changes outlined in the Project on Student Debt’s Plan for Fair Loan Payments, which would limit payments to a reasonable percentage of income and strengthen other borrower protections. “Students and families rely on high school counselors’ guidance in the complicated and high-stakes world of student loans, and counselors certainly deserve better information and support,” said Robert Shireman, executive director of the Project on Student Debt. “But what we really need is a student loan system that isn’t so risky or hard to explain in the first place, so that counselors can focus their limited resources on preparing students to get into and succeed in college.” Full report: http://www.nacacnet.org/NR/rdonlyres/31ACEB3C-4E36-49AD-AEEE- Report Urges Higher Expectations for All Students in Reading and Writing and New Approach to Improving These Skills Reading and writing instruction must be included in all academic areas if literacy is to improve to levels that will ensure the nation’s middle and high school students are prepared for success in college, work, and citizenship, according to a new report from the Alliance for Excellent Education. Literacy Instruction in the Content Areas: Getting to the Core of Middle and High School Improvement, a report to Carnegie Corporation of New York, argues that the acceptable standard for all students must exceed simply reading at grade level. Only advanced reading skills will truly prepare students to meet the challenges of education beyond high school, the needs of the workplace, and the demands of the 21st century. The report contends that these increased expectations are best met by providing added instruction that corresponds with the specific reading and writing requirements of each academic course in middle and high school. “The only way to guarantee that future generations will succeed in the 21st century is by raising expectations and meeting them with reading and writing strategies for each course,”says Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia. Written by Cynthia R. Greenleaf, codirector of the Strategic Literacy Initiative at WestEd, and Rafael Heller, senior policy associate at the Alliance for Excellent Education, the report calls on district, state, and federal policymakers to ensure that
Literacy Instruction in the Content Areas: Getting to the Core of Middle and High School Improvement is available at: http://www.all4ed.org/publications/LiteracyContent/LitCon.pdf Charter Middle Schools Associated with Higher Performance than Traditional Public Middle Schools Results Vary at Elementary and High School Level A study by EdSource, an independent non-profit research organization, found that charter schools managed by charter/educational management organizations (CMO/EMOs) outperformed other charter schools on 2006 California academic achievement tests. CMOs are organizations that provide administrative support and instructional leadership for multiple charter schools. Examples include Green Dot Public Schools, the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), and Aspire Public Schools. “California’s Charter Schools: Measuring Their Performance” examined achievement data for every California public school with 2005-2006 results on California’s Academic Performance Index (API), Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), California Standards Tests (CST), and the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE, for high schools only)—a total of 346 charter schools and 7,122 traditional public schools. The study controlled for school size and student background, which ensured that achievement differences identified were not caused by demographic differences within the student body, such as family socioeconomic status or parental education levels. Controlling for school characteristics enabled the EdSource research team to compare school types on an “apples to apples” basis. After applying these controls, the study found that charter schools that were members of CMOs scored 40 points higher than non-member charters on California’s Academic Performance Index (API is measured on a 200-1,000 scale). The percentage of students rated “proficient” and above in Math for AYP was 8.2 percentage points higher at CMO-member schools than at nonmember schools. English proficiency scores were 6.4 percentage points higher at CMO schools. In addition to comparing performance at different types of charter schools, the study compared the academic achievement of charter schools as a group to traditional public schools. After controlling for school size and student background, charter status was sometimes associated with higher achievement, but results varied by grade-level:
Overall, charter high schools scored an average of 14.6 points higher on California’s API than traditional public schools, after adjusting for school size and student background. Charters also scored higher on CAHSEE English and CST English, but traditional public schools scored better on CAHSEE Math.
After adjusting for school size and student background, charter elementary schools scored an average of 9 points lower on California’s API than traditional public elementary schools. Charters also had lower performance on AYP Math and CST English and Math. However, charter schools achieved slightly higher scores on AYP English. The study also compared performance of charter schools using a “classroom-based” approach to charters using nonclassroom approaches, such as independent study programs. It found that classroom-based charters at both the elementary and high school levels significantly outperformed nonclassroom-based charters in math. Sample size limitations prevented researchers from comparing classroom-based to nonclassroom-based middle schools. The full text of “California’s Charter Schools: Measuring Their Performance” is available online at : ETS Poll: Public Supports NCLB Reauthorization With a summer of congressional debate ahead over No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation, a major public opinion poll from ETS shows that parents, teachers and school administrators strongly support reauthorization of the law. They also favor greater flexibility in assisting students and schools struggling to meet high standards and call for increased funding for schools failing to make adequate progress. ETS's seventh annual Americans Speak survey, "Standards, Accountability and Flexibility: Americans Speak on No Child Left Behind Reauthorization," was conducted by bipartisan pollsters Peter Hart, Democrat, and David Winston, Republican. Previous Americans Speak surveys have tracked educational issues facing America, including a limited number of questions on the public's impressions of NCLB since the bill first became law. This year's study is devoted entirely to the law. "The survey clearly shows that despite a lack of knowledge among the American public and strong misgivings of teachers and administrators, there is strong support for reauthorization of No Child Left Behind," says Kurt Landgraf, President and CEO of ETS. "The lack of understanding among parents of school-age children and the general public initially led to slightly more negative than positive feelings toward NCLB, but once the law was explained, a majority then favored its continuation. This shows that NCLB supporters need to increase awareness among the public about the law's provisions and benefits." Results show that fewer than half (45%) of the public believes they know a great deal or fair amount about NCLB. Before hearing a description of the law, the public was slightly more negative (43%) than positive (41%) toward it. Once NCLB was defined, support rose to 56 percent favorable and 39 percent unfavorable. And, despite the strongly negative views of NCLB among educators, only 25 percent of teachers and 22 percent of public school administrators say Congress should not reauthorize the law. The survey also shows that 59 percent of adults and K-12 parents and 60 percent of Hispanics think NCLB should be more uniform by replacing 50 sets of state standards and tests with one set of national standards and tests, so that students taking 8th grade math are learning the same standards, regardless of their state of residence. A majority of public school teachers and administrators believe we should keep the system as it is because it lets each state define its own academic goals. Other findings in the survey showed that:
"Another message that comes across loud and clear is that Americans believe there should be more flexibility in fixing underperforming schools,” says poll co-author Peter Hart. “They overwhelmingly reject blanket solutions for schools that perform poorly on state tests and want solutions tailored to individual schools. And, 57 percent believe that funds should be increased to hire more teachers, reduce class size and improve conditions." Co-author David Winston adds, "The public also agrees that America's future success in the global economy rests upon improving our public education system so that America's youth can compete with students around the world." A majority (59%) of the public worry that if changes are not made to the education system, America's global competitiveness and the strength of our economy will be negatively impacted within 10 years. "No Child Left Behind may not be the only measure needed to put American education on the right path, but its reauthorization is desired by most of the policymakers, the public, parents, teachers and school administrators," concludes Landgraf. Additional details on the study can be found at: http://www.ets.org/Media/Education_Topics/pdf/5884_Key_Findings.pdfNCTAF Policy Brief Says Teacher Dropouts Cost Nation More Than $7 Billion Annually High Teacher Turnover Drains School and District Resources Teacher Turnover Cost Calculator Available on NCTAF Website The teacher dropout problem is costing the nation billions of dollars, draining resources, diminishing teaching quality, and undermining the nation’s ability to close the student achievement gap, according to a new policy brief released today by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF). The policy brief is based on an 18-month pilot study NCTAF recently completed on the cost of teacher turnover in five school districts – Chicago; Granville, N.C.; Jemez Valley, N.M.; Milwaukee; and Santa Rosa, N.M. The selected districts varied in size, location, and demographics, enabling NCTAF researchers to explore how these variations affected costs. The research was supported by grants from the Joyce Foundation and the Spencer Foundation. The pilot study examined the costs of recruiting, hiring, processing, and training teachers at both the school and district levels. The findings indicate that the cost of turnover does vary from district to district, largely dependant upon the size of the district and the types of induction programs the district implements – but in all cases, the cost of teacher turnover is substantial. “This is a good news/bad news story,” said NCTAF president Tom Carroll. “We want to help school leaders identify the problem, so that they will be in a better position to manage their resources to reduce teacher turnover and improve teaching quality.” Key Findings NCTAF’s findings are a clear indication that America’s teacher dropout problem is spiraling out of control. Teacher attrition has grown by 50 percent over the past fifteen years. The national teacher turnover rate has risen to 16.8 percent. In urban schools it is over 20 percent, and, in some schools and districts, the teacher dropout rate is actually higher than the student dropout rate. The pilot study shows:
The monetary loss for many schools impacts already stretched budgets and adds to the hiring struggles of school leaders. The problem is most acute in the nation’s high minority, high poverty, and low performing schools. Because 46% of all new teachers in the United States leave the profession within five years, NCTAF says leaders of at-risk schools are in a constant cycle of rebuilding their staff. Opportunity for Change Currently, most education leaders do not know the costs of teacher turnover in their schools and districts. To help them stem teacher turnover, NCTAF recommends:
For an executive summary of the pilot study, the full report of the pilot study, a Policy Brief (A Teacher Dropout Problem) and supporting statements from education leaders on these findings go to: An examination of issues related to digital equity in education -- that is, equal access to technology, resources and services -- has been released by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE(r)). The report, "A National Consideration of Digital Equity," is an outgrowth of last year's Digital Equity Summit at ISTE's National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) and is part of an effort to broaden awareness of digital equity issues and provide resources to educators and policy makers. The report, prepared by ISTE in collaboration with Macro International, includes an overview of the 2006 summit and data from a subsequent survey of summit participants. It also recommends the following five strategies to help make progress toward digital equity:
According to Trina Davis, Ph.D., incoming president of ISTE, "ISTE's 2006 Digital Equity Summit and this report have rekindled a powerful dialogue for making digital equity a national priority. Now we have an ongoing venue in which to discuss key issues, share proven and scalable solutions, and mobilize key stakeholders to take action." This fall, states will see the results of the big bucks they are promising to plug into early education programs. Among several states expanding access to preschool classes, Washington state will have an extra 2,250 pre-kindergarten spaces, Oregon will serve another 3,200 youngsters, and Tennessee will have up to 5,000 more openings. Meanwhile, kindergartners in seven states could see their school hours double as the drive for all-day kindergarten gains momentum. It’s all part of a push to get more kids learning at a young age when, research has shown, their brains still are developing and they’re most likely to soak in information. Advocates also say that students who have attended preschool are less likely to commit crimes later and more likely to attend college, get jobs and pay taxes. So far this year legislatures in Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington are among those that answered the call of a record 29 governors who sought to boost funding for their state pre-K programs. Two years ago, only 11 governors asked for such increases. Currently, 39 states have a state-funded preschool program, although the majority of them only cover low-income kids. Only three states — Georgia, Florida and Oklahoma — offer voluntary preschool to all 4-year-olds. Illinois last year passed a law to create the country’s first universal program for 3-year-olds, as well as 4-year-olds, but the program is being phased in. Some new Democratic governors have been the most eager to jump on the pre-K bandwagon. Arkansas’ Mike Beebe requested and the Legislature allotted $40 million to extend spots in the state’s “Better Chance” preschool program. Iowa Gov. Chet Culver won approval for $60 million over four years and New York’s Eliot Spitzer got an increase of almost $146 million to boost the number of preschool openings. Within four years, Iowa and New York hope to join the group of states that provide pre-K to any 4-year-old who wants it… To read complete article: The CDW-G School Safety Index is a research project benchmarking the current status of public school district safety. Based on 14 elements of physical and cyber safety, the survey of 381 school district IT and security directors highlights the indicators of strong district safety programs, as well as the barriers to school safety. The CDW-G School Safety Index reveals that districts are having greater success with cyber security than physical security. Key findings from the School Safety Index include:
Cyber Safety Out of a possible 110 points on the CDW-G cyber safety index, the districts surveyed scored 55.3. While many districts are monitoring student Internet activity (81 percent), blocking Web sites (95 percent) and placing computer monitors in view of adults (89 percent), only 38 percent have a closed district network to provide more control over communication and content access. A new challenge for IT directors, however, is the growing sophistication of tech-savvy students, who have figured out how to build proxy sites to get around closed networks. Nearly every district reported having an acceptable use policy (AUP), but as with any policy, its true strength lies in frequent dissemination and review with users. However, 37 percent of districts update their AUPs less than once a year. “Popular social networking sites such as Facebook have just opened up to high school users in the last year, which means that many districts have no stated policy about students using district resources, especially bandwidth, to access these sites,” Kirby noted. Additionally, the survey finds that just 8 percent of districts provide cyber safety training to students, despite the long-term effects of identity theft and the potential impact that inappropriate content can have on a student’s college and career plans. Districts report that they rely more on filtering software to protect networks than on actively engaging students to be part of the safety solution. Physical Safety Districts scored much lower on the physical safety index, with the national average at 44 out of a possible 160 points. Sixty-three percent of districts are utilizing security cameras, with many more considering their use over the next two years, but only 24 percent of districts report having real-time access to sex offender databases. “It’s as important for districts to know who is trying to gain access to their campuses as it is to watch them once they are there,” Kirby said. The survey also shows that districts have room to improve their emergency communication programs. During a campus emergency, districts report utilizing intercom systems most often (48 percent) to convey information to faculty. Phone calls are also the preferred method for reaching parents in an emergency, at 54 percent. Only 1 percent of districts are considering mass notification systems like text alerts to cell phones. To see the full report: Meditate . . . to Concentrate: Penn Researchers Demonstrate Improved Attention With Mindfulness Training Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania say that practicing even small doses of daily meditation may improve focus and performance. Meditation, according to Penn neuroscientist Amishi Jha and Michael Baime, director of Penn's Stress Management Program, is an active and effortful process that literally changes the way the brain works. Their study is the first to examine how meditation may modify the three subcomponents of attention, including the ability to prioritize and manage tasks and goals, the ability to voluntarily focus on specific information and the ability to stay alert to the environment. In the Penn study, subjects were split into two categories. Those new to meditation, or "mindfulness training," took part in an eight-week course that included up to 30 minutes of daily meditation. The second group was more experienced with meditation and attended an intensive full-time, one-month retreat. Researchers found that even for those new to the practice, meditation enhanced performance and the ability to focus attention. Performance-based measures of cognitive function demonstrated improvements in a matter of weeks. The study, to be published in the journal Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, suggests a new, non-medical means for improving focus and cognitive ability among disparate populations and has implications for workplace performance and learning. Participants performed tasks at a computer that measured response speeds and accuracy. At the outset, retreat participants who were experienced in meditation demonstrated better executive functioning skills, the cognitive ability to voluntarily focus, manage tasks and prioritize goals. Upon completion of the eight-week training, participants new to meditation had greater improvement in their ability to quickly and accurately move and focus attention, a process known as "orienting." After the one-month intensive retreat, participants also improved their ability to keep attention "at the ready." The results suggest that meditation, even as little as 30 minutes daily, may improve attention and focus for those with heavy demands on their time. While practicing meditation may itself may not be relaxing or restful, the attention-performance improvements that come with practice may paradoxically allow us to be more relaxed. Dads Influence Their Daughters' Interest in Math It figures: Dads have a major impact on the degree of interest their daughters develop in math. That's one of the findings of a long-term University of Michigan study that has traced the sources of the continuing gender gap in math and science performance. "We've known for a while now that females do as well as males on tests that measure ability in math and science," said Pamela Davis-Kean, a psychologist at the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR). "But women are still underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and math graduate programs and in careers based on those disciplines." It's as if women are saying, "I can, but I don't want to," according to Davis-Kean. In a study she presented recently at a campus meeting, Davis-Kean and colleagues analyzed how parents' values and attitudes affect children's math performance and later interest, and how these attitudes vary by the child's gender. They used data from a longitudinal study of more than 800 children and a large group of their parents that began in 1987 and continued through 2000. They found that parents provided more math-supportive environments for their sons than for their daughters, including buying more math and science toys for the boys. They also spent more time on math and science activities with their sons than with their daughters. Davis-Kean and colleagues, including the late Janis Jacobs of Pennsylvania State University, Martha Bleeker of Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., and U-M psychologists Jacquelynne Eccles and Oksana Malanchuk, also found that parents' attitudes, particularly stereotypes they hold about whether math and science are more important for boys than for girls, have a significant effect on their children's later math achievement, and even on their eventual career choices. Their research was funded by a National Science Foundation grant on Women, Minorities and Information Technology. They found that girls' interest in math decreases as their fathers' gender stereotypes increase, whereas boys' interest in math increases as their fathers' gender stereotypes increase. "Fathers' gender stereotypes are very important in supporting—or in undermining—daughters' choices to pursue training in math and science," Davis-Kean said. Social Skills Programs for Children with Autism Are Largely Ineffective A meta-analysis of 55 published research studies reveals programs designed to teach social skills to children with autism are failing to meet their goals. The study, conducted at Indiana University, found that outcomes for social skills training were poor overall, but programs held in normal classroom settings were more likely to result in positive changes than programs held in other environments. "The results of the meta-analysis are certainly hard to swallow, but they do shed some light on factors that lead to more beneficial social outcomes for children with autism," said lead researcher Scott Bellini, assistant director of IU's Indiana Resource Center for Autism and assistant professor in the School of Education. "These results underscore the critical need for researchers and practitioners to develop more effective social skills programming." The reviewed studies included a total of 147 students with an autism spectrum disorder, with students ranging in age from preschool to secondary school. The programs aimed to address skills such as group play, joint attention and language usage, or to improve performance of social behaviors, such as initiating interactions, responding to communication and maintaining interactions. Overall, the programs resulted in little change in the targeted behaviors, and students did not apply the skills outside the programs. However, students receiving social skills programming in their usual classrooms had substantially more favorable outcomes than students who received services in a pull-out setting. Students in classroom-based programs were more likely to engage the targeted skills during the program, and showed a greater tendency to maintain changes in behaviors and to utilize these skills in other settings. "This finding has important implications for school-based social skill interventions. Teachers and other school personnel should place a premium on selecting social skill interventions that can be reasonably implemented within naturalistic settings," Bellini said. The study revealed additional potential improvements in the design and implementation of the programs:
The study, "A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Social Skills Interventions for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders," was published in this month's Journal of Remedial and Special Education. The Indiana Resource Center for Autism is part of the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community at Indiana University and can be found online at http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca. Homophobic Bullying 'Almost Epidemic' in Britain's Schools - 150,000 Victims A major survey of Britain's secondary schools has revealed that almost two thirds of lesbian and gay pupils (156,000 children) have been victims of homophobic bullying. The School Report, the largest poll of young gay people ever conducted in this country, presents a shocking picture of the extent of homophobic bullying undertaken by fellow pupils and, alarmingly, school staff. Key findings are: • Sixty five per cent of lesbian and gay pupils have experienced homophobic bullying. The survey of 1,145 young people, conducted by the Schools Health Education Unit for Stonewall, also highlights the consequences of bullying for gay pupils. Seven out of ten of those who have experienced it say it has adversely affected their school work. Half of those bullied say they have missed school as a result. "These deeply disturbing figures should serve as a wake-up call to everyone working in education," said Ben Summerskill, Stonewall Chief Executive. "This is a damning legacy of Section 28, which deterred schools from tackling anti-gay bullying for so long. This remains one of the few sorts of bullying about which too many schools still take no action. It blights the lives not just of gay children but of thousands of pupils perceived to be lesbian or gay too." The report does demonstrate significant benefits when schools intervene. In schools that have said homophobic bullying is wrong, gay young people are 60 per cent more likely not to have been bullied. The incidence of anti-gay bullying remains higher in 'faith schools'.
To download a copy of the School Report click here: http://www.stonewall.org.uk/schoolreport Curriculum Focused on Cognitive Skills May Improve Child Behavior Children who were taught a curriculum that focused on self-control and awareness of their own and others’ emotions were found to exhibit greater social competence and fewer behavioral and emotional problems. According to a recent study in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, when teachers taught a particular curriculum to students for 20-30 minutes-per-day, three times-per-week over a six-month period, lower rates of aggression and anxiety/sadness were seen when evaluated a year later compared to children randomized to normal classroom procedures. “Several complex cognitive processes, such as the ability to cope in stressful situations, are related to the development of the prefrontal areas of the brain starting in the preschool years,” says study author Mark Greenberg. “We know that deficiencies in the function of these lobes are linked to problems like aggression, depression and attention disorders.” Therefore, the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) curriculum, which stimulates cognitive and emotional skills, enhances the child’s ability to cope with stress and make good choices. Greenberg offers an example of a simple PATHS skill that helps children understand and identify feelings in others. “Children use ‘feeling faces’ cards throughout the day to indicate clearly to others what emotions they are experiencing,” says Greenberg. “By labeling the emotions clearly, children learn to recognize them in themselves and others, which will aid them in managing those emotions.” The main advantage of this curriculum is its preventive nature. Rather than focusing on treating negative behaviors after they have become stable and disruptive, PATHS provides children with coping strategies to prevent the development of behavioral and emotional difficulties. Turn Off TV to Teach Toddlers New Words Toddlers learn their first words better from people than from Teletubbies, according to new research at Wake Forest University. The study was published in the June 21 issue of Media Psychology. Children younger than 22 months may be entertained, but they do not learn words from the television program, said Marina Krcmar, associate professor of communication at Wake Forest and author of the study. “With the tremendous success of programs such as ‘Teletubbies’ that target very young children, it has become important to understand what very young children are taking away from these programs,” Krcmar said. “We would like to think it could work, that Teletubbies and other programs can teach initial language skills. That is not true.” In the study, Krcmar evaluated the ability of children ages 15 – 24 months to learn new words when the words were presented as part of a “Teletubbies” program. She then evaluated their ability to learn the new words from an adult speaker in the same room with them. Children younger than 22 months did not accurately identify an object when taught the new word by the television program, but they were readily able to connect the word with the object when the word was presented by an adult standing in front of them, she said. “During the early stages of language acquisition, and for children who still have fewer than 50-word vocabularies, toddlers learn more from an adult speaker than they do from a program such as ‘Teletubbies,’” Krcmar said. The results of this study have important implications for language acquisition. It indicates exposure to language via television is insufficient for teaching language to very young children. To learn new words, children must be actively engaged in the process with responsive language teachers. “We have known for years that children ages 3 and older can learn from programs like ‘Sesame Street,’” Krcmar said. But, it seems television programming for children under the age of 2 does not help build vocabulary. The results confirm the recommendation of the Academy of Pediatrics to avoid television for children under 2 years old. As part of the study, Krcmar also found that the children were just as attentive to an adult speaker on the small screen as they were to the Teletubbies characters. And, the children identified the target words more successfully in response to a video of an adult speaker than to the Teletubbies. “The idea that television can help teach young children their first words is a parent’s dream, but one not supported by this research,” she said. Design-Based Learning and Student Achievement The Study Researchers wanted to see if a design-based approach to a unit on the human respiratory system would result in greater student learning than more traditional direct instruction methods: Hmelo, C. E., Holton, D. L., & Kolodner, J. L. (2000). Designing to learn about complex systems. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 9(3), 247–298. Conclusions Students engaged in a hands-on Learning by Design educational experience were highly motivated by the challenge and—through extensive research, group work, and classroom discussion—reached a deeper and more complex understanding of the respiratory system than did their peers receiving traditional instruction in a comparison classroom. To see complete Research Brief: New Report Finds that State Teacher Policies Share Much Blame for Poor Teacher Quality in America -- National Council on Teacher Quality Releases the State Teacher Policy Yearbook, a Three-Year Research Project That Rates and Reviews all 50 States’ Teacher Policies; Report Finds That States Fail to Meet Goals That Could Improve the Quality of Teaching in America -- A new report by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) finds that state regulations are currently doing more harm than good when it comes to their impact on teacher quality. The State Teacher Policy Yearbook, which was released today at an event in Washington, D.C., finds that states must revamp regulations in order to improve teacher quality and offers specific guidelines for doing so. Each state’s comprehensive Yearbook, as well as a national summary, is immediately available for free download at http://www.nctq.org/stpy/reports.jsp NCTQ spent the last three years studying the policies that determine how teachers are prepared, certified, hired, paid, evaluated, encouraged and dismissed – in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. NCTQ found that in spite of good intentions at the state level, many state policies actually impede efforts to ensure that every classroom is led by a quality teacher. State regulations, many of them fashioned in a different era when the supply of talented teachers was plentiful, fail at many levels and actually intrude on schools’ ability to recruit and hire good teachers. The deficiencies found in states run the full gamut of teacher-related policies, from ensuring that teachers are well prepared to ensuring that they are evaluated each year; from reporting data that could reveal gross inequities in teacher assignments to counterproductive certification policies that tie the hands of districts; from lockstep teacher pay plans to overly generous tenure policies – much improvement is needed across the board. Massachusetts Education Commissioner, David P. Driscoll, has this reaction to the report: "Whether or not states agree or disagree with everything in the Yearbook, NCTQ is successfully challenging states to address real problems. It's time that we as states engaged in much more self-evaluation, conducting the sort of comprehensive review that has long been in order.” NCTQ, in consultation with over 150 leading thinkers, organizations, and teachers in the country, identified 6 broad areas in which states need to improve:
While no one state comes even close to being a national model for change, there are states with strong and effective policies—notably New Jersey, Massachusetts, Texas and Tennessee—in particular areas. Key findings include:
For more information on Yearbook findings at the national and state level, methodology, and background on the report, go to www.nctq.org. Cyberbullying and Online Teens About one third (32%) of all teenagers who use the internet say they have been targets of a range of annoying and potentially menacing online activities – such as receiving threatening messages; having their private emails or text messages forwarded without consent; having an embarrassing picture posted without permission; or having rumors about them spread online. View PDF of Report: http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP%20Cyberbullying%20Memo.pdf Dropout Rates in the United States: 2005 This report builds upon a series of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports on high school dropout and completion rates that began in 1988. It presents estimates of rates for 2005, and provides data about trends in dropout and completion rates over the last three decades (1972-2005), including characteristics of dropouts and completers in these years. Among other findings, the report shows that in students living in low-income families were approximately six times more likely to drop out of high school between 2004 and 2005 than of their peers from high-income families. http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007059 Study Finds Students in Underperforming Schools Benefit from Supplemental Educational Services Under No Child Left Behind Students in underperforming schools generally made statistically significant gains in math and reading after participating in supplemental educational services such as tutoring and remediation, according to a study conducted by the RAND Corporation for the U.S. Department of Education. The Department of Education, which issued the study today, asked RAND to gauge the effects of federally funded Title I school choice and supplemental educational services established under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. The study found that students who transferred out of poorly performing schools to better performing schools did not experience any significant improvement in test scores, cautioning that limited data makes it difficult to draw a conclusion. Conclusions regarding the academic impact of supplemental services were clearer. “Providing supplemental educational opportunities is showing potential for improving the performance of underachieving students,” said Ron Zimmer, the study's senior author and a senior policy researcher at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. The study was based on data collected from the following nine large urban school districts: Baltimore; Chicago; Denver; Long Beach, Calif.; Los Angeles; Palm Beach, Fla.; Philadelphia; San Diego; and Washington, D.C. Under NCLB, public schools are required to ensure that all children in the United States are proficient in reading and math by 2014. Schools that don't make adequate yearly progress toward meeting state standards for two or more years are identified for school improvement. Parents of children who attend a Title I school in the first year that the school is identified for improvement are offered the opportunity to transfer their children to another school that is not identified for improvement in the same district. At a Title I school that has been identified for improvement after one year, low-income parents are offered the opportunity to enroll their children in supplemental education services. These services include tutoring, remediation, and other academic instruction offered by a state-approved provider, in addition to instruction provided during the school year. Congress is expected to vote on reauthorizing NCLB later this year. Among the key findings of the new report:
The report found that in five out of seven school districts examined, participation in supplemental educational services had a “statistically significant, positive effect on students' achievement in reading and math and in many of the districts, these gains may accumulate for students participating multiple years,” Zimmer said. Overall, when students chose to switch schools, they tended to move to more racially balanced schools. Copies of the report, “State and Local Implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act: Vol. I– Title I School Choice, Supplemental Educational Services, and Student Achievement” can be found at http://www.rand.org/pubs/reprints/RP1265/ Transition to Teaching Program Evaluation Congress established the Transition to Teaching (TTT) program to serve high-need schools in high-need districts (local education agencies or LEAs). The program is authorized under Title II, Part C, Subpart 1, Chapter B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) (Pub. L. No. 107-110). The purposes of TTT are “(a) to recruit and retain highly qualified mid-career professionals (including highly qualified paraprofessionals), and recent graduates of an institution of higher education, as teachers in high-need schools, including recruiting teachers through alternative routes to certification; and (b) to encourage the development and expansion of alternative routes to certification under State-approved programs that enable individuals to be eligible for teacher certification within a reduced period of time, relying on the experience, expertise, and academic qualifications of an individual, or other factors in lieu of traditional course work in the field of education.” Executive Sumary: http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/teaching/ttt-interim/execsum.html Full report: http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/teaching/ttt-interim/report.pdf Harry Potter Casts a Positive Spell on Children Harry Potter mania will take the nation again this summer, as fans flock to bookstores for the final installment of the popular series. And hot on the trail of Harry’s broomstick will likely be renewed controversy from conservatives who accuse the books of encouraging an interest in the occult. But the popular fantasy series actually casts a positive spell on children, say three researchers at Saint Joseph College in West Hartford, CT, based on research they published in 2005 and a new study that they have just completed. “The Harry Potter novels teach lessons of courage and friendship – not black magic,” says Dr. Mary Whitney, assistant professor of psychology at Saint Joseph College and one of the authors of the 2005 study, “Children’s Moral Reading of Harry Potter: Are Children and Adults Reading the Same Books?” The four-year study, published in the Journal of Research in Character Education, examined both child and adult readers to dispel the myth that the novels confused children and led them to the dark arts. “Specific questions about magic, as well as interview notes and follow-ups found no evidence that reading the Harry Potter books was leading the children to the occult or confusing them about the use of magic,” says Dr. Elizabeth Vozzola, professor of psychology at Saint Joseph. “In fact, the research supported teachers’ and librarians’ contention that the moral messages children are actually taking away from these books are lessons about courage and friendship.” When Vozzola and Whitney began their research, with colleague Dr. Joan Hofmann, there was no serious literature on children’s responses to Harry Potter books. “Conclusions were being drawn without solid knowledge of what children were actually getting from the books,” says Whitney. “Supporters and foes alike agree that Harry Potter sends a powerful moral message. But now we can say that it is an overwhelmingly positive one.” Vozzola, along with then-student Amie Senland, followed up the research with an examination of Bible-believing families and Harry Potter. That new study, now under review, is the first stage of a larger research project looking at how perceptions of the Harry Potter series vary depending on whether one identifies with a liberal, mainline or conservative church. “Some biblical families feel a deep sense of moral obligation to protect their children from the magic depicted in Harry Potter, even if it is fantasy,” says Vozzola. “However, current findings suggest that children from Bible-believing families are not being led to an interest in the occult by reading Harry Potter, but appear to filter their understanding of the plot, themes and characters through what they have learned through their churches and through their families.” “Rather than learning to break rules, children are assessing the value of rules and concentrating on the theme of friendship and courage,” she says. “By reading the series with children, concerned biblical families can guide children in processing moral messages, as well as help them learn how to evaluate popular culture through the lens of faith. Most Middle-school Boys and Many Girls Play Violent Video Games Children report playing in groups and that games help them manage emotions A new study by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital’s (MGH) Center for Mental Health and Media dispels some myths and uncovers some surprises about young teens and violent video and computer games. The study, published in the July issue of Journal of Adolescent Health, is the first to ask middle-school youth in detail about the video and computer games they play and to analyze how many of those titles are rated M (Mature – meant for ages 17 and up). It is also the first to ask children why they play video games. Some of the more striking findings include:
“Contrary to the stereotype of the solitary gamer with no social skills, we found that children who play M-rated games are actually more likely to play in groups – in the same room, or over the Internet,” says Cheryl K. Olson, ScD, co-director of the Center for Mental Health and Media and lead author of the study. “Boys’ friendships in particular often center around video games.” At a time when the availability of M-rated games is on the rise, it is important to explore their effects on the children who play them, the researchers note. This study adds valuable insights into the everyday lives of young teens: who they’re playing with, where, how much, and why. Olson’s team found that Grand Theft Auto – rated M for blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, strong sexual content, and use of drugs – was the most popular game series among the boys surveyed. Surprisingly, it was also the second most popular series among the girls after The Sims, a game that simulates the activities of a virtual family; one in five girls aged 12 to 14 had played Grand Theft Auto “a lot in the past six months.” This study had a large sample consisting of 1,254 children from two states and an extremely high response rate, as virtually every eligible child who attended participating schools on the survey day took part. Children surveyed came from various socioeconomic, racial/ethnic and geographic groups, so these findings may represent the average middle-school child. Many policy proposals at the state and national level focus on reducing children’s access to M-rated games. Because so many participants played violent games, this study could give further ammunition to game critics. “But violent game play is so common, and youth crime has actually declined, so most kids who play these games occasionally are probably doing fine,” Olson says. “We hope that this study is a first step toward reframing the debate from ‘violent games are terrible and destroying society’ to ‘what types of game content might be harmful to what types of kids, in what situations"’ We need to take a fresh look at what types of rules or policies make sense.” Finally, the new study suggests ways that parents can limit children’s use of violent games, including keeping game consoles and computers out of their bedrooms. “And watch what older family members bring home,” says Olson. “Kids who play with older siblings are twice as likely to play M-rated games.” Teachers Union Presidents Speak on Change A new Education Sector survey of local teachers union presidents reveals that the leaders of the thousands of local teachers union affiliates who hold the greatest sway over the educational lives of public school teachers and students are focused on far more than the traditional union priorities of wages, hours, working conditions, and due process for their members. As schools nationwide struggle to recruit the high-quality teachers needed to meet the demands of the No Child Left Behind Act, proposals to reform teacher hiring and compensation are being hotly debated in state capitols and the halls of Congress. Teachers unions, not surprisingly, are at the center of these debates. At the state and national level, the National Education Association (NEA) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the two largest unions, have long exerted tremendous influence over education policy. But it is the presidents of the thousands of local NEA and AFT affiliates who are most influential in the daily lives of public school teachers and students. They represent teachers in contract negotiations, defining local policies and practices ranging from class size and length of the school day to textbook selection and teacher evaluation. Yet we know very little about these local leaders. And we seldom hear their voices in debates about the role that their organizations do and should play in public education and school reform. In a new Education Sector report, the presidents of 30 local unions in six states speak candidly about their views on issues ranging from reforming teacher pay to coping with the No Child Left Behind Act, new competition from charter schools, and the challenges of leading multiple generations of teachers who don't always see eye to eye. Harvard Graduate School of Education Professor Susan Moore Johnson and a team of researchers conducted intensive interviews with these presidents for Education Sector. They found that the presidents were not merely focused on the traditional union priorities of wages, hours, working conditions, and due process for their members. "You've got to have more than that," said one president. These leaders, the Education Sector study reveals, are also focused on such priorities as nontraditional pay structures, professional support for teachers, and more collaborative approaches to collective bargaining. Read "Leading the Local: Teachers Union Presidents Speak on Change, Challenges" National Academy of Education Releases Report on Race-Conscious Policies for Assigning Students to Schools Social Science Research and the Supreme Court Cases With the Supreme Court decision yesterday in the Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education case striking down race-conscious school assignments in Louisville, Ky. and in the related case in Seattle, Wash., the National Academy of Education (NAEd) recently completed a report, “Race-Conscious Policies for Assigning Students to Schools: Social Science Research and the Supreme Court Cases,” outlining the current research as it relates to the policies challenged in the cases. Among the topics considered in the NAEd report are:
“While debate in the case has at times been emotionally charged and driven by deeply seated attitudes towards past legacies of segregation and desegregation, the Academy focused solely on the available research,” explained NAEd President Lorrie A. Shepard, Dean of the School of Education at the University of Colorado at Boulder. “Our committee analyzed the wealth of information in the social science research presented in support of, and in opposition to, the race-conscious policies used for assigning students to schools in Seattle and Louisville.” The primary conclusion in the report states: “In summary, the research evidence provides general support for the conclusion that the overall academic and social effects of increased racial diversity are likely to be positive. Racial diversity per se does not guarantee such positive outcomes, but it provides the necessary conditions under which other educational policies can facilitate improved academic achievement, improved intergroup relations, and positive long-term outcomes. Because race-neutral alternatives – such as school choice and assignments based on socioeconomic status – are quite limited in their ability to increase racial diversity, it seems reasonable to conclude that race-conscious policies for assigning students to schools are the most effective means of achieving racial diversity in schools and its attendant positive outcomes.” Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling in these cases, the research on racial diversity in schools will remain important to educators and policymakers. To see report: http://www.naeducation.org/Meredith_Report.pdf A New Report from the Century Foundation: Socioeconomic Integration Plans Steer Clear of Supreme Court's Objections on Race and Meet Goals of Achievement and Racial Diversity Communities that are committed to fostering diversity in public schools were dealt a serious blow today when, in an historic ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court restricted the ability of school districts to use race as a factor in school assignment plans. Districts should not give up on integration, however, says Richard D. Kahlenberg, senior fellow at The Century Foundation. “A growing number of school districts across the country have begun to use students’ socioeconomic status as a factor in school integration plans,” he says, “and preliminary evidence suggests such plans can raise academic achievement and produce racially diverse schools in a manner that is legally bullet-proof.” He examines twelve such school systems and finds that when socioeconomic school integration plans are well implemented, they can boost academic achievement and also provide students with a racially integrated schooling environment. Rescuing Brown v. Board of Education: Profiles of Twelve School Districts Pursuing Socioeconomic School Integration features detailed studies of three leading districts with the longest standing and most comprehensive socioeconomic integration policies—Wake County (Raleigh), North Carolina; La Crosse, Wisconsin; and Cambridge, Massachusetts. It also includes profiles of nine additional communities that are using socioeconomic status as a factor in assignment—Berkeley, California; Brandywine, Delaware; Charlotte- Mecklenburg, North Carolina, Manatee County, Florida; McKinney, Texas; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Omaha, Nebraska; Rochester, New York; and San Francisco, California. In addition, the report looks at school districts that may move toward socioeconomic integration. These include districts already discussing that possibility (including Burlington, Vermont; and Pasadena, California) as well as districts now employing race as a criterion which may shift toward socioeconomic status (including Louisville, Kentucky; Seattle, Washington; Lynn, Massachusetts; and others). “Brown v. Board of Education stood for racial integration of schools and equal educational opportunity,” says Kahlenberg. “School districts that are promoting socioeconomic integration are vigorously pursuing both goals. Given the Supreme Court’s decision, socioeconomic integration moves to the cutting edge of equitable school reform.” The report notes that today, most districts seek to achieve socioeconomic integration through public school choice and magnet schools rather than compulsory busing. Rescuing Brown v. Board of Education: Profiles of Twelve School Districts Pursuing Socioeconomic School Integration |
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