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In addition to those series already correlated to states' standards, we're now currently in the process of redesigning and aligning our reading comprehension and mathematics test prep workbooks to your state's standards, making them even better for your test preparation needs. In New York and New Jersey, we're also offering completely overhauled language arts titles. NEW! Extended, Informative Teacher's Introductions NEW! Introductory Guided Practice Section for Each Grade Level in Reading Comprehension NOW! Questions are formatted and phrased to mirror the actual state test, giving your students better familiarity with what they can expect to see on their state exam. Request FREE REVIEW COPIES Today!! Visit this link: http://www.qworkbooks.com/samplerequest.html or School Reform in Philadelphia: A Comparison of Student Achievement at Privately-Managed Schools with Student Achievement in Other District Schools Pennsylvania, in the summer of 2002, directed the School District of Philadelphia to undertake substantial restructuring of its 66 lowest performing schools under the overall direction of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission (SRC). The schools were contracted out to for-profit management organizations, to non-profit organizations, or assigned to be restructured by a newly created Office of Restructured Schools (ORS), a special office within the school district itself. Since the schools assigned to the privately-managed entities were the lowest performing in the district, they were asked, especially, to reduce the percentage of students performing below the basic level. The policy intervention in Philadelphia raises questions of general interest: Can private managers lift the percentage of students performing up to a basic level of proficiency as well or better than schools managed by a school district? Can they increase the percentage of students performing at state-defined proficiency levels? Does the competition stimulated by contracting out some schools to private management raise performance district-wide? Are the benefits of the reform effort worth the costs? The Philadelphia reforms do not provide an ideal test for answering these questions. Too many restrictions were placed on the private managers, who were not given a representative sample of schools to oversee. Instead, they were assigned the lowest-performing schools in the district. But if definitive answers cannot be given, some information can be gleaned from student test-score performance available for the period covering the four years since the reforms were instituted. Using publicly available evidence concerning student test-score performance between 2002 and 2006, the author tracked the performance of two cohorts of 5th graders for three years to see whether, by 8th grade, those attending at elementary and middle schools under private management learned more than students at 8 ORS schools and more than students in the district as a whole, as indicated by their performance on the Pennsylvania State System of Assessment (PSSA), a high-stakes test used for accountability purposes under NCLB. The author found that the private providers were especially effective at increasing the percentage of students performing at or above the basic level. In reading, for example, the improvement for the second cohort of students (2003-06) was 25 percent at the schools managed by privately-managed organizations, as compared to only 15 percent at ORS schools and 17 percent for the district as a whole. In math, the percentage change was 23 percent at the schools managed by the privately-managed schools, as compared to 12 percent at the ORS schools and 15 percent district-wide. These results differ from those reported by a team of scholars associated with the RAND Corporation and Research for Action (Gill, Zimmer, Christman, and Blanc, 2006, hereinafter referred to as RAND-RFA), a policy-oriented research group in Philadelphia. They found students at privately-managed schools learning no more than other students in the school district. However, their analysis, though presented as a quasi-experiment, estimates levels of achievement, not gains in achievement. To read the full report: Teachers, Principals Have High Expectations and Respect for Students According to National Survey of Urban School Districts A majority of urban teachers and building administrators hold high expectations for students and care whether students are successful, according to a national survey of urban school climate conducted by the National School Boards Association’s Council of Urban Boards of Education. However, the survey also found that nearly one-third of teachers and nearly 16 percent of administrators agree that students at their schools are not motivated to learn. Nearly one-quarter of teachers also agree that most students at their school would not be successful at a community college or university. On the other hand, only 7 percent of principals and assistant principals agree with that statement. The survey report, “Where We Teach,” outlines findings from 12 urban school districts in 10 states. The survey’s findings are grouped under eight areas: bullying; expectations of success; influence of race; professional climate; professional development; parental involvement; safety; and trust, respect, and ethos of caring. “This is an important study since research shows that school climate—the impressions, beliefs, and expectations about a school as a learning environment—plays a critical role in the academic development of the student, and administrators and teachers strongly influence that impression,” said Anne L. Bryant, NSBA executive director. “This report serves as an important starting point for discussion among school board members, superintendents, teachers, students, parents, and the community about the climate in our schools and the resulting impact on our students.” Among the major findings is that while most teachers and administrators in the survey believe they can deter bullying in their schools, the majority believe that bullying still goes on at least once a month. Also, the survey revealed that student race still influences expectations and success. Over half of teachers disagree that students will be successful in their school based on race. However, three-quarters of teachers disagree that racial barriers to educational and economic opportunity no longer exist in the U.S. And while parent involvement is known to be one of the indicators of success for students, teachers and administrators differ in their perceptions of parent involvement. While 81 percent of administrators agree that parents support their school and activities, only 57 percent of teachers agree with that perception. “The results from this survey are intended to be used to start conversations in our urban communities about how we can improve our school climate,” said Brian Perkins, the study’s principal investigator and chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Southern Connecticut State University. “Because our urban schools enroll almost 25 percent of this nation’s public schoolchildren, this dialogue is imperative to the future of our country.” The National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals collaborated on the study’s recommendations. “Where We Teach” is the second school climate survey conducted by the National School Boards Association’s Council of Urban Boards of Education. It comes on the heels of last year’s survey, “Where We Learn,” which looked at the perceptions of 32,000 urban school students. The full report, “Where We Teach,” can be found at: http://www.nsba.org/cube/whereweteach Impact of Four Abstinence Education Programs: None A recent study of four abstinence education programs, conducted by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., finds that the programs had no effect on the sexual abstinence of youth. But it also finds that youth in these programs were no more likely to have unprotected sex, a concern that has been raised by some critics of these programs. The study, conducted for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, was authorized by Congress in 1997 to evaluate the effectiveness of programs funded under Title V, Section 510 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. Nationwide, more than 700 Title V, Section 510 programs receive up to $50 million annually from the federal government in order to teach youth about abstinence from sexual activity outside of marriage. Additional funding from state matching block grants brings annual spending for Title V, Section 510 sexual abstinence education programs to $87.5 million. The study found that youth in the four evaluated programs were no more likely than youth not in the programs to have abstained from sex in the four to six years after they began participating in the study. Youth in both groups who reported having had sex also had similar numbers of sexual partners and had initiated sex at the same average age. Contrary to concerns raised by some critics of federal funding for abstinence education, however, youth in the abstinence education programs were no more likely to have engaged in unprotected sex than youth who did not participate in the programs. “This is the first study of multi-year abstinence programs, and it is one of the few that has tracked its sample members for as long as six years,” notes Christopher Trenholm, the project director and a senior researcher at Mathematica. “The study finds that the sexual abstinence of students in four programs selected for the study was much the same as that of students who did not participate in these programs.” Methodology The study used the most rigorous, scientifically based approach to measure the impacts of the programs. Much like a clinical trial in medicine, this approach compares outcomes for two statistically equivalent groups—a program group and a control group—created by random assignment (similar to a lottery). Youth in the program group were eligible to receive the abstinence education program services, while those in the control group were not, and received only the usual health, family life, and sex education services available in their schools and communities. When coupled with sufficiently large sample sizes, longitudinal surveys conducted by independent data collectors, and appropriate statistical methods, this design is able to produce highly credible estimates of the impacts of the programs being studied. Youth were enrolled in the study sample over three consecutive school years, from fall 1999 through fall 2001, and randomly assigned within schools to either the program or the control group. The results in this report are based on a survey given to 2,057 youth in 2005 and 2006, roughly four to six years after they began participating in the study; 1,209 had participated in one of the Title V, Section 510 abstinence education programs and 848 had been assigned to the control group. By the time the last follow-up survey was completed, youth had entered their mid to late teens, permitting the researchers to reliably measure program impacts on teen sexual activity and other risk behaviors. The four programs studied include My Choice, My Future! in Powhatan County, Virginia; ReCapturing the Vision in Miami, Florida; Teens in Control in Clarksdale, Mississippi; and Families United to Prevent Teen Pregnancy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. These four programs were chosen because they had well implemented and replicable programs and were willing and able to take part in a rigorous evaluation The report, “Impacts of Four Title V, Section 510 Abstinence Education Programs,” is available here: http://www.mathematica.org/publications/PDFs/impactabstinence.pdf Homework: Keeping Children, Parents, and Teachers Together A new interactive learning system which helps parents keep in touch with what their children are doing at school is proving to be a great success with children, parents and teachers, according to new research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. The research, based at the University of Sussex and the London Knowledge Lab, developed the 'HOMEWORK' interactive learning system which enables children between the ages of 5 and 7 to learn and practice Key Stage 1 maths using a range of multimedia technologies - both in the classroom and at home with their family. The researchers found that using HOMEWORK:
HOMEWORK integrates educational software with broadcast quality video from the Channel Four educational TV series 'The Number Crew'. Children work in a teacher-led group using an interactive whiteboard, either on their own or in small groups using tablet PCs. The teacher can use his or her own tablet PC to plan lessons, manage the class, allocate work and monitor each child's progress. Parents can see what their children have been doing at school, are able to offer help and hence feel more involved with the classroom. Teachers were enthusiastic about using the HOMEWORK system - as long as it was robust and well integrated with the rest of the school's activities. For the children using HOMEWORK meant they spent more time on their learning, displayed greater concentration and engagement and enjoyed the choice of activities and computer game style 'rewards'. Parents enjoyed using the tablet PCs with their children, they were better able to talk with their children about school numeracy work and were able to better understand what, and how, their children were learning at school. Commenting on the study Professor Rosemary Luckin, who led the research team said: To see summary or full report: http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/esrcinfocentre/viewawardpage.aspx?awardnumber=RES-328-25-0027 Guide to Improving Reading Instruction Published by National Association of State Boards of Education A new brief on strategies to turn state literacy policies into effective classroom reading instruction is being published and distributed to state education leaders, reading experts, and local educators by the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE). The recommendations are the latest initiative by state boards of education to address the nation’s growing literacy crisis. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), nearly two-thirds of 8th and 12th graders cannot read at a proficient level and about one-quarter score below basic. “This guide is aimed at helping states develop comprehensive plans to improve reading instruction for middle and high school students. States need to establish policies and practices that infuse reading and writing instruction into every subject and every grade being taught. It is intended to bridge the chasm between what we know from reading research, what is in place in state policies, and what actually happens in the classroom,” said Brenda Welburn, NASBE Executive Director. The brief was developed by NASBE’s Adolescent Literacy Network, funded by the Carnegie Corporation, to create a national network to inform state board of education leadership in promoting state literacy initiatives across core academic subjects and as part of larger school improvement strategies. In 2005, NASBE convened a year-long study of the status of adolescent literacy in public schools that culminated in a report, Reading at Risk, A free PDF copy of the brief, From State Policy to Classroom Practice: Improving Literacy Instruction for All Students, is available at: http://www.nasbe.org/Adolescent_Literacy/Files/Adolescent_Lit_Primer_3.07.pdf Randomizing Schools in Evaluations of Education Interventions The March 2007 issue of Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis features an article, “Using Covariates to Improve Precision for Studies That Randomize Schools to Evaluate Educational Interventions.” The authors examine how controlling statistically for baseline covariates, especially pretests, improves the precision of studies that randomize schools to measure the impacts of educational interventions on student achievement. To see article: http://epa.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/29/1/30 Additional articles from this journal are: Strategies for Improving Precision in Group-Randomized Experiments [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] Fines 'Failing to Tackle Truancy' A study by an education welfare officer presented at Cambridge University finds no link between a council's use of fines and levels of attendance. …The report's author is Ming Zhang, principal education welfare officer at the Kingston upon Thames local education authority, who said he was surprised at the findings. "In this three years' study, I monitored the use of truancy-related penalty notices, as well as other punitive measures including jailing and fining truants' parents. "I have found no evidence to suggest that those punitive measures have any long-term impacts on school attendance levels, although there are individual cases in which the legal process does give some parents a shock and achieve short-term improvement in attendance." Using data gathered from 150 local education authorities in England, the study found no significant statistical link between the use of penalty notices and primary and secondary school attendance rates. The report - School absenteeism and the implementation of truancy-related penalty notices - argues that truancy should be understood as a "complex social and historical issue". To read the full article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/6564147.stm Teaching Urban High School Students 'How to Learn' Boosts Grades A new study suggests that before urban high school students learn the "three Rs," they can benefit by learning a little psychology. Researchers found that high school students who took a class that taught learning and motivation strategies improved their grade point averages significantly when compared to comparable students at the same high schools who didn't take the class. In one school, for example, students who took the class had GPAs that were an average of 0.4 points higher than other students for the term. "The results were pretty impressive given some of the challenging circumstances, such as technology that didn't work smoothly all the time, and the fact that sometimes teachers had trouble keeping their students on task," said Bruce W. Tuckman, a professor of education at Ohio State University who designed the class. Tuckman recently presented the results at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association. The class taught students to overcome procrastination, build self-confidence and responsibility, manage their lives, learn from lecture and text and prepare for exams. "It's basically a psychology course, but we're not teaching students for purely academic reasons. Instead, we're teaching them to put these psychological principles into practice in their own lives," Tuckman said. The study involved teaching the class, called "Strategies for School Success," as a one-term (18 week) course, meeting four hours a week. It was taught at two large, urban high schools in Columbus, and one in Kansas City. All together, 150 10th to 12th grade students took the course, and they were compared with an equal number of students who didn't take the class. The percentage of African-American students in the three high school samples ranged from 55 to 90 percent. Regular high school teachers taught the class; they were trained by Tuckman and his staff on the conceptual aspects of the course and the use of the required technology. In one school, course-takers earned a GPA of 2.30 at the end of the term, compared to a GPA of 2.12 for non-takers. In another high school, students who took the course earned a GPA of 2.84, compared to 2.40 for the others. In the third school, course-takers earned 2.80, compared to 2.39 for the comparison students. The course was modified from a similar "Strategies for Achievement" program that has been successfully taught to college students at Ohio State. An earlier study showed that Ohio State students who took the class had higher GPAs and were more likely to return for their next year of college than similar students who didn't take the class. The high school class involved teaching the students four basic achievement strategies: taking reasonable risks, taking responsibility for actions, searching the environment for information, and using feedback. Each of the four strategies involved sub-strategies, and were based on well-founded psychological principles, he said. The instructional design of the class is also innovative. The course was taught using a hybrid, web-based instructional model Tuckman developed called "Active Discovery And Participation Through Technology (ADAPT)". This hybrid includes some features of a traditional classroom, such as a textbook and a live instructor. But the students also had more than 200 computer-based activities they had to complete in the class. Students don't just listen to the teacher lecture, he said. They have assignments to complete on the computer that helps them put into practice what they are learning. For example, students are taught how to build a time management plan, and then have to create one for themselves on the computer. "We're not just interested in getting them to acquire new information. We really want them to change their behavior, which is why they spend so much time in class completing assignments on the computer," he said. Tuckman said a class like this is important for inner-city students who don't learn the strategies for succeeding in school the way children in more advantaged communities typically do. "Most of the students we are working with don't have role models who attended college. They don't grow up in environments where they pick up things like how to learn from a teacher's lecture, or how to manage their study time." But with the way schools are currently structured, there is currently no way to teach urban students these vital skills. "When you look at the curriculum, it is divided into subjects - math is a subject, English is a subject and social studies is a subject. But learning how to learn is not a subject," Tuckman said. "Students need to learn how to learn before they can master any of those subjects."Plant a Garden to Grow Your Kids' Desire for Vegetables and Fruit, New SLU Study Suggests Research finds children eat more produce if it's homegrown ST. LOUIS -- If you are looking for a way to encourage your children eat their fruits and vegetables, search no further than your backyard, suggests new Saint Louis University research. "It was a simple, clear finding," said Debra Haire-Joshu, Ph.D., director of Saint Louis University’s Obesity Prevention Center and a study author. "Whether a food is homegrown makes a difference. Garden produce creates what we call a ‘positive food environment.’" Researchers interviewed about 1,600 parents of preschool-aged children who live in rural southeast Missouri. They found that preschool children who were almost always served homegrown fruits and vegetables were more than twice as likely to eat five servings a day than those who rarely or never ate homegrown produce. The American Dietetic Association recommends between five and 13 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. In addition, children who grow up eating fresh-from-the-garden produce also prefer the taste of fruits and vegetables to other foods, the parents told researchers. The study, in the April issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, found the garden-fed children were more likely to see their parents eating fruits and vegetables. A greater variety of fruits and vegetables – more tomatoes, cantaloupe, broccoli, beans and carrots – also were available in the homes of families who nearly always had homegrown produce. Gauging the Achievement Effects of Centralized School Accountability Federal assessments of student learning are now conducted in every state, under NCLB, allowing comparison between the the share of students deemed proficient by state officials and the percentage estimated under the National Assessment of Educational Progress. PACE's Bruce Fuller and Joseph Wright have been tracking this pair of trend lines in 12 diverse states. Their latest findings, presented at the American Educational Research Association in Chicago, detail how state estimates of proficiency are far higher than federal results. To read paper: http://pace.berkeley.edu/reports/Fuller_AERA_Lecture_04-10.pdf To see charts: http://pace.berkeley.edu/reports/Fuller_AERA-Fig.4.pdf Denver Loses 1/4 of Its Students About a fourth of school-age children ages 5 to 17 in Denver don't attend the city's public schools, according to a first-ever analysis of data by the Rocky Mountain News and the nonprofit Piton Foundation. An estimated 15,700 students bypassed Denver Public Schools last year in favor of private or suburban schools they see as safer or academically superior. In addition, about 4,600 Denver kids up to age 17 didn't go to school at all, for reasons as varied as home-schooling, dropping out or incarceration, the analysis found. School and city officials project that the number of Denver families abandoning public schools will grow through 2016, exacting a social and financial toll for the district and, some argue, the city itself. The 20,300 potential students streaming away from DPS already cost the district more than $135 million a year in lost local and state funding. To read full study: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/0,1299,DRMN_957_5478029,00.html Reading First Achievement Data Demonstrate Dramatic Improvements in Reading Proficiency of America's Neediest Children The U.S. Department of Education today released new state-by-state data on the effectiveness of Reading First, indicating that students who receive instruction through the program achieve strong gains in reading proficiency. Another measure of the program's success since its launch in 2002, the state-by-state data demonstrate that Reading First is working to help our nation's neediest kindergarten through third-grade students significantly improve their reading skills. "These results are yet another confirmation that Reading First is working on behalf of our children," said Deputy Assistant Secretary Amanda Farris, who oversees the program office responsible for the implementation of Reading First. "Reading First students and teachers are demonstrating tremendous progress in a remarkably short period of time. We rarely see this kind of success from a federal education program." The state-reported data presented today reveal that students in Reading First schools largely demonstrated impressive gains in reading fluency and comprehension. Students enrolled in the program were assessed beginning in the 2003-2004 school year. Achievement data highlights include:
The data reinforce the positive indicators from the Reading First Implementation Evaluation interim report released in July 2006. According to the interim report, Reading First students receive on average 100 extra minutes per week of proven, research-based instruction from teachers, tutors and reading coaches. Moreover, the interim report found that Reading First staff received significantly more professional development than did Title I staff, and teachers in Reading First schools spent more time on reading instruction than teachers in non-Reading First Title I schools. Additionally, the Office of Management and Budget's Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) review of Reading First gave the program an "Effective" rating. Established as part of the landmark No Child Left Behind Act signed into law by President Bush in 2002, Reading First supports high-quality research-based early reading instructional tools and assessments to help teachers improve student achievement. The program aligns with the goals of No Child Left Behind by providing resources to help children build a solid reading foundation and prepare them to read on grade-level by the end of the third grade. Reading First is the largest federal reading initiative ever undertaken in the United States. As of the 2005/2006 school year, more than 5,600 schools in 1,600 districts nationwide have participated in Reading First. The program has served approximately 1.8 million students, and more than 100,000 teachers have benefited from its professional development. For more information on the Reading First program, please visit: http://www.ed.gov/nclb/methods/reading/readingfirst.html The Reading First State Data Profiles: http://www.ed.gov/programs/readingfirst/state-data/grantee-profiles.pdf Reading First state-by-state achievement data are available at: http://www.ed.gov/programs/readingfirst/state-data/achievement-data.pdf RAND Study Finds School Playgrounds and Athletic Facilities Are an Untapped Resource in Fight Against Childhood Obesity A RAND Corporation study issued recently says school playgrounds and athletic facilities can be important tools in the fight against childhood obesity, but many are locked and inaccessible to children on weekends - especially in poor and minority neighborhoods. The study is a new analysis of data from a national research study called the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls. The data deals with the physical activity of 1,556 girls in the sixth grade in six metropolitan areas: Washington, D.C./Baltimore, Md.; Columbia, S.C.; Minneapolis, Minn.; New Orleans, La.; Tucson, Ariz.; and San Diego, Calif. Researchers visited all the schools and parks within a half-mile radius of the homes of the girls on Saturdays in the spring of 2003 for the original study. The 407 schools represented 44 percent of potential neighborhood sites for physical activity. Researchers found that, on average, 66 percent of the schools were unlocked on weekends. But only 57 percent of schools were both unlocked and had accessible facilities for weekend physical activities such as playgrounds, athletic fields, basketball courts and paved playing surfaces. The percent of unlocked schools with accessible amenities varied across the communities in this way:
"Girls who lived near locked schools tended to be heavier, and neighborhoods with locked schools were disproportionately poor and had larger minority populations," said Molly M. Scott, lead author of the study and research analyst with RAND, a nonprofit research organization. "These neighborhoods, where risk of obesity is high and public parks and playgrounds are often lacking, could benefit from convenient and safe places for physical activity. And making schools accessible doesn't require construction. It's a policy change." Although the RAND Health study didn't find a relationship between school accessibility and increased weekend physical activity rates, the number of locked schools was associated with significantly higher body mass index for the girls. Body mass index, or BMI, is a mathematical formula representing weight relative to height that can be used to determine whether a person is overweight or underweight. The study found differences in BMI and physical activity by the girls' race and socioeconomic status, consistent with the findings of previous studies. Hispanic and African-American girls had 7.2 percent and 7.8 percent higher BMIs respectively than whites, and non-white girls recorded less physical activity than their white counterparts. "Studies consistently find that people of different races have different BMIs, but the policy implications of that are often unclear," Scott said. "This study identifies locked schools as great points of policy intervention where gains in the fight against obesity could potentially be made." More research is needed, Scott said, noting that the study did not measure whether the girls in the study actually used the school facilities for exercise. The fact that girls with higher BMIs tended to live in areas with locked schools also could signal that the girls live in a more stressful, high-crime area or a neighborhood with less access to stores that sell healthy food. The study is titled "Weekend Schoolyard Accessibility, Physical Activity, and Obesity: The Trial of Activity in Adolescent Girls (TAAG) Study." It will appear in the May issue of Preventive Medicine. Researchers measured the girls' physical activity with accelerometers - devices that measure intensity of movement. Since middle school girls aren't old enough to drive, the RAND study looked at locations within a half-mile of the girls' homes -- a distance they might be expected to walk or ride their bikes. Researchers also examined data on the girls' weekend activity levels. Three-fourths of the schools in the study were public schools, and playground and athletic facilities there were locked about as frequently as private schools. Public schools had the highest average number of active amenities and a significantly higher proportion of baseball fields, paved playing surfaces, basketball and handball courts and high-level gymnastics equipment.Stanford Report Outlines Common Elements of Highly Effective School Principal Training and Development Programs Since the early 1990s, the training of school principals - who play a vital role in school improvement - has been widely criticized as inadequate. Yet, hard evidence on the kind of training and development that leaders need to help schools and students succeed has been in short supply. Today, Stanford University researchers and The Wallace Foundation released a new report that identifies the key features of effective programs. The report - "Preparing School Leaders for a Changing World: Lessons from Exemplary Leadership Development Programs" - provides a guide for school district leaders and state policymakers to reinvent how school principals are prepared for their demanding jobs. The report was released today at a session hosted by The Wallace Foundation during the National Conference of State Legislatures' Spring Forum. The report recognizes the close link between the quality of school leadership and school performance. It examines the essential skills of good leadership, key features of effective principal education programs, structures of effective programs, and successful financing and policy reform strategies. The study was commissioned by The Wallace Foundation and prepared by the Stanford Educational Leadership Institute (SELI) in conjunction with The Finance Project. At a time when expectations of schools are skyrocketing, school principals must play an increasingly important role in helping to transform schools and classroom performance. Until recently, though, little has been known about how best to prepare principals for these challenges. This report provides new details about the characteristics of programs that are most effective in developing school leaders who can carry out the complex work of overhauling school culture, organization, curriculum, and instruction to ensure that all children achieve high standards. "The findings show that high-performing principals are not just born, but can be made - and that those who are prepared in innovative, high-quality programs are more likely to become instructional leaders who are committed to the job and efficacious in their work," notes Linda Darling-Hammond, the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at Stanford University and the lead author of the report. Researchers examined eight exemplary programs and the policy contexts in which they operated. They found that that exemplary leadership preparation programs were intensely focused on instructional improvement and offered a hands-on approach that closely integrated internships and coaching with academic coursework. Rather than waiting to see who would enroll, the programs work with districts to recruit candidates who are known as excellent teachers with strong leadership potential and who reflect the local population of teachers and students. The programs choose their faculty based on their knowledge and experience of school leadership. The programs also provide the candidates with mentoring by experienced administrators. The professional development programs provided real-world guidance on how to become instructional leaders. The successful programs are part of a system of training that begins with the preparation of principal candidates and continues throughout their careers as principals. The graduates of these programs analyze teaching practice and learn to evaluate and support teachers, plan professional development, and manage change. They also receive coaching from peers and mentors, and participate in long-term study groups and networks so that they can continue to share their experiences and talk about problem-solving strategies. "Research has shown that school improvement efforts simply won't succeed without effective leadership," said Wallace President M. Christine DeVita. "This report is a milestone because it shows us with hard evidence how we can prepare and support those leaders in ways that will help us meet our commitment to educate all children at high levels." Program participants say they are better prepared for their work, are more likely to stay on the job, and spend more time on instruction and supporting and developing teachers. These programs also were more likely to include teachers who reflect the makeup of their communities. For example, compared to a national sample, the eight exemplary programs evaluated for the report attracted high numbers of women (72 percent vs. 46 percent) as well as racial and ethnic minorities (36 percent vs. 11 percent). In addition, a larger proportion of program participants reported working in an urban school (72 percent vs. 18 percent). The report offers several implications for policymakers. First, exemplary principal training programs grow out of careful planning and targeting of key resources. The report highlights state and local district policies that support top-quality training and help transform practice. The programs in this study benefited as well from the careful recruitment and selection of dynamic candidates who taught how to support instruction that is closely aligned with state and professional standards for student learning, teaching, and leadership. Finally, the exemplary programs organized their work around clear models of effective leadership. To see full report: http://www.wallacefoundation.org/verify.htm?id=%7b6916D4F9-96AA-4255-882A-FF1297C86E86%7d To Understand the Big Picture, Give It Time -- and Sleep Study shows that learning requires a period of 'off-line' processing Memorizing a series of facts is one thing, understanding the big picture is quite another. Now a new study demonstrates that relational memory -- the ability to make logical "big picture" inferences from disparate pieces of information – is dependent on taking a break from studies and learning, and even more important, getting a good night's sleep. Led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), the findings appear on-line in today's Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). "Relational memory is a bit like solving a jigsaw puzzle," explains senior author Matthew Walker, PhD, Director of the Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory at BIDMC and Assistant Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School (HMS). "It's not enough to have all the puzzle pieces – you also have to understand how they fit together." Adds lead author Jeffrey Ellenbogen, MD, a postdoctoral fellow at HMS and sleep neurologist at BWH, "People often assume that we know all of what we know because we learned it directly. In fact, that's only partly true. We actually learn individual bits of information and then apply them in novel, flexible ways." For instance, if a person learns that A is greater than B and B is greater than C, then he or she knows those two facts. But embedded within those is a third fact – A is greater than C – which can be deduced by a process called transitive inference, the type of relational memory that the researchers examined in this study. Earlier research by Walker and colleagues had shown that sleep actively improves task-oriented "procedural memory" – for example, learning to talk, to coordinate limbs, musicianship, or to play sports. Because relational memory is fundamental to knowledge and learning, Walker and Ellenbogen decided to explore how and when this "inferential" knowledge emerges, hypothesizing that it develops during "off-line" periods and that, like procedural memory, would be enhanced following a period of sleep. So, the researchers tested 56 healthy college students, each of whom was shown five pairs of unfamiliar abstract patterns – colorful oval shapes resembling Faberge' eggs. The students were then told that some of the patterns were "correct" while others were "incorrect," for example, Shape A wins over Shape B, Shape B wins over Shape C, and so on. All of the students learned the individual pairs but were not told that there was a hidden "hierarchy" linking all five of the pairs together. After a 30-minute study period, the students were separated into three groups to test their understanding of the larger "big picture" relationship between the individual patterns: Group One was tested after a period of 20 minutes; Group Two was tested after a 12-hour period; and Group Three was tested after a 24-hour time span. In addition, approximately half of the students in Group Two slept during the 12-hour period, while the other half remained awake. All of the students in Group Three had a full night's sleep. The test results showed striking differences among the three groups, especially between the students who had a period of sleep and those who remained awake. "Group One, the students who were tested soon after their initial learning period, performed the worst," says Walker. "While they were able to learn and recall the component pieces [for example, Shape A is greater than Shape B, Shape B is greater than Shape C] they could not discern the hierarchical relationships between the pieces [Shape A is greater than Shape C] – they couldn't yet see 'the big picture.'" Groups Two and Three, on the other hand, demonstrated a clear understanding of the interrelationship between the pairs of shapes. "These individuals were able to make leaps of inferential judgment just by letting the brain have time to unconsciously mull things over," he says. But, perhaps most notable, he adds, when the inferences were particularly difficult, the students who had had periods of sleep in between learning and testing significantly outperformed the other groups. "This strongly implies that sleep is actively engaged in the cognitive processing of our memories," notes Ellenbogen. "Knowledge appears to expand both over time and with sleep." Concludes Walker, "These findings point to an important benefit [of sleep] that we had not previously considered. Sleep not only strengthens a person's individual memories, it appears to actually knit them together and help realize how they are associated with one another. And this may, in fact, turn out to be the primary goal of sleep: You go to bed with pieces of the memory puzzle, and awaken with the jigsaw completed." Study Finds School Environment Can Moderate Student Aggression The culture of a school can dampen – or exacerbate – the violent or disruptive tendencies of aggressive young teens, new research indicates. A large-scale study from the University of Illinois found that while personal traits and peer interactions have the most direct effect on the aggressive behavior of middle school students, the school environment also influences student aggression. The study assessed individual, family and school predictors of aggression in 111,662 middle school students. The findings appear in the March 2007 issue of the journal, Youth & Society. The researchers used a statistical method called hierarchical linear modeling, which separates individual and contextual effects to determine the relative importance of each. The data were compiled from surveys of sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders at geographically, socioeconomically and racially diverse middle schools. In the surveys, the students were asked to report how many times in the previous six months they had acted mean toward others, hit others or got into fights. The students also reported on how they reacted to events that upset them, their daily experience of problems or hassles, and their perceptions of family and teacher social and emotional support. Other questions measured the students’ sense of belonging in school, their perception of the fairness of school disciplinary actions and policies, and the presence or absence of cultural sensitivity training. The students were also asked to report on whether their school offered them opportunities to participate in rule making or otherwise contribute to shaping the school environment. “The school had a relatively modest but nonetheless significant effect on student aggression,” said professor of family medicine Janet Reis. “The dimensions that were found to be important were supportive decision-making, students’ inclusion in helping set up the school culture – in general (providing) a more democratic and participatory environment.” Teaching strategies that emphasized understanding over memorization and cultural sensitivity training also appeared to reduce aggression at school, Reis said. “The direction from this is that teachers and administrators might explore how to include participation from their students,” Reis said. “If schools keep remembering that they really do have an impact on the children who come in every day, that it matters how the adults configure the school day, then the correlational evidence from this study is that you can expect to see, on average, some diminution in aggression and disciplinary cases, which are the bane of all school administrators.” Survey Reveals that Only 1% of Teachers Find No Child Left Behind an Effective Way to Assess the Quality of Schools and 69% Report It’s Pushing Teachers Out of the Profession Over 5600 public school teachers from all 50 states recently responded to a Teachers Network online survey regarding the effectiveness of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and its impact on the teaching and schools. Survey results show how for the majority of teachers the emphasis of NCLB on high-stakes testing is not working. Only 37% of respondents found standardized tests “somewhat useful” but 42% deemed them “not at all” helpful to their teaching. Over 40% claim that these tests are encouraging them to use rote drill, and 44% report that the tests are pushing them to eliminate curriculum material not tested. Over 40% believe that NCLB does not result in teachers making instructional decisions that are best for their students or that it’s helping to reduce the achievement gap in education—its primary goal. And fewer (3%) agree that it encourages them to improve their teaching effectiveness with all students. Fewer still (1%) find it is an effective way to assess the quality of schools. Three-quarters of the teachers surveyed reported experiencing a great deal of pressure from NCLB to improve students’ test scores due to NCLB, coming from the top down. Among the forces exerting pressure on teachers to improve student scores are state departments of education (60%), district administrators (57%), newspapers and other media (43%), and principals (39%). Only 10% said they felt pressure from parents. What will be of real concern to policymakers will be our findings regarding teacher retention: 69% of survey respondents “strongly agree” that NCLB with its Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) goals has contributed to teacher burnout. The respondents were evenly distributed across the grade levels from kindergarten through 12th grade. Slightly more than half of the survey takers (52.2%) were not from a school that has been identified as one in need of improvement in any academic area and/or with any disaggregated population of students. Teacher respondents ranged from 1-3 years experience (17.2%) to teachers with 25 or more years (16.5%). One-fifth of the teachers who responded have been teaching between 6-10 years. “As we look at this data,” explains Professor Frances Rust of the New York University Steinhardt School of Education, “it seems very clear that from the teachers' perspective, NCLB is a top down mandate about which they feel greatest pressure for their students to pass high-stakes tests coming from their district administrators. This deprofessionalizes the teaching force, pushing teachers towards rote instruction that bypasses curriculum areas that are not tested and minimizes teachers' efforts to be responsive to the specific needs of learners in their classrooms.” According to William J. Cirone, Superintendent of Santa Barbara County Schools and Chairman, Teachers Network Board of Trustees, “Teachers have always been concerned about accountability and authentic assessment but the survey shows that this law really misses the mark on exactly what it is supposed to be targeting—and the unintended consequence is more teachers are leaving because of the law.” About Teachers Network Teachers Network is a non-profit organization—by teachers, for teachers—with a 26-year track record of success, dedicated to improving student learning in public schools nationally and internationally. Teachers Network is unique in its focus on professional development as the key to improving student achievement. Using the power of an award-winning web site, videos, and print resources, Teachers Network leverages the creativity and expertise of a national and international community of outstanding educators. Through its leadership, Teachers Network empowers teachers to transform public schools into creative learning communities. For more information about Teachers Network, go to www.teachersnetwork.org. The survey and survey data are available at http://teachersnetwork.org/tnli/NCLB_Survey_Results.pdf Americans Believe Writing Skills Are More Important Than Ever Helping Teachers Teach Writing Is a Priority for Most Americans Americans believe that good writing skills are more important than ever, but they fear that our schools and our children are falling behind. Two-thirds of the public would like to see more resources invested in helping teachers teach writing. And 74 percent think writing should be taught in all subjects and at all grade levels. These messages and others were drawn from survey participants of all income and education levels and all geographic areas. They are reported in The 2007 Survey on Teaching Writing, a national public opinion survey conducted for the National Writing Project by the research firm Belden, Russonello and Stewart. “The survey clearly demonstrates that the public understands writing is a critical skill, one that must not be ignored,” said Richard Sterling, executive director of the National Writing Project. “Americans also recognize that to teach writing well, teachers need access to quality professional development. These findings underscore all the recent reports about the importance of writing—from business leaders and from educators themselves. The word is out: writing must be an integral part of the curriculum.” The survey showed that the American public believes learning to write is as important as learning to read, and they feel that writing well is essential to improving communication skills, grammar, and critical thinking. Seven in ten Americans say that students should be given daily writing assignments and that writing should be taught in all subjects. More than 80 percent of those surveyed say students should learn to write well as a requirement for high-school graduation. Two-thirds believe that writing skills are essential to success in college. And 74 percent say there is a need to write well to succeed “regardless of what type of job it is.” Considering that 98 percent of Americans polled think learning to write well is important, it is not surprising that most also want teachers to have the training they need to improve students’ writing, and they believe it is a worthy investment. Survey results indicate:
The 2007 Survey on Teaching Writing is a national telephone survey conducted January 3 to 16, 2007. The survey was conducted among a representative probability sample of 1,501 adults residing in the United States. For more, read the survey results http://www.writingproject.org/cs/nwpp/download/ Report_-_Writing_Tables.doc?x-r=pcfile_d A Cognitive Strategies Approach to Reading and Writing Instruction for English Language Learners This article describes a study conducted by members of the UC Irvine Writing Project in partnership with a large, urban, school district, primarily serving families of low socioeconomic status, where 93 percent of the students speak English as a second language and 69 percent are designated Limited English Proficient. Over an eight-year period, 55 secondary teachers implemented a cognitive strategies approach to reading and writing instruction. Teachers and students were exposed to an extensive set of cognitive strategies and a wide array of curricular approaches to using them, in a manner designed to cultivate deep knowledge and regular application of these strategies in reading and writing. The consistency of positive outcomes on multiple measures strongly points to the efficacy of using this approach with ELL students. To see article: http://www.writingproject.org/cs/nwpp/download/nwp_file/8538/Booth_Olson,_Carol,_et_al.pdf?x-r=pcfile_d More Than Half of U.S. Governors Prioritize Pre-K Report shows dramatic increase in support, historic funding requests for early childhood education A record-breaking 29 state executives are making pre-kindergarten a priority according to the annual state-by-state analysis of gubernatorial commitment to early childhood education released today by Pre-K Now. Leadership Matters: Governors' Pre-K Proposals Fiscal Year 2008 concludes that if approved, the governors' collective budget proposals would direct more than 800 million new dollars to pre-k in FY08 and provide more than 100,000 additional three and four year olds across the country with access to pre-k programs. "Three years ago, only 11 of the nation's governors had pre-k on their policy and budgetary agendas, but the tide has turned and this year, 29 governors recognize the wisdom of this investment," said Libby Doggett, Ph.D., executive director of Pre-K Now. "Forward-thinking leaders understand that pre-k not only achieves educational and social gains for children, it produces measurable economic benefits in cities and states nationwide." In recognition of the essential role that governors play in laying the fiscal and political groundwork for their state agendas, Pre-K Now has analyzed gubernatorial support – measured by mentions in state-of-the-state addresses and budget allocations - for pre-k across the 50 states since 2004. Among those highlighted as examples of pre-k leadership and vision, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was singularly recognized for bold leadership on behalf of young children. The report also calls attention to governors who failed to follow through on campaign promises or otherwise missed a vital opportunity to benefit children and invest in the future. As a national trend, support for pre-k continues to gain momentum; FY08 marks the fourth consecutive year of proposed pre-k funding increases. However, some governors defy the simple economics of investing in their state's youngest learners: 12 flat funded their state's pre-k program or proposed funding that amounted to less than the federal Cost of Living Adjustment. Others failed to provide any funding for pre-k. This lack of leadership ultimately denies three and four year old children rich learning opportunities that have been proven to make the most of their developing brains. Additional report findings include:
"Whether you are a parent of a young child in Iowa, a teacher in Oregon, or a business leader in New York, this trend is good news. But we must not let our guard down; continued leadership on this issue is critical," Doggett said. "It is now incumbent upon legislatures to demonstrate leadership on pre-k and fully fund or exceed these gubernatorial proposals." Leadership Matters: Governors' Pre-K Proposals Fiscal Year 2008: http://www.preknow.org/documents/LeadershipReport_Apr2007.pdf Making Writing Instruction a Priority in America’s Middle and High Schools According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only about a quarter of the nation’s middle and high school students are proficient in writing. Even among students who plan to go to college, roughly a third fall short of readiness benchmarks for college-level writing composition. Yet, the ability to write plays an increasingly important role both in the workplace and everyday life, and while previous generations of students might have been able to get by without strong literacy skills, today’s adolescents cannot afford to leave high school without being able to write clear, compelling texts, for a variety of purposes and audiences. This Policy Brief offers a succinct overview of the data on student writing achievement, the need for more and better writing instruction, and a number of ways in which policymakers can support school improvement in this area. To see report: http://www.all4ed.org/publications/WritPrior.pdf Interactive Engagement vs. Traditional Instruction in Physics Although teachers use a variety of instructional strategies to engage with students, “traditional” teacher-centered methods such as lecture and questioning remain the default for many instructors, particularly in large classes (such as in university-level introductory science classes). In addition, structural barriers, such as classroom organization and limited instructional time can make the use of more constructivist methodologies difficult. In an effort to increase student engagement, some instructors have encouraged the use of strategies that seek to stimulate access to the curriculum by letting students work together on content-related activities, such as through “think-pair-share” and interactive engagement. The study highlighted in this issue of ResearchBrief compares student achievement in lecture-based physics classes with that of classes using interactive engagement strategies. The Question The Context To read full study: http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/menuitem.6a9dfddd720040bf989ad324d3108a0c/ AIR Study Uses U.S. Standards to Compare U.S. 8th Grade Math and Science Students with Their Foreign Counterparts Average U.S. students perform at the basic level in both mathematics and science, but generally equal or outperform students in other parts of the World When U.S. performance standards are used to measure the mathematics and science skills of 8th graders around the world, students in the United States substantially trail their counterparts in Singapore, Chinese Taipei, South Korea and Hong Kong but generally are equal to or outperform students in other parts of the World, according to a new study by the American Institutes for Research (AIR). The AIR study for the first time uses the standards set by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) - known as the nation's "report card" - to measure how U.S. students compare in mathematics and science with students in foreign countries, based on data in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The analysis statistically linked the NAEP achievement levels to the TIMSS scale. This then provided estimates of how countries outside the United States that participated in the TIMSS would perform using the NAEP achievement levels. "This study provides a familiar metric with which to interpret international data by using U.S. performance standards," said Dr. Gary W. Phillips, author of the study and a chief scientist at AIR. He served as the acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education from 1999 - 2002. "It is a lot like trying to interpret international poverty data by first converting all currencies to dollars, then applying a U.S. definition of poverty." "The results have important implications for policymakers because they pertain to efforts to improve U.S. achievement in mathematics and science. They shed additional light on comparisons between the United States and other countries and provide a useful application of NAEP achievement levels," said Phillips, who is nationally and internationally known for his expertise in large-scale assessments and complex surveys. The performance categories follow the NAEP definitions: basic, denotes partial mastery of the knowledge and skills fundamental for work at a given grade; proficient, represents solid academic performance; and advanced, signifies superior performance. Based on the reanalysis of the latest 2003 TIMSS in mathematics, the AIR study found that 67 percent of U.S. students performed at the basic level or better, 26 percent were proficient or above and five percent were at the advanced level. Five countries performed significantly better than the United States. Each of the five countries had more than twice the percentage of estimated proficient students as the United States - Singapore; Hong Kong, SAR; Republic of Korea; Chinese Taipei; and Japan. They also had more than four times the percentage of advanced students. On the other hand, 19 countries' students performed significantly lower than those in the United States. Four nations had no one in the TIMSS assessment functioning at the proficient level. These nations were Botswana, Ghana, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa. Similar results were found in the AIR reanalysis of the 2003 TIMSS in science. The linking study found that 66 percent of U.S. students performed at the basic level or above, 31 percent at the proficient level or better and four percent at the advanced level. Two countries had a significantly higher percentage of estimated proficient students than the United States - Singapore and Chinese Taipei - and 25 countries had significantly lower percentages of proficient students than in the United States. Overall, the average U.S. student performs at the basic level in both mathematics and science, as do their counterparts in most English speaking and European countries. "Looked at from the perspective of NAEP achievement levels, TIMSS results are more understandable," said Dr. Phillips. "For example, if a nation's average student reaches the proficient level that indicates the country has world class educational achievement in mathematics or science. Interpreted this way we find that the United States is a nation that is not meeting its own expectations." Other findings include:
The full report is available at: http://www.air.org/news/documents/naep-timss.pdf The “Elvis Experiments": Pancake Syrup and a Musical Icon Bring Science Concepts to DC-area High Schoolers WHAT: More than 100 Washington-area high school students and teachers are participating in the "Elvis Experiments". The experiments, named in honor of the musical icon, were designed by educators at the American Physiological Society (APS; http://www.The-APS.org) to help students participate in hands-on demonstrations aimed at showing the different factors that influence blood flow and blood pressure. On Monday, April 30, some 75 students and 23 teachers will use tubing, beakers and liquids of varying thickness to simulate the flow of blood in vessels to mimic some of the ways in which human blood travels 60,000 miles per day on its journey through the arteries, arterioles and capillaries and back through the venules and veins. Students will have the following information to work from:
WHY: The “Elvis Experiments” are part of a nationwide outreach effort by the APS to help students and teachers better understand the branch of science known as physiology. Physiology is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function to create health or disease. WHO: The APS is a nonprofit scientific organization devoted to fostering education, scientific research, and dissemination of information in the physiological sciences. From its beginnings in 1887 the Society has grown to more than 10,500 members today. The Society publishes 13 widely acclaimed scholarly journals and recently posted over 650,000 pages of historical scientific studies online. You Don't Have to Be Smart to Be Rich, Study Finds It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to make a lot of money, according to new research. A nationwide study found that people of below average intelligence were, overall, just about as wealthy as those in similar circumstances but with higher scores on an IQ test. Furthermore, a number of extremely intelligent people stated they had gotten themselves into financial difficulty. “People don’t become rich just because they are smart,” said Jay Zagorsky, author of the study and a research scientist at Ohio State University’s Center for Human Resource Research. “Your IQ has really no relationship to your wealth. And being very smart does not protect you from getting into financial difficulty,” Zagorsky said. The one financial indicator in which the study found it paid to be smart was income: those with higher IQ scores tended to get paid more than others. While other research has also found the IQ-income link, this is one of the first studies to go beyond income to look at the relationship between intelligence and wealth and financial difficulty, he said. “Financial success for most people means more than just income,” Zagorsky said. “You need to build up wealth to help buffer life’s storms and to prepare for retirement. You also shouldn’t have to worry about being close to or beyond your financial limits.” Zagorsky’s study appears online in the journal Intelligence. The study is based on data from 7,403 Americans who participated in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, which is funded primarily by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The NLSY is a nationally representative survey of people, who are now in their mid-40s, conducted by Ohio State’s Center for Human Resource Research. The same people have been interviewed repeatedly over time since 1979. This study is based on responses from the 2004 survey. Participants completed the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT), a general aptitude test used by the Department of Defense. Researchers have long used AFQT scores as a measure of intelligence. All participants were also surveyed about their income, total wealth, and three measures of financial difficulty: if they currently have any maxed-out credit cards, if over the past five years they had any instances where they missed paying bills, and whether they ever declared bankruptcy. The results confirmed research by other scholars that show people with higher IQ scores tend to earn higher incomes. In this study, each point increase in IQ scores was associated with $202 to $616 more income per year. This means the average income difference between a person with an IQ score in the normal range (100) and someone in the top 2 percent of society (130) is currently between $6,000 and $18,500 a year. But when it came to total wealth and the likelihood of financial difficulties, people of below average and average intelligence did just fine when compared with the super-intelligent. The study could find no strong relationship between total wealth and intelligence. How could high-IQ people, on average, earn higher incomes but still not have more wealth than others? Zagorsky said this data can’t provide an answer, but it suggests that high-IQ people are not saving as much as others. He is currently finishing a study that is exploring that question. The findings revealed mixed results when it came to the link between intelligence and measures of financial distress. For example, the percentage of people who have maxed out their credit cards rises from 7.7 percent in those with an IQ of 75 and below to a peak of 12.1 percent among those with an IQ of 90. Then the percentage falls in an irregular pattern to 5.4 percent among those with an IQ of 115 before rising again. This irregular pattern is also seen among the bankrupt and people who missed bill payments. “In these measures of financial difficulties, it seems that those of slightly better than average intelligence are best off,” Zagorsky said. “Just because you’re smart doesn’t mean you don’t get into trouble. Among the smartest people, those with IQ scores above 125, even 6 percent of them have maxed out their credit cards and 11 percent occasionally miss payments.” Zagorsky said you only have to look in the parking lots of the nation’s universities to see that intelligence and wealth are not necessarily linked. "Professors tend to be very smart people,” he said. “But if you look at university parking lots, you don’t see a lot of Rolls Royces, Porsches or other very expensive cars. Instead you see a lot of old, low-value vehicles.” The lesson is simple, he said. “Intelligence is not a factor for explaining wealth. Those with low intelligence should not believe they are handicapped, and those with high intelligence should not believe they have an advantage.”Can Off-the-Shelf Reading Programs Close the First Grade Gap? Terrence Tivnan of Harvard University and Lowry Hemphill of Wheelock College are recipients of the International Reading Association’s 2007 Dina Feitelson Research Award for “Comparing Four Literacy Reform Models in High-Poverty Schools: Patterns of First-Grade Achievement,” published in The Elementary School Journal in May 2005. Tivnan, who was a first grade teacher, currently directs the masters program in human development and psychology for Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and teaches research methods and data analysis. Lowry Hemphill, who was on Harvard’s faculty from 1990-2002, chairs Wheelock’s department of language and literacy and teaches courses in literacy pedagogy and literacy research. In “Comparing Four Literacy Reform Models in High-Poverty Schools: Patterns of First-Grade Achievement,” Tivnan and Hemphill compare the impact of the four off-the-shelf reading programs approved for Boston. By comparing student achievement for first grade students in 16 participating public schools, Tivnan and Hemphill concluded that Building Essential Literacy (BEL), Developing Literacy First (DLF), Literacy Collaborative (LC), and Success for All (SFA) were equally successful in raising student achievement, despite difference in pedagogical focus and core beliefs about literacy development. All succeeded in expanding word reading and phonics skills for first grade students. Vocabulary increased as well, but neither it nor comprehension abilities improved enough for children to reach grade-level expectations in these areas. The programs also generated about the same level of writing achievement. Tivnan and Hemphill found that the pedagogical skills and orientations of individual teachers is the largest source of variability in first-grade outcomes, apart from differences in child ability. Some study teachers were successful in bringing 80 percent of their class to grade-level reading comprehension expectations, while others brought less than 20 percent to the same benchmark. Interestingly, DLF, which placed the greatest emphasis on training teachers to conduct effective guided reading groups and was least prescriptive about reading material, showed the greatest success in getting children close to grade-level reading comprehension by the end of first grade. Similarly, the modestly better performance of LC children in creating longer and more sophisticated writing may be linked to the professional development teachers received on how to provide writing instruction, as well as its emphasis on learning to read and write a group of high-frequency words. As Tivnan and Hemphill note, “An irony of literacy reform is that, although the adoption of structured models may provide some leveling of teacher knowledge and resources, there remain significant differences in capacity across teachers, even in a district with substantial supports for improved instruction.”Expert's Research Examines Thoughts and Behaviors of School Shooters A school violence expert has conducted research involving a long-term national study of the behavior and patterns in the lives of 15 school shooters involved in 13 incidences of targeted school violence from 1996 to 2005 in American schools. The study, conducted by Ann Marie C. Lenhardt, PhD, professor of counseling and human services at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY, is based on case studies of data derived from archival sources. Individual shooters included in the study perpetrated an act of targeted violence in their schools, acts that were preplanned, not impulsive. According to Lenhardt, who has been studying school violence for nearly a decade, “Many of the school shooters described themselves as having been bullied and persecuted. Results showed that 71 percent of attackers felt rejected and isolated by peers, 64 percent had poor coping skills and 64 percent demonstrated an exaggerated need for attention and respect.” Lenhardt has also conducted research in the Western New York area in 10 local school districts. She designed a focus group methodology for listening, recording and analyzing the voices of students, parents, school personnel and community agencies on the topic of school violence. The dialogues centered on the perceptions of these school stakeholders on school violence and related school climate and culture issues. “Our research found that, surprisingly, both local students, ranging from at-risk to student leaders, and students nationally who have been involved in acts of school violence have similar recommendations to offer school leaders,” said Lenhardt. She says the message is clear. “Students feel a lack of caring and respect in their relationships with adults in schools and feel they need a more collaborative relationship with these adults,” said Lenhardt. “Also, students said that there is an undercurrent of emotional or psychological violence such as teasing, bullying, being picked on and name calling present in their schools.”Teaching Conditions Drive Teachers from the Classroom Changes That Improve Teacher Retention Are Needed to Resolve Teacher Shortage California can ease its critical teacher shortage and encourage teachers to work in hard-to-staff schools by making meaningful improvements to the teaching and learning environment, according to a new study by the California State University Center for Teacher Quality. “Too many teachers leave the profession prematurely – critical problems in the teaching and learning environment are literally driving teachers from the classroom,” said Dr. Ken Futernick, the principal author of the report and the director of K-12 Studies at the CSU Center for Teacher Quality at CSU Sacramento. “If California is going to resolve its teaching shortage and improve instruction for all students we need to make changes that will keep teachers in the classroom and convince some who have left to return.” The report, A Possible Dream: Retaining California Teachers So All Students Learn, cites research showing 22 percent of California teachers leave the profession after their first four years in the classroom. Additionally, 10 percent of teachers transfer away from high poverty schools each year. California spends more than $455 million each year to recruit, hire, and prepare replacement teachers. The most serious consequence of high teacher turnover is the loss of continuity, experience and expertise that negatively impacts the educational experience of students. “California’s continuing loss of good teachers is expensive, inefficient and unacceptable,” said Jack O’Connell, State Superintendent of Public Instruction. “Increasing teacher retention is essential to resolving the state’s teacher shortage. If we in California are going to close the achievement gap between our poor and our more affluent students, we must ensure that all students have skilled and knowledgeable teachers with the support and resources necessary to succeed.” Based on an online survey of nearly 2000 teachers, the report provides new insights into the reasons teachers leave, and offers specific recommendations on what California policymakers and education leaders can do to get more qualified teachers to stay. According to the survey, dissatisfied teachers who left the profession cited serious problems with their working environment. More than half of these teachers expressed concerns over inadequate supports, such as a lack of time for planning or professional development, and bureaucratic impediments such as classroom interruptions, unnecessary meetings, and too little say over the way their schools are run. Teachers also pointed frequently to a lack of collegiality as a key reason for leaving the classroom. Teachers also told researchers that compensation was less important than the support they received in their schools. While better compensation matters, teacher retention rates in schools that are hard to staff are unlikely to improve without specific improvements to the teaching and learning environment. The survey also included teachers who planned to stay in the classroom. These “stayers” most often pointed to having meaningful input in the decision-making process at their schools and to strong, collaborative relationships with their colleagues. They also cited the importance of effective “system supports” such as adequate time for planning, and resources for classroom learning materials. When these positive conditions were in place, many “stayers” viewed their compensation as adequate and a reason for staying in the profession. The report’s findings have significant implications for the state’s hardest-to-staff schools. In schools with high concentrations of poor students, teachers were more likely to encounter shortages of instructional materials, unsupportive principals, poor support for special education students, disruptive bureaucracies, and unclean and unsafe work environments. “The California State University prepares over half of the state’s new teachers and is committed to preparing teachers to succeed with all students,” said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed. “But no matter how well prepared new teachers are, few will succeed if they do not have skilled veteran teachers as mentors or work environments that are not conducive to good teaching. Our hope is that this report will spur serious conversations among educators and policymakers about what can be done to improve the teaching and learning environment, especially in schools that serve underprivileged students.” The report offers a set of recommendations for policy makers and educators to increase teacher retention in California’s K-12 public schools. The report and summary materials are available online:
With Right Lessons, Non-native Kindergarteners Learn Vocabulary Faster than Native English-speakers An important study from The Elementary School Journal explores vocabulary development at the kindergarten level among English-only students (EOs) and English-language-learning students (ELLs) who speak another language at home. Analyzing rates of target word acquisition and overall vocabulary development, the study found that students learning English as a second language picked up general vocabulary more quickly and target vocabulary words at the same rate as native English-speaking kindergarteners. "This study contributes to knowledge about vocabulary instruction by investigating the effects of a vocabulary intervention with children from a variety of backgrounds," writes Rebecca Deffes Silverman, who conducted the research while at Harvard University and is now at the University of Maryland. Past studies have identified vocabulary as the "single most encountered obstacle" for English-language-learning students, Silverman points out, and vocabulary is also the primary determinant of future reading comprehension. Taking into account that kindergarteners comprehend oral language instruction at a much higher rate than they can read, Silverman developed and implemented a multidimensional vocabulary program incorporating storybook reading and opportunities to say vocabulary words aloud in five kindergarten classrooms. Three of the classrooms were mainstream English, in which both English-only kindergarteners and English-language learners were enrolled. One was structured immersion, in which only ELLs were enrolled. The last classroom was bilingual Spanish-English, attended by both EO and ELL children. After fourteen weeks, English-language-learning students knew 19 more words on a picture vocabulary assessment than they knew before the program, while native English-speaking students knew 14 more words than before. Similarly, on an oral vocabulary test, English-language-learning kindergarteners could provide definitions for 21 more words than they could before the program, compared to 17 more definitions for the native English-speaking kindergarteners. Also, though native English-speaking kindergarteners knew more of the target words before the program, there was no difference in knowledge of target words between the English-learning and English-only kindergarteners either immediately after the program or during follow-up six weeks later. "My study shows that ELLs can grow in general vocabulary at a faster rate than EOs," writes Silverman. "This may indicate that ELLs can eventually catch up to EOs in overall vocabulary knowledge, and it may also suggest that the structure of vocabulary intervention could provide the instructional focus that leads to narrowing the language gap between ELLs and EOs."National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine Report Calls for More Dairy Foods at School Recommendation reinforces positive role of dairy in child nutrition The National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine has released a report recommending nutrition standards be established for "competitive" foods in the school environment, such as a la carte cafeteria items, vending machines and school stores. The National Dairy Council (NDC) applauds the overall recommendations outlined in the report, which promote the consumption of nonfat and low-fat dairy products, fruits, vegetables and whole grains and limits the amount of saturated fat, salt, added sugars, and total calories. The report includes a specific recommendation for schools to increase the availability of low-fat and nonfat white and flavored milk and yogurt, with modest amounts of added sugars, for all grade levels, throughout the day. "We're pleased that the report recognizes the important role dairy foods play in contributing valuable nutrients to the diet of children and adolescents," said Ann Marie Krautheim, MA, RD, senior vice president of nutrition affairs at the NDC. "Child health is a dairy industry priority and we're committed to continuing to develop healthy and great-tasting dairy foods that can be enjoyed at school, at home and on-the-go." With child obesity rates on the rise, the new guidelines aim to improve children and adolescent's diets and health. "This report is a step in the right direction for helping children and adolescents develop lifelong healthy eating habits," said Keith Ayoob, EdD, RD, FADA Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. "The report wants to encourage kids to eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and especially dairy foods, which give kids three of the five "nutrients of concern" identified by the Dietary Guidelines, specifically, calcium, potassium and magnesium. Kids spend more than half their day in school so it's important that school food and beverage offerings provide the nutrients they need." Milk and milk products provide more than 70 percent of the calcium consumed by Americans. The Dietary Guidelines recommend children ages 9 and older consume three servings of low-fat or fat-free and milk or milk products each day. And, children ages 2-8 can consume three child-size servings of milk to add up to a total of 2 cups, or equivalent, of dairy foods per day. Together milk, cheese and yogurt contain nine essential nutrients, and dairy is the number-one source of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium in the diets of American children and adolescents. Adequate calcium intake during childhood and adolescence, by consuming the recommended three servings of dairy a day, may help to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and fractures later in life. And, research shows that children who consume recommended amounts of dairy foods have better overall nutrient intakes. However, half of children ages 4-8 and ninety percent of preteen girls and 70 percent of preteen boys (ages 9-13) do not meet current calcium recommendations. Nearly nine out of 10 teenage girls and almost seven out of 10 teenage boys (ages 14-18) don't meet calcium recommendations. NDC and leading health professional organizations – as part of the 3-A-Day of Dairy program – work to educate families on the benefits eating a healthy diet. For more information on dairy foods and school nutrition and the 3-A-Day health professional partners, visit www.3aday.org. To view the report in full: http://www.iom.edu/File.aspx?ID=42505 Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning: Insights from a Neurologist and Classroom Teacher In this book, author Judy Willis, a neurologist and classroom teacher, combs through brain research and pulls out the information that is most valid and relevant to classroom teaching. The author focuses on ways educators can enhance students' memory and test-taking abilities, as well as methods for effectively holding their attention and encouraging participation. Chapter 1 Memory, Learning, and Test-Taking Success http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/template.chapter/menuitem.6b8e5ca7dd1e8e8cdeb3ffdb62108a0c/?chapterMgmtId=673eaa059a22d010VgnVCM1000003d01a8c0RCRD Dallas school trustees approved the second phase of an ambitious reform plan Thursday night, 18 months after district leaders pledged to transform the system into one of the nation's best. A committee of 65 educators and community leaders wrote the plan, called Dallas Achieves, with the assistance of several consultants. The group based its work on the strategies used at other successful urban school systems… Trustee Edwin Flores called the reform plan brilliant. "We need change, a transformation, a revolution in urban education," he said. "We need to move forward with all due haste because our children deserve it. That's not going to happen if we sit around." Trustees have previously said they thought the success of the plan is crucial not just for the students of the district, but also for the economic future of the city. The commission has noted that only about 5 percent of DISD ninth-graders eventually earn a college degree. Creating a school system that prepares students for college will strengthen the local economy and stem the flight of families to the suburbs, school leaders said…. To see complete article: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/education/stories/042707dnmetdallasachieves.37642f2.html To see full report: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/04-07/0427dallasachieves.pdf State’s Reach Exceeds Its Grasp In Teaching Immigrants English California’s English as a Second Language Program Funding Can’t Keep Pace with Demand California’s main program for providing instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL) is tied to a 1970s level of funding that cannot match exploding demand, according to a new study by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). For over 150 years, the state has supported the concept that an English-speaking population is essential to economic, political, and social success: It began providing free-of-charge English instruction in the 1850s. However, ESL resources are distributed based on an outdated formula – and not on demand. ESL is carried out on the local level by adult schools (run by local school districts), community colleges, libraries, and other community organizations. All of these agencies receive funding in drastically different ways, despite having the same mission and serving the same population. The funding problem is perhaps most striking for adult schools: They are by far the largest ESL provider, responsible for 75 percent of the state’s ESL students. Yet, the state’s funding formula for these schools does not reflect the growing demand. The population targeted for ESL (more than 18 years old and not proficient in English) has soared from 900,000 in 1980 to nearly 3 million in 2000. That is an annual growth rate of nearly 6 percent among residents who are defined as needing ESL. However, funding for the state’s ESL program is dictated by 1979 legislation that limits growth in adult education funding to 2.5 percent per year. Consequently, close to 60 percent of adult schools in California exceed their funding limit. Their options are to over-enroll students, reduce the quality of the adult programs, or turn students away. The study, California’s Commitment to Adult English Learners: Caught Between Funding and Need, argues that the state’s system funding ESL should be revamped to address changing and growing demand. “California decided a long time ago that the primary way to help integrate immigrants is through English language instruction – but the funding system that supports this goal is nearly 30 years old, fundamentally flawed, and should be reworked,” according to the report’s author, economist and PPIC research fellow Arturo Gonzalez. To read the study: http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/report/R_407AGR.pdf Californians and Education, Frustrated by Little Progress and Lack of Faith in Process, Californians Lose Focus on K-12 Education Is frustration with California’s faltering education system so profound that residents are simply disengaging from the vital issue? Although they continue to be deeply critical of the quality of K-12 education in the state, and of state leadership on the issue, the number of residents ranking education and schools as the most important issue facing California has fallen to its lowest point in three years, according to a survey by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPI | ||
