Showing papers in "Teachers College Record in 2015"
TL;DR: For example, this article found that teacher turnover has increased substantially in U.S. public schools, especially in those serving large portions of low-income students of color, over the past three decades.
Abstract: Background/ContextOver the past three decades, teacher turnover has increased substantially in U.S. public schools, especially in those serving large portions of low-income students of color. Teach...
472 citations
TL;DR: Despite increased access to student learning data, scholars have demonstrated that teachers do not always know how to use these data in ways that lead to deep changes in instruction and o... as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: BackgroundDespite increased access to student learning data, scholars have demonstrated that teachers do not always know how to use these data in ways that lead to deep changes in instruction and o...
156 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a detailed understanding of how teachers actually use assessment data to inform instruction, and how to use data for instructional improvement. But, they do not discuss the role of assessment data as a panacea for improvement.
Abstract: BackgroundData use has been promoted as a panacea for instructional improvement. However, the field lacks a detailed understanding of how teachers actually use assessment data to inform instruction...
153 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the increasing focus on education as an evidence-based practice requires that educators can effectively use data to inform their practice, at the level of classroom instructional decision making.
Abstract: BackgroundThe increasing focus on education as an evidence-based practice requires that educators can effectively use data to inform their practice. At the level of classroom instructional decision...
141 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors consider the means by which educators can acquire the requisite data literacy skills to use data to inform their practice, but little has been done to consider how to acquire the necessary data literacy ski...
Abstract: BackgroundWith the growing emphasis for educators to use data to inform their practice, little has been done to consider the means by which the educators can acquire the requisite data literacy ski...
138 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that K-12 schools are integral to augmenting and diversifying the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce and that they can inspire and reinforce students.
Abstract: Background/ContextSchools are integral to augmenting and diversifying the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce This is because K–12 schools can inspire and reinforce
133 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focused on the factors influencing a professional development intervention for data-based decision making: the data team procedure, and found that several data characteristics (access and availability of high-quality data), school organizational characteristics, and individual and team characteristics (data literacy, pedagogical content knowledge [PCK], organizational knowledge, attitude, and collaboration) influence the use of data in data teams.
Abstract: Background: Data-based decision making can lead to increased student achievement; however, schools struggle with the implementation of data-based decision making. Professional development in the use of data is therefore urgently needed. However, professional development is often ineffective in terms of improving the knowledge, skills, and attitude of the receiver.
Purpose: We need a more fundamental understanding of how we can increase the effectiveness of data-use-related professional development. This study therefore focuses on the factors influencing a professional development intervention for data-based decision making: the data team procedure. Data teams are teams of teachers and school leaders who collaboratively learn how to use data, following a structured approach and guided by a facilitator from the university. Based on an extensive literature review, we developed a data use framework in which the use of data is influenced by data characteristics, school organization characteristics, and user and team characteristics.
Research Design: We conducted case studies.
Data Collection: We focused on observing in depth the factors that influence the work of the data teams and interviewing the data team members about these factors. Four data teams of six schools for upper secondary education were followed over a period of 2 years. We observed and analyzed 34 meetings and analyzed 23 interviews, combined with our field notes. Although this pilot study only permits analytical generalization of the findings, the findings provide more in-depth insight into the factors that enable and hinder interventions, focusing on supporting collaborative data use in schools.
Findings: The results show that several data characteristics (access and availability of high-quality data), school organizational characteristics (a shared goal, leadership, training and support, involvement of relevant stakeholders), and individual and team characteristics (data literacy, pedagogical content knowledge [PCK], organizational knowledge, attitude, and collaboration) influence the use of data in data teams. The results also show that these influencing factors are interrelated.
Conclusions: Schools need support in all aspects of the use of data (from formulation of a problem definition to taking action based on the data). This study can form a starting point for larger studies into the factors influencing these types of professional development interventions to ensure effective implementation and sustainability.
131 citations
TL;DR: A sense of belonging in school is a complex construct that relies heavily on students' perceptions of the educational environment, especially their relationships with other studen... as mentioned in this paper, and it is dependent heavily on the students' perception of their educational environment.
Abstract: Background/ContextA sense of belonging in school is a complex construct that relies heavily on students’ perceptions of the educational environment, especially their relationships with other studen...
127 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on the growing role of venture philanthropy in shaping policy and practice in teacher education in the United States, and their goal is to bring a greater level o...
Abstract: Background & PurposeThis article focuses on the growing role of venture philanthropy in shaping policy and practice in teacher education in the United States. Our goal is to bring a greater level o...
111 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the impact of a professional development intervention on teacher self-efficacy, burnout, and professional engagement and satisfaction of 9th and 10th grade students in the teachers' classes.
Abstract: Background/Context: Billions of dollars are spent annually on professional development (PD) for educators, yet few randomized controlled trials (RCT) have demonstrated the ultimate impact PD has on student learning. Further, while policymakers and others speak to the role schools should play in developing students' civic awareness, RCTs of PD designed to foster civic learning are rare. This randomized controlled trial contributes to the knowledge base on the effectiveness of PD designed to integrate civic learning, ethical reflection, and historical thinking skills into high school humanities courses. Focus of Study: The study examined the impact of a PD intervention in two areas: (a) teacher self-efficacy, burnout, and professional engagement and satisfaction; and (b) the academic, civic, social, and ethical competencies of 9th and 10th grade students in the teachers' classes. Population/Participants/Subjects: The study involved 113 teachers and 1,371 9th and 10th grade students in 60 high schools from eight metropolitan regions in the United States. Intervention/Program/Practice: The intervention, Facing History and Ourselves, provides PD through a five-day seminar, curricular materials, and follow-up coaching and workshops to help teachers develop their capacities to implement an interdisciplinary historical case study unit using student-centered pedagogy. Research Design: The study used a school-level, randomized, experimental design to investigate impacts of the intervention for teachers and their 9th and 10th grade students. Findings/Results: Intervention teachers showed significantly greater self-efficacy in all eight assessed domains, more positive perceptions of professional support, satisfaction and growth, and greater personal accomplishment. Intervention students demonstrated stronger skills for analyzing evidence, agency, and cause and effect on a historical understanding performance measure; greater self-reported civic efficacy and tolerance for others with different views; and more positive perceptions of the classroom climate and the opportunities afforded for engaging with civic matters. Fidelity analysis found these causal effects despite the fact that roughly half of the intervention teachers did not fully implement the program. Conclusions/Recommendations: Educators need evidence-based approaches for teaching complex social, civic, and political issues enabling students of diverse mindsets and backgrounds to engage constructively with one another while obtaining necessary skills and knowledge. These findings provide empirical support for a professional development approach that engages teachers in fostering academic and civic competencies critical to both participation in a democracy and success in college and career.
111 citations
TL;DR: In spite of the widely acknowledged importance of creativity to society and the economy, scholars have had difficulty providing research-based recommendations for how to foster creativity in the arts and culture.
Abstract: Background/ContextIn spite of the widely acknowledged importance of creativity to society and the economy, scholars have had difficulty providing research-based recommendations for how to foster cr...
TL;DR: In the last few decades, a focus on school accountability at the state and federal levels has created expectations for teachers to attend to data in increasingly structured ways as mentioned in this paper, which has resulted in teachers attending to data more frequently.
Abstract: BackgroundIn the last few decades, a focus on school accountability at the state and federal levels has created expectations for teachers to attend to data in increasingly structured ways. Although...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a policy guidance for how to build schools' capacity to leverage data to improve teaching and learning in the context of increased data use. Building on previous r...
Abstract: BackgroundAmid calls for increased data use, there is little research or policy guidance for how to build schools’ capacity to leverage data to improve teaching and learning. Building on previous r...
TL;DR: The Common Core State Standards reveal how little we understand about the components of effective discussion-based instruction in disciplinary history as mentioned in this paper, although the case for clas- fication is strong.
Abstract: Background/ContextThe Common Core State Standards reveals how little we understand about the components of effective discussion-based instruction in disciplinary history. Although the case for clas...
TL;DR: In the context of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM), a series of semi-structured discussions among nationally recognized experts who hold opposing points of view on mathematics teaching and/or learning was held in this paper.
Abstract: Background/Context Which ideas should be included in the K–12 curriculum, how they are learned, and how they should be taught have been debated for decades in multiple subjects. In this article, we offer mathematics as a case in point of how new standards-related policies may offer an opportunity for reassessment and clarification of such debates. Purpose/Objective Our goal was to specify instructional models associated with terms such as “reform” and “traditional”—which, in this article, we refer to as “dialogic” and “direct”—in terms of perspectives on what it means to know mathematics, how students learn mathematics, and how mathematics should be taught. Research Design In the spirit of “adversarial collaboration,” we hosted a series of semi-structured discussions among nationally recognized experts who hold opposing points of view on mathematics teaching and/or learning. During those discussions, the recent consensus regarding what students should learn—as represented by the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM)—was taken as a common goal, and additional areas of agreement and disagreement were identified and discussed. The goal was not to reach consensus but to invite representatives of different perspectives to clarify and come to agreement on how they disagree. Findings/Results We present two instructional models that were specified and refined over the course of those discussions and describe nine key areas that distinguish the two models: (a) the importance and role of talk; (b) the importance and role of group work; (c) the sequencing of mathematical topics; (d) the nature and ordering of mathematical instructional tasks; (e) the nature, timing, source, and purpose of feedback; (f) the emphasis on creativity (i.e., authoring one's own learning; mathematizing subject matter from reality); (g) the purpose of diagnosing student thinking; (h) the introduction and role of definitions; and (i) the nature and role of representations. Additionally, we elaborate a more nuanced description of the ongoing debate, as it pertains to particular sources of difference in perspective. Conclusions/Recommendations With this article, we hope to advance ongoing debates in two ways: (a) discrediting false assumptions and oversimplified conceptions of the “other side's” arguments (which can obscure both the real differences and real similarities between different models of instruction), and (b) framing the debates in a manner that allows for more thoughtful empirical investigation oriented to understanding learning in the discipline.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors challenge the assumption that holds sway in many people's minds: differences hold sway in the assumption of cultural diversity and cross-role partnership, and present a discussion that challenges the assumption.
Abstract: BackgroundInspired by various conceptualizations of both cultural diversity and cross-role partnership, this discussion challenges the assumption that holds sway in many people's minds: Differences...
TL;DR: In this paper, there is a strong sense in education that creativity should be nurtured in classroom settings, yet there is little understanding of how effective and creative teachers function in the classroom.
Abstract: Background/ContextThere is a strong sense in education that creativity should be nurtured in classroom settings, yet there is little understanding of how effective and creative teachers function. E...
TL;DR: English language learners (ELLs) are the fastest growing segment of the K-12 student population in the United States, yet they encounter substantial problems entering higher education institutions as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Background/ContextEnglish language learners (ELLs) are the fastest growing segment of the K–12 student population in the United States, yet they encounter substantial problems entering higher educa...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on the educational outcomes for language minority (LM) children and their educational outcomes are of great concern across the nation because these students have lower grades, are rated by their teachers as having lower skill.
Abstract: BackgroundEducational outcomes for language minority (LM) children are of great concern across the nation because these students have lower grades, are rated by their teachers as having lower skill...
TL;DR: For instance, the authors examined depictions of social class in children's literature and found that the portrayals of females and racial groups have been investigated for several decades, yet few studies have examined the social class of the characters.
Abstract: BackgroundScholars of children's literature have been investigating portrayals of females and racial groups for several decades, yet few have examined depictions of social class. Research on social...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the characteristics and educational trajectories of students considered long-term English learners and examined how prolonged classification as an English learner impacted students' opportunity to learn and explored whether and how the LTEL label was linked to stigma for students.
Abstract: Background/Context The label long-term English learner (LTEL) is increasingly used to describe students who have been educated in the United States for many years but have not met criteria to be considered proficient in English. Though created to draw awareness to the unique needs of a particular group of students, the LTEL label has acquired strongly negative connotations, with descriptions of LTELs often focusing on students’ perceived deficits. Limited empirical analysis of achievement and other outcomes among this group of students has been conducted, and little is known about the impact of the LTEL label on students’ educational trajectories. Purpose/Objective This study explores the characteristics and educational trajectories of students considered long-term English learners. In addition, the study explores the costs and benefits associated with the LTEL label. In particular, the author examines how prolonged classification as an English learner impacted students’ opportunity to learn and explores whether and how the LTEL label was linked to stigma for students. Research Design Using case study research methods, this study focuses on the experiences of three students in a medium-sized California school district who were considered long-term English learners. Analysis of district-wide, longitudinal data contextualizes the experiences of the three focal students. Findings/Results First, findings provide evidence of the heterogeneity of academic achievement, course placement, and long-term outcomes among students to whom the long-term English learner label is applied. Approximately half of students considered LTELs in the district had met at least some of the criteria necessary to be considered English proficient in at least one year. For instance, one focal student remained an English learner throughout middle school solely because of her scores on the state standardized math test. Meanwhile, 35% of students in the district who were considered LTELs also qualified for special education services because of documented disabilities. Second, findings indicate that there was a loose coupling between the LTEL label and specific services for students in this district. Among the three focal students, all could be considered LTELs, but their course placements and the academic rigor of their courses varied dramatically in high school. Finally, students experienced courses designed exclusively for English learners at the secondary level (but not at the elementary level) as stigmatizing. Conclusions/Recommendations Given the substantial variation among students to whom the Long-Term English Learner label is applied, this research suggests that educators and policymakers should use the LTEL label with caution. For example, “intervention” courses designed for LTELs at the secondary level may need to be reconsidered, taking into account the unique needs of the particular students the courses are intended to serve. Given the stigma that students associate with EL-only courses at the secondary level, the conditions under which such courses can function as empowering rather than stigmatizing spaces represents an important area for future research.
TL;DR: Turnaround-style reforms are not only based on unwarranted claims; they ignore contrary research evidence about the potential of mass firings to improve organizational performance as mentioned in this paper, and most of these reforms require massive administrative and teacher layoffs, especially under the turnaround option.
Abstract: Background In 2009, the Obama Administration announced its intention to rapidly “turn around” 5,000 of the nation's lowest-performing schools. To do so, it relied on the School Improvement Grant (SIG) program to provide temporary funding for states and schools, and to mandate drastic, school-level reforms. Most of these reforms require massive administrative and teacher layoffs, especially under the “turnaround option.”In the public debate about the SIG program, reforms such as turnarounds have been described as new and innovative. In reality, the nation has significant experience with them, particularly over the past 40 years. Turnaround-style reforms are not only based on unwarranted claims; they ignore contrary research evidence about the potential of mass firings to improve organizational performance. Purpose This paper considers the tensions with democratic education inherent in the federal SIG program's market-based school reforms. It examines the evolution of and intent behind the 2009 federal SIG program. From there, it considers the lessons of forty years of research on educational effectiveness and high-stakes accountability. It builds on this evidence, as well as the growing literature on communities’ engagement in reform, in its analysis of the school turnaround research and practice. The paper culminates in a set of recommendations that are intended to re-center the purposes of public education for low-income students, students of color, and local communities in developing more equitable, democratic school turnarounds. Research Design This article synthesizes forty years of research on school and district effectiveness, high-stakes accountability, and community engagement in school reform to evaluate the federal School Improvement Grant program's potential to cultivate democratic, equitable public schools. It also reviews the small, but rapidly growing literature on school turnarounds, paying particular attention to the ways in which this new field reproduces or departs from earlier literature that examined reform models that are analogous to the current SIG-funded school turnarounds. Conclusions: Based on the provisional lessons that are emerging from current SIG-inspired turnarounds, from research on earlier efforts to improve school and district effectiveness, and from pockets of promising community-based practices that are developing at local and national levels, we propose five steps that federal, state, and local policymakers can take toward fostering more equitable, democratic turnaround processes. First, increase current federal and state spending for public education, particularly as it is allocated for more democratic turnarounds. Second, focus turnaround policies on improving the quality of teaching and learning rather than on technical-structural changes. Third, engage a broad cross-section of schools’ communities—teachers, students, parents, and community organizations—in planning and implementing turnaround strategies that are tailored to each school and district context. Fourth, incorporate multiple indicators of effectiveness—apart from test scores—that reflect the range of purposes for schools. Fifth, support ongoing, systematic research, evaluation, and dissemination examining all aspects of turnaround processes in schools and districts.
TL;DR: The 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision on Brown v. Board of Education concluded that segregated schools were inherently unequal and therefore unlawful as mentioned in this paper, but this decision was not based on the principle of equality.
Abstract: Background/ContextThe 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision on Brown v. Board of Education concluded that segregated schools were inherently unequal and therefore unlawful. That decision was not based s...
TL;DR: The past decade has witnessed a sustained emphasis on information and communication technologies (ICT) in education, coupled with the rise of online social media and increasing pervasiveness of information as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: ContextThe past decade has witnessed a sustained emphasis on information and communication technologies (ICT) in education, coupled with the rise of online social media and increasing pervasiveness...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that institutions of higher education, specifically schools of education, should play a pivotal role in supporting educators' development of data literacy for teaching, while novice teachers a...
Abstract: BackgroundInstitutions of higher education, specifically schools of education, should play a pivotal role in supporting educators’ development of data literacy for teaching. While novice teachers a...
TL;DR: In this article, metacognitive knowledge includes knowledge about adequate learning strategies, and because an effective use of learning strategies is associated with higher levels of perf ectivity, it is shown that adequate learning strategy is correlated with high levels of performance.
Abstract: Background/ContextBecause metacognitive knowledge includes knowledge about adequate learning strategies, and because an effective use of learning strategies is associated with higher levels of perf...
TL;DR: This article found that differences exist between high schools in their commitment to and efforts toward guiding and aiding students in their post-secondary pathways; however, little is known about how the curric...
Abstract: BackgroundDifferences exist between high schools in their commitment to and efforts toward guiding and aiding students in their postsecondary pathways; however, little is known about how the curric...
TL;DR: Two key uses of international assessments of achievement have been (a) comparing country performances for identifying the countries with the best education systems and (b) generat... as discussed by the authors, and
Abstract: Background/ContextTwo key uses of international assessments of achievement have been (a) comparing country performances for identifying the countries with the best education systems and (b) generat...
TL;DR: In this article, the need for educators to bring multimodal, digital composition practices into classrooms has been highlighted, yet little research has been done to show what such practices can do for students.
Abstract: Background/ContextPrior research on multimodal, digital composition has highlighted the need for educators to bring such practices into classrooms, yet little research has been done to show what ki...
TL;DR: High school choice policies attempt to improve the educational outcomes of poor and minority students by allowing access to high school beyond neighborhood boundaries as discussed by the authors. But, these policies do not consider minority students.
Abstract: BackgroundHigh school choice policies attempt to improve the educational outcomes of poor and minority students by allowing access to high school beyond neighborhood boundaries. These policies assu...