# Presentation: 002412

## A Tale of Two Districts: One High Poverty, One High SES

- 2008 IES Research Conference
- Dr. Jane T. Plenge
- Dr. Antoinette Rath

## Overview of Districts

_**W-NJ**_
- “B” District
- 3/5 schools made AYP in 2007
- Majority white & black

_**MT-NJ**_
- “J” District
- 5/5 schools made AYP in 2007
- Majority white & Asian

## W-NJ   05-06
LAL PartProf/Prof/AdvProf
Wh – 40
32.5%    37.5%    30.0%
Bl – 33
36.4%    60.6%    3.0%
MATH
Wh - 40
32.5%    55.0%    12.5%
Bl – 32
59.4%    40.6%    0.0%

**LAL **PartProf/Prof/AdvProf
- Wh – 40
- 32.5%    37.5%    30.0%
- Bl – 33
- 36.4%    60.6%    3.0%
**MATH**
- Wh - 40
- 32.5%    55.0%    12.5%
- Bl – 32
- 59.4%    40.6%    0.0%

_**MT-NJ**_**  05-06**
**LAL  **PartProf/Prof/AdvProf
- Wh - 287
- 2.1%    45.3%    52.6%
- As - 69
- 0.0%    30.4%    69.6%
**MATH**
- Wh - 288
- 3.5%    43.1%    53.5%
- As - 69
- 1.4%    17.4%    81.2%

- State Assessment Results 2005-06

## Use of Research – W-NJ

_**WRITE in all content areas **_
- UPenn – PENN Literacy Network
- Writing Across the Curriculum – teacher constructed writing prompts
- Administered every course, every period, 3x per marking period
- Accountability: Teacher portfolio due at time of APR
- Teachers not writing specialists; focus on content understanding
- PD for full staff + on-site graduate courses

## Use of Research – W-NJ

_**Writing in all content areas **_
- Research & data from Education Trust –
- PD - Standards in Practice
- Full staff study - use of standards (1 content, 1 writing) in teacher assignments and resulting student work samples
- Cross content, within content, in grade level

## Use of Research – W-NJ

_**Achievement Gap**_
- PD to prep for research & data collection – Ron Ferguson, Harvard University - Tripod Project
- PD with Psychologist Howard C. Stevenson, Jr. –GSE UPENN
*Playing with Anger: Teaching Coping Skills to African American Boys Through Athletics and Culture*

## Use of Research – W-NJ

_**Achievement Gap**_
- Minority Task Force – community & staff
- Book Study Groups for Staff – Lisa Delpit, Gary Howard, Ruby Payne
- Membership in Delaware Valley Minority Student Achievement Consortium
- African-American Male Group, student focus groups
- On site qualitative study – *Gender, Race, and Representation in US History Films: Impact on Identity Development in Black and White Females*

## W-NJ – After Research-Based Program Interventions Over 2 Yrs (2003-04)

_**Language Arts Literacy**_** – **99 tested
- PartProf  	        Prof	            AdvProf
**   ****22.2**(31.5)        **64.6**(59.6)       **13.1**(9.0)
- Passing          **77.7 (04)         **68.6 (03)**    gain = 9.1**
_**Math**_** – **99 tested
- PartProf  	        Prof	            AdvProf
**   ****38.4**(57.3)        **36.4**(36)	  **25.3**(6.7)
- Passing          **61.7 (04)         **42.7 (03)    **gain = 19.0**

## Use of Research – MT-NJ

_**Math & Science curriculum renewal process**_
- Change deeply held beliefs of teachers and administration to change practice
- E.g. *Everyday Math & Physics First* – Promising programs based on empirical data – NCTM and NSF
- Implement standards-based instruction and assessment
- Encourage constructivist & inquiry learning - more than just procedural, i.e., conceptual understanding
- Support - extensive PD

## Use of Research – MT-NJ

_**TIMSS**_
- Focal Points
- Makes TIMSS research applicable
- Shifted emphasis for grade levels
- De-emphasized and eliminated some areas
- Moves closer to national curriculum
- NJ in process of planning implementation of Alg I, Alg II, Bio, Chem. end-of course assessments

## Use of Research – MT-NJ

_**Elementary Principal:**_
- With parents to support instruction or issues with practice
- To redirect a teacher, e.g. use of negative discipline system
- Planning – budgeting for resource purchases
- Answering questions from teachers and parents
- Move to non-fiction story books rather than history text

## Use of Research – MT-NJ

- ETS – Non-cognitive measures
- Construct and administer HS student survey
- Provide actions for self monitoring based on responses
- Utilize findings for research
- ERS
- Class size, study skills, reading recovery, grading/student evaluation, first grade, transitional/junior kindergarten, full day kindergarten, gifted education, MS transitional programs

## Thanks for your attention and your interest!