ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Common Ground on the Transformation of Teaching?
Author: Herdman, Paul
Date: 2012-09-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Teaching (Occupation),Reputation,Teacher Effectiveness,Educational Policy,Educational Change,Politics of Education,Teacher Attitudes,Unions,Teacher Qualifications,Teacher Competencies,Teacher Administrator Relationship,Teacher Education Programs,Program Evaluation

Finland does a number of things to support their children well, but one of the big factors is that they have strong teachers. With the US drifting down the international depth chart of educational performance, what can reformers and teachers do to ensure they learn from the world's best and transform their teaching profession in a way that makes sense for an American context? In the last two years, much of the state-level debate has been focused on crafting fair evaluations of existing teachers. If done well, this could open the door to identifying new career paths, determine where extra help is needed, and weed out those for whom the profession is not a good fit. However, despite these potential benefits, teacher evaluation policies have become mired in complex technical debates, strained some already fragile teacher-administrative relationships and may, in fact, not be addressing the most meaty problems. As Americans move forward in this work, the author hopes they keep the rigor of countries like Finland in mind. One element the Finns have built over time is &quot;trust.&quot; In Finland, that trust was earned by crafting a system in which only the top ten percent of college graduates teach and by demonstrating consistently high results year over year. (Contains 2 endnotes.)
Five Pressing Challenges for Effective Data Use
Author: Guidera, Aimee
Date: 2012-09-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Stakeholders,Data,Access to Information,Program Implementation,High Schools,High School Graduates,Parents,Longitudinal Studies,Labor Force,Teachers

Stakeholder access and the capacity to use quality data will make or break successful implementation of education policies. To ensure effective implementation, parents, teachers, and policymakers must have access to robust, quality data--including information beyond summative test scores. Quality data must include longitudinal data that are linked across the P-20/W spectrum. Access alone, however, is not enough. Stakeholders will never be empowered to make important decisions if they do not have the capacity to use data effectively. This paper presents the five most pressing challenges to effective data use along with few recommendations. They include: (1) Teachers lack the skills and strategies to effectively use data; (2) Parents do not have access to quality data about their children and schools; (3) States do not have a good understanding of the quality of their educator workforce; (4) High schools lack the evidence on how their students performed after graduating; and (5) Data are largely siloed and sharing data across agencies is hampered.
Equity Implications for Mathematics Learning Outcomes
Author: Reznichenko, Nataliya
Date: 2013-03-00
Type: Information Analyses
Subjects: Mathematics Education,Mathematics Achievement,Academic Standards,Access to Education,Equal Education,Achievement Gap,Outcomes of Education,Educational Experience,Social Influences,Gender Differences,Race,Ethnicity,Socioeconomic Status,Social Class,Elementary Schools,Middle Schools,Longitudinal Studies

The call for &quot;mathematics for all&quot; reaffirms the belief that all students should have equal access, equal educational experiences, and equal educational outcomes. Existing gap in students' mathematics achievement have long been coupled with the demographic categories of race and ethnicity, culture and language, SES and social class, gender and disabilities. Standards-based reform in mathematics education has a goal of high academic standards for all students. The literature review of research on equity implications for mathematics learning outcomes in the context of standards-based reform is presented. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of various equity variables on mathematics outcomes. The review analyzes the factors that contribute to mathematics achievement gap in terms of standards-based reform.
Factors That Contribute to the Failure of Developmental Mathematics Courses
Author: Mekonnen, Adugna
Date: 2008-10-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Community Colleges,Developmental Studies Programs,Remedial Mathematics,Academic Failure,Qualitative Research,Predictor Variables,Social Influences,Prior Learning,Low Achievement,Family Characteristics,Observation,Case Studies,Barriers,Social Support Groups,Socioeconomic Status,Knowledge Level,Comprehension

This qualitative case study considers factors such as difficulty of understanding mathematics and poor mathematics practicing strategy under academic factors and lack of family support under social factors as those that contribute to the failure.  Many students entering community college have deficiencies in mathematics background and are required to take developmental courses. Despite students' regular attendance and interest in taking developmental mathematics courses, many of them fail these courses. The purpose of this study was to understand and identify major academic and social factors that contribute to the failure of developmental mathematics students. It was done from the perspective of those students who attend class regularly and repeat the same developmental mathematics course several times. Four appendixes present: (1) Interview Protocol; (2) Interview Transcript; (3) Classroom Observation; and (4) List of Codes. (Contains 1 figure.)
Who's Who in a Growing Education Reform Movement
Author: Policy Innovators in Education Network
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Educational Change,Advocacy,Excellence in Education,Organizational Climate,Organizational Development,Government School Relationship,Educational Policy,Public Policy,Organizations (Groups),Reputation,Group Behavior,Social Change,Research,Policy Formation

Education reform advocacy organizations have been working at the state-level for more than twenty-five years, but the last decade has seen a significant increase in their number and in the intensity of their focus and methods. It's no coincidence that as reform organizations proliferate the movement accelerates: the mission of such organizations is to build and mobilize a constituency for change. As the reform sector grows, many of the philanthropists who support this important work are asking for clarity about the unique contributions of groups working to advance education reform at the state-level. To address those important questions, leaders of several prominent national advocacy organizations, along with several leaders of single-state groups, gathered with the simple goal of delineating their respective efforts and fostering stronger working relationships across the sector. Leading education philanthropists commissioned this report to help them and other funders better understand the distinguishing contributions of all the reform players. Basic questions these funders regularly pose include: (1) Why are so many groups necessary?; (2) What distinguishes each player?; (3) Where and in what capacity are groups working?; (4) Who and what unique leverage does each bring to the table?; and (5) In what ways, if any, are these groups working together to advance common goals? This report answers those questions. It focuses on the organizations poised to play leading roles in shaping the overall policy framework at the district, state, and national level but focuses most heavily on the state-level, where the landscape is increasingly crowded. It gives special attention to the roles and distinctions among the national advocacy players that have emerged over the past decade. (Contains 4 figures and 5 footnotes.) [This report was created through the collaborative efforts of 50CAN, Colorado Succeeds, ConnCAN, Democrats for Education Reform, the Education Trust, the Foundation for Excellence in Education, the League of Education Voters (WA), Stand for Children and StudentsFirst.]
Engaging Teachers in Ed Reform
Author: Steans, Robin
Date: 2012-09-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Public Agencies,Unions,Educational Change,Teacher Participation,Teacher Role,Educational Policy,Program Implementation

Teacher engagement is crucial to the success of education reforms. Not only can teachers serve as policymakers' eyes and ears on the ground, sharing firsthand knowledge of challenges in the classroom, but their advocacy can be instrumental to passing smart, sensible policies, and their buy-in can make or break reform implementation. Ongoing teacher participation can help identify potential hurdles to policy implementation, thereby ensuring a smooth transition period. Teacher insight can mean the difference between well-intentioned but ultimately ineffective bureaucratic adjustments, and transformative changes that directly impact student progress. In the past, teacher unions served as the most common way for teachers to engage in policy decisions. With the advent of groups like Teach Plus, Viva, and Educators for Excellence, teachers now have more ways to engage in policy work, and policymakers across the country are taking increasing advantage of teacher voice in each step of the policymaking process. Teacher insight and ideas are increasingly driving and influencing education policy at the local, state, and national levels, and teacher engagement is being fostered across government agencies, advocacy organizations, and think tanks. This paper discusses the following: (1) What does teacher engagement in the reform process look like?; and (2) How is teacher engagement in education reform likely to evolve? (Contains 2 endnotes.)
Improving the Front-End of the Teacher and Leader Pipeline. 2011 PIE Network Summit Policy Briefs
Author: DeArmond, Michael
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Teacher Supply and Demand,Teacher Recruitment,Teacher Effectiveness,Information Utilization,Data Collection,Educational Policy,Educational Change,Alternative Teacher Certification,Teacher Certification,Politics of Education

Teacher evaluation and dismissal reforms have been in the education policy spotlight in recent years. From The New Teacher Project's &quot;The Widget Effect&quot; to states' Race to the Top applications, educational leaders and advocates have been thinking about how to make evaluation and dismissal more performance-based. These downstream personnel reforms are important, but they beg a critical question: How can states ensure that the best possible teachers and leaders are entering the system in the first place? Today, education leaders and advocates still voice many of these same concerns. In addition, they recognize that today's teacher and leader pipeline faces a whole host of demands it didn't face twenty years ago. In an effort to transform their teacher and leader pipelines, a handful of states are moving to simultaneously reform and expand how they oversee the preparation and certification of teachers and leaders. These efforts include: (1) Collecting and using more performance data on prep programs; (2) Offering more preparation options; and (3) Re-designing certification. (Contains 1 footnote.)
A Picturesque View of Dispositions, Autonomy, and Efficacy during the Educational Preparation of Early Childhood Educators
Author: Parrott, Martha Y.
Date: 2013-03-10
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Qualitative Research,Preservice Teachers,Personality,Teacher Characteristics,Focus Groups,Self Efficacy,Professional Autonomy,Reflection,Teacher Education Curriculum,Teacher Educators,Early Childhood Education,Learning Theories

The intent of this qualitative study was to examine pre-service teachers' growing awareness of the role dispositions and autonomy play in the classroom and the implications these constructs have for teaching and learning. Teacher candidates' written reflections and focus group statements revealed three robust emergent themes: engagement, empowerment, and meaning making. When taking a wide lens view, these robust emergent themes nurtured certain dispositions, autonomy, and teaching efficacy. Teaching strategies such as the project approach (adult-oriented and with children) and the construction of math games were considered valuable assignments that strengthened a variety of dispositions by providing on-going opportunities for teacher candidates to engage in experiences that promoted autonomous thinking and actions during their preparation program. Teaching efficacy emerged as a related construct and became an integral component of this study. As teacher educators help pre-service teachers wrap their minds around the sometimes illusive dispositions construct, this study suggests that autonomy and efficacy should be included in this effort. In so doing, these constructs provide a meaningful foundation upon which teacher candidates can build and apply teaching and learning theories. Focus Group Interview Questions are appended. (Contains 5 tables.)
Are We Ready for College-Ready?
Author: McGriff, Deborah
Date: 2012-09-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Education Work Relationship,Disadvantaged,College Readiness,Politics of Education,Teacher Effectiveness,Academic Standards,Advanced Courses,Student Evaluation,Articulation (Education),Cost Effectiveness

Through the years, educators, parents, and the general public believed that a college degree is one of the most powerful strategies for our nation's war on poverty. The increased earning power of individuals with college degrees and the contribution to our economic security were frequently acknowledged. Our commitment and attention to college readiness, persistence, and success intensified after President Obama announced, in his 2011 State of the Union Address, the goal of moving America from 12th place globally back to number one in the proportion of young people with a college degree. The urgency to return to number one by 2020 was coupled with the prediction that by 2018, nearly two-thirds of all jobs will require a college education. Just as no single key factor can guarantee college readiness, no single cut score alone can define college readiness. Nonetheless, the 2012 ACT results and the College Board State Capital Campaign suggest that we are far from achieving President Obama's goal of being number one in the proportion of young people with a college degree by 2020. The Americans have identified key success factors but they have not demonstrated the political will to scale these key factors fast enough to transform the lives of the most underserved and to return to a global leadership position.
You Know Who Your Great Teachers Are--"Now What?"
Author: Hassel, Bryan
Date: 2012-09-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Teacher Effectiveness,Identification,Documentation,Strategic Planning,School Administration,Teacher Recruitment,Teacher Persistence,Tenure,Rewards,Educational Change,Classrooms

Thanks to increasingly meaningful teacher evaluations, the nation knows far more than ever about the effectiveness of teachers in public school classrooms. What should states, districts, and schools do with that knowledge? In policy debates, much of the attention has focused on teachers at the "ineffective" end of the spectrum. With better teacher evaluation, the thinking goes, districts can stop awarding tenure to ineffective teachers. They can dismiss teachers who, in spite of professional development and support, do not improve sufficiently. Policies like these are important, but states that stop there will miss a major chance to transform their schools into places that are far better for students--and for teachers. State and district policymakers must focus even more on opportunities for the top 25 percent of teachers, with strong policies that attract, reward, retain, and extend the reach of highly effective teachers. Policymakers ready to create the policy changes to leverage, reward, retain, and attract excellent teachers can start with a seven-point plan: (1) Identify excellent teachers--now; (2) Track and report student access to great teachers; (3) Track and report retention rates of excellent teachers; (4) Pay top teachers more, within current budgets, for reaching more students; (5) Make tenure meaningful via "elite tenure,"; (6) Clear the other barriers that keep excellent teachers from reaching more students; and (7) Create the will to give every student excellent teachers. (Contains 6 endnotes.)
Action Research: The Development of Critical Thinking Skills
Author: LaPoint-O'Brien, Tammy
Date: 2013-02-17
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Critical Thinking,Thinking Skills,Grade 9,History Instruction,Action Research,Teaching Methods,Instructional Effectiveness,Comprehension,Scoring,Scoring Rubrics,Informed Consent,Class Activities

Critical thinking is the focal point missed in many students' educations. Students are taught memorization with little time left for the development of critical thinking skills which allows for a deeper understanding and a richer experience. Learning to ask appropriate questions and deduce information in order to build a deeper connection to the information is imperative. Ninth grade students at the end of history class composed a minute paper in essay format. The students described three different facts, ideas, concepts, or thoughts developed during the lesson and posed one insightful question. The minute paper afforded the students the opportunity to provide insight and reasoning into their comprehension, while cultivating their critical thinking skills. The following are appended: (1) Timeline of Events for the Study; (2) Instructions for Students; (3) Scoring Rubric; (4) The Development of Critical Thinking Study: Letter to Parents; (5) The Development of Critical Thinking Study Conducted at Friendship Christian School: Informed Consent Form; (6) Daily Scoring Rubric; (7) Supplemental Questions; (8) Teacher Weekly Survey; and (9) [Pre-Set List of Words].
Act Now to Transform School Systems. 2011 PIE Network Summit Policy Briefs
Author: Miles, Karen Hawley
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Educational Technology,Leadership,Early Intervention,Educational Change,Grouping (Instructional Purposes),Class Size,Compensation (Remuneration),Employment Patterns,Special Education,Educational Finance,School Buildings,Partnerships in Education,Time Management

The U.S.'s educational system is at a crossroads. Preparing every student for college and careers in the information age requires that school districts invest more and differently in teaching effectiveness, time, individual attention, and information systems. But even before a decline in revenue, district leaders face automatic increases in salaries and benefits that require them to cut spending every year. Meanwhile, scarce dollars are  tied up in rigid prescriptions for resource use that fit industrial ways of organizing schools that are difficult to change because of policies, contracts, and tradition. Budget pressures present a choice--do less with less or seize the moment to transform school systems with clarified goals, new policies, incentives, and legislation aimed at making the most of education resources for all children. This paper discusses the seven priorities for restructuring resources which include: (1) Job and compensation structure; (2) Class size and student grouping; (3) Time; (4) Special education and early intervention; (5) Buildings and Facilities; (6) Leadership development; and (7) Outside partnerships and technology.
Values-Based Education in Schools in the 2000s: The Australian Experience
Author: Leichsenring, Andrew
Date: 2010-06-00
Type: Dissertations/Theses - Masters Theses
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Values Education,Social Action,Moral Development,Best Practices,Teaching Methods,Thinking Skills,Concept Formation,Teacher Behavior,Self Efficacy,Educational Theories,Values Clarification

This thesis explores the teaching of values in Australian schools through a framework established by the Australian Federal government during the 2000s. This paper focuses on: the approaches employed by the Australian Federal government in the implementation of Values Education; and the application of cases of values-based education utilized by school cluster groups throughout Australia. This research explores the implementation of a values-based education program on a national scale and provides recommendations on: best practices for teaching values-based education in schools; and the inclusion of key stakeholders, such as, school administrators &amp; staff, teachers, students, parents, and members of the wider community in order to achieve the successful establishment of a wide scale approach to the teaching of values in schools. The following are appended: (1) Kohlberg's Levels of Moral Development; (2) Values-Based Education Approaches; (3) Nine Values for Australian Schooling Poster -- National Framework for Values-Based Education in Australian Schools; (4) Suggested Approaches - National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools; (5) The Value of Doing Your Best (exemplified by a cluster); (6) Sample Lesson for Social Skills Approach; (7) Concept Development - Thinking Skills; (8) Values Social Literacy Units; (9) Social Action on What It Means to Be Water Wise (Year 4 &amp; 5); (10) Red Earth Community Cluster Value Focus for Good Citizenship; (11) The Double Helix Effect: Values and Quality Teaching; (12) Cumulative Occurrence of Values-Based Education Discourses in the Values-Based Education Good Practices School Trial 2006 (selected discourses); (13) Y-Chart &amp; Placemat Worksheets; (14) Pluses, Minuses and Interesting Points Worksheet; (15) K-W-L Strategy Worksheet; and (16) Venn Diagram for a Social Action Project.
Linguistic Relativity and Linguistic Determinism: Idiom in 20th Century Cornish
Author: Mills, Jon
Date: 2000-11-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Indo European Languages,Language Role,Concept Formation,Linguistic Theory,Cultural Influences,Sociolinguistics,Cognitive Processes,Color,World Views,English

It has been understood for decades that language and thought are closely related. If one accepts that the thoughts that we construct are based upon the language that we speak and the words that we use, then it follows that the language that we speak influences the way that we think. It is necessary that we possess the words to describe objects, processes and conditions, in order that we are able to think about them. The world is perceived in different ways by different cultures, and culture is, to some extent at least, shaped by language. During the course of the 20th century, the Cornish language has undergone a revival. Though estimates understandably vary, the speakers of Cornish today are usually thought to number several hundred. Cornish is currently being used by its speakers in home life, socially outside the home, in the work place, and for public ritual, ceremony and church services. In the world of business, there are now shops that will sell to you in Cornish or sign, label and brand their goods in Cornish. It is also being used in the arts and in the media. This emergence of  a Cornish speech community has entailed the adaptation of the Cornish language to the needs of the world in which its speakers live today. Whilst revived Cornish is based on historical Cornish, it has, thus, been necessary for the Cornish language to evolve. Many neologisms have emerged. Although the English language has inevitably had some influence  in this process, 20th century Cornish retains its particular world view in the way that its structures its vocabulary. A brief bibliography is included.