ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Health Matters: From Research to Practice. Research Brief. Winter 2014
Author: Kleinert, Harold L.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Developmental Disabilities,Social Services,Intellectual Disability,Quality of Life,State Surveys,Health,Wellness,Access to Health Care,Caregivers,Barriers,Agencies

Kentucky has been focused upon improving outcomes for individuals receiving Supports for Community Living (SCL) Waiver services. SCL is the state's residential Medicaid developmental disabilities waiver; the SCL waiver provides a broad array of services for waiver recipients (residential, supported employment, transportation, community access, etc.). As a part of that focus on improved outcomes, HDI has worked with the KY Division of Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities to create a Quality Improvement Committee to address the life areas in which Kentucky is falling short, including health and wellness, for SCL waiver recipients. As part of this effort, in early Spring 2013, the authors collaborated with the KY Division of Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities to conduct a statewide survey of agencies providing services to individuals on the SCL waiver. They were interested in three basic questions: (1) To what extent were agencies offering health and wellness initiatives for the individuals they serve, as well as similar initiatives for their direct support staff? (2) What are the perceived barriers to putting health and wellness programs into place? (3) Could innovative strategies/promising practices that agencies are currently using be identified? The findings are discussed herein.
Factors in Successful Post-School Transitions. Research Brief. Winter 2013
Author: LoBianco, Tony
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Disabilities,Young Adults,High School Graduates,Employment Level,Predictor Variables,Adjustment (to Environment),Self Determination,Student Participation,Vocational Education,Experiential Learning,Cooperative Planning,Community Based Instruction (Disabilities),Interviews,Correlation,Student Employment,Symptoms (Individual Disorders),Barriers

Young adults with disabilities face multiple challenges in obtaining successful post-school outcomes. In a National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 report, Wagner, Newman, Cameto, Garza, and Levine (2005) found that for former students with disabilities, 70% had engaged in paid employment since leaving high school, though only 40% were employed at the time of interview--clearly unfavorable to the 63% employment rate of their peers without disabilities, and similar data have been reported for former students with disabilities in Kentucky. In this brief article, the authors first briefly discuss what the literature says about predictors of successful post-school transition for young adults with disabilities. Secondly, they analyze their latest KY post-school data to determine the factors most associated with successful post-school outcomes for former students in Kentucky. Finally, they provide evidence-based &quot;Transition Tips&quot; for youth with disabilities, their families, teachers, and school administrators.
Mental Indices in Consumers with Disabilities. Research Brief. Summer 2014
Author: Sheppard-Jones, Kathy
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Disabilities,Interviews,Quality of Life,Employment Level,Participation,Independent Living,Interpersonal Relationship,Health,Satisfaction,Quality Assurance,Mental Health,Drug Therapy,Wellness,Surveys,Statistical Analysis

Kentucky's National Core Indicators project exists to develop a set of data elements that are used to report, on a statewide and national basis, the quality of services supporting people with disabilities. This is accomplished in Kentucky by performing a minimum of 400 direct interviews with consumers and their families annually. Collected data elements include outcomes related to quality of life, specifically: work, choice, independence, relationships, health and satisfaction. These elements represent an outcome oriented approach to quality assurance, and measure impact of services on peoples' lives. Given the longstanding involvement of Kentucky in this ongoing effort, additional examination of variables that have been the focus of policymakers is warranted. This research brief provides additional analysis of several mental health items, including loneliness, friendships, and use of psychotropic medications.
Leading by Example: Principal Leadership Institutes as a Driver for Change in Metro Nashville Public Schools. Executive Summary
Author: Raynor, Alethea Frazier
Date: 2015-06-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Educational Change,Public Schools,Instructional Leadership,Principals,Leadership Training,Change Strategies,Achievement Gains,Professional Development,Transformational Leadership,Educational Improvement,Administrator Characteristics,Interviews,Administrator Role,Racial Differences,Gender Differences,Cooperation

In 2009, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) was on the brink of state takeover, with low academic performance, significant achievement gaps, and a number of schools failing to meet performance targets under No Child Left Behind. Additionally, over the past decade, significant demographic shifts in Nashville have resulted in MNPS becoming much more ethnically and culturally diverse, with students now representing over 120 different countries. The district has also seen a significant increase in the percentage of economically disadvantaged students. Building the leadership capacity of principals in the district was a primary lever for transformational change. A core strategy for building their capacity to change was the implementation of the biannual Principal Leadership Institutes (PLIs). The PLI's were designed as consistent, thoughtful professional learning that was: (1) responsive to MNPS context and needs; (2) drove toward and overarching vision for long-term systemic transformation; and (3) laid the foundation for a district culture of adult learning. Embedded in the model were effective strategies for teaching and learning, and the work of shaping a culture to infuse learning and collaboration throughout the district was begun. Learning opportunities were results based, experiential, and collaborative, and had practical application to the school context. Efforts were also made to scaffold learning experiences between the winter and summer PLIs, and to connect them to ongoing meetings for principals and administrators. Drawing from research and collective years of experience in leadership development, a set of key leadership competencies to guide both the content and design of the PLIs was designed. In 2011, a design team formalized these competencies into the MNPS Leadership Performance Strands and Skills (LPSS). The Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University (AISR) observed and conducted principals' evaluations of the PLIs since their inception, and believes the evolution of principals as transformational leaders make this district one to watch. The purpose of this study is to explore this transformation through the lens of the PLIs as a driver for change. This report captures major findings and the emerging signs of progress and challenge for MNPS during the first six years of PLIs, and it provides recommendations for future development of principals and staff as transformational leaders. [For the full report, see ED574720.]
Leading by Example: Principal Leadership Institutes as a Driver for Change in Metro Nashville Public Schools
Author: Raynor, Alethea Frazier
Date: 2015-06-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Educational Change,Public Schools,Instructional Leadership,Principals,Leadership Training,Change Strategies,Achievement Gains,Professional Development,Transformational Leadership,Educational Improvement,Administrator Characteristics,Interviews,Administrator Role,Racial Differences,Gender Differences,Cooperation

Pioneering research on effective schools more than thirty-five years ago revealed that school leadership is second only to teachers in its impact on student achievement. Underscoring this research, a new study from Annenberg Institute for School Reform (AISR) found that building school administrators' leadership capacity has played a critical role in the turnaround of a struggling urban district. Six years ago, Tennessee's Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) were on the brink of state takeover and suffered from low academic performance and significant achievement gaps. A number of the district's schools failed to meet No Child Left Behind performance targets. While shortcomings still exist today, MNPS has experienced gains in academic achievement across all subject areas, and the district's graduation rate is on the rise. AISR's latest research report, Leading by Example: Principal Leadership Institutes as a Driver for Change in Metro Nashville Public Schools, examines Nashville principals' leadership development through the twice-yearly Principal Leadership Institutes (PLIs) conducted for 140 school principals and central office leaders in MNPS over two to three days beginning in 2009. Commissioned by MNPS, the findings suggest that the PLIs have had a significant impact over time on the development of principals as the transformational leaders who have served as the cornerstone in the district's effort to improve teaching and learning. A bibliography is provided. Appended are the following: (1) Characteristics of MNPS Principals, 2009-2015; (2) Summary of PLI Agenda Content; (3) Education 2018: Theory of System Change; (4) Demographics of Interview Participants by Role, Race, and Gender; and (5) MNPS Belief Statements, &quot;Leadership for Transformational Change&quot;. [For &quot;Leading by Example: Principal Leadership Institutes as a Driver for Change in Metro Nashville Public Schools. Executive Summary,&quot; see ED574719.]
The Impact of Test Content Validity on Language Teaching and Learning
Author: Siddiek, Ahmed Gumaa
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Test Validity,Content Validity,Language Tests,English (Second Language),Foreign Countries,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Test Reliability

This paper investigates the impact of content validity of language tests on both teacher and learner. Educational evaluation produces too much stress in both teacher and learner, but it is given less attention by the teacher than any other teaching tasks. This inconvenience comes from the doubt with which this topic is approached. Tests are supposed to focus on core syllabus constituents to find how much the learner achieved. In this attempt we went through some examinations that seemed to lack content validity. We found that when the exam lacked this feature, most of the teaching would be focused in the techniques of examination rather than doing real teaching. It was also found that students did not refer to their textbooks as source of knowledge but exerted all efforts only to collect marks. The result of these practices yielded failure in the achievement of pedagogical objectives of language education.
A Training Program to Enhance Postgraduate Students' Research Skills in Preparing a Research Proposal in the Field of Curriculum and Instruction Methods of Arabic Language
Author: Alfakih, Ahmed Hassan
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Graduate Students,Student Research,Research Skills,Skill Development,Research Proposals,Proposal Writing,Semitic Languages,Questionnaires,Training,Pretests Posttests,Student Improvement,Program Effectiveness,Masters Theses

The study examined the impact of a training program on enhancing postgraduate students' research skills in preparing a research proposal. The nature of the skills required to prepare a research proposal were first determined using a questionnaire. A training program for improving such skills was then constructed and seven postgraduate students in the field of the curriculum and instruction methods of Arabic language participated in the program. The participants took a test before and after receiving the training. It was found that participants' relevant research skills improved between the pretest and posttest, indicating that an appropriate training program could contribute to enhancing such skills effectively. These results have implications for thesis supervisors, course designers, and postgraduate students, potentially assisting them to identify the research skills required for preparing a research proposal and to adopt and use the program as designed to improve such skills.
The Development of Critical Thinking Attitudes Scale
Author: Özelçi, Serap Yilmaz
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Attitude Measures,Critical Thinking,Test Construction,Preservice Teachers,Factor Analysis,Construct Validity,Test Validity,Test Reliability,Elementary Education,Preschool Education,Foreign Countries,Content Validity

This research aims to develop an independent scale that measures the critical thinking attitudes of classroom teacher candidates. The research was designed in a screening model. The universe of the research was composed of 384 prospective teachers who are studying in the education faculty of a university in the western part of Turkey. In the sample of the research was composed; classroom teacher and preschool teacher departments. Explanatory and confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the obtained data. The validity of the construct obtained by confirmatory factor analysis with the data was tested. According to research findings, &quot;Critical Thinking Attitude Scale (CTAS)&quot; is a valid and reliable measurement tool consisting of 19 items and 5 sub-dimensions (Information Acquisition Willingness, Reasoning, Discovery, Evidence-Based Decision Making, Self-Regulation). The maximum score that can be obtained from the scale is 95 and the minimum score is 19. The scale is suitable for use in the 17-25 age groups.
Learning about Posterior Probability: Do Diagrams and Elaborative Interrogation Help?
Author: Clinton, Virginia
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Probability,Instructional Effectiveness,Undergraduate Students,Questioning Techniques,Visual Aids,Logical Thinking,Pretests Posttests,Difficulty Level,Likert Scales,Accuracy,Time on Task,Readability,Readability Formulas

To learn from a text, students must make meaningful connections among related ideas in that text. This study examined the effectiveness of two methods of improving connections--elaborative interrogation and diagrams--in written lessons about posterior probability. Undergraduate students (N = 198) read a lesson in one of three questioning conditions (read twice, embedded questioning, and elaborative interrogation) and one of three diagram conditions (text only, diagram without redundant text, and diagram with redundant text). Elaborative interrogation negatively affected learning from the lesson, relative to reading the lesson twice. One possible explanation for this finding is that the quality of answers to the elaborative interrogations was poor. When the lesson was read twice, diagrams helped learning from the lesson relative to text only. Implications of these findings for instruction in probabilistic reasoning are discussed. Lesson excerpts are appended. [This paper was published in &quot;Journal of Experimental Education,&quot; v84 n3 p579-599 2016 (EJ1095493).]
Whose Schools? An Examination of Charter School Governance in Massachusetts
Author: Dingerson, Leigh
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Charter Schools,Governance,Standards,Accountability,Governing Boards,Trustees,Administrator Characteristics,Parents,Students,Disproportionate Representation,Place of Residence,Elementary Secondary Education

State laws and charter authorizing standards have not kept up with the explosive growth of charter schools in the last two decades. Annenberg Institute for School Reform's (AISR's) 2014 report &quot;Public Accountability for Charter Schools: Standards and Policy Recommendations for Effective Oversight,&quot; offers seven standards, each with a set of policy recommendations, designed to to ensure that there is a level playing field between traditional public schools and public charter schools and that charters are fully transparent and accountable to the communities they serve. &quot;School governance should be representative and transparent&quot; is one of those standards. This report examines charter school governance in Massachusetts in light of this standard and its recommendations, with the goal of informing the conversation as the state considers lifting the cap on charter school expansion in fall 2016. The following are appended: (1) Methodology; and (2) Affiliation Categories and Codes. [For &quot;Public Accountability for Charter Schools: Standards and Policy Recommendations for Effective Oversight,&quot; see ED558016.]
Building a Governance Ecosystem: Themes and Recommendations from the Rhode Island Education Governance Forum
Author: Romans, Angela N.
Date: 2017-05-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Governance,Ecology,Educational Development,Conferences (Gatherings),Stakeholders,Focus Groups,Surveys,Educational Change,Transformational Leadership,Politics of Education,Student Centered Learning,Barriers,Educational Objectives,Educational Strategies,Equal Education,Accountability,Decision Making,Educational Policy,State Policy

The Rhode Island Education Governance Forum--organized and facilitated by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform (AISR) convened in November 2016 to engage local education stakeholders in learning and dialogue about governance issues in the state. Forum participants included teachers, school and district leaders, public officials, and leaders from the state education department, teachers' union, community organizations, and researchers. In addition to the statewide learning forum, AISR engaged local education stakeholders--including youth and parent leaders--in focus group conversations and surveys around transformative governance reform. This summary paper outlines key themes, challenges, and preliminary recommendations that emerged from the Forum around issues of education governance. This is the first in a series to share insights from the Forum. [Interviewing support for this report was provided from Mary Arkins Decasse.]
Demographics and Performance in New York City's School Networks: An Initial Inquiry
Author: Fruchter, Norm
Date: 2015-02-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Urban Schools,Achievement Gap,Student Needs,Racial Differences,Ethnic Groups,Poverty,Special Education,Disabilities,English Language Learners,Academic Achievement,Intervention,Educational History,Networks,Communities of Practice,Geographic Location,Institutional Autonomy,Program Effectiveness,Institutional Cooperation

Large urban school districts across the country face the daunting challenge of deciding what kind of system will best administer and support schools with widely differing needs, resulting in high achievement for all students. In New York City, the best system structure has been debated for decades. A new Annenberg Institute for School Reform (AISR) study has found that the current system--the non-geographically based Children First Networks (CFN)--has not met the needs of students and communities: student and school demographics are still the best predictor of student and school outcomes. The lesson from New York City's experiment is relevant both to the new city administration and to similar discussions in other cities: to address persistent achievement gaps, future investment must support thriving schools anchored in thriving communities. The study addressed two research questions: (1) What are the patterns of student demographics--race/ethnicity, poverty, special education, English language learner (ELL) status, and student performance--within and across the school system's CFNs and their member schools?; and (2) What do the CFNs contribute to the academic outcomes of their member schools? Figures are appended. [This report has an introduction written by Warren Simmons.]
A Winning Transition Plan
Author: Moeder-Chandler, Markus
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: High School Students,Athletes,Student Recruitment,Eligibility,College Admission,Admission Criteria,School Counselors,Counselor Role,College Athletics,Talent Identification

Helping high school athletes navigate the college recruitment process requires some extra steps. This article assists school counselors in the athletic identification process with support provided for both the student and parents. Also covered is how the recruitment criteria for a college and team works. The role of counselor places them on the front line as the individual most familiar with the student's academic eligibility and current course schedule. They are more often be the main contact for a transcript request from the college coach. In many instances, the only reason a student athlete makes it to a collegiate team isn't because of talent but because of the guidance from coaches, administrators and school counselors along the way. [This paper published in the &quot;ASCA School Counselor,&quot; p10-13 May-Jun 2014.]
Collaborating for Equity: A Scan of the Los Angeles Educational Ecosystem. Full Report
Author: Potochnik, Tracie
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Equal Education,Cooperation,Public Schools,Partnerships in Education,School Districts,Community Schools,Neighborhoods,School Community Relationship,Goal Orientation,Educational Practices,Role,Case Studies,Alignment (Education),At Risk Students,Holistic Approach,Sustainability,Elementary Secondary Education,Poverty,Empowerment,Interviews,Stakeholders,Qualitative Research,Program Implementation

Los Angeles has an educational ecosystem that is rich with partners committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities for students. Throughout the 2014-2015 school year, the &quot;Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University&quot; (AISR) spent time meeting with a range of partners, including the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), and consistently heard a need and desire to work and learn across three major approaches that have taken root in several of the district's schools and neighborhoods: community schools, Linked Learning, and Promise Neighborhoods. The goals of this scan were to: (1) advance discussions about the commonalities in vision and goals across these three approaches; (2) highlight the systems, practices, and structures that are in place to support these approaches at the district and community levels; and (3) identify where there are gaps or needs for further support system-wide. This work was designed to complement the national &quot;Time for Equity&quot; project, which includes case studies of teacher knowledge, ownership, and leadership of the three approaches in Los Angeles schools. The authors hope that this scan has succeeded in surfacing shared lessons and priorities that will inform leaders of partner organizations and LAUSD how to better align, support, and expand these approaches systemically and maximize their impact across LAUSD. The authors also hope it will provide funders with valuable information about how they can best continue to support equitable educational opportunities in Los Angeles. Appended to the report is: Ecosystem Partner Organizations. [See the &quot;Time for Equity&quot; project report: &quot;Leveraging Time for School Equity: Indicators to Measure More and Better Learning Time,&quot; at ED546772.]