ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Off the Charts. Lumina Foundation Focus[TM]. Spring 2010
Author: Pulley, John
Date: 2010-04-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Student Records,Data Collection,Data Analysis,Elementary Secondary Education,Higher Education,Educational Trends,Educational Policy,Privacy,Labor Force Development,Alignment (Education),Dropouts,Educational Attainment,Information Systems

Institutions--even entire sectors of the education system--too often operate independently of each other, maintaining discrete student-record systems. This makes it difficult to trace a student's progress through higher education and into the workforce--and that disconnection hampers efforts to improve the system. Only by systematically collecting and analyzing student-performance data can experts pinpoint where and why students drop out, devise ways to improve their performance, and thus enhance their chances of success. Fortunately, some states and institutions are looking closely at the numbers and using them systematically to guide their improvement efforts. Without doubt, this drive to collect, analyze, use and share student-performance data is accelerating nationally. This issue of &quot;Lumina Foundation Focus&quot; highlights the trends--and trendsetters--in this vital area. Organizations such as the Data Quality Campaign, the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems and the State Higher Education Executive Officers association have long championed this effort.
When Networks Build a Platform Students Step up. Lumina Foundation Lesson. Spring 2010
Author: Brennan, Patricia L.
Date: 2010-05-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Networks,Low Income Groups,Minority Groups,Welfare Recipients,Mothers,Higher Education,Welfare Services,Federal Programs,Educational Attainment,Access to Education,College Students,Student Empowerment,Activism,Advocacy,Educational Policy,African Americans,Hispanic Americans

For the people behind the Lumina Foundation for Education, the term &quot;network&quot; has particular meaning. In fact, largely as a result of their work in a national college awareness and action campaign called KnowHow2GO, they have come to define networks in a specific way--and they ask their KnowHow2GO grantees and partners to form networks that fit that definition. For them, a strong and sustainable network for increasing college access and success must be built on five dimensions: (1) An infrastructure that enables members to identify and achieve a shared purpose; (2) Service system cohesion, improvement and sustainability; (3) Data-based decision making about priorities, policies and practices; (4) Expertise in college access and success issues and advocacy for supportive public policies; and (5) Creation and dissemination of knowledge within the network and beyond. Already, such networks are leading the KnowHow2GO effort in 16 states. The KnowHow2GO campaign isn't the only example of networks in action. In fact, the principles of effective networks--principles articulated eloquently by Paul Vandeventer, president and CEO of Community Partners, in his book &quot;Networks that Work&quot;--are being embraced by any number of Lumina grantees and partner organizations. This issue of &quot;Lumina Foundation Lessons&quot; magazine highlights three such organizations, all of which are working tirelessly to promote college success among low-income and minority students. In this issue of Lessons, readers will learn about the LIFETIME (Low-Income Families' Empowerment through Education) program, which assists welfare mothers in their quest for college attainment in California. Readers will read about the Providence, Rhode Island-based organization What Kids Can Do, which empowers students to tell their own stories as a means of boosting postsecondary success. Finally, in Florida, readers will meet the organizers--and especially the students--who are involved in the policy-advocacy group ENLACE (ENgaging Latino, African-American and other Communities for Education).
Transfer of Elaborative Strategies in College Students
Author: Aagaard, Lola
Date: 2008-11-05
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Memorization,Undergraduate Students,Study Habits,Multiple Choice Tests,Scores,Transfer of Training,Student Surveys,Comparative Analysis

The use of elaboration as a memory strategy has been researched for decades and has been shown to be effective for preschool through adult ages (Pressley, 1982). However, the literature examining elaborative strategy use among students in college is lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the transfer of elaborative strategy use in a sample of college undergraduate students. This study employed two separate samples with slightly different data collection strategies over a period of two years. Both samples came from undergraduate students enrolled across multiple sections of an educational psychology course required for entry into the undergraduate teacher education program at a regional state university in the Mid-South region of the United States. Sample one consisted on 149 students in either Professor A or B's courses that were administered five non-comprehensive multiple-choice exams and sample two consisted of 111 students with the same professors that were administered four non-comprehensive, multiple-choice exams with a &quot;Study Habits Survey&quot; administered before each exam (see appendix). Professor A utilized songs and chants for instruction leading to the first exam while Professor B employed traditional lecture methods. Results from the first sample indicated student performance on all five exams was higher in Professor A's class as compared to Professor B's class, with the last two being statistically significant. Sample two, however, did not yield similar findings, although Professor A's students did perform better on the exam for which the Professor utilized elaborative strategies for students during instruction. Generally, students who reported using elaborative strategies to remember content material consistently outscored students who did not report using those strategies; however, it seemed that students failed to initiate these memory strategies on their own. Quasi-experimental design for further study, along student metamemory as suggested by Borkowski, Peck, Reid, and Kurtz (1983) would enhance the further study of this topic. From this information, it would seem that professors should not only provide examples of elaborative memory strategies during instruction, but also explain to students why such strategies work and encourage independent use by students as a study tool. Two appendixes are included: (1) EDF211 2005 Study Survey; and (2) Sample Elaborations on Human Growth and Development Content. (Contains 4 tables.)
State Higher Education Budgeting Mechanisms in the United States
Author: Mizuta, Kensuke
Date: 2010-05-01
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Funding Formulas,Higher Education,Budgeting,Educational Finance,Statistical Significance,State Government,Economic Climate,Correlation,Educational Policy,Financial Policy,Foreign Countries,State Surveys,Government Role,Comparative Education,Questionnaires

(Purpose) The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between certain characteristics of US states and their budgeting systems for higher education (HE), and to derive implications for Japanese HE budgeting policy from the results. (Methodology) The US's State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) conducted a 30-item questionnaire survey on state higher education budgeting for all 50 states from January to March in 2008 (response rate: 78%). Following general and simple analyses, the following four hypotheses were formed and examined with empirical analyses: (H1) there is a significant correlation between the importance of HE budget in the overall state budget and the adoption of funding formulae; (H2) inflation and fluctuation in enrolment affect whether the funding formula approach or the baseline-incremental approach is selected; (H3) justifications of public financing to the state HE sector are influenced by the cost-sharing status between households and the state government; and (H4) the governors' budget proposal and the legislative passed budget are influenced by certain external factors. (Results) H1 was proved with satisfactory statistical significance. However, H2 showed a result opposite to that originally expected, and H3 could not be proved statistically. These results indicate that the funding formula approach is used more frequently by states which recognize their HE budget as more important comparative to other states and which have experienced greater fluctuations in inflation than the other states over recent years. With regards to H4, the financial burden of households did not affect the justifications selected. Governors' proposals were significantly influenced by the budget volume of primary and secondary education, while legislative passed budgets were largely determined by state unemployment rate. (Conclusions) The results show that funding formulae are in use in more unstable situations and that the decision makers executive and legislative branches do not recognize the importance of the bases of budgeting requests and justifications on the providers' side. (Recommendations) The budgeting system for Japanese national universities is simply dominated by fiscal reform measures, and has much to learn from the strategic decision-making involved in US state HE budgeting systems. (Additional Data) Manuscript contains 16 tables, 13 figures and 35 endnotes.
Construction and Evaluation of a Diagnostic Examination in College Algebra for Freshmen of the College of Science, University of Santo Tomas
Author: Ramos, Mark Louie F.
Date: 2008-08-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Predictive Validity,Item Analysis,Foreign Countries,Algebra,Test Construction,College Freshmen,Diagnostic Tests,Test Reliability,Test Validity,Mathematics Tests,Student Evaluation,College Mathematics,Evaluation Research

The purpose of this study was to construct and evaluate an instrument for determining student preparedness in College Algebra. A 73-item instrument covering prerequisite arithmetic and high school Algebra knowledge for College Algebra was constructed. The instrument was pilot-tested on a freshman population of 595 students. Results of reliability testing using the split odd-even test showed that the instrument is reliable at a 0.05 significance level. Concurrent and predictive validity testing likewise showed that the instrument is valid (a = 0.05). Students who scored at least 56 out of 73 in the instrument were found to be much more likely to pass a College Algebra course than those who scored less than 56 (p is approximately equal to 0.00). Item analysis showed that 71% of the items have acceptable discriminatory indices. The remaining 29% were considered for revision or removal. It was recommended that the instrument be refined based on the outcomes of the evaluation and that it be subsequently administered to other freshman populations prior to taking their respective College Algebra courses. (Contains 1 figure.) [This paper was published in: Proceedings of the Mathematics Teachers Association of the Philippines Tertiary Level Annual Convention, West Visayas State University, Iloilo City, Philippines, August 30-31, 2008.]
Reframing Schools to Enhance Gender Access--Making the World a Better Place
Author: Gentry, Ruben
Date: 2010-04-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Females,Graduation Rate,Dropout Rate,Educational Improvement,Educational Quality,Urban Areas,Educational Change,Gender Issues,Males,Gender Differences,Equal Education,Career Choice,Achievement Gap,Educational Environment,Science Education,Mathematics Education,Technology Education,Intervention,Vocational Education,Student Needs,Socioeconomic Status,Minority Groups,At Risk Students,Educational Policy

With whom does the American education system get high grades? For race and ethnicity, disparities are ever so prevalent. For socioeconomic status and family income, poor people never seem to get a fair share. For geographical location, inner city students are almost always underserved. Perhaps the one entity on which the system can boast is gender--that both males and females are provided equitable education in the same school, if not all schools in the system. Unfortunately, the research does not reflect such equity. Females are often denied opportunities to equally engage in the complete agenda of school programs and activities. Nevertheless, the dropout rate is skyrocketing for males, and their graduation rate is taking a nosedive. One might sincerely ask--America, who are the poster kids in your educational system? This paper explores some unassuming, but upon notice, some glaring inequities in the education system. Explicit attention is given to the gender issue. Considerable effort is spent on addressing the question--What education reform is needed to ensure that males and females receive a fair, equitable, and quality education in today's society? Evidence is analyzed and an authentic course of action is charted to make education a system that is truly responsive to the needs of all students. Education in America must come to exemplify what Dolly Parton (n.d.) sings about in her song, &quot;A better place to live,&quot; &quot;If we'd all climb together, we could climb the highest hill. We could make the world we're living in a better place to live.&quot; (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)
Community and Communication among Instructors of Educational Psychology
Author: Seifert, Kelvin
Date: 2010-05-03
Type: Opinion Papers
Subjects: Educational Psychology,Preservice Teacher Education,Teacher Educators,Professional Development,Professional Isolation,Teacher Effectiveness,Interpersonal Communication,Interprofessional Relationship,Educational Research,Conferences (Gatherings),Internet,Electronic Publishing,Web Sites,Social Networks,Community

Even though introductory educational psychology is a widespread feature of preservice teacher education, instructors of this course generally learn to teach the course in isolation from each other--a circumstance that limits the effectiveness of this course. The traditional strategies of professional development are conducting research about the teaching of educational psychology, attending conferences, and sharing resources online. The first two strategies each help in breaking down instructors' isolation, though each has inherent limitations as well. The third strategy--sharing resources online--also has advantages, but has not yet been explored or utilized by instructors of educational psychology fully. To illustrate this claim, the author describes  a case of an online wiki, http://teachingedpsych.wikispaces.com, designed to bridge the communication gap among instructors. Informal assessment of the wiki suggests that it succeeds at its goal of facilitating communication and sharing, but that it, too, has certain inherent limitations for this purpose. (Contains 2 tables.)
Team Strategies for School Improvement: The Ongoing Development of the Professional Learning Community
Author: Elbousty, Youness
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Urban Schools,High Schools,Educational Improvement,Teamwork,Communities of Practice,Secondary School Teachers,Teacher Collaboration,Teacher Attitudes,Resistance to Change

The examination of a large, urban, East Coast high school provides an enlightening chapter in the implementation and validation of a professional learning community (PLC) as a strategy for school improvement. The teachers of this East Coast school were accustomed to working in isolation, and the students demonstrated numerous areas of academic deficiency. Thus, teachers garnered the support of some administrators to employ the principles of professional learning communities to change the culture of the school and to address several issues that contributed to the failure of the school. The PLC initiative called for the implementation of new strategies and processes beginning with collaborative teamwork. Teachers discussed teams as a strategy for school improvement, and the school-wide conversation then migrated to smaller niches, such as department meetings. [This report was produced by the Massachusetts Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (MASCD).]
Exploring the Relationship between Static and Dynamic Vertical Scaling from Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Design Perspectives
Author: Wang, Shudong
Date: 2009-04-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Scaling,Longitudinal Studies,Academic Achievement,Models,Educational Assessment,Student Evaluation,Educational Testing,Achievement Tests,Psychometrics,Measurement,Monte Carlo Methods

The concept of dynamic vertical scaling (DVS) from longitudinal point of view has been proposed as comparing to traditional vertical scaling or static vertical scaling (SVS) from cross-sectional perspective. The effects of differences between DVS and SVS on large-scale student achievements have been investigated. The potential application of DVS on creating or explaining students growths was explored. In general, DVS can account for many factors that could affect students growth where SVS has limitations on its cross-sectional design for applications unless strong assumptions has to be made. Appended is: Longitudinal Linear and Nonlinear Models Used to Generate Data. (Contains 8 tables and 9 figures.)
Continuous Inquiry Meets Continued Critique: The Professional Learning Community in Practice and the Resistance of (Un)Willing Participants
Author: Elbousty, Youness
Date: 2010-05-31
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Communities of Practice,Teacher Collaboration,Secondary School Teachers,High Schools,Inquiry,Teacher Surveys,Program Effectiveness,Academic Achievement,Resistance to Change

The term Professional Learning Community is commonplace, and it holds many meanings and suggestions. For the purpose of this essay, however, we discuss a specific Professional Learning Community (PLC) that was established in a high school, fifteen months prior to the application of a survey instrument to evaluate participants' perceptions on the initiative. The PLC that we evaluate in this article had a set of very specific goals: To create a department within a high school where collaboration would become a norm and not a rarity, and to encourage collaboration that would include designing formative and summative assessments, collecting, comparing, and disaggregating student data to enhance classroom practices and meet students' needs. Most importantly, maximizing student achievement is the long-term goal for this endeavor.
WWC Quick Review of the Report &quot;The Role of Simplification and Information in College Decisions: Results from the H&amp;R Block FAFSA Experiment&quot;
Author: What Works Clearinghouse (ED)
Date: 2010-06-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Educational Research,Financial Aid Applicants,Student Financial Aid,Higher Education,Enrollment,Federal Aid,Access to Information,Helping Relationship,Comparative Analysis,High School Seniors,Adults,Attrition (Research Studies)

This paper presents a WWC (What Works Clearinghouse) Quick Review of the report &quot;The Role of Simplification and Information in College Decisions: Results from the H&amp;R Block FAFSA Experiment&quot;. The study examined whether assistance in filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) increases the likelihood of filing the FAFSA, college enrollment, and financial aid receipt. The authors analyzed data on about 17,000 individuals in 156 H&amp;R Block tax preparation offices in Ohio and North Carolina. The research described in this report is consistent with WWC evidence standards with reservations. [The following study is the focus of this &quot;Quick Review&quot;: Bettinger, E., Long, B., Oreopoulos, P., &amp; Sanbonmatsu, L. (2009). &quot;The role of simplification and information in college decisions: Results from the H&amp;R Block FAFSA experiment&quot; (NBER Working Paper No. 15361). Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research. (ED510037).]
Enhancing Student Learning with Brain-Based Research
Author: Bonnema, Ted R.
Date: 2009-11-15
Type: Information Analyses
Subjects: Educational Strategies,Learning Processes,Brain,Educational Research,Teaching Methods,Inservice Teacher Education,Teacher Surveys,Long Term Memory,Short Term Memory,Learning Strategies,Thinking Skills,Multiple Intelligences,Elementary School Teachers,Program Descriptions,Educational Technology,Multimedia Instruction,Multimedia Materials,Professional Development,Cognitive Science,Learning Theories

This paper discusses brain-based learning and its relation to classroom instruction. A rapidly growing quantity of research currently exists regarding how the brain perceives, processes, and ultimately learns new information. In order to maximize their teaching efficacy, educators should have a basic understanding of key memory functions in the brain, and how these functions relate to student learning. In this paper, the author surveys current literature to identify foundational instructional strategies that are supported by brain-based research. A Microsoft PowerPoint[R] presentation is included that is intended for use at an in-service training with the goal of providing participants with (1) an overview of research findings with respect to the information processing and memory functions of the brain, and (2) overarching areas of instructional strategies that are supported by current research. The presentation is designed for use by educators and others involved in direct instruction in both primary and secondary education. Two appendixes are included: (1) Pre-Presentation Survey; and (2) Post-Presentation Survey.