ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Employer Perceptions of Associate Degrees: Information Technology Technicians in Detroit and Seattle. CCRC Brief. Number 56
Author: Van Noy, Michelle
Date: 2012-03-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Credentials,Community Colleges,Labor Market,College Programs,Associate Degrees,Information Technology,Paraprofessional Personnel,Case Studies,Employer Attitudes,Skills,Individual Characteristics,Comparative Analysis,Bachelors Degrees

Policymakers, educators, and the public agree that postsecondary credentials are crucial for economic success, and high school graduates and displaced workers are increasingly seeking credentials at community colleges. Yet little attention has been paid to understanding how credentials align with employer needs and how community college programs that lead to a credential can be more effectively aligned with local labor market needs. This Brief, based on a study conducted by the Community College Research Center (CCRC), provides insight into employer perceptions of associate and bachelor's degrees relative to skills and qualities they seek in job candidates. Past investigations of the value of credentials have typically focused on earnings and have usually been conducted nationally or at the state level; they have rarely considered the specific qualities employers find valuable in credential holders or the role of local labor markets in shaping employer perceptions of credentials and of community college education. To help fill this research gap, the study reported here focuses on the employment needs and expectations of employers in two very different local labor markets: one in Detroit, the other in Seattle. Specifically, the authors sought to demonstrate what it means for an associate degree to have value in the labor market by examining Detroit and Seattle employers' perceptions of it compared with the bachelor's degree in these two local labor markets that employ significant numbers of information technology (IT) technicians. [For related report, &quot;Employer Perceptions of Associate Degrees in Local Labor Markets: A Case Study of the Employment of Information Technology Technicians in Detroit and Seattle. CCRC Working Paper No. 39,&quot; see ED529625.]
Building Measures of Instructional Differentiation from Teacher Checklists
Author: Williams, Ryan
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Classroom Environment,Individualized Instruction,Educational Strategies,Teacher Effectiveness,Check Lists,Test Construction,Measures (Individuals),Student Evaluation,Diagnostic Tests,Identification,Educational Experiments,Elementary School Teachers,Grade 2,Grade 5,Reading Instruction,Mathematics Instruction,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Item Response Theory,Psychometrics,Evaluation Methods

Differentiated instruction is commonly believed to be critical to improving the quality and efficiency of teachers' instructional repertoires (Fischer &amp; Rose, 2001; Tomlinson, 2004). Tomlinson (2000) describes differentiation in four domains: content, process, product, and learning environment. Content differentiation involves varying instructional topics, for example, that students within a classroom would receive. Process differentiation involves teaching different students at different levels of difficulty. Product differentiation involves assigning different tasks to different students. Learning environment differentiation includes using different instructional groupings for students or clustering students based on ability. The purpose of this paper is to present a measure of instructional differentiation derived from teacher checklist data and apply it in the context of a randomized experiment that is part of a phased rollout of Diagnostic Assessment Tools statewide in Indiana.
The Role of Applied Engineering and Computer Science Courses in the Production of Math Achievement in High School
Author: Gottfried, Michael
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Mathematics Achievement,Engineering Education,Computer Science Education,High School Students,STEM Education,Vocational Education,Academic Education,Grade 10

Academic math and science courses have been long shown to increase learning and educational attainment, but are they sufficient on their own to prepare youth for the challenges and rigor of the STEM workforce? Or, are there distinctive benefits to complementing these traditional academic courses with applied ones? Answers to these questions are particularly critical as schools try to balance the competing demands of providing youth with the applied skills and knowledge to thrive in the adult labor force while at the same time ensuring they are meeting high standards of academic competency that are required for college. With respect to the latter, the emphasis on standardized testing has exacerbated these concerns, and in some cases, test preparation and an over emphasis on academic subjects has "crowded out" other components of the curriculum. With these competing demands and faced with limited resources, education policy makers must make informed choices regarding how to best structure their curriculum to meet the needs of a diverse student population. To this end, the proposed project will address three research questions: (1) What applied STEM courses are most commonly taken by high school students?; (2) To what extent are high school students taking both academic and applied STEM courses?; and (3) Do applied STEM courses in high school improve achievement in math? (Contains 2 tables and 3 footnotes.)
Transformational Leadership in Research Universities
Author: Gilmore, Ryann M.
Date: 2011-11-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Transformational Leadership,Research Universities,School Culture,Research,Integrity,Ethics,Leadership Qualities,Leadership Role,Behavior

In order to preserve research integrity, leaders at postsecondary research institutions must utilize transformational leadership behaviors in order to promote a campus culture that is the most conducive to responsible research conduct. In support of this assertion, the issue of research misconduct and its potential consequences for both researchers and postsecondary research institutions will be examined, along with a discussion of the dynamics in play within an institution's culture, and how this can contribute to research misconduct. In addition, the advantages of utilizing transformational leadership behaviors to establish an institutional culture that is more conducive to responsible research conduct will be examined; and, finally, guidelines regarding how these transformational leadership behaviors can be utilized in order to promote research integrity will be outlined.
Familiar Technology Promotes Academic Success for Students with Exceptional Learning Needs
Author: Wilson, Carolyn H.
Date: 2011-12-15
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Disabilities,Mental Retardation,Children,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Childhood Needs,Federal Legislation,Developmental Delays,Assistive Technology,Emotional Disturbances,Learning Disabilities,Physical Disabilities,Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,Attention Deficit Disorders,Computer Simulation,Video Games,Virtual Classrooms,Computer Assisted Instruction,Teaching Methods,Visual Aids

Children with exceptional learning needs find it very difficult to retain content information from the regular curriculum. Many content teachers also find it difficult to adapt curriculum to the learning needs of these exception children within the confines of the classroom and without any assistance. Although many schools are equipped with technology assisted instruction; it is not being used either because of the ineptibility of the classroom teacher to incorporate the technology into the lesson objective or because of the lack of time it would take to plan how to incorporate learning technology in today's classroom. This research deals with how to take modern day technology that students with exceptional needs are familiar with and incorporate that technology into the classroom setting. The Office of Special Education Programs (2011) has reported that the use of popular technology that children with exceptional learning needs are familiar with can be incorporated in classroom instruction and beyond. A bibliography is included.
Occupational Stress in Secondary Education in Cyprus: Causes, Symptoms, Consequences and Stress Management
Author: Hadjisymeou, Georgia
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Stress Variables,Stress Management,Secondary School Teachers,Negative Attitudes,Foreign Countries,Statistical Analysis,Decision Making,Sampling,Symptoms (Individual Disorders),Surveys,Questionnaires,Teacher Attitudes,Time,School Administration,Work Environment,Work Attitudes,High Schools

The survey attempted to look into the causes, symptoms and consequences that occupational stress has on teachers in Secondary Education in Cyprus and find ways to manage it. Thirty eight schools with 553 teachers participated in the survey. The sample chosen is a result of a simple random sampling and it is representative of the country's population. The survey is quantitative and descriptive. Its statistical analysis was carried out by SPSS 16.0. The measurement tool used is the questionnaire which is valid and also reliable for this research. Three hundred eighty seven women and one hundred sixty six men comprise the sample of this survey and the prevailing age of the participants is 30-41. Most of the educators operate in big, urban public high schools in the Nicosia area. The most important results of the research concerning the class environment are the time pressure on the teachers, the lack of school infrastructure and the misdemeanor of students. Regarding the environment outside the classroom there seems to be a deficiency in offering the educators the possibilities for further education. In addition, there are alterations in the content curricula and inadequate building facilities. The effects that the occupational stress has on the teachers are psychic and physical symptoms like exhaustion, migraines and anger-confusion. As a consequence of the aforementioned symptoms there is a negative attitude on behalf of the teaching stuff towards work. The proposed ways for dealing with occupational stress are the right planning on behalf of the educators, their better involvement in the decision making process by the administration of school and the reduction of the material taught. A bibliography is included. (Contains 14 figures and 1 table.)
Faith, Dissonance and the Adult Learner
Author: Shirk, John C.
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Adult Learning,Religious Factors,Spiritual Development,Psychological Patterns,Lifelong Learning,Adults,Public Libraries,Library Materials,Costs,Social Psychology,Group Dynamics,Social Networks,Consumer Education,Interviews

As I approach my thoughts on faith and the adult learning I will concentrate my deliberations on faith, spirituality and dissonance, and the adult learner as reported in in-person dialogs selected from four studies (Shirk, 1990, 1998, 2005). Consideration will be given to the sociopsychological aspects of and the costs and benefits related to learning something new over a one year time span. Research vignettes will be followed by entries from my personal faith development journals. Religion, faith, spirit and spiritual experiences were not the focus of my initial adult learner studies although direct and indirect spiritual episodes were voiced.  The purpose of this section is to give attention to, and explore evidences of spirituality and faith in the lives of adult learners. Faith and spirituality are intertwined in the sociopsychological life-space of the adult learner. Who is the Learner? What is faith? I will approach these questions with an Adult Learner's Credo. A bibliography and an Adult Learner Interview Instrument is included.
Evaluation of Model Specification, Variable Selection, and Adjustment Methods in Relation to Propensity Scores and Prognostic Scores in Multilevel Data
Author: Yu, Bing
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Probability,Statistical Analysis,Statistical Bias,Data Analysis

This study uses simulation examples representing three types of treatment assignment mechanisms in data generation (the random intercept and slopes setting, the random intercept setting, and a third setting with a cluster-level treatment and an individual-level outcome) in order to determine optimal procedures for reducing bias and improving precision in each of these three settings. Evaluation criteria include bias, variance, MSE, confidence interval coverage rate, and remaining sample size. Specifically, the study evaluates the performance of (a) three variable selection procedures for propensity score models (confounder-covariate PS models [CF], outcome-covariate PS models [OC], and treatment-covariate PS models [TC]), (b) three methods of adjustment through outcome models (adjusting for propensity scores [PS], adjusting for propensity scores in combination with prognostic scores [PS+Prog], and adjusting for propensity scores in combination with strong outcome predictors [PS+Cov]), and (c) four model specifications for the propensity score models and the prognostic score models (the RIS models with cross-level interactions [RIS Interaction], the RIS models without cross-level interactions [RIS], the RI models without cross-level interactions [RI], and the single-level models [Single]). For the last three types of model specification, the effect of omitting the cluster-level covariates is also under investigation (RISC, RI-C, Single-C). The RIS model specification will not be considered in the RI setting; the RIS and RI model specifications will not be considered in the third setting with cluster-level treatment assignment. Propensity scores and prognostic scores are adjusted through either nonparametric stratification or parametric covariance adjustment. (Contains 5 tables and 3 figures.)
Assessing the Generalizability of Estimates of Causal Effects from Regression Discontinuity Designs
Author: Bloom, Howard S.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Regression (Statistics),Research Design,Computation,Generalizability Theory,Outcomes of Treatment,Urban Schools,Pretests Posttests,Scores,Reading Tests,Mathematics Tests

In recent years, the regression discontinuity design (RDD) has gained widespread recognition as a quasi-experimental method that when used correctly, can produce internally valid estimates of causal effects of a treatment, a program or an intervention (hereafter referred to as treatment effects). In an RDD study, subjects or groups of subjects (e.g. students or schools) are rated according to a numeric index (a performance indicator, poverty measure, etc.) and treatment assignment is determined by whether one's rating falls above or below an exogenously defined cut-point value of the rating. RDDs have been used to estimate causal effects in a variety of contexts (e.g. for a list of more than 75 studies in the contexts of education, labor markets, political economy, health, crime and more see Lee & Lemieux, 2009), and research on their statistical properties has provided theoretical justification and empirical verification of their internal validity. This paper explores the conditions that limit the generalizability of RDD estimates and concludes that that in many cases, generalizability is much greater than often believed. It also presents an empirical approach for quantifying the generalizability of RDD findings so that more information can be brought to bear on this important issue. (Contains 1 figure.)
Explaining Charter School Effectiveness
Author: Angrist, Joshua D.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Charter Schools,School Effectiveness,Academic Achievement,Urban Schools,Middle Schools,High Schools,Admission (School),Admission Criteria,Mathematics Achievement,Middle School Students,High School Students,Comparative Analysis,Institutional Characteristics

This study uses entrance lotteries to explore heterogeneity in the achievement effects of charter schools across demographic groups and between urban and non-urban areas in Massachusetts. The authors develop a framework for interpreting this heterogeneity using both student- and school-level explanatory variables. (Contains 4 tables.)
Estimates of External Validity Bias When Impact Evaluations Select Sites Purposively
Author: Stuart, Elizabeth A.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Validity,Bias,Computation,Outcome Measures,Site Selection,Intervention,Reading Programs,Federal Programs,Educational Research,Program Effectiveness

While there has been some increasing interest in external validity, most work to this point has been in assessing the similarity of a randomized trial sample and a population of interest (e.g., Stuart et al., 2010; Tipton, 2011). The goal of this research is to calculate empirical estimates of the external validity bias in educational intervention evaluations that can result from selecting sites purposively. This will help researchers and funding agencies understand the implications of purposive site selection. (Contains 1 figure.)
Efficacy of Online Algebra I for Credit Recovery for At-Risk Ninth Grade Students: Evidence from Year 1
Author: Heppen, Jessica
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Algebra,Online Courses,At Risk Students,Grade 9,High School Students,Repetition,Required Courses,Mathematics Instruction,Instructional Effectiveness,Urban Schools,Public Schools

This study is an efficacy trial funded by a grant from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES)  National Center for Education Research (NCER). Fifteen CPS high schools are receiving funding to implement two Algebra I credit recovery courses during the summer sessions of 2011 and 2012--one online and one face-to-face (f2f). These courses allow students to recover a 1/2 credit of Algebra I. The study is designed to address a set of research questions that address the following specific aims: (1) To test the efficacy of online Algebra I for credit recovery, compared with standard f2f Algebra I for credit recovery; (2) To determine the supporting classroom conditions under which online Algebra I for credit recovery yields higher efficacy; (3) To gauge the extent to which credit recovery can help at-risk students get back on track, relative to students who passed Algebra I in 9th grade; and (4) To gauge the effects of expanding summer credit recovery options through online courses. In this paper, the authors will focus on the impact of taking online Algebra I for credit recovery on shortterm outcomes for the first cohort of ninth-graders. These include credit attainment in the course and scores on an end-of-course algebra test and on the PLAN assessment (a standardized pre-ACT taken in fall of grade 10). Over the course of this 4-year study, we will continue to follow the first cohort of students, as well as a second cohort, through high school to examine long-term effects on future test scores, course-taking and likelihood of dropout. (Contains 1 table.)
Selecting a Sample for Your Experiment: A Non-Random Stratified Sampling Approach
Author: Tipton, Elizabeth
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Sampling,Experiments,Statistical Studies,Generalization

The purpose of this paper is to develop a more general method for sample recruitment in experiments that is purposive (not random) and that results in a sample that is compositionally similar to the generalization population. This work builds on Tipton et al. (2011) by offering solutions to a larger class of problems than the non-overlapping eligible and population case described in this paper. There are three parts to this approach: (1) Populations and samples defined; (2) Covariate selection assumptions; and (3) Sample selection method.
Filling the Financial Aid Gap: The Performance-Based Scholarship Demonstration
Author: Richburg-Hayes, Lashawn
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Student Financial Aid,College Students,Low Income Groups,Merit Scholarships,Outcomes of Education,Demonstration Programs

The intention of the program is that conditioning additional financial aid on certain behaviors will lead students to increase their effort towards their studies, which in turn will lead them to perform better in their classes in the short-term and progress through their degree requirements at a quicker rate in the medium-term. The program is hypothesized to result in increased enrollment in subsequent terms, increased credits attempted and earned, and increased financial aid. Increases in these short-term education outcomes may then lead to changes in medium- and long-term educational outcomes, including year-to-year persistence, total cumulative credits earned, as well as graduation or transfer to another postsecondary institution. The proposed presentation will focus on the primary research question: What is the impact of performance-based scholarships (in various settings with different types of students) on short-term academic outcomes as well as medium- and long-term academic outcomes? The authors will present current findings on these outcomes, across the six sites in their demonstration. (Contains 4 tables and 1 footnote.)
Student Mobility, Dosage, and Principal Stratification in Clustered RCTs of Education  Interventions
Author: Schochet, Peter Z.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Statistical Analysis,Student Mobility,Intervention,Outcomes of Treatment,Research Design,Experimental Groups

This article introduces an alternative impact parameter for group-based RCTs with student mobility--the survivor average causal effect ("SACE")--that pertains to the subpopulation of original cohort students who would remain in their baseline study schools in either the treatment or control condition. The "SACE" parameter has a clear interpretation, because it pertains to students who would receive maximum exposure to the intervention in the treatment condition, and who would receive a common array of intervention services within each treatment school. For many education RCTs, intervention exposure will be strongly correlated with intervention dosage, and thus, the "SACE" parameter is likely to be highly relevant for "dosage" analyses. Consequently, the methods presented in this article can be used to address the following research question that is often of interest to education policymakers and evaluators: What are intervention effects for the subgroup of students who receive full exposure (or the full dose) of intervention services? This research question is germane to the SREE conference theme, because the "SACE" parameter provides policy-relevant information on the heterogeneity of treatment effects for the subgroup of the full study population who remain in the study schools throughout the follow-up period. Clearly, levels of intervention dosage cannot always be mandated. However, understanding program effects for those who are exposed to intervention services for the full follow-up period provides policy-relevant information on likely program effects that would be observed if intervention implementation was improved or became more widespread. Thus, the estimation of the "SACE" parameter can strengthen overall RCT findings.