ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Exploring Formative Assessment Using Cultural Historical Activity Theory
Author: Asghar, Mandy
Date: 2013-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Formative Evaluation,Higher Education,Feedback (Response),Semi Structured Interviews,Hermeneutics,Phenomenology,Case Method (Teaching Technique),Individual Activities,Social Environment,Theories,Social Science Research,Cultural Activities,Educational Practices,Program Effectiveness

Formative assessment is a pedagogic practice that has been the subject of much research and debate, as to how it can be used most effectively to deliver enhanced student learning in the higher education setting. Often described as a complex concept it embraces activities that range from facilitating students understanding of assessment standards, to providing formative feedback on their work; from very informal opportunities of engaging in conversations, to the very formal process of submitting drafts of work. This study aims to show how cultural historical activity theory can be used as a qualitative analysis framework to explore the complexities of formative assessment as it is used in higher education. The original data for the research was collected in 2008 by semi structured interviews and analysed using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. For this present paper three selected transcripts were re-examined, using a case study approach that sought to understand and compare the perceptions of five academic staff, from three distinct subject areas taught within a UK university. It is proposed that using activity theory can provide insight into the complexity of such experiences, about what teachers do and why, and the influence of the community in which they are situated. Individually the cases from each subject area were analysed using activity theory exploring how the mediating artefacts of formative assessment were used; the often implicit rules that governed their use and the roles of teachers and students within the local subject community. The analysis also considered the influence each aspect of the unit of activity had on the other in understanding formative assessment practice. Subsequently the three subject cases were compared and contrasted. The findings illuminate a variety of practices, including how students and staff engage together in formative assessment activities and for some, how dialogue is used as one of the key tools to do this. In conclusion, activity theory is considered a useful methodological framework both from a research perspective, as in this paper, and one that can be used as a tool for the reflective practitioner to promote change in pedagogic practices. (Contains 2 figures.)
Children's Growth and Classroom Experiences in Georgia's Pre-K Program: Findings from the 2011-2012 Evaluation Study
Author: Peisner-Feinberg, Ellen
Date: 2013-02-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Literacy,Kindergarten,Preschool Education,Mathematics Skills,Family Income,Child Behavior,Outcomes of Education,Educational Quality,Language Skills,Sampling,Prediction,Spanish Speaking,English (Second Language),Child Development,Observation,Educational Assessment

Georgia has one of the few state-funded universal pre-kindergarten programs in the United States, with the aim of providing pre-k services to all 4-year-olds whose families want their children to participate in the program, regardless of family income level. In the 2011-2012 school year, Georgia's Pre-K Program served a total of over 94,000 different children throughout the year in a variety of settings across the state, including local school systems, private settings, and blended Head Start/Georgia's Pre-K classrooms. The 2011-2012 evaluation study included observations of classroom quality in a random sample of 100 Georgia's Pre-K classrooms and assessments of the language, literacy, math, general knowledge, and behavioral skills of a sample of 509 children attending these classrooms over the pre-k program year. The primary evaluation questions include: (1) What are the outcomes for children attending Georgia's Pre-K Program?; (2) What factors predict better outcomes for children?; and (3) What is the quality of Georgia's Pre-K classrooms? Key findings of this study include: (1) Children exhibited significant growth during their pre-k year across all domains of learning, including language and literacy skills, math skills, general knowledge, and behavioral skills; and (2) Children who were Spanish-speaking dual language learners showed growth in skills in both English and Spanish, although their growth tended to be greater in English. (Contains 11 figures, 12 tables, 2 footnotes, and 22 endnotes.) [For &quot;Children's Growth and Classroom Experiences in Georgia's Pre-K Program: Findings from the 2011-2012 Evaluation Study Executive Summary,&quot; see ED541940.]
Quality and Characteristics of the North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten Program: 2011-2012 Statewide Evaluation. Executive Summary
Author: Peisner-Feinberg, Ellen
Date: 2013-03-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Preschool Education,Preschool Children,At Risk Students,State Programs,Program Evaluation,Preschool Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Teaching Conditions,Teacher Persistence,Educational Quality,Teacher Surveys

The North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten Program (NC Pre-K) is a state-funded initiative for at-risk 4-year-olds, designed to provide a high quality, classroom-based educational program during the year prior to kindergarten entry. Children are eligible for NC Pre-K based on age, family income (at or below 75% of state median income), and other risk factors (limited English proficiency, identified disability, chronic health condition, and developmental/educational need). In the 2011-2012 year, the NC Pre-K Program served over 29,000 children in a variety of settings across the state, including local school systems, private providers, and blended Head Start/pre-k classrooms. The 2011-2012 evaluation study included information about characteristics of the NC Pre-K Program statewide and observations of classroom quality and teacher surveys in a random sample of 100 classrooms. The primary research questions addressed by this evaluation included: (1) What were the key characteristics of the local NC Pre-K programs?; (2) What was the quality of the NC Pre-K classrooms attended by children?; (3) What factors were associated with better quality?; and (4) To what extent were these results similar to past years under the More at Four Program? Key findings of this study include: (1) The NC Pre-K Program has not changed substantially in comparison to prior years of its predecessor program More at Four; (2) There were a few aspects in which the NC Pre-K Program differed in comparison to prior years of the More at Four Program; (3) NC Pre-K teachers generally reported being satisfied with their work environment; (4) NC Pre-K teachers reported that they planned to remain in the early childhood field; (5) The quality of classroom practices in NC Pre-K was in the medium to high range overall; and (6) The quality of the NC Pre-K classrooms was similar in almost all areas when compared to recent years of More at Four. [For the full report, &quot;Quality and Characteristics of the North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten Program: 2011-2012 Statewide Evaluation,&quot; see ED541936.]
The Inclusive Classroom Profile (ICP) Preliminary Findings of Demonstration Study in North Carolina
Author: Soukakou, E.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Profiles,Rating Scales,Inclusion,Field Tests,Classroom Techniques,Preschool Education,Interrater Reliability,Factor Structure,Correlation,Construct Validity,Program Evaluation

The Inclusive Classroom Profile (ICP) was developed in response to a lack of validated instruments designed specifically to measure the quality of inclusive practices, and it is based on research evidence on the effectiveness of specialized instructional strategies for meeting the individual needs of children in inclusive settings (Odom, 2004; National Professional Development Center on Inclusion, 2011; Buysse and Hollingsworth, 2009). The ICP has been used in a pilot study in the United Kingdom with promising results for the measure's reliability and validity (Soukakou, in press). The purpose of this study was to conduct the first USA demonstration study leading to validation. The measure was field tested in 51 inclusive settings in North Carolina. The following are the preliminary results from this demonstration study: (1) The measure has acceptable inter-rater agreement, is internally consistent, and shows a good factor structure; (2) Correlations with another measure of global classroom quality (ECERS-R) provided initial evidence for construct validity; and (3) Assessors reported the measure to be feasible and easy to use. (Contains 1 footnote.) [Additional funding for this paper was provided by the NC Rated License Assessment Project, the Division of Child Development and Early Education; and the NC Department of Public Instruction, Exceptional Children.]
Quality and Characteristics of the North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten Program: 2011-2012 Statewide Evaluation
Author: Peisner-Feinberg, Ellen
Date: 2013-03-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Preschool Education,Preschool Children,At Risk Students,State Programs,Program Evaluation,Preschool Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Teaching Conditions,Teacher Persistence,Educational Quality,Teacher Surveys,Teacher Student Relationship,Classroom Environment,Predictor Variables,Student Characteristics,Teacher Characteristics,Class Size,Public Schools,Private Schools,Attendance,Preschool Curriculum

The North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten Program (NC Pre-K) is a state-funded initiative for at-risk 4-year-olds, designed to provide a high quality, classroom-based educational program during the year prior to kindergarten entry. Children are eligible for NC Pre-K based on age, family income (at or below 75% of state median income), and other risk factors (limited English proficiency, identified disability, chronic health condition, and developmental/educational need). In the 2011-2012 year, the NC Pre-K Program served over 29,000 children in a variety of settings across the state, including local school systems, private providers, and blended Head Start/pre-k classrooms. The 2011-2012 evaluation study included information about characteristics of the NC Pre-K Program statewide and observations of classroom quality and teacher surveys in a random sample of 100 classrooms. The primary research questions addressed by this evaluation included: (1) What were the key characteristics of the local NC Pre-K programs?; (2) What was the quality of the NC Pre-K classrooms attended by children?; (3) What factors were associated with better quality?; and (4) To what extent were these results similar to past years under the More at Four Program? Key findings of this study include: (1) The NC Pre-K Program has not changed substantially in comparison to prior years of its predecessor program More at Four; (2) There were a few aspects in which the NC Pre-K Program differed in comparison to prior years of the More at Four Program; (3) NC Pre-K teachers generally reported being satisfied with their work environment; (4) NC Pre-K teachers reported that they planned to remain in the early childhood field; (5) The quality of classroom practices in NC Pre-K was in the medium to high range overall; and (6) The quality of the NC Pre-K classrooms was similar in almost all areas when compared to recent years of More at Four. (Contains 7 figures, 25 tables, and 9 endnotes.) [For &quot;Quality and Characteristics of the North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten Program: 2011-2012 Statewide Evaluation. Executive Summary,&quot; see ED541934.]
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: State Achievements, Challenges, and Implications. FPG Snapshot #65
Author: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, FPG Child Development Institute
Date: 2012-02-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Disabilities,State Policy,Educational Policy,Accountability,Educational Indicators,Federal Legislation,Special Education,Educational Trends,State Programs,Young Children,Early Childhood Education,Intervention,Outcome Measures,Disability Identification,Individualized Education Programs,Individualized Family Service Plans,Family Programs,Federal Programs,Educational Legislation

The goal of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is no longer simply to make services available to young children with disabilities and their families, but also to ensure that those services lead to enhanced outcomes for participating children and families. To that end, IDEA 2004 requires states to submit State Performance Plans (SPPs) and Annual Performance Reports (APRs) to document progress on performance and compliance indicators, improvement activities, and monitoring strategies. From FFY 2005-2008, the mean percentage of children birth to age 1 receiving EI services remained stable at 1.15%; the percentage of children birth to age 3 receiving EI services increased from 2.4% to 2.66%, despite the narrowing of eligibility criteria in some states. Eighteen states met their target for serving birth to 1 year olds in FFY 2008 and 31 states met their target for serving birth to 3-year-olds.
The Impact of Early Childhood Teacher Education: How to Answer the Unanswerable Question. FPG Snapshot #68
Author: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, FPG Child Development Institute
Date: 2013-02-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Disabilities,Preschool Teachers,Early Childhood Education,Young Children,Mathematics Education,Teacher Education Curriculum,Research Needs,Educational Needs,Preservice Teacher Education,Educational Research,Outcome Measures,Evidence,Research Reports

Public awareness of the value of a high quality early childhood education has never been stronger with Nobel-prize winning economist James J. Heckman declaring that it is the key to the nation's future. Higher education's role in preparing teachers to deliver on that promise is significant and continues to grow. A special issue of the "Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education" addresses this critically important question: For whom and in what ways does early childhood teacher education (ECTE) matter? The authors explore this issue by focusing on three domains of ECTE: (1) addressing the needs of young children with disabilities and their families; (2) understanding and working effectively with infants and toddlers; and, (3) building young children's competence and interest in mathematics. Each domain is critically important in the preparation of tomorrow's early childhood teachers; each has often been under-emphasized in ECTE programs; and, research in each has been inadequate. (Contains 1 resource.)
The Abecedarian Project: High-Quality Early Child Care Has Long-Lasting Effects. FPG Snapshot #66
Author: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, FPG Child Development Institute
Date: 2012-04-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Child Care,Young Children,Early Childhood Education,Primary Education,Intervention,Comparative Analysis,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Longitudinal Studies,Outcome Measures,Semi Structured Interviews,Questionnaires,Disadvantaged,African American Students,Adults,Crime,Home Visits,Specialists,Socioeconomic Status,Educational Attainment

Do the positive effects of an intensive early childhood educational program extend into adulthood? FPG researchers used comprehensive longitudinal data from the Abecedarian Project to try to answer that important question. The Abecedarian Project was a prospective randomized trial involving primarily African-American families (98%) that began in 1972. The first phase of the intervention provided early childhood education within a high-quality child care setting from early infancy to kindergarten entry at age 5 for half the children while the others served as controls. A second phase of treatment randomly assigned half the children who had child care treatment and half those in the control group to receive the services of a special teacher for the first three years in public school. This teacher alternated bi-weekly visits between classroom and home and designed customized learning activities to reinforce at home skills being taught at school. Thus, the timing and duration of intervention varied from age 0-8 years, or from age 0-5 years, or from age 5-8 years, to no intervention at all, depending on the subgroup to which participants belonged. Because assignment to treatment groups was random, children's developmental outcomes can more fairly be attributed to treatment itself rather than to initial differences in family circumstances. Outcomes of the study showed that: (1) Abecedarian Project early childhood participants had significantly more years of education by age 30 than individuals in the control group; (2) Although the income-to-needs ratio was more favorable for those with early childhood treatment, the difference was not statistically significant; and (3) There were no treatment group differences in criminal activity, the primary outcome of interest. (Contains 1 resource.)
Children's Growth and Classroom Experiences in Georgia's Pre-K Program: Findings from the 2011-2012 Evaluation Study. Executive Summary
Author: Peisner-Feinberg, Ellen
Date: 2013-01-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Literacy,Kindergarten,Preschool Education,Mathematics Skills,Disadvantaged Youth,Family Income,Child Behavior,Outcomes of Education,Educational Quality,Language Skills,Sampling,Prediction,Spanish Speaking,English (Second Language),Child Development,Observation,Educational Assessment

Georgia has one of the few state-funded universal pre-kindergarten programs in the United States, with the aim of providing pre-k services to all 4-year-olds whose families want their children to participate in the program, regardless of family income level. In the 2011-2012 school year, Georgia's Pre-K Program served a total of over 94,000 different children throughout the year in a variety of settings across the state, including local school systems, private settings, and blended Head Start/Georgia's Pre-K classrooms. The 2011-2012 evaluation study included observations of classroom quality in a random sample of 100 Georgia's Pre-K classrooms and assessments of the language, literacy, math, general knowledge, and behavioral skills of a sample of 509 children attending these classrooms over the pre-k program year. The primary evaluation questions included: (1) What are the outcomes for children attending Georgia's Pre-K Program?; (2) What factors predict better outcomes for children?; and (3) What is the quality of Georgia's Pre-K classrooms? Key findings of this study include: (1) Children exhibited significant growth during their pre-k year across all domains of learning, including language and literacy skills, math skills, general knowledge, and behavioral skills; and (2) Children who were Spanish-speaking dual language learners showed growth in skills in both English and Spanish, although their growth tended to be greater in English. (Contains 1 footnote.) [For the full report, &quot;Children's Growth and Classroom Experiences in Georgia's Pre-K Program: Findings from the 2011-2012 Evaluation Study,&quot; see ED541933.]
Expanding Educational Excellence: The Power of Schools
Author: Coleman, Mary Ruth
Date: 2012-08-27
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Barriers,Access to Education,Equal Education,Minority Group Students,Poverty,Economically Disadvantaged,Expectation,Bias,Educational Policy,Educational Practices,School Role,Educational Improvement,Disproportionate Representation,Males,Elementary Education,Talent Development

In this paper, the authors explore four major barriers to academic success that must be addressed, briefly describe two projects that have worked to address these barriers, and make recommendations for moving forward as they work to expand educational excellence for all students. They provide examples of the myriad ways in which schools have the power to address barriers--some of which are under schools' immediate purview, while others are tangential. In an attempt to ensure that all children fit and belong, schools have sometimes tried to actively ignore differences, particularly those of color. This position of being "colorblind" undermines the ability to equitably address, connect with, honor, and celebrate the uniqueness of each child, thus undermining a key relationship to learning. The authors are in no way discounting the strides many schools have made and continue to make in countering the struggles that too many children of color and/or of poverty face. They do, however, feel that only by pointedly describing the major obstacles that stand in the way of too many children's access to appropriate educational opportunities can future work focus on eliminating those barriers, rather than continuing to simply elaborate on the existence of the disparities themselves. They begin by describing system-level, aggregate disparities that exist in American education, despite the isolated pockets of excellence. (Contains 1 figure and 1 footnote.)
Culture and Parenting: Family Models Are Not One-Size-Fits-All. FPG Snapshot #67
Author: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, FPG Child Development Institute
Date: 2012-05-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Child Rearing,Cultural Differences,Models,Family (Sociological Unit),Young Children,Validity,Whites,African Americans,Asian Americans,Hispanic Americans,Spanish Speaking

Family process models guide theories and research about family functioning and child development outcomes. Theory and research, in turn, inform policies and services aimed at families. But are widely accepted models valid across cultural groups? To address these gaps, FPG researchers examined the utility of two family process models for families with young children from five cultural groups: European American (EA), African American (AA), primarily English-speaking and primarily Spanish-speaking Hispanic (EH and SH), and Asian (AS). The study tested the validity of two models, the Family Investment (FIM) and Family Stress Model (FSM), both of which articulate mediating mechanisms (parenting and other proximal family processes) linking family demographic variables to child outcomes. The FPG investigators explored the relationships between cultural group, sociodemographic variables, various mediators, and children's academic outcomes. The study's findings indicate that the FIM and FSM may not be equally relevant for all groups and that some parenting behaviors exhibit cultural variation. (Contains 1 figure, 1 table, and 1 online resource.)