ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Environmental Health: High-level Strategy and Leadership Needed to Continue Progress toward Protecting Children from Environmental Threats. Report to Congressional Requesters. GAO-10-205
Author: Stephenson, John B.
Date: 2010-01-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Child Health,Risk,Counties,Pollution,Toxicology,Hazardous Materials,Diseases,Advisory Committees,Environmental Standards,Public Health,Agency Cooperation,Strategic Planning,Needs Assessment

Exposure to toxic chemicals or environmental pollutants may harm the health of the nation's 74 million children and contribute to increases in asthma and developmental impairments. In  2007, 66 percent of children lived in counties exceeding allowable levels for at least one of the six principal air pollutants that cause or aggravate asthma, contributing to medical costs of $3.2 billion per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 1997, Executive Order 13045 mandated that agencies place a high priority on children's risks and required that policies, programs, activities, and standards address those risks. In response, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created the Office of Children's Health Protection and convened the Children's Health Protection Advisory Committee. This report assesses the extent to which EPA has institutionalized consideration of children's health through (1) strategies and priorities, (2) key offices and other child-focused resources, and (3) participation in interagency efforts. GAO reviewed numerous documents and met with EPA and other officials for this report. GAO recommends improvements to help EPA protect children, and EPA agreed to implement them. GAO also suggests that Congress consider reinstating a government-wide task force on children's environmental health. Appendices include: (1) Scope and Methodology; (2) EPA Policy on Evaluating Health Risks to Children;  (3) Executive Order 13045 and Amendments; (4) EPA Regulations Subject to Executive Order 13045; (5) Comments from the Environmental Protection Agency; and (6) GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments. (Contains 6 tables, 4 figures, and 65 footnotes.)[Key contributions to this report were made by Diane Raynes, Elizabeth Beardsley, Timothy Bober, Mark Braza, Emily Hanawalt, Terrance Horner, Jr., Aaron Shiffrin, Benjamin Shouse, and Kiki Theodoropoulos.]
Rising to the Challenge: Hispanic College Graduation Rates as a National Priority
Author: Kelly, Andrew P.
Date: 2010-03-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Graduation Rate,Educational Attainment,Hispanic American Students,College Graduates,Influences,White Students,Comparative Analysis,Gender Differences,Institutional Characteristics,Academic Persistence,First Generation College Students,Barriers,Selective Admission,Educational Finance,Educational Policy,Academic Achievement

President Barack Obama has called for the United States to reclaim its position as the nation with the highest concentration of adults with postsecondary degrees in the world. Given the changing demographics of the United States, this target cannot be achieved without increasing the rate at which Hispanic students obtain a college degree. In this report, the authors explore the dimensions of this challenge and identify steps that can be taken to help meet this ambitious national goal. They explore why some colleges are more successful than others in helping Hispanic students with similar academic backgrounds earn degrees, and they identify some obstacles Hispanic students face in completing a bachelor's degree. Finally, they note specific conditions that seem to affect graduation rates and discuss actions that can be taken to improve them. Complete listing of colleges and universities alphabetically by state is appended. (Contains 7 figures and 25 notes.)
Case Study: A Hispanic Combat Veteran Returns to College
Author: Brito, Javier
Date: 2008-11-14
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Hispanic Americans,War,Veterans,Case Studies,Posttraumatic Stress Disorder,Adventitious Impairments,Injuries,Interpersonal Relationship,Social Isolation,Coping,Psychological Patterns,Drinking,Barriers,Occupational Aspiration,Career Counseling,Transitional Programs,Academic Support Services,Student Adjustment,School Holding Power,Attendance

This exploratory case study focuses on a returning Hispanic combat veteran and his perceptions and experiences regarding transition from a military setting to a higher education setting. Focus is placed on a cohort-based transition educational program of studies designed to provide coping skills that foster resiliency so as to minimize stigmatization and traditional psychological interventions while increasing the likelihood of retention and graduation. While this study looks at a single individual attending the program, his perceptions advise to the efficacy of such an endeavor for returning veterans.
Psychological Principles for e-Learning
Author: Jaleel, Sajna
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Educational Psychology,Educational Principles,Electronic Learning,Information Technology,Telecommunications,Computer Mediated Communication,Course Content,Development,Delivery Systems,Technology Uses in Education,Influence of Technology

The fast budding influence of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and e-learning in content development and content delivery can be seen in every sector of education. Learning and teaching whether it is through actual classroom settings or through technological applications utilizes many psychological principles knowingly or unknowingly. The most commonly used or heard Schools of Psychology are Behaviourism, Cognitivism and Constructivism. All these schools of psychology are developed based on theories formulated by many psychologists and are being effectively applied in actual classroom situations. However, the application of these psychological principles in e-Learning is not much thought of. e-Learning could be more efficient and effective by the contextual use of different psychological principles. This paper tries to analyze the theories and principles of different psychologists in the context of e-learning. (Contains 5 tables and 3 figures.)
An ESP Course for Tourism Students
Author: Coskun, Abdullah
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Vocational Schools,Tourism,Interviews,Foreign Countries,Speech Skills,Job Skills,English (Second Language),Needs Assessment,Student Needs,Food,Service Occupations,Food Service,Cooperative Learning,College Students,English for Special Purposes

This study aimed at developing a course based on the level and the needs of second-grade tourism students at a vocational school in Turkey. Two data collection instruments, a needs analysis and an oral interview, were used to reveal students' level of English and their needs. It was found that the average level of English in the classroom is A2 according to Common European Framework standards and listening-speaking skills are perceived as the most needed skills at work. It was also revealed that most of them would like to work as waiters/waitresses or chefs and the restaurant is the most likely setting to use English. In link with their future career, the sub-theme of &quot;food&quot; was chosen as the cultural content of the course. Finally, doing pair-work in the classroom was marked as useful by most students. Considering these findings, a fifteen-week one-term course, each unit of which was developed around different sub-themes of culture was developed and one of the lessons developed around the sub-theme of food was presented with the related lesson plan and materials at the end of the study. Two appendices are included: (1) Needs Analysis Questionnaire; and (2) General Outline of Questions for the Semi-Structured Interview.
Whose English Should We Teach? Reflections from Turkey
Author: Coskun, Abdullah
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Language Teachers,Native Speakers,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Pronunciation,Cultural Influences,Teaching Methods

In today's world, the increase in the number of non-native English speakers in the world has led to the emergence of so many different varieties of English and has influenced some of the important issues related to English language teaching (ELT). The strict traditional adherence to native speaker pronunciation and culture in ELT are among the issues challenged by the World Englishes debate. The concepts of &quot;intelligible&quot; pronunciation and &quot;international&quot; culture seem to have replaced the so-called native-speaker model. This paper has the main objective to draw attention to the place of English in Turkey and review relevant literature about the concept of World Englishes in terms of teaching culture and pronunciation by focusing on the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context of Turkey. Some activities are suggested the end of the paper in order to help English teachers not only in Turkey but also in other expanding circle countries to become aware of ways of incorporating World Englishes into their classes on the basis of Matsuda's (2003) curriculum model.
The Impact of Teacher Unions on Student Learning
Author: Fenster, Mark J.
Date: 2009-10-23
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Collective Bargaining,Unions,Teaching Methods,Teacher Associations,Teacher Competencies,Socioeconomic Influences,Mathematics Achievement,Reading Achievement,Grade 4,Grade 8,Science Achievement,Writing Achievement

The overall impact of unions and collective bargaining agreements on student achievement has produced a literature with decidedly mixed results. Unions are seen to have both positive and negative influences on a teachers' ability to perform the teaching act. This study researches the impact of unions on state level student achievement, controlling for socio-economic differences among states. We find that students perform significantly worse on the mathematics component of the NAEP [National Assessment of Educational Progress] assessment (since passage of NCLB [No Child Left Behind]) in states that permit collective bargaining, and worse in reading compared to states where collective bargaining is illegal. The negative impact of teachers' unions on student achievement was consistent over all years studied. States that don't permit teacher unions give their students a competitive advantage in the learning process. (Contains 17 tables and 4 figures.)
Relating Teacher Candidate Performance to Their Students' Subject Specific Academic Achievement Using TWS Methodology
Author: Fenster, Mark J.
Date: 2008-03-26
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Student Teachers,Teacher Influence,Academic Achievement,Achievement Gains,Student Teaching,Observation,Student Teacher Evaluation,Student Evaluation,Pretests Posttests,Correlation,Scores,Elementary School Students,Kindergarten

Teacher education preparation programs are under pressure from the public to provide evidence that their programs and teacher candidates are improving student achievement.  However, the connections between teacher education preparation programs, teacher candidates' evaluation, and student achievement are often hard to disentangle from other educationally relevant effects. Teacher candidates were formally assessed by their university supervisor during their student teaching semester. Using Western Oregon University's teacher work sample methodology, we were able to assess the achievement of the teacher candidate's students. Results showed that students of teacher candidates' showed 52% gains in knowledge of learning goals. Additionally, improvement in teacher candidate's teaching ability as measured on an observation instrument was associated with higher gains by their students on the learning goals. Lastly, teacher candidates assessing their students' learning in the disciplines of science and math showed lower gains on the learning goals when compared to English/language arts, health or social studies. Teacher Candidate Observation Instrument is appended. (Contains 5 tables and 2 figures.)
Does Playing for a National Championship Adversely Impact Grades of Student Athletes?
Author: Fenster, Mark J.
Date: 2007-04-11
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Team Sports,College Athletics,Athletes,Grades (Scholastic),Tests,Influences,Student Evaluation,Grade Point Average,College Students,Conflict,College Credits

In NCAA Divisions I-AA, II and III, there has been a single-elimination playoff system to determine football's national championships for over 25 years. In the same weeks that student athletes compete in the playoffs, they would be finishing their fall semester work and (perhaps) taking final exams. For athletes at XYZ, the demands made on a football player were made even more demanding by the success of the team. And football players at XYZ were able to handle the increased demands of playing lengthy seasons, even when those lengthy seasons conflicted with the final exam schedule, with no detriment in their grades. (Contains 2 tables.)
WWC Review of the Article &quot;Culture and the Interaction of Student Ethnicity with Reward Structure in Group Learning&quot;
Author: What Works Clearinghouse (ED)
Date: 2010-03-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: African American Students,Urban Schools,Ethnicity,Academic Achievement,Program Effectiveness,Interaction,Rewards,Mathematics Skills,Grade 5,White Students,Group Instruction,Grade 4,Statistical Significance,Scores,Comparative Analysis,Computation,Multiplication,Multiple Choice Tests

&quot;Culture and the Interaction of Student Ethnicity with Reward Structure in Group Learning&quot; examined the effects of different reward systems used in group learning situations on the math skills of African-American and white students. The study analyzed data on 75 African-American and 57 white fourth- and fifth-grade students from urban schools in the Northeastern United States. Among African-Americans, students offered a reward based on individual performance had lower scores than those offered no reward, and this difference was statistically significant. The differences in test scores between those offered a reward based on group performance and the other two research groups (those offered no reward and those offered an award based on individual performance) were not statistically significant. Among white students, those offered a reward based on individual performance scored statistically significantly higher than those in the other two groups (students offered a reward based on group performance and students offered no reward). The difference in test scores for those offered a reward based on group performance and those offered no reward was not statistically significant. The research described in this article is consistent with What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards. [The following study is the focus of this &quot;Quick Review&quot;: Hurley, E. A., Allen, B. A., &amp; Boykin, A. W. (2009). &quot;Culture and the interaction of student ethnicity with reward structure in group learning.&quot; &quot;Cognition and Instruction,&quot; 27(2), 121-146 (EJ834176).]
What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review of the Report &quot;Effectiveness of Reading and Mathematics Software Products: Findings for Two Student Cohorts&quot;
Author: What Works Clearinghouse (ED)
Date: 2010-03-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Reading Achievement,Academic Achievement,Computer Software,Program Effectiveness,Grade 4,Mathematics Achievement,Statistical Significance,Effect Size,Standardized Tests,Scores,Grade 1,Grade 6,Algebra

&quot;Effectiveness of Reading and Mathematics Software Products: Findings for Two Student Cohorts&quot; examined the effects of ten reading and mathematics software products on student achievement. The study analyzed data on more than 11,000 students in 400 classrooms and was conducted in 23 primarily urban, low-income school districts. The number of students in the analysis of each curriculum ranged from about 600 to about 2,600. The study found a positive, statistically significant effect for one of the six reading products examined (&quot;LeapTrack[R]&quot;, 4th grade). The estimated effect size was 0.09, equivalent to moving a student from the 50th to the 54th percentile of reading achievement. None of the four math products examined demonstrated significant effects on student achievement. The research described in this report is consistent with What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards. [The following study is the focus of this &quot;Quick Review&quot;: Campuzano, L., Dynarski, M., Agodini, R., &amp; Rall, K. (2009). &quot;Effectiveness of reading and mathematics software products: Findings from two student cohorts&quot; (NCEE 2009-4041). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education (ED504657).]
Alternative Schools and Programs for Public School Students at Risk of Educational Failure: 2007-08. First Look. NCES 2010-026
Author: Carver, Priscilla Rouse
Date: 2010-03-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Public Schools,Nontraditional Education,At Risk Students,Academic Failure,School Districts,Surveys,Questionnaires,Enrollment,Administrators,Followup Studies,Transfer Students,Student Placement,Dropouts,Track System (Education),Databases,Partnerships in Education,Grades (Scholastic),Response Rates (Questionnaires),Parent Grievances,Functional Behavioral Assessment

This report provides national estimates on the availability of alternative schools and programs for students at risk of educational failure in public school districts during the 2007-08 school year. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) previously reported results from a similar survey of alternative schools and programs conducted during the 2000-01 school year (Kleiner, Porch, and Farris 2002). The estimates presented in the current report are based on an initial district survey about alternative schools and programs available to students during the 2007-08 school year and a short follow-up survey. The initial survey asked about alternative schools and programs administered by the district and covered many of the same topics included in the 2000-01 survey. The follow-up survey expanded the coverage by asking about students enrolled in the district who attended alternative schools and programs administered by an entity other than the district. Appendices include: (1) Standard Error Tables; (2) Technical Notes; and (3) Questionnaires. (Contains 32 tables and 6 footnotes.)
Characteristics of Winning Title II-D Edtech Grant Proposals
Author: Morris, Mary P.
Date: 2006-04-08
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Federal Legislation,Federal Programs,School District Size,Program Proposals,Grants,Grantsmanship,Funding Formulas,Policy Analysis,Educational Technology,Technology Integration,Multivariate Analysis,Content Analysis,School District Wealth,Enrollment Rate,Predictor Variables,Institutional Characteristics

As part of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the U. S. Department of Education determined that state education agencies could submit a consolidated application to obtain funds from many federal programs through a single, consolidated application. Title II-D Enhancing Education through Technology (EdTech), is one of thirteen programs that could be included in the consolidated application in Georgia. Research questions addressed which districts got funded and whether wealth or district enrollment impacted the outcome of the funding decision. Results showed that district enrollment (but not wealth) was associated with the funding decisions. Large school districts were significantly more likely to have their proposals funded. The process designed by the Title II-D competition to promote accountability increased the already overworked district level employee in small districts. (Contains 4 tables.)
Algebra for All? An Evaluation of Academic Achievement of College and Tech Prep Students
Author: Terry, Madonna H.
Date: 2007-04-10
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Mathematics Achievement,Mathematics Skills,Algebra,Tech Prep,Academic Achievement,Predictor Variables,State Standards,Comparative Testing,Curriculum Design,High School Students,Criterion Referenced Tests,Mathematical Concepts,Equated Scores

&quot;Algebra for everyone&quot; has been a popular reform, though not commonly implemented and not fully evaluated. Through investigation, one might be able to determine whether courses deemed equivalent to a traditional college preparatory algebra course provide an equitable understanding of algebra concepts and skills, while controlling for variables that have an impact on learning like prior mathematics achievement. No matter what algebra course was attempted, the State of Georgia required all students to sit for the same state-mandated assessment at the end of their course sequence. Results showed that tech prep students taking applied algebra slightly outperformed college prep students taking the traditional algebra one year course, controlling for prior mathematics skills and demographic variables (ethnicity and gender). (Contains 6 tables and 1 figure.)
An Initiative to Facilitate Practitioner Doctoral Students to Present at AERA
Author: Fenster, Mark J.
Date: 2009-04-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Educational Research,Doctoral Programs,Student Research,Professional Associations,Graduate Students,Program Effectiveness,Student Attitudes,Student Surveys

The education doctorate is the most commonly awarded doctorate in academia. In preparation for developing and executing a piece of original research like a dissertation, doctoral students are required to take coursework in research and statistics. These courses can be considered part of a core set of competencies that doctoral students are required to master. Getting students started in their own research is a challenging goal, especially if students see the education doctorate in career enhancing, not publishing terms. We discuss an initiative launched at the University of Massachusetts Lowell to get doctoral students started on their own research early in their programs and to present papers at AERA [American Educational Research Association]. In the two years of the initiative, 14 doctoral students out of 28 were successful at getting acceptances at AERA. Students were surveyed regarding their impressions of the going through the AERA review process. We found that 90% students thought the review process was fair. The survey instrument is appended.
Adult Learning and Numeracy: Introduction
Author: Kantner, M. Joanne
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Information Analyses
Subjects: Delivery Systems,Mathematics Education,Numeracy,Adult Basic Education,Adult Education,Doctoral Dissertations,Adult Learning,Mathematics Instruction,Mathematics Skills,Teaching Methods

The purpose of this article was to explore the marginalization of adult mathematics learning within education. The problem is adult education subsumes adult mathematics learning under the umbrella of literacy. Literacy and numeracy compared in terms of their quantities of funding, directed projects, ERIC submissions, and published dissertations. Findings show of 113 dissertations in adult mathematics education from 1980 to 2000, only 34 were situated at a numeracy (adult basic education) level. Results indicate the adult education delivery systems privilege funding, services and attention into reading and writing, which has higher priority and accountability in the national system, and away from numeracy education. Results show numeracy is disenfranchised within the adult education system and must be recognized as separate from, but as worthy as, literacy. [This paper was published in: "Adult Learning," 99 (3,4) 4-7.]