ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Lessons on Organizing for Power
Author: Malfaro, Louis
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching (Occupation),Unions,Collective Bargaining,Power Structure,School Districts,Social Networks,Professional Isolation,Union Members,Beginning Teacher Induction,Mentors,Master Teachers,Organizational Change,Community Development,Political Power

School systems sometimes make promises they have no intention of keeping. Other times, they can deliver a world of opportunities to the neediest children. They may or may not want to listen to parents or even teachers, but school systems always attend to the demands of the most powerful individuals and institutions in their communities. For the last 20 years, this author has been working and organizing to build power through his local union--Education Austin. In this article, he reflects on what he has learned in more than 20 years of union leadership. Chief among those lessons is how locals in states without collective bargaining can work with their school districts to do what is best for their members and the children they serve.
Using Professional Learning Communities to Build Teacher Leadership Capacity: Creating Sustainable Change in Education
Author: Harris, Ainsley Taylor
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Teacher Effectiveness,Teacher Leadership,Communities of Practice,Leadership Training,Program Effectiveness,Interviews,Principals,Administrator Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Sustainability,Educational Improvement,School Culture,Elementary School Teachers,Program Descriptions

During the course of this study, I examine the effective uses of professional learning communities in relation to building leadership capacity among teachers. The literature reviewed illustrates and addresses the need for teachers to see themselves, not only as professionals, but as leaders. This study addresses the effects of this much needed sense of professionalism and confidence within teachers. This study includes interviews with principals and teachers with experience using professional learning communities in this capacity. The interviews not only demonstrate how professional communities can and are used effectively, but also what the effects of their use have on teacher satisfaction and teacher effectiveness.
Meso-American Languages in the Wiregrass: An Investigation of Language Maintenance in North Florida/South Georgia
Author: Gladwin, Ransom
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Language Skill Attrition,Language Maintenance,Surveys,Questionnaires,Cultural Maintenance,Language Minorities,Adults,Native Language,American Indians,American Indian Languages,Parent Attitudes,Immigrants,Refugees,Hispanic Americans,Mayan Languages,Maya (People),Language Attitudes

This study used oral survey methods to examine first the diversity of Meso-American languages and second the potential language maintenance or loss of these languages among Meso-American language speakers in Wiregrass country (North Florida-South Georgia). Language shift, the process of gradually changing from one first language to another first language over successive generations, often occurs among displaced immigrant populations (Fishman, 1967). In a similar study Gladwin (2004) predicted potential Meso-American language shift/loss among surveyed Meso-American language speaking respondents in Southeast Florida. The current study in North Florida/South Georgia also predicts potential Meso-American language loss, however, the present findings showed greater linguistic diversity and a stronger loyalty to Meso-American languages among the respondents in Wiregrass country. [This paper has been published as: Gladwin, R.F. (2010). Meso-American Languages in the Wiregrass: An Investigation of Language Maintenance in North Florida/South Georgia. &quot;Florida Foreign Language Journal,&quot; 6(1), 9-21.]
The Effects of an Interdisciplinary Program on Secondary Art Students Participating in an Interdisciplinary Chemistry-Art Program and in an Art Only Program
Author: Kariuki, Patrick
Date: 2010-11-01
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Photography,Chemistry,Program Effectiveness,High School Students,Interdisciplinary Approach,Art Education,Art Activities,Science Instruction,Student Projects,Scoring Rubrics,Instructional Effectiveness,Team Teaching,Teacher Collaboration,Art Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,Vocational Education,Pretests Posttests

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an interdisciplinary program on the secondary level. The sample consisted of 17 students enrolled in a high school advanced photography class. The students in the sample varied in their chemistry background. The sample was randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group had seven students and the control group consisted of ten students. The students in the experimental group participated in three days of intensive hands on chemistry instruction relevant to a photography project based on Van Dyke Brown Process. The control group did not participate in the chemistry instruction. After the instruction, both experimental and control groups were assigned a photography project. Data were collected using a rubric to quantitatively score the performance on the photography project. The rubric consisted of several subscales. Data were then analyzed using t-test for independent means. The results indicated a significant difference between the experimental and control group on their performance. The experimental group outperformed the control group in the overall scores, and on the measures of concepts taught and craftsmanship. The findings of the study suggest that secondary school students could benefit from and interdisciplinary program. (Contains 3 tables.)
Student Attrition: An Argument for Synchronous Learning Online
Author: Reigle, Rosemary R.
Date: 2010-12-06
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Online Courses,Interaction,Student Attrition,Higher Education,Community Colleges,Public Colleges,College Faculty,Synchronous Communication,Cognitive Processes,Difficulty Level,College Students

The purpose of the study was to determine to what extent online instructors make use of synchronous tools, and whether use of synchronous tools is correlated with retention. Between April and September of 2010 a confidential web survey was e-mailed to 120 randomly selected higher education instructors across the country who taught either 3- or 5-credit online classes. These instructors were employed by community colleges, public and private four-year colleges, and universities. Questions were geared toward understanding whether online instructors used synchronous tools in their online classes, and whether use of these tools had an effect on the number of incompletes authorized. Results indicated that most instructors did not use synchronous lectures, webcams, or meeting platforms, and that those instructors who did not use synchronous tools authorized more incompletes than those who did. These results show that lack of synchronous tool use may be correlated to lower completion rates. To improve classroom interaction in an effort to reduce attrition, instructors should consider implementing synchronous tools that provide instant gratification and reduce the cognitive loads of online learners.
Economic Challenges for Today's Modern College Students
Author: Bailey, Steven J.
Date: 2010-12-06
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Student Financial Aid,Paying for College,Student Employment,Low Income Groups,Community Colleges,Two Year College Students,Federal Aid,Academic Advising,Student Personnel Services

Today's students are working either full-time or part-time to complete their education as compared to their predecessors from earlier times. This brings up interesting perspectives on the campus' workload as to how Student Affairs, Financial Aid, and the Advising office can keep up with these students and the outside of campus work that they do to earn a living and to get their educational degree at the same time. Need-based grant aid, then, offers low- and moderate-income students the best means of reducing work and loan burden. Need-based aid is an essential resource that enables students to achieve academically, persist, transfer to a four-year institution, and complete a bachelor's degree. Students must be informed of the need to apply for aid and must be educated on the benefits of fully utilizing all available need-based aid in order to fulfill their educational goals.
The Causal Relationship of Organizational Performance of Thailand Private Higher Education Institutions
Author: Mahasinpaisan, Tippaporn
Date: 2011-01-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Private Education,Higher Education,Causal Models,Transformational Leadership,Organizational Culture,Knowledge Management,Performance,College Faculty

The purpose of this study was to propose causal model of the relationship among  transformational leadership, organizational culture, knowledge management, and organizational performance. A sample of 389 was randomly drawn from instructors of private higher education institutions under the Office of the Higher Education Commission. Data were collected by using questionnaires with reliability 0.98. Data analysis was descriptive statistics, and LISREL analysis. The results indicated that transformational leadership, organizational culture, and knowledge management had direct influence on organizational performance, whereas transformational leadership and organizational culture had indirect influence on organizational performance through a mediating function of knowledge management; and the causal relationship model agreed with the empirical data. Results in this study supported the knowledge management researchers who emphasized that the concept of knowledge management in the organization (transformational leadership and organizational culture) can help develop organizational performance. Educators in the private higher education institutions have to work with various attributes to develop a knowledge-based society that can lead to maximize organizational performance. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)
A Quantitative Content Analysis of Mercer University MEd, EdS, and Doctoral Theses
Author: Randolph, Justus J.
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Content Analysis,Educational Research,Theses,Predictor Variables,Research Methodology,Research Design,Literature Reviews,Bibliometrics,Bibliographic Databases

Quantitative content analysis of a body of research not only helps budding researchers understand the culture, language, and expectations of scholarship, it helps identify deficiencies and inform policy and practice. Because of these benefits, an analysis of a census of 980 Mercer University MEd, EdS, and doctoral theses was conducted. Each thesis was coded on 10 variables. The descriptive characteristics of the theses, the predictors of the length of thesis, and the predictors of the type of research method of the thesis were investigated. The main results were that (a) the vast majority of thesis authors were female, (b) the number of qualitative theses was on the rise, (c) there were slight variations in research method and length based on location of publication, (d) the page length of MEd theses had been slightly decreasing over time, (e) mathematics instruction was the most frequent subject descriptor of theses, and (f) the proportion of male authors increased over time. Coding book is appended. (Contains 3 footnotes, 11 tables, and 2 figures.)
The Law on Home-Education
Author: Rothermel, Paula
Date: 2001-11-00
Type: Opinion Papers
Subjects: Home Schooling,Educational Policy,Definitions,Institutional Role,Educational Legislation,Expenditures,Barriers

Home-schooling is growing in popularity. However, although it is legal for children to be educated at home, there are difficulties associated with defining what constitutes home-education, and who falls within the category of the "home-educated". (Contains 6 endnotes.) [This article has been published as: Rothermel, P. and Fiddy, A. (2001) "The law on home-education". ChildRIGHT. November 2001. Essex: Children's Legal Centre.]
A Journey of Learning Mathematics through Inside-Out Approach
Author: Belbase, Shashidhar
Date: 2010-12-06
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Geometry,Mathematics Education,Learning Processes,Transformative Learning,Learning Theories,College Mathematics,College Students

In this paper I discussed an episode of inside-out approach of learning mathematics that started from my deeply held values, feelings, thoughts, and experiences making them starting point of learning process. I was engaged in a brief learning session with a geometrical problem as context within the session. Data from video record of the learning process and a written experiential anecdote were analyzed and interpreted. Some important aspects of learning process were identified as self-confrontation, mediation, dialogue, and transformation in the learning.
Adults Teaching Adults: The Role of Equality between Teacher and Students in the ESL Classroom as a Factor in Successful Learning
Author: Neuda, Maria C.
Date: 2010-08-00
Type: Opinion Papers
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Immigrants,Adult Students,Teacher Student Relationship,Power Structure,Teacher Role,Teaching Methods,Student Centered Curriculum

Teacher and students are inherently unequal in the classroom, even when both are adults, because one has what the other wants: subject matter expertise. While this hierarchy is generally viewed as appropriate, it can be detrimental to learning, particularly where English is being taught to adult immigrants. This article explores why. Adult ESL students face unique challenges: limited opportunities to use existing professional or occupational skills, lack of ability or knowledge to access basic resources, sometimes unfriendliness, scorn, abuse.  Alongside these students in the classroom sit insecurity, anxiety, and resistance, facing the teacher, who can either aggravate these emotions or allay them. Yet, the very inequality in the classroom reinforces the former of these, acting as it does to enhance the teacher's feelings of authority and power, most especially in the case of ESL teachers, where expertise has been acquired not by dint of effort but by virtue of their having been born in the country where they teach, and where they can be challenged only by an advanced student.  The resultant behaviors that arise increase apprehension and inhibit learning. The article discusses these behaviors and alternatives to them at length, providing numerous examples drawn from higher- and lower-level classrooms: behaviors, such as parading knowledge, limiting student air time, becoming impatient, discouraging risk-taking. Alternatives boil down to the teacher's shifting the center of attention, specifically, yielding the floor to the students, giving them ample opportunities for individual and group presentations and discussions, self-correcting, self-testing, and, most importantly, having them work in small groups to the greatest extent possible. In short: If the teacher shapes an environment where (s)he is no longer the focus of student attention, the latter can shape the learning for themselves.  Ultimately, they lea better and with more satisfaction.
The Elusive Nature of Reliability: Problems and Pitfalls in Scoring Clinical Practice Action Research Projects
Author: Moffett, David W.
Date: 2010-10-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Research Projects,Action Research,Student Evaluation,Mastery Learning,Scoring,Evaluation Methods,Teaching Methods,Reliability,Interrater Reliability,Scoring Rubrics,Evaluation Problems,Student Teachers,Preservice Teacher Education

The Investigators studied scoring reliability of Candidates' ten day unit plans of instruction through prescribed action research projects, across three academic years. Scoring of the projects in year one provided opportunities for further refinement of the action research evaluation methods in year two. Across three terms in years one and two scoring reliability was realized. However, although reliability was realized in term two of year two, new scoring issues arose. Subsequently in year three of the study reliability was not realized across rater and interraters due to a lack of updating points earned on projects in mastery learning, lack of abiding by the rubric for scoring, and informal discussions between the rater and some interrators affecting scoring of projects. Discussion includes changes that likely led to reaching early satisfactory reliability levels, as well as reasons for not realizing reliability in the most recent year. Recommendations follow that may be helpful to education Units seeking to learn more about reliability issues when scoring Candidate items. (Contains 7 tables.)
Introducing the Chemical Industry into the Science Curriculum in Papua New Guinea
Author: Ponnamperuma, A. C. W.
Date: 1987-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Mining,Chemistry,Foreign Countries,Developing Nations,Science Curriculum,Manufacturing Industry,Secondary School Science,Educational Objectives,Educational Practices,Curriculum Implementation,Curriculum Development

Papua New Guinea is a young, developing nation, achieving independence in 1975. Industries which can be classified as chemical industries by western standards, are almost non-existent in Papua New Guinea. As yet, most of the raw materials it produces are exported to other countries to be processed or manufactured into useful products. However, some factories have already been built; more will be built in future. At this stage of the country's development, we can consider the mining industry and the processing of local primary products which utilise the basic techniques of chemical technology. In this paper, we explain how the lower secondary school pupils are introduced to Chemical industry in Papua New Guinea, with particular reference to the mining and extraction of copper on Bougainville island. [This paper has been published as: Ponnamperuma, A.C.W. &amp; Palmer, W. P. (1987). Introducing the Chemical Industry into the Science Curriculum in Papua New Guinea, in &quot;Education, Industry and Technology, Volume 3 in Science Technology and Future Human Needs series&quot; (D.J. Waddington, editor), Pergamon Press, Oxford, pp.133-138.]
The Implementation of a Programme for the Improvement of the Academic Knowledge of New Teachers of Science
Author: Bunker, C. A.
Date: 1984-06-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Educational Change,Foreign Countries,Science Teachers,Program Implementation,Science Course Improvement Projects,Improvement Programs,Instructional Improvement,Teacher Improvement,Program Effectiveness,Teacher Education Programs,Secondary School Science

The background of teaching science in secondary schools in Papua New Guinea is described in order to familiarize readers with the situation at Goroka Teachers' College (GTC) in the early 1980s where it was necessary to attempt to increase educational standards in science. Goroka Teachers' College was the main source of science teachers for secondary schools. A quarter of a century later these initial attempts at reform can be seen to have been a small step in the right direction. [This paper has been published as: Bunker, C. A. and Palmer, W.P. (1984). The Implementation of a Programme for the Improvement of the Academic Knowledge of New Teachers of Science, &quot;International Newsletter on Chemical Education,&quot; No 21, June, pp.18-20.]
Life for Minority Professors of Special Education Ain't Been No Crystal Stair
Author: Gentry, Ruben
Date: 2010-11-00
Type: Opinion Papers
Subjects: Tenure,Diversity (Faculty),Special Education,Special Education Teachers,Quality of Working Life,Faculty Promotion,Minority Groups,Barriers,Change Strategies,Coping,Teaching Conditions,Racial Bias,Faculty Development,Organizational Development,Career Development

To expect an "easy life" as a professor of special education is to expect what never was nor never will be. But when the playing field is uneven for minorities, or even worse, when it is not even recognized that the playing field is uneven, there is cause for action. For example, Bonner (2004) stated that minority faculty face tremendous challenges (including racism) in achieving tenure and promotion; Lovell (2004) countered that several of the experiences lamented by Bonner commonly happen to white faculty as well. It seemed not to be recognized that racism can negatively impact all of the necessary activities and accomplishments to earn tenure and promotion. The journey to becoming a professor of special education is long and tedious. It is making good grades in college for admission to a reputable graduate program, obtaining suitable employment in a promising university, becoming a successful teacher, being of service to students, and most certainly, launching a record of scholarship. Monumental effort is required of anyone to prevail at these focal points, but for minorities, additional hurdles creep into the picture. In addition to racism, they face major economic situations, personal and family issues, and lack of information that interfere with their pursuit of professional training; there is a matter of focusing on the "right" things (e.g., balancing teaching, research, and service) in employment; and then there is the struggle to obtain the wherewithal to do the things to become a success. Ways and means must be accorded to make life more palatable for minority professors of special education.  America needs well prepared and qualified teachers to educate exceptional children in its schools and minority professors play a significant role in the process. Meanwhile, the challenge to minority professors is -- Though the path may be laden with tacks, splinters, boards torn up, and no carpet on the floor, keep climbing, reaching, turning, and sometimes going in the dark, for life will not necessarily be a "crystal stair" (Hughes, n.d.); keep reaching until every child with a disability is provided an appropriate education.  This presentation reflects on the challenges and issues that minority professors face and yet their desire and determination to succeed in higher education. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.