ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Final Report on the 2007 Clark County School District Teaching and Learning Conditions Survey
Author: Berry, Barnett
Date: 2007-12-21
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Teacher Effectiveness,Teacher Persistence,Academic Achievement,School Districts,School Surveys,School Statistics,Research Reports,Comparative Analysis,Mail Surveys,Teaching Conditions,Teacher Attitudes,Educational Assessment,Educational Indicators,Professional Development,Educational Resources,Educational Facilities,Performance Technology

In 2007, under the leadership of Superintendent Walter Rulffes and the Clark County Education Association (CCEA), the Clark County School District (CCSD) conducted a web-based survey of all school-based licensed educators in which they were asked to share their perceptions of the state of teaching and learning conditions in the district. It was the second year in a row in which a survey of this kind was administered, and nearly 9,000 educators (about 48 percent of eligible respondents) completed the survey. The Center for Teaching Quality, a non-profit research-based advocacy organization, has worked closely with the Superintendent's Office and the CCEA to assemble the results and conduct statistical analyses of the relationships between teaching and learning conditions and teacher and student outcomes. This report outlines many important connections revealed by the analyses, provides considerable information upon which policymakers and educators can act, and offers suggestions for more refined future analyses. The survey data and analyses presented herein suggest that the Clark County School District has developed a solid foundation on which to continue to improve teaching and learning conditions that will support teacher retention and increased student achievement. CCSD--the fastest-growing district in the nation (and the fifth-largest)--faces a number of extraordinary challenges as a result of growth in the student population as well as increasing ethnic and linguistic diversity. Extraordinary efforts are yielding solid results for students, and continued efforts to improve teaching and learning conditions will enable more of the district's educators to be successful. Appendices include: (1) Response Rates by School; (2) Teacher Perceptions of Teaching and Learning Conditions, by Career Intent; (3) Perceptions of Teaching and Learning Conditions, by Position; (4) Perceptions of Teaching and Learning Conditions, by School District Region; (5) Methodology;nd (6) Perceptions of Selected Teaching and Learning Conditions: Empowerment Schools, TLC Schools, and Other Schools. (Contains 4 figures, 24 tables and 46 notes.) [This paper was written with Alice Williams.]
Comparison Groups in Short Interrupted Time-Series: An Illustration Evaluating No Child Left Behind
Author: Wong, Manyee
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Federal Legislation,Educational Legislation,Academic Achievement,Comparative Analysis,Time,Research Methodology,Control Groups,National Competency Tests

Interrupted time-series (ITS) are often used to assess the causal effect of a planned or even unplanned shock introduced into an on-going process. The pre-intervention slope is supposed to index the causal counterfactual, and deviations from it in mean, slope or variance are used to indicate an effect. However, a secure causal inference is only warranted if: (1) The intervention is exogenous and not a product of prior time series values; (2) the intervention is not correlated with some other force that abruptly affects the outcome at the same time as the intervention; (3) onset of the intervention is abrupt or its dissemination is otherwise well described; (4) the response occurs abruptly or with a theoretically known delay; and (5) correlated error is controlled so that the standard error of any effect is unbiased. It also helps if (6) the effect is large relative to the size of the inter-temporal variation prior to the intervention. Although this is a long series of contingencies, there are nonetheless many examples of interrupted time-series that meet these conditions. Some of the examples presented to date require no statistical analysis; their inter-occular impact is striking because the effect is so specific to the intervention time point and so large relative to the prior inter-temporal variation. This paper argues that abbreviated interrupted time series can help with causal identification even with as few as three pre-intervention time points provided that some form of a non-equivalent comparison series is available. It illustrates the range and quality of non-equivalent time series comparisons. It also illustrates how one kind of comparison time series helps identify the short-term effect of No Child Left Behind on academic achievement. The present proposal tilts towards the last purpose since elaborating the NCLB example allows the other purposes to be explored at the same time. (Contains 1 table and 4 figures.)
Teaching and Learning Conditions in Ohio: Implications for Supply and Demand. Final Report, Fall 2007
Author: Berry, Barnett
Date: 2007-10-31
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Supply and Demand,Educational Change,Instructional Leadership,Teaching Conditions,Educational Environment,Teacher Empowerment,Time on Task,Professional Development,Educational Facilities,Educational Resources,Teacher Attitudes,Mail Surveys,Teacher Persistence,Performance Factors,Barriers,Quality of Working Life,Job Satisfaction,Research Reports

In Spring 2007, educators in 63 participating Ohio school districts across the state spoke out on working conditions in their schools by participating in a web-based survey that addressed key teaching and learning conditions related to time, empowerment, school leadership, professional development, and facilities and resources. This is the final of three reports that focus on the responses of Ohio educators to the 2007 Teaching and Learning Conditions Survey. The first report presented an overview of initial findings based on a preliminary scan of survey responses. The second report supplemented these findings with an overview of educator responses in each of the five aforementioned teacher working conditions domains. This final report investigates responses in all of these areas in greater detail by proposing possible explanations for some of the patterns revealed herein. Overall, Ohio's educators are positive about many aspects of their teaching and learning conditions. Most of them agree that their school is a good place to work and learn, and 90 percent plan to continue teaching at their current school, a higher percentage than has been recorded in previous statewide teaching and learning condition surveys. As was the case in those previous surveys, it is clear that leadership is critical to retaining educators; however, only slightly more than half of the educators who responded to the 2007 Teaching and Learning Conditions survey have positive perceptions of school leadership in important areas. In closing, teaching and learning conditions clearly matter for educators in many different ways. Many of the responses from almost 8,000 Ohio educators suggest a need for both considerable action and reflection. In many cases, relatively small percentages of teachers believe they work under the conditions that allow them to be effective. By analyzing the data in this report, Ohio stakeholders can begin to ask important questions about how the findings can drive reform. Appendices include: (1) Implied Per-School Attrition Rates; and (2) Methodology. (Contains 5 figures, 19 tables and 24 notes.) [This paper was written with Alice Williams and Ursula Lobacz.]
Stemming the Tide of Teacher Attrition: How Working Conditions Influence Teacher Career Intentions and Other Key Outcomes in Arizona
Author: Berry, Barnett
Date: 2007-11-30
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Teacher Effectiveness,Teacher Persistence,Academic Achievement,Educational Change,Faculty Mobility,Teaching Conditions,Time on Task,Professional Development,Instructional Leadership,Teacher Empowerment,Educational Facilities,Educational Resources,Teacher Surveys,Quality of Working Life,Research Reports,Barriers

Over the last two decades, researchers have presented convincing evidence that teachers are an important key to school improvement and to closing the student achievement gap. However, ensuring that all students are taught by quality teachers--those with the right talent, skills, and experience--is not enough. Teachers--even the best of them--must have the right resources, tools, and supports in place in order for them to be effective over time. In 2007, under the leadership of Governor Janet Napolitano and the Arizona Education Association (AEA), all of the state's school-based licensed educators were asked to respond to a series of survey questions about five aspects of their working conditions--time, professional development, leadership, empowerment, and facilities and resources. Nearly 32,000 educators (about 53 percent of eligible respondents) completed the survey. The Center for Teaching Quality, a non-profit research-based advocacy organization, has worked closely with the Governor's Office and the AEA to assemble the results, conduct statistical analyses of the relationships between teacher working conditions and teacher and student outcomes, and develop tools based on those results that practitioners can use to improve the conditions that make quality teaching possible. This report outlines many important connections revealed by the authors' analyses, provides considerable information upon which policymakers and educators can act, and offers suggestions for more refined future analyses. Appendices include: (1) Teacher Perceptions (vs) Principal Perceptions of Teacher Working Conditions; and (2) Methodology. (Contains 20 tables, 7 figures and 31 notes.) [This paper was written with Alice Williams.]
Instructional Innovation, School Choice, and Student Achievement
Author: Berends, Mark
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Educational Strategies,School Choice,Instructional Innovation,School Organization,Principals,Academic Achievement,School Surveys,Teacher Surveys,Institutional Characteristics,Educational Practices,Administrator Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Rating Scales,School Effectiveness

There is limited empirical research about innovation in various types of schools of choice, although viable choice policies tend to assume clear differentiation amongst schools. Innovation can be conceptualized in many ways and takes place at multiple levels of the school organization. Schools can innovate in terms of the roles and responsibility of teachers and principals, governance, school structure, instructional strategies and practices, amongst others. In this paper the authors first explore conceptually, multiple levels and types of innovation and describe the nature and prevalence of various innovations across school types. A review of the literature, both conceptually and empirically suggested salient types of innovation that are closest to teaching and learning, and were measured in the Northwest Evaluation Association surveys of principals and teachers. They examine how schools of choice, autonomy, authority, and other school characteristics are related to innovation. Their measures of innovation include scales for "differing practices from other schools" (2 items, [alpha] = 0.79), "non-traditional curricular practices" (4 items, [alpha] = 0.54), "collaborative and investigative curricular practices" (6 items, [alpha] = 0.64), "added school requirements" (8 items, [alpha] = 0.67), "structuring of teacher communities" (7 items, [alpha] = 0.60), and "extended learning time" (5 items, [alpha] = 0.47). (Contains 1 table.)
Learning to Reason and Communicate in College: Initial Report of Findings from the CLA Longitudinal Study
Author: Arum, Richard
Date: 2008-11-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Learning,Higher Education,Critical Thinking,Logical Thinking,Writing (Composition),Cognitive Development,Disadvantaged,Undergraduate Students,Longitudinal Studies,College Preparation,Social Integration,Learner Engagement,Student Employment,College Environment,Institutional Characteristics,Intellectual Disciplines,Achievement Gap

This research emerged from the Social Science Research Council's collaborative partnership with the Pathways for College Network, with technical assistance in data collection provided by the Council for Aid to Education. The project has followed over 2,300 students at 24 institutions over time to examine what factors are associated with learning in higher education. Learning is assessed along the dimensions of critical thinking, analytical reasoning and written communication, as measured by the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA). The authors consider factors related to individual development as well as patterns of inequality associated with disadvantaged groups of students (including students from racial/ethnic minority groups, less advantaged family backgrounds, non-English speaking homes, and high schools that are comprised primarily of non-white students). Students were initially tested at the beginning of their freshman year (Fall 2005) and then followed up at the end of their sophomore year (Spring 2007). In addition to the CLA measures of learning, supplementary data was collected from student surveys, college transcripts and secondary sources of institutional data to generate a Determinants of College Learning longitudinal dataset. The scale and scope of this project offers a unique opportunity to explore factors associated with learning in higher education. Overall, the reported findings have important implications for policy, practice and research. In terms of policy, the research suggests the need to focus future social policy not just on increasing access to college and reducing student attrition, but also on assuring success in terms of learning for students attending higher education institutions. This project also has important lessons for practitioners: institutions vary tremendously on the extent to which students attending them demonstrate growth on CLA performance. The longitudinal findings identified suggest the need for additional systematic future study of student learning in higher education. Appendices include: (1) CLA Instrument Example; (2) Data and Methods; and (3) Tables. (Contains 11 figures, 6 tables and 15 footnotes.) [This paper was written with Melissa Velez.]
The Influence of Content-Focused Coaching[R] on Reading Comprehension Instruction and Student Achievement
Author: Matsumura, Lindsay Clare
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Reading Comprehension,Reading Achievement,Reading Skills,Teaching Methods,Reading Instruction,Coaching (Performance),Hispanic American Students,Low Income Groups,Intervention,Educational Practices,Teacher Surveys,Classroom Observation Techniques,Comparative Testing,Teacher Attitudes,Program Effectiveness

Reading is critical to children's academic and future economic success. Yet reading skills continue to lag in the upper elementary grades. One way that school districts across the country have responded to the challenge of improving students' reading skills has been to hire additional, presumably more skilled, teachers as &quot;instructional coaches&quot; to work with teachers to improve their instructional practice. However, there is no agreed upon definition of the coaching job, and the actual tasks that coaches carry out vary widely. The authors' project implements and studies a structured coaching program (Content-Focused [superscript SM] Coaching; CFC) that is designed to improve reading comprehension instruction in the upper elementary grades. The fundamental research question for their study is: 1) What is the effect of a well-defined instructional coaching program (CFC) on reading comprehension instruction and students' reading achievement? Results indicate that teachers' in the CFC schools significantly and positively increased in the frequency of their participation in coaching focused on enacting instruction and understanding the theory underlying effective reading comprehension instruction. Teachers in the CFC schools also showed modest improvement in the quality of their observed and self-reported reading comprehension instruction. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)
On the Importance of Reliable Covariate Measurement in Selection Bias Adjustments Using Propensity Scores
Author: Steiner, Peter M.
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Statistical Analysis,Error of Measurement,Statistical Bias,Scores,Reliability,Undergraduate Students

This paper investigates how bias reduction was affected when different degrees of measurement error were systematically introduced into the measures constituting the final estimated propensity score (PS), the PS only for the set of effective covariates and the PS only for the ineffective ones. Since there was already some error in the Shadish et al. covariate measures, a more complex simulation was also done without this source of error. In many ways, this last analysis is the most important. This study uses data from a within-study comparison as the basis for a simulation study. The results suggest that the covariates deemed to be most effective in reducing selection bias should be reliably measured. Failure to do so will reduce the bias reduction achieved. In contrast, the reliability of ineffective covariates has minimal effect on bias reduction. Further, the larger the set of interrelated covariates used to control for selection bias the less sensitive is bias reduction to measurement error. But it is crucial to include the singly most effective covariates within this covariate set. The authors did not find any method specific differences in attenuation rates. When the same covariates are used in all analyses, PS methods show basically the same sensitivity to measurement errors in covariates as ANCOVA (analysis of covariance). (Contains 2 figures.)
Measuring Student Engagement in Upper Elementary through High School: A Description of 21 Instruments. Issues &amp; Answers. REL 2011-No. 098
Author: Fredricks, Jennifer
Date: 2011-01-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Learner Engagement,Psychometrics,Identification,Measures (Individuals),Measurement Techniques,Predictor Variables,Academic Achievement,Information Needs,High Schools,Evaluators,Dropout Rate,Low Achievement,Educational Research,Elementary Secondary Education,Profiles,Program Descriptions

Researchers, educators, and policymakers are focusing more on student engagement as the key to addressing low achievement, student boredom and alienation, and high dropout rates (Fredricks, Blumenfeld, and Paris 2004). As schools and districts seek to increase engagement, it is important for them to understand how it has been defined and to assess the options for measuring it. One challenge educators and evaluators face in measuring engagement is determining the appropriateness of the available instruments, especially given limited time to review the literature. Instruments for measuring engagement also reflect different disciplinary perspectives and theoretical frameworks and are thus not easily compared. To address the information needs of education professionals, this report describes the 21 instruments for measuring engagement in upper elementary through high school identified through a literature review. The report does not include a technical review of the quality of each measure, nor does it recommend or identify strengths or weaknesses of particular instruments. Appendices include: (1) Instrument abstracts; (2) Methodology; and (3) Student self-report subscale information. Some tables contain references. Includes a section containing 38 general references, followed by &quot;References for Excluded Instruments.&quot;   (Contains 2 boxes, 33 tables, 1 figure and 3 notes.) [For the summary report, see ED514997.]
Measuring Student Engagement in Upper Elementary through High School: A Description of 21 Instruments. Summary. Issues &amp; Answers. REL 2011-No. 098
Author: Fredricks, Jennifer
Date: 2011-01-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Elementary Secondary Education,Learner Engagement,Measures (Individuals),Measurement Techniques,Profiles,Program Descriptions,Psychometrics,Identification,Educational Research,Academic Achievement

This report reviews the characteristics of 21 instruments that measure student engagement in upper elementary through high school. It summarizes what each instrument measures, describes its purposes and uses, and provides technical information on its psychometric properties. [For the full report, see ED514996.]
The Generalized Regression Discontinuity Design: Using Multiple Assignment Variables and Cutoffs to Estimate Treatment Effects
Author: Wong, Vivian C.
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Regression (Statistics),Generalization,Educational Indicators,Federal Programs,Disabilities,Elementary Schools,Middle Schools,Academic Achievement,Federal Legislation,Educational Legislation

This paper introduces a generalization of the regression-discontinuity design (RDD). Traditionally, RDD is considered in a two-dimensional framework, with a single assignment variable and cutoff. Treatment effects are measured at a single location along the assignment variable. However, this represents a specialized (and straight-forward) application of the design; a more generalized and flexible conceptualization of RDD allows researchers to examine treatment effects along a multidimensional frontier using multiple assignment variables (such as math and reading scores) and cutoffs. In Section 1 of this paper, the authors present the generalized RDD by describing its required components, the treatment effects estimated, and advantages and limitations of the design. In Section 2, they describe two analytic approaches for estimating treatment effects for the generalized RDD. The first is the &quot;multivariate approach,&quot; which estimates treatment effects along a multi-dimensional frontier via a regression model. This approach is based on the assumption that the researcher can model the selection mechanism completely if all assignment variables and their respective cutoffs are known and observed (as is the case for many accountability policy studies that use RDD). The second is an extension of an approach originally used by Gill et al. (2007), which we call the &quot;centering&quot; approach. They show that both the multivariate and centering approaches yield identical average treatment effect estimates, though they have distinct advantages and limitations. In Section 3, they present an application of the &quot;multivariate&quot; and &quot;centering&quot; approaches in an RDD example that evaluates the impacts of missing AYP under NCLB on student with disability (SWD) achievement scores. They also discuss scenarios when neither approach is appropriate for estimating treatment effects. (Contains 4 figures.)