ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
How Do Students Perceive the Enhancement of their Own Learning? A Comparison of Two Education Faculties' Experiences in Building an Online Learning Community for Bachelor of Music Education and Bachelor of Education Students
Author: Rowley, Jennifer
Date: 2009-07-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Blended Learning,Music Education,Student Attitudes,Online Courses,Educational Technology,Anxiety,Teacher Education Programs,Questionnaires,Pretests Posttests,Self Esteem,Student Experience,Skill Analysis,Technological Literacy,Predictor Variables,Foreign Countries,Likert Scales,Skill Development,Courseware,Comparative Analysis

Enhancing learning and teaching in blended learning environments is a strategic goal of The University of Sydney as eLearning continues to grow. Blackboard (WebCT) was integrated into the undergraduate Bachelor of Education program curricula through e-readings, discussion boards, lectures and online assessment tasks. The study was undertaken among 63 Bachelor of Education in Human Movement and Health Education students in 2006 and 61 Bachelor of Music (Music Education) students in 2007. The purpose was to encourage active and collaborative learning with the focus on building a blended learning environment. A pre and post quantitative questionnaire measuring students' perceived online learning skills, confidence, experience, anxiety, enjoyment and enhancement of learning was conducted before and after the teaching activities across the two faculties (Faculty of Education and Social Work [EDSW] and Sydney Conservatorium of Music [SCM]) providing teacher education during 2006 &amp; 2007. The Research Questions for this study were: 1. What is students' past experience with WebCT? 2. How do students' perceive their skills, confidence, experience, anxiety and enjoyment in regard to using computers, Internet and WebCT? 3. How do students perceive the enhancement of their own learning using WebCT? 4. How do these variables change among students before and after a course using some WebCT delivery? The results of the study showed that blended learning environments provided enhanced learning experiences for both cohorts of students. Identified variables affecting the learning process and how students in EDSW and SCM perceive their learning will be useful in planning future eLearning for these students. Appended are: (1) Open ended questions answered by EDSW student participants; and (2) Open ended questions answered by SCM student participants. (Contains 4 figures.)
Professional Development of Teacher Educators: A Cross Border Story
Author: Laws, Kevin
Date: 2009-07-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Preservice Teacher Education,Teacher Education Programs,Active Learning,Foreign Countries,Professional Development,Teacher Educators,Models,Cooperative Planning,Workshops,Program Effectiveness,Teacher Competencies,Cultural Differences,Cross Cultural Studies,Skill Development,Knowledge Level,Educational Change,Interpersonal Relationship,Collegiality,Teacher Collaboration,Trust (Psychology),Partnerships in Education

This paper presents the results of a collaborative project between the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney, Australia, and the School of Education at Can Tho University, Vietnam. The project aimed to develop a model for the professional development of teacher educators in the context of educational innovations in Vietnam. Sixteen participants (2 from University of Sydney and 14 from Can Tho University) were permanently involved in the project. In addition, 10 other staff members from University of Sydney provided input. The study followed a qualitative approach in which workshops and training sessions on re-forming initial teacher education programs at Can Tho, in addition to presentations, written documents and formal evaluations were main sources of data collected and analysed. The project was a big success: Models of good teacher education programs and good teachers in the Vietnam context were developed; and participants developed their knowledge and skills in redesigning their teacher education programs as a response to educational reforms in Vietnam. In addition to the success determined through the achievement of measureable outcomes, this project illustrates the importance of human relationships and mutual understanding. This paper will exclusively focus on the emergence of collaborative, collegial partnerships, active learning and trust, respect and reciprocity between the partners as important outcomes which led to the successful development a model for professional development of teacher educators.
Successful Youth Transitions. Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth. Briefing Paper 25
Author: Liu, Shu-Hui
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Young Adults,Education Work Relationship,Longitudinal Studies,Foreign Countries,Graduation,Employment,Economic Change,Intervention,Social Networks,At Risk Persons,Outcomes of Education,Student Employment,Career Counseling,Educational Experience,Role

Youth transitions refer to young people's journeys from school to post-school study and on to employment. This is a time when young people experience rapid biological, psychological and physical changes, as well as changing social and economic situations, as they begin to take on the responsibilities of adulthood. In this paper, the authors first define a &quot;successful youth transition&quot;. They then consider a range of factors that affect transitions. Following this, they discuss a number of interventions which can help young people to make the transition successfully. (Contains 1 table and 2 footnotes.)
Trends in Chicago's Schools across Three Eras of Reform
Author: Luppescu, Stuart
Date: 2011-09-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: African American Students,Public Schools,Graduation Rate,Dropout Rate,Scaling,Academic Achievement,Educational Trends,Trend Analysis,Educational Change,Elementary School Students,High School Students,Scores,Achievement Tests,Mathematics Achievement,Middle School Students,Reading Achievement,Racial Differences,White Students,Asian American Students,State Standards,Surveys,Outcomes of Education,Statistical Analysis,Hispanic American Students,Achievement Gap,Educational Improvement

&quot;Trends in Chicago's Schools Across Three Eras of Reform&quot; finds that Chicago Public Schools has experienced tremendous growth in graduation rates over the past 20 years, but learning gains have been modest. The report tracks elementary and high school test scores and graduation rates in Chicago since 1988, when U.S. Secretary of Education William Bennett proclaimed the city's public schools to be the worst in the nation. Key findings from the report include: (1) Graduation rates in Chicago have improved dramatically, and high school test scores have risen; more students are graduating without a decline in average academic performance; (2) Math scores have improved incrementally in the elementary/middle grades, while elementary/middle grade reading scores have remained fairly flat for two decades; (3) Racial gaps in achievement have steadily increased, with white and Asian students making more progress than Latino students, and African American students falling behind all other groups; and (4) Despite progress, the vast majority of CPS [Chicago Public Schools] students have academic achievement levels that are far below where they need to be to graduate ready for college. Appended are: (1) Reform Timeline; (2) Rescaling the ITBS [Iowa Tests of Basic Skills] to the ISAT [Illinois Standards Achievement Tests]; (3) Survey Administration and Rasch Scaling; (4) Calculating Graduation and Dropout Rates; and (5) Statistical Modeling of Outcomes. (Contains 2 footnotes, 4 tables, 53 figures and 39 endnotes.) [This report was written with Sanja Jagesic. For &quot;Trends in Chicago's Schools across Three Eras of Reform: Summary of Key Findings. Research Summary,&quot; see ED524669.]
&quot;There's a Real Mix...It's Not All Doom and Gloom around Here!&quot;: Parents' Views on Raising Children in a Community Experiencing High Levels of Disadvantage
Author: Peppard, Judith
Date: 2009-07-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Focus Groups,Teacher Attitudes,Parents,Children,Child Rearing,Foreign Countries,Disadvantaged,Academic Achievement,Educational Improvement,Evaluation,Outcomes of Education

In 2006 three primary schools and a community youth service &quot;crossed borders&quot; by forming a network to improve student educational achievement in a community experiencing high levels of disadvantage. Recognising that they lacked the capacity and resources required to counteract the numerous barriers to learning experienced by many of their students, the network set out to bring families and community together in a common goal; to improve education outcomes for students over the long term through a combination of community capacity-building and coordinating services for families in crisis. This paper reports on the outcome of parent focus groups conducted in 2007 as part of a broader research project to establish baseline data for the network's evaluation. The purpose of the focus groups was to elicit parents' views about raising children in the area, what they felt was required to maintain and enhance positive aspects of community life, address the issues they raised as concerns and the potential of the newly formed network to make a difference to them and their children. Five focus groups were conducted at the three network primary schools between July and October 2007. Twenty-eight parents participated across the three schools. This paper will present the findings of those focus groups, giving attention to the social construction of space and place in parents' responses, dissonances in the way parents discussed their community and the importance of lay knowledge in conceptualizing issues and developing responses to them. The way the ideas expressed by the parents have been taken up by the network in its forward planning will also be examined.
Crossing Boundaries between Cultures and Disciplines: Using Geography and Creative Arts to Build Bridges with Community Groups in One School
Author: Reynolds, Ruth
Date: 2009-07-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Intervention,Geography,Foreign Countries,Teacher Educators,Ethnic Groups,Cultural Pluralism,Children,Teacher Education,Evaluation,Art

In an attempt to develop tolerance and acceptance of other cultural groups, teacher educators from the University of Newcastle worked with members of the local African community and teachers from a local school to develop a Creative Arts and Geography program for young school children (aged 7-9 years). The program developed put together the research had gleaned about how attitudes and global Geographical knowledge were intertwined, together with researcher beliefs about the value of teaching Creative Arts in engaging students, to create a teaching program that would help allay fears about those who are different and perhaps counter stereotyping by addressing it before it has a chance to develop. This project used drawings, graphic representations, simple narratives, teacher reflective logs and knowledge and attitudes surveys to monitor changes in attitudes, knowledge and understandings. All assessment tasks with the students were repeated twice, once before the intervention, once shortly after the intervention, and again three months after the intervention. Students were asked to label all material so individual and well as group changes could be tracked. Teachers, community members, university staff, and the school principal filled out reflective logs after each meeting. The program had an immediate effect on the students' knowledge of the world, attitude to Africa and attitudes to others and some of that effect continued even after three months. It was felt that the tools used proved to be useful in assessing changes in cultural understandings and that they could be applied to a variety of projects with young children including values studies. (Contains 4 tables.)
Comparative Education, Border Pedagogy, and Teacher Education in an Age of Internationalisation
Author: Parkes, Robert J.
Date: 2009-07-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Comparative Education,Teacher Educators,Foreign Countries,Instruction,Teacher Education,Higher Education,Global Approach,Teacher Education Programs,Critical Theory

Calls to internationalise higher education have intensified in recent years, particularly as educational services have grown to become a significant export industry within the Australian economy. This measure is indicative, however, of the relatively narrow way in which internationalisation has been constructed, and its political utility in compensating for declining public investments in education, particularly under the Howard government. In this paper we explore the possibilities for challenging such conceptions by taking a comparative education approach to teacher education. We position this approach in terms of a &quot;border pedagogy&quot; that requires teacher educators, and their students, to acknowledge the historical, geographical and temporal nature of knowledge and identities, through international comparative work, such that their own identity and professional knowledge is more authentically internationalised.
Trends in Chicago's Schools across Three Eras of Reform: Summary of Key Findings. Research Summary
Author: Luppescu, Stuart
Date: 2011-09-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: African American Students,Urban Schools,Public Schools,Graduation Rate,Dropout Rate,Standardized Tests,Academic Achievement,Educational Trends,Educational History,Educational Change,Educational Policy,Educational Testing,Scores,Elementary School Students,High School Students,Educational Improvement,School Effectiveness,Achievement Gap,White Students,Hispanic American Students,Asian American Students,College Readiness

In 1988, U.S. Secretary of Education William Bennett proclaimed Chicago's public schools to be the worst in the nation. Since that time, Chicago has been at the forefront of urban school reform. Beginning with a dramatic move in 1990 to shift power away from the central office, through CEO Paul Vallas's use of standardized testing to hold schools and students accountable for teaching and learning, and into CEO Arne Duncan's bold plan to create 100 new schools in 10 years, Chicago has attempted to boost academic achievement through a succession of innovative policies. Each wave of reform has brought new practices, programs, and policies that have interacted with the initiatives of the preceding wave. And with each successive wave of reform this fundamental question has been raised: Has progress  been made at Chicago Public Schools (CPS)? This study addresses the question by analyzing trends in elementary and high school test scores and graduation rates over the past 20 years. Key findings described briefly in this summary report include: (1) Graduation rates in Chicago have improved dramatically, and high school test scores have risen; more students are graduating without a decline in average academic performance; (2) Math scores have improved incrementally in the elementary/middle grades, while elementary/middle grade reading scores have remained fairly flat for two decades; (3) Racial gaps in achievement have steadily increased, with white and Asian students making more progress than Latino students, and African American students falling behind all other groups; and (4) Despite progress, the vast majority of CPS students have academic achievement levels that are far below where they need to be to graduate ready for college. (Contains 13 figures and 10 endnotes.) [This report was written with Sanja Jagesic. For the full report, &quot;Trends in Chicago's Schools across Three Eras of Reform,&quot; see ED524665.]
Student Responses to Teaching in Teacher Education, 1900-1950
Author: Vick, Malcolm
Date: 2009-07-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Feedback (Response),Teaching Styles,Teacher Education Programs,Foreign Countries,Student Reaction,Student Evaluation of Teacher Performance,Student Teacher Attitudes,Educational History,College Programs,Educational Experience,Content Analysis,Context Effect,Practicums,Historical Interpretation,Teaching Methods,Curriculum Evaluation,Educational Development,Educational Practices

Contemporary teacher education, like other aspects of tertiary education, involves regimes for assessing quality of teaching. These regimes include student assessment of and feedback on teaching. These are widely considered problematic, and yet there are few signs that teacher educators reject the notion that student responses have something of value to offer. This paper examines some evidence of student responses to teaching in teacher education institutions in the first half of the twentieth century, in order to provide means to reflect on regimes for securing and using students' responses to teaching and curriculum in contemporary teacher education. Specifically, it examines evidence from a range of teacher education institutions in England and Australia. Evidence of student responses to teacher education programs in this period is, in fact sparse, but can be derived from student magazines, two systematic attempts to gather (already &quot;historical&quot;) information, and from some of the reports on teacher training institutions by His Majesty's Inspectors in the UK. The evidence indicates that students were keenly and often critically aware of the differences between teaching styles, subject content and the effectiveness of different staff and components of their programs. It also reveals that they had a keen interest in the relationship between college curricula and school practice, and its implications for their own preparation as teachers. Their views differed widely among themselves; they also ranged unevenly from a good humoured and often deeply ironic sense of the absurdity of aspects of their programs (in particular the demonstration lesson) through a sense that they were poorly served by some staff and subjects, to a recognition of enduring and (they seem to imply) unresolvable tensions in the process of teacher education. (Contains 1 footnote.)
An Empirically Based Statewide System for Identifying Quality Pre-Kindergarten Programs
Author: Williams, Jeffrey M.
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Preschool Education,Web Sites,Certification,Program Evaluation,Multivariate Analysis,School Readiness,Kindergarten,Research Methodology,State Programs,Screening Tests,Scores,Data Collection,Information Dissemination,Parent Student Relationship,Learning Activities,Faculty Development,Teacher Effectiveness

The primary study objective was to develop a statewide system that made use of information about the pre-kindergarten program in combination with kindergarten reading and social outcome measures in order to inform parents about the ability of early childhood programs to prepare children for formal schooling. In order to carry out this objective, multiple steps were undertaken including: 1) development of a web-based application system for pre-kindergarten programs, 2) tracking children from pre-kindergarten programs into kindergarten classrooms across Texas, 3) collection of screening data managed by school districts, and 4) determination of certification criteria that considers both quality of preschool programming and children's school readiness scores. The setting included 1,225 preschool classrooms, housed in 538 preschools that were spread across Texas. Results of the latent class analyses showed that three constructs in the pre-kindergarten environment provided the best information for discriminating classrooms into distinct groups. These indicators were: 1) the teacher professional development; 2) teacher intentional instructional approaches that promote achievement; and 3) literacy oriented instructional activities especially early writing activities. Together these aspects of the pre-kindergarten environment discriminated those classrooms whose children had higher vs. lower early kindergarten social and reading outcomes. These findings have important implications for the debate concerning whether the incorporation of intentional cognitive activities compromise social development. They suggest that classrooms that provide planful cognitive activities such as early literacy carried out in intentional ways may also promote children's social competence. At the very least, it demonstrates that classrooms can incorporate practices that promote both social and cognitive competence. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.)
WWC Quick Review of the Report: &quot;Charter School Performance in Indiana&quot;
Author: What Works Clearinghouse (ED)
Date: 2011-09-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Charter Schools,Reading Tests,Attendance,Program Effectiveness,Scores,Elementary School Students,Secondary School Students,Mathematics Tests,Academic Achievement,Achievement Gains,Mathematics Achievement,Reading Achievement,Comparative Analysis

The study featured in this What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Quick Review examined the effect of charter school attendance on annual student achievement growth in math and reading. The study analyzed data from a large sample of students in grades 4 through 9 in Indiana from 2004 to 2008. The study found that charter school students' annual math score growth was 0.07 standard deviations higher, and that their annual reading test score growth was 0.05 standard deviations higher, than a group of similar students attending traditional public schools. These differences were statistically significant, and the WWC interprets them as roughly equivalent to moving a student from the 50th to the 53rd percentile in math and from the 50th to the 52nd percentile in reading. The study also found that, in general, charter school students with reading and math scores in the bottom half of the achievement distribution the previous year had significantly higher gains than their comparison counterparts. The research described in this report meets WWC evidence standards with reservations. (Contains 2 footnotes.) [The following study is the focus of this &quot;Quick Review&quot;: &quot;Charter School Performance in Indiana.&quot;]