ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
The Trouble with Boys: Observations about Boys' Post-Secondary Aspirations, Attendance and Success
Author: Johnston, J. Howard
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Academic Achievement,College Attendance,Males,Social Systems,Graduation,Comprehensive Programs,Academic Aspiration,Postsecondary Education,Social Influences,Intervention,Gender Issues,Psychological Patterns,Social Development,Emotional Development,Family Influence,Role Models,Economic Factors,Employment Level,School Role,Mentors,Internship Programs,Access to Information

Boys have a slight advantage in the number of live births in the US (about 101:100), so, all things being equal, it is reasonable to assume that they would populate institutions at about the same rate as girls. However, institutions are social structures, and in social systems all things are almost "never" equal, so, clearly, there are other forces operating to produce imbalances in high school graduation, college attendance and college completion. The remainder of this paper is devoted to the examination of these forces, some of which are well-documented in research, others supported in theory, and still others more speculative but still useful for creating or adjusting interventions to promote boys' college attendance and success. Like many issues in education, this one is tremendously complex and results from the interplay of social, economic, psychological, educational, and community factors. However, it is unrealistic to believe that any single institution, such as the school, can mount an effective intervention in all of these areas and still do their core job of teaching content and skills to their students. Although this essay explores each of those contributory factors in some detail, the final recommendations for successful interventions assumes (1) that the program is school and community based, (2) a comprehensive program will address multiple factors, and (3) such programs may not be focused on boys exclusively (in accordance with most district policies and both state and federal law), but will be integrated into more comprehensive programs to promote college achievement. Also, for the purposes of this paper, much of the information addresses characteristics and conditions of boys who are the most unlikely to attend college (e.g., poor, minority, urban or rural) rather than those who are likely to be college-bound regardless of special interventions. (Contains 1 footnote.) [This paper was prepared for Oregon GEAR UP and the Ford Family Foundation.]
Trimester Schedule. Research Brief
Author: Education Partnerships, Inc. (EPI)
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Educational Strategies,Teaching Methods,Block Scheduling,Trimester System,School Schedules,Educational Environment,High Schools,Time Factors (Learning),Learner Engagement,Time Management,Program Evaluation

Why do a trimester schedule? With the advent of block scheduling, many high schools conducted research on utilizing that plan in a trimester format. There appeared to be three issues that most schools faced: (1) How to provide substantive instructional time that was not fragmented?; (2) How does the school climate contribute positively to students' learning?; and (3) How to provide the appropriate amount of instructional time so that each student can learn in the best ways for him/her? "Breaking Ranks" suggested that: (1) curriculum should offer essential knowledge that makes connections to real life; (2) instructional strategies should actively engage students in their learning; (3) the environment should be receptive to the learners and educators; (4) time and space be reexamined and utilized to best meet the needs of the students; and (5) all stakeholders should be accountable for assessment of the instructional program. (Contains 11 online resources.)
Walkthroughs. Research Brief
Author: Walker, Karen
Date: 2005-03-13
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Feedback (Response),Educational Change,Classroom Observation Techniques,Educational Environment,Principals,Administrator Responsibility,Administrator Role,Instructional Leadership,Leadership Effectiveness,Educational Resources,Teacher Administrator Relationship,Change Strategies

What are some ways to do classroom observations in short visits of 5-15 minutes? The responsibilities of school site administrators are numerous and varied, yet one of the most important, is for them to support an environment that provides a high quality instructional program for every student. In surveys completed by teachers about what they wanted from principals in creating a positive school climate, they felt it was essential to: (1) treat students and teachers fairly and equally; (2) communicate with students and teachers; (3) support students and teachers; (4) model caring behaviors; (5) be visible and available; (6) lead learning; (7) focus on teaching and learning; and (8) create opportunities for professional learning. One strategy that administrators have used to help meet this challenge is to do classroom walkthroughs. This is a process of visiting classrooms for short time periods of 5-15 minutes, where the instructional program is observed, feedback is provided to teachers, students talk about what they are doing, and data is gathered to inform curricular decisions. (Contains 6 online resources and 2 resources.)
Parent Involvement. Research Brief
Author: Walker, Karen
Date: 2007-05-21
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Parent Participation,Parent School Relationship,High Schools,Child Rearing,Interpersonal Communication,Volunteers,Parents as Teachers,Decision Making,School Community Relationship,High School Students,Parent Education

What are some ways in which to get parents meaningfully involved in their child's high school? According to the research, the most successful programs are those that provide a variety of ways in which parents can be actively engaged in their child's academic life. Joyce Epstein, Director of the National Network of Partnership Schools, out of Johns Hopkins, has established six types of parent involvement: (1) Parenting; (2) Communicating; (3) Volunteering; (4) Learning at Home; (5) Decision Making; and (6) Collaborating with Community. Some specific ways in which parents can become more meaningfully engaged and involved in their child's school and/or academic life are enumerated in this paper. (Contains 18 online resources.)
Securing Volunteers to Fix up the School. Research Brief
Author: Johnston, Howard
Date: 2011-08-16
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Public Service,Volunteers,Public Relations,School Community Relationship,Outreach Programs,Recruitment,Community Programs,Maintenance,School Buildings

How can schools secure volunteers to help fix up the building and grounds? There isn't much research on how to secure volunteers to participate in school clean-ups and fix-ups, but some key ideas can be found in anecdotal examples from many communities around the nation. The first recommendation is that securing volunteers is easier when the school has a solid, active community relations program in place. If people are familiar with the school and its mission, they are more likely to volunteer when the call goes out for help. Secondly, people are more likely to volunteer if asked to do something specific. Finally, communicating with key groups is likely to build support within the group (e.g., alumni, churches, local businesses, service clubs) to help out. That makes the school an integral part of their public service agenda, and usually puts their volunteer efforts at the school's disposal. A list of resources is included.
High School Writing Centers. Research Brief
Author: Walker, Karen
Date: 2010-04-12
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Campuses,Laboratories,Educational Planning,Strategic Planning,Improvement Programs,Writing (Composition),Change Strategies,Educational Change,Performance Factors,Educational Resources

What needs to be considered when establishing a writing center? Writing labs have a long history on college campuses, the main purpose of which is to assist students to become better writers. Although the information on writing centers at the high school level is at best, limited, the literature reported that the number of students using writing labs increased each year in use. There are many issues and questions that must be explored and answered when determining if the school will benefit from opening a writing center. Some considerations and support activities of a writing center are enumerated in this paper. (Contains 22 online resources.)
Advantages and Disadvantages of Weighted Grading. Research Brief
Author: Walker, Karen
Date: 2004-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Grading,Weighted Scores,Evaluation Methods,Best Practices,Academic Standards,Performance Factors,Program Effectiveness,Educational Resources,Student Evaluation

What are the advantages and disadvantages of weighted grading? The primary purpose of weighted grading has been to encourage high school students to take more rigorous courses. This effort is then acknowledged by more weight being given to the grade for a specified class. There are numerous systems of weighted grading cited in the literature from a student determining which courses will be weighted, to honors, gifted and AP classes having different weights to only AP courses being weighted. From a study conducted in 2000 by Gail C. Downs, it was found that more than half of the nation's high schools use some form of a weighted grading system. From a perusal of some of the schools and districts that use weighted grading, research was conducted by them to determine what would best meet the needs of their students. Advantages and disadvantages of weighted grading are presented in this paper. (Contains 4 online resources.)
Transition from High School to College. Research Brief
Author: Johnston, Howard
Date: 2010-04-23
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Rural Education,High School Graduates,Postsecondary Education,College Bound Students,Graduation,At Risk Students,Low Income Groups,Minority Group Students,Success,Student Needs,School Holding Power,Transitional Programs,Barriers,Educational Environment,Parent Role,Student Role,Parent Child Relationship,Poverty,College Preparation,High Schools

What does the literature say about effective transition between the high school and post-secondary education? A disturbing number of students leave college without completing their degree or earning the credential they sought. This problem, which is especially acute for poor, minority and rural students, results in a colossal waste of talent, money, and potential productivity. Effective strategies to promote college success must include attention to academic, social-psychological, financial, and practical impediments to college completion. Fortunately, schools can play an important role in preparing students to succeed, and the earlier they start that process, the more likely it will have a positive effect on their students. Programs offered as early at the middle school have been shown to make a difference in the success rates of these students when they reach college. A list of references and online resources is included.
Transition from Middle School to High School. Research Brief
Author: Williamston, Ronald
Date: 2010-04-23
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Transitional Programs,High Schools,Dropout Rate,Middle School Students,High School Students,Program Effectiveness,At Risk Students,Dropout Prevention,Interpersonal Competence,Access to Information,Social Development,Success,Cooperative Planning

What does the research say about effective transition systems between the middle grades and high school? The most successful schools see the transition between the middle grades and high school as a process, not an event. These schools involve teachers, students and families in continuous planning to support students' academic and social success in high school and beyond. Students that have a successful transition are more likely to achieve in the 9th grade, to attend regularly and to not drop out of school. They are more likely to develop and sustain positive social relationships with peers and with adults. Four components of effective transition systems have been identified. They include providing students and families accurate and useful information, supporting students' social success in high school, preparing students for academic success in high school, and working collaboratively to monitor transition plans and adjust those plans based on data about student success (attendance, achievement, dropout rate). A list of resources is included.
Is There Something Else Wrong with the FCAT? A Closer Look at Reading Gains in Middle School. Research Brief. Volume 0701
Author: Froman, Terry
Date: 2007-08-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Reading Achievement,Scoring,Grade 3,Academic Achievement,Achievement Gains,Middle Schools,Evaluation Criteria,Evaluation Problems,State Standards,Robustness (Statistics),Error of Measurement,Test Reliability,Test Validity,Achievement Rating

Because 3rd Grade Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores have a direct impact on promotion, the results for that grade level are released early by the State. When the FCAT results for 3rd Grade were released in May 2007, many people were troubled. Over 80% of the elementary schools in the Miami-Dade School District showed a decrease in the percentage of students scoring in Levels 3 and above in Reading. Similar trends produced an outcry across the state. After an 8 percentage point jump in the previous year, there was a statewide drop of 6 percentage points in 2007. These results were more than surprising and cast doubt on the soundness of the scoring process. After a careful review, the Education Commissioner announced that there did appear to be a problem in the scoring of the test and a rescaling of the 3rd Grade FCAT reading exam would be forthcoming. This admission by the State, while honorable and praiseworthy, opened the door for many to question other aspects of the FCAT test, sometimes without just cause. While it is clearly unfair to discount the overall precision and usefulness of the FCAT, some form of careful review of scores is nonetheless proper. The search for the same kind of irregular trends in the data that brought this type of problem to the surface is always warranted and should be welcomed. Any abnormalities revealed in the examination of the scores need to be made public so that the need for in-depth analysis can be considered. It is in that spirit that this paper presents some unusual patterns in the data for FCAT Reading at the middle school level.
Predicting 3rd Grade and 10th Grade FCAT Success for 2007-08. Research Brief. Volume 0702
Author: Froman, Terry
Date: 2008-01-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Prediction,Grade 3,Grade 10,Success,Grade Prediction,Predictive Measurement,Mathematics Achievement,Reading Achievement,Progress Monitoring,Cutting Scores,Evaluation Criteria,Achievement Rating,Achievement Tests

For the past few years the Florida School Code has set the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) performance requirements for promotion of 3rd graders and graduation for 10 graders. Grade 3 students who do not score at level 2 or higher on the FCAT SSS Reading must be retained unless exempted for special circumstances. Grade 10 students must earn a passing score of 300 or higher in reading and mathematics to qualify for a standard diploma. Many of our students are at risk of not meeting these requirements and having their academic progress interrupted. Clearly, any help in predicting which students may be in jeopardy of not passing the FCAT would help in providing targeted academic remediation to the students most in need. The service of providing predictions has been very well received by school sites and has proved useful in identifying and prioritizing those students needing additional attention. This research brief is a continuation of that annual service. [For the 2006-07 edition of this report, see ED538075.]
Predicting FCAT Science Scores 2007-08. Research Brief. Volume 0703
Author: Froman, Terry
Date: 2007-12-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Prediction,Science Tests,Mathematics Tests,Mathematics Achievement,Predictive Measurement,Predictor Variables,Predictive Validity,Achievement Rating

Although students have been taking the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) Science test for a few years, the State included the performance on the Science test in the school grade calculations for the first time in 2006-07. Although no official guidelines exist presently, the Science scores may also be incorporated in the NCLB Adequately Yearly Progress requirements in the near future. With the growing importance of the Science test, it becomes increasingly desirable to have some way of predicting the performance of students. In other FCAT testing areas, prediction formulas and cutoff scores for success have been developed by this office and made available to schools for several years. However, because the Science test is relatively new and because it is administered in only Grades 5, 8, and 11, prediction for this test must proceed along different lines. This paper presents the results of an analysis directed toward predicting students' Science scores based on their performance on the FCAT Mathematics test of the previous year. [For the 2006-07 edition of this report, see ED538076.]
Classroom Grades and Their Relationship to FCAT Scores. Research Brief. Volume 0705
Author: Froman, Terry
Date: 2008-02-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Grades (Scholastic),Standardized Tests,Grade Equivalent Scores,Grading,Achievement Rating,Achievement Gains,Definitions,Criterion Referenced Tests,Norm Referenced Tests,Evaluation Criteria,Academic Standards,Alignment (Education),Student Evaluation

The teacher's task of assigning letter grades to students and the public's interpretation of them can be perplexing. Does the student's grade represent the level of achievement, the gain in achievement, or some combination of the two? Is the student's effort included in the grade, or are high achievers given good marks regardless of effort? Are pupils marked according to their own potential learning ability or in relation to their classmates' achievement? There are no clear answers to these questions. Despite attempts at precise directives, practices tend to vary by school, teacher, and context. Scores on an FCAT standardized test seem to be a different matter. Such tests are designed to be criterion-referenced, intending to determine whether a student has mastered the material taught in a specific grade or course. The apparent objectivity of the test and its connection to a specific curriculum gives the impression of a pure measure of student achievement. But tests, no matter how carefully designed, are inevitably imperfect and measure only a sample of student behavior over a very short period of time. What exactly do classroom grades represent in Miami-Dade schools and what is their relationship to FCAT scores? How is it that some students can get very high classroom grades and still score at below-proficiency levels on the FCAT? What should educators expect the relationship to be between classroom grades and FCAT scores? These and other issues regarding grades and test scores are explored in this paper.
Enrollment Projections for Presentation &amp; Discussion: 2008-09 Pupil Population Estimating Conference. Research Brief. Volume 0704
Author: Blazer, Christie
Date: 2007-12-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Enrollment,Enrollment Projections,Population Trends,Trend Analysis,Declining Enrollment,Enrollment Trends,Predictive Measurement,Annual Reports,Statistical Distributions,County School Districts

Research Services calculates enrollment projections on an annual basis. These projections are presented each year at the district's Pupil Population Estimating Conference. For this year's projections, two years of trend data (2006-07 and 2007-08) were used to project student enrollment for 2008-09. Projections are provided by individual grade level and for the district's total Pre-K through grade 12 enrollment. The 2008-09 projected enrollment offered by Research Services continues the decline in student enrollment evident in the district over the past six school years. The district's student enrollment is projected to be 336,367, a decline of 1.8 percent (6,083 students) from 2007-08 to 2008-09. (Contains 1 figure and 3 tables.) [For the 2007-08 edition of this report, see ED538078.]
Third-Grade Retention: A Four Year Follow-Up. Research Brief. Volume 0706
Author: Froman, Terry
Date: 2008-03-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Grade Repetition,School Holding Power,Evidence,Educational Policy,Policy Analysis,School Policy,Academic Persistence,Program Effectiveness,Program Evaluation,Audits (Verification),Achievement Gains,Achievement Rating,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Grade 3,Error of Measurement

This study duplicated the procedures used by Greene and Winters (2006) on data from the Miami-Dade school system with the advantage of an additional two year's worth of information. The results indicated that the effects of the retention policy are far from clear and arguably negative. There is considerable evidence to suggest that the apparent gains of the retained students may have been short-lived if not completely illusory. The lack of precise measurement and a precisely appropriate comparison group prevent an indisputable interpretation. The superficially obvious benefit of retention to some students and the equally obvious detriment of retention to others will likely keep large-scale test-based promotion policies a matter of heated debate subject to political fashion for the foreseeable future.
Achievement Gains and Staff Perception of School Climate. Research Brief. Volume 0707
Author: Morris, Don
Date: 2008-05-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Achievement Gains,Decision Making,Educational Change,School Restructuring,Educational Environment,Educational Improvement,Improvement Programs,Reading Achievement,Achievement Rating,Behavior Rating Scales,Beliefs,Employee Attitudes,Program Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Correlation,Performance Factors,Educational Indicators,Action Research,School Surveys

The importance of the beliefs and attitudes of teachers and building-level administrators in achieving school reform has come to be widely acknowledged. As University of Wisconsin professor Kent Peterson put it: &quot;You can implement a good-quality improvement plan and knowledgeable, data-driven decision making, but if the [staff] doesn't believe that things can be improved, it's not going to implement [changes] with the same depth or energy or commitment&quot; (Stover, 2005, p. 31). The most common way of tapping into those beliefs and attitudes has traditionally been the school climate survey. The Miami-Dade County Public School District (M-DCPS) has conducted school climate surveys of staff, parents, and students since the early 1990s. In recent years, elements of these surveys have come into extensive use by the district's schools as a factor in their school improvement plans. The use of the survey results for purposes of school improvement has motivated this inquiry into discussing the relationship between M-DCPS staff survey results and student achievement, as measured by the percent of students, by school, making learning gains in reading on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). (Contains 2 tables and 2 notes.)