ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Using a &quot;Small Moments&quot; Writing Strategy to Help Undergraduate Students Reflect on Their Service-Learning Experiences
Author: Bleicher, Robert E.
Date: 2011-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Undergraduate Students,Writing Strategies,Reflection,Service Learning,Elementary School Students,Disadvantaged,Journal Writing,Student Journals,Grounded Theory,Constructivism (Learning)

This study examines a &quot;small moments&quot; writing strategy to nurture reflection in undergraduate college students participating in a course-based service-learning activity. Using grounded theory methodology to analyze reflection journal entries, the authors identified themes that indicate that, by writing &quot;small moments&quot; reflection journal entries, undergraduate students demonstrate awareness that can build insight, identify discrepancies, increase awareness of community, solve problems, and build confidence. Writing &quot;small moments&quot; reflections allowed the constructivist nature of student learning in a service-learning setting to become visible and evident to both the students and the instructors.
Using the Context, Input, Process, and Product Evaluation Model (CIPP) as a Comprehensive Framework to Guide the Planning, Implementation, and Assessment of Service-Learning Programs
Author: Zhang, Guili
Date: 2011-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Service Learning,Higher Education,College Faculty,Teacher Role,School Community Relationship,Program Development,Models,Needs Assessment,Decision Making,Program Implementation,Program Evaluation,Program Effectiveness,Evaluation Methods,Feedback (Response),Stakeholders,Context Effect

Planning, implementing, and assessing a service-learning project can be a complex task because service-learning projects often involve multiple constituencies and aim to meet both the needs of service providers and community partners. In this article, Stufflebeam's Context, Input, Process, and Product (CIPP) evaluation model is recommended as a framework to systematically guide the conception, design, implementation, and assessment of service-learning projects, and provide feedback and judgment of the project's effectiveness for continuous improvement. This article (1) explores the CIPP evaluation model's theoretical roots and applications, (2) delineates its four components, (3) analyzes each component's role in a service-learning project's success, and (4) discusses how the model effectively addresses Service-Learning Standards for Quality Practice. This article illustrates the application and evaluation of the model in a teacher-education service-learning tutoring project. (Contains 2 tables.)
A Reactive, Radical Approach to Engaged Scholarship
Author: Smith, Malcolm
Date: 2011-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Theory Practice Relationship,Social Science Research,Evidence,Human Services,Financial Support,Access to Information,Peer Evaluation,Periodicals,Feedback (Response),Relevance (Education),Partnerships in Education,Community Attitudes,Cooperation,Interpersonal Communication,Trust (Psychology),Scholarship,Teacher Role,Transformative Learning,Systems Approach

While exploring the current challenges facing academic institutions and the needs of their scholars to make their work relevant in the lives of university constituents, the author advocates for a reactive and radical approach to engaged scholarship by outlining an 8-step process that considers the importance of transformation, immediacy, and relevance in academic research in the field of human service.
Authentic Engagement for Promoting a College-Going Culture
Author: Collins, William
Date: 2011-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Empowerment,Economic Progress,Educational Attainment,Labor Force,Low Income Groups,Higher Education,Disproportionate Representation,Outreach Programs,College Attendance,Affirmative Action,Student Diversity

The United States has lost ground internationally as a leader in educational attainment. Personal empowerment, national economic progress, and democratic ideals are enhanced through education, yet inequalities persist in the educational attainment of certain groups, such as low-income families or underrepresented minorities. Because the evolving economic landscape increasingly demands a diverse, highly trained, and well-educated labor force to fill the kinds of jobs required of the information age, the United States cannot afford to let large portions of its population languish educationally. Higher education outreach efforts to engage communities and promote the broad embrace of a college-going culture are seen as vital to achieving increased educational attainment. (Contains 2 tables.)
&quot;School Is So Boring&quot;: High-Stakes Testing and Boredom at an Urban Middle School
Author: Mora, Richard
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: High Stakes Tests,Urban Schools,Middle School Students,Test Preparation,Ethnography,Hispanic American Students,Accountability,Learning Motivation,Public Education,Gender Differences,Learner Engagement,Student Attitudes,Grade 8,Grade 6,Standardized Tests,Resistance (Psychology),Educational Experience,Academic Aspiration,Federal Legislation,Classroom Communication,Class Activities,Males,Teaching Methods

Existing evidence suggests that high stakes exams result in little increased learning among students. Yet, given the federal mandates for greater accountability, such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation and Race to the Top policies, and the &quot;pervasive testing culture,&quot; the use of high-stakes tests is presently an accepted practice. The importance ascribed to standardized tests within public education has significant impact on pedagogical practices. High-stakes testing has altered instruction such that in many classrooms more time is spent on test preparation at the expense of engaging and varied learning activities. In this article, the author documents the effect of high-stakes test preparation on middle school students' boredom. Presented and discussed herein are the findings of an ethnographic study that followed a group of 30 urban, Latina/o, middle school students over the course of their middle school experience and documented, among other things, the ground-level impact the push toward &quot;greater accountability&quot; in public education had on the students. The analysis of the data is based on the understanding that the phenomenon of boredom is associated with schooling. While many studies document that boredom is regularly experienced by students, there is a need for investigations that focus on the interplay between classroom dynamics and curriculum that give rise to boredom. Consequently, the findings discussed herein have the potential to contribute to the scholarship on schooling, curriculum, pedagogy, and boredom.
Consciousness-Raising or Eyebrow-Raising? Reading Urban Fiction with High School Students in Freirean Cultural Circles
Author: Brown, Amy
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Culturally Relevant Education,Fiction,College Preparation,Discussion (Teaching Technique),Student Motivation,English Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Teacher Student Relationship,Consciousness Raising,Graduation Rate,Critical Thinking,Ethnography,Action Research,High School Students,Urban Schools,Grade 10,African American Students,Racial Attitudes,Gender Differences,Student Attitudes,Critical Theory,Power Structure,School Choice

For educational philosopher and activist Paulo Freire, cultural circles are a way to generate critical conversations among &quot;teacher-students&quot; and &quot;student-teachers&quot; and can provide the motivation for critical consciousness and political action (1970). Both teachers and students learn from one another as their democratic dialogue provides a means to name and upend social structures of privilege and oppression. As a fifth-year English teacher in New York City, in her second year of ethnographic teacher-research, the author saw the need for an activist intervention in a public, small school of choice (SSC), which she calls the College Preparatory Academy (CPA). She subsequently attempted her own version of a cultural circle. In this paper, the author outlines a theoretical framework and the methods employed in her study, along with the goals and activities of their cultural circle experience, including the challenges that they faced. Through the cultural circle experience, they aimed to develop a critical, dialogic pedagogy through discussions and activities responding to student-selected urban fiction texts. The author found that while the cultural circles garnered increased student motivation and critical engagement, participants also expressed ambivalence at critically engaging with literature and topics that were outside of school-sanctioned models of success and upward mobility. This paper will describe how these challenges arose in the cultural circle, and conclude with recommendations for teachers who want to re-write Freirean cultural circles in context. (Contains 11 endnotes.)
Learner Factors in a High-Poverty Urban Middle School
Author: Olivares-Cuhat, Gabriela
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Learning Strategies,Poverty Areas,Urban Schools,Middle School Students,Pilot Projects,Student Surveys,Cognitive Style,Emotional Intelligence,Preferences,Teaching Methods,English Language Learners,Statistical Analysis,Kinesthetic Methods,Grade 7,Grade 8,Ethnicity,Adjustment (to Environment),Interpersonal Competence,Stress Management,Coping,Measures (Individuals),Profiles,Second Language Learning,English (Second Language)

The purpose of this pilot study is to gain more insight into learner factors prominent in high-poverty urban schools and to suggest pedagogical approaches appropriate to this environment. To this end, three surveys were administered to students attending a high-poverty, urban middle school in order to measure their learning style preferences, language learning strategy use and emotional intelligence. The results indicated a strong preference for kinesthetic and sensing-perceiving learning styles, a generally high use of affective language strategies, and a low level of emotional intelligence in the interpersonal, stress management and adaptability scales. In addition, divergent tendencies in learning preferences and learning strategy use were found across different ethnic groups. (Contains 3 tables.)
(Dis)empowerment: The Implementation of Corrective Mathematics in Philadelphia Empowerment Schools
Author: Connor, Hannah
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics Education,Remedial Mathematics,Curriculum Implementation,Empowerment,Urban Schools,Direct Instruction,Constructivism (Learning),Program Effectiveness,Student Placement,Heterogeneous Grouping,Class Size,Classroom Observation Techniques,Interviews,Federal Legislation,School Districts,Intervention,Middle School Students,Grade 7,Grade 8,Scores,Mathematics Instruction,Educational Improvement,Teaching Methods,Student Needs

The need to improve math education around the country has been well documented, especially in urban school systems like Philadelphia. In Spring 2010, only 56.6% of students in Philadelphia Public schools scored proficient or advanced on the Pennsylvania State Standardized Assessment (PSSA). In Philadelphia Empowerment Schools, the 107 lowest performing schools in the Philadelphia School District, only 45.8% of students scored proficient or advanced (PSSA preliminary results). Yet, across these schools, there is wide variation. While over 80% of students in some Empowerment schools scored proficient or advanced in math, in other schools less than 20% of the student population reached math proficiency. In October 2009, former Philadelphia Public School Superintendent Arlene Ackerman implemented the Science Research Associates (SRA) Corrective Mathematics and Corrective Reading curriculum in all Empowerment Schools, as well as schools in Corrective Action II under No Child Left Behind and other low performing schools as deemed by the District. Within these schools, all middle school students are enrolled in 45 minutes of Corrective Mathematics and 45 minutes of core math each day. Prior to the implementation of Corrective Math, students spent all 90 minutes on the core math curriculum. As one might expect with such a drastic change, there are ongoing debates between administrators, teachers and parents about the merits and weaknesses of the Corrective Mathematics program. Despite these questions and concerns, there has been minimal research on the impacts of CM in Philadelphia, or abroad. This article presents an initial foray into the field. Through extensive observations and interviews, the author documents the implementation of Corrective Mathematics in one Philadelphia Empowerment School, looking specifically at how this implementation relates to the needs of the school's students. This research answers two important questions: (1) What does the CM curriculum look like in the classroom; and (2) how does it support or inhibit learning in the core math class. Overall, the author found that the Corrective Math curriculum in this Philadelphia Empowerment School is not being implemented as its designers intended and, as it is used, the program conflicts with the learning needs of Philadelphia students. (Contains 6 endnotes.)
The Balancing Act: The Personal and Professional Challenges of Urban Teachers
Author: Durham-Barnes, Joanna
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Urban Schools,Urban Teaching,Teacher Effectiveness,Urban Environment,Teacher Attitudes,Personal Narratives,Interviews,Teaching Experience,Quality of Working Life,Professional Recognition,Females,Influences,Family Work Relationship,Teacher Persistence,Academic Failure,Job Satisfaction

While many urban teachers flee urban schools after a few years of teaching, many spend their careers in teaching in the urban environment. A series of biographical interviews was conducted with four "career" urban teachers; throughout the data collection and analyses and despite their decade or more in the field, the interactions between the teachers' personal and professional lives emerged as an important theme and challenge. The following questions are addressed in this article: How are urban teachers thinking about the challenges and/or satisfactions of their work, and in what ways do the teachers' professional lives influence their personal lives? The perspectives of effective teachers who persist in the field can inform administrators about teachers' experiences, aid them in retaining more experienced teachers, and humanize the political discussion about school failure in the urban context.
Families' Goals, School Involvement, and Children's Academic Achievement: A Follow-Up Study Thirteen Years Later
Author: Kyle, Diane W.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Expertise,Working Class,Educational Objectives,Outcomes of Education,School Involvement,Academic Achievement,Educational Change,Followup Studies,Goal Orientation,Statewide Planning,Poverty,Interviews,Audio Equipment,Family School Relationship,Parent Attitudes,Primary Education,Teaching Methods

A study conducted from 1996-2000 focused on the academic development of children within a statewide educational reform effort, including changing the organizational structure of the early years of schooling into nongraded primary programs (formerly age-based classrooms for kindergarteners through third grade). The multisite study involved children from mainly poor and working class families and focused on supports and barriers to learning both in and out of school. Family visits throughout the years of the study viewed parents as experts on their children, with teachers seeking to learn from them through informal conversations and formal interviews. The data collected provided an impetus for restructuring classroom instruction and for exploring ways of engaging the families more intentionally and meaningfully with their children's classrooms. The study reported here is a follow-up with families in one of the sites. Again, family visits included taperecorded interviews about the children's academic performance at the end of high school, current goals, and parents' perceptions of their child's schooling experience and their own involvement with the schools over time. The discussion includes an update about the families, a description of the children's educational outcomes and future educational plans, and insights and implications about family connections and student success. (Contains 3 tables.)
The Intersection of Culture and Achievement Motivation
Author: Trumbull, Elise
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Individualism,Achievement Need,Student Motivation,Cultural Differences,Bilingual Teachers,Cultural Background,English (Second Language),Academic Achievement,Elementary School Teachers,Instructional Innovation,Second Language Learning,Hispanic Americans,Workshops,Program Descriptions,Classroom Techniques,Spanish,Faculty Development

Achievement motivation is something that all members of the school community want to support in students, however few may recognize that it is influenced by culture. The very meaning of &quot;achievement&quot; is culturally variable, and the motives that students have for achieving may be quite different, depending upon their cultural background. The practices of schools tend to reflect the individualism of the dominant U.S. culture. Many students come from families that are more collectivistic. Elementary bilingual teachers used a cultural framework of individualism/collectivism to guide understanding and innovations related to achievement motivation. Examples illustrate cultural differences and how they can be bridged. (Contains 2 figures and 4 endnotes.)
Identity Border Crossings within School Communities, Precursors to Restorative Conferencing: A Symbolic Interactionist Study
Author: Haney, Kimberly Giaudrone
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Conflict Resolution,Interdisciplinary Approach,Vignettes,Dropout Prevention,Bullying,School Culture,Anxiety,Psychological Patterns,Interpersonal Relationship,Discipline,Student Problems,Behavior Problems,Alienation,At Risk Students,Time Perspective,Adults,Student School Relationship

Our study uses an interdisciplinary theoretical lens to understand the complexity of community building as a precursor to restorative practices. Key to these measures is that offenders take responsibility for their actions and undergo reintegration into the school community. Yet, until these students feel they belong to the school community in the first place, "re"integration is moot. Thus, we interviewed 14 adults who had been school offenders, asking them what might have been done to make them feel a part of school, and then we focused analytically on the symbolic interactions they described. We first present their stories as vignettes using their own words to make illustrative points. Weaving interview data throughout fictional research writing (FRW), we conclude with classroom dialogical groups and restorative circles that illustrate how educators could develop communities where our participants could have seen themselves in others. (Contains 1 table.)
Predictors and Outcomes of Parental Involvement with High School Students in Science
Author: Shumow, Lee
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Parent Participation,Science Interests,Academic Achievement,Parent School Relationship,High School Students,Predictor Variables,Science Education,Parent Child Relationship,Surveys,Sampling,Student Motivation

Demographic and psychological predictors of parent involvement with their children's science education both at home and at school were examined during high school. Associations between both types of parent involvement and numerous academic outcomes were tested. Data were collected from 244 high school students in 12 different science classrooms using surveys, the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), and school records. Results revealed low overall parent involvement. Demographic characteristics predicted parent involvement at school, but not at home, while student reported interest in science predicted both. Different dimensions of parent involvement affected outcomes differently. Among the most pronounced influences were those that parent involvement at home had with student efficacy, interest in science, and motivational states in science class. (Contains 3 tables.)
Family Involvement for Adolescents in a Community Poetry Workshop: Influences of Parent Roles and Life Context Variables
Author: Wiseman, Angela M.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Caring,Student Attitudes,Research Methodology,Focus Groups,Parent Participation,Family Involvement,Ethnography,Program Descriptions,Adolescents,Interviews,Literacy,Parent Child Relationship,Grade 8,Poetry,Family School Relationship,Student Needs,Parent Role

While adolescents benefit from the involvement of caring adults who participate in their schooling experiences, their families' participation in school events decreases incrementally as they progress through their education. There is still much to be understood about how to develop supportive relationships that encourage families to contribute and support students' literacy learning as they progress through school. This article describes how eighth grade students' attitudes and ideas about their families played a strong role in influencing involvement within a poetry program developed and funded as a way to involve families in the school. Using qualitative ethnographic research methods, data collection consisted of classroom and poetry coffeehouse observations and focus group interviews. Findings indicate that two different factors, the students' perceptions of parents' roles in school and the life contexts of the families, affected the way students encouraged family participation for this poetry program. Insights from students in this study provide important considerations regarding parent involvement in a family literacy program. To bridge connections between home and school, it is important to listen carefully to young adults and community members to meet the needs of adolescent students.
Theoretical Factors Affecting Parental Roles in Children's Mathematical Learning in American and Chinese-Born Mothers
Author: Hunt, Jessica H.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics Curriculum,Behavior Theories,Mothers,Parent Participation,Mathematics Instruction,Teacher Competencies,Foreign Countries,Asian Culture,Parent Attitudes,Cultural Influences,Cultural Differences,Competence,Parents as Teachers,Expectation,Immigrants,Chinese Americans,Elementary School Mathematics

This introductory qualitative study sought to explain American and Chinese-born mothers' personal beliefs and experiences with mathematics, views of U.S. mathematics curriculum, and how these factors influenced motivation regarding roles played in their children's mathematical learning through expectancy-value and attribution theories. The following eight themes were revealed from interview data with 11 mothers: (a) nature of math; (b) knowing math; (c) importance of math; (d) teaching math; (e) teacher competency; (f) parent competency; (g) parent as resource provider; and (h) parent as monitor/motivator. The authors argue that similarities and differences between American and Chinese-born mothers regarding their parental roles can be explained through the context of parental views of the importance of the subject and their involvement, through expectations for successful outcomes as a result of their involvement, and by feelings concerning the ability to control their children's successes. (Contains 3 tables.)