Education Commons^™

Addressing The Poor Reading Performance Of Filipino Learners: Beyond Curricular And Instructional Interventions, Rochelle Irene Lucas, Macario O. Cordell Ii, Jude Michael Teves, Sashimir A. Yap, Unisse Chua Ms., Allan B.I. Bernardo

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

In the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), 15-year old Filipino students ranked last in reading proficiency among all countries/territories, with only 19% meeting the minimum (Level 2) standard. It is important to understand the different factors that contribute to the low reading performance and proficiency of these students, specifically the interventions that may help address this learning problem. Based on the result of a study using machine learning approaches, specifically binary classification methods, to identify the variables that best predict low (Level 1b and lower) vs. higher (Level 1a or better) reading proficiency using the Philippine PISA data, …

The Past And Future Of Teacher Efficacy, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Knowing how the concept of teacher efficacy has evolved in education research shows us good ways to raise teachers' confidence now.

Education Reform And The Transition To Standards-Based Grading In The United States, Lexa Mahr

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This literature review provides a history of education reform in the United States along with the basis for a transition to standards-based grading. The educational system is a complex network of intertwining parts that work together with the goal to mold a child into a valued member of society. Continual passage of educational laws has helped develop education reform within the United States. Adoption of federal and state laws helps create consistency amongst schools. Grades are held with high regard and deserve accurate representation within an unbiased grading system. Many components are encompassed in the transition to a standards-based grading …

A Digital Ethnography Of Teach For America: Analysis Of Counternarrative From The Truth For America Podcast, Julian Vasquez Heilig, T. Jameson Brewer, Amber K. Kim, Miguel Sanchez

Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation Faculty Publications

To analyze the counternarrative in the public discourse surrounding Teach For America (TFA), this paper represents the first digital ethnography in education policy. We conduct a qualitative analysis of Truth For America, an education policy podcast. We found four overarching themes that arose from conversations with respondents: (1) problematic practice, preparation, and pedagogy; (2) concerns linked to critiquing TFA and the organization’s responses to that critique; (3) issues related to race and diversity; and (4) disconcerting funding practices and political power. We conclude by discussing the implications of how individual-level stakeholder experiences inform the public discourse about TFA.

What Leads To Successful School Choice Programs? A Review Of The Theories And Evidence, Corey A. Deangelis, Heidi Holmes Erickson

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

There is a large body of thorough research showing many positive benefits of school choice. However, many questions remain on how school choice works. Rigorous school choice experiments can only determine if access to school choice programs alters student outcomes; they cannot confidently identify the specific mechanisms that mediate various outcomes. Two commonly theorized mechanisms in school choice programs that lead to positive outcomes are (1) an increased access to higher-quality schools and (2) an improved match between schools and students. We examine the existing empirical evidence and the theoretical arguments for these two primary mechanisms. While there is evidence …

Knowledge To Action: A Communication And Framing Issue, Norman Eng

Publications and Research

Translating knowledge into action requires that education scholars step beyond their traditional role as researchers and engage the public more deliberately. At the same time, their impartiality must be rigorously maintained. One solution is to focus their engagement on educating, discussing, and sharing—rather than persuading or advocating. Communication studies suggests that framing research in ways that resonate with people’s core values may help the public see complex issues more constructively. It may even stimulate political will. In this paper, I explore four ways to frame education issues, based on widely held American values like achievement, progress, and pragmatism. I also …

Whether To Approve An Education Savings Account Program In Texas: Preventing Crime Does Pay, Corey A. Deangelis, Patrick J. Wolf

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

Decision-makers in Texas have proposed an Education Savings Account (ESA) that would allow all families to take a fraction of their public education financing to a school of their choice. If the ESA funding amount exceeds the school tuition level, families would be able to use these funds for other educational expenses such as tutoring, textbooks, educational therapy, online learning, and college costs. While this is may be viewed as obvious benefits to individual children and their families, the impacts on society overall are less clear. We estimate the impact of the proposed ESA on criminality from 2016 to 2035. …

Education Reform And Potemkin Villages: Expanding Conceptions Of “Data”, Noah Asher Golden

Education Faculty Articles and Research

"I argue that much of the current education reform movement [uses] reductive notions of data to create the appearance of growth as opposed to authentic and sustainable growth in pedagogical practice and outcomes.

Data tell a story. How we select, manage, organize, and report those data influences the story in two ways: (1) it reveals our values and priorities and (2) it has the power to shape, highlight, and/or obscure the knowledge it purports to share. Software and information systems play a central role here as the logic they rely on to structure and use data saturates educational practice (Lynch)."

Reformers, Batting Averages, And Malpractice: The Case For Caution In Value-Added Use, Dan Gleason

Faculty Publications & Research

The essay considers two analogies that help to reveal the limitations of value-added modeling: the first, a comparison with batting averages, shows that the model’s reliability is quite limited even though year-to-year correlation figures may seem impressive; the second, a comparison between medical malpractice and so-called educational malpractice, suggests that strict accountability measures within education are out of line with legal precedent.

The Impact Of Demographics On 21st Century Education, Norman Eng

Publications and Research

Do all students need STEM education or should it be focused primarily on the mathematically and scientifically inclined? Here, demographics may hold the key to such questions from which a 21st century education model should be based on.

Competing In The Federal Race To The Top, Nathan C. Jensen, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

The federal Race to the Top is a national competition between states intended to support education reform and innovation in classrooms. States at the forefront of school reform are eligible to compete for $4.3 billion in Race to the Top grants. Since this is a competitive grant, it is possible that some states will not receive awards, and President Obama assures that “politics won’t come into play.”

Change Agents’ Orientations To Change, Mir Afzal Tajik

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

This study explores five field education officers’ (FEOs) understanding of their dual roles as educational reformers and community developers in the rural, mountainous district of Chitral, Pakistan. In particular, it examines their specific actions and methods (strategies) and their underlying assumptions and core values (orientations) of change. These FEOs work as change agents in schools and in the local communities where schools have been established by the Aga Khan Education Service, Pakistan (AKES,P). The study’s findings derive from empirical data collected through qualitative research methods, such as semi-structured interviews (individual and focus-group), non-participant observations, post-observation discussions, informal conversations and analysis …

Superintendents Speak Out On Education Reforms, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

In an effort to improve educational opportunities for all students, Arkansas has made education reforms in many areas over the past three years. The Office for Education Policy (OEP) recently distributed a confidential survey to superintendents across the state to see what kinds of successes districts are having as a result of these reforms and what challenges they still face. OEP also asked superintendents about teacher quality and supply issues in their districts, particularly in light of No Child Left Behind’s (NCLB) requirement that all schools be staffed with “highly-qualified teachers.”

An Examination Of Student Achievement In Michigan Charter Schools, Randall W. Eberts, Kevin M. Hollenbeck

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

Since their inception in 1991, the number of and the student enrollment in charter school have burgeoned. However, little attention has been paid to their effects on student achievement. Proponents hypothesize direct and indirect positive impacts of charter schools on student achievement. The direct effect is through the restructuring of teaching and learning processes. The indirect effect operates through peer effects on learning and through the market forces of competition. This paper focuses on student achievement in charter schools in Michigan. The analyses presented here suggest that students attending charter schools in Michigan are not reaching the same levels of …

Equal Educational Opportunity And Constitutional Theory: Preliminary Thoughts On The Role Of School Choice And The Autonomy Principle, Michael Heise

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Inadequate schools impede America's long-standing quest for greater equal educational opportunity. The equal educational opportunity doctrine, traditionally moored in terms of race, has expanded to include notions of educational adequacy. Educational adequacy is frequently construed in terms of educational spending and framed in terms largely incident to constitutional litigation.

This paper explores the potential intersections of the school choice and school finance movements, particularly as they relate to litigation and policy. The paper argues that school choice policies constitute a viable remedy for successful school finance litigation and form a remedy that simultaneously advances individual autonomy, one critical constitutional principle.

The Court Vs. Educational Standards, Michael Heise

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Goals 2000: Educate America Act: The Federalization And Legalization Of Educational Policy, Michael Heise

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.