Education Commons^™

Perceptions Of Self-Concept And Actual Academic Performance In Math And English Among High School Students In Kenya, Winnie Mucherah, Felicia Dixon, Kylie Hartley, Travis Hardin

Publications and Scholarship

This study examined the relationship between self-concept and students’ academic performance in math and English for high school students in Kenya. Participants included 1990 students from two same sex boarding schools-one for boys and the other for girls. Results showed there were sex and grade differences in academic performance and most aspects of self-concept. Specifically, girls did better in math. Performance in English was not significantly different. Grade level differences showed a downward trend relative to norms in both math and English performance with the lower grade levels performing better. This trend possibly related to the changing standards by the …

Romanticism: Past And Present [10th Grade], Amy Anderson

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

Exploring the Romantic Movement and its influence on our culture today, this unit focuses on identifying and explaining how the characteristics of a literary genre are reflected in a work of art or piece of literature. Students will refine their explication skills and learn to make connections between literature, art and music.

The unit culminates in a differentiated multimedia project, which allows students to show what they know about Romanticism and its connections to our lives today.

Julius Caesar: The Power Of Persuasion [10th Grade], Devon Erlich

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

As we approach the Shakespearean tragedy, we are going to not only study the dramatic terms utilized, but also the ways in which characters are persuaded. The essential question, “What makes a person persuasive?” will lead us through the reading of Julius Caesar when looking at the actions of all of the characters. We will discuss their use of ethos, logos, and pathos to persuade others, and we will also look at each character’s understanding of his audience. While we will study and practice persuasive techniques in advertising, writing, and speech, we will also focus on the audience’s perception of …

Loss In Joyce’S Dubliners [11th-12th Grade], Lauren Lee

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit, written for a primarily senior college preparatory English Literature class, uses several short stories from James Joyce’s Dubliners to focus on the thematic idea of loss, grief, and coping to build on students’ understanding of research, creative writing, discussion, reading, making connections, and literary terms. At the unit’s conclusion, students will demonstrate their mastery of these skills and understandings in a Wikispace in which they conduct first-person research on a culture, as Joyce did, and emulate some of his creative writing skills to develop vignettes about that culture working independently or in groups. Some activities that will lead …

In The Space Between Action And Reaction Individuals Have Choice: Romeo And Juliet And The Consequences Of Choice [8th-9th Grade], Monica Gonzalez, Tina Harper

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

Middle school students struggle with the internalization that choices have consequences. Adolescence is a time in their life when, perhaps for the first time, their choices have lasting ramifications. At the same time, students are acutely aware that life is full of contradiction; certain events in life are indeed beyond their control. The choices they make in these situations may determine their direction into adulthood.

The purpose of this unit is to allow students to examine the consequences of choices made in a world that is controlled by adults. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet serves as the vehicle toward understanding the …

Pre-School Experience And Key Stage 2 Performance In English And Mathematics, Edward Melhuish, Louise Quinn, Kathy Sylva, Pam Sammons, Iram Siraj-Blatchford, Brenda Taggart

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This report considers children's educational attainment in English and mathematics at the end of primary school (age 11). Children's educational attainment in English and mathematics was derived from their national Key Stage 2 assessments. The analyses have considered the child's level of Key Stage 2 attainment in terms of the effects of child, family, home environment and preschool experience variables as well as the child's ability at the start of primary school.

Ensuring Education For All In India: Highlighting The Obstacles, International Institute For Population Sciences (Iips), Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Looking at the current educational situation of youth in India, this Population Council policy brief argues that significant investments in terms of appropriate policies and programs are required to enable the country to achieve the Millennium Development Goals of universal primary education and elimination of gender disparity in primary and secondary education, harness its demographic dividend, and enable its youth to participate in and benefit from global development. The brief recommends that policy commitments be met and programs be effectively implemented, and notes the importance of high school education in enabling youth to make a successful transition to adulthood. It …

Education And Transition To Work Among Youth In Andhra Pradesh, International Institute For Population Sciences (Iips), Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Looking at the current educational and employment situation of youth in Andhra Pradesh, this Population Council policy brief argues that significant investments in terms of appropriate policies and programs are required to enable the state to achieve the Millennium Development Goals of universal primary education and elimination of gender disparity in primary and secondary education, harness its demographic dividend, and enable its youth to participate in and benefit from global development. Notwithstanding the state’s existing policy commitments, findings indicate that several challenges remain. The brief recommends a number of policies and programs to overcome these challenges.

Understanding Adolescent Girls' Protection Strategies Against Hiv: An Exploratory Study In Urban Lusaka, Joseph Simbaya, Martha Brady, Allison Stone, Maya Vaughan-Smith

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This report provides a descriptive analysis of how adolescent girls and young women in Lusaka, Zambia construct notions of risk and safety, perceive reproductive health and HIV risks, and identify behaviors and actions they can take to protect themselves. Findings suggests stronger social support networks, improved access to the range of reproductive health services and products, and safe and supportive spaces for girls would be beneficial. The report points to several areas for potential program attention, including more focused attention on the structural and environmental drivers of girls’ vulnerability.

Poverty, Marriage Timing, And Transitions To Adulthood In Nepal: A Longitudinal Analysis Using The Nepal Living Standards Survey, Ashish Bajracharya, Sajeda Amin

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This working paper examines the influence of household poverty experienced during early childhood on early marriage and outcomes in schooling and workforce participation during adolescence for girls in Nepal. Much of the evidence concerning these relationships is drawn from cross-sectional data that cannot be used, and has not been able, to address causality. This Population Council study uses longitudinal data from the Nepal Living Standards Survey (NLSS), a two-wave panel in which the waves were conducted eight years apart to address these questions. Analyzing the data by household-wealth quintiles reveals surprisingly nonlinear results indicating that these associations are largest for …

Are Texas' English Language Arts And Reading Standards College Ready?, Eric Rolfhus, Gary Cook, Jessica Brite, Jenifer J. Hartman

USF St. Petersburg campus Faculty Publications

This study compares alignment of the ACT and the American Diploma Project (ADP) national college readiness standards sets with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for English language arts and reading (TEKS ELAR) standards for grades 9-12 and analyzes their cognitive complexity. It finds that a majority of the content in the ACT and ADP standards sets is addressed to some extent by the TEKS ELAR standards and that the TEKS ELAR standards demand higher levels of cognitive complexity than do the other two standards sets. The study has two key limitations. First, the definition of partial alignment was very …

Supporting The Literacy Development Of Children Living In Homeless Shelters, Laurie Macgillivray, Amy Lassiter Ardell, Margaret Sauceda Curwen

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Insights into how educators can create greater classroom support for homeless children, particularly in literacy learning and development, are provided in this article.

White Paper: Enhancing Adolescent Financial Capabilities Through Financial Education In Bangladesh, Sajeda Amin, Laila Rahman, Sigma Ainul, Ubaidur Rob, Bushra Zaman, Rinat Akter

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This white paper addresses a growing concern about the problems of financial exclusion of the poor. It is based on a scoping study and a pilot program providing financial education to adolescents in Bangladesh. The Population Council worked with BRAC and Underprivileged Children’s Educational Program (UCEP) to expand these life skills. The result and tools of the study inspired UCEP to commit introduction of financial literacy in 52 schools for the under privileged children from next year while BRAC expressed interest to accumulate resources and initiate discussions with their donors and consortium partners for gradually introducing the financial literacy in …

Schooling And Conflict In Darfur: A Snapshot Of Basic Education Services For Displaced Children, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Safaa El-Kogali, Jenny Perlman Robinson, Johanna Rankin, Ali Rashed

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Schooling and Conflict in Darfur, a joint project of the Population Council and the Women's Refugee Commission, is a report based on a 2008 survey designed to provide a more accurate picture of the state of formal and non-formal education for displaced children of primary school age (6-14) in North and West Darfur. The findings are based on a scientifically selected sample of internally displaced persons (IDP) communities in North and West Darfur. The goal of the report is to provide donors, policymakers, and practitioners information to help plan and implement effective, targeted education programs for internally displaced children in …

Building Programs To Address Child Marriage: The Berhane Hewan Experience In Ethiopia, Eunice N. Muthengi, Annabel Erulkar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The development of a context-appropriate program to delay marriage in rural Ethiopia took place over many years and in stages. The program that ultimately became known as “Berhane Hewan” was developed by building an evidence base of understanding on the populations being served and developing partnerships between the Population Council and like-minded agencies with complementary expertise. The Berhane Hewan pilot demonstrated that significant impacts can be made on the social, educational, and health status of adolescent girls in a short period of time, through well designed and implemented support programs. However, high levels of exposure to all project components, make …

The Nature Of Mothers' Work And Children's Schooling In Nepal: The Influence Of Income And Time Effects, Ashish Bajracharya

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Using nationally representative cross-sectional data from the Nepal Living Standards Survey, this Population Council working paper examines the influence of the nature of mothers’ work on Nepali children’s schooling outcomes. It analyses whether the engagement of mothers (and fathers) in nonagricultural work has significant consequences for their children’s school attendance and grade attainment, compared with these consequences when parents’ work is in traditional subsistence agriculture. Results indicate that children of parents who both work in the nonagriculture sector are significantly more likely to have attended or currently be attending school and have higher grade attainment, compared with children whose parents …

Youth In India: Situation And Needs 2006-2007, Andhra Pradesh, International Institute For Population Sciences (Iips), Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This report is the result of a sub-national study undertaken by the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai and the Population Council, New Delhi, as part of a project to collect information on key transitions experienced by youth in India, including those related to education, work force participation, sexual activity, marriage, health and civic participation; the magnitude and patterns of young people’s sexual and reproductive practices before, within and outside of marriage as well as related knowledge, decision-making and attitudes. The project was implemented in six states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu.

Ethiopia Gender Survey: A Study In Seven Regions, Annabel Erulkar, Abebaw Ferede, Worku Ambelu, Woldemariam Girma, Helen Amdemikael, Behailu Gebremedhin, Berhanu Legesse, Ayehualem Tameru, Messay Teferi

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

“Ethiopia Gender Survey: A Study in Seven Regions” is a 2009 population-based survey. Over 8,000 Ethiopian women aged 15 to 49 were interviewed to examine a better understanding of HIV behavior, gender issues and reproductive health in Ethiopia. The information serves as the baseline survey for four initiatives in Ethiopia related to adolescent health and development, gender-based violence, women’s empowerment, and female genital cutting/ mutilation.