Education Commons^™

Economic Evaluation Of Teacher Induction Programs: A Report, Jonathan D. Becker, Elisa Tedona, Matthew Togna

MERC Publications

Research shows that teacher induction programs can be effective as measured by a number of outcomes. However, research also shows that teacher induction programs vary greatly from one district to another. Furthermore, there is no research that examines teacher induction programs with respect to costs and benefits. Educational leaders and stakeholders do not need to wait on formal institutional research to do such an economic evaluation.

This report, in combination with a How-to-Guide, the Teacher Induction Program Cost Matrix and the Teacher Induction Program Benefit-Cost Workbook, comprises a toolkit designed to allow school and district leaders to conduct …

Economic Evaluation Of Teacher Induction Programs: A Toolkit How-To Guide, Jonathan D. Becker, Elisa Tedona, Matthew Togna

MERC Publications

Research shows that teacher induction programs can be effective as measured by a number of outcomes. However, research also shows that teacher induction programs vary greatly from one district to another. Furthermore, there is no research that examines teacher induction programs with respect to costs and benefits. Educational leaders and stakeholders do not need to wait on formal institutional research to do such an economic evaluation.

This how-to guide, in combination with a comprehensive report, the Teacher Induction Program Cost Matrix and the Teacher Induction Program Benefit-Cost Workbook, comprises a toolkit designed to allow school and district leaders to …

Teacher Retention Policy Coherence: An Analysis Of Policies And Practices Across Federal, State, And Division Levels, Andrene Castro, Adria Hoffman, Jonathan D. Becker, David Naff, Peter S. Willis, Andy Kane

MERC Publications

As part of a larger MERC study, this report provides an overview of federal, state, and regional policies and practices relevant to teacher retention. Using key informant interviews and document analysis, the report addresses the following research questions: What teacher retention policies exist at the federal, state, and local levels? How are these policies structured at the state level and local levels? How do teacher retention policies vary across MERC divisions? Following the findings, the report presents recommendations for policy and practice.

Teaching Writing To Middle School Students With Disabilities: A Merc Research Brief, David Naff, Jennifer Askue-Collins, Julie S. Dauksys

MERC Publications

This research brief by the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium explores peer reviewed literature about effective strategies for teaching writing to middle school students with disabilities. It answers the following questions: 1) Why is it important to teach writing? 2) What is the nature of the challenge in teaching writing to middle school students with disabilities? 3) What interventions help with teaching writing to middle school students with disabilities? and 4) What strategies are utilized in the MERC region for teaching writing to middle school students with disabilities?

Cultural Diversity Professional Development In Schools Survey, Krystal R. Thomas, Hillary Parkhouse, Jesse Senechal, Zoey Lu, Laura Faulcon, Julie Gorlewski, David B. Naff

MERC Publications

This report presents findings from the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) Cultural Diversity Within Schools Survey. This survey was designed for school- based professionals (i.e., teachers, instructional staff, administrators) within the MERC region. Administered in the fall of 2018, the survey collected information about experiences of professional development related to cultural diversity, attitudes toward cultural diversity within schools, perceptions of barriers and opportunities, and perspectives on the need for professional development. Section 1 of the report discusses the context for this survey effort: increased cultural diversity in our schools, increased cultural mismatch between students and teachers, and multicultural education as …

A Review Of Literature On Teaching Evaluation, Martin Reardon

MERC Publications

The members of MERC’s Policy and Planning Council are well aware of the challenges that school divisions are facing as they conscientiously endeavor to honor the stipulations of the Guidelines (2011) in a loosely coupled system. In keeping with the context out of which the request for this literature review arose, a sense of the literature invoked in the Research Base (2011) has been taken for granted. The focus of this document, then, is on literature—predominantly recent literature—that addresses issues associated with the implementation of teacher evaluation. This emphasis on implementation is in keeping with MERC’s mission to engage in …

Differentiated Instruction: A Review Of Literature, Whitney Sherman

MERC Publications

Differentiated instruction is recognized to be a compilation of many theories and practices related to effective teaching and its link to student achievement. It requires a departure from traditional methods of teaching and the belief that learners vary according to readiness, ability, motivation, and interest. While numerous testimonials, examples of differentiation in practice, and for profit tools abound in the literature, little empirical research exists warranting future research on the effectiveness of differentiated instruction as measured by student achievement on assessment. This manuscript provides a review of the literature.

Alignment Of Classroom Assessments With The Virginia Standards Of Learning (Sol), Joan A. Rhodes, Valerie J. Robnolt, Susan P. Mckelvey

MERC Publications

Parents, teachers, and school administrators all have one common goal — student success. Teachers have been trusted to impart knowledge to students, while hopefully fostering a love of learning, then assessing how much the students know. Assessment in the classroom, whether informal, formative, or summative, has been the major source of identifying student strengths and weaknesses. Today, many people believe that teachers must be accountable for what they do in the classroom. Within the educational system, students’ success has been measured inconsistently from state-to-state, district-to-district, and even classroom-to-classroom. In this age of accountability, national and state standards have been developed, …

Using The Internet To Support K-12 Teaching And Learning: A Review Of Literature, Rachel A. Karchmer, Leanne Eberly

MERC Publications

The purpose of this literature review is to examine what research and theory has informed us about using information and communication technologies (ICT), specifically the Internet, to support K-12 instruction. In the fall of 2000, 77% of K-12 classrooms in the United States has at least one computer with Internet access (Cattagni & Farris, 2001). This number has surely risen especially as programs such a E-rate, funded by the federal government, provided billions of dollars to schools for the purpose of establishing Internet connections (see www.fcc.gov/learnet).

When reviewing the existing literature, it becomes clear that while great emphasis has been …

Retaining Teachers Across The Professional Continuum: A Review Of Literature, Jill Englebright Fox, Janine Certo

MERC Publications

Teacher induction is best understood in the larger context of teacher education. The education of teachers is a continuum of on-going activities and experiences, including pre-service preparation, induction, and in-service development.

Viewed in this context, it is clear that programs addressing the induction period (induction and mentoring programs) need to function as logical extensions of the preservice program and as entry pieces in a larger career-long professional development program. Induction programs acknowledge that beginning teachers have recently completed teacher-preparation programs. Such support enables beginning teachers to continue to develop their teaching skills while confronting the adjustment difficulties often encountered during …

A Study Of The Impact Of Overage Middle School Students On Middle Schools, Daisy Reed, Caroline Kirkpatrick

MERC Publications

A continuing issue in school reform efforts is the need to decrease dropout rates for students. Many dropouts are at-risk students who have failing grades, inadequate academic sills, and low levels of literacy. These students are often retained in grade, and eventually drop out. While students may actually drop out in high school, dropping out behaviors begin to occur in middle school or even earlier, in elementary school. Middle School students who are retained and become overage have the potential for having a negative impact on the school district and the school. More importantly, these students often suffer a decrease …

Teaching As Reflective Practice: Papers By Teacher Researchers, Merc Research Teachers

MERC Publications

This is a research report on "Teaching as Reflective Practice" put together by the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium. The research papers in this report include:

"Expectation and Innovations: A Nation At Risk; Shopping Mall High School; Horace's Compromise" by Angela Pickels and Brettina Sanchez of Monacan High School, Chesterfield County Public Schools.

"The Successful Interdisciplinary Class Must Secede From the Traditional" by Puck Snidow and Margaret Flanagan of Clover Hill High School, Chesterfield County Public Schools.

"What Has Been the Impact of Beaverdam Elementary Schools's Computer Network on Teachers?" by Katherine W. Benkert and Donna Kouri of Beaverdam Elementary School, …

National Assessment Of Educational Progress In Mathematics: Analysis And Interpretive Remarks Of Teh State Of Mathematics Achievement, John Pisapia, Ena Gross

MERC Publications

The National Assessment of Educational Progress's Mathematics assessment (hereafter the report) provides the national, educational policy makers, and practitioner the opportunity to stop pretending not to know. The report plainly confronts our own professional knowledge regarding mathematics education. In many instances it conforms much of what research has all ready described and what we have feared regarding mathematics education.

In some instances the report agrees with Carol Glickman's view that "professionals have gone about the business of teaching and operating schools in ways they privately admit are not in the best interests of students." From this view one of the …