Education Commons^™

Enhancing Parental Involvement In Urban Schools: Types Of Programs, Characteristics Of Successful Programs, And Proven Strategies, Suzanne Trevett, James H. Mcmillan

MERC Publications

Numerous students and reports document the fact that parental involvement in education is positively related to higher student achievement. A review of the literature also reveals that educators regard parental involvement in a variety of ways, ranging from a traditional concept of inviting parents to back-to-school night, to more participatory efforts such as parental membership on decision-making committees and executive councils. Studies also show that parental involvement relates to enhanced community satisfaction with education and to better physical facilities. None of these is an inconsequential or isolated factor; each impinges the other, and taken together they constitute major challenges facing …

High School Follow-Up Surveys: What Works?, James H. Mcmillan, Suzanne Trevvett

MERC Publications

Increasing demand for accountability have prompted a renewed interest in determining effective methods of obtaining data from high school graduates and former students. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the methods and objectives of high school graduate/former student follow-up activities to identify procedures that resulted in high response rates and helpful information.

Information was obtained from three sources: local school systems in the Richmond metropolitan area, selected school systems in other areas of Virginia, and school systems in other states as identified through a search of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) database.

The purposes of the follow-up …

Teachers' Classroom Assessment And Grading Practices: Phase 1, James H. Mcmillan, Daryl Workman

MERC Publications

Classroom assessment and grading practices are becoming a greater focus of educational inquiry as teachers and policymakers become more accountable to the public for educational outcomes via assessment driven instructional practices. This study was an attempt to better understand the classroom assessment and grading practices of teachers, which have previously been described as a "hodgepodge" mix of student attitude, effort and achievement. Specifically, the following questions regarding teachers' assessment and grading practices were addressed:

What is the current state of assessment practice and grading by teachers?

What assessment and grading topics do teachers identify as needs to be addressed in …

Disruptive Students In The Classroom: A Review Of The Literature, Daisy Reed, Caroline Kirkpatrick

MERC Publications

Classroom discipline and school violence continue to be major issues in American education today. Rose and Gallup (1998) in the most recent Gallup Poll, respondents were asked to identify the biggest problems with which the public schools in their communities must deal. The results showed that concern about "fighting/violence/gangs" was at the top of the list, followed closely by "lack of discipline/more control." The metropolitan Life Survey of the American Teacher (1993) reports that while the majority of teachers (77%) feel safe in their schools, only 50% of students feel that way. A substantial proportion of students say they often …

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 …

The Elementary Classroom Computer Initiative: Teacher Perceptions Of Three Years Of Implementation, John Pisapia, Kim Knutson

MERC Publications

Henrico County Public School received funding in 1995 to place five computers and an ink jet color printer in each of its regular elementary classrooms fist through fifth grade. The goals of the initiative were numerous but focused on: (1) increasing student performance, (2) addressing different learning styles, (3) providing students with daily access to computers, (4) increasing student proficiency with computers, and (5) preparing students for the future. To accomplish these goals, teachers were required to acquire the capacity to integrate computers into their daily classroom lessons and the school division needed to install, maintain the technical hardware and …

The Elementary Classroom Computer Initiative: Software Survey Report, Kim Knutson, John Pisapia

MERC Publications

Henrico County Public School received funding in 1995 to place five computers and an ink jet color printer in each of its regular first through fifth grade elementary classrooms. The goals of the initiative were numerous but focused on: (1) increasing student performance, (2) addressing different learning styles, (3) providing students with daily access to computers, (4) increasing student proficiency with computers, and (5) preparing students for the future. This report examines the type of courseware/software being used by teachers to implement the initiative.

Differentiation Of Instructional Methodologies In Subject-Based Curricula At The Secondary Level, Edward Hootstein

MERC Publications

Currently, efforts to detrack secondary schools have called attention to the need for instructional practices to address the increase academic diversity within many classrooms. The purpose of this student was to examine how teachers address that diversity and what steps they take to meet students' instructional needs. The purpose of the study was brought into focus by posing the following research questions: How important is addressing students' diverse academic needs to secondary school teachers? (b) Which instructional methods do secondary school teachers use to address students' academic differences? (c) which instructional methods do secondary school teachers think are effective in …

Classroom Assessment And Grading Practices: A Review Of The Literature, James H. Mcmillan, Daryl Workman

MERC Publications

This review of literature is an analysis of completed research on the nature and effect of classroom assessment practices and grading. In recent years the assessment of student performance has become a central focus of efforts to reform education (Cizek, 1997). Policy-makers have increasingly seen assessment as a measure of student and school accountability, influencing curriculum and teaching. At the center of this movement is the classroom teacher. It is the teacher who communicates standards and expectations through the assessments students experience, and it is the teacher who makes decisions daily about what students learn. Classroom assessments, because students experience …