Education Commons^™

The Impact Of Troops To Teachers Participants On Student Achievement: A Causal-Comparative Study, Kurt Osuch

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this causal-comparative study is to examine the impact of Troops to Teachers (TTT) participants on student achievement by comparing the mean scores of Texas students in the eighth grade during the 2011-2012 academic year taught by TTT participants with the mean scores of all other Texas eighth grade students on each of four mandatory standardized examinations. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) provided the archival data used in the evaluation, which consisted of limited teacher demographic information, as well as individual student scores on the vertically equated 2011-2012 version of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness …

A Comparison Of Two Alternative Pathway Programs In Secondary Mathematics Teacher Certification, Brian R. Evans

NERA Conference Proceedings 2011

The purpose of this study was to compare the mathematics content knowledge, attitudes toward mathematics, and concepts of self-efficacy held by teachers in two alternative pathways to mathematics teacher certification: New York City Teaching Fellows and Teach for America. Findings revealed that there were no differences between Teaching Fellows and TFA teachers in mathematics content knowledge, attitudes toward mathematics, and concepts of self-efficacy. However, learning and teaching journals revealed several differences between Teaching Fellows and TFA teachers.

Teacher Quality, Content Knowledge, And Self-Efficacy In One Mathematics Teach For America Cohort, Brian R. Evans

NERA Conference Proceedings 2010

The purpose of this study was to understand the relationships between mathematical content knowledge and perceptions of teaching self-efficacy in one cohort of Teach for America teachers. It was found that teachers had high levels of self-efficacy. It was also found that mathematics related majors had higher mathematical content knowledge than did business majors, but similar levels of self-efficacy. Liberal arts majors had similar content knowledge and levels of self-efficacy as did mathematics related majors.

Middle And High School Mathematics Teacher Differences In Mathematics Alternative Certification, Brian R. Evans

NERA Conference Proceedings 2010

his study examined the differences in content knowledge, attitudes toward mathematics, and concepts of teacher self-efficacy among several different types of teachers in the New York City Teaching Fellows program, and informs teacher education in mathematics alternative certification. Findings revealed that high school teachers had significantly higher content knowledge than middle school teachers. Mathematics Teaching Fellows had significantly higher content knowledge than Mathematics Immersion Teaching Fellows. Mathematics and science majors had significantly higher content knowledge than other majors. Teachers had the same high positive attitudes toward mathematics and same high concepts of self-efficacy regardless of content ability.

The New York City Teaching Fellows Program: A Case Study In Alternative Certification In Mathematics, Brian Evans

NERA Conference Proceedings 2009

The purpose of this study is to understand the mathematical content knowledge new teachers have before and after taking a mathematics methods course in the New York City Teaching Fellows program. Further, the purpose is to understand attitudes toward mathematics Teaching Fellows have over the course of the semester. Findings revealed a significant increase in mathematical content knowledge and positive attitudes toward mathematics. Relationships were found between attitudes and self-efficacy. Finally, Teaching Fellows found that classroom management was the biggest issue in their teaching, and that problem solving and numeracy were the most important topics addressed in the methods course.

A Case Study Of Teachers' Mathematics Content Knowledge And Attitudes Toward Mathematics And Teaching, Brian R. Evans

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

This study intended to measure teacher mathematical content knowledge both before and after the first year of teaching and taking graduate teacher education courses in the Teach for America (TFA) program, as well as measure attitudes toward mathematics and teaching both before and after TFA teachers’ first year. There was a significant increase in both mathematical content knowledge and attitudes toward mathematics over the TFA teachers’ first year teaching. Additionally, several significant correlations were found between attitudes toward mathematics and content knowledge. Finally, after a year of teaching, TFA teachers had significantly better attitudes toward mathematics and teaching than neutral.

Executive Summary, Morton Sternheim, Joseph B. Berger, Yijie Zhao

STEM ACT Conference

A National Science Foundation funded conference entitled, “Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – Alternative Certification for Teachers” (STEM-ACT) was held in May, 2006 in Arlington, VA. The conference was designed to facilitate a significant exchange of information, which was then synthesized to produce white papers on the three threads of the conference, i.e., policy, practice, and research. This summary presents the highlights of the three white papers.

Practice Report, Morton Sternheim, Yijie Zhao

STEM ACT Conference

The University of Massachusetts (UMass) STEM Education Institute and the UMass School of Education hosted a National Science Foundation funded conference entitled “Science, Technology, Engineering and Math—Alternative Certification for Teachers” (STEM-ACT) in Arlington, Virginia on May 5-7, 2006. This “practice” white paper summarizes issues presented at the conference that are of importance for providers of alternative certification (AC) for science teachers, highlights what we know so far about effective alternative certification programs, and discusses what we still need to know through future rigorous research on AC programs for science teachers. This paper also provides guidelines for assessment of alternative certification …

Policy Report, Joseph B. Berger, Yijie Zhao

STEM ACT Conference

The University of Massachusetts (UMass) STEM Education Institute and the UMass School of Education hosted a National Science Foundation funded conference entitled “Science, Technology, Engineering and Math—Alternative Certification for Teachers” (STEM-ACT) in Arlington, Virginia on May 5-7, 2006. This white paper summarizes issues presented at the conference that are of importance to policy makers on alternative certification (AC). It focuses on issues concerning science teachers, analyzing the nature and scope of the policy endeavor as a solution to current and projected teacher shortages, and discussing the implications of AC policies on teacher supply and demand and on teacher turnover. Two …

Research Report, Allan Feldman

STEM ACT Conference

The University of Massachusetts (UMass) STEM Education Institute and the UMass School of Education hosted a National Science Foundation funded conference entitled “Science, Technology, Engineering and Math—Alternative Certification for Teachers” (STEM ACT) in Arlington, Virginia on May 5-7, 2006. This white paper summarizes issues presented at the conference that are of importance for academic researchers of alternative certification (AC) for science teachers. It also outlines a research agenda for the initial preparation of science teachers, regardless of programs, which is intended to identify and examine how teacher learning occurs in their preparation, what is learned, and how teachers put that …

Powerpoint Presentation, Nsf Dr-K12 Meeting, Sept. 10, 2007, Morton Sternheim

STEM ACT Conference

Conference goals

In-depth look at some existing programs and models, including NSF funded alternative certification programs, plus district-based programs (e.g., Teach New York) and national programs (e.g., Teach For America).

Identify an agenda for future research questions on alternative certification to guide development and implementation of new programs.

Grant Proposal For Stem Act Conference, Morton Sternheim, Joseph B. Berger, Allan Feldman

STEM ACT Conference

The STEM Education Institute and the School of Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst propose to hold a conference entitled Science, Technology, Engineering and Math - Alternative Certification for Teachers (STEM-ACT) in November 2005 in the Washington D.C. area. The conference will focus on alternative certification programs for the preparation of science teachers. The overall purpose of the conference is to identify key features and issues relating to the alternative certification of science teachers as a basis for developing a more systematic approach to the study of these efforts. In particular, the conference asks, "What do we know and …