Secondary Education Commons^™

Five Domains For Transforming Teacher Preparation, Charlotte Wells, Karen Demoss, Divya Mansukhani, Zach Paull

Prepared to Teach

This report describes the process of establishing the current Prepared To Teach theory of change, which supports national communities of practice in five domains identified by the Network's learning agenda in the 2019-2020 school year: mindset shifts, educator roles, labor market alignment, school improvement, and deeper learning. Read how these five domains are explored through existing residency partnership programs, how individual programs both solidified and strengthened existing partnerships, and important insights into how to expand and share the benefits partnerships can reap through their work together. Finally, explore how the domains center the need for systemic changes built upon the …

Aged 539 Graduate Internship Report -, Cherise A. Duncan

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This internship and project report includes validation documents required in meeting the quality criteria for secondary-level programs of instruction in agriculture. The supporting material includes information to receive state and local funding, outline the goals and objectives of the program, along with an overview of Ripon Christian High School, the agriculture program and the community.

A Qualitative Case Study Of A Transitional Program For Students In Middle School As They Transition To High School, Patrick Tremayne Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Every school year, many U.S. students prepare to make the transition from being a middle school student to becoming a high school student. School transitions happen regularly and can be considered predictable. As students transition to high school, there are more challenges such as school work and peer influence. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of students who participate in a transition program as they transition from middle school to high school. Also, this study explored the perceptions of teachers who participated in the transition programs. The population of this study consisted of students …

Restorative Strategies Used To Reduce Disproportionality In Texas Schools That Have Implemented Restorative Practices, Shenita Y. Alsbrooks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify restorative practice strategies than can be used to reduce disproportionality in school discipline in Texas schools. Exclusionary discipline practices have created disproportionality in school discipline. While zero-tolerance policies are no longer considered effective in addressing conflict in schools, many schools are implementing restorative practices as a promising alternative. Restorative practices have shown to contribute to positive school culture, specifically by improving student achievement, improving attendance, improving student-teacher relationships, and lowering discipline issues. Interviews using semistructured questions were used to conduct this study. In this qualitative case study, participants at suburban …

The Relationship Between Career And Technical Education Enrollment And College And Career Readiness Outcomes, Daniel Soliz Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

College and career readiness for K-12 students has become a priority of legislatures and educational leaders in the United States. In recent years, Texas public school leaders have emphasized the importance of maximizing the percentage of College, Career and Military Ready (CCMR) graduates. The specific problem studied was that a low percentage of students in Texas, in comparison to the state’s graduation rate, graduate with a CCMR distinction. Career and Technical Education (CTE), a component of K-12 education, can assist school leaders in maximizing college and career readiness for students. However, it was not clear how within schools, CTE enrollment …

The Writing Processes Of Long-Term English Learners And Struggling Native English Speakers, Katherine R. Brubaker

Virginia English Journal

This study sought to identify what differences, if any, distinguish the writing processes of native English speakers (NESs) and long-term English learners (LTELs). During a 90-minute class period, 9th and 11th grade NES and LTEL students recorded themselves thinking aloud as they composed a writing sample for their English teachers, and completed survey questions related to their writing processes and their levels of attention to different aspects of the writing process. LTELs answered additional questions about their language backgrounds and their use of their languages as they write. Several English teachers also scored the students’ essays. Analysis of the results …

Instructor Strategies To Alleviate Stress And Anxiety Among College And University Stem Students, Jeremy L. Hsu, Gregory R. Goldsmith

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

While student stress and anxiety are frequently cited as having negative effects on students’ academic performance, the role that instructors can play in mitigating these challenges is often underappreciated. We provide summaries of different evidence-based strategies, ranging from changes in instructional strategies to specific classroom interventions, that instructors may employ to address and ameliorate student stress and anxiety. While we focus on students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the strategies we delineate may be more broadly applicable. We begin by highlighting ways in which instructors can learn about and prepare to act to alleviate stress and anxiety. We then …

Linkages Between Grade Point Average And Student Ratings, Robert D. Richardson, Robert L. Williams

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

In order to better understand the potential influence of high school students’ grades on how they rate their teachers and schools, we explored the relationship between student grade point average and student ratings of teacher and school effectiveness in 370 classes taught by 230 instructors with over 6,000 students in grades 9–12 in an Intermountain West school district. Teachers were evaluated with an 18-item student survey. Students also rated their schools with six additional items. The performance measure was the grade point average (GPA) for the quarter in which students evaluated their teachers and schools. ANOVAs showed that both year …

Teaching Expository Writing In The Secondary Classroom, Krista Schroeder

Graduate Teacher Education

This paper synthesized current research on how secondary English-language arts teachers can best teach students to organize their ideas through expository writing. This topic is discussed through research findings about defining “good” writing, organizational indicators of quality writing, assessment, classroom strategies, and the impact of home life during the expository writing process. Research indicated that giving students peer, self, and teacher assessment opportunities could have a positive effect on how students organize their writing. Additionally, recent research has shown that when teachers make the writing process personal and fun, students produced higher quality expository writing. While studies suggested that educators …

Should Reading Be A Core Class In Middle School?, Irica R. Dunkley

Essays in Education

This article discusses the value of reading as a core class in middle school. Research has shown that Language Arts, tasked with reading instruction, is insufficient for the development of the reading ability of middle students. Students are also expected to develop their reading skills through other core classes, such as Science, Social Studies, and Mathematics, but the development of reading ability is secondary in these classes. On the contrary, reading as a core class could improve reading achievement as it would be mandatory and provide all middle school students with explicit reading instruction by trained reading teachers.

Teaching Candidates To Assess Student Learning: A Covid Collaboration With Arts And Sciences Faculty, Nancy B. Ruppert, Jessica Pisano

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

In the fall of 2020, due to COVID, our candidates did not have access to student work samples early in the semester. In order to learn how to assess student learning I reached out to an Arts and Sciences faculty who teaches a freshman course. The Arts and Science faculty was a former middle school teacher who was scheduled to talk about the teaching of writing in our methods class. We decided to add using work samples from her current students to provide an assessment experience. This exercise allowed candidates to create a one-point rubric, analyze student work, give feedback, …

Uncharted Waters: Sustaining A Meaningful Student Teaching Experience Amidst A Global Pandemic Via An Online Stem Curriculum, Nanette I. Marcum-Dietrich, Cindy Stunkard, Zachary Krauss, Steve Kerlin

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

Field experience is the culminating experience for pre-service teacher training. As COVID-19 closed schools across the country, pre-service teachers’ field experiences were disrupted. This case study examines how a student teacher, a team of mentor teachers, and a university supervisor at a regional public university adapted to remote learning. The findings suggest that there were gains and losses in terms of the pre-service teachers’ ability to develop essential skills; classroom management skills suffered while formative assessment practices, innovative lesson delivery, and reflection on instruction were enhanced. The transition to remote learning also caused the way student teachers’ skills were valued, …

Teacher Retention In High-Poverty, Urban Schools, Jill Love

Graduate Teacher Education

Abstract

Teaching has always been about the success of the students. Students who have effective, qualified teachers show the most success. Throughout the years, schools in urban areas have struggled to keep quality teachers within their buildings. Due to teacher turnover in the neediest schools, the students are greatly affected. The students in high-poverty urban schools are some of the lowest performing students across the country. When you pair low performance with significant teacher turnover, the outcome is grim. Research shows that districts and schools need to do more than just recruit qualified teachers, they must also retain them for …

Simplified But Not The Same: Tracing Numeracy Events Through Manually Simplified Newsela Articles, Ellen C. Agnello

Numeracy

New York-based education startup Newsela has quickly gained popularity with K-12 educators in the six years since its launch. Its website boasts that it serves 90% of schools in the United States including the 1.5 million teachers they employ and their 20 million students. But what makes it so popular? Teachers are drawn to its Common Core-aligned informational texts which facilitate content-area connections while exposing students to important current events. Likely the most appealing aspect of the platform is its compatibility with differentiation, as it makes available five iterations of each article at varying levels of complexity or Lexile which …

Statewide Transitional English Course Parameters, Competencies, And Policies, Education Systems Center

Reports, Analyses, and other Publications

No abstract provided.

Depictions Of Lgbtq Athletes In Young Adult Literature That Interrogate Sport Culture, Katherine Mason Cramer

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

Although there is an increasing sense of inclusivity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) athletes in K-12, collegiate, and professional sports, there is still unstated pressure not to come out, which is evident in GLSEN’s 2017 National School Climate Survey. Consequently, the depiction of LGBTQ athletes and the positive message of sports-themed young adult literature (YAL) is even more important. This article explores the ways that YAL aligns with and contradicts narratives of sexual and gender diversity within sport culture and connects this exploration to English language arts instruction using Bill Konigsberg’s YA novel Honestly Ben.

Adaptive Learning Environments And Student Learning Outcomes, Marie-Conceptia Girault

Theses and Dissertations

In response to the urgent need to alleviate South Carolina from poverty and elevate them into the 21st century industry, South Carolina Department of Education (SCDOE), has vowed to educate all South Carolina students and ensure that they graduate prepared for success in college, careers, and citizenship (SCDOE, 2017). To accomplish this mission, SCDOE has developed rigorous educational standards, which include technology-integrated curricular (SCDOE, 2015). Through a non-experimental quantitative study, the relationship between adaptive learning environments (ALE) while employing technology and student outcomes were explored. These learning outcomes were in support of K-12 novice-mid language learners and were defined as …

Enhancing Cultural And Linguistic Responsiveness In Argument Writing Pedagogy Through Effective Adaptations For English Learners: Insights From C3wp Resource Analysis And Three Experienced Teachers’ Practices, Katelyn Walsh, Katey Robinson, Rachel Deacon, Zuzana Tomaš

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

This article examines recommended adaptations for English Learners (ELs) in the nationally-recognized C3WP argument writing program through the lens of effective EL literacy practices and culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy. We present an analysis of C3WP EL tips and EL notices and argue that when evaluated from the second language literacy and linguistically and culturally responsive pedagogy perspectives, the C3WP program could be enhanced by adding guidance for 1) specific instructional supports designed to increase ELs’ access to the resources and 2) helping teachers leverage these learners’ multicultural and multilinguistic capital. To help imagine how such effective additional guidance could …

Exploring Actions Toward Supporting English Language Learners In A Rural Remote Secondary Setting, Annamarie Valdez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ESL students make a small population in rural, remote secondary schools. One ESL student can have a profound impact on the academic measures taken on state accountability tests. The gap between an ESL student’s achievement and that of native English-speaking peers is disproportionate. The actions of principals and campus leaders directly impact the teacher’s ability to support English language learners’ (ELL) ESL needs. A problem exists on what principals and campus leaders can do to help ESL students’ needs in a rural, remote secondary setting. The purpose of this exploratory single case study was to identify the actions campus leaders …

The Impact Of A 1:1 Technology Initiative On Student Achievement In 10th Grade English Language Arts In A South Texas Public School District, Lois E. Marshall Barker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the implementation of a south Texas public school district’s 1:1 technology initiative to determine the impact on 10th grade English Language Arts student achievement. A mixed method approach was used for this exploratory case study. Multicase sampling was implemented to identify participants. Qualitative data were collected through virtual video conference interviews and analyzed to reflect five emerging themes: lack of quality professional development, teacher efficacy, leadership attitudes toward the initiative, misconceptions about student attitudes and technology skillset, and lack of communication between district administration campus stakeholders. Quantitative data were collected through the CBAM SoCQ and archival campus …