Education Commons^™

Cultural Diversity Professional Development For Teachers: A Research Brief, Samantha Hope, David Naff

MERC Publications

Many regions of the United States have experienced rapid shifts in the racial and ethnic makeup of the population over the past decade. As a result, many of the nation’s schools have undergone significant changes in student demographics. This includes growth in the numbers of Asian, Hispanic, and multi-racial students.1 Regionally, enrollment data reflect this demographic change (figure 1). It is also worth noting that these demographic changes are more dramatic in some schools and communities than others. Aggregate data for the region shows the largest growth in the population of Hispanic students, which increased from 2.98% of the population …

Encourage Self Regulated Learning In The Classroom, Sharon Zumbrunn, Joseph Tadlock, Elizabeth Danielle Roberts

MERC Publications

Self-regulated learning (SLR) is recognized as an important predictor of student academic motivation and achievement. This process requires students to independently plan, monitor, and assess their learning. However, few students naturally do this well. This paper provides a review of the literature including: the definition of SRL; an explanation of the relationship between SRL and motivation in the classroom; specific SRL strategies for student use; approaches for encouraging student SRL; and a discussion of some of the challenges educators might encounter while teaching students to be self-regulated, life-long learners.

The Relationship Between Classroom Assessment Practices And Student Motivation And Engagement, Kathleen M. Cauley, Lisa Abrams, Gina Pannozzo, James H. Mcmillan, Jessica Hearn

MERC Publications

Assessment is becoming increasingly important in classrooms as school systems respond to federal and state testing mandates. The increasing emphasis on assessment surely impacts student outcomes such as engagement and motivation, and ultimately achievement. While it is clear that classroom assessment is receiving more attention as a critical component of teaching that directly affects student learning, there is still a lack of systematic research that addresses many classroom assessment issues. There is some evidence that effective formative assessment enhances achievement (Black & Williams 1998), and that certain grading practices result in greater student motivation and achievement (Brookhart, 2004b). However, researchers …

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 Quality Teachers, Janine Certo, Jill Englebright Fox

MERC Publications

At this time, when the need for good teachers and good teaching is unprecedented, America is experiencing a shortage of qualified individuals prepared to take on the challenges of the profession, particularly in critical shortage areas, such as math and science or special education. Moreover, there is continuing concern that processionals are leaving the teaching field much earlier in their careers than are professionals from other fields. The National Center for Education Statistics (1997c) reports that across the nation 9.3% of public school teachers leave their positions within their first three years of teaching. Additionally, nearly 30% of teachers leave …

Teachers' Classroom Assessment And Grading Practices: Phase 2, James H. Mcmillan, Daryl Workman

MERC Publications

A significant amount of recent literature has focused on classroom assessment and grading as essential aspects of effective teaching. There is an increased scrutiny of assessment as indicated by the popularity of performance assessment and portfolios, newly established national assessment competencies for teachers (Standards, 1990), and the interplay between learning, motivation, as assessment (Brookhart, 1993, 1994; Tittle, 1994). In Virginia, the Standards of Learning and associated tests highlight the importance of assessment.

Previous research documents that teachers tend to award a "hodgepodge grade of attitude, effort, and achievement" (Brookhart, 1991, p. 36). It is also clear that teachers use a …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Implementation Of The Elementary Classroom Computer Initiative: A Description Of The First Year, Tony Hubert, John Pisapia

MERC Publications

This report was commissioned by Henrico County Public Schools to evaluate the first implementation of its elementary classroom computer initiative. It describes the first year of the initiative and is the first formative evaluation report. The complete evaluation project will span five years. This report is descriptive only, however, subsequent reports will be more inferential in nature, e.g., examining the impact of the initiative on student performance.

This report focuses on how the implementation has been perceived by teachers, students, and school division personnel. The primary focus was on teacher perceptions of the implementation phase of the initiative. The study …

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

MERC Publications

This is a collection of papers by Teacher researchers in different county public school systems put together by the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC). Papers in this report include:

- "Why Do They Hide Their Hands?" by Rebecca Miller and Tracy Pausic of Bailey Bridge Middle School, Chesterfield County Public Schools

- "The Fourth "C" of Motivation - Competition" by Sharon P. Eshler of Cold Harbor Elementary School, Hanover County Public Schools

- "A Study of the Implementation of a Math Buddy Program Between Kindergarten Students and Third Graders In An Attempt to Improve Communication Skills" by Melinda Jenkins and …