Education Commons^™

The Bell Curve And Its Critical Progeny: A Review, Alan Davis

Alan Davis

No abstract provided.

The History And Politics Of An Evaluation: The Colorado Learning Disabilities Study, Alan Davis, Mary Smith

Alan Davis

No abstract provided.

Upping The Stakes: Using Gain Scores To Judge Local Program Effectiveness In Chapter 1, Alan Davis

Alan Davis

Since 1978, the national evaluation and reporting system for Title I/Chapter 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act has depended upon a norm-referenced evaluation system to determine the effectiveness of compensatory education programs funded under the act. For a decade, policy directives urged caution in interpreting local results and encouraged use of additional indicators. Since 1988, legislative amendments have required that the national evaluation system serve, without adjustment or interpretation, to identify individual school projects in need of improvement. In this article I argue that the system is technically unsuited for this purpose. Problems with regression and measurement error …

The Effects Of Books In Spanish And Free Reading Time On Hispanic Students’ Reading Abilities And Attitudes, Isabel Schon, Kenneth Hopkins, Alan Davis

Alan Davis

The Spanish and English reading abilities, reading attitudes and academic self-concepts of two comparable groups of elementary Hispanic students were investigated. The effects of providing a great variety of books in Spanish and sixty minutes a week of free reading time were studied by analyzing the results of the Tests of Reading: Inter-American Series and by having students respond anonymously to reading attitude and academic self-concept inventories. There was a trend for significantly higher Spanish reading performance in the E groups with no loss in their English reading proficiency. The reading attitudes of the E groups also improved significantly.

Wealth, Traditional Socioeconomic Indicators, And The Achievement Debt, Donald Easton-Brooks, Alan Davis

Alan Davis

No abstract provided.

State Strategies To Support Local School Improvement, Beverly Anderson, Allan Odden, Eleanor Farrar, Susan Fuhrman, Alan Davis, Eugene Huddle, Jane Armstrong, Patricia Flakus-Mosqueda

Alan Davis

In recent years, state departments of education have undertaken strategies to support local school improvement. Some emphasize school wide improvement while others focus specifically on instructional improvement. This study, based on case study methodology, sought to determine what factors were most important in the process of actually putting in place an improvement effort. The study indicated that the implementation within the school could be best thought of in four stages—initiation, initial implementation, complete implementation, and institutionalization. Each stage contained several factors that seemed essential to success. These factors included district support of several types as well as characteristics and actions …

Positive Directions In Research On Teaching To Inform Theory And Practice [Book Chapter], Alan Davis

Alan Davis

No abstract provided.

Providing Feedback To Teacher Candidates For National Board Certification: A Study Of Teacher Preferences And Learning [Book Chapter], Kenneth Wolf, Alan Davis, Hildo Borko

Alan Davis

About this book:

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) in the USA is the most ambitious and successful attempt by any country to establish a certification system for recognizing and rewarding teachers who reach high professional standards. This book focuses on The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).

Lessons Learned In 4th-Grade Classrooms, Mark Clarke, Alan Davis, Lynn Rhodes, Elaine Baker

Alan Davis

For the past thirty years or so the profession has been focused on teaching method in one way or another. Over thirty years ago, Anthony articulated the distinction of approach, method, technique, and the profession has used this basic framework in all subsequent discussions of teaching (Anthony, 1963; Clarke, 1983; Clarke, 1984; Clarke, 1994; Richards& Rodgers, 1986). The focus on method has been productive. However, in 1976, Earl Stevick presented us with a conundrum that has not yet been resolved:

In the field of language teaching, Method A is the logical contradiction of Method B: if the assumptions from …

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Pediatrician Or Professional Athlete? Gender, Ethnicity, And Occupational Aspirations Of Urban Adolescents, Alan Davis

Alan Davis

This study compared the occupational aspirations of beginning high school students by gender and ethnicity, and examined the relationship between the educational demands of the occupations desired by students and their academic performance before and after entering high school. Desired occupations were obtained from 662 entering 9th-grade students in a large urban district, and linked to General Educational Demand ratings and to student grades. Young women were more likely than young men to aspire to professional occupations and to occupations requiring more education. The educational demands associated with students' aspirations accounted for about 3% of variance in grades. Educational demands …

Digital Storytelling [Book Chapter], Alan Davis, L. Foley

Alan Davis

About this book: The evolution of digital media has enhanced global perspectives in all facets of communication, greatly increasing the range, scope, and accessibility of shared information. Due to the tremendously broad-reaching influence of digital media, its impact on learning, behavior, and social interaction has become a widely discussed topic of study, synthesizing the research of academic scholars, community educators, and developers of civic programs. The Handbook of Research on the Societal Impact of Digital Media is an authoritative reference source for recent developments in the dynamic field of digital media. This timely publication provides an overview of technological developments …

How To Focus An Evaluation (Cse Program Evaluation Kit), Brian Stecher, Alan Davis

Alan Davis

About this book: Changes in the initial stages of the evaluation process over the last decade are reflected in How to Focus an Evaluation. A new book in the series, this volume replaces the first edition's How to Deal with Goals and Objectives. The volume recognizes that deciding what to evaluate is a complex negotiation process that involves the methodological predisposition of the evaluator and the client, client needs, the nature of the program and the constraints surrounding the evaluation. It outlines five models that characterize different methodological approaches and considers how each may contribute to the focusing process. The …

Co-Authoring Identity: Digital Storytelling In An Urban Middle School, Alan Davis

Alan Davis

Working after school in the Cyber Cougars Fifth Dimension Club in a large city in the western US, African American youth age 12 to 14 produced digital stories representing episodes of change in their own lives. A close examination of how three of these stories came into being explores the dialogic process of authoring and considers some of the ways that self-narratives can serve as developmental tools for the authors. [This study was supported by Field Initiated Study Grant R305T010285, OERI, U. S. Department of Education]

High-Achieving Middle Schools For Latino Students In Poverty, Dan Jesse, Alan Davis, Nanacy Pokorny

Alan Davis

This study was conducted to examine the characteristics of middle schools in which Latino students from low-income families made substantial achievement gains. Nine schools in Texas were selected where Latino students had shown strong gains in the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills. Data from onsite interviews, focus groups, and documents were reviewed for evidence of 57 characteristics of effective schools. As expected, schools were characterized by strong leadership; a clear focus on achievement; positive climate, including supportive relationships among students and teachers; and good communications with parents. Surprisingly little attention was paid to providing culturally relevant curriculum or bilingual instruction. …

Crossing Divides: The Legacy Of Graham Nuthall, Alan Davis

Alan Davis

Graham Nuthall's work cuts across methodological and conceptual divides that have worked against the development of a theory of learning and teaching that is at once predictive and practical. The micro-genetic approach to research on learning in classrooms that he developed with Adrienne Alton-Lee successfully transcends the unhelpful dichotomy between qualitative and quantitative methods. Crossing the borders between the individual focus of cognitive psychology and the central role of social activity of sociocultural theory, he has suggested a synthesis that is both grounded in social context and predictive of individual learning. His theoretical contribution can become still more useful by …

Chapter 1 Program Improvement: Cause For Cautious Optimism And A Call For Much More Research, Sam Stringfield, Shelley Billig, Alan Davis

Alan Davis

No abstract provided.

Critical Friends' Perspectives On Problems Of Practice And Inquiry In An Edd Program [Book Chapter], Deanna Sands, Connie Fulmer, Alan Davis, Shelley Zion, Rodney Blunck, Nancy Leech, Ron Tzur, Maria Ruiz-Primo

Alan Davis

About this book: This volume demonstrates that Critical Friendship Theory can help distinguish education doctorate (EdD) programs from research doctorates (education PhDs). Drawing on multiple, detailed case studies of CFT implementation at universities, it covers curriculum and implementation, online and in-person education, challenges, and strategies for success.

Bruce Randolph High School: A Case Study Of An Urban School Becoming Successful For Multilingual Learners, Alan Davis, Kara Mitchell Viesca, Barbara J. Dray, Tracy Keenan

Alan Davis

Working in a research collaborative between Denver Public Schools and the University of Colorado Denver, the authors selected Bruce Randolph High School (BRHS) as a case study because of its growth on state academic achievement tests and because of its multilingual learners. After a difficult beginning, BRHS has established an inclusive culture of expectation for learning and community participation, a reciprocal instructional culture emphasizing instructional coaching and continuous improvement, a strong emphasis on language development and literacy across the curriculum, and interventions to prevent course failure. These characteristics, facilitated by the school’s Innovation Status in the district, are central to …

The Merits Of Universal Scholarships: Benefit-Cost Evidence From The Kalamazoo Promise, Timothy J. Bartik, Brad J. Hershbein, Marta Lachowska

Timothy J. Bartik

As higher education costs rise, many communities have begun to adopt their own financial aid strategy: place-based scholarships for students graduating from the local school district. In this paper, we examine the benefits and costs of the Kalamazoo Promise, one of the more universal and more generous place-based scholarships. Building upon estimates of the program's heterogeneous effects on degree attainment, scholarship cost data, and projections of future earnings by education, we examine the Promise’s benefit-cost ratios for students differentiated by income, race, and gender. Although the average rate of return of the program is 11 percent, rates of return vary …

The Merits Of Universal Scholarships: Benefit-Cost Evidence From The Kalamazoo Promise, Timothy J. Bartik, Brad J. Hershbein, Marta Lachowska

Marta Lachowska

As higher education costs rise, many communities have begun to adopt their own financial aid strategy: place-based scholarships for students graduating from the local school district. In this paper, we examine the benefits and costs of the Kalamazoo Promise, one of the more universal and more generous place-based scholarships. Building upon estimates of the program's heterogeneous effects on degree attainment, scholarship cost data, and projections of future earnings by education, we examine the Promise’s benefit-cost ratios for students differentiated by income, race, and gender. Although the average rate of return of the program is 11 percent, rates of return vary …

The Merits Of Universal Scholarships: Benefit-Cost Evidence From The Kalamazoo Promise, Timothy J. Bartik, Brad J. Hershbein, Marta Lachowska

Brad J. Hershbein

As higher education costs rise, many communities have begun to adopt their own financial aid strategy: place-based scholarships for students graduating from the local school district. In this paper, we examine the benefits and costs of the Kalamazoo Promise, one of the more universal and more generous place-based scholarships. Building upon estimates of the program's heterogeneous effects on degree attainment, scholarship cost data, and projections of future earnings by education, we examine the Promise’s benefit-cost ratios for students differentiated by income, race, and gender. Although the average rate of return of the program is 11 percent, rates of return vary …

Orienting Counseling Students Toward Multiculturalism: Exploring Privilege During A New Student Orientation, Diane Estrada, Shruti Poulsen, Edward Cannon, Marsha Wiggins

Shruti Poulsen

New counseling students often have strong reactions to the concept of privilege and become anxious when expected to address issues of multiculturalism personally and professionally. In this article, the authors describe a new student orientation model that focuses on addressing privilege and offer steps toward embracing multiculturalism and social justice.

Addressing Heterosexist Privilege During Orientation: One Program's Experience, Edward Cannon, Marsha Wiggins, Shruti Poulsen, Diane Estrada

Shruti Poulsen

New counseling students often have strong reactions when confronted with the concept of heterosexist privilege, and when expected to address issues of multiculturalism and diversity, personally and professionally. In this program evaluation article, the authors describe a model of new student orientation that focuses on inviting master's-level counseling students to embrace difference, especially regarding sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. Aggregate data regarding students’ evaluation of the program are included.

Changing Deferral Patterns : The Influence Of Growth, Changing Support And Geography, Sheldon Rothman, Daniel Edwards

Dr Sheldon Rothman

This research briefing examines changes in university deferral rates over the period from 2008 to 2012. The focus of the analysis is on Victorian school leavers, whose transitions after school completion are followed through the 'On Track' survey. The analysis explores the extent to which deferral rates for young people from rural areas have changed over this time, and the influence policy changes to financial support may have had on the decision to defer a university offer.

The Design Of An Undergraduate Degree Program In Computer & Digital Forensics, Gary C. Kessler, Michael E. Schirling

Gary C. Kessler

"Champlain College formally started an undergraduate degree program in Computer & Digital Forensics in 2003. The underlying goals were that the program be multidisciplinary, bringing together the law, computer technology, and the basics of digital investigations; would be available as on online and oncampus offering; and would have a process-oriented focus. Success of this program has largely been due to working closely with practitioners, maintaining activity in events related to both industry and academia, and flexibility to respond to ever-changing needs. This paper provides an overview of how this program was conceived, developed, and implemented; its evolution over time; and …

The Potential For Deliberative Democratic Civic Education, Jarrod Hanson, Kenneth Howe

Jarrod Hanson

Th e values of aggregative democracy have dominated much of civic education as its values refl ect the realities of the American political system. We argue that deliberative democratic theory better addresses the moral and epistemological demands of democracy when compared to aggregative democracy. It better attends to protecting citizens’ autonomy to participate in civic life and is able to accommodate the diverse experiences and viewpoints of the American public. We conclude by examining how deliberative democracy provides a new lens on civic education practices. It calls for attention to be given to the process of the exchange of reasons …

Snapshot Of Student Wellbeing, Petra Lietz

Dr Petra Lietz

A new study has found that most Australian children report high levels of wellbeing, but wellbeing varies by background, especially for a quarter of children who identify as marginalised. Petra Lietz examines the findings.

Dissertation To Book: Successful Open Access Outreach To Graduate Students, Diane Gurman, Marta Brunner

Marta Brunner

No abstract provided.

Designing For Deep And Meaningful Student-To-Content Interactions, Joanna Dunlap, Donna Sobel, Deanna Sands

Joanna Dunlap

Online education has skyrocketed in popularity. Every year, more universities are starting online programs. This increase is mostly due to institutional economics, and the demands of students who face a number of obstacles that make the on-campus format inconvenient. The University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center is no different. Over the last few years, there have been numerous institutional initiatives to encourage faculty to create new online programs or online versions of existing on-campus programs. As part of a program level effort to offer a fully online licensure program in the area of special education that would …

Making Information Accessible Part 1: Hypertext Links, R Grabinger, Joanna Dunlap, David Jonassen

Joanna Dunlap

No abstract provided.