Education Commons^™

An Evaluation Of Program And Personnel Preparation Needs For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Maureen A. Conroy, Carol Schall, Joy Engstrom

MERC Publications

The overall purpose of this project was to conduct a program evaluation of services provided to students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) across all school divisions within the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC). Two phases of the project occurred between the spring of 2007 and fall of 2009. During the first phase, the MERC Policy and Planning Council identified Autism Spectrum Disorders as an area to target for investigation. A MERC Autism Study Team was formed with representatives from all school divisions within the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC). After several meetings, the Autism Study Team identified the need for …

Reading Strategies For Middle And High School Students: A Review Of Literature, William Muth

MERC Publications

This review targets “best practices” in adolescent reading instruction. While writing is inextricably related to reading, this review did not explicitly target studies of writing. However, where writing studies informed reading instruction, they were cited in this review. The first step in this search for empirical data was the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Science’s What Works Clearinghouse. From the reports listed there, I followed major references to identify other key and current publications that targeted educators and stakeholders at the classroom, school, system, and state levels. Though its findings are still emerging and we are still learning …

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 …

The Impact Of Parental Involvement On Educational Outcomes: An Integrative Review, Doris A. White

MERC Publications

The efficacy of parental involvement in schools is usually taken for granted, but the issue is so complex that a single study cannot reasonably measure the effectiveness of parental involvement and its influence on educational outcomes. This review of literature examines several propositions regarding the influence of parental involvement on educational outcomes by synthesizing the findings of using the tools of meta-analysis, literature synthesis, evaluation synthesis, vote-counting, and best-evidence synthesis. Each of these methods combines results of a large number of studies to determine aggregated results of relevant existing studies. Meta-analysis reviews quantitative studies to provide statistical indicators of aggregate …

Middle School Students With Learning Disabilities And English Sols: Part Ii Best Practices, Paul J. Gerber

MERC Publications

This paper reports the findings of Phase II of a MERC study on middle school students with learning disabilities (LD) completed during academic year 2005 – 2006. Phase I investigated the success and failure of students with LD on the English SOLs by analyzing three consecutive years of individual education plans (IEPs). (Please see the MERC report titled “Accountability Testing and Students with Learning Disabilities: Factors of Passing and Failing the Virginia SOL Tests” (2004) for finding of the study.)

The goal of Phase II was to obtain best practices used for preparing students with LD on English SOLs in …

Fairness In Secondary Specialty Centers And Magnet School Admissions: Contending With The Equity-Excellence Tension: A Review Of Literature, Kurt Temhagen

MERC Publications

The purpose of the review is to consider the fairness of admissions processes related to magnet schools and specialty centers. Are criteria appropriate? Is there an under-representation of minority/low socioeconomic groups in such schools and programs? If so, what built-in and unforeseen bias exists in the admissions process? Finally, are there examples of programs that are overcoming these admissions-related problems and, if so, what can be learned from them?

There is some conceptual muddle as to whether magnet schools and specialty centers “work.” In order to know what is meant by “work”, relevant terms must be clarified and aims must …

Instructional Strategies To Increase Motivation, Close The Achievement Gap, And Help Students Reach Their Potential: A Review Of Literature, Nora Alder, Susan P. Mckelvey

MERC Publications

Closing the achievement gap between African, Native, and Hispanic American and their European and Asian American counterparts has been a concern for decades. Recently, the persistence of this issue has become more pressing due to several factors. First, high stakes accountability testing places demands on students to demonstrate mastery of material across disciplines in order to successfully complete high school. Second, some states have already reported an increase dropout rate when students feel that they cannot pass the tests or will be retained in their grade level (Clark, et al., 2000). Third, the society’s economic structure in the new millennium …

The Relationship Between Classroom Assessment Practices And Student Motivation And Engagement: A Literature Review, Kathleen M. Cauley, Gina Pannanzzo, Lisa Abrams, James H. Mcmillan

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 & William, 1998) and that curtain grading practices result in greater student motivation and achievement (Brookhart, 2004b). However, researchers …

Educators' Perceptions Of Mobile Students And The Interventions That Assist Them, Timothy Bruce Bostic, Mary Angela Coleman

MERC Publications

In the educational climate of no Child Left Behind (NCLB), school personnel are searching for any means available to help all children succeed academically and meet state standards. School teachers and administrators in Virginia are no different. All schools and school districts, in Virginia and across the country, must demonstrate through adequate yearly progress (AYP) that children are achieving state standards of education. AYP requires that schools no only show that all students are achieving state standards but also that disaggregated groups of students (e.g. black students, speakers of English as a second language, special education students) are meeting standards …

Facilitating The Transition Into Middle School And High School, Kathleen M. Cauley, Donna Jovanovich

MERC Publications

Making a transition to a new school causes anxiety for students and can challenge the coping skills of many adolescents, especially those at risk. Typically the move to a new school includes changes in school climate, school size, peer relationships, academic expectations, and degree of departmentalization. When adolescents move into middle school or high school, the anxiety is complicated further by other normative changes like puberty, social and emotional changes, the importance of peer relationships, and the development of higher order cognitive skills. Students who experience the stresses of numerous changes often have lower grades and decreased academic motivation, and …

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 Teachers Across The Professional Continuum: A Review Of Literature, Jill Englebright Fox, Janine Certo

MERC Publications

Teacher induction is best understood in the larger context of teacher education. The education of teachers is a continuum of on-going activities and experiences, including pre-service preparation, induction, and in-service development.

Viewed in this context, it is clear that programs addressing the induction period (induction and mentoring programs) need to function as logical extensions of the preservice program and as entry pieces in a larger career-long professional development program. Induction programs acknowledge that beginning teachers have recently completed teacher-preparation programs. Such support enables beginning teachers to continue to develop their teaching skills while confronting the adjustment difficulties often encountered during …

Development Of A Model To Evaluate A Multi-Agency Attendance Improvement And Truancy Reduction Initiative: Phase I (A Merc Technical Report), Suzanne Nash, Ann S. Allen

MERC Publications

Students must be in attendance daily to benefit fully from public school academics and socialization through both regular and extra-curricular activities. The reality is that many public school students are at-risk of school failure and eventually dropping out partially because of poor attendance behaviors. These poor attendance behaviors can usually be traced to challenged communities and families whose children face multiple at-risk factors. Urban inner-city schools with high percentages of minority students are among those with the highest risk factors and they experience the greatest problems with attendance and, eventually, truancy. The Richmond Public Schools (RPS) has worked diligently for …

Testing, Accountability And Accrediation, Sanford D. Snider

MERC Publications

The primary purpose of this case study was to describe the implementation of the Virginia Standards of Learning in seven public school systems in the Richmond, Virginia metropolitan area. Implementation includes the application of the grade level and subject objectives to daily classroom instruction, organization of instruction, and preparation of students for administration of the tests.

The Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) is made up of Virginia Commonwealth University and seven school systems in the vicinity of Richmond. A Policy and Planning Council, which governs the consortium, is made up of the school superintendent, a representative member of each school …

Report On The Implementation Of Alternative High Schools, Nora Alder, Terry Brown

MERC Publications

The Richmond Academy opened in January 1999 to accommodate ninth and tenth graders whose behavior had been problematic in regular school settings. Created with a mission to support these students' academic and social growth, the Richmond Academy's goals include preparing students to successfully return to their home schools and complete high school.

The purpose of this report is to describe the Richmond Academy as it had been implemented in its opening semester and to make recommendations for subsequent semesters. This report beings with a review of the literature that focuses on evaluations of similar alternative settings. Next, a description of …

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 …

Report On The Implementation Of The Richmond Academy, Nora Alder, Terry Brown

MERC Publications

The purpose of this report is to describe the Richmond Academy as it had been implemented in its opening semester and to make recommendations for subsequent semesters. This report begins with a review of the literature that focuses on evaluations of similar alternative settings. Next, a description of the methodology used in this report is outlined. A description of the basic components of the Richmond Academy follows the methodology. Finally, recommendations for the future of the Richmond Academy are made.

Recruiting And Retaining Teachers: A Review Of The Literature, Jill Englebright Fox, Janine Certo

MERC Publications

The National Center for Education Statistics (1998) predicts that by 2008 approximately 2.4 million teachers will be needed in this country, at a rate of over 200,000 per year. Several factors contribute to this prediction. First, due to increased birth rates and immigration (Darling-Hammond, 1999), student enrollment is expected to pass 54 million by that time -- its highest in the history of this country (NCES, 1998). Second, more than 33% of the current teaching force is age 50 or older (Recruiting New Teachers, 1998) and likely to retire within the next decade. Third, recommendations, if not regulations, reducing the …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Alternative High School Scheduling: A View From The Teacher's Desk, John Pisapia, Amy Lynn Westfall

MERC Publications

in 1995, the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) commissioned a study of alternative high school scheduling models to determine the effects of different high school schedules on teaching strategies, teacher, and student satisfaction, and student and school performance. Specifically, it was hypothesized that block schedules would (1) improve teacher classroom and work behavior, (2) improve the working conditions for teachers and students, and (3) improve student and school outcomes. This paper presents the first report of the data. It presents the results of the analysis of the survey administered to teachers, students and administrators in the Spring of 1995. The …

Early Reading Interventions: What Works?, Anne J. Atkinson, Jennifer L. Uram

MERC Publications

The purpose of this study was to: 1) examine differences in the programs and practices employed in area schools to teach successful and unsuccessful at-risk students, 2) determine relationships among identified problems, reading interventions, and outcomes, and 3) present implications of the study for schools.

Alternative High School Scheduling: A View From The Student's Desk, John Pisapia, Amy Lynn Westfall

MERC Publications

In 1995, the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) commissioned a study of alternative high school schedules to determine their effects on teaching strategies, teacher and student satisfaction, and student and school performance. This paper presents the results of the analysis of teacher surveys and focus group interviews in twelve high schools utilizing different scheduling alternatives.

Alternative High School Scheduling: Student Achievement And Behavior Research Report, John Pisapia, Amy Lynn Westfall

MERC Publications

In 1995, the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) commissioned a study of alternative high school schedules to determine their effects on teaching strategies, teacher and student satisfaction, and student and school performance. Two previous papers emanating from this study reported the views of teachers and students regarding alternative schedules in twelve high schools utilizing different scheduling alternatives to address. This paper uses commonly collected statistical data, and survey and interview responses from those same schools to determine the impact of alternative schedules on student achievement and behavior.

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 …

The Efficacy Of The Collaborative Teaching Model For Academically-Able Special Education Students: A Research Report, Paul J. Gerber

MERC Publications

Collaborative teaching is a model of teaching students with disabilities who are academically-able in general classes. This service delivery model is unlike paradigms of the past that denoted least restrictive place (i.e. resource room instruction and mainstreaming). This model is predicated on direct services in general classrooms where both special education and general education teachers team teach in order to meet the needs of students with disabilities. The model is being used more and more across the country, and it is gaining favor in school divisions in the greater Richmond area. The purpose of this study was to investigate the …

Parental Involvement In Schools: Case Studies Of Three High Schools In A Southeastern Metropolitan Area, Maike Philipsen

MERC Publications

The purpose of this study is to unearth both degree and nature of parental involvement at three high schools. A brief survey of school personnel - distributed at faculty meetings - was used as an indicator of the degree of parental involvement at each school. Furthermore, teachers and staff were asked to nominate "involve" parents as well as parents who seem to perceive barriers to school involvement. Once the surveys has been analysed, a total number of 52 in-depth interviews - lasting between 30 minutes and 2 hours - were conducted with teachers, school administrators, staff, and "involved" as well …