Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

The Nieer Report: The 2004 State Preschool Yearbook Summary, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

This study was conducted by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), a is a unit of Rutgers University, which supports early childhood education policy by providing objective, nonpartisan, information based on research. The 2004 State Preschool Yearbook is the second report in a NIEER series evaluating state-funded preschool programs. It describes state-funded prekindergarten in the 2002-2003 school year. Tracking these trends is essential, since the role states play in preschool education will increasingly affect how successfully America’s next generation will compete in the knowledge economy. The State Preschool Yearbooks were developed by NIEER to serve as a resource …

Online Vs. Face-To-Face Instruction: Similarities, Differences, And Efficacy, David Barnett, Lola Aagaard

Faculty Research at Morehead State University

Developing leadership skills within graduate students who aspire to be school administrators requires that these students be involved in authentic experiences similar to those faced by today’s school leaders. While conventional graduate training has relied heavily on face-to-face instruction, the proliferation and availability of technology within today’s society has more and more students seeking training in an online setting. Professors make an effort to provide authentic experiences online, but sometimes are unsure of their effectiveness. What are the perceptions of graduate students pursuing leadership certification who are involved in online classes versus face-to-face instruction? Participants in this study indicated that …

Factors Affecting The Impact Of Professional Development Programs On Teachers' Knowledge, Practice, Student Outcomes & Efficacy, Lawrence Ingvarson, Marion Meiers, Adrian Beavis

Professional learning for teachers and school leaders

This report examines effects of structural and process features of professional development programs on teachers’ knowledge, practice and efficacy. It is based on four recent (2002-2003) studies undertaken through the Australian Government Quality Teacher Programme, designed to enhance teacher quality. The total data set for the survey study includes 3,250 teachers who had participated in eighty individual professional developmental activities within these studies. Teachers were surveyed at least three months after participating in an activity, which provided them with the opportunity to gauge the impact of programs on their practice. To investigate factors affecting impact, a theoretical model was developed …

Getting Involved: A Typology Of Student Cocurricular Participation At A Christian University, John L. Hoffman

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

No abstract provided.

Faculty And Program Predictors Of Pass Rates Of Graduates Of Nursing Programs In West Virginia On The National Council Licensure Examination For Registered Nurses 1991 To 2000, Lynda F. Skinner Turner

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between mean student program scores on standardized pre-graduation nursing tests, program attendance policies, grading scales, policies on repeating nursing courses, faculty turnover, degree, teaching experience, clinical nursing experience, part-time faculty, national certification, and NCLEX-RN success in West Virginia nursing programs from 1991-2000. A causal comparative and correlational design was used to investigate the relationship between the dependent variable of NCLEX-RN pass rates and the independent variables. The population of this study consisted of 19 undergraduate nursing programs preparing graduates for entry into practice as registered nurses. Data collection tools utilized …

Primary Teacher Work Study Report, Jenny Wilkinson, Lawrence Ingvarson, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, Adrian Beavis

Teacher workforce and careers

This research was conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) in 2005. The study was a result of the New Zealand Primary Teachers Collective Agreement 2004-2007 which specified that a workload study be complete to consider how the work of a teacher could be better structured, resourced and organised to support more effective classroom teaching. The purpose of the study was to gain an understanding of the nature and patterns of primary teachers' work. The research was commissioned by the New Zealand Ministry of Education.

Spicing Up Motor Skill Performance For All, Scott M. Ronspies

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Spicing Up Motor Skill Performance For All, Scott Ronspies

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Validity, Research, And Reality: Student Ratings Of Instruction At The Crossroads, Jennifer Franklin

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

This essay explores how student ratings of instruction can address the rise of new paradigms of instruction such as active learning strategies and web-based delivery modes.

A Roadmap To Part-Time Faculty Success, Terri A. Tarr

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

This essay offers practical strategies to help part-time faculty navigate the twists and turns of teaching part-time, enhance their teaching effectiveness, and make their roles more personally satisfying.

Teaching Bioethics Through Participation And Policy-Making, Karey A. Harwood

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

The teaching of bioethics calls for a balance between conceptual analysis and the use of concrete cases in order to further students’ ability to reason critically and develop the traits of engaged citizens.

Why Knowing About Disciplinary Differences Can Mean More Effective Teaching, Michele Marinkovich, Jack Prostko

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

This essay explores some of the latest research on how disciplinary differences affect faculty’s teaching in subtle and often unconscious ways.

Catalogue 2005-2006, Bank Street College Of Education

Graduate School of Education

This course catalog from a past academic year is a resource for referring to previous course offerings, degree requirements, institutional policies, and more.

Serving The Millennial Generation, Todd S. Voss

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

No abstract provided.

Teacher Quality And Preparation, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act mandates that states require all teachers to earn full certification and demonstrate competency in the subject area in which they teach. But do these requirements really produce effective teachers— teachers who actually improve student learning and achievement? The existing research base is decidedly mixed, highly politicized, and often just plain confusing. Some experts maintain that teachers’ pedagogical knowledge shows even stronger relationships to teaching effectiveness than their subject matter knowledge (Darling-Hammond, 1997; Darling-Hammond & Youngs, 2002); others insist that teachers’ expertise in their content area is a far better predictor of student achievement …

Education Week’S Report On Arkansas, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

As schools open their doors for the spring 2005 semester, many legislatures around the nation are meeting to discuss accountability standards, equity and adequacy issues, and the link between money and student performance. While the education issues of 2005 are not unique, in that they have been discussed for years, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) deadline for schools to begin performing at higher standards increases the urgency. In addition to the increased standards, state policymakers are facing difficult legal challenges to their school funding systems. In an attempt to gauge the status of the nation and each state, Education …

Alternative Certification, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

The term “alternative certification” has been utilized to describe programs ranging from immediate issuance of emergency certification to well-developed, highly professional training programs designed to bring new people into the profession. Because of the mandate to place highly qualified teachers in every classroom, the issue of alternative certification has become even more prominent and there is now more consistency in the academic rigor of alternative certification program across the nation. In this state, TeachArkansas serves as a clearinghouse for the various programs that enable an individual who did not out to be a teacher to become certified (see www.teacharkansas.org).

The Power Of Student Stories: Connections That Enhance Learning, Peter Frederick

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Telling and listening to student stories connects our students’ prior experiences and knowledge and their hopes and fears with the core learning goals teachers value and thereby furthers deeper learning.

Powerpoint: What Is The Point, Eugene V. Gallagher, Michael Reder

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

This essay summarizes the literature on PowerPoint as a tool for learning, addresses both its potential problems as well as its possibilities, and offers guidelines on its effective use in teaching.

Transitions: What’S Love Got To Do With It?, Kathleen T. Brinko

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

This essay addresses strategies for managing the transition of new faculty into the academy in order to avoid disenchantment and leaving the academy before tenure.

Teaching For Diversity And Inclusiveness In Science, Technology, Engineering And Math (Stem), Angela Linse, Wayne Jacobson, Lois Reddick

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

This essay explores the challenges STEM faculty face in recognizing, developing and implementing classroom practices that support diverse students.

The Gender Gap In Naep Fourth-, Eighth-, And Twelfth-Grade Reading Scores Across The Years 1992-2003, Beverly M. Klecker

Faculty Research at Morehead State University

This paper presents a secondary analysis of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) dataset. The study explores differences in the NAEP fourth, eighth, and twelfth grade reading scores by students' gender across the years 1992, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2003. The study used the NAEP National Public School data. The statistically significant (p.<.01 with effect size measured by Cohen's d) differences in reading scores by gender were consistent across grade level and years with females scoring higher than males. A discussion of the calculation and reporting of effect size with NAEP data is included as well as implications for the No Child Left Behind goals of "closing the gap." This paper presents the argument that the 'child left behind' in reading is very likely to be male--from elementary school through university.

The Effects Of School Location On Math And Science Achievement Trends: A Primer On Growth Modeling In Education Policy Research, Edward B. Reeves

Faculty Research at Morehead State University

The effect of school location on math and science learning is currently an important policy issue in the United States and in other countries, such as Australia. The present paper uses a 5-year series of math and science achievement data from the state of Kentucky to determine the effects of school location on learning in these subject areas. Adopting an organizational assessment approach, I show how growth models may be used to estimate achievement trends. I also demonstrate methods for discovering two important sources of invalidity in growth models: regression artifacts and spuriousness. Failure to account for these sources of …

The Effects Of School Location On Math And Science Achievement Trends: A Primer On Growth Modeling In Education Policy Research, Edward B. Reeves

Faculty Research at Morehead State University

The effect of school location on math and science learning is currently an important policy issue in the United States and in other countries, such as Australia. The present paper uses a 5-year series of math and science achievement data from the state of Kentucky to determine the effects of school location on learning in these subject areas. Adopting an organizational assessment approach, I show how growth models may be used to estimate achievement trends. I also demonstrate methods for discovering two important sources of invalidity in growth models: regression artifacts and spuriousness. Failure to account for these sources of …

Fighting For Freedom: The 1649 War Between The Cossacks And The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Adrian Mandzy

Faculty Research at Morehead State University

To most westerners, the Cossacks remain a mysterious and romanticized people. Nineteenth century writers and artists depict the Cossacks as extraordinary horsemen. This image is often reinforced by descriptions of Cossacks immune to the vigour of the Russian winter as they continued to nip at the heels of Napoleon’s Grand Army in 1812. Novels, like Gogol’ s Taras Bulba, and the opera Mazepa, suggests the Cossacks were both cruel and crafty, while others highlight their barbarity and backwardness.

Methods For Marine Ecosystems Research Through The Use Of Pdas With Preservice Teachers, Antoinette P. Bruciati, Maria Lizano-Dimare

Education Faculty Publications

Science teachers are charged with the task of providing students in grades K-12 with opportunities that will enable them to make sense of science and develop habits of mind. One goal of science education is to prepare well-rounded citizens who are scientifically literate. Through inquiry-based learning, students formulate questions, perform investigations, and construct new understandings.

It is important for preservice science teachers to be introduced to current techniques, discoveries, and debates in the field of science. The use of personal digital assistants (PDAs) can provide K-12 students with increased opportunities for exploring and learning through scientific investigations. In order for …

Create A Successful Homework Partnership Program: A Professional Development Workshop For Teachers To Maximize Benefits Of Homework Assignments, Terri M. Anderson

All Graduate Projects

Decades of research have indicated the importance of family participation as a contributing factor toward the academic success of children. Most significantly, a child's family can play a role in his or her scholastic achievement by helping with homework assignments. The teacher's task in this endeavor is to explain assignments clearly and thoroughly both to students and to their families. This task is twofold. First, the teacher must construct assignments that are purposeful, clear and appropriate to meet individual student needs; second, the teacher must offer assignments in a variety of presentation modes to accommodate needs of diverse populations that …

Animals And Biographies: Integrated Units For Third/Fourth Looped Classes, Kimberly Lynn Bonsen

All Graduate Projects

This handbook was designed for teachers in a third-to-fourth grade looping classroom. The lessons integrate reading and writing, and the second year (fourth grade) builds upon skills and strategies introduced in the first year (third grade). The third grade set of lessons focuses study on animals while the fourth grade set of lessons focuses on biographies. The handbook contains a OLE/Lesson plan matrix, information for teachers before beginning both sets of lessons, twelve third grade lessons, thirteen fourth grade lessons, and extension activities for both animals and biographies. The final section in the handbook is an appendix that contains every …

The Relationship Between Spiritual Well Being And College Adjustment For Freshmen At A Southeastern University, Robert E. Ratliff

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

The purpose of this study was to identify the possible relationship between spiritual well being and college adjustment in first-year college students. The Spiritual Well Being Scale and the College Adjustment Scales were administered. Relational analysis was used to investigate 91 college freshmen enrolled in a freshman seminar course at Charleston Southern University, Charleston, South Carolina. This relational analysis included both psychological and developmental aspects of college adjustment in nine specific areas of college adjustment: anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, substance abuse, self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, family relationships, academic problems, and career problems. A statistically significant relationship was found between spiritual well …

Growth No. 5 (2005) - Full Issue

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

The full issue of the fifth edition of Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development.