Higher Percentages Of Minority Students Research Articles

Barriers to Implementing Behavior Intervention Plans: Results of a Statewide Survey

Behavior intervention plans (BIPs) based on a functional behavior assessment are supported by a large body of research showing their potential for positively impacting student behavior; however, research also indicates that many classroom teams struggle to implement BIPs with fidelity. We conducted a statewide survey of over 600 teachers to examine teacher-reported experiences with BIP implementation, including 13 implementation barriers previously identified in the literature. Selecting from the list provided, teachers reported the most prominent barrier to be “the cause of student problem behavior cannot be addressed through a BIP.” In written comments, teachers stated that many behavior problems were at least partially caused by factors beyond teacher control, such as a difficult home life, and perceived BIPs as less effective in these cases. Teachers from urban schools and schools with higher percentages of minority students reported encountering this barrier significantly more frequently. In general, teachers from schools (a) in urban settings, (b) with higher percentages of students receiving free or reduced lunch, and (c) with higher percentages of minority students reported significantly greater challenges to BIP implementation as well as lower fidelity and effectiveness of BIPs. Other prominent barriers identified by teachers included inconsistent implementation of BIPs across staff, inadequate resources to implement BIPs, and ineffective BIPs. Implications for improving implementation of BIPs in schools are discussed.

Are Black Children Disproportionately Overrepresented in Special Education? A Best-Evidence Synthesis

We synthesized empirical work to evaluate whether Black children are disproportionately overrepresented in special education. We identified 22 studies that met a priori inclusion criteria including use of at least 1 covariate in the reported analyses. Evidence of overrepresentation declined markedly as the studies included one or more of 3 “best-evidence” methodological features (i.e., analyses of individual-level data, a nationally representative sample, a control for individual-level academic achievement). Among 48 coefficient estimates from studies with the strongest internal and external validity, only 1 (2.1%) indicated significant overrepresentation. This coefficient suggested a school characteristic (a high percentage of minority students) that may help explain underrepresentation. None of the remaining 47 (97.9%) regression coefficients indicated that Black children’s overrepresentation in special education was explained by misidentification based on race or ethnicity. Instead, the best evidence indicates that Black children are significantly less likely than otherwise similar White children to receive special education services.

School Substance Use Norms and Racial Composition Moderate Parental and Peer Influences on Adolescent Substance Use.

Parental and peer influences on adolescent substance use have been well demonstrated. However, limited research has examined how parental and peer influences vary across school contexts. This study used a multilevel approach to examine the effects of school substance use norms and school racial composition in predicting adolescent substance use (a composite measure of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use) and in moderating parental and peer influences on adolescent substance use. A total of 14,346 adolescents from 34 schools in a mid-western county completed surveys electronically at school. Analyses were conducted using hierarchical linear modeling. Results indicated that school-level disapproval against substance use and percentage of minority students at school were negatively associated with adolescent substance use. School-level disapproval moderated the association between peer substance use and adolescent substance use, with the association being stronger when school-level disapproval was lower. School racial composition moderated the influence of parental disapproval and peer substance use on adolescent substance use. Specifically, both the association between parental disapproval and adolescent substance use and the association between peer substance use and adolescent substance use were weaker for adolescents who attended schools with higher percentages of minority students. Findings highlighted the importance of considering the role of school contexts, in conjunction with parental and peer influences, in understanding adolescent substance use.

Effects of selected nonmusical characteristics and band festival participation, scores, and literature difficulty

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to examine potential validity concerns regarding the use of music festival scores as an element of value-added assessment practices mandated by federal education policy. Nonmusical school and band characteristics of band size, school enrollment, school percentage of minority enrollment, and school percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch were compared to concert band festival participation, scores, and literature selection. Results of a one-way ANOVA revealed that schools with lower enrollments and higher percentages of minority students and students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch programs were less likely to participate in a concert band festival. MANOVA results using composite festival score and literature difficulty as dependent variables indicated a significant three-way interaction for school size, free/reduced-price lunch category, and band size, with an additional interaction for minority category and school enrollment. Significant main effects were found for band size and for school enrollment. Composite festival scores were found to be higher for schools with a lower percentage of minority students and larger band sizes. Smaller bands, as well as bands from schools with lower enrollment and higher percentages of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, tended to perform less difficult literature. These results suggest that policymakers should recommend caution in the use of festival results for teacher evaluation purposes.

Foods and beverages offered in US public secondary schools through the National School Lunch Program from 2011–2013: Early evidence of improved nutrition and reduced disparities

ObjectiveTo present data on trends in foods and beverages offered through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) in public middle and high schools in the years immediately preceding and following implementation of new NSLP standards. MethodFrom 2011 to 2013, primary data collection through the annual Youth, Education, and Society study involved use of mailed questionnaires to obtain data on NSLP meals from schools attended by nationally representative samples of US 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students (N=792 middle schools and 751 high schools). Each school was weighted to represent the percentage of target grade students enrolled, thus allowing analyses examining changes over time in the percentage of students enrolled in (attending) schools with specified NSLP measure outcomes, as well as disparities in NSLP measures based on school characteristics. ResultsSignificantly more US secondary students attended schools with specified NSLP measures in 2013 than in 2011; increases were observed at both middle and high school levels. Increase rates for some NSLP measures were moderated by school characteristics; where this was the case, moderating associations decreased prior NSLP nutrition environment disparities that were especially evident in smaller schools and schools with higher percentages of minority students. ConclusionMeaningful improvements have been made in the nutritional content of NSLP meals offered to US secondary students; these improvements have reduced prior NSLP meal disparities associated with school characteristics. Schools will need continued help with implementation and compliance monitoring in order to have the best opportunity to improve the nutrition environments for US students.

A case study on collective cognition and operation in team-based computer game design by middle-school children

This case study examined team-based computer-game design efforts by children with diverse abilities to explore the nature of their collective design actions and cognitive processes. Ten teams of middle-school children, with a high percentage of minority students, participated in a 6-weeks, computer-assisted math-game-design program. Essential processes of collective design cognition and operation emerged from the data: (a) collective exploration of design constraints during problem framing, (b) aggregation of identity, experience, and memory for collective solution generation, and (c) development of coalition and task interdependence during design execution. Salient contexts supporting collective design included team-role fulfillment with presence of leadership and scaffolding for mutuality in design talk. The study findings also indicated perceived learning of school children during collaborative math-game design.

Comprehensive School Counseling in Rhode Island: Access to Services and Student Outcomes

This study explored relationships among school counseling practices, secondary school demographics, and student outcomes in the state of Rhode Island during a 2-year period. The results showed strong and consistent correlations between increased amounts of school counseling services and positive student outcomes. Schools with higher percentages of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch status and with higher percentages of minority students provided fewer comprehensive counseling services for their students.

Comprehensive School Counseling in Rhode Island: Access to Services and Student Outcomes

This study explored relationships among school counseling practices, secondary school demographics, and student outcomes in the state of Rhode Island during a 2-year period. The results showed strong and consistent correlations between increased amounts of school counseling services and positive student outcomes. Schools with higher percentages of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch status and with higher percentages of minority students provided fewer comprehensive counseling services for their students.

Facilitating the Teacher Quality Gap? Collective Bargaining Agreements, Teacher Hiring and Transfer Rules, and Teacher Assignment Among Schools in California

Certain studies and the California legislature have recently concluded that seniority preference rules in teacher collective bargaining agreements facilitate a teacher ‘quality gap’ by permitting senior teachers to transfer to schools with higher-performing and more affluent children. This study examines the effects of such transfer rules on the distribution of teachers among and within school districts in California. The study finds that, when comparing California districts to each other, strong seniority preference rules are associated with a greater percentage of credentialed teachers in school districts. Employing hierarchical linear modeling, the study then finds that schools with higher percentages of minority students, within districts, have lower percentages of credentialed and experienced teachers. Contrary to certain previous research and conventional wisdom, however, this study finds no persuasive evidence that the seniority preference rules independently affect the distribution of teachers among schools or exacerbate the negative relationship between higher minority schools and uncredentialed and low-experience teachers.

Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Perceptions of the Achievement Gap

The purpose of this study was to survey the perceptions of secondary mathematics teachers on factors contributing to the achievement gap and ways to reduce this gap. National Council of the Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) members were surveyed, and a total of 379 secondary teachers responded. Overall, respondents were most likely to attribute the achievement gap to student characteristics, such as differences in motivational levels, work ethic, and family support. Furthermore, teachers from schools with a higher population of White students were more likely to attribute the gap to student characteristics than were teachers in schools with higher percentages of minority students. Mathematics supervisors and university faculty were less likely to attribute the achievement gap to student characteristics than were middle and high school teachers. Instead, the supervisors and university faculty were more likely to endorse explanations related to curriculum and instruction than were secondary teachers. In terms of attributing the achievement gap to factors related to language, we found that the higher the percentage of Hispanic or Latino students in the respondents' schools, the more likely they were to endorse Language items. Suggestions for reducing the achievement gap centered on professional development for teachers, curricular changes, community building, and policies that included more funding equity and a reduction in class size.

Kindergarten Teachers' Practices Related to the Transition to School: Results of a National Survey

A national sample of 3,595 kindergarten teachers reported on their use of 21 practices related to the transition of children into kindergarten in the 1996-1997 academic year and 15 barriers to implementing transition practices. Use of practices related to the transition into kindergarten was nearly universal; the most frequently reported practice (talking with the child's parent after school starts) was employed by 95% of the sample. Practices that involve in-person contacts with children or families were reportedly among those used least often, as were practices that involve contacting children or families before the start of school. The most frequently reported practices were those that take place after the start of school and/or involve low-intensity, generic contact (e.g., flyers, brochures, group open houses). As schools (or districts) became increasingly urban and had higher percentages of minority and/or low-SES students, teachers reported personal contacts less often, and low-intensity school contacts occurring after school had started were more common. The most commonly reported barriers to transition practices were class lists being generated too late, lack of support for summer work, and lack of a district plan for the transition into kindergarten. Teachers reported family-related barriers with increasing frequency as schools became more urban and had a higher percentage of minority students, or were located in high-poverty districts. Each finding revealed important aspects of whether the nation's kindergartens are "ready" and suggested a range of policy and practice implications.

Preparing inservice elementary science teachers: The role of the instructor’s site observations

The Project in Science Education and Equity (Project SEE) is designed to prepare inservice elementary science teachers in a district with a high percentage of minority students. Teacher and bilingual aide teams participate in a 33-week program that has the following goals: 1. to involve participants in leaming science content appropriate for the elementary-level educator; 2. to develop participants' knowledge of science pedagogy which enhances the science learning of all students, especially English Language Leamers (ELLs); and 3. to increase participants' awareness of career connections to mathematics and science through a developed partnership with scientists. These goals are being achieved through the collaborative efforts of the California State University, San Bemardino School of Education and School of Natural Sciences, Fontana Unified School District, and industry scientists. The goals of this teacher enhancement project are similar to those of many others. What makes Project SEE unique is its use of school site visits as a means of project support and evaluation. This aniclebriefly outlines the project design and then focuses on the role of site observations within the project. Specifically, the purpose for site observations, procedures for implementation of these visits, and what is learned from these visits will be described.

Affirmative Action in Schools of Public Health

Efforts to address minority issues in the public health workforce have been hampered by the lack of precise information identifying the numbers and characteristics of those employed in that segment of the health care system called “public health.” There is a widespread conviction, however, that minorities are underrepresented in the field. In an effort to begin identification of those entering the field with graduate professional degrees, information from the nation's 24 accredited schools of public health is reviewed. The experience of the University of Oklahoma College of Public Health, one of the schools in mainland U.S. with a high percentage of minority students, is used as a case study to identify opportunities available and issues encountered in this setting. Barriers to more effective affirmative action efforts include lack of financial assistance for scholarships, lack of minority-faculty role models in many schools, and prevailing concerns that admission of minorities may lower academic standards. Rewards from such efforts include assisting minority students in launching successful professional careers and in helping reduce or eliminate the problems which contribute to gaps in minority health status and access in the U.S.