Large Public School Research Articles

Making Connections: Evaluation of a Professional Development Program for Teachers Focused on STEM Integration

This article reports on a 2-year evaluation of a STEM integration professional development (PD) program for 40 math, science, and special education teachers in Grades 5–9 from a large Midwestern public school district. The National Research Council’s framework for integrated STEM education (Honey, Pearson, & Schweingruber, 2014) was used to explain the goals, outcomes, nature and scope, and implementation of the program. Teachers were measured on their growth in STEM content knowledge, technology integration, teaching confidence, pedagogical beliefs, and impact of PD. Increases resulted in all these areas with statistically significant improvements in most of them, particularly in Year 2. A significant increase in math and science scores were also found in 413 students before and after participation in an integrated STEM lesson. According to teachers, the greatest strengths of the program were the STEM connections that teachers began making; the changes in teachers’ instructional practices; improved attitudes, beliefs, and confidence in teaching; increased comfort with using technology; and the enthusiasm that students exhibited during a STEM lesson. Quantitative data and teacher feedback both indicate that the program was highly successful and had a positive impact on teachers and students.

Implementing a Digital Learning Initiative: a Case Study in K-12 Classrooms

Mobile devices have become especially enticing to schools because of their portability, flexibility, and intuitive interfaces. A growing number of schools have begun using tablets as a cost-effective strategy in a digital learning environment. Other schools have embraced a bring your own device (BYOD) policy, which addresses pedagogical goals as well as the lack of funds many schools struggle with to support digital learning. BYOD makes digital learning easier by leveraging the devices students already have. The purpose of this study was to explore a digital learning initiative implementation in a large public school district in southwest Florida in order to provide formative feedback to guide its digital learning initiative beyond the initial implementation.

Cyberbullying Among Adolescents: The Influence of Different Modes of Inquiry.

The use of different modes of inquiry about interpersonal violence experiences may result in different frequency estimates. Thus, we measured the frequency and identified the factors associated with cyberbullying among urban school-going adolescents using different tools. Participants were enrolled at the four largest public schools in Porto for seventh- to 12th-grade students and were evaluated during the 2014-2015 academic year. We studied 2,624 adolescents (1,186 males and 1,438 females), 60% of all eligible students. Information under anonymity was collected at the school premises, using a self-administered questionnaire that comprised information on sociodemographic characteristics, school life, emotional well-being, the Internet use monitoring and cyberbullying experiences. Cyberbullying was assessed with two general questions ("Have you ever been a victim of cyberbullying?" and "In the last 12 months, have you been a victim of cyberbullying?) and using the Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that covers the last 30 days experience. The lifetime prevalence of cybervictimization was 7.6% and for the last 12 months 3.9%, similar in boys and girls, while the prevalence in the last 30 days was 38.2%, significantly higher in girls (43.1% vs. 33.3%). A statistically significant association of cybervictimization with negative emotional well-being and school bullying victimization experience was identified regardless of timing and the mode of ascertaining cyberbullying. Different measurement instruments resulted in different estimates of the prevalence of cyberbullying. Regardless of the instrument used, a strong association of cyberbullying involvement with negative emotional well-being in adolescents was observed.

“In A Position I See Myself in:” (Re)Positioning Identities and Culturally-Responsive Pedagogies

ABSTRACTCulturally-responsive pedagogies require moving beyond blanket assumptions about learners to focus deeply on local meaning-makings. This narrative analysis case study examines the ways a 20-year-old African American man challenges the negative educational identity with which he is forced to contend as he navigates a large and complex urban public school system. The ways in which Jamahl, a seeker of a High School Equivalency, refuses interpellation as an uneducated learner destined to be “nothin'” provides insight as to how formal education might be more responsive to learners' negotiation of deficiency discourses. Embracing agency, specifically through awareness of the ways Jamahl employs (re)positioning practices, this narrative analysis case study highlights paths for researchers and practitioners to tap into learners' resources to recognize and foster powerful learning identities.

Changes in Behaviors and Outcomes Among School-Based Employees in a Wellness Program

To examine the health behavior changes and mental-health and job-related outcomes of school-based employees over 2 years while participating in a worksite wellness program. All participants in this analysis (n = 1,873) were employees of a large public school district in the western United States and voluntarily enrolled in a comprehensive wellness program. Exercise level, fruit and vegetable consumption, restful sleep, smoking, alcohol consumption, self-rated health, mental health-related outcomes (stress, depression, life-satisfaction, and loneliness), and job-related outcomes (job performance, absenteeism, job-related satisfaction) are reported. There was an increase in days and minutes/week exercised, fruit/vegetable consumption, days per week of restful sleep, and a decrease in alcohol consumption (ps < .037) over 2 years. Among those who reported smoking, the number of days smoked increased after 1 year but then dropped below baseline levels at year 2 (p < .0001). Several mental health-related outcomes improved (ps < .033); however, job performance was slightly lower (↓ 2%), and the other job-related outcomes were unchanged. School employees may benefit from a comprehensive worksite wellness program, particularly to improve health behaviors. However, mental health and job-related outcome results were mixed over 2 years.

Characteristics of Pharmacy Students Associated with a Successful PGY1 Residency Match

The pharmacy residency selection process is a complex one using both quantitative and qualitative metrics to assess the applicant. Though some literature exists about desired characteristics of an ideal applicant from a program perspective, little data exist about the student characteristics that predict a successful match. The objective of this study was to determine if match applicant demographics, pre-admission standardized test scores, and academic performance in pharmacy school affect match rate. This study was conducted at a large public school of pharmacy in the USA. Post-Graduate Year 1 (PGY1) residency match data and student characteristics were obtained over a 6-year time period. PGY1 match success per year was calculated as a proportion of students who were successfully matched in that year out of all the active applicants. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to assess the impact of student characteristics on match rate. Student characteristics influencing a successful residency match. In the multivariable analysis, PCAT-Chemistry (OR = 0.979, p = 0.0455), PCAT-Reading Comprehension (OR = 1.012, p = 0.0428), and final grade point average (OR = 9.847, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with match success. Student demographic characteristics did not influence match rate. Among PGY1 residency applicants, a higher GPA and better performance on the PCAT-Reading Comprehension subsection increased the likelihood of a successful PGY1 match over the study period. Higher performance on the PCAT-Chemistry subsection was associated with a lower success of matching.

A construct-modeling approach to develop a learning progression of how students understand the structure of matter

Author(s): Morell, Linda; Collier, Tina; Paul, Black; Wilson, Mark | Abstract: This paper builds on the current literature base about learning progressions in science to address the question, “What is the nature of the learning progression in the content domain of the structure of matter?” We introduce a learning progression in response to that question and illustrate a methodology, the Construct Modeling (Wilson, 2005) approach, for investigating the progression through a developmentally based iterative process. This study puts forth a progression of how students understand the structure of matter by empirically inter-relating constructs of different levels of sophistication using a sample of 1,087 middle grade students from a large diverse public school district in the western part of the United States. The study also shows that student thinking can be more complex than hypothesized as in the case of our discovery of a substructure of understanding in a single construct within the larger progression. Data were analyzed using a multidimensional Rasch model. Implications for teaching and learning are discussed—we suggest that the teacher’s choice of instructional approach needs to be fashioned in terms of a model, grounded in evidence, of the paths through which learning might best proceed, working toward the desired targets by a pedagogy which also cultivates students’ development as effective learners. This research sheds light on the need for assessment methods to be used as guides for formative work and as tools to ensure the learning goals have been achieved at the end of the learning period. The development and investigation of a learning progression of how students understand the structure of matter using the Construct Modeling approach makes an important contribution to the research on learning progressions and serves as a guide to the planning and implementation in the teaching of this topic. # 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 54: 1024–1048, 2017

Engaging School Mental Health Professionals to Deliver Evidence-Based Interventions to Hispanic Families.

Research has demonstrated that a number of evidence-based programs can be effectively implemented in different community settings, such as schools, to target Hispanic youth and their families; however, successful implementation of such programs represents a challenge for practitioners. This article describes experiences and strategies associated with recruiting, training, and supervising school mental health professionals in the school-based implementation of an evidence-based, family-centered prevention program for Hispanic families. School mental health professionals were recruited and given intensive training, weekly supervision for adherence monitoring, and ongoing technical assistance, in addition to intervention manuals and materials. We emphasize how strategies based on the prevention program itself were used to recruit, engage, and train school mental health professionals to deliver a family-based evidence-based program, blending research and practice in a large public school system. Implications of lessons learned are discussed, as well as the specific strategies to overcome challenges when engaging and training community partners in delivering a manualized intervention with rigorous adherence to the program.

The Effects of Teachers’ Social and Human Capital on Urban Science Reform Initiatives: Considerations for Professional Development

Background Recent research investigating the conditions under which science teachers can successfully implement science education reforms suggests that focusing only on professional development to improve content knowledge and teaching skills—often referred to as human capital—may not be enough. Increasingly, possessing social capital, defined as capacities acquired through direct and indirect relationships in social networks, has become an important teaching characteristic to develop, however, more empirical research needs to be conducted. Purpose This article details our efforts to examine the relative influence of teachers’ social and human capital on instruction in the science classroom. The following research question guided our analysis: “What is the impact of teachers’ social and human capital on their classroom enactments, and what implications does this have for implementing science reform projects?” Setting This research was conducted in a large urban public school district in the northeast region of the United States. Teachers participated in professional development activities focused on learning about, constructing, and implementing nanoscale content through problem-based and inquiry-based units, integrated with technology applications such as computer simulations. Population The teacher group was comprised of 10 males and 11 females, eight of whom identified as African American and 13 as White. Teaching experience ranged from 1 to 33 years, with a mean of 11.18 years. Data were collected from 545 students in their classes, of whom 52.19% were African American and 65.03% received free or reduced-priced lunch. Students ranged in level between eighth and 12th grade in the subject areas of biology, chemistry, and physical science. Research Design The research design entailed a within group comparison assessing variables that quantified teacher's social and human capital as discreet measures. They were then compared to survey outcomes collected from their students that indicated change in instructional enactments as they were related to the nanoscale units. Data Collection and Analysis A regression analysis was used in the study. Student surveys of perceptions of instructional enactments in two factors—cognitively-rich pedagogies and computer-related technology use–were used as the predicted variables. The social and human capital measures were established from application surveys and year-end interviews of teachers and used as predictor variables. Results With both predictors in the model, only social capital was found to be predictive of teachers’ successful implementation, indicating that social capital was a stronger predictor than human capital. Conclusions The study shows that focusing on the development of a teacher's social capital may be an important feature of professional development activities alongside the development of human capital particularly in urban populations where access to resources is limited.

Networked improvement communities

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to delineate an approach to quality assurance in education called networked improvement communities (NICs) that focused on integrating the methodologies of improvement science with few of the networks. Quality improvement, the science and practice of continuously improving programs, practices, processes, products and services within organized social systems, is a still-evolving area in education. This paper is the first of seven elaborating upon different approaches to quality improvement in education[1]. It delineates a new methodology called the NICs model. Developed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the approach is aimed at continuously improving the quality of practices, processes and outcomes in targeted problem areas in education systems.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents the historical development, theoretical foundations, core principles and adaptation of key elements of the NICs model for quality improvement in education. A case study specifically examines the problem of fostering new teacher effectiveness and retention in large public school systems in the USA.FindingsThe six principles underlying the NICs model are as follows: make the work problem-specific and user-centered, focus on variation in performance, see the system that produces outcomes, improve at scale what you can measure, use disciplined inquiry to drive improvement and accelerate learning through networked communities.Originality/valueFew theoretical treatments and demonstration cases are currently available that examine the application of common models of quality improvement in education. This paper elaborates on one promising approach. In addition to examining the NICs model, the paper derives added value by allowing comparisons with seven widely used quality improvement approaches treated in this volume.

Assessing the Impact of Homophobic Name Calling on Early Adolescent Mental Health: A Longitudinal Social Network Analysis of Competing Peer Influence Effects.

The goal of the current study was to improve our understanding of why adolescence is a critical period for the consideration of declining mental health. We did this by focusing on the impact of homophobic name calling on early adolescent mental health after the transition to middle school. Because we know that homophobic name calling emerges within a dynamic peer group structure, we used longitudinal social network analysis to assess the relation between homophobic name calling, depressive symptoms, and self-esteem while simultaneously limiting bias from alternative peer socialization mechanisms. A sample of adolescents who recently transitioned to a large public middle school (N = 299; 53 % girls; M age = 11.13 years, SD = 0.48) were assessed. Longitudinal assessments of peer relationship networks, depressive symptoms, and self-esteem were collected during the fall and spring of the academic year. The results suggest that, after accounting for the simultaneous effect of alternative peer socialization processes, adolescent experiences of homophobic name calling in the fall predict higher levels of depressive symptoms and lower levels of self-esteem over the course of the academic year. These findings provide evidence of a significant influence of homophobic name calling on adolescent mental health.

Scaffolded writing and early literacy development with children who are deaf: a case study

ABSTRACTThis case study examined the effects that the processes of private speech and materialization (using line underscores as word placeholders) had on the emergent writing behaviours of one, six-year-old student who was enrolled in an auditory–oral deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) first-grade classroom situated on a large urban public school campus. Over the period of four months, this study examined (a) how the processes of private speech and materialization assisted emergent writers to become conventional writers, and (b) what changes occurred in children’s writing when they used scaffolded writing. Evidence demonstrated that scaffolded writing accompanied by the sociocultural tools of materialization, self-talk and adult assistance resulted in dramatic qualitative changes in the student’s writing and spelling. Implications include the importance of understanding individual psychogenetic development and the advantages of a sociocultural theory-based approach to emergent writing in the DHH classroom.

Prevalence of Student Dissection-Choice Policies in U.S. Schools

Although animal dissection is common in classrooms, growing concerns for animal welfare and advances in nonanimal teaching methods have prompted the creation of policies that allow students to choose humane alternatives to classroom animal use. We assessed the prevalence and content of policies that allow students to opt out of animal dissection in states and large public school districts across the United States – data that have not previously been collected or analyzed. We found that such policies exist at the state level in 22 states (plus the District of Columbia) and in many large public school districts in the other remaining states. These data illustrate that at least 63% of students in U.S. public schools have access to some kind of dissection choice, although the content of these policies varies widely. We discuss these results and recommend components of a comprehensive student dissection-choice policy.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of a School-Implemented School–Home Intervention for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms and Impairment

This study evaluated the efficacy of a novel psychosocial intervention (Collaborative Life Skills [CLS]) for primary-school students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. CLS is a 12-week program consisting of integrated school, parent, and student treatments delivered by school-based mental health providers. Using a cluster randomized design, CLS was compared with usual school/community services on psychopathology and functional outcomes. Schools within a large urban public school district were randomly assigned to CLS (12 schools) or usual services (11 schools). Approximately 6 students participated at each school (N= 135, mean age 8.4 years, grade range 2-5, 71% boys). Using PROC GENMOD (SAS 9.4), the difference between the means of CLS and usual services for each outcome at posttreatment was tested. To account for clustering effects by school, the generalized estimating equation method was used. Students from schools assigned to CLS compared with those assigned to usual services had significantly greater improvement on parent and teacher ratings of ADHD symptom severity and organizational functioning, teacher-rated academic performance, and parent ratings of oppositional defiant disorder symptoms and social/interpersonal skills. These results support the efficacy of CLS compared with typical school and community practices for decreasing ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms and improving key areas of functional impairment. They further suggest that existing school-based mental health resources can be redeployed from non-empirically supported practices to those with documented efficacy. This model holds promise for improving access to efficient evidence-based treatment for inattentive and disruptive behavior beyond the clinic setting. Clinical Trial Registration Information-Study of the Collaborative Life Skills Program; http://clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT01686724.

Classroom management, school staff relations, school climate, and academic achievement: testing a model with urban high schools

Urban learning environments pose distinct instructional challenges for teachers and administrators, and can lead to lower achievement compared to suburban or rural schools. Today’s educational climate increasingly emphasises a need for positive academic outcomes, often measured by standardised tests, on which student educational opportunities, teacher benefits and school funding can be based. By applying an ecological framework to the urban school environment, it could be possible to better understand and ultimately improve the educational context at multiple levels. This study examined how classroom management, staff relations and school climate contribute to academic achievement, as measured by ACT scores. In a large urban American public school system, 208 teachers from 38 high schools were surveyed. A model was tested in which, when academic achievement was accounted for over time, classroom management and staff relations contributed positively to school climate, and climate in turn contributed to academic achievement. Structural equation modeling revealed that the data fitted the proposed model. Results illustrate the roles of school and classroom factors related to academic performance and underline the importance of classroom management strategies and positive learning environments. Results suggest avenues for interventions to increase academic achievement by supporting students through the lens of an ecological framework.

Are all schools created equal? Learning environments in small and large public high schools in New York City

Over the past two decades, high school reform has been characterized by a belief that “smaller is better.” Much of the expected academic benefit from attending small schools has been credited to their better learning environments. There is little empirical support for this claim, however, and the existing research fails to provide causal evidence. Moreover, recent studies in New York City have shown that students attending newly created small schools do better academically relative to students attending both large and older established small schools. Are these differences in academic outcomes also mirrored by differences in learning environments? In this paper, we address this question by exploring the impact of attending large compared to small high schools on students’ learning environments, considering the differences between small high schools formed in two different eras with different missions and resources. We use a unique data set of school and student-level data from New York City public high school students entering 9th grade in 2008–09 and 2009–10 to examine students’ attitudes about school learning environments along three dimensions: interpersonal relationships, academic expectations and support, and social behavior and safety. While OLS results show that students attending small schools (new and old) perceive better learning environments, instrumenting for selection into these schools challenges those results. In general, it is not clear that small schools provide better learning environments than large schools. Our results challenge the conventional wisdom that the higher academic performance of students in small schools is driven by a better learning environment.

Pilot Investigation of the Katie Brown Educational Program: A School-Community Partnership.

Schools in the United States are increasingly being urged to address the problem of adolescent dating violence (DV) with their students. Given the limited time available to implement prevention programming during the school day, brief programs are needed. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of a widely disseminated, brief community-based DV prevention program in partnership with a nonprofit community agency. We conducted a randomized waitlist control trial of a 5-session DV prevention program (active condition) compared to health class as usual (waitlist control condition). Participants were 225 10th-grade students with a recent dating history in a large public school in New England. Surveys were administered at baseline, end of program, and 3 months postintervention. After completing the program, students in the active condition reported significantly lower approval of aggression, healthier dating attitudes, and more DV knowledge. These effects were sustained at 3-month follow-up. In addition, students in the active condition reported significantly less emotional/verbal and total DV perpetration and victimization at 3-month follow-up. These findings suggest that a brief, community-based DV prevention curriculum can promote change in behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge among high school students.

Bringing the Book to Life

Using participatory action research, the first researcher functioned as co-teacher in a fifth-grade class in a large northeastern city public school. The researcher and classroom teacher guided 28 students working in book clubs to compose digital stories in response to historical fiction. The research questions were: (a) What interpretations did students have of their historical fiction novels through the mediational tools of digital storytelling? (b) How did the dynamics of the book club structure contribute to the students’ interpretive work? Data sources included students’ process and product work, video and audio recordings of work sessions, reflective notes and journal, a semi-structured interview with the teacher, and stimulated recall interviews with three case study book clubs. Both researchers used multimodal analysis, particularly the concept transmediation, concepts of interpretation in reader response, and grounded theory, informed by activity theory, to analyze data. Findings show students’ expression of and limits to interpretation in the multimodal ensembles of their digital stories. The purposeful use of digital technology generated ongoing problem solving. Activity systems expanded students’ learning by generating collaborative zones of proximal development, a dialectic among mediational tools, and opportunities to take on roles that shaped students’ identities and repositioned who they could be in this learning community. The study shows the value of project-based multimodal responses using digital technologies in collaborative groups to develop students’ comprehension of literary texts. The study suggests an alternative to writing-to-learn practices that dominate the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, and that high-stakes tests reify.

Teaching Practices and Language Use in Two-Way Dual Language Immersion Programs in a Large Public School District

ABSTRACTMany educators and policy makers look to two-way dual language immersion as one of the most promising options to close achievement gaps for English learners. However, the programs’ effectiveness depends on the quality of their implementation. This article reports on a large-scale study of the implementation of dual language immersion across a large, urban school district. Using classroom observations, we examined teaching practices and language use by teachers and students in dual language immersion classrooms across an entire school district. We found strong implementation of teaching practices consistent with sheltered instruction and strong adherence by teachers to partner language use as prescribed by the district’s guidelines. This article provides a descriptive view of what is happening in two-way dual language immersion classrooms in a large, urban U.S. school district. While other studies may examine classroom practices, few have done so on this scale.

Paving the Way for New Literacies Integration in Elementary Teacher Education

This collective case study examines new literacies integration by student teacher/cooperating tea- cher dyads supported by a coach in elementary schools. The theoretical lens for this study combines two areas: the TPACK framework for examining technology integration into teaching and a transformative “Third Space” approach to growing practitioner knowledge. The study took place in a large Midwestern public school district where many student teachers from a public university complete their student teaching experience. The research explored how collaboration in new literacies integration was enacted between student teacher, cooperating teacher, and coach. Results are organized around three themes: collaborative approaches to integration, affordance and effort, and expectations with support. Examination of the enactment of new literacies integration led us to create an innovative teacher education model. In the proposed Triarchic Model of Teacher Education, a university coach supports the concurrent development of preservice and inservice teachers in technology integration.