Michigan School Districts Research Articles

Place-Based Stewardship Education: Nurturing Aspirations to Protect the Rural Commons

In this mixed-methods study, we examine the potential of place-based stewardship education (PBSE) for nurturing rural students’ community attachment and aspirations to contribute to the preservation of the environmental “commons.” Analyzing pre- and post-experience surveys (n = 240) and open-ended responses (n = 275) collected from middle school students in a Northeast Michigan school district, we found significant increases in students’ environmental sensitivity, environmentally responsible behaviors, community attachment, and confidence in their capacities for civic action. Analyses of open-ended responses pointed to the potential of PBSE to nurture students’ identification with their community and to increase their commitment to stewardship of their community's natural resources. This study makes a unique contribution to the literature on rural schools by focusing on the environmental commons and younger generations’ commitments to preserve it as an asset of rural communities. By linking students’ learning with collective action to preserve the environmental commons, PBSE can expand students’ aspirations for the kind of world they want to live in and the roles they might play in it.

Teacher evaluation reform implementation and labor relations

The Michigan legislature recently enacted a teacher evaluation law which requires school districts to incorporate student achievement data into evaluation systems and mandated that evaluations be used to make high-stakes personnel decisions. Though administrators have considerable discretion to design and implement their evaluation systems, the legislature also passed legislation which barred teacher evaluations from the scope of collective bargaining, thus restricting any formal role teacher unions would have in shaping teacher evaluation at the local level. Using survey data gathered from local district superintendents and human resources directors (n = 73), this study identifies variations in the features of the evaluation systems adopted by Michigan school districts, and reports on the administrators’ evaluation of the new systems. Further, we quantify the extent to which teacher unions were involved in the development of teacher evaluation reform at the local level, and identify the association between key aspects of teacher evaluation protocols and measures of the labor relations climate. This case study provides insights regarding the capacity and willingness of administrators to reform teacher evaluation, the involvement of teachers and teacher unions in developing those reforms, and the association of these reforms with the local labor relations climate.

How Middle School Principals Can Affect Beginning Teachers’ Experiences

This article reports on a 2-year qualitative research study of the processes by which middle school principals’ policies and actions shaped the experiences of five novice teachers in two Michigan school districts. We examined beginning teachers’ perceptions of principals’ approaches to managing student behavior, instructional leadership, and teacher collaboration and their perceptions of the extent to which each principal was trusted by his or her teaching staff. At the end of the second year of data collection (2007–2008), all five beginning teachers expressed high levels of satisfaction and planned to remain teaching in their schools. We argue that leadership related to student behavior and instruction (as perceived by the novices), combined with high levels of teacher–principal trust (again as perceived by the novices), contributes to these outcomes.

Little association between wellness policies and school-reported nutrition practices.

The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 mandated written school wellness policies. Little evidence exists to evaluate the impact of such policies. This study assessed the quality (comprehensiveness of topics addressed and strength of wording) of wellness policies and the agreement between written district-level policies and school-reported nutrition policies and practices in 48 low-income Michigan school districts participating in the School Nutrition Advances Kids study. Written wellness policy quality was assessed using the School Wellness Policy Evaluation Tool. School nutrition policies and practices were assessed using the School Environment and Policy Survey. Analysis of variance determined differences in policy quality, and Fisher's exact test examined agreement between written policies and school-reported practices. Written wellness policies contained ambiguous language and addressed few practices, indicating low comprehensiveness and strength. Most districts adopted model wellness policy templates without modification, and the template used was the primary determinant of policy quality. Written wellness policies often did not reflect school-reported nutrition policies and practices. School health advocates should avoid assumptions that written wellness policies accurately reflect school practices. Encouraging policy template customization and stronger, more specific language may enhance wellness policy quality, ensure consistency between policy and practice, and enhance implementation of school nutrition initiatives.

Housing markets and residential segregation: Impacts of the Michigan school finance reform on inter- and intra-district sorting

Local financing of public schools in the U.S. leads to a bundling of two distinct choices – residential choice and school choice – and has been argued to increase the degree of socioeconomic segregation across school districts. A school finance reform, aimed at equalization of school finances, can in principle weaken this link between housing choice and choice of schools. In this paper, we study the impacts of the Michigan school finance reform of 1994 (Proposal A) on spatial segregation. The reform was a state initiative intended to equalize per pupil expenditures between Michigan school districts and reduce the role of local financing. We find that Proposal A led to a decline in neighborhood sorting within education markets, as measured by changes in the value of housing stock and several socioeconomic indicators. We also find that the reform affected the dispersion of incomes and educational attainment within school districts, increasing within-district heterogeneity in the lowest spending school districts, while decreasing the same in the highest spending districts. However, there is a continued high demand for residence in the highest spending communities. These findings are robust to various alternative definitions of “education market”, and survive several sensitivity checks. These spatial segregation patterns are not replicated in neighboring Ohio that did not face similar school finance equalization.

Maternal and Paternal Parenting Style Patterns and Adolescent Emotional and Behavioral Outcomes

The purpose of this study was to extend current research to examine the relationship between parenting style combinations and adolescent emotional/behavioral outcomes to further understand affective functioning in adolescents. Previous research solely analyzed mothers, without including fathers and/or both parents. The roles of temperament and adolescent and parent gender were also examined. Participants were 12- to 18-year-old students (n = 195) in 7th to 11th grade in a rural school district in southeast Michigan. Temperament characteristics (i.e., mood, flexibility-rigidity, and eating rhythmicity) explained nearly half of the variance in adolescent outcomes. Parenting styles contributed a smaller but significant role. When both parents were authoritative, it was associated with more optimal outcomes in adolescents' personal adjustment than any other parenting style combination. Having one authoritative parent, which was expected to be a protective factor, was related to high personal adjustment for girls but higher levels of school maladjustment for boys. Mixed associations were found for parenting style combinations and adolescent outcomes. Overall, when both parents were permissive and neglectful, these parenting styles were associated with poorer adolescent outcomes. Study findings confirm that parenting style patterns are important; however, adolescent temperament plays a much larger role, overall, in adolescent affective functioning.

State and Federal Policies for School Facility Construction

Background: The Ohio School Facilities Commission was set up in response to litigation compelling the state to achieve a more equitable distribution in the quality of school facilities. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was a federal policy to stimulate the United States economy and support school facility construction. These two programs provide an opportunity to compare a state-run program to a federal one. Purpose: This study analyzes the distribution of school and community resources across school districts in Michigan and Ohio, two otherwise similar states with very different policies to support school facilities. Using the year prior to the implementation of the ARRA as a baseline, this study then compares the allocation of Qualified School Construction Bonds (QSCB) provided under the ARRA. Research Design: Using Michigan as a control group because of the weak state support for school construction, the analysis shows the distribution and variation of school building capital, community resources, educational inputs, and student outcomes across districts in both states. Based on these indicators, districts that received QSCBs are compared with districts that did not. Findings: Ohio does appear to have a more equitable distribution of capital facilities but the QSCB allocations in Ohio do not appear to be noticeably more equalizing than those in Michigan. Moreover, the allocations in both states went, on average, to districts above the mean on a number of measures of community resources, educational inputs, and student outcomes.

Educator Beliefs and Cultural Knowledge

Purpose: This qualitative study reports on beliefs practicing educators hold about diverse students and families. Specifically, this study examined educator beliefs related to culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse students and families along with participants’ knowledge of culture and its application in practice. Research Design: Data were collected through a qualitative instrument administered to 111 teachers and educational leaders in two school districts in Texas and Michigan. Participants provided written responses to scenarios depicting culture clashes that commonly occur in schools. Data were analyzed using a constructivist grounded theory resulting in a continuum of cultural responsiveness. Findings: Results reveal the majority of participants appear to have a general awareness of culture, but also hold a number of deficit beliefs about diverse students and their families. In describing how they apply cultural knowledge in practice, participants tended to address visible aspects of culture, overlooking less obvious aspects. The majority of participants used deficit thinking in explanations for the clashes and viewed the clashes as problems warranting a technical solution. Little consideration was given to the social aspects of schooling such as identity, culture, language, and relationships, which are at the heart of culturally responsive teaching, learning, and leading. Implications: More than 30 years of school reform efforts have failed to address inequitable educational outcomes. The results of this study suggest the ineffectiveness of reform efforts may be due in part to educators’ deficit beliefs and lack of cultural knowledge, two areas preparation and professional development programs must better address.

Adolescents' Access to Their Own Prescription Medications in the Home

The objective of this descriptive study was to determine adolescents' access to their own medications at home, specifically prescription pain, stimulant, antianxiety, and sedative medications. Semistructured interviews were conducted with a cohort of 501 adolescents from two southeastern Michigan school districts. Participants were asked what medications had been prescribed to them during the previous 6 months; if they had received prescription medications, they were asked in-depth questions about them, including how medications were stored and supervised at home. The sample was comprised of adolescents in the 8th and 9th grades, and 50.9% were male. Participants were primarily white (72.9%, n = 365) or African-American (21.6%, n = 108). Slightly less than half of the adolescents (45.9%, n = 230) reported having been prescribed medications in the previous 6 months. Of this group, 14.3% (n = 33) had been prescribed pain medications, 9.6% (n = 22) stimulants, 1.7% (n = 4) antianxiety medications, and .9% (n = 2) sedatives. In total, 57 adolescents were prescribed medications in the pain, stimulant, antianxiety, or sedative categories (including controlled medications), and the majority (73.7%, n = 42) reported that they had unsupervised access to medications with abuse potential. The majority of adolescents who were prescribed medications in the pain, stimulant, antianxiety, or sedative categories during the previous 6 months had unsupervised access to them at home. It is critical that clinicians educate parents and patients about the importance of proper storage and disposal of medications, particularly those with abuse potential.

Frequency and manner of usage of pulse crops in school meals in Michigan

Obesity remains a health concern among US school children, and as of 2009, the prevalence of obesity among children in the state of Michigan was 11.9%. School lunches offer an opportunity to introduce healthy and nutritious foods into the diets of children. Pulse crops, which include dry beans, dry peas, lentils and chickpeas, are low cost sources of both dietary fiber and potassium, which have been identified by the USDA as Nutrients of Concern. The aim of this study was to identify usage patterns of pulse crops in Michigan school food service. School lunch menus were obtained for elementary, middle and high schools of 13 Michigan school districts for the month of May 2012. Districts varied in enrollment size, proportion of students eligible for free and reduced meals, and food service provider type. Frequency and type of usage of pulse crops was analyzed and differences among district characteristics were assessed. Results indicate the frequency of use of pulse crops in school meals in Michigan is very low and only slightly variable. These results demonstrate that, despite the economic and nutritional advantages pulse crops offer school meals, they remain underutilized.

Medical use, medical misuse, and nonmedical use of prescription opioids: Results from a longitudinal study

The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence and patterns associated with past-year medical use, medical misuse, and nonmedical use of prescription opioids (NMUPO) among adolescents over a 2-year time period and to examine substance abuse, sleeping problems, and physical pain symptoms associated with these patterns of medical use, medical misuse, and NMUPO. A Web-based survey was self-administered by a longitudinal sample of 2050 middle and high school students in 2009–2010 (Year 1) and again in 2010–2011 (Year 2). The study was set in 2 southeastern Michigan school districts. The longitudinal sample consisted of 50% females, 67% Whites, 28% African-Americans, and 5% from other racial/ethnic categories. Main outcome measures were past-year medical use, medical misuse, and NMUPO. Of those reporting appropriate medical use of prescription opioids in Year 1, approximately 34% continued medical use in Year 2. Of those reporting past-year NMUPO in Year 1, approximately 25% continued NMUPO in Year 2. Appropriate medical use and NMUPO for pain relief was more prevalent among girls than boys. Multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that the odds of a positive screen for substance abuse in Year 2 were greater for adolescents who reported medical misuse or NMUPO for non-pain-relief motives in Year 1 compared with those who did not use prescription opioids. The findings indicate an increased risk for substance abuse among adolescents who report medical misuse or NMUPO for non-pain-relief motives over time. The findings have important clinical implications for interventions to reduce medical misuse and NMUPO among adolescents.

Housing Markets and Residential Segregation: Impacts of the Michigan School Finance Reform on Inter- and Intra-District Sorting

Local financing of public schools in the United States leads to a bundling of two distinct choices – residential choice and school choice – and has been argued to increase the degree of socioeconomic segregation across school districts. A school finance reform, aimed at equalization of school finances, can in principle weaken this link between housing choice and choice of schools. In this paper, we study the impacts of the Michigan school finance reform of 1994 (Proposal A) on spatial segregation. The reform was a state initiative intended to equalize per-pupil expenditures between Michigan school districts and reduce the role of local financing. We find that Proposal A was responsible for increases in the value of housing stock in the lowest-spending school districts, and for improvements in several socioeconomic indicators in these districts, implying a decline in neighborhood sorting. We also find that the reform affected dispersion of incomes and educational attainment within school districts, increasing within-district heterogeneity in the lowest-spending school districts, while decreasing the same in the highest-spending districts. However, there is continued high demand for residence in the highest-spending communities, suggesting the importance of neighborhood peer effects (local social capital) and implying that even a comprehensive government aid program can fail to make a large impact on residential segregation.

A Qualitative Analysis of Success Stories From Michiana Coordinated School Health Leadership Institute Participants

The purpose of this study was to detect and document common themes among success stories, along with challenges, as related by participants in the Michiana Coordinated School Health Leadership Institute. Four-member teams from 18 Michigan and Indiana school districts participated in semiannual Institute workshops over a 3-year period and were tasked with implementing Coordinated School Health Programs (CSHPs). Qualitative methods were used to generate themes from interviews. Data were gathered through a combined survey/interview process related to programmatic successes, evidence of success, and implementation challenges. One participant from 11 of 18 participating school districts completed the survey/interview. Each participant reported at least 1 success that had a positive effect on students and/or staff, many of which were related to the federally mandated wellness policy. With some notable exceptions, success was based on subjective judgments rather than systematically collected data. Unanimous expression of time constraints and being overworked in their current positions constituted major challenges. Although the Institute required only process evaluation, some participants collected outcome data, a task that is important in validating the benefits of CSHPs. Most districts were not able to hire the recommended coordinator to ensure implementation of health program planning initially developed during the institute. Encouragingly, at the time of data collection many teams were still acting to ensure health programming remained a priority. Nevertheless, without the network of social support provided by the Institute, some respondents struggled to maintain momentum.

The Effects of Charter School Competition on School District Resource Allocation

Purpose: This article examines two questions: (a) How does resource allocation change in school districts experiencing sustained charter school competition? (b) Among districts exposed to charter competition, are there differences in the resource allocation adjustments between those that do and do not succeed in stemming further enrollment loss to charters? Research Design: The authors utilize fixed effect models to analyze a statewide panel data set of Michigan school districts from 1994 to 2006. The authors consider several dimensions of resource allocation—for example, average class size, teacher salaries, and spending shares devoted to a variety of disaggregated instructional and noninstructional functions, including administration. Findings: Overall, the results do not support the hypothesis that competition from charter schools spurs regular public schools to shift resources to achievement-oriented activities. Charter competition has had remarkably little impact on standard measures of district resource use in Michigan schools. On the other hand, higher levels of charter competition clearly generate fiscal stress in districts. Moreover, changes in resource allocation cannot explain the differing trajectories of districts that do and do not turn back the competitive challenge. There are no significant differences in the resource allocation changes made by districts that stabilize enrollment loss to charters and those that continue to spiral down. Conclusions: The authors find no support for the hopeful prediction that competition from charter schools will compel school district leaders to shift resources to achievement-oriented activities.

Characteristics associated with the diversion of controlled medications among adolescents

BackgroundThe objective of this study was to estimate the lifetime prevalence of diversion (i.e., trading, selling, giving away or loaning) of four classes of controlled medications (pain, stimulant, anti-anxiety, and sleeping) among adolescents, and to identify demographic and behavioral characteristics of adolescents who divert their own controlled medications. MethodsA web-based survey was self-administered by 2744 secondary school students from two southeastern Michigan school districts in 2009–2010. The sample consisted of 51% females, 65% Whites, 29% African-Americans, 4% Asians, 1% Hispanics and 1% from other racial categories. ResultsThirty-three percent of the students had ever been prescribed at least one controlled pain, stimulant, anti-anxiety, or sleeping medication. Approximately 13.8% (n=117) of lifetime prescribed users of controlled medications (n=848) had ever traded, sold, given away or loaned their medications. Multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that being approached to divert medications, nonmedical use of prescription medications, externalizing behaviors, and being non-White were significantly associated with the diversion of controlled medications. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that the odds of substance use and abuse for lifetime prescribed users who diverted their controlled medications were significantly greater than prescribed users who never diverted. ConclusionsThe findings indicate that approximately one in seven prescribed users had diverted their controlled medications in their lifetimes. Being approached to divert medications and substance use are more prevalent among adolescents who diverted their controlled medications. Careful assessments, diligent prescribing and monitoring of controlled medications, and continual patient education could be useful in reducing medication diversion.

State reforms threaten remote community life

This paper reports on an ethnographic study of administrators, faculty, parents and community members in one remote Michigan school district. The purpose of the study is to describe and explain how Michigan's educational reform perspective – arguably similar to the education reform perspectives of many states – encountered the educational perspective of members of one of the state's most remote communities. I described education's reform perspective, noted its conceptual coherence and conformity with calls for an improved – that is, more demanding, progressive, coordinated and centralised – system. The goal was to understand how that perspective encounters the educational perspective of a remote community. Put simply, the results suggested that Michigan's educational reform perspective poses a direct threat to that community.

How Does District Principal Evaluation Affect Learning-Centered Principal Leadership? Evidence From Michigan School Districts

This study used Hierarchical Multivariate Linear models to investigate relationships between principals' behaviors and district principal evaluation purpose, focus, and assessed leadership activities in 13 school districts in Michigan. The study found that principals were more likely to engage in learning-centered leadership behaviors when the purposes of evaluation included principal professional development, school restructuring, and accountability; when the focus of evaluation was related to instructional leadership; and when evaluation addressed leadership in school goal setting, curriculum design, teacher professional development and evaluation, and monitoring student learning. The findings from this study have implications for improving district evaluation policies and practices.

Cross-Dialectal Perceptual Experiences of Speech-Language Pathologists in Predominantly Caucasian American School Districts

This study aimed to determine if the number and type of African American English (AAE) features that are spoken in sentences influence speech-language pathologists' (SLPs') judgments of (a) how noticeable the dialect is (dialect detectability) and (b) how understandable a speaker is to others (comprehensibility). Certified SLPs with little conversational experience with AAE were recruited from predominantly Caucasian American school districts in Michigan. They listened to sentences that contained varying amounts and types of AAE phonological features. The SLPs rated the sentences on 5-point scales regarding dialect detectability and comprehensibility. The ratings for the different sentences were compared to determine how the variables contributed to the SLPs' judgments of AAE. Both dialect detectability and comprehensibility ratings were affected by the number of AAE features that were included in the sentences. The types of AAE features consistently affected the comprehensibility ratings but less consistently affected the dialect detectability ratings. Multiple factors may affect SLPs' perceptions of AAE. The outcomes have both theoretical and practical implications.

Education inputs, student performance and school finance reform in Michigan

This paper estimates the impact of the Michigan school finance reform, Proposal A, on education inputs and test scores. Using a difference-in-difference estimation strategy, I find that school districts in Michigan used the increase in educational spending generated through Proposal A to increase teacher salaries and reduce class size to a smaller extent. Then, using the foundation allowance created by Proposal A as an instrument, I estimate the causal effect of increased spending on 4th and 7th grade math scores for two test measures – a scaled score and a percent satisfactory measure – and find positive effects of increased spending on 4th grade test scores. A 60% increase in spending increases the percent satisfactory score by one standard deviation. The positive impact of expenditures on test performance seems largely due to higher teacher salaries.

Prescription Drug Abuse and Diversion Among Adolescents in a Southeast Michigan School District

Prescription Drug Abuse and Diversion Among Adolescents in a Southeast Michigan School District