Small School District Research Articles

Developing an evaluation plan for school health programs in Nebraska.

This article describes a unique plan for comprehensive evaluation of school health programs. With property tax caps threatening Nebraska's school health programs, the Nebraska Dept. of Health and Human Services initiated an evaluation plan to answer the question, "What is the value of school health?" The plan used the "Targeting Outcomes of Program" (TOP) framework to measure impact indicators of a comprehensive school health program. To customize the plan for Nebraska schools, community input was sought from stakeholders identified from a small rural school district. Following a series of focus group meetings, the final evaluation plan was developed and implemented as a statewide evaluation of comprehensive school health services. The resulting plan addressed several deficiencies previously identified in the literature by including community input, attention to multiple roles, and measurable outcomes documenting effectiveness, or value.

A Co-Teaching Model for Literacy Education

In 1989, Boston University and the Chelsea, Massachusetts, Public Schools formed a partnership to join the resources of a large urban university with those of a small urban school district. The partnership was created when officials from Chelsea invited Boston University President John Silber to enter into a ten-year agreement to assist the school system in providing high-quality education for all students. In 1994, this multifaceted project was the topic of an issue of this journal, edited by Professors Indrisano and Jeanne Paratore, a reference for the reader who is interested in learning about the partnership and its effect on teaching and learning in Chelsea. This article begins with an introduction to the Chelsea Public Schools and the partnership. The second section describes the collaborative efforts of university faculty (Roselmina Indrisano) and school faculty (Nancy Birmingham, Sheila Garnick, and Denise Keefe Maresco) that resulted in a co-teaching model designed to eliminate the separation between classroom instruction and Title I services. In the third part, the classroom teacher (Denise Keefe Maresco) and the Title I teacher (Nancy Birmingham) describe the way the co-teaching model is implemented in one first grade classroom. Lastly, the Title I director (Sheila Garnick) describes the ways in which she assisted other teachers in implementing a model for literacy instruction and assessment in their classrooms.

Instructional practices in media literacy education and their impact on students’ learning

This study reports the findings of qualitative and quantitative research designed to assess the impact of different types of instructional practices involving media literacy education across the curriculum. Teachers in a small school district participated in a staff development program in media literacy and developed unique approaches for integrating media literacy concepts into language arts, history, math and science at the ninth grade level. The work of four different teams of ninth grade teachers is described by examining the instructional practices, motivations and philosophy behind teachers’ application of media literacy concepts into the curriculum. In addition, students exposed to these different forms of media literacy education were tested on specific media analysis skills, including the ability to identify main ideas, the message's purpose, point of view, and various structural features of a news broadcast. Students who received a balance of media analysis and media production experiences, who used film and video frequently in the classroom and who did not rely exclusively on off‐the‐shelf prepared media literacy curriculum performed better in measures of media analysis which involved the deconstruction of a segment of television news programming. Results also showed that classrooms which engaged in more extensive and comprehensive approaches to integrating media literacy skills into existing curriculum had students with higher levels of information processing skills including recall and comprehension of ideas presented in a video.

How Should Districts Serve Twice Exceptional Students?

In a small Texas rural school district with a high school campus of fewer than 200 students in grades 9 to 12, a professional team of educators discovered a twice exceptional student. The student we will call Rich had been identified as needing special education services at the second grade in his academic journey.

Adoption of a District-Level School Library Policy: A Case Study in Change

A case study approach what's used to examine the processes in a small school district in Alberta, Canada that led to a district policy adopting a cooperative integrated school library program model. The model adopted by the district was that recommended by the Alberta Ministry of Education in the document, Focus on Learning. The adoption process was facilitated by the innovation capacity of The District, by the active leadership of the Superintendent and the Board of Trustees, by the existence of a provincial policy and program model, and by access to new funding. Evaluation of libraries in The District played a key role in changing the understanding of the nature of the school library, from that of the facility and a collection isolated from the curriculum and operating under the responsibility of support personnel, to that of an instructional program integral to the curriculum and directed by teachers. Four propositions about the nature of the adoption process emerged from the case study, related to the time involved, a problem-solving orientation, understanding the innovation, and school board leadership.

8. Intentional transformation in a small school district: the Turner School Initiative

8. Intentional transformation in a small school district: the Turner School Initiative

The Semi, Self-contained Classroom: An Island of Innovations

Abstract The needs of each child are often in conflict with pre-set delivery models. In a small school district in Illinois, the bilingual teacher was able to adapt her program to the many different types of needs exhibited by the students. Children with no English were able to receive the majority of their curriculum from the bilingual teacher in a “semi self-contained” model, while children in varying stages of English language acquisition received adjusted amounts of time and curriculum in a resource, pull-out model. This concurrent delivery system allowed the bilingual teacher, with the collaborative efforts of the homeroom teachers, to meet most of the varying needs of over 60 children.

Invisible and Silent Along the Blue Highways

Visits to 25 small rural school districts in 21 states revealed three prevailing myths about equal education held by teachers and administrators: (1) some children can't learn; (2) providing the same education to all students is providing equal education; and (3) we have no in providing equal educational opportunities. Counteracting these myths entails changing the belief systems of teachers and administrators; describing inequality with the appropriate language; meeting inequality head-on by confronting ethnic md sex stereotypes that children bring to school; establishing equity as an ongoing institutional practice; and moving school administrators away from authoritarian leadership and toward developing leadership skills that are empowering, facilitative, and participatory. Most important, teachers and administrators must acknowledge and work with students who have little or no privilege in s -iety, and who have not received unearned advantages as a condition of birth. To be successful in providing an equal education and addressing the silent and invisible students in schools, teachers and administrators must believe that all children can learn, understand that same is not equal, and acknowledge that there are problems with respecting diversity in schools. (LP) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** PERMISSION TO REPRODUC.E THIS MATERIAL_ HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCAflONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC):

Transition Practices and Employment Outcomes in Rural Wisconsin

Two research studies were carried out in rural locations in the state of Wisconsin. The first study was a survey of secondary transition and vocational education practices in fifteen small school districts. The second study was a survey of employment outcomes of former students with mild disabilities from the same districts. Strengths and weaknesses in service delivery were identified and discussed in response to student outcomes. This article concludes with recommended activities that teachers can implement to meet student transitional needs.

Audiovisual Materials and Secondary Schools

Because of the continuing growth of technology, audiovisual equipment and software are increasingly complex and interactive. Students in secondary schools can benefit from instructional media; learning styles vary, and if the educational approach varies accordingly, more students can succeed. Filmstrips are still popular because they are inexpensive and can reflect current issues. Videotapes can encourage dialogue in the classroom because they can be stopped at appropriate times for comments and questions. Videodiscs offer superior quality and can also be paired with computers so that students can express, their knowledge in multimedia presentations. Similarly, video cameras provide an outlet for students' expression. Although new interactive multimedia products are available, many smaller school districts cannot fit them into their budgets at this time. Surprisingly, some of the newest technology is not found in the library media center, but instead in individual classrooms.

Toward a Political Framework for Flexible Management of Decline

Research on organizational decline suggests that some organizations cope with decline by becoming more rigid, while others become more flexible and risk taking. Few studies have examined the specific managerial activities that lead to the more flexible course. This study reanalyzes a case of organizational decline in a small midwestern school district that coped successfully by implementing a carefully structured participation process. Administrative leaders in the district, in particular the superintendent, “opened a conversation” through a carefully arranged and supported task force with a broad group of citizens, staff, teachers and students about the goals and priorities of the district. The citizens' committee efforts continued for six months and resulted in a strong consensus for action (a tax levy, closing a school, restatement of program priorities and staff rollbacks). The case points to managerial actions that other organizations could follow to remain flexible and vitalized during decline. Critical steps included: shaping the perceptual fields of participants through information and disclosure in order to help participants recognize a serious and urgent problem without introducing crisis; careful management and operational support of task formats for broadened participation, with minimal influence on the substance of their recommendations; leadership through coaching of submanagers who facilitated the process indirectly; anticipating and dealing directly with conflicts by balancing views and channeling different interests into shared governance opportunities where heterogeneity was valued and institutional knowledge could be gained. The authors advance a political model, based on management as a process of governance, to explain how the leadership in this organization conceptualized its role. Management acted as a steward for decisions about organizational goals and legitimacy that others would make. By surrendering the power to shape reality for others and instead allowing them through discourse to establish a coherent policy out of heterogeneity, the superintendent created commitment to the organization during a time of stress and eventually a robust consensus which became the basis for action. A model of shared governance that was in harmony with the community's history and values and that reflected the superintendent's personal philosophy was implemented through specific activities. The shared governance model provides a unified conceptual explanation for why the superintendent acted as he did, and it highlights the specific functions managers might perform if the organization is to respond flexibly during decline. The political interpretation extends and refines current theoretical models of organizational decline processes and suggests approaches that are potentially applicable to other organizations.

Success for students ‐‐ Alternative to retention

Following a study in small school districts in the Washington and involving Principal's attitudes to retention, alternative methods of helping pupils towards academic success are put forward.

Specific and diversive curiosity in gifted elementary students.

Twenty-nine gifted students in Grades 2 to 6 from the small school districts in north central Kansas completed the Maze test and the Which-to-Discuss test. Background information such as age, sex, grade, and marital status of parents was also collected. There were no significant differences between boys and girls or for students from divorced and nondivorced parents on either the Which-to-Discuss test (specific curiosity) or the Maze test scores (diversive curiosity). The students scored significantly higher on the former test than chance guessing which suggests the students were displaying specific curiosity. Scores of these gifted students on these two tests of curiosity were significantly and positively correlated.

Relationship of School Entrance Age to Academic and Social Performance

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine if children's chronological age is related to academic and social performance in school. Subjects were 699 students referred to and evaluated by the school psychologist, 149 students referred to and placed in the Primary Mental Health Project (PMHP), 423 students evaluated for potential gifted placement, 171 students placed in the gifted education program, and 234 students placed in the pre-first grade. The subjects were chosen during 1979 through 1985 from all the students in Grades K through 12 in a small school district in upstate New York. Kendall's tau analyses were completed to determine whether the proportion of students referred to the various programs/services correlated with birth date. Sex effects were also analyzed. Results indicated significance only for older students being referred more often for gifted evaluation, younger students being placed more often in pre-first grade, and boys being referred more often for psycho-educational evaluat...

Specific and Diversive Curiosity and Depression in Junior High School Students of Divorced and Nondivorced Parents

124 junior high school students (Grades 5 to 8) from a small school district in north central Kansas completed the Beck Depression Scale, the Maze test, and the Which-to-Discuss test. Background information, such as age, sex, grade, and marital status of parents, were also collected. There were no significant differences between boys and girls of divorced and nondivorced parents or across grades for scores on the Which-to-Discuss (specific curiosity) and depression, but boys scored significantly higher on the Maze test (diversive curiosity). No differences were noted between the students of divorced and nondivorced parents or across grades. Scores on Which-to-Discuss test and Maze test were not significantly correlated, but scores on one Maze test and depression correlated positively and significantly. When these students scored as more depressed, although in the normal range, they tended to score higher on diversive curiosity.

Rural/Urban School Districts: Trends in Consolidation and Decentralization

Historically, 10,000 students is a large number for a school district. Our schools, we must remember, are an outgrowth of one-room school houses and school districts in rural America. With the exception of a few urban areas, even as late as the turn of the twentieth century, most school districts consisted of three, four, or five schools and a few hundred students. As late as 1930, nearly 50 percent of American school districts had fewer than 300 students. By 1988, as many as 26 percent of the school districts (enrolling only 1.3 percent of the nation's students) had fewer than 300 pupils. Conversely, 4.1 percent of public school districts had 10,000 or more students. There were only 171 or 1.1 percent of the schools districts with 25,000 or more students, but they accounted for 11.2 million students or 28 percent of the nation's public school enrollment. Table 1 shows how school districts today are distributed. Most of the larger school districts (25,000 or more students) are located in California, Florida, Texas, and Maryland, but the states with the largest district averages are, in descending order, Hawaii (163,800 students), Maryland (27,900), Florida (23,200), and Louisiana (12,000). The states with the smallest district averages, that is, less than 1,000 students per district, are Oklahoma, Maine, South Dakota, Vermont, Nebraska, and Montana (the lowest with 281 students) (Jewell 1989; Ornstein 1989b). In most cases, the larger school districts are located in or near cities, the largest being the New York City system with approximately 940,000 students, followed by those of Los Angeles with 590,000 students, Chicago with 420,000 students, and Dade County with 255,000 students (see table 2). (Two other large school districts, Puerto Rico and Hawaii, span an entire territory and state, respectively.) The medium-sized and smaller school districts have followed metropolitan sprawl and tend to be located in the outer ring of the suburbs or in rural areas.

Teaching and Learning with Computers: A Classroom Analysis

This article reports on the findings of a follow-up study to an earlier article “Computer-Based At-Risk Instructional Model,” which was published in Volume 20, Number 2, 1991–92 of this journal. The research took place in a small rural school district in Kentucky over a period of approximately two years. Detailed statistical information is presented as evidence of the many benefits of using the TLC (Teaching and Learning with Computers) approach.

SPECIFIC AND DIVERSIVE CURIOSITY IN GIFTED ELEMENTARY STUDENTS

Twenty-nine gifted students in Grades 2 to 6 from the small school districts in north central Kansas completed the Maze test and the Which-to-Discuss test. Background information such as age, sex, grade, and marital status of parents was also collected. There were no significant differences between boys and girls or for students from divorced and nondivorced parents on either the Which-to-Discuss test (specific curiosity) or the Maze test scores (diversive curiosity). The students scored significantly higher on the former test than chance guessing which suggests the students were displaying specific curiosity. Scores of these gifted students on these two tests of curiosity were significantly and positively correlated.

GCT Review: How to Survive and Thrive as Educator of Gifted and Talented in Small School Districts

GCT Review: How to Survive and Thrive as Educator of Gifted and Talented in Small School Districts

A Sociometric Analysis of Between-Group Differences and Within-Group Status Variability of Hispanic Learning Disabled and Nonhandicapped Pupils in Academic and Play Contexts

The purpose of this study was to assess the sociometric status of mainstreamed Hispanic learning disabled (LD) and nonhandicapped pupils. Fourth- and fifth-grade pupils from a small metropolitan school district in the Southwest participated. Sociometric data were collected from 35 classrooms across 10 schools. Hispanic LD pupils received lower sociometric peer ratings than their nonhandicapped peers. However, a peer rating/nomination classification procedure resulted in considerable variability in sociometric status for both LD and nonhandicapped children. Although 30% of the LD sample were in the rejected status group, almost 50% of the LD pupils attained average sociometric status. Sociometric context (i.e., academic and play) also influenced membership in status groups.