York State Education Department Research Articles

Investigating the Efficacy and Sustainability of Virtual Education Courses

As teacher educators prepare for the future of teacher education, it is important to address the sustainability of virtual education courses. This study used a pre-existing model provided by the New York State Education Department as a framework to define the types of courses that may appear in an education program. Data was collected using a convergent parallel mixed methods approach to simultaneously gather qualitative and quantitative data. A total of 640 education courses from accredited education programs across the United States were analyzed. Findings indicated the type of course did not play a role in the course effectiveness during the pandemic, suggesting all education courses can be delivered effectively in a virtual modality. The delivery method of undergraduate courses was indicated by participants to be less effective during the pandemic than graduate courses. Results suggest courses that involve fieldwork (i.e., Field Experience, Student Teaching, or Practicum) were indicated by participants to be the least sustainable as virtual courses post-pandemic. Results also suggest that although virtual education courses at the graduate level are sustainable in education programs post-pandemic, undergraduate courses may not be. Advantages to virtual course delivery clustered around logistics and access while challenges clustered around engagement and hands-on-learning. This study provides curriculum guidance to those across the globe in the position of making modality decisions.

Toward a Civil Society: Bernarr Cooper and the Bureau of Mass Communications of the New York State Education Department

Bernarr Cooper (1912–1999) led the Bureau of Mass Communications of the New York State Education Department from 1962 to 1982. During its heyday—roughly between 1970 and 1980—the Bureau produced or coproduced more than 1,500 educational programs, distributed widely to public schools and libraries across the state of New York. This article draws the story of Cooper and the Bureau out of the annals of New York State history, making it meaningful to the interrelated histories of mass communication, popular television, education, and public health.

Impact of environmental programs on student test scores mediated by school attendance rate

BackgroundLittle is known regarding whether environmental programs affect student academic performance. We examined if the association between EPA Tools for School (TfS) policies or other environmental programs and student test scores were mediated by student attendance. MethodsThe 2015 School Building Condition Survey (BCS) was linked with School Report data provided by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). BCS includes school building information from 2,956 public schools while School Report data provides school attendance and test scores for different subjects in NYS. We conducted causal mediation analysis to investigate direct and indirect effects of TfS or other programs, via improving attendance, on test scores for each course while controlling for school-level socio-demographics. ResultsEPA TfS policies were significantly associated with a lower percent of “low total score” for overall math, overall science, and multiple specific subjects (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, the associations between TfS and test scores in algebra II, trigonometry, and chemistry were significantly mediated by student attendance rate (-1.376 and -0.563 respectively). Other IAQ programs were also associated with a smaller percent of low-score students in multiple subject tests (all P <0.05). We found a mediated proportion of 6 to 43% by attendance in the association between other IAQ programs and high score academic performance. Implementing TfS and other programs can reduce the proportion of students receiving overall low scores by 2.66% and 1.37%, respectively. ConclusionEPA TfS and other IAQ programs improved student test scores in multiple subjects in NYS public schools and was partially mediated by improving attendance rate.

Culturally Relevant Leadership and Emancipatory Leadership: Linking Black Education and Social Justice Struggles Going Forward

In January 2020, in response to the criticism that New York City schools don't reflect the experiences of students of color, the New York State Education Department (2020) released the Culturally responsive and sustaining Education Framework. While the culturally responsive and sustaining education (CR-SE) initiative in New York City schools aims to bring a well-rounded curriculum that centers on many cultures into the classroom, there is still a lack of diverse curriculum and reading material (Gooden, 2019). Discussion of how CR-SE can serve as an emancipatory approach in Black education has been lacking since its creation. To get a better understanding of the liberating and emancipatory practices CR-SE offers, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Sonya Douglass.

Fighting Inequities of Design: A Conversation with Shaun Nelms

From his perspective as superintendent of the East Upper and Lower Schools in Rochester, New York, and as director of the University of Rochester's Center for Urban Education Success, Dr. Shaun Nelms shares his experience of growing up in a nearby segregated city and discusses inequitable education, his district's partnership with the University of Rochester, and the need for culturally responsive and sustaining (CR-S) education (New York State Education Department [NYSED], 2018; Paris, 2012) to transform structural racist school cultures, particularly in underserved communities and segregated cities. During this conversation with Dr. Valerie Marsh, Nelms's colleague and the assistant director of their research center, Dr. Nelms discusses what it takes to expand CR-S education (NYSED, 2018; Paris &amp; Alim, 2014) beyond one school and into one of the most segregated counties in the nation. In order for CR-S pedagogy to achieve true equity, it must be for all students, not just those attending school in urban areas. Dr. Nelms speaks about how he, his fellow superintendents, and others have collaborated to make CR-S theory a reality in their region (Paris, 2012; Paris &amp; Alim, 2014).

Education as Advocacy: The Foundations of Support for Immigrant Youth

This article is a review of the following video series: Kleyn, T. (2019). Supporting immigrants in schools. The City College of New York and the New York State Education Department. https://www.cunyiie.org/videos Kleyn, T. (Ed.). (2019). Supporting immigrants in schools: Resource Guide. The City College of New York and New York State Education Department. 54p. Available as download from https://cuny-iie.org/ .

Summaries of Articles

Summaries of Articles

“Much more chewing”: a case study of resistance to school reform in rural New York during the early twentieth century

ABSTRACT Between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as the United States was transformed from an agrarian nation to an industrial one, significant changes in the nation’s economic, social, and political structures, and the challenges that ensued, led to a multitude of diverse reform movements and a surge of regulatory measures from the federal and state governments. State governments played a particularly significant role in education reform by establishing new standards and regulations and taking steps to implement them in the nation’s schools. State education officials often met with resistance to reform from the residents of small rural school districts, who had enjoyed a long history of local control and resented the state’s interference. Conflict became more complicated when the residents within a rural community differed among themselves about school reform. This historical study investigates and analyses two documented disputes between the New York State Education Department and two common school districts in the Town of Conklin, Broome County, which occurred during the early 1900s. The physical condition of the schoolhouses led to both conflicts, and rural school consolidation and community infighting were additional factors that marked the second dispute. Both cases highlight the forces of local democratic governance and the central authority of the state over local schools and its role in the process of school reform. The Conklin cases are discussed and analysed within the larger contexts of localism, state-local tensions during the Progressive Era, rural school consolidation, and the reform initiatives of the New York State Education Department during this historical period.

Examining the Actor Coalitions and Discourse Coalitions of the Opt-Out Movement in New York: A Discourse Network Analysis

Background/Context Since 2013, opting out of state standardized tests has become a movement—the grassroots, organized efforts to refuse to take high-stakes state standardized tests. In particular, opt-out rates in the state of New York have been consistently fluctuating around 20%. Purpose/Objective This study aims to examine the actor coalitions and discourse coalitions that have propelled the opt-out movement in the state of New York—the movement's epicenter with the highest opt-out rate in the United States. Conceptual Framework This study is conceptually grounded in the advocacy coalition framework (ACF), a prominent conceptual lens to investigate the formation of coalitions and their impact on policymaking. The ACF posits that advocacy coalitions are forged by policy actors who have similar policy preferences. By contrast, differences in policy preferences are manifested in the discourse that serves to defend or propose coherent arguments as justifications for policy preferences held by the opposition coalitions. Research Design This study compiled the Opt-out Discourse Data Set by using data from 323 press articles and 52 archival documents from 2015 to 2018. Each news article or archival document was coded with three variables: movement actors, statements articulated by the actors, and the actors’ sentiment toward the statements. An actor-statement bipartite network, an actor coalition network, and a discourse coalition network were created, respectively. Next, Freeman degree centrality was calculated to identify major actors and their statements. The network metrics of density and connectedness of the two competing coalitions were calculated to compare the coalitions’ network structure. Findings In the actor coalition network, the movement advocacy coalition is clearly more densely connected than the movement opposition coalition in terms of the number of actors, coalition density, and coalition connectedness. The discourse coalition network shows similar patterns: the movement advocacy coalition is densely connected, as evidenced by the numbers of nodes in each coalition and the network metrics of coalition density and connectedness. Conclusions/Recommendations This study concludes with a discussion on how the future of the opt-out movement depends on (1) how the movement advocacy coalition continues to amass power and influence in education policymaking, and (2) how the New York State Education Department exercises its power over implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Moreover, this article demonstrates the application of discourse network analysis to examine qualitative data in education research. The discourse network approach is particularly instrumental in explaining a policy output by identifying coalitions and their interactions within and across the coalitions.

Inclusive education in the (new) era of anti-immigration policy: enacting equity for disabled English language learners

The authors present a qualitative study which investigates the intersections between English Language Learner (ELL) status, disability, and special education in a mid-sized urban school district in Upstate New York. They explore how teachers conceptualize and implement New York State Education Department policies which affect the inclusive education of ELL students. The authors discuss how the discourse used in these policies, along with teachers’ limited access to guidance and support, could lead to the exacerbation of educational inequities and exclusion of ELLs, despite the promise to support inclusion and success for all students. The Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) framework is used as an intersectional tool to help re-frame existing inclusive policies and practices.

Letter from the Editors

Letter from the Editors Robert Chiles, Devin R. Lander, Jennifer Lemak, and Aaron Noble This issue of New York History was produced during a time of historical uncertainty in our state and nation as the world dealt with the vicious COVID-19 virus. It is our sincere hope that all of our readers and contributors are as safe and healthy as possible during these trying times. And, it is our sincere hope that the schools, colleges, universities, museums, archives, libraries, and historical sites that make up New York's diverse and vital historical community can fully emerge from this disaster and continue their important work. Also at the time of publication our nation is engaged in protests as well as historical debates inflamed by the brutal killing of George Floyd and the broader intransigence of racism in America. In this context, the editors echo the sentiments expressed by the New York State Education Department Board of Regents: "America's greatness lies in our diversity, our tolerance, and our willingness to accept and welcome others. These are our nation's founding principles. Sadly, these very ideals are now under attack, as some seek to divide us based on our differences. But we know that, ultimately, civility, dignity, compassion, and respect will prevail—they will unify us and will lift us up as a state and as a nation. As a society, we must do better. This is a time to come together."—The Editors Among the most significant contemporary debates related to American political and social identity is that of historical commemoration, encompassing timely questions of historical relevance, commemorative practice, and the modern significance of figures from the American past. From the moment copies of Common Sense hit the streets of Philadelphia in January 1776, Thomas Paine's life and works have remained central to the meaning of the American Revolution—and the site of conflict over the legacy of the War for Independence and the divergent interpretations of American nationhood in the succeeding centuries. For issue 101.1 of New York History, we are proud to partner with Professors Nora Slonimsky and Michael Crowder from the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies (ITPS) at Iona College to present a series of thematic articles exploring the significance and commemoration of the American Revolutionary era. Inspired by conversations initiated at the ITPS Patriot's Day Symposium in April 2019, articles in this issue by Michael Crowder, Robb Haberman, Michael D. Hattem, Christopher F. Minty, and Mariam Touba explore the broad themes of commemoration and politics through multiple methodological [End Page v] lenses—particular public history. The Artifact NY feature by Nora Slonimsky utilizes material culture to analyze these themes and Alisa Wade's Teach NY provides a teaching module that helps students better integrate women into the political culture of late-eighteenth century New York City. The issue proceeds chronologically from the Revolution into the Early Republican period via Kate Brown's article analyzing several key early decisions handed down by New York's Court for the Correction of Errors—decisions that pragmatically balanced competing class interests within the Empire State's increasingly sophisticated commercial polity while simultaneously elevating the Court to national prominence. The final full-length article in this issue considers a time when New York State once again played a prominent role in a conflict with Great Britain: Harvey Strum's essay on antiwar sentiment among members of the New York State Militia during the War of 1812 highlights the fact that the political divides between Republicans and Federalists that began in the days following American Independence remained contentious over twenty years later. As always, we are thankful to the journal's Advisory Board for their continued support and guidance and to the authors featured in this issue for their hard work and dedication to their scholarship. And, we remain ever grateful to our readers, whose continued interest in New York's vibrant history allows this journal to thrive. Sincerely, The Editors: Robert Chiles, Devin Lander, Jennifer Lemak, Aaron Noble and Danielle Funiciello [End Page vi] Copyright © 2020 Cornell University Press

Insider Stories: Tensions, Resistances, and Missed Opportunities in State LGBT-Inclusive Anti-bullying Policy

The small body of research exploring implementation of state anti-bullying law has noted that while many teachers and administrators report awareness of the law and an expectation for implementation, few report changes in the culture of their schools. Possible reasons for the disconnection between legislation and impact include policy and its implementation. Researchers have found substantial variation in the “fidelity of implementation of policy interventions for bullying” (Hall and Chapman 2018, p. 510). This study explores the implementation of LGBT-inclusive anti-bullying law in New York State through the stories of key participants in the Dignity Act Task Force, a statewide group selected to guide implementation. Participants perceived resistance from the New York State Education Department to developing Dignity Act implementation resources that engaged with LGBT inclusion in any meaningful way. While LGBT students were always listed among the law’s protected categories, implementation resources written specifically to address vulnerabilities and stigma experienced by LGBT students and families were generally dismissed as unnecessary.

Implementing Social and Emotional Learning Standards by Intertwining the Habits of Mind with the CASEL Competencies

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) adopted a set of three standards for social and emotional learning (SEL) in August 2018. In doing so, they have paved the way for explicit instruction in and assessment of 21st-century skills. The three-goal framework selected by NYSED (2018) is modeled after the five competencies of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL, 2018). The authors are overjoyed by this movement to promote dual objective learning (Vermette &amp; Kline, 2017) targeting affective and cognitive goals, but are hesitant to use the CASEL (2018) framework for such SEL standards. Prior to NYSED’s (2018) adoption of the new standards, the authors championed the use of Costa and Kallick’s 16 Habits of Mind (2000) as the best dispositional framework. Now, however, the authors argue that cross-walking the Habits of Mind (Costa &amp; Kallick, 2000) to the CASEL (2018) competencies unlocks previously untapped potentials of both frameworks. This article outlines how such an overlap between the frameworks can be achieved, and proposes how the Habits of Mind (Costa &amp; Kallick, 2000) can be directly used by the students as evidence of their development of the competencies.

Beyond Compliance: Assessing Administrators’ Commitment to Comprehensive School Counseling

The New York State Education Department recently passed legislation that requires school districts to implement a programmatic, data-driven approach to school counseling. This change moves the state toward comprehensive school counseling and away from traditional “guidance”; however, these policy changes often do not translate into practice for some time, if ever. This exploratory study includes survey data from district administrators, school building leaders, and supervisors of school counselors pertaining to their perceptions of the roles and expectations for practicing school counselors. There were significant differences between groups in the expectations and perceptions of the frequency of specific activities performed by these professionals, demonstrating a lack of agreement on important areas of the new regulations. These data have implications for the translation of policy changes into practice and shed light on gaps among key stakeholders that have limited the role of school counselors for decades. Implications for administrators and practicing counselors, especially with regard to communicating and understanding the benefits to students of comprehensive, data-driven practice, are included.

Implementing Social and Emotional Learning Standards by Intertwining the Habits of Mind with the CASEL Competencies

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) adopted a set of three standards for social and emotional learning (SEL) in August 2018. In doing so, they have paved the way for explicit instruction in and assessment of 21st-century skills. The three-goal framework selected by NYSED (2018) is modeled after the five competencies of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL, 2018). The authors are overjoyed by this movement to promote dual objective learning (Vermette & Kline, 2017) targeting affective and cognitive goals, but are hesitant to use the CASEL (2018) framework for such SEL standards. Prior to NYSED’s (2018) adoption of the new standards, the authors championed the use of Costa and Kallick’s 16 Habits of Mind (2000) as the best dispositional framework. Now, however, the authors argue that cross-walking the Habits of Mind (Costa & Kallick, 2000) to the CASEL (2018) competencies unlocks previously untapped potentials of both frameworks. This article outlines how such an overlap between the frameworks can be achieved, and proposes how the Habits of Mind (Costa & Kallick, 2000) can be directly used by the students as evidence of their development of the competencies.

Practicing History and the Social Sciences at the New York State Education Department

This essay is a critical analysis of elements of the Social Studies Toolkit and related materials developed by the New York State Education Department. It addresses misunderstandings of historical theory and method and the presentation of historical knowledge and information by department staff and affiliates, the consequences of which puts teachers and students at a disadvantage.

Passage of New York State Legislation Mandating Academic Progression Toward the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree

New York State’s (NYS) Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the historic “BSN in 10” nursing education legislation on December 18, 2017, after 15 years of committed effort by the bill’s proponents. The NYS Board for Nursing (BFN) based BSN in 10 on a model from NYS teacher preparation, in which teachers are required to hold a baccalaureate degree to teach in public schools, followed by the conferral of a master’s degree 5 years later. This article describes the legislative process for BSN in 10, including efforts to gain support from relevant organizations, as well as reflects on lessons learned throughout the 15-year process. New York State’s (NYS) Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the historic “BSN in 10” nursing education legislation on December 18, 2017, after 15 years of committed effort by the bill’s proponents. The NYS Board for Nursing (BFN) based BSN in 10 on a model from NYS teacher preparation, in which teachers are required to hold a baccalaureate degree to teach in public schools, followed by the conferral of a master’s degree 5 years later. This article describes the legislative process for BSN in 10, including efforts to gain support from relevant organizations, as well as reflects on lessons learned throughout the 15-year process. Barbara Zittel, RN, PhD, was Senior Manager, Office of the Profession, New York State Education Department, Albany, and Executive Secretary, New York State Board for Nursing, Albany. Conflict of Interest Compliance Article 2Journal of Nursing Regulation Vol. 12Issue 2PreviewAs is standard in scholarly publishing, NCSBN’s Journal of Nursing Regulation (JNR) requires its authors to disclose any potential conflicts of interest (COI). Although COI information has always been collected by our staff in order to support editors’ review of the paper, it was not our standard practice to publish COI statements in each article. In this issue, JNR is retrospectively publishing the COI statements, which were collected with the below papers at submission, in order to make potential COI’s transparent to readers, as well as editors. Full-Text PDF

Pediatric providers' attitudes and practices regarding concussion diagnosis and management.

Background Concussions, a form of mild traumatic brain injury, are a current "hot topic" in sports and medicine, with current research focusing on diagnosis, treatment, and the long-term effects of repeated concussions on development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Concussions represent 8.9% of all high school athletic injuries, and pediatricians see many of these patients in their practices, however evolving guidelines and recommendations have resulted in varying practices among providers. Objective To assess how local pediatricians in New York Chapter 2 of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) diagnose and treat concussion patients, and to evaluate the need for continuing education in this area. Design and methods Survey Monkey™ was used to query providers regarding their diagnosis and treatment of concussion patients. A total of three emails containing a link to the 22 question multiple-choice survey were sent to AAP Chapter 2 members between January 2015 and June 2015. The survey was adapted and modified with permission from one previously used by "Zonfrillo MR, Master CL, Grady MF, Winston FK, Callahan JM, Arbogast KB. Pediatric providers' self-reported knowledge, practices, and attitudes about concussion. Pediatrics. 2012;130:1120-5". Results We received 115 responses from 1436 potential participants to whom the survey link was sent, resulting in an 8% response rate. We excluded subspecialists from our data analysis, resulting in data from 95 primary care pediatricians. Of the PCPs 98.7% reported seeing at least one child or adolescent with a concussion in the previous 12 months and 76.6% reported referring some or all of their concussion patients for ongoing management. The most common reason for referral was "I am not always comfortable with management" and the most common subspecialist referral was to a neurologist. Most providers reported that they did not use any guidelines for management (58.3%) and only 57.4% were familiar with the New York State Education Department concussion guidelines. Almost half reported inadequate training in performing neurocognitive assessments (48.6%). Most were comfortable educating families about the diagnosis of concussion (81.7%), as well as recommending the appropriate time to resume school (70.4%) and prescribing and monitoring a return to play protocol (62%). A total of 84.3% also responded, however, that they would be interested in a webinar for a continuing medical education(CME) credit focused on concussion diagnosis and management. Conclusions Most pediatric providers care for patients who have suffered a concussion, however many identify barriers to diagnosis and treatment, which results in patients being referred to subspecialists for further management. Many providers are also unfamiliar with, or do not use, published concussion guidelines and report varying practices in treatment of concussion patients due to evolving recommendations. This study demonstrates that there is a need for further education for pediatric providers who see patients with concussion.

Predicting Fourth Grade Student English Language Art (ELA) Achievement Among New York Schools

The researchers used structural equation modeling (SEM) to create a model to predict fourth-grade student achievement in English Language Arts (ELA) by exploring the relationships among: student, household, school, and teacher factors. Public data from the New York State Education Department (NYSED) 2012–13 school report card data, NYSED fiscal reporting system, Census 2010 School District Demographics System, and 2011 Civil Right Data Collection were used from 1,263 schools in New York excluding New York City. Variables were chosen using this convenient sample and supported by our conceptual rationale.The model predicted fourth-grade ELA achievement with 73 percent of effect size. Household attributes had the strongest predictive value for student achievement. School attendance rate, and the percentage of teachers with master’s degrees plus 30 additional educational credits in the school had medium predictive value for student achievement. The model also predicted the percentage of economically disadvantaged (ED) students in a grade with 73 percent of effect size based on the school district household attributes. Single family household was a major predictor for ED students.

Cloud computing in New York State education: Case study of failed technology adoption of a statewide longitudinal database for student data

Educational institutions are turning to private cloud computing solutions to lower costs, efficiently deliver educational content and analyze student data, ranging from grades and school activities to behavior, health status, and basic demographic variables. This case study of New York State Education Department's failed adoption of cloud computing for its student data and administrative needs demonstrates the potential benefits of creating detailed longitudinal student databases and large datasets. However, it also highlights several serious concerns about privacy, trust, and security in relation to student personally identifiable information (PII). Opposition from parents and educational and privacy advocacy groups–primarily due to fears of commercialization and ubiquitous, non-transparent, and unregulated sharing of student data–led to the closure of a private, cloud-based longitudinal database built by inBloom; and to new New York state legislation regulating student data. This case study analyzes educational governance in New York State, in particular the notion of flexian relations– the powerful web of actors and networks that influence New York State's technology adoption behavior. Student PII, similar to personal health information (PHI), is a particularly sensitive category of data. Data breach and loss of confidentiality by the private cloud vendors could have caused real, quantifiable harms to students. This study provides valuable lessons learnt about cloud platform adoption, for educational institutions and the cloud computing industry.