Current Issues in Education (E-Journal, Arizona State University)
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Accountability Ratings of Elementary Schools: Student Demographics Matter
Get PDFThe researchers examined the most recent year of data (i.e., 2008-2009) from the Texas Academic Excellence Indicator System regarding accountability ratings and student characteristics (i.e., ethnicity, programmatic enrollment, mobility) in elementary schools (n = 4,110). Accountability ratings (i.e., Exemplary, Recognized, Academically Acceptable, and Academically Unacceptable) are assigned primarily based upon school performance on state-mandated tests by student subgroups. Exemplary elementary school campuses had statistically significantly lower percentages of Black students, Hispanic students, at-risk students, economically disadvantaged students, students with Limited English Proficient, and mobility percent (i.e., being at the school less than 83% of the school year) whereas Academically Unacceptable had the highest percentages in all these areas. As such, accountability ratings in Texas elementary schools were clearly related to student characteristics and not just test scores. Implications of these findings and suggestions for further research are discussed
Is there a Relationship between Body Mass Index, Fitness, and Academic Performance? Mixed Results from Students in a Southeastern United States Elementary School
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between body mass index (BMI), physical fitness, and academic performance in elementary school students. Specifically, BMI and scores on the Presidentâs Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards Program, a physical fitness test, were compared to reading and mathematics scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), a standardized norm-referenced academic achievement measure. Participants included 132 4th and 5th grade students from a k-12 school located in North Central Florida. Results revealed that BMI and physical fitness were correlated with academic performance for 5th grade females. In addition, there was a significant and negative association found between BMI and physical fitness across grade level and sex
An Analysis of High School Transformation Effort from an Outcome Perspective
Get PDFThis study investigates the effectiveness of the Ohio High School Transformation Initiative using several years of state data on attendance, graduation, dropout rates, and performance index scores. Results indicate differences between small schools or small learning communities, and traditional schools that have similar school profiles to small schools in: graduation rates by year; attendance rates among the traditional schools over the years; and the performance index scores. Small schoolsâ performance index scores gradually increased, but traditional schools with similar school profiles outperformed small schools. There was no difference in the dropout rates. Creating a sense of community, rather than simply transforming the school structure, seems to be the key to improving high school education
Web Places: Project-Based Activities for At-Risk Youth
Get PDFThis paper describes the development and evaluation of Web Places, a prototype web-based template system that allowed students at risk of academic failure to publish meaningful projects on the Internet. The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of the Web Places concept in the context of at-risk education. Seven at-risk high school students used the prototype system to develop and publish a project on the Internet. Pre- and posttest data about the students' attitudes toward Web Places, learning, and technology were collected. The results indicated that Web Places was a useful tool for teaching and motivating the students. Web Places' potential for future development, evaluation, and application is discussed
Five Secondary Teachers: Creating and Presenting a Teaching Persona
Get PDFThis qualitative study investigates the ways that five secondary teachers developed and presented personae. The researcher collected and analyzed data using a theoretical frame based in social psychology, including Goffmanâs Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1959), and Miles and Hubermanâs (1994) three-step approach to qualitative data analysis. Findings indicate that teachers drew on three major realmsâthe physical, psychological, and socialâwhen constructing classroom personae. Implications include increased opportunities for teacher reflection on persona and its effects
Pre-Service Teachers' Perception and Beliefs of Readiness to Teach Mathematics
Get PDFThis study explored pre-service teachersâ perceptions regarding their readiness to teach mathematical concepts and their preparation to integrate mathematical topics in instruction. Participants consisted of pre-service teachers who agreed to participate in a state-wide survey. For the purpose of this study, data was disaggregated into two groups: pre-service teachers who attended a private teacher education program and pre-service teachers who attended a public teacher education program. Results of this study indicate that pre-service teachers from both private and public colleges felt adequately prepared to teach mathematics and were indifferent in their perception of their ability to integrate mathematical concepts
Teaching a 'Humanistic' Science: Reflections on Interdisciplinary Course Design at the Post-Secondary Level
Get PDFDevelopment of post-secondary curriculum in emerging interdisciplinary fields presents particular challenges in course design and resource utilization, especially when the field is interdisciplinary by nature of its inherent breadth. A new course at the University of Calgary, designed to introduce undergraduate students to the methods and philosophy of Acoustic Ecology --- the study of sound and its effects on health, cognition and culture -- exemplifies both the challenges and some practical solutions. Following a brief history of the concept and its philosophy, a summary and critique is presented from the first offering of the course as a pilot project. Conclusions drawn include the necessity of an integrative approach to interdisciplinary fields of study that are true 'interdisciplines', the utility of experiential fieldwork, and the advantages presented by a student group with diverse academic backgrounds
Empowering Parents' Choice of Schools: The Rhetoric and Reality of How Hong Kong Kindergarten Parents Choose Schools Under the Voucher Scheme
Get PDFSchool choice gives parents greater power over their childrenâs education. But ever since the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme (PEVS) was introduced in Hong Kong in 2007, school choice has become a hotly debated topic. The scheme was introduced to empower kindergarten parents in choosing a school for their children by offering them direct fee subsidies that, in return, could propel education quality forward. Parents in the private kindergarten sector, however, have long enjoyed the privilege of choice, and they have been preoccupied with an intense interest in their children's academic upbringing, even if it means compromising the holistic development of their children. This runs counter to the principles of a quality education. Therefore, the urge to further promote parental kindergarten choice will likely allow parental academic interests to continue to prevail and hence invalidate the PEVS' promise to improve education quality. The result is a unique dilemma between school choice for parents and the promise of education quality within Hong Kong's unique private kindergarten sector
Redefining Curriculum Integration and Professional Development: In-service Teachers as Agents of Change
Get PDFCalls for curriculum integration in K-12 mathematics and science have seen nominal results. Numerous factors including cycles of practice in teacher development and professional development practices have inhibited the development, dissemination, and implementation of integrated curriculum. This paper examines the characteristics of the professional development standards of both disciplines; considers inherent hindrances to the implementation of integrated curriculum; generates a novel definition for integrated curriculum; argues that the most effective change agent is in-service professional development; and provides guiding notions for effective in-service professional development.