Download or read book What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review written by What Works Clearinghouse (ED) and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study examined five instruments used to assess the effectiveness of teacher practices based on classroom observations. The study first examined whether observers could reliably assess teachers with each instrument, and then examined how well each instrument, along with other information, predicted student achievement. The study reported that, in order to reliably assess a teacher using the instruments, it was necessary to combine scores from multiple lessons and observers. It also found that teachers' observation scores were positively related to their students' achievement test scores, particularly when the observation scores for teachers were combined with students' feedback on their classroom environments. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) only reviews studies that examine the impact of particular programs, policies, or practices on student outcomes. This study provides information on how to assess teacher practices reliably in the classroom and identifies some classroom observation tools that are correlated with student achievement. However, it does not examine the impacts on student outcomes associated with performance measures of teachers and, therefore, it is not eligible for review by the WWC. [The following study is reviewed in this What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review: Kane, T. J., & Staiger, D. O. (2012). "Gathering Feedback for Teachers: Combining High-Quality Observations with Student Surveys and Achievement Gains."].
Download or read book What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review of the Report Effectiveness of Reading and Mathematics Software Products written by What Works Clearinghouse (ED) and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 1 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Effectiveness of Reading and Mathematics Software Products: Findings for Two Student Cohorts" examined the effects of ten reading and mathematics software products on student achievement. The study analyzed data on more than 11,000 students in 400 classrooms and was conducted in 23 primarily urban, low-income school districts. The number of students in the analysis of each curriculum ranged from about 600 to about 2,600. The study found a positive, statistically significant effect for one of the six reading products examined ("LeapTrack[R]", 4th grade). The estimated effect size was 0.09, equivalent to moving a student from the 50th to the 54th percentile of reading achievement. None of the four math products examined demonstrated significant effects on student achievement. The research described in this report is consistent with What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards. [The following study is the focus of this "Quick Review": Campuzano, L., Dynarski, M., Agodini, R., & Rall, K. (2009). "Effectiveness of reading and mathematics software products: Findings from two student cohorts" (NCEE 2009-4041). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education (ED504657).].
Download or read book What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review written by What Works Clearinghouse (ED) and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study examined whether being taught by a teacher with a high "value-added" improves a student's long-term outcomes. The study analyzed more than 20 years of data for nearly one million fourth- through eighth-grade students in a large urban school district. The study reported that having a teacher with a higher level of value-added was associated with higher test scores, lower rates of teen pregnancy, higher probability of college attendance and college quality, higher earnings growth in their 20s, higher rates of saving for retirement, and higher neighborhood quality. The study is not a randomized controlled trial and, therefore, cannot receive the highest rating of meets What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards. It used a quasi-experimental design, but did not clearly establish that students with and without high value-added teachers were similar before exposure to the teachers. Once the WWC conducts a more thorough review (forthcoming), it will be able to determine whether the study meets WWC evidence standards with reservations. [The following study is reviewed in this What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review: "The Long-Term Impacts of Teachers: Teacher Value-Added and Student Outcomes in Adulthood. NBER Working Paper No. 17699" (ED528374).].
Download or read book What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review written by What Works Clearinghouse (ED) and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study examined the effects of providing low-income, high-achieving high school seniors with college application guidance and information about the costs of college. The "application guidance" included information about deadlines and requirements for college applications at nearby institutions, at the state's flagship institution, and at in- and out-of-state selective colleges. The study reported that the intervention increased the percentage of students who: (a) applied to a selective institution (from 55% to 67%), (b) were admitted to a selective institution (from 30% to 39%), and (c) enrolled in a selective institution (from 29% to 34%). Students in the intervention group also completed more admissions applications, and were admitted to more colleges, than students in the comparison group. All of these differences were statistically significant. The study is a randomized controlled trial. As such it could potentially "meet What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards without reservations." However, there was attrition in the overall study sample, and more information is needed to determine whether attrition rates were similar in the intervention and comparison groups. A more thorough review (forthcoming) will explore this issue further and will determine the final study rating. [The following study is reviewed in this "Quick Review": Hoxby, C., & Turner, S. (2013). "Expanding college opportunities for high-achieving, low income students." Stanford, CA: Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.].
Download or read book What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review Increasing Young Children s Contact with Print During Shared Reading written by What Works Clearinghouse (ED) and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study examined the impact of Project STAR (Sit Together and Read) on literacy skills of preschool students. Project STAR is a program in which teachers read books aloud to their students and use instructional techniques designed to encourage children to pay attention to print within storybooks. Eighty-five preschool classrooms were randomly assigned to one of three study groups: a high-dose intervention group, in which preschoolers experienced 120 reading sessions over 30 weeks; a low-dose intervention group, in which preschoolers experienced 60 reading sessions over 30 weeks; or a comparison group, in which preschool teachers read the same books used in the high-dose intervention group to their students, but did not use Project STAR techniques. Literacy skills of students in all three groups were measured one and two years after the intervention. The study reported that students in the high-dose intervention group had significantly higher early literacy skills (reading, spelling, and comprehension) than those in the comparison group on both the one- and two-year post-intervention assessments. Relative to the comparison group, students in the low-dose intervention group demonstrated significant improvements on only the spelling outcome of the two-year post-intervention assessment. The study is a randomized controlled trial that did not provide sufficient information to determine attrition or baseline equivalence of the analytic samples. A more thorough review (forthcoming) will determine whether this study may "meet What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards with or without reservations." [The following study is reviewed in this What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review: "Increasing Young Children's Contact with Print during Shared Reading: Longitudinal Effects on Literacy Achievement" (EJ965180).].
Download or read book Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention LLI Orange Grade K Program Guide written by Irene C. Fountas and published by . This book was released on 2009-08-05 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fountas & Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) is a powerful early intervention system that can change the path of a student's journey to literacy. The LLI Orange System is specifically targeted at Foundation/Kindergaten students. Please note the program guide is not suitable for educators who have not yet purchased an LLI Orange System. This component is only available separately so that schools with the LLI Orange System can purchase additional copies of the program guide if they require. Find out more about the Fountas & Pinnell LLI System at www.pearson.com.au/primary/LLI
Download or read book Science Teachers Learning written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2016-01-15 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Currently, many states are adopting the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) or are revising their own state standards in ways that reflect the NGSS. For students and schools, the implementation of any science standards rests with teachers. For those teachers, an evolving understanding about how best to teach science represents a significant transition in the way science is currently taught in most classrooms and it will require most science teachers to change how they teach. That change will require learning opportunities for teachers that reinforce and expand their knowledge of the major ideas and concepts in science, their familiarity with a range of instructional strategies, and the skills to implement those strategies in the classroom. Providing these kinds of learning opportunities in turn will require profound changes to current approaches to supporting teachers' learning across their careers, from their initial training to continuing professional development. A teacher's capability to improve students' scientific understanding is heavily influenced by the school and district in which they work, the community in which the school is located, and the larger professional communities to which they belong. Science Teachers' Learning provides guidance for schools and districts on how best to support teachers' learning and how to implement successful programs for professional development. This report makes actionable recommendations for science teachers' learning that take a broad view of what is known about science education, how and when teachers learn, and education policies that directly and indirectly shape what teachers are able to learn and teach. The challenge of developing the expertise teachers need to implement the NGSS presents an opportunity to rethink professional learning for science teachers. Science Teachers' Learning will be a valuable resource for classrooms, departments, schools, districts, and professional organizations as they move to new ways to teach science.
Download or read book When Can You Trust the Experts written by Daniel T. Willingham and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2012-06-20 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Clear, easy principles to spot what's nonsense and what's reliable Each year, teachers, administrators, and parents face a barrage of new education software, games, workbooks, and professional development programs purporting to be "based on the latest research." While some of these products are rooted in solid science, the research behind many others is grossly exaggerated. This new book, written by a top thought leader, helps everyday teachers, administrators, and family members—who don't have years of statistics courses under their belts—separate the wheat from the chaff and determine which new educational approaches are scientifically supported and worth adopting. Author's first book, Why Don't Students Like School?, catapulted him to superstar status in the field of education Willingham's work has been hailed as "brilliant analysis" by The Wall Street Journal and "a triumph" by The Washington Post Author blogs for The Washington Post and Brittanica.com, and writes a column for American Educator In this insightful book, thought leader and bestselling author Dan Willingham offers an easy, reliable way to discern which programs are scientifically supported and which are the equivalent of "educational snake oil."
Download or read book What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review written by What Works Clearinghouse (ED) and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study measured the impact of a difference-education intervention on the academic achievement of first generation college students. The difference-education intervention teaches students how their social class backgrounds can affect what they experience in college. Participants attended a moderated panel discussion featuring demographically diverse junior and senior college students who shared stories with incoming students about how they adjusted to and found success in college. The questions posed by the moderator were similar across conditions, but in the intervention condition, panelists' responses illustrated how their backgrounds contributed--both positively and negatively--to their college experience, and also emphasized the need for students to utilize strategies for success that take their different backgrounds into account. In the comparison condition, similar stories were told, but these did not connect student background with the college experience and did not emphasize that strategies for success can differ by social class. After the panel discussion, participants created a short video testimonial in order to provide students a chance to internalize what they believed they learned from the panel. The study authors reported that there was a statistically significant effect on student grades at the end of the first year. Specifically, the GPA for first-generation college students in the intervention condition was statistically significantly higher than the GPA for first-generation students in the comparison condition (3.40 vs. 3.16). However, the GPAs for non-first generation students did not differ across the intervention and comparison groups (3.51 vs. 3.46). This study is a randomized experiment, and as such, could meet What Works Clearinghouse evidence standards without reservations. However, more information is needed from the study authors regarding attrition from the intervention and comparison groups before a rating can be given. A more thorough review (forthcoming) will determine the final study rating and report more fully on the study's results. [The following study is reviewed in this What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review: Stephens, N. M., Hamedani, M. G., & Destin, M. (in press). "Closing the Social-Class Achievement Gap: A Difference-Education Intervention Improves First-Generation Students' Academic Performance and All Students' College Transition." "Psychological Science." doi:10.1177/0956797613518349.].
Download or read book What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review Have We Identified Effective Teachers written by What Works Clearinghouse (ED) and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Have We Identified Effective Teachers? Validating Measures of Effective Teaching Using Random Assignment" tested whether a measure created by study authors could identify teachers who are effective at increasing student achievement. The authors used 2009-10 school year data to create a single composite measure of teacher effectiveness; this composite measure included estimates of teacher value-added to student test scores, data from classroom observations of teachers, and responses to student surveys. Then, for the following school year (2010-11), the authors randomly assigned classrooms of students to teachers (to ensure that there were no measured or unmeasured differences in students assigned to each teacher) and then followed the students' academic progress throughout the school year. The authors compared the students' actual academic achievement with their predicted achievement to determine how well the teacher effectiveness measure identified teachers who were improving student performance beyond their expected gains. The study found that the measure of teacher effectiveness created using 2009-10 data was correlated with student achievement measured at the end of 2010-11. On average, students of teachers who were identified as being relatively more effective had higher achievement gains than students of other teachers in the same school, grade, and subject. Although this study aims to identify effective teachers in terms of improved student achievement, it is not eligible for review by the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) because the study does not include identifiable intervention and comparison groups. This study does not test a specific policy, intervention, or practice. Instead, it assesses whether student achievement can be predicted from a continuous measure of teacher effectiveness.
Download or read book What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review of the Report An Interaction Based Approach to Enhancing Secondary School Instruction and Student Achievement written by What Works Clearinghouse (ED) and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study examined the effect of a secondary school teacher training and coaching program on student achievement. Eighty-eight teachers were randomly assigned to either the My Teaching Partner-Secondary (MTP-S) group or the control group. Of these teachers, 76 participated in the study during the intervention year (when they received coaching) and 61 participated in the study during the post-intervention year (when they no longer received coaching). Data from two student cohorts were analyzed. The first cohort included about 1,300 students of the teachers who participated during the intervention year; the second cohort included about 1,000 students of the teachers who participated during the post-intervention year. Analyses of the intervention year did not find a statistically significant difference in achievement between students of MTP-S teachers and students of control group teachers. Analyses of the post-intervention year found that achievement among students of MTP-S teachers was significantly higher than among students of control group teachers. The effect size of 0.22 is roughly equivalent to an increase in student achievement from the 50th to the 59th percentile. However, the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) has reservations about these results, as unaccounted-for differences between the two groups of students may have existed before the intervention. The analyses based on the intervention year meet WWC evidence standards. The analyses based on the post-intervention year meet WWC evidence standards with reservations. (Contains 1 footnote.).
Download or read book What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review written by What Works Clearinghouse (ED) and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study examined whether attending a Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) middle school improved students' reading, math, social studies, and science achievement for up to 4 years following enrollment. The study reported that students attending KIPP middle schools scored statistically significantly higher than matched students on all of the state assessments and follow-up periods examined, including reading and math 1-4 years following enrollment (effect sizes ranging from 0.05 to 0.36), and social studies and science 3-4 years following enrollment (effect sizes of 0.25 and 0.33, respectively). The portion of the study that used a quasi-experimental design meets What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards with reservations. The study established that KIPP and non-KIPP students were similar on measured characteristics such as baseline test scores and demographics, and controlled for baseline characteristics of students in the analysis. [The following study is reviewed in this "Quick Review": Tuttle, C. C., Gill, B., Gleason, P., Knechtel, V., Nichols-Barrer, I., & Resch, A. (2013). "KIPP middle schools: Impacts on achievement and other outcomes, final report." Washington, DC: Mathematica Policy Research (ED540912).].
Download or read book What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review of the Report Evaluation of Experience Corps written by What Works Clearinghouse (ED) and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 1 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study examined whether the "Experience Corps" program improved the reading skills of elementary school students who were at risk of academic failure. Nearly 900 first through third grade students in 23 schools in Boston, New York City, and Port Arthur, TX participated in the study. These students were randomly assigned to either a treatment group that participated in the "Experience Corps" program or a control group that did not. The study estimated effects by comparing changes in reading achievement over one academic year for students in the two research groups. Reading achievement was measured using a teacher assessment of grade-specific reading skills, as well as standardized tests measuring comprehension, receptive vocabulary, and phonemic awareness. Students in the "Experience Corps" program made greater gains over the academic year on passage comprehension and on general reading skills as assessed by their teachers, with effect sizes of 0.13 and 0.16, respectively. These effect sizes are roughly equivalent to moving a student from the 50th to the 56th percentile. Effects were smaller for students in special education. The authors found no statistically significant effects on measures of receptive vocabulary or phonemic awareness. The research described in this report is consistent with WWC evidence standards. The study is a well-implemented randomized controlled trial. [The following study is reviewed in this What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review: Morrow-Howell, N., Jonson-Reid, M., McCrary, S., Lee, Y., & Spitznagel, E. (2009). "Evaluation" of Experience Corps: "Student reading outcomes". St. Louis: Washington University, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Center for Social Development.].
Download or read book WWC Quick Review of the Report Head Start Impact Study written by What Works Clearinghouse (ED) and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper presents an updated WWC (What Works Clearinghouse) Quick Review of the Report "Head Start Impact Study: Final Report". This study examined the effects of offering Head Start to 3- and 4-year-olds. Head Start is a federal program aimed at boosting the school readiness of low-income children by providing preschool education and health and nutrition services. The first follow-up analysis described in this report meets WWC evidence standards with reservations. The second, third, and fourth follow-up analyses described in this report meet WWC evidence standards. [The following study is reviewed in this quick review: Puma, M. et al. (2010). "Head Start impact study: Final report." Washington, DC: Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This review is a revision of a quick review released in July 2010. To access this report, see ED510851.].
Download or read book What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review written by What Works Clearinghouse (ED) and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Information and College Access: Evidence From a Randomized Field Experiment" examined the impact of offering an online informational video and financial aid materials to high school students on: (1) their postsecondary aspirations, (2) the accuracy of their understanding of financial aid availability, and (3) the accuracy of their estimates of the economic benefits of postsecondary education. More than 1,600 students from five low-achieving high schools in Toronto were invited to complete an online survey about their postsecondary aspirations. After completing the survey, respondents were selected at random to view a three-minute video and to use a financial aid calculator. Students were also given the financial aid application package for local postsecondary institutions along with instructions on how to apply for aid. Students in the control condition did not receive any of these materials. Outcomes were measured by a follow-up online survey conducted three weeks later. The study found that students offered the video and financial aid calculator reported more accurate assessments of returns to postsecondary education, less concern about postsecondary costs, and higher expectations for their educational attainment. The effects may have been larger for students who originally reported that they were unsure about their expected educational attainment. However, because of the need for additional data from the study authors, the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) cannot confirm the statistical significance of any of the study's outcomes. The study is a randomized experiment. Although overall attrition was 40%, attrition rates differed by only one percentage point in the treatment and comparison groups. Therefore, this study could potentially meet WWC evidence standards without reservations. A more thorough review (forthcoming) will be conducted to determine the study rating.
Download or read book Head Start Impact written by Michael J. Puma and published by Nova Novinka. This book was released on 2006 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since its beginning in 1965 as a part of the War on Poverty, Head Start's goal has been to boost the school readiness of low-income children. Based on a 'whole child' model, the program provides comprehensive services that include pre-school education; medical, dental, and mental health care; nutrition services; and efforts to help parents foster their child's development. Head Start services are designed to be responsive to each child's and family's ethnic, cultural, and linguistic heritage. The Congressionally-mandated Head Start Impact Study was conducted across 84 nationally representative grantee/delegate agencies. Approximately 5,000 newly entering 3- and 4-year-old children applying for Head Start were randomly assigned to either a Head Start group that had access to Head Start program services or to a non- Head Start group that could enrol in available community non-Head Start services, selected by their parents. Data collection began in fall 2002 and is scheduled to continue through 2006, following children through the spring of their 1st-grade year. The study quantifies the impact of Head Start separately for 3- and 4-year-old children across child cognitive, social-emotional, and health domains as well as ii on parenting practices. This book is essential reading for those in the education field.
Download or read book What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review written by What Works Clearinghouse (ED) and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study examined the effectiveness of Philadelphia's Renaissance Schools Initiative after one year of implementation. The Renaissance Schools Initiative, which began in the 2010-11 school year, aimed at improving low-performing schools by providing new management, additional resources, and new educational strategies. The study reported that students in grade K-8 Renaissance Schools had higher math achievement, reading achievement, and attendance rates than students in comparison schools. This study does not meet the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards because the Renaissance schools and comparison schools did not have similar achievement levels in the year before the Renaissance Schools Initiative began. Therefore, any changes in student achievement or attendance cannot be attributed solely to the implementation of the Renaissance Schools Initiative.
