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Descriptors:
School Personnel; Reading Fluency; Emergent Literacy; Psychometrics; Equated Scores; Grade 2; Oral Reading; Elementary School Students; Factor Analysis; Measurement; Scores; Comparative Analysis; Error of Measurement; True Scores; Test Construction; Curriculum Based Assessment; Literacy; Validity; Reading Instruction; Reading Programs

Abstract:
Lack of psychometric equivalence of oral reading fluency (ORF) passages used within a grade for screening and progress monitoring has recently become an issue with calls for the use of equating methods to ensure equivalence. To investigate the nature of the nonequivalence and to guide the choice of equating method to correct for nonequivalence, the authors fit linear and nonlinear confirmatory factor analytic measurement models to Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) second-grade ORF passages routinely used for spring testing. They found evidence of nonlinear relations among passage scores that indicated equipercentile equating would be the best choice of equating method compared with mean or linear equating. The standard error of equating (SEE) with a sample of 600 participants was acceptable and less then two correct words per minute for equated scores from 0 to 150, which covers 95% and the useful range of scores. Consistent with the small SEE, the equating table also successfully removed all form differences in an independent sample of second graders. Given the widespread adoption of DIBELS in thousands of schools serving millions of students, equating all passages within a grade would substantially improve the quality of the tool and dramatically lower the assessment burden on school personnel. (Contains 5 tables and 5 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Higher Education; Specialists; Teaching Methods; Foreign Countries; Educational Research; Specialization; Interviews; Research Universities; School Culture; School Personnel; Educational Policy; Educational Change; Schools of Education; Case Studies; Profiles; Observation

Abstract:
The study discussed here was based on a collective case approach involving a specialist UK higher education institution. Six individual interviews were carried out with a cross-sectional sample of the institution's staff members. Additional information was gained through observations and examination of relevant documents. These data were interrogated with the purpose of exploring how the institution had made the transition from a teacher training college to a teaching-led higher education institution with a particular commitment to developing research capacity. This analysis yielded a number of key findings: first, the institution had experienced a cultural shift, with research forming a more noticeable profile; second, practitioner-oriented research was the dominant research endeavour; and third, there appeared to be an incomplete understanding of the potential of research to change a staff member's career and teaching practice. The article concludes by giving consideration to the implications of the findings. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
At Risk Students; School Personnel; Dropout Prevention; Data Collection; Graduation; High School Students; Program Effectiveness; Interviews; Observation; Intervention; School Holding Power; Academic Persistence; Student Behavior; Teamwork; Elementary Schools; Middle Schools

Abstract:
An early warning system is an intentional process whereby school personnel collectively analyze student data to monitor students at risk of falling off track for graduation and to provide the interventions and resources to intervene. We studied the process of monitoring the early warning indicators and implementing interventions to ascertain common practices and challenges. Research questions focused on the process of collecting and reviewing student data, conducting team meetings, and designing or selecting, and following through on, student interventions. This article reports on typical practices and implementation challenges of early warning indicators meetings from 10 schools that participated in the pilot phase of the Diplomas Now School Transformation Model across the country, gathered through meeting observations and interviews. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Academic Achievement; Program Effectiveness; Motivation; Incentives; School Personnel; Measures (Individuals); Educational Change; High Schools; Structured Interviews; Sustainability; Student Evaluation; Case Studies; Urban Schools; High School Students; Decision Making; Student Improvement; Urban Education; Student Attitudes

Abstract:
The purpose of this case study was to discover the critical attributes of a student achievement program, known as "Think Gold," implemented at one urban comprehensive high school as part of the improvement process. Student achievement on state assessments improved during the period under study. The study draws upon perspectives on motivation as a lens for understanding the attributes of the program. The theoretical framework guiding this study emerged from a convergence of literature on high school improvement and studies on the use of extrinsic motivation to promote student achievement. These studies revealed a gap between the goals promoted for improved student outcomes and the performance results from non-consequential, large-scale assessments. Data sources included structured interviews with school personnel and students, achievement data from 2009-2011, and survey results, which were analyzed to construct a case narrative. Critical attributes of the achievement program were distilled, including the differentiated incentive system, sustainability, and personalized meaning for students between state assessments and their decision-making. This study is not an evaluation of the program, but the discussion offered of the use of extrinsic motivation to promote student achievement may prove beneficial. (Contains 4 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Foreign Countries; Developing Nations; Behavior Change; Smoking; Intervention; Behavior Modification; Pilot Projects; School Policy; School Personnel; Adolescents; Social Environment; Change Agents; Teacher Role; Public School Teachers; Health Promotion; Prevention; Health Behavior; Health Education; Public Health; Program Development; Program Descriptions; Program Implementation

Abstract:
This article provides a theory-based, step-by-step approach to intervention development and illustrates its application in India to design an intervention to promote tobacco-use cessation among school personnel in Bihar. We employed a five-step approach to develop the intervention using the Social Contextual Model of Health Behavior Change (SCM) in Bihar, which involved conducting formative research, classifying factors in the social environment as mediating mechanisms and modifying conditions, developing a creative brief, designing an intervention and refining the intervention based on pilot test results. The intervention engages users and non-users of tobacco, involves teachers in implementing and monitoring school tobacco control policies and maximizes teachers' role as change agents in schools and communities. Intervention components include health educator visits, discussions led by lead teachers, cessation assistance, posters and other educational materials and is implemented over the entire academic year. The intervention is being tested in Bihar government schools as part of a randomized-controlled trial. SCM was a useful framework for developing a tobacco control intervention that responded to teachers' lives in Bihar. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Community Colleges; Enrollment; Enrollment Trends; College Credits; Student Characteristics; Two Year College Students; Online Courses; Dual Enrollment; High School Students; Academic Degrees; College Programs; Adult Literacy; Labor Force Development; Apprenticeships; Graduation Rate; Transfer Rates (College); Education Work Relationship; Outcomes of Education; Income; Adult Basic Education; Tuition; Fees; Student Financial Aid; Educational Finance; Expenditure per Student; Human Resources; School Personnel; College Faculty; College Administration; Salaries; Part Time Students; Full Time Students

Abstract:
Each fall, the Iowa Department of Education collects enrollment data from Iowa's community colleges on the tenth business day of the semester. The fall data pertain to the 2012-13 academic year (fiscal year 2013). This report is the only report on fiscal year 2013 until next year's "Annual Condition of Iowa's Community Colleges." Fall enrollment for 2012 was 100,519 students, a 5.2 percent decline from fall 2011. Since 2008, community college enrollment has grown rapidly, likely a result of the recession of 2008 and 2009. Table 2-1 displays enrollment figures for the latest five years. Enrollment fell at 12 of the 15 community colleges. More students were enrolled part-time (less than 12 semester credit hours) than were enrolled full-time. Students enrolled part-time accounted for 53.9 percent of total fall enrollment, compared to 51.8 percent last fall. The fall enrollment of full-time students fell from 51,107 (48.2 percent of total enrollment) to 46,354 (46.1 percent of total enrollment), a 9.3 percent decline, while the fall enrollment of part-time students dropped slightly (-1.3 percent) from 54,868 students in 2011 to 54,165 students in 2012. Although overall fall enrollment has increased more than tenfold since 1965, the number of full-time students as a percentage of total fall enrollment has steadily declined from 90.8 percent in 1965 to 46.1 percent in 2012. (Contains 272 tables and 105 figures.) [This data for this paper was compiled with the assistance of Geoffrey Jones.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Academic Achievement; Self Efficacy; School Personnel; Change Agents; Educational Change; Economic Status; Parent Participation; Parent School Relationship; Socioeconomic Status; Individual Characteristics; Low Income Groups; Principals; Interviews; Language Proficiency; Parent Role; Biculturalism

Abstract:
The relationship between bicultural parents, low socio-economic parents and the public school system is made tenuous in large part by cultural disparities between school officials and parents. The greater the disparity, the more likely parent groups are to be silenced and the more likely they are to refrain from the role of change agents or advocates for school reform. To contemplate what it takes for these disadvantaged parent groups to enact changes they desire at the school or district level, this study culls from research on in several areas of academic literature: parent involvement and student achievement, community organizing, and change management. Each of these areas of research offers insights on how success change is enacted; the characteristics and the attributes groups must have in order to bring about desired changes to processes and outcomes. Parent leaders and principals from low socio-economic status considered to be change agents in their community were interviewed. Their insights reinforce the literature, commenting on the nature of relationship parents and school and the nature of change. Open-ended questions relating to the nature of changes undertaken, the efficacy of tactics employed, and perceived deficit thinking on the part of parents and school personnel are addressed. Results indicated that self-efficacy and competence in the English language are key characteristics of parent groups with high levels of engagement. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Therapy; School Personnel; Child Behavior; Anxiety Disorders; Anxiety; Interpersonal Competence; Check Lists; Severity (of Disability); Correlation; Cognitive Restructuring; Behavior Modification; Outcomes of Treatment; Parent Attitudes; Measures (Individuals); Children

Abstract:
Social functioning was assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist and Teacher Report Form for children with anxiety disorders who participated in a randomized clinical trial (N = 161, aged 7-14). Significant relationships were found between severity of children's principal anxiety disorder and most measures of social functioning, such that poorer social functioning was associated with more severe anxiety. Among youth who received cognitive-behavioral therapy (n = 111), significant associations were found between parent-reported social competence and both absence of principal anxiety disorder and lower anxiety severity at posttreatment and 1-year follow-up, controlling for the severity of the child's principal anxiety disorder at pretreatment. Findings support a relationship between anxiety severity and social difficulties, and suggest the importance of social competence for a favorable treatment response. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Observation; Teacher Evaluation; Accuracy; Reliability; Interrater Reliability; School Personnel; Principals; Peer Evaluation; Comparative Analysis

Abstract:
For many teachers, the classroom observation has been the only opportunity to receive direct feedback from another school professional. As such, it is an indispensable part of every teacher evaluation system. Yet it also requires a major time commitment from teachers, principals, and peer observers. To justify the investment of time and resources, a classroom observation should be both accurate and reliable. In this paper, the authors evaluate the accuracy and reliability of school personnel in performing classroom observations. The authors also examine different combinations of observers and lessons observed that produce reliability of 0.65 or above when using school personnel. They asked principals and peers in Hillsborough County, Florida, to watch and score videos of classroom teaching for 67 teacher-volunteers using videos of lessons captured during the 2011-12 school year. Each of 129 observers provided 24 scores on lessons provided to them, yielding more than 3,000 video scores for this analysis. The authors briefly summarize seven key findings: (1) Observers rarely used the top or bottom categories ("unsatisfactory" and "advanced") on the four-point observation instrument; (2) Compared to peer raters, administrators differentiated more among teachers; (3) Administrators rated their own teachers 0.1 points higher than administrators from other schools and 0.2 points higher than peers; (4) Although administrators scored their own teachers higher, their rankings were similar to the rankings produced by others outside their schools; (5) Allowing teachers to choose their own videos generated higher average scores. However, the relative ranking of teachers was preserved whether videos were chosen or not; (6) When an observer formed a positive (or negative) impression of a teacher in the first several videos, that impression tended to linger; and (7) There are a number of different ways to ensure reliability of 0.65 or above. The authors conclude by discussing the implications for the design of teacher evaluation systems in practice. (Contains 7 figures, 10 tables, and 21 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Health Insurance; Risk; Public Health; Diseases; Educational Facilities; Water; Child Health; Poverty; Health Conditions; Environmental Influences; Children; Hazardous Materials; Intervention; Enrollment; School Personnel; Special Education; Minority Group Students; Economically Disadvantaged; Low Income Groups; Lunch Programs; Breakfast Programs; Poisoning; Court Litigation; Pollution

Abstract:
States compel children to attend school; in fact, 98% of all school-age children attend schools--irrespective of conditions. Yet the environmental conditions of decayed facilities or facilities close to hazards can damage children's health and ability to learn. At the same time, it is well documented that healthy school facilities can help children learn, grow, and stay healthy. Today, justice for children can be achieved, but that demands swifter, surer progress on federal, state, and local fronts to ensure that all children have environmentally healthy schools that are clean and in good repair--and when children do not, that they have timely on-site public health interventions to help reduce exposures and have necessary support services. This is a profound pediatric health and environmental justice issue that must not be set aside. "Towards Healthy Schools 2015: Progress on America's Environmental Health Crisis for Children" is the third triennial state-by-state data and policy report on this topic since 2006. "Sick Schools" (2009) and before it "Lessons Learned" (2006) researched and assessed state-by-state data and policies on environmental conditions at schools and risks to children's health, compiling them into a single, unique resource that painted a deeply disturbing picture, in which vulnerable children endure unhealthy schools. "Towards Healthy Schools 2015" cites, as did the two previous reports, basic federal data for public schools, such as total number of buildings; total enrollment; total number of personnel; percentage of children with asthma; percentage of children without health insurance; total number of children receiving special education; total number of children of minority status; and more. New in this edition are three data sets used to illustrate additional risk factors not covered in the first two reports: (1) total number of children eligible for free or reduced price meals (a proxy for poverty status); (2) states requiring schools to keep asthma/allergy incident reports; and (3) states requiring inspection of school drinking water outlets for lead. Appended are: (1) State Data Table Footnotes; (2) US Environmental Protection Agency: Office of Children's Health; (3) US Department of Education: Green Ribbon Schools; (4) Map: School Equity Funding Lawsuits in the States; and (5) Coalition for Healthier Schools: Position Statement and Policy Recommendations. (Contains 30 endnotes.) [Additional funding was provided by the Wallace Genetic and the Marisla Foundation.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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