Education Research Report:
This Week's Education Research Report
NJ: Statewide Report on Arts Education Finds Nearly Every Child Has Access to Arts Education, With Access Increasing Over Past Five Years
Nearly every child in New Jersey has access to arts education in their school, according to a survey released today from the New Jersey Arts Education Census Project. The survey is the most comprehensive assessment of arts education in New Jersey schools ever conducted and reflects data collected from 99 percent of New Jersey's public schools. The Census Project is part of a public-private partnership that includes the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, New Jersey Department of Education, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, New Jersey Arts Education Partnership,... more »
NCLB Improved Test Scores for Language but Not for Reading, Math in Rural Alabama
The No Child Left Behind Act has bolstered language test scores but done little to improve math and reading scores for students in rural Alabama schools, according to a new study by Auburn University and RTI International. The study, published in the June issue of Regional and Sectoral Economic Studies, used eight years of county-level data to assess the effects of No Child Left Behind on student performance in Alabama's rural schools. Reading and math proficiency for all students is one of the primary goals of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which requires states to measure... more »
Snack Choices of Fourth- and Fifth-Grade Students
*Fighting Childhood Obesity in America Through Health Nutrition Education* A health nutrition education program to fight childhood obesity in America is a possible outcome of a study by a University of Oklahoma researcher and a colleague. The study looked at factors affecting a child’s decision when choosing healthy or unhealthy snacks. Paul Branscum, assistant professor, OU Department of Health and Exercise Science, College of Arts and Sciences, surveyed 167 fourth- and fifth-grade students in the Midwest to find out what snacks the students were eating between meals. Branscum ... more »
What We Know About Second Language Acquisition
Educational policies that impact second language (L2) learners—a rapidly-growing group—are often enacted without consulting relevant research. This review synthesized research regarding optimal conditions for L2 acquisition, facilitative L2 learner and teacher characteristics, and speed of L2 acquisition, from four bodies of work—foreign language education, child language research, sociocultural studies, and psycholinguistics—often overlooked by educators. Seventy-one peer-reviewed journal articles studying PK-12 L2 learners met inclusion criteria. Findings included: 1) Optimal... more »
“What Does Teaching Do to Teachers?” Willard Waller’s Sociology of Teaching Reconsidered
In this study, Willard Waller’s (1932/1976) classic account of what teaching does to teachers is examined through the lens of psychoanalytic theory in conjunction with Ovid’s myth of Narcissus. Parallel themes within the two texts are analyzed and interpreted as suggesting that narcissistic psychological processes played a part in distorting teachers’ personalities in the 1930s. Role expectations and tasks associated with being a teacher, it is suggested, reinforced a narcissistic pattern of behavior that influenced identity formation and teacher stereotypes. Transformation is cons... more »
Public Online Charter School Students: Choices, Perceptions, and Traits
There has been a steady growth of the K-12 student population taking courses online. This study examined reasons for students to choose a public online charter school program and their perceptions of online discussion. A survey was sent to 1,500 students newly enrolled in a statewide public online charter school program. From those who responded, 44% indicated that the online discussion component is not helpful in achieving their academic goals. Also, further analysis suggested that those who drop out of traditional schools probably would not stay even in an online program unless th...more »
Eighth-Graders Make Gains in NAEP Science Scores
Data from the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) find that our nation’s eighth-grade students have made gains in science since 2009. The Nation’s Report Card: Science 2011 presents results from the 2011 NAEP assessment administered to eighth-grade students across the country. The report presents results for the nation, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Department of Defense Schools. Key findings from The Nation’s Report Card: Science 2011 include: • In 2011, a higher percentage of students performed at or above the Basic and Proficient achievement l...more »
Babies' brains benefit from music lessons
After completing the first study of its kind, researchers at McMaster University have discovered that very early musical training benefits children even before they can walk or talk. They found that one-year-old babies who participate in interactive music classes with their parents smile more, communicate better and show earlier and more sophisticated brain responses to music. The findings were published recently in the scientific journals Developmental Science and Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. "Many past studies of musical training have focused on older children," ... more »
Female and younger athletes take longer to overcome concussions
New research out of Michigan State University reveals female athletes and younger athletes take longer to recover from concussions, findings that call for physicians and athletic trainers to take sex and age into account when dealing with the injury. The study, led by Tracey Covassin of MSU's Department of Kinesiology, found females performed worse than males on visual memory tests and reported more symptoms postconcussion. Additionally, high school athletes performed worse than college athletes on verbal and visual memory tests, and some of the younger athletes still were impa... more »
ARIES: Exploring Motion and Forces
ARIES: Exploring Motion and Forces was found to have no discernible effects on general science achievement for middle school students. ARIES: Exploring Motion and Forces is a physical science curriculum for students in grades 5–8 that employs 18 inquiry-centered, hands-on lessons called “explorations.” One study of ARIES: Exploring Motion and Forces that falls within the scope of the Science review protocol meets What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards. This study included approximately 6,000 sixth-grade students from 20 schools in Maryland. Based on this study, the WW...more »
Technology Enhanced Elem. & Middle School Science (TEEMSS)
TEEMSS was found to have potentially positive effects on general science achievement for elementary school students in grades 3–4. Technology Enhanced Elementary and Middle School Science (TEEMSS) is a physical science curriculum for grades 3–8 that utilizes computers, sensors, and interactive models to support investigations of real-world phenomena. Through 15 inquiry-based instructional units, students interact with computers, gather and analyze data, and formulate ideas for further exploration. This information is managed by software in a handheld computer and transmitted to o... more »
Peak risk about 16 years old for teens misusing prescription drugs
The peak risk for misusing prescription pain relievers occurs in mid-adolescence, specifically about 16 years old and earlier than many experts thought, according to a new study by Michigan State University researchers. The results, based on recent nationwide surveys of nearly 120,000 U.S. adolescents, suggest prevention programs may need to be introduced earlier, in childhood and early adolescence, said James C. Anthony of MSU's Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Recent trends show clinicians and public health professionals are prescribing more pain relievers, and r...more »
Common Core Math Standards Implementation May Lead to Improved Student Achievement
According to a new study, *Common Core State Standards Math: The Relationship Between High Standards, Systemic Implementation and Student Achievement*, the CCSS for mathematics strongly resemble the standards of the highest-achieving nations. They have more focus, coherence and rigor than most of the state standards they replaced. The study also found states with standards most like the CCSS for mathematics have higher scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), demonstrating that standards – and implementing them well – matter. According to Dr. William Schmi... more »
Minority Students Receive Less Rigorous Feedback
Remember that teacher you grumbled about back in your school days, the really tough one who made you work so hard, insisted you could do better, and made you sweat for your A’s? The one you didn’t appreciate until after you graduated and realized how much you had learned? Minority students in the U.S. might have fewer of those teachers, at least compared to white students, and as a result they might be at a significant learning disadvantage. A major study, led by Rutgers-Newark psychology professor Kent D. Harber, indicates that public school teachers under-challenge minority st... more »
Educators Find Digital Games Promising Tools in the Classroom According to National Survey
The first national survey of teachers who are using digital games as part of their students' instruction, released today by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, found that digital games are becoming a consistent and valuable part of classroom activities. Fifty percent of teachers of grades K-8 reported they are using digital games with their students two or more days a week, with 18 percent using them daily. The survey, *Teacher Attitudes about Digital Games in the Classroom*,* *conducted in collaboration with and support from BrainPOP®, was released at The NewSchools Ven... more »
School Start Times Found to Affect Student Achievement
*North Carolina study suggests a one-hour later start time in middle school would reduce achievement gaps* In recent years, many parents have called for later start times in middle- and high-school, yet there has been little rigorous evidence to date directly linking school start times and academic performance. A new study finds that delaying middle-school start times by one hour, from roughly 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., would increase standardized math and reading scores by 2 to 3 percentile points. The effects are more than twice as large for students in the bottom third of test-scorers ... more »
Excessive sleepiness may be cause of learning, attention and school problems
Children who have learning, attention and behavior problems may be suffering from excessive daytime sleepiness, even though clinical tests show them sleeping long enough at night, a new study reports. Penn State researchers studied 508 children and found that those whose parents reported excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) – despite little indication of short sleep from traditional measurements – were more likely to experience learning, attention/hyperactivity and conduct problems than children without EDS. The culprits? Obesity, symptoms of inattention, depression and anxiety, ... more »
Numbers and Types of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools
This First Look, Numbers and Types of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2010–11, presents findings on the numbers and types of public elementary and secondary schools in the United States and the territories in the 2010-11 school year. Findings include: • There were 98,817 operating public elementary/secondary schools in the 2010-11 school year. Of those schools, 88,929 were regular schools. • By 2010-2011, charter schools had been established in 40 states and the District of Columbia. Charter schools enrolled about 1.8 million stude... more »
Charter schools in NYC have a positive effect on student achievement
*But enroll relatively fewer students in the highest-need categories* An unprecedented amount of data about New York City's growing public charter school sector was released today in the first-ever State of the Sector report by the New York City Charter School Center. Charter Center researchers compiled information on 35 different data points, including parental demand, test scores, demographics, survey ratings, facilities access, attendance, and teacher and student retention, among other topics. The data show that charter schools serve largely disadvantaged students, and on avera... more »
Automated Essay Scoring Systems as Effective as Human Graders
A direct comparison between human graders and software designed to score student essays achieved virtually identical levels of accuracy, with the software in some cases proving to be more reliable, a groundbreaking studyhas found. “The demonstration showed conclusively that automated essay scoring systems are fast, accurate, and cost effective,” said Tom Vander Ark, CEO of Open Education Solutions, which provides consulting serves related to digital learning, and co-director of the study. That’s important because writing essays are one important way for students to learn critical ... more »