This Week's Education Research Report
Impact of African-American teachers in Title I schools
Closing the academic gaps in performance among students from diverse backgrounds is a challenge for schools and a mandate from the government. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has prompted schools and school districts to re-examine elements that impact student achievements. A study completed by a recent graduate from University of Houston's Executive Education Doctorate in Professional Leadership suggests that African-American students do not necessarily fare better when taught by African-American teachers. The study examined the impact of African-American teachers on African... more »
National Graduation Rate Keeps Climbing
*1.1 Million Students Still Fail to Earn Diplomas Report Examines Challenges Facing Latino Students; Identifies Promising Strategies and Districts Beating the Odds Individualized Graduation Reports Issued for All 50 States and D.C. * A new national report from Education Week and the Editorial Projects in Education (EPE) Research Center, Diplomas Count 2012, finds that the nation’s graduation rate has posted a solid gain for the second straight year, following a period of declines and stagnation. Amid this continuing turnaround, the nation’s graduation rate has risen to 73 percen... more »
Inside a Child’s Mind — Research Findings from Psychological Science
Developmental psychology researchers have long known that children aren’t simply mini-adults – their minds and brains work in fundamentally different ways. Exploring those differences can help us understand how kids think and behave and can provide insights into how the mind and brain develop and change over time. Here is some of the latest research involving children from *Psychological Science, *a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. *Who is Good At This Game? Linking an Activity to a Social Category Undermines Children’s Achievement* Can linking an activity to... more »
Teachers may need training to respond to children's emotions
Teachers learn a lot about how to teach curriculum in college, but they don't get much training in helping very young children learn to handle frustration, anger, and excitement, skills that kids need for kindergarten readiness, said Nancy McElwain, a University of Illinois professor of human development and family studies who conducted a study on the topic. "When teachers aren't trained to respond to emotional outbursts in supportive ways, they often fall back on responses that reflect the way they were raised and whether they feel comfortable with their own emotions," said Rebec... more »
Breaking bullying behavior
An educational program designed to rid schools of bullying behaviour directed at students who stutter is proving effective at changing attitudes in the classroom, according to research from the University of Alberta. The Teasing and Bullying Unacceptable Behaviour (TAB) program is taught provincewide to students in grades 3 to 6 to reduce teasing and bullying directed at children with differences—particularly children who stutter. A new study by TAB creator and U of A professor Marilyn Langevin shows the program is getting bullies, victims and bystanders to recognize bullying beha... more »
Extra-large letter spacing improves reading in dyslexia
Although the causes of dyslexia are still debated, all researchers agree that the main challenge is to find ways that allow a child with dyslexia to read more words in less time, because reading more is undisputedly the most efficient intervention for dyslexia. Sophisticated training programs exist, but they typically target the component skills of reading, such as phonological awareness. After the component skills have improved, the main challenge remains (that is, reading deficits must be treated by reading more—a vicious circle for a dyslexic child). This study shows that a sim... more »
Special Needs Research Reports
The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) reviews education research to discover what works in the classroom. Our newest reports focus on three programs for students with special needs. Their first new special needs report looks at the research on Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS). PALS is a peer-tutoring program designed to supplement existing reading and math curricula. Students work in pairs to perform a set of structured activities, coaching and correcting one another as they work through problems, and each taking turns as the tutor. The WWC reviewed 46 studies that investigat... more »
Research on Great Explorations in Math and Science® (GEMS®) Space Science
The WWC’s latest science report reviews the research on *Great Explorations in Math and Science® (GEMS®) Space Science*, an instructional sequence for grades 3–5. The curriculum covers fundamental science concepts by utilizing models, hands-on investigations, peer-to-peer discussions, reflection, and informational student readings. The WWC reviewed two studies that investigated the effects of GEMS® Space Science on elementary school students. One study, a randomized controlled trial, meets WWC evidence standards without reservations. The study included 2,594 Florida elementary scho... more »
Bunkum Awards Spotlight Shoddy Education Research
* Grand Prize Winner Says Charter Schools Should be Like Cancer* The National Education Policy Center (NEPC), housed at the University of Colorado Boulder, has announced the winners of the 2011 Bunkum Awards – presented for the most compellingly lousy educational research for the past year. The 2011 Bunkum Grand Prize goes to the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), which received the “Cancer is Under-Rated Award” for Going Exponential: Growing the Charter School Sector’s Best. In its report, which advocated the rapid expansion of preferred charter schools, PPI compared those charte...more »