THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT
TEACHERS’ GESTURES BOOST MATH LEARNING
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 2 hours ago
Students perform better when their instructors use hand gestures – a simple teaching tool that could yield benefits in higher-level math such as algebra. A study published in *Child Development*, the top-ranked educational psychology journal, provides some of the strongest evidence yet that gesturing may have a unique effect on learning. Teachers in the United States tend to use gestures less than teachers in other countries. “Gesturing can be a very beneficial tool that is completely free and easily employed in classrooms,” said Kimberly Fenn, study co-author and assistant profes... more »
Students Mixing Career, Technical Courses with Traditional Academic Tracks
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 day ago
In the past three decades, U.S. students have begun blurring the lines between traditional academic studies and technical education courses, according to a new report by researchers at RTI International and MPR Associates, Inc. In the report, researchers found that career and technical education, including courses such as accounting, construction and health care, has moved from being a separate vocational “track” for graduates headed to jobs immediately after high school to an exploratory “field” for both academic and general high school graduates. The researchers also found that ... more »
Boston Public Schools' prekindergarten program boosts children's skills
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 day ago
Boston Public Schools' prekindergarten program is substantially improving children's readiness to start kindergarten, according to a new study of more than 2,000 children enrolled there. The program uses research-based curricula and coaching of teachers, is taught primarily by masters-level teachers, and is open to any child regardless of family income. The study, out of Harvard University, appears in the journal Child Development. Some of the study's findings on the effects of the program are the largest found to date in evaluations of large-scale public prekindergarten programs.... more »
Female students just as successful as males in math and science
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 day ago
While compared to men, women continue to be underrepresented in math and science courses and careers, is this disparity a true reflection of male and female student ability? According to a study to be released tomorrow in *Psychology of Women Quarterly,* a SAGE journal, male and female students earn similar grades in math and science while Asian American students of both genders outperform all other races. Researchers Nicole Else-Quest, Concetta Mineo and Ashley Higgins studied 367 White, African American, Latino/Latina, and Asian American 10th grade male and female students in ma...more »
Study Finds Similar Academic Growth Rates for High-Achieving Students at High-, Low-Income Schools
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 2 days ago
High-achieving students show nearly equivalent rates of academic growth toward college readiness, whether they go to a low- or high-poverty school, according to a new study released by the Kingsbury Center at Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA). *A Level Playing Field: How College Readiness Standards Change the Accountability Game* found that average rates of academic growth by high achievers in high-income and low-income schools were nearly equivalent. Achievers in high-income schools showed slightly more significant math achievement growth than achievers in low-income schools...more »
Second ‘School Staffing Surge’ report suffers from same flaws as original
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 2 days ago
In a follow-up to its Bunkum Award-winning report of last year, the Friedman Foundation recently released a second report, again describing a surge in school employment unaccompanied by progress in student achievement. Again, however, the report suffers from faulty premises and inaccurate data. Joydeep Roy reviewed The School Staffing Surge, Part II, for the Think Twice think tank review project. The review is published by the National Education Policy Center, housed at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education. Dr. Roy is a visiting professor at Columbia University’... more »
New WWC Quick Review on "KIPP Middle Schools: Impacts on Achievement and Other Outcomes, Final Report"
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 2 days ago
What is the study about? 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 analyzed scores on state assessments for approximately 16,000 students attending 41 KIPP middle schools in 13 states and the District of Columbia. Students were followed for 1–4 years, depending on data availability. KIPP middle school students were matched to students who had attended the same feeder school districts but subsequently attended non-...more »
5-year-olds who watch TV for 3+ hours a day more likely to be antisocial
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 3 days ago
Five year-olds who watch TV for three or more hours a day are increasingly likely to develop antisocial behaviours, such as fighting or stealing by the age of seven, indicates research published online in Archives of Disease in Childhood. But the risk is very small, say the authors, who additionally found that time spent playing computer/electronic games had no impact on behaviour. Prolonged screen viewing time has been linked to various behavioural and emotional problems in children, say the authors, but most research has focused exclusively on television, and almost all of it has... more »
HOW SCHOOL REPORT CARDS CAN BACKFIRE
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 3 days ago
In the wake of President Obama’s “college scorecard,” new research finds that government attempts to grade educational institutions can backfire when done for political or policy purposes. Rebecca Jacobsen of Michigan State University studied the effects of publicizing performance data for K-12 schools, which was mandated by No Child Left Behind in 2001. While Jacobsen believes school report cards are warranted to keep the public informed, she said too often the information presented is unclear or misleading to parents and can ultimately erode trust in the schools. And now comes t... more »
Scientists and public school teachers team up to transform science education
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 3 days ago
A research paper published online this month in *Academic Medicine*highlights the successful development, implementation, and effects of an infectious disease curriculum that has now been piloted in five Boston Public Schools. Student engagement and interest in the infectious disease material increased after the curriculum was implemented. Based on pre-and post-tests, student understanding of the course content more than doubled regardless of gender or ethnicity, also attitudes and self-efficacy toward the material improved compared to other students. The curriculum is part of the G...more »
Mindfulness improves reading ability, working memory, and task-focus
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 3 days ago
If you think your inability to concentrate is a hopeless condition, think again –– and breathe, and focus. According to a study by researchers at the UC Santa Barbara, as little as two weeks of mindfulness training can significantly improve one's reading comprehension, working memory capacity, and ability to focus. Their findings were recently published online in the empirical psychology journal Psychological Science. "What surprised me the most was actually the clarity of the results," said Michael Mrazek, graduate student researcher in psychology and the lead and corresponding ... more »
Quitting marshmallow test can be a rational decision
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 3 days ago
A psychological experiment known as "the marshmallow test" has captured the public's imagination as a marker of self control and even as a predictor of future success. This test shows how well children can delay gratification, a trait that has been shown to be as important to scholastic performance as traditional IQ. New research from University of Pennsylvania psychologists suggests, however, that changing one's mind about delaying gratification can be a rational decision in situations when the timing of the payoff is uncertain. The research was conducted by assistant professor J... more »
Random Drug Testing of Middle School Students Proves Effective in Preventing Substance Abuse
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 3 days ago
The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) and Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind have released the results of their six year study of the effectiveness of drug-testing in the prevention of substance abuse among New Jersey middle school students at the statewide Addiction Conference, Atlantic City. For several years, some New Jersey middle schools have asked parents for permission to carry out random drug testing in the school. Now, the first longitudinal study measuring the effectiveness of these programs indicates these tests tend to reduce rates of drug abuse in... more »
Tension Between Administrative Practice and Ethical Imperatives in Special Education Leadership
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 4 days ago
Abstract Purpose: Given the increasing role of the principal in the administrative and supervision of special education programs and services, this research examines how elementary principals interpret their experience of leadership decision making as a moral activity in relation to the Ethic of the Profession and Model for Students’ Best Interests. Method: A phenomenological-like research method was used to capture administrators’ perspectives involving moral practice and ethical decision making as it relates to students with disabilities. The primary data collection strategy ... more »
Low-Income High-Achieving Students Miss Out on Attending Selective Colleges
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 week ago
*Most Don’t Apply and Colleges Don’t Find Them; Selective College Would Even Cost Less; Income Diversity vs. Racial Diversity * The vast majority of low-income, high-achieving students in the U.S. do not even apply to any selective colleges, in spite of the fact that attending those institutions would cost less than the ones the students do attend thanks to generous financial aid packages, according to a new paperpresented at the Spring 2013 Conference on the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity (BPEA). The research has implications for how selective universities conduct recruitm... more »
The Impact of Chicago's Small High School Initiative
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 week ago
This project examines the effects of the introduction of new small high schools on student performance in the Chicago Public School (CPS) district. Specifically, the authors investigate whether students attending small high schools have better graduation/enrollment rates and achievement than similar students who attend regular CPS high schools. The authors show that students who choose to attend a small school are more disadvantaged on average. To address the selection problem, the authors use an instrumental variables strategy and compare students who live in the same neighborho... more »
Prescription for double-dose algebra proves effective
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 week ago
Martin Gartzman sat in his dentist’s waiting room last fall when he read a study in Education Next that nearly brought him to tears. A decade ago, in his former position as chief math and science officer for Chicago Public Schools, Gartzman spearheaded an attempt to decrease ninth-grade algebra failure rates, an issue he calls “an incredibly vexing problem.” His idea was to provide extra time for struggling students by having them take two consecutive periods of algebra. Gartzman had been under the impression that the double-dose algebra program he had instituted had only marginal ... more »
The High School Course-Taking of Students Labeled With a Learning Disability
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 week ago
Placement of some students into the courses needed only for high school graduation and others into those that prepare them for college constitutes academic stratification. This study uses data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 to investigate whether students labeled with learning disabilities complete fewer academic courses by the end of high school compared to their peers who are not labeled. Results indicate large disparities in completion of college preparatory coursework, especially in math, science, and foreign language, even net of students’ academic preparation... more »
Effectiveness of Two Reading Programs Examined
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 week ago
The WWC has released two reports that review the research on programs designed to improve reading skills, Read Naturally and Fast ForWord®. Read Naturally is a supplemental reading program designed to improve the reading fluency, accuracy, and comprehension of elementary and middle school students using a combination of books, audio CDs, and computer software. The WWC found that Read Naturally has potentially positive effects on general literacy achievement for adolescent readers. Read the full WWC report at http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/interventionreport.aspx?sid=625. Fast ForWord® ... more »
Brown Center Report on American Education
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 week ago
The 2013 Brown Center Report on American Education on Education has been released. PART I: The Latest TIMSS and PIRLS Scores PART II: The Resurgence of Ability Grouping and Persistence of Tracking PART III: Advanced Math in Eighth Grade Part I examines the latest results from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS) released in December, 2012. The U.S. did relatively well, posting gains in reading, math, and science. Finland made headlines by registering declines from the last time it took the TIMSS mat...more »