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Author: Todd James Bondurant Sparger
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 173
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Book Description
The issue of high school reform has received national attention during the first part of the 21st century. One idea brought forth in this restructuring effort has been the desire to create high schools with smaller student populations. However, in an era of tight budgets, where resources are not always available to build more schools, educators have explored the possibility of dividing existing large high schools into smaller units. This restructuring approach has many titles, but is frequently referred to as a Smaller Learning Community (SLC). Since 2000, the federal government has pledged $245 million to schools willing to create SLCs. This research has studied the schools in Florida that have received the federal implementation grant and have established SLCs. The 39 Florida high schools that were awarded the federal grant in 2000, 2001, and 2002 served as the population for this study.
Author: Todd James Bondurant Sparger
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 173
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Book Description
The issue of high school reform has received national attention during the first part of the 21st century. One idea brought forth in this restructuring effort has been the desire to create high schools with smaller student populations. However, in an era of tight budgets, where resources are not always available to build more schools, educators have explored the possibility of dividing existing large high schools into smaller units. This restructuring approach has many titles, but is frequently referred to as a Smaller Learning Community (SLC). Since 2000, the federal government has pledged $245 million to schools willing to create SLCs. This research has studied the schools in Florida that have received the federal implementation grant and have established SLCs. The 39 Florida high schools that were awarded the federal grant in 2000, 2001, and 2002 served as the population for this study.
Author: Benjamin Judd Bristo
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education, Secondary
Languages : en
Pages : 134
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Book Description
Leading through change is a difficult process. School leaders who hope to create meaningful, long-term change must be cognizant of numerous factors. This study was undertaken with the hope of increasing educational leaders' awareness of how their decisions are viewed by those who follow them. Case studies revealed pertinent data within two schools that have undertaken a significant change initiative. All 2007 and 2008 Small Learning Communities (SLC) grant-recipient schools in Florida were invited to participate in a series of case studies. Participating principals were questioned about their perceptions of how they fulfill their change leadership role related to the seven factor of second-order change, as identified by Marzano, Waters, and McNulty (2005). Teachers were questioned about their perceptions of the principal's performance in leading the new initiative by the same seven factors. Principal and teacher scores were then compared for each school to identify potential differences in perceptions related change implementation and the seven factors. Although the data cannot be generalized, statistical analyses did reveal significant differences in perceptions of between principals and teachers in each of the two participating schools. In Study 1, these differences existed in Knowledge of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment; Optimizer; Flexibility; and Ideals/Beliefs. In Study 2, differences were identified in the same areas as in Study 1, but in Intellectual Stimulation and Monitoring/Evaluating as well. Differences in teacher perceptions across the schools were identified in Knowledge of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment; and in Intellectual Stimulation.
Author: Amanda Jayne Ellis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Professional learning communities
Languages : en
Pages : 117
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Book Description
The focus of this research was to examine the professional learning of school instructional and administrative staff as they focused on the elements of becoming a professional learning community. Existing research examined the components and behaviors collectively or independently. This research describes the relational data between the critical elements of focus, the leader, teams, and individual teacher as related to student achievement. It was determined through the literature review and results of this study that there were constructs of professional learning communities that were related to student achievement. In particular, a statistically significant relationship between proficiency in reading and teacher reflection was found. Additional behaviors of teachers and leaders were discussed in relation to increased student achievement. Suggested uses for the study included the consideration of practices by leaders in creating professional learning communities that support student achievement. An additional suggestion was the utilization of reflective practice and action research as means for increased student achievement.
Author: Donald Matthew Morrison
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 96
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The study was conducted to determine if there were any statistically significant differences in student achievement as measured by the 10th-grade Reading and Mathematics Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) at the school level between the configurations of high schools, controlling for the percentage of minority population and SES. A total of 259 large public high schools within Florida were used in the study; 149 traditional schools and 110 large schools using small learning communities. Because prior researchers have indicated that the number of low SES students and the percentage of minority students can have an effect on student achievement, these covariates were controlled for in this study. There was a significant difference in the FCAT Mathematics scores of students based on school configuration. Those students who attended traditional high schools scored higher than those in the smaller learning communities. There was a similar finding in the FCAT Reading scores, but it was only marginally significant. The interaction between the percentage of the minority population and low SES population was also evaluated, but no significant interaction was found. A qualitative survey was also sent to administrators at schools who were involved in the study. In direct contradiction to the quantitative study results, the vast majority of respondents thought that the use of a small learning community would increase student achievement. With the advent of Common Core in Mathematics and Language Arts, this research lends itself to be expanded on a national level to determine if a larger sample size would yield the same or differing results.
Author: Stacy Williams-Coca
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 236
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Author: Nettie Legters
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 114
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Researchers from MDRC and Johns Hopkins University partnered with Florida's Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) in 2009 to launch an independent evaluation of the district's initiative to implement Ninth Grade Academies (NGAs) in every district high school. An NGA is a self-contained learning community for ninth-graders that operates as a school within a school. With its own administrative leadership, space, faculty, and teacher teams, it is designed to offer ninth-graders a more personalized, engaging, and responsive learning environment. The study found strong district leadership at the outset and widespread uptake of core NGA components across the 18 high schools in the sample. The investigation also uncovered substantial variation in the overall quality and duration of NGA implementation across schools, however, with strong and sustained implementation of multiple components occurring in just three schools, even though many more had access to models of strong NGAs nearby. These implementation experiences in BCPS suggest that many schools will need more specific guidelines, on-site support, training for teachers, secure resources, and tools to guide practice and facilitate scheduling if they are to implement fully fledged, continuously improving, and self-sustaining NGAs. The following are the key findings from the study: (1) District leadership for the initiative was strong at the outset, but not sustained as district priorities changed; (2) While schools received some support through a cross-school professional learning community for NGA administrators, they did not receive any other technical or financial support for pro-gram implementation; (3) The district's definition of NGAs focused on structural components in each school--ninth-grade administrative leadership, dedicated ninth-grade space, dedicated ninth-grade faculty, and interdisciplinary teacher teams. Improving ninth-grade curriculum, instruction, and student supports were not a direct focus of the initiative. In fact, other reforms in these areas aimed at improving student outcomes competed with NGA implementation; (4) It was more feasible for schools to implement and sustain the administrative leadership and space components of NGAs than the dedicated ninth-grade faculty and interdisciplinary teaming components; and (5) Only three high schools achieved strong implementation. Ten achieved a threshold level of implementation, and five fell below threshold. Most schools did not improve from the first to the second or third year. The following are appended: (1) Sample Selection; and (2) Scoring Rubrics for Core NGA Components. [This report was written with Emma Alterman, Joanne Fennessey, and Janell Smith. A list of earlier MDRC publications related to high school reform, smaller learning communities, and the ninth-grade transition is included.].
Author: Carrie L. Maxson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Curriculum planning
Languages : en
Pages : 79
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Book Description
Project focuses on the implementation of Smaller Learning Communities (SLC) in an urban high school and analyzing teacher trainings and meetings.
Author: Joseph Richard Fulk
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education, Elementary
Languages : en
Pages : 84
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Author: Luz M. Valverde-Ulate
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education, Urban
Languages : en
Pages : 512
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Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Education and the Workforce. Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 350
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