Examining the Turning Points Comprehensive Middle School Reform Model

Examining the Turning Points Comprehensive Middle School Reform Model PDF Author: Jay Feldman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 19

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Book Description
For the past decade, the federal government has supported comprehensive school reform as a way to improve under-performing schools (US Department of Education 1998). Thousands of schools across the country are now implementing scores of different whole school reform models with the hopes of improving school culture and raising student performance. Numerous studies have examined the effectiveness of CSRD schools (Sterbinsky and Ross, 2002; Sterbinsky, Ross, and Redfield, 2001; Berends, Bodilly, & Kirby, 2002a; Berends, Bodilly, & Kirby, 2002b). Their most significant finding is that schools which are able to implement the design fully are more likely to show gains in student improvement; however, levels of implementation vary greatly across schools, districts, and designs (Berends 2000; Berends et al, 2002a). The ability of designs to adapt to local contexts has met with mixed levels of success (Bodilly, 2001), as has their ability to have an impact on the "core of educational practice" (Elmore, 1996). In a recent article in Phi Delta Kappan, Mike Schmoker argues that "comprehensive school reform" must take a more flexible, less prescriptive approach that cultivates professional learning communities focused on improving instruction. Much of the research on CSRD schools has been focused on quantitative outcomes. Additional research needs to examine ways that schools and model developers adapt their designs based on local context to examine closely teaching and learning. This study uses qualitative methods to examine four Turning Points Middle Schools to understand how these schools have achieved success in adapting the Turning Points design. Appendices include: (1) Turning Points Principles and Practices; and (2) Profile of Current Regional Centers. (Contains 11 footnotes.).

Examining the Turning Points Comprehensive Middle School Reform Model

Examining the Turning Points Comprehensive Middle School Reform Model PDF Author: Jay Feldman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 19

Get Book Here

Book Description
For the past decade, the federal government has supported comprehensive school reform as a way to improve under-performing schools (US Department of Education 1998). Thousands of schools across the country are now implementing scores of different whole school reform models with the hopes of improving school culture and raising student performance. Numerous studies have examined the effectiveness of CSRD schools (Sterbinsky and Ross, 2002; Sterbinsky, Ross, and Redfield, 2001; Berends, Bodilly, & Kirby, 2002a; Berends, Bodilly, & Kirby, 2002b). Their most significant finding is that schools which are able to implement the design fully are more likely to show gains in student improvement; however, levels of implementation vary greatly across schools, districts, and designs (Berends 2000; Berends et al, 2002a). The ability of designs to adapt to local contexts has met with mixed levels of success (Bodilly, 2001), as has their ability to have an impact on the "core of educational practice" (Elmore, 1996). In a recent article in Phi Delta Kappan, Mike Schmoker argues that "comprehensive school reform" must take a more flexible, less prescriptive approach that cultivates professional learning communities focused on improving instruction. Much of the research on CSRD schools has been focused on quantitative outcomes. Additional research needs to examine ways that schools and model developers adapt their designs based on local context to examine closely teaching and learning. This study uses qualitative methods to examine four Turning Points Middle Schools to understand how these schools have achieved success in adapting the Turning Points design. Appendices include: (1) Turning Points Principles and Practices; and (2) Profile of Current Regional Centers. (Contains 11 footnotes.).

Turning Points

Turning Points PDF Author: Center for Collaborative Education
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 42

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Book Description
Turning Points is a New American Schools design for comprehensive middle school reform coordinated by the Center for Collaborative Education (CCE) in Boston Massachusetts. It focuses on creating a professional collaborative culture and using data-based inquiry to improve teaching and learning for all students. Turning Points seeks to create high-performing schools, especially those serving high percentages of low-income students and students of color. The design is driven by one overarching goal--ensuring success for every student. Based on twelve years of research and practice in urban, rural, and suburban middle schools across the country, Turning Points helps middle schools to strengthen their academic core and to create caring and challenging learning communities that meet the needs of young adolescents. The design grew out of the seminal "Turning Points" report issued by the Carnegie Corporation in 1989, which concentrated on the considerable risks adolescents face as they reach the "turning point" between childhood and adulthood.

Examining Comprehensive School Reform

Examining Comprehensive School Reform PDF Author: Daniel K. Aladjem
Publisher: The Urban Insitute
ISBN: 9780877667339
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 388

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Book Description
Urban school reformers for decades have tried to improve educational outcomes for underserved and disadvantaged students, with the assistance of constantly evolving federal and state policies. In recent years, education policies have shifted from targeting individual students to developing universal standards for teaching and learning, and comprehensive school reform (CSR) has emerged as an effective key model. The federal CSR program seeks to support the implementation of comprehensive school reform, especially in high-poverty schools, and to improve efforts to help all children meet challenging academic standards. Schools that receive federal CSR funds must adopt approaches that comply with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This book provides a series of studies and reflections on CSR by leading experts in the field.

Focus on the Wonder Years

Focus on the Wonder Years PDF Author: Jaana Juvonen
Publisher: Rand Corporation
ISBN: 0833036157
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 181

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Book Description
Young teens undergo multiple changes that seem to set them apart from other students. But do middle schools actually meet their special needs? The authors describe some of the challenges and offer ways to tackle them, such as reassessing the organization of grades K-12; specifically assisting the students most in need; finding ways to prevent disciplinary problems; and helping parents understand how they can help their children learn at home.

After Turning Points

After Turning Points PDF Author: Nancy Barnes Mansberger
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Effective teaching
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
The purpose of this study was to explore the adoption by U.S. middle schools of key practices recommended by the 1989 Turning Points report. Three questions were examined: (1) To what extent have the organizational practices identified by research to impact the development of "small learning communities" been adopted by U.S. middle schools? (2) To what extent do the instructional practices of U.S. middle school teachers reflect developmentally responsive or traditional/bureaucratic methods?, and (3) Do the instructional practices of U.S. middle school teachers differ between those who teach in schools with developmentally responsive organizational practices and those who teach in schools with more traditional/bureaucratic organizational practices? National data gathered by the National Center for Education Statistics through the 1993-94 Schools and Staffing Survey were extracted for this study. A sample of 423 fulltime sixth, seventh, and eighth grade teachers of core academic subjects was derived from the 1994-95 Teacher Followup Survey (TFS) component. Frequency distributions were run on five dimensions of organizational practices identified with the development of "small learning communities", in order to determine the extent of use of each practice in U.S. middle schools. Mean levels of the use of fourteen instructional practices identified as "active"/developmentally responsive and eleven as "passive"/traditional practices were computed to examine the predominant instructional practices of U.S. middle school teachers. One-way ANOVAs were run to compare instructional practices of teachers who teach in schools with developmentally responsive organizational practices and those who teach in schools with more traditional/bureaucratic organizational practices. Findings indicated that 4.3 percent of U.S. middle schools could be characterized as having organizational practices that support the development of "small learning communities", while the organizational practices of 45.7 percent reflected a "traditional/bureaucratic" pattern. Passive learning activities were more frequently employed than were active and/or developmentally responsive instructional strategies: Seven of the top ten most frequently used teaching methods found in the study reflected traditional, teacher-centered practices. Though the reported use of instructional practices tended to vary according to organizational practices as theorized, practically no significant differences of important were observed.

Turning Points 2000

Turning Points 2000 PDF Author: Anthony W. Jackson
Publisher: Teachers College Press
ISBN: 0807775223
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 267

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Book Description
This seminal volume, written by the principal author of the original report (Anthony W. Jackson) along with one of the main leaders in implementing its principles (Gayle A. Davis): Synthesizes crucial lessons learned from educators attempting to improve middle grades education across the country over the past decade.Bridges the gap between education researchers and practitioners by translating a wealth of recent research into practical guidance for front-line educators.Signals a new generation of thinking about middle grades education by emphasizing that, in addition to structural changes in classrooms and schools, educators must also make substantial, far-reaching changes in curriculum, student assessment, and instruction in order to improve student learning.Directly confronts critical questions such as how heterogeneously grouped (i.e., untracked) students can be successfully educated, why middle grades teachers must be specially licensed to teach young adolescents, and why middle grades instruction must include instruction in reading Carnegie Corporation’s landmark 1989 report, Turning Points: Preparing American Youth for the 21st Century, focused national attention on the long-neglected needs of adolescent youth. In the following decade, hundreds of middle grades schools implemented Turning Points principles and many others adopted similar and complementary measures. Based on these experiences, Turning Points 2000 refines the ideas contained in the original report by blending the wisdom of both the latest research and the best practice. “If [the authors’] deep understanding of what's needed and what works for adolescents were shared by every policy maker and educator, we would indeed see a major trans-formation in the education of our young. This book is a must-read for everyone who works with children and youth. For that matter, it's essential for everyone who cares about the health of our young people and our society....” —Linda Darling-Hammond, Stanford University “Turning Points 2000 provides a perfect blend of practical guidance and grand vision, looking with hope toward a day when the developmental needs of all children are met. The authors skillfully bridge the gap between research and practice as they share strategies for families, communities, and institutions to collaboratively prepare adolescents for life success.” —Dr. James P. Comer, Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry,Yale Child Study Center

Benchmarks to Becoming a Turning Points School

Benchmarks to Becoming a Turning Points School PDF Author: Jordan Naidoo
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 74

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Book Description
Turning Points is a national design for middle school change, coordinated by the Center for Collaborative Education in Boston, Massachusetts, which serves as the National Turning Points Center. The design focuses on restructuring middle schools to improve learning, teaching, and assessment for all students. It is based on the seminal "Turning Points" report issued by the Carnegie Corporation in 1989, which concentrated on the considerable risks that young adolescents face as they reach the "turning point" between childhood and adulthood. A crucial part of this reform initiative calls for schools to reflect continuously upon their progress in implementing the Turning Points model. This guide presents the Turning Points benchmarks and tells how a school will use them to assess its implementation of the Turning Points model. The benchmarks are based upon the Turning Points principles and are organized around the practices.

Connecting Theory and Practice in Middle School Literacy

Connecting Theory and Practice in Middle School Literacy PDF Author: Jason DeHart
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000511901
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
Bringing together the voices of researchers and teachers, this volume addresses how teachers connect theory to practice in the middle school English Language Arts education setting and explores how to teach and engage with young adults in a way that treats them as ethical and thoughtful citizens. The book bridges the gap between educational theory and real-world implementation and covers a range of timely topics in middle level education through a focus on text choice, identity, and practice. Contributors acknowledge and balance the challenges associated with the reality of teaching, including time constraints, sudden shifts, and fast-paced work, with real-world guidance on key topics, such as supporting multilingual students, queering middle grade pedagogies, teaching diverse texts, examining racial bias in the classroom, and critical digital literacy. Ideal for courses on middle level education and literacy education, this book encourages and equips pre-service teachers to engage in meaningful conversations with their students that foster reflection and transformative learning.

Reforming Middle Level Education

Reforming Middle Level Education PDF Author: Sue C. Thompson
Publisher: IAP
ISBN: 1607529475
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
This volume of The Handbook of Research in Middle Level Education is a significant contribution to the literature on middle level schools because it is written specifically with policymakers in mind. Middle level scholars have illuminated the most important issues concerning the education of young adolescents of which policymakers must be knowledgeable. It is only by having informed policymakers that middle level schools can truly thrive and provide the kind of education that every young adolescent deserves. The future of our country depends on it.

Turning Points in Middle Schools

Turning Points in Middle Schools PDF Author: Mary Gallagher-Polite
Publisher: Corwin
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 154

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Book Description
Turning Points in Middle Schools follows a fictional school (Dewey Middle School) in its transition from a traditional junior high to a middle school. A series of true-to-life stories depicts the fundamental differences between the two kinds of schools and how change comes about. The authors analyze and explore the stresses both staff and students will encounter during the complex transition process. They present a cohesive, realistic portrayal of the successes and the inevitable disappointments involved and offer tips on how to help everyone better handle these changes. You'll examine these key issues: developmental characteristics of early adolescents; components of a successful middles school; curricular and instructional practices in middle schools; personal and group dynamics - building relationships; and the change process itself.