McRel Rural E-News, March 2007

1. Study: Spend more on schools Akron Beacon Journal
For years, state officials have been talking about the need to give each child in Ohio a world-class education, and finally a price tag has been attached to the idea: $2.4 billion to $4.8 billion in new money. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Washington, funded in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. A working draft of the study suggests that Ohio should spend as much as 31% more on public education for such changes as longer school years, lower pupil-teacher ratios and significant improvements in early education.

2. Hidden Benefits: The Impact of High School Graduation on Household Wealth
Alliance for Excellent Education
The difference in earnings between high school graduates and non-graduates is well documented. This report, however, goes beyond earnings to examine household wealth, or assets. In addition to increasing the potential earnings, a high school graduate will accumulate ten times more household wealth, including cash investments, material possessions, and nontangible investments (such as advanced degrees). Thus, if all heads of households in the United States had graduated from high school, our citizens would have over $74 billion more in accumulated wealth.

3. Reports: Grades improving despite weak test scores CNN
Two conflicting reports on high school achievement were recently released. One, examining the 2005 NAEP scores, showed that high school seniors are still performing poorly on national math and reading tests. The other, a review of high school transcripts from 2005 graduates, shows that students are getting better grades, taking more difficult courses, and earning more credits prior to graduation.

4. Summer Professional Development
McREL
Announcing the McREL Summer 2007 Professional Development series! Choose from among nine sessions held at our training facilities in Denver. Learn how to apply insights from McREL�s popular ASCD titles � including Classroom Instruction that Works, Dimensions of Learning, and School Leadership that Works � to such challenges as improving science instruction, curriculum design, closing student achievement gaps, and leading school improvement.

5. Designing Effective Science Lessons Workshops (May-June, 2007)
McREL
McREL�s Designing Effective Science Lessons is a four-part series of workshops, presented by Anne Tweed, award-winning educator and former president of the National Science Teachers Association, on how to use research to design high-quality lessons that help all students master challenging science content. Join us for Session 1, Building the Framework, on May 31�June 1, and sessions 2�4 on June 4�8.

8. AERA Annual Meeting and Exhibition
American Educational Research Association (AERA)
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) will hold its 2007 Annual Meeting and Exhibition from April 9−13 in Chicago. The following McREL staff will be presenting on these topics:
Andrea Beesley: Tuesday, April 10 (2:15−3:45 p.m.); Motivation for Learning in Developing Experts: Profiles of Multiple Goals (Poster Session)
Andrea Beesley and Zoe Barley: Thursday, April 12 (2:15−3:45 p.m.); Rural School Success: What Can We Learn?
Lynn Waldorf: Monday, April 9 (2:15−2:55 p.m.); Benefits and Pitfalls of Attempts to Quantitatively Measure Academic Learning Through Arts-Integration

NEW FROM McREL

9. The Primacy of Superintendent Leadership
The School Administrator, March 2007
In the cover article for the March 2007 issue of School Administrator, Tim Waters and Robert Marzano of McREL report on the strong connection between superintendent leadership and student achievement they found in their research. They base their conclusions on a meta-analytic study of 27 research reports which comprise 4,434 ratings of superintendent leadership and achievement scores of 3.4 million students. In addition to finding a statistically significant relationship between district leadership and student achievement, Marzano and Waters identify five district-level leadership responsibilities that are significantly correlated with student academic achievement�all related to setting and keeping districts focused on teaching and learning goals.

10. Technology in the Early Childhood Classroom
Learning and Leading with Technology, March 2007
McREL Senior Consultant Elizabeth Ross Hubbell has written this article for the March issue of Learning and Leading with Technology, the journal of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), about the advantages of using technology with the youngest learners. With proper modeling, she says, technology helps early learners to communicate, practice skills, and better understand concepts. For example, it helps students learn critical thinking skills such as how to identify similarities and differences.

11. The Benefits of Out-of-School Time Programs
Principal's Research Review, March 2007
In the March issue of Principal�s Research Review, a publication available to members of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP),
McREL Senior Consultant Kirsten Miller writes about the benefits of out-of-school time (OST) programs. The article explains that, although the research on these benefits is limited, there is evidence that, if properly implemented, OST programs support student learning, especially for at-risk students. The article outlines components of high-quality programs and makes recommendations for success: aligning the OST program with the day program, being intentional in terms of program goals and outcomes, and collecting data to keep track of what�s working and what�s not.

REPORT ROUNDUP

12. Making the Grade: Online Education in the United States, 2006
The Sloan Consortium
In their fourth annual report on the state of online learning in U.S. higher education, the Sloan Consortium attempts to address the following questions regarding online education:

Has the growth of online enrollments begun to plateau?
Who is learning online?
What types of institutions have online offerings?
Have perceptions of quality changed for online offerings?
What are the barriers to widespread adoption of online education?

13. Leaders and Laggards: A State-by-State Report Card on Educational Effectiveness
Center for American Progress
As the modern workplace becomes more and more complex, we must redefine what it will take for students to succeed. This report attempts to grade all 50 states and Washington, DC, on their K-12 school systems based on performance measures vital to competently operating � and improving � complex organizations in any sector. This is the first national report that has examined each state's return on its educational investments, rather than spending or regulations.

14. "It's Different Now": How Exit Exams Are Affecting Teaching and Learning in Jackson and Austin
Center on Education Policy
This study focuses on the affects of high school exit exams on local policy and practices. Through case studies of Jackson, Miss., and Austin, Texas, schools, the report examines how classroom instruction and educational initiatives are preparing students for the exit exams and how the exams affect student engagement in learning, as well as their plans for postsecondary education.

15. The Effects of NBPTS-Certified Teachers on Student Achievement
National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER)
This study examines the effectiveness of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification. Using a unique set of four-year longitudinal data, the authors examine the relationship between NBPTS certification and the impact of teachers on student test scores. The results are mixed, and in some cases NBPTS certification appears to signal teacher productivity. However, there is little evidence that the process of becoming NBPTS certified automatically leads to an increase in teacher productivity.

16. Educator Community and Elementary Student Performance
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
While much research has been done on the connections between individual teachers' achievements and student performance, this report examines a much less emphasized area of personnel development � how the school's staff members work together as a team. This report attempts to address the question: Does staff teamwork actually affect student achievement? The report finds that students in schools where the staff is working well as a group generally outperform their peers in schools where the staff is not functioning as well.

McREL IN THE NEWS

17. February 14
School board aims high The Reidsville Review Online (N.C.)
The Rockingham County Board of Education will implement sweeping changes in all 25 schools next year based on what they've learned from McREL's Success in Sight school improvement program.

18. March 1
Sikeston R-6 will be recognized The Standard Democrat (Mo.)
Sikeston R�6 school district in southeast Missouri received the Commissioner of Education's Award of Excellence for Professional Development. One of the significant factors leading to this award was Sikeston's involvement in McREL's "Close the Gap" consortium, now in its third and final year.