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RESEARCH
HEADLINES
1.
Charter schools: "More bang for the buck"
Los Angeles Times
California charter schools appear to be improving at a faster pace than
public schools, although they continue to fall short of traditional public
schools in academic achievement, especially with English Language Learners.
2.
Dads Can Make a Difference in Reading Success with Dad’s Playbook National Institute for Literacy
Research suggests fathers can make a huge difference in their children’s
success at school, even if they do not live with or near their children. Dad’s Playbook: Coaching Kids to Read,
is a colorful booklet for dads to improve the quality of time they spend
with their children by teaching them about the skills children need to
become strong readers.
3.
Special Report: eSchools Work! eSchool News
In April, the U.S. Department of Education released a report which revealed
that the use of certain mathematic software programs did not lead to
improved student achievement. While the results of the study are not in
question, the perception among some has been that technology has no impact
on student achievement. To correct this misperception, eSchool news has
pulled together several studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of
technology in the classroom when used correctly in an effective learning
environment.
4.
Study Sheds Light on Qualities of Best Training for Principals Education Week
A new report, prepared by researchers at Stanford University, examined eight
principal-preparation programs' effectiveness. The report found that
programs for building effective principals exist, but most districts lack
the infrastructure needed to support them.
RESOURCES & EVENTS
5.
Register now for the Dawn Launch Educator Conference
McREL
Visit Cape Canaveral, see the Dawn spacecraft launch, and discover a host of
exciting educational activities to spark students’ interest in space
science. Join us at Cape Canaveral, Florida
June 28th–June 30th. Conference participants receive a
behind-the-scenes bus tour of Kennedy Space Center, engaging sessions
featuring Dawn mission and science team members, a VIP launch pass, and
more.
The cost of the conference is $60. Participants are responsible for their
own travel expenses, including air transportation, hotel accommodations, and
automobile rental.
Interested educators must register by May 31st.
6.
Join our CASL study to receive free professional development
McREL
McREL is
looking for participants in a study of Rick Stiggins’
Classroom
Assessment for Learning program. The study is open to
Colorado and California districts and offers free professional development
to schools and teachers. The enrollment period ends on June 8.
7.
Join our RISE/OWE study and receive free teacher training and classroom
materials
McREL
Attention
California, Colorado, Florida, and Texas educators, McREL is seeking
elementary schools with 33 percent or more Spanish-speaking LEP students for
a two-year study of
Harcourt
Achieve’s
Responsive Instruction for Success in English (RISE) teacher
training and
On Our Way to English
(OWE) classroom materials.
8.
NanoLeap field test open to high school teachers
McREL
McREL,
in partnership with the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility and ASPEN
Associates, has been awarded a National Science Foundation grant to develop
and evaluate a set of nanoscale science instructional materials for use at
the high school level. To pilot test these materials in the 2007-2008 school
year, McREL and ASPEN Associates are seeking 50 chemistry and physical
science teachers from public high schools nationwide. Over three weeks,
participants will pilot test two curriculum modules—NanoLeap
for Physical Science and
NanoLeap
for Chemistry. Application deadline is June 30. For more
information, contact John Ristvey at
jristvey@mcrel.org
or Elisabeth Palmer at
epalmer@aspenassociates.org
9.
Summer Balanced Leadership Institutes
McREL
McREL’s Summer
2007 Professional Development series of workshops continues with four
two-day Balanced Leadership Institutes, in which school administrators will
learn and apply insights from McREL’s research on effective principals, as
reported in
School
Leadership that Works: From Research to Results. On July
31-Aug.1,
Balanced
Leadership: An Overview will examine findings from research
on principal leadership and the concepts of shared and balanced leadership.
On Aug. 2-3,
Balanced Leadership: Developing a
Purposeful Community will engage participants in hands-on
learning that promotes a deep understanding of the importance of creating a
purposeful community. On Aug. 6-7,
Balanced
Leadership: Managing Change will show how to initiate,
monitor, and lead change effectively. Finally, on Aug. 8-9,
Balanced
Leadership: Choosing the Right Focus shows how to focus your
school on the school and classroom practices and leadership responsibilities
that McREL research shows are positively associated with student
achievement.
NEW FROM McREL
10.
Classroom Instruction that Works online course offered
Jones International University
McREL's popular, research-based manual on effective instructional
strategies,
Classroom Instruction that Works, is now available as a
graduate-level online course through Jones International University. In
a series of three, four-week courses, participants learn about nine
strategies proven to raise student achievement and how to apply these
strategies in the classroom. The course also teaches how to use
educational technology to enhance the strategies and how to apply them
to English-language learning in mainstream classroom settings.
11.
Power Walkthrough software
McREL
Principals can make the most of their classroom observations and PDA
technology by using McREL’s new Power Walkthrough software . Based on
McREL’s popular manual,
Classroom Instruction that Works, this software allows
administrators to recognize the most effective teaching strategies and
record their usage in brief (3−5-minute) classroom visits—all with a
convenient hand-held Palm or Windows Mobile device. The data can then be
uploaded and analyzed on desktop computers—and help principals in
coaching their teachers to higher levels of performance. In addition,
the software helps measure the extent to which technology is being used
in the classroom.
12.
Changing Schools
McREL
Addressing both the tangible and intangible aspects of school
improvement is the message in the Spring 2007 issue of
Changing Schools: Getting a New Perspective on School Improvement.
Read about common school improvement mistakes and how to avoid them; how
to create a culture of high expectations; using the Response to
Intervention model to apply data to instruction in a timely manner; the
importance of small, simple, and quick improvements; and one example of
a school that has sustained improvements over many years.
13.
Classroom Instruction that Works with English Language Learners
workshop
McREL
This workshop, based on the book of the same name, shows participants
how to apply the instructional strategies found in
Classroom Instruction that Works to ELL students in K-6
classrooms. Participants will also learn about the stages of language
acquisition and how they relate to instruction, and the research
background and recommended practices for each of the nine categories of
strategies.
REPORT ROUNDUP
14.
AIR Study Uses U.S. Standards to Compare U.S. 8th Grade Math and Science
Students with Their Foreign Counterparts
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
This new study from AIR demonstrates that, while U.S. 8th graders
continue to trail their counterparts in Singapore, Chinese Taipei, South
Korea, and Hong Kong, they tend to perform as well as or better than
students in other parts of the world.
15.
Similar English Learner Students, Different Results: Why Do Some Schools
Do Better?
EdSource, Stanford University, & American
Institutes for Research
This new large-scale analysis highlights the educational practices that
set higher-performing schools with large English Language Learning
student populations apart from low-performing schools with similar
populations. In addition, this study, an extension of the 2005
Similar Students, Different Results
study examines how effective practices for
all
students work for English Language Learners.
16.
School Choice by the Numbers: The Fiscal Effect of School Choice
Programs, 1990-2006
Milton & Rose D. Friedman Foundation
School Choice by the Numbers weighs the fiscal impact of the
12 available voucher and tax-credit scholarship programs in the
U.S. to evaluate the financial impact of school choice. One of the key
findings of the report is that two of the twelve programs are neutral,
while every other school choice program has produced at least $1 million
in savings.
17.
Standards-Based Reform of Mathematics Education in Rural High Schools
Journal of Research in Rural Education
This analysis of an interview of rural high school principals suggested
that schools were undertaking reform efforts to comply with state
testing and accountability. The principals' responses indicated that the
reforms adopted by their schools led to incremental changes involving
curriculum and individualized instruction, but neither fully embraced
their reform agendas, nor fully ignored them.
18.
NICHD/NCATE Report Identifies Gaps in Research to Practice in Child and
Adolescent Development
National Council for Accreditation of
Teacher Education (NCATE)
This report recommends more attention be focused on teaching
future teachers how to apply the current research on child and
adolescent development in their classrooms, rather than simply taking
one course on development. In addition, teachers need ongoing access to
current research, more information about the application of this
research, and the time, resources, and support required to integrate the
research on development into classroom practices.
19.
New Research Shows How Companies Can Help Transform Public Education,
Tackle Concerns Over Workforce Readiness
Ernst & Young
In a new whitepaper, Ernst & Young suggest that many of the problems
plaguing education today could be solved by applying known principles of
Corporate America in our school systems. In particular, the report
offers 6 guidelines for improving education: 1) Start at the top, 2)
Lead with your strengths, 3) Scale appropriately, 4) Adapt, don’t
prescribe, 5) Be in it for the long haul, and 6) Measure and manage.
20.
The Autonomy Gap
Thomas B. Fordham Foundation
This report, based on a series of interviews with a small sample
of district and charter-school principals, concludes that there is a
sizable difference between the autonomy principals believe they need to
do their jobs effectively, and the autonomy they actually experience.
McREL IN THE
NEWS
21.
FCAT mistake fuels critics, upsets parents
Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel, May 26
The
Orlando Sentinel
interviewed McREL Principal Researcher and large-scale assessment expert
Bruce Randel for an article on problems with Florida’s statewide
assessment. Randel described trends in the testing industry that may
have led to errors on the FCAT test.
22.
Kettle Moraine looks at standards
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 25
A new 113-page report created by a special task force in Kettle Moraine
recommends the district abandon a top-down leadership approach, increase
community outreach and change how it communicates, with the aim that the
changes would help it remain flexible as technology and global
competitiveness alter expectations for how students are prepared. The
report is the culmination of a year-long scenario-planning project that
the task force conducted with consultation from McREL.
23.
USM will oversee training program
Gulfport (Miss.) Sun Herald, May 25
McREL and the University of Southern Mississippi are partnering on a
$1.2 million project funded by the Mississippi State Department of
Education to prepare experienced educators to go out into school
districts and provide leadership training for building-level
administrators.
24.
High-tech show in Knappa
The Daily Astorian (Astoria, Ore.)
(Subscription-only), May 18
Six teachers will present the technology skills they acquired from
participants of last year's
McREL Technology Solutions (MTS)
program. MTS is designed to train select staff members on the use of
technology in the classroom. Those staff members then pass that training
on to other teachers, building capacity for self-sustaining technology
integration throughout the school or district.
24.
States told to improve American Indian student achievement
Minnesota Public Radio, May 16
Minnesota, Iowa, North and South Dakota and Nebraska joined together in
a first-of-its kind regional forum on American Indian student
achievement, sponsored by the
North Central Comprehensive Center.
Education officials are working together to teach American Indians their
native languages and cultures in school to help increase their interest
in completing their education.
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