Search

A common rationale for providing free lunch for all students is that selectively receiving a free meal at school generates stigma. This study examines the hypothesis that eligibility to receive a school free lunch has negative effects on student educational outcomes, and that this stigma-effect is more severe in schools where a low proportion of students receives a free lunch at school. To do so, we use a sparse optimal matching method within a multilevel growth framework. Our results reveal that free school lunch status does not have significant net impact on students' average educational achievements or growth rate during middle school. Educational achievement in middle school is, however, significantly affected by the interaction between school free lunch status and the proportion of students in the school receiving a free school lunch, with students experiencing a stigma effect in schools with a low proportion of free lunch students.

Educational analysts studying achievement and other educational outcomes frequently encounter an association between initial status and growth, which has important implications for the analysis of covariate effects, including group differences in growth. As explicated by Allison (1990), where only two time points of data are available, identifying a preferred model can be difficult or impossible. In this paper we extend Allison's inquiry by considering multiple sources of the association between initial status and growth simultaneously, including measurement error but also intrinsic associations between initial status and growth. We illustrate the potential trade-offs between the change-score model specifications (models without a control for initial status) and regressor-variable specifications (with a control for initial status) using simulated data.

The authors examine changes in the level and dispersion of student engagement across the transition to high school. Changes in the total dispersion in engagement among all students, as well as divergence in engagement between students of differing gender, race, socioeconomic background, and initial levels of achievement are reported. [This article originally appeared as NSSE Yearbook Vol 113, No. 1.]

In an effort to understand teacher-student relationships much research has investigated how teacher expectations of student performance in the classroom affect achievement growth. However, little research has focused on how teacher expectations of students' educational attainment are formed. In this paper, we examine how students' high school track placements affect teacher expectations regarding students' educational attainment in the NELS data. NELS is a large, nationally representative longitudinal study from the United States of the graduating class of 1992. We focus on students with discrepant track placements to determine how different teachers evaluate the same student. Overall, for the same student, teachers in high track classes have higher college expectations than teachers in lower track classrooms.

In this analysis, the authors explore the relationship between the social context of high schools and school-to-school variation in tracking policies. The authors consider three explanations for the implementation of highly elaborated tracking systems: opportunity hoarding, status competition, and a technical-functional explanation. Building on the research methodology developed by Kelly, they conducted a content analysis of curriculum guides in a sample of 128 high schools to identify school tracking policies. They find that compositional variables related to technical-functional concerns, and to a lesser extent, status competition, are associated with highly elaborated school tracking policies. (Contains 6 notes and 5 tables.)

Background/Context: Black students are no less engaged or more disruptive than other students of similar achievement levels and socioeconomic status. However, because Black students are more likely to have disadvantaged family backgrounds and lower levels of achievement, segregation concentrates the risk factors for problem behavior in predominantly Black schools. As a result of the behavioral climate in predominantly Black schools, teachers may rely on instructional methods that facilitate an orderly classroom and minimize the negative effects of disruptions, possibly resulting in an instructional approach that is less engaging for students in those classrooms. I rely on Metz's typology of developmental versus incorporative instruction and research on classroom discourse to identify instruction that may negatively impact student engagement. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: First, how do reports of problem behavior from teachers and administrators in predominantly Black schools differ from those in integrated and non-Black schools? Second, how does the prevalence of developmental instruction vary across schools with different racial compositions? Research Design: This study uses the 2003-2004 Schools and Staffing Survey data to analyze reports of problem behavior from teachers and administrators. Logistic regression models are used to provide estimates of the prevalence of behavioral problems, adjusting for academic performance and socioeconomic status of the student body. The Chicago School Study (CSS) and the Partnership for Literacy Study (Partnership) data are then used to investigate the prevalence of developmental instruction. The CSS data contain student and teacher reports of the incorporation of student ideas into instruction. In the Partnership data, time summary statistics of observational records of teachers' instructional activities (e.g., lecture, discussion, seatwork) and question property statistics from a coding of classroom discourse are presented. Conclusions/Recommendations: Consistent with prior research, teachers are much more likely to report incidences of problem behavior in predominantly Black schools. Consequently, the instructional environment in predominantly Black schools and classrooms is tailored somewhat to reduce classroom disruptions and maintain an orderly environment. Specifically, the result is less interactive discourse and more seatwork. However, the differences in teachers' instructional approach are relatively modest; there is no "crisis" of authority. Further research is needed on the effects of segregation on social relations in schools and how classroom instruction is affected.

Background/Context: A common perspective found in the literature on classroom activity structures hypothesizes that a whole-class mode of instruction is linked with increased problems of achievement motivation for low-achieving students. If whole-class methods of instruction (e.g., recitation-style question-and-answer sessions) are rich in evaluation and foster social comparisons among students, low-achieving students may become disengaged in an effort to avoid negative evaluations. It is important to consider the evidence on activity structures and engagement carefully because this perspective represents a sweeping critique, concluding essentially that the predominant mode of instruction in American schools is detrimental to achieving widespread educational success. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: Are whole-class modes of instruction linked with increased problems of achievement motivation and disengagement for low-achieving students? Research Design: This study is a review of research on the association between student engagement and activity structure. We review both quantitative and qualitative studies investigating the link between activity structure and student engagement, with an emphasis on studies that identify an interaction between students' level of achievement, activity structure, and engagement. In interpreting the evidence, we focus on studies of classroom discourse--particularly studies of dialogic and scaffolding instruction, which illustrate variability in the effects of whole-class instruction on student engagement. Conclusions/Recommendations: Although many relationships between motivational climates and levels of engagement have been clearly documented, we find no conclusive evidence of a link between whole-class instruction and disengagement among low-achieving students. Research on classroom discourse illustrates that the activities that constitute whole-class instruction are not inherently problematic for low-achieving students and can, in fact, promote engagement.

This analysis of data from the Partnership for Literacy Study investigates the relationship among achievement, effort, and grades. Certainly, grades reward achievement, the mastery of material by students. Research has also suggested that grades are used to reward students for exerting effort to learn material, even if students fall short of mastery. Indeed, some small-scale research has found that teachers reward students for merely cooperating with their instructional plans, for behaviors that may be weakly related or even unrelated to the growth in achievement. This analysis reveals that teachers seldom reward students for nonachievement-related behavior, for keeping instruction moving. In these data from middle school English and language arts classrooms, the vast majority of the variance in grades is accounted for by students' achievement and students' behaviors that are closely related to the growth in achievement. The findings are consistent with the theory that many teachers adopt a "developmental" perspective on instruction and seek to promote students' achievement by rewarding students' engagement. (Contains 5 tables and 18 notes.)

Traditionally, state accountability systems have measured school-level achievement gains using cross-sectional data, for example, by comparing scores of one year's eighth graders to scores of the next year's eighth graders. This approach produces extremely volatile estimates of value added from year to year. This volatility suggests that the traditional use of cross-sectional data cannot reliably estimate the production of achievement by schools, and therefore schools may be unfairly sanctioned under such a system. In this analysis, the authors consider an alternative use of cross-sectional data, identifying differences in relative subject matter performance within schools. They illustrate this approach using data on public middle schools in Wisconsin during the years 1998 to 2001. Compared to school-level gain scores, relative subject matter performance is much more stable from year to year. The authors conclude that in lieu of more reliable measures of value added, state educational agencies should consider alternative uses of standardized test data. (Contains 4 figures, 5 tables and 8 notes.)

Quantitative analyses using CLASS 3.0 software and qualitative discourse analyses were conducted of the instructional and institutional effects of tracking in high-and low-track American literature classes taught by the same teacher, a participant in a national study of the effects of dialogic classroom discourse patterns on student achievement. The quantitative analyses of class activities and discourse patterns revealed somewhat different amounts and kinds of dialogic discourse in the two classes, but could not account for much of the difference in achievement between the two groups. A more detailed qualitative analysis of teacher interviews and classroom discourse, using discourse analysis to look at both how the classroom discourse positioned students vis-a-vis course content, and how students in the two tracks were characterized by the teacher, showed how instruction was influenced by the teacher's cultural models of students' institutional identities. The teacher's identification with the high-track students aided her in enacting a curriculum that was more academically challenging and more coherent, both intertextually and culturally. These analyses suggest that institutional and instructional effects of tracking are inextricably interwoven where the teacher's conceptions of students' needs and abilities constrain the level of instruction and the coherence of the curriculum.

Although the negative relationship between BMI and academic achievement (AA) is well documented, no prior studies have investigated the potential bi-directional relationship between BMI and AA in childhood. We investigated the longitudinal relationships between child BMI and AA across different school subjects (reading, math and science) and sexes. To do so, we employed the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study kindergarten cohort (2011), which is a nationally representative sample of American children who entered kindergarten in 2010–2011. We utilised the kindergarten–fifth grade longitudinal sample (n 17 480) and applied cross-lagged panel models with fixed effects to address unobserved heterogeneity. Our results showed significant but small reciprocal relationships between BMI and math/science achievement for girls (n 8540) (year-to-year effect sizes ranged from –0·01 to –0·04), but not for reading. In contrast, we did not find any evidence of reciprocal relationships between BMI and AA for boys (n 8940). Our results reveal that early weight status and academic performance may be jointly responsible for a vicious cycle of poor AA and unhealthy weight. Breaking the cycle from AA may complement existing obesity prevention strategies, particularly for girls in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the authors used the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 to examine the instructional time allocation and instructional practices in eighth‐grade English language arts classes for struggling readers, as measured by track level. The authors also analyze the titles and text complexity of the last three books assigned to students. The authors found that track level continues to be a significant predictor of what happens instructionally in the classroom. Struggling readers placed in low‐track classes spent a larger portion of class time on skills and strategy instruction, completing worksheets, watching videos, and reading aloud than students in grade‐level classes. Students in high‐track classes spent more time on literature analysis, comprehension instruction, and group projects and were more frequently assigned homework than students in grade‐level classes. Although there was considerable overlap in the text complexity and the text titles of books assigned at each track level, students in low‐track classes read less challenging texts than students in grade‐level or above‐grade‐level classes. Regression models controlling for a variety of student, teacher, and school variables, including student achievement, show that these adjustments in class time allocation, instructional practices, and text complexity go above and beyond what would be expected based on student achievement alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common rationale for providing free lunch for all students is that selectively receiving a free meal at school generates stigma. This study examines the hypothesis that eligibility to receive a school free lunch has negative effects on student educational outcomes, and that this stigma-effect is more severe in schools where a low proportion of students receives a free lunch at school. To do so, we use a sparse optimal matching method within a multilevel growth framework. Our results reveal that free school lunch status does not have significant net impact on students' average educational achievements or growth rate during middle school. Educational achievement in middle school is, however, significantly affected by the interaction between school free lunch status and the proportion of students in the school receiving a free school lunch, with students experiencing a stigma effect in schools with a low proportion of free lunch students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates whether adequate yearly progress (AYP) status, locale, and sector—common variables used to judge the quality of schools—accurately signal true differences in instructional practices in high school mathematics and science. Using data from the High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS), we find the school-to-school variation in instructional practices to be minimal. Controlling for a variety of school and teacher characteristics, we find that there is no difference in the use of developmental instruction between schools that make AYP and schools that do not, urban and nonurban schools, and public and private schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational analysts studying achievement and other educational outcomes frequently encounter an association between initial status and growth, which has important implications for the analysis of covariate effects, including group differences in growth. As explicated by Allison (1990), where only two time points of data are available, identifying a preferred model can be difficult or impossible. In this paper we extend Allison's inquiry by considering multiple sources of the association between initial status and growth simultaneously, including measurement error but also intrinsic associations between initial status and growth. We illustrate the potential trade-offs between the change-score model specifications (models without a control for initial status) and regressor-variable specifications (with a control for initial status) using simulated data. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An essay is presented which discusses the assessment of success in universities' honors courses in the U.S. It argues that the success and effectiveness of honors curricula can be measured through assessing students' involvement in college life, academic achievements, and higher satisfaction rates rather than considering graduation rates. It notes the importance of the assessment approach on the improvement of educational quality and comparison of honors to non-honors students.

In recent years No Child Left Behind has provided new labels to supposedly high- and low-performing schools and has identified large numbers of schools as low performing. Are school-to-school differences in the quality of instruction offered as great as the public is led to believe? Using the disciplined inquiry typology of Newman, Marks, and Gamoran, we examine whether variation in observable indicators of school quality correspond to real differences in instruction between schools. Consistent with the large body of research on school effects we find very modest school-level variation in the prevalence of disciplined inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background/Context: Prior research has investigated differences in course-taking patterns and achievement growth in public and Catholic schools, but the nature of instruction in Catholic schools is currently understudied. One important dimension of instruction that impacts student engagement is the prevalence of developmental or student-centered instruction. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: The overall goal of the present study was to investigate whether student and teacher reports of developmental instruction differ in public and Catholic schools. In addition, is a teacher's approach to instruction shaped by the social context of the school, as measured by the teacher's perception of her students? Finally, can differences in the social context of schools explain reported differences in the prevalence of developmental instruction in public and Catholic schools'? Population, Participants/Subjects: Data for this analysis came from the Chicago School Study, a large longitudinal study of public and Catholic schools in the Chicago area. Research Design: The prevalence of developmental instruction in public and Catholic schools was analyzed using three student-reported measures of developmental instruction and one teacher-reported measure. Multilevel regression models were used to investigate the relationship between four potential predictors of developmental instruction--teachers' perceptions of challenging instruction, teachers' expectations of students' future educational attainment, teachers' knowledge of their students' cultural backgrounds, and principals' endorsement of developmental instruction--and teacher reports of developmental instruction. Conclusions: Catholic school teachers and students were less likely to report the use of developmental instruction than public school teachers and students. This finding was particularly striking given Catholic school teachers' high expectations for their students' future educational attainments, a factor that was associated with an increased likelihood of reporting developmental methods in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five questions guided a case study exploring the relationship between oral narrative and discussion in middle school literature study: (a) Relative to similar classrooms in a large-scale study, how can overall literature instruction be characterized? (b) Relative to similar classrooms in a large-scale study, how well do students achieve in the focal classroom? (c) What, if any, are the links between oral narrative and discussion? (d) If discussion and narrative co-occur, what sorts of oral narratives do narrators tell in discussions? and (e) If discussion and narrative co-occur, how can we characterize the overlap in terms of interaction? In the frequent conversational narrative discussions, where oral narrative and discussion discourse over-lapped, teacher and students used various kinds of oral narrative genres to prime, sustain, ratify, and amplify discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]