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2. Final Report on the Study of the Impact of the Statewide Systemic Initiatives. Lessons Learned about Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating Statewide Systemic Reform. WCER Working Paper No. 2003-12
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Wisconsin Center for Education Research, Madison., Heck, Daniel J., Weiss, Iris R., Boyd, Sally E., Howard, Michael N., and Supovitz, Jonathan A.
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This document represents the first of two volumes presented in "Study of the Impact of the Statewide Systemic Initiatives Program" (Norman L. Webb and Iris R. Weiss). In an effort to evaluate the impact of the Statewide Systemic Initiatives (SSIs) on student achievement and the lessons that could be learned from the National Science Foundation's effort to reform mathematics and science education on a statewide basis, research studies identified the technical strategies, the political strategies, and the interactions with funders that were critical factors in the attempt to effect significant change in student learning over large populations. Documents were received on 21 of the 26 SSIs. More intensive data were collected via telephone interviews of key personnel in seven of these states and during site visits in six other states. Among a number of lessons learned were the following: It was vital to incorporate enough flexibility within the design so that information produced by research, evaluation, and monitoring could be effectively used (technical lesson); the creation of partnerships with policy organizations significantly advanced policy work (political lesson); and, SSI leaders and funders needed to develop a shared, in-depth understanding of the reform strategies as these fit the local context (interaction with funders). The following are appended: (1) SRI International Evaluation Reports; (2) Abt Associates Inc. Monitoring Reports; (3) Coding Scheme: Chronology and Components; (4) Coding Scheme: Strategic Planning, Decision-Making, and Thinking; (5) Coding Scheme: Key Challenges; (6) Interview Protocol for Telephone Interviews and Site Visits; (7) Case Report: Arkansas Statewide Systemic Initiative; (8) Case Report: Maine Statewide Systemic Initiative; (9) Case Report: Michigan Statewide Systemic Initiative; (10) Case Report: Nebraska Statewide Systemic Initiative; (11) Case Report: Puerto Rico Statewide Systemic Initiative; and (12) Case Report: Vermont Statewide Systemic Initiative. [For Volume II of this report, see ED497577.]
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- 2003
3. A Case Study of the Impact of a State-Level Policy Designed To Improve Rural Schools in the State of Vermont. Occasional Paper No. 36.
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Appalachia Educational Lab., Charleston, WV. and Carlson, Robert V.
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This case study examines how rural K-12 single-unit schools in Vermont have responded to the twin pressures of higher state-level standards, required under the 1984 Public School Approval (PSA) policy, and limited fiscal resources. Chapter 1 provides background information on the study population, economic and educational conditions in Vermont, and PSA standards and review processes. In chapter 2, a literature review considers the diverse, special characteristics of small, rural schools. Chapter 3 describes inputs, process indicators, outcome indicators, and qualitative characteristics of the 10 K-12 schools studied and summarizes the impact of PSA on their finances and curricula. This section also discusses how two comparable schools coped somewhat differently with school improvement mandates and limited funding. The results indicate that rural schools are facing the challenge of small size and fiscal constraints with distance learning, independent study, cross-disciplinary teaching, and multi-age groupings. Chapter 4 considers various strategies for improving educational quality at an affordable cost, including funding strategies, financial management, school-community cooperation, distance learning technologies, the 4-day school week, and integrated services. The last chapter concludes that the PSA has had a substantial impact on K-12 schools in terms of personnel appointments, curricular revisions, and facility improvements, but that these gains may be short-lived if the contingent fiscal problems are not solved. Appendices include K-12 schools statistical data, school site statistical profiles, and school site visitation summaries. Contains 101 references. (LP)
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- 1994
4. The Vermont Schoolmarm and the Contemporary One-Room Schoolhouse: An Ethnographic Study of a Contemporary One-Room Schoolteacher. Occasional Paper #12.
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Vermont Univ., Burlington. Center for Research on Vermont. and Kenny, Jody
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This 1987-88 study was conducted to identify, describe, and analyze the significant issues facing one of Vermont's five remaining schoolmarms. The primary subject of the study is a first-year one-room schoolteacher in a rural Vermont town. Chapter 1 offers a brief history of Vermont's one-room schools, a description of the town, the school, and the teacher's "typical" day. Chapter 2 addresses the question of scale. Advantages of smallness are great community involvement, high institutional flexibility, and close interaction among the students, teachers, and parents. Limitations are restricted school space, curriculum, pupil peer groups, efficiency, privacy, and resources. Chapter 3 discusses the schoolmarm's isolation and independence. Chapter 4 examines the issue of educational tradition (embodied by the retiring teacher) and change (represented by her first-year replacement), community expectations, curriculum, work values, patriotism, religion, morality, discipline, resources, and educational philosophy. The paper concludes that one-room pupils receive effective instruction, made possible by well-trained teachers, flexible standards, and better-than-adequate resources. Negative aspects include isolation, urban bias, limited educational options, and unrealistic community expectations. The document includes five tables of Vermont school statistics. (TES)
- Published
- 1990
5. Region 1 Comprehensive Center Reimagining Education Series: Approaches for Assessing Student Learning
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Region 1 Comprehensive Center, Huckle, Erin, LeVangie, Samantha, and Tierney-Fife, Peter
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While the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted conventional assessment practices, it offers an opportunity to reconsider the purposes and types of assessment used to evaluate student learning and inform instruction. Cancellation of spring 2020 student assessments and the freezing of school accountability status gave many districts and schools an opportunity to use other measures to assess students during the 2020-21 school year through thoughtful approaches designed to fit new realities, such as remote and hybrid learning. Many teachers opted for alternative assessment options such as student capstones, reflections, or portfolios. Competency- and proficiency-inspired approaches, which prioritize the substance of student work over seat time, complemented remote learning by providing flexibility for students who faced scheduling and technological hurdles. Concerns about unfinished learning focused renewed attention to formative assessment as a strategy to help teachers tailor instruction to students' needs. Parents, educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders can build on recent experiences and use these data to inform instruction -- ultimately focused on promoting deeper learning, skill or competency attainment, flexibility in student progression, and personalization of learning. In this paper, readers can explore three broad and evidence-based approaches to assessing student learning: (1) competency-based and proficiency-based assessment; (2) authentic assessment; and (3) formative assessment. [For the first paper to the Region 1 Comprehensive Center Reimagining Education Series, "Innovative College and Career Pathways to Advance Equity and Opportunity," see ED612760.]
- Published
- 2021
6. Better Together: Building Local Systems to Improve Afterschool (A Conference Report)
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Wallace Foundation and Cummins, H. J.
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What happens when teams from 57 cities building afterschool systems gather to discuss two key system responsibilities--improving afterschool programs and using data for informed decision-making? Lots of rich discussion. This report covers a national afterschool conference held in February 2013. It details what mayors, program providers, system leaders, researchers and others had to say on matters ranging from how to measure afterschool performance to how to boost program quality. [This conference was organized by: American Youth Policy Forum, The Collaborative for Building After School Systems, The Forum for Youth Investment, the National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education & Families, and the Wallace Foundation.]
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- 2013
7. TiPS for Surviving Pandemic Teaching: A Learner-Centered Framework
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Popovich, Karen and Pangborn, Greta
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The COVID-19 pandemic in Spring 2020 necessitated a sudden shift to online learning. Faculty at Saint Michael's College, in Colchester, Vermont (USA), had ten days to re-plan their courses as well as potentially learn new pedagogies, adapt to technology for instruction, and help students adjust to the changes. In addition, faculty needed to prepare for the likelihood of at least some online teaching in Fall 2020. Applying a structured approach to course design for online and hybrid instruction was accomplished for the authors' courses in business administration, computer science, and information systems by reworking a framework derived from the first author's previous research. This paper explains the framework and offers examples of class projects and assignments that were effective in achieving learning outcomes for both the remainder of the online Spring 2020 and the online and hybrid Fall 2020 semester. Successes and challenges from this application and ideas for future research are discussed.
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- 2022
8. Developing Collaborative Schools: A Model for Educating Rural Students with Disabilities in the Regular Education Environment.
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Mellencamp, Amy
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In collaborative schools, regular and special education teachers meet regularly to analyze and make decisions about instructional practices and services to meet the needs of all students. This paper explores the effectiveness of a school development model in helping small rural schools adopt three characteristics of collaborative schools: (1) a schoolwide team approach in which all school professionals engage in cooperative planning and problem solving; (2) ongoing individual professional development; and (3) inclusionary instructional practices. The school development model consists of an eight-step process: define the problem; analyze the problem; brainstorm solutions; select the best solution; develop an action plan; implement the action plan; develop teacher-leaders; and evaluate the action plan. This process was implemented over a 4-year period in four small elementary and secondary schools in northern rural Vermont. Annual surveys of teacher participants revealed that the model: (1) was effective in creating change in schools; (2) was adaptable to various settings; (3) increased teacher participation in instructional decision making; (4) was dependent on the principal's support; (5) increased teacher collaboration and team teaching; (6) fostered peer leadership skills; (7) increased the use of various inclusionary instructional practices; and (8) required a significant commitment of time and resources. This paper includes an outline of inclusionary educational strategies aimed at teachers and students. (SV)
- Published
- 1993
9. Illuminating a Deliberative Democratic Process: Self-Study of Teacher Educators Doing Public Scholarship for State Policy Making
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Bedell, Claudine Prairie, McGough, David J., and Tinkler, Barri E.
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This self-study explores an educational policy-making project initiated, facilitated, and implemented by direct stake-holders through a deliberative, intentional process involving teacher educators, policy-makers, and state regulators. As such, it serves as an example of a high-stakes political change process using principles of deliberative democracy. This study provides a description and analysis of the year-long process of developing a state policy for the assessment of teacher education candidates. In order to develop a more complete understanding of their particular roles in the process and the implications of this project for the field of teacher education at this specific moment in the history of educational change, the authors use narrative analysis as the mode of inquiry.
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- 2017
10. Competing for School Improvement Dollars: State Grant-Making Strategies
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Center for American Progress and Lazarin, Melissa
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In 2009 the Obama administration announced a focused commitment to turn around 5,000 of the United States' chronically lowest-performing public schools as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). This commitment came with $3 billion in funding for the School Improvement Grant program, or SIG, along with new guidelines to ensure that federal dollars are effectively invested at the district and school level. This paper takes a closer look at state grant-making strategies for federal school improvement dollars. Further, it reviews the way in which state funding practices for school improvement have changed as a result of the updated SIG requirements and how states have used their flexibility to implement a competitive grant process. Specifically, this paper details the approach that three states--Illinois, Louisiana, and Vermont--have taken in administering their grant competitions. These states illuminate the spectrum of competitiveness in the state grant-making process that has emerged as a result of the new school improvement regulations. There are five significant findings that emerged from examining these three states that call for further investigation across all states. First, it is evident that states continue to have a great degree of flexibility in implementing their grant-making strategy. Second, as other early research on SIG implementation indicates, access to SIG dollars may be more competitive in some states than in others. Third, all three states needed to provide substantial technical assistance to strengthen the quality of the applications that they received. Fourth, application rates varied substantially across the three states. Fifth and finally, the criteria that states use to monitor districts are clear but the process for grant renewal and termination could be more formal and transparent. This paper begins with an overview of how the SIG program has evolved into a more competitive process. It next takes a brief look at how all states changed their practices once the program was altered and then examines in detail how three states--Illinois, Louisiana, and Vermont--have approached the competitive grant-making process. Lastly, the paper concludes with findings and policy implications and underscores the promise of the SIG program's commitment to turn around schools and address the systemic failures that allow schools to flounder. (Contains 1 figure, 2 tables, and 98 endnotes.)
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- 2012
11. Tight but Loose: Scaling up Teacher Professional Development in Diverse Contexts. Research Report. ETS RR-08-29
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Wylie, E. Caroline
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This series of papers was originally presented as a symposium at the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) held between April 9, 2007, and April 13, 2007, in Chicago, IL. The authors represent school districts and departments of education across the United States, as well as researchers at Cleveland State University, Educational Testing Service (ETS), the Institute for Education in London, and the University of Wyoming at Laramie. All of the current ETS staff, along with Dylan Wiliam and Marnie Thompson, worked at ETS for several years on an iterative research and development program, out of which grew the Keeping Learning on Track® (KLT) program. These papers represents the thinking about the theory behind the KLT program, describes the range of contexts used to implement the program, and illustrates the inherent tensions between the desire to maintain fidelity to a theory of action and the need to demonstrate flexibility in order to accommodate local situations. Papers 2 through 6 present descriptions of five implementations in chronological order. The papers included here are as follows: (1) Tight but Loose: A Conceptual Framework for Scaling Up School Reforms (Marnie Thompson and Dylan Wiliam); (2) A Teacher-Driven Implementation of Assessment "for" Learning in New Jersey (Laura Goe and Diane Mardy); (3) The "Keeping Learning on Track"® Program in New Teacher Induction (Jeff Maher and Dylan Wiliam); (4) Letting Go of the Reins: Learning About Scalability in the Context of One District-Wide Implementation (Christine J. Lyon, Donna Cleland, and Maureen Gannon); (5) "Keeping Learning on Track"® in an Urban District's Low Performing Schools (E. Caroline Wylie, Marnie Thompson, Christine J. Lyon, and Donna Snodgrass); (6) A State-Sponsored Pilot Project in Selected Schools in Vermont (Cynthia Tocci and Gayle Taylor); (7) Scaling Up Across Diverse Contexts: Lessons Learned From Five Implementations of the "Keeping Learning on Trac"k® Program (Dawn Marie Leusner, Judith Ellsworth, and Laura Goe); and (8) Tight but Loose: Through the Looking Glass (Margaret Heritage and W. James Popham).
- Published
- 2008
12. The Governance of Education in Vermont--1777 to 2006
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Vermont State Dept. of Education, Montpelier. and Cate, Richard H.
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Vermont's education system in 2006 consists of 311 schools (buildings) in Vermont and 284 school districts led by school boards that vary in size from three to 14 members, totaling over 1,300 elected school board members operating a school system that serves about 95,000 students. There is a clear delineation between the superintendent's role in a supervisory district and that of one who serves a supervisory union. Each of the superintendents in the 12 supervisory districts works for one school board and is the educational leader of the school district. The supervisory district boundaries are the same as those of the school district. For all practical purposes, the supervisory district is the school district. In all but two of the supervisory districts there are multiple schools, each with a principal who is the educational leader of his or her particular school. This governance configuration of one board, one superintendent and one or more principals is similar to that employed in almost every other state in the nation. A brief summary of recurring issues raised by students, parents, teachers, administrators, voters, employers and government and private sector leaders in Vermont is provided. The author then offers his ideas for addressing changes in the current system which dates back to 1892. The model presented here is intended to stimulate conversation, and creative ideas for change. (Contains 11 footnotes.)
- Published
- 2006
13. International Perspectives on Educational Change. Research on the Improvement Process in Schools and Colleges.
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Texas Univ., Austin. Research and Development Center for Teacher Education. and Marsh, Colin
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These papers represent the efforts of individual researchers from five countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, The Netherlands and the United States. Each paper reports on educational change in a different country, based on the Concerns-Based Adoption Model developed at the Research and Development Center for Teacher Education at the University of Texas at Austin. Papers included are as follows: "Implementing a High School Geography Curriculum in the State of Western Australia," by Colin J. Marsh (Australia); "Studying Change in Primary and Secondary Schools in Belgium and the Netherlands," by Roland Vandenberghe (Belgium); "The Effectiveness of Concerns-Based Staff Development in Facilitating Curriculum Implementation," by Jim Leary (Manitoba, Canada); "A Study of Curricular and Instructional Change Processes in Rural High Schools," by Robert Larson (Vermont, United States) and "The Functioning of School Principals in Relation to Large-Scale Change Efforts in the Netherlands," by Rudolf van den Berg (Netherlands). References are included with each paper. (TE)
- Published
- 1983
14. Vermont Task Force on Special Education Paperwork Reduction: A Report to the Commissioner of Education, David S. Wolk.
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WestEd, Williston, VT. Northeast Regional Resource Center., Reedy, Kristin M., and Kraynak, Pamela C.
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A task force examined Vermont's special education paperwork and procedures to determine whether Vermont's requirements exceeded the federal requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Upon close examination, the task force found only four areas in which the Vermont special education regulations require more paperwork than the federal regulations: the evaluation plan, notice of evaluation delay, the supplemental evaluation, and the multi-year plan. It concluded that IDEA creates most of the paperwork burden, an increased emphasis on accountability adds to the burden, complex compliance requirements lead to inconsistencies, and personnel are overburdened. Task force recommendations fall into two main categories: recommendations to maximize efficiency in the management of paperwork, record keeping, and procedural requirements, and recommendations that support state initiatives already underway. Recommendations for reducing paperwork include: (1) the state education department should initiate a collaborative process with stakeholders to consider the possibility of a specific plan for selected districts that eliminates selected paperwork and procedural requirements; (2) the department should clarify that clerical support for special education paperwork and record-keeping tasks is an allowable expenditure under the current special education funding formula; and (3) the department should develop and coordinate inservice training for both general and special educators. (CR)
- Published
- 2001
15. Patterns of Response in Four High Schools under State Accountability Policies in Vermont and New York.
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DeBray, Elizabeth, Parson, Gail, and Woodworth, Katrina
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This paper examines the responses of four high schools to new accountability policies in two states, New York and Vermont. In each state, one school that was better positioned with respect to the policy and one that was a target of the policy were studied. New York's policy attaches high stakes for students though the Regents high school exit examination. In Vermont, school accountability is part of a broader policy of comprehensive finance equalization and a self-assessment action planning process. In both states theories of action assume that performance information from the accountability system will drive change. Schools were examined through interviews with key personnel, including teachers. The variations between the types of schools in response to the policies far exceeded the variation attributable to state policy design. In the high-performing schools, the policies in both cases put a spotlight on helping low-performing students. In the low-performing schools in both states there was a pattern of compliance without capacity with minimal meaningful or productive engagement on the part of the staff. The needs of the two low-performing schools suggest blind spots in the state policies with respect to theory, use of data, incentives, and short-term, school-level goals. The common patterns suggest that state policymakers need to rethink policy instruments for the lowest performing schools. (SLD)
- Published
- 2000
16. The Role of Collaboration in School Transformation: Two Approaches.
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Uhl, Sarah C. and Perez-Selles, Marla E.
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After describing collaboration and its role in school reform, the paper discusses commonalities and distinctions of schools referred to as professional collaborative and as student-centered collaborative, providing examples of such schools and noting the role collaboration has played in their development. The paper recommends that schools push collaboration further. (SM)
- Published
- 1995
17. A Profile of Special Education Finance Reform in Vermont. State Analysis Series.
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American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences, Palo Alto, CA. Center for Special Education Finance. and Montgomery, Deborah L.
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This paper traces the historical context of the passage and implementation of Vermont's Act 230 in 1990, which initiated a new special education funding system to increase equity, predictability, and flexibility in program design as well as to ensure placement neutrality. Specific objectives of the funding system included increasing the use of prereferral services for children with diverse needs and the inclusion of children with disabilities in regular classes. The funding formula has three components: (1) a mainstream block grant to school districts based on total student enrollment; (2) an extraordinary service reimbursement providing compensation to districts for unusually high-cost individual cases; and (3) an intensive services reimbursement to help with all remaining allowable special education costs not otherwise covered. This paper relates this reform to special education policy, programs, and services; discusses the objectives for reform and the mechanics of the new funding system; reviews the results to date of an ongoing statewide evaluation; and presents a summary of interviews with state- and local-level constituents during the fourth year of implementation of the new formula. Contains seven references. (DB)
- Published
- 1995
18. New Directions for a New Decade: A Report of the Special Commission on Special Education.
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Vermont State Board of Education, Montpelier.
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This report focuses on cost containment problems in Vermont's special education system and makes recommendations for reform. It examines the context of special education in terms of civil rights, advocacy, and individual versus system needs. The question of runaway costs in special education is addressed and supported with data from the fiscal year 1991 Special Education Service Plan. The report concludes that schools can bring about some fundamental changes in the manner in which children with disabilities are served and bring special education costs into reasonable alignment with general education costs. Recommendations include: (1) improve coordination of special, compensatory, and regular education services; (2) clearly articulate the purposes and parameters of special education; (3) prepare all educators to work effectively with students who have special needs; (4) provide special education only for those students who have a clear and compelling need for specially designed instruction and related educational services; (5) continue the commitment to early intervention; (6) develop service delivery models that achieve maximum cost-effectiveness while appropriately meeting students' needs; (7) keep the public well informed about special education costs; and (8) closely monitor implementation of the special education formula. School district reports of unmet needs in special education are summarized, focusing on the statewide need for an additional 85 specialists. (JDD)
- Published
- 1990
19. Reaching the Tipping Point: Insights on Advancing Competency Education in New England. CompetencyWorks Report
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iNACOL, CompetencyWorks, and Sturgis, Chris
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In the upper northeast corner of the United States, the commitment to competency education has grown so strong that entire states are embracing it through high-leverage comprehensive policies. Of the six New England states -- Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont -- four have established comprehensive state policies that seek 100 percent of districts to offer competency-based diplomas; one has created a permissive policy so that any district that wants to can become competency-based without expectation that they do so; and only one, Massachusetts, continues to stay the course despite the obstacles created by the traditional time-based system. In the first section of this paper, the core concepts of competency education will be introduced. In the next section, the author looks at the question of why and how the region of New England, with some of the most high-achieving education systems, has embraced competency education. The third section seeks to glean insights from across the states. The final section provides an early analysis about the impact of state strategies toward quality and equity, scaling, and sustainability. In the appendix, readers will find a synopsis of each state strategy, complemented by short case studies of districts and schools.
- Published
- 2016
20. A Win-Win Solution: The Empirical Evidence on School Vouchers. Second Edition
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Foundation for Educational Choice and Forster, Greg
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This report collects the results of all available empirical studies using the best available scientific methods to measure how school vouchers affect academic outcomes for participants, and all available studies on how vouchers affect outcomes in public schools. Contrary to the widespread claim that vouchers do not benefit participants and hurt public schools, the empirical evidence consistently shows that vouchers improve outcomes for both participants and public schools. In addition to helping the participants by giving them more options, there are a variety of explanations for why vouchers might improve public schools as well. The most important is that competition from vouchers introduces healthy incentives for public schools to improve. Key findings include: (1) Ten empirical studies have used random assignment, the gold standard of social science, to examine how vouchers affect participants. Nine studies find that vouchers improve student outcomes, six that all students benefit and three that some benefit and some are not affected. One study finds no visible impact. None of these studies finds a negative impact; (2) Nineteen empirical studies have examined how vouchers affect outcomes in public schools. Of these studies, 18 find that vouchers improved public schools and one finds no visible impact. No empirical studies find that vouchers harm public schools; (3) Every empirical study ever conducted in Milwaukee, Florida, Ohio, Texas, Maine and Vermont finds that voucher programs in those places improved public schools; (4) Only one study, conducted in Washington D.C., found no visible impact from vouchers. This is not surprising, since the D.C. voucher program is the only one designed to shield public schools from the impact of competition. Thus, the D.C. study does not detract from the research consensus in favor of a positive effect from voucher competition; and (5) The benefits provided by existing voucher programs are sometimes large, but are usually more modest in size. This is not surprising since the programs themselves are modest--curtailed by strict limits on the students they can serve, the resources they provide, and the freedom to innovate. Only a universal voucher program could deliver the kind of dramatic improvement our public schools so desperately need. (Contains 4 tables and 48 notes.) [This is an updated version of the original paper, "A Win-Win Solution: The Empirical Evidence on How Vouchers Affect Public Schools. School Choice Issues in Depth", published in February 2009. To access this report, see ED508324.
- Published
- 2011
21. Incorporating a Systems Approach into Civil and Environmental Engineering Curricula: Effect on Course Redesign, and Student and Faculty Attitudes
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Hayden, Nancy J., Rizzo, Donna M., Dewoolkar, Mandar M., Neumann, Maureen D., Lathem, Sandra, and Sadek, Adel
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This paper presents a brief overview of the changes made during our department level reform (DLR) process (Grant Title: "A Systems Approach for Civil and Environmental Engineering Education: Integrating Systems Thinking, Inquiry-Based Learning and Catamount Community Service-Learning Projects") and some of the effects of these changes on our students and ourselves. The overall goal of the reform has been to have students learn and apply a systems approach to engineering problem solving such that when they become practicing engineers they will develop more sustainable engineering solutions. We have integrated systems thinking into our programs in the following ways; 1) new material has been included in key courses (e.g., the first-year introductory and senior design courses), 2) a sequence of three related environmental and transportation systems courses have been included within the curricula (i.e., Introduction to Systems, Decision Making, and Modeling), and 3) service-learning (SL) projects have been integrated into key required courses as a way of practicing a systems approach. A variety of assessment methods were implemented as part of the reform including student surveys, student focus groups, faculty interviews, and assessment of student work. Student work in five classes demonstrate that students are learning the systems approach, applying it to engineering problem solving, and that this approach helps meet ABET outcomes. Initial student resistance to changing the curriculum has decreased post implementation (e.g., graduating class 2010), and many students are able to define and apply the concept of sustainability in senior design project. Student self-assessments show support of SL projects and that the program is influencing student understanding of the roles and responsibilities of engineers in society.
- Published
- 2011
22. Blueprint for Change in Vermont: State Teacher Policy Yearbook, 2010
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National Council on Teacher Quality
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The 2009 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" provided a comprehensive review of states' policies that impact the teaching profession. As a companion to last year's comprehensive state-by-state analysis, the 2010 edition provides each state with an individualized "Blueprint for Change," building off last year's "Yearbook" goals and recommendations. State teacher policy addresses a great many areas, including teacher preparation, certification, evaluation and compensation. With so many moving parts, it may be difficult for states to find a starting point on the road to reform. To this end, this paper provides a state-specific roadmap, organized in three main sections. Section 1 identifies policy concerns that need critical attention, the areas of highest priority for state policymakers. Section 2 outlines "low-hanging fruit," policy changes that can be implemented in relatively short order. Section 3 offers a short discussion of some longer-term systemic issues that states need to make sure stay on the radar. In the 2009 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook", Vermont had the following grades: (1) Delivering Well Prepared Teachers (D); (2) Expanding the Teaching Pool (D-); (3) Identifying Effective Teachers (F); (4) Retaining Effective Teachers (D); and (5) Exiting Ineffective Teachers (F). North Dakota has an overall grade of D- for 2009. In the last year, many states made significant changes to their teacher policies, spurred in many cases by the Race to the Top competition. Based on a review of state legislation, rules and regulations, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has identified no recent policy changes in Vermont. Vermont confirmed that there are no recent policy changes to report. Individual sections contain footnotes. (Contains 5 figures.) [For the related reports, see "Blueprint for Change: National Summary. State Teacher Policy Yearbook, 2010" (ED515614) and "State Teacher Policy Yearbook, 2009. Vermont" (ED511950).]
- Published
- 2010
23. 'No Wonder They Are Sick, and Die of Study': European Fears for the Scholarly Body and Health in New England Schools before Horace Mann
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Noel, Rebecca
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European physicians long worried that the scholarly life was harmful to health. Neurological and digestive problems flowed from sedentary, seated lives. In the late eighteenth century, when the Enlightenment began spreading education to more people, educators inspired by Rousseau's "Emile" such as Johann Guts Muths, Friedrich Jahn, Johann Pestalozzi, and Philipp von Fellenberg explored ways to add exercise to schooling. In the northeastern United States, educational reformers were also concerned with how to expand schooling without subjecting more children and teachers to the diseases of scholars. Particularly in New England, educators such as Catharine Beecher, Mary Lyon, Alden Partridge, and Joseph Green Cogswell tested new forms of exercise in academies for both girls and boys. Educational reformers had in common a tendency toward ill health, so the dilemma of scholarly frailty particularly engaged them. Spinal curvature and pulmonary consumption added to the previous concerns for students and teachers. In addition to exercise, improving schoolhouse ventilation, heating, and desks could keep students healthier, and teaching physiology could train them to keep themselves healthier. Boston's highly developed and prevention-oriented medical culture and its medical and education publications made the city the ideal home for the first seven annual meetings of the American Institute of Instruction, which were rich with health content. This paper focuses on the keen interest in health among American educators of the common school reform era before Horace Mann, which puts his interest in phrenology in perspective as only one of many paths to health concerns.
- Published
- 2018
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24. Computers on the Border: Case Studies from Three 'Nations'--Quebec, The Foundry, and New England. Research Report.
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Stoloff, David L.
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This paper argues that computers in education on the Quebec (Canada), New York, and Vermont borders reflect different styles of education and cultural ethos. This paper examines a 6-month period of this educational innovation from October 1984 to April 1985. In Quebec, the Ministry of Education is involved in the purchase of computers, teacher training, and development of curriculum for computer literacy. The approach to computer use in the classroom is gradual and coordinated on both the Ministry and local levels. In the North Country of New York, local school districts purchase computers and develop systems for their use independently of other districts and, often, without state involvement. In Vermont, decisions about how the schools introduce and use computers are made by the board of education as part of a locally coordinated effort and as a function of the local community. Discussions of the varying uses of computers in each of the three geographical areas suggest that: educational planning for computers in Quebec may reflect a reaction to religion and a need to maintain a cultural identity, a labor-intensive community orientation in New York promotes competition between and continual development of institutions, and emphasis on activities in learning rather than objectives; and in Vermont local control emphasizes democracy and group decision making. (DB)
- Published
- 1985
25. The Logical Tragedy of Benson, Vermont.
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Gatto, John Taylor
- Abstract
The little town of Benson, Vermont, set a national record by voting down its proposed school budget 12 times. This paper reviews the facts leading up to the situation, providing the Benson residents' point of view, which was that they did not regard the system as their own and they felt that taxpayers' money was being wasted by the system. (SM)
- Published
- 1998
26. No Quick Fix: Rethinking Literacy Programs in America's Elementary Schools. Language and Literacy Series.
- Author
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International Reading Association, Newark, DE., Columbia Univ., New York, NY. Teachers College., Allington, Richard L., and Walmsley, Sean A.
- Abstract
Responding to the growing consensus among researchers and educators that prevention of learning problems makes more sense than remediation, this book presents essays that suggest ways to improve literacy instruction for all children, particularly those who are at risk. Essays in the book discuss practical matters such as funding, curriculum, assessment, and present numerous case studies of effective programs. After an introduction ("Literacy Lessons in the Elementary Schools: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow" by Richard L. Allington), chapters in the book are: (1) "Redefining and Reforming Instructional Support Programs for At-Risk Students" (Sean A. Walmsley and Richard L. Allington); (2) "Flunking: Throwing Good Money after Bad" (Richard L. Allington and Anne McGill-Franzen); (3)"Estimating Cost-Effectiveness and Educational Outcomes: Retention, Remediation, Special Education, and Early Intervention" (Philip C. Dyer and Ronald Binkney); (4) "Portfolios in the Classroom: What Happens When Teachers and Students Negotiate Assessment?" (Laura P. Stowell and Robert J. Tierney); (5) "Literacy Partnerships for Change with 'At-Risk' Kindergartners" (Lesley Mandel Morrow and Ellen M. O'Connor); (6) "Reducing Retention and Learning Disability Placement through Reading Recovery: An Educationally Sound, Cost-Effective Choice" (Carol A. Lyons and Joetta Beaver); (7) "Eliminating Ability Grouping and Reducing Failure in the Primary Grades" (Dorothy P. Hall and others); (8) "First Grade Teachers Provide Early Reading Intervention in the Classroom" (Barbara Taylor and others); (9) "Scoring Well on Tests or Becoming Genuinely Literate: Rethinking Remediation in a Small Rural School" (Trudy P. Walp and Sean A. Walmsley); (10) "Improving Early Literacy: Vermont Stories of Educational Change from the Bottom Up and the Top Down" (Susan Carey Biggam and others); (11) "Change in Urban Schools with High Concentrations of Low-Income Children: Chapter I Schoolwide Projects" (Linda F. Winfield); and (12) "The Implementation of the Accelerated School Model in an Urban Elementary School" (Stephanie L. Knight and Jane A. Stallings). An afterword ("No Quick Fix: Where Do We Go from Here?" by Richard L. Allington and Sean A. Walmsley) concludes the book. (RS)
- Published
- 1995
27. Vermont Teachers' Understanding of Mathematical Problem Solving and 'Good' Math Problems.
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National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing, Los Angeles, CA., Rand Corp., Santa Monica, CA. Inst. on Education and Training., Stecher, Brian M., and Mitchell, Karen J.
- Abstract
For the past five years, Vermont has been developing an innovative statewide assessment system in which portfolios of student work in mathematics and writing are a key element. The use of mathematics portfolios, particularly in elementary school, is a novel aspect of the assessment system. This study examines the elementary school mathematics portfolio assessment and its instructional impact by exploring the conceptions of problem solving, the knowledge of problem-solving strategies, the evaluation of problem-solving tasks, and the instructional practices of 20 fourth-grade teachers. Teachers indicated that the portfolio assessment program has enhanced their understanding of mathematical problem solving and broadened their instructional practices, but that they have encountered difficulty in understanding certain components of the reform and making the relevant changes. Teachers did not share a common understanding of mathematical problem solving or agree on skills that students should master. Eight figures and three tables present study findings. (Contains 13 references.) (SLD)
- Published
- 1995
28. The Politics of Special Education Finance Reform in Three States. State Analysis Series.
- Author
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American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences, Palo Alto, CA. Center for Special Education Finance., Parrish, Thomas B., and Montgomery, Deborah L.
- Abstract
This paper examines the politics of special education finance reform in three states (Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Vermont) that have enacted substantial legislative change within the past 5 years. These case studies were extracted from presentations made by the three state directors of special education at a 1994 conference. Each case study includes two sections. The first section provides a brief description of the history and rationale for change in each state and an overview of the current formula. The second section comprises each state director's description of how change was accomplished and the lessons learned that pertain to the politics of special education finance reform. Following the three state profiles is a series of questions accompanied by the directors' replies. Several common elements for successful reform emerge from the three studies. These include: (1) the importance of timing in overcoming contrary pressures and successfully implementing special education finance reform; (2) the importance of public relations in successfully legislating reform; (3) the need for an understanding and resolution of the politics of the situation; and (4) the need for postreform evaluative data. (Contains 15 references.) (DB)
- Published
- 1995
29. Enhancing Sustainability Curricula through Faculty Learning Communities
- Author
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Natkin, L. W. and Kolbe, Tammy
- Abstract
Purpose: Although the number of higher education institutions adopting sustainability-focused faculty learning communities (FLCs) has grown, very few of these programs have published evaluation research. This paper aims to report findings from an evaluation of the University of Vermont's (UVM's) sustainability faculty fellows (SFF) program. It discusses how utilization-focused program evaluation is an important tool for developing and improving sustainability-focused FLCs. The SFF program aims to enhance sustainability education by bringing faculty members together to expand their knowledge of sustainability concepts and offer pedagogical support for integrating those concepts in higher education curricula. Design/methodology/approach: A utilization-focused evaluation framework guided the evaluation's design and implementation. Multiple methods were used to collect evaluation data, including in-person interviews and an online survey with SFF program participants. Findings: The evaluation's findings suggest that UVM's SFF program expanded faculty understanding of sustainability concepts, encouraged curricular and instructional reform and made progress toward developing a community of faculty interested in sustainability education. The evaluation's utilization focus was instrumental in providing useful information for improving the SFF program. Originality/value: Evaluation findings expand what we know about the potential effectiveness of sustainability-focused FLCs, as well as challenges institutions might encounter when adopting such an approach to faculty development. Findings also point to ways in which utilization-focused evaluations can inform program development and improvement efforts.
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
30. A Rural School/Community: A Case Study of a Dramatic Turnaround & Its Implications for School Improvement.
- Author
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Carlson, Robert V.
- Abstract
This paper presents a case study of a rural community exhibiting a dramatic turnaround in community support for a new school bond issue. Demographic change was partly responsible for the change in community attitudes, with two waves of immigration altering the long-term conservative orientation of this community. After a series of failed principalships, the appointment of a woman from the community who was willing to take action on a number of serious school and community problems put some former divisiveness to rest. In addition, effective school board and community leadership and state level policy changes altered the community educational climate. The paper examines the factors effecting this change in light of organizational theory, considering the case from the perspectives of structure, human resources, politics, and symbols. All causal factors are seen to create a complex web of circular, mutually interdependent relationships. The implication is that change is not necessarily caused by external conditions and even the distinction between external and internal influences may be arbitrary. The paper concludes that there is no quick, universal, or predictable way to improve rural education. Many factors influence the possibility of change in interactive and mutually causal ways, suggesting the need for differentiated and integrated strategies. This paper contains 18 references. (DHP)
- Published
- 1989
31. Envisioning the EdD and PhD as a Partnership for Change
- Author
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Aiken, Judith A. and Gerstl-Pepin, Cynthia
- Abstract
The Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED)--which the College of Education and Social Services (CESS) at the University of Vermont has actively been involved in since 2007--has invited us to think carefully about our EdD doctoral program and its role in the improvement of schools and society. Although the EdD program in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Vermont was initiated over thirty years ago, in 2012 we began to offer the PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. In this paper, we describe how faculty at UVM came together to make sense of both degrees and how they began to conceptualize the relationship and interconnectedness of the two degrees within one college. In conceptualizing the degrees as a partnership, our work with CPED has provided us with a new definition of the Education Doctorate and may serve as a model for looking at ways to blend the PhD and EdD in US schools and colleges of education.
- Published
- 2013
32. Our Purposes: Personal Reflections on Character Development and Social Responsibility in Higher Education
- Author
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Chickering, Arthur W.
- Abstract
Recognition of the importance of outcomes related to moral and ethical development, other dimensions of personal development, and civic engagement is a result of decades of educational reform. But have colleges and universities succeeded in helping students achieve these outcomes? In this article, the author shares his personal reflections on character development and social responsibility in higher education. He argues that in the quarter century since the release of "Involvement in Learning: Realizing the Potential of American Higher Education," the final report of the Study Group on the Conditions of Excellence in American Higher Education, colleges and universities have failed in encouraging character development and social responsibility. He believes that colleges and universities are the most important social institutions for sustaining a pluralistic, globally interdependent democracy. Yet, they have so far failed to graduate citizens who have attained the levels of cognitive, moral, intellectual, and ethical development required to address complex national and global problems. He contends that higher-order cognitive skills, which are needed to see through the misinformation and disinformation and to examine complex issues with critical judgment, must be anchored in clear recognition of the fundamental moral implications concerning human dignity and well-being.
- Published
- 2010
33. Systemic High School Reform in Two States: The Serendipity of State-Level Action
- Author
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Hamann, Edmund T.
- Abstract
Maine and Vermont have been national leaders in state-level coordination of high school reform. Both recently developed almost interchangeable, new, voluntary, statewide frameworks that describe multiple ways high schools should change. Both frameworks--Promising Futures (Maine Commission on Secondary Education 1998) and High Schools on the Move (Vermont High School Task Force 2001)--were published in book form and include extensive bibliographies grounding their claims that they are research based. Both frameworks recommend principles and practices for improving high schools for all students. Both frameworks were drafted primarily by leading local educators with only modest support from experts based beyond the state's boundaries. Despite these similarities, the strategies for implementing these frameworks in each state have varied and, because of this, the two frameworks' prospects of having enduring favorable impact also appear to vary. Using historical and ethnographic methods to conduct two policy implementation case studies, this paper describes both framework's development and then focuses on early implementation. Together the cases illustrate how more than an adequate whole-school reform framework is necessary to raise the prospect of enduring high school improvement. They also illustrate the potential of anthropological inquiry to the study of educational policy development and implementation.
- Published
- 2005
34. Some Essential Viewpoints in Supervision of Rural Schools: Abstracts of Addresses Delivered at the First Conference of Supervisors of the Northeastern States Held in New York City April 23 and 24, 1928. Bulletin, 1929, No. 3
- Author
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Department of the Interior, Bureau of Education (ED)
- Abstract
This bulletin contains abstracts of addresses delivered at a 2-day conference of State and county rural-school supervisors of the Northeastern States, called by the United States Commissioner of Education in New York City, New York, April 23 and 24, 1928. Abstracts were prepared from manuscripts submitted by the authors. The conference was the third regional supervisory conference sponsored by the United States Bureau of Education. Reports of preceding conferences held in 1925 and 1926, were published as Bulletins, 1926, No. 12, and 1927, No. 24 of the Bureau of Education. The conference was attended by more than 100 rural education workers, most of whom are engaged in State and local supervision. The States represented were Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The conference was formally opened by the Commissioner of Education, Dr. John J. Tigert. He explained briefly his interest and that of the Bureau of Education in assisting the extension of rural-school supervision and promoting more efficient supervisory procedures. The program presented was arranged to consider seven large problems: (1) Improvement of supervisory techniques; (2) The effect of larger rural schools on the solution of supervisory problems; (3) Development of a supervisory program leading to closer integration between the work of those responsible for pre-service and those responsible for in-service preparation of teachers; (4) Types of supervisory assistance most effective in meeting the needs of certain teaching and pupil groups; (5) Contributions of State departments of public instruction to the education of mentally handicapped children in rural communities; (6) Equalizing educational opportunity for exceptional children in rural schools; and (7) Achievements and plans of the northeastern supervisory conference. Under each of these at least one major paper or address was presented, followed by free discussion from the floor. (Individual abstracts contain footnotes.) [Prepared in the Division of Rural Education. Best copy available has been provided.]
- Published
- 1929
35. Policy and Practice: Observations and Recommendations To Promote Inclusive Practices.
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Roach, Virginia and Caruso, Michael G.
- Abstract
Examines the intersection of policy and practice in the areas of systemic reform and special education. Provides examples of statewide system reform efforts in Kentucky, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Vermont, as well as examples of how children with disabilities are included in the total reform efforts. (Author/CR)
- Published
- 1997
36. State-Sponsored Education Reform in the 1980's: Schools as Policy Junkyards.
- Author
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Johnston, A. P. and Niedermeier, H. G.
- Abstract
Views recent educational reforms as "galloping centralization" resulting from states' excessive rationalism in legislating school improvement policy. A Vermont study shows that policymakers did not act in accord with a user perspective concerning local schools' policy environments and that Public School Approval, as a state policy, lacked validity. Includes 26 references. (MLH)
- Published
- 1987
37. A Historical Analysis of the Curriculum and Academic Programs at Castleton State College 1961-1979: Implications for the Future.
- Author
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Forest, Robert F.
- Abstract
The changes and expansions of Castleton State College curriculum from 1961 to 1979 are examined, and projections for the future are offered. The development from emphasis on teacher preparation to liberal arts has taken place at the college during this time period and since the college became a member of the Vermont State College system. The general problem facing the college has been the lack of support for the continued growth and development of its curriculum programs to meet the increasing higher education needs of southern Vermont. Additionally, there has been an increasing movement on the part of the chancellor of the Vermont State Colleges away from the traditional liberal arts emphasis and toward more career/professional-oriented programs. After a review of research and literature on factors influencing curriculum development at other higher education institutions, institutional data that reveal influences on past curriculum decisions at the college were examined. Oral interviews were also conducted with faculty and administrators involved in curriculum development of the college. It is concluded that much of the uniqueness of the college in the past growth period has been due to the strong liberal arts core, and that this foundation was necessary for the continued expansion of programs. Specific conflict areas are noted, and options for the resolution of the conflict areas are suggested. Appendices include a list of oral interview questions, notes for interviews, minutes of Board of Trustees' meetings, academic program descriptions, and a list of Vermont State Colleges' academic programs. (SW)
- Published
- 1979
38. A Study of Curricular and Instructional Change Processes in Rural High Schools.
- Author
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Larson, Robert
- Abstract
Focusing on investigating processes of curricular and instructional change for the period 1976-82, the study examined change processes in 2 medium size (400-500 students) Vermont rural high schools not known for being innovative. The research framework was constructed around the change process model and accompanying subprocesses of mobilization, implementation, and institutionalization. Six weeks were spent in each school. Initial exploratory interviews were conducted with the professional staff. Questionnaires were distributed to subsets of that population according to their involvement with identified innovations. Relevant documents were analyzed, but observation was informal. Major instrumentation was drawn from Gene Hall's Concerns Based Adoption Model. The findings revealed that change occurred mainly within the framework of the subprocesses of mobilization, implementation, and institutionalization, and was usually a dynamic rather than linear process. These subprocesses became apparent through the identification of six types of voluntary innovations and two types of imposed innovations. The 80 voluntary innovations were primarily teacher adopted or developed with underlying stimuli primarily idiosyncratic and rooted in factors associated with motivating and relating to students. The principals played key supportive, facilitative and directive roles with both types of innovations and had a major effect on change through the organizational climates they helped to create and sustain. (Author/NQA)
- Published
- 1983
39. Predictions of Small Colleges' Death Could Be Premature
- Author
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Wootton, William R.
- Abstract
Higher-education analysts have predicted it: The global financial shambles will cause the closing or merger of a growing number of colleges. At the top of the endangered list are rural colleges. Included in this group is the author's own college, Sterling College, in Craftsbury Common, Vermont. Despite this prediction, the author is counting on his institution's strengths to help it survive. Here, he shares what he has learned from the histories of at least three other liberal-arts colleges in Vermont that like his are among the smallest. He has learned that while economic slumps might shutter a business, at these small, mission-driven colleges, downturns provide impetus to change, adjust, work harder. What matters is that you keep moving, keep teaching, keep to your mission. He has learned, too, that it is only institutional character and educational quality that ultimately drive, and save, small colleges: a distinctive curriculum, expertly taught; a philosophy of education, articulately expressed; engaged students seeking their strengths; inquisitive teachers serving as mentors.
- Published
- 2009
40. Chapter 4: Understanding Community through Critical Service-Learning: Preparing Future Teachers to Enact School Reform Principles that Empower Youth.
- Author
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Tinkler, Alan and Tinkler, Barri
- Subjects
- *
SERVICE learning , *EDUCATIONAL change , *TEACHERS , *SELF-efficacy , *COMMUNITIES , *CULTURAL humility - Abstract
Background/Context: A number of states across the United States are seeking to implement school redesign efforts to support greater equity and to empower youth. Because these initiatives require teachers to implement strategies they typically have not experienced as learners, there is a need for models to prepare them to enact these innovations. Research has shown that service-learning can provide a view into educational experiences that are different from what teacher candidates experienced in their own schooling. Purpose/Focus of Study: The state of Vermont recently legislated school reform that includes three elements: (1) proficiency-based learning, (2) personalized learning, and (3) flexible pathways to graduation. Enacting these mandates requires fostering youth voice. When redesigning our courses to model these principles, we added a critical service-learning experience to a content literacy course in our teacher education program, providing one-on-one academic support to resettled refugee youth. This qualitative study explores the learning outcomes of that service-learning experience. In addition, this study examines how these learning outcomes relate to the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to enact school reform efforts focused on empowering youth. Research Design: This interpretive study examines the critical service-learning experience embedded in a content literacy course. Candidates provided weekly academic support to resettled refugee youth in one of three community centers. There were 18 participants in the study. Data collection included reflection papers, an anonymous questionnaire, and interviews with selected participants. Conclusions/Recommendations: Data analysis demonstrates that the service-learning experience (1) cultivated an awareness of individual learners, (2) increased the understanding of pedagogical practices for diverse learners, (3) fostered a sense of cultural humility, and (4) broadened understanding of the community. Taken together, these impacts help prepare future teachers to enact school reform in ways that empower youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
41. The Role of State Departments of Education in Complex School Reform. The Series on School Reform.
- Author
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Lusi, Susan Follett and Lusi, Susan Follett
- Abstract
State departments of education (SDEs) play a pivotal role in the implementation of state-level school reform. This role is examined using two models of statewide school reform in Kentucky and Vermont. How the departments implemented their plans and how such implementation affected the internal dynamics of the departments, as well as the external ability of schools and districts to implement reform is described. The book focuses on systemic reform, bureaucracies, and innovative organizations and how SDEs effected changes in this mix. It looks at how expected changes compare to what is actually occurring. Also examined are the ways in which SDEs' actions seem to be influencing local implementation of complex reform. The two case studies are then cross-analyzed, and conclusions as to what are the broad lessons offered by these two states' effort are reported. The book explains complex reform actions and how these came to be on the education reform agenda. It also provides a critique of the claims of systemic reformers, along with a description of the education system SDEs are trying to change. (Contains an index and around 150 references.) (RJM)
- Published
- 1997
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