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The vision behind the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) is that all students engage in explaining phenomena and designing solutions with three-dimensional learning. Authentic sensemaking involves opportunities for learners to share, analyze, and critique ideas in collaborative groups. However, it can be challenging to structure classroom discourse so that all students actively participate. This article outlines the success of two teachers using Group Learning Routines (GLR), or peer-to-peer discussion protocols, to support diverse learners. The routines are embedded in the New Visions for Public Schools Biology Curriculum which is open source and storyline-based. The unit described here engages students in an exploration of the mismatch between how our bodies and our environments function. Embedded routines structure student talk throughout a learning sequence culminating in class consensus discussion, in which students collaboratively decide on a class-wide explanation of the phenomenon. Resources, such as rubrics, descriptions of the routines, and example student work are provided to support classroom implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs are associated with improvements in children's SEL and academic outcomes, and the quality of classroom interactions. The magnitude of these effects increases at high levels of program implementation quality. This study aimed to (1) identify teachers' profiles of quality of implementation, (2) explore teachers and classroom characteristics contributing to their propensity to comply with high quality of implementation, and (3) examine the relations between school assignment to an SEL program, quality of classroom interactions, and child SEL and academic outcomes at different levels of teachers' compliance propensity. This study drew upon data from a cluster-randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of 4Rs + MTP, a literacy-based SEL program, on third and fourth grade teachers (n = 330) and their students (n = 5,081) across 60 New York City public elementary schools. Latent profile analysis indicated that measures of teacher responsiveness and amount of exposure to implementation supports contributed to the differentiation of profiles of high and low quality of implementation. Random forest analysis showed that more experienced teachers with low levels of professional burnout had high propensity to comply with high quality of implementation. Multilevel moderated mediation analysis indicated that 4Rs + MTP teachers with high compliance propensity were associated with higher classroom emotional support and lower children's school absences than their counterparts in the control group. These findings may inform debates in policy research about the importance of providing the supports teachers need to implement SEL school programs with high quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To stem the tide of teacher turnover and prevent shortages, teacher turnover interventions and policies often focus on new and novice teachers because evidence suggests that teacher turnover is particularly high among these teachers. In addition, researchers continue to investigate the root causes of the high teacher turnover observed in many low-income, high-minority schools and whether this is due more to school demographics or poor working conditions. Purpose: This article examines New York City Teaching Fellows (NYCTF) teachers' risk of leaving their first school in their first 9 years. It both describes the patterns in leaving and examines how school demographics and school climate predict these leaving patterns. Participants: The study follows 608 teachers: two cohorts of secondary mathematics NYCTF teachers who entered the classroom in New York City in 2006 or 2007. Research Design: This is a quantitative study of survey and retention data that were collected as part of a longitudinal research project on NYCTF mathematics teachers. Data Analysis: We use an event history analysis (including a life table and hazard function graphs) to describe patterns in teachers' timing of leaving their first school. We also use a discrete time hazard model to estimate the relative relationships between the predictors of interest (school demographics and school climate) and teacher turnover. Results: The findings from this study provide evidence against the general hypothesis in the field that teachers leave their first schools at the highest rate during their first 1 to 3 years. Second, we also found that the turnover of alternatively certified teachers who began in low-income, high-minority urban schools was driven by both student demographics and school climate conditions, including teacher collegiality and student behavior. Third, we found evidence to support our hypothesis that teachers' individual perceptions of their school environment are stronger drivers of their turnover compared with the perceptions of their colleagues. Conclusion: The results from this study add to our understanding about the timing of teacher turnover among secondary mathematics NYCTF teachers, illustrating that teacher turnover may remain higher later in beginning teachers' careers than currently assumed. This suggests that teachers in Years 3 to 5 in their careers may be good targets for supports. Our findings support the theory that improving school climate can help retain teachers but also provide a cautionary tale for a complete focus on school climate; stemming teacher turnover may require addressing larger economic forces (e.g., the global trend toward temporary work) and more insidious social forces, such as structural racism and inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human rights education (HRE) is an emerging practice across formal and informal educational sectors worldwide. However, most literature and theory on HRE emphasize the importance of imparting knowledge about human rights. In this paper, we argue that increasing tolerance among students is a vital but understudied aspect of HRE. This paper is based on the results of a mixed methods longitudinal study conducted in three classrooms across two New York City public high schools. Our methods include a pre-/post- survey, classroom observations, and semi-structured individual and group interviews. The findings indicate that merely teaching about human rights issues is necessary but not sufficient to shift deeply embedded attitudes that contribute to the transformative nature of the human rights framework. We present tolerance as a necessary precursor to positive social change and sustainable human rights implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many school districts face the empirical challenge of monitoring program quality to assure that all children experience pre-K environments that foster early learning and development. Factors that are exogenous to classrooms (such as evaluation timing) may play a role in estimates of program quality and yet are not fully understood. This paper examines the role of timing in pre-K classroom quality as it was observed in practice by one of the largest school districts in the United States. In the 2015–2016 school year, New York City (NYC) observed 648 of its Pre-K for All programs using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System Pre-K (CLASS), giving each program an overall average classroom quality rating at one time point. Research Findings: A series of OLS regressions indicated that CLASS scores were lower for programs observed in the fall semester in the domains of Emotional Support and Classroom Organization. Emotional Support also demonstrated a pattern of increasing scores by each month within the fall semester, providing evidence for a relationship-building period between teachers and students early in the school year. Practice or Policy: These findings may be informative for school districts and policymakers who consider using CLASS as an accountability tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We apply "value-added" models to estimate the effects of teachers on an outcome they cannot plausibly affect: student height. When fitting the relatively simple models that are widely used in educational practice to New York City data, we find the standard deviation of teacher effects on height is nearly as large as that for math and reading, raising potential concerns about value-added estimates of teacher effectiveness. We consider two explanations: nonrandom sorting of students to teachers and idiosyncratic classroom-level variation. We cannot rule out sorting on unobservables, but do not find that students are sorted to teachers based on lagged height. The correlation in teacher effects estimates on height across years and the correlation between teacher effects on height and teacher effects on achievement are insignificant. The large estimated "effects" for height appear to be driven by year-to-year classroom-by-teacher variation that isn't often separable from true effects in models commonly estimated in practice. Reassuringly for use of these models in research settings, models which disentangle persistent effects from transient classroom-level variation yield the theoretically expected effects of zero for teacher value added on height. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To address the knowledge gap regarding the actual acuity requirements needed in typical kindergarten through grade 12 classrooms by determining an actual logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) and contrast sensitivity requirements in a sample of classrooms for kindergarten through grade 12 in New York City. Methods: Measurements of classroom dimensions with specific attention to viewing distances were made in public and private school classrooms, at various grade levels from kindergarten through grade 12, in New York City. The dimensions of typical text shown to students on classroom smartboards and whiteboards was measured and the mean and range of logMAR values were calculated for various seating locations within the classrooms. Contrast between text and background was estimated by comparing digital images of actual classroom text to Pelli-Robson contrast sensitivity charts. Results: Fourteen classrooms in five schools were evaluated. Classroom dimensions varied from 8 × 10 feet to 23 × 23 feet. Mean logMAR values of lower case text on smartboards and whiteboards varied from 0.93 ± 0.29 (range: 0.83 to 1.32) in the center of the front row to 0.46 ± 0.21 (range: 0.10 to 0.79) in the center of the back row (Fourteen classrooms in five schools were evaluated. Classroom dimensions varied from 8 × 10 feet to 23 × 23 feet. Mean logMAR values of lower case text on smartboards and whiteboards varied from 0.93 ± 0.29 (range: 0.83 to 1.32) in the center of the front row to 0.46 ± 0.21 (range: 0.10 to 0.79) in the center of the back row (P <.001). Contrast was also variable, being highest for black markers on whiteboards (0.00) and lowest on smartboards (0.15 to 0.60). Neither logMAR nor contrast sensitivity values varied significantly by grade level or school (P >.50 for both). Conclusions: The data reveal that logMAR demands and contrast vary substantially from classroom to classroom and within a classroom based on room dimensions and seating. Although generally supporting current acuity-based pediatric vision screening referral guidelines, the data also provide insight into the potential impact of reduced visual acuity and seating location on visual performance in the classroom. These findings suggest the need to develop logMAR and contrast standards that optimize visual content in classrooms while accommodating a wider range of visual capabilities. [[J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2021;58(1):48–54.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of the National Collegiate Honors Council's (2022) collection of essays about the value of honors to its graduates (1967-2019), the author reflects on the personal and professional impacts of the honors experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study explored preschool teacher beliefs and practices in relationship to observed classroom quality and student outcomes. A phenomenological approach framed the design of the research collected from seven preschool teachers in a large urban school district in Western NY. Teachers were asked two questions about student learning and excellence in teaching. Findings suggest that high performing preschool teachers believe it is important to establish nurturing relationships with their students, foster positive relationships with the families of the children they work with in the classroom, and nurture the socialemotional development of their children in the classroom. Pedagogically, differentiated instruction emerged as a theme in which teachers' described their teaching practice to meet the needs of all their students. Future research should be focused on the impact professional development has on the quality of instruction provided in preschool classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a need to better prepare teachers for bilingual classrooms that have students with and without disabilities. This inspired the creation of a new graduate teacher preparation program for the inclusive bilingual classroom in NYC. The program aims to help candidates understand theories and research across bilingual/bicultural education and the teaching of students with disabilities, and how the intersectionality of differences in ability, culture, and language impact learning. This study reports on two candidates' student teaching experiences. It highlights ways in which the candidates reflected on the intersectionality of differences through teaching, as well as the multi-layered positive reactions of students and classroom teachers to their teaching, describing the emotional connections and manifold learning outcomes that resulted. The findings from this study provide valuable information for mentor teachers and teacher preparation programs interested in promoting equity in education through the preparation of inclusive bilingual educators, and has implications for policy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While chronic absenteeism hurts all students, one particularly vulnerable group, students with disabilities (SWDs), has received little attention in research or policy. Particularly troubling is the dearth of research into the patterns of absences for SWDs and GENs who attend school together in urban school systems, given relatively higher absenteeism when compared to suburban and rural districts. Research Questions: First, how do rates of chronic absenteeism compare between SWDs and students without disabilities (GENs) attending the same schools (hereafter traditional schools)? Second, are there differences between SWDs who are educated in "GEN-majority" classrooms and those educated in "SWD-majority" classrooms? Finally, do these patterns differ for students with different disabilities? Subjects: Our study consists of GENs and SWDs in grades 1-6 who attended a traditional NYC public school between 2006 and 2012. Our sample includes 653,736 students across 37,867 classrooms, and 1,148 public elementary schools. Measures include race/ethnicity, gender, age, foreign-born status, limited English proficiency, free/reduced price lunch eligibility, grade level, classroom ID, school ID, the number of days each student was absent, and the total number of school days each student was registered in the district. For SWDs, the data include indicators for the thirteen disability classifications defined under IDEA and a primary assigned special education setting. Research Design: We begin with a baseline model, where being chronically absent (i.e., missing 10% or more of the school year) is regressed on an indicator for being a SWD, controlling for grade and year. We build on this model by first including demographic control variables, then school fixed effects, and finally classroom fixed effects. We then explore this model for differences by type of classroom setting as well as by type of disability. Findings: Chronic absenteeism is considerably higher for SWDs than GENs in traditional schools, and there is important heterogeneity by disability classifications. Specifically, students with emotional disturbances exhibit extremely high rates of chronic absenteeism and the largest group of SWDs, students with learning disabilities, have quite high rates as well. Further, SWDs in GEN-majority classrooms are less likely to be chronically absent than those in SWDmajority classrooms, again with variation by disability. Conclusions: As the nationwide trend of providing SWDs with more education in GENmajority classrooms continues to press forward, our study shows that increasingly GENmajority settings are associated with fewer absences for SWDs. And while school attendance, among other non-achievement outcomes, are not the primary focus of IDEA, our findings point to how some school settings might be beneficial to some but put others at risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By the time many preschool-age African American children enter preschool, they have already been exposed to indicators that inform them of their “place” and their “worth” in the communities they frequent. There is a gap in the literature on the value of global education for African American children. This research is a study of a global citizenship curriculum implemented in a small, community preschool serving a predominantly African American population in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. The questions used to guide this study are (1) What does global citizenship education curriculum look like at Sunshine preschool? (2) How do children at this preschool negotiate their identities as global citizens within this particular curriculum? The research was conducted as a case study, with the researcher serving as a participant observer in the classroom. The study identified four primary themes within the curriculum: lessons in power, membership in a global community, self-esteem development, and teacher intentionality. Most centrally, this study articulates the ways that the enactment of global citizenship curriculum can contribute to countering negative conceptions of self in very young African American children. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper, drawing from a multi-site qualitative study in New York City elementary classrooms, considers student ideas about power, peace and violence in response to shared reading and discussion of the classic folk tale, Hansel and Gretel. From a critical literacy perspective, the construction of agency and subjectivity within this context in relation to such ideas via engagement with literature and in literacy practice is explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses various aspects of commercial curricula in early childhood classrooms. He analyze children literacy practices in a New York city public school to implement scientifically based reading curriculum. He further explores relationship between curricular policies and children s socially constructed literacy practices.

The article reports on the solicitation of the perceptions of secondary school science teachers to determine the competencies that all secondary school science teachers should possess in the state of New York. They represent the practitioners who constantly interact with the real world of the classroom. Their experiences should provide some clues regarding teacher attributes that affect student outcomes and should indicate what their own needs are relative to science teacher training. The population for the study consisted of the secondary school science teachers in grades 7 to 12 throughout the state of New York. Three random samples each of 100 teachers were invited to participate in the research.

The article focuses on the effectiveness of television in improving the science program in New York City public schools. A proposal was made that a series of television programs for classroom use in elementary science be included in the 1957-1958 schedules of television programs. The programs under the development by the television station WNYE and to be produced with the cooperation of the Metropolitan Educational Television Association over the station WP1X will be evaluated by the classroom teachers. The evaluation aims to determine the effect of the television presentation on the pupil's interests, awareness and involvement in science in their daily living. The result of the evaluation shows that the programs were effective in improving the science programs for kindergarten 2 to grade 4.

The article focuses on the installation of a modern, self-contained classroom unit for secondary schools at New York University in New York City. The full-size model was constructed in the re-designed first floor of the university's Press Annex Building. Significantly, the furniture, audio-visual materials, and other physical requirement represent the most advanced products of leading manufacturers. The room consist the main classroom and the conference work stations. The furniture is designed for flexible arrangement.