What is FirstSchool? Issues in PreK-3rd Education. Number One

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ritchie, Sharon; Maxwell, Kelly; Clifford, Richard

2009-01-01

FirstSchool is part of a national PreK-3rd movement of schools, districts, educators and universities seeking to improve how children from ages 3 to 8 learn and develop in schools. While these different projects use a variety of names, all are working to connect high-quality PreK programs with high-quality elementary schools. FirstSchool is…

Bullying as a risk for poor sleep quality among high school students in China.

PubMed

Zhou, Ying; Guo, Lan; Lu, Ci-yong; Deng, Jian-xiong; He, Yuan; Huang, Jing-hui; Huang, Guo-liang; Deng, Xue-qing; Gao, Xue

2015-01-01

To determine whether involvement in bullying as a bully, victim, or bully-victim was associated with a higher risk of poor sleep quality among high school students in China. A cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 23,877 high school students were surveyed in six cities in Guangdong Province. All students were asked to complete the adolescent health status questionnaire, which included the Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and bullying involvement. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate sleep quality and the prevalence of school bullying. Multi-level logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between being victimized and bullying others with sleep quality. Among the 23,877 students, 6,127 (25.66%) reported having poor sleep quality, and 10.89% reported being involved in bullying behaviors. Of the respondents, 1,410 (5.91%) were pure victims of bullying, 401 (1.68%) were bullies and 784 (3.28%) were bully-victims. Frequently being involved in bullying behaviors (being bullied or bullying others) was related to increased risks of poor sleep quality compared with adolescents who were not involved in bullying behaviors. After adjusting for age, sex, and other confounding factors, the students who were being bullied (OR=2.05, 95%CI=1.81-2.32), bullied others (OR=2.30, 95%CI=1.85-2.86) or both (OR=2.58, 95%CI=2.20-3.03) were at a higher risk for poor sleep quality. Poor sleep quality among high school students is highly prevalent, and school bullying is prevalent among adolescents in China. The present results suggested that being involved in school bullying might be a risk factor for poor sleep quality among adolescents.

Bullying as a Risk for Poor Sleep Quality among High School Students in China

PubMed Central

Lu, Ci-yong; Deng, Jian-xiong; Huang, Jing-hui; Huang, Guo-liang; Deng, Xue-qing; Gao, Xue

2015-01-01

Objective To determine whether involvement in bullying as a bully, victim, or bully-victim was associated with a higher risk of poor sleep quality among high school students in China. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 23,877 high school students were surveyed in six cities in Guangdong Province. All students were asked to complete the adolescent health status questionnaire, which included the Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and bullying involvement. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate sleep quality and the prevalence of school bullying. Multi-level logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between being victimized and bullying others with sleep quality. Results Among the 23,877 students, 6,127 (25.66%) reported having poor sleep quality, and 10.89% reported being involved in bullying behaviors. Of the respondents, 1,410 (5.91%) were pure victims of bullying, 401 (1.68%) were bullies and 784 (3.28%) were bully-victims. Frequently being involved in bullying behaviors (being bullied or bullying others) was related to increased risks of poor sleep quality compared with adolescents who were not involved in bullying behaviors. After adjusting for age, sex, and other confounding factors, the students who were being bullied (OR=2.05, 95%CI=1.81-2.32), bullied others (OR=2.30, 95%CI=1.85-2.86) or both (OR=2.58, 95%CI=2.20-3.03) were at a higher risk for poor sleep quality. Conclusions Poor sleep quality among high school students is highly prevalent, and school bullying is prevalent among adolescents in China. The present results suggested that being involved in school bullying might be a risk factor for poor sleep quality among adolescents. PMID:25811479

The association between higher body mass index and poor school performance in high school students.

PubMed

Tonetti, L; Fabbri, M; Filardi, M; Martoni, M; Natale, V

2016-12-01

This study aimed to examine the association between body mass index (BMI) and school performance in high school students by controlling for relevant mediators such as sleep quality, sleep duration and socioeconomic status. Thirty-seven high school students (mean age: 18.16 ± 0.44 years) attending the same school type, i.e. 'liceo scientifico' (science-based high school), were enrolled. Students' self-reported weight and height were used to calculate BMI. Participants wore an actigraph to objectively assess the quality and duration of sleep. School performance was assessed through the actual grade obtained at the final school-leaving exam, in which higher grades indicate higher performance. BMI, get-up time, mean motor activity, wake after sleep onset and number of awakenings were negatively correlated with the grade, while sleep efficiency was positively correlated. When performing a multiple regression analysis, BMI proved the only significant (negative) predictor of grade. When controlling for sleep quality, sleep duration and socioeconomic status, a higher BMI is associated with a poorer school performance in high school students. © 2015 World Obesity Federation.

Using School Websites to Support Parent Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piper, Tracy

2012-01-01

A middle school of 1,000 students is a busy place. With dwindling resources and increased accountability, a well-designed school website is vital. Students and parents visit high quality websites through a variety of devices and expect equally high quality school-to-home communication. With the support of a professional web design company, the…

The Role of Central Level Staff in Supporting High Quality Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gamble, Matthew Tanner

2013-01-01

The central office manages and directs a school system. In the wake of district and school reforms, the impact of the central office on schools and quality instruction has not been fully dissected. This study explores the role of the central office in the support of high quality instruction. Further, it analyzes the perceptions of those central…

Teacher Salaries and the Shortage of High-Quality Teachers in China's Rural Primary and Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xuehui, An

2018-01-01

Teacher salary level and structure are not only important factors affecting the supply of primary and secondary school teachers, but they are also crucial to attracting, training, and retaining high-quality teachers, thereby impacting the overall quality of education and teaching in schools. The reform of China's basic education management system…

Ethnic/racial discrimination moderates the effect of sleep quality on school engagement across high school.

PubMed

Dunbar, Margaret; Mirpuri, Sheena; Yip, Tiffany

2017-10-01

Previous research has indicated that school engagement tends to decline across high school. At the same time, sleep problems and exposure to social stressors such as ethnic/racial discrimination increase. The current study uses a biopsychosocial perspective to examine the interactive and prospective effects of sleep and discrimination on trajectories of academic performance. Growth curve models were used to explore changes in 6 waves of academic outcomes in a sample of 310 ethnically and racially diverse adolescents (mean age = 14.47 years, SD = .78, and 64.1% female). Ethnic/racial discrimination was assessed at Time 1 in a single survey. Sleep quality and duration were also assessed at Time 1 with daily diary surveys. School engagement and grades were reported every 6 months for 3 years. Higher self-reported sleep quality in the ninth grade was associated with higher levels of academic engagement at the start of high school. Ethnic/racial discrimination moderated the relationship between sleep quality and engagement such that adolescents reporting low levels of discrimination reported a steeper increase in engagement over time, whereas their peers reporting poor sleep quality and high levels of discrimination reported the worse engagement in the ninth grade and throughout high school. The combination of poor sleep quality and high levels of discrimination in ninth grade has downstream consequences for adolescent academic outcomes. This study applies the biopsychosocial model to understand the development and daily experiences of diverse adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Examining Relational Engagement across the Transition to High Schools in Three US High Schools Reformed to Improve Relationship Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Heather A.; Chang, Mei-Lin; Andrzejewski, Carey E.; Poirier, Ryan R.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in students' relational engagement across the transition to high school in three schools reformed to improve the quality of student-teacher relationships. In order to analyze this data we employed latent growth curve (LGC) modeling techniques (n = 637). We ran three LGC models on three…

Challenges Faced by Maine School Districts in Providing High Quality Public Education. Research Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silvernail, David L.; Linet, Sarah R.

2014-01-01

The goal of this study was to: (1) identify challenges faced by Maine school districts in providing high quality public education; (2) describe the magnitude of the challenges; and (3) identify areas where school districts were experiencing some success in meeting these challenges. The School Districts Challenge Survey was distributed online to…

Improving Indoor Air Quality in St. Cloud Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forer, Mike; Haus, El

2000-01-01

Describes how the St. Cloud Area School District (Minnesota), using Tools for Schools provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, managed the improvement of their school building indoor air quality (IAQ). The district goals of the IAQ Management Committee and the policy elements used to maintain high classroom air quality are…

Examining the Relationship among High-School Teachers' Technology Self-Efficacy, Attitudes towards Technology Integration, and Quality of Technology Integration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzales, Stacey

2013-01-01

This quantitative study explored the relationships among high-school teachers' (n = 74) technology self-efficacy, teachers' attitudes towards technology integration, and quality of teachers' technology integration into instruction. This study offered the unique perspectives of in-service high-school teachers as they have first-hand experience…

Taking Stock: An Analysis of Delaware's High School Standards and Course Requirements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Achieve, Inc., 2005

2005-01-01

Delaware's secretary of education and the president of the State Board of Education asked Achieve to provide an analysis of the quality of Delaware's high school content standards and its course-taking requirements. In assisting Delaware in its commitment to raising the quality of its expectations for high school graduates, Achieve examined the…

An Evaluative Case Study of Nine Virtual High School Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bannister, Clara M.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to conduct a program evaluation of nine virtual high school programs in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Idaho, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina and Massachusetts. In order to assess the quality and effectiveness of the virtual high school programs in the study in terms of overall quality and…

Choice in School: Its Importance and Scope

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yagnamurthy, Sreekanth

2013-01-01

The author reviews various factors defining school choice, and school curricula. A key assumption behind the rhetoric logic of school choice is the notion that parents actually choose from schools of varying quality. If parents choose from high-quality schools, choice policy will enhance educational opportunities. If, however, the considered…

A Multilevel, Statewide Investigation of School District Anti-Bullying Policy Quality and Student Bullying Involvement.

PubMed

Gower, Amy L; Cousin, Molly; Borowsky, Iris W

2017-03-01

Although nearly all states in the United States require school districts to adopt anti-bullying policies, little research examines the effect of these policies on student bullying and health. Using a statewide sample, we investigated associations between the quality of school district anti-bullying policies and student bullying involvement and adjustment. School district anti-bullying policies (N = 208) were coded for their quality based on established criteria. District-level data were combined with student reports of bullying involvement, emotional distress, and school connectedness from a state surveillance survey of 6th, 9th, and 12th grade students (N = 93,437). Results indicated that policy quality was positively related to bullying victimization. Furthermore, students reporting frequent perpetration/victimization who also attended districts with high-quality policies reported more emotional distress and less school connectedness compared with students attending districts with low quality policies. Although statistically significant, the magnitude of these associations was small. Having a high-quality school district anti-bullying policy is not sufficient to reduce bullying and protect bullying-involved young people. Future studies examining policy implementation will inform best practices in bullying prevention. © 2017, American School Health Association.

Towards a High Quality High School Workforce: A Longitudinal, Demographic Analysis of U.S. Public School Physics Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rushton, Gregory T.; Rosengrant, David; Dewar, Andrew; Shah, Lisa; Ray, Herman E.; Sheppard, Keith; Watanabe, Lynn

2017-01-01

Efforts to improve the number and quality of the high school physics teaching workforce have taken several forms, including those sponsored by professional organizations. Using a series of large-scale teacher demographic data sets from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), this study sought to investigate trends in teacher quality…

Hiring and Retaining Great Independent School Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balossi, Matt; Hernández, Natalie R.

2016-01-01

While numerous studies measure teacher effectiveness in public schools, there is little research on teacher quality among independent schools. In fact, the topic of teacher quality in public schools receives widespread media coverage, funding, and special interest. In order to better understand how independent schools describe high-quality…

Charter School Replication. Policy Guide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rhim, Lauren Morando

2009-01-01

"Replication" is the practice of a single charter school board or management organization opening several more schools that are each based on the same school model. The most rapid strategy to increase the number of new high-quality charter schools available to children is to encourage the replication of existing quality schools. This policy guide…

Teaching Quality and Learning Creativity in Technical and Vocational Schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kembuan, D. R. E.; Rompas, P. T. D.; Mintjelungan, M.; Pantondate, T.; Kilis, B. M. H.

2018-02-01

The purpose of this study is to obtain information about the teacher quality of teaching and learning creativity with the outcomes of student learning in a vocational high school in Indonesia. This research is a survey research. The sample used in this research is 50 teachers, selected by simple random sampling. Data were analyzed by using correlation analysis. The findings of this study are as follows: (1) There is a significant and positive correlation between teacher quality of teaching with the outcomes of student learning at the vocational high school; (2) There is a significant and positive correlation between learning creativity with the outcomes of student learning at the vocational high school, and (3) there is a significant and positive correlation between the teacher quality of teaching and learning creativity with the outcomes of student learning at the school. That is, if the use of appropriate the teacher quality of teaching and learning creativity, then the outcomes of student learning at the school. Finally it can be concluded that to improve the outcomes of student learning, it has to be followed by an improvement of teacher quality of teaching and learning creativity.

High-Quality Charter Schools at Scale in Big Cities: Results of a Symposium (Seattle, Washington, January 20, 2006)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvey, James; Rainey, Lydia

2006-01-01

Bringing charters to scale remains a major challenge. To learn more about barriers to the expansion of high-quality public charter schools and how they might be removed, the National Charter School Research Project (NCSRP) at the University of Washington and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools convened a meeting of leaders from…

Quality Care for School-Age Children: A Self-Instructional Guide To Help Staff Plan and Implement a Quality Program for School-Age Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Childcare Resources, Birmingham, AL.

The purpose of this manual is to provide school-age child care center staff in Alabama with information about school-age children that facilitates program planning and provides a basis for implementing and evaluating a high quality school-age child care (SACC) program. Sections of the manual discuss: (1) teacher competencies addressed by the…

Choices and Challenges: Charter School Performance in Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wohlstetter, Priscilla; Smith, Joanna; Farrell, Caitlin C.

2013-01-01

As charter schools enter their third decade, research in this key sector remains overwhelmingly contradictory and confused. Many studies are narrowly focused; some do not meet the standards for high-quality academic research. In this definitive work, Wohlstetter and her colleagues isolate and distill the high-quality research on charter schools to…

Highly qualified does not equal high quality: A study of urban stakeholders' perceptions of quality in science teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miranda, Rommel Joseph

By employing qualitative methods, this study sought to determine the perceptions that urban stakeholders hold about what characteristics should distinguish a high school science teacher whom they would consider to demonstrate high quality in science teaching. A maximum variation sample of six science teachers, three school administrators, six parents and six students from a large urban public school district were interviewed using semi-structured, in-depth interview techniques. From these data, a list of observable characteristics which urban stakeholders hold as evidence of high quality in science teaching was generated. Observational techniques were utilized to determine the extent to which six urban high school science teachers, who meet the NCLB Act criteria for being "highly qualified", actually possessed the characteristics which these stakeholders hold as evidence of high quality in science teaching. Constant comparative analysis was used to analyze the data set. The findings suggest that urban stakeholders perceive that a high school science teacher who demonstrates high quality in science teaching should be knowledgeable about their subject matter, their student population, and should be resourceful; should possess an academic background in science and professional experience in science teaching; should exhibit professionalism, a passion for science and teaching, and a dedication to teaching and student learning; should be skillful in planning and preparing science lessons and in organizing the classroom, in presenting the subject matter to students, in conducting a variety of hands-on activities, and in managing a classroom; and should assess whether students complete class goals and objectives, and provide feedback about grades for students promptly. The findings further reveal that some of the urban high school science teachers who were deemed to be "highly qualified", as defined by the NCLB Act, engaged in practices that threatened quality in science teaching and often failed to display the characteristics which urban stakeholders hold as evidence of high quality in science teaching. Thus, the criteria for "highly qualified" prescribed by policy makers and politicians do not necessarily translate into effective science teaching in urban settings. These findings emphasize the importance of stakeholder involvement in the design of educational reform initiatives.

An Innovative Approach To Teaching High School Students about Indoor Air Quality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neumann, Catherine M.; Bloomfield, Molly M.; Harding, Anna K.; Sherburne, Holly

1999-01-01

Describes an innovative approach used to help high school students develop critical thinking and real-world problem-solving skills while learning about indoor air quality. (Contains 13 references.) (Author/WRM)

The Relationship between the Quality of Teachers and Pupils Academic Performance in the STMA Junior High Schools of the Western Region of Ghana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonney, Ebenezer Appah; Amoah, Daniel F.; Micah, Sophia A.; Ahiamenyo, Comfort; Lemaire, Margaret B.

2015-01-01

The study investigated into the relationship between the quality of teachers and students' academic performance in Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) Junior High Schools. Descriptive survey design was used and the target population was Junior High School teachers and pupils in the metropolis. Five educational circuits in the metropolis…

Technology Leadership and Its Relationship with School-Malaysia Standard of Education Quality (School-MSEQ)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamzah, Mohd Izham Mohd; Juraime, Faridah; Hamid, Aida Hanim A.; Nordin, Norazah; Attan, Noraini

2014-01-01

This study examined the level of technology leadership practice among administrators in High Performing Schools (HPS) and its relationship with School-Malaysia Standard of Education Quality (School-MSEQ). A set of questionnaires was administered to 96 administrators in 12 HPS of secondary schools category. The data were analysed and interpreted…

High School Assistant Principals' Perception of Factors Influencing High School Assistant Principal Attrition in a Georgia School District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buff, Shannon Jonell

2017-01-01

Retention of quality high school assistant principals is a problem in a suburban Georgia school district, where 35% of administrators left their schools in a 3-year period. Researchers indicated that high turnover rates in school leadership influence student achievement and school climate. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore…

Leveraging Quality Charters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Caprice

2012-01-01

Charter public schools serve a variety of roles in education reform: innovation labs, havens from failing traditional schools; and competitors for pubic resources. Education leaders have the opportunity to use high quality charter schooling to innovate not only in developing transformative schools but, more importantly, in creating great public…

A Project to Enhance Superintendents' Knowledge and Application of Characteristics of High Quality Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pummill, Bret L.; Edson, Jerry C.; Loftin, Michelle M.; Robinson, Matthew A.

2011-01-01

This report describes a problem based learning project focusing on superintendents' knowledge of the characteristics of high quality teachers. Current research findings offer evidence teacher quality is an important school variable related to student achievement. School district leaders are faced with the problem of identifying the characteristics…

Evidence of Impact of High Quality Principal Training in Illinois. Proposal Submitted to Governor Elect Rauner Education Transition Team on Behalf of the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center for the Study of Education Policy, 2011

2011-01-01

Driven by research that evidences the direct impact of principals on school-wide improvements, Illinois has been working at the forefront of innovation and improvement in principal quality for quite some time. A large body of research supports the impact of school leadership on school and student outcomes. While high quality instruction is…

Is Increased Access Enough? Advanced Placement Courses, Quality, and Success in Low-Income Urban Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hallett, Ronald E.; Venegas, Kristan M.

2011-01-01

This article combines descriptive statistics and interviews with college-bound high school students to explore the connection between increased access and academic quality of Advanced Placement (AP) courses in low-income urban high schools. Results suggest that although moderately more opportunities to take AP courses exist than in previous years,…

Hours of Opportunity, Volume 1: Lessons from Five Cities on Building Systems to Improve After-School, Summer School, and Other Out-of-School-Time Programs. Monograph

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bodilly, Susan J.; McCombs, Jennifer Sloan; Orr, Nate; Scherer, Ethan; Constant, Louay; Gershwin, Daniel

2010-01-01

High-quality out-of-school-time (OST) programs have a positive effect on youth development, but many cities have found it difficult to address the challenges of expanding and improving the quality of programs offered to underserved and high-need students. In response, The Wallace Foundation sponsored an initiative to help five cities increase…

School Desegregation, Academic Attainment, and Earnings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rivkin, Steven G.

2000-01-01

High School and Beyond longitudinal survey data were used to investigate the impact of school racial composition and quality on achievement, educational attainment, and earnings for blacks. Results support the idea that school quality improvement is likely to be much more effective than desegregation as a means of improving academic and labor…

[Quality of sleep and academic performance in high school students].

PubMed

Bugueño, Maithe; Curihual, Carolina; Olivares, Paulina; Wallace, Josefa; López-AlegrÍa, Fanny; Rivera-López, Gonzalo; Oyanedel, Juan Carlos

2017-09-01

Sleeping and studying are the day-to-day activities of a teenager attending school. To determine the quality of sleep and its relationship to the academic performance among students attending morning and afternoon shifts in a public high school. Students of the first and second year of high school answered an interview about socio-demographic background, academic performance, student activities and subjective sleep quality; they were evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The interview was answered by 322 first year students aged 15 ± 5 years attending the morning shift and 364 second year students, aged 16 ± 0.5 years, attending the afternoon shift. The components: sleep latency, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbance, drug use and daytime dysfunction were similar and classified as good in both school shifts. The components subjective sleep quality and duration of sleep had higher scores among students of the morning shift. The mean grades during the first semester of the students attending morning and afternoon shifts were 5.9 and 5.8, respectively (of a scale from 1 to 7). Among students of both shifts, the PSQI scale was associated inversely and significantly with academic performance. A bad sleep quality influences academic performance in these students.

Indoor Air Quality in High Performance Schools

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

High performance schools are facilities that improve the learning environment while saving energy, resources, and money. The key is understanding the lifetime value of high performance schools and effectively managing priorities, time, and budget.

Indoor Air Quality in High Performance Schools

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

2017-02-14

High performance schools are facilities that improve the learning environment while saving energy, resources, and money. The key is understanding the lifetime value of high performance schools and effectively managing priorities, time, and budget.

School Opportunity Hoarding? Racial Segregation and Access to High Growth Schools

PubMed Central

Fiel, Jeremy E.

2017-01-01

Abstract Persistent school segregation may allow advantaged groups to hoard educational opportunities and consign minority students to lower-quality educational experiences. Although minority students are concentrated in low-achieving schools, relatively little previous research directly links segregation to measures of school quality based on student achievement growth, which more plausibly reflect learning opportunities. Using a dataset of public elementary schools in California, this study provides the first analysis detailing the distribution of a growth-based measure of school quality using standard inequality indices, allowing disparities to be decomposed across geographic and organizational scales. We find mixed support for the school opportunity hoarding hypothesis. We find small White and Asian advantages in access to high-growth schools, but most of the inequality in exposure to school growth is within racial groups. Growth-based disparities both between and within groups tend to be on a more local scale than disparities in absolute achievement levels, focusing attention on within-district policies to mitigate school-based inequalities in opportunities to learn. PMID:28607527

Continuous Quality Improvement: A Roadmap for Rural School Improvement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kilmer, Lloyd C.

A case study documented a continuous quality improvement approach to school improvement in a rural Nebraska high school over a 2-year period. Data gathered from surveys, portfolios, pilot results, and test scores indicated that the changes during the 2-year period were not dramatic, but significant and consistent with the Total Quality literature.…

Is non-linear frequency compression amplification beneficial to adults and children with hearing loss? A systematic review.

PubMed

Akinseye, Gladys Atinuke; Dickinson, Ann-Marie; Munro, Kevin J

2018-04-01

To conduct a systematic review of the benefits of non-linear frequency compression (NLFC) in adults and children. Ten databases were searched for studies comparing the effects of NLFC and conventional processing (CP) for the period January 2008 to September 2017. Twelve articles were included in this review: four adults and school-aged only, one pre-school only and three with both adults and school-aged children. A two-stage process was implemented to grade the evidence. The individual studies were graded based on their study type (from 1 = highest quality of evidence to 5 = the lowest quality) and then sub-graded based on their quality ("a" for "good quality" or "b" for "lesser quality"). All studies were awarded 4a, except the single pre-school study, which was awarded 2a. The overall evidence for each population was graded based on the quality, quantity and consistency of the studies. The body of evidence was rated as very low for both adults and school-aged children, but high for pre-school children. The low number (and quality) of studies means that evidence supporting the benefit from NLFC is inconclusive. Further high-quality RCTs are required to provide a conclusive answer to this question.

Structure and Content Analysis for Vocational High School Website in Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subagja, H.; Abdullah, A. G.; Trisno, B.; Nandiyanto, A. B. D.

2017-03-01

Statistics about the condition of the school’s website in Indonesia is still difficult. This study aims to determine website quality in terms of completeness of content’s criteria of Vocational High School (VHS) in West Java, Indonesia. The method used is the content analysis and survey. Content analysis is reviewing the documents comprising the general category, while the survey is a observation process to get the facts from 272 school websites. Aspects of the structure and content of school website are including institutional information, educators and education personnel, curriculum, student, infrastructure, school achievement, and public access. The results of this study showed the average quality of the VHS website in West Java is still low. The recommendations are needed to improve the quality of the school website.

A Study of School Size among Alabama's Public High Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindahl, Ronald A.; Cain, Patrick M., Sr.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the size of Alabama's public high schools, selected school quality and financial indicators, and their students' performance on standardized exams. When the socioeconomic level of the student bodies is held constant, the size of high schools in Alabama has relatively little…

The Relationship between Quality of Life and Eating Attitudes in Turkish High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kumcagiz, Hatice

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between quality of life and eating attitudes of adolescents. This study was designed as a correlational study. Participants were 640 voluntarily participating 15-18 years old students studying at public high schools in Samsun, Turkey. Data was collected with the Quality of Life Scale for…

Quality of Educational Support for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Bosnia and Herzegovina--Perception of Parents and Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mujkanovic, Elvira; Mujkanovic, Edin; Pasalic, Arnela; Biscevic, Inga; Memisevic, Haris

2017-01-01

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) attend regular education schools and special education schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Regardless of the setting, it is important to provide early, high quality, programs to children with ASD. High quality educational support must encompass evidence-based programs for these children. The goal of the…

Equalising Opportunity? School Quality and Home Disadvantage in Vietnam

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rolleston, Caine; Krutikova, Sofya

2014-01-01

Levels of basic literacy and numeracy skills among Vietnamese primary school children are high by comparison with other countries of a similar income level, and the country has made impressive gains in primary enrollment in recent years as well as improving the quality of schooling. Nonetheless, there remain substantial gaps in school performance…

Marketing Schools: Consumer Goods and Competitive Incentives for Consumer Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lubienski, Christopher

2007-01-01

Effective school-choice plans depend on the quality of information available to families. Examining the promotional materials provided by different schools in a highly competitive and diverse urban area tells us not only about the quality of that information but also how schools respond to competitive incentives. This analysis outlines an economic…

Principals' Perceptions of Professional Development in High- and Low-Performing High-Poverty Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Sheila; Kochan, Frances

2013-01-01

This is the second part of a two-part study examining issues related to professional development in high-poverty schools. The findings from the initial study indicated that principals in high-poverty, high-performing schools perceived higher levels of implementation of quality professional development standards in their schools than did principals…

Teacher Resilience in High-Poverty Schools: How Do High-Quality Teachers Become Resilient?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merrill, Kate Mansi

2013-01-01

The primary purpose of this study was to understand how high-quality teachers who began their career through Teach For America (TFA) became resilient while teaching in challenging, high-poverty schools. A secondary purpose of this study was to ascertain how, if at all, the teaching experiences of TFA teachers who stayed in the profession differed…

Theatre in the Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teaching Theatre, 1990

1990-01-01

Relates the text of the Educational Theatre Association-National Association of Secondary School Principals brochure. Discusses theater's place in the high school curriculum and the qualities of a good high school curriculum. (PRA)

The pathways of high school science teachers and policy efforts to alter the pipeline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sass, Tim

2012-03-01

There is currently much interest in improving the quality of science education in K-12 schools and encouraging more students, particularly minorities and women, to pursue careers in STEM fields. Two interrelated issues are at the forefront: the quality of science teachers and the supply of science teachers. Education research in general finds that the single most important school-based factor affecting student achievement is teacher quality. While there is little evidence that teacher credentials matter for student achievement in the lower grades, there is at least some evidence that content knowledge is an important determinant of teacher quality in middle and secondary schools. However, little is known about the pre-service preparation of high school science teachers and how the training of science teachers affects their performance in the classroom. While there are many efforts underway to increase the supply of science teachers, little is known about the supply of science teachers from different pathways and the factors that lead science teachers to leave the profession. In this presentation I discuss recent work on the supply of teachers from alternative pathways, focusing on high school science teachers. I also summarize the literature on teacher quality and attrition, emphasizing the current state of knowledge on secondary school teachers. Finally, I present current policy initiatives and discuss the likelihood of their success given current research findings.

Examining Pre-School Classroom Quality in a Statewide Quality Rating and Improvement System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeon, Lieny; Buettner, Cynthia K.; Hur, Eunhye

2014-01-01

Background: Research has documented the importance of high-quality early childhood experiences in preparing children for school. Quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS) have recently emerged in many states as a way to build quality of child care and to promote better child outcomes. Objective: The goal of this study was to determine if…

Sociodemographic factors associated with sleep quality and sleep duration in adolescents from Santa Catarina, Brazil: what changed between 2001 and 2011?

PubMed

Hoefelmann, Luana Peter; Lopes, Adair da Silva; da Silva, Kelly Samara; Moritz, Pablo; Nahas, Markus Vinicius

2013-10-01

We aimed to identify and compare the sociodemographic and economic factors associated with perceived sleep quality and sleep duration in high school students from Santa Catarina, Brazil (2001 and 2011). Our study used a school-based, cross-sectional survey administered in 2001 and 2011 to high school students aged 15-19 years (n=5028 in 2001; n=6529 in 2011) enrolled in public schools in Santa Catarina, Brazil. The students responded to a questionnaire that asked about the number of hours slept on school days (insufficient, <8 h; sufficient, > or = 8 h), perceived sleep quality (adequate or poor), sociodemographic characteristics (gender, age, and area), economic factors (work and family income), and school-related variables (grade and shift). The prevalence of poor sleep quality and insufficient sleep increased by 31.2% and 45.9%, respectively, between 2001 and 2011. Remunerated employment, urban environment, male gender, and high family income were strongly associated with these outcomes. There was a notable increase in insufficient sleep and the perception of poor sleep quality among the students in Santa Catarina in the last decade. Public policies are needed to ameliorate this situation, which has disastrous consequences for the health of adolescents. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Green Dot Public Schools. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2018

2018-01-01

"Green Dot Public Schools" is a nonprofit organization that operates more than 20 public charter middle and high schools in California, Tennessee, and Washington. The "Green Dot Public Schools" model emphasizes high quality teaching, strong school leadership, a curriculum that prepares students for college, and partnerships…

School Governing Bodies in South African Schools: Under Pressure to Enhance Democratization and Improve Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heystek, Jan

2011-01-01

Governing bodies in South Africa are expected to have an important role in ensuring high quality education in schools as well as in the democratization of the post-apartheid South Africa. However, current legislation precludes governing bodies from involvement in the professional management of schools. Governing bodies are democratically elected…

The Predictors of Indonesian Senior High School Students' Anger at School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hernawati, Lucia; Rahayu, Esti; Soejowinoto, Petrus

2015-01-01

This study aimed to find out the correlation between senior high school students' anger at school and the quality relationship of parents-adolescents, peer pressure, narcissistic personality, and school climate. The instruments used were student anger at school inventory, scale of adolescent and family attachment, peer pressure inventory,…

Service Delivery for High School Students with High Incidence Disabilities: Issues and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schultz, Edward; Simpson, Cynthia; Owen, Jane C.; McIntyre, Christina Janise

2015-01-01

High schools throughout this country are as heterogeneous as the students they serve in size, location, tax base, student make-up, and teacher quality. However, they must all follow the mandates of NCLB and IDEA. While these policies affect all schools, high schools continue to face many challenges implementing these laws effectively for students…

Emotional Experience, Expression, and Regulation of High-Quality Japanese Elementary School Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hosotani, Rika; Imai-Matsumura, Kyoko

2011-01-01

The present study investigates the emotional experience, expression, and regulation processes of high-quality Japanese elementary school teachers while they interact with children, in terms of teachers' emotional competence. Qualitative analysis of interview data demonstrated that teachers had various emotional experiences including self-elicited…

The Availability and Delivery of Health Care to High School Athletes in Alabama.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Culpepper, Michael I.

1986-01-01

A sports medicine survey of 119 public high schools in Alabama showed smaller schools at a disadvantage in offering health care for athletes relative to larger schools. Many schools rated the delivery and quality of medical care to the athletes as fair to very poor. (MT)

Argumentation Quality of Socio-scientific Issue between High School Students and Postgraduate Students about Cancer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anisa, A.; Widodo, A.; Riandi, R.

2017-09-01

Argumentation is one factor that can help improve critical thinking skills. Arguing means to defend statements with the various data, denials, evidence, and reinforcement that support the statement. The research aimed to capture the quality of argument skills by students in grade 12 high school students and in postgraduate student on social-scientific issues of cancer. Both group subjects are not in the same school or institution, chosen purposively with the subject of 39 high school students of grade 12 in one district of West Java and 13 students of Biology education postgraduate in one of University in West Java - Indonesia. The results of the quality structure of arguments in both subject groups show the same pattern, which is claim - warrant - and ground, with the quality of counterclaim aspects on the postgraduate students look better than grade 12 students. This provides an illustration that the ability in argumentation between students and teachers in the socio-scientific issue of cancer should be evaluate so that the learning process would be more refined in schools.

From research to policy and practice: the School of the 21st Century.

PubMed

Zigler, Edward; Finn-Stevenson, Matia

2007-04-01

Current education reform policies focus on raising academic achievement and ensuring that all students have access to high-quality education. Because the achievement gap is apparent even before children enter school, the authors believe that education reform must encompass the early childhood years. The current dialogue about universal preschool presents an opportunity to address the need for a national system for early care and education. The authors believe this system should provide quality child care and preschool experiences for all children and embrace a whole-child approach that nurtures not only cognitive development but physical and mental health and social-emotional behaviors that are also important to successful schooling. The School of the 21st Century provides an example of an effective early care and education system using the public schools. The authors' work with the School of the 21st Century shows that schools can provide high-quality, developmentally appropriate care and that these programs benefit later school performance. 2007 APA, all rights reserved

Parental perception of the nutritional quality of school meals and its association with students' school lunch participation.

PubMed

Ohri-Vachaspati, Punam

2014-03-01

This study explores the association between parental perception of the nutritional quality of school meals and whether students eat lunch served at school. We use data from five low-income cities in New Jersey that have high minority populations. Students whose parents perceive the quality of school meals to be healthy have greater odds of eating meals served at school. Recent changes in guidelines for the United States Department of Agriculture's National School Lunch Program met with resistance from several fronts. Advocates for and implementers of improved school meals may benefit from partnering with parents to increase the acceptance and utilization of improved school offerings. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Behind the Scenes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dahnert, Roger; Pack, Andrew

2007-01-01

High-quality sports facilities are an essential tool in recruiting top collegiate athletes and coaches. They enhance the school's competitiveness and enable expansion of the school's sports programs. In choosing schools, top athletes and coaches assess the quality of the stadium, playing fields, track and courts. But they also will be looking at…

On Teacher Quality in Independent Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balossi, Matt; Hernandez, Natalia R.

2016-01-01

Independent schools pride themselves on providing a unique educational experience for students, one that is robust and mission-driven and capitalizes on lower student-to-teacher ratios that allow for more personalized learning and high-quality teachers. Numerous studies measure teacher effectiveness in public schools, yet there is little research…

The Relationship between Preschool Programming and School Readiness for Rural Children Entering Kindergarten

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conway, Donna M.

2010-01-01

Children in the researcher's rural school district have limited opportunities for a high quality preschool programming that prepares them for school readiness. Quality preschool programming is defined as teachers with proper qualifications and training, small class size, stimulating curriculum, and parent involvement. The theoretical foundation…

After-School Programs: Expanding Access and Ensuring Quality. PPI Policy Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gayl, Chrisanne L.

2004-01-01

High quality after-school programs provide numerous social, family, and community benefits. In addition to helping parents balance work and life responsibilities, these programs offer prime opportunities to enhance learning--particularly for struggling students. After-school programs also help to promote equity among students by providing…

The Influence of Families on Early Adolescent School Connectedness: Evidence That This Association Varies with Adolescent Involvement in Peer Drinking Networks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Adrian B.; O'Flaherty, Martin; Toumbourou, John W.; Homel, Ross; Patton, George C.; White, Angela; Williams, Joanne

2012-01-01

School connectedness is central to the long term well-being of adolescents, and high quality parent-child relationships facilitate school connectedness. This study examined the extent to which family relationship quality is associated with the school connectedness of pre- and early teenagers, and how this association varies with adolescent…

Promoting and Sustaining High Quality Physical Education and School Sport through School Sport Partnerships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flintoff, Anne; Foster, Rebecca; Wystawnoha, Simon

2011-01-01

School sport partnerships (SSPs) have been at the centre of a national strategy for Physical Education and School Sport (PESS) in England for the last seven years, aiming to improve both the range and quality of opportunities for young people to be physically active. While annual surveys show significantly increased opportunities for young people…

[Fundamentals of socio-hygienic monitoring of environmental conditions for students of higher education schools].

PubMed

Blinova, E G; Kuchma, V R

2012-01-01

Socioeconomic transformations and the poor environment of an industrial megalopolis negatively affected quality of life and morbidity rates in students (n = 2160). Academic intensity contributed to an increase in overall morbidity and morbidity from nervous system involvement. The regional sociohygienic monitoring of high-school training conditions within the framework of the surveillance system substantiates programs to prevent worse health and life quality in high school students.

Perceptions of Search Consultants of Qualities School Boards Seek in Superintendents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lyons, James E.

1993-01-01

Summarizes a study to determine the qualities sought by school boards when employing superintendents, as perceived by superintendent search consultants. Highly desirable qualities included performance in previous positions, performance during the interview, evidence of leadership and managerial skills, communication skills, and experience and…

Quality Career/Technical Programs Prepare Students to Succeed in a New, More Challenging Economy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), 2008

2008-01-01

Quality career/technical education and its role in school improvement was a primary theme of the 2008 "High Schools That Work" ("HSTW") Staff Development Conference. This newsletter covers crucial topics in quality CTE (career and technical education), including assessing the quality and effectiveness of CT programs, preparing students to succeed…

High school drug use predicts job-related outcomes at age 29.

PubMed

Ringel, Jeanne S; Ellickson, Phyllis L; Collins, Rebecca L

2007-03-01

The present study examines the relationship between hard drug use in high school and occupational and job quality outcomes measured at approximately age 29. We use two different methods aimed at ruling out the possibility of spurious correlations between high school drug use and occupational outcomes: (1) directly controlling for pre-high school characteristics that may affect both high school drug use and later occupational characteristics (e.g., educational orientation, early drug use and deviant behavior); and (2) matching high school users with a subset of nonusers that have very similar characteristics and then estimating the difference in labor market outcomes for these two groups (i.e., propensity score matching). Overall, the results suggest that adolescent drug use is linked with poorer occupational and job quality outcomes as much as 10 years after high school. Interestingly, which job-related outcomes are affected by early hard drug use varies by gender. Females who use hard drugs as adolescents end up in lower skill, lower status jobs while males who use hard drugs as adolescents are more likely to end up in jobs with fewer benefits (e.g., health, retirement).

Quality Management in U.S. High Schools: Evidence from the Field.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Detert, James R.; Bauerly Kopel, Michelle E.; Mauriel, John J.; Jenni, Roger W.

2000-01-01

Reports on a longitudinal study examining implementation of a Quality Management reform based on Deming's seven principles. Interview and survey data from a national sample of purposefully chosen high schools show limited results as to teachers' effective use and institutionalization of TQM principles. The principal's role is critical. (Contains…

Determining the Measurement Quality of a Montessori High School Teacher Evaluation Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Setari, Anthony Philip; Bradley, Kelly D.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to conduct a psychometric validation of a course evaluation instrument, known as a student evaluation of teaching (SET), implemented in a Montessori high school. The authors demonstrate to the Montessori community how to rigorously examine the measurement and assessment quality of instruments used within Montessori…

AAPT Guidelines for High School Physics Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mays, Katherine

The quality of a high school's physics program is determined in part by the quality of preparation and the overall workload of its teachers, along with the provision for adequate budgets, facilities, and support services. The guidelines presented in this booklet were prepared by a task force of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT)…

Characteristics and Career Paths of North Carolina School Leaders. REL 2017-230

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osborne-Lampkin, La'Tara; Folsom, Jessica Sidler

2017-01-01

Researchers have linked positive student outcomes, including student achievement, to high-quality school leadership. Due in part to this research, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the North Carolina Principals and Assistant Principals' Association are interested in increasing the number of high-quality principals in North…

Nutritional quality of dietary patterns of children: are there differences inside and outside school?

PubMed

Vieira, Diva Aliete Dos Santos; Castro, Michelle Alessandra; Fisberg, Mauro; Fisberg, Regina Mara

To describe the dietary patterns of children inside and outside school and investigate their associations with sociodemographic factors and nutritional status. This was a multicenter cross-sectional study in which children of both sexes, aged 1-6 years, attending private and public daycare centers and preschools in Brazil, were evaluated (n=2979). Demographic, socioeconomic and dietary data (weighed food records and estimated food records) were collected. Dietary patterns were derived by factor analysis from 36 food groups. Four dietary patterns were identified inside school, and three outside. Inside school, the "traditional" pattern was associated to low income and presented high nutritional quality. The "dual" pattern was associated with low income and with high intake of added sugar and glycemic load. The "snack" pattern was associated with children enrolled at private schools and with high intake of added sugar and glycemic load. The "bread and butter" pattern was associated with high intake of added sugar and trans fat. Outside school, the "traditional" pattern was associated with high intake of saturated fat, trans fats, sodium, and total fiber. The "bread and butter" pattern was associated with high intake of trans fats and glycemic load, whereas the "snack" pattern was associated with overweight, private schools, high income, and high intake of trans fats, sodium, and total fiber. There are differences in the nutritional quality of dietary patterns inside and outside school, and heterogeneity in adherence to these patterns were observed across regions and socioeconomic classes. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

A School-Based Quality Improvement Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rappaport, Lewis A.

1993-01-01

As one Brooklyn high school discovered, quality improvement begins with administrator commitment and participants' immersion in the literature. Other key elements include ongoing training of personnel involved in the quality-improvement process, tools such as the Deming Cycle (plan-do-check-act), voluntary and goal-oriented teamwork, and a worthy…

Water Quality: A Field-Based Quality Testing Program for Middle Schools and High Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Massachusetts State Water Resources Authority, Boston.

This manual contains background information, lesson ideas, procedures, data collection and reporting forms, suggestions for interpreting results, and extension activities to complement a water quality field testing program. Information on testing water temperature, water pH, dissolved oxygen content, biochemical oxygen demand, nitrates, total…

The High Cost of Failing to Reform Public Education in Missouri. School Choice Issues in the State

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gottlob, Brian J.

2006-01-01

As a large body of high-quality research has emerged in the past few years showing that school choice benefits the students who use it, much of the debate has shifted to the "public" or "social" effects of school choice. This study examines how school choice in Missouri would raise high school graduation rates, and measures the…

From Policy to Practice: The Challenges of Providing High Quality Physical Education and School Sport Faced by Head Teachers within Primary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rainer, Paul; Cropley, Brendan; Jarvis, Stuart; Griffiths, Rob

2012-01-01

Background: Despite considerable investment in UK government initiatives (e.g., the Physical Education School Sport [PESS] plan) aimed at improving the delivery and quality of physical education (PE) in primary schools, many remaining problems have been highlighted (e.g., facilities; staff training). It is suggested that the head teacher (school…

High Quality in Primary Humanities: Insights from the UK's School Inspectorates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Catling, Simon

2017-01-01

The school inspectorates of the four jurisdictions of the UK are sources of evidence about the quality of humanities teaching, learning and curriculum in primary schools. The term "humanities" usually refers to the subjects of geography, history and Religious Education, but here they are considered holistically, not separately. Discrete…

Against Mediocrity. The Humanities in America's High Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finn, Chester E., Jr., Ed.; And Others

The place and function of the humanities in the secondary school curriculum education are discussed, and reforms to raise the quality of humanities instruction are suggested in this collection of essays. Literature, history, and languages must be taught in secondary schools in order to provide students with a quality education. The essays are…

Caring Teacher Qualities that Affect School Participation and Attendance: Student Portraits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grimm, Helen M.

2009-01-01

This study explores the perspectives of four high school students focusing on the identification of caring teacher qualities and the influence those characteristics have on school participation and attendance. Data was collected using interviews rather than survey in order to hear the often-unheard voices of students. Portraits of each student…

Factors Affecting School Quality in Florida

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thornton, Barry; Arbogast, Gordon

2014-01-01

This paper examines the factors that are theorized to be determinants of school quality in the 67 counties of Florida from 2000 to 2011. The model constructed for this purpose is comprised of a mix of independent variables that include county educational attainment (number of high school graduates and State University System enrollees) and…

Total Quality Management (TQM) Practices and School Climate amongst High, Average and Low Performance Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ismail, Siti Noor

2014-01-01

Purpose: This study attempted to determine whether the dimensions of TQM practices are predictors of school climate. It aimed to identify the level of TQM practices and school climate in three different categories of schools, namely high, average and low performance schools. The study also sought to examine which dimensions of TQM practices…

"Smaller Schools Are Good"...It Depends!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Franklin

2001-01-01

Analyzes three high school sizes: 400-student "Private" school (small), 1,600-student school (medium), and 3,000-plus-student school (extra large). Uses four factors in comparative analysis: Equity, anonymity, program quality, and cost efficiency. (PKP)

U.S. elementary and secondary schools: equalizing opportunity or replicating the status quo?

PubMed

Rouse, Cecilia Elena; Barrow, Lisa

2006-01-01

Although education pays off handsomely in the United States, children from low-income families attain less education than children from more advantaged families. In this article, Cecilia Elena Rouse and Lisa Barrow investigate why family background is so strongly linked to education. The authors show that family socioeconomic status affects such educational outcomes as test scores, grade retention, and high school graduation, and that educational attainment strongly affects adult earnings. They then go on to ask why children from more advantaged families get more or better schooling than those from less advantaged families. For low-income students, greater psychological costs, the cost of forgone income (continuing in school instead of getting a job), and borrowing costs all help to explain why these students attain less education than more privileged children. And these income-related differences in costs may themselves be driven by differences in access to quality schools. As a result, U.S. public schools tend to reinforce the transmission of low socioeconomic status from parents to children. Policy interventions aimed at improving school quality for children from disadvantaged families thus have the potential to increase social mobility. Despite the considerable political attention paid to increasing school accountability, as in the No Child Left Behind Act, along with charter schools and vouchers to help the children of poor families attend private school, to date the best evidence suggests that such programs will improve student achievement only modestly. Based on the best research evidence, smaller class sizes seem to be one promising avenue for improving school quality for disadvantaged students. High teacher quality is also likely to be important. However, advantaged families, by spending more money on education outside school, can and will partly undo policy attempts to equalize school quality for poor and nonpoor children.

SCHOOL CARPET--DOES IT MAKE SENSE.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

NABORS, ELIZABETH

DEALS WITH THE ECONOMICS OF COMMERCIAL CARPETING INSTALLATIONS IN SCHOOLS. SHAKER HIGH SCHOOL IN NEW YORK WAS THE FIRST PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL TO BE CARPETED. THE INDUSTRIAL SANITATION COUNSELORS OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, WAS SELECTED TO CONDUCT MAINTENANCE STUDIES WHICH INCLUDED METHODS, CLEANING COSTS, AND LEVELS OF CLEANLINESS QUALITY. THE OBJECTIVE…

High School Government Textbooks. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patrick, John J.

Textbooks may indicate the quantity and quality of subject content in a secondary school curriculum. They tend to conform to state departments of education and large local school districts' curriculum guides and to be the dominant instructional medium in high school courses. Examinations of widely-used textbooks may indicate the strengths and…

New educational tools to encourage high-school students' activity in stem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayorova, Vera; Grishko, Dmitriy; Leonov, Victor

2018-01-01

Many students have to choose their future profession during their last years in the high school and therefore to choose a university where they will get proper education. That choice may define their professional life for many years ahead or probably for the rest of their lives. Bauman Moscow State Technical University conducts various events to introduce future professions to high-school students. Such activity helps them to pick specialization in line with their interests and motivates them to study key scientific subjects. The paper focuses on newly developed educational tools to encourage high school students' interest in STEM disciplines. These tools include laboratory courses developed in the fields of physics, information technologies and mathematics. More than 2000 high school students already participated in these experimental courses. These activities are aimed at increasing the quality of STEM disciplines learning which will result in higher quality of training of future engineers.

Improving Teacher Quality for Colorado Science Teachers in High Need Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevenson, Mark; Stevenson, Cerissa; Cooner, Donna

2015-01-01

This article describes the evaluation of an online professional development program funded by the State of Colorado to address the need for highly qualified science teachers in high need and/or rural school districts. Recruitment and the retention of highly qualified educators in high need and/or rural school districts is a critical factor…

Funding Education Equitably: The "Comparability Provision" and the Move to Fair and Transparent School Budgeting Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bireda, Saba

2011-01-01

Data on intradistrict funding inequities in many large school districts confirm what most would guess--high-poverty schools actually receive less money per pupil than more affluent schools. These funding inequities have real repercussions for the quality of education offered at high-poverty schools and a district's ability to overcome the…

Going the Distance: Delivery of High School Drug Prevention via Distance Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wyrick, David L.; Fearnow-Kenney, Melodie; Wyrick, Cheryl Haworth; Orsini, Muhsin Michael; Strack, Robert W.; Milroy, Jeffrey J.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this project was to develop a technology that can be used in schools where there are insufficient resources to implement a quality drug prevention program. The specific technology--distance education via teleconferencing--allows a highly qualified teacher to deliver programs in such settings with increased quality. A promising high…

High-Quality College and Career Ready Assessments. re:VISION

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Michael

2015-01-01

Assessments matter in education. Testing is nothing new; tests have been around as long as school itself. However, over the last 15 years, state assessments have grown to be an increasingly central, and often controversial, part of schooling. As states raise their standards, it is more important than ever to ask: What is a high-quality assessment?…

Recruiting New Teachers to Urban School Districts: What Incentives Will Work?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milanowski, Anthony Thomas; Longwell-Grice, Hope; Saffold, Felicia; Jones, Janice; Schomisch, Kristen; Odden, Allan

2009-01-01

Many urban districts in the United States have difficulty attracting and retaining quality teachers, yet they are often the most in need of them. In response, U.S. states and districts are experimenting with financial incentives to attract and retain high-quality teachers in high-need, low-achieving, or hard-to-staff urban schools. However,…

Deferred School Maintenance Creates National Crises.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geiger, Philip E.

2002-01-01

Describes the cost and causes of the school maintenance "crises"; lists seven questions to determine if a school district has a quality maintenance program; describes consequences of deferred school maintenance in Yuma (Arizona) Union High School District. (PKP)

More than attendance: the importance of after-school program quality.

PubMed

Hirsch, Barton J; Mekinda, Megan A; Stawicki, Julieann

2010-06-01

A central theme of the articles featured in this issue is the need to improve the quality of after-school programs. In this commentary, we discuss why student engagement, program characteristics and implementation, staff training, and citywide policy are key considerations in the effort to define and achieve high quality programs for youth.

Teacher Quality at the High-School Level: The Importance of Accounting for Tracks. Working Paper 17722. Revised

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, C. Kirabo

2013-01-01

Unlike in elementary school, high-school teacher effects may be confounded with both selection to tracks and unobserved track-level treatments. I document sizable confounding track effects, and show that traditional tests for the existence of teacher effects are likely biased. After accounting for these biases, high-school algebra and English…

Follow-Up Study of the High School Class of 1981 One Year after Graduation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gross, Susan; Frechtling, Joy A.

The Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) survey of its high school graduating classes gathers information about (1) the postsecondary institutions they plan to attend and the kinds of jobs they hope to hold; (2) students' perceptions of the quality of the courses taken in high school and of their preparation in academic skill areas; and (3)…

Training Out-of-School Time Staff. Part 2 in a Series on Implementing Evidence-Based Practices in Out-of-School Time Programs: The Role of Frontline Staff. Research-to-Results Brief. Publication #2009-05

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Metz, Allison J. R.; Burkhauser; Mary; Bowie, Lillian

2009-01-01

A skilled and sustainable workforce is one of the most important markers of high-quality out-of-school time programs. Given the links between skilled staff, high-quality programs, and better youth outcomes, staff training has become an essential part of program implementation. To expand what is known about staff training, Child Trends recently…

The Nurse in the School Health Office: Exploring Health Care in a Public School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rademacher, Pamela A.

2012-01-01

To provide a high-quality education for all its students, schools must address a variety of needs that are related to physical, social and/or emotional health. School nurses are positioned to do that in the schools that they serve. Exploring how the school nurse intervenes to help children and their families to maintain a high level of health may…

[Establishing IAQ Metrics and Baseline Measures.] "Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools" Update #20

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

US Environmental Protection Agency, 2009

2009-01-01

This issue of "Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools" Update ("IAQ TfS" Update) contains the following items: (1) News and Events; (2) IAQ Profile: Establishing Your Baseline for Long-Term Success (Feature Article); (3) Insight into Excellence: Belleville Township High School District #201, 2009 Leadership Award Winner; and (4) Have Your Questions…

Postsecondary Plans of High-School Seniors in 1972 and 1980: Implications for Student Quality. AIR Forum 1982 Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Kenneth G.

The postsecondary educational plans of black and white high school seniors in the class of 1972 were compared with those in the same racial classification in the class of 1980. Data were extracted from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 and from the survey entitled, "High School and Beyond." In order to test…

Queens Tri-School Confederation 1992-93 Evaluation Report. OREA Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dworkowitz, Barbara

This report presents the evaluation results of the Queens Tri-School Confederation magnet programs in New York City: programs designed to reduce minority-group isolation among high school students in three high schools and simultaneously improve the quality of their education through the sharing of resources and expertise. These programs, which…

School Improvement in High-Capacity Schools: Educational Leadership and Living-Systems Ontology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Coral; Sackney, Larry

2016-01-01

Although school improvement continues to present as an unresolved educational problem, the required changes are relatively straightforward. Essentially, schools need to be retooled with students' experiences and high-quality instruction at the center of the design. In this article, we present the findings of research into the leadership of…

No "Drop" in the Bucket: The High Costs of Dropping Out. Lessons in Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canadian Council on Learning, 2009

2009-01-01

Despite recent declines in high school dropout rates, thousands of young Canadians continue to leave high school every year without a diploma. Currently, approximately 20% of Canadians aged 20 years and over have never completed high school. Most Canadians recognize the link between educational attainment and quality of life, and know that…

Which Combination of High Quality Infant-Toddler and Preschool Care Best Promotes School Readiness?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Weilin; Farkas, George; Duncan, Greg J.; Burchinal, Margaret R.; Vandell, Deborah L.; Ruzek, Erik A.; Dang, Tran T.

2011-01-01

This paper aims to test the following hypotheses: Hypothesis 1 (H1): Everything else the same, high quality infant-toddler care will increase children's cognitive scores immediately (i.e. at 24 months of age). However, without subsequent high quality preschool, children with high quality infant-toddler care will not have higher cognitive and…

The S.M.A.R.T. Strategy to Recruiting and Retaining High School Coaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lubisco, Robyn; Birren, Genevieve F. E.

2017-01-01

This article discusses the S.M.A.R.T. strategy for recruiting and retaining quality high school coaches. S.M.A.R.T. stands for Scouting, Mentoring and Coaching, Appreciation, Rating, and Time. Scouting addresses how one goes about locating and hiring quality coaches. Mentoring and Coaching addresses how to develop the coach within the specific…

Hours of Opportunity, Volume 2: The Power of Data to Improve After-School Programs Citywide. Monograph

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCombs, Jennifer Sloan; Orr, Nate; Bodilly, Susan J.; Naftel, Scott; Constant, Louay; Scherer, Ethan; Gershwin, Daniel

2010-01-01

High-quality out-of-school-time (OST) programs have a positive effect on youth development, but many cities have found it difficult to address the challenges of expanding and improving the quality of programs offered to underserved and high-need students. In response, The Wallace Foundation sponsored an initiative to help five cities increase…

Teaching of Critical Thinking Skills in the English Content Area in South Dakota Public High Schools and Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thurman, Becky A.

2009-01-01

Quality education is imperative in preparing students in the United States to succeed in a competitive and ever-changing global society. Critical thinking, an essential component of a quality educational program, has been identified as a key 21st Century skill. However, research indicates a gap in educational preparedness between high school and…

The Quality of Instruction in Urban High Schools: Comparing Mathematics and Science to English and Social Studies Classes in Chicago

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Valerie E.; Robinson, Shanta R.; Sebastian, James

2012-01-01

Is the quality of instruction systematically better in one subject than another? Teachers and students in the same Chicago high schools reported on one core-curriculum class (English, mathematics, science, or social studies) in 2007 surveys. Teachers commented on instructional demands and student participation. Students described engagement,…

High Schools' Role in College and Workforce Preparation: Do College-for-All Policies Make High School Irrelevant? Spotlight on Student Success.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenbaum, James E.

High schools have responded to the poor labor market primarily by encouraging college-for-all policies, leading the majority of seniors to plan to get college degrees, even those who perform poorly. School policies focus too narrowly on academic achievement, overlooking soft skills like motivation, dependability, attention to quality, and social…

What Does Quality Programming Mean for High Achieving Students?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samudzi, Cleo

2008-01-01

The Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics and Computing (Missouri Academy) is a two-year accelerated, early-entrance-to-college, residential school that matches the level, complexity and pace of the curriculum with the readiness and motivation of high achieving high school students. The school is a part of Northwest Missouri State University…

Changes in Lithuanian Pre-School and Pre-Primary Education Quality over the Last Decade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monkeviciene, Ona; Stankeviciene, Kristina

2011-01-01

Over the last decade, the changes in Lithuanian pre-school and pre-primary education have been predetermined by changes in paradigms of children's education and strategic education documents that provided for guidelines of high quality children's (self-)education, an increasing attention of society to the quality of children's education, training…

Time for a Tune-Up: Comprehensive Curriculum Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyers, Lisa H.

2005-01-01

How important is a high-quality curriculum? A school without a quality curriculum is like a car without an engine--neither goes anywhere. One responsibility of a school administrator is to ensure that quality curriculum is designed, adopted, and implemented. The No Child Left Behind act (NCLB) has focused the attention of an entire nation on the…

"Know Your Well" A Groundwater Quality Project to Inform Students and Well-Owners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olson, C.; Snow, D.; Samal, A.; Ray, C.; Kreifels, M.

2017-12-01

Over 15 million U.S. households rely on private, household wells for drinking water, and these sources are not protected under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Data on private well water quality is slowly being collected and evaluated from a number of different agencies, sources and projects. A new project is designed both for training high school students and to help assess the quality of water from rural domestic wells in Nebraska. This "crowd sourced" program engaging high school agricultural education programs, FFA chapters, and science classes with students sampling and testing water sampling from rural domestic wells from 12 districts across the state. Students and teachers from selected school were trained through multiple school visits, both in the classroom and in the field. Classroom visits were used to introduce topics such as water quality and groundwater, and testing methods for specific analytes. During the field visit, students were exposed to field techniques, the importance of accuracy in data collection, and what factors might influence the water in sampled wells. High school students learn to sample and test water independently. Leadership and initiative is developed through the program, and many experience the enlightenment that comes with citizen science. A customized mobile app was developed for ease of data entry and visualization, and data uploaded to a secure website where information was stored and compared to laboratory tests of the same measurements. General water quality parameters, including pH, electrical conductivity, major anions are tested in the field and laboratory, as well as environmental contaminants such as arsenic, uranium, pesticides, bacteria. Test kits provided to each class were used by the students to measure selected parameters, and then duplicate water samples were analyzed at a university laboratory. Five high schools are involved in the project during its first year. Nitrate, bacteria and pesticides represent major concerns for private well owners across the U.S. and preliminary results indicate that nitrate concentrations can range up to 70 mg/L, while detections of bacteria and traces of pesticide residues are consistent with other studies. This project will help both high school students and private well owner become better-informed about water quality in Nebraska.

Teacher Quality and Sorting across Traditional Public and Charter Schools in the Detroit Metropolitan Region

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Addonizio, Michael F.; Kearney, C. Philip; Gawlik, Marytza A.

2015-01-01

In the quest to raise student achievement in low-performing urban schools, researchers often point to the central importance of recruitment and retention of a high quality teacher workforce (Lankford, Loeb and Wyckoff 2002; Rivkin, Hanushek and Kain 2005; Jacob 2007). At the same time, advocates have proposed charter schools not only as a means to…

Anxiety among High School Students in India: Comparisons across Gender, School Type, Social Strata and Perceptions of Quality Time with Parents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deb, Sibnath; Chatterjee, Pooja; Walsh, Kerryann

2010-01-01

The broad objective of the study was to understand better anxiety among adolescents in Kolkata city, India. Specifically, the study compared anxiety across gender, school type, socio-economic background and mothers' employment status. The study also examined adolescents' perceptions of quality time with their parents. A group of 460 adolescents…

School-Based Health Education Programmes, Health-Learning Capacity and Child Oral Health--related Quality of Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeman, Ruth; Gibson, Barry; Humphris, Gerry; Leonard, Helen; Yuan, Siyang; Whelton, Helen

2016-01-01

Objective: To use a model of health learning to examine the role of health-learning capacity and the effect of a school-based oral health education intervention (Winning Smiles) on the health outcome, child oral health-related quality of life (COHRQoL). Setting: Primary schools, high social deprivation, Ireland/Northern Ireland. Design: Cluster…

Availability of drinking water in US public school cafeterias.

PubMed

Hood, Nancy E; Turner, Lindsey; Colabianchi, Natalie; Chaloupka, Frank J; Johnston, Lloyd D

2014-09-01

This study examined the availability of free drinking water during lunchtime in US public schools, as required by federal legislation beginning in the 2011-2012 school year. Data were collected by mail-back surveys in nationally representative samples of US public elementary, middle, and high schools from 2009-2010 to 2011-2012. Overall, 86.4%, 87.4%, and 89.4% of students attended elementary, middle, and high schools, respectively, that met the drinking water requirement. Most students attended schools with existing cafeteria drinking fountains and about one fourth attended schools with water dispensers. In middle and high schools, respondents were asked to indicate whether drinking fountains were clean, and whether they were aware of any water-quality problems at the school. The vast majority of middle and high school students (92.6% and 90.4%, respectively) attended schools where the respondent perceived drinking fountains to be clean or very clean. Approximately one in four middle and high school students attended a school where the survey respondent indicated that there were water-quality issues affecting drinking fountains. Although most schools have implemented the requirement to provide free drinking water at lunchtime, additional work is needed to promote implementation at all schools. School nutrition staff at the district and school levels can play an important role in ensuring that schools implement the drinking water requirement, as well as promote education and behavior-change strategies to increase student consumption of water at school. Copyright © 2014 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

School lunches in Japan: their contribution to healthier nutrient intake among elementary-school and junior high-school children.

PubMed

Asakura, Keiko; Sasaki, Satoshi

2017-06-01

The role of school lunches in diet quality has not been well studied. Here, we aimed to determine the contribution of school lunches to overall nutrient intake in Japanese schoolchildren. The study was conducted nationwide under a cross-sectional design. A non-consecutive, three-day diet record was performed on two school days and a non-school day separately. The prevalence of inadequate nutrient intake was estimated for intakes on one of the school days and the non-school day, and for daily habitual intake estimated by the best-power method. The relationship between food intake and nutrient intake adequacy was examined. Fourteen elementary and thirteen junior high schools in Japan. Elementary-school children (n 629) and junior high-school children (n 281). Intakes between the school and non-school days were significantly different for ≥60 % of nutrients. Almost all inadequacies were more prevalent on the non-school day. Regarding habitual intake, a high prevalence of inadequacy was observed for fat (29·9-47·7 %), dietary fibre (18·1-76·1 %) and salt (97·0-100 %). Inadequate habitual intake of vitamins and minerals (except Na) was infrequent in elementary-school children, but was observed in junior high-school children, particularly boys. School lunches appear to improve total diet quality, particularly intake of most vitamins and minerals in Japanese children. However, excess intakes of fat and salt and insufficient intake of dietary fibre were major problems in this population. The contribution of school lunches to improving the intakes of these three nutrients was considered insufficient.

[AIDS prevention among adolescents in school: a systematic review of the efficacy of interventions].

PubMed

Juárez, O; Díez, E

1999-01-01

Preventive interventions are considered useful although poorly evaluated. Since 1990 there are growing evidences of effective school aids prevention interventions. This paper aims to identify school aids prevention programs among youngsters aged 13 to 19, published between 1990 and 1995, to analyze each evaluation and intervention quality, to assess their effectiveness as well as identifying the possible contributing factors. Location of reports by means of a Medline computerized search of published articles and reviews, which should include the following criteria: school aids prevention programs, addressed to youngsters aged 13 to 19, published in Spanish, French or English between 1990 and 1995 in scientific literature, and evaluating changes in behavior or its determinants through quantitative measures. Analysis of the evaluation quality through the assessment of the sample size, the use of a control group, the groups comparability, the drop out analysis and the time between the pretest and the posttest. Intervention quality analysis through the use of a psychological behavioral change model and the number of sessions. The effectiveness of the high quality interventions in changing behaviors, intentions, attitudes and knowledge was assessed. 29 studies were selected. Of these studies, relating the quality of evaluation criteria, a 28% was considered a high quality study, a 14% an intermediate quality study and a 58% a low quality one. In relation to intervention quality criteria, a 27% was found to be a high quality study, a 41% an intermediate quality study and 32% a low quality one. 38% (11 studies) showed high or intermediate quality criteria at the same time in intervention and in evaluation. All these studies modified knowledge and attitudes, an 80% modified the intention to behave and a 86% modified behavior. The increase in knowledge and attitudes was in general quite important, greater than 10%, and changes in intentions and behaviors were smaller than 10%, although relevant. Only 38% of the studies may be considered of high or intermediate quality. Preventive interventions correctly evaluated which rely on a theoretical model and offer 4 or more sessions show evidence of moderate but relevant reduction of aids risk practices, and important changes of the future behavior determinants.

School Segregation, Charter Schools, and Access to Quality Education*

PubMed Central

Logan, John R.; Burdick-Will, Julia

2015-01-01

Race, class, neighborhood, and school quality are all highly inter-related in the American educational system. In the last decade a new factor has come into play, the option of attending a charter school. We offer a comprehensive analysis of the disparities among public schools attended by white, black, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American children in 2010–2011, including all districts in which charter schools existed. We compare schools in terms of poverty concentration, racial composition, and standardized test scores, and we also examine how attending a charter or non-charter school affects these differences. Black and Hispanic (and to a lesser extent Native American and Asian) students attend elementary and high schools with higher rates of poverty than white students. Especially for whites and Asians, attending a charter school means lower exposure to poverty. Children’s own race and the poverty and charter status of their schools affect the test scores and racial isolation of schools that children attend in complex combinations. Most intriguing, attending a charter school means attending a better performing school in high-poverty areas but a lower performing school in low-poverty areas. Yet even in the best case the positive effect of attending a charter school only slightly offsets the disadvantages of black and Hispanic students. PMID:27616813

Rotting from Within: American Education and National Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-04

Service, Training, Obesity, Health, Physical Fitness, Economic, Security, Training Education, High School, Pre-School, Teachers, Leaders, Military...Accessions, Citizenship, Quality, Selfless Service, Training, Obesity, Health, Physical Fitness, Economic, Security, Training Education, High School...subject areas 4 such as the arts and physical fitness. This emphasis on core-courses was mostly adhered to by America‘s diverse school systems

Resiliency and the Individual Demographics of School Leaders: Making a Difference in the Quality of Educational Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Isaacs, Albert J.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the relationships among the dimensions of resilience and the individual demographics of high school principals toward strengthening the leadership abilities of school principals. The study employs the survey method in its research design. Those surveyed included 68 high school principals,…

The High School Experience: What Students with and without Disabilities Report as They Leave School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Repetto, Jeanne B.; McGorray, Susan P.; Wang, Hua; Podmostko, Mary; Andrews, W. Drew; Lubbers, Joyce; Gritz, Sheila

2011-01-01

Results of the Florida High School Exit Survey collected in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 are presented. Participants include 2,520 students with and without disabilities across 40 school districts. Survey items cover questions relating to employment, postsecondary education and training, daily living, quality of life, agency connections, in-school…

Status of Instructional Physical Education Programs in Ohio Senior High Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schraibman, Carl

High school level instructional physical education programs in the state of Ohio are examined to determine the quality of their organizational structure and curricula offerings. Data collected from a 74.3 percent questionnaire response from 70 Ohio school systems describes the functional arrangement of the school programs based on the sex of the…

TAP High School Symposium: Lessons Learned from Principals and Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnett, Joshua H.

2014-01-01

Since the 1999-2000 school year, TAP: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement (TAP) has been implemented in hundreds of schools across the nation and demonstrated an ability to raise student achievement, improve the quality of instruction and increase the ability of high-need schools to recruit, retain and support effective teachers. The…

Delayed school start time is associated with better sleep, daytime functioning, and life satisfaction in residential high-school students.

PubMed

Chan, Christian S; Poon, Cyanea Y S; Leung, Jacklyn C Y; Lau, Kristy N T; Lau, Esther Y Y

2018-05-16

The effects of a delayed school start time by one hour were examined at a boarding school in Hong Kong. Two cohorts of high school students (N = 228; 61.8% female) were recruited respectively before and after a school start time changed from 7:30am to 8:30am. Both cross-cohort and within-cohort longitudinal comparisons yielded significant increase in total sleep time. Cross-cohort comparison yielded improvement in sleep quality, insomnia, life satisfaction, and psychological distress. Longitudinal data suggested that the longer the additional sleep time, the better was sleep quality, day-time functioning, and subjective wellbeing. Copyright © 2018 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Developing and Implementing Inquiry-Based, Water Quality Laboratory Experiments for High School Students to Explore Real Environmental Issues Using Analytical Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mandler, Daphna; Blonder, Ron; Yayon, Malka; Mamlok-Naaman, Rachel; Hofstein, Avi

2014-01-01

This paper describes the rationale and the implementation of five laboratory experiments; four of them, intended for high-school students, are inquiry-based activities that explore the quality of water. The context of water provides students with an opportunity to study the importance of analytical methods and how they influence our everyday…

Understanding Differences in Instructional Quality between High and Lower Value-Added Schools in a Large Urban District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Thomas M.; Preston, Courtney; Haynes, Katherine Taylor; Booker, Laura Neergaard

2015-01-01

Background/Context: High schools are under increasing pressure to move beyond just graduating students, and many high schools today continue to have low rates of student retention and learning, particularly for students from traditionally low-performing subgroups. Differential dropout rates, wherein low-income students, minorities, and English…

34 CFR 200.41 - School improvement plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... school improvement status, for the purpose of providing high-quality professional development to the... activities before school, after school, during the summer, and during any extension of the school year. (d)(1... 34 Education 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false School improvement plan. 200.41 Section 200.41...

34 CFR 200.41 - School improvement plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... school improvement status, for the purpose of providing high-quality professional development to the... activities before school, after school, during the summer, and during any extension of the school year. (d)(1... 34 Education 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false School improvement plan. 200.41 Section 200.41...

34 CFR 200.41 - School improvement plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... school improvement status, for the purpose of providing high-quality professional development to the... activities before school, after school, during the summer, and during any extension of the school year. (d)(1... 34 Education 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false School improvement plan. 200.41 Section 200.41...

Methodology for assessing exposure and impacts of air pollutants in school children: Data collection, analysis and health effects - A literature review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mejía, Jaime F.; Choy, Samantha Low; Mengersen, Kerrie; Morawska, Lidia

2011-02-01

The aim of this review is to explore the methodologies employed to assess the exposure of children to air pollutants, in particular traffic emissions, at school, and how these methodologies influence the assessment of the impact of this exposure on the children's health. This involves four main steps: the measurement of air quality at school level, the association between measured air quality and children's exposure, the association between children's exposure and health; and source identification. The comparative advantages and disadvantages of the methods used at each of these steps are discussed. Air quality in schools can be measured at three scales: broad scale, across several city blocks using remote monitors; school-based scale, through ground-level monitors installed within the schools or their immediate surroundings (i.e. only a few metres outside the school); and personal exposure scale using portable monitors attached to a sample of children. Although studies have reported high exposure to PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), submicrometre (<1.0 μm) and ultrafine particles (<100 nm) at school, no study has investigated the formation of new particles in school facilities and only a handful of studies have analysed children's exposure at school. Associating air quality measurements at the broad and medium scale with children's exposure is challenging: there is spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the distribution of air quality within a school, indoor measurements can often exceed outdoor measurements; and exposure in the classroom is affected by the penetration of outdoor pollutants, wall absorption, emissions from furniture and other materials, level and length of occupancy, and quality of ventilation. This is further exacerbated by the fact that children move around during their school day. Quantifying the contribution of school exposure with observed health symptoms presents further challenges. In addition to ascertaining the impact of non-school-based exposures and co-morbidities, the air pollutant dose intake is affected by daily patterns of physical and traffic activity during and outside school hours which make it difficult to compare the contribution of school-based and non-school-based exposures to the health effect under investigation. Finally, there is strong evidence that low socioeconomic level is highly correlated with the proximity of the school to pollution sources, yet this area of socioeconomic research has been largely unexplored in the assessment of traffic emission exposure.

Impact of instructional Approaches to Teaching Elementary Science on Student Achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kensinger, Seth H.

Strengthening our science education in the United States is essential to the future success of our country in the global marketplace. Immersing our elementary students with research-based quality science instruction is a critical component to build a strong foundation and motivate our students to become interested in science. The research for this study pertained to the type of elementary science instruction in correlation to academic achievement and gender. Through this study, the researcher answered the following questions: 1. What is the difference in achievement for elementary students who have been taught using one of the three science instructional approaches analyzed in this study: traditional science instruction, inquiry-based science instruction with little or no professional development and inquiry-based science instruction with high-quality professional development? 2. What is the difference in student achievement between inquiry-based instruction and non-inquiry based (traditional) instruction? 3. What is the difference in student achievement between inquiry with high quality professional development and inquiry with little or no professional development? 4. Do the three instructional approaches have differentiated effects across gender? The student achievement was measured using the 2010 fourth grade Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) in Science. Data was collected from 15 elementary schools forming three main groupings of similar schools based on the results from the 2009 third grade PSSA in Mathematics and student and community demographics. In addition, five sub-group triads were formed to further analyze the data and each sub-group was composed of schools with matching demographic data. Each triad contained a school using a traditional approach to teaching science, a school utilizing an inquiry science approach with little or no professional development, and a school incorporating inquiry science instruction with high quality professional development. The five schools which provided its students with inquiry science and high quality professional development were Science Its Elementary (SIE) schools, as provided through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). The findings of the study indicated that there is evidence to suggest that elementary science achievement improves significantly when teachers have utilized inquiry instruction after receiving high-quality professional development. Specifically, the analysis of the whole group and the majority of the triad sub-groupings did result in a consistent trend to support science instruction utilizing inquiry with high-quality professional development compared to a traditional approach and an inquiry-based approach with little or no professional development. The gender analysis of this study focused on whether or not girls at the elementary school level would perform better than boys depending upon method of science instruction. The study revealed no relationship between approach to teaching science and achievement level based on gender. The whole group results and sub-group triads produced no significant findings for this part of the data analysis.

The Status of Secondary School Science Laboratory Activities for Quality Education in Case of Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zengele, Ashebir Gogile; Alemayehu, Bereket

2016-01-01

A high quality science education in primary and secondary schools contributes to developing scientific literacy and would be expected to predispose students to study the enabling sciences at university. The major purpose of this study was to assess the practice and problems in science laboratory activities in the secondary school of Wolaita Zone,…

HEPS Inventory Tool: An Inventory Tool Including Quality Assessment of School Interventions on Healthy Eating and Physical Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dadaczynski, Kevin; Paulus, Peter; de Vries, Nanne; de Ruiter, Silvia; Buijs, Goof

2010-01-01

The HEPS Inventory Tool aims to support stakeholders working in school health promotion to promote high quality interventions on healthy eating and physical activity. As a tool it provides a step-by-step approach on how to develop a national or regional inventory of existing school based interventions on healthy eating and physical activity. It…

Teachers' Perspectives on Online Virtual Labs vs. Hands-On Labs in High School Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bohr, Teresa M.

This study of online science teachers' opinions addressed the use of virtual labs in online courses. A growing number of schools use virtual labs that must meet mandated laboratory standards to ensure they provide learning experiences comparable to hands-on labs, which are an integral part of science curricula. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine teachers' perceptions of the quality and effectiveness of high school virtual labs. The theoretical foundation was constructivism, as labs provide student-centered activities for problem solving, inquiry, and exploration of phenomena. The research questions focused on experienced teachers' perceptions of the quality of virtual vs. hands-on labs. Data were collected through survey questions derived from the lab objectives of The Next Generation Science Standards . Eighteen teachers rated the degree of importance of each objective and also rated how they felt virtual labs met these objectives; these ratings were reported using descriptive statistics. Responses to open-ended questions were few and served to illustrate the numerical results. Many teachers stated that virtual labs are valuable supplements but could not completely replace hands-on experiences. Studies on the quality and effectiveness of high school virtual labs are limited despite widespread use. Comprehensive studies will ensure that online students have equal access to quality labs. School districts need to define lab requirements, and colleges need to specify the lab experience they require. This study has potential to inspire positive social change by assisting science educators, including those in the local school district, in evaluating and selecting courseware designed to promote higher order thinking skills, real-world problem solving, and development of strong inquiry skills, thereby improving science instruction for all high school students.

Measuring school health center impact on access to and quality of primary care.

PubMed

Gibson, Erica J; Santelli, John S; Minguez, Mara; Lord, Alyssa; Schuyler, Ashley C

2013-12-01

School health centers (SHC) that provide comprehensive health care may improve access and quality of care for students; however, published impact data are limited. We evaluated access and quality of health services at an urban high school with a SHC compared with a school without a SHC, using a quasiexperimental research design. Data were collected at the beginning of the school year, using a paper and pencil classroom questionnaire (n = 2,076 students). We measured SHC impact in several ways including grade by school interaction terms. Students at the SHC school were more likely to report having a regular healthcare provider, awareness of confidential services, support for health services in their school, and willingness to utilize those services. Students in the SHC school reported higher quality of care as measured by: respect for their health concerns, adequate time with the healthcare provider, understandable provider communications, and greater provider discussion at their last visit on topics such as sexual activity, birth control, emotions, future plans, diet, and exercise. Users of the SHC were also more likely to report higher quality of care, compared with either nonusers or students in the comparison school. Access to comprehensive health services via a SHC led to improved access to health care and improved quality of care. Impact was measureable on a school-wide basis but was greater among SHC users. Copyright © 2013 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Rural Superintendency and the Need for a Critical Leadership of Place

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rey, Janeil C.

2014-01-01

This article examines how school superintendents and parents in high-needs rural districts conceptualized educational quality. Specifically, this comparative case study of two rural school superintendents presents a contextualized understanding of rural superintendents' and other educators' mainstream views of educational quality, parents and…

Small Scale and School Culture: The Experience of Private Schools. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conway, George E.

It is a widely held perception in this country that private schools are superior to public schools. This digest examines school size and school culture as they relate to the high quality of education in private schools. The average private school is about half the size of the average public school. Reflecting Tonnies' (Ferdinand Tonnies, 1887)…

Legitimizing Community Engagement with K-12 Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furco, Andrew

2013-01-01

This article examines the issue of internal legitimization and its importance in securing high-quality community engagement in K-12 schools. Drawing on the literature from the fields of community engagement, school reform, school-university partnerships, and school-community partnerships, this article describes some of the prevailing challenges…

Diagnosing the Quality of High School Students' and Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers' Cognitive Structures in Organic Chemistry by Using Students' Generated Systemic Synthesis Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hrin, Tamara; Milenkovic, Dušica; Segedinac, Mirjana

2018-01-01

The importance of well elaborated cognitive structures in a science knowledge domain has been noted in many studies. Therefore, the main aim of this particular study was to employ a new diagrammatic assessment approach, students' generated systemic synthesis questions (SSynQs), to evaluate and compare the quality of high school students' and…

Effects of the CD-Rom Version of the "Self-Advocacy Strategy" on Quality of Contributions in IEP Meetings of High School Students with Intellectual Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cease-Cook, Jennifer; Test, David W.; Scroggins, La' Shawndra

2013-01-01

This study used a multiple-probe across participants design to examine the effects of the CD-Rom version of the "Self-Advocacy Strategy" on quality of contributions in Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings of five high school students with intellectual disability. Results indicated a functional relationship between using the CD-Rom…

Maximizing the Implementation Quality of Evidence-Based Preventive Interventions in Schools: A Conceptual Framework

PubMed Central

Domitrovich, Celene E.; Bradshaw, Catherine P.; Poduska, Jeanne M.; Hoagwood, Kimberly; Buckley, Jacquelyn A.; Olin, Serene; Romanelli, Lisa Hunter; Leaf, Philip J.; Greenberg, Mark T.; Ialongo, Nicholas S.

2011-01-01

Increased availability of research-supported, school-based prevention programs, coupled with the growing national policy emphasis on use of evidence-based practices, has contributed to a shift in research priorities from efficacy to implementation and dissemination. A critical issue in moving research to practice is ensuring high-quality implementation of both the intervention model and the support system for sustaining it. The paper describes a three-level framework for considering the implementation quality of school-based interventions. Future directions for research on implementation are discussed. PMID:27182282

Removing Barriers to High School Completion--Technical Report. System Improvement and Reporting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Learning, Edmonton.

The ability of every student to successfully complete high school is fundamental to continued success and quality of life. As such, Alberta Learning's 2000-2003 Business Plan has set a target for improving high school completion by 19-year-old students from 70% to 75%. A key step to achieving this target has involved completing a study of barriers…

"Chartering" Maryland's Future: Is There an Expanded Role for National Charter Management Organizations in Our Schools? The Abell Report. Volume 28, No. 1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abell Foundation, 2015

2015-01-01

Over the past decade, a handful of high performing public charter schools have developed in Baltimore, but the need for high quality educational offerings, particularly for low-income students, remains high. "'Chartering' Maryland's Future: Is There an Expanded Role for National Charter Management Organizations in Our Schools?" considers…

The Flow of Higher Qualified New Teachers into Challenging UK High Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, John

2015-01-01

If every child is to have a fairly even chance of a good education, every child must have a fairly even chance of being taught by high-quality teachers. However, high levels of social segregation in UK schools concentrate disadvantaged young people in some schools creating conditions that may deter many teachers. This study investigates whether…

AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING DESIGN AND STUDENT LEARNING. FINAL REPORT.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MARX, BARBARA S.; MYRICK, RICHARD

AN EXPLORATORY STUDY WAS MADE OF THE INFLUENCE OF HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING DESIGN UPON THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY AT STUDENT INFORMAL INTERACTIONS, AND THE NATURE AND CONTENT OF SUCH INTERACTIONS. THREE HIGH SCHOOLS WERE STUDIED, AND QUESTIONNAIRES AND INTERVIEWS WERE USED WITH THE 1631 STUDENTS IN THE TOP TWO GRADES. CONCEPTS WHICH WERE IDENTIFIED…

Do College-Ready Students Benefit When High Schools and Colleges Collaborate? Experimental Evidence from Albuquerque, New Mexico

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castleman, Benjamin L.; Owen, Laura; Page, Lindsay C.

2015-01-01

In this article, the authors address what is called the "summer melt," where academically-accomplished, college-intending high school graduates fail to enroll anywhere in the year following high school, or do not attend the quality of institution (measured, for instance, by graduation rates) at which they have the academic credentials to…

History and challenges of national examination as a quality measurement for high school students in Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rozamuri, Arif Murti; Suradi, Nur Riza Mohd

2015-02-01

Education in Indonesia has been established before the Indonesian state. Therefore, the history of Education in Indonesia is quite long. Education that has existed since ancient times, and then forwarded to the days of the Hindu and Buddhist religious influence, then the influence of Islamic religious era, the education in the colonial era until education in independence era. At Indonesia for senior high school students, the quality measured by national exam. The national examination has a long history and full of pros and cons in determining the quality of students. With different level social economic status, and teacher quality in each schools, the student quality would be assessed within a period of three years. The interesting part is whether the national examination, able to measure the quality of students?. Is the quality of students can only be measured through the national exam?. Then various fraud taint the education particularly in the implementation of national examination. This research would explain long history of national examination and various problems that occur in national examination.

Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with High-Functioning Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Potvin, Marie-Christine; Snider, Laurie; Prelock, Patricia A.; Wood-Dauphinee, Sharon; Kehayia, Eva

2015-01-01

The health-related quality of life of school-aged children with high-functioning autism is poorly understood. The objectives of this study were to compare the health-related quality of life of children with high-functioning autism to that of typically developing peers and to compare child-self and parent-proxy reports of health-related quality of…

Learning from Schools That Close Opportunity Gaps

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaCour, Sarah E.; York, Adam; Welner, Kevin; Valladares, Michelle Renée; Kelley, Linda Molner

2017-01-01

The Schools of Opportunity Project recognizes public high schools that employ research-based practices to close opportunity gaps. The commended schools illustrate how school quality can and should be measured by far more than just test scores. In doing so, they offer exemplars and a path forward for the nation's schools. The selection criteria for…

Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Office of Safe and Healthy Students, US Department of Education, 2013

2013-01-01

Each school day, our nation's schools are entrusted to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for approximately 55 million elementary and secondary school students in public and nonpublic schools. In collaboration with their local government and community partners, schools can take steps to plan for these potential emergencies through the…

Bridging the Gap -- But Mind You Don't Fall. Primary Physical Education Teachers' Perceptions of the Transition Process to Secondary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rainer, Paul; Cropley, Brendan

2015-01-01

Currently there is a large variation in the quality of children's experiences, both across and within primary schools and concerns regarding the quality of physical education (PE) teaching. Significantly, a failure to engage children at this critical time in appropriate high quality PE provision, prior to the transition to secondary education, is…

Quality Assurance in Victorian Schools: An Approach to School Improvement. The School Review Program in Victoria, Australia: An Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fearnside, Rob

The Victorian school accountability framework is designed specifically for Victorian public schooling in the 1990s. These schools have three chief characteristics: (1) a high level of school autonomy in operational decisions about research allocation, human-resource management, and staff selection; (2) a common framework for curriculum and…

Examining the role of implementation quality in school-based prevention using the PATHS curriculum. Promoting Alternative THinking Skills Curriculum.

PubMed

Kam, Chi-Ming; Greenberg, Mark T; Walls, Carla T

2003-03-01

In order for empirically validated school-based prevention programs to "go to scale," it is important to understand the processes underlying program dissemination. Data collected in effectiveness trials, especially those measuring the quality of program implementation and administrative support, are valuable in explicating important factors influencing implementation. This study describes findings regarding quality of implementation in a recent effectiveness trial conducted in a high-risk, American urban community. This delinquency prevention trial is a locally owned intervention, which used the Promoting Alternative THinking Skills Curriculum as its major program component. The intervention involved 350 first graders in 6 inner-city public schools. Three schools implemented the intervention and the other 3 were comparison schools from the same school district. Although intervention effects were not found for all the intervention schools, the intervention was effective in improving children's emotional competence and reducing their aggression in schools which effectively supported the intervention. This study, utilizing data from the 3 intervention schools (13 classrooms and 164 students), suggested that 2 factors contributed to the success of the intervention: (a) adequate support from school principals and (b) high degree of classroom implementation by teachers. These findings are discussed in light of the theory-driven models in program evaluation that emphasized the importance of the multiple factors influencing the implementation of school-based interventions.

Professional Development Which Provides an Icing on the Pedagogical Cake.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardner, Jenny

Because the quality of teachers determines the quality of the school system, teachers must be provided with high-caliber inservice programs. During the 1980s, responsibility for the provision of professional development in Australia shifted to local schools. Under the current National Professional Development Program (NPDP), the Australian…

Designing Culturally Responsive Organized After-School Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simpkins, Sandra D.; Riggs, Nathaniel R.; Ngo, Bic; Vest Ettekal, Andrea; Okamoto, Dina

2017-01-01

Organized after-school activities promote positive youth development across a range of outcomes. To be most effective, organized activities need to meet high-quality standards. The eight features of quality developed by the National Research Council's Committee on Community-Level Programs for Youth have helped guide the field in this regard.…

The State of State Prekindergarten Standards in 2003.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neuman, Susan B.; Roskos, Kathleen; Vukelich, Carol; Clements, Douglas

Currently, an increasing number of states support school readiness programs, recognizing that high quality early childhood education positively affects all children's success in school and the quality of their future. Recent federal initiatives, including Good Start Grow Smart, the revised guidance for the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)…

The Elementary Physical Education Program: Quality and Sustainability in Pennsylvania

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weimer, Alison

2013-01-01

This study examined enabling conditions related to implementing and sustaining a high-quality physical education program at three elementary schools in Pennsylvania. Physical education is being reduced or removed from elementary curriculums because of reduced school budgets and a strong focus on academic standards. Furthermore, the lack of…

Successful Leadership in High Poverty, Urban Schools. Implications from UCEA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobson, Stephen; Terry Orr, M.; Young, Michelle D.

2008-01-01

Research shows that leadership matters in improving student achievement. In fact, among school-related factors over which policy makers have some control, effective leadership practices rank second only to the quality of teaching in influencing student learning (Leithwood, Louis, Anderson & Wahlstrom, 2004). Quality leadership is particularly…

Designing Smart Charter School Caps

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dillon, Erin

2010-01-01

In 2007, Andrew J. Rotherham proposed a new approach to the contentious issue of charter school caps, the statutory limits on charter school growth in place in several states. Rotherham's proposal, termed "smart charter school caps," called for quality sensitive caps that allow the expansion of high-performing charter schools while also…

Evidence of Program Quality and Youth Outcomes in the DYCD Out-of-School Time Initiative: Report on the Initiative's First Three Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russell, Christina A.; Mielke, Monica B.; Reisner, Elizabeth R.

2009-01-01

In September 2005, the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) launched the Out-of-School Time Programs for Youth (OST) initiative to provide young people throughout New York City with access to high-quality programming after school, on holidays, and during the summer at no cost to their families. Working closely with…

A Historical Case Study of P. W. Moore High School from 1960-1970

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews, Valerie Griffin

2016-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative, historical case study is to explore former living administrators', teachers', and students' opinions of their personal experiences while working at or attending P. W. Moore High School in North Carolina. The school's culture and leadership qualities of administrators will be examined through participants'…

Why Are Schools Always Begging for Money?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Everhart, Robert B.

2006-01-01

The increased high expectations for student performance has led to greater pressures on school resources. While most families support the idea of quality schools for all students, adequate funding has not matched these high expectations. The vast majority of families are increasingly unable to vote in those additional resources due to a radical…

The quality of school wellness policies and energy-balance behaviors of adolescent mothers.

PubMed

Haire-Joshu, Debra; Yount, Byron W; Budd, Elizabeth L; Schwarz, Cynthia; Schermbeck, Rebecca; Green, Scoie; Elliott, Michael

2011-03-01

In this study, we 1) compared the quality of school wellness policies among schools participating in Moms for a Healthy Balance (BALANCE), a school- and home-based weight loss study conducted with postpartum adolescents in 27 states; and 2) assessed the relationship between policy quality with energy-balance behaviors and body mass index z scores of postpartum adolescents. As a part of BALANCE, we collected data on high-calorie food and beverage consumption, minutes spent walking, and height and weight for 647 participants. The School Wellness Policy Coding Tool was used to assess the strength and comprehensiveness of school district wellness policies from 251 schools attended by participating adolescent mothers. Schools averaged low scores for wellness policy comprehensiveness and strength. When compared with participants in schools with the lowest policy comprehensiveness scores, adolescent mothers in schools with the highest scores reported consuming significantly fewer daily calories from sweetened beverages while reporting higher consumption of water (P = .04 and P = .01, respectively). School wellness policy strength was associated with lower BMI z scores among adolescent mothers (P = .01). School wellness policies associated with BALANCE may be limited in their ability to promote a healthy school environment. Future studies are needed to evaluate the effect of the strength and comprehensiveness of policy language on energy balance in high-risk postpartum adolescents. Evidence from this work can provide additional guidance to federal or state government in mandating not only policy content, but also systematic evaluation.

Research on Objectives for High-School Biology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Korgan, John J., Jr.; Wilson, John T.

1973-01-01

Describes procedures to develop instructional objectives for high school biology. Two kinds of objectives are identified as pre-objectives and performance objectives. Models to classify these in branches of biology and to ensure quality control are provided. (PS)

No Preschooler Left Behind: The Need for High Quality Early Intervention for Children Born into Poverty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schippers, Vicky

2014-01-01

It is a sad fact that children born into poverty are far less likely to perform well in school and to finish school. Their inadequate schooling then negatively affects their degree of economic success at a large cost to society. The author--a professional tutor for underachieving students at PS 8 and Brooklyn High School for Leadership and…

Working Paper 5: American High Schools; Some Organizational Characteristics and Factors Related to Teacher Satisfaction, Counselor Satisfaction, and the Quality of Counseling Programs. Interim Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnston, Lloyd D.; And Others

This working paper is the fifth in a series on Youth in Transition. Included are four papers plus comments on these papers. The findings are based on information gathered from approximately 2,000 high school teachers and 300 counselors. The teachers' and counselors' perceptions of the way our high schools are run and the impact of those schools on…

Understanding adolescents' sleep patterns and school performance: a critical appraisal.

PubMed

Wolfson, Amy R; Carskadon, Mary A

2003-12-01

The present paper reviews and critiques studies assessing the relation between sleep patterns, sleep quality, and school performance of adolescents attending middle school, high school, and/or college. The majority of studies relied on self-report, yet the researchers approached the question with different designs and measures. Specifically, studies looked at (1) sleep/wake patterns and usual grades, (2) school start time and phase preference in relation to sleep habits and quality and academic performance, and (3) sleep patterns and classroom performance (e.g., examination grades). The findings strongly indicate that self-reported shortened total sleep time, erratic sleep/wake schedules, late bed and rise times, and poor sleep quality are negatively associated with academic performance for adolescents from middle school through the college years. Limitations of the current published studies are also discussed in detail in this review.

Systematic review of back schools, brief education, and fear-avoidance training for chronic low back pain.

PubMed

Brox, J I; Storheim, K; Grotle, M; Tveito, T H; Indahl, A; Eriksen, H R

2008-01-01

Seven previous systematic reviews (SRs) have evaluated back schools, and one has evaluated brief education, with the latest SR including studies until November 2004. The effectiveness of fear-avoidance training has not been assessed. To assess the effectiveness of back schools, brief education, and fear-avoidance training for chronic low back pain (CLBP). A SR. We searched the MEDLINE database of randomized controlled trials (RCT) until August 2006 for relevant trials reported in English. Assessment of effectiveness was based on pain, disability, and sick leave. RCTs that reported back schools, or brief education as the main intervention, were included. For fear-avoidance training, evaluation of domain-specific outcome was required. Two reviewers independently reviewed the studies. Eight RCTs including 1,002 patients evaluated back schools, three studies were of high quality. We found conflicting evidence for back schools compared with waiting list, placebo, usual care, and exercises, and a cognitive behavioral back school. Twelve trials including 3,583 patients evaluated brief education. Seven trials, six of high quality, evaluated brief education in the clinical setting. We found strong evidence of effectiveness on sick leave and short-term disability compared with usual care. We found conflicting or limited evidence for back book or Internet discussion (five trials, two of high quality) compared with waiting list, no intervention, massage, yoga, or exercises. Three RCTs of high quality, including 364 patients, evaluated fear-avoidance training. We found moderate evidence that there is no difference between rehabilitation including fear-avoidance training and spinal fusion. Consistent recommendations are given for brief education in the clinical setting, and fear-avoidance training should be considered as an alternative to spinal fusion, and back schools may be considered in the occupational setting. The discordance between reviews can be attributed differences in inclusion criteria and application of evidence rules.

Improving Students’ Evaluation of Informal Arguments

PubMed Central

LARSON, AARON A.; BRITT, M. ANNE; KURBY, CHRISTOPHER A.

2010-01-01

Evaluating the structural quality of arguments is a skill important to students’ ability to comprehend the arguments of others and produce their own. The authors examined college and high school students’ ability to evaluate the quality of 2-clause (claim-reason) arguments and tested a tutorial to improve this ability. These experiments indicated that college and high school students had difficulty evaluating arguments on the basis of their quality. Experiments 1 and 2 showed that a tutorial explaining skills important to overall argument evaluation increased performance but that immediate feedback during training was necessary for teaching students to evaluate the claim-reason connection. Using a Web-based version of the tutorial, Experiment 3 extended this finding to the performance of high-school students. The study suggests that teaching the structure of an argument and teaching students to pay attention to the precise message of the claim can improve argument evaluation. PMID:20174611

Teachers' Perceptions of Their Self-Efficacy and Effects of Principal Leadership Practices on Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Low and High-Performing Elementary Schools in South Carolina

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simmons, Monica L.

2013-01-01

Teachers' Perceptions of their Self-Efficacy and Effects of Principal Leadership Practices on Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Low and High-Performing Elementary Schools in South Carolina (Under the direction of Dr. Vivian Brackett) Across the United States, school districts are challenged with attracting and attaining high quality teachers. Efficacious…

Private Tutoring Intensity in Schools: A Comparison between High and Low Socio-Economic Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Addi-Raccah, Audrey; Dana, Oshra

2015-01-01

Private tutoring (PT) is becoming a worldwide phenomenon. In Israel too, about a third of elementary school students participate in PT. Based on sociological and school quality considerations, we examined school characteristics that are associated with PT intensity at school. The data encompassed a random state wide sample of 389 Israeli…

School-to-School Variation in Disciplined Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Sean; Majerus, Richard

2011-01-01

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…

The Economics of Education: Public Benefits of High-Quality Preschool Education for Low-Income Children. Building Communities for Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oppenheim, Jerrold; MacGregor, Theo

Noting that high-quality preschool increases the ability of low-income children to profit from elementary and secondary education, thereby increasing their high school graduation rate and generating economic and other returns for taxpayers, this report articulates and analyzes the economic benefits of providing a high-quality preschool education…

Evidence of Program Quality and Youth Outcomes in the DYCD Out-of-School Time Initiative: Report on the Initiative's First Three Years. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russell, Christina A.; Mielke, Monia B.; Reisner, Elizabeth R.

2009-01-01

In September 2005, the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) launched the Out-of-School Time Programs for Youth (OST) initiative to provide young people throughout New York City with access to high-quality programming after school, on holidays, and during the summer at no cost to their families. Working closely with…

Hiring and Retaining High-Quality Teachers: What Principals Can Do

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williby, Roseanne L.

2004-01-01

Many Catholic school principals have limited assistance from their respective central offices in the recruitment and selection of teachers, especially if their objective is to recruit candidates of color or candidates for a particular subject area. Aware that teacher quality is related to student achievement, Catholic school principals must employ…

Advancing Achievement: Findings from an Independent Evaluation of a Major After-School Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arbreton, Amy; Sheldon, Jessica; Bradshaw, Molly; Goldsmith, Julie

2008-01-01

This report presents outcomes from Public/Private Ventures research on CORAL, an eight-year, $58 million after-school initiative of The James Irvine Foundation. Findings described in the report demonstrate the relationship between high-quality literacy programming and academic gains and underscore the potential role that quality programs may play…

Improving Teacher Quality: Lessons from America's "No Child Left Behind"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Emma; Gorard, Stephen

2007-01-01

How developed countries train, recruit and retain their schoolteachers is an area of considerable interest in education today. In this paper we consider how the US is addressing the issue of teacher quality by holding schools and school districts accountable for ensuring that all teachers of core subjects are "highly qualified" by the…

Ensuring Quality School-to-Work Opportunities for Young Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watkins, Kristin; Milgram, Donna

This document is composed of a number of publications of Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) that relate to high quality school-to-work opportunities for young women. Contents include the following: myths and facts about nontraditional work; a list of nontraditional occupations (NTOs) for women; and women and nontraditional work factsheet with…

Increasing Epilepsy Awareness in Schools: A Seizure Smart Schools Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brook, Heather A.; Hiltz, Cynthia M.; Kopplin, Vicki L.; Lindeke, Linda L.

2015-01-01

A high prevalence of epilepsy diagnoses and seizure events among students was identified at a large Midwestern school district. In partnership with the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota (EFMN), a quality improvement project was conducted to provide education and resources to staff caring for school children with seizures. School nurses (N = 26)…

Achieving Excellence at Scale: State Support for High-Performing Charter School Expansion. Issue Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bloomberg, Laura; Nathan, Joe; Berman, Ilene

2009-01-01

In communities nationwide, public charter schools are meeting the growing demand for high-quality education opportunities. This is especially true in communities with underperforming public district schools that are not meeting the academic needs of students, including poor and minority students. Forty states and the District of Columbia have laws…

Ethical Guidelines for the Teaching of Psychology in the Secondary School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.

These guidelines are intended to assist high school psychology teachers in safeguarding the rights and welfare of students and experimental subjects while promoting high-quality instruction. There are three sets of guidelines. The first set deals with the use of animals in school science behavior projects. The major goal of such projects should be…

Case Studies in U.S. Distance Education: Implications for Ghana's Under-Served High Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nsiah, Gabriel Kofi Boahen

2010-01-01

Ghana, like many other nations in recent years, has made education a top priority for national development. Despite newly developed policies, however, there remains a significant quality gap among high schools; due largely to an inequitable ratio of government's educational spending by geographic area. While most urban schools flourish with better…

"A Perfect Murder": An (Imperfect) School Theater Program Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simon, Nicole S.; Grosso, Andrew

2009-01-01

Over the last five years, the Urban Assembly School for Law and Justice (SLJ), a new, small public high school in Brooklyn, and The Essentials, a professional theater company, have joined forces to offer a low-budget, high-quality, in-house afterschool theater program for SLJ students. Both SLJ and The Essentials were in nascent stages when the…

Perspectives and Practices of Successful Teachers in Diverse Rural South Texas High-Performing High-Needs Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pate, Roberta Simnacher

2012-01-01

Texas rural schools, educating more than half a million students annually, and rural schools across the nation have been under scrutiny for the inability to provide quality education through course offerings, facilities, and qualified teachers. To address this issue, the investigator utilized Spradley's (1980) seminal work, "Participant…

The Impact of Collective Bargaining on Teacher Transfer Rates in Urban High-Poverty Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, F. Howard

2006-01-01

Data in this report reveals that collectively bargaining agreements are not the source of the teacher quality problem in urban school districts. The data shows that collective bargaining agreements are associated with reduced teacher transfer activity, especially in high-poverty schools, and less reliance on first-year teachers to staff…

The New Hampshire High School Career Education Model. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keene State Coll., NH.

The purpose of this project was to improve the quality and demonstrate the most effective methods and techniques of career education in four high schools in the state of New Hampshire. The focus was to effect change at two points: the first was the academic curriculum, where committees in each of the project schools reviewed their existing…

The High Cost of Leaving: An Analysis of the Cost of Teacher Turnover

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watlington, Eliah; Shockley, Robert; Guglielmino, Paul; Felsher, Rivka

2010-01-01

The cost of teacher turnover to schools and school districts has only recently been studied. This research reveals that when high-quality teachers leave the classroom, the effect on both student performance and school and district fiscal operations is significant and deleterious. The implications for study in this area include the planning of…

Troops to Teachers as School Administrators: A National Study of Principal Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owings, William A.; Kaplan, Leslie S.; Chappell, Shanan

2011-01-01

The United States has a scarcity of capable principals ready to successfully lead schools in an era of outcome-based accountability. This is especially true in high-poverty, high-minority schools. Policy makers welcome opening the principal pipeline to untraditional leaders. Research finds that teachers who have entered education through Troops to…

Why Do I Stay? A Case Study of a Secondary English Teacher in an Urban High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

He, Ye; Cooper, Jewell E.; Tangredi, Christopher

2015-01-01

Recruiting and retaining quality teachers in urban schools remains a significant challenge (Freedman & Appleman, 2008, 2009; Lee, Eckrich, Lackey, & Showalter, 2010). With a quarter of the teaching force leaving their classrooms after one year and almost half leaving within five years, teachers in high poverty, urban schools are even more…

Self-Esteem of Junior High and High School Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Kimberly E.

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the self-esteem of junior high and high school students. The independent variables investigated were quality of family life, birth order, family size, maternal employment, grade level and family structure. The dependent variables were the self-esteem scores from the following sub-scales of the Texas…

34 CFR 200.56 - Definition of “highly qualified teacher.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... areas of the basic elementary school curriculum; or (3) At the public middle and high school levels, demonstrate a high level of competency by— (i) Passing a rigorous State test in each academic subject in which... teacher— (1) Receives high-quality professional development that is sustained, intensive, and classroom...

34 CFR 200.56 - Definition of “highly qualified teacher.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... areas of the basic elementary school curriculum; or (3) At the public middle and high school levels, demonstrate a high level of competency by— (i) Passing a rigorous State test in each academic subject in which... teacher— (1) Receives high-quality professional development that is sustained, intensive, and classroom...

34 CFR 200.56 - Definition of “highly qualified teacher.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... areas of the basic elementary school curriculum; or (3) At the public middle and high school levels, demonstrate a high level of competency by— (i) Passing a rigorous State test in each academic subject in which... teacher— (1) Receives high-quality professional development that is sustained, intensive, and classroom...

34 CFR 200.56 - Definition of “highly qualified teacher.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... areas of the basic elementary school curriculum; or (3) At the public middle and high school levels, demonstrate a high level of competency by— (i) Passing a rigorous State test in each academic subject in which... teacher— (1) Receives high-quality professional development that is sustained, intensive, and classroom...

34 CFR 200.56 - Definition of “highly qualified teacher.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... areas of the basic elementary school curriculum; or (3) At the public middle and high school levels, demonstrate a high level of competency by— (i) Passing a rigorous State test in each academic subject in which... teacher— (1) Receives high-quality professional development that is sustained, intensive, and classroom...

Teaching for understanding and/or teaching for the examination in high school physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geelan, David R.; Wildy, Helen; Louden, William; Wallace, John

2004-04-01

Literature on the related notions of 'teaching for understanding' and 'exemplary teaching' tends to be interpreted as prescribing certain classroom approaches. These are usually the strategies often identified with constructivist teaching, which involve a redefinition of the teacher's role: rather than being seen as a source of knowledge and control, the teacher is described as the facilitator of a largely student-directed search for understanding. More 'transmissive', teacher-centred approaches are held to lead to poor student understanding, low cognitive engagement and rote learning. This paper reports a case study of physics teaching in a government high school in Perth, Western Australia. This case study is part of a larger project spanning 5 years and eight case investigations in Perth schools. While the pedagogical style of the teacher studied could be labelled as 'transmissive', we tentatively assert that his practice exemplified high-quality physics teaching and led to high-quality understanding on the part of the students. The study suggests that prescriptions for quality teaching must be sensitive to issues of context and content, and that further study in a variety of school contexts is required to expand our understanding of what constitutes good teaching and learning in physics.

Year 7 dietary intake: a comparison of two schools with middle-high socio-economic status.

PubMed

Greatwood, H C; Daly-Smith, A; McGregor, S; McKenna, J

2013-12-01

With an established, yet avoidable, link between dietary intake and poor health, the nutritional habits of adolescents remains a public health concern. Previous studies report an inverse relationship between dietary intake and socio-economic status (SES), although few studies have considered the influence of the SES gradient. The present study compared the nutritional profiles of neighbouring schools with pupils from middle to high economic backgrounds. One hundred and ninety pupils from a high SES school (HSESS) and 159 pupils from a middle SES school (MSESS) (aged 11-12 years) completed a 63-item validated food frequency questionnaire. Pupils rated their diet quality and this was compared with a composite Healthy Eating Index (HEI). Children attending MSESS consumed significantly higher intakes of energy (P < 0.001), carbohydrate (P = 0.001), fat (P < 0.001) and protein (P = 0.001). As a percentage of energy contribution, pupils in both schools consumed excess saturated fat (HSESS, +5% boys, +4% girls; MSESS, +4% both boys and girls) and sugar (HSESS, +9% boys, +11% girls; MSESS, +10% boys, +11% girls). When HEI was compared with self-report diet quality, 96% HSESS pupils and 94% MSESS pupils over-rated the quality of their diet. The present study identified that, although pupils from MSESS consume a significantly higher intake of energy and macronutrient compared to a nearby HSESS, the percentage of energy contribution of saturated fat and sugar is above government recommendations for pupils from both schools. Additionally, the majority of pupils from both schools substantially over-rated their diet quality compared to a HEI. © 2013 The Authors Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics © 2013 The British Dietetic Association Ltd.

Teacher Motivation and Retention in High School Special Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawrence, Matthew Daniel

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify the best motivational tools for recruiting high-quality high school special education teachers; and to identify effective techniques and strategies to facilitate those individuals' experiencing career longevity within the profession. This study also sought to highlight the specific issues that actively…

High School Students' Implicit Theories of What Facilitates Science Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parsons, Eileen Carlton; Miles, Rhea; Petersen, Michael

2011-01-01

Background: Research has primarily concentrated on adults' implicit theories about high quality science education for all students. Little work has considered the students' perspective. This study investigated high school students' implicit theories about what helped them learn science. Purpose: This study addressed (1) What characterizes high…

Understanding how children’s engagement and teachers’ interactions combine to predict school readiness

PubMed Central

Williford, Amanda P.; Maier, Michelle F.; Downer, Jason T.; Pianta, Robert C.; Howes, Carolee

2015-01-01

This study examined the quality of preschool classroom experiences through the combination of teachers’ interactions at the classroom level and children’s individual patterns of engagement in predicting children’s gains in school readiness. A sample of 605 children and 309 teachers participated. The quality of children’s engagement and teacher interactions was directly observed in the classroom setting, and direct assessments of children’s school readiness skills were obtained in the fall and again in the spring. The quality of teacher interactions was associated with gains across all school readiness skills. The effect of children’s individual classroom engagement on their gains in school readiness skills (specifically phonological awareness and expressive vocabulary) was moderated by classroom level teacher interactions. The results suggest that if teachers provide highly responsive interactions at the classroom level, children may develop more equitable school readiness skills regardless of their individual engagement patterns. PMID:26722137

Trends in Career and Technical Education Enrollment in Florida High Schools, and the Relation to Graduation and Students Earning Industry-Recognized Certifications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tamar-Belgraves, Myrna Irva

2016-01-01

Career and technical education (CTE) has been at the forefront of engagement, change, motivation, and high school reform since the early 20th century. However, the focus on tracking students into 4-year universities has significantly reduced the number of quality CTE programs that exist within the high school setting. With the release of the new…

Charter Schools and the Teacher Job Search. Research Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cannata, Marisa

2010-01-01

Charter schools have been the subject of much education policy research, particularly related to student achievement, governance, funding, and student composition. Although high-quality teachers are essential for the educational success of any school, much less research exists on charter schools' ability to recruit talented teachers. This study…

Irreconcilable Differences: Teacher Attrition in Public and Catholic Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scheopner, Aubrey J.

2010-01-01

Teachers have a powerful impact on student achievement, yet high attrition rates hinder the ability of schools to provide quality instruction. Attrition rates are highest for schools serving low income, minority students and among small private schools. This review of research seeks to understand why teachers leave, examining different teaching…

77 FR 13304 - Application for New Awards; Charter Schools Program (CSP); Grants for Replication and Expansion...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-06

... for each school managed by the applicant, including compliance issues in the areas of student safety... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Application for New Awards; Charter Schools Program (CSP); Grants for Replication and Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools AGENCY: Office of Innovation and Improvement...

Who Benefits from School-Based Management in Mexico?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reimers, Fernando; Cardenas, Sergio

2007-01-01

In this article the authors examine evidence pertaining to the implementation of a national programme of school-based decentralization, the Quality Schools Programme ("Programa de Escuelas de Calidad"). The main argument of this article is that high levels of inequality in the institutional capacity of different schools and in the…

Characterizing Water Quality in Students' Own Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lunsford, S. K.; Speelman, Nicole; Yeary, Amber; Slattery, William

2007-01-01

The surface water quality studies are developed to help first year college students who are preparing to become high school teachers. These water quality impact studies allow students to correlate geologic conditions and chemistry.

Feasibility of using of a simplified question in assessing diet quality of adolescents.

PubMed

Rodrigues, Paulo Rogério Melo; Gonçalves-Silva, Regina Maria Veras; Ferreira, Márcia Gonçalves; Pereira, Rosangela Alves

2017-05-01

This study aims to analyze the applicability of a simplified question in assessing diet quality of adolescents in a cross-sectional school-based study carried out in a sample of high school students. Diet quality self-perception was obtained when the participant was inquired about own diet considering "excellent", "good", "fair" or "poor" responses. We evaluated meals habits and food intake through food frequency questionnaire. The revised version of the Brazilian Healthy Eating Index (BHEI-R) was estimated and we identified three dietary patterns using factor analysis. "Good" self-perceived diet quality was reported by 56% of adolescents and was associated with regular consumption of fruits and vegetables, meal profile and high healthy eating index scores. However, consumption of foods harmful to health was not perceived as characteristic that affects diet quality. The evaluated question showed sensitivity of 28% to detect good quality diets and specificity of 79% to identify low nutritional value diets. The use of a simplified question to assess dietary habits of adolescents is limited, since the consumption of high-fat, high-sugar and high-sodium food was not recognized as an indicator of low quality diet.

Prevalence and Psychosocial Correlates of After-School Activities among Chinese Adolescents in Hong Kong

PubMed Central

Ma, Cecilia M. S.; Shek, Daniel Tan Lei

2014-01-01

Using a cross-sectional design, this study (a) explores the prevalence of after-school activities among Chinese early adolescents and (b) assesses the relationships between participation in after-school activities, personal well-being, and family functioning. A total of 3,328 Grade 7 students (mean age = 12.59 years, SD = 0.74) completed a self-administered questionnaire. Results showed that the majority of adolescents returned home under adult supervision. Further analyses showed the associations between after-school activities, positive youth development qualities, academic and school competence, family functioning, and risky behavior. Implications regarding efforts aimed at designing high quality and structured after-school youth programs are discussed. PMID:25309895

Creating Better School-Age Care Jobs: Model Work Standards.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haack, Peggy

Built on the premise that good school-age care jobs are the cornerstone of high-quality services for school-age youth and their families, this guide presents model work standards for school-age care providers. The guide begins with a description of the strengths and challenges of the school-age care profession. The model work standards are…

Getting the Right Fit: Designing a Professional Learning Community for Out-of-School Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vance, Femi; Salvaterra, Emily; Michelsen, Jocelyn Atkins; Newhouse, Corey

2016-01-01

A skilled workforce is critical in high-quality out-of-school time (OST) programs. However, the workshops commonly used to train OST staff are not adequately preparing practitioners to deliver quality programs that can benefit youth. Professional learning communities (PLCs) are a practice-focused alternative that has a track record of improving…

What Different Benchmarks Suggest About How Financially Attractive It Is to Teach in Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldhaber, Dan; Player, Daniel

2005-01-01

There is significant public policy concern that teacher salaries in the United States are insufficient to make teaching in public schools financially attractive; consequently, there are not enough high-quality teachers. This concern has been particularly acute of late for two reasons. First, new empirical research shows teacher quality to be the…

Toward a System of Total Quality Management: Applying the Deming Approach to the Education Setting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLeod, Willis B.; And Others

1992-01-01

Recently, the Petersburg (Virginia) Public Schools have moved away from a highly centralized organizational structure to a Total Quality Management system featuring shared decision making and school-based management practices. The district was guided by Deming's philosophy that all stakeholders should be involved in defining the level of products…

Putting It All Together: Guiding Principles for Quality After-School Programs Serving Preteens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Metz, Rachel A.; Goldsmith, Julie; Arbreton, Amy J. A.

2008-01-01

Successfully navigating early adolescence depends, in large part, on the availability of safe and engaging activities and supportive relationships with adults, yet many preteens have limited access to positive supports and opportunities such as high-quality after-school programs that could put them on a path to success. Funders, policymakers and…

The Motivation Impact of Open Educational Resources Utilization on Physics Learning Using Quipper School App

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sulisworo, Dwi; Sulistyo, Eko Nur; Akhsan, Rifai Nur

2017-01-01

The distribution of the education quality in Indonesia is relatively uneven. This affects the quality of secondary school graduates. On the other hand, the national growth of Information Communication Technology usage in Indonesia is very high, including the use of mobile technology. This is an opportunity for the application of OER (Open…

The Global Challenge: Education in a Competitive World. Quality Counts, 2012

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Education Week, 2012

2012-01-01

"Quality Counts 2012," the 16th edition of "Education Week"'s annual examination of issues and challenges facing America's public schools, takes aim at topics high on the policy agenda, from the White House and Congress down to the level of local school boards and chambers of commerce: the nation's international standing in…

The Cost of Quality Out-of-School-Time Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grossman, Jean Baldwin; Lind, Christianne; Hayes, Cheryl; McMaken, Jennifer; Gersick, Andrew

2009-01-01

Funders and program planners want to know: What does it cost to operate a high-quality after-school or summer program? This study answers that question, discovering that there is no "right" number. Cost varies substantially, depending on the characteristics of the participants, the goals of the program, who operates it and where it is located.…

Leading for Instructional Improvement: How Successful Leaders Develop Teaching and Learning Expertise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fink, Stephen; Markholt, Anneke; Bransford, John

2011-01-01

There is little agreement among school leaders on what constitutes quality teaching and how best to support teachers in improving lessons, assessments, and classroom instruction. This book will show how principals and other school leaders can "grow" the expertise of teachers to deliver high quality instruction that serves all students well. It…

The Effect of Wage Compression and Alternative Labor Market Opportunities on Teacher Quality in Venezuela

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ortega, Daniel E.

2010-01-01

This paper examines the effect of teacher relative wages and teacher wage dispersion on high school graduates' preferences for teaching majors in College. This approximation to teacher quality is appropriate in a country like Venezuela as opposed to the US since the rigidity of the tertiary school system significantly limits mobility between…

From Empiricism to Total Quality Management in Greek Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karavasilis, Ioannis; Samoladas, Ioannis; Nedos, Apostolos

Nowadays the education system in Greece moves towards democratization and decentralization. School unit is the cell and the base of the education system. Principal's role is highly demanding, multi-dimensional, and a critical determinant of school performance and effectiveness. The paper proposes an effective organizational plan of school units in Primary Education based on basic administration processes and Total Quality Management. Using theory of emotional intelligence and Blake-Mouton's grid it emphasizes the impact of Principal's leadership on democratizing the school unit, on creating a safe and secure environment and positive school climate and motivating teachers committee to participate in the decision making process.

School-level factors associated with increased fruit and vegetable consumption among students in California middle and high schools.

PubMed

Gosliner, Wendi

2014-09-01

This study assessed associations between selective school-level factors and students' consumption of fruits and vegetables at school. Better understanding of school factors associated with increased produce consumption is especially important, as students are served more produce items at school. This cross-sectional study included 5439 seventh- and ninth-grade students from 31 schools in California in 2010. Multilevel regression models estimated whether the odds of consuming fruits or vegetables at school among students eating the school lunch were associated with the length of the lunch period, quality/variety of produce options, or other factors. A longer lunch period was associated with increased odds of a student eating fruits (odds ratio [OR] = 1.40) and vegetables (OR = 1.54) at school. Better fruit quality increased the odds of a student consuming fruit (OR = 1.44). Including a salad bar and involving students in food service decisions increased a student's odds of consuming vegetables (OR = 1.48 and OR = 1.34, respectively). This study suggests that institutional factors in schools are positively associated with middle and high school students' consumption of produce items at school. Additional efforts to structure school meal environments to enhance students' consumption of produce items can benefit students' nutrition and health. © 2014, American School Health Association.

Massachusetts Charter Public Schools: Best Practices Using Data to Improve Student Achievement in Holyoke. White Paper No. 143

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Candal, Cara Stillings

2016-01-01

Holyoke Community Charter School (HCCS) provides high quality educational opportunities to students and families in a city where such opportunities are not widely available. A long waitlist, high lottery subscription, and low attrition rate are all evidence of community demand for the school. Student outcomes that surpass the district of Holyoke…

Leading High School Transformation for College and Career Success: A Guide for Developing a System of Linked Learning Pathways

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stearns, Roman

2014-01-01

This ConnectEd Guide for Developing a System of Linked Learning Pathways will introduce school district leaders and their community partners to Linked Learning and a system of quality pathways that can transform high schools, instructional practice, and the student experience. Not intended to be prescriptive, this document can and should be…

Revitalization: How One High School Succeeded in Providing a Quality Welding Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stott, Tim

2006-01-01

Like many schools in the United States, Delcastle Technical High School in New Castle, Delaware, has felt the pain of falling enrollment in its welding and fabrication program. At one point, the program had shrunk to just 19 students and, as a result, could not produce enough graduates for local businesses that relied on Delcastle graduates. It…

Science for the People: High School Students Investigate Community Air Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marks-Block, Tony

2011-01-01

Over a year, a small group of high school students risked their afternoons and summer to participate in a science program that was "much different from science class." This was one of several after-school programs in Oakland and Richmond that the author was leading as an instructor with the East Bay Academy for Young Scientists (EBAYS). Students…

Occupation Choices of High School and College Students with Special Reference to Teaching and Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dastidar, Ananya G.; Sikdar, Soumyen

2015-01-01

As India's higher education sector is poised to grow at a tremendous pace, one of its main challenges would be provision of quality education. Teacher quality has been identified as one of the most critical factors affecting educational quality. As such, the immense importance of attracting high-quality entrants into the teaching profession cannot…

The Politics of Quality Teacher Discourses: Implications for Pre-Service Teachers in High Poverty Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scholes, Laura; Lampert, Jo; Burnett, Bruce; Comber, Barbara M.; Hoff, Lutz; Ferguson, Angela

2017-01-01

Improving the quality of education for young people growing up in high poverty and culturally diverse communities is an escalating problem in affluent nations with increasing gaps between the wealthy and the poor. Improving the quality of teachers and improving the quality of teaching are amongst the prominent solutions offered to redress the…

Quality of basic life support education and automated external defibrillator setting in schools in Ishikawa, Japan.

PubMed

Takamura, Akiteru; Ito, Sayori; Maruyama, Kaori; Ryo, Yusuke; Saito, Manami; Fujimura, Shuhei; Ishiura, Yuna; Hori, Ariyuki

2017-03-01

Automated external defibrillators (AED) have been installed in schools in Japan since 2004, and the government strongly recommends teaching basic life support (BLS). We therefore examined the quality of BLS education and AED installation in schools. We conducted a prefecture-wide questionnaire survey of all primary and junior high schools in 2016, to assess BLS education and AED installation against the recommendations of the Japan Circulation Society. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-squared test. In total, 195 schools out of 315 (62%) responded, of which 38% have introduced BLS education for children. BLS training was held in a smaller proportion of primary schools (18%) than junior high schools (86%). More than 90% of primary school staff had undergone BLS training in the previous 2 years. The most common locations of AED were the gymnasium (32%) followed by entrance hall (28%), staffroom (25%), and infirmary (12%). The reasons given for location were that it was obvious (34%), convenient for staff (32%), could be used out of hours (17%), and the most likely location for a heart attack (15%). Approximately 18% of schools reported that it takes >5 min to reach the AED from the furthest point. BLS training, AED location, and understanding of both are not sufficient to save children's lives efficiently. Authorities should make recommendations about the correct number of AED, and their location, and provide more information to improve the quality of BLS training in schools. © 2016 Japan Pediatric Society.

Data-Driven Decision Making in Out-of-School Time Programs. Part 6 in a Series on Implementing Evidence-Based Practices in Out-of-School Time Programs: The Role of Organization-Level Activities. Research-to-Results Brief. Publication #2009-34

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bandy, Tawana; Burkhauser, Mary; Metz, Allison J. R.

2009-01-01

Although many program managers look to data to inform decision-making and manage their programs, high-quality program data may not always be available. Yet such data are necessary for effective program implementation. The use of high-quality data facilitates program management, reduces reliance on anecdotal information, and ensures that data are…

The Equitable Distribution of High-Quality Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bumgardner, Stan

2010-01-01

A new report by the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality (TQ Center) highlights efforts across the nation to address a key point in the No Child Left Behind law and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)--the equitable distribution of high-quality teachers across all schools. Research consistently has pointed to effective…

[Psychoactive substances use and health-related quality of life among school age adolescents].

PubMed

Vilugrón Aravena, Fabiola; Hidalgo-Rasmussen, Carlos Alejandro; Molina G, Temístocles; Gras Pérez, María Eugenia; Font-Mayolas, Silvia

2017-12-01

Background The use of psychoactive substances among adolescents is a major social and public health concern. Aim To analyze association of substance abuse and multiple drug use with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in adolescents attending a high school in Valparaiso, Chile. Material and Methods Analytical cross-sectional study conducted in a sample of adolescents attending high school. HRQOL was assessed using KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire and substance use was measured using the Global school-based student health survey. Participants had to complete online, self-administered, anonymous questionnaires. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to calculate Odd ratios. Results A total of 550 adolescents aged 16 ± 1 years old completed the questionnaires. Thirty nine percent consumed alcohol during the last month, 31% smoked, 33% used marijuana and 33% admitted the use of multiple drugs. High-risk alcohol consumption was associated with a lower perception of psychological well-being, self-perception and school environment. This last dimension was affected in those who admitted marijuana use during the last month. Multiple drug use (three substances) was associated with a lower perception of physical and psychological well-being, self-perception, relationship with parents, family life and school environment. Conclusions High-risk alcohol consumption and multiple drug use (three substances) have a negative impact on the HRQOL of school age adolescents.

Finding Funding: A Guide to Federal Sources for Out-of-School TIme and Community School Initiatives. Revised and Updated.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Padgette, Heather Clapp

Noting the growing nation-wide demand for affordable, high-quality, out-of-school time and community school programs, this guide is intended to assist program developers, policy makers, and community leaders identify federal funding sources to support out-of-school time or broader-based community school services. The guide provides an overview of…

The Texas Successful Schools Study: Quality Education for Limited English Proficient Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas Education Agency, Austin.

A study by the Texas Education Agency examined the variables contributing to the academic success of economically disadvantaged and language minority students. Data were collected from seven high-achieving elementary schools with high poverty rates and high percentages of limited English proficient (LEP) students via teacher questionnaires;…

Signs of the Times: Sources of Professional Challenge and Sustenance for Veteran African American Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richards, Dean D., IV

2017-01-01

Recruitment and retention of high-quality educators remains problematic throughout our public school systems. This is particularly so for teachers of minority-identifications and in high-poverty, high-minority urban schools and districts. Recent research concerning teacher longevity has typically focused on large-scale investigations of factors of…

Research-Based Lessons That Support Student Independent Reading in Social Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, Elizabeth; Reed, Deborah; Vaughn, Sharon

2016-01-01

High school social studies teachers face unique challenges in helping their students learn independently from text in their discipline. In this article, a set of research-based practices that couple independent student reading with high-quality instruction proven to improve content learning for high school nonnative English speakers is provided.…

Gait Analysis by High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heck, Andre; van Dongen, Caroline

2008-01-01

Human walking is a complicated motion. Movement scientists have developed various research methods to study gait. This article describes how a high school student collected and analysed high quality gait data in much the same way that movement scientists do, via the recording and measurement of motions with a video analysis tool and via…

Student-Teacher Relationships As a Protective Factor for School Adjustment during the Transition from Middle to High School

PubMed Central

Longobardi, Claudio; Prino, Laura E.; Marengo, Davide; Settanni, Michele

2016-01-01

A robust body of research has identified school transitions during adolescence, and in particular the transition from middle to high school, as one of the riskiest phases for school failure, being characterized by significant social, emotional and behavioral changes. This transition is critical even with respect to academic achievement: in Italy, the highest frequency of school dropout can be observed in the 9th and 10th grades, partly as a consequence of poor adjustment to the new school context. The impact of students' relationships with their teachers may be particularly relevant during critical developmental periods. Indeed, student-teacher relationships have been widely recognized as protective factors in school adjustment and, in case of negative relationships, also as a factor that increases the risk of maladjustment. Positive and affective student-teacher relationships may play an important role in students' adaptation to the school environment, favoring both academic achievement and adaptive behaviors. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the quality of teacher-student relationships, as perceived by pupils, on academic achievement, and problem and prosocial behaviors during the relevant school transition. The sample consisted of 122 students (55% female). We employed a self-report questionnaire to collect information on: demographic characteristics, quality of the relationship with teachers, problem and prosocial behaviors, and academic achievement. Students filled in the questionnaires twice: once during the 8th grade and 1 year later, during their first year of high school (9th grade). Regression analyses indicated that both average and varying levels of closeness with teachers significantly predicted changes in academic achievement: A perceived increase in closeness in 9th grade, as well as a higher mean closeness level, was associated with an increase in academic achievement. In turn, an increase in the level of perceived conflict with teachers significantly predicted an increase in conduct problems and hyperactive behaviors. This study supports the significance of student-teacher relationships as a protective factor during students' transition to high-school. Our findings also highlight the importance of relationship quality in preventing students' risk of school failure. PMID:28066305

Student-Teacher Relationships As a Protective Factor for School Adjustment during the Transition from Middle to High School.

PubMed

Longobardi, Claudio; Prino, Laura E; Marengo, Davide; Settanni, Michele

2016-01-01

A robust body of research has identified school transitions during adolescence, and in particular the transition from middle to high school, as one of the riskiest phases for school failure, being characterized by significant social, emotional and behavioral changes. This transition is critical even with respect to academic achievement: in Italy, the highest frequency of school dropout can be observed in the 9th and 10th grades, partly as a consequence of poor adjustment to the new school context. The impact of students' relationships with their teachers may be particularly relevant during critical developmental periods. Indeed, student-teacher relationships have been widely recognized as protective factors in school adjustment and, in case of negative relationships, also as a factor that increases the risk of maladjustment. Positive and affective student-teacher relationships may play an important role in students' adaptation to the school environment, favoring both academic achievement and adaptive behaviors. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the quality of teacher-student relationships, as perceived by pupils, on academic achievement, and problem and prosocial behaviors during the relevant school transition. The sample consisted of 122 students (55% female). We employed a self-report questionnaire to collect information on: demographic characteristics, quality of the relationship with teachers, problem and prosocial behaviors, and academic achievement. Students filled in the questionnaires twice: once during the 8th grade and 1 year later, during their first year of high school (9th grade). Regression analyses indicated that both average and varying levels of closeness with teachers significantly predicted changes in academic achievement: A perceived increase in closeness in 9th grade, as well as a higher mean closeness level, was associated with an increase in academic achievement. In turn, an increase in the level of perceived conflict with teachers significantly predicted an increase in conduct problems and hyperactive behaviors. This study supports the significance of student-teacher relationships as a protective factor during students' transition to high-school. Our findings also highlight the importance of relationship quality in preventing students' risk of school failure.

Illinois High School Principals' Perceptions of Alternative Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlton, Lawrence W.

2009-01-01

This study examined Illinois high school principals' perceptions of the growth, quality, advantages and disadvantages of alternative learning environments. In this study, alternative learning environments involved the use of both synchronous and asynchronous modes of communication for course delivery. Synchronous modes of instructional delivery…

The Relationships between Emotional Intelligence and the Effectiveness of School Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flores, Juan P.

2009-01-01

The results of the assessment of the emotional intelligence of public school principals, the results of a school quality survey, and students' standardized reading and mathematics test scores from public elementary, middle, and high schools in Hawaii provided the data for determining if there is a relationship between the emotional intelligence of…

Creating High Functioning Schools: Practice and Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cano, Yvonne, Ed.; Wood, Fred H., Ed.; Simmons, Jan C., Ed.

This book contains 17 papers, chosen from those presented within the last 2 years at the annual National Conference on Creating the Quality School, hosted by the Center for the Study of Small/Rural Schools at the University of Oklahoma. The papers are grouped into three sections: leadership for school improvement; classroom practices for school…

Realizing the Promise of Brand-Name Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Steven F.

2005-01-01

The proliferation of high-quality independent charter schools is constrained by the shortage of founders committed to evidence-based school designs and possessing the broad-ranging skills to make good on their audacious plans. The time and energies of such exceptional leaders are deployed over years in building schools that rarely reach more than…

Towards a Stimulating Policy for Self-Evaluation in Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Petegem, Peter

This paper explores the development of policy to facilitate self-examination by schools. The context is that of Flanders (Belgium), although there are implications for other school systems. In Flanders, more and more schools are becoming autonomous as they are being given some responsibility for providing high quality education, the supervision of…

Insights into the Role of Research and Development in Teaching Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Matt

2017-01-01

Evidence-informed practice is now regarded as instrumental to school reform efforts both in England and elsewhere (Greany, 2015). This is especially important given the focus on school self-improvement coupled with a drive for high-quality teaching within a devolved, and increasingly autonomous, education system. Teaching schools are outstanding…

The Relationship between ISO 9000 Participation and Educational Outcomes of Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bae, Sang Hoon

2007-01-01

Purpose: The study seeks to examine the relationship between the implementation of the ISO 9000 quality management system and educational outcomes of schools, measured by student achievement on the state-mandated tests and school attendance rates--graduation rates, in the case of high schools. Design/methodology/approach: The study was conducted…

The Money Myth: School Resources, Outcomes, and Equity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grubb, W. Norton

2009-01-01

Can money buy high-quality education? Studies find only a weak relationship between public school funding and educational outcomes. In "The Money Myth", W. Norton Grubb proposes a powerful paradigm shift in the way we think about why some schools thrive and others fail. The greatest inequalities in America's schools lie in factors other…

Increased Learning Time under Stimulus-Funded School Improvement Grants: High Hopes, Varied Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMurrer, Jennifer

2012-01-01

Research has long suggested that significantly increasing quality time in school for teaching and learning can have a positive impact on student achievement. Recognizing this connection, federal guidance requires low-performing schools to increase student learning time if they are implementing two popular reform models using school improvement…

R&D: Welcoming Immigrant Students with a High-Quality Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Stacey J.; Walsh, Daniel

2016-01-01

The Internationals Network for Public Schools has a reputation for engaging in culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy with immigrant youth. The 19 schools in the internationals school network serve the unique academic and emotional needs of recently arrived immigrant youth who are English language learners. INPS schools are in New York,…

Community Schools: Improving Student Learning/Strengthening Schools, Families, and Communities. A Handbook for State Policy Leaders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coalition for Community Schools, Washington, DC.

This handbook is designed to help state leaders form vital connections between schools and communities to improve student learning. It explains that community schools are beneficial because they meet students' basic needs, including safety; offer high quality curriculum and teaching aligned with academic standards; provide learning experiences…

Guidelines for preparing high school psychology teachers: course-based and standards-based approaches.

PubMed

2013-01-01

Psychology is one of the most popular elective high school courses. The high school psychology course provides the foundation for students to benefit from psychological perspectives on personal and contemporary issues and learn the rules of evidence and theoretical frameworks of the discipline. The guidelines presented here constitute the second of two reports in this issue of the American Psychologist (January 2013) representing recent American Psychological Association (APA) policies that support high-quality instruction in the teaching of high school psychology. These guidelines, aligned to the standards presented in the preceding report, describe models for the preparation of preservice psychology teachers. The two reports together demonstrate the rigor and competency that should be expected in psychology instruction at the high school level.

National standards for high school psychology curricula.

PubMed

2013-01-01

The National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula attempts to represent current knowledge in the field of psychology in developmentally appropriate ways. Psychology is a popular high school course, one that can introduce students to scientific ideas and engage students in the learning process. However, it is difficult for even the best of teachers to present all of psychology in a single course for students who begin with virtually no formal knowledge of psychology. The standards presented here constitute the first of two reports in this issue of the American Psychologist (January 2013) representing recent American Psychological Association (APA) policies that support high-quality instruction in the teaching of high school psychology. These standards provide curricular benchmarks for student learning in the high school course.

Lifestyle, quality of life, nutritional status and headache in school-age children.

PubMed

Castro, Kamila; Rockett, Fernanda C; Billo, Maira; Oliveira, Gabriela T; Klein, Luciana S; Parizotti, Cristiane S; Perla, Alexandre S; Perry, Ingrid D S

2013-01-01

Headache has been described as a factor with significant negative impact on the quality of life of school-aged children with a high risk of developing in chronic and persistent form in adulthood. Among other headache associated triggers or aggravating factors, lifestyle and obesity has been investigated, but results are still conflicting. To evaluate the prevalence of headache in school-aged children and its relationship to anthropometric characteristics, lifestyle, and quality of life. A cross-sectional study was conducted in six schools located in two cities in southern Brazil, involving 750 students aged 7 to 14 years. Information was collected on sociodemographic characteristics, clinical variables (presence of headache and menarche), anthropometric data, lifestyle, and quality of life. A total of 185 (24.7%) students reported having headache crises in the last 3 months. Among students aged 10 to 14 years, presence of headache was associated with female sex, affecting 32.2% of girls vs. 23.3% of boys (p = 0.042, chi-square test). Anthropometric parameters (data on overweight/obesity) were consistent with national prevalence rates, and there was no association between Body Mass Index (BMI) and headache. Regarding lifestyle, 2.0% of students reported smoking and 1.6% consuming alcohol occasionally, and neither was associated with headache. Quality of life, especially aspects of social life, appeared to be affected by the presence of headache. This study found a high prevalence of headache in school-aged children, which was associated with female students aged 10-14 years and quality of life. Copyright © AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2013. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

Comprehensive Solutions for Urban Reform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kilgore, Sally

2005-01-01

The comprehensive school reform (CSR) models build consistency throughout a district while addressing the needs of individual schools. The high-quality CSR programs offer a most effective option for urban education reform.

Recovery Act: Cedarville School District Retrofit of Heating and Cooling Systems with Geothermal Heat Pumps and Ground Source Water Loops

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jarrell, Mark

Cedarville School District retrofitted the heating and cooling systems in three campus areas (High School, Middle School, and Upper Elementary School) with geothermal heat pumps and ground source water loops, as a demonstration project for the effective implementation of geothermal heat pump systems and other energy efficiency and air quality improvements.

A Comparative Analysis of Competency Frameworks for Youth Workers in the Out-of-School Time Field

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vance, Femi

2010-01-01

Research suggests that the quality of out-of-school time (OST) programs is related to positive youth outcomes and skilled staff are a critical component of high quality programming. This descriptive case study of competency frameworks for youth workers in the OST field demonstrates how experts and practitioners characterize a skilled youth worker.…

Supporting Excellence: A Framework for Developing, Implementing, and Sustaining a High-Quality District Curriculum. First Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council of the Great City Schools, 2017

2017-01-01

In the ongoing effort to improve instructional standards in our nation's urban public schools, the Council of the Great City Schools has released resources to help districts determine the quality and alignment of instructional materials at each grade level; to ensure that materials for English language learners are rigorous and aligned to district…

Quality of Work-Life Programs in U.S. Medical Schools: Review and Case Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Otto, Ann; Bourguet, Claire

2006-01-01

Quality of work life is being recognized more and more as a driving factor in the recruitment and retention of highly qualified employees. Before Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine began development of its QWL initiative, it surveyed other medical schools across the U.S. to determine benchmarks of best practices in these programs.…

A Comparison of Initial and Early Life Course Earnings of the German Secondary Education and Training System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooke, L. P.

2003-01-01

Using the German ScoioEconomic Panel, analyzes initial wage levels based on school quality and training for two cohorts of nonuniversity young adults, 1984 versus 1994. Finds, for example, that for the 1994 cohort, formal vocational certification is an important predictor of higher initial wages for both high- and low-quality school tracks.…

Evaluation of English Achievement Test: A Comparison between High and Low Achievers amongst Selected Elementary School Students of Pakistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haider, Zubair; Latif, Farah; Akhtar, Samina; Mushtaq, Maria

2012-01-01

Validity, reliability and item analysis are critical to the process of evaluating the quality of an educational measurement. The present study evaluates the quality of an assessment constructed to measure elementary school student's achievement in English. In this study, the survey model of descriptive research was used as a research method.…

The Association between Externalizing Behavior Problems, Teacher-Student Relationship Quality, and Academic Performance in Young Urban Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanchez Fowler, Laura T.; Banks, Tachelle I.; Anhalt, Karla; Der, Heidi Hinrichs; Kalis, Tara

2008-01-01

The present study examined the relation between teacher ratings of student social functioning and academic performance and teacher-student relationship quality. Data were collected from 230 students and 20 teachers in two high-poverty, low-performing schools in a large urban school district in the Midwest. Students were 93% African American.…

Quality Early Childhood Education in Costa Rica? Policy, Practice, Outcomes and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

San Francisco, Andrea Rolla; Arias, Melissa; Villers, Renata

2005-01-01

High-quality early childhood education has been shown to improve school outcomes in several developing and developed nations. The history of policy around pre-school education in Costa Rica is described as background to presenting cross-sectional data on the emergent literacy skills of low-income Costa Rican children in kindergarten, 1st and 2nd…

Providing Rural Students with a High Quality Education: The Rural Perspective on the Concept of Educational Adequacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malhoit, Gregory C.

2005-01-01

Current means of determining the level of state education funding have denied millions of the nation's children access to a quality education by not providing schools with the resources they need to properly educate all children. It has also created and perpetuated wide gaps in education funding between wealthy and poor school districts. The…

76 FR 35234 - Notice of Web Availability: Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for HUD's Fiscal Year (FY) 2011...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-16

...' health, safety, employment, mobility, and education; and 3. Neighborhood: Transform distressed, high..., high quality public schools and education programs, high quality early learning programs and services..., communities must develop and implement a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization strategy, or Transformation...

A Tale of Two Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koepke, Mary

1990-01-01

The experiences of two Colorado high school English teachers (one public and one private) are compared. Although the schools are similar socioeconomically, many differences impact the job, teacher responsibilities, and quality of life. In general, the private school allows more teacher creativity and individual time with students. (SM)

Effective Schools. What Makes a Public School Work Well?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Our Children, 1998

1998-01-01

Most effective schools share a number of key characteristics, including clear-cut goals and objectives, adequate funding and financial management, quality academic programs, valid assessment programs, parent and family involvement, teacher and staff development, high expectations for students, community involvement, comprehensive support services,…

Music Education for All?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bledsoe, Ryan N.

2015-01-01

School music programs are changing. For years the music education profession has emphasized large ensemble experiences for reasons that include quality of music making, sense of community, and individual and collective pride for many of the students involved. As a high school saxophonist, I valued that experience, but other high school…

Where the Money Is

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Kurtz

2018-01-01

This article describes a grantmanship framework for high school science educators. The scenario described illustrates the importance of grant writing in an era of increased school accountability and tightened purse strings. The framework presented can be used for most STEM-related projects and can guide educators toward high-quality instruction…

Turnaround Arts Initiative: Summary of Key Findings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoelinga, Sara Ray; Silk, Yael; Reddy, Prateek; Rahman, Nadiv

2015-01-01

Turnaround Arts is a public-private partnership that aims to test the hypothesis that strategically implementing high-quality and integrated arts education programming in high-poverty, chronically underperforming schools adds significant value to school-wide reform. In 2014, the Turnaround Arts initiative completed an evaluation report covering…

High School Start Times and the Impact on High School Students: What We Know, and What We Hope to Learn.

PubMed

Morgenthaler, Timothy I; Hashmi, Sarah; Croft, Janet B; Dort, Leslie; Heald, Jonathan L; Mullington, Janet

2016-12-15

Several organizations have provided recommendations to ensure high school starts no sooner than 08:30. However, although there are plausible biological reasons to support such recommendations, published recommendations have been based largely on expert opinion and a few observational studies. We sought to perform a critical review of published evidence regarding the effect of high school start times on sleep and other relevant outcomes. We performed a broad literature search to identify 287 candidate publications for inclusion in our review, which focused on studies offering direct comparison of sleep time, academic or physical performance, behavioral health measures, or motor vehicular accidents in high school students. Where possible, outcomes were combined for meta-analysis. After application of study criteria, only 18 studies were suitable for review. Eight studies were amenable to meta-analysis for some outcomes. We found that later school start times, particularly when compared with start times more than 60 min earlier, are associated with longer weekday sleep durations, lower weekday-weekend sleep duration differences, reduced vehicular accident rates, and reduced subjective daytime sleepiness. Improvement in academic performance and behavioral issues is less established. The literature regarding effect of school start time delays on important aspects of high school life suggests some salutary effects, but often the evidence is indirect, imprecise, or derived from cohorts of convenience, making the overall quality of evidence weak or very weak. This review highlights a need for higher-quality data upon which to base important and complex public health decisions. © 2016 American Academy of Sleep Medicine

Premigration School Quality, Time Spent in the United States, and the Math Achievement of Immigrant High School Students.

PubMed

Bozick, Robert; Malchiodi, Alessandro; Miller, Trey

2016-10-01

Using a nationally representative sample of 1,189 immigrant youth in American high schools, we examine whether the quality of education in their country of origin is related to post-migration math achievement in the 9th grade. To measure the quality of their education in the country of origin, we use country-specific average test scores from two international assessments: the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). We find that the average PISA or TIMSS scores for immigrant youth's country of origin are positively associated with their performance on the 9th grade post-migration math assessment. We also find that each year spent in the United States is positively associated with performance on the 9th grade post-migration math assessment, but this effect is strongest for immigrants from countries with low PISA/TIMSS scores.

Honoring Progress: An Update on the NGA Center Honor States. Volume 1, Issue 5

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartney, Michael, Ed.

2007-01-01

This bimonthly newsletter provides information about the progress of the Honor States Grant Program, a governor-led effort to improve college--and work-ready graduation rates. This issue spotlights the "supply-side" of high school redesign, exploring how state policymakers are working to expand the supply of high-quality high schools.…

The High-­Performing Preschool: Story Acting in Head Start Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNamee, Gillian Dowley

2015-01-01

"The High-Performing Preschool" takes readers into the lives of three- and four-year-old Head Start students during their first year of school and focuses on the centerpiece of their school day: story acting. In this activity, students act out stories from high-quality children's literature as well as stories dictated by their peers.…

Assessing the Writing Competence of High School Students: Lorain's EECAP, Its History and Implementation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valentino, Marilyn J.

In response to a nationwide concern for quality education and academic preparedness, the Ohio State Board of Education created in 1983 the Early English Composition Assessment Program (EECAP) for improving the writing competency of exiting high school students. Faculty from more than 15 two- and four-year institutions and many more high schools…

Successful Magnet High Schools. Innovations in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

US Department of Education, 2008

2008-01-01

Lack of relevant course work is a top reason why high school students drop out, and studies have shown that low-income and minority students are less likely to be enrolled in college preparatory curricula than their more affluent peers. In today's world, it is critical to ensure that all students have access to a rigorous, high-quality education…

Does Secondary School Size Make a Difference? A Systematic Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newman, M.; Garrett, Z.; Elbourne, D.; Bradley, S.; Noden, P.; Taylor, J.; West, A.

2006-01-01

There is a vast body of literature on school size but comparatively few high quality empirical studies comparing outcomes in schools of different sizes. This systematic review synthesizes the results of the published research from 31 studies on the effects of secondary school size from OECD countries since 1990. Overall the directions and patterns…

The Quality of School Life in Experimental and Traditional Schools in Western Germany.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scheerer, Hansjorg

Student perceptions of educational opportunities in contrasting educational settings in West Germany are explored. Two types of schools predominate in the Federal Republic of Germany. One type, the traditional, is characterized by a high degree of state control of the curriculum, teacher training, years of schooling, and number and type of…

Teaching Practices in Kindergarten and First Grade: Different Strokes for Different Folks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stipek, D.

2004-01-01

This study assessed the nature of instruction in 314 kindergarten and first-grade classrooms from 155 schools in 48 school districts in three states. The schools served a relatively high proportion of low-income children and children of color. Despite the restricted range in student populations served, qualities of the schools and observed…

An Urban Schools-University Partnership that Prepares and Retains Quality Teachers for "High Need" Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helfeldt, John P.; Capraro, Robert M.; Capraro, Mary Margaret; Foster, Elizabeth; Carter, Norvella

2009-01-01

This article describes a full-time teaching internship program, where, in lieu of student teaching, interns serve as classroom teachers in urban area schools. Through a partnership between a university and participating school districts, all interns received intensive mentoring and induction during their first year. Among the program results, were…

Parents' Perspectives of School Mental Health Promotion Initiatives Are Related to Parents' Self-Assessed Parenting Capabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Askell-Williams, Helen

2016-01-01

Achieving broad-scale parent engagement with school initiatives has proven elusive. This article reports survey data from 287 Maltese parents about their perceptions of the quality of their child's school's initiatives for promoting students' wellbeing and mental health. Findings indicate that, on average, parents rated school initiatives highly.…

76 FR 40898 - Final Priorities, Requirements, and Selection Criteria; Charter Schools Program (CSP) Grants for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-12

... schools. (3) A multi-year financial and operating model for the organization, a demonstrated commitment of... school model and to expand the number of high-quality charter schools available to students across the... percent threshold in this priority is consistent with the average percentage of students in large urban...

The Impact of School Facilities on the Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vandiver, Bert

2011-01-01

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the impact of the quality of facilities on the educational environment in high schools located in northeast Texas. The intent of this research study was to determine the relationship between school facilities and the school-learning environment. This study was a mixed method research that used…

Conference on the Teaching of History (North Texas State University, Denton, Texas).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGee, Robert T.

Professional historians and public school personnel must combine efforts to improve the teaching of history in the public schools. Because no more than one-half of all high school graduates enter college, it is important for the public schools to provide quality history education. Recent research by groups such as the National Assessment of…

Increasing the Admission Rate to Upper Secondary School: The Case of Lower Secondary School Student Career Guidance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoest, Anders; Jensen, Vibeke Myrup; Nielsen, Lisbeth Palmhoej

2013-01-01

Although several studies investigate the effects of school resources on student performance, these studies tend to focus more on intervention effect sizes than on their cost-effectiveness. Exploiting policy-induced variation in Denmark and using high-quality administrative data, we investigate the effects of a school intervention that introduces…

Are High-Quality Schools Enough?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bracey, Gerald W.

2009-01-01

In this article, the author talks about "the Harlem miracle" described by "New York Times" columnist David Brooks and the big effects produced by no-excuses schools. The author first examines "economic inequality" in Berliner's (2009) more specific terms--seven out-of-school factors that affect achievement. These are:…

JOC Be Nimble, JOC Be Quick

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schreyer, Paul R.

2012-01-01

Given our aging and crowded schools, today's administrators have to focus their attention on modernizing facilities. The Job Order Contracting (JOC) procurement method allows school administrators to complete a large number of high quality maintenance projects quickly with a single, competitively bid contract. The JOC process fits schools' unique…

Lives at Risk: High School Dropouts in the Northern Plains Region

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schumacher, Bruce Ralph

2012-01-01

Education is essential to personal welfare. As educational levels increase, personal income rises, the quality of life improves, and society benefits as criminality declines, tax income increases, and the cost of social programs decreases. Unfortunately, every year thousands of students leave high school without graduating. Various factors place…

Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts: End of Year Report, 2009-2010

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2010

2010-01-01

Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts was created to provide research-based, high quality pre-kindergarten opportunities to at-risk children across the commonwealth by leveraging the existing early education services in schools, Keystone STARS child care programs, Head Start, and licensed nursery schools. The standards are high and the accountability…

Inside Student Government: The Variable Quality of High School Student Councils

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McFarland, Daniel; Starmanns, Carlos E.

2009-01-01

Background/Context: Student governments are the first direct experience that youth have of representative government. However, very little research has been done on student councils in spite of their ubiquity in American high schools and consistent references to their positive effects on the political socialization of youth.…

Attachment Contexts of Adolescent Friendship and Romance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Judi Beinstein; Hoicowitz, Tova

2004-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare memories of attachments to parents, friends, and romantic partners in relation to the maintenance of high school friendships and romantic relationships. College students recorded the length of their friendships and romantic relationships during high school and rated the quality of each. They also rated…

Project Water Science. General Science High School Level.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Water Education Foundation, Sacramento, CA.

This teacher's guide presents 12 hands-on laboratory activities for high school science classes that cover the environmental issue of water resources in California. The activities are separated into three sections. Five activities in the section on water quality address the topics of groundwater, water hardness, bottled water, water purity, and…

Testing Overload in America's Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lazarín, Melissa

2014-01-01

It appears that schools and families are at a crossroads when it comes to testing. High-quality assessments generate rich data and can provide valuable information about student progress to teachers and parents, support accountability, promote high expectations, and encourage equity for students of color and low-income students. But it is…

Science Labs: Beyond Isolationism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavanagh, Sean

2007-01-01

A national study released in 2005 concluded that most high school students are not exposed to high quality science labs because of these reasons: (a) poor school facilities and organizations; (b) weak teacher preparation; (c) poor design; (d) cluttered state standards; (e) little representation on state tests; and (f) scarce evidence of what…

Social Equity and Access to a Philippine STEM School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Talaue, Frederick Toralballa

2014-01-01

Like most developing countries in the world, there is a huge gap in opportunities to access quality science education between students from the high- and low-socioeconomic strata of Philippine society. In establishing its own science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) high school, despite limited public funding in 1964, the…

High School Student Information Access and Engineering Design Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mentzer, Nathan

2014-01-01

Developing solutions to engineering design problems requires access to information. Research has shown that appropriately accessing and using information in the design process improves solution quality. This quasi-experimental study provides two groups of high school students with a design problem in a three hour design experience. One group has…

Colorado Employability Skills Survey. Report of Results.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hulsart, Richard; Bauman, Paul

Interviews were conducted with employers and military personnel to obtain information regarding basic skills needed in entry-level jobs available to young people with a high school education. Information was also obtained from young entry-level employees and military recruits on the quality of their high school preparation in basic employment…

Reclaiming Senior Year

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Andrea, Kathleen

2005-01-01

The new learning opportunities that feed mind, body and soul helps the senior students develop the resiliency and intellectual qualities they need to make a healthy transition to post-high school life. The Monsignor Donovan High School in Toms River, New Jersey, has provided creative learning opportunities to seniors, which has planted in them the…

Profiles of Kindergarten Classroom and Elementary School Contexts: Associations with the First-Grade Outcomes of Children Transitioning from Head Start

PubMed Central

Lee, Phyllis; Bierman, Karen L.

2018-01-01

Poor quality classroom and school contexts may impede the academic and behavioral adjustment of low-income students when they transition into kindergarten. Several studies have examined the impact of teacher-student interactions on student progress, whereas others have explored the impact of school-level adversity (e.g., student poverty, school achievement levels). Expanding on prior findings, this study used latent profile analysis to characterize kindergarten contexts in terms of both classroom teacher-student interaction quality and school-level adversity. Following 164 children longitudinally and accounting for functioning in Head Start prior to kindergarten entry, associations between kindergarten context profiles and first grade outcomes revealed that children who experienced dual-risk contexts in kindergarten (classrooms with poor quality teacher-student interactions in schools with high levels of adversity) demonstrated the greatest aggression and social difficulties in first grade. Associations between kindergarten context profiles and first grade academic outcomes were less clear. PMID:29731516

Grantmakers and Thought Leaders on Out-of-School Time: Survey & Interview Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Traphagen, Kathleen

2014-01-01

It is often noted that children spend most of their waking hours out of school. What they do during non-school hours is important, because access to high-quality learning, both in and out-of-school, is key to cognitive, social-emotional, and physical development. In the United States today, demand for after-school programs outstrips supply: 8.4…

Poverty, School Size and Charter Designation as Predictors of Student Achievement on a Statewide High-Stakes Testing Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chamberlin, James L.

2007-01-01

Over the past five years the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) has used the results of the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) to rate public school performance on the School Accountability Report (SAR). The public often considers the school ratings as indicative of the school's quality. There appears to be a lack of quantitative…

A synthesis of existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses of school-based behavioural interventions for controlling and preventing obesity.

PubMed

Khambalia, A Z; Dickinson, S; Hardy, L L; Gill, T; Baur, L A

2012-03-01

Schools are an attractive and popular setting for implementing interventions for children. There is a growing body of empirical research exploring the efficacy of school-based obesity prevention programs. While there have been several reviews on the topic, findings remain mixed. To examine the quality of evidence and compare the findings from existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses of school-based programs in the prevention and control of childhood obesity. This paper systematically appraises the methodology and conclusions of literature reviews examining the effectiveness of school-based obesity interventions published in English in peer-reviewed journals between January 1990 and October 2010. Eight reviews were examined, three meta-analyses and five systematic reviews. All of the reviews recognized that studies were heterogeneous in design, participants, intervention and outcomes. Intervention components in the school setting associated with a significant reduction of weight in children included long-term interventions with combined diet and physical activity and a family component. Several reviews also found gender differences in response to interventions. Of the eight reviews, five were deemed of high quality and yet limited evidence was found on which to base recommendations. As no single intervention will fit all schools and populations, further high-quality research needs to focus on identifying specific program characteristics predictive of success. © 2011 The Authors. obesity reviews © 2011 International Association for the Study of Obesity.

Moving up the Ladder: How Do States Deliver Quality Improvement Supports within Their Quality Rating and Improvement Systems? Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holod, Aleksandra; Faria, Ann-Marie; Weinberg, Emily; Howard, Eboni

2015-01-01

As national attention has increasingly focused on the potential for high-quality early childhood education (ECE) to improve children's school readiness, states have developed quality rating and improvement systems (QRISs) to document the quality of ECE programs, support systematic quality improvement, and provide clear information to families…

Contemporary Commercial Music Singing Students-Voice Quality and Vocal Function at the Beginning of Singing Training.

PubMed

Sielska-Badurek, Ewelina M; Sobol, Maria; Olszowska, Katarzyna; Niemczyk, Kazimierz

2017-10-03

The purpose of this study was to assess the voice quality and the vocal tract function in popular singing students at the beginning of their singing training at the High School of Music. This is a retrospective cross-sectional study. The study consisted of 45 popular singing students (35 females and 10 males, mean age: 19.9 ± 2.8 years). They were assessed in the first 2 months of their 4-year singing training at the High School of Music, between 2013 and 2016. Voice quality and vocal tract function were evaluated using videolaryngostroboscopy, palpation of the vocal tract structures, the perceptual speaking and singing voice assessment, acoustic analysis, maximal phonation time, the Voice Handicap Index, and the Singing Voice Handicap Index (SVHI). Twenty-two percent of Contemporary Commercial Music singing students began their education in the High School, with vocal nodules. Palpation of the vocal tract structure showed in 50% correct motions and tension in speaking and in 39.3% in singing. Perceptual voice assessment showed in 80% proper speaking voice quality and in 82.4% proper singing voice quality. The mean vocal fundamental frequency while speaking in females was 214 Hz and in males was 116 Hz. Dysphonia Severity Index was at the level of 2, and maximum phonation time was 17.7 seconds. The Voice Handicap Index and the SVHI remained within the normal range: 7.5 and 19, respectively. Perceptual singing voice assessment correlated with the SVHI (P = 0.006). Twenty-two percent of the Contemporary Commercial Music singing students began their education in the High School, with organic vocal fold lesions. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Back schools for non-specific low-back pain.

PubMed

Heymans, M W; van Tulder, M W; Esmail, R; Bombardier, C; Koes, B W

2004-10-18

Since the introduction of the Swedish back school in 1969, back schools have frequently been used for treating patients with low-back pain (LBP). However, the content of back schools has changed and appears to vary widely today. To assess the effectiveness of back schools for patients with non-specific LBP. We searched the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to May 2003 for relevant trials reported in English, Dutch, French or German. We also screened references from relevant reviews and included trials. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that reported on any type of back school for non-specific LBP were included. Four reviewers, blinded to authors, institution and journal, independently extracted the data and assessed the quality of the trials. We set the high quality level, a priori, at a trial meeting six or more of 11 internal validity criteria. As data were clinically and statistically too heterogeneous to perform a meta-analysis, we used a qualitative review (best evidence synthesis) to summarize the results. The evidence was classified into four levels (strong, moderate, limited or no evidence), taking into account the methodological quality of the studies. We also evaluated the clinical relevance of the studies. Nineteen RCTs (3584 patients) were included in this updated review. Overall, the methodological quality was low, with only six trials considered to be high quality. It was not possible to perform relevant subgroup analyses for LBP with radiation versus LBP without radiation. The results indicate that there is moderate evidence suggesting that back schools have better short and intermediate-term effects on pain and functional status than other treatments for patients with recurrent and chronic LBP. There is moderate evidence suggesting that back schools for chronic LBP in an occupational setting, are more effective than other treatments and placebo or waiting list controls on pain, functional status and return to work during short and intermediate-term follow-up. In general, the clinical relevance of the studies was rated as insufficient. There is moderate evidence suggesting that back schools, in an occupational setting, reduce pain, and improve function and return-to-work status, in the short and intermediate-term, compared to exercises, manipulation, myofascial therapy, advice, placebo or waiting list controls, for patients with chronic and recurrent LBP. However, future trials should improve methodological quality and clinical relevance and evaluate the cost-effectiveness of back schools.

Where has all the chocolate gone? A national survey assesses the effects of recent legislation to improve the nutritional quality of English secondary-school vending.

PubMed

Matthews, Anne; Nelson, Michael; Kaur, Asha; Rayner, Mike; Kelly, Paul; Cowburn, Gill

2011-08-01

Obesity levels are rising in almost all parts of the world, including the UK. School food offers children in Great Britain between 25 % and 33 % of their total daily energy, with vending typically offering products high in fat, salt or sugar. Government legislation of 2007 to improve the quality of school food now restricts what English schools can vend. In assessing the effect of this legislation on the quality of English secondary-school vending provision, the response of schools to these effects is explored through qualitative data. A longitudinal postal and visit-based inventory survey of schools collected vending data during the academic year 2006-2007 (pre-legislation), 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 (both post-legislation). Interviews with school staff explored issues of compliance. Product categorisation and analysis were carried out by product type, nutrient profiling and by categories of foods allowed or prohibited by the legislation. English secondary schools. A representative sample of 279 schools including sixty-two researcher-visited inventory schools participated in the research. School vending seems to have moved towards compliance with the new standards - now drinks vending predominates and is largely compliant, whereas food vending is significantly reduced and is mostly non-compliant. Sixth form vending takes a disproportionate share of non-compliance. Vending has declined overall, as some schools now perceive food vending as uneconomic. Schools adopting a 'whole-school' approach appeared the most successful in implementing the new standards. Government legislation has achieved significant change towards improving the quality of English school vending, with the unintended consequence of reducing provision.

High School Start Times and the Impact on High School Students: What We Know, and What We Hope to Learn

PubMed Central

Morgenthaler, Timothy I.; Hashmi, Sarah; Croft, Janet B.; Dort, Leslie; Heald, Jonathan L.; Mullington, Janet

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: Several organizations have provided recommendations to ensure high school starts no sooner than 08:30. However, although there are plausible biological reasons to support such recommendations, published recommendations have been based largely on expert opinion and a few observational studies. We sought to perform a critical review of published evidence regarding the effect of high school start times on sleep and other relevant outcomes. Methods: We performed a broad literature search to identify 287 candidate publications for inclusion in our review, which focused on studies offering direct comparison of sleep time, academic or physical performance, behavioral health measures, or motor vehicular accidents in high school students. Where possible, outcomes were combined for meta-analysis. Results: After application of study criteria, only 18 studies were suitable for review. Eight studies were amenable to meta-analysis for some outcomes. We found that later school start times, particularly when compared with start times more than 60 min earlier, are associated with longer weekday sleep durations, lower weekday-weekend sleep duration differences, reduced vehicular accident rates, and reduced subjective daytime sleepiness. Improvement in academic performance and behavioral issues is less established. Conclusions: The literature regarding effect of school start time delays on important aspects of high school life suggests some salutary effects, but often the evidence is indirect, imprecise, or derived from cohorts of convenience, making the overall quality of evidence weak or very weak. This review highlights a need for higher-quality data upon which to base important and complex public health decisions. Citation: Morgenthaler TI, Hashmi S, Croft JB, Dort L, Heald JL, Mullington J. High school start times and the impact on high school students: what we know, and what we hope to learn. J Clin Sleep Med 2016;12(12):1681–1689. PMID:27855730

Vermont EPSCoR Streams Project: Engaging High School and Undergraduate Students in Watershed Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ray, E.; McCabe, D.; Sheldon, S.; Jankowski, K.; Haselton, L.; Luck, M.; van Houten, J.

2009-12-01

The Vermont EPSCoR Streams Project engages a diverse group of undergraduates, high school students, and their teachers in hands-on water quality research and exposes them to the process of science. The project aims to (1) recruit students to science careers and (2) create a water quality database comprised of high-quality data collected by undergraduates and high school groups. The project is the training and outreach mechanism of the Complex Systems Modeling for Environmental Problem Solving research program, an NSF-funded program at the University of Vermont (UVM) that provides computational strategies and fresh approaches for understanding how natural and built environments interact. The Streams Project trains participants to collect and analyze data from streams throughout Vermont and at limited sites in Connecticut, New York, and Puerto Rico. Participants contribute their data to an online database and use it to complete individual research projects that focus on the effect of land use and precipitation patterns on selected measures of stream water quality. All undergraduates and some high school groups are paired with a mentor, who is either a graduate student or a faculty member at UVM or other college. Each year, undergraduate students and high school groups are trained to (1) collect water and macroinvertebrate samples from streams, (2) analyze water samples for total phosphorus, bacteria, and total suspended solids in an analytical laboratory, and/or (3) use geographic information systems (GIS) to assess landscape-level data for their watersheds. After training, high school groups collect samples from stream sites on a twice-monthly basis while undergraduates conduct semi-autonomous field and laboratory research. High school groups monitor sites in two watersheds with contrasting land uses. Undergraduate projects are shaped by the interests of students and their mentors. Contribution to a common database provides students with the option to expand the scope of their analyses and produce more powerful results than any one team could have produced alone. The year of research culminates in a final project that is presented at a symposium. The project is in its second year and has received positive feedback from outside reviewers. Participants leave the project with a greater understanding of watershed research. Immediate outcomes include nearly 60 participant projects, an online publicly-accessible shared dataset, and Web-based macroinvertebrate identification keys. We found that the best training strategies make the material and concepts explicit. To this end, the project is enhancing its Web interface, which will soon include tutorials on water quality and an interactive map through which participants will have access to watershed-level spatial information such as land use, bedrock, soils, and transportation infrastructure. Ultimately, the data from the project can inform public debate and aid resource managers in implementing watershed restoration and protection projects.

HIDDEN DISPARITIES: HOW COURSES AND CURRICULA SHAPE OPPORTUNITIES IN MATHEMATICS DURING HIGH SCHOOL1

PubMed Central

Schiller, Kathryn S.; Schmidt, William H.; Muller, Chandra; Houang, Richard

2011-01-01

Efforts to promote academic achievement by increasing access to courses, especially in mathematics, may mask educational disparities if variations in curriculum are not also monitored. A multi-dimensional description of students’ mathematics curricula during high school was obtained from analyses of surveys, transcripts, and textbooks collected for a nationally representative study of adolescents during the mid-1990s. Few gaps in the number of years or credits in mathematics coursework were found. However, the quantity and cognitive challenge of instructional materials in textbooks adopted for those courses differed significantly both across and within mathematics tracks. Differences in the quality of curriculum accumulating during high school were also related to parents’ education level. Reducing such gaps in learning opportunities would require teachers to supplement adopted instructional materials to ensure that all students receive a high quality mathematics curriculum. PMID:23554547

Recruiting Minorities: What Explains Recent Trends in the Army and Navy?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asch, Beth J.; Heaton, Paul; Savych, Bogdan

2009-01-01

Since 2000, black representation among high-quality recruits in the Army has decreased, while Hispanic representation has increased; in the Navy, black representation has remained stable and Hispanic representation has increased. (Recruits are considered to be high-quality if they have graduated high school and score above average on the Armed…

George Washington Community High School: analysis of a partnership network.

PubMed

Bringle, Robert G; Officer, Starla D H; Grim, Jim; Hatcher, Julie A

2009-01-01

After five years with no public schools in their community, residents and neighborhood organizations of the Near Westside of Indianapolis advocated for the opening of George Washington Community High School (GWCHS). As a neighborhood in close proximity to the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, the Near Westside and campus worked together to address this issue and improve the educational success of youth. In fall 2000, GWCHS opened as a community school and now thrives as a national model, due in part to its network of community relationships. This account analyzes the development of the school by focusing on the relationships among the university, the high school, community organizations, and the residents of the Near Westside and highlights the unique partnership between the campus and school by defining the relational qualities and describing the network created to make sustainable changes with the high school.

Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harper, Meghan

2010-01-01

This article features "Pop Culture Universe," which received the 2009 Dartmouth Medal honoring the creation of a reference work of outstanding quality. School librarians will find "Pop Culture Universe" a wonderful resource for assisting middle school and high school students with research projects on significant historical events that focus on…

School Counselors' Perceptions of Their Role in Assisting Students with College Preparedness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McAllister, Tabatha Verchellean

2013-01-01

Access to quality precollege counseling is a crucial component of students' post-secondary educational planning. High school counselors provide educational planning and guidance to students which make them a valuable commodity to obtain information for students contemplating their postsecondary options (Hoyt, 2001). School counselors are…

Child Advocacy: An Essential Part of School Leadership.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Houston, Paul D.

1997-01-01

Notes school leaders have two jobs: creating and sustaining high-quality schools, and acting as a moral compass for community action in children's behalf. Suggests that since children head no political action committees, administrators must shed their manager image and devise solutions. Introduces six special essays by Robert Coles, Marian Wright…

The Performing School: The Effects of Market & Accountability Policies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Falabella, Alejandra

2014-01-01

Market and accountability educational reforms have proliferated around the globe, along with high expectations of solving countries' school quality deficits and inequities. In this paper I develop an analytical framework from a critical sociology angle for analyzing the effects of these policies within schools. First I discuss conceptually the…

Program Transition Challenges in International Baccalaureate Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hallinger, Philip; Lee, Moosung; Walker, Allan

2011-01-01

International Baccalaureate (IB) schools have experienced dramatic growth worldwide over the past decade in response to burgeoning demand for high-quality education with an international orientation. One increasingly common trend has found international schools adopting two or more of the three programs offered by the IB: the Diploma, Middle Years…

Professionality of Junior High School (SMP) Science Teacher in Preparing Instructional Design of Earth and Space Sciences (IPBA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marlina, L.; Liliasari; Tjasyono, B.; Hendayana, S.

2017-02-01

The teacher is one important factor in the provision of education in schools. Therefore, improving the quality of education means we need to enhance the quality and the professionalism of teachers. We offer a solution through education and training of junior high school science teachers in developing the instructional design of Earth and Space Sciences (IPBA). IPBA is part of the science subjects which is given to students from elementary school to college. This research is a preliminary study of junior high school science teacher professionalism in creating instructional design IPBA. Mixed method design is used to design the research. Preliminary studies conducted on junior high school science teacher in one MGMPs in South Sumatera, and the respondent are 18 teachers from 13 schools. The educational background of science teachers who teach IPBA not only from physical education but also biology and agriculture. The result of preliminary study showed that the ratio of teachers who teach IPBA are 56% from physic education, 39% from biology, and 5% from agriculture. The subjects of IPBA that considered difficult by teachers are the distribution of sun, moon, and satellite motion; specific processes in lithosphere and atmosphere; and the correlation between lithosphere and atmosphere with the environment. The teachers also face difficulty in preparing media, choosing the right methods in teaching IPBA.

How to Improve the Supply of High-Quality Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanushek, Eric Alan; Rivkin, Steven G.

2004-01-01

Virtually everybody interested in improving the performance of schools concentrates on the importance of teacher quality. Yet policy recommendations related to teacher quality frequently do not incorporate existing evidence about performance. This paper reviews the various strands of research related to teacher quality, including the role of…

Physical activity, diet and other behavioural interventions for improving cognition and school achievement in children and adolescents with obesity or overweight

PubMed Central

Martin, Anne; Booth, Josephine N; Laird, Yvonne; Sproule, John; Reilly, John J; Saunders, David H

2018-01-01

Background The global prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity is high. Lifestyle changes towards a healthy diet, increased physical activity and reduced sedentary activities are recommended to prevent and treat obesity. Evidence suggests that changing these health behaviours can benefit cognitive function and school achievement in children and adolescents in general. There are various theoretical mechanisms that suggest that children and adolescents with excessive body fat may benefit particularly from these interventions. Objectives To assess whether lifestyle interventions (in the areas of diet, physical activity, sedentary behaviour and behavioural therapy) improve school achievement, cognitive function (e.g. executive functions) and/or future success in children and adolescents with obesity or overweight, compared with standard care, waiting-list control, no treatment, or an attention placebo control group. Search methods In February 2017, we searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE and 15 other databases. We also searched two trials registries, reference lists, and handsearched one journal from inception. We also contacted researchers in the field to obtain unpublished data. Selection criteria We included randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of behavioural interventions for weight management in children and adolescents with obesity or overweight. We excluded studies in children and adolescents with medical conditions known to affect weight status, school achievement and cognitive function. We also excluded self- and parent-reported outcomes. Data collection and analysis Four review authors independently selected studies for inclusion. Two review authors extracted data, assessed quality and risks of bias, and evaluated the quality of the evidence using the GRADE approach. We contacted study authors to obtain additional information. We used standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. Where the same outcome was assessed across different intervention types, we reported standardised effect sizes for findings from single-study and multiple-study analyses to allow comparison of intervention effects across intervention types. To ease interpretation of the effect size, we also reported the mean difference of effect sizes for single-study outcomes. Main results We included 18 studies (59 records) of 2384 children and adolescents with obesity or overweight. Eight studies delivered physical activity interventions, seven studies combined physical activity programmes with healthy lifestyle education, and three studies delivered dietary interventions. We included five RCTs and 13 cluster-RCTs. The studies took place in 10 different countries. Two were carried out in children attending preschool, 11 were conducted in primary/elementary school-aged children, four studies were aimed at adolescents attending secondary/high school and one study included primary/elementary and secondary/high school-aged children. The number of studies included for each outcome was low, with up to only three studies per outcome. The quality of evidence ranged from high to very low and 17 studies had a high risk of bias for at least one item. None of the studies reported data on additional educational support needs and adverse events. Compared to standard practice, analyses of physical activity-only interventions suggested high-quality evidence for improved mean cognitive executive function scores. The mean difference (MD) was 5.00 scale points higher in an after-school exercise group compared to standard practice (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.68 to 9.32; scale mean 100, standard deviation 15; 116 children, 1 study). There was no statistically significant beneficial effect in favour of the intervention for mathematics, reading, or inhibition control. The standardised mean difference (SMD) for mathematics was 0.49 (95% CI -0.04 to 1.01; 2 studies, 255 children, moderate-quality evidence) and for reading was 0.10 (95% CI -0.30 to 0.49; 2 studies, 308 children, moderate-quality evidence). The MD for inhibition control was -1.55 scale points (95% CI -5.85 to 2.75; scale range 0 to 100; SMD -0.15, 95% CI -0.58 to 0.28; 1 study, 84 children, very low-quality evidence). No data were available for average achievement across subjects taught at school. There was no evidence of a beneficial effect of physical activity interventions combined with healthy lifestyle education on average achievement across subjects taught at school, mathematics achievement, reading achievement or inhibition control. The MD for average achievement across subjects taught at school was 6.37 points lower in the intervention group compared to standard practice (95% CI -36.83 to 24.09; scale mean 500, scale SD 70; SMD -0.18, 95% CI -0.93 to 0.58; 1 study, 31 children, low-quality evidence). The effect estimate for mathematics achievement was SMD 0.02 (95% CI -0.19 to 0.22; 3 studies, 384 children, very low-quality evidence), for reading achievement SMD 0.00 (95% CI -0.24 to 0.24; 2 studies, 284 children, low-quality evidence), and for inhibition control SMD -0.67 (95% CI -1.50 to 0.16; 2 studies, 110 children, very low-quality evidence). No data were available for the effect of combined physical activity and healthy lifestyle education on cognitive executive functions. There was a moderate difference in the average achievement across subjects taught at school favouring interventions targeting the improvement of the school food environment compared to standard practice in adolescents with obesity (SMD 0.46, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.66; 2 studies, 382 adolescents, low-quality evidence), but not with overweight. Replacing packed school lunch with a nutrient-rich diet in addition to nutrition education did not improve mathematics (MD -2.18, 95% CI -5.83 to 1.47; scale range 0 to 69; SMD -0.26, 95% CI -0.72 to 0.20; 1 study, 76 children, low-quality evidence) and reading achievement (MD 1.17, 95% CI -4.40 to 6.73; scale range 0 to 108; SMD 0.13, 95% CI -0.35 to 0.61; 1 study, 67 children, low-quality evidence). Authors' conclusions Despite the large number of childhood and adolescent obesity treatment trials, we were only able to partially assess the impact of obesity treatment interventions on school achievement and cognitive abilities. School and community-based physical activity interventions as part of an obesity prevention or treatment programme can benefit executive functions of children with obesity or overweight specifically. Similarly, school-based dietary interventions may benefit general school achievement in children with obesity. These findings might assist health and education practitioners to make decisions related to promoting physical activity and healthy eating in schools. Future obesity treatment and prevention studies in clinical, school and community settings should consider assessing academic and cognitive as well as physical outcomes. Healthy weight interventions for improving thinking skills and school performance in children and teenagers with obesity What is the aim of this review? The aim of this Cochrane Review was to find out if healthy weight interventions can improve thinking skills and school performance in children and teenagers with obesity. Cochrane researchers collected and analysed all relevant studies to answer this question. What are the key messages? This updated review provides some evidence that school programmes that encourage healthier child weight may also provide ‘co-benefits’ of thinking skills and school performance. However, we need more high-quality healthy-weight interventions that test thinking skills and school performance, as well as health outcomes. What was studied in this review? The number of children and teenagers with obesity is high worldwide. Some children and teenagers with obesity have health issues or are bullied because of their body weight. These experiences have been linked to problems in performing well in school, where they tend to perform less well in thinking tasks such as problem-solving. Physical activity and healthy eating benefit a healthy body weight and improve thinking skills and school performance in children with a healthy weight. Studies found that healthy-weight interventions can reduce obesity in children and teenagers, but it is unknown if and how well healthy-weight interventions can improve thinking skills and school performance in children and teenagers with obesity. What are the main results of this review? The review authors found 18 studies which included a total of 2384 children and teenagers with obesity. Five studies assigned individual children to intervention or control groups. Thirteen studies allocated entire classes, school or school districts to the intervention and control group. Of the 18 studies, 11 involved children at primary/elementary-school age. Eight studies offered physical activity interventions, seven studies combined physical activity programmes with healthy lifestyle education, and three studies offered dietary changes. The studies took place in 10 different countries. Seventeen studies had at least one flaw in how the study was done. This reduces the level of confidence we can have in the findings. Few studies shared the same type of school performance or thinking skills. Only three studies reported the same outcome. None of the studies reported on additional educational support needs and harmful events. We found that, compared with usual routine, physical activity interventions can lead to small improvements in problem-solving skills. This finding was based on high-quality evidence. Moderate-quality findings showed that physical activity interventions do not improve mathematics and reading achievement in children with obesity. Very low-quality evidence also suggested no benefits of physical activity interventions for improving uncontrolled behavioural responses. General school achievement was not reported in studies comparing physical activity interventions with standard practice. Studies that compared physical activity interventions plus healthy lifestyle education with standard practice were of low to very low quality. They showed no improvement in school achievement or uncontrolled behavioural responses in the intervention group compared to the control group. Problem-solving skills were not reported in studies comparing physical activity plus healthy lifestyle education with standard practice. Our findings indicate that changing knowledge about nutrition, and changing the food offered in schools can lead to moderate improvements in general school achievement of teenagers with obesity, when compared to standard school practice. Replacing packed school lunch with a nutrient-rich diet plus nutrition education did not improve mathematics and reading achievement of children with obesity. However, the quality of evidence for general school achievement, mathematics and reading was low. This means that future research is very likely to change the results, because included studies showed some methodological weaknesses (for example, small numbers of children and a high dropout of children from studies). Problem-solving skills and uncontrolled behavioural responses were not reported for dietary intervention studies. How up-to-date is this review? The review authors searched the scientific literature for relevant studies in February 2017. PMID:29499084

Towards a high quality high school workforce: A longitudinal, demographic analysis of U.S. public school physics teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rushton, Gregory T.; Rosengrant, David; Dewar, Andrew; Shah, Lisa; Ray, Herman E.; Sheppard, Keith; Watanabe, Lynn

2017-12-01

Efforts to improve the number and quality of the high school physics teaching workforce have taken several forms, including those sponsored by professional organizations. Using a series of large-scale teacher demographic data sets from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), this study sought to investigate trends in teacher quality at the national level in the two and a half decades between 1987 and 2012. Specifically, we investigated (i) details about the degree backgrounds, main teaching assignments, and experience levels of those assigned to teach physics; (ii) whether the proportion of those with certifications in physics as a fraction of the entire physics teaching workforce had changed; and (iii) if workforce diversity (with respect to race and gender) had changed over time. Our data indicate that trends in these domains have generally been positive, but still fall short of having a highly qualified physics teacher in each classroom. Additionally, the population of physics teachers has more novices and fewer veterans than it did 10 years ago, although veteran physics teachers are not as rare as those in other branches of high school STEM fields. We also analyzed trends in physics teacher race and gender diversity and found them to lag behind other STEM and non-STEM teacher communities. High school physics is still mostly taught by white males with backgrounds from outside of physics. Implications for future policy decisions at the local and national levels are discussed, including attending to the specific needs of degree-holding and non-degree-holding physics teachers separately and localizing teacher recruitment and preparation efforts in regional centers.

More than One Way: The Case for High-Quality CTE

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stone, James R., III

2014-01-01

Career and technical education is the part of American high school that provides the link between the needs of the labor market and the needs of young people to be fully prepared to move into the workforce or continue their career-focused education and training beyond high school. Concerns about how to strengthen the economy as well as complaints…

Collaborative Evaluation of a High School Prevention Curriculum: How Methods of Collaborative Evaluation Enhanced a Randomized Control Trial to Inform Program Improvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orsini, Muhsin Michael; Wyrick, David L.; Milroy, Jeffrey J.

2012-01-01

Blending high-quality and rigorous research with pure evaluation practice can often be best accomplished through thoughtful collaboration. The evaluation of a high school drug prevention program (All Stars Senior) is an example of how perceived competing purposes and methodologies can coexist to investigate formative and summative outcome…

Interactive Leadership in Turbulent School Climates. An Exploratory Study of High School Principals from the City of Buenos Aires

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romero, Claudia; Krichesky, Gabriela

2018-01-01

School leadership has been identified as a key function to assuring quality in education. Principals' leadership can have a direct effect on students' learning by improving teaching, or an indirect effect by creating conditions that foster learning. This exploratory study aims to understand how school principals exercise their leadership and its…

Monopoly vs. Markets: The Empirical Evidence on Private Schools & School Choice. School Choice Issues in Depth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forster, Greg

2007-01-01

This study presents new findings comparing public and private high schools using top-quality data from the Education Longitudinal Study (ELS), a long-term research project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The ELS project tracks individual data on thousands of students, allowing researchers to conduct much better analyses than are…

Effect of School and Home Factors on Learning Outcomes at Elementary School Level: A Hierarchical Linear Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singh, Jai

2016-01-01

India is a democratic, socialistic republic that is committed to providing high quality elementary education to all children. This research paper examines and analyses the effects of school, teacher and home factors on learning outcomes in elementary schools in the urban slum areas of Varanasi city and assesses the learning outcomes of students of…

University of Georgia and Clarke County School District: Creating a Dynamic and Sustainable District-Wide Partnership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dresden, Janna; Gilbertson, Erica; Tavernier, Mark

2016-01-01

The UGA/CCSD Professional Development School District (PDSD) partnership began in 2009 with one school, and has grown to serve all schools in the district. The premise of the PDSD is that equity is achieved by providing high quality education for all students through programs and processes that are emergent, organic, dynamic and collaborative. All…

Training the Next Generation of School Psychologists to Deliver Evidence Based Mental Health Practices: Current Challenges and Future Directions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shernoff, Elisa S.; Bearman, Sarah Kate; Kratochwill, Thomas R.

2017-01-01

School psychologists are uniquely positioned to support the delivery of evidence-based mental health practices (EBMHPs) to address the overwhelming mental health needs of children and youth. Graduate training programs can promote EBMHPs in schools by ensuring school psychologists enter the workplace prepared to deliver and support high-quality,…

Assessing the Role of the Courts in Addressing the Educational Problems Caused by Racial Isolation in School Finance Litigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Preston C., III.

2013-01-01

Since the separate-but-equal era, students attending schools with high concentrations of Black students have attempted to improve the quality of their educations through school finance litigation. Because of the negative effects of racial isolation, Black students might consider mounting school finance litigation to force states to explicitly…

Factors that contribute to Hispanic English Language Learners' high academic performance in high school science in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas: A multicase study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elizondo, Antonio

The purpose of this multicase study was to discover factors that contribute to Hispanic English language learners' (ELL) high academic performance in high school science in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Participants were high school seniors enrolled in college-level classes who had scored commended on the science exit-level Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills and ranked toward the top of their class. One student from each of four different high schools in south Texas were selected to participate. Schools identified students meeting the participant criteria and provided consent documents. In this qualitative research study, students were interviewed on three different dates. Administrators and science teachers were also interviewed for triangulation. Significant findings showed that intrinsic qualities were mainly responsible for factors contributing to high academic performance. Hispanic ELL students need meaningful responsibilities to internalize self-esteem and self-efficacy to realize high academic performance. Self-motivation, a contributing factor, provides students with a positive outlook on high academic performance and the ability to defer more immediate undermining rewards. Students expect to contribute to society by helping others. This helps their self-esteem as well as their self-worth and supports high academic performance. Parental and teacher support are critical for high academic performance. Low socioeconomic status alone is not a causal factor for poor academic performance. School administrations should assign willing and enthusiastic teachers as mentors to target students and provide skills to parents that promote, inspire, and motivate students' intrinsic qualities. Future studies should examine different leadership styles that maximize teachers' ability to influence students' high academic performance. Finally, students should be given guidance in setting career goals and demonstrating that high academic achievement is attainable and beneficial for all students.

Incorporating Early Learning Strategies in the School Improvement Grants (SIG) Program: How Three Schools Integrated Early Childhood Strategies into School Turnaround Efforts to Improve Instruction for All Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connors-Tadros, Lori; Dunn, Lenay; Martella, Jana; McCauley, Carlas

2015-01-01

A significant body of research shows that achievement gaps evident in persistently low-performing schools, in many instances, manifest prior to children entering kindergarten. High-quality early learning programs have proven to demonstrate positive effects on closing academic gaps both for individual children and in the aggregate for the school.…

Measuring the Impact of Substance Abuse on Student Academic Achievement and Academic Growth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rattermann, Mary Jo

2014-01-01

This research presents data linking the impact of substance disorder to academic achievement, using data gathered at a recovery high school. Recovery schools provide recovery supports and a high-quality education to students with substance use disorders. The Global Appraisal of Individual Needs -- Short Screener and the Northwest Evaluation…

TQM and Tough Love: At Inner-City Applegate Elementary, There Are High Expectations and No Excuses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muir, Maya

2002-01-01

A Portland (Oregon) elementary school, formerly designated a local "crisis school," has improved academic achievement through a combination of Total Quality Management, high expectations, and tough love. Quarterly assessments enable staff to keep track of each student and guide instructional decisions. Small classes, on-site professional…

Evaluative and Behavioral Correlates to Intrarehearsal Achievement in High School Bands

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montemayor, Mark

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships of teaching effectiveness, ensemble performance quality, and selected rehearsal procedures to various measures of intrarehearsal achievement (i.e., musical improvement exhibited by an ensemble during the course of a single rehearsal). Twenty-nine high school bands were observed in two…

AP Courses Get Audited for Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashford, Ellie

2007-01-01

As the college admissions process has gotten much more competitive, the number of high school students taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses has soared. At the same time, policymakers and education leaders seek to get more minorities and students not on the college track to sign up for AP and other rigorous classes. But as high schools have…

Association of a Behaviorally Based High School Health Education Curriculum with Increased Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Annesi, James J.; Trinity, John; Mareno, Nicole; Walsh, Stephanie M.

2015-01-01

Increasing exercise in children and adolescents through academic classes is an understudied area. Potential benefits include associated improvements in health, psychosocial, and quality-of-life factors. A sample of 98 students (M[subscript age] = 14.3) from high school health education classes received six, 40-min lessons incorporating…

The Social Experiences of High School Students with Visual Impairments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jessup, Glenda; Bundy, Anita C.; Broom, Alex; Hancock, Nicola

2017-01-01

Introduction: This study explores the social experiences in high school of students with visual impairments. Methods: Experience sampling methodology was used to examine (a) how socially included students with visual impairments feel, (b) the internal qualities of their activities, and (c) the factors that influence a sense of inclusion. Twelve…

On the Wrong Track: How Tracking Is Associated with Dropping out of High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Werblow, Jacob; Urick, Angela; Duesbery, Luke

2013-01-01

Academic tracking has been shown to limit the quality of student instructional opportunities, decrease students' perceptions of their abilities, and negatively influence student achievement. These factors associated with academic tracking also may influence students in lower tracks to learn less and ultimately to drop out of high school. Few…

A Discussion Project on High School Adolescents' Perceptions of the Relationship between Students and Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Ronald J.

1976-01-01

Describes a small group discussion project involving students and teachers in two large white suburban high schools. The project's intention was to focus discussion on the social quality of the relationship between students and teachers, and to assess the impact of the discussions on student perceptions. (Author/RK)

INSPIRE: A VLF Radio Project for High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, Jill A.; Pine, Bill; Taylor, William W. L.

2007-01-01

Since 1988 the Interactive NASA Space Physics Ionospheric Radio Experiment, or INSPIRE, has given students the opportunity to build research-quality VLF radio receivers and make observations of both natural and stimulated radio waves in the atmosphere. Any high school science class is eligible to join the INSPIRE volunteer observing network and…

Dropout Prevention in Appalachia: Lessons for the Nation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell Communications, Inc., Bethesda, MD.

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), in its efforts to improve the economy and quality of life in the Appalachian Region, has identified high school dropouts as a major stumbling block to the area's economic growth. Findings of ARC-sponsored research on dropouts include the following: (1) high school dropouts are a serious problem in…

Student Perspectives on Quality Teaching: Words and Images

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Athene; Ewaida, Marriam; Lynch, Megan R.; Zenkov, Kristien

2011-01-01

This article reports on the findings of a photography and literacy project ("Through Students' Eyes") the authors conducted with middle level English language learners and alternative high school youth from a mid-Atlantic (US) ex-urban area. In order to bridge middle and high school settings, the authors used multimodal and photo…

Parent-Teacher Partnership and High School Students' Development in Mainland China: The Mediating Role of Teacher-Student Relationship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deng, Linyuan; Zhou, Nan; Nie, Ruihong; Jin, Peipei; Yang, Mengxi; Fang, Xiaoyi

2018-01-01

Parent-teacher partnership is associated closely with adolescents' development. However, little is known about the association between parent-teacher partnership and Chinese high school students' development. Therefore, this study examines whether and how parent-teacher partnership (objective contacts and subjective relationship quality) relates…

An Investigation of Factors Related to Teachers' Organizational Commitment in Rural High Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Victoria LaShawn

2013-01-01

Relevant literature indicates that teachers who are not committed to their organization do not perform, do not provide a quality education for their students, and do not remain members of the organization; thus, making staffing, retaining, and maintaining highly qualified teachers problematic for rural schools. Limited research has been conducted…

K-12 Schools: The Effect of Public School Choices on Marine Families’ Co-Location Decisions

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-01

homeschool the child/children, or enroll in the new installation’s public school system. Each of these choices comes at a cost which changes based on...location. For instance, if the local public schools are considered to be of high quality, the cost associated with enrolling in that school is low; if...the form of private school tuition, or can be thought of in terms of opportunity costs for tuition-free public schools. Every family has a different

Effects of Tone-Quality Changes on Intonation and Tone-Quality Ratings of High School and College Instrumentalists.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geringer, John M.; Worthy, Michael D.

1999-01-01

Investigates effects of variations in tone quality on listeners' perception of both tone quality and intonation. Indicates that more inexperienced instrumentalists rated stimuli that were "brighter" in quality as sharper in intonation, and those that were "darker" as flatter. Also, finds differences for brass versus woodwind instruments. (DSK)

Same-sex attraction, social relationships, psychosocial functioning, and school performance in early adolescence.

PubMed

Bos, Henny M W; Sandfort, Theo G M; de Bruyn, Eddy H; Hakvoort, Esther M

2008-01-01

The authors examined whether 13- to 15-year-old adolescents who experience feelings of same-sex attraction (SSA) differ from those without such feelings in the quality of relationships with parents, peers, and class mentors and in psychosocial functioning (health status and school performance). The authors also assessed whether differences in psychosocial functioning resulted from differences in the quality of social relationships. Data were collected from 866 Dutch high school students (mean age 13.61 years) by means of a computer-based questionnaire. Of the participants, 74 (8.5%) reported having feelings of SSA. The participants with SSA rated the quality of their relationships with their fathers and their peers lower than did those without SSA. Participants with SSA also had poorer mental health (higher levels of depression and lower levels of self-esteem) and lower school performance. A mediation analysis revealed that differences in psychosocial functioning resulted from differences in the quality of the same-sex attracted youths' social relationships, especially with fathers and peers. Copyright (c) 2008 APA.

Building Instructional Quality: "Inside-Out" and "Outside-In" Perspectives on San Diego's School Reform. A Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darling-Hammond, Linda; Hightower, Amy M.; Husbands, Jennifer L.; LaFors, Jeannette R.; Young, Viki M.; Christopher, Carl

2003-01-01

During the 1990s, a new policy hypothesis focusing on the quality of teaching to provide a high-leverage means for improving student achievement began to gain currency. Based on interview, observation, survey, and record data collected at the state, district, and school levels over a five-year time period, the study offers a look at how the San…

Local School Board Members Need Quality Public Information That Informs Decisions, Empowers Action. Don't Make Decisions in the Dark

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Data Quality Campaign, 2014

2014-01-01

Local school board members need to be able to access and use high-quality data to make good decisions. Often this data is collected and stored locally, but information that is publicly reported by the state can provide additional value. Most state public reporting is designed to serve information needs, and are geared toward compliance with state…

The Quality of High School Students' Problem Solving from an Expertise Development Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elvira, Quincy; Imants, Jeroen; deMaeyer, Sven; Segers, Mien

2015-01-01

The ability to solve problems is a key skill and is essential to our day-to-day lives, at home, at school and at work. The present study explores the quality of managerial problem-solving of participants who are in secondary education. We studied 10th, 11th, and 12th graders following a business track in the Netherlands. Participants were asked to…

Teaching Quality in Math Class: The Development of a Scale and the Analysis of Its Relationship with Engagement and Achievement

PubMed Central

Leon, Jaime; Medina-Garrido, Elena; Núñez, Juan L.

2017-01-01

Math achievement and engagement declines in secondary education; therefore, educators are faced with the challenge of engaging students to avoid school failure. Within self-determination theory, we address the need to assess comprehensively student perceptions of teaching quality that predict engagement and achievement. In study one we tested, in a sample of 548 high school students, a preliminary version of a scale to assess nine factors: teaching for relevance, acknowledge negative feelings, participation encouragement, controlling language, optimal challenge, focus on the process, class structure, positive feedback, and caring. In the second study, we analyzed the scale’s reliability and validity in a sample of 1555 high school students. The scale showed evidence of reliability, and with regard to criterion validity, at the classroom level, teaching quality was a predictor of behavioral engagement, and higher grades were observed in classes where students, as a whole, displayed more behavioral engagement. At the within level, behavioral engagement was associated with achievement. We not only provide a reliable and valid method to assess teaching quality, but also a method to design interventions, these could be designed based on the scale items to encourage students to persist and display more engagement on school duties, which in turn bolsters student achievement. PMID:28701964

Teaching Quality in Math Class: The Development of a Scale and the Analysis of Its Relationship with Engagement and Achievement.

PubMed

Leon, Jaime; Medina-Garrido, Elena; Núñez, Juan L

2017-01-01

Math achievement and engagement declines in secondary education; therefore, educators are faced with the challenge of engaging students to avoid school failure. Within self-determination theory, we address the need to assess comprehensively student perceptions of teaching quality that predict engagement and achievement. In study one we tested, in a sample of 548 high school students, a preliminary version of a scale to assess nine factors: teaching for relevance, acknowledge negative feelings, participation encouragement, controlling language, optimal challenge, focus on the process, class structure, positive feedback, and caring. In the second study, we analyzed the scale's reliability and validity in a sample of 1555 high school students. The scale showed evidence of reliability, and with regard to criterion validity, at the classroom level, teaching quality was a predictor of behavioral engagement, and higher grades were observed in classes where students, as a whole, displayed more behavioral engagement. At the within level, behavioral engagement was associated with achievement. We not only provide a reliable and valid method to assess teaching quality, but also a method to design interventions, these could be designed based on the scale items to encourage students to persist and display more engagement on school duties, which in turn bolsters student achievement.

Oxidation of Ethidium using TAML Activators: A Model for High School Research Performed in Partnership with University Scientists.

PubMed

Pueyo, Natalie C; Raub, Andrew G; Jackson, Sean; Metz, Madalyn M; Mount, Allegra C; Naughton, Kyle L; Eaton, Ashley L; Thomas, Nicole M; Hastings, Peter; Greaves, John; Blumberg, Bruce; Collins, Terrence J; Sogo, Steven G

2013-03-12

A chemical research program at a public high school has been developed. The full-year Advanced Chemical Research class (ACR) in the high school enrolls 20 to 30 seniors each year, engaging them in long-term experimental projects. Through partnerships involving university scientists, ACR high school students have had the opportunity to explore a number of highly sophisticated original research projects. As an example of the quality of experimental work made possible through these high school-university partnerships, this article describes the development of a novel method for the oxidation of ethidium bromide, a mutagen commonly used in molecular biology. Data collected from ACR alumni show that the ACR program is instrumental in encouraging students to pursue careers in scientific fields and in creating life-long problem-solvers.

3 CFR 8510 - Proclamation 8510 of April 29, 2010. National Charter Schools Week, 2010

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... generation of leaders by reaching beyond standardized methods and promoting creative teaching strategies and... in teaching and learning at high quality charter schools and ensuring all our students have a chance...

Indoor air quality and health in schools*

PubMed Central

Ferreira, Ana Maria da Conceição; Cardoso, Massano

2014-01-01

Objective: To determine whether indoor air quality in schools is associated with the prevalence of allergic and respiratory diseases in children. Methods: We evaluated 1,019 students at 51 elementary schools in the city of Coimbra, Portugal. We applied a questionnaire that included questions regarding the demographic, social, and behavioral characteristics of students, as well as the presence of smoking in the family. We also evaluated the indoor air quality in the schools. Results: In the indoor air of the schools evaluated, we identified mean concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) above the maximum reference value, especially during the fall and winter. The CO2 concentration was sometimes as high as 1,942 ppm, implying a considerable health risk for the children. The most prevalent symptoms and respiratory diseases identified in the children were sneezing, rales, wheezing, rhinitis, and asthma. Other signs and symptoms, such as poor concentration, cough, headache, and irritation of mucous membranes, were identified. Lack of concentration was associated with CO2 concentrations above the maximum recommended level in indoor air (p = 0.002). There were no other significant associations. Conclusions: Most of the schools evaluated presented with reasonable air quality and thermal comfort. However, the concentrations of various pollutants, especially CO2, suggest the need for corrective interventions, such as reducing air pollutant sources and improving ventilation. There was a statistically significant association between lack of concentration in the children and exposure to high levels of CO2. The overall low level of pollution in the city of Coimbra might explain the lack of other significant associations. PMID:25029649

Indoor air quality and health in schools.

PubMed

Ferreira, Ana Maria da Conceição; Cardoso, Massano

2014-01-01

To determine whether indoor air quality in schools is associated with the prevalence of allergic and respiratory diseases in children. We evaluated 1,019 students at 51 elementary schools in the city of Coimbra, Portugal. We applied a questionnaire that included questions regarding the demographic, social, and behavioral characteristics of students, as well as the presence of smoking in the family. We also evaluated the indoor air quality in the schools. In the indoor air of the schools evaluated, we identified mean concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) above the maximum reference value, especially during the fall and winter. The CO2 concentration was sometimes as high as 1,942 ppm, implying a considerable health risk for the children. The most prevalent symptoms and respiratory diseases identified in the children were sneezing, rales, wheezing, rhinitis, and asthma. Other signs and symptoms, such as poor concentration, cough, headache, and irritation of mucous membranes, were identified. Lack of concentration was associated with CO2 concentrations above the maximum recommended level in indoor air (p = 0.002). There were no other significant associations. Most of the schools evaluated presented with reasonable air quality and thermal comfort. However, the concentrations of various pollutants, especially CO2, suggest the need for corrective interventions, such as reducing air pollutant sources and improving ventilation. There was a statistically significant association between lack of concentration in the children and exposure to high levels of CO2. The overall low level of pollution in the city of Coimbra might explain the lack of other significant associations.

Development of Reasoning Test Instruments Based on TIMSS Framework for Measuring Reasoning Ability of Senior High School Student on the Physics Concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muslim; Suhandi, A.; Nugraha, M. G.

2017-02-01

The purposes of this study are to determine the quality of reasoning test instruments that follow the framework of Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) as a development results and to analyse the profile of reasoning skill of senior high school students on physics materials. This research used research and development method (R&D), furthermore the subject were 104 students at three senior high schools in Bandung selected by random sampling technique. Reasoning test instruments are constructed following the TIMSS framework in multiple choice forms in 30 questions that cover five subject matters i.e. parabolic motion and circular motion, Newton’s law of gravity, work and energy, harmonic oscillation, as well as the momentum and impulse. The quality of reasoning tests were analysed using the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and classic test analysis include the validity of item, level of difficulty, discriminating power, reliability and Ferguson’s delta. As for the students’ reasoning skills profiles were analysed by the average score of achievements on eight aspects of the reasoning TIMSS framework. The results showed that reasoning test have a good quality as instruments to measure reasoning skills of senior high school students on five matters physics which developed and able to explore the reasoning of students on all aspects of reasoning based on TIMSS framework.

Shaping Performance: Do International Accreditations and Quality Management Really Help?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nigsch, Stefano; Schenker-Wicki, Andrea

2013-01-01

In recent years, international accreditations have become an important form of quality management for business schools all over the world. However, given their high costs and the risk of increasing bureaucratisation and control, accreditations remain highly disputed in academia. This paper uses quantitative data to assess whether accreditations…

Study on the Introduction of High-Quality Educational Resources for Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jinhui, Lin

2016-01-01

In Sino-foreign cooperative education, high-quality introduced educational resources must benefit the growth and development of students, facilitate the school's capacity building and the improvement of overall educational standards, and promote national socioeconomic development. It is necessary to establish and perfect the various working…

Issues in School Finance/A Texas Primer.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hooker, Richard L.

This booklet attempts to provide the layman with information on the need to equalize educational opportunities and taxpayer burdens in a high quality State system of public schools for Texas. The publication attempts to stimulate discussion and provide a foundation, in the briefest form, for the consideration of Texas school finance issues.…

Building Model Preschools: The Newark Lighthouse Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blagman, Amanda; Rice, Cynthia; Seplocha, Holly

2006-01-01

More states are recognizing that preschool is a vital first step toward helping children succeed in school. Ensuring that preschoolers have a high quality early learning experience provides them with the skills they need for later school success. In New Jersey, the poorest school districts have been collaborating with community-based child care…

Preparing for Growth: Human Capital Innovations in Charter Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chadwick, Christi; Kowal, Julie

2011-01-01

Charter schools and successful charter management organizations that run them have grown significantly over the past decade but they must dramatically increase their scale in order to meet the demand for high-quality public school options for America's children. The limited supply of effective leaders and teachers is one of the key barriers…

DCPS Effective Schools Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

District of Columbia Public Schools, 2009

2009-01-01

DCPS is committed to providing "all" students with the caliber of education they deserve. The goal of the DCPS Effective Schools Framework is to ensure that every child, in every classroom, has access to a high-quality and engaging standards-based instructional program, and that all school supports are aligned to support teaching and learning. The…

Creating an Information Literate School: Information Literacy in Action.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Batz, Linda; Rosenberg, Harlene

1999-01-01

Describes an award-winning instructional media center (IMC) at a New Jersey high school. The IMC (library) is the school's hub from 7:15 a.m. to 6 p.m., and has dial-in access. This information-literacy program emphasizes total-quality-management principles, ongoing professional development, teacher support, and information skills instruction.…

Planning for Principal Succession: A Conceptual Framework for Research and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russell, Jennifer Lin; Sabina, Lou L.

2014-01-01

Many school districts struggle to recruit sufficient high-quality principals for their schools. A variety of conditions contribute to this challenge, including the retirement of the baby boom cohort and diminishing interest in administrative careers due to the expanded responsibilities of school principals. In response, districts enact a range of…

Adding Rigor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williamson, Ronald; Blackburn, Barbara R.

2009-01-01

A school leader's most visible role is the manager of the day-to-day operations of a school. A less visible but far more important role is that of an instructional leader who works with teachers and other staff members to ensure that every student has a high-quality, rigorous academic experience. Ensuring that schools and classrooms are rigorous…

Creating Teacher Incentives for School Excellence and Equity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berry, Barnett; Eckert, Jon

2012-01-01

Ensuring that all students in America's public schools are taught by good teachers is an educational and moral imperative. Teacher incentive proposals are rarely grounded on what high-quality research indicates are the kinds of teacher incentives that lead to school excellence and equity. Few of the current approaches to creating teacher…

A Charter School's Journey toward Serving All Learners: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drame, Elizabeth R.; Frattura, Elise

2011-01-01

Public charter schools across the country are struggling to better serve a range of students with disabilities. Using the approach of a participatory evaluation, a K-8 college preparatory school community of teachers, administrators, parents, and students were better able to define those practices that impeded or supported a high-quality proactive…

Movie Lessons: Cultural Politics and the Visible Practices of Schooling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saltmarsh, David

2011-01-01

This article examines teaching practices and pedagogies shown in three Hollywood movies. Although some government reports and the media articles may assert that the quality of teaching in public schools is poor, by contrast mainstream movies of the "urban high school" genre often champion teachers who are able to make a difference in…

Student Engagement in Law Schools: A First Look. Annual Survey Results, 2004

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Law School Survey of Student Engagement, 2004

2004-01-01

The Law School Survey of Student Engagement (LSSSE) documents dimensions of quality in legal education and provides information and assistance to law schools and other organizations to improve student learning. LSSSE annually surveys law students to assess the extent to which they engage in educational practices associated with high levels of…

Research Committee Issues Brief: Professional Development for Virtual Schooling and Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Niki; Rose, Ray

2007-01-01

This report examines the types of professional development necessary to implement successful online learning initiatives. The potential for schools utilizing online learning is tremendous: schools can develop new distribution methods to enable equity and access for all students, they can provide high quality content for all students and they can…

Habits of Mind: Forging University-School Partnerships to Bring a High-Quality Enrichment Curriculum to English Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gooden, Amy Cournoyer; Chase, Kelly

2015-01-01

Educational partnerships between urban school districts and institutions of higher education provide a powerful means for enhancing student achievement and cultivating college-going cultures. This article describes how Boston University and the Malden, Massachusetts, school district worked with the community to support English learners and develop…

Beyond Defaults: Indicators for Assessing Proprietary School Quality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodwin, David

Largely because of high student loan default rates, much of the criticism of federal aid programs has focused on policies and practices affecting the participation of proprietary schools in federal student aid. This report reviews alternative indicators of school performance that are currently used or could be used by the federal student aid…

Food for Thought: Building a High-Quality School Choice Market

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dillon, Erin

2009-01-01

Although the for-profit retail and nonprofit education markets are not identical, many of the strategies used by reformers to improve markets for banking and food services could nonetheless benefit public education. As district and community leaders, charter school authorizers, and policymakers expand the marketplace of schools, they would be…

Race, Choice and Richmond Public Schools: New Possibilities and Ongoing Challenges for Diversity in Urban Districts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siegel-Hawley, Genevieve

2014-01-01

Several contemporary demographic trends suggest that school systems in America's central cities, typically characterized by high levels of racial and economic isolation, are being presented with new opportunities to create quality, diverse schools. Still, numerous obstacles linger. Using multiple sources of data and innovative mapping tools, this…

Preparing New Principals in South Africa: The ACE: School Leadership Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bush, Tony; Kiggundu, Edith; Moorosi, Pontso

2011-01-01

There is increasing recognition that effective leadership and management are vital if schools are to be successful in providing good learning opportunities for students, and emerging evidence that high quality leadership makes a significant difference to school improvement and learning outcomes. However, in many countries, including South Africa,…

Cognitive Style and Conflict on Superintendent-School Board Teams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asbjornsen, Douglas J.

2017-01-01

Quality learning and high student achievement are primary goals of K-12 public school education. Superintendent-School Board teams can have a positive impact on both. Collaboration is critical to these teams' effectiveness and efficiency. Research has suggested conflict can have a negative impact on collaboration and may be related to the…

Experiences and Perceptions of Professional Development Facilitators in a Job-Embedded School Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mashariki, Kaia Mariama

2017-01-01

Recent legislation and accountability efforts in K-12 schools have increased the need to support and maintain high-quality teachers through enhanced professional development and teacher training efforts. As districts and schools seek new and innovative ways to provide professional learning opportunities that are real-time and effective,…

The Negro American and Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howe, Harold II

Among the topics: (1) although high school is usually available to Negroes, quality is poor; (2) recent awareness that schools have failed, not children; (3) need to reach children younger, in school, home, and community; (4) low ratio of attendance of poor but able students at college; (5) intense desire of Negroes for higher education; (6) the…

Purchasing. School Business Management Handbook Number 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York State Education Dept., Albany.

Purchasing, one of the most highly specialized activities in school administration, involves securing material or service in the right quantity and quality, at the right time, and for the right price. This handbook, intended as a guide for purchasing agents, details principles essential for operating a school purchasing office in New York State.…

Cyberbullying Prevalence among United States Middle and High School Aged Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Quality Assessment

PubMed Central

Selkie, Ellen M.; Fales, Jessica L.; Moreno, Megan A.

2015-01-01

Background Cyberbullying has established links to physical and mental health problems including depression, suicidality, substance use, and somatic symptoms. Quality reporting of cyberbullying prevalence is essential to guide evidence-based policy and prevention priorities. The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate study quality and reported prevalence among cyberbullying research studies conducted in populations of US adolescents of middle and high school age. Methods Searches of peer-reviewed literature published through June 2015 for “cyberbullying” and related terms were conducted using PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL Plus, and Web of Science. Included manuscripts reported cyberbullying prevalence in general populations of U.S. adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19. Using a review tool based on the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement, reviewers independently scored study quality on study methods, results reporting, and reported prevalence. Results Search results yielded 1,447 manuscripts; 81 manuscripts representing 58 unique studies were identified as meeting inclusion criteria. Quality scores ranged between 12 and 37 total points out of a possible 42 points (M = 26.7, SD = 4.6). Prevalence rates of cyberbullying ranged as follows: perpetration, 1% to 41%; victimization, 3% to 72%; and overlapping perpetration and victimization, 2.3% to 16.7%. Conclusions Literature on cyberbullying in US middle and high school aged students is robust in quantity but inconsistent in quality and reported prevalence. Consistent definitions and evidence-based measurement tools are needed. PMID:26576821

Effects of sleep timing, sleep quality and sleep duration on school achievement in adolescents.

PubMed

Tonetti, Lorenzo; Fabbri, Marco; Filardi, Marco; Martoni, Monica; Natale, Vincenzo

2015-08-01

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of sleep timing, quality and duration on school achievement in adolescents. Thirty-six Italian students (mean age: 18.14 ± 0.49 years) attending their last year of high school participated in the study. They completed the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (MEQ-CA). This was used to determine their ideal sleep timing by computing the total score, with higher scores corresponding to a greater tendency toward morningness. In addition, students underwent two non-consecutive weeks of actigraphy in one-month period to objectively assess: habitual sleep timing through the midpoint of sleep (MS); habitual sleep quality through the parameter of sleep efficiency (SE); and habitual sleep duration through the parameter of total sleep time (TST). Participants also completed the Mini Sleep Questionnaire, which allowed us to assess perceived sleep quality, at the end of each actigraphic-recording week. School performance was assessed using the grades obtained by students in their school leaving exams taken at the end of the school year. A significant positive correlation was observed between SE and exam grades, as well as MEQ-CA scores and grades. Multiple regression analysis showed that only SE was significantly and positively related to the final grade. Examining objective and ecological measures, SE (indicator of sleep quality) had the strongest effect on school achievement in adolescents. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Problem solving, loneliness, depression levels and associated factors in high school adolescents.

PubMed

Sahin, Ummugulsum; Adana, Filiz

2016-01-01

To determine problem solving, loneliness, depression levels and associated factors in high school adolescents. This cross-sectional study was conducted in a city west of Turkey (Bursa) in a public high school and the population was 774 and the sampling was 394 students. Students to be included in the study were selected using the multiple sampling method. A personal Information Form with 23 questions, Problem Solving Inventory (PSI), Loneliness Scale (UCLA), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were used as data collection tools in the study. Basic statistical analyses, t-test, Kruskall Wallis-H, One Way Anova and Pearson Correlation test were used to evaluate the data. Necessary permissions were obtained from the relevant institution, students, parents and the ethical committee. The study found significant differences between "problem solving level" and family type, health assessment, life quality and mothers', fathers' siblings' closeness level; between "loneliness level" and gender, family income, health assessment, life quality and mothers', fathers', siblings' closeness level; between "depression level" and life quality, family income, fathers' closeness level. Unfavorable socio-economic and cultural conditions can have an effect on the problem solving, loneliness and depression levels of adolescents. Providing structured education to adolescents at risk under school mental health nursing practices is recommended.

Teacher Quality: Equalizing Educational Opportunities and Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sunderman, Gail L.; Kim, Jimmy

2005-01-01

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) teacher quality provisions recognize both the importance of teacher quality for improving student achievement and the unequal distribution of teachers across districts and schools. But the question of how to achieve the goal of a high quality teacher in every classroom is complicated because of the challenges of…

School policies and practices that improve indoor air quality.

PubMed

Everett Jones, Sherry; Smith, Alisa M; Wheeler, Lani S; McManus, Tim

2010-06-01

To determine whether schools with a formal indoor air quality management program were more likely than schools without a formal program to have policies and practices that promote superior indoor air quality. This study analyzed school-level data from the 2006 School Health Policies and Programs Study, a national study of school health programs and policies at the state, district, and school levels. Using chi-square analyses, the rates of policies and practices that promote indoor air quality were compared between schools with and schools without a formal indoor air quality program. The findings of this study show that 51.4% of schools had a formal indoor air quality management program, and that those schools were significantly more likely than were schools without a program to have policies and use strategies to promote superior indoor air quality. These findings suggest that schools with a formal indoor air quality program are more likely support policies and engage in practices that promote superior indoor air quality.

Inequality in Ghanaian secondary schools: Educational expansion, recruitment, and internal stratification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weis, Lois

1983-03-01

Researchers disagree as to whether expansion of an educational system leads primarily to greater equality of opportunity or the further reproduction of inequality. This article addresses this question through an examination of the social background characteristics of Ghanaian secondary school students in 1961 and 1974. Students in varying quality schools are compared as to their socio-economic status and urban experience. The data suggest that not only are children of relatively high-status parents gaining increased access to school, but that they are doing so increasingly in high-status institutions.

Preparing and Licensing High Quality Teachers in Pacific Region Jurisdictions. Issues & Answers. REL 2007-No. 031

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heine, Hilda C.; Emesiochl, Masa Akii

2007-01-01

The provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 for teacher quality direct that all students in U.S. public schools be taught by highly qualified teachers. Although the Pacific Region entities are trying to meet this teacher-quality mandate, most are still far from fulfilling the minimum education requirements for their teachers. By…

Brief report: glycemic control, quality of life, and school experiences among students with diabetes.

PubMed

Wagner, Julie; Heapy, Alicia; James, Amy; Abbott, Gina

2006-09-01

To investigate the relationships among perceived school experiences, diabetes control, and quality of life (QOL) in children with diabetes. Fifty-eight children with type 1 diabetes and their parents participated. The typical child was 12 years old, had diabetes for 5 years, and attended public, suburban, middle/junior high schools with 300-500 students. Children whose parents reported that school personnel received diabetes training showed significantly better diabetes control than those who reported untrained school personnel. Children who reported their classmates received diabetes training had significantly better QOL than those who reported untrained classmates. Children who reported greater flexibility in performing diabetes care tasks at school had significantly better diabetes control than children who reported less flexibility. Students with diabetes continue to face challenges at school. Training staff and classmates and allowing students the maximum appropriate flexibility in diabetes care appears beneficial for disease control and QOL.

Impact of Nutrition Standards on Competitive Food Quality in Massachusetts Middle and High Schools.

PubMed

Gorski, Mary T; Cohen, Juliana F W; Hoffman, Jessica A; Rosenfeld, Lindsay; Chaffee, Ruth; Smith, Lauren; Rimm, Eric B

2016-06-01

To examine changes in competitive foods (items sold in à la carte lines, vending machines, and school stores that "compete" with school meals) in Massachusetts middle and high schools before and after implementation of a statewide nutrition law in 2012. We photographed n = 10 782 competitive foods and beverages in 36 Massachusetts school districts and 7 control state districts to determine availability and compliance with the law at baseline (2012), 1 year (2013), and 2 years (2014) after the policy (overall enrollment: 71 202 students). We examined availability and compliance trends over time. By 2014, 60% of competitive foods and 79% of competitive beverages were compliant. Multilevel models showed an absolute 46.2% increase for foods (95% confidence interval = 36.2, 56.3) and 46.8% increase for beverages (95% confidence interval = 39.2, 54.4) in schools' alignment with updated standards from 2012 to 2014. The law's implementation resulted in major improvements in the availability and nutritional quality of competitive foods and beverages, but schools did not reach 100% compliance. This law closely mirrors US Department of Agriculture Smart Snacks in School standards, suggesting that complying with strict nutrition standards is feasible, and schools may experience challenges and improvements over time.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) Survey on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Selected Schools in Vhembe District, Limpopo, South Africa

PubMed Central

Sibiya, Jerry E.; Gumbo, Jabulani Ray

2013-01-01

This study assessed the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of learners on issues related to water, sanitation and hygiene in selected schools in Vhembe District, South Africa. The methodology relied on a questionnaire, an inspection of sanitary facilities and discussion with the school authorities. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science. The study revealed that the level of knowledge about waterborne diseases was relatively high (76.7 ± 1.75%), but knowledge on transmission routes was inadequate. The majority of the respondents had no knowledge when it comes to water-based diseases and their prevention (78.4 ± 1.71%).The attitude and practice on hygiene was also found to be high (91.40 ± 1.16%). Some schools from the urban area had proper handwashing facilities, but there was no soap available. The borehole water quality for rural schools appeared clear, but the microbial quality was unknown. The water supply and sanitation facilities were inadequate in rural schools, with no handwashing areas and no sanitary bins for girls. Some schools had toilets with broken doors which did not offer privacy. The only water tap, located at the centre of the school premises, was not enough for the whole school community. PMID:23736657

Preparing and Supporting Principals for Effective Leadership: Early Findings from Stanford's School Leadership Study. School Leadership Study: Developing Successful Principals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaPointe, Michelle; Meyerson, Debra; Darling-Hammond, Linda

2006-01-01

The School Leadership Study was designed to contribute important data on how high quality pre- and in-service programs are structured, how they implement the effective strategies noted in the research literature, and the impact of program graduates in the schools they lead. The study examines whether program components triangulate with graduate…

March toward Excellence: School Success and Minority Student Achievement in Department of Defense Schools. A Report to the National Education Goals Panel. Lessons from the States.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smrekar, Claire; Guthrie, James W.; Owens, Debra E.; Sims, Pearl G.

This study examined how Department of Defense (DoD) schools have attained high achievement levels among all students, emphasizing Hispanics and African Americans. Researchers investigated organizational and governmental structures linking the daily operations of DoD schools and districts to policy-setting authorities; the nature and quality of…

School Improvement under Test-Driven Accountability: A Comparison of High- and Low-Performing Middle Schools in California. CSE Report 717

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mintrop, Heinrich; Trujillo, Tina

2007-01-01

Based on in-depth data from nine demographically similar schools, the study asks five questions in regard to key aspects of the improvement process and that speak to the consequential validity of accountability indicators: Do schools that differ widely according to system performance criteria also differ on the quality of the educational…

Health programmes for school employees: improving quality of life, health and productivity.

PubMed

Kolbe, Lloyd J; Tirozzi, Gerald N; Marx, Eva; Bobbitt-Cooke, Mary; Riedel, Sara; Jones, Jack; Schmoyer, Michael

2005-01-01

School health programmes in the 21st century could include eight components: 1) health services; 2) health education; 3) healthy physical and psychosocial environments; 4) psychological, counselling, and social services; 5) physical education and other physical activities; 6) healthy food services; and 7) integrated efforts of schools, families, and communities to improve the health of school students and employees. The eighth component of modern school health programmes, health programmes for school employees, is the focus of this article. Health programmes for school employees could be designed to increase the recruitment, retention, and productivity of school employees by partially focusing each of the preceding seven components of the school health programme on improving the health and quality of life of school employees as well as students. Thus, efforts to improve the quality of life, health, and productivity of school employees may be distinct from, but integrated with, efforts to improve the quality of life, health, and education of students. School employee health programmes can improve employee: 1) recruitment; 2) morale; 3) retention; and 4) productivity. They can reduce employee: 5) risk behaviours (e.g., physical inactivity); 6) risk factors (e.g., stress, obesity, high blood pressure); (7) illnesses; 8) work-related injuries; 9) absentee days; 10) worker compensation and disability claims; and 11) health care and health insurance costs. Further, if we hope to improve our schools' performance and raise student achievement levels, developing effective school employee health programmes can increase the likelihood that employees will: 12) serve as healthy role models for students; 13) implement effective school health programmes for students; and 14) present a positive image of the school to the community. If we are to improve the quality of life, health, and productivity of school employees in the 21st century: school administrators, employees, and policymakers must be informed about the need and the means to do so; school employee health programmes must become part of the culture of education and the expectation of educators; and colleges that prepare school administrators and other school employees must provide the pre-service and in-service training, research, development, and leadership to make it happen. This article outlines ten actions that can be taken by school districts to build or improve school employee health programmes, and a list of websites that provides more detailed information about such programmes.

"Highly Qualified" to Do What? The Relationship between NCLB Teacher Quality Mandates and the Use of Reform-Oriented Instruction in Middle School Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Thomas M.; Desimone, Laura M.; Ueno, Koji

2005-01-01

The federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) calls for a highly qualified teacher in every classroom. According to the legislation, "highly qualified" is defined as full certification, a bachelor's degree, and demonstrated content knowledge in all core subjects taught. States, district, and schools are spending considerable…

Prevalence of sleep duration on an average school night among 4 nationally representative successive samples of American high school students, 2007-2013.

PubMed

Basch, Charles E; Basch, Corey H; Ruggles, Kelly V; Rajan, Sonali

2014-12-11

Consistency, quality, and duration of sleep are important determinants of health. We describe sleep patterns among demographically defined subgroups from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System reported in 4 successive biennial representative samples of American high school students (2007 to 2013). Across the 4 waves of data collection, 6.2% to 7.7% of females and 8.0% to 9.4% of males reported obtaining 9 or more hours of sleep. Insufficient duration of sleep is pervasive among American high school students. Despite substantive public health implications, intervention research on this topic has received little attention.

Attractor States in Teaching and Learning Processes: A Study of Out-of-School Science Education.

PubMed

Geveke, Carla H; Steenbeek, Henderien W; Doornenbal, Jeannette M; Van Geert, Paul L C

2017-01-01

In order for out-of-school science activities that take place during school hours but outside the school context to be successful, instructors must have sufficient pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) to guarantee high-quality teaching and learning. We argue that PCK is a quality of the instructor-pupil system that is constructed in real-time interaction. When PCK is evident in real-time interaction, we define it as Expressed Pedagogical Content Knowledge (EPCK). The aim of this study is to empirically explore whether EPCK shows a systematic pattern of variation, and if so whether the pattern occurs in recurrent and temporary stable attractor states as predicted in the complex dynamic systems theory. This study concerned nine out-of-school activities in which pupils of upper primary school classes participated. A multivariate coding scheme was used to capture EPCK in real time. A principal component analysis of the time series of all the variables reduced the number of components. A cluster revealed general descriptions of the components across all cases. Cluster analyses of individual cases divided the time series into sequences, revealing High-, Low-, and Non-EPCK states. High-EPCK attractor states emerged at particular moments during activities, rather than being present all the time. Such High-EPCK attractor states were only found in a few cases, namely those where the pupils were prepared for the visit and the instructors were trained.

Later school start times for supporting the education, health, and well-being of high school students.

PubMed

Marx, Robert; Tanner-Smith, Emily E; Davison, Colleen M; Ufholz, Lee-Anne; Freeman, John; Shankar, Ravi; Newton, Lisa; Brown, Robert S; Parpia, Alyssa S; Cozma, Ioana; Hendrikx, Shawn

2017-07-03

A number of school systems worldwide have proposed and implemented later school start times as a means of avoiding the potentially negative impacts that early morning schedules can have on adolescent students. Even mild sleep deprivation has been associated with significant health and educational concerns: increased risk for accidents and injuries, impaired learning, aggression, memory loss, poor self-esteem, and changes in metabolism. Although researchers have begun to explore the effects of delayed school start time, no one has conducted a rigorous review of evidence to determine whether later school start times support adolescent health, education, and well-being. We aimed to assess the effects of a later school start time for supporting health, education, and well-being in high school students.Secondary objectives were to explore possible differential effects of later school start times in student subgroups and in different types of schools; to identify implementation practices, contextual factors, and delivery modes associated with positive and negative effects of later start times; and to assess the effects of later school start times on the broader community (high school faculty and staff, neighborhood, and families). We conducted the main search for this review on 28 October 2014 and updated it on 8 February 2016. We searched CENTRAL as well as 17 key electronic databases (including MEDLINE, Embase, ERIC, PsycINFO, and Sociological Abstracts), current editions of relevant journals and organizational websites, trial registries, and Google Scholar. We included any randomized controlled trials, controlled before-and-after studies, and interrupted time series studies with sufficient data points that pertained to students aged 13 to 19 years and that compared different school start times. Studies that reported either primary outcomes of interest (academic outcomes, amount or quality of sleep, mental health indicators, attendance, or alertness) or secondary outcomes (health behaviors, health and safety indicators, social outcomes, family outcomes, school outcomes, or community outcomes) were eligible. At least two review authors independently determined inclusion and exclusion decisions through screening titles, abstracts, and full-text reports. Two review authors independently extracted data for all eligible studies. We presented findings through a narrative synthesis across all studies. When two or more study samples provided sufficient information to permit effect size calculations, we conducted random-effects meta-analyses to synthesize effects across studies. Our search located 17 eligible records reporting on 11 unique studies with 297,994 participants; the studies examined academic outcomes, amount and quality of sleep, mental health indicators, attendance, and student alertness. Overall, the quality of the body of evidence was very low, as we rated most studies as being at high or unclear risk of bias with respect to allocation, attrition, absence of randomization, and the collection of baseline data. Therefore, we cannot be confident about the effects of later school start times.Preliminary evidence from the included studies indicated a potential association between later school start times and academic and psychosocial outcomes, but quality and comparability of these data were low and often precluded quantitative synthesis. Four studies examined the association between later school start times and academic outcomes, reporting mixed results. Six studies examined effects on total amount of sleep and reported significant, positive relationships between later school start times and amount of sleep. One study provided information concerning mental health outcomes, reporting an association between decreased depressive symptoms and later school start times. There were mixed results for the association between later school start times and absenteeism. Three studies reported mixed results concerning the association between later school start times and student alertness. There was limited indication of potential adverse effects on logistics, as the qualitative portions of one study reported less interaction between parents and children, and another reported staffing and scheduling difficulties. Because of the insufficient evidence, we cannot draw firm conclusions concerning adverse effects at this time.It is important to note the limitations of this evidence, especially as randomized controlled trials and high-quality primary studies are difficult to conduct; school systems are often unwilling or unable to allow researchers the necessary control over scheduling and data collection. Moreover, this evidence does not speak to the process of implementing later school starts, as the included studies focused on reporting the effects rather than exploring the process. This systematic review on later school start times suggests several potential benefits for this intervention and points to the need for higher quality primary studies. However, as a result of the limited evidence base, we could not determine the effects of later school start times with any confidence.

[Schools, office buildings, leisure settings: diversity of indoor air quality issues. Global review on indoor air quality in these settings].

PubMed

Mandin, C; Derbez, M; Kirchner, S

2012-07-01

This review provides a global overview of indoor air quality issues in schools, office buildings and recreational settings. It presents the most recent scientific publications and the on-going work conducted in France in the frame of the indoor air quality Observatory. Monitoring campaigns on indoor air quality in schools have been carried out in the recent years in Europe. However, few studies have specifically addressed the role of exposure in these buildings on children's health. Indoor air quality in office buildings has been little studied so far. However, some specificities, such as emissions from electronic devices, frequent cleaning, impossibility to open windows in high-rise buildings, for example, should be examined and their role on the health and comfort studied. Finally, even if the time spent in recreational settings is short, the quality of indoor air should also be considered because of specific pollution. This is the case of indoor swimming pools (exposure to chlorination byproducts) and ice-rinks (exposure to exhaust from machines used to smooth the ice). Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Further Evidence of an Engagement-Achievement Paradox among U.S. High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shernoff, David J.; Schmidt, Jennifer A.

2008-01-01

Achievement, engagement, and students' quality of experience were compared by racial and ethnic group in a sample of students (N = 586) drawn from 13 high schools with diverse ethnic and socioeconomic student populations. Using the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), 3,529 samples of classroom experiences were analyzed along with self-reported…

Transformative Teacher Evaluation: Self Evaluation for High Performing Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sosanya-Tellez, Carla Ann

2010-01-01

Public schools are in crisis, as educators and legislators seek to provide high quality education to diverse students in a measurement-driven environment. The public educator's moral imperative is to assure that all children are literate when they leave school so they can thrive in our democracy (Dewey, 1944; Freire, 1998a; Giroux & Giroux,…

Crossroads: Quality of Life in a Nuclear World. A High School Science Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

French, Dan; Phillips, Connie

One of a set of high school curricula on nuclear issues, this 10-day science unit helps students understand the interrelationship between the economy, the arms race, military spending, and the threat of nuclear war. Through activities such as role playing, discussion, brainstorming, and problem solving, students develop their ability to evaluate…

Crossroads: Quality of Life in a Nuclear World. A High School Social Studies Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

French, Dan; And Others

One of a set of high school curricula on nuclear issues, this 10-day social studies unit helps students understand the interrelationship of economics, the arms race, military spending, and the threat of nuclear war. Activities such as role plays, discussion, brainstorming, and problem solving develop students' abilities to evaluate issues and…

Teaching Urban Youth about Controversial Issues: Pathways to Becoming Active and Informed Citizens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Alex Romeo; Lawrence, Joshua Fahey; Snow, Catherine Elizabeth

2015-01-01

Although American schools are required to meet civic education goals of preparing students to become active and informed citizens, high-quality civic opportunities (e.g. service learning and volunteering) are consistently less available to youth of color who are typically enrolled in schools located in high-poverty communities. The purpose of this…

Crossroads: Quality of Life in a Nuclear World. A High School English Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

French, Dan; And Others

One of a set of high school curricula on nuclear issues, this 10-day unit for English classes informs students of the issues surrounding the nuclear arms race and military spending. Each lesson includes readings, worksheets, and a daily homework assignment and focuses on one of the following activities: discussion, brainstorming, role playing, or…

Offering an Anatomy and Physiology Course through a High School-University Partnership: The Minnesota Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jensen, Murray; Mattheis, Allison; Loyle, Anne

2013-01-01

This article describes a one-semester anatomy and physiology course that is currently offered through the concurrent enrollment program at the University of Minnesota. The article explains how high school teachers are prepared to teach the course and describes efforts to promote program quality, student inquiry, and experiential learning.…

Quantifying the Information Habits of High School Students Engaged in Engineering Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mentzer, Nathan; Fosmire, Michael J.

2015-01-01

This study measured the information gathering behaviors of high school students who had taken engineering design courses as they solved a design problem. The authors investigated what types of information students accessed, its quality, when it was accessed during the students' process, and if it impacted their thinking during the activity.…

How to Recruit High-Performing Charter Management Organizations to a New Region: Results from the 2015 CMO Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, 2016

2016-01-01

Charter Management Organizations (CMOs) are nonprofit entities that manage at least two charter schools. They play an important role in increasing the number of high-quality charter public schools by enabling the replication and expansion of models that work, creating economies of scale, encouraging collaboration, and building support structures…

The Relationships among Imagination, Future Imagination Tendency, and Future Time Perspective of Junior High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Min-Ying

2015-01-01

The main purpose of the study were to investigate the relationships among imagination, future imagination tendency, and future time perspective of junior high school students, then to explore the future time perspective which is predicted by background variables, imaginative qualities, and future imagination tendency. The subjects were 331 from…

Using Generalizability Theory as a Framework for Informing Measurement Issues in Middle School Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ing, Marsha; Shih, Jeffrey C.

2013-01-01

There are situations within middle school settings where measurements of students and teachers are used for high-stakes decisions. For example, student performance is used as an indicator of teacher quality or determines student eligibility for particular types of support services. Given the high-stakes nature of these types of assessments,…

ERIC First Analysis: Water Resources; 1985-86 National High School Debate Resolutions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, David L.; Fraleigh, Douglas

Designed to serve as a framework from which high school debate students, coaches, and judges can evaluate the issues, arguments and evidence present in the availability and quality of water resources in the United States, this booklet provides guidelines for research on the 1985-86 debate resolutions selected by the National Federation of State…

The Role of the Arts in School Reform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

May, Lissa; Brenner, Brenda

2016-01-01

In a national climate of high-stakes testing, there is an ever-increasing need for policy that ensures high-quality arts education for all children. At the same time that arts education in K-12 schools is being diminished or eliminated, there is an ever-increasing body of research linking participation in the arts to various aspects of cognitive…

The Prevalence and Quality of Source Attribution in Middle and High School Science Papers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vieyra, Michelle; Weaver, Kari

2016-01-01

Plagiarism is a commonly cited problem in higher education, especially in scientific writing and assignments for science courses. Students may not intentionally plagiarize, but may instead be confused about what proper source attribution entails. Much of this confusion likely stems from high school, either from lack of or inconsistent instruction…

Realization of Culture in English Textbooks in Chinese High School Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aliakbari, Mohammad; Jamalvandi, Behrouz

2012-01-01

This study reflects on the presentation of culture in the English textbooks adopted in Chinese high school level. The categorization by Ramirez and Hall (1990) shaped the basis of the textbook analysis. The main objectives of the inquiry were to examine the quality of representation of source, target and other cultures in the ELT textbooks.…

Balancing High Quality Subject-Matter Instruction with Positive Teacher-Student Relations in the Middle Grades: Effects of Departmentalization, Tracking and Block Scheduling on Learning Environments. Report No. 15.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McPartland, James M.

This study tests the general hypothesis that there is no single best way to organize a middle school to meet the variety of needs of early adolescent students. Using data from a sample of 433 schools in the Pennsylvania Educational Quality Assessment, it examines the effects of self-contained classroom instruction and departmentalization on two…

Physical activity, diet and other behavioural interventions for improving cognition and school achievement in children and adolescents with obesity or overweight.

PubMed

Martin, Anne; Booth, Josephine N; Laird, Yvonne; Sproule, John; Reilly, John J; Saunders, David H

2018-03-02

The global prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity is high. Lifestyle changes towards a healthy diet, increased physical activity and reduced sedentary activities are recommended to prevent and treat obesity. Evidence suggests that changing these health behaviours can benefit cognitive function and school achievement in children and adolescents in general. There are various theoretical mechanisms that suggest that children and adolescents with excessive body fat may benefit particularly from these interventions. To assess whether lifestyle interventions (in the areas of diet, physical activity, sedentary behaviour and behavioural therapy) improve school achievement, cognitive function (e.g. executive functions) and/or future success in children and adolescents with obesity or overweight, compared with standard care, waiting-list control, no treatment, or an attention placebo control group. In February 2017, we searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE and 15 other databases. We also searched two trials registries, reference lists, and handsearched one journal from inception. We also contacted researchers in the field to obtain unpublished data. We included randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of behavioural interventions for weight management in children and adolescents with obesity or overweight. We excluded studies in children and adolescents with medical conditions known to affect weight status, school achievement and cognitive function. We also excluded self- and parent-reported outcomes. Four review authors independently selected studies for inclusion. Two review authors extracted data, assessed quality and risks of bias, and evaluated the quality of the evidence using the GRADE approach. We contacted study authors to obtain additional information. We used standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. Where the same outcome was assessed across different intervention types, we reported standardised effect sizes for findings from single-study and multiple-study analyses to allow comparison of intervention effects across intervention types. To ease interpretation of the effect size, we also reported the mean difference of effect sizes for single-study outcomes. We included 18 studies (59 records) of 2384 children and adolescents with obesity or overweight. Eight studies delivered physical activity interventions, seven studies combined physical activity programmes with healthy lifestyle education, and three studies delivered dietary interventions. We included five RCTs and 13 cluster-RCTs. The studies took place in 10 different countries. Two were carried out in children attending preschool, 11 were conducted in primary/elementary school-aged children, four studies were aimed at adolescents attending secondary/high school and one study included primary/elementary and secondary/high school-aged children. The number of studies included for each outcome was low, with up to only three studies per outcome. The quality of evidence ranged from high to very low and 17 studies had a high risk of bias for at least one item. None of the studies reported data on additional educational support needs and adverse events.Compared to standard practice, analyses of physical activity-only interventions suggested high-quality evidence for improved mean cognitive executive function scores. The mean difference (MD) was 5.00 scale points higher in an after-school exercise group compared to standard practice (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.68 to 9.32; scale mean 100, standard deviation 15; 116 children, 1 study). There was no statistically significant beneficial effect in favour of the intervention for mathematics, reading, or inhibition control. The standardised mean difference (SMD) for mathematics was 0.49 (95% CI -0.04 to 1.01; 2 studies, 255 children, moderate-quality evidence) and for reading was 0.10 (95% CI -0.30 to 0.49; 2 studies, 308 children, moderate-quality evidence). The MD for inhibition control was -1.55 scale points (95% CI -5.85 to 2.75; scale range 0 to 100; SMD -0.15, 95% CI -0.58 to 0.28; 1 study, 84 children, very low-quality evidence). No data were available for average achievement across subjects taught at school.There was no evidence of a beneficial effect of physical activity interventions combined with healthy lifestyle education on average achievement across subjects taught at school, mathematics achievement, reading achievement or inhibition control. The MD for average achievement across subjects taught at school was 6.37 points lower in the intervention group compared to standard practice (95% CI -36.83 to 24.09; scale mean 500, scale SD 70; SMD -0.18, 95% CI -0.93 to 0.58; 1 study, 31 children, low-quality evidence). The effect estimate for mathematics achievement was SMD 0.02 (95% CI -0.19 to 0.22; 3 studies, 384 children, very low-quality evidence), for reading achievement SMD 0.00 (95% CI -0.24 to 0.24; 2 studies, 284 children, low-quality evidence), and for inhibition control SMD -0.67 (95% CI -1.50 to 0.16; 2 studies, 110 children, very low-quality evidence). No data were available for the effect of combined physical activity and healthy lifestyle education on cognitive executive functions.There was a moderate difference in the average achievement across subjects taught at school favouring interventions targeting the improvement of the school food environment compared to standard practice in adolescents with obesity (SMD 0.46, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.66; 2 studies, 382 adolescents, low-quality evidence), but not with overweight. Replacing packed school lunch with a nutrient-rich diet in addition to nutrition education did not improve mathematics (MD -2.18, 95% CI -5.83 to 1.47; scale range 0 to 69; SMD -0.26, 95% CI -0.72 to 0.20; 1 study, 76 children, low-quality evidence) and reading achievement (MD 1.17, 95% CI -4.40 to 6.73; scale range 0 to 108; SMD 0.13, 95% CI -0.35 to 0.61; 1 study, 67 children, low-quality evidence). Despite the large number of childhood and adolescent obesity treatment trials, we were only able to partially assess the impact of obesity treatment interventions on school achievement and cognitive abilities. School and community-based physical activity interventions as part of an obesity prevention or treatment programme can benefit executive functions of children with obesity or overweight specifically. Similarly, school-based dietary interventions may benefit general school achievement in children with obesity. These findings might assist health and education practitioners to make decisions related to promoting physical activity and healthy eating in schools. Future obesity treatment and prevention studies in clinical, school and community settings should consider assessing academic and cognitive as well as physical outcomes.

Physical activity, diet and other behavioural interventions for improving cognition and school achievement in children and adolescents with obesity or overweight.

PubMed

Martin, Anne; Booth, Josephine N; Laird, Yvonne; Sproule, John; Reilly, John J; Saunders, David H

2018-01-29

The global prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity is high. Lifestyle changes towards a healthy diet, increased physical activity and reduced sedentary activities are recommended to prevent and treat obesity. Evidence suggests that changing these health behaviours can benefit cognitive function and school achievement in children and adolescents in general. There are various theoretical mechanisms that suggest that children and adolescents with excessive body fat may benefit particularly from these interventions. To assess whether lifestyle interventions (in the areas of diet, physical activity, sedentary behaviour and behavioural therapy) improve school achievement, cognitive function (e.g. executive functions) and/or future success in children and adolescents with obesity or overweight, compared with standard care, waiting-list control, no treatment, or an attention placebo control group. In February 2017, we searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE and 15 other databases. We also searched two trials registries, reference lists, and handsearched one journal from inception. We also contacted researchers in the field to obtain unpublished data. We included randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of behavioural interventions for weight management in children and adolescents with obesity or overweight. We excluded studies in children and adolescents with medical conditions known to affect weight status, school achievement and cognitive function. We also excluded self- and parent-reported outcomes. Four review authors independently selected studies for inclusion. Two review authors extracted data, assessed quality and risks of bias, and evaluated the quality of the evidence using the GRADE approach. We contacted study authors to obtain additional information. We used standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. Where the same outcome was assessed across different intervention types, we reported standardised effect sizes for findings from single-study and multiple-study analyses to allow comparison of intervention effects across intervention types. To ease interpretation of the effect size, we also reported the mean difference of effect sizes for single-study outcomes. We included 18 studies (59 records) of 2384 children and adolescents with obesity or overweight. Eight studies delivered physical activity interventions, seven studies combined physical activity programmes with healthy lifestyle education, and three studies delivered dietary interventions. We included five RCTs and 13 cluster-RCTs. The studies took place in 10 different countries. Two were carried out in children attending preschool, 11 were conducted in primary/elementary school-aged children, four studies were aimed at adolescents attending secondary/high school and one study included primary/elementary and secondary/high school-aged children. The number of studies included for each outcome was low, with up to only three studies per outcome. The quality of evidence ranged from high to very low and 17 studies had a high risk of bias for at least one item. None of the studies reported data on additional educational support needs and adverse events.Compared to standard practice, analyses of physical activity-only interventions suggested high-quality evidence for improved mean cognitive executive function scores. The mean difference (MD) was 5.00 scale points higher in an after-school exercise group compared to standard practice (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.68 to 9.32; scale mean 100, standard deviation 15; 116 children, 1 study). There was no statistically significant beneficial effect in favour of the intervention for mathematics, reading, or inhibition control. The standardised mean difference (SMD) for mathematics was 0.49 (95% CI -0.04 to 1.01; 2 studies, 255 children, moderate-quality evidence) and for reading was 0.10 (95% CI -0.30 to 0.49; 2 studies, 308 children, moderate-quality evidence). The MD for inhibition control was -1.55 scale points (95% CI -5.85 to 2.75; scale range 0 to 100; SMD -0.15, 95% CI -0.58 to 0.28; 1 study, 84 children, very low-quality evidence). No data were available for average achievement across subjects taught at school.There was no evidence of a beneficial effect of physical activity interventions combined with healthy lifestyle education on average achievement across subjects taught at school, mathematics achievement, reading achievement or inhibition control. The MD for average achievement across subjects taught at school was 6.37 points lower in the intervention group compared to standard practice (95% CI -36.83 to 24.09; scale mean 500, scale SD 70; SMD -0.18, 95% CI -0.93 to 0.58; 1 study, 31 children, low-quality evidence). The effect estimate for mathematics achievement was SMD 0.02 (95% CI -0.19 to 0.22; 3 studies, 384 children, very low-quality evidence), for reading achievement SMD 0.00 (95% CI -0.24 to 0.24; 2 studies, 284 children, low-quality evidence), and for inhibition control SMD -0.67 (95% CI -1.50 to 0.16; 2 studies, 110 children, very low-quality evidence). No data were available for the effect of combined physical activity and healthy lifestyle education on cognitive executive functions.There was a moderate difference in the average achievement across subjects taught at school favouring interventions targeting the improvement of the school food environment compared to standard practice in adolescents with obesity (SMD 0.46, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.66; 2 studies, 382 adolescents, low-quality evidence), but not with overweight. Replacing packed school lunch with a nutrient-rich diet in addition to nutrition education did not improve mathematics (MD -2.18, 95% CI -5.83 to 1.47; scale range 0 to 69; SMD -0.26, 95% CI -0.72 to 0.20; 1 study, 76 children, low-quality evidence) and reading achievement (MD 1.17, 95% CI -4.40 to 6.73; scale range 0 to 108; SMD 0.13, 95% CI -0.35 to 0.61; 1 study, 67 children, low-quality evidence). Despite the large number of childhood and adolescent obesity treatment trials, we were only able to partially assess the impact of obesity treatment interventions on school achievement and cognitive abilities. School and community-based physical activity interventions as part of an obesity prevention or treatment programme can benefit executive functions of children with obesity or overweight specifically. Similarly, school-based dietary interventions may benefit general school achievement in children with obesity. These findings might assist health and education practitioners to make decisions related to promoting physical activity and healthy eating in schools. Future obesity treatment and prevention studies in clinical, school and community settings should consider assessing academic and cognitive as well as physical outcomes.

Diet quality is associated with measures of body fat in adolescents from Otago, New Zealand.

PubMed

Wong, Jyh Eiin; Parnell, Winsome R; Howe, Anna S; Lubransky, Alexandra C; Black, Katherine E; Skidmore, Paula M L

2015-06-01

To examine the potential associations between diet quality and multiple measures of body composition in a sample of New Zealand adolescents aged 14-18 years. Cross-sectional survey of eleven high schools in Otago, New Zealand. Each participant completed an online FFQ and a New Zealand Diet Quality Index for Adolescents (NZDQI-A) score was calculated based on variety and adequacy of intake for five major food groups. Besides height and waist circumference measurements, body composition was assessed using segmental bio-impedance analysis. Generalized estimating equations were used to examine associations between diet quality and body composition in models adjusted for sex, age, ethnicity and socio-economic status. High schools in Otago, New Zealand. High-school students (n 681, 56 % male, mean age 16·1 (sd 1·5) years) participating in the Otago School Students Lifestyle Survey Two. Higher NZDQI-A scores were significantly associated with lower body fat percentage (β=-0·19; 95 % CI -0·35, -0·04; P=0·014), fat-to-lean mass ratio (β=-0·26; 95 % CI -0·46, -0·05; P=0·016) and lower fat mass index (β=-0·23; 95 % CI -0·45, -0·004; P=0·046) after multivariate adjustment. No association was found between NZDQI-A and BMI, waist circumference or waist-to-height ratio. Diet quality, as measured by NZDQI-A, was associated only with measures of body fat, not measures of overall body size. Measures specific to body fat should be used for more accurate ascertainment of body composition in examining the diet-body composition associations in this age group.

Back schools for nonspecific low back pain: a systematic review within the framework of the Cochrane Collaboration Back Review Group.

PubMed

Heymans, M W; van Tulder, M W; Esmail, R; Bombardier, C; Koes, B W

2005-10-01

A systematic review within the Cochrane Collaboration Back Review Group. To assess the effectiveness of back schools for patients with nonspecific low back pain (LBP). Since the introduction of the Swedish back school in 1969, back schools have frequently been used for treating patients with LBP. However, the content of back schools has changed and appears to vary widely today. We searched the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to November 2004 for relevant trials reported in English, Dutch, French, or German. We also screened references from relevant reviews and included trials. Randomized controlled trials that reported on any type of back school for nonspecific LBP were included. Four reviewers, blinded to authors, institution, and journal, independently extracted the data and assessed the quality of the trials. We set the high-quality level, a priori, at a trial meeting six or more of 11 internal validity criteria. Because data were clinically and statistically too heterogeneous to perform a meta-analysis, we used a qualitative review (best evidence synthesis) to summarize the results. The evidence was classified into four levels (strong, moderate, limited, or no evidence), taking into account the methodologic quality of the studies. We also evaluated the clinical relevance of the studies. Nineteen randomized controlled trials (3,584 patients) were included in this updated review. Overall, the methodologic quality was low, with only six trials considered to be high-quality. It was not possible to perform relevant subgroup analyses for LBP with radiation versus LBP without radiation. The results indicate that there is moderate evidence suggesting that back schools have better short- and intermediate-term effects on pain and functional status than other treatments for patients with recurrent and chronic LBP. There is moderate evidence suggesting that back schools for chronic LBP in an occupational setting are more effective than other treatments and placebo or waiting list controls on pain, functional status, and return to work during short- and intermediate-term follow-up. In general, the clinical relevance of the studies was rated as insufficient. There is moderate evidence suggesting that back schools, in an occupational setting, reduce pain and improve function and return-to-work status, in the short- and intermediate-term, compared with exercises, manipulation, myofascial therapy, advice, placebo, or waiting list controls, for patients with chronic and recurrent LBP. However, future trials should improve methodologic quality and clinical relevance and evaluate the cost-effectiveness of back schools.

A menu for health: changes to New York City school food, 2001 to 2011.

PubMed

Perlman, Sharon E; Nonas, Cathy; Lindstrom, Lauren L; Choe-Castillo, Julia; McKie, Herman; Alberti, Philip M

2012-10-01

The high prevalence of obesity puts children at risk for chronic diseases, increases health care costs, and threatens to reduce life expectancy. As part of the response to this epidemic, the New York City (NYC) Department of Education (DOE)--the nation's largest school district--has worked to improve the appeal and nutritional quality of school food. This article highlights some of the structural and policy changes that have improved the school food environment over the past decade, with the aim to share lessons learned and provide recommendations and resources for other districts interested in making similar modifications. This article details changes DOE has implemented over 10 years, including revised nutrition standards for school meals and competitive foods; new school food department staffing; food reformulations, substitutions, and additions; and transitions to healthier beverages. NYC's revised nutrition standards and hiring of expert staff increased availability of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy and decreased sugary beverages, and foods high in saturated fats and added sugars--the major contributors to discretionary calorie intake. DOE also introduced healthier beverages: switching from high-calorie, high-fat whole milk to low-fat milk and increasing access to water. NYC has successfully improved the quality of its school food environment and shown that healthier food service is possible, even under budgetary constraints. Several broad factors facilitated these efforts: fostering community partnerships and inter-agency collaboration, implementing policies and initiatives that target multiple sectors for greater impact, and working to make incremental improvements each year. © 2012, American School Health Association.

School district wellness policy quality and weight-related outcomes among high school students in Minnesota

PubMed Central

Hoffman, Pamela K.; Davey, Cynthia S.; Larson, Nicole; Grannon, Katherine Y.; Hanson, Carlie; Nanney, Marilyn S.

2016-01-01

Weight-related outcomes were examined among high school students in Minnesota public school districts according to the quality of district wellness policies. Wellness policy strength and comprehensiveness were scored using the Wellness School Assessment Tool (WellSAT) for 325 Minnesota public school districts in 2013. The associations between WellSAT scores and district-level means of high school student responses to a statewide survey of health behaviors were examined in this ecologic study. WellSAT Total Strength and Total Comprehensiveness scores were positively associated with both student mean Body Mass Index (BMI) percentile (Strength: P = 0.018, Comprehensiveness: P = 0.031) and mean percent overweight or obese (Strength: P = 0.008, Comprehensiveness: P = 0.026), but only in districts with >50% of students eligible for Free or Reduced-Price Lunches (FRPLs), or ‘high FRPL districts’. WellSAT Physical Education and Physical Activity subscale scores were also positively associated with the mean days per week students engaged in physical activity for ≥ 60 min in high FRPL districts (Strength: P = 0.008, Comprehensiveness: P = 0.003) and in low FRPL districts (<35% eligible) for Strength score: (P = 0.027). In medium FRPL districts (35–50% eligible), Nutrition Education and Wellness Promotion Strength and Comprehensiveness subscale scores were positively associated with, respectively, daily servings of vegetables (P = 0.037) and fruit (P = 0.027); and WellSAT Total scores were positively associated with daily vegetable servings (Strength: P = 0.037, Comprehensiveness: P = 0.012). Administrators of economically disadvantaged school districts with a higher percentage of overweight students may be recognizing the need for stronger wellness policies and the specific importance of implementing policies pertaining to physical activity as a means to improve student health. PMID:26850060

Ocean Literacy After-School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hlinka, Lisa

2016-04-01

Ocean Literacy is a topic that is often underrepresented in secondary school science curriculum. To combat this deficit, our School has partnered up with Hudson River Community Sailing (HRCS), a local organization in New York City that offers an after-school program to high-need high school students in the surrounding community. This organization has developed a 9th grade Sail Academy which allows students from participating public high schools to increase their proficiency in math and science by learning basic sailing, navigation, and boat building. Upon successfully completing the 9th grade Sail Academy curriculum, students enter the "First Mates Program" which offers a scaffolded set of youth development experiences that prepare students for college, career, leadership, and stewardship. This program is built in the context of a new Ocean Literacy Curriculum focused around 3 major topics within Ocean Literacy: Marine Debris, Meteorology, and Ecology (specifically water quality). The learning experiences include weekly data collection of marine debris, weather conditions, and water quality testing in the Hudson River adjacent to the HRCS Boathouse. Additionally there are weekly lessons engaging students in the fundamentals of each of the 3 topics and how they are also important in the lens of sailing. During the marine debris portion of the curriculum students identify sources of marine debris, impacts on the local environment, and study how debris can travel along the ocean currents leading in to larger garbage gyres. To supplement the curriculum, students embarked on a day trip to the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility in Brooklyn, NY to learn how and where NYC receives its drinking water, how wastewater is treated, and how water quality in the local area can be easily influenced. While on the trip, students did their data collection of marine debris, weather conditions, and water quality testing at Newtown Creek, and then they compared their results that same day to data collected at the HRCS Boathouse along the Hudson River.

The Regime of Self-Evaluation: Self-Conception for Teachers and Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brady, Alison M.

2016-01-01

Self-evaluation in inspection policy has become a global phenomenon. The idea is that it increases levels of teacher and school autonomy, wherein both schools and teachers have more ownership and responsibility over their work. In turn, such a process has allowed for greater accountability, which is then said to provide high quality education and,…

Second Year Site Visits to Milwaukee Urban Systemic Initiative Schools. Report for the Milwaukee Public Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huinker, DeAnn; Coan, Cheryl

The Urban Systemic Initiatives (USI) program is an effort sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that targets large urban school systems with the goal of sustainable implementation of high-quality, standards-based teaching for the purpose of attaining system-wide increases in students' learning of challenging mathematics and science.…

"AfterZone:" Outcomes for Youth Participating in Providence's Citywide After-School System. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kauh, Tina J.

2011-01-01

This executive summary highlights the main findings from our participation and outcomes analysis of the "AfterZone" initiative--a citywide system-building effort in Providence, Rhode Island, that aims to provide high-quality, accessible out-of-school-time services to middle school youth. The summary briefly defines the AfterZone's unique…

"AfterZone:" Outcomes for Youth Participating in Providence's Citywide After-School System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kauh, Tina J.

2011-01-01

This report presents findings from a two-year quasi-experimental evaluation of the "AfterZone"--a citywide system-building effort in Providence, Rhode Island, that aims to provide high-quality, accessible out-of-school-time services to middle school youth. The AfterZone model is unique in that it is built on a network of…

High-Quality After-School Programs Tied to Test-Score Gains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Viadero, Debra

2007-01-01

Disadvantaged students who regularly attend top-notch after-school programs end up, after two years, academically far ahead of peers who spend more out-of-school time in unsupervised activities, according to findings from an eight-state study of those programs. Known as the Promising Afterschool Programs study, the new research examined 35…

High-Quality School-Based Pre-K Can Boost Early Learning for Children with Special Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, Deborah A.; Meloy, Mary E.

2012-01-01

This article assesses the effects of Tulsa, Oklahoma's school-based prekindergarten program on the school readiness of children with special needs using a regression discontinuity design. Participation in the pre-K program was associated with significant gains for children with special needs in early literacy scores, but not in math scores. These…

Advancing Arts Education through an Expanded School Day: Lessons from Five Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farbman, David; Wolf, Dennie Palmer; Sherlock, Diane

2015-01-01

In schools across the country, educators recognize the power of the arts to change young lives. They know that students' sustained engagement with enriching, high-quality experiences in the arts promotes essential skills and perspectives--like the capacity to solve problems, express ideas, harness and hone creativity, and persevere toward a job…

Frozen Assets: Rethinking Teacher Contracts Could Free Billions for School Reform. Education Sector Reports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roza, Marguerite

2007-01-01

State and federal accountability systems are pressuring public schools to improve the performance of low-achieving students. To respond, schools must be able to recruit and retain high-quality teachers, strengthen curricula, and take other steps to provide struggling students with the help they need. But such efforts are expensive and, as the…

Dropping Out of High School: The Effects of Family, Ability, School Quality and Local Employment Conditions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, C. Russell

The author, after reviewing briefly the research literature on dropouts, mentions the following shortcomings of such studies: (1) lack of ability to control for differences in the students' abilities; (2) incomplete and inadequate measures of socioeconomic background; (3) inability to control for qualitative differences in the schools attended;…

Psychometric Characteristics of the Persian Version of the Multidimensional School Anger Inventory-Revised

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aryadoust, Vahid; Akbarzadeh, Sanaz; Akbarzedeh, Sara

2011-01-01

The Multidimensional School Anger Inventory-Revised (MSAI-R) is a measurement tool to evaluate high school students' anger. Its psychometric features have been tested in the USA, Australia, Japan, Guatemala, and Italy. This study investigates the factor structure and psychometric quality of the Persian version of the MSAI-R using data from an…

From Pennsylvania's Front Line against Crime: A School and Youth Violence Prevention Plan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

2002

Based on findings that high-quality early care and education, youth development programs for after-school and summer hours, child abuse and neglect prevention, and intervention programs can help to prevent violence crime, this document presents a violence prevention plan for the schools and youth of Pennsylvania. Four actions are proposed to…

Catholic Education in Zambia: Mission Integrity and Politics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carmody, Brendan

2016-01-01

This article provides the history of Catholic state-aided schooling in Zambia for over a century. It notes how the Catholic Church came to view its school to be a pivotal means of church development. By cooperation with the state it entered more fully into the nation's future by offering high-quality state-sponsored schooling. This proved to…

The Impact of Leadership Practices on the Academic Achievement of Elementary Students in Satisfactory Schools and Unsatisfactory Schools in Georgia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Antonio

2011-01-01

Our nation's k-12 schools are faced with numerous critical challenges: elevating academic achievement, recruitment and retention of high-caliber teachers, improving teacher quality, and meeting the mandates of the "No Child Left Behind" ("NCLB") legislation and state standards (Simpson, Lacava, & Graner, 2004; &…

CPR for Rural School Districts: Emerging Alternatives in Curriculum, Program and Reorganization.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thurston, Paul; Clauss, Joanne

Justification for school district consolidation is made on the basis of either reducing cost or increasing educational quality. Some cost reduction may be realized through certain economies of scale in some consolidations but it is by no means automatic. The Illinois State Board of Education emphasizes the relationship between high school size and…

Preschool and School Readiness: Experiences of Children with Non-English Speaking Parents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cannon, Jill S.; Jacknowitz, Alison; Karoly, Lynn A.

2012-01-01

Many children begin school unprepared to meet its academic requirements. If this school readiness gap is not addressed, it can be a precursor to continuing low achievement. One promising approach to this problem is to provide high-quality early learning opportunities to low-income children. Many publicly funded early care and education programs in…

Turnaround Policy and Practice: A Case Study of Turning around a Failing School with English-Language-Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reyes, Augustina; Garcia, Andres

2014-01-01

In an era of school reform and high stakes accountability, the major challenge in education is to turnaround the nation's lowest-performing schools. National policy provides abundant resources with often restrictive prerequisites. Research indicates that quality principals and teachers are the most important factors for turning around the lowest…

Schooling for Self-Determination through a Justice Politics of Indigenous Representation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keddie, Amanda

2013-01-01

This paper presents data from a study of secondary school for girls, the majority of whom identify as Indigenous Australian. "Gamarada" High School is located in a suburban area of Queensland (Australia) and was established to provide quality education for disadvantaged girls. The paper draws on student and teacher interview data from a…

Learning From Small-Scale Experimental Evaluations of After School Programs. Snapshot Number 8

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvard Family Research Project, Harvard University, 2006

2006-01-01

The Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Database contains profiles of out-of-school time (OST) program evaluations. Its purpose is to provide accessible information about previous and current evaluations to support the development of high quality evaluations and programs in the OST field. Types of Programs…

76 FR 4322 - Charter Schools Program (CSP); Office of Innovation and Improvement; Overview Information...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-25

... to 8 points). The State has demonstrated progress in increasing the number of high-quality charter... the LEA implementing a restructuring plan under section 1116(b)(8) of the ESEA; or (2) the creation of... reopens a school under a charter school operator, a charter management organization, or an education...

Safe, High-Performance, Sustainable Precast School Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finsen, Peter I.

2011-01-01

School design utilizing integrated architectural and structural precast and prestressed concrete components has gained greater acceptance recently for numerous reasons, including increasingly sophisticated owners and improved learning environments based on material benefits such as: sustainability, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, storm…

Oral diseases associated with condition-specific oral health-related quality of life and school performance of Thai primary school children: A hierarchical approach.

PubMed

Kaewkamnerdpong, Issarapong; Krisdapong, Sudaduang

2018-06-01

To assess the hierarchical associations between children's school performance and condition-specific (CS) oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), school absence, oral status, sociodemographic and economic status (SDES) and social capital; and to investigate the associations between CS OHRQoL and related oral status, adjusting for SDES and social capital. Data on 925 sixth grade children in Sakaeo province, Thailand, were collected through oral examinations for dental caries and oral hygiene, social capital questionnaires, OHRQoL interviews using the Child-Oral Impacts on Daily Performances index, parental self-administered questionnaires and school documents. A hierarchical conceptual framework was developed, and independent variables were hierarchically entered into multiple logistic models for CS OHRQoL and linear regression models for school performance. After adjusting for SDES and social capital, children with high DMFT or DT scores were significantly threefold more likely to have CS impacts attributed to dental caries. However, poor oral hygiene was not significantly associated with CS impacts attributed to gingival disease. High DMFT scores were significantly associated with lower school performance, whereas high Simplified Oral Hygiene Index scores were not. The final model showed that CS impacts attributed to dental caries and school absence accounted for the association between DMFT score and school performance. Dental caries was associated with CS impacts on OHRQoL, and exerted its effect on school performance through the CS impacts and school absence. There was no association between oral hygiene and CS impacts on OHRQoL or school performance. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Ensuring Quality in Online Courses: Applying the AACSB International's Distance Learning Quality Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaytan, Jorge

2013-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the Distance Learning Quality Issues published by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB-International) to document the various characteristics that high-quality online courses must possess. A content analysis methodology was employed to examine the seven…

Quality Counts 2003. If I Can't Learn from You: Ensuring a Highly Qualified Teacher for Every Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Education Week, 2003

2003-01-01

This year's Quality Counts, Education Week's comprehensive overview on the quality of American education, focuses on the relationship between teacher quality and the growing academic achievement gap. It includes profiles of hard-to-staff schools, state alternative certification programs, and surveys of the 50 states on recruiting, supporting, and…

[Quality of life and burnout among public high school and primary school teachers in Southern Brazil].

PubMed

Tabeleão, Viviane Porto; Tomasi, Elaine; Neves, Siduana Facin

2011-12-01

In order to investigate quality of life among public schoolteachers in relation to socio-demographic characteristics and work conditions, a cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 601 primary and secondary teachers from the State and Municipal public school system in the urban area of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. The study analyzed the following domains from the WHOQOL-BREF scale: physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment. The mean indices were: 69.2 (SD = 16.8) for physical health, 70.6 (SD = 14.0) for psychological health, 72.5 (SD = 17.3) for social relationships, and 60.7 (SD = 14.0) for environment. Age, time in the teaching career, and total number of students were not significantly associated with quality of life. Teachers in municipal schools scored higher than their counterparts in the State public schools in the physical health domain (p = 0.026). Men scored higher than women in the physical and psychological health domains. Higher family income was associated with better quality of life. Higher classroom workload was associated with better scores in the physical health and environment domains.

A systematic review on the effectiveness of school and community-based injury prevention programmes on risk behaviour and injury risk in 8-12 year old children.

PubMed

Nauta, Joske; van Mechelen, Willem; Otten, René H J; Verhagen, Evert A L M

2014-03-01

To review existing literature on the effectiveness of community-based and school-based physical activity related injury prevention programmes implemented to increase safety behaviour and decrease injury risk in 8-12 year old children, considering the methodological quality of the studies. A systematic review with quality assessment. A systematic search was performed using the CINAHL, Cochrane, EMBASE, PubMed and Sportdiscus databases. Inclusion criteria included the following: children aged 8-12 years; school- or community-based injury prevention programmes; an outcome defined as number of injuries, injury incidence or safety behaviour; published in an English language journal. Methodological quality was assessed for all included studies. The search yielded 5377 records, of which 11 were included in the review; four studies were considered as being of high quality. The focus of studies that were included was on the use of safety devices (8), pedestrian safety (2) and physical activity-related injury prevention (1). For safety device use, short term effects of school- and community-based interventions are promising for 8-12 year olds. Results regarding sustainability of the effect are inconsistent. A mediating effect on the distribution of safety devices was observed. Both financial and non-financial barriers seemed to prevent participants from purchasing a safety device. The short term effects for school- and community-based interventions using safety devices for 8-12 year olds are promising. More high quality research is, however warranted, preferably shifting focus from safety behaviour change to actual physical activity injury reduction. Copyright © 2013 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Attachment and Self-Evaluation in Chinese Adolescents: Age and Gender Differences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Song, Hairong; Thompson, Ross A.; Ferrer, Emilio

2009-01-01

This study investigated age and gender differences in the quality of attachment to mothers, fathers, and peers, and the association of attachment with measures of self-evaluation in 584 Chinese adolescents in junior high, high school, and university. Their responses to the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment indexed attachment quality, and…

Public Policy and Teacher Labor Markets. What We Know and Why It Matters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loeb, Susanna; Reininger, Michelle

2004-01-01

This report summarizes current knowledge about the labor market for teachers and provides policy recommendations to enhance the supply of high-quality teachers. Many schools throughout the country, particularly those with low-income and low-achieving students, have difficulty attracting and retaining high-quality teachers. These schools…

Taking a Measure of Impact: 2 Colorado Districts Calibrate the Effects of High Quality Professional Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobson, Linda

2016-01-01

Snapshots of two Colorado districts in the Redesign PD Community of Practice: Denver Public Schools' professional learning partners help subject-matter experts and others provide educators with a high-quality learning experience. In Jefferson County, Learning Forward's Standards for Professional Learning guide educators to make teacher…

Integration of Engineering Education by High School Teachers to Meet Standards in the Physics Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kersten, Jennifer Anna

In recent years there has been increasing interest in engineering education at the K-12 level, which has resulted in states adopting engineering standards as a part of their academic science standards. From a national perspective, the basis for research into engineering education at the K-12 level is the belief that it is of benefit to student learning, including to "improve student learning and achievement in science and mathematics; increase awareness of engineering and the work of engineers; boost youth interest in pursuing engineering as a career; and increase the technological literacy of all students" (National Research Council, 2009a, p. 1). The above has led to a need to understand how teachers are currently implementing engineering education in their classrooms. High school physics teachers have a history of implementing engineering design projects in their classrooms, thus providing an appropriate setting to look for evidence of quality engineering education at the high school level. Understanding the characteristics of quality engineering integration can inform curricular and professional development efforts for teachers asked to implement engineering in their classrooms. Thus, the question that guided this study is: How, and to what extent, do physics teachers represent quality engineering in a physics unit focused on engineering? A case study research design was implemented for this project. Three high school physics teachers were participants in this study focused on the integration of engineering education into the physics classroom. The data collected included observations, interviews, and classroom documents that were analyzed using the Framework for Quality K-12 Engineering Education (Moore, Glancy et al., 2013). The results provided information about the areas of the K-12 engineering framework addressed during these engineering design projects, and detailed the quality of these lesson components. The results indicate that all of the design projects contained components of the indicators central to engineering education, although with varied degrees of success. In addition, each design project contained aspects important to the development of students' understanding of engineering and that promote important professional skills used by engineers. The implications of this work are discussed at the teacher, school, professional development, and policy levels.

Implementing the LifeSkills Training drug prevention program: factors related to implementation fidelity.

PubMed

Mihalic, Sharon F; Fagan, Abigail A; Argamaso, Susanne

2008-01-18

Widespread replication of effective prevention programs is unlikely to affect the incidence of adolescent delinquency, violent crime, and substance use until the quality of implementation of these programs by community-based organizations can be assured. This paper presents the results of a process evaluation employing qualitative and quantitative methods to assess the extent to which 432 schools in 105 sites implemented the LifeSkills Training (LST) drug prevention program with fidelity. Regression analysis was used to examine factors influencing four dimensions of fidelity: adherence, dosage, quality of delivery, and student responsiveness. Although most sites faced common barriers, such as finding room in the school schedule for the program, gaining full support from key participants (i.e., site coordinators, principals, and LST teachers), ensuring teacher participation in training workshops, and classroom management difficulties, most schools involved in the project implemented LST with very high levels of fidelity. Across sites, 86% of program objectives and activities required in the three-year curriculum were delivered to students. Moreover, teachers were observed using all four recommended teaching practices, and 71% of instructors taught all the required LST lessons. Multivariate analyses found that highly rated LST program characteristics and better student behavior were significantly related to a greater proportion of material taught by teachers (adherence). Instructors who rated the LST program characteristics as ideal were more likely to teach all lessons (dosage). Student behavior and use of interactive teaching techniques (quality of delivery) were positively related. No variables were related to student participation (student responsiveness). Although difficult, high implementation fidelity by community-based organizations can be achieved. This study suggests some important factors that organizations should consider to ensure fidelity, such as selecting programs with features that minimize complexity while maximizing flexibility. Time constraints in the classroom should be considered when choosing a program. Student behavior also influences program delivery, so schools should train teachers in the use of classroom management skills. This project involved comprehensive program monitoring and technical assistance that likely facilitated the identification and resolution of problems and contributed to the overall high quality of implementation. Schools should recognize the importance of training and technical assistance to ensure quality program delivery.

Factors influencing quality of life of obese students in Hangzhou, China.

PubMed

Chen, Ying-Ping; Wang, Hong-Mei; Edwards, Todd C; Wang, Ting; Jiang, Xiao-Ying; Lv, Yi-Ran; Patrick, Donald L

2015-01-01

To evaluate the quality of life (QOL) of overweight and obese middle or high school students and identify relevant factors influencing their QOL scores. 716 students were recruited from 6 middle or high schools in Hangzhou, China. The Chinese version of the Youth Quality of Life Instrument-Weight Module (YQOL-W) was self administered. The YQOL-W scores were compared among different BMI groups, gender, educational status, annual household income, parental education and recruitment community using t test or one-way analysis of variance. The independent association of these variables with QOL among overweight and obese students was examined using multivariable linear regression modeling. Overweight and obese students reported lower total scores, self, social and environment scores than their normal weight peers (all P<0.001). The QOL of overweight and obese middle and high school students was associated with BMI value, gender, educational status, parental education, and recruitment community. Girls had lower total scores, self, social and environment domain scores than boys (all P<0.001); high school students had lower total and three domain scores than middle school students (all P<0.05). Students whose fathers had higher education reported higher total scores, self and social scores than students with less educated fathers (all P<0.05). Students whose mothers had higher education reported higher environment scores than students with less educated mothers (P = 0.01). Students from migrant communities reported significantly lower total scores, self and social scores than those from rural communities (all P<0.05), but comparable scores with those from urban communities (P>0.05). Students from migrant communities reported comparable environment scores with those from rural and urban communities (P>0.05). Overweight and obesity have negative effects on students' quality of life. Therefore weight specific QOL could be included in weight reduction interventions as a relevant outcome.

Self-Esteem and Mastery Trajectories in High School by Social Class and Gender

PubMed Central

Falci, Christina D.

2011-01-01

Using longitudinal data from 769 white adolescents in the Midwest, this research applies a social structure and personality perspective to examine variation in self-esteem and mastery trajectories by gender and SES across the high school years. Analyses reveal that high SES adolescents experience significantly steeper gains in self-esteem and mastery compared to low SES adolescents, resulting in the reversal of SES differences in self-esteem and the emergence of significant SES differences in mastery. Pre-existing gender differences in self-esteem narrow between the 9th and 12th grade because self-esteem increases at a faster rate among girls than boys during high school. These SES and gender differences in self-concept growth are explained by changes in parent-adolescent relationship quality and stress exposure. Specifically, boys and adolescents with lower SES backgrounds experienced steeper declines in parent-adolescent relationship quality and steeper gains in chronic work strain compared to girls and low SES adolescents, respectively. PMID:21423844

Testimony of E. Ramona Trovato, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Environmental Information, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency before the Committee on Environment and Public Works, United States Senate.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

2002

This testimony provides an overview of health and environmental issues in U.S. schools and describes efforts by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in concert with other federal agencies, to help schools address environmental issues. These include the Clear Skies Initiative, Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools, High Performance Schools,…

Challenges and Ideas from a Research Program on High Quality, Evidence-Based Practice in School Mental Health

PubMed Central

Weist, Mark D.; Youngstrom, Eric A.; Stephan, Sharon; Lever, Nancy; Fowler, Johnathan; Taylor, Leslie; McDaniel, Heather; Chappelle, Lori; Paggeot, Samantha; Hoagwood, Kimberly

2013-01-01

Objective Reviews the progression of a research program designed to develop, implement and study the implementation of “achievable” evidence-based practices (EBPs) in schools. Reviews challenges encountered and ideas to overcome them to enhance this avenue of research. Method Presents two federally funded randomized controlled trials involving comparison of a four-component targeted intervention (Quality Assessment and Improvement, Family Engagement and Empowerment, Modular Evidence-Based Practice, Implementation Support) versus a comparison intervention focused on Personal Wellness. In both studies primary aims focused on changes in clinician attitudes and behavior, including the delivery of high quality, evidence-based practices and secondary aims focused on student level impacts. Results A number of challenges, many not reported in the literature are reviewed, and ideas for overcoming them are presented. Conclusions Given the reality that the majority of youth mental health services are delivered in schools and the potential of school mental health (SMH) services to provide a continuum of mental health care from promotion to intervention, it is critical that the field consider and address the logistical and methodological challenges associated with implementing and studying EBP implementation by clinicians. PMID:24063310

Challenges and ideas from a research program on high-quality, evidence-based practice in school mental health.

PubMed

Weist, Mark D; Youngstrom, Eric A; Stephan, Sharon; Lever, Nancy; Fowler, Johnathan; Taylor, Leslie; McDaniel, Heather; Chappelle, Lori; Paggeot, Samantha; Hoagwood, Kimberly

2014-01-01

This article reviews the progression of a research program designed to develop, implement, and study the implementation of "achievable" evidence-based practices (EBPs) in schools. We review challenges encountered and ideas to overcome them to enhance this avenue of research. The article presents two federally funded randomized controlled trials involving comparison of a four-component targeted intervention (Quality Assessment and Improvement, Family Engagement and Empowerment, Modular Evidence-Based Practice, Implementation Support) versus a comparison intervention focused on personal wellness. In both studies, primary aims focused on changes in clinician attitudes and behavior, including the delivery of high-quality EBPs and secondary aims focused on student-level impacts. A number of challenges, many not reported in the literature, are reviewed, and ideas for overcoming them are presented. Given the reality that the majority of youth mental health services are delivered in schools and the potential of school mental health services to provide a continuum of mental health care from promotion to intervention, it is critical that the field consider and address the logistical and methodological challenges associated with implementing and studying EBP implementation by clinicians.

Impact of Nutrition Standards on Competitive Food Quality in Massachusetts Middle and High Schools

PubMed Central

Cohen, Juliana F. W.; Hoffman, Jessica A.; Rosenfeld, Lindsay; Chaffee, Ruth; Smith, Lauren; Rimm, Eric B.

2016-01-01

Objectives. To examine changes in competitive foods (items sold in à la carte lines, vending machines, and school stores that “compete” with school meals) in Massachusetts middle and high schools before and after implementation of a statewide nutrition law in 2012. Methods. We photographed n = 10 782 competitive foods and beverages in 36 Massachusetts school districts and 7 control state districts to determine availability and compliance with the law at baseline (2012), 1 year (2013), and 2 years (2014) after the policy (overall enrollment: 71 202 students). We examined availability and compliance trends over time. Results. By 2014, 60% of competitive foods and 79% of competitive beverages were compliant. Multilevel models showed an absolute 46.2% increase for foods (95% confidence interval = 36.2, 56.3) and 46.8% increase for beverages (95% confidence interval = 39.2, 54.4) in schools’ alignment with updated standards from 2012 to 2014. Conclusions. The law’s implementation resulted in major improvements in the availability and nutritional quality of competitive foods and beverages, but schools did not reach 100% compliance. This law closely mirrors US Department of Agriculture Smart Snacks in School standards, suggesting that complying with strict nutrition standards is feasible, and schools may experience challenges and improvements over time. PMID:27077344

[Is there an association between the reduced school years in grammar schools and headache and other health complaints in adolescent students?].

PubMed

Milde-Busch, A; Blaschek, A; Borggräfe, I; von Kries, R; Straube, A; Heinen, F

2010-07-01

The reduction of school years in grammar schools from 9 to 8 years (G9 vs. G8) is supposed to exhibit increased impairments of health of the latter group of students. Aim of the present study was to investigate whether G8-students are exposed to more stress and report more headaches and other health complaints than G9-students. 1 260 formers of grammar schools in Munich (10 (th) vs. 11 (th) form). In a survey, the frequency of headache and other health complaints, experience of chronic stress and health-related quality of life were assessed with a questionnaire and compared between the two groups of different grammar-school durations (G8 vs. G9). 83.1% of all formers reported to suffer from headache at least once per month. Further frequently reported health complaints were back pain (47.7%), excessive need for sleep (45.6%) and pain in neck or shoulder (45.0%). 20.4% of the formers reported high exposure to stress. The greatest reductions in quality of life were found with respect to school-related and physical wellbeing. As the only significant differences, formers of G8 reported fewer daily leisure time and that available leisure time was not sufficient for recreation. The high prevalence of pain, health complaints and stress indicates high demands to all grammar scholars. High demands due to the reduction of school years in grammar school, however, are not reflected in increased health impairments in these formers, but rather in limited leisure time activities. (c) Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart-New York.

Snacks, sweetened beverages, added sugars, and schools.

PubMed

2015-03-01

Concern over childhood obesity has generated a decade-long reformation of school nutrition policies. Food is available in school in 3 venues: federally sponsored school meal programs; items sold in competition to school meals, such as a la carte, vending machines, and school stores; and foods available in myriad informal settings, including packed meals and snacks, bake sales, fundraisers, sports booster sales, in-class parties, or other school celebrations. High-energy, low-nutrient beverages, in particular, contribute substantial calories, but little nutrient content, to a student's diet. In 2004, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that sweetened drinks be replaced in school by water, white and flavored milks, or 100% fruit and vegetable beverages. Since then, school nutrition has undergone a significant transformation. Federal, state, and local regulations and policies, along with alternative products developed by industry, have helped decrease the availability of nutrient-poor foods and beverages in school. However, regular access to foods of high energy and low quality remains a school issue, much of it attributable to students, parents, and staff. Pediatricians, aligning with experts on child nutrition, are in a position to offer a perspective promoting nutrient-rich foods within calorie guidelines to improve those foods brought into or sold in schools. A positive emphasis on nutritional value, variety, appropriate portion, and encouragement for a steady improvement in quality will be a more effective approach for improving nutrition and health than simply advocating for the elimination of added sugars. Copyright © 2015 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Post-school quality of life for individuals with developmental disabilities who use AAC.

PubMed

Hamm, Bruce; Mirenda, Pat

2006-06-01

Even when augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions enhance the communication skills and educational achievements of students with complex communication needs while they are in school, there is no guarantee that these gains will be maintained following students' transition to adult life. Unfortunately, information on the post-school quality of life and related outcomes of individuals with complex communication needs is scarce. This study addressed this issue by examining the post-school outcomes of eight Canadian individuals with developmental disabilities who used AAC technology while they were in school. Two surveys were used to compile the data: the Quality of Life Profile: People with Physical and Sensory Disabilities (Renwick, Rudman, Raphael, & Brown, 1998) and a Communication Survey designed specifically for this study. Four of the participants and the people who knew them best also participated in brief interviews in which they discussed the positive and negative aspects of their school and post-school experiences. Results indicated that participant outcomes in important life domains were generally discouraging. A high positive correlation was found between quality of life and quality of communication scores, and participants who achieved relatively better outcomes showed evidence of higher communicative competence. However, the majority of participants and their supporters were very dissatisfied with the lack of AAC and other services that were available to them as young adults. The results are discussed in relation to outcomes for adults with development disabilities who use AAC and their implications for future research, practice, and advocacy efforts related to transition planning.

Active transportation safety features around schools in Canada.

PubMed

Pinkerton, Bryn; Rosu, Andrei; Janssen, Ian; Pickett, William

2013-10-31

The purpose of this study was to describe the presence and quality of active transportation safety features in Canadian school environments that relate to pedestrian and bicycle safety. Variations in these features and associated traffic concerns as perceived by school administrators were examined by geographic status and school type. The study was based on schools that participated in 2009/2010 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey. ArcGIS software version 10 and Google Earth were used to assess the presence and quality of ten different active transportation safety features. Findings suggest that there are crosswalks and good sidewalk coverage in the environments surrounding most Canadian schools, but a dearth of bicycle lanes and other traffic calming measures (e.g., speed bumps, traffic chokers). Significant urban/rural inequities exist with a greater prevalence of sidewalk coverage, crosswalks, traffic medians, and speed bumps in urban areas. With the exception of bicycle lanes, the active transportation safety features that were present were generally rated as high quality. Traffic was more of a concern to administrators in urban areas. This study provides novel information about active transportation safety features in Canadian school environments. This information could help guide public health efforts aimed at increasing active transportation levels while simultaneously decreasing active transportation injuries.

Active Transportation Safety Features around Schools in Canada

PubMed Central

Pinkerton, Bryn; Rosu, Andrei; Janssen, Ian; Pickett, William

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe the presence and quality of active transportation safety features in Canadian school environments that relate to pedestrian and bicycle safety. Variations in these features and associated traffic concerns as perceived by school administrators were examined by geographic status and school type. The study was based on schools that participated in 2009/2010 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey. ArcGIS software version 10 and Google Earth were used to assess the presence and quality of ten different active transportation safety features. Findings suggest that there are crosswalks and good sidewalk coverage in the environments surrounding most Canadian schools, but a dearth of bicycle lanes and other traffic calming measures (e.g., speed bumps, traffic chokers). Significant urban/rural inequities exist with a greater prevalence of sidewalk coverage, crosswalks, traffic medians, and speed bumps in urban areas. With the exception of bicycle lanes, the active transportation safety features that were present were generally rated as high quality. Traffic was more of a concern to administrators in urban areas. This study provides novel information about active transportation safety features in Canadian school environments. This information could help guide public health efforts aimed at increasing active transportation levels while simultaneously decreasing active transportation injuries. PMID:24185844

Teacher's Assessment of the Quality of Their Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Voyia

Thirty-eight teachers completed the Illinois Quality Schools Index Survey, which measured teachers' attitudes towards characteristics of quality schools. The majority of the teachers felt that the characteristics indicative of a quality school were often implemented in their school. Over half the teachers felt that their schools often or always…

A Survey of Recreation Behavior and Attitude Patterns of High School Juniors and Seniors: Implications for Environmental Education and Resource Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ditton, Robert B.; Johnsen, Per K.

In this study, the behavior and attitude patterns of high school juniors and seniors in northeastern Wisconsin have been examined with respect to recreational activities and water quality conditions. Most popular activities were identified in order as swimming, boating, fishing, waterskiing, sailing, and duck hunting. Location of participation in…

Marine Recreational Uses of Green Bay: A Survey of Human Behavior and Attitude Patterns of High School Juniors and Seniors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ditton, Robert B.; Johnsen, Per K.

From a random sample of high school juniors and seniors in northeastern Wisconsin, this study obtained information concerning the subjects' participation in water recreation activities, their perceptions of water quality, and attitudinal data in related areas. The data obtained from the questionnaire were analyzed by chi-square methods to check…

The Teacher Pay Gap Is Wider than Ever: Teachers' Pay Continues to Fall Further behind Pay of Comparable Workers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allegretto, Sylvia A.; Mishel, Lawrence

2016-01-01

An effective teacher is the most important school-based determinant of education outcomes. Therefore it is crucial that school districts recruit and retain high-quality teachers. This is increasingly challenging given that the supply of teachers has been greatly affected by high early to mid-career turnover rates, annual retirements of longtime…

Exploring the School Climate--Student Achievement Connection: Making Sense of Why the First Precedes the Second

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Albert; Shindler, John

2016-01-01

Many educators view school climate and student achievement as separate considerations. For some, the idea of promoting a high quality climate can seem like a luxury in the face of the current high stakes assessment climate in which student achievement gains are the paramount consideration. However, the results of this study suggest that climate…

Providing Behavioral Feedback to Students in an Alternative High School Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitcomb, Sara A.; Hefter, Sheera; Barker, Elizabeth

2016-01-01

This column provides an example method for improving the consistency and quality of daily behavioral feedback provided to students in an alternative high school setting. Often, homeroom or advisory periods are prime points in the day for students to review their behavior from the previous day and set goals for a successful day to come. The method…

The Land of Confusion? High School Students and Their Use of the World Wide Web for Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lorenzen, Michael

2002-01-01

Examines high school students' use of the World Wide Web to complete assignments. Findings showed the students used a good variety of resources, including libraries and the World Wide Web, to find information for assignments. However, students were weak at determining the quality of the information found on web sites. Students did poorly at…

Academic Performance, Course Completion Rates, and Student Perception of the Quality and Frequency of Interaction in a Virtual High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawkins, Abigail; Graham, Charles R.; Sudweeks, Richard R.; Barbour, Michael K.

2013-01-01

This study examined the relationship between students' perceptions of teacher-student interaction and academic performance at an asynchronous, self-paced, statewide virtual high school. Academic performance was measured by grade awarded and course completion. There were 2269 students who responded to an 18-item survey designed to measure student…

A Case Study: The High/Scope Preschool Curriculum and Kindergarten Readiness in the Pittsgrove Township School District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Loren D.

2010-01-01

The New Jersey Department of Education has been stressing the value of early childhood education for the past 12 years. Research has clearly demonstrated the value of high-quality preschool programs for preparing children for school and even later life. Particularly in light of the Core Curriculum Content Standards and elementary curriculum, which…

An Analysis of Graduates' Occupational Patterns as an Aid to Local Planning for Vocational and Career Education. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salas, John C.; Palleria, Edmund

A study was done assessing the responses of 2,000 Hamden High School (Connecticut) graduates at three-, six-, and nine-year intervals after graduation to determine the extent to which the quality and availability of the high school instructional offerings affected their academic and occupational proficiency. Data collection involved (1) the…

Dating-Partner Preferences among a Group of Inner-City African-American High School Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Sherry P.

1996-01-01

Examines a set of characteristics that African American inner-city high school students may or may not value in a dating partner. A total of 80 students indicated how important they perceived certain qualities to be in a person they would like to date. The results are in contrast to the previous literature regarding dating-partner preferences…

Chicanos in the California Community Colleges: Declining Basic Skills, Early High School Graduation and the Decline of Quality High School Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rivera, Manuel G.

Although California's 106 Community Colleges' mission to accept any student who can profit from instruction and to provide transfer programs and vocational, continuing, and community education invites the non-traditional student to benefit from college education, the Community College students' success is not guaranteed because of the low quality…

A Descriptive Look at College Enrollment and Degree Completion of Baltimore City Graduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Durham, Rachel E.; Westlund, Erik

2011-01-01

Earning a college degree increases a person's life outcomes in income, employment, health, and quality of life. The average person with a bachelor's degree earns almost twice as much as a high school graduate and nearly triple that of someone who did not finish high school. The unemployment rate for people with bachelor's degrees is about…

"Air Toxics under the Big Sky": Examining the Effectiveness of Authentic Scientific Research on High School Students' Science Skills and Interest

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, Tony J.; Delaloye, Naomi; Adams, Earle Raymond; Ware, Desirae; Vanek, Diana; Knuth, Randy; Hester, Carolyn Laurie; Marra, Nancy Noel; Holian, Andrij

2016-01-01

"Air Toxics Under the Big Sky" is an environmental science outreach/education program that incorporates the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) 8 Practices with the goal of promoting knowledge and understanding of authentic scientific research in high school classrooms through air quality research. This research explored: (1)…

Pedagogical Support of Non-Language High School Students' Capacity for Creative Self-Realization in Foreign Language Classroom Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kadyrova, Alina A.; Valeev, Agzam A.

2016-01-01

There is a determined number of trends in the process of intensification of high school training, including the integration of professional, linguistic and cultural training of professionals in the unity with the development of their personal qualities;. For this reason, modern educational technologies serve as a tool for practical implementation…

An Examination of Attendance, Sports or Club Involvement, Special Education Involvement, and Ethnicity as Predictors of High School Graduation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warren, Matthew G.

2010-01-01

Many students do not graduate from high school, which could lead to poorer quality of life, lower paying jobs, and increased crime. Previous researchers have indicated that Hispanic and African American students graduate at a significantly lower rate than White students. However, there remains an important gap in the current literature regarding…