Sample records for urban school improvement

  1. Challenges and Opportunities for School Improvement: Recommendations for Urban School Principals

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dolph, David

    2017-01-01

    Insofar as urban school systems that are often identified as ineffective include such a large segment of U.S. P-12 students, it is vital to improve academic success. To provide context, the article first discusses key challenges facing urban schools. Second, the article identifies and briefly reviews a variety of approaches to reform models often…

  2. The Challenge of the Urban School Site.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martin, Deborah, Ed.; Lucas, Bill, Ed.; Titman, Wendy, Ed.; Hayward, Siobhan, Ed.

    This guidebook provides information on improving urban school grounds in the United Kingdom to enhance children's lives. Chapters provide the experiences from other schools on the topics of greening the urban school grounds; the multi-cultural aspects of developing urban school grounds; organization of limited space; issues involving seating,…

  3. Educational Progress: Cities Mobilize To Improve Their Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hill, Paul T.; And Others

    This report identifies the strategies that multiproblem urban school districts have used to make major improvements in recent years. A panel of experts familiar with urban school systems nominated over 30 candidate urban districts for study. The following districts were chosen for analysis: (1) Atlanta (Georgia); (2) Cincinnati (Ohio); (3) Memphis…

  4. "Find the Strength in Every Teacher": Urban Middle School Teachers' Perceptions of Effective Change Leadership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allen, Timothy Clancy

    2013-01-01

    Urban middle schools face many accountability measures which often create the need for school improvement. Leading urban middle schools through the change process is extremely challenging for principals. The combination of leading change, leading urban schools, and leading middle schools is an uphill climb. Teachers' perceptions of leadership…

  5. Fiscal Policy in Urban Education. A Volume in Research in Education Fiscal Policy and Practice.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roellke, Christopher, Ed.; Rice, Jennifer King, Ed.

    This volume focuses on school finance challenges in large urban school districts, fiscal accountability in these schools, and the fiscal dimensions of urban school reform. The 12 papers are (1) "School Finance and Urban Education Reform" (Christopher Roellke and Jennifer King Rice); (2) "Can Whole-School Reform Improve the…

  6. Yes We Can! Improving Urban Schools through Innovative Educational Reform. Contemporary Perspectives on Access, Equity, and Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Howell, Leanne L., Ed.; Lewis, Chance W., Ed.; Carter, Norvella, Ed.

    2011-01-01

    Yes We Can: Improving Urban Schools through Innovative Educational Reform is a empirically-based book on urban education reform to not only proclaim that hope is alive for urban schools, but to also produce a body of literature that examines current practices and then offer practical implications for all involved in this arduous task. This book is…

  7. Small Schools, Big Imaginations: A Creative Look at Urban Public Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fine, Michelle, Ed.; Somerville, Janis I., Ed.

    School reform leaders from Chicago (Illinois), Denver (Colorado), New York (New York), Seattle (Washington), Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), and Los Angeles (California) created the Cross City Campaign for Urban School Reform to work to improve urban education so that all urban youth are well-prepared for postsecondary education, work, and…

  8. An Urban School Leader's Approach to School Improvement: Toward Contextually Responsive Leadership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reed, Latish C.; Swaminathan, Raji

    2016-01-01

    This case study examines the leadership practices and actions of an urban high school principal who faced many challenges, but worked diligently to improve student achievement and school climate over a 3-year period. Significant improvements were made by using elements of Distributed Leadership, Professional Learning Communities, and Social…

  9. School Organizational Climate and School Improvement.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dellar, Graham B.; Giddings, Geoffrey J.

    The refinement and application of the School Organizational Climate Questionnaire (SOCQ), an instrument for measuring organizational climate, is described in this report. The instrument is a mechanism by which schools can direct their school improvement efforts. In two case studies, a small urban elementary and a large urban secondary school…

  10. Improving Urban Schools: Leadership and Collaboration. Education in an Urbanised Society

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ainscow, Mel; West, Mel

    2006-01-01

    Drawing on research evidence, this book addresses the question of how primary and secondary urban schools can be improved in a more inclusive way. The authors argue that urban schools and their communities have within them expertise that tends to be overlooked, and latent creativity that should be mobilised to move thinking and progress forward.…

  11. Working Together to Improve Urban Secondary Schools: A Study of Practice in One City

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ainscow, Mel; Howes, Andy

    2007-01-01

    Bringing about school improvement in economically poor urban contexts remains a major challenge. In England the emphasis on competition between schools has further complicated this agenda. At the same time, there is evidence of the emergence of a new policy emphasis that involves support and challenge to school-led improvement efforts through…

  12. Do Incentive-Based Programs Improve Teacher Quality and Student Achievement? An Analysis of Implementation in 12 Urban Charter Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaimal, Girija; Jordan, Will J.

    2016-01-01

    Context: Policymakers have increasingly advocated for incentive-based approaches for improving urban schools. Purpose of the study: Few studies have examined the implementation of incentive based approaches in the urban charter school context. This paper presents research findings from a 4-year longitudinal study of the implementation of a…

  13. Ready to Lead, but How? Teachers' Experiences in High-Poverty Urban Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Susan Moore; Reinhorn, Stefanie K.; Charner-Laird, Megin; Kraft, Matthew A.; Ng, Monica; Papay, John P.

    2014-01-01

    Background/Context: Many strategies to improve failing urban schools rest on efforts to improve leadership within the school. Effective school-based leadership depends not only on the activities of the principal, but also on teachers' efforts to address school-wide challenges. Research has shown that the principal is pivotal in such ventures,…

  14. Improving Climate and Achievement in a Troubled Urban High School through the Talent Development Model.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McPartland, James; Balfanz, Robert; Jordan, Will; Legters, Nettie

    1998-01-01

    A case study of a large nonselective urban high school in Baltimore (Maryland) describes the design and implementation of a comprehensive package of school reforms, the Talent Development Model with Career Academies. Qualitative and quantitative evidence is provided on significant improvements in school climate, student attendance, promotion…

  15. The "Smart Story": The Challenge of Leadership in the Urban School.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Franey, Trish

    2002-01-01

    Provides a narrative account of the development of a solutions-focused approach to school improvement. Describes the process whereby an urban primary school harnessed the collective energies of all staff (teachers and support staff) to bring about improvement, and considers the role of democratic leadership in reconceptualizing the school as a…

  16. Improving the English Urban Primary School: Questions of Policy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maguire, Meg; Pratt-Adams, Simon

    2009-01-01

    This article argues that the focus within much normative education policy is with in-school effects which has sidelined the impact of structural and material factors in respect of the urban primary school. Educational reforms intended to improve schools are less likely to make much impact unless these contextualizing matters are directly…

  17. J C Nalle Elementary School, Washington, D.C. Schools on the Move: Stories of Urban Schools Engaged in Inclusive Journeys of Change.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ferguson, Phil; Blumberg, Richard

    This paper describes one urban school in the midst of change and renewal. J C Nalle Elementary School, Washington, DC, is a full-service community school that supports children and families. It is one of 85 schools with which the National Institute for Urban School Improvement is involved in partnerships for change. It is located in an…

  18. Transforming Out-of-School Challenges into Opportunities: Community Schools Reform in the Urban Midwest

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Green, Terrance L.; Gooden, Mark A.

    2014-01-01

    For more than three decades, community schools have aimed to improve education and neighborhood outcomes in low-income, urban communities of color. In this article, we position community schools as a place-based reform strategy that pushes back on top-down accountability systems. While most research on urban school reform focuses on improving…

  19. Reducing Class Size: A Smart Way To Improve America's Urban Schools. Second Edition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Naik, Manish; Casserly, Michael; Uro, Gabriela

    The Council of the Great City Schools, a coalition of the largest urban public schools in the United States, surveyed its membership to determine how they were using federal class size reduction funds in the 2000-2001 school year. Thirty-six major urban school systems responded. Results indicate that the federal class size reduction program is…

  20. A Race against Time: The Crisis in Urban Schooling. Contemporary Studies in Social and Policy Issues in Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cibulka, James G., Ed.; Boyd, William Lowe, Ed.

    This collection of papers presents three approaches to urban educational reform. After "Introduction--Urban Education Reform: Competing Approaches" (James G. Cibulka and William Lowe Byrd), Part 1, "Systems Reforms of Urban School Systems," includes (1) "Accountability at the Improv: Brief Sketches of School Reform in Los…

  1. Graduation Coaching in High-Need Urban, High Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lacefield, Warren E.; Zeller, Pamela J.; Van Kannel-Ray, Nancy

    2010-01-01

    This study documents the impact of placing graduation coaches as a GEAR UP intervention in urban high schools. The overall goal was improvement of students' academic performance, particularly for students not passing core courses. This longitudinal study began with data collection in feeder middle schools where results indicated improved student…

  2. The Complexities of Systems Change in Creating Equity for Students with Disabilities in Urban Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kozleski, Elizabeth B.; Smith, Anne

    2009-01-01

    This article explores the complexities of urban school improvement and systems change through the lens of educational equity policy initiatives. The authors situate urban schools within a critical context where contested identity politics, sociopolitical agendas, and economic stratification marginalize culturally and linguistically diverse…

  3. Teacher Resistance to Improvement of Schools with Diverse Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McKenzie, Kathryn Bell; Scheurich, James Joseph

    2008-01-01

    Two university researchers who have considerable practitioner and research experience in urban schools conducted an interventionist action research project in collaboration with the professional staff of a diverse urban elementary school. The goal was to collaborate with the administration, faculty and staff in an average urban elementary school…

  4. Tailoring Professional Development to Improve Literacy Instruction in Urban Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    De La Garza, Tammy Oberg

    2011-01-01

    To address the need for improving instructional practice in literacy, this paper examines whole school, teacher uptake of a professional development initiative over a four-year project. The study takes place in an urban, PK-6 school in a predominantly Mexican-American community. Measuring and analyzing teacher enactment of a professional…

  5. Generating Academic Urgency through Improved Classroom Management: A Case Study of a University and Urban Charter High School Partnership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morales, Erik E.

    2017-01-01

    This case study documents a university and secondary school partnership designed to improve classroom management and student time on task at an urban charter high school. The initiative utilized the expertise and knowledge of college of education faculty to identify and ameliorate the high school's observed barriers to students' time on task, and…

  6. Use of Documentary and Face to Face Interaction in Working Toward School Improvement. Draft. Documentation and Technical Assistance in Urban Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Holmes, Manford

    This paper compares the usefulness of documentary (written materials) versus face to face delivery of information in helping to bring about urban school improvement. The paper is based on the experiences of the Documentation and Technical Assistance Project (DTA) of the Center for New Schools (Chicago, Illinois), a program that aims to increase…

  7. Improving Disciplinary Practices in an Urban School: Solving the Problem of Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Colcord, Cean R.; Mathur, Sarup R.; Zucker, Stanley H.

    2016-01-01

    In this article, the authors share a case study of a special educator who worked closely with a leadership team in an urban elementary school to establish universal behavior expectations for all students. The special educator was a behavior coach in the urban elementary school located in a southwestern school of the United States of America.…

  8. From Negative Expectations to Positive School Improvement in Urban Schools: Bridging the Gap

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Callon, Uretka

    2009-01-01

    When people hear the term "urban", they immediately associate it with negative attributes such as poverty stricken students and families, ill-prepared students, run down facilities, and an inconsistency in teachers. When compared to any kind of school whether its' private or public, urban school districts have the worst label of all. Why is there…

  9. Promoting Student Achievement: A Case Study of Change Actions Employed by an Urban School Superintendent

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bealer, David E.

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the change strategies and actions taken by an urban district superintendent to improve student achievement. In a qualitative case study of a large urban school district, one research question and three subquestions focused on: 10 specific reform strategies to improve student achievement, how the quality and…

  10. Urban African American Males' Perceptions of School Counseling Services

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Owens, Delila; Simmons, Robert W., III; Bryant, Rhonda M.; Henfield, Malik

    2011-01-01

    Using a qualitative framework, researchers explored urban African American male students' perceptions of their school counselors and the ways to improve school counseling services. While participants reported positive feelings toward their school counselors, they identified specific services school counselors can offer them to optimize academic…

  11. What We See: A Department of Education's View of a State-Sponsored Urban School Improvement Initiative.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reece, Gary T.; Alvarez, Frank R.

    This paper presents the State of New Jersey Board of Education's evaluation of the Operation School Renewal (OSR) Program, a multi-year assistance program involving the urban school districts of Trenton, East Orange, and Neptune Township (New Jersey). Goals included the following: (1) attendance improvement; (2) reduction of disruptive pupil…

  12. A Comparison of Health Screenings in Rural and Urban Schools in Missouri.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Waignandt, Alex; Brown, James

    1991-01-01

    Studied health screening methods of schools in mid-Missouri. Found significant differences between rural and urban schools in terms of number of school nurses employed and percentage of schools screening in all areas studied: physical assessment, vision, hearing, scoliosis, and dental. Recommends improved health screenings in rural schools. (KS)

  13. Human Resource Support for School Principals in Two, Urban School Districts: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lochmiller, Chad R.

    2010-01-01

    School districts are increasingly focused on instructional practice in classrooms. Many urban school districts have shifted decision-making responsibility to school principals in order to improve instruction. This reform strategy has been referred to as decentralization or school-based management. Decentralization has a significant influence on…

  14. Urban School Systems and Education Reform: Key Lessons From a Case Study of Large Urban School Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Snipes, Jason C.; Casserly, Michael D.

    2004-01-01

    Foundations for Success, a study conducted by MDRC for the Council of the Great City Schools, examined the reform efforts of 3 large urban school districts and a portion of a 4th that had been successful in improving student achievement and reducing racial achievement gaps. This article summarizes the key findings of the study and discusses the…

  15. Moroccan Mothers' Involvement in Dialogic Literary Gatherings in a Catalan Urban Primary School: Increasing Educative Interactions and Improving Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de Botton, Lena; Girbés, Sandra; Ruiz, Laura; Tellado, Itxaso

    2014-01-01

    This article analyses a case study on Moroccan mothers' involvement in the Dialogic Literary Gathering (DLG) in an urban primary school in Catalonia (Spain). DLG is a dialogic learning environment that improves reading skills and communicative abilities and promotes school-community links. This activity has been identified in previous European…

  16. Do Teacher Financial Awards Improve Teacher Retention and Student Achievement in an Urban Disadvantaged School District?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shifrer, Dara; Turley, Ruth López; Heard, Holly

    2017-01-01

    Teacher performance pay programs are theorized to improve student achievement by incentivizing teachers, but opponents counter that teachers are not motivated by money. We used regression discontinuity techniques and data on a census of the students, teachers, and schools in a large urban minority-majority school district to show receipt of a…

  17. School Uniforms in Urban Public High Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Draa, Virginia Ann Bendel

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not the implementation of a mandatory uniform policy in urban public high schools improved school performance measures at the building level for rates of attendance, graduation, academic proficiency, and student conduct as measured by rates of suspensions and expulsions. Sixty-four secondary…

  18. Urban School Challenges: Implementation and Sustainability of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rusk, Christina N.

    2016-01-01

    Educators are under increasing pressure to improve the climate and safety in urban schools. Unfortunately, schools have addressed school safety concerns by increasing exclusionary measures such as suspensions and expulsions. Knowing that exclusionary measures can have detrimental effects, state legislatures have called for more proactive…

  19. The Nation's Report Card Mathematics 2013 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Dallas Public Schools. Grade 4, Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Center for Education Statistics, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), in partnership with the National Assessment Governing Board and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), created the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in 2002 to support the improvement of student achievement in the nation's large urban districts. NAEP TUDA results in mathematics…

  20. The Nation's Report Card Reading 2013 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Dallas Public Schools. Grade 4, Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Center for Education Statistics, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), in partnership with the National Assessment Governing Board and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), created the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in 2002 to support the improvement of student achievement in the nation's large urban districts. NAEP TUDA results in mathematics…

  1. The Nation's Report Card Mathematics 2013 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Dallas Public Schools. Grade 8, Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Center for Education Statistics, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), in partnership with the National Assessment Governing Board and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), created the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in 2002 to support the improvement of student achievement in the nation's large urban districts. NAEP TUDA results in mathematics…

  2. The Nation's Report Card Reading 2013 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Dallas Public Schools. Grade 8, Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Center for Education Statistics, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), in partnership with the National Assessment Governing Board and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), created the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in 2002 to support the improvement of student achievement in the nation's large urban districts. NAEP TUDA results in mathematics…

  3. The Nation's Report Card Reading 2013 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. San Diego Unified School District. Grade 4, Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Center for Education Statistics, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), in partnership with the National Assessment Governing Board and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), created the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in 2002 to support the improvement of student achievement in the nation's large urban districts. NAEP TUDA results in mathematics…

  4. The Nation's Report Card Mathematics 2013 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. San Diego Unified School District. Grade 8, Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Center for Education Statistics, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), in partnership with the National Assessment Governing Board and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), created the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in 2002 to support the improvement of student achievement in the nation's large urban districts. NAEP TUDA results in mathematics…

  5. The Nation's Report Card Reading 2013 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. San Diego Unified School District. Grade 8, Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Center for Education Statistics, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), in partnership with the National Assessment Governing Board and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), created the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in 2002 to support the improvement of student achievement in the nation's large urban districts. NAEP TUDA results in mathematics…

  6. The Nation's Report Card Mathematics 2013 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. San Diego Unified School District. Grade 4, Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Center for Education Statistics, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), in partnership with the National Assessment Governing Board and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), created the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in 2002 to support the improvement of student achievement in the nation's large urban districts. NAEP TUDA results in mathematics…

  7. The Nation's Report Card Mathematics 2013 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Austin Independent School District. Grade 8, Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Center for Education Statistics, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), in partnership with the National Assessment Governing Board and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), created the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in 2002 to support the improvement of student achievement in the nation's large urban districts. NAEP TUDA results in mathematics…

  8. The Nation's Report Card Reading 2013 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Austin Independent School District. Grade 4, Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Center for Education Statistics, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), in partnership with the National Assessment Governing Board and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), created the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in 2002 to support the improvement of student achievement in the nation's large urban districts. NAEP TUDA results in mathematics…

  9. The Nation's Report Card Mathematics 2013 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Austin Independent School District. Grade 4, Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Center for Education Statistics, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), in partnership with the National Assessment Governing Board and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), created the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in 2002 to support the improvement of student achievement in the nation's large urban districts. NAEP TUDA results in mathematics…

  10. The Nation's Report Card Reading 2013 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Austin Independent School District. Grade 8, Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Center for Education Statistics, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), in partnership with the National Assessment Governing Board and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), created the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in 2002 to support the improvement of student achievement in the nation's large urban districts. NAEP TUDA results in mathematics…

  11. The Nation's Report Card Mathematics 2013 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Albuquerque Public Schools. Grade 4, Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Center for Education Statistics, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), in partnership with the National Assessment Governing Board and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), created the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in 2002 to support the improvement of student achievement in the nation's large urban districts. NAEP TUDA results in mathematics…

  12. The Nation's Report Card Mathematics 2013 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Albuquerque Public Schools. Grade 8, Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Center for Education Statistics, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), in partnership with the National Assessment Governing Board and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), created the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in 2002 to support the improvement of student achievement in the nation's large urban districts. NAEP TUDA results in mathematics…

  13. The Nation's Report Card Reading 2013 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Albuquerque Public Schools. Grade 4, Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Center for Education Statistics, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), in partnership with the National Assessment Governing Board and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), created the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in 2002 to support the improvement of student achievement in the nation's large urban districts. NAEP TUDA results in mathematics…

  14. The Nation's Report Card Reading 2013 Trial Urban District Snapshot Report. Albuquerque Public Schools. Grade 8, Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Center for Education Statistics, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), in partnership with the National Assessment Governing Board and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), created the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in 2002 to support the improvement of student achievement in the nation's large urban districts. NAEP TUDA results in mathematics…

  15. Pieces of the Puzzle: Factors in the Improvement of Urban School Districts on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Abstract

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Casserly, Michael; Price-Baugh, Ricki; Corcoran, Amanda; Lewis, Sharon; Uzzell, Renata; Simon, Candace; Heppen, Jessica; Leinwand, Steve; Salinger, Terry; de Mello, Victor Bandeira; Dogan, Enis; Novotny, Laura

    2011-01-01

    This is an abridged, summary report of selected findings from "Pieces of the Puzzle: Factors in the Improvement of Urban School Districts on the National Assessment of Educational Progress"--a comprehensive study prepared by the Council of the Great City Schools in collaboration with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and with…

  16. Student-Led, Teacher-Supported Conferences: Improving Communication across an Urban School District

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goodman, Amy

    2008-01-01

    This article describes how parent communication across an urban school district was improved through student-led, teacher-supported conferences. According to "This We Believe," student-led, teacher-supported conferences empower young adolescents to accept responsibility for their own learning. Such conferences invite parents into the…

  17. Classroom Learning Environment & Student Motivational Differences between Exemplary, Recognized, & Acceptable Urban Middle Level Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Waxman, Hersh C.; Garcia, Andres; Read, Lisa L.

    2008-01-01

    One of the essential principles for improving middle grade education is to establish a safe and healthy school environment (Jackson & Davis, 2000; Price & Waxman, 2005). The overall quality of the school climate or school environment has been argued to be one of the central problems of urban schools (Waxman & Huang, 1997). Several…

  18. Philanthropic Due Diligence: Exploratory Case Studies To Improve Investments in Urban Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Campbell, Christine; Harvey, James; DeArmond, Michael

    This paper is designed to help funders avoid some of the pitfalls of embarking on major reform efforts in troubled urban districts, proposing exploratory case studies as a tool to improve philanthropic giving. The paper explains what is behind the two major flaws of philanthropic investment (not knowing how one thinks schools will improve and not…

  19. Improving School Climate in an Urban Junior High School.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lawson, Robert C.

    The problem of poor school climate in an eighth- and ninth-grade center was addressed by the implementation of a school climate improvement project. The following are the primary goals of this practicum: (1) improve school attendance; (2) reduce out-of-school suspensions; and (3) improve student and teacher morale. To address these goals, a…

  20. Scholars Identify 5 Keys to Urban School Success

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Viadero, Debra

    2010-01-01

    Offering a counter-narrative to the school improvement prescriptions that dominate national education debates, a new book based on 15 years of data on public elementary schools in Chicago identifies five tried-and-true ingredients that work, in combination with one another, to spur success in urban schools. The authors liken their "essential…

  1. The Vulnerability of Urban Elementary School Arts Programs: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shaw, Ryan D.

    2018-01-01

    With the intent of improving understanding of cuts to elementary arts programs, the purpose of this research was to investigate how one urban school district (Lansing School District in Lansing, Michigan) eliminated its elementary arts specialists. Research questions were (1) What policy conditions enabled the Lansing School District's decision to…

  2. The challenges of staffing urban schools with effective teachers.

    PubMed

    Jacob, Brian A

    2007-01-01

    Brian Jacob examines challenges faced by urban districts in staffing their schools with effective teachers. He emphasizes that the problem is far from uniform. Teacher shortages are more severe in certain subjects and grades than others, and differ dramatically from one school to another. The Chicago public schools, for example, regularly receive roughly ten applicants for each teaching position. But many applicants are interested in specific schools, and district officials struggle to find candidates for highly impoverished schools. Urban districts' difficulty in attracting and hiring teachers, says Jacob, means that urban teachers are less highly qualified than their suburban counterparts with respect to characteristics such as experience, educational background, and teaching certification. But they may not thus be less effective teachers. Jacob cites recent studies that have found that many teacher characteristics bear surprisingly little relationship to student outcomes. Policies to enhance teacher quality must thus be evaluated in terms of their effect on student achievement, not in terms of conventional teacher characteristics. Jacob then discusses how supply and demand contribute to urban teacher shortages. Supply factors involve wages, working conditions, and geographic proximity between teacher candidates and schools. Urban districts have tried various strategies to increase the supply of teacher candidates (including salary increases and targeted bonuses) and to improve retention rates (including mentoring programs). But there is little rigorous research evidence on the effectiveness of these strategies. Demand also has a role in urban teacher shortages. Administrators in urban schools may not recognize or value high-quality teachers. Human resource departments restrict district officials from making job offers until late in the hiring season, after many candidates have accepted positions elsewhere. Jacob argues that urban districts must improve hiring practices and also reevaluate policies for teacher tenure so that ineffective teachers can be dismissed.

  3. Leading School Improvement: African American Women Principals in Urban Educational Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mack, Yejide S.

    2010-01-01

    African American women administrators working in urban educational settings have been found to be effective leaders of school improvement. Underutilized women and people of color are the untapped value that organizations of all types need to enhance creativity, change efforts, teamwork, and financial benefits (Northouse, 2001). During the last…

  4. Using School Reform Models to Improve Reading Achievement: A Longitudinal Study of Direct Instruction and Success for All in an Urban District

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ross, Steven M.; Nunnery, John A.; Goldfeder, Elizabeth; McDonald, Aaron; Rachor, Robert; Hornbeck, Matthew; Fleischman, Steve

    2004-01-01

    This research examined the effectiveness in an urban school district of 2 of the most widely used Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) programs-Direct Instruction (DI), implemented in 9 district elementary schools, and Success for All (SFA), implemented in 2 elementary schools. In examining impacts on student achievement and school change outcomes…

  5. Principals as Leaders of School and Community Revitalization: A Phenomenological Study of Three Urban Schools in Morocco

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elmeski, Mohammed

    2015-01-01

    This article explores leadership of place in the context of three urban middle schools in Morocco. School reform means that principals are changing from agents of authority to leaders with school improvement responsibilities. This shift in mission can be stressful for principals who are called to lead, but are often constrained by bureaucratic and…

  6. The Organizational Health of Urban Elementary Schools: School Health and Teacher Functioning.

    PubMed

    Mehta, Tara G; Atkins, Marc S; Frazier, Stacy L

    2013-09-01

    This study examined the factor structure of the Organizational Health Inventory-Elementary version (OHI-E; Hoy, Tarter, & Kottkamp, 1991) in a sample of 203 teachers working in 19 high-poverty, urban schools and the association of organizational school health with teacher efficacy, teacher stress, and job satisfaction. Results indicated a similar factor structure of the OHI-E as compared with the population of schools in the original sample (Hoy et al., 1991), and that specific components of organizational health, such as a positive learning environment, are associated with teacher efficacy, stress, and satisfaction. Overall, teachers' relations with their peers, their school leadership, and their students appear especially critical in high-poverty, urban schools. Recommendations for research and practice related to improving high-poverty, urban schools are presented.

  7. The Organizational Health of Urban Elementary Schools: School Health and Teacher Functioning

    PubMed Central

    Mehta, Tara G.; Atkins, Marc S.; Frazier, Stacy L.

    2013-01-01

    This study examined the factor structure of the Organizational Health Inventory-Elementary version (OHI-E; Hoy, Tarter, & Kottkamp, 1991) in a sample of 203 teachers working in 19 high-poverty, urban schools and the association of organizational school health with teacher efficacy, teacher stress, and job satisfaction. Results indicated a similar factor structure of the OHI-E as compared with the population of schools in the original sample (Hoy et al., 1991), and that specific components of organizational health, such as a positive learning environment, are associated with teacher efficacy, stress, and satisfaction. Overall, teachers’ relations with their peers, their school leadership, and their students appear especially critical in high-poverty, urban schools. Recommendations for research and practice related to improving high-poverty, urban schools are presented. PMID:23935763

  8. Bringing School Reform to Scale: Five Award-Winning Urban Districts. Educational Innovations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zavadsky, Heather

    2009-01-01

    "Bringing School Reform to Scale" looks in detail at five school districts that have been honored in recent years by The Broad Foundation, whose annual award is granted "each year to the urban school districts that demonstrate the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement while reducing achievement gaps among poor and…

  9. Time and Attention in Urban High Schools: Lessons for School Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Frank, Stephen

    2010-01-01

    There is no disputing that for high school students to be college and career ready, they need adequate time to learn, and individualized attention to meet each student's academic goals, learning styles, and social needs. Over the past decade, Education Resource Strategies (ERS) has partnered with urban schools and districts to improve their use of…

  10. Improving the Connection between Healthcare Employers and Schools to Increase Work-Based Learning Opportunities for Urban High School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Loera, Gustavo

    2016-01-01

    This study advances an experiential learning framework for educators to: (1) identify workforce-building strategies from key healthcare industry informants, (2) strengthen school-industry partnerships, and (3) shape urban high school students' career readiness experiences through curriculum and real life on-the-job training opportunities. Data was…

  11. A Social Constructivist Approach to Preparing School Counselors to Work Effectively in Urban Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martinez, Robert R.; Dye, Lacretia; Gonzalez, Laura M.

    2017-01-01

    In this article a social construction framework is used to improve the capacity of school counselors and trainees to work effectively with African American and Latina/o students in urban schools. Three key theoretical tenets of the social construction worldview are presented as a new lens for thinking about the "meaning-making" process…

  12. "Kickin' Asthma": School-Based Asthma Education in an Urban Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Magzamen, Sheryl; Patel, Bina; Davis, Adam; Edelstein, Joan; Tager, Ira B.

    2008-01-01

    Background: In urban communities with high prevalence of childhood asthma, school-based educational programs may be the most appropriate approach to deliver interventions to improve asthma morbidity and asthma-related outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation of "Kickin' Asthma", a school-based asthma…

  13. Charter School Expansion and within District Equity: Confluence or Conflict?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baker, Bruce D.; Libby, Ken; Wiley, Kathryn

    2015-01-01

    This article explores whether two popular policy initiatives are compatible or conflicting strategies for enhancing educational equality in diverse large urban centers. These two initiatives are (1) charter school expansion and (2) improvement of resource equity across urban public school systems through policies often referred to as weighted…

  14. Urban School District's Preparing New Principals Program 2008-2011: Perceptions of Program Completers, Supervising Principals, and Senior Level School District Administrators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Rosemarye T.; Pelletier, Kelly; Trimble, Todd; Ruiz, Eddie

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of these three parallel mixed method studies was to measure the effectiveness of an urban school district's 2011 Preparing New Principals Program (PNPP). Results supported the premise that preparing principals for school leadership in 2013 must develop them as instructional leaders who can improve teacher performance and student…

  15. Evaluating the Co-Construction of the Family, School, and Community Partnership Program in a Low-Income Urban High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    LaPoint, Velma; Jackson, Henry L.

    2004-01-01

    There have been resounding national calls in the past several years to improve the academic achievement and social competence of students in public schools, especially students in low-performing K-12 schools that include low-income students of color in the nation's urban communities. Many educational stakeholders--students, teachers,…

  16. Urban School Superintendents: Characteristics, Tenure, and Salary. Seventh Survey and Report. Urban Indicator, Fall 2010

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Council of the Great City Schools, 2010

    2010-01-01

    Urban school superintendents hold one of the most important and challenging jobs in America's education system. In this era of accountability and standards, superintendents are charged with making visible and rapid improvements in the academic achievement of the nation's most vulnerable children. They must break down barriers to reform and build…

  17. Improving Low-Achieving Schools: Building State Capacity to Support School Improvement through Race to the Top

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Childs, Joshua; Russell, Jennifer Lin

    2017-01-01

    Improving low-achieving schools is a critical challenge facing urban education. Recent national policy shifts have pressed states to take an expanded role in school improvement efforts. In 2009, a federal grant competition called Race to the Top (RttT) compelled states to improve their capacity to implement ambitious education reform agendas.…

  18. Powerful Reforms with Shallow Roots: Improving America's Urban Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cuban, Larry, Ed.; Usdan, Michael, Ed.

    This collection of papers, purposely written in jargon-free language, is designed to inform policymakers, business leaders, educators, and civic-minded parents about the abiding complexities of urban school reform and the linkages between the success of schools and the vitality of cities. After the "Introduction: Learning from the Past"…

  19. Using Common Formative Assessments as a Source of Professional Development in an Urban American Elementary School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Frey, Nancy; Fisher, Douglas

    2009-01-01

    By implementing a system of common formative assessments, the teachers at an American urban elementary school improved student achievement and facilitated their own professional development. By aligning content standards with assessments and purposeful instruction, the teachers at this school developed a depth of knowledge about their content…

  20. Successful Leadership in Three High-Poverty Urban Elementary Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jacobson, Stephen L.; Brooks, Sharon; Giles, Corrie; Johnson, Lauri; Ylimaki, Rose

    2007-01-01

    This study examined the beliefs and practices of three principals during whose tenure their high-poverty urban elementary schools experienced improved student achievement. A two-stage, multiple case-study methodology was employed. First, New York State Education Department (NYSED) school report card data were analyzed to identify case-study sites.…

  1. College Readiness for All: The Challenge for Urban High Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roderick, Melissa; Nagaoka, Jenny; Coca, Vanessa

    2009-01-01

    Melissa Roderick, Jenny Nagaoka, and Vanessa Coca focus on the importance of improving college access and readiness for low-income and minority students in urban high schools. They stress the aspirations-attainment gap: although the college aspirations of all U.S. high school students, regardless of race, ethnicity, and family income, have…

  2. Extrinsic Motivation for Large-Scale Assessments: A Case Study of a Student Achievement Program at One Urban High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Emmett, Joshua; McGee, Dean

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this case study was to discover the critical attributes of a student achievement program, known as "Think Gold," implemented at one urban comprehensive high school as part of the improvement process. Student achievement on state assessments improved during the period under study. The study draws upon perspectives on…

  3. The Pursuit of Excellence: Improving the Quality of Our Urban Schools through Desegregation, Equity and Choice. A Final Report from the Program Committee of The Worcester Conference on Equity and Choice (Worcester, Massachusetts, April 9-10, 1984).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clinchy, Evans

    In April 1984, more than 350 parents, teachers, principals and administrators from major urban school systems in Massachusetts met to define what an "excellent" desegregated urban public school system should be. This conference report, following excerpts from a keynote address by John E. Durkin, documents seven workshops which focused on…

  4. Charting a Path to Graduation. The Effect of Project GRAD on Elementary School Student Outcomes in Four Urban School Districts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Snipes, Jason C.; Holton, Glee Ivory; Doolittle, Fred

    2006-01-01

    In the past decade, school districts around the country have sought to improve struggling urban high schools, where high dropout rates, poor student achievement, and low rates of graduation and college-going remain all too prevalent. In a field crowded with reform initiatives, Project Graduation Really Achieves Dreams (GRAD) stands out as…

  5. Improvement Efforts in Rural Schools: Experiences of Nine Schools Receiving School Improvement Grants

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosenberg, Linda; Christianson, Megan Davis; Hague Angus, Megan

    2015-01-01

    Low-performing schools in rural settings can face challenges common to all struggling schools, such as low student motivation and maintaining a qualified teaching staff. However, aspects of rural schools' settings, such as the distance from urban areas and the commute between the schools and the students' and teachers' homes, can exacerbate the…

  6. Enhancing Teacher Leadership in Urban Education: The Oak Park Experience. Educating Students Placed at Risk

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muchmore, James A.; Cooley, Van E.; Marx, Gary E.; Crowell, Ronald A.

    2004-01-01

    This article describes a long-term effort to improve student achievement in an urban school district through a unique school-university partnership. The Oak Park School District in Oak Park, Michigan, collaborated with Western Michigan University (WMU) to design and administer special master's and doctoral degree programs for nearly half the…

  7. Effects of a Theoretically Based Large-Scale Reading Intervention in a Multicultural Urban School District

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sadoski, Mark; Willson, Victor L.

    2006-01-01

    In 1997, Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes partnered with Pueblo School District 60 (PSD60), a heavily minority urban district with many Title I schools, to implement a theoretically based initiative designed to improve Colorado Student Assessment Program reading scores. In this study, the authors examined achievement in Grades 3-5 during the…

  8. Successful Schools: How School-Level Factors Influence Success with Urban Advantage. Working Paper #01-14

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Weinstein, Meryle; Whitesell, Emilyn Ruble; Leardo, Michele

    2014-01-01

    Informal science education institutions have been identified as critical participants in helping students succeed in science by working in collaboration with school systems across the country. The results of one such collaboration, the Urban Advantage (UA) program found that participation in UA improved student achievement, on average, by 0.6…

  9. Project ORDER: Organization for Responsibility, Dependability, Education and Reality. Evaluation Report 1974-75.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    North Forest Independent School District, Houston, TX.

    Project ORDER is a pilot project tested in an urban middle school in Houston, Texas. The program was intended to improve the general school atmosphere; to improve students' attitudes toward the school, its program, faculty, and administration; to show significant improvement in pupil behavior; and to substantially improve teaching-learning…

  10. S.720. A Bill To Provide Financial Assistance to Eligible Local Educational Agencies To Improve Urban Education, and for Other Purposes. 102d Congress, 1st Session.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources.

    This document comprises a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate to provide Federal aid to urban schools determined to be most in need of financial assistance. The proposed legislation, which, if enacted is to be called the "Urban Schools of America (USA) Act of 1991," also allocates funds for research in urban education. The purpose of the…

  11. Effective Implementation of a Comprehension-Improvement Approach in Secondary Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Levine, Daniel U.; Sherk, John K.

    This report describes in depth the implementation and impact of instructional strategies to improve students' comprehension skills at three diverse urban secondary schools. While activities and characteristics varied, educators at all three locations were implementing local variations of a school-improvement approach based on the use of the…

  12. School Improvement Grants: Progress Report from America's Great City Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Council of the Great City Schools, 2015

    2015-01-01

    This report measures trends in performance among urban schools receiving federal School Improvement Grant (SIG) awards as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The Council of the Great City Schools aims to document how member districts of the Council of the Great City Schools implemented SIG and specifically what…

  13. The Conference of the University/Urban Schools National Task Force: What Works in Urban Schools. Proceedings. (2nd, Bermuda, March 26-27, 1982).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bossone, Richard M., Ed.

    This report summarizes the proceedings and presents the papers discussed at a national conference on effective aspects of urban education. The first paper discusses the development of the San Francisco (California) Redesign Program, a five year master plan for educational reform which aimed to improve the physical educational environment,…

  14. Reform Stall: An Ecological Analysis of the Efficacy of an Urban School Reform Initiative to Improve Students' Reading and Mathematics Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    James, Marlon C.; Rupley, William H.; Hall, Kristin Kistner; Nichols, Janet Alys; Rasinski, Timothy V.; Harmon, Willie C.

    2016-01-01

    This article examines the efficacy of the implementation of a program titled Consensus Initiative [pseudonym] in an urban school district that served 20,000 linguistically, economically, and racially diverse students situated in the northeast region of the United States. Using a research derived ecological framework from the school reform…

  15. The Breathmobile[TM]: A Novel Comprehensive School-Based Mobile Asthma Care Clinic for Urban Underprivileged Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liao, Otto; Morphew, Tricia; Amaro, Silvia; Galant, Stanley P.

    2006-01-01

    Urban minority children have higher rates of asthma morbidity due to multiple factors. Many school-based programs have been funded to improve asthma management, especially for these "high-risk" inner-city children with asthma. Here they report the outcomes of the Children's Hospital of Orange County Breathmobile program, which is a school-based…

  16. Greener on the Other Side: Cultivating Community and Improvement through Sustainability Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sterrett, William L.; Kensler, Lisa; McKey, Tania

    2016-01-01

    Sustainability practices that lead to greener schools are often overlooked in leadership preparation programs and in school improvement efforts. An urban middle school principal recognizes the potential to build community, foster a healthy learning environment, and redefine her school through focusing on sustainability practices in a collaborative…

  17. Strategic School Funding for Improved Student Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chambers, Jay G.; Brown, James R.; Levin, Jesse; Jubb, Steve; Harper, Dorothy; Tolleson, Ray; Manship, Karen

    2010-01-01

    This article features Strategic School Funding for Results (SSFR) project, a new joint initiative of the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and Pivot Learning Partners (PLP) aimed at improving school finance, human resources, and management systems in large urban school districts. The goal of the project is to develop and implement more…

  18. Education Management Organizations' Collaborative Leadership Practices for Low-Performing Urban Charter Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cupidore, Calvin C., Jr.

    2017-01-01

    Educators have regarded building leader-member relationships using collaboration as a fundamental component to successfully improve students' academic achievement. Ineffective collaborative leadership practices may lead to achievement deficits particularly for many urban charter schools operated by educational management organizations. The purpose…

  19. Principals' Hiring of Teachers in Philadelphia Schools: A Research Report on Improving Teacher Quality

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ramirez, Heidi A.; Schofield, Lynne Steuerle; Black, Melissa

    2009-01-01

    The School District of Philadelphia (SDP), like many other urban school districts, struggles to increase its hiring and retention of experienced and highly qualified teachers in its low-performing/high-need schools. Toward the goal of improving teacher quality and the experience balance, particularly in hard-to-staff schools, the Philadelphia…

  20. Want to Improve Teaching? Create Collaborative, Supportive Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allensworth, Elaine

    2012-01-01

    Teachers tend to leave schools where they feel ineffective. At the same time, it's harder to be effective in schools with the lowest levels of student performance, schools that are most in need of effective teaching. There is a pressing need to improve the quality of instruction in urban schools to reduce long-standing inequities in educational…

  1. Effective Implementation of a Comprehension-Improvement Approach in Secondary Schools. Summary.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Levine, Daniel U.; Sherk, John K.

    This document summarizes a report on the implementation and impact of instructional strategies to improve students' comprehension skills at three diverse urban secondary schools. While activities and characteristics varied, educators at all three locations were implementing local variations of a school-improvement approach based on the use of the…

  2. Single-Sex Mathematics Instruction in an Urban Independent School.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Seitsinger, Anne M.; Barboza, Helen C.; Hird, Anne

    An urban independent middle school grouped its 63 sixth and seventh graders into single-sex mathematics classes (SSMC) to improve girls' achievement in mathematics (AIM) and attitudes toward mathematics (ATM) with no negative impact on boys. Researchers analyzed AIM, ATM, and interactions/instruction. AIM measures included Metropolitan Achievement…

  3. It's No Secret: Progress Prized in Brownsville

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zehr, Mary Ann

    2008-01-01

    This article features Brownsville Independent School District which was awarded the prestigious 2008 Broad Prize for Urban Education for being the nation's most improved urban school district. The Texas border district sees teacher training and data-based instruction as paths to learning gains--and the $1 million Broad award adds validation. In…

  4. An Effective Way to Improve Mathematics Achievement in Urban Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Taik

    2010-01-01

    The local Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEARUP) partnership serves 11 K-8 schools with the lowest achievement scores and the highest poverty rates in a large Midwestern urban district. Recently, GEARUP launched a specially designed teaching program, Mathematics Enhancement Group (MEG), for underachievers in…

  5. College Readiness of Urban High School Students in the United States: The Role of Technology in Preparing All Students for College

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Kane, Eileen Vollert

    2010-01-01

    As we enter deeper into the 21st Century, there is a more urgent need to transform our educational system in the United States to better prepare our youth for the careers and technology of the future. This study examines how improving technology education at the high school level can improve the learning and college readiness of urban youth. It…

  6. Voices from the Field: The Perceptions of Teachers and Principals on the Class Size Reduction Program in a Large Urban School District.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Munoz, Marco A.; Portes, Pedro R.

    A class size reduction (CSR) program was implemented in a large low-performing urban elementary school district. The CSR program helps schools improve student learning by hiring additional teachers so that children in the early elementary grades can attend smaller classes. This study used a participant-oriented evaluation model to examine the…

  7. Improving of Reading in High Schools: Outcomes of Ramp Up to Advanced Literacy in a Large Urban District

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Munoz, Marco A.

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of Ramp Up to Advanced Literacy, an unbundled Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) model, on the reading achievement of ninth grade students in a large urban school district in Kentucky. Using a pre- and posttest impact evaluation design, data from participating and non-participating…

  8. What Teachers Know and Do: The Relationship between Teachers' Perceived Needs of Students and Their Practice in Urban, All-Male Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beitlers, Anne

    2014-01-01

    Teachers in urban schools are often criticized for their inability to improve achievement of their students. Underachievement is especially a concern for low-income Black and Latino boys. Single-sex schools have opened to support them, but limited data is available to evaluate their effectiveness and little is known about the teaching practices…

  9. Schooling of Girls and Boys in A West African Country: The Effects of Parental Education, Income, and Household Structure.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Glick, Peter; Sahn, David E.

    2000-01-01

    Investigates gender differences in determinants of three schooling indicators (grade attainment, current enrollment, and withdrawal from school) in a poor urban area in Guinea. Raising household income leads to greater investments in girls' schooling. Improving fathers' education benefits both sexes' education; improving mothers' education…

  10. Real Leaders, Real Schools: Stories of Success against Enormous Odds

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leader, Gerald C.

    2008-01-01

    "Real Leaders, Real Schools" tells the stories of five urban public school principals who led their schools through profound and transformative changes. In each of these cases, their efforts resulted in dramatic improvements in student achievement--improvements that occurred within the current environment of high-stakes tests. The revealing and…

  11. The Talent Development Middle School Model: Context, Components, and Initial Impacts on Students' Performance and Attendance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Herlihy, Corinne M.; Kemple, James J.

    2004-01-01

    The Talent Development Middle School model was created to make a difference in struggling urban middle schools. The model is part of a trend in school improvement strategies whereby whole-school reform projects aim to improve performance and attendance outcomes for students through the use of major changes in both the organizational structure and…

  12. Gaseous pollutants on rural and urban nursery schools in Northern Portugal.

    PubMed

    Nunes, R A O; Branco, P T B S; Alvim-Ferraz, M C M; Martins, F G; Sousa, S I V

    2016-01-01

    Indoor air quality in nursery schools is different from other schools and this has been largely ignored, particularly in rural areas. Urban and rural nursery schools have different environmental characteristics whose knowledge needs improvement. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate continuously the concentrations of CO2, CO, NO2, O3, CH2O and total VOC in three rural nursery schools and one urban, being the only one comparing urban and rural nurseries with continuous measurements, thus considering occupation and non-occupation periods. Regarding CO2, urban nursery recorded higher concentrations (739-2328 mg m(-3)) than rural nurseries (653-1078 mg m(-3)). The influence of outdoor air was the main source of CO, NO2 and O3 indoor concentrations. CO and NO2 concentrations were higher in the urban nursery and O3 concentrations were higher in rural ones. CH2O and TVOC concentrations seemed to be related to internal sources, such as furniture and flooring finishing and cleaning products. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Designing Temporary Systems: Exploring Local School Improvement Intentions in the Swedish Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nordholm, Daniel; Blossing, Ulf

    2014-01-01

    This article targets local school improvement in Sweden and temporary systems as a model to organize improvement work. These data are based on a qualitative case study of teacher groups constituting a temporary system representing the different subjects in comprehensive school in a medium-sized urban municipality. A total of eight interviews were…

  14. Foundations for Success: Case Studies of How Urban School Systems Improve Student Achievement [and] Abstract.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Snipes, Jason; Doolittle, Fred; Herlihy, Corinne

    This report examines the experiences of three large urban school districts (and part of a fourth) that raised academic performance for their districts as a whole, while also reducing racial differences in achievement. Educational challenges included low achievement, political conflict, inexperienced teachers, low expectations, and lack of…

  15. Promise Neighborhoods: The Promise and Politics of Community Capacity Building as Urban School Reform

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horsford, Sonya Douglass; Sampson, Carrie

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this inquiry is to consider how the U.S. Department of Education's Promise Neighborhoods (PNs) program can improve persistently low-achieving urban schools by making their "neighborhoods whole again" through community capacity building for education reform. As the "first federal initiative to put education at the…

  16. School Choice and Government Reform: Pillars of an Urban Renaissance. Civic Bulletin.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Booker, Cory A.

    This paper describes one vision of how to improve urban education, highlighting the Newark, New Jersey, public schools. It discusses the importance of encouraging all students to "reach for the stars" in education and describes the government's role in perpetuating inequitable circumstances. It highlights the importance of emphasizing…

  17. Self/Inner Development of Educational Administrators: A National Study of Urban School District Superintendents and College Deans.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Metzger, Christa

    2003-01-01

    Surveyed urban school superintendents and college of education deans regarding strategies for coping with stress through self/inner development. Participants defined self/inner development as balance, self-actualization, values, personal improvement, inner focus, and relationships. Self/inner development terms used most frequently at work were…

  18. Case Studies of the Urban Mathematics Collaborative Project: Program Report 91-3.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Popkewitz, Thomas S.; Myrdal, Sigurjon

    The Urban Mathematics Collaborative (UMC) project has the goal of contributing to the improvement of mathematics education in the inner-city schools by identifying models to enhance the professional lives of teachers and encouraging the entry of high school mathematics teachers into a larger mathematics community including mathematicians from…

  19. Venture Philanthropy's Market Strategies Fail Urban Kids

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shiller, Jessica

    2012-01-01

    The latest wave of reform in urban schools, led by the venture philanthropists, has made a great deal of change, without much progress. Foundations with a venture philanthropy bent, like the Walton Family Foundation, the Gates Foundation, and the Broad Foundation, say market principles, such as choice and competition, will improve schools. If…

  20. Community-Based Equity Audits: A Practical Approach for Educational Leaders to Support Equitable Community-School Improvements

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Green, Terrance L.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: To equitably transform urban schools of color and the neighborhoods where they are nested requires approaches that promote community equity and foster solidarity among a range of stakeholders. However, most school-community approaches solely focus on improving school-based outcomes and leave educational leaders with little guidance for…

  1. School Turnaround Fever: The Paradoxes of a Historical Practice Promoted as a New Reform

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peck, Craig; Reitzug, Ulrich C.

    2014-01-01

    School "turnaround" has received significant attention recently in education literature and policy action, especially as a means to dramatically improve urban education. In current common education usage, "turnaround" refers to the rapid, significant improvement in the academic achievement of persistently low-achieving schools.…

  2. A case study of middle school food policy and persisting barriers to healthful eating.

    PubMed

    Jara, Eddy; Ozer, Emily J; Seyer-Ochi, Ingrid

    2014-01-01

    Decreasing access to competitive foods in schools has produced only modest effects on adolescents' eating patterns. This qualitative case study investigated persistent barriers to healthful eating among students attending an ethnically diverse middle school in a working-class urban neighborhood that had banned on campus competitive food sales. Participant observations, semi-structured interviews and document reviews were conducted. Unappealing school lunches and easily accessible unhealthful foods, combined with peer and family influences, increased the appeal of unhealthy foods. Areas for further inquiry into strategies to improve urban middle school students' school and neighborhood food environments are discussed.

  3. Public Disclosure to Improve Physical Education in an Urban School District: Results from a 2-year Quasi-Experimental Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thompson, Hannah R.; Vittinghoff, Eric; Linchey, Jennifer K.; Madsen, Kristine A.

    2015-01-01

    Background: Many elementary schools have policies requiring a minimum amount of physical education (PE). However, few schools comply with local/state PE policy and little is known about how to improve adherence. We evaluated changes in PE among fifth-grade classes, following participatory action research efforts to improve PE quantity and policy…

  4. Change(d) Agents: New Teachers of Color in Urban Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Achinstein, Betty; Ogawa, Rodney T.

    2011-01-01

    This book examines both the promise and complexity of diversifying today's teaching profession. Drawing from a 5-year study of 21 new teachers of color working in urban, hard-to-staff schools, this book uncovers a systemic paradox that the teachers confront. They are committed to improving educational opportunities for students of color by acting…

  5. Inputs and Student Achievement: An Analysis of Latina/o-Serving Urban Elementary Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heilig, Julian Vasquez; Williams, Amy; Jez, Su Jin

    2010-01-01

    One of the most pressing problems in the United States is improving student academic performance, especially the nation's burgeoning Latina/o student population. There is a dearth of research on variables associated with student achievement in Latina/o majority schools in urban districts. As the majority of Latina/o students are segregated into…

  6. An Exploratory Examination of "Pockets of Success" in Creating Urban High Schools of Opportunity for LSES Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gaines, Frank

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine "pockets of success" through the voices of participant stakeholders in low socio-economic status urban high schools and communities to identify opportunities and structures that can improve post-secondary outcomes for students. Examining those pockets of success to rise above the…

  7. System Learning in an Urban School District: A Case Study of Intra-District Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Redding, Christopher; Cannata, Marisa; Miller, Jason

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents evidence from a unique reform model that allowed teachers and other educators in a large urban district to collaborate with one another in the development of an innovation meant to improve student ownership and responsibility. In this longitudinal case study, we describe school stakeholders' learning about the design, the…

  8. Urban Elementary Teachers' Negotiation of School Culture and the Fostering of Educational Resilience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Geste, Audrey Jane

    2010-01-01

    Research about educational resilience provides a framework for understanding why some at risk children are successful in school, while others are not. It can inform and guide teachers as they strive to improve the odds of urban student achievement. This research, an instrumental multiple case study, gathered the experiences of three experienced…

  9. Selecting Effective Teachers for Urban Elementary Charter Schools: Effects of Decentralization on Principals' Decisions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leaks, Rakeda Antwanece

    2013-01-01

    In the age of No Child Left Behind and accountability, education stakeholders continue to look for ways to improve student achievement outcomes especially in schools in urban communities. Principal autonomy has been linked to successful results in student achievement. The purpose of this study was to understand how principals' perceptions of their…

  10. System Learning in an Urban School District: A Case Study of Intra-District Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Redding, Christopher; Cannata, Marisa; Miller, Jason M.

    2018-01-01

    This paper presents evidence from a unique reform model that allowed teachers and other educators in a large urban district to collaborate with one another in the development of an innovation meant to improve student ownership and responsibility. In this longitudinal case study, we describe school stakeholders' learning about the design, the…

  11. The Relationship between Correlates of Effective Schools and Social Emotional Learning within Single Gender Schools Serving Boys of Color

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Green, Curt R.

    2013-01-01

    Urban school districts throughout the United States are creating single gender classrooms or schools to improve student achievements for their lowest performing subgroups (Noguera, 2009). It is hoped that separating the sexes will improve domains such as discipline, attendance and academic performance, while decreasing the dropout rate. If single…

  12. Using Covariates to Improve Precision for Studies that Randomize Schools to Evaluate Educational Interventions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bloom, Howard S.; Richburg-Hayes, Lashawn; Black, Alison Rebeck

    2007-01-01

    This article examines how controlling statistically for baseline covariates, especially pretests, improves the precision of studies that randomize schools to measure the impacts of educational interventions on student achievement. Empirical findings from five urban school districts indicate that (1) pretests can reduce the number of randomized…

  13. Making Educational Reform Work: Stories of School Improvement in Urban China

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hamilton, Doug

    2014-01-01

    The latest national educational policy in the People's Republic of China calls for comprehensive educational reforms aimed at building the foundation for a modern learning society throughout China over the next 10 years. This research examines school leaders' efforts to implement school improvement initiatives that directly respond to the policy's…

  14. Evaluation of Six School Effectiveness Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schmitt, Dorren Rafael

    School effectiveness programs were evaluated at six urban schools (five elementary and one junior high schools) in Louisiana for the 1986-87 school year. Focus was on providing principals with information to improve their school effectiveness programs for the 1987-88 school year. Subjects were 3,006 students, for whom scores on the California…

  15. Improving Academic Skills of Urban Students. Proceedings of the Conference of the University/Urban Schools National Task Force. (6th, San Diego, California, November 2-3, l984).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bossone, Richard M., Ed.

    This document contains the proceedings of a conference on improving the academic skills of urban students. Titles and authors of the twelve included papers are: (1) "Academic Skills and the SAT," George H. Hanford; (2) "New York City Promotional Gates Program: Implications for Instruction of Academic Skills," Charlotte Frank;…

  16. Enacting a Social Justice Leadership Framework: The 3 C's of Urban Teacher Quality

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khalil, Deena; Brown, Elizabeth

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to conceptualize a social justice leadership framework that identifies essential urban teacher qualities. This framework serves to benefit education leaders seeking teachers best suited for urban schools and urban educators seeking to improve their praxis. The study used a critical approach to analyze data collected…

  17. From Alaska: A 21st Century Story of Indigenous Self-Determination in Urban American Public Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Weinstein, Gail L. Israel

    2014-01-01

    For Alaskan Indigenous people, an acute clash of cultures occurs daily in U.S. public school education. The dynamics used to implement and improve the well-being and graduation outcomes for Alaska Native youth in urban public school are presented. A partnership between Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Inc., an Alaska Native social service nonprofit, and…

  18. Improving Urban Student Achievement Through Early Childhood Reform: What State Policymakers Can Do. Issue Paper. Early Childhood Reform Issue Paper

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kagan, Sharon Lynn

    2004-01-01

    For over four decades, American policymakers have focused their attention on readying young children for school. Despite noble policy efforts, durable investments and a persistent belief in the ability of early childhood education to offset social inequities, significant challenges exist for America's urban young children as they enter school.…

  19. The Urban Mathematics Collaborative Project: Report to the Ford Foundation on the 1986-87 School Year. Program Report 88-1.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Webb, Norman L.; And Others

    In 1984 the Urban Mathematics Collaborative (UMC) project was initiated to improve mathematics education in inner-city schools and to identify new models for meeting the ongoing professional needs of teachers. UMCs are located in Cleveland, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Durham, Pittsburgh, San Diego, St. Louis,…

  20. Boundary Spanners as Bridges of Student and School Discourses in an Urban Science and Mathematics High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buxton, Cory A.; Carlone, Heidi B.; Carlone, David

    2005-01-01

    A key to improving urban science and mathematics education is to facilitate the mutual understanding of the participants involved and then look for strategies to bridge differences. Educators need new theoretical tools to do so. In this paper the argument is made that the concept of "boundary spanner" is such a tool. Boundary spanners…

  1. Improving Literacy for Diverse, Low Socioeconomic Status, Middle School Students in an Urban District

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Means, Vivian Fowler

    2017-01-01

    In an urban district, Surfside School personnel were concerned that student literacy proficiency levels were low during 2011-2014 and teachers had not been able to close the achievement gap despite a focus on literacy practices and literacy professional development (PD) provided by the district. The purpose of this case study was to explore the…

  2. Initial evaluation of a student-run fruit and vegetable business in urban high schools.

    PubMed

    Sikic, Nicholas I; Erbstein, Nancy; Welch, Kearnan; Grundberg, Ethan; Miller, Elizabeth

    2012-11-01

    This study examined the acceptability and feasibility of Fresh Producers, a student-run fruit and vegetable distribution program at three urban high schools located in low-income neighborhoods, and its potential impact on the nutrition and professional development of participating students. Thirteen focus groups conducted with 72 students explored the program's impact on their dietary habits and professional skill development, and discussed program challenges. Responses were coded for common themes by multiple investigators. Participants reported increased fruit and vegetable consumption, and improved interpersonal, team-building, and organizational skills. Challenges included integration into the school schedule and environment and limited faculty support for business activities. This program is acceptable and feasible for secondary school students in a variety of school settings. Students reported positive changes in professional skills and nutrition. Training and support for students and faculty, including strategies to improve program integration into the school context, could increase participation.

  3. Improvement in nutrition-related knowledge and behaviour of urban Asian Indian school children: findings from the 'Medical education for children/Adolescents for Realistic prevention of obesity and diabetes and for healthy aGeing' ( MARG) intervention study.

    PubMed

    Shah, Priyali; Misra, Anoop; Gupta, Nidhi; Hazra, Daya Kishore; Gupta, Rajeev; Seth, Payal; Agarwal, Anand; Gupta, Arun Kumar; Jain, Arvind; Kulshreshta, Atul; Hazra, Nandita; Khanna, Padmamalika; Gangwar, Prasann Kumar; Bansal, Sunil; Tallikoti, Pooja; Mohan, Indu; Bhargava, Rooma; Sharma, Rekha; Gulati, Seema; Bharadwaj, Swati; Pandey, Ravindra Mohan; Goel, Kashish

    2010-08-01

    Increasing prevalence of childhood obesity calls for comprehensive and cost-effective educative measures in developing countries such as India. School-based educative programmes greatly influence children's behaviour towards healthy living. We aimed to evaluate the impact of a school-based health and nutritional education programme on knowledge and behaviour of urban Asian Indian school children. Benchmark assessment of parents and teachers was also done. We educated 40 196 children (aged 8-18 years), 25 000 parents and 1500 teachers about health, nutrition, physical activity, non-communicable diseases and healthy cooking practices in three cities of North India. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to assess randomly selected 3128 children, 2241 parents and 841 teachers before intervention and 2329 children after intervention. Low baseline knowledge and behaviour scores were reported in 75-94 % government and 48-78 % private school children, across all age groups. A small proportion of government school children gave correct answers about protein (14-17 %), carbohydrates (25-27 %) and saturated fats (18-32 %). Private school children, parents and teachers performed significantly better than government school subjects (P < 0.05). Following the intervention, scores improved in all children irrespective of the type of school (P < 0.001). A significantly higher improvement was observed in younger children (aged 8-11 years) as compared with those aged 12-18 years, in females compared with males and in government schools compared with private schools (P < 0.05 for all). Major gaps exist in health and nutrition-related knowledge and behaviour of urban Asian Indian children, parents and teachers. This successful and comprehensive educative intervention could be incorporated in future school-based health and nutritional education programmes.

  4. School Improvements and Student Achievement: Teachers' Conceptions and Practices in an Urban School Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gardner, Jendayi Johari

    2012-01-01

    This mixed-methods study is represented by three articles that examine student achievement. The articles were developed based on the following purposes: (1) to examine teachers' conceptions about student achievement; (2) to examine teacher practices for school improvement that reflects elements of a reform model; and (3) to examine teachers'…

  5. Improving School Leadership through Support, Evaluation, and Incentives: The Pittsburgh Principal Incentive Program. Monograph

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hamilton, Laura S.; Engberg, John; Steiner, Elizabeth D.; Nelson, Catherine Awsumb; Yuan, Kun

    2012-01-01

    In 2007, the Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) received funding from the U.S. Department of Education's Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) program to implement the Pittsburgh Urban Leadership System for Excellence (PULSE), a set of reforms designed to improve the quality of school leadership throughout the district. A major component of PULSE is the…

  6. Partnerships for Improving Literacy in Urban Schools: Advanced Reading Development Demonstration Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reading Teacher, 2008

    2008-01-01

    How many times have researchers and professional developers approached you or your school with "the answer" to improving literacy achievement? How did it work out? If changes occurred during the engagement with these outside partners, what remained after the project ended? Did such efforts lead to lasting change and improvement in…

  7. A Taxonomy of Instructional Learning Opportunities in Teachers' Workgroup Conversations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horn, Ilana Seidel; Garner, Brette; Kane, Britnie Delinger; Brasel, Jason

    2017-01-01

    Many school-improvement efforts include time for teacher collaboration, with the assumption that teachers' collective work supports instructional improvement. However, not all collaboration equally supports learning that would support improvement. As a part of a 5-year study in two urban school districts, we collected video records of more than…

  8. Supporting School Responsiveness to Immigrant Families and Children: A University-School Partnership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mogge, Stephen G.; Martinez-Alba, Gilda; Cruzado-Guerrero, Judith

    2017-01-01

    A partnership between a university program and an urban public school was created to help the school respond to the significant increase in the school's population of immigrant, English language learners. School staff and university faculty established an agenda to learn about local immigrant families, improve communications with the families, and…

  9. Grooming Great Urban Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foster, Michele; Lewis, Jeffrey; Onafowora, Laura

    2005-01-01

    Master teachers working in real urban classrooms have shared their exemplary teaching practices in an After-School Pedagogical Laboratory (L-TAPL), a program for elementary students that aims to improve the achievement of urban students and the competence of their teachers. The L-TAPL enrichment program curriculum includes language arts, math,…

  10. Easing the Policy Environments of Small Schools and Schools-within-Schools: Lessons from Six Cities. Policy Brief.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    AEL, Inc., Charleston, WV.

    Research shows that small schools and schools within schools can yield positive outcomes for students and improved satisfaction and effectiveness among school staff. Small schools can be less costly than larger ones if judged by expenditure per graduate instead of cost per pupil enrolled. Examination of the policy environments of urban schools in…

  11. Creating New Small Schools for Urban Youth: Understanding Early Design Processes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cade, Vilicia

    2010-01-01

    Discussions about the ways of improving high schools have frequently considered school size and many "new" schools reduce the size to personalize the school experience and produce more positive student outcomes. Interest in designing new small schools has increased. Embedded in many of the small school design initiatives is the belief that new…

  12. "No One Cares about This Community More Than Us": The Role of Listening, Participation, and Trust in a Small Urban District

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schultz, Katherine; McGinn, Kathryn C.

    2013-01-01

    In this research, situated in a small urban district with a state-imposed school board, we analyze participation of community members during a three-year effort to improve schools. Through a qualitative analysis of forms of community engagement, this article offers a framework for understanding participation. We present two overlapping continua of…

  13. Toward a New Model for Promoting Urban Children's Mental Health: Accessible, Effective, and Sustainable School-Based Mental Health Services

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Atkins, Marc S.; Graczyk, Patricia A.; Frazier, Stacy L.; Abdul-Adil, Jaleel

    2003-01-01

    A program of research related to school-based models for urban children's mental health is described, with a particular focus on improving access to services, promoting children's functioning, and providing for program sustainability. The first study in this series responded to the urgent need to engage more families in mental health services, and…

  14. 'Basic' Level Tough Going for Urban Pupils: Still, Progress under Way in Some School Districts, Especially on Math NAEP

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manzo, Kathleen Kennedy

    2005-01-01

    This paper reports the results of a special urban study of the 2005 National Assessment of Education Progress which indicates that city school districts may be seeing some payoff from years of work to improve mathematics instruction. However, similar initiatives to raise reading achievement have not led to significant gains. While, most of the 11…

  15. Using Social-Emotional and Character Development to Improve Academic Outcomes: A Matched-Pair, Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial in Low-Income, Urban Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bavarian, Niloofar; Lewis, Kendra M.; DuBois, David L.; Acock, Alan; Vuchinich, Samuel; Silverthorn, Naida; Snyder, Frank J.; Day, Joseph; Ji, Peter; Flay, Brian R.

    2013-01-01

    Background: School-based social-emotional and character development (SECD) programs can influence not only SECD but also academic-related outcomes. This study evaluated the impact of one SECD program, Positive Action (PA), on educational outcomes among low-income, urban youth. Methods: The longitudinal study used a matched-pair, cluster-randomized…

  16. Learner Perceptions of the Introduction of Computer-Assisted Learning in Mathematics at a Peri-Urban School in South Africa

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hartley, M. Shaheed; Treagust, David F.

    2014-01-01

    This study responded to a national call to improve the outcomes in mathematics in the Grade 12 matriculation examination in South Africa by reporting learners' perceptions of the introduction of computer-assisted learning in their mathematics classrooms. Three Grade 12 mathematics classes in a peri-urban school in South Africa were visited over a…

  17. Using social-emotional and character development to improve academic outcomes: a matched-pair, cluster-randomized controlled trial in low-income, urban schools.

    PubMed

    Bavarian, Niloofar; Lewis, Kendra M; Dubois, David L; Acock, Alan; Vuchinich, Samuel; Silverthorn, Naida; Snyder, Frank J; Day, Joseph; Ji, Peter; Flay, Brian R

    2013-11-01

    School-based social-emotional and character development (SECD) programs can influence not only SECD but also academic-related outcomes. This study evaluated the impact of one SECD program, Positive Action (PA), on educational outcomes among low-income, urban youth. The longitudinal study used a matched-pair, cluster-randomized controlled design. Student-reported disaffection with learning and academic grades, and teacher ratings of academic ability and motivation were assessed for a cohort followed from grades 3 to 8. Aggregate school records were used to assess standardized test performance (for entire school, cohort, and demographic subgroups) and absenteeism (entire school). Multilevel growth-curve analyses tested program effects. PA significantly improved growth in academic motivation and mitigated disaffection with learning. There was a positive impact of PA on absenteeism and marginally significant impact on math performance of all students. There were favorable program effects on reading for African American boys and cohort students transitioning between grades 7 and 8, and on math for girls and low-income students. A school-based SECD program was found to influence academic outcomes among students living in low-income, urban communities. Future research should examine mechanisms by which changes in SECD influence changes in academic outcomes. © 2013, American School Health Association.

  18. Using Postschool Outcome Data To Improve Practices and Policies in Restructured Inclusive High Schools. Research Institute on Secondary Education Reform (RISER) for Youth with Disabilities Brief.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mooney, Marianne; Phelps, L. Allen; Anctil, Tina M.

    This paper reports on an ongoing 5-year study on practices and policies that improve postschool outcomes for students with disabilities in significantly restructured high schools. Four high schools with strong internal accountability measures are subjects of an intensive longitudinal study. The schools are in both urban and smaller communities in…

  19. Identification and Elucidation of Culturally Embedded School Community Expectations in a Newly Chartered Urban School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Laughlin, Mary

    2012-01-01

    This case study is designed to increase the understanding of an organization's cultural impact on students' improved learning. While much literature exists on best practice strategies for student learning, less is known about what influences are embedded in a school's culture that improve student learning (Angel, Christensen &…

  20. Parent Power and Public Schools: A Guide for Parent Advocacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Urban League, Inc., New York, NY. Education Div.

    The National Urban League has prepared this handbook as a guide for parents who want to improve systems and change schools. It is written with the hope that parents will use it as a tool to improve the quality of their children's education, striking out at the root causes that make our schools instruments of ignorance. Since laws vary from state…

  1. New Forms of Government School Provision--An International Comparison

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elwick, Alex

    2018-01-01

    Driven by a desire to improve academic outcomes and transform "failing" schools, governments around the world have often turned to the development of new forms of state-funded school. This paper looks at three such instances of the introduction of new forms of schooling, within three urban localities (academy schools in London; charter…

  2. No One Way: Differentiating School District Leadership and Support for School Improvement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson, Stephen E.; Mascall, Blair; Stiegelbauer, Suzanne; Park, Jaddon

    2012-01-01

    This article examines findings from a qualitative investigation of how school district administrators in four mid to large sized urban school districts (10,000-50,000) identify and address differences in school performance. The analysis explores the interaction between district policies and actions that centralize and standardize expectations for…

  3. High School Students' Experiences of Bullying and Victimization and the Association with School Health Center Use

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lewis, Catherine; Deardorff, Julianna; Lahiff, Maureen; Soleimanpour, Samira; Sakashita, Kimi; Brindis, Claire D.

    2015-01-01

    Background: Bullying and victimization are ongoing concerns in schools. School health centers (SHCs) are well situated to support affected students because they provide crisis intervention, mental health care, and broader interventions to improve school climate. This study examined the association between urban adolescents' experiences of…

  4. A Matter of Money? Policy Analysis of Rural Boarding Schools in China

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhao, Zhenzhou

    2011-01-01

    The Chinese government has shifted the pattern of rural schooling over the past decade, replacing village schools with urban boarding schools. The stated goal is to improve school quality, while deploying resources more effectively. However, the new boarding schools fail to provide a safe, healthy environment or protect and enable students' human…

  5. Promoting healthful diets and exercise: efficacy of a 12-week after-school program in urban African Americans.

    PubMed

    Engels, Hermann-J; Gretebeck, Randall J; Gretebeck, Kimberlee A; Jiménez, Linda

    2005-03-01

    This study examined the effectiveness of a unique extracurricular after-school initiative designed to promote healthy diets and exercise in urban African Americans. The Students and Parents Actively Involved in Being Fit after-school program was offered for 12 weeks to students and their parents/guardians at an urban middle school. Specific aims of the intervention were to increase participants' vegetable and fruit intake by using established 5 A Day for Better Health educational resource materials/activities and to affect their health-related fitness through dance, games, and fitness activities. Fifty-six children and 25 parents/guardians completed a standard battery of evaluations before and after the program. Pre-post pairwise t test revealed that both children and their parents/guardians showed an increase in fruit consumption and a reduction in diastolic blood pressure (P <.05). Moreover, children showed improvements in systolic blood pressure and fruit juice, salad, and nonfried potato consumption while parents/guardians showed a decrease in body fat, body mass index, and endurance walk/run time (P <.05). Overall, findings indicate that children tended to gain more diet-related benefits while parents/guardians tended to derive more fitness-related benefits. After-school programs like the Students and Parents Actively Involved in Being Fit initiative can potentially contribute to improved health levels in urban African Americans.

  6. Achieving Coherence in District Improvement: Managing the Relationship between the Central Office and Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Susan Moore; Marietta, Geoff; Higgins, Monica C.; Mapp, Karen L.; Grossman, Allen

    2015-01-01

    "Achieving Coherence in District Improvement" focuses on a problem of practice faced by educational leaders across the nation: how to effectively manage the relationship between the central office and schools. The book is based on a study of five large urban districts that have demonstrated improvement in student achievement. The…

  7. Parents as Partners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brooks, Michele P.

    2011-01-01

    Family involvement is a key ingredient of improving underperforming schools, but families are often unaware of how to get involved. To engage families in schools, an urban school district offers Parent University to teach family members how to become leaders in schools and advocates for their children. Parent University is one of Boston Public…

  8. Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables in Middle School Students Following the Implementation of a School District Wellness Policy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Young, Kathleen D.; Snelling, Anastasia; Maroto, Maya; Young, Katherine A.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose/Objectives: In 2010, a large urban school district implemented a district-wide school wellness policy that addressed childhood obesity by requiring schools to increase health and physical education contact hours for students and to improve the nutritional standards of school meals. Schools were required to serve a different fruit and…

  9. Healthy School Environment and Enhanced Educational Performance: The Case of Charles Young Elementary School, Washington, DC.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berry, Michael A.

    This report presents a case study of the renovation of Charles Young Elementary School in Washington, DC, focusing on how an improved school environment contributed to higher levels of educational performance. The school was chosen as a school revitalization demonstration project for the Urban Schools Initiative. The objective of the project was…

  10. Boston Shifts Learning into High Gear: Certificate Program Accelerates Student Learning by Building Teacher Capacity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berg, Jill Harrison; Miller, Lesley Ryan; Souvanna, Phomdaen

    2011-01-01

    Throughout the past two decades, Boston Public Schools has seen strong, steady improvement, recently demonstrated through student gains on NAEP's Trial Urban District Assessment in math and recognized through the award of the 2006 Broad Prize for Urban Education. Teacher leaders have played an important role in Boston's improvement. As team…

  11. Central Office Transformation for District-Wide Teaching and Learning Improvement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Honig, Meredith I.; Copland, Michael A.; Rainey, Lydia; Lorton, Juli Anna; Newton, Morena

    2010-01-01

    This report summarizes main results from a national study of how leaders in urban school district central offices fundamentally transformed their work and relationships with schools to support districtwide teaching and learning improvement. All three study districts had been posting gains in student achievement and credited their progress, in…

  12. School Improvement Research Series VI, 1991-92.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Northwest Regional Educational Lab., Portland, OR.

    This loose-leaf compendium includes three types of brief research summaries: "topical synthesis,""close-ups," and "snapshots." The single topical synthesis is entitled "School-Community Collaboration to Improve the Quality of Life for Urban Youth and Their Families" (Kathleen Cotton). Close-ups consist of brief definitions and essential research…

  13. Principals' Perception of School Improvement Support through outside Instructional Coaches

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nurik, Inna

    2015-01-01

    There are numerous variations surrounding the utilization of instructional coaches in education. This paper quantitatively examined the relationship between principals and outside instructional coaches and how this relationship impacts the principals' perception of the coaches' support on the school improvement within the large urban K-12 New York…

  14. Developing Principal Instructional Leadership through Collaborative Networking

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cone, Mariah Bahar

    2010-01-01

    This study examines what occurs when principals of urban schools meet together to learn and improve their instructional leadership in collaborative principal networks designed to support, sustain, and provide ongoing principal capacity building. Principal leadership is considered second only to teaching in its ability to improve schools, yet few…

  15. Somatic symptoms, peer and school stress, and family and community violence exposure among urban elementary school children

    PubMed Central

    Hart, Shayla L.; Hodgkinson, Stacy C.; Hyman, Corine; Cooley-Strickland, Michele

    2013-01-01

    Somatic symptoms are a common physical response to stress and illness in childhood. This study assessed 409, primarily African American (85.6 %), urban elementary school children to examine the association between: (1) somatic symptoms and potential external stressors (school and peer stress, family conflict, and community violence) and (2) parent and child agreement on children’s self-report of somatic symptoms. The odds of self-report of somatic complaints were significantly associated with family conflict, school and peer stress, and community violence exposure (OR = 1.26, 95 % CI: 1.05–1.50; OR = 1.18, 95 % CI 1.08–1.28; and OR = 1.02, 95 % CI: 1.00–1.05, respectively). Identifying the associations between social, family, and community based stress and somatic symptoms may improve the quality of life for children living in urban environments through early identification and treatment. PMID:22772584

  16. Somatic symptoms, peer and school stress, and family and community violence exposure among urban elementary school children.

    PubMed

    Hart, Shayla L; Hodgkinson, Stacy C; Belcher, Harolyn M E; Hyman, Corine; Cooley-Strickland, Michele

    2013-10-01

    Somatic symptoms are a common physical response to stress and illness in childhood. This study assessed 409, primarily African American (85.6 %), urban elementary school children to examine the association between: (1) somatic symptoms and potential external stressors (school and peer stress, family conflict, and community violence) and (2) parent and child agreement on children's self-report of somatic symptoms. The odds of self-report of somatic complaints were significantly associated with family conflict, school and peer stress, and community violence exposure (OR = 1.26, 95 % CI: 1.05-1.50; OR = 1.18, 95 % CI 1.08-1.28; and OR = 1.02, 95 % CI: 1.00-1.05, respectively). Identifying the associations between social, family, and community based stress and somatic symptoms may improve the quality of life for children living in urban environments through early identification and treatment.

  17. Teachers' challenges, strategies, and support needs in schools affected by community violence: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Maring, Elisabeth F; Koblinsky, Sally A

    2013-06-01

    Exposure to community violence compromises teacher effectiveness, student learning, and socioemotional well-being. This study examined the challenges, strategies, and support needs of teachers in urban schools affected by high levels of community violence. Twenty teachers from 3 urban middle schools with predominantly low-income African American students completed open-ended interviews. Selected schools were in geographic areas with high violent crime levels. Consistent with an ecological risk and resilience framework, findings revealed that teachers experienced challenges and adopted coping strategies at the individual, family, school, and community levels. Teachers employed a number of strategies associated with resilience, such as prayer and seeking support from family and colleagues, but also engaged in some avoidant strategies, such as emotional withdrawal and avoiding difficult students. Findings suggest interventions to improve school safety and reduce the negative impact of violence-related stressors. Teacher training in behavior management, effective school leadership, improved school security, peer mediation, expanded mental health services, and parent involvement may promote resilience among both teachers and their students. © 2013, American School Health Association.

  18. A study of primary school teachers’ conceptual understanding on states of matter and their changes based on their job locations (case study at Ambon island in Moluccas-Indonesia)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Banawi, A.; Sopandi, W.; Kadarohman, A.; Solehuddin, M.

    2018-05-01

    The research aims to describe primary school teachers’ conceptual understandings about states of matter and their changes. The method was descriptive which involved 15 primary school teachers from three different school locations. They were from urban school (CS1), sub-urban school (CS2), and rular school (CS3) at Ambon Island on 2016/2017 academic year. The research instrument was a multiple-choice test combined with both essay and confidence level of their answers. The test was used to measure teachers’ understanding levels about states of matter and their changes. They were macroscopic, sub-microscopic and symbolic levels. Teachers’ understanding levels were classified into following categorization, they were understand, partly understand, misconception, and do not understand. The results show that primary school teachers’ conceptual understanding is varied based on their job locations and primary school teachers’ level understanding. Generally, primary school teachers’ conceptual understandings at sub-urban location (CS2) are better than those of both of urban (CS1) and rular locations (CS3). The results suggest that teachers need improvement to make better primary school teachers’ conceptual understanding. It can be on the job training and in service training activities. We also need a further research in order to investigate the program effectiveness.

  19. Using social-emotional and character development to improve academic outcomes: a matched-pair, cluster-randomized controlled trial in low-income, urban schools

    PubMed Central

    Lewis, Kendra M.; DuBois, David L.; Acock, Alan; Vuchinich, Samuel; Silverthorn, Naida; Snyder, Frank J.; Day, Joseph; Ji, Peter; Flay, Brian R.

    2013-01-01

    BACKGROUND School-based social-emotional and character development (SECD) programs can influence not only SECD, but also academic-related outcomes. This study evaluated the impact of one SECD program, Positive Action (PA), on educational outcomes among low-income, urban youth. METHODS The longitudinal study used a matched-pair, cluster-randomized controlled design. Student-reported disaffection with learning and academic grades, and teacher ratings of academic ability and motivation were assessed for a cohort followed from grades 3 to 8. Aggregate school records were used to assess standardized test performance (for entire school, cohort, and demographic subgroups) and absenteeism (entire school). Multilevel growth-curve analyses tested program effects. RESULTS PA significantly improved growth in academic motivation and mitigated disaffection with learning. There was a positive impact of PA on absenteeism and marginally significant impact on math performance of all students. There were favorable program effects on reading for African American boys and cohort students transitioning between grades 7 and 8, and on math for girls and low-income students. CONCLUSIONS A school-based SECD program was found to influence academic outcomes among students living in low-income, urban communities. Future research should examine mechanisms by which changes in SECD influence changes in academic outcomes. PMID:24138347

  20. Improving Boys' Literacy: A Survey of Effective Practice in Secondary Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Basic Skills Agency, London (England).

    Noting that the achievements of boys have been the subject of growing concern in England for a number of years, this booklet indicates some ways to improve the achievement of boys in literacy. The booklet focuses on work in secondary schools and is based on visits to 14 mixed secondary schools in urban, suburban, and rural areas. It begins with a…

  1. Dancing in a Minefield: An Analysis of Turnaround Specialists in Arizona Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McMillie, Kyann L.

    2010-01-01

    In 2008, educational leaders from the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) assigned a group of turnaround specialists to work in four failing public schools in a large, urban school district in Phoenix, Arizona in hopes of improving those schools. The utilization of turnaround specialists in failing schools was Arizona's method of enacting…

  2. Year One of School Improvement: Examples from Nine Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gordon, Stephen P.; Stiegelbauer, Suzanne; Diehl. Julie

    2006-01-01

    This study reports on the process and outcomes of schoolwide action research by nine schools in their first year as Network members. The participants were a blend of urban, suburban, small town, and rural schools in Central Texas. Focal points of the case studies and cross-case comparison included: (1) how the schools organized for action…

  3. Improved Attitude and Achievement: A Case Study of an Elementary School Academic Advisement Intervention

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kamrath, Barry; Brooker, Teresa

    2018-01-01

    School counselors are often called upon to develop and implement academic interventions. In this case study of one urban elementary school, a school counselor conducted a small group academic advisement intervention. The results suggest that integrating the activities into the elementary school counseling program can be an effective Response to…

  4. Are Schools Prepared for Emergencies?: A Baseline Assessment of Emergency Preparedness at School Sites in Three Los Angeles County School Districts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kano, Megumi; Ramirez, Marizen; Ybarra, William J.; Frias, Gus; Bourque, Linda B.

    2007-01-01

    A survey of emergency preparedness was conducted in three public school districts in urban areas of Los Angeles County. Eighty-three school sites were surveyed using self-administered questionnaires. Although designated respondents generally felt that their schools were well prepared, the survey also revealed the need for improvements in written…

  5. Charter Schools and Urban Education Improvement: A Comparison of Newark's District and Charter Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barr, Jason M.; Sadovnik, Alan R.; Visconti, Louisa

    2006-01-01

    This article compares student achievement of fourth graders in charter schools and district public schools in Newark, New Jersey. We find that Newark and New Jersey's charter schools mirror the educational inequalities of the state as a whole, as well as its Abbott Districts. The data indicate that charter schools are similar to district urban…

  6. Do Small Schools Improve Performance in Large, Urban Districts? Causal Evidence from New York City. Working Paper #01-12

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schwartz, Amy Ellen; Stiefel, Leanna; Wiswall, Matthew

    2012-01-01

    We evaluate the effectiveness of small high school reform in the country's largest school district, New York City. Using a rich administrative dataset for multiple cohorts of students and distance between student residence and school to instrument for endogenous school selection, we find substantial heterogeneity in school effects: newly created…

  7. How rural and urban parents describe convenience in the context of school-based influenza vaccination: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Lind, Candace; Russell, Margaret L; Collins, Ramona; MacDonald, Judy; Frank, Christine J; Davis, Amy E

    2015-01-22

    Seasonal influenza vaccine uptake among school-age children has been low, particularly among rural children, even in jurisdictions in Canada where this immunization is publicly funded. Providing this vaccination at school may be convenient for parents and might contribute to increased vaccine uptake, particularly among rural children. We explore the construct of convenience as an advantage of school based influenza vaccination. We also explore for rural urban differences in this construct. Participants were parents of school-aged children from Alberta, Canada. We qualitatively analyzed focus group data from rural parents using a thematic template that emerged from prior work with urban parents. Both groups of parents had participated in focus groups to explore their perspectives on the acceptability of adding an annual influenza immunization to the immunization program that is currently delivered in Alberta schools. Data from within the theme of 'convenience' from both rural and urban parents were then further explored for sub-themes within convenience. Data were obtained from nine rural and nine urban focus groups. The template of themes that had arisen from prior analysis of the urban data applied to the rural data. Convenience was a third level theme under Advantages. Five fourth level themes emerged from within convenience. Four of the five sub-themes were common to both rural and urban participants: reduction of parental burden to schedule, reduction in parental lost time, decrease in parental stress and increase in physical access points for influenza immunization. The fifth subtheme, increases temporal access to influenza immunization, emerged uniquely from the rural data. Both rural and urban parents perceived that convenience would be an advantage of adding an annual influenza immunization to the vaccinations currently given to Alberta children at school. Improving temporal access to such immunization may be a more relevant aspect of convenience to rural than to urban parents.

  8. A University--School Partnership to Examine the Adoption and Implementation of the Ohio Community Collaboration Model in One Urban School District: A Mixed-Method Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson-Butcher, Dawn; Iachini, Aidyn L.; Ball, Annahita; Barke, Susan; Martin, Lloyd D.

    2016-01-01

    School improvement models are expanding to incorporate priorities around positive youth development, safe and supportive school climates, school mental health, and school-family community partnerships. A partnership was formed between researchers and district/school leaders to examine the 3-year adoption and implementation of 1 such exemplary…

  9. Academic achievement and career choice in science: Perceptions of African American urban high school students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jones, Sheila Kay

    2007-12-01

    Low test scores in science and fewer career choices in science among African American high school students than their White counterparts has resulted in lower interest during high school and an underrepresentation of African Americans in science and engineering fields. Reasons for this underachievement are not known. This qualitative study used a grounded theory methodology to examine what influence parental involvement, ethnic identity, and early mentoring had on the academic achievement in science and career choice in science of African American urban high school 10th grade students. Using semi-structured open-ended questions in individual interviews and focus groups, twenty participants responded to questions about African American urban high school student achievement in science and their career choice in science. The median age of participants was 15 years; 85% had passed either high school biology or physical science. The findings of the study revealed influences and interactions of selected factors on African American urban high school achievement in science. Sensing potential emerged as the overarching theme with six subthemes; A Taste of Knowledge, Sounds I Hear, Aromatic Barriers, What Others See, The Touch of Others, and The Sixth Sense. These themes correlate to the natural senses of the human body. A disconnect between what science is, their own individual learning and success, and what their participation in science could mean for them and the future of the larger society. Insight into appropriate intervention strategies to improve African American urban high school achievement in science was gained.

  10. (Dis)empowerment: The Implementation of Corrective Mathematics in Philadelphia Empowerment Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Connor, Hannah

    2011-01-01

    The need to improve math education around the country has been well documented, especially in urban school systems like Philadelphia. In Spring 2010, only 56.6% of students in Philadelphia Public schools scored proficient or advanced on the Pennsylvania State Standardized Assessment (PSSA). In Philadelphia Empowerment Schools, the 107 lowest…

  11. Boarding Schools and Capital Benefits: Implications for Urban School Reform

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bass, Lisa R.

    2014-01-01

    The author discusses the boarding school model as a schooling alternative to improve life chances for disadvantaged youth, particularly African American youth, by positively meeting their social and educational needs. Bourdieu, Coleman, and other social scientists purported that these needs can be better met by exposing students to social and…

  12. Class Size Reduction in a Large Urban School District: A Mixed Methodology Evaluation Research Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Munoz, Marco A.

    This study evaluated the Class Size Reduction (CSR) program in 34 elementary schools in Kentucky's Jefferson County Public Schools. The CSR program is a federal initiative to help elementary schools improve student learning by hiring additional teachers. Qualitative data were collected using unstructured interviews, site observations, and document…

  13. Educational Management Organizations as High Reliability Organizations: A Study of Victory's Philadelphia High School Reform Work

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomas, David E.

    2013-01-01

    This executive position paper proposes recommendations for designing reform models between public and private sectors dedicated to improving school reform work in low performing urban high schools. It reviews scholarly research about for-profit educational management organizations, high reliability organizations, American high school reform, and…

  14. Teacher Perceptions of Administrative Leadership Practices and the Impact on Retention

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Melvin, Brenda Kimbro

    2011-01-01

    Teacher retention is a persistent issue that impacts school improvement. The retention and attrition of both new and experienced teachers is quite challenging for administrators throughout school districts, particularly in large urban schools. While it is reasonable that some degree of teacher turnover in schools is inevitable, the exiting of…

  15. Putting the Pieces Together: Leadership for Change in Low-Performing Urban Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Orr, Margaret Terry; Berg, Barbara; Shore, Rima; Meier, Ellen

    2008-01-01

    This article presents a collaborative inquiry analysis of the school improvement experiences of four persistently low-performing schools. It draws on the experiences of three members of the Laboratory for the Design and Redesign of Schools (LDRS) consortium who helped during their planning for restructuring or restructuring phases and one regional…

  16. Knowing the Odds: Parameters that Predict Passing or Failing School District Bonds

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bowers, Alex J.; Metzger, Scott Alan; Militello, Matthew

    2010-01-01

    This study investigates parameters affecting the likelihood of passing school facility construction bonds by local district election. Using statewide data from Michigan, this study analyzes school bond data for urban (n = 30), suburban (n = 164), small town (n = 70), and rural (n = 241) school districts that held capital improvement bond elections…

  17. Taking a Strengths-Based Focus Improves School Climate

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tschannen-Moran, Megan; Tschannen-Moran, Bob

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to learn whether focusing on strengths through appreciative inquiry would be related to measurable changes in school climate and trust within a small urban school district. The district studied was a beleaguered, underperforming school district in the Midwest Rust Belt. Through an appreciative inquiry initiative, the…

  18. The Impact of Computer-Assisted Writing on Improving Writing Scores for Urban Eighth-Grade Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams-Butler, LaTilya

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact standards-based aligned computer-assisted writing instruction had on improving writing scores for eighth-grade students that attend an urban middle school. The researcher wanted to remedy the problem of low writing achievement of eighth-grade students and determine if writing across the…

  19. [Relationships between mental health and psychosocial factors with single-child high school students in an urban city of Korea].

    PubMed

    Lee, Young-Sun; Kim, Kwang-Hwan; Cho, Young-Chae

    2006-09-01

    This study was performed to determine the mental health of high school students, and specifically that of children with no siblings in urban areas, and we aimed at revealing the various potential influences of different psycho-social factors. The participants were, 514 high school students who were the 1st- to 3rd-graders in Daejon City; they were, given self-administered questionnaires that required no signature during the period of March through June 2005. The analyzed items included the general character of the subjects, the symptoms of stress and depression for mental health, self-esteem as a psychological component, anxiety, dependent behavioral traits and, social support of family members and friends. The study results suggested that the group of urban high school children with no siblings had a higher tendency for stress and depression than did the urban high school children with siblings. The mental health and psychosocial factors were found to be influenced by friends, a sense of satisfaction at school and home life, and emotional support as well. In conclusion, emotional support by the family members can improve mental health by reducing anxiety, stress and depression.

  20. Physics teachers' perspectives on factors that affect urban physics participation and accessibility

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kelly, Angela M.

    2013-06-01

    The accessibility of secondary physics in U.S. urban school districts is a complex issue. Many schools do not offer a physics option, and for those that do, access is often restricted by various school policies and priorities that do not promote physics participation for all. To analyze this problem in greater depth, I adopted a qualitative phenomenological methodology to explore urban physics teachers’ views on school- and district-based conditions that may marginalize traditionally underrepresented students. Teachers from three large urban districts shared concerns and suggestions regarding administrative commitment, student preparedness for physics, reform initiatives and testing mandates, promoting physics enrollments, and implementing high quality instruction. Data from interviews and focus groups provided contextual insights into ways in which physics study may be improved and encouraged for urban youth. Teachers believed expanding access could be facilitated with differentiated levels of physics, incorporating mathematical applications with multiple representations, educating students and counselors on the ramifications of choosing or not choosing elective sciences, well-designed grant-funded initiatives, and flexibility with prerequisites and science course sequencing. Teachers experienced frustration with standardized testing, lack of curricular autonomy, shifting administrative directives, and top-down reforms that did not incorporate their feedback in the decision-making processes. Data from this study revealed that physics teacher networks, often housed at local universities, have been a key resource for establishing supportive professional communities to share best practices that may influence school-based reforms that promote physics participation in urban schools.

  1. Positive Behavior Support in Schools (PBSIS): An Administrative Perspective on the Implementation of a Comprehensive School-Wide Intervention in an Urban Charter School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Christofferson, Remi Dabney; Callahan, Kathe

    2015-01-01

    This research explores the implementation of a school-wide intervention program that was designed to foster and instill intrinsic values based on an external reward system. The Positive Behavior Support in Schools (PBSIS) is an intervention intended to improve the climate of schools using system-wide positive behavioral interventions to discourage…

  2. A Community of Practice Approach to Support for Ninth-Graders in Urban High Schools. Policy Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Legters, Nettie; Parise, Leigh

    2016-01-01

    Providing ninth-graders with academic and social support can put more students on the graduation path, but it can be challenging for schools and school systems to implement that support routinely and effectively. This brief describes how Broward County Public Schools adopted a community of practice (CoP) approach to improve school-based teams'…

  3. Small Schools, Large Districts: Small-School Reform and New York City's Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Iatarola, Patrice; Schwartz, Amy Ellen; Stiefel, Leanna; Chellman, Colin C.

    2008-01-01

    Background/Context: High school reform is currently at the top of the education policy making agenda after years of stagnant achievement and persistent racial and income test score gaps. Although a number of reforms offer some promise of improving U.S. high schools, small schools have emerged as the favored reform model, especially in urban areas,…

  4. Taking Human Capital Seriously: Talented Teachers in Every Classroom, Talented Principals in Every School. Principles and Recommendations for the Strategic Management of Human Capital in Public Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Consortium for Policy Research in Education, 2009

    2009-01-01

    The Strategic Management of Human Capital in Education Project was founded in 2008 with one goal: to improve student achievement dramatically in the 100 largest urban school districts. Unless teaching quality and principal leadership improve significantly, lasting education improvement is impossible. In policy terms, without "strategic management"…

  5. The Nation's Report Card: A First Look--2013 Mathematics and Reading Trial Urban District Assessment. NCES 2014-466

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Center for Education Statistics, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), in partnership with the National Assessment Governing Board and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), created the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in 2002 to support the improvement of student achievement in the nation's large urban districts. The TUDA focuses attention on urban…

  6. 1986 Annual Report to the Ford Foundation: The Urban Mathematics Collaborative Project. Program Report 87-4.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Romberg, Thomas A.; And Others

    In 1984, the Ford Foundation initiated the Urban Mathematics Collaborative (UMC) project to contribute to the improvement of mathematics education in inner-city schools, and more generally, to enhance the professional life of teachers. By 1986, the Ford Foundation had funded collaboratives in 11 urban areas. This document describes the overall UMC…

  7. Intended Consequences: Challenging White Teachers' Habitus and Its Influence in Urban Schools Implementing an Arts-Based Educational Reform

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Woollen, Susan; Otto, Stacy

    2014-01-01

    Reform efforts like the urban, arts-based initiative Project ARTS are designed to provide intentional, equitable methods of improving students' learning, yet few urban educators have been sufficiently trained to recognize differences in habitus between themselves and their students. For equitable reform to occur teachers must understand their…

  8. Title IV Indian Education Program Evaluation, 1985-86.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Albuquerque Public Schools, NM. Planning, Research and Accountability.

    Public schools in Albuquerque, New Mexico, used a Title IV Part A grant to assist American Indian elementary and secondary school students in receiving passing grades and improving school-related behaviors. Canoncito Navajo Reservation, the Isleta Pueblo, and urban Indian students in Albuquerque participated in the program. Personnel consisted of…

  9. A PROPOSED NEW SCHOOL FORMAT, CONTINUOUS PROGRESS CENTERS.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    GREAVES, JACK

    SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, HAS MADE EFFORTS TO IMPROVE RACIAL BALANCE IN THE SCHOOLS BY INSTITUTING VOLUNTARY, MANDATORY, AND REVERSE TRANSFER PROGRAMS, IN WHICH 1500 NEGRO AND 90 WHITE STUDENTS HAVE ALREADY PARTICIPATED. MOREOVER IN ANTICIPATION OF INCREASED INMIGRATION, THE CITY HAS DEVELOPED A NEW TYPE OF SCHOOL STRUCTURE FOR URBAN LIVING, THE…

  10. Well-Connected: Exploring Parent Social Networks in a Gentrifying School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cappelletti, Gina A.

    2017-01-01

    The enrollment and engagement of middle-class families in historically low-income urban public schools can generate school improvements, including increased resources and expanded extracurricular programming. At the same time, prior research has highlighted the marginalization of low-income parents as one consequence of middle-class parent…

  11. Instructional Leadership: Four Ethnographic Studies on Junior High School Principals.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Newberg, Norman A.; Glatthorn, Allan A.

    This study explores the principal's role as instructional leader in four urban schools showing improvement in test scores. Data gathering procedures included ethnographic observations and interviews of principals; principals' logs of time use; interviews with teachers, school administrators, and students; and faculty surveys. The findings were…

  12. An Analysis of Implementation Strategies in a School-Wide Vocabulary Intervention

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roskos, Katheen A.; Moe, Jennifer Randazzo; Rosemary, Catherine

    2017-01-01

    From an improvement research perspective, this study explores strategies used to implement a school-wide vocabulary intervention into language arts instruction at an urban elementary school. Academic language time, an innovative change in the instructional delivery system, allots time and structure for deliberate teaching of cross-disciplinary…

  13. Proving the Viability of a School Choice Voucher. Policy Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haller, Scott

    2015-01-01

    A recent Pioneer Institute report written by Ken Ardon and Cara Stilling Candal, "Modeling Urban Scholarship Vouchers in Massachusetts," explores the viability of a school choice voucher program in the Commonwealth. Nationally, school choice has been shown to improve parent satisfaction and student achievement, reduce racial segregation,…

  14. Learning How To Learn: An Affective Curriculum for Students at Risk of Dropping Out of School.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Turner, Thom

    Environmental Readiness Learning (ERL) is the affective curriculum component developed by the Bedford Stuyvesant Street Academy (New York) to improve the behavior, academic achievement, and self-esteem of urban high school students with histories of prior school failure. The program design reflects the school's philosophy that educational success…

  15. Moving beyond the College-Preparatory High School Model to a College-Going Culture in Urban Catholic High Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aldana, Ursula S.

    2014-01-01

    A college-going culture has been found to improve academic outcomes for underrepresented high school students (Allen, Kimura-Walsh, & Griffin, 2009; Stanton-Salazar, 2010). The research on Catholic high schools shows their college-preparatory environment ability to produce successful outcomes for African-American and Latino students (Bryk,…

  16. Measuring School Performance To Improve Student Achievement and To Reward Effective Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heistad, Dave; Spicuzza, Rick

    This paper describes the method that the Minneapolis Public School system (MPS), Minnesota, uses to measure school and student performance. MPS uses a multifaceted system that both captures and accounts for the complexity of a large urban school district. The system incorporates: (1) a hybrid model of critical indicators that report on level of…

  17. The Effect of Locus of Control on School Turnaround

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walston, Bradford

    2012-01-01

    This research focused on the school turnaround process in six turnaround elementary schools located in urban and rural areas of the state of North Carolina. The purpose of the study was to learn about the challenges facing the six schools, the process of improving student achievement, and, more specifically, the degree to which adaptive leadership…

  18. Teacher Quality Roadmap: Improving Policies and Practices in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Council on Teacher Quality, 2012

    2012-01-01

    In partnership with the Urban League of Greater Miami, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) released "Teacher Quality Roadmap: Improving Policies and Practices in Miami," an in-depth study of the work rules Miami-Dade teachers. This look at the state of teacher policies in Miami-Dade County Public Schools explores the…

  19. Not just a walk in the park: efficacy to effectiveness for after school programs in communities of concentrated urban poverty.

    PubMed

    Frazier, Stacy L; Mehta, Tara G; Atkins, Marc S; Hur, Kwan; Rusch, Dana

    2013-09-01

    This study examined a model for mental health consultation, training and support designed to enhance the benefits of publicly-funded recreational after-school programs in communities of concentrated urban poverty for children's academic, social, and behavioral functioning. We assessed children's mental health needs and examined the feasibility and impact of intervention on program quality and children's psychosocial outcomes in three after-school sites (n = 15 staff, 89 children), compared to three demographically-matched sites that received no intervention (n = 12 staff, 38 children). Findings revealed high staff satisfaction and feasibility of intervention, and modest improvements in observed program quality and staff-reported children's outcomes. Data are considered with a public health lens of mental health promotion for children in urban poverty.

  20. The Effects of a School-Family-Community Partnership on the Academic Achievement, High School Graduation, and College Enrollment Rate of Economically Disadvantaged Youth

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morgan, Yvette

    2012-01-01

    A school-family-community partnership to improve student achievement was examined at a comprehensive high school located in a low income urban community in Long Island City, New York. In this causal comparative analyses study, the researcher examines the effect of a school-family-community partnership on the educational outcomes of economically…

  1. Review of the Organizational Structure and Operations of the Los Angeles Unified School District

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Council of the Great City Schools, 2006

    2006-01-01

    The Los Angeles Unified School District is the second largest public school system in the United States, and one of the largest organizations of any kind in the country. As with urban school systems across the country, the Los Angeles school district is under enormous pressure to improve. The district is under public scrutiny and is the subject of…

  2. School region socio-economic status and geographic locale is associated with food behaviour of Ontario and Alberta adolescents.

    PubMed

    Minaker, Leia M; McCargar, Linda; Lambraki, Irene; Jessup, Linda; Driezen, Pete; Calengor, Kate; Hanning, Rhona M

    2006-01-01

    In an attempt to elucidate broader determinants of adolescent dietary intake and habits, food intakes and selected food behaviours of grades 9 and 10 students from Ontario and Alberta were examined according to school region socio-economic status and urban/rural locale. Using a stratified random sample framework, 53 high schools from 28 school boards were recruited (45 public and 8 private; 33 urban and 20 rural). Median family income for Canada Post's forward sortation area of the school was used to define school region SES. Public and private schools were compared as a proxy measure of SES. A web-based survey of food intake and behaviours, including a 24-hour diet recall and food frequency questionnaire, was completed by 2,621 students in grades 9 and 10. Comparison of intakes and behaviours by school designation as urban/rural, public/private or regional SES (generalized linear model procedure) controlled for student gender and grade distribution and number of participants within schools. School region SES ranged from dollars 40,959 to dollars 85,922/year. Vegetable and fruit consumption (p < 0.001), fibre intake (p < 0.001) and frequency of breakfast consumption (p < 0.01) increased with increasing income, while added sugar intake decreased (p < 0.01). Private versus public school students had lower intakes of sweetened drinks (p < 0.01) and higher intakes of fibre (p=0.02). Rural students reported higher mean intakes of calcium (1106 vs. 995 mg/day, respectively, p = 0.03) and milk products (2.7 vs. 2.3 servings/day, p < 0.01) than urban students. Selected food behaviours of youth from Ontario and Alberta improve with increasing school SES and vary with rural/urban school locale. Identifying regional demographics may be useful in tailoring healthy eating programs to the specific school.

  3. Building Resilience After School for Early Adolescents in Urban Poverty: Open Trial of Leaders @ Play.

    PubMed

    Frazier, Stacy L; Dinizulu, Sonya Mathies; Rusch, Dana; Boustani, Maya M; Mehta, Tara G; Reitz, Kristin

    2015-11-01

    Leaders @ Play is a park after-school program for urban middle school youth designed to leverage recreational activities for social emotional learning. Mental health and park staff co-facilitated sports and games to teach and practice problem solving, emotion regulation, and effective communication. Additional practice occurred during multi-family groups and summer internships as junior camp counselors. We examined feasibility and promise via an open trial (n = 3 parks, 46 youth, 100 % African American, 100 % low-income, 59 % female, M = 13.09 years old). Improvements in social skills and reductions in problem behaviors lend support to after school programs as a space for mental health promotion.

  4. The Effectiveness of a Geospatial Technologies-Integrated Curriculum to Promote Climate Literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anastasio, D. J.; Bodzin, A. M.; Peffer, T.; Sahagian, D. L.; Cirucci, L.

    2011-12-01

    This study examined the effectiveness of a geospatial technologies - integrated climate change curriculum (http://www.ei.lehigh.edu/eli/cc/) to promote climate literacy in an urban school district. Five 8th grade Earth and Space Science classes in an urban middle school (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) consisting of three different ability level tracks participated in the study. Data gathering methods included pre/posttest assessments, daily classroom observations, daily teacher meetings, and examination of student produced artifacts. Data was gathered using a climate change literacy assessment instrument designed to measure students' climate change content knowledge. The items included distractors that address misunderstandings and knowledge deficits about climate change from the existing literature. Paired-sample t-test analyses were conducted to compare the pre- and post-test assessment results. The results of these analyses were used to compare overall gains as well as ability level track groups. Overall results regarding the use of the climate change curriculum showed significant improvement in urban middle school students' understanding of climate change concepts. Effect sizes were large (ES>0.8) and significant (p<0.001) for the entire assessment and for each ability level subgroup. Findings from classroom observations, assessments embedded in the curriculum, and the examination of all student artifacts revealed that the use of geospatial technologies enable middle school students to improve their knowledge of climate change and improve their spatial thinking and reasoning skills.

  5. Improving the Pro-Social Skills of Transitioning Urban Youth: A Summer Camp Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allen, Korrie; Akinyanju, Kim; Milliken, Tammi; Lorek, Edward; Walker, Tamu Thomas

    2011-01-01

    School systems often implement character education initiatives in reaction to a violent event. Following the school shootings that occurred in the 1990s, many school systems started to implement character education and violence prevention programs. Unfortunately, because the efforts were reactive, little thought was given to sustainability…

  6. Towards a Framework for School-to-School Networking in Challenging Circumstances

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chapman, Christopher

    2008-01-01

    Background: In recent years, there have been a number of policies aimed at improving educational standards in England, particularly in urban and challenging contexts. Many of these attempts have been underpinned by the principle of collaboration, where schools work together to generate and share knowledge across institutional boundaries. Purpose:…

  7. Building Turnaround Capacity for Urban School Improvement: The Role of Adaptive Leadership and Defined Autonomy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Conrad, Jill K.

    2013-01-01

    This dissertation examines the levels of and relationships between technical leadership, adaptive leadership, and defined autonomy among Denver school leaders along with their combined effects on school growth gains over time. Thirty principals provided complete responses to an online survey that included existing scales for technical leadership,…

  8. The Abbott Districts in 2005-06: Progress and Challenges, Spring 2006

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hirsch, Lesley

    2006-01-01

    New Jersey's urban--or "Abbott"--schools have improved at the preschool and elementary school level, but lag when it comes to middle and high school performance. These are the key findings of an Abbott Indicators Project report entitled, "The Abbott Districts in 2005-06: Progress and Challenges." The report was prepared by…

  9. Improving Middle Grades STEM Teacher Content Knowledge and Pedagogical Practices through a School-University Partnership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCollough, Cherie; Jeffery, Tonya; Moore, Kim; Champion, Joe

    2016-01-01

    This paper outlines a University-School District partnership with the intent to increase the number of middle grades mathematics and science teachers. This externally funded initiative includes onsite, authentically situated professional development for pre- and in-service teachers at three different urban, low-socioeconomic schools with a…

  10. Making "Community" an Authentic Part of School and Community Partnerships. Chapin Hall Discussion Paper

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walker, Lisa; Smithgall, Cheryl; Cusick, Gretchen Ruth

    2012-01-01

    With the idea that schools in low-income urban areas require stronger communities to improve educational outcomes, this discussion paper examines questions related to the authentic engagement of communities in school and community partnerships. It presents three key ideas for considering authentic engagement: place-based policy, community-based…

  11. The Students in Front of Us: Reform for the Current Generation of Urban High School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burks, Joe; Hochbein, Craig

    2015-01-01

    The implementation of education policies requiring the turnaround of persistently low-achieving schools has demanded reforms that will not only improve achievement, but also deliver results in a short period of time. To meet such demands, Jefferson County Public Schools educators implemented Project Proficiency (PP). Results from…

  12. Staff Development in the Implementation of a Schoolwide Writing Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Knudson, Ruth

    A case study examined the implementation of a schoolwide writing program established in a California middle school through a district sponsored school improvement program (SIP). Conducted at an urban sprawl southern California school of approximately 900 students in grades seven and eight, the program was directed and implemented by the English…

  13. The Elyria Schools First: An Initiative To Unleash a Community's Potential Empowering Children To Learn.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elyria City Board of Education, OH.

    Total Quality Management (TQM) is a process and strategy designed to improve an organization's effectiveness and efficiency. The Elyria Schools, named as Ohio's model urban school district in 1991, uses TQM to implement updated strategic goals through a process emphasizing teamwork, best knowledge, prevention, and commitment to continuous…

  14. Connecting Schools, Families & Communities: Stories and Results from the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Education Investments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jehl, Jeanne

    2007-01-01

    Partnerships among schools, families, and community organizations can reconnect urban schools to their communities and improve results for young people and their families. This report provides an overview of Casey's investment philosophy and strategies, and its approach to defining and documenting grantmaking results. The report highlights the…

  15. The Media Is the Message: Using the Media to Improve School Attendance.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nyangoni, Betty

    The problem of truancy and irregular school attendance is widespread in urban, suburban, and rural school districts. The media have interesting and far-reaching capabilities for combating this problem. Possible uses of the print media in this area include posters, bumper stickers, billboards, leaflets and flyers, handouts, buttons, T-shirts,…

  16. Critical Literacy for School Improvement: An Action Research Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cooper, Karyn; White, Robert E.

    2008-01-01

    This article provides an overview of the integrative process of initiating an action research project on literacy for students "at risk" in a Canadian urban elementary school. As the article demonstrates, this requires development of a school-wide framework, which informs the action research project and desired outcomes, and a shared…

  17. The Art Gallery/La Galeria de Arte: An Exhibition of Transformation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Biagi, Juliet

    2001-01-01

    Describes the development of an art gallery within an urban elementary school, examining its impact on diverse students and their social interactions at school and home. The gallery had a positive impact on students (improved self-esteem, motivation, and appreciation of others); the school (transformation of the physical space and appreciation of…

  18. Yoga Improves Academic Performance in Urban High School Students Compared to Physical Education: A Randomized Controlled Trial

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hagins, Marshall; Rundle, Andrew

    2016-01-01

    Yoga programs within schools have become more widespread but research regarding the potential effect on academic achievement remains limited. This study cluster-randomized 112 students within a single New York City public high school to participate in either school-based yoga or physical education (PE) for an entire academic year. The primary…

  19. Collaboration and Networking among Rural Schools: Can It Work and When? Evidence from England

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muijs, Daniel

    2015-01-01

    School-to-school collaboration as a school improvement method has grown in importance in England in recent years, and there is some evidence that such collaboration can have a positive impact on both capacity to change and student attainment. Most previous work in the area has focused on the urban context, however, despite the fact that increasing…

  20. Improving Opportunities for Bridging Social Capital: The Story of a Full-Service Community School Initiative at an Alternative High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Newton, Xiaoxia A.; Thompson, Shanna Rose; Oh, Bangsil; Ferullo, Leah

    2017-01-01

    This article describes the collective efforts educators and multiple community partners are taking to transform one alternative urban high school into a full-service community school. The article presents preliminary findings on the opportunities for bridging social capital that the full-service initiative has created and the impacts such…

  1. Dissemination of School Finance Services in Urban School Districts. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goertz, Margaret E.

    The project described in this paper was designed to test specific ways of improving the dissemination of school finance information in two big city school districts (St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri), in order to enable them to compete more effectively for State aid. Part I presents the political and fiscal environment in which Kansas City and…

  2. Peeling Back the Layers of Policy and School Reform: Revealing the Structural and Social Complexities within

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Woodside-Jiron, Haley; Gehsmann, Kristin M.

    2009-01-01

    This article explores the complex process of school change over a six-year period in one high-poverty, urban elementary school in a northeastern city of the United States. The school included in this instrumental case study was identified by its State Department of Education as "being in need of improvement" in March 2000. Findings…

  3. Strategies to Improve Mathematics Achievement in a Vocational School: 21st Century Legislation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clark-Jeter, Patricia

    2013-01-01

    Many students at an urban vocational high school have failed to pass the mathematics section of the New Jersey high school graduation assessment. Students who fail the graduation assessment are in danger of not earning their high school diploma. The purpose of this study was to learn, from the instructors' perspectives, why students were not…

  4. Teacher Action Research Teams: Building Collaborative Structures for Schools: A Report from the Schools Reaching Out Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krasnow, Jean H.

    A teacher action research study, undertaken as part of the larger Schools Reaching Out (SRO) project, sponsored by the Institute for Responsive Education, is described in this report. The project is based on the concept of the urban school, family, and community partnership as a means to improve all children's academic achievement and social…

  5. Smart Schools, Smart Growth: Investing in Education Facilities and Stronger Communities. California Builds Better Schools. Working Paper 09-1

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fuller, Bruce; Vincent, Jeff; Bierbaum, Ariel H.; Kirschenbaum, Greta; McCoy, Deborah; Rigby, Jessica

    2009-01-01

    This report examines how California's massive and ongoing investment in school construction could better advance the shared goals of school improvement, sustainable urban growth, and equal opportunity. This brief is organized in five parts. First, the authors sketch a "framework" for how smart growth principles could help guide school…

  6. Pilot Intervention to Increase Physical Activity among Sedentary Urban Middle School Girls: A Two-Group Pretest-Posttest Quasi-Experimental Design

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Robbins, Lorraine B.; Pfeiffer, Karin A.; Maier, Kimberly S.; Lo, Yun-Jia; Wesolek, Stacey M.

    2012-01-01

    The primary purpose of the study was to determine whether girls in one school receiving nurse counseling plus an after-school physical activity club showed greater improvement in physical activity, cardiovascular fitness, and body composition than girls assigned to an attention control condition in another school (N = 69). Linear regressions…

  7. The School Climate-Student Achievement Connection: If We Want Achievement Gains, We Need to Begin by Improving the Climate

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shindler, John; Jones, Albert; Williams, A. Dee; Taylor, Clint; Cardenas, Hermenia

    2016-01-01

    This study examined the relationship between school climate and student achievement ratings in urban school districts in five states (N = 230). Many educators view school climate and student achievement as separate considerations. However the results of this study suggest that climate and student achievement were highly related. In fact, the…

  8. Feasibility and Preliminary Outcomes of a School-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Urban Youth

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mendelson, Tamar; Greenberg, Mark T.; Dariotis, Jacinda K.; Gould, Laura Feagans; Rhoades, Brittany L.; Leaf, Philip J.

    2010-01-01

    Youth in underserved, urban communities are at risk for a range of negative outcomes related to stress, including social-emotional difficulties, behavior problems, and poor academic performance. Mindfulness-based approaches may improve adjustment among chronically stressed and disadvantaged youth by enhancing self-regulatory capacities. This paper…

  9. Transfer: Making It Work. A Community College Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Donovan, Richard A., Ed.; And Others

    In 1983, the Ford Foundation funded a two-part project, the Urban Community College Transfer Opportunities Project (UCC/TOP), designed to improve the transfer process from the community college to the four-year institution for urban minority students. Through partnership efforts with secondary schools and four-year colleges and universities, the…

  10. Urban Principals' Second Order Change Leadership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Rosemarye T.; La Cava, Gonzalo S.

    2011-01-01

    Urban school leaders have challenges in continually improving student achievement and making change as quickly as needed. To address this problem 37 non-Title I principals completed an on-line survey, Principal's Actions Survey (PAS), based on the seven responsibilities for second order change identified by Marzano, Waters, and McNulty (2005).…

  11. Close Encounters with the Turbulent Environment of Urban Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jefferson, Arthur; Levey, Richard

    1978-01-01

    In order to improve the quality of urban education, public school educators must be joined by the public, legislators, business leaders, and social planners. These individuals will need to understand public policy priorities, as well as the social, economic, and political forces which define our present environment. (Author/GC)

  12. Preparing Principals to Raise Student Achievement: Implementation and Effects of the New Leaders Program in Ten Districts. Research Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gates, Susan M.; Hamilton, Laura S.; Martorell, Paco; Burkhauser, Susan; Heaton, Paul; Pierson, Ashley; Baird, Matthew; Vuollo, Mirka; Li, Jennifer J.; Lavery, Diana Catherine; Harvey, Melody; Gu, Kun

    2014-01-01

    New Leaders is a nonprofit organization with a mission to ensure high academic achievement for all students by developing outstanding school leaders to serve in urban schools. Its premise is that a combination of preparation and improved working conditions for principals, especially greater autonomy, would lead to improved student outcomes. Its…

  13. Remedying Education: Evidence from Two Randomized Experiments in India. NBER Working Paper No. 11904

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Banerjee, Abhijit; Cole, Shawn; Duflo, Esther; Linden, Leigh

    2005-01-01

    Many efforts to improve school quality by adding school resources have proven to be ineffective. This paper presents the results of two experiments conducted in Mumbai and Vadodara, India, designed to evaluate ways to improve the quality of education in urban slums. A remedial education program hired young women from the community to teach basic…

  14. Food Allergy Knowledge and Attitudes among School Nurses in an Urban Public School District.

    PubMed

    Twichell, Sarah; Wang, Kathleen; Robinson, Humaira; Acebal, Maria; Sharma, Hemant

    2015-07-21

    Since food allergy knowledge and perceptions may influence prevention and management of school-based reactions, we evaluated them among nurses in an urban school district. All District of Columbia public school nurses were asked to anonymously complete a food allergy knowledge and attitude questionnaire. Knowledge scores were calculated as percentage of correct responses. Attitude responses were tabulated across five-point Likert scales, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The knowledge questionnaire was completed by 87% of eligible nurses and the attitude questionnaire by 83%. The mean total knowledge score was 76 ± 13 with domain score highest for symptom recognition and lowest for treatment. Regarding attitudes, most (94%) felt food allergy is a serious health problem, for which schools should have guidelines (94%). Fewer believed that nut-free schools (82%) and allergen-free tables (44%) should be implemented. Negative perceptions of parents were identified as: parents of food-allergic children are overprotective (55%) and make unreasonable requests of schools (15%). Food allergy knowledge deficits and mixed attitudes exist among this sample of urban school nurses, particularly related to management of reactions and perceptions of parents. Food allergy education of school nurses should be targeted to improve their knowledge and attitudes.

  15. Food Allergy Knowledge and Attitudes among School Nurses in an Urban Public School District

    PubMed Central

    Twichell, Sarah; Wang, Kathleen; Robinson, Humaira; Acebal, Maria; Sharma, Hemant

    2015-01-01

    Since food allergy knowledge and perceptions may influence prevention and management of school-based reactions, we evaluated them among nurses in an urban school district. All District of Columbia public school nurses were asked to anonymously complete a food allergy knowledge and attitude questionnaire. Knowledge scores were calculated as percentage of correct responses. Attitude responses were tabulated across five-point Likert scales, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The knowledge questionnaire was completed by 87% of eligible nurses and the attitude questionnaire by 83%. The mean total knowledge score was 76 ± 13 with domain score highest for symptom recognition and lowest for treatment. Regarding attitudes, most (94%) felt food allergy is a serious health problem, for which schools should have guidelines (94%). Fewer believed that nut-free schools (82%) and allergen-free tables (44%) should be implemented. Negative perceptions of parents were identified as: parents of food-allergic children are overprotective (55%) and make unreasonable requests of schools (15%). Food allergy knowledge deficits and mixed attitudes exist among this sample of urban school nurses, particularly related to management of reactions and perceptions of parents. Food allergy education of school nurses should be targeted to improve their knowledge and attitudes. PMID:27417367

  16. Leadership from the Ground up: Effective Schooling in Traditionally Low Performing Schools. Issues in the Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice of Urban Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Acker-Hocevar, Michele A.; Cruz-Janzen, Marta I.; Wilson, Cynthia L.

    2012-01-01

    This book chronicles the journey of seven schools serving students of poverty, English Language Learners (ELLs), and students of color, which were able to sustain school improvement for a decade on either state and/or national criteria that measure student performance outcomes. The book shares stories of these seven schools and demonstrates that…

  17. Old Wine, New Bottles.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cibulka, James G.

    2001-01-01

    Discusses school governance systems and describes governance overhauls in two large urban school districts, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, focusing on role of mayor in improving troubled public education systems. Identifies benefits and shortcomings of approach, concluding mayoral control can make a difference but right combination of…

  18. Examining Comprehensive School Reform

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aladjem, Daniel K., Ed.; Borman, Kathryn M., Ed.

    2006-01-01

    Urban school reformers for decades have tried to improve educational outcomes for underserved and disadvantaged students, with the assistance of constantly evolving federal and state policies. In recent years, education policies have shifted from targeting individual students to developing universal standards for teaching and learning, and…

  19. Evaluating School Violence Programs. Urban Diversity Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Flaxman, Erwin, Ed.

    The essays in this collection review information, resources, and guidelines on the basic principles of internal evaluations of school violence programs. This information can help staff with program definition, planning, implementation, continuous improvement, and measurement of outcomes. "Introduction" (Erwin Flaxman) examines types of…

  20. How Healthy Is Your School's Air?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guarneiri, Michele

    2002-01-01

    Describes sources of indoor air pollution and health risk to children, such as asthma and lower respiratory infections. Asserts that risk of asthma is greater among African-American and Hispanic children attending urban schools. Suggests ways principals can help improve indoor air quality. (PKP)

  1. Nutritional status of urban and rural primary school pupils in Lagos State, Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Ekekezie, O O; Odeyemi, K A; Ibeabuchi, N M

    2012-01-01

    This study was carried out in Lagos State in Ikorodu LGA (rural), a largely agrarian area producing raw materials for agro-allied industries and Ikeja LGA (urban), a highly-developed metropolis and commercial centre. Hitherto, studies showed that undernutrition had been the main form of malnutrition among Nigerian children. However with influences from urbanization, westernization and globalization in cosmopolitan Lagos, it is imperative to find out if the global epidemic of overweight and obesity has caught on. To compare the nutritional status of primary school pupils in urban and rural LGAs in Lagos State, Nigeria. This was a cross , sectional comparative study. A multistage sampling method was adopted. Data were collected from 529 pupils with an interviewer administered questionnaire. Their weight and height were recorded in pre-designed proforma and converted to nutritional indices. The prevalence rates of underweight, stunting and wasting in the rural area were 49.6%, 50.8% and 24.2% respectively; while it was 15.1%, 16.6% and 13.6% in the urban area respectively. There was overnutrition in the urban area: 15.1% were overweight and 13.2% were obese. The mean nutritional indices were significantly lower among the rural pupils than urban pupils (p<0.001) in each case. Undernutrition is still a major health problem among school children in Lagos State, Nigeria, more so in the rural area. There is an emergence of overweight and obesity in the urban area. A comprehensive programme to improve nutritional status is recommended as part of a well funded school health programme.

  2. Prevalence of School Policies, Programs, and Facilities That Promote a Healthy Physical School Environment

    PubMed Central

    Everett Jones, Sherry; Brener, Nancy D.; McManus, Tim

    2003-01-01

    Objectives. We examined the extent to which schools in the United States have health-promoting policies, programs, and facilities. Methods. We analyzed data from the School Health Policies and Programs Study 2000. Results. We found that public schools (vs private and Catholic schools), urban schools (vs rural and suburban schools), and schools with larger enrollments (vs smaller schools) had more health-promoting policies, programs, and facilities in place. On average, middle schools had 11.0 and middle/junior and high schools had 10.4 out of a possible 18 policies, programs, and facilities. Conclusions. Although some schools had many healthy physical environment features, room for improvement exists. Resources are available to help schools improve their health-promoting policies, programs, and facilities. PMID:12948982

  3. Helminthiasis and Hygiene Conditions of Schools in Ikenne, Ogun State, Nigeria

    PubMed Central

    Ekpo, Uwem Friday; Odoemene, Simon Nnayere; Mafiana, Chiedu Felix; Sam-Wobo, Sammy Olufemi

    2008-01-01

    Background A study of the helminth infection status of primary-school children and the hygiene condition of schools in Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria was undertaken between November 2004 and February 2005 to help guide the development of a school-based health programme. Methods and Findings Three primary schools were randomly selected: two government-owned schools (one urban and the other rural) and one urban private school. No rural private schools existed to survey. A total of 257 schoolchildren aged 4–15 y, of whom 146 (56.8%) were boys and 111 (43.2%) were girls, took part in the survey. A child survey form, which included columns for name, age, sex, and class level, was used in concert with examination of stool samples for eggs of intestinal helminths. A school survey form was used to assess the conditions of water supply, condition of latrines, presence of soap for handwashing, and presence of garbage around the school compound. The demographic data showed that the number of schoolchildren gradually decreased as their ages increased in all three schools. The sex ratio was proportional in the urban school until primary level 3, after which the number of female pupils gradually decreased, whereas in the private school, sexes were proportionally distributed even in higher classes. The prevalence of helminth infection was 54.9% of schoolchildren in the urban government school, 63.5% in the rural government school, and 28.4% in the urban private school. Ascaris lumbricoides was the most prevalent species, followed by Trichuris trichiura, Taenia species, and hookworm in the three schools. Prevalence of infection in the government-owned schools was significantly higher than in the private school (χ 2 = 18.85, df = 2, p<0.0005). A survey of hygiene conditions in the three schools indicated that in the two government schools tapwater was unavailable, sanitation of latrines was poor, handwashing soap was unavailable, and garbage was present around school compounds. In the private school, in contrast, all hygiene indices were satisfactory. Conclusions These results indicate that burden of parasite infections and poor sanitary conditions are of greater public health importance in government-owned schools than in privately owned schools. School health programmes in government-owned schools, including deworming, health education, and improvement of hygiene conditions are recommended. PMID:18357338

  4. School Improvement and Urban Renewal: The Impact of a Turnaround School's Performance on Real Property Values in Its Surrounding Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jacobson, Stephen L.; Szczesek, Jill

    2013-01-01

    This study investigates the economic impact of a "turnaround" school on real property values in its surrounding community as related to the argument introduced by Tiebout in 1956 correlating local public goods, in this case school success, to housing-location decision making. Using single-family home sales found on the Multiple Listing System and…

  5. Managing for Results in America's Great City Schools. A Report of the Performance Measurement and Benchmarking Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Council of the Great City Schools, 2012

    2012-01-01

    "Managing for Results in America's Great City Schools, 2012" is presented by the Council of the Great City Schools to its members and the public. The purpose of the project was and is to develop performance measures that can improve the business operations of urban public school districts nationwide. This year's report includes data from 61 of the…

  6. Critical Hope or Principled Infidelity? How an Urban Secondary School in an Area of Sustained Poverty in England Continues to Improve

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Palaiologou, Ioanna; Male, Trevor

    2016-01-01

    This is the examination of how a secondary school in England, the Robert Clack High School, not only made the transition from failure to success "against the odds", but sustained and enhanced that status despite changes in local demographics resulting in the school serving a significantly different ethnic community than was evident at…

  7. Elementary Principal Leadership Practices, Attitudes, and Self-Efficacy about Teacher Evaluation in Title I Urban Schools Making Gains in Student Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ames, Karen Cohen

    2013-01-01

    Current school reform efforts aim to improve teaching and learning with emphasis on accountability for student achievement. The success of school reform depends on the motivation and capacities of school leaders. It is important to know what effective leadership practices look like to understand the direct impact to student achievement,…

  8. Personnel Resource Allocation Strategies in a Time of Fiscal Crisis: Case Study of Elementary Schools in a California District

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sais, Melissa Marie

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to analyze human resource allocation data for all elementary schools in large urban school district to determine whether resources were allocated in ways in that research suggests can lead to improved student achievement. Data from all 46 elementary schools that participated in the study were compared to the…

  9. Can Community and School-Based Supports Improve the Achievement of First-Generation Immigrant Children Attending High-Poverty Schools?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dearing, Eric; Walsh, Mary E.; Sibley, Erin; Lee-St.John, Terry; Foley, Claire; Raczek, Anastacia E.

    2016-01-01

    Using a quasi-experimental design, the effects of a student support intervention were estimated for the math and reading achievement of first-generation immigrant children (n = 667, M = 11.05 years of age) attending high-poverty, urban elementary schools. The intervention was designed to help schools identify developmental strengths and barriers…

  10. Whose Choice? Student Experiences and Outcomes in the New Orleans School Marketplace. Research Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adamson, Frank; Cook-Harvey, Channa; Darling-Hammond, Linda

    2015-01-01

    As charters and other public and private schools of choice have created a new landscape in many urban areas across the country, some districts have adopted the idea of creating "portfolios" of options. Central to the philosophy of a portfolio district is continuous improvement, as lowest-performing schools are transformed or replaced. In…

  11. Teacher Migration: Extension and Application of the Population Ecology Model to Explore Teacher Transfers in a Reform Environment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hochbein, Craig; Carpenter, Bradley

    2017-01-01

    This article assesses the association between the Title I School Improvement Grant (SIG) program's personnel replacement policy and teacher employment patterns within an urban school district. Hannan and Freeman's population ecology model allowed the authors to consider schools within districts as individual organizations nested within a larger…

  12. When the African-Centered Paradigm Is Not Enough: Lessons from an Urban Charter School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clarkson, Lesa M. Covington; Johnstone, Jerika R.

    2011-01-01

    This article reflects on processes and characteristics that had a positive impact on improving mathematics achievement at an African-centered charter school. In doing so, an exploratory look into organizational culture provides the basis for a discussion on African-centered school culture. African-centered education played a major role in…

  13. Effectiveness of a Parent-Child Home Numeracy Intervention on Urban Catholic School First Grade Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lore, Millicent D.; Wang, Aubrey H.; Buckley, M. Toni

    2016-01-01

    Catholic social teaching affirms the primary role of parents in their children's education, as well as the importance of forging a positive home-school partnership. The purpose of this article is to provide empirical evidence for further cultivating a collaborative, home-school relationship aimed at improving the mathematics performance of…

  14. A Systems Theory Approach to the District Central Office's Role in School-Level Improvement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mania-Singer, Jackie

    2017-01-01

    This qualitative case study used General Systems Theory and social network analysis to explore the relationships between the members of a district central office and principals of elementary schools within an urban school district in the Midwest. Findings revealed sparse relationships between members of the district central office and principals,…

  15. Improving Elementary-Level Mathematics Achievement in a Large Urban District: The Effects of Direct Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stockard, Jean

    2010-01-01

    This paper examines changes in the average mathematics achievement of students in the Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS) from 1998 to 2003, comparing students in schools that implemented Direct Instruction with students in other schools. First-grade students who received Direct Instruction had significantly higher levels of achievement on…

  16. Contesting Language Orientations: A Critical Multicultural Perspective on Local Language Policy in Two Middle Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cole, Mikel; Puzio, Kelly; Keyes, Christopher; Jimenez, Robert; Pray, Lisa; David, Samuel

    2012-01-01

    This article presents findings drawn from the development of an intervention designed to leverage Spanish to improve English reading comprehension. Five teachers and 18 middle school English language learners (ELLs) in 2 urban middle schools participated in the project over the course of an academic year. Analysis of policy documents, interviews,…

  17. Whose Choice?: Student Experiences and Outcomes in the New Orleans School Marketplace

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adamson, Frank; Cook-Harvey, Channa; Darling-Hammond, Linda

    2015-01-01

    As charters and other public and private schools of choice have created a new landscape in many urban areas across the country, some districts have adopted the idea of creating "portfolios" of options. Central to the philosophy of a portfolio district is continuous improvement, as lowest-performing schools are transformed or replaced.…

  18. Mayoral Governance and Student Achievement: How Mayor-Led Districts Are Improving School and Student Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wong, Kenneth K.; Shen, Francis X.

    2013-01-01

    Mayoral control and accountability is one of very few major education reforms that aim at governance coherence in this nation's highly fragmented urban school systems. A primary feature of mayoral governance is that it holds the office of the mayor accountable for school performance. As an institutional redesign, mayoral governance integrates…

  19. Measuring Up: Educational Improvement & Opportunity in 50 Cities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DeArmond, Michael; Denice, Patrick; Gross, Betheny; Hernandez, Jose; Jochim, Ashley

    2015-01-01

    This report provides a new resource for understanding the state of urban public schools in the U.S. Geared specifically toward city leaders who want to evaluate how well traditional district and charter schools are serving all their city's children and how their schools compare to those in other cities, the report measures outcomes for all public…

  20. "What Am I Gonna Be Losing?" School Culture and the Family-Based College-Going Dilemmas of Black and Latino Adolescent Boys

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carey, Roderick L.

    2018-01-01

    As educators and service providers in urban schools encourage student college going at higher rates than ever, policy and practice on school improvement discourses would benefit from incorporating students' perspectives underlying family-based, "college-going dilemmas" that frame their college preparation. This qualitative article…

  1. A Professional Learning Community to Improve Literacy at a Minority Urban High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCallum, Salimah A.

    2012-01-01

    Despite No Child Left Behind legislation, there has been little significant progress in literacy for African American and Hispanic high school students. This issue reflects a failing school system and an urgent need for educational reform in the United States. Using social cognitive theory as the conceptual framework, this qualitative study…

  2. ResourceCheck: Assess Your District's Resource Use

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Education Resource Strategies, 2013

    2013-01-01

    For over a decade, Education Resource Strategies, Inc. (ERS) has helped leaders of urban school districts strategically reallocate their resources to improve student performance. This work identifies seven Core Transformational Strategies that support high-performing schools; in high-functioning districts, resources (people, time, and money) are…

  3. Improving Geography Learning in the Schools: Efforts by the National Geographic Society.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dulli, Robert E.

    1994-01-01

    Contends that the National Geographic Society's Geography Education Program continues to work on improving geography instruction and learning. Outlines future activities of the National Geographic Society including urban outreach and technology training. (CFR)

  4. Urban Districts Compare Notes on Operation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aarons, Dakarai I.

    2009-01-01

    Urban school systems are large businesses, charged with running a wide range of noninstructional functions that typically do not garner them much national notice. Now, thanks to the work of a coalition of big-city districts, their leaders are gathering data on how those operations are run, in the hope of improving their business practices. The…

  5. The Mathematical Needs of Urban Indigenous Primary Children: A Western Australian Snapshot

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hurst, Chris; Sparrow, Len

    2010-01-01

    This study considered ways of improving mathematical outcomes for urban Indigenous students. It focused on three primary schools in Western Australia and identified factors that were perceived to be having an impact on student learning. These included expectations for students, attendance rates, parent involvement, student literacy levels, student…

  6. Concussion Knowledge and Reporting Behavior Differences Between High School Athletes at Urban and Suburban High Schools.

    PubMed

    Wallace, Jessica; Covassin, Tracey; Nogle, Sally; Gould, Daniel; Kovan, Jeffrey

    2017-09-01

    We determined differences in knowledge of concussion and reporting behaviors of high school athletes attending urban and suburban high schools, and whether a relationship exists between underreporting and access to an athletic trainer in urban schools. High school athletes (N = 715) from 14 high schools completed a validated knowledge of concussion survey consisting of 83 questions. The independent variable was school type (urban/suburban). We examined the proportion of athletes who correctly identified signs and symptoms of concussion, knowledge of concussion and reasons why high school athletes would not disclose a potential concussive injury across school classification. Data were analyzed using descriptive, non-parametric, and inferential statistics. Athletes attending urban schools have less concussion knowledge than athletes attending suburban schools (p < .01). Athletes attending urban schools without an athletic trainer have less knowledge than urban athletes at schools with an athletic trainer (p < .01) There was no significant relationship between reporting percentage and school type (p = .73); however, significant relationships exist between AT access at urban schools and 10 reasons for not reporting. Concussion education efforts cannot be homogeneous in all communities. Education interventions must reflect the needs of each community. © 2017, American School Health Association.

  7. Technology Integration Barriers: Urban School Mathematics Teachers Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wachira, Patrick; Keengwe, Jared

    2011-01-01

    Despite the promise of technology in education, many practicing teachers face several challenges when trying to effectively integrate technology into their classroom instruction. Additionally, while national statistics cite a remarkable improvement in access to computer technology tools in schools, teacher surveys show consistent declines in the…

  8. Arrange Time into Blocks.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zepeda, Sally J.

    1999-01-01

    Block scheduling can help high school principals become staff-development leaders. It gives teachers more time to help individual students and contributes to improved achievement, attendance, and graduation rates. This paper describes the results of research on block scheduling in urban high schools and concludes that block scheduling can support…

  9. Building Principal Pipelines: A Job That Urban Districts Can Do. Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mendels, Pamela

    2016-01-01

    School district officials have faced the urgent task in recent years of ensuring that all schools, not just a lucky few, benefit from sure-footed leadership by professionals who know how to focus on instruction and improve it. The question boils down to this: How can districts develop a pipeline of great school principals? Research about a Wallace…

  10. Teacher Self-Efficacy and the Civic Knowledge of Secondary Social Studies Teachers in a Large Urban School District: A Policy Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Holt, Dennis

    2009-01-01

    This policy study contributed to an understanding of the types of professional growth activities that improve teacher self-confidence to teach challenging subjects and helped determine the future allocation of resources relative to teaching secondary social studies in Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS), the eighth largest school district in…

  11. In Their Own Words, Urban Students Make Suggestions for Improving the Appearance of Their Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Doan, Kim; Jablonski, Brian

    2012-01-01

    In their own words, 50 students in two Los Angeles area schools reveal their feelings about litter, graffiti, and the appearance of their schools. The analysis includes a discussion of the research in environmental psychology as it pertains to overcrowding, noise and pollution, design and appearance, and their effects on productivity. Excerpts of…

  12. The Art of Collaboration: Promising Practices for Integrating the Arts and School Reform. AEP Research and Policy Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nelson, Andrew L.

    2008-01-01

    In June 2007, the Arts Education Partnership (AEP) convened the directors of eight collaborative entities to discuss promising practices for integrating the arts into the lives and curricula of urban public schools as a means of fostering system-wide educational improvement. The seven school-community collaboratives and one higher education…

  13. In the Midst of Transformation: Reflections from the Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Route-Chatmon, LaShawn

    2007-01-01

    The Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools (BayCES) has been working to build the capacity of people to transform the educational experiences and outcomes of underserved students in the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Area for more than 15 years. BayCES supports people in urban districts and schools undergoing reform efforts to improve their…

  14. Evaluation of a School Systems Plan to Utilize Teachers' Perceptions of Principal Leadership to Improve Student Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, Ed

    2009-01-01

    This study examines fourth grade student achievement in relation to teacher perceptions of principal leadership and other selected variables in a large urban school district in Georgia. Student achievement was measured by performance on the Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 school years. The…

  15. Instructional Partnerships to Extend Learning in Urban High Schools: Lessons from New York City and Boston

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foley, Eileen M.; Allender, Sara; Cooc, North; Edwards, Sara; Riley, Derek R.; Reisner, Elizabeth R.

    2009-01-01

    Late in 2007 New Visions for Public Schools, a New York City reform organization, received a grant from the C.S. Mott Foundation to organize select high schools and community partners into delivery systems that could improve student achievement. New Visions asked Policy Studies Associates, Inc. to provide research support for this effort in the…

  16. Building Principal Pipelines: A Job That Urban Districts Can Do. Perspective. Updated Edition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mendels, Pamela

    2017-01-01

    School district officials have faced the urgent task in recent years of ensuring that all schools, not just a lucky few, benefit from sure-footed leadership by professionals who know how to focus on instruction and improve it. The question boils down to this: How can districts develop a pipeline of great school principals? Research about a Wallace…

  17. Playing the game: sports as a force for promoting improved academic performance for urban youth.

    PubMed

    DeMeulenaere, Eric

    2010-01-01

    Using qualitative research methods involving observations and interviews with four students, their families and friends, this paper examines six ways that student involvement in sports promoted student success: structuring schedules, creating incentives, building confidence, developing positive adult and peer role models, and its role in getting students to develop future aspirations. It then turns to consider how students use their involvement with sports to negotiate the challenges they faced in adopting a successful student identity. Participation in school sports became a powerful justification for successful school performance for the participating students in this study. Finally, this paper ends with several policy implications for considering sports programming in urban schools.

  18. WWC Review of the Report “Improving Reading Comprehension and Social Studies Knowledge in Middle School.” What Works Clearinghouse Single Study Review

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    What Works Clearinghouse, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The study reviewed in this paper examined the effects of the instructional practice “Promoting Acceleration of Comprehension and Content Through Text” (“PACT”), an approach that aims to improve social studies content knowledge and reading comprehension. This study took place in two middle schools in a near-urban district in Texas. Study authors…

  19. A Study of an Inter-Institutional Partnership between an Urban Community College and an Urban Public School District

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gaines, Michael L.

    2012-01-01

    This study examined the unique partnership between Midwest Community College and Urban Public Schools' Urban Career Technical High School. The Urban Technical High School (UTHS) is designed to provide students interested in Tech Prep education a clear pathway from high school to college. Through collaboration, services were provided to assist high…

  20. Collaborating to Improve Instruction: It's about Time

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zimmerman, Judith A.; Grier, Harriett L.

    2005-01-01

    The success of implementing school change is determined in large part by the effectiveness of building leadership and time utilization. This paper describes the changing role of an urban principal as her building moved from a traditional junior high structure to a more collaborative small-school structure involving interdisciplinary grade-level…

  1. Thinking in Three Dimensions: Leadership for Capacity Building, Sustainability, and Succession

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Byrne-Jimenez, Monica; Orr, Margaret Terry

    2012-01-01

    Urban schools often experience rapid turnover among teachers and leaders. Yet, research and practice highlight the importance of sustained leadership over time as an integral component of school improvement. Successful leadership requires principals who operate in multiple dimensions at once, moving from individual capacity to group empowerment,…

  2. Empowered Participation: Reinventing Urban Democracy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fung, Archon

    2006-01-01

    Every month in every neighborhood in Chicago, residents, teachers, school principals, and police officers gather to deliberate about how to improve their schools and make their streets safer. Residents of poor neighborhoods participate as much or more as those from wealthy ones. All voices are heard. Since the meetings began more than a dozen…

  3. Improving Discipline through the Use of Social Skills.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cook, Danielle; Rudin, Lynn

    Faced with increasing concerns of educators, parents, and students regarding the lack of school discipline, this study evaluated a social skills program to reduce inappropriate behavioral incidents in urban middle and rural high school students. Students' inappropriate behavior, such as talking back, not preparing for class or not participating in…

  4. Greening from the Top Down.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oberndorfer, Erica

    2002-01-01

    Green roofs, with their topsoil and plants, improve insulation, filter air, reduce water runoff, and provide habitat for urban wildlife. They are compatible with schools because they save energy; schools' flat roofs are conducive to greening; and green roofs can be outdoor classrooms for botany, ecology, and energy efficiency. Although scarce in…

  5. 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…

  6. School Yard Environmental Projects: A Planning Primer.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Megalos, Mark A.; And Others

    This guide describes how to establish successful trails, outdoor classrooms, or other environmental education improvements on rural and urban school grounds. Teachers are encouraged to promote the environmental project as a solution to an existing problem and to include all parties and stakeholders that can benefit from a coordinated environmental…

  7. School as Community, Community as School: Examining Principal Leadership for Urban School Reform and Community Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Green, Terrance L.

    2018-01-01

    For decades, reform has been a persistent issue in urban schools. Research suggests that urban school reforms that are connected to equitable community development efforts are more sustainable, and that principals play a pivot role in leading such efforts. Yet, limited research has explored how urban school principals connect school reform with…

  8. Adolescents' Motivation in the Context of an Academic Vocabulary Intervention in Urban Middle School Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lesaux, Nonie K.; Harris, Julie Russ; Sloane, Phoebe

    2012-01-01

    In a large urban district's ELA classrooms, an academic vocabulary intervention designed to improve linguistically diverse 6th-graders' reading and language skills was implemented and evaluated. These classrooms were characterized by high numbers of struggling readers, and linguistic diversity was the norm. As part of the evaluation, this study…

  9. Urban District Central Office Transformation for Teaching and Learning Improvement: Beyond a Zero-Sum Game

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Honig, Meredith I.; Lorton, Juli Swinnerton; Copland, Michael A.

    2009-01-01

    Over the past 15 years, a growing number of mid-sized to large school district central offices have engaged in radical reforms to strengthen teaching and learning for all students districtwide. Such efforts mark a significant change in urban educational governance. The authors call these efforts "district central office transformation for teaching…

  10. Neuromuscular Training Availability and Efficacy in Preventing Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury in High School Sports: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

    PubMed

    Murray, Jared J; Renier, Colleen M; Ahern, Jenny J; Elliott, Barbara A

    2017-11-01

    To document neuromuscular training (NMT) availability and its relationship to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in 4 major high school sports by gender, sport, and rural/urban geography, with the hypothesis that increased exposure to NMT would be associated with fewer ACL injuries. A retrospective cohort study. All Minnesota high schools identified in the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) database for fall 2014 boys' football and soccer, and girls' volleyball and soccer. All high school athletic directors were surveyed to report their school's fall 2014 experience; 53.5% returned the survey reporting experience with one or more of the sports. Athletic directors documented each sport's preseason and in-season exposure to NMT (plyometric exercises, proximal/core muscle strengthening, education and feedback regarding proper body mechanics, and aerobics) and licensed athletic trainers. Reported ACL injuries by sport, gender and rural/urban. More than two-thirds of teams incorporated facets of NMT into their sport. Among male athletes, soccer players exposed to licensed athletic trainers experienced significantly fewer ACL injuries (P < 0.005), and NMT was associated with significantly fewer ACL injuries in football (P < 0.05) and soccer (P < 0.05). Female athletes did not demonstrate similar associated improvements, with volleyball injuries associated with increased NMT (P < 0.001), and soccer injuries not associated with NMT. However, girl soccer players in rural settings reported fewer ACL injures compared with urban teams (P < 0.001). Most fall high school sports teams were exposed to NMT, which was associated with fewer ACL injuries for male, but not for female athletes. Improved gender- and sport-specific preventive training programs are indicated.

  11. Investing in Urban School Leadership: Creating a Profile of Career Principals to Inform Identification, Recruitment, and Retention in the School District of Philadelphia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nixon, Penny Sparks

    2013-01-01

    The principalship has evolved dramatically and become far more complex. Everyday, school leaders are reshaping their roles because of the internal and external pressures associated with the job. Currently, the reform agenda across the country focuses almost entirely on the states and federal government's demand to improve student performance.…

  12. Whatcha Doin' after School? A Review of the Literature on the Influence of After-School Programs on Young Black Males

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Woodland, Malcolm H.

    2008-01-01

    Basic quality-of-life indicators including employment, access to health care, and involvement with the criminal justice system paint a grim picture for the lives of urban Black males; thus, it is increasingly important to identify prevention and intervention strategies that can improve outcomes for this group. After-school programs have been…

  13. The Interflow of Two Rivers: An Inter-School CSCL Project on Improving Water Quality by Using Videoconferencing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fung, Leo Sun-wai; Chan, Yu-nang

    2009-01-01

    The aim of this research is to study the effectiveness of using videoconferencing as a tool for collaborative learning on water pollution among students from two secondary schools located in different districts. The poor water quality of the nullahs in urban areas aroused the interest of students from two secondary schools in Tin Shui Wai and Wong…

  14. Welcome to the Neighborhood.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schneider, Jay W.

    2001-01-01

    Discusses how community interest and involvement helps a new school reinvigorate an urban area. Community input into design and site selection, site improvements, interior elements, and construction management are addressed. (GR)

  15. Lessons Learned: Five Years in the Urban Schools Network.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Andrew, Erika Nielsen; Dornsife, Carolyn; Flack, Maggie; Hallinan, Mayo Tsuzuki; Jackson, Lola; Raby, Marilyn; Steadman, Mimi Harris

    The 10 chapters in this book provide an overview of 5 years of work by member schools and colleges in the Urban Schools Network, which provides technical assistance to schools in 31 urban areas. "Overview of the Urban Schools Network" (Lola Jackson) is a history, defining purposes, participants, and priorities. "Integrating Academic…

  16. Birds in the playground: Evaluating the effectiveness of an urban environmental education project in enhancing school children's awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards local wildlife.

    PubMed

    White, Rachel L; Eberstein, Katie; Scott, Dawn M

    2018-01-01

    Children nowadays, particularly in urban areas, are more disconnected from nature than ever before, leading to a large-scale "extinction of experience" with the natural world. Yet there are many potential benefits from children interacting with nature first-hand, including via outdoor learning opportunities. Urban environmental education programmes typically aim to increase awareness and knowledge of local biodiversity and to promote positive attitudes and behaviour towards the environment. However, limited research has been conducted evaluating to what extent these interventions achieve their goals. Here, we explore and assess the influence of a six-week bird-feeding and monitoring project conducted within school grounds ("Bird Buddies") on individual awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards birds by primary school children. This initiative was conducted across eight (sub-)urban primary schools within Brighton and Hove (UK), with 220 participating children (aged 7 to 10). Via pre- and post-project questionnaires, we found evidence for enhanced awareness of local biodiversity, alongside significant gains in both bird identification knowledge and attitudes, which were greatest for children with little prior exposure to nature. Many children expressed a keenness to continue improving the environmental value of their school grounds and to apply elements of the project at home. Student project evaluation scores were consistently positive. Mirroring this, participating teachers endorsed the project as a positive learning experience for their students. One year after the project, several schools were continuing to feed and watch birds. Collectively, the findings from this study highlight the multiple benefits that can be derived from engagement with a relatively short outdoor environmental activity. We therefore believe that such interventions, if repeated locally/longer term, could enhance children's experience with nature in urban settings with combined positive environmental impact.

  17. Improving the School, Family, and Community Partnership Through Increased Awareness and Collaboration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mangum, Deborah Clarke

    2006-01-01

    Background: This applied dissertation was designed to increase the awareness of a parent resource center located in an urban community. The center had been in existence for 10 years. Due to a massive urban renewal project, the original residents were relocated to other areas of the city. When the replacement housing was constructed, a different,…

  18. The Role of Districts in Fostering Instructional Improvement Lessons from Three Urban Districts Partnered with the Institute for Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marsh, Julie A.; Kerr, Kerri A.; Ikemoto, Gina S.; Darilek, Hilary; Suttorp, Marika; Zimmer, Ron W.; Barney, Heather

    2005-01-01

    The current high-stakes accountability environment brought on by the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) places great pressure on school districts to demonstrate success by meeting yearly progress goals for student achievement and eventually demonstrating that all students achieve at high standards. In particular, many urban school…

  19. The Future Direction of Regional Educational Laboratories in Contributing to Urban School Improvement. Laboratory Policy Paper.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McKenzie, Floretta Dukes

    This paper examines the current and future roles of organizations such as education laboratories in serving the changing needs of urban education. Concerns for greater effectiveness in support services stem from the growing need to effectively deal with some of the complex, lingering issues which to data have been only marginally addressed. Urban…

  20. Finding Funding: Making School Improvements Possible

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simpson, Jim

    2011-01-01

    Green Bay Packer coach Vince Lombardi is quoted as saying, "Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is." Whether it's a major university or an urban school district, pulling together and developing a plan and being confident in the financing through performance contracting is the best way to meet student, taxpayer and community…

  1. Improving Discipline through the Use of Social Skills Instruction.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Borquist, Mollie; Schmidgall, Jacquelyn

    This action research project implemented and evaluated an intervention to reduce inappropriate behavioral incidents among early adolescent students. The targeted population consisted of middle school students in an urban area and high school students in a rural area in the Midwest. The problem of inappropriate behaviors was documented by means of…

  2. Urban Education: Past, Present and Future.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Watson, Bernard C.

    In spite of the efforts of the Ford Foundation's Great Cities School Improvement Program in ten large city school systems to provide quality education to children and youth from the ghettos of America's cities, this problem remains unsolved. Cities have never been able to do an adequate job of educating the poor, the immigrants, and the…

  3. Improving Academic Outcomes in Poor Urban Schools through Nature-Based Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Camasso, Michael J.; Jagannathan, Radha

    2018-01-01

    This paper presents results from the evaluation of the Nurture thru Nature (NtN) programme, a natural science and environmental education intervention designed to help elementary school children from disadvantaged backgrounds increase their knowledge of science and strengthen overall academic performance. Using an experimental design the pilot NtN…

  4. The Power of Play: A Literature-based after School Sports Program for Urban Youth.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zierk, Tom

    2000-01-01

    A program that combines sports and literature can improve students' reading, writing, and comprehension skills, promoting links between children's personal development and self-esteem and forging links between sports, literature, and daily life. Describes one such program, Sports PLUS After School, noting: program goals, components, and structure;…

  5. Lonely Schools: The Relationship between Geographic Isolation and Academic Attainment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Odell, Evan

    2017-01-01

    Background: School improvement initiatives in England have focused on urban areas, which have traditionally been home to larger numbers of poor and underperforming pupils. Previous research has found that rural regions of the country have had higher overall educational attainment due to their greater affluence. However, that broad picture could be…

  6. New Teacher Mentoring: Hopes and Promise for Improving Teacher Effectiveness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moir, Ellen; Barlin, Dara; Gless, Janet; Miles, Jan

    2009-01-01

    Teacher quality is the single most important lever schools have for raising student achievement. A substantial body of research indicates that new teachers are less able than their more experienced colleagues to help students fulfill their academic potential. Yet in many school districts--particularly those in urban settings--as many as half of…

  7. Integrative Mixed Methods Data Analytic Strategies in Research on School Success in Challenging Circumstances

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jang, Eunice E.; McDougall, Douglas E.; Pollon, Dawn; Herbert, Monique; Russell, Pia

    2008-01-01

    There are both conceptual and practical challenges in dealing with data from mixed methods research studies. There is a need for discussion about various integrative strategies for mixed methods data analyses. This article illustrates integrative analytic strategies for a mixed methods study focusing on improving urban schools facing challenging…

  8. Urban School Leadership for Elementary Science Education: Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alarcon, Maricela H.

    2012-01-01

    Science education reform and state testing accountability call upon principals to become instructional leaders in science. Specifically, elementary school principals must take an active role in science instruction to effectively improve science education for all students including English Language Learners. As such, the research questioned posed…

  9. Correlates of physical fitness and activity in Taiwanese children.

    PubMed

    Chen, J-L; Unnithan, V; Kennedy, C; Yeh, C-H

    2008-03-01

    This cross-sectional study examined factors related to children's physical fitness and activity levels in Taiwan. A total of 331 Taiwanese children, aged 7 and 8, and their mothers participated in the study. Children performed physical fitness tests, recorded their physical activities during two weekdays and completed self-esteem questionnaires. Research assistants measured the children's body mass and stature. Mothers completed demographic, parenting style and physical activity questionnaires. Attending urban school, lower body mass index (BMI), older age and better muscular endurance contributed to the variance in better aerobic capacity, and attending rural school and better aerobic capacity contributed to the variance in better muscular endurance in boys. Attending urban school, lower BMI and better athletic competence contributed to the variance in better aerobic capacity, and younger age, rural school and higher household income contributed to the variance in better flexibility in girls. Despite the limitations of the study, with many countries and regions, including Taiwan, now emphasizing the importance of improving physical fitness and activity in children, an intervention that is gender-, geographically, and developmentally appropriate can improve the likelihood of successful physical fitness and activity programmes.

  10. [Effect of obesity intervention with socio-ecological model on anthropometric measurements of children and adolescents].

    PubMed

    Cui, Xin-yue; Chen, Tian-jiao; Ma, Jun

    2015-06-18

    To study whether the socio-ecological model based on "student-school-family" three-level strategy is effective in obesity prevention. A total of 3 175 students aged 7 to 18 from 16 schools (4 urban primary schools, 4 rural primary schools, 4 urban secondary schools and 4 rural secondary schools, of which 2 intervention schools were selected, respectively) were recruited by stratified cluster sampling method. A three-month intervention using "student-school-family" socio-ecological model was conducted through health education and environment improvement. The intervention contents included knowledge on obesity, healthy diet and physical activities. Their anthropometric indexes were recorded. The intervention prevented obesity (OR=1.12, P<0.05), and was effective in waist circumference (WC) and waist-hip ratio (WHR) (adjusted difference=0.63, 0.02, P<0.05). WC and WHR were reduced in girls (adjusted difference=0.52 & 0.02, P<0.05), and obesity was prevented in girls (OR=1.18, P<0.05). WC and WHR were reduced in boys (adjusted difference=0.73, 0.01, P<0.05). WHR were reduced in urban areas (adjusted difference=0.01, P<0.05). WC and WHR were reduced (adjusted difference=1.05, 0.02, P<0.05) and obesity was prevented (OR=1.18, P<0.05) in rural areas. WHR were reduced (adjusted difference=0.01, P<0.05) and obesity was prevented (OR=1.21, P<0.05) in primary schools. WHR were reduced in secondary schools (adjusted difference=0.02, P<0.05).The intervention effect was better in girls than in boys, in rural areas than in urban areas, and in primary schools than in secondary schools. The overweight and obesity prevalence went down after the intervention (χ2=11.01, P<0.01). Intervention strategy is effective in central obesity indexes such as WC and WHR, and it can be used widely.

  11. Managing the 1920s' Chilean educational crisis: A historical view combined with machine learning.

    PubMed

    Rengifo, Francisca; Ruz, Gonzalo A; Mascareño, Aldo

    2018-01-01

    In the first decades of the 20th century, political actors diagnosed the incubation of a crisis in the Chilean schooling process. Low rates of enrollment, literacy, and attendance, inefficiency in the use of resources, poverty, and a reduced number of schools were the main factors explaining the crisis. As a response, the Law on Compulsory Primary Education, considering mandatory for children between 6 and 14 years old to attend any school for at least four years, was passed in 1920. Using data from Censuses of the Republic of Chile from 1920 and 1930, reports of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Education, and the Statistical Yearbooks between 1895 and 1930, we apply machine learning techniques (clustering and decision trees) to assess the impact of this law on the Chilean schooling process between 1920 and 1930. We conclude that the law had a positive impact on the schooling indicators in this period. Even though it did not overcome the differences between urban and rural zones, it brought about a general improvement of the schooling process and a more efficient use of resources and infrastructure in both big urban centers and small-urban and rural zones, thereby managing the so-called crisis of the Republic.

  12. Effects of a Kundalini Yoga Program on Elementary and Middle School Students' Stress, Affect, and Resilience.

    PubMed

    Sarkissian, Meliné; Trent, Natalie L; Huchting, Karen; Singh Khalsa, Sat Bir

    2018-04-01

    The Your Own Greatness Affirmed (YOGA) for Youth program delivers yoga to urban inner-city schools with the goal of providing practical benefits that support underserved children at high risk of behavioral and emotional problems. A 10-week YOGA for Youth program delivered 1 to 2 times per week was implemented in 3 schools in urban neighborhoods to examine the effect of the program on student stress, affect, and resilience. Thirty children were administered the Perceived Stress Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and the Resilience Scale before and after the yoga program. After the program, informal qualitative interviews were conducted with school teachers, yoga teachers, and students to determine the overall impact of the yoga program. The quantitative results of this study indicated that the yoga program significantly improved students stress (p < 0.05), positive affect (p < 0.05), and resilience (p < 0.001). The qualitative results indicated that students, school teachers, and yoga teachers all found the program to be beneficial for students' well-being. Taken together, these data suggest that the YOGA for Youth program may provide students in low-income urban schools with behavioral skills that will protect against risk factors associated with the development of behavioral and emotional problems.

  13. Urban School Facilities: An A-Z Primer. IssueTrak: A CEFPI Brief on Educational Facility Issues

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DeJong, William S.

    2004-01-01

    This "IssueTrak" addresses the condition of urban school facilities as a matter of great urgency. Facility planners, are committed to working with urban school districts to develop and implement a systematic approach for modernizing aging urban school facilities. The next generation of school children is far too important and valuable to be forced…

  14. The Success of Urban Schools in Oxnard, California: An In-Depth Look at Developmental and Relational Assets

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Akhavan, Nancy; Emery, Ryan; Shea, Ginger; Taha-Resnick, Adria

    2017-01-01

    The study is a mixed-methods investigation of how urban schools are succeeding. The study surveyed 28 former students from urban schools in Oxnard, California. The qualitative responses represent themes that align to a high level of school connectedness and social-emotional learning (SEL) as key indicators of a successful urban school district.…

  15. Make Something Happen. Hispanics and Urban High School Reform. Volume I. Report of the National Commission on Secondary Education for Hispanics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hispanic Policy Development Project, Inc., New York, NY.

    This document provides an account of the status of Hispanics in inner-city public high schools, and recommendations for improving that status. The report has two main parts. The first gives background data which reveal, among other things, that although the majority of Hispanic students enter high school with aspirations as high as any social…

  16. Managing for Results in America's Great City Schools 2014: Results from Fiscal Year 2012-13. A Report of the Performance Measurement and Benchmarking Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Council of the Great City Schools, 2014

    2014-01-01

    In 2002 the "Council of the Great City Schools" and its members set out to develop performance measures that could be used to improve business operations in urban public school districts. The Council launched the "Performance Measurement and Benchmarking Project" to achieve these objectives. The purposes of the project was to:…

  17. Teaching with Speeches: A Black Teacher Who Uses the Mathematics Classroom to Prepare Students for Life

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Whitney; Nyamekye, Farhaana; Chazan, Daniel; Rosenthal, Bill

    2013-01-01

    Background/Context: Teachers in urban schools are sometimes seen as a large part of the problem with such schools. They are often spoken of as not knowing the content they need to know to teach, and they are not seen as committed to excellence or to reform-minded teaching; therefore, they are not seen as a resource for school improvement.…

  18. Are Ohio's Urban Youth at Risk? Urban and Suburban Schools in the Buckeye State.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boyd, Richard; Anderson, Donald; Crosby, Emeral; Cunningham, Luvern; Frymier, Jack; Gansneder, Bruce; Roaden, Arliss

    A study was conducted on the factors that affect learning in urban and suburban schools in Ohio, focusing on the 8 urban and 132 suburban school districts in the 8 largest counties in the state. The urban and suburban schools are compared in terms of educational, social, economic, and other factors. The chapters of this report are: (1) "How…

  19. The Urban School Reform Opera: The Obstructions to Transforming School Counseling Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Militello, Matthew; Janson, Christopher

    2014-01-01

    Over the past 20 years, there have been numerous calls to reform the practices of school counselors. Some have situated these calls for school counseling reform within the context of urban schooling. This study examined the practices of school counselors in one urban school district, and how those practices aligned with the school district's…

  20. Mass-casualty events at schools: a national preparedness survey.

    PubMed

    Graham, James; Shirm, Steve; Liggin, Rebecca; Aitken, Mary E; Dick, Rhonda

    2006-01-01

    Recent school shootings and terrorist events have demonstrated the need for well-coordinated planning for school-based mass-casualty events. The objective of this study was to document the preparedness of public schools in the United States for the prevention of and the response to a mass-casualty event. A survey was mailed to 3670 school superintendents of public school districts that were chosen at random from a list of school districts from the National Center for Education Statistics of the US Department of Education in January 2004. A second mailing was sent to nonresponders in May 2004. Descriptive statistics were used for survey variables, and the chi2 test was used to compare urban versus rural preparedness. The response rate was 58.2% (2137 usable surveys returned). Most (86.3%) school superintendents reported having a response plan, but fewer (57.2%) have a plan for prevention. Most (95.6%) have an evacuation plan, but almost one third (30%) had never conducted a drill. Almost one quarter (22.1%) have no disaster plan provisions for children with special health care needs, and one quarter reported having no plans for postdisaster counseling. Almost half (42.8%) had never met with local ambulance officials to discuss emergency planning. Urban school districts were better prepared than rural districts on almost all measures in the survey. There are important deficiencies in school emergency/disaster planning. Rural districts are less well prepared than urban districts. Disaster/mass-casualty preparedness of schools should be improved through coordination of school officials and local medical and emergency officials.

  1. “The program affects me ‘cause it gives away stress”: Urban Students’ Qualitative Perspectives on Stress and a School-Based Mindful Yoga Intervention

    PubMed Central

    Dariotis, Jacinda K.; Cluxton-Keller, Fallon; Mirabal-Beltran, Roxanne; Gould, Laura Feagans; Greenberg, Mark T.; Mendelson, Tamar

    2016-01-01

    School-based mindfulness and yoga studies generally measure stress-related outcomes using quantitative measures. This study answers the following research questions: how do youth define stress and in what ways, if any, was a mindful yoga intervention helpful to youth during experiences of stress. To explore youths’ own perspectives on stress, stressors in youths’ lives, and perceived changes in responses to stress post-intervention, we conducted focus group discussions with 22 middle school students from low-income urban communities following a 16-week mindful yoga intervention. Using thematic analysis, three themes emerged: (1) youth conflated stress with negative emotions; (2) peer and family conflicts were common stressors; and (3) youth reported improved impulse control and emotional regulation following the intervention. Study findings have implications for refining intervention content (e.g., discussions of stress), as well as informing the selection and development of quantitative measures for future research on stress and stress responses in urban youth. PMID:27688017

  2. An Intervention Model of Constructive Conflict Resolution and Cooperative Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhang, Quanwu

    1994-01-01

    Tests an intervention model of constructive conflict resolution (CCR) and cooperative learning in three urban high schools. Findings show that improvements in CCR increased social support and decreased victimization for the students. These changes improved student's attitudes, self-esteem, interpersonal relations, and academic achievement. (GLR)

  3. School Connectedness for Students in Low-Income Urban High Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nasir, Na'ilah Suad; Jones, Amina; McLaughlin, Milbrey Wallin

    2011-01-01

    Background/Context: In this article, we explore school connectedness for students in a high-poverty urban school. Current approaches to measuring connection conflate behavior and attitudinal measures of connection and rarely explore school connection in urban school settings. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: We examine…

  4. National Implications for Urban School Systems: Strategic Planning in the Human Resource Management Department in a Large Urban School District

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Clarence; Kritsonis, William Allan

    2007-01-01

    This article addresses several key ongoing issues in a large urban school district. Literature focuses on what make a large urban school district effective in Human Resource Management. The effectiveness is addressed through recruitment and retention practices. A comparison of the school district with current research is the main approach to the…

  5. Urban School Finance: Problems and Prospects for the 1980's. Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National School Boards Association, Washington, DC.

    This document discusses major issues in urban school finance. It has been developed around four major sections. First, it reviews the role of the states in urban school finance, using published materials and documents from the Education Commission of the States. Second, it discusses recent developments in urban school finance litigation dealing…

  6. Promising Strategies for Attracting and Retaining Successful Urban Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stotko, Elaine M.; Ingram, Rochelle; Beaty-O'Ferrall, Mary Ellen

    2007-01-01

    In the debate about urban school effectiveness and teacher quality, one proposition has emerged as indisputable: The success of urban schools depends heavily on the quality of the teachers who serve the schools and the administrators who support the teachers. Unfortunately, urban school district recruitment policies are often not aligned with…

  7. Recruiting and Retaining Teachers in Urban Schools: Implications for Policy and the Law.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Deneese L.; Sandidge, Rosetta F.

    1997-01-01

    Addresses teacher supply/demand demographics in urban schools, as well as the legal and policy concerns typically faced by educational leaders responsible for staffing urban schools. Discusses basic principles educational leaders in urban schools must master to comply with the dictates of the law and sound educational policy. (GR)

  8. Violence in Rural, Suburban, and Urban Schools in Pennsylvania.

    PubMed

    Flynn, Kalen; McDonald, Catherine C; D'Alonzo, Bernadette A; Tam, Vicky; Wiebe, Douglas J

    2018-01-01

    School violence is a public health issue with direct and collateral consequences that has academic and social impacts for youth. School violence is often considered a uniquely urban problem, yet more research is needed to understand how violence in rural and suburban schools may be similar or different from urban counterparts. Using school violence data from a state with urban, suburban, and rural counties, we explored the landscape of school violence in Pennsylvania (PA) through mapping, descriptive statistics, and factor analysis. Results show school violence is not solely an urban problem. Schools in all county types and across grade levels deal with violence to varying degrees, and the majority of schools across county types experience low levels of violence. Types of violence experienced by PA schools loaded onto three factors, suggesting that targeted interventions may be better suited to addressing school violence.

  9. Patterns of Home and School Behavior Problems in Rural and Urban Settings

    PubMed Central

    Hope, Timothy L; Bierman, Karen L

    2009-01-01

    This study examined the cross-situational patterns of behavior problems shown by children in rural and urban communities at school entry. Behavior problems exhibited in home settings were not expected to vary significantly across urban and rural settings. In contrast, it was anticipated that child behavior at school would be heavily influenced by the increased exposure to aggressive models and deviant peer support experienced by children in urban as compared to rural schools, leading to higher rates of school conduct problems for children in urban settings. Statistical comparisons of the patterns of behavior problems shown by representative samples of 89 rural and 221 urban children provided support for these hypotheses, as significant rural-urban differences emerged in school and not in home settings. Cross-situational patterns of behavior problems also varied across setting, with home-only patterns of problems characterizing more children at the rural site and school-only, patterns of behavior problems characterizing more children at the urban sites. In addition, whereas externalizing behavior was the primary school problem exhibited by urban children, rural children displayed significantly higher rates of internalizing problems at school. The implications of these results are discussed for developmental models of behavior problems and for preventive interventions. PMID:19834584

  10. Examining causes of the urban (inner city) asthma epidemic: Implementing new management strategies

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    Asthma in the inner city contributes to high morbidity and mortality, and, in school children, reduced school attendance and alteration in academic performance. There is a need to improve asthma care in the inner city by reducing asthma exacerbations. Methods are currently available to predict and prevent seasonal exacerbations of asthma. In addition, new medications are being developed that will be effective in improving pulmonary function and reducing asthma exacerbations. School-centered asthma programs can also be helpful to assist children and clinicians in applying asthma treatment plans and assuring optimal adherence to these plans. PMID:26831839

  11. An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Integrated Learning Systems on Urban Middle School Student Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, Yamilette

    2012-01-01

    Many school districts have chosen to invest their federal funds in computer-based integrated learning systems that focus on literacy to increase high-stakes test scores and academic gains (Becker, 1994). Buly and Velencia (2002) supported the belief that a student's reading ability can improve substantially when instruction is integrated with…

  12. Muffled by the Din: The Competitive Noneffects of the Cleveland Voucher Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hess, Frederick M.; McGuinn, Patrick J.

    2002-01-01

    Examines how the introduction of the Cleveland voucher experiment in 1995 affected the administration and leadership of Cleveland's public schools. As of summer 2001, the program has produced virtually no visible effects. Results suggest that choice-based reform may not spur improvement in urban school systems, at least in the short term or when…

  13. A Comparison of Service Delivery Models for Special Education Middle School Students Receiving Moderate Intervention Services

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones-Mason, Keely S.

    2012-01-01

    In an effort to improve academic performance for students receiving special education services, a large urban school district in Tennessee has implemented Integrated Service Delivery Model. The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of students receiving instruction in self-contained classrooms to the performance of students…

  14. P.C.A.P. Project Profiles. Queensland Priority Country Area Program--Evaluation Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fowler, C. F.; Peters, J. E.

    Thirty-two projects designed to improve educational opportunities of rural Queensland children were funded as part of the Disadvantaged Schools Program in 1979 and 1980. This program resulted from a 1977-79 Schools Commission report which suggested that students in country areas may be disadvantaged compared to urban dwellers, with respect to…

  15. Sharing Responsibility for Results: Breakthrough to Literacy[R].

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGraw-Hill Companies, New York, NY. Educational and Professional Publishing Group.

    This report considers six schools in two urban districts that made deliberate commitments to improve student performance in early language and literacy--each story is different, yet they all share an important insight: that a school and a model provider can work together to help every child learn to read. As the stories in the report demonstrate,…

  16. Evaluating the Impact of an Urban Comprehensive School Reform: An Illustration of the Need for Mixed Methods

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sondergeld, Toni A.; Koskey, Kristin L. K.

    2011-01-01

    An abundance of comprehensive school reform (CSR) literature exists illustrating CSRs are effective in improving student outcomes. However, much of this research reports on top-down reforms, focuses on academic outcomes, and uses quantitative methods alone. Many educational researchers have argued for the use of mixed methods for providing a…

  17. Improving Achievement for Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Learners through an Inquiry-Based Earth Systems Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lambert, Julie; Ariza, Eileen N. Whelan

    2008-01-01

    This report describes an inquiry-based Earth systems curriculum and strategies for teaching diverse students, which were embedded in the curriculum. The curriculum was implemented with 5th-grade students with varied linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds in five schools in a large, southeastern U.S., urban school district. At the end…

  18. Professional Communities in the Context of Teachers' Professional lives: A Case of Mathematics Specialists

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nickerson, Susan D.; Moriarty, Gail

    2005-01-01

    We describe an urban school initiative aimed at teachers' professional development with the goal of increasing their mathematics content knowledge and helping them improve their practice. In the lowest performing schools, mathematics specialists were employed to teach only mathematics in upper-elementary grades (ages 9-12). One aspect of this…

  19. An Autoethnographical Analysis of a School Leader: Informing Strategies to Improve Educational Outcomes for Children of Promise Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lincoln, Carleton

    2013-01-01

    Recent research suggests a major crisis exists affecting urban children's educational opportunities. This study focuses on the use of research-based strategies to determine whether, and to what extent, transformative leadership influences the development of quality education that overcomes educational inequity in the lives of students who attend…

  20. No Stone Left Unturned: Exploring the Convergence of New Capitalism in Inclusive Education in the U.S.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Waitoller, Federico R.; Kozleski, Elizabeth B.

    2015-01-01

    This paper examines how inclusive education reform is appropriated when New Capitalism work practices dominate the discourse of school improvement in an urban school. We asked how New Capitalism mediates the formation of a professional vision for inclusive education. Using analytical tools from Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), we analyzed…

  1. One Urban School's Implementation of a Systemic Response-to-Intervention (RTI) Framework

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Higgins Averill, Orla C.

    2014-01-01

    School districts have been attempting to implement the response-to-intervention (RTI) framework in an effort both to comply with federal legislation (i.e., IDEA 2004) and to improve teaching for all students. Extant research on this framework has focused on exploring assessment practices across tiers and the efficacy of specific interventions,…

  2. Student Perceptions: Improving the Educational Experiences of High School Students on the Autism Spectrum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saggers, Beth

    2015-01-01

    Listening to and reflecting on the voices and personal stories of adolescent students with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is critically important to developing more inclusive approaches to their education. This article considers the experiences of nine adolescents with an ASD on their inclusive education in a large urban secondary school in…

  3. Partnering to Prepare Teachers for Urban Indigenous Communities: St. Kateri Center of Chicago Partnering with Teaching, Learning, & Leading with Schools & Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lees, Anna; Heineke, Amy J.; Ryan, Ann Marie; Roy, Georgina

    2016-01-01

    Improving the quality of education for Indigenous students in the United States (U.S.) requires meaningful and purposeful collaboration between stakeholders in schools, communities, and universities (Clare & Sampsel, 2013; National Center for Educational Statistics, NCES, 2012b). However, scant literature addresses collaboration between…

  4. Perceptions of the Use of Interactive Whiteboards in Teaching Literacy to Elementary School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown-Wyatt, Valencia

    2011-01-01

    Under No Child Left Behind Act 2001, the Reading First initiative was a component geared toward strengthening literacy skills in schools that were in need of improvement. Despite the intervention attempts through this initiative, research shows that students continue to struggle in literacy, which widens the achievement gap in urban school…

  5. "Partnership" High Schools: The Search for New Ways to Cooperate. Industry and Education, Study No. 2/Partnerships.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Institute for Educational Development, New York, NY.

    Industry-school partnerships are needed to help students, especially urban youth, become acquainted with the realities of preparing for employment and with the processes of finding a job, staying employed, and moving on through training to improved productivity and earning power. This report suggests considerations for organizing such partnerships…

  6. Lessons Learned in Using TAKE 10! with Hispanic Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tsai, Pei-Yun; Boonpleng, Wannaporn; McElmurry, Beverly J.; Park, Chang Gi; McCreary, Linda

    2009-01-01

    Physical inactivity and lack of nutritious diets increase children's risk of obesity, especially children from low-income and ethnic minority groups. To address this risk, the school-based TAKE 10! program was implemented to increase the physical activity and improve the nutrition of K-6th grade students in one public urban school serving a…

  7. Choosing Teaching as a Career in Urban Public Catholic and Jewish Schools by Graduates of Elite Colleges

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tamir, Eran

    2014-01-01

    Recruitment, preparation, and retention of graduates of elite colleges is considered an innovative approach to improve teacher quality and promote change in the neediest schools. While the debate over the effectiveness of such programs is heavily focused on programs like Teach For America, this paper considers three teacher preparation programs…

  8. Social Effects of Collaborative Learning in Primary Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tolmie, Andrew Kenneth; Topping, Keith J.; Christie, Donald; Donaldson, Caroline; Howe, Christine; Jessiman, Emma; Livingston, Kay; Thurston, Allen

    2010-01-01

    There is conflicting evidence on whether collaborative group work leads to improved classroom relations, and if so how. A before and after design was used to measure the impact on work and play relations of a collaborative learning programme involving 575 students 9-12 years old in single- and mixed-age classes across urban and rural schools. Data…

  9. Leveraging Resources for Learning Improvement Agendas: The Role of Educational Service Agencies and Local Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henry, Wesley L. C.

    2017-01-01

    Rural America is rapidly becoming more diverse, yet rural communities remain different from their urban and suburban counterparts. Despite several decades of economic hardship in rural areas, rural schools are under researched by scholars and under prioritized by policymakers. Therefore, this study was designed to better understand how school and…

  10. Concussion Knowledge and Reporting Behavior Differences between High School Athletes at Urban and Suburban High Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wallace, Jessica; Covassin, Tracey; Nogle, Sally; Gould, Daniel; Kovan, Jeffrey

    2017-01-01

    Background: We determined differences in knowledge of concussion and reporting behaviors of high school athletes attending urban and suburban high schools, and whether a relationship exists between underreporting and access to an athletic trainer in urban schools. Methods: High school athletes (N = 715) from 14 high schools completed a validated…

  11. Learning to Teach in Urban Schools: The Transition from Preparation to Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hollins, Etta R.

    2011-01-01

    This book is about the transition from teacher "preparation" to teaching "practice" in urban school settings. It provides a clear presentation of the challenges, resources, and opportunities for learning to teach in urban schools; examples of the experiences, perceptions, and practices of teachers who are effective in urban schools and those who…

  12. A School-Based Urban Teacher Education Program That Enhances School-Community Connections

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Noel, Jana

    2008-01-01

    Urban schools today face numerous challenges. Urban poverty; high mobility in and out of neighborhoods; schools with inadequate funding to cover the educational, social, and health needs of urban children and their families; and high teacher turnover are just a few of the vital issues that call for partnerships with communities, service agencies,…

  13. "We Felt They Took the Heart out of the Community": Examining a Community-Based Response to Urban School Closure

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Green, Terrance L.

    2017-01-01

    Massive school closures are occurring in urban school districts across the United States. Research suggests that school closures are the outcome of racialized neoliberal policies and decades of disinvestment that have left many urban districts with fiscal deficits and declining student enrollments. However, some urban communities have successfully…

  14. Mind the Gap: Organizational Learning and Improvement in an Underperforming Urban System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Finnigan, Kara S.; Daly, Alan J.

    2012-01-01

    Drawing on the theoretical lens of organizational learning, and utilizing the methodological approaches of social network and case-study analyses, our exploratory study examines whether schools under sanction exhibit the necessary processes, relationships, and social climates that support organizational learning and improvement. We also…

  15. Teachers' Use of Technology in Elementary Reading Lessons

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McDermott, Peter; Gormley, Kathleen A.

    2016-01-01

    Proponents claim technology will transform classroom teaching and improve children's engagement and learning. Opponents argue that such benefits are oversold because little evidence exists that technology improves teaching and learning. We examined how elementary teachers in an urban school that was well resourced with technology used it when…

  16. Comprehension Literacy Improvement Program Implementation and Balanced Literacy Impact on Elementary Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gough, Timothy Jerome

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine how teachers in an urban school district implemented Comprehensive Literacy Improvement Program (CLIP) and balanced literacy framework in second through fifth grade classrooms by exploring the evidence of implementation of guided reading strategies. Instructional delivery, training methodology, phonemic…

  17. Impact of elementary school-located influenza vaccinations: A stepped wedge trial across a community.

    PubMed

    Szilagyi, Peter G; Schaffer, Stanley; Rand, Cynthia M; Goldstein, Nicolas P N; Hightower, A Dirk; Younge, Mary; Eagan, Ashley; Blumkin, Aaron; Albertin, Christina S; DiBitetto, Kristine; Concannon, Cathleen; Vincelli, Phyllis; Yoo, Byung-Kwang; Humiston, Sharon G

    2018-05-11

    Influenza vaccination rates among children are low and novel strategies are needed to raise coverage. We measured the impact of school-located influenza vaccination (SLIV) on coverage, examined whether SLIV substitutes for practice-based influenza vaccination ("substitution"), and estimated whether a second year of experience with SLIV increases its impact. We implemented a stepped wedge study design with schools as clusters. In Year 1, we randomly allocated schools to SLIV or control. In Year 2, all schools performed SLIV. We used emails (suburban schools) or backpack fliers (both urban and suburban schools) to notify parents, and offered web-based (suburban) or paper-based vaccination (urban) consent forms. Local health department nurses administered SLIV vaccinations and billed insurers. We analyzed state immunization registry data to measure influenza vaccination rates. 42 schools (38,078 children) participated over 2 years. Overall vaccination rates were 5 and 7 percentage points higher among SLIV- school children versus control-school children in suburban (aOR 1.36, 95% CI 1.25-1.49 in Years 1-2 SLIV vs. Year 1 control schools) and urban schools (aOR 1.22, 95% CI 1.10-1.36), respectively, adjusting for prior year's vaccination and other covariates. While no substitution occurred among children attending suburban schools, some substitution occurred among children attending urban schools, although overall vaccination rates were still higher in urban schools due to SLIV. Compared to an initial year of SLIV, more children were vaccinated in a second year of SLIV at urban (8.3% vs. 6.8%, aOR 1.24, 95% CI 1.04-1.47) but not suburban schools (3.5% vs. 2.7%, aOR 1.24, 95% CI 0.98-1.57). In this stepped wedge trial, SLIV increased overall influenza vaccination rates in suburban and urban schools. Some substitution for primary care vaccination occurred in urban settings. A second year of SLIV expanded its reach slightly in urban schools. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Strategies for Improving Out-of-School Programs in Rural Communities. Research-to-Results Brief. Publication #2008-18

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Child Trends, 2008

    2008-01-01

    Young people who live in rural areas are less likely to finish high school and to complete college than their urban and suburban peers. These adolescents are also more likely to use drugs and alcohol: rural adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 have the highest levels of drug use in this age group. Out-of-school-time programs in rural areas…

  19. The New Urban High School: A Practitioner's Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Big Picture Co., Cambridge, MA.

    In October 1996, the Big Picture Company set out to find six urban high schools that use school-to-work strategies as a lever for whole-school reform. In the schools finally selected for the New Urban High Schools Project, and in others examined for the study, "school-to-work" is a misnomer, because the majority of students are entering…

  20. Respiratory performance and grip strength tests in Indian school bodys of different socio-economic status.

    PubMed Central

    De, A. K.; Debnath, P. K.; Dey, N. K.; Nagchaudhuri, J.

    1980-01-01

    Physical efficiency tests were performed on urban school boys drawn from high socio-economic status in comparison to rural school boys. The height and weight records of the subjects indicating growing process showed that the rural boys attained less physical growth than their urban counterparts. The Vital Capacity and Peak Expiratory Flow Rate data expressed either per unit of height or body surface area were significantly lower in rual boys. these findings indicated a poor development of the thorax in the rural group. However, the determined grip strengths for both the group were similar. The grip test might reflect improvement of muscle mass in case of rural boys as a result of regular physical activity employing the arm muscles. Images p145-a p145-b PMID:7407454

  1. Closing the Achievement Gap: Urban Schools. CSR Connection.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Porter, Kathleen; Soper, Stephanie

    This report reviews efforts to reform urban schools, focusing on initiatives in Tennessee and California as examples from which distric leaders may draw useful lessons. The report suggests that comprehensive school reform (CSR) offers promise to struggling urban schools by focusing on transforming the academic climate, school culture, and…

  2. Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools. Relevance Strategic Designs: 6. Perspectives Charter School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shields, Regis Anne; Ireland, Nicole; City, Elizabeth; Derderian, Julie; Miles, Karen Hawley

    2008-01-01

    This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

  3. School Safety in Urban Charter and Traditional Public Schools. NCSRP Working Paper # 2007-1

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Christensen, Jon

    2007-01-01

    This working paper discusses safety in urban charter schools relative to other urban public schools, using several indicators from the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). SASS is the nation's most extensive sample survey of elementary and secondary schools and the teachers and administrators who staff them. The indicators measure the frequency of…

  4. Mixed tenure communities as a policy instrument for educational outcomes in a deprived urban context?

    PubMed

    Robison, Oonagh; Kearns, Ade; Gray, Linsay; Bond, Lyndal; Henderson, Marion

    2016-05-03

    This article considers mixed community strategies, enacted through planning and regeneration policies, as a policy approach to the improvement of educational outcomes in schools. Analysis is undertaken of educational outcomes across secondary schools in Glasgow. The level of owner occupation in the catchment is positively associated with both examination results at S4 and positive destinations post-school, particularly at the more deprived end of the school spectrum. The results suggest that tenure mix may be both directly and indirectly related to school performance, with neighbourhood context effects not being entirely mediated through the school context.

  5. Urban schools' teachers enacting project-based science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tal, Tali; Krajcik, Joseph S.; Blumenfeld, Phyllis C.

    2006-09-01

    What teaching practices foster inquiry and promote students to learn challenging subject matter in urban schools? Inquiry-based instruction and successful inquiry learning and teaching in project-based science (PBS) were described in previous studies (Brown & Campione, [1990]; Crawford, [1999]; Krajcik, Blumenfeld, Marx, Bass, & Fredricks, [1998]; Krajcik, Blumenfeld, Marx, & Solloway, [1994]; Minstrell & van Zee, [2000]). In this article, we describe the characteristics of inquiry teaching practices that promote student learning in urban schools. Teaching is a major factor that affects both achievement of and attitude of students toward science (Tamir, [1998]). Our involvement in reform in a large urban district includes the development of suitable learning materials and providing continuous and practiced-based professional development (Fishman & Davis, in press; van Es, Reiser, Matese, & Gomez, [2002]). Urban schools face particular challenges when enacting inquiry-based teaching practices like those espoused in PBS. In this article, we describe two case studies of urban teachers whose students achieved high gains on pre- and posttests and who demonstrated a great deal of preparedness and commitment to their students. Teachers' attempts to help their students to perform well are described and analyzed. The teachers we discuss work in a school district that strives to bring about reform in mathematics and science through systemic reform. The Center for Learning Technologies in Urban Schools (LeTUS) collaborates with the Detroit Public Schools to bring about reform in middle-school science. Through this collaboration, diverse populations of urban-school students learn science through inquiry-oriented projects and the use of various educational learning technologies. For inquiry-based science to succeed in urban schools, teachers must play an important role in enacting the curriculum while addressing the unique needs of students. The aim of this article is to describe patterns of good science teaching in urban school.

  6. A picture of Indian adolescent mental health: an analysis from three urban secondary schools.

    PubMed

    Long, Katelyn N G; Gren, Lisa H; Long, Paul M; Jaggi, Rachel; Banik, Srabani; Mihalopoulos, Nicole L

    2017-08-01

    Purpose Mental health disorders are a pressing issue among adolescents around the world, including in India. A better understanding of the factors related to poor mental health will allow for more effective and targeted interventions for Indian adolescents. Methods The Indian Adolescent Health Questionnaire (IAHQ), a validated questionnaire designed specifically for use in schools, was administered to approximately 1500 secondary students in three private urban Indian schools in 2012. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) module assessed mental health. Linear regression was used to predict SDQ scores. The biopsychosocial framework was used as an organizing framework to understand how each explanatory variable in the final model might impact the SDQ score. Results One thousand four hundred and eight students returned IAHQ surveys (93.9% response rate); 1102 students completed questions for inclusion in the regression model (78.3% inclusion rate). Statistically significant (p < 0.05) independent variables associated with SDQ scores were gender, level of overall health, negative peer pressure, insults from peers, kindness of peers, feeling safe at home, at school, or with friends, and grades. Discussion Schools have a role to play in improving adolescent mental health. Many of the significant variables in our study can be addressed in the school environment through school-wide, long-term programs utilizing teachers and lay counselors. The IAHQ and SDQ can be used by schools to identify factors that contribute to poor mental health among students and then develop targeted programs to support improved mental health.

  7. The United States and AfricaLooking Toward the Next Decade: Symposium Report

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-07-01

    improve urban infrastructures and to tackle the unemployment issue. One factor complicating efforts to deal with the challenges of urbanization is...resources. They are producing many underqualified graduates. As a result, unemployment , and thereby frustration, among recent secondary school and...outside investment in Africa’s resource sectors , there has been a surge in both direct and portfolio investment in the consumer and services sectors of

  8. Improvement of Working Memory in Preschoolers and Its Impact on Early Literacy Skills: A Study in Deprived Communities of Rural and Urban Areas

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rojas-Barahona, Cristian A.; Förster, Carla E.; Moreno-Ríos, Sergio; McClelland, Megan M.

    2015-01-01

    Research Findings: The present study evaluated the impact of a working memory (WM) stimulation program on the development of WM and early literacy skills (ELS) in preschoolers from socioeconomically deprived rural and urban schools in Chile. The sample consisted of 268 children, 144 in the intervention group and 124 in the comparison group. The…

  9. Museums, zoos, and gardens: how formal-informal partnerships can impact urban students' performance in science.

    PubMed

    Weinstein, Meryle; Whitesell, Emilyn Ruble; Schwartz, Amy Ellen

    2014-12-01

    Informal science education institutions (ISEIs) are critical partners in public science education, as they support the science efforts of school systems by providing authentic opportunities for scientific inquiry. This study reports findings from an evaluation of urban advantage (UA), a collaboration between the New York City Department of Education and eight ISEIs designed to improve science education in New York City (NYC) middle schools. Now in its 10th year, the program harnesses the resources and expertise of NYC's ISEIs to (a) enhance the science content knowledge of middle school science teachers, (b) develop teachers' skills at using inquiry-based approaches in their classrooms, and (c) improve the science achievement of middle school students. We examine whether the UA program has led to increased student achievement on the eighth-grade New York State standardized science exam for students in participating schools; in supplemental analyses, we examine the effects on longer term (ninth-grade) outcomes. We use a difference-in-differences framework with school fixed effects to estimate the impact of attending a UA school in eighth grade on science achievement. Our key outcome is performance on New York State's eighth-grade intermediate-level science assessment; longer term outcomes include enrollment at specialized science, technology, engineering, and math high schools as well as taking and passing the high school (Regents) science exams. We find that attending a UA school increases student performance on the eighth-grade science exam by approximately 0.05 SD, and there is some evidence of small effects on Regents taking and passing rates. © The Author(s) 2014.

  10. Lessons Learned: A Strategic Alliance to Improve Elementary Physical Education in an Urban School District.

    PubMed

    Thompson, Hannah R; Haguewood, Robin; Tantoco, Nicole; Madsen, Kristine A

    2015-01-01

    Physical education (PE) can help to achieve important public health goals, but is often under-prioritized and lacking in schools. To detail the actions, impact, and successes of a strategic alliance formed by three collaborating organizations to improve PE in a large California school district. Semistructured interviews with alliance members, principals, and teachers in 20 elementary schools, 3 years after the alliance formation. Interviewees reported district-level increases in priority and funding for PE and attributed improvements to the alliance's collection and dissemination of local data on the status of PE. Common goals, trust, and open communication within the alliance were seen as critical to the alliance's success. However, changes in district- or school-level accountability measures for PE were not reported. This strategic alliance succeeded in promoting district-level priority and funding for PE. Ongoing alliance work will focus on increasing accountability measures for PE, which may take longer to implement.

  11. The Link between Poverty, the Proliferation of Violence and the Development of Traumatic Stress among Urban Youth in the United States to School Violence: A Trauma Informed, Social Justice Approach to School Violence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rawles, Portia D.

    2010-01-01

    This paper presents two premises regarding school violence in urban America. First, that traumatic stress among urban youth in the United States is a key factor in the development and exacerbation of school violence in urban areas. Secondly, an efficacious approach to the resolution of school violence cannot be achieved without addressing this…

  12. Social Justice Leadership: Advocating Equity, Access and Opportunity for Black Students Attending Urban High-Poverty Elementary Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pounders, Cherise

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore and describe the lived experiences and perspectives of 4 elementary school principals and 4 instructional leaders committed to social justice practices who have improved and sustained grade level performance in reading with Black students for the duration of 3 consecutive years.…

  13. Focus and Planning Skills Can Be Improved "before" a Child Enters School. Science Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2008

    2008-01-01

    This brief describes the findings of a study that tested preschoolers' executive function skills after participating in a program designed to enhance them vs. a standard curriculum. A total of 147 5-year-olds in their second year of preschool from a lower-income, urban school district participated in this study. The preschoolers were in 18…

  14. Instructional Strategies and Best Practices for Improving the Achievement Gap in Mathematics: An Exploratory Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lord, Joey

    2017-01-01

    This qualitative exploratory case study focused on the achievement gap in mathematics that exists in one urban North Carolina middle school and the strategies used by school personnel to narrow this gap. The goal of this research was to determine effective instructional strategies and best practices used to engage students in learning that will…

  15. Laying the Groundwork for Distributed Instructional Leadership in Urban High Schools: How Principals Foster Department Chair Instructional Leadership Capacity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Klar, Hans W.

    2010-01-01

    A large corpus of literature has been compiled highlighting the essential role principals can play in effecting school improvement as instructional leaders. More recently, the growing body of literature associated with distributed forms of instructional leadership has focused on identifying its various forms, as well as its potential to enhance…

  16. The Relative Influence of Formal Learning Opportunities versus Indicators of Professional Community on Changes in Science Teaching in Urban Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGee, Steven

    2016-01-01

    Previous research has shown that professional communities have the potential to be a powerful lever for continuous improvement in school settings. This research seeks to extend previous research by investigating the indicators of professional community that influence science teaching practice. This study took place in a network of urban…

  17. Building Research-Practice Partnerships as a District-Led Initiative: A High-Leverage Strategy for System Improvement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muñoz, Marco A.

    2016-01-01

    Research-Practice Partnerships (RPP) can enable and support an evidence-based school culture for decision-making in districts across the nation. Based on our experiences in a large urban district, a key element for a successful RPP is to understand that school districts have their own research needs/agenda typically articulated in strategic plans.…

  18. 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…

  19. Teaching, Learning, and Leading with Schools and Communities: One Urban University Re-Envisions Teacher Preparation for the Next Generation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ryan, Ann Marie; Ensminger, David C.; Heineke, Amy J.; Kennedy, Adam S.; Prasse, David P; Smetana, Lara K.

    2014-01-01

    Ultimately, the national goals of improving learning outcomes for all students and reducing, if not eliminating, the achievement gap require a teaching corps that brings knowledge and professional competencies to have positive impacts on diverse learners in diverse settings (Gándara & Maxwell-Jolly, 2006). As central actors in schools,…

  20. Lessons Learned in Dreamland: How a Small Urban Charter School Overcame Start-Up Woes to Increase Reading Scores 28 Percent

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carter, Carolyn J.

    2011-01-01

    Charter school administrators weathered start-up woes, among them challenging students with unmet needs, verbal assaults, dwindling student enrollment, and a first-year budget deficit exceeding $200,000 to implement a reading improvement strategy that holds promise for helping at-risk students read better, a point particularly underscored…

  1. Creating a System for Data-Driven Decision-Making: Applying the Principal-Agent Framework

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wohlstetter, Priscilla; Datnow, Amanda; Park, Vicki

    2008-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to improve our understanding of data-driven decision-making strategies that are initiated at the district or system level. We apply principal-agent theory to the analysis of qualitative data gathered in a case study of 4 urban school systems. Our findings suggest educators at the school level need not only systemic…

  2. Inside Urban Charter Schools: Promising Practices and Strategies in Five High-Performing Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Merseth, Katherine K.

    2009-01-01

    "Inside Urban Charter Schools" offers an unprecedentedly intimate glimpse into the world of charter schools by profiling five high-performing urban charter schools serving predominantly low-income, minority youth in Massachusetts. Interviews, focus groups, and classroom observations conducted over the course of two years flesh out rich…

  3. 2011 Montana Youth Risk Behavior Survey: American Indian Students in Urban Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Montana Office of Public Instruction, 2011

    2011-01-01

    This report presents the 2011 Montana Youth Risk Behavior Survey high school student frequency distributions for American Indian students in urban schools. These frequency distributions are based upon surveys with 808 high school American Indian students in urban schools during February of 2011. Frequency distributions may not total 808 due to…

  4. Research into Factors Contributing to Discipline Use and Disproportionality in Major Urban Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mcloughlin, Caven S.; Noltemeyer, Amity L.

    2010-01-01

    Compared to other school typologies, major urban high poverty schools more frequently use exclusionary discipline and apply these techniques disproportionately to African American students. We explored school demographic variables predicting these two outcomes using data from 440 major urban, high poverty schools. Results suggest a different set…

  5. Correlates of physical fitness and activity in Taiwanese children

    PubMed Central

    Chen, J.-L.; Unnithan, V.; Kennedy, C.; Yeh, C.-H.

    2010-01-01

    Aim This cross-sectional study examined factors related to children’s physical fitness and activity levels in Taiwan. Methods A total of 331 Taiwanese children, aged 7 and 8, and their mothers participated in the study. Children performed physical fitness tests, recorded their physical activities during two weekdays and completed self-esteem questionnaires. Research assistants measured the children’s body mass and stature. Mothers completed demographic, parenting style and physical activity questionnaires. Results Attending urban school, lower body mass index (BMI), older age and better muscular endurance contributed to the variance in better aerobic capacity, and attending rural school and better aerobic capacity contributed to the variance in better muscular endurance in boys. Attending urban school, lower BMI and better athletic competence contributed to the variance in better aerobic capacity, and younger age, rural school and higher household income contributed to the variance in better flexibility in girls. Conclusion Despite the limitations of the study, with many countries and regions, including Taiwan, now emphasizing the importance of improving physical fitness and activity in children, an intervention that is gender-, geographically, and developmentally appropriate can improve the likelihood of successful physical fitness and activity programmes. PMID:18275540

  6. Attitudes toward Diversity and the School Choice Process: Middle-Class Parents in a Segregated Urban Public School District

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kimelberg, Shelley McDonough; Billingham, Chase M.

    2013-01-01

    White flight from urban public schools has been well documented, but little attention has been paid to middle-class reinvestment in urban schools. This article combines findings from interviews with middle-class parents of Boston Public School students with demographic data from the city's public elementary schools to examine the motivations of…

  7. Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools. Core Academic Strategic Designs: 2. Noble Street Charter High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shields, Regis Anne; Ireland, Nicole; City, Elizabeth; Derderian, Julie; Miles, Karen Hawley

    2008-01-01

    This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

  8. Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools. Relevance Strategic Designs: 8. High Tech High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shields, Regis Anne; Ireland, Nicole; City, Elizabeth; Derderian, Julie; Miles, Karen Hawley

    2008-01-01

    This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

  9. Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools. Personalization Strategic Designs: 9. MetWest High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shields, Regis Anne; Ireland, Nicole; City, Elizabeth; Derderian, Julie; Miles, Karen Hawley

    2008-01-01

    This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

  10. Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools. Core Academic Strategic Designs: 3. University Park Campus School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shields, Regis Anne; Ireland, Nicole; City, Elizabeth; Derderian, Julie; Miles, Karen Hawley

    2008-01-01

    This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

  11. Are Rural Schools Inferior to Urban Schools? A Multilevel Analysis of School Accountability Trends in Kentucky

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reeves, Edward B.; Bylund, Robert A.

    2005-01-01

    Recent research does not provide clear evidence that rural schools are inferior to urban schools. For example, one prominent study finds that students in rural schools perform less well than their urban counterparts, but other studies using the same national data set have reached divergent conclusions. The present study reassesses the issue using…

  12. Experiences That Predict Early Career Teacher Commitment to and Retention in High-Poverty Urban Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Whipp, Joan L.; Geronime, Lara

    2017-01-01

    Correlation analysis was used to analyze what experiences before and during teacher preparation for 72 graduates of an urban teacher education program were associated with urban commitment, first job location, and retention in urban schools for 3 or more years. Binary logistic regression was then used to analyze whether urban K-12 schooling,…

  13. Where Will Urban High School Teachers for the 21st Century Come From?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Follo, Eric; Hoerr, Bill; Vorheis-Sargent, Ann

    2002-01-01

    Describes urban teacher supply problem in Oakland County, Michigan. Reviews literature on urban teacher supply problem nationally. Describes Michigan's alternative teacher-certification program and Oakland University's partnership with the Pontiac School District to prepare teachers for teaching in urban schools. (Contains 50 references.) (PKP)

  14. The Challenges of Beginning Teachers in Urban Primary Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gaikhorst, Lisa; Beishuizen, Jos; Roosenboom, Bart; Volman, Monique

    2017-01-01

    This study provides insight in the variety of urban-related challenges that beginning teachers experience in urban schools. Literature on urban teaching focuses on teaching children from low socio-economic status (SES) and/or culturally diverse backgrounds. In many European cities, however, schools are populated by both children from relatively…

  15. Working in Urban Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Corcoran, Thomas B.; And Others

    This document on the working conditions of urban teachers reports data from a survey of 31 elementary, middle, and secondary schools in five urban school districts. More than 400 interviews were conducted with teachers, school administrators, central office personnel, district officials, board members, and union officials. The observations,…

  16. Co-Constructing Community, School, University Partnerships for Urban School Transformation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gillenwaters, Jamila Najah

    2009-01-01

    University-school-community partnerships represent a collaborative model of urban educational reformation inclusive of all the organizations that impact urban education. Co-constructed relationships among communities, schools, and universities have the potential for redistributing hierarchical power, thereby enabling all partners to contribute to…

  17. Birds in the playground: Evaluating the effectiveness of an urban environmental education project in enhancing school children’s awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards local wildlife

    PubMed Central

    Eberstein, Katie; Scott, Dawn M.

    2018-01-01

    Children nowadays, particularly in urban areas, are more disconnected from nature than ever before, leading to a large-scale “extinction of experience” with the natural world. Yet there are many potential benefits from children interacting with nature first-hand, including via outdoor learning opportunities. Urban environmental education programmes typically aim to increase awareness and knowledge of local biodiversity and to promote positive attitudes and behaviour towards the environment. However, limited research has been conducted evaluating to what extent these interventions achieve their goals. Here, we explore and assess the influence of a six-week bird-feeding and monitoring project conducted within school grounds (“Bird Buddies”) on individual awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards birds by primary school children. This initiative was conducted across eight (sub-)urban primary schools within Brighton and Hove (UK), with 220 participating children (aged 7 to 10). Via pre- and post-project questionnaires, we found evidence for enhanced awareness of local biodiversity, alongside significant gains in both bird identification knowledge and attitudes, which were greatest for children with little prior exposure to nature. Many children expressed a keenness to continue improving the environmental value of their school grounds and to apply elements of the project at home. Student project evaluation scores were consistently positive. Mirroring this, participating teachers endorsed the project as a positive learning experience for their students. One year after the project, several schools were continuing to feed and watch birds. Collectively, the findings from this study highlight the multiple benefits that can be derived from engagement with a relatively short outdoor environmental activity. We therefore believe that such interventions, if repeated locally/longer term, could enhance children’s experience with nature in urban settings with combined positive environmental impact. PMID:29509809

  18. Who Moved My Curriculum? Leadership Preparation Programs and the Core Technology of Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Doolittle, Gini; Browne, Evelyn Gallagher

    2011-01-01

    This cross-case study utilizes the publically available data of three urban low-performing, low-socioeconomic-status districts designated as "districts in need of improvement" under No Child Left Behind legislation. Despite multiple interventions aimed at improving student learning, these and other districts remain in corrective action.…

  19. Educational Salvation: Integrating Critical Spirituality in Educational Leadership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCray, Carlos R.; Beachum, Floyd D.; Yawn, Christopher

    2012-01-01

    Improving education for students in K-12 urban settings remains a slow-paced and difficult task, with many successes in student learning being episodic at best. The disconnect between government mandates to improve schools and persistent societal issues of poverty and inequity act to increase stress on teachers and educational leaders working in…

  20. A Culturally Responsive Alternative to "Drill and Kill" Literacy Strategies: Deep Roots, Civil Rights

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peterson, Deborah S.

    2014-01-01

    This article describes two approaches to improving literacy in a high poverty, diverse urban high school. One curriculum program, "Striving Readers," included a prescribed course of study for students reading below grade level along with schoolwide strategies. This approach did not improve targeted students' reading scores or motivation…

  1. 5 Stages on the Path to Equity: Framework Challenges Urban Teachers' Deficit Thinking

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    James-Wilson, Sonia; Hancock, Michele

    2011-01-01

    Teachers are leaders when they function in professional learning communities to affect student learning, contribute to school improvement, inspire excellence in practice, and empower stakeholders to participate in educational improvement. From an equity perspective, teachers also lead when they serve as change agents who collaborate to use…

  2. University-Urban High School Partnership: Math and Science Professional Learning Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    ndunda, mutindi; Van Sickle, Meta; Perry, Lindsay; Capelloni, Alison

    2017-01-01

    This study focused on science and math professional learning communities (PLCs) that were implemented through a university-urban high school partnership. These PLCs were part of mandated school-wide, content-based PLCs implemented as part of the reform efforts initiated in an urban school to address the school's failure to meet Adequate Yearly…

  3. Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools. Relevance Strategic Designs: 4. Boston Arts Academy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shields, Regis Anne; Ireland, Nicole; City, Elizabeth; Derderian, Julie; Miles, Karen Hawley

    2008-01-01

    This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

  4. Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools. Relevance Strategic Designs: 7. TechBoston Academy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shields, Regis Anne; Ireland, Nicole; City, Elizabeth; Derderian, Julie; Miles, Karen Hawley

    2008-01-01

    This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

  5. Characteristics of Students in Traditional versus Alternative High Schools: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Enrollment in One Urban District

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perzigian, Aaron B.; Afacan, Kemal; Justin, Whitney; Wilkerson, Kimber L.

    2017-01-01

    Urban school districts are comprised of many diverse high school environments including comprehensive neighborhood schools as well as a variety of smaller alternative models that focus on innovative practices, behavior remediation, or academic recovery. In terms of enrollment distribution, urban school districts are increasingly offering…

  6. Community Violence, School-Related Protective Factors, and Psychosocial Outcomes in Urban Youth

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ludwig, Kristy A.; Warren, Jared S.

    2009-01-01

    This study examined the relationship of two putative school-based protective factors--student identification with school and perceived teacher support--to psychosocial outcomes in a sample of urban youth exposed to community violence. Participants were 175 high school students ages 14-19 in grades 9-12 from a large urban school district. Results…

  7. Teaching and Learning in English Urban Schools. A Report of a Study Visit.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maeroff, Gene I.

    The challenges facing urban elementary and secondary schools are like those facing suburban and rural schools, but there are complex circumstances that complicate efforts by urban school systems to carry out their mission. Schools in the cities have more students from impoverished homes, more foreign-born or minority group students, and more…

  8. Effectiveness of supervised toothbrushing and oral health education in improving oral hygiene status and practices of urban and rural school children: A comparative study.

    PubMed

    Damle, Satyawan G; Patil, Anil; Jain, Saru; Damle, Dhanashree; Chopal, Nilika

    2014-09-01

    To evaluate and compare the oral health status and the impact of supervised toothbrushing and oral health education among school children of urban and rural areas of Maharashtra, India. A total of 200 school children in the age group 12-15 years were selected by stratified random sampling technique from two schools and were further divided into two groups: Group A (urban school) and Group B (rural school). Both the groups were again subdivided into control group and study group. Supervised toothbrushing was recommended for both the groups. The toothbrushing teaching program included session on oral health education, individual toothbrushing instructions, and supervised toothbrushing. Dental caries increment, plaque scores, and gingival status were assessed as per the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria (1997), Turesky-Gilmore-Glickman modification of the Quigley Hein Plaque Index, and Loe-Silness Gingival Index (1963), respectively. Cronbach's alpha, Chi-square test, paired t-test, and unpaired t-test were utilized for data analysis. The mean plaque and gingival score reduction was significantly higher in the study groups as compared to the control groups. An increase in the mean of Decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT) and Decayed, missing, filled teeth and surfaces (DMFS) scores throughout the study period was seen in children who participated in study. Oral health education was effective in establishing good oral health habits among school children and also in enhancing the knowledge of their parents about good oral health.

  9. Proceedings: The Conference of the University/Urban Schools National Task Force: What Works in Urban Schools (3rd, San Francisco, CA, July 9-10, 1982).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bossone, Richard M., Ed.

    Proceedings of the University/Urban Schools Task Force conference on what works in urban schools are summarized in this report. The future direction of the Task Force, articulated by conference participants, is described as a move toward the conceptualization and design of programs to teach thinking skills versus programs that mainly teach subject…

  10. Pay, working conditions, and teacher quality.

    PubMed

    Hanushek, Eric A; Rivkin, Steven G

    2007-01-01

    Eric Hanushek and Steven Rivkin examine how salary and working conditions affect the quality of instruction in the classroom. The wages of teachers relative to those of other college graduates have fallen steadily since 1940. Today, average wages differ little, however, between urban and suburban districts. In some metropolitan areas urban districts pay more, while in others, suburban districts pay more. But working conditions in urban and suburban districts differ substantially, with urban teachers reporting far less administrator and parental support, worse materials, and greater student problems. Difficult working conditions may drive much of the difference in turnover of teachers and the transfer of teachers across schools. Using rich data from Texas public schools, the authors describe in detail what happens when teachers move from school to school. They examine how salaries and student characteristics change when teachers move and also whether turnover affects teacher quality and student achievement. They note that both wages and student characteristics affect teachers' choices and result in a sorting of teachers across schools, but they find little evidence that teacher transitions are detrimental to student learning. The extent to which variations in salaries and working conditions translate into differences in the quality of instruction depends importantly on the effectiveness of school personnel policies in hiring and retaining the most effective teachers and on constraints on both entry into the profession and the firing of low performers. The authors conclude that overall salary increases for teachers would be both expensive and ineffective. The best way to improve the quality of instruction would be to lower barriers to becoming a teacher, such as certification, and to link compensation and career advancement more closely with teachers' ability to raise student performance.

  11. Can Community and School-Based Supports Improve the Achievement of First-Generation Immigrant Children Attending High-Poverty Schools?

    PubMed

    Dearing, Eric; Walsh, Mary E; Sibley, Erin; Lee-St John, Terry; Foley, Claire; Raczek, Anastacia E

    2016-05-01

    Using a quasi-experimental design, the effects of a student support intervention were estimated for the math and reading achievement of first-generation immigrant children (n = 667, M = 11.05 years of age) attending high-poverty, urban elementary schools. The intervention was designed to help schools identify developmental strengths and barriers to learning and, in turn, connect children to community and school supports aligned with their strengths and needs. By exploiting within-school changes in the implementation of the intervention, the present study revealed statistically and practically significant treatment effects indicating improvements in math and reading achievement at the end of elementary school. In addition, the intervention appears to considerably narrow achievement gaps between English language learners and immigrant children proficient in English. © 2016 The Authors. Child Development © 2016 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

  12. The Impact of Mentoring Programs on Teachers in Urban Middle Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wider, Beyonka Shantel

    2012-01-01

    Retaining teachers is a pressing issue facing many urban middle schools in the southern US. Urban middle schools continually face increased teacher turnover rates in spite of state mandated induction and mentoring programs. Drawing from Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, the purpose of the qualitative case study was to examine urban middle…

  13. Prevalence of and Differences in Salad Bar Implementation in Rural Versus Urban Arizona Schools.

    PubMed

    Blumenschine, Michelle; Adams, Marc; Bruening, Meg

    2018-03-01

    Rural children consume more calories per day on average than urban children, and they are less likely to consume fruit. Self-service salad bars have been proposed as an effective approach to better meet the National School Lunch Program's fruit and vegetable recommendations. No studies have examined how rural and urban schools differ in the implementation of school salad bars. To compare the prevalence of school-lunch salad bars and differences in implementation between urban and rural Arizona schools. Secondary analysis of a cross-sectional web-based survey. School nutrition managers (N=596) in the state of Arizona. National Center for Education Statistics locale codes defined rural and urban classifications. Barriers to salad bar implementation were examined among schools that have never had, once had, and currently have a school salad bar. Promotional practices were examined among schools that once had and currently have a school salad bar. Generalized estimating equation models were used to compare urban and rural differences in presence and implementation of salad bars, adjusting for school-level demographics and the clustering of schools within districts. After adjustment, the prevalence of salad bars did not differ between urban and rural schools (46.9%±4.3% vs 46.8%±8.5%, respectively). Rural schools without salad bars more often reported perceived food waste and cost of produce as barriers to implementing salad bars, and funding was a necessary resource for offering a salad bar in the future, as compared with urban schools (P<0.05). No other geographic differences were observed in reported salad bar promotion, challenges, or resources among schools that currently have or once had a salad bar. After adjustment, salad bar prevalence, implementation practices, and concerns are similar across geographic settings. Future research is needed to investigate methods to address cost and food waste concerns in rural areas. Copyright © 2018 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Pilot Evaluation of a Walking School Bus Program in a Low-Income Urban Community

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    To evaluate the impact of a walking school bus (WSB) program on the proportion of students walking to school in a low-income, urban neighborhood, we conducted a controlled, quasi-experimental trial in urban, socioeconomically disadvantaged, public elementary schools (one intervention and two control...

  15. Professionalism and Community: Perspectives on Reforming Urban Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Louis, Karen Seashore; And Others

    Social, cultural, political, and organizational characteristics of urban schools that make them difficult settings for teachers are discussed. It is suggested that, while an emphasis on professional community would be beneficial for all students, it is particularly pressing for urban schools where other resources for school reform are limited.…

  16. Continued Effort and Success: An Urban Professional School Development Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Corrigan, Diane G.; Weber, Edward J.; Francis, Kiffany

    2013-01-01

    The PDS partnership between the Cleveland State University Master of Urban Secondary Teaching (MUST) program and the Cleveland School of Science and Medicine (CSSM) has an established history of preparing educators to teach in urban schools. Recently awarded the NAPDS Award for Exemplary Professional Development School Achievement, this…

  17. Urban Principals' Understanding of Cyber Bullying: New Role in School Leadership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jean-Paul, Max R.

    2013-01-01

    Technological advances have made cyberbullying a major problem in urban schools. In this study, I sought to explore the relationship between urban school administrators' leadership styles (team vs. transformational) and their handling of cyberbullying. I developed a survey CARES (Cyberbullying Administrative Review in Education for Schools) to…

  18. "The Program Affects Me 'Cause it Gives Away Stress": Urban Students' Qualitative Perspectives on Stress and a School-Based Mindful Yoga Intervention.

    PubMed

    Dariotis, Jacinda K; Cluxton-Keller, Fallon; Mirabal-Beltran, Roxanne; Gould, Laura Feagans; Greenberg, Mark T; Mendelson, Tamar

    School-based mindfulness and yoga studies generally measure stress-related outcomes using quantitative measures. This study answers the following research questions: How do youth define stress and in what ways, if any, was a mindful yoga intervention helpful to youth during stress experiences? To explore youths' own perspectives on stress, stressors in youths' lives, and perceived changes in responses to stress post-intervention, we conducted focus group discussions with 22 middle school students from low-income urban communities following a 16-week mindful yoga intervention. Using thematic analysis, the following three themes emerged: (1) youth conflated stress with negative emotions; (2) peer and family conflicts were common stressors; and (3) youth reported improved impulse control and emotional regulation following the intervention. Study findings have implications for refining intervention content (e.g., discussions of stress), as well as informing the selection and development of quantitative measures for future research on stress and stress responses in urban youth. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Exploring How African American Males from an Urban Community Navigate the Interracial and Intra-Racial Dimensions of Their Experiences at an Urban Jesuit High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simmons, Robert W., III

    2012-01-01

    African American males from urban communities have been attending Jesuit high schools in urban spaces for many years, yet little to no literature exists that explores their experiences while attending these elite private schools. This qualitative study of 10 African American males from an urban community attending a similarly positioned Jesuit…

  20. Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools. Core Academic Strategic Designs: 1. Academy of the Pacific Rim

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shields, Regis Anne; Ireland, Nicole; City, Elizabeth; Derderian, Julie; Miles, Karen Hawley

    2008-01-01

    This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

  1. Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools. Relevance Strategic Designs: 5. Life Academy of Health and Bioscience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shields, Regis Anne; Ireland, Nicole; City, Elizabeth; Derderian, Julie; Miles, Karen Hawley

    2008-01-01

    This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

  2. Comparing the Achievement of Urban Ninth Graders in Schools Using External Vendors for Whole School Reform

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lynch, Virginia N.

    2013-01-01

    Use of external vendors to implement school reform and address student achievement in urban secondary schools has not been studied. This quasi-experimental longitudinal study focused on changes in student achievement among urban 9th grade students during the 2010-2011 school year. The theoretical framework was the transformational model of using…

  3. Access to waterless hand sanitizer improves student hand hygiene behavior in primary schools in Nairobi, Kenya.

    PubMed

    Pickering, Amy J; Davis, Jennifer; Blum, Annalise G; Scalmanini, Jenna; Oyier, Beryl; Okoth, George; Breiman, Robert F; Ram, Pavani K

    2013-09-01

    Handwashing is difficult in settings with limited resources and water access. In primary schools within urban Kibera, Kenya, we investigated the impact of providing waterless hand sanitizer on student hand hygiene behavior. Two schools received a waterless hand sanitizer intervention, two schools received a handwashing with soap intervention, and two schools received no intervention. Hand cleaning behavior after toilet use was monitored for 2 months using structured observation. Hand cleaning after toileting was 82% at sanitizer schools (N = 2,507 toileting events), 38% at soap schools (N = 3,429), and 37% at control schools (N = 2,797). Students at sanitizer schools were 23% less likely to have observed rhinorrhea than control students (P = 0.02); reductions in student-reported gastrointestinal and respiratory illness symptoms were not statistically significant. Providing waterless hand sanitizer markedly increased student hand cleaning after toilet use, whereas the soap intervention did not. Waterless hand sanitizer may be a promising option to improve student hand cleansing behavior, particularly in schools with limited water access.

  4. Spice MyPlate: Nutrition Education Focusing Upon Spices and Herbs Improved Diet Quality and Attitudes Among Urban High School Students.

    PubMed

    D'Adamo, Christopher R; McArdle, Patrick F; Balick, Lyssa; Peisach, Erin; Ferguson, Tenaj; Diehl, Alica; Bustad, Kendall; Bowden, Brandin; Pierce, Beverly A; Berman, Brian M

    2016-05-01

    To determine whether an experiential nutrition education intervention focusing on spices and herbs ("Spice MyPlate") is feasible and improves diet quality and healthy eating attitudes among an urban and predominantly African-American sample of adolescents more than standard nutrition education alone. A nonrandomized controlled trial compared standard nutrition education in U.S. Department of Agriculture MyPlate guidelines (control group) with standard nutrition education plus adjuvant Spice MyPlate curriculum (intervention group). Data were collected at baseline and after 3, 6, and 10 weeks. Study setting was two public high schools in Baltimore, Maryland. A total of 110 students in grades 9 to 12 participated. The 6-week school-based intervention conducted during health class focused on cooking using spices and herbs to eat healthier diets according to MyPlate. Dietary intake reported on 3-day food records and healthy eating attitudes questionnaires was analyzed. Differences in diet quality and healthy eating attitudes between study groups were estimated by t-tests, Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests, and covariate-adjusted regression models. Spice MyPlate was feasible and there were modest but significant improvements (p ≤ .05) in the Spice MyPlate group compared with control in whole grains (31.2 g/wk) and protein foods (13.2 ounces per week) intake, and attitudes toward eating vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low-fat dairy. Although randomized trials are needed, experiential nutrition education focusing on spices and herbs may help urban and predominantly African-American adolescent populations eat healthier diets. © The Author(s) 2016.

  5. Goals, beliefs, and concerns of urban caregivers of middle and older adolescents with asthma.

    PubMed

    Gibson-Scipio, Wanda; Krouse, Helene J

    2013-04-01

    Caregiver goals, an integral part of a partnership for asthma management, have been found to influence asthma outcomes in children. These goals are likely to change during the transitional period of adolescence to address the needs of teenagers as they mature and assume greater responsibilities for their own care. Little is known about the goals, beliefs, and concerns of caregivers as they begin to shift responsibilities for asthma management to teens. This study sought to identify the asthma management goals, beliefs, and concerns of primarily African American caregivers of urban middle and older adolescents. Fourteen caregivers of urban African American adolescents aged 14-18 years with asthma participated in a focus group session. An iterative process was used to identify themes from the session related to asthma management goals, concerns, and beliefs of caregivers. Caregivers identified goals that related to supporting their teens' progress toward independent asthma self-management. They described significant concerns related to the teens' ability to implement asthma self-management, especially in school settings. Caregivers also revealed beliefs that represented knowledge deficits related to asthma medications and factors that improved or worsened asthma. Most caregivers identified grave concerns about school policies regarding asthma medication administration and the lack of knowledge and support provided by teachers and staff for their teen. Caregivers are an invaluable resource in the care of adolescents with asthma. An opportunity exists to improve caregiver understanding of asthma medications and to provide support through improvements in asthma care for adolescents in school-based settings.

  6. Application of Learning Hierarchies to Curriculum Change in a Large Urban School System.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carroll, Rebecca E.; Cook, J. Marvin

    The intent of this paper is to recount briefly the management process and the sequence of activities that have let the Baltimore City Public School System to the stage in its curriculum development where the focus is on learning hierarchies as a major tool in the improvement of the teaching/learning process. In the fall of 1973, Baltimore City…

  7. Predicting Urban Elementary Student Success and Passage on Ohio's High-Stakes Achievement Measures Using DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency and Informal Math Concepts and Applications: An Exploratory Study Employing Hierarchical Linear Modeling

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Merkle, Erich Robert

    2011-01-01

    Contemporary education is experiencing substantial reform across legislative, pedagogical, and assessment dimensions. The increase in school-based accountability systems has brought forth a culture where states, school districts, teachers, and individual students are required to demonstrate their efficacy towards improvement of the educational…

  8. Improving School Readiness through Parent Education Programming: Understanding the Role of Community-Based Organizations in a Large Urban City Center

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Albarran, Alejandra S.

    2014-01-01

    Disparities in academic achievement begin in early childhood, before children step foot into a classroom. These early gaps, often along racial and economic lines, widen throughout children's academic careers because children who are well-prepared at entry are able to take full advantage of school, while children who enter less prepared spend more…

  9. The Relationship between Verve and the Academic Achievement of African American Students in Reading and Mathematics in an Urban Middle School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carter, Norvella P.; Hawkins, Torrance N.; Natesan, Prathiba

    2008-01-01

    Since its inception, the United States has struggled with its responsibility for educating African American students. Its history of denial and discrimination in the education of Black children has created a national crisis in which academic difficulty and school failure is disproportionately high. In an effort to improve the education of African…

  10. Obesogenic Retail Food Environments Around New Zealand Schools: A National Study.

    PubMed

    Vandevijvere, Stefanie; Sushil, Zaynel; Exeter, Daniel J; Swinburn, Boyd

    2016-09-01

    This is the first nationwide spatial analysis of retail food environments around more and less socioeconomically deprived schools in New Zealand. Addresses from all food outlets were retrieved from 66 City and District Councils in 2014. All fast food, takeaway, and convenience outlets (FFTCs) were geocoded and (spatially) validated in 2015. Density and proximity of FFTCs around/from all schools were stratified by urban/rural area and quintile of school socioeconomic deprivation. About 68.5% urban and 14.0% rural schools had a convenience store within 800 m; 62.0% urban and 9.5% rural schools had a fast food or takeaway outlet within 800 m. Median road distance to the closest convenience store from urban schools was significantly higher for the least (617 m) versus the most deprived (521 m) schools (p<0.001); the opposite was found for rural schools. Median FFTC density was 2.4 (0.8-4.8) per km(2) and maximum density was 85 per km(2) within 800 m of urban schools. Median density of convenience stores around the least deprived urban schools was significantly lower than around the most deprived schools (p<0.01). Access to unhealthy foods through FFTCs within walking distance from urban schools is substantial in New Zealand, and greater for the most versus the least deprived schools. Health promoters should work with retailers to explore feasible actions to reduce children's exposure to unhealthy foods before and after school, and provisions to allow Councils to restrict new FFTCs in school neighborhoods could be included in the Local Government Act. Copyright © 2016 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Mixed tenure communities as a policy instrument for educational outcomes in a deprived urban context?

    PubMed Central

    Robison, Oonagh; Kearns, Ade; Gray, Linsay; Bond, Lyndal; Henderson, Marion

    2016-01-01

    This article considers mixed community strategies, enacted through planning and regeneration policies, as a policy approach to the improvement of educational outcomes in schools. Analysis is undertaken of educational outcomes across secondary schools in Glasgow. The level of owner occupation in the catchment is positively associated with both examination results at S4 and positive destinations post-school, particularly at the more deprived end of the school spectrum. The results suggest that tenure mix may be both directly and indirectly related to school performance, with neighbourhood context effects not being entirely mediated through the school context. PMID:27499807

  12. Marketing active transportation to school to improve children's health: Utilizing parental perspectives from an inner-city environment.

    PubMed

    Royne, Marla B; Ivey, Stephanie S; Levy, Marian; Fox, Alexa K; Roakes, Susan L

    2016-01-01

    Thirty years ago, nearly half of the children in the United States walked or rode their bikes to school. Today, less than 15% of children actively commute to school. With the growing obesity epidemic, encouraging children to walk or bike to school has become a national priority. This research examines factors that influence parental decisions allowing their children to walk to school in an urban environment to identify effective marketing and communication strategies to reach those parents. Results indicate differences in parental perspectives across populations; suggestions for effectively marketing the Safe Routes to School program to minority populations are provided.

  13. The Reading Problem in Urban Schools: Who Has It and What Has Been Done About It?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Strat, Georgena

    Identification of ingredients of successful urban reading programs in order to effect an increase in reading achievement in urban schools is the purpose of this paper. An historical-sociological framework is established. Pertinent literature which seeks to explain the causes of reading failure in urban schools is reviewed. Among the topics…

  14. Creative Thinking Abilities of Rural and Urban Elementary School Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Irons, Jerry Lee

    The 1967 study was designed to determine if there were significant differences in the creative thinking abilities of students attending certain urban and rural elementary schools in North Texas. The target population was selected from 7 rural and 2 urban school districts. The subjects, 100 urban and 100 rural, were matched in terms of 6 selection…

  15. Maritime Tactile Education for Urban Secondary Education Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sulzer, Arthur Henry, IV

    2012-01-01

    Urban high-school students' low average level of academic achievement is a national problem. A lack of academic progress is a factor that contributes to students failing to graduate. In response to these urban high school student problems, a growing number of urban charter high schools have opened as an alternative to the traditional public high…

  16. The Economics and Financing of Urban Schools: Toward a Productive, Solution-Oriented Discourse

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Crampton, Faith E.

    2010-01-01

    Across the nation, a surprising number of both critics and advocates of urban schools demonstrate a naivete about the limits and possibilities of funding in relationship to the academic success of urban students. On one hand, critics often argue, without solid evidence or informed analysis, that urban school districts have sufficient funds to…

  17. Risk factors for asthma and allergy associated with urban migration: background and methodology of a cross-sectional study in Afro-Ecuadorian school children in Northeastern Ecuador (Esmeraldas-SCAALA Study).

    PubMed

    Cooper, Philip J; Chico, Martha E; Vaca, Maritza G; Rodriguez, Alejandro; Alcântara-Neves, Neuza M; Genser, Bernd; de Carvalho, Lain Pontes; Stein, Renato T; Cruz, Alvaro A; Rodrigues, Laura C; Barreto, Mauricio L

    2006-09-13

    Asthma and allergic diseases are becoming increasingly frequent in children in urban centres of Latin America although the prevalence of allergic disease is still low in rural areas. Understanding better why the prevalence of asthma is greater in urban migrant populations and the role of risk factors such as life style and environmental exposures, may be key to understand what is behind this trend. The Esmeraldas-SCAALA (Social Changes, Asthma and Allergy in Latin America) study consists of cross-sectional and nested case-control studies of school children in rural and urban areas of Esmeraldas Province in Ecuador. The cross-sectional study will investigate risk factors for atopy and allergic disease in rural and migrant urban Afro-Ecuadorian school children and the nested case-control study will examine environmental, biologic and social risk factors for asthma among asthma cases and non-asthmatic controls from the cross-sectional study. Data will be collected through standardised questionnaires, skin prick testing to relevant aeroallergen extracts, stool examinations for parasites, blood sampling (for measurement of IgE, interleukins and other immunological parameters), anthropometric measurements for assessment of nutritional status, exercise testing for assessment of exercise-induced bronchospasm and dust sampling for measurement of household endotoxin and allergen levels. The information will be used to identify the factors associated with an increased risk of asthma and allergies in migrant and urbanizing populations, to improve the understanding of the causes of the increase in asthma prevalence and to identify potentially modifiable factors to inform the design of prevention programmes to reduce the risk of allergy in urban populations in Latin America.

  18. Risk factors for asthma and allergy associated with urban migration: background and methodology of a cross-sectional study in Afro-Ecuadorian school children in Northeastern Ecuador (Esmeraldas-SCAALA Study)

    PubMed Central

    Cooper, Philip J; Chico, Martha E; Vaca, Maritza G; Rodriguez, Alejandro; Alcântara-Neves, Neuza M; Genser, Bernd; de Carvalho, Lain Pontes; Stein, Renato T; Cruz, Alvaro A; Rodrigues, Laura C; Barreto, Mauricio L

    2006-01-01

    Background Asthma and allergic diseases are becoming increasingly frequent in children in urban centres of Latin America although the prevalence of allergic disease is still low in rural areas. Understanding better why the prevalence of asthma is greater in urban migrant populations and the role of risk factors such as life style and environmental exposures, may be key to understand what is behind this trend. Methods/design The Esmeraldas-SCAALA (Social Changes, Asthma and Allergy in Latin America) study consists of cross-sectional and nested case-control studies of school children in rural and urban areas of Esmeraldas Province in Ecuador. The cross-sectional study will investigate risk factors for atopy and allergic disease in rural and migrant urban Afro-Ecuadorian school children and the nested case-control study will examine environmental, biologic and social risk factors for asthma among asthma cases and non-asthmatic controls from the cross-sectional study. Data will be collected through standardised questionnaires, skin prick testing to relevant aeroallergen extracts, stool examinations for parasites, blood sampling (for measurement of IgE, interleukins and other immunological parameters), anthropometric measurements for assessment of nutritional status, exercise testing for assessment of exercise-induced bronchospasm and dust sampling for measurement of household endotoxin and allergen levels. Discussion The information will be used to identify the factors associated with an increased risk of asthma and allergies in migrant and urbanizing populations, to improve the understanding of the causes of the increase in asthma prevalence and to identify potentially modifiable factors to inform the design of prevention programmes to reduce the risk of allergy in urban populations in Latin America. PMID:16970809

  19. Governing Urban School Districts: Efforts in Los Angeles to Effect Change

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Augustine, Catherine H.; Epstein, Diana; Vuollo, Mirka

    2006-01-01

    Many urban school district students are dropping out and few of the remaining ones reach state or district achievement goals. These problems make governing urban schools both difficult and important. In 2005-06, the governance structure of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) was examined, debated, criticized, and praised by several…

  20. Resilience Development of Preservice Teachers in Urban Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roselle, Rene

    2007-01-01

    Retention of teachers in urban schools continues to plague public schools. Could universities increase the likelihood that teachers will stay in urban schools longer by preparing them for some of the adversities they may face and helping them develop resilience in relation to these challenges? Could we produce resilient educators before they…

  1. Solidifying Segregation or Promoting Diversity? School Closure and Rezoning in an Urban District

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Siegel-Hawley, Genevieve; Bridges, Kimberly; Shields, Thomas J.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: Layered with myriad considerations, school closure and rezoning processes in urban school systems are politically fraught with the potential for damaging consequences. This article explores the politics and impacts of a closure and rezoning process in Richmond, Virginia, through the lens of themes applicable to urban school systems and…

  2. Does a More Centrally Located School Promote Walking to School? Spatial Centrality in School-Neighborhood Settings.

    PubMed

    Kim, Hyung Jin; Lee, Chanam

    2016-05-01

    A public elementary school has traditionally functioned as an important center of a neighborhood, but this role has diminished with sprawling urban developments. Despite the large number of studies of children's walking to/from school (WTS), the school's location in relation to the larger neighborhood context has not been fully explored. This study is to examine the relationship between school's spatial centrality and children's WTS in urban, suburban and rural settings. this study used school travel tally (11,721 students), environment audit, GIS and census data from 71 elementary school/neighborhoods in Texas, and employed the closeness centrality index to estimate a school's spatial centrality. Data were collected from 2009-2012. After controlling for neighborhood characteristics, it was found that more centrally located schools are likely to have higher proportions of WTS in the neighborhoods. And, among urban, suburban and rural settings, urban schools were the most and rural schools were the least likely to be centrally-located in the neighborhoods. The findings offer implications on school and community planning policies that can help promote WTS. Spatial centrality measures can be effective tools to identify environmental factors in complex urban networks related to human behaviors and community-based activities.

  3. A Different View of Urban Schools: Civil Rights, Critical Race Theory, and Unexplored Realities. Revised Edition. Counterpoints: Studies in the Postmodern Theory of Education. Volume 291

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Epstein, Kitty Kelly

    2012-01-01

    The revised edition of "A Different View of Urban Schools" updates a unique story about the realities of urban education in America and provides new insights on the origin of urban education issues; the route to a diverse and effective teaching force; and the impact of federal legislation and corporate involvement on urban schools. Dr. Epstein's…

  4. Rearranging Deck Chairs in Dallas: Contextual Constraints and Within-District Resource Allocation in Urban Texas School Districts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baker, Bruce D.

    2012-01-01

    The goal of this study is to simultaneously explore resource allocation across schools within large urban school districts and across all schools within major metropolitan areas that include those urban districts in the state of Texas. This study uses a three-year panel, from 2005 to 2007, for Texas elementary schools in the Houston, Dallas,…

  5. Studies in Adolescent Health: Research to Improve Health Services for Mothers and Children.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    California Univ., Los Angeles. School of Public Health.

    This publication is one in a series summarizing final reports of research projects concerned with improving health services for mothers, children and physically handicapped youth. Topics of the 10 reports include: (1) ambulatory care patterns of urban adolescents in New York City, (2) selected parameters of school achievement among New York City…

  6. Reading Improvement through Art Replicator Manual of Instruction, 3rd Edition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Corwin, Sylvia K., Ed.

    2013-01-01

    Reading Improvement Through Art (RITA) program is an interdisciplinary approach to literacy that blends visual art with reading comprehension, evaluated in nine New York City urban high schools. 240 problem readers participating in the pilot program were pre- and post-tested in the Fall 1975 and Spring 1976 semesters. The testing showed the 9th…

  7. Availability of healthy snack foods and beverages in stores near high-income urban, low-income urban, and rural elementary and middle schools in Oregon.

    PubMed

    Findholt, Nancy E; Izumi, Betty T; Nguyen, Thuan; Pickus, Hayley; Chen, Zunqiu

    2014-08-01

    Food stores near schools are an important source of snacks for children. However, few studies have assessed availability of healthy snacks in these settings. The aim of this study was to assess availability of healthy snack foods and beverages in stores near schools and examine how availability of healthy items varied by poverty level of the school and rural-urban location. Food stores were selected based on their proximity to elementary/middle schools in three categories: high-income urban, low-income urban, and rural. Audits were conducted within the stores to assess the presence or absence of 48 items in single-serving sizes, including healthy beverages, healthy snacks, fresh fruits, and fresh vegetables. Overall, availability of healthy snack foods and beverages was low in all stores. However, there was significant cross-site variability in availability of several snack and fruit items, with stores near high-income urban schools having higher availability, compared to stores near low-income urban and/or rural schools. Stores near rural schools generally had the lowest availability, although several fruits were found more often in rural stores than in urban stores. There were no significant differences in availability of healthy beverages and fresh vegetables across sites. Availability of healthy snack foods and beverages was limited in stores near schools, but these limitations were more severe in stores proximal to rural and low-income schools. Given that children frequent these stores to purchase snacks, efforts to increase the availability of healthy products, especially in stores near rural and low-income schools, should be a priority.

  8. Using a DEA Management Tool through a Nonparametric Approach: An Examination of Urban-Rural Effects on Thai School Efficiency

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kantabutra, Sangchan

    2009-01-01

    This paper examines urban-rural effects on public upper-secondary school efficiency in northern Thailand. In the study, efficiency was measured by a nonparametric technique, data envelopment analysis (DEA). Urban-rural effects were examined through a Mann-Whitney nonparametric statistical test. Results indicate that urban schools appear to have…

  9. Hip-Hop, the "Obama Effect," and Urban Science Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Emdin, Christopher; Lee, Okhee

    2012-01-01

    Background/Context: With the ever increasing diversity of schools, and the persistent need to develop teaching strategies for the students who attend today's urban schools, hip-hop culture has been proposed to be a means through which urban youth can find success in school. As a result, studies of the role of hip-hop in urban education have grown…

  10. The healthy learner model for student chronic condition management--part I.

    PubMed

    Erickson, Cecelia DuPlessis; Splett, Patricia L; Mullett, Sara Stoltzfus; Heiman, Mary Bielski

    2006-12-01

    A significant number of children have chronic health conditions that interfere with normal activities, including school attendance and active participation in the learning process. Management of students' chronic conditions is complex and requires an integrated system. Models to improve chronic disease management have been developed for the medical system and public health. Programs that address specific chronic disease management or coordinate school health services have been implemented in schools. Lacking is a comprehensive, integrated model that links schools, students, parents, health care, and other community providers. The Healthy Learner Model for chronic condition management identifies seven elements for creating, implementing, and sustaining an efficient and effective, comprehensive community-based system for improving the management of chronic conditions for school children. It has provided the framework for successful chronic condition management in an urban school district and is proposed for replication in other districts and communities.

  11. Healthier students are better learners: a missing link in school reforms to close the achievement gap.

    PubMed

    Basch, Charles E

    2011-10-01

    This article provides an introduction to the October 2011 special issue of the Journal of School Health on "Healthier Students Are Better Learners." Literature was reviewed and synthesized to identify health problems affecting school-aged youth that are highly prevalent, disproportionately affect urban minority youth, directly and indirectly causally affect academic achievement, and can be feasibly and effectively addressed through school health programs and services. Based on these criteria, 7 educationally relevant health disparities were selected as strategic priorities to help close the achievement gap: (1) vision, (2) asthma, (3) teen pregnancy, (4) aggression and violence, (5) physical activity, (6) breakfast, and (7) inattention and hyperactivity. Research clearly shows that these health problems influence students' motivation and ability to learn. Disparities among urban minority youth are outlined, along with the causal pathways through which each adversely affects academic achievement, including sensory perceptions, cognition, school connectedness, absenteeism, and dropping out. Evidence-based approaches that schools can implement to address these problems are presented. These health problems and the causal pathways they influence have interactive and a synergistic effect, which is why they must be addressed collectively using a coordinated approach. No matter how well teachers are prepared to teach, no matter what accountability measures are put in place, no matter what governing structures are established for schools, educational progress will be profoundly limited if students are not motivated and able to learn. Particular health problems play a major role in limiting the motivation and ability to learn of urban minority youth. This is why reducing these disparities through a coordinated approach warrants validation as a cohesive school improvement initiative to close the achievement gap. Local, state, and national policies for implementing this recommendation are suggested. © 2011, American School Health Association.

  12. A preliminary survey analysis of school shuttle bus system towards smart mobility solutions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yue, Wong Seng; Hoy, Cheong Wan; Chye, Koh Keng

    2017-10-01

    Mobility and accessibility are crucial indicators of urban development. Public transport in the urban areas came into existence to fulfil transportation needs as well as mobility and accessibility demands. Ridership can be affected by the quality and quantity of transit service. However, technical improvements are needed for such as real-time bus information, controlling run time and headway delay. Thus, this paper is aimed to carry out a preliminary survey to determine the problems of school shuttle bus that faced by the students in a selected educational institution, their perceptions of using shuttle bus tracking and information mobile application and impacts of real-time information of public transits on bus ridership and towards smart mobility solutions. Efficient public transportation system needs further investigation about the role of mobile application for the bus tracking system in supporting smart mobility actions and real-time information. The proposed application also provides a smart solution for the management of public infrastructures and urban facilities in Malaysia in future. Eventually, this study opens an opportunity to improve Malaysian quality of life on the public value that created for the city as a whole.

  13. Differences in Physical Activity Levels between Urban and Rural School Children in Cyprus

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Loucaides, Constantinos A.; Chedzoy, Sue M.; Bennett, Neville

    2004-01-01

    This study attempted to examine differences in physical activity levels between urban and rural primary school children. The sample consisted of 256 Greek-Cypriot children and their parents from two schools representing urban areas and three schools representing rural areas. Children's activity levels were assessed for 4 weekdays in the winter and…

  14. Four Rs for Urban High School Reform: Re-Envisioning, Reculturation, Restructuring, and Remoralization

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hemmings, Annette

    2012-01-01

    A framework for urban public high school reform is presented for managing site-based change through re-envisioning, reculturation, restructuring, and remoralization. The four Rs for reform framework is elucidated through a qualitative study of a low-performing urban public high school that was transformed into a new more successful school. The…

  15. Rethinking the Urban School Superintendency: Nontraditional Leaders and New Models of Leadership.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Usdan, Michael D.; Cronin, Joseph M.

    This paper discusses the 21st century urban school superintendency, noting new challenges for urban superintendents. Currently, schools are much larger, media coverage is extensive, racial minorities settle most often in the city, and cities cope with vast social problems. School boards have an enormous effect on the success or failure of…

  16. African American Women Principals: Heeding the Call to Serve as Conduits for Transforming Urban School Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Newcomb, Whitney Sherman; Niemeyer, Arielle

    2015-01-01

    African American women leaders are often found in urban schools that have been exhausted of resources and lack support. However, due to their disproportionate representation in urban schools, African American women principals have become adept at uniting and engaging stakeholders in marginalized school settings into action. The intent for this…

  17. Poor Schools, Poor Students, Successful Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gehrke, Rebecca Swanson

    2005-01-01

    Today, one out of four American children attends school in an urban district; one out of every six American children lives in poverty; and, in urban schools where most of the students are poor, two-thirds or more of the children fail to reach even the "basic" level of achievement on national tests. Urban schools are where most states face the…

  18. Critical Pedagogy, Physical Education and Urban Schooling. Counterpoints: Studies in the Postmodern Theory of Education. Volume 432

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fitzpatrick, Katie

    2013-01-01

    "Critical Pedagogy, Physical Education and Urban Schooling" is a critical ethnography of health, physical education and the schooling experiences of urban youth. The subjects of health and physical education are compulsory in most schools internationally, but many contemporary practices in these subjects reinforce rather than challenge the…

  19. Differences in adolescents' physical activity from school-travel between urban and suburban neighbourhoods in Metro Vancouver, Canada.

    PubMed

    Frazer, Amanda; Voss, Christine; Winters, Meghan; Naylor, Patti-Jean; Higgins, Joan Wharf; McKay, Heather

    2015-01-01

    To investigate differences in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) from school-travel between adolescents in urban and suburban neighbourhoods and to describe its relative contribution to MVPA on school days. We measured 243 adolescents (51% male, grades 8-10) from Vancouver's walkable downtown core and its largely car-dependent suburb Surrey (fall 2011, 2013). We estimated mean school-travel MVPA from accelerometry (hour before/after school on ≥ 2 days; n = 110, 39% male) and compared school-travel MVPA by neighbourhood type and school-travel mode. The influence of mean school-travel MVPA on mean school-day MVPA (≥ 600 min valid wear time on ≥ 2 days) was examined by linear regression. Over half of students used active modes (urban: 63%, suburban: 53%). Those using active travel and living in the urban neighbourhood obtained the most school-travel MVPA (22.3 ± 8.0 min). Urban passive travellers used public transit and obtained more school-travel MVPA than suburban students (16.9 ± 6.2 vs. 8.0 ± 5.3, p < 0.001), who were primarily driven. Regardless of mode or neighbourhood type, over one-third of school-day MVPA was explained by school-travel MVPA (R (2) = 0.38, p < 0.001). Urban dwelling may facilitate greater school-travel MVPA in adolescents. School-travel MVPA is an important contributor to adolescents' school-day MVPA. Where feasible, physically active options for school-travel should be promoted, including public transit.

  20. Urban farming model in South Jakarta

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Indrawati, E.

    2018-01-01

    The development of infrastructure rapidly, large of population and large of urbanization. Meanwhile, agricultural land is decreasing and agricultural production continues to decline. The productive crops is needed for consumption and it is also to improve the environment from oxygen provisioning, antidote to air pollution and to improve soil conditions. The use of yard land for horticultural crops (vegetables, fruits and ornamental plants), spices, medicines, herbs etc. can benefit for the owners of the yard particularly and the general public. The purpose of this research is to identify the model of home yard utilization, mosque yard, office, school, urban park and main road and sub main road, which can improve environmental quality in Pesanggrahan district. The method of analysis used descriptive analysis method by observation. Then analyzed the percentage of the use of yard with productive crops as urban farming. The results showed that the most productive crops were planted in Kelurahan Pesanggrahan 67% which compared with in Kelurahan Ulujami 47%, and in Kelurahan Petukangan Utara 27%. The most types of productive crops were grown as fruit trees and vegetable crops.

  1. In-school Snacking, Breakfast Consumption, and Sleeping Patterns of Normal and Overweight Iranian High School Girls: A Study in Urban and Rural Areas in Guilan, Iran

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maddah, Mohsen; Rashidi, Arash; Mohammadpour, Behnoush; Vafa, Reza; Karandish, Majid

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the relationship of snacking during school hours, sleep time, and breakfast consumption by weight status of Iranian high school girls in urban and rural areas in Guilan Province, Iran. Design: Data were collected by self-administered questionnaire and measure of body weight and height. Setting: High schools in urban and…

  2. Parental encouragement of initiative-taking and adjustment in Chinese children from rural, urban, and urbanized families.

    PubMed

    Chen, Xinyin; Li, Dan

    2012-12-01

    Due to the requirements of the competitive, market-oriented urban society, parents in urban and urbanized families are more likely than parents in rural families to encourage initiative-taking in child rearing in China. The socialization experiences of children from different types of families may be related to their adjustment. This study examined parental socialization attitudes, social and school adjustment, and their relations in Chinese children from rural, urban, and urbanized families. Participants were elementary school students (N = 1,033; M age = 11 years) and their parents in China. Data were obtained from parental reports, peer evaluations, teacher ratings, and school records. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed that parents in urban and urbanized families had higher scores than parents in rural families on encouragement of initiative-taking. Urban children, particularly girls, were more sociable, obtained higher social status, and had fewer school problems than their rural counterparts. Children from urbanized families were different from rural children and similar to urban children in social and school adjustment. Moreover, multigroup invariance tests showed that parental encouragement of initiative-taking was associated more strongly with children's sociable-assertive behavior and social standing in the urban and urbanized groups than in the rural group. The results indicate that particular socialization attitudes may vary in their adaptive value in child development as a function of specific social and cultural requirements in changing societies. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

  3. Early childhood development in deprived urban settlements.

    PubMed

    Nair, M K C; Radhakrishnan, S Rekha

    2004-03-01

    Poverty, the root cause of the existence of slums or settlement colonies in urban areas has a great impact on almost all aspects of life of the urban poor, especially the all-round development of children. Examples from countries, across the globe provide evidence of improved early child development, made possible through integrated slum improvement programs, are few in numbers. The observed 2.5% prevalence of developmental delay in the less than 2 year olds of deprived urban settlements, the presence of risk factors for developmental delay like low birth weight, birth asphyxia, coupled with poor environment of home and alternate child care services, highlights the need for simple cost effective community model for promoting early child development. This review on early child development focuses on the developmental status of children in the deprived urban settlements, who are yet to be on the priority list of Governments and international agencies working for the welfare of children, the contributory nature-nurture factors and replicable working models like infant stimulation, early detection of developmental delay in infancy itself, developmental screening of toddlers, skill assessment for preschool children, school readiness programs, identification of mental sub-normality and primary education enhancement program for primary school children. Further, the review probes feasible intervention strategies through community owned early child care and development facilities, utilizing existing programs like ICDS, Urban Basic Services and by initiating services like Development Friendly Well Baby Clinics, Community Extension services, Child Development Referral Units at district hospitals and involving trained manpower like anganwadi/creche workers, public health nurses and developmental therapists. With the decentralization process the local self-government at municipalities and city corporations are financially equipped to be the prime movers to initiate, monitor and promote early child development programs, to emerge as a part and parcel of community owned sustainable development process.

  4. Leading to High Performance: A Case Study of the Role of the Balanced Scorecard in Improving Urban Secondary Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Pamela C.

    2010-01-01

    The onset of the standards-based movement in education in the early 1980's, bolstered by the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) of 2002, led many school districts to shift from a culture of regulatory, process-oriented compliance to one that is more results-oriented, primarily based on state-adopted summative assessment targets in…

  5. An Assessment of Changes in Science Instruction and Science Facilities Initiated by NDEA Title III Funds Used for High School Science in Tennessee Between 1965 - 1970.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, James Taylor

    In this investigation, questionnaires were sent to 64 selected urban and rural high schools that were participating in the NDEA Title III science programs. The study revealed that Title III funds were responsible for the improvement of science laboratories, teaching materials and equipment, and the educational advancement of teachers. New courses…

  6. Kickin' Asthma: school-based asthma education in an urban community.

    PubMed

    Magzamen, Sheryl; Patel, Bina; Davis, Adam; Edelstein, Joan; Tager, Ira B

    2008-12-01

    In urban communities with high prevalence of childhood asthma, school-based educational programs may be the most appropriate approach to deliver interventions to improve asthma morbidity and asthma-related outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation of Kickin' Asthma, a school-based asthma curriculum designed by health educators and local students, which teaches asthma physiology and asthma self-management techniques to middle and high school students in Oakland, CA. Eligible students were identified through an in-class asthma case identification survey. Approximately 10-15 students identified as asthmatic were recruited for each series of the Kickin' Asthma intervention. The curriculum was delivered by an asthma nurse in a series of four 50-minute sessions. Students completed a baseline and a 3-month follow-up survey that compared symptom frequency, health care utilization, activity limitations, and medication use. Of the 8488 students surveyed during the first 3 years of the intervention (2003-2006), 15.4% (n = 1309) were identified as asthmatic; approximately 76% of eligible students (n = 990) from 15 middle schools and 3 high schools participated in the program. Comparison of baseline to follow-up data indicated that students experienced significantly fewer days with activity limitations and significantly fewer nights of sleep disturbance after participation in the intervention. For health care utilization, students reported significantly less frequent emergency department visits or hospitalizations between the baseline and follow-up surveys. A school-based asthma curriculum designed specifically for urban students has been shown to reduce symptoms, activity limitations, and health care utilization for intervention participants.

  7. Particulate matter in rural and urban nursery schools in Portugal.

    PubMed

    Nunes, R A O; Branco, P T B S; Alvim-Ferraz, M C M; Martins, F G; Sousa, S I V

    2015-07-01

    Studies have been showing strong associations between exposures to indoor particulate matter (PM) and health effects on children. Urban and rural nursery schools have different known environmental and social differences which make their study relevant. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate indoor PM concentrations on different microenvironments of three rural nursery schools and one urban nursery school, being the only study comparing urban and rural nursery schools considering the PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 fractions (measured continuously and in terms of mass). Outdoor PM2.5 and PM10 were also obtained and I/O ratios have been determined. Indoor PM mean concentrations were higher in the urban nursery than in rural ones, which might have been related to traffic emissions. However, I/O ratios allowed concluding that the recorded concentrations depended more significantly of indoor sources. WHO guidelines and Portuguese legislation exceedances for PM2.5 and PM10 were observed mainly in the urban nursery school. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Rooftop greenhouses in educational centers: A sustainability assessment of urban agriculture in compact cities.

    PubMed

    Nadal, Ana; Pons, Oriol; Cuerva, Eva; Rieradevall, Joan; Josa, Alejandro

    2018-06-01

    Today, urban agriculture is one of the most widely used sustainability strategies to improve the metabolism of a city. Schools can play an important role in the implementation of sustainability master plans, due their socio-educational activities and their cohesive links with families; all key elements in the development of urban agriculture. Thus, the main objective of this research is to develop a procedure, in compact cities, to assess the potential installation of rooftop greenhouses (RTGs) in schools. The generation of a dynamic assessment tool capable of identifying and prioritizing schools with a high potential for RTGs and their eventual implementation would also represent a significant factor in the environmental, social, and nutritional education of younger generations. The methodology has four-stages (Pre-selection criteria; Selection of necessities; Sustainability analysis; and Sensitivity analysis and selection of the best alternative) in which economic, environmental, social and governance aspects all are considered. It makes use of Multi-Attribute Utility Theory and Multi-Criteria Decision Making, through the Integrated Value Model for Sustainability Assessments and the participation of two panels of multidisciplinary specialists, for the preparation of a unified sustainability index that guarantees the objectivity of the selection process. This methodology has been applied and validated in a case study of 11 schools in Barcelona (Spain). The social perspective of the proposed methodology favored the school in the case-study with the most staff and the largest parent-teacher association (social and governance indicators) that obtained the highest sustainability index (S11); at a considerable distance (45%) from the worst case (S3) with fewer school staff and parental support. Finally, objective decisions may be taken with the assistance of this appropriate, adaptable, and reliable Multi-Criteria Decision-Making tool on the vertical integration and implementation of urban agriculture in schools, in support of the goals of sustainable development and the circular economy. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. First Year Site Visits to Milwaukee Urban Systemic Initiative Schools. A Report on the Milwaukee Public Schools Milwaukee Urban Systemic Initiative.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huinker, DeAnn; Pearson, Gretchen; Posnanski, Tracy; Coan, Cheryl; Porter, Corrie

    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.…

  10. Survey Results for First Wave Schools of the Milwaukee Urban Systemic Initiative. Report on Milwaukee Public Schools Milwaukee Urban Systemic Initiative.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huinker, DeAnn; Coan, Cheryl; Mueller, Leah

    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.…

  11. REASSESSMENT OF THE SCHOOL LOCATION PROBLEM--A MULTI-FUNCTIONAL ROLE FOR THE SCHOOL IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DOST, JEANNE

    RISING PRESSURES OF COMPETITION FOR LAND IN URBAN AREAS SUGGEST THE NEED FOR NOVEL APPROACHES TO PLANNING PUBLIC LAND USE FOR FOSTERING HIGHER LEVELS OF LIVING DESIRABILITY OF THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT. EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN BOTH ECONOMIC AND NON-ECONOMIC DISCIPLINES SERVE AS THE BASIS FOR A BROADER CONCEPT OF THE URBAN SCHOOL LOCATION PROBLEM.…

  12. A Vanishing Rural School Advantage? Changing Urban/Rural Student Achievement Differences in Latin America and the Caribbean

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Luschei, Thomas F.; Fagioli, Loris P.

    2016-01-01

    In 1997, a cross-national assessment of educational achievement in Latin America and the Caribbean found that rural schools in Colombia outperformed urban schools in tests of reading and mathematics, except in very large cities. Given a long history of urban/rural inequality in the region, Colombia's rural school advantage attracted substantial…

  13. Non Traditional Superintendent: A Case Study of the Transition from Military to Public School Superintendent

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hernandez, Luiza Miera

    2010-01-01

    In June of 2006, Urban School District appointed the individual who is the focus of this study, a retired Air Force Two Star Major General, as its new superintendent. Although the appointment represents the first nontraditional superintendent to lead Urban School District, it was one of several such appointments to large, urban school districts…

  14. Urban Middle School African American Girls' Attitudes toward Physical Education and Out-of-School Physical Activity Levels

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ramsey, Victor

    2012-01-01

    The purposes of this two-part study were (1) to investigate urban middle school African American girls' physical activity levels and their relationships to attitudes and, (2) to explore urban middle school African American girls' attitude toward physical education. A total of (N = 649) African American girls from 14 New York City middle schools…

  15. Parent Participation in Urban Schools: Reflections on the Movement and Implications for Future Practice.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schraft, Carol Malchman; Kagan, Sharon Lynn

    1979-01-01

    This paper explores the relationship between low income parents and urban schools. Parent participation in urban schools today is said to have been institutionalized in forms set in motion by the Civil Rights movement. Three types of response to the failure of schools to respond to the 1954 Supreme Court decision calling for desegregation are…

  16. A Multifaceted School-based Intervention to Reduce Risk for Type 2 Diabetes in At-Risk Youth

    PubMed Central

    Grey, Margaret; Jaser, Sarah S.; Holl, Marita G.; Jefferson, Vanessa; Dziura, James; Northrup, Veronika

    2009-01-01

    Objective To evaluate the impact of a multifaceted, school-based intervention on inner city youth at high risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and to determine whether the addition of coping skills training (CST) and health coaching improves outcomes. Method 198 students in New Haven, CT at risk for T2DM (BMI > 85th percentile and family history of diabetes) were randomized by school to an educational intervention with or without the addition of CST and health coaching. Students were enrolled from 2004–2007 and followed for 12 months. Results Students in both groups showed some improvement in anthropometric measures, lipids, and depressive symptoms over 12 months. BMI was not improved by the intervention. Students who received CST showed greater improvement on some indicators of metabolic risk than students who received education only. Conclusion A multifaceted, school-based intervention may hold promise for reducing metabolic risk in urban, minority youth. PMID:19643125

  17. Meeting the Preteen Vaccine Law: A Pilot Program in Urban Middle Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boyer-Chuanroong, Lynda; Deaver, Paul

    2000-01-01

    Describes the efforts, outcomes, and recommendations from an urban California school district's pilot program for vaccinating preteens in two diverse urban middle schools. Barriers and strategies included staff inexperience, educating students, informing parents, tracking vaccinations, coping with language diversity, and creating individualized…

  18. Framing an Urban School Library with the "National School Library Standards"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keeling, Mary

    2018-01-01

    What is the future of urban school libraries? The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) "National School Library Standards" offer a framework for school librarians to reflect on how they can tailor their professional practice to serve their specific school communities. Through the lens of the standards, school librarians can…

  19. Student Teachers' Perceptions of Two Urban School Principals

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swick, Kevin J.; Ross, Colvin

    1973-01-01

    Findings of this study indicate the student teachers' opinions of the two urban school principals were affected by three factors: the physical plant of the school; morale of the school staff; personality of the school principal. (Authors/CB)

  20. Integrating Health Education in Core Curriculum Classrooms: Successes, Challenges, and Implications for Urban Middle Schools.

    PubMed

    Rajan, Sonali; Roberts, Katherine J; Guerra, Laura; Pirsch, Moira; Morrell, Ernest

    2017-12-01

    School-based health education efforts can positively affect health behaviors and learning outcomes; however, there is limited available time during the school day for separate health education classes. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and sustainability of implementing a classroom-based health education program that integrates skill development with health learning. A wait-list control study design was conducted among 168 6th graders in 2 urban schools. Data on program implementation, feasibility, and health outcomes were collected from students at 3 time points and from 5 teachers across the implementation of the 10-week program. There were barriers to implementation, including time limitations, unexpected school-wide disruptions, and variations in student reading ability and teacher preparedness. However, analyses revealed there were significant increases in self-efficacy regarding fruit and vegetable consumption and outcome expectations following program implementation, which were also sustained post-program implementation. Despite inconsistent implementation in the wait-list control school, small gains were also noted following the completion of the program. Integrating health education efforts within core curricula classes can lead to favorable outcomes. However, implementation barriers must be actively addressed by schools and program developers to improve program fidelity and maximize the sustainability of program gains. © 2017, American School Health Association.

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