Rubrics meeting quality assurance and improvement needs in the accreditation context

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-32
Author(s):  
Judy R. Wilkerson
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Specific Aspect ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Writing Assessments ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Summative Assessments ◽  
Policies And Procedures ◽  
Related Pair ◽  
The Usa ◽  
K 12

Purpose K-20 accreditation is contingent on having policies and procedures that provide evidence of quality assurance (QA) and quality improvement (QI), viewed here as the first of two conflicting paradigms, requiring concurrent expressions of excellence and need. Standardized summative assessments using the traditional tabular rubric design (typically writing assessments) serve the QA purpose well while leaving QI difficult to achieve. This is the second-related pair of conflicting paradigms – formative vs summative assessment. The purpose of this study is to illuminate these conflicts, present a sample illustrative solution and suggest that both institutions and accreditation agencies implement policies resolving these conflicts. Design/methodology/approach This viewpoint is based in part on an analysis of the content of many rubrics, with several selected for presentation herein. For K-12 settings, the AdvancED accreditation standards (used in 70 countries) and a multistate writing rubric are discussed. For postsecondary, a segment of the VALUE rubrics, used by a large number of postsecondary institutions across the USA, is presented. Examples of potential solutions for both levels are presented to clarify the problem and identify policy implications. Findings This specific aspect of the QA/QI challenge is a solvable problem, and a solution is proposed with the potential to improve learning in the USA and other countries. Originality/value Institutional personnel struggle with the conflicts often not realizing the source of their struggle. In this viewpoint, a new rubric format is suggested with the hope of initiating policy change discussions.

Teaching students out of harm’s way

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 290-302
Author(s):  
Esther Charlotte Moon
Keyword(s):  
Technology Integration ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Digital Citizenship ◽  
Digital Environment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Instructional Content ◽  
Device Integration ◽  
The Usa ◽  
K 12 ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how changes in K-12 educational delivery methods in the USA impacts students as 1:1 device programs become a required tool for learning. This change produces gaps in knowledge and understanding of the digital environment and exposes minors to risk. Mandatory technology integration by school districts places the ethical responsibility on school districts to prepare students to use the digital environment to mitigate risk. Design/methodology/approach The author’s literature review focused on the impact of personal device integration in education on students. The author surveyed teachers in the district on what they perceived as risk to students accessing the digital environment and what they believe creates value in digital citizenship instructional content. The author also gathered information while serving on the school district technology steering committee and digital citizenship working group. Findings Mandatory 1:1 device programs used for learning provide unlimited access to the digital environment. This technology integration creates digital knowledge gaps in understanding among students and exposes them to risk or dangers such as loss of privacy, psychological harms and engaging in or being a victim of illegal online activities. School districts are responsible for providing a remedy to close this gap and mitigate risk by developing learning content resources for teachers. Social implications As 1:1 device programs continue to grow in school districts in the USA, it is essential for students to learn to apply protocols and understand norms of the digital world. Providing a digital citizenship curriculum in a format such as a Google Site will offer educators access to instructional content that teaches students to apply protocols, understand norms of the internet and social media and foster critical thinking to analyze power structures, biases and recognize manipulation online. Student must learn how to apply rules that challenge assumptions behind the digital content they see, and they must be able to identify and resolve digital practices and behaviors that are problematic, so they are prepared to participate in a digital society. Originality/value This perspective may be relevant to school districts contemplating personal device integration, providing insight into how 1:1 device use impacts students and develops an ethical position for creating digital citizenship resources for teachers.

scholarly journals Initial response to COVID-19: a mixed-methods analysis of media and school communications to identify pedagogical implications for remote teaching

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Eutsler ◽  
Pavlo D. Antonenko ◽  
Chrystine Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
School District ◽  
News Media ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Initial Response ◽  
Educational Organizations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
K 12 ◽  
National Emergency

Purpose Immediately following the declaration of the national emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA, the purpose of this study was to examine one month of social media, news media, school district websites’ continuity plans and educational affiliate organizations, to unveil K-12 stakeholders’ initial response to K-12 remote teaching. Design/methodology/approach Framed by connectivism theory, the authors used a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design to conduct a systematic content analysis of 43,870 tweets, news media, school district websites’ continuity plans and educational affiliate organizations. Findings Initial responses focused on community lockdown procedures, sustaining education, adapting to a remote lifestyle and political tension. The authors revisited included tweets one week later to measure their connectedness, which revealed that educational organizations, which have the largest number of followers, also have the greatest outreach and visibility. Practical implications Based on the collective decision-making of education stakeholders, the authors provide three remote teaching recommendations and pedagogical implications for sustainable remote teaching practices. Originality/value The authors construct a blueprint from some of the largest school districts, and consequently the COVID-19 hotspots, to broadly examine emergency preparedness and remote instruction plans.

A protocol for the estimate of the social rate of time preference: the case studies of Italy and the USA

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 527-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Nesticò ◽  
Gabriella Maselli
Keyword(s):  
Time Preference ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Public Project ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Evaluation Protocol ◽  
Allocation Process ◽  
Social Rate ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Usa

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to characterize an evaluation protocol of the social discount rate (SDR). This is based on the social rate of time preference (SRTP) principles, according to which the investment selection process must tend to maximize the utility of the community.Design/methodology/approachThe theoretical reference of the evaluation protocol is represented by the Ramsey formula. It is widely used in many countries with advanced economics for the SRTP estimation, through the maximization of the Social Welfare Function (SWF).FindingsThe protocol structure and the protocol applications to the Italian and US economies explain how the SDR value is influenced by the socio-economic structure of the single nation.Research limitations/implicationsThe strong variability of the results of the SDR according to the theoretical approach of reference and the operating path that follows can lead to judgments decidedly divergent on the acceptability of the public project, hence, the important policy implications for the entire allocation process of public resources.Practical implicationsThe applications allow to highlight the important operational problems that must be resolved with regard to the choice of the time intervals of the evaluations, as well as logical-operational tools to be used to express estimates of parameters.Social implicationsThey are relevant in relation to the effects of a more equitable allocation of the resources.Originality/valueThe protocol for the SDR estimation is based both on solid disciplinary principles and on objective data of non-complex availability and representative of the economic and socio-demographic context of the country in which the decision-making process is implemented.

Educators’ experiences as K-12 students and efficacy for teaching in diverse schools

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua DeSantis ◽  
Cherish Christopher
Keyword(s):  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
Racial Diversity ◽  
School Experiences ◽  
Racially Diverse ◽  
Design Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Diverse Classrooms ◽  
The Usa ◽  
K 12

Purpose Significant differences exist in the racial composition of America’s student and teacher populations. This reality is compounded by the racial re-segregation patterns affecting many schools and systems in the USA. These trends make it increasingly less likely that educators encounter racial diversity during their experiences as K-12 students and more likely that they encounter racial diversity as educators. This paper aims to present the results of a study designed to explore the consequences of this reality on those educators’ abilities to successfully reach their students? Design/methodology/approach The present study used a quantitative exploratory design. Data were analyzed to determine if educators’ experiences as K-12 students affected their present self-efficacy for teaching in diverse classrooms, their self-efficacy for using culturally responsive techniques, and their confidence in the merits of deploying these approaches in classrooms. Findings Data from the present study suggest that educators whose school experiences included significant interactions in racially diverse settings are significantly more likely to possess a higher level of self-efficacy than those who do not. Originality/value This study illuminates an unexplored consequence of school resegregation and lends support for efforts to diversify the teaching force and resist school resegregation.

Accreditation and quality assurance in the Egyptian higher education system

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahel Schomaker
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Transformation Process ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Accreditation System ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Peer Reviewers

Purpose – This study aims to analyze the quality of the Egyptian accreditation system. With a view on the high competition in the domestic labor market as well as with regards to the international competitiveness of Egyptian graduates and the potential role of Egyptian universities in the international market for higher education, a high quality of study programmes and the provision of skills which meet the employers’ needs is a pressing issue for policymakers in Egypt, in particular in the light of the recent and ongoing transformation process. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a triangulation of document analysis and semi-structured interviews, the authors analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the system of accreditation as well as current measures to improve quality in higher education and provide policy implications for further action undertaken by Egyptian policymakers to improve the accreditation system. Findings – First, the authors provide a sound overview of the newly established accreditation system in Egypt and analyze the role of the National Authority of Educational Quality Assurance and Accreditation within this process. Second, the paper addresses the structural shortcomings as well as implementation problems of the current accreditation system which limit the capacity of the national accreditation agency to provide accreditation for all institutions of higher education in Egypt and to ensure the overall quality of higher education. The role of peer reviewers is of pivotal importance in this context. A specific problem which has not been analyzed so far is the role of religious institutions, the so-called Al-Azhar institutions, in the accreditation process, and the consequences this will have for further developments in accreditation. Practical implications – The paper concludes with providing policy implications at the backdrop of the ongoing political transformation process in Egypt. Originality/value – The paper provides the first comprehensive analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the Egyptian accreditation system and contributes to the understanding of the pivotal role of peer reviewers in this process. Also, for the first time, the challenges regarding accreditation of Al-Azhar institutions are targeted.

Information sources used by local police to estimate the scope and nature of sex trafficking

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 976-991
Author(s):  
Hyunjung Cheon ◽  
Charles M. Katz ◽  
Vincent J. Webb
Keyword(s):  
Sex Trafficking ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Special Unit ◽  
Local Police ◽  
Police Agencies ◽  
The Usa

Purpose Although trafficking of persons for commercial sex has been increasingly recognized as a community level problem most estimates of the prevalence of sex trafficking in the USA are made by federal entities and vary depending on the data sources used. Little is known about how local police agencies assess and understand sex trafficking in their own communities. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach To help fill this gap, the current study using survey data from a sample of local police agencies across the USA (n=72) examines law enforcement agencies’ knowledge of and experience with addressing local sex trafficking problems in their jurisdiction. Findings The majority of police agencies reported that sex trafficking is a problem in their jurisdictions and that they have a special unit that has a primary responsibility for addressing sex trafficking issues. Agencies with a special unit tend to use multiple sources of information including official record, intelligence data and personal experience to estimate the community’s trafficking problems when compared to agencies without a unit; however, most of agencies primarily depend on their professional experience. Originality/value This is the first study to examine the data sources used by local police agencies to estimate the scope and nature of their community’s sex trafficking problem, and the findings have important policy implications for understanding the reliability and validity of these estimates, and for their potential use to develop and implement data driven responses to sex trafficking problems.

District stressors and teacher evaluation ratings

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Winchell Lenhoff ◽  
Ben Pogodzinski ◽  
David Mayrowetz ◽  
Benjamin Michael Superfine ◽  
Regina R. Umpstead
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Evaluation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Personnel Decisions ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Fund Balances ◽  
Evaluation Policies ◽  
Qualitative Index ◽  
K 12 ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Federal and state policymakers in the USA have sought to better differentiate the performance of K-12 teachers by enacting more rigorous evaluation policies. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether these policies are working as intended and explore whether district stressors such as funding, enrollment, and governance are associated with outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The authors examined teacher evaluation ratings from 687 districts in Michigan to identify the relationship between district stressors and two outcomes of interest to policymakers: frequency of high ratings and variation of ratings within districts. A qualitative index of variation was used to measure variation of the categorical rating variable. Findings About 97 percent of teachers in Michigan are rated effective or highly effective, and variation measures indicate overwhelming use of only two ratings. Charter school districts have fewer teachers rated highly than traditional districts, and districts with higher fund balances have more teachers rated highly. Districts with increasing fund balances have higher variation. Practical implications The findings suggest that district stressors presumably unrelated to teacher performance may influence teacher evaluation ratings. State teacher evaluation reforms that give districts considerable discretion in designing their teacher evaluation models may not be sufficient for differentiating the performance of teachers. Originality/value This research is important as policymakers refine state systems of support for teacher evaluation and provides new evidence that current enactment of teacher evaluation reform may be limiting the value of evaluation ratings for use in personnel decisions.

Effective school leadership and New York City’s immigrant and migrant children: a study

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 622-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terri Nicol Watson
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Educational Leaders ◽  
Migrant Children ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
K 12

Purpose This paper provides insight into the effective education of immigrant and migrant children: many of whom are classified in New York City’s public schools as English language learners. It also highlights the ways in which New York City prepares school leaders and the policies that govern their actions. Design/methodology/approach Literature review. Findings The practices of New York City’s school leaders are governed by the Chancellor’s Regulations. These comprehensive mandates consist of four components and address issues related to students in grades K-12, school-based budgets, personnel matters, and parent and community engagement. In relation to students, including those classified as immigrant, migrant, and English language learners the Chancellor’s Regulation A-101 makes it clear: children may not be refused admission to a public school because of race, color, creed, national origin, gender, gender identity, pregnancy, immigration/citizenship status, disability, sexual orientation, religion, or ethnicity. Research limitations/implications Implications for future research: How can school leaders (and educational activists) continue to support and advocate for immigrant and migrant children under the presidency of Donald J. Trump. Practical implications Knowledge gleaned from this study may be of use to schools, districts, and educational leaders in the USA and abroad faced with similar demographic trends. Social implications This manuscript examined the ways in which The City University of New York prepares school leaders, the required State exams for school leaders, and the educational policies that govern the practices of New York City’s school leaders that are germane to English language learners. Originality/value This review of the literature may study may be of use to schools, districts, and educational leaders in the USA and abroad.

Using activity theory to understand the role of the coach in K–12 curriculum redevelopment

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecile H. Sam ◽  
Anne E. Caliendo
Keyword(s):  
Sample Size ◽  
Activity Theory ◽  
School Context ◽  
Social Activity ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Curriculum Policy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
K 12

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine school-embedded instructional coaching as a social activity situated within a new initiative. The coaches were in their first year of implementing new standards and curriculum policy in a large urban school district in the USA. Design/methodology/approach Using activity theory as a conceptual framework, this study was a qualitative inquiry into the experiences of 20 school-embedded coaches. Data were drawn from multiple interviews over the course of a year, with a total of 49 interviews and an end-of-year questionnaire from all participants. Findings The study found that within the initial year, coaches had to negotiate a variety of relationships that included the overall school context, teachers, principals and their own responsibilities. While negotiating these relationships, coaches utilized a variety of strategies to accomplish their goals. Research limitations/implications All data are self-reported, and there is a limited sample size (n=20). While the sample size may limit generalizability, all coaches in the initiative were participants in the study. By including all coaches, this study had a more complete picture of coaching during its initial year. Practical implications This study offers some suggestions that help inform the professional development of coaches. Originality/value The present study expands upon the literature by exploring the broader relationships of coaching to other stakeholders. Rather than focusing specifically on the approaches or styles of coaching, this paper focuses on the work of coaches as a social endeavor. It resituates the role of coaches within their context and reframes our understanding of the nature of coach work.

Policing in a pandemic: how law enforcement communicates with the public

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley K. Farmer ◽  
Allen Copenhaver
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The Usa

PurposeThis study, a content analysis, aims to analyze general communications from law enforcement via agency websites about the COVID-19 pandemic and how this affected police roles. The authors study the extent to which police departments used their websites to inform the public about COVID-19, changes to their policies and additional information they felt necessary to give members of the public. This is important for understanding how the police inform the public during a pandemic and how the pandemic affected their police role.Design/methodology/approachThe data gathered for this project came from a content analysis of the official websites of the largest municipal police departments in the USA. The researchers collected quantitative data from the official websites of law enforcement agencies who serve the 200 largest cities in the USA in March 2020 and coded the information from the websites to determine what themes were most prevalent.FindingsThe messages most often provided on department websites included information about COVID-19 (52% of websites included this information), modifications to services (33%) and informing users that services such as fingerprinting would be altered (42%). Websites also reminded the public of restrictions on public gatherings (25%) and stay-at-home orders (38%). Further logistic regression analyses explored significant associations among these variables to understand how police/public communications influenced the role of law enforcement during the pandemic.Originality/valueLittle is known about how law enforcement communicates online with the public during a global pandemic like COVID-19 or how this might affect the police role. Police departments can use their websites to communicate important information to citizens and keep communities updated. Policy implications suggest that agencies continue to update websites with important information and be direct about expectations from the public regarding compliance while also being transparent about how police roles might change.

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