Making the Most of School Vacation: A Field Experiment of Small Group Math Instruction

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 310-331
Author(s):  
Beth E. Schueler
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiment ◽  
English Language ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Primary Teacher ◽  
Math Instruction ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
School Suspensions ◽  
Out Of School

Catching students up who have fallen behind academically is a key challenge for educators, and can be difficult to do in a cost-effective manner. This field experiment examines the causal effect of a program designed to provide struggling sixth and seventh graders with math instruction delivered in small groups of roughly ten students by select teachers over weeklong vacation breaks. The program was implemented in a set of low-performing Massachusetts middle schools undergoing turnaround reforms. Attendance at these “Vacation Academies” increased the probability that students scored proficient or higher on Common Core–aligned math exams by 10 percentage points and reduced students’ exposure to exclusionary discipline by decreasing out-of-school suspensions post-Academy. I find suggestive evidence of positive spillover effects on English Language Arts achievement and end-of-course grades in math and reading. Participants assigned to a single primary teacher for the entire week saw larger reductions in out-of-school suspensions than did students who rotated through teachers specializing in particular lessons. However, teacher specialization was associated with greater test score gains, suggesting a trade-off in outcomes depending on program design. Overall, the program's low cost and lack of a highly competitive teacher selection process make it a scalable approach to individualizing instruction.

Information Spillovers: Another Look at Experimental Estimates of Legislator Responsiveness

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Coppock
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiment ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Quarterly Journal ◽  
Analytic Framework ◽  
Information Spillovers ◽  
Experimental Intervention ◽  
Indirect Treatment ◽  
Voting Decisions ◽  
Share Information

AbstractA field experiment carried out by Butler and Nickerson (Butler, D. M., and Nickerson, D. W. (2011). Can learning constituency opinion affect how legislators vote? Results from a field experiment. Quarterly Journal of Political Science 6, 55–83) shows that New Mexico legislators changed their voting decisions upon receiving reports of their constituents’ preferences. The analysis of the experiment did not account for the possibility that legislators may share information, potentially resulting in spillover effects. Working within the analytic framework proposed by Bowers et al. (2013), I find evidence of spillovers, and present estimates of direct and indirect treatment effects. The total causal effect of the experimental intervention appears to be twice as large as reported originally.

scholarly journals Yes, You Can! Effects of Transparent Admission Standards on High School Track Choice: A Randomized Field Experiment

Social Forces ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamás Keller ◽  
Károly Takács ◽  
Felix Elwert
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Field Experiment ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Spillover Effect ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Central Position ◽  
Randomized Field Experiment ◽  
Academic Track ◽  
Admission Standards

Abstract High school track choice determines college access in many countries. We hypothesize that some qualified students avoid the college-bound track in high school simply because they overestimate admission requirements. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a randomized field experiment that communicated the admission standards of local secondary schools on the academic track to students in Hungary before the application deadline. We targeted the subset of students (“seeds”) who occupied the most central position in the classroom-social networks, aiming to detect both direct effects on the track choice of targeted seeds and spillover effects on their untreated peers. We found neither a direct effect nor a spillover effect on students’ applications or admissions on average. Further analyses, however, revealed theoretically plausible heterogeneity in the direct causal effect of the intervention on the track choice of targeted seeds. Providing information about admission standards increased applications and admissions to secondary schools on the academic track among seeds who had a pre-existing interest in the academic track but were unsure of their chances of admission. This demonstrates that publicizing admissions standards can set students on a more ambitious educational trajectory. We discuss the implications for theory and policy.

Sibling Rivalry: Evidence from China’s Compulsory Schooling Reform

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guanfu Fang ◽  
Yu Chen
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Compulsory Education ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Resource Reallocation ◽  
Compulsory Schooling ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
Geographical Variations ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Older Siblings

AbstractThis study investigates the causal effect of older siblings’ schooling on their younger siblings’ schooling and labor market outcomes by exploiting the temporal and geographical variations in the implementation of compulsory schooling laws in China. Reform exposure is quantified as the number of years that an individual is eligible for compulsory education. We find that older siblings’ exposure to compulsory schooling reform had negative impacts on their younger siblings’ academic achievement and labor market performance. We provide some suggestive evidence for the mechanism of resource reallocation within households. These findings suggest that we may be overestimating the social benefits of compulsory schooling reforms by ignoring the resources constraints within households and the spillover effects on siblings.

Black Students in Handcuffs: Addressing Racial Disproportionality in School Discipline for Students with Dis/abilities

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (13) ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Dorothy E. Hines ◽  
Robb King ◽  
Donna Y. Ford
Keyword(s):  
Civil Rights ◽  
Black Students ◽  
Black Males ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Black Girls ◽  
Black Boys ◽  
School Suspension ◽  
Black Females ◽  
School Suspensions ◽  
Out Of School

Although there are federal protections for students with dis/abilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 1975, Black students with and without dis/abilities continue to be suspended and expelled at rates that exceed their peers. Still, there is limited research on how Black girls and Black boys are disciplined across suspension types, and based on their identification for special education services. The purpose of this article is to examine the overrepresentation of Black girls and Black boys with and without dis/abilities and to determine, using a quantifiable percentage, how the overrepresentation of Black students for in-school and out-of-school suspension can be eradicated. We use data from the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Civil Rights Data Collection 2011–2012 to examine equity (justice and fairness) in disciplinary referrals using state-by-state and regional data. Using an equity formula, we analyzed national data to determine the magnitude of Black females’ and Black males’ overrepresentation in in-school and out-of-school suspensions for students with and without dis/abilities. This study indicates that Black females with dis/abilities had the highest rate of overrepresentation in the Midwest in in-school and out-of-school suspension. In comparison, Black males experienced a greater representation in in-school suspension. Regardless of geographic area Black girls and Black boys are continuously being overrepresented in disciplinary punishments. To end the over-representation of Black girls and Black boys in in-school and out-of-school suspensions, schools and policy makers must collaborate with communities of color, eliminate teacher implicit and explicit racial biases, and discontinue racially punitive school policies.

Racialized Perceptions of School Violence Suspensions of African-American Students

2019 ◽  
pp. 208-226
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Herron ◽  
Morghan Vélez Young-Alfaro
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
School Violence ◽  
Racial Discrimination ◽  
African American Students ◽  
School Suspensions ◽  
American Students ◽  
Learning School ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Perceptions Of School ◽  
Out Of School

The history and current practices of out-of-school suspensions significantly impact African-American students; research shows the practices to be overly used and target African-American students. This chapter explores the ways that school violence is responded to disproportionally and is entangled with racial mythology. That is, racial discrimination shows up in structural and interpersonal ways such as suspending and expelling students of Color for the same infractions for which White peers get to return to class such as kicking a trashcan, defiance, and truancies. The chapter closes with recommendations for educators and policymakers, focusing on ways to mitigate the impact of out-of-school suspension practices and racial discrimination in order to improve the future of learning, school discipline, and outcomes of African-American students.

Racialized Perceptions of School Violence Suspensions of African-American Students

2021 ◽  
pp. 1284-1302
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Herron ◽  
Morghan Vélez Young-Alfaro
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
School Violence ◽  
Racial Discrimination ◽  
African American Students ◽  
School Suspensions ◽  
American Students ◽  
Learning School ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Perceptions Of School ◽  
Out Of School

The history and current practices of out-of-school suspensions significantly impact African-American students; research shows the practices to be overly used and target African-American students. This chapter explores the ways that school violence is responded to disproportionally and is entangled with racial mythology. That is, racial discrimination shows up in structural and interpersonal ways such as suspending and expelling students of Color for the same infractions for which White peers get to return to class such as kicking a trashcan, defiance, and truancies. The chapter closes with recommendations for educators and policymakers, focusing on ways to mitigate the impact of out-of-school suspension practices and racial discrimination in order to improve the future of learning, school discipline, and outcomes of African-American students.

The role of race in the Out-of-school suspensions of black students: The perspectives of students with suspensions, their parents and educators

2014 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 274-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priscilla A. Gibson ◽  
Robert Wilson ◽  
Wendy Haight ◽  
Misa Kayama ◽  
Jane M. Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Black Students ◽  
School Suspensions ◽  
Out Of School

scholarly journals Evaluation and Management of Syncope

2008 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. CCRPM.S490
Author(s):  
Paveljit S. Bindra ◽  
Francis E. Marchlinski ◽  
David Lin
Keyword(s):  
Heart Disease ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
English Language ◽  
Evidence Synthesis ◽  
Fatal Outcome ◽  
Heart Association ◽  
Structural Heart Disease ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Methodical Approach ◽  
Effective Manner

Context Syncope is a commonly encountered by primary care physicians and cardiologists. Etiology is frequently not apparent, and patients may undergo unnecessary tests. Treatment must be tailored to the likely etiology. Complexities of diagnosis and treatment often warrant referral to a specialist. Objective To highlight the evolving recommendations for managing syncope in a clinically and cost effective manner. Evidence Acquisition An electronic literature search was undertaken of the Medline database from January 1996 to April 2006, using the Medical Subject Heading syncope, defibrillators, pacemakers, echocardiogram, cardiomyopathy, long QT syndrome, Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, and Brugada syndrome. Abstracts and titles were reviewed to identify English-language trials. Bibliographies from the references as well as scientific statements from the Heart Rhythm Society, American Heart Association, and American College of Cardiology were reviewed. Evidence Synthesis A methodical approach to syncope can improve diagnosis, limit testing, and identify patients at risk of fatal outcome. A thorough history, physical exam and electrocardiogram are critical to the initial diagnosis. Presence of heart disease determines the extent of work-up and treatment. A trans-thoracic echocardiogram should be performed in patients with an unclear diagnosis and a positive cardiac history or an abnormal ECG. Ventricular arrhythmias are the most common cause of syncope in patients with structural heart disease. Patients with an ejection fraction less than 30 percent should receive an implantable defibrillator with few exceptions. An electrophysiology study may assist risk stratification in syncopal patients with borderline ventricular function. In patients without structural heart disease, the presence of a well defined arrhythmia syndrome consistent with a genetically determined risk of sudden death must be sought. The 12-lead electrocardiogram, family history and clinical presentation will identify most high-risk patients. Patients without structural heart disease can often be managed conservatively with well defined strategies for preventing neurocardiogenic syncope. Conclusions Managing syncope requires a methodical approach. An understanding of the limitations of the diagnostic tools and treatments is important. Lethal causes of syncope make it imperative to recognize the appropriate timing of referring patients to specialists.

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