An Organizational Perspective on the Origins of Instructional Segregation: School Composition and Use of Within-Class Ability Grouping in American Kindergartens

2010 ◽  
Vol 112 (5) ◽  
pp. 1300-1337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Buttaro ◽  
Sophia Catsambis ◽  
Lynn Mulkey ◽  
Lala Carr Steelman
Keyword(s):  
Reading Instruction ◽  
Minority Students ◽  
Ability Grouping ◽  
Instructional Practice ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Ethnic Composition ◽  
Homogeneous Grouping ◽  
Student Body ◽  
School Year ◽  
Grouping Practices

Background This investigation was sparked by research findings on secondary education showing school segregation to be closely associated with homogeneous grouping practices, such as tracking and between-class ability grouping. Research Design We conduct secondary analyses of national data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K). Objectives Using these data, we investigate the degree to which the racial and ethnic composition of schools is associated with use of ability grouping practices as early as kindergarten. We focus on within-class ability grouping for reading instruction because it is the most common form of homogeneous grouping for the early grades. Results and Conclusions We find that this form of grouping is practiced by a majority of kindergarten teachers and schools, although frequency of use is quite varied, and some teachers and schools use it only sporadically. The most intensive use of within-class ability grouping exists in schools that serve high proportions of minority students and in schools with high variability in students’ reading readiness. The association between student body composition and use of this instructional practice remains even after variability in student academic skills and other structural characteristics of schools are accounted for. Schools serving primarily minority students that use within-class ability grouping have higher average gains in reading achievement by the end of the school year than comparable schools that do not use this form of grouping. Use of this instructional practice is not associated with increases in average achievement gain scores for schools serving students of diverse or primarily White backgrounds. Our findings provide the foundation for further studies of the structural, cultural, and political features of schools associated with the use of ability grouping at the onset of schooling.

scholarly journals Evidence for complementary effects of code- and knowledge-focused reading instruction

2021 ◽  
pp. 026565902110142
Author(s):  
Meghan Vollebregt ◽  
Jana Leggett ◽  
Sherry Raffalovitch ◽  
Colin King ◽  
Deanna Friesen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Word Recognition ◽  
Reading Instruction ◽  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
Nonsense Word ◽  
Dialogic Reading ◽  
Written Expression ◽  
Word Decoding ◽  
School Year ◽  
One Year

There is growing recognition of the need to end the debate regarding reading instruction in favor of an approach that provides a solid foundation in phonics and other underlying language skills to become expert readers. We advance this agenda by providing evidence of specific effects of instruction focused primarily on the written code or on developing knowledge. In a grade 1 program evaluation study, an inclusive and comprehensive program with a greater code-based focus called Reading for All (RfA) was compared to a knowledge-focused program involving Dialogic Reading. Phonological awareness, letter word recognition, nonsense word decoding, listening comprehension, reading comprehension, written expression and vocabulary were measured at the beginning and end of the school year, and one year after in one school only. Results revealed improvements in all measures except listening comprehension and vocabulary for the RfA program at the end of the first school year. These gains were maintained for all measures one year later with the exception of an improvement in written expression. The Dialogic Reading group was associated with a specific improvement in vocabulary in schools from lower socioeconomic contexts. Higher scores were observed for RfA than Dialogic Reading groups at the end of the first year on nonsense word decoding, phonological awareness and written expression, with the differences in the latter two remaining significant one year later. The results provide evidence of the need for interventions to support both word recognition and linguistic comprehension to better reading comprehension.

Broken Promises: Reading Instruction in the Resource Room

1998 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Vaughn ◽  
Sally Watson Moody ◽  
Jeanne Shay Schumm
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Reading Instruction ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Resource Room ◽  
School Year ◽  
Grade Levels ◽  
Reading Abilities ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
In The Beginning

Reading instruction and grouping practices provided for students with learning disabilities (LD) by special education teachers in the resource room were examined. Fourteen special education teachers representing 13 schools were observed three times over the course of 1 year and interviewed in the beginning and end of the school year. Results indicated that teachers primarily provided whole group reading instruction to relatively large groups of students (5 to 19), and little differentiated instruction or materials were provided despite the wide range (3 to 5 grade levels) of reading abilities represented. Most teachers identified whole language as their primary approach to reading, and little instruction that addressed word recognition or comprehension was observed.

Minority Recruitment and Retention Among Gifted Students

2017 ◽  
pp. 26-41
Author(s):  
Chandra A. Stallworth ◽  
Ken D. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Minority Students ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Underrepresented Minorities ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Academic Goals ◽  
National Goal ◽  
Honors College ◽  
Underrepresented Minority Students ◽  
School Year

Consistent with the national goal implemented by our current government, Auburn University is also working to recruit and retain underrepresented minorities in higher education. The rationale for this is simple, that is to allow a greater advantage when competing against others. One of the ways to foster this competition is by nurturing our gifted underrepresented minority students. In the 2010-2011 school year, the Honors College, which serves as a gateway for underrepresented minority students, developed a distinct focus on helping our students reach and their educational/academic goals. Within this paper we will go over some of the steps we have begun to take to reach our goal, in addition to future plans we have to continue these efforts.

Humane Education

2017 ◽  
pp. 88-105
Author(s):  
Cassandra M. Kenski ◽  
Jaclyn N. Falcone
Keyword(s):  
School Environment ◽  
Character Traits ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Palm Beach County ◽  
Behavior Support ◽  
Student Body ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Humane Education ◽  
School Year ◽  
Animal Rescue

The relationship between human and canine has long been a topic of interest, studied by many. It can be argued that the effect of a canine on their human is one of life's greatest and most impactful. Humane education recognizes this relationship and those of other animals in humans' lives. Humane education provides students with the background information necessary to properly treat animals, while simultaneously instilling a multitude of desired character traits that young people carry far into adult hood. During the 2014 and 2015 school year, an elementary school in The School District of Palm Beach County, Florida began implementing humane education in the classroom, as part of their environmental Green and School-wide Positive Behavior Support initiatives. Humane education curriculum implementation included visits from local author and President of The Little Blue Dog, a non-profit organization with humane treatment of animals at its core. A field trip to a Peggy Adams, a local, no-kill animal rescue was also provided for students in Grades 3rd and 4th, where students toured the facility and wrote haiku poetry about the pets that were up for adoption. Classrooms in Grades Pre-K through 5th were consistently exposed to topics and content pertaining to the proper care and treatment of animals, including critical character traits such as respect, empathy, responsibility, and kindness. As a result of the implementation of the humane education integration, the elementary school's student body further developed a culture in which the fore mentioned character traits (among others) were admired and adopted, creating a school environment in which respect and kindness were the expectation, and responsibility, a necessary must.

scholarly journals Early Detection of Dyslexia Risk: Development of Brief, Teacher-Administered Screens

2020 ◽  
pp. 073194872093187
Author(s):  
Jack M. Fletcher ◽  
David J. Francis ◽  
Barbara R. Foorman ◽  
Christopher Schatschneider
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Reading Instruction ◽  
Statistical Decision Theory ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Reading Problems ◽  
Early Screening ◽  
Statistical Decision ◽  
School Year ◽  
Screening Assessment ◽  
Typical Range

Many states now mandate early screening for dyslexia, but vary in how they address these mandates. There is confusion about the nature of screening versus diagnostic assessments, risk versus diagnosis, concurrent versus predictive validity, and inattention to indices of classification accuracy as the basis for determining risk. To help define what constitutes a screening assessment, we summarize efforts to develop short (3–5 min), teacher-administered screens that used multivariate strategies for variable selection, item response theory to select items that are most discriminating at a threshold for predicting risk, and statistical decision theory. These methods optimize prediction and lower the burden on teachers by reducing the number of items needed to evaluate risk. A specific goal of these efforts was to minimize decision errors that would result in the failure to identify a child as at risk of dyslexia/reading problems (false negatives) despite the inevitable increase in identifications of children who eventually perform in the typical range (false positives). Five screens, developed for different periods during kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2, predicted outcomes measured later in the same school year (Grade 2) or in the subsequent year (Grade 1). The results of this approach to development are applicable to other screening methods, especially those that attempt to predict those children at risk of dyslexia prior to the onset of reading instruction. Without reliable and valid early predictive screening measures that reduce the burden on teachers, early intervention and prevention of dyslexia and related reading problems will be difficult.

A survey of arithmetic intraclass grouping practices

1966 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 310-314
Author(s):  
Emery Brewer
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Reading Instruction ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Grouping Practices ◽  
Arithmetic Instruction

Intraclass grouping for reading instruction in the elementary school is common practice.1 Individual pupil differences in arithmetic learning ability are in all probability as great as such differences in ability to learn to read. So a question arises about the extent of intraclass grouping for arithmetic instruction. If such grouping is not common practice, what are the reasons?

Traveling with Science

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Cureton ◽  
Mel E. Nichols ◽  
Cassandra Weathersbee
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Science Curriculum ◽  
Earth Science ◽  
Student Body ◽  
School Year ◽  
The Earth ◽  
School Day ◽  
Treatment Facilities ◽  
Academic School ◽  
Science Educators

<p>Incorporating travel into academic curriculum provides a significantly greater depth of understanding and interest in content material. Academically, the students are engaged, experiencing enrichment at a hands-on level and participating in open discussion with experts in the designated field. Travel within academic curricula is a proven method to help students bridge the gap between textbook and retention. Additionally, content based travel is one method of reaching the reluctant learner. </p><p>A group of Earth Science educators (Cureton, M. Nichols, Weathersbee) at Patriot High School have collaboratively developed a travel-based, cumulative portfolio project for Earth Science students. The students are provided with multiple travel opportunities throughout the academic year to cater to specific curricula interests. Examples of trips include local museums, hikes, planetariums, caverns, and water treatment facilities. Students are required to select two of up-to ten travel opportunities (but can attend as many as they desire) and are provided content-based experiences that align specifically with the Earth Science curriculum. The required field-trips are provided outside of normal school hours to avoid absences from other classes during the school day. Multiple trip opportunities are provided to the students for less scheduling conflicts. </p><p>While traveling, students are provided with guided, thought-provoking questions in the form of an activity. These activities are used to stimulate the thought process and guide the student-learner toward desired information while on travel. The activity and a written reflection are required as the final portfolio submission. The students are able to reflect and relate the specific travel opportunity to a branch of Earth Science, discuss advancements made in the field of study and connect the trip to one of Patriot High Schools seven leadership pillars. The Earth Science Portfolio is a capstone project that is cumulative throughout the academic school year. The students are given in-class opportunities to conduct scientific research and are guided on proper scientific writing techniques while completing the assignment.  </p><p>These on-going travel opportunities have provided not only a method for students to experience science first-hand but also motivated students toward specific career paths and interests. This Earth Science Portfolio has been modeled at the county level and has generated excitement throughout the student-body at Patriot High School.</p>

Teachers and Teaching: Basic Writing: Moving the Voices on the Margin to the Center

1990 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 489-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Herrington ◽  
Marcia Curtis
Keyword(s):  
Minority Students ◽  
Basic Writing ◽  
Student Body ◽  
Reading List ◽  
Writing Course ◽  
The University

Reacting to what many considered a racially motivated conflict on the UMass/Amherst campus in 1986, Anne J. Herrington and Marcia Curtis felt compelled to reconstruct their Basic Writing course to give voice to minority students usually kept on the fringes — "marginalized" — academically and socially within the university. They aimed to create a curriculum that reflected an accurate image of the university's students, to affirm the diversity of the student body rather than deny it. They changed their reading list to include predominantly non-White authors and encouraged students to engage in a dialogue with those authors while reflecting in writing on their own experience of marginalization. By raising students' consciousness and by encouraging students to speak out through their writings, Herrington and Curtis contributed to the acceptance and respect their students demanded — to validate the voices on the margin — as they accomplished their academic aims for the course.

A Study of the NASPA Journal (1967-1996): A 30-Year Reflection of Scholarship in Student Affairs Focusing on Race and Ethnicity

NASPA Journal ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
James H. Banning ◽  
Linda M. Ahuna ◽  
Blanche M. Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Student Affairs ◽  
Minority Students ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
Ethnically Diverse ◽  
Student Body ◽  
Racial Minority Students ◽  
Diverse Student Body ◽  
Diverse Student ◽  
Comprehensive Picture

The purpose of this study is to present a comprehensive picture of the student affairs scholarship published in the NASPA Journal from 1967 to 1996 that focused on racial and ethnic topics. A thematic analysis suggested the published articles moved from themes of “concern and assessment” to themes of ethnic and racial minority students as multi-dimensional rather than a population in need of “adjustment,” and “campus environmental change” as a way to support a more racially and ethnically diverse student body. While the scholarship addressed racial and ethnic topics, the writings most often focused on concerns related to the Black student. Few articles related to Native American, Hispanic or Latino, and Asian groups. Encouragement by all levels of the profession, including associations, training programs, and journals for additional scholarship in these underrepresented areas is recommended, including using the historical strategy of the “special issues” format.

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