Examining individual- and school-level predictors of principal adaptation to teacher evaluation reform in the United States: A two-year perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 379-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyson L Lavigne
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Teacher Evaluation ◽  
Evaluation System ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
The United States ◽  
New Teacher ◽  
School Level ◽  
Achievement Data ◽  
New Teacher Evaluation ◽  
Over Time

New teacher evaluation reform efforts in the United States hold principals accountable for improving teaching and learning. Yet little is known about how effective principals are at these instructional leadership tasks or how principals experience and adapt to the demands of teacher evaluation reform over time. In the current study, principals ( n = 78) in a Race to the Top state—Illinois—completed an online survey after the first and second year of implementation of a new teacher evaluation system. Principals felt significantly more confident in how to conduct formal classroom observations, placed more value on student achievement data, and placed less value on additional artifacts over time. Individual- and school-level factors were related to some aspects of principals’ adaptations over time. Implications are discussed.

Student Voice

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ron Astor ◽  
Rami Benbenishty
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Evaluation ◽  
Student Perception ◽  
The United States ◽  
New Teacher ◽  
Achievement Gains ◽  
Evaluation Systems ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Teacher Evaluation Systems ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
New Teacher Evaluation

Even those who agree with the idea of creating a monitoring system might still need to be convinced that what students have to say should be considered valuable input in the effort to improve schools, whether it pertains to raising academic performance or to safety, security, and behavior. Some argue that students are so disinterested in surveys that they answer randomly or give the first answer that comes to mind. Others are concerned that students respond deliberately in ways intended to harm staff members they do not like. Still others are not sure that students really understand the true meaning of the questions and, therefore, that their answers are not usable. Students, however, are often the best sources of providing detailed information on what is happening in schools and may even provide realistic suggestions on how adults can intervene. Looking at the ways students’ perceptions are already being used in schools can help policymakers and educators see how they can be part of improving school climate. This issue, for example, has been debated in recent years as some states and school districts have moved to include students’ opinions on their experiences in the classroom as one component of new teacher evaluation systems. For example, the Tripod survey,1 developed by Harvard University’s Ron Ferguson, asks students how much they agree with statements such as “My teacher explains diffcult things clearly” and “Our class stays busy and doesn’t waste time.” The Tripod was used as part of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Measures of Effective Teaching project and is being used in districts across the United States, in Canada, and in China. In a 2013 report, Hanover Research reviewed the literature on using student perception surveys in teacher evaluation and professional development: “Given the consistent findings of the research reviewed for this report, it is reasonable to conclude that student perception surveys can provide accurate measures of teacher effectiveness,” they write. “When the proper instrument, or survey, is utilized, student feedback can be more accurate than alternative, more widely- used instruments at predicting achievement gains.

Principals' Perspectives of a Race to the Top-Style Teacher Evaluation System

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 566-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Wieczorek ◽  
Brandon Clark ◽  
George Theoharis
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Evaluation ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Evaluation System ◽  
New Teacher ◽  
Race To The Top ◽  
School Level ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Public School Principals ◽  
Supervision And Evaluation ◽  
Policy Systems

Set in a collective bargaining state in the Northeastern U.S., this exploratory case study investigated how a sample of 12 public school principals interpreted new teacher evaluation processes required by Race to the Top (RTTT). Principals reported that the RTTT evaluation system disrupted established routines and contractual guidelines for evaluating all their teachers and held principals more accountable for supervision and evaluation processes. The embedded evaluation protocols and rubrics established clearer expectations for teachers‘ performance, and aligned state-, district-, and school-level instructional goals. However, principals believed the RTTT policy emphasis on teachers’ ratings raised concerns about their teachers' employment status, professional growth, and instructional improvement. Our findings suggest that principals may have difficulty balancing instructional supervision and evaluation processes in these types of high-stakes policy systems.

An Analysis of Fraudulent Qui Tam Actions Over Time in the United States

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen A. Fitzner ◽  
Charlie Bennett ◽  
June McKoy ◽  
Cara Tigue
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Over Time

The New Economic Populism and the Future of Inequality in the United States

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
William W. Franko ◽  
Christopher Witko
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
Labor Unions ◽  
Republican Party ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Public ◽  
Empirical Results ◽  
Income Disparities ◽  
The Face ◽  
Over Time

The authors conclude the book by recapping their arguments and empirical results, and discussing the possibilities for the “new economic populism” to promote egalitarian economic outcomes in the face of continuing gridlock and the dominance of Washington, DC’s policymaking institutions by business and the wealthy, and a conservative Republican Party. Many states are actually addressing inequality now, and these policies are working. Admittedly, many states also continue to embrace the policies that have contributed to growing inequality, such as tax cuts for the wealthy or attempting to weaken labor unions. But as the public grows more concerned about inequality, the authors argue, policies that help to address these income disparities will become more popular, and policies that exacerbate inequality will become less so. Over time, if history is a guide, more egalitarian policies will spread across the states, and ultimately to the federal government.

An Assessment of the Cues College Students Interpret From a Sexual Partner to Determine They Are Refusing

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052199793
Author(s):  
Tiffany L. Marcantonio ◽  
Danny Valdez ◽  
Kristen N. Jozkowski
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
College Students ◽  
Sexual Partner ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sexual Partners ◽  
Sexual Scripts ◽  
Nonverbal Cues ◽  
Sexual Experiences ◽  
Verbal Cues

The purpose of this study was to assess the cues college students use to determine a sexual partner is refusing vaginal-penile sex (i.e., refusal interpretations). As a secondary aim, we explored the influence of item wording ( not willing/non-consent vs refusal) on college students’ self-reported refusal interpretations. A sample of 175 college students from Canada and the United States completed an open-ended online survey where they were randomly assigned to one of two wording conditions ( not willing/non-consent vs refusal); students were then prompted to write about the cues they used to interpret their partner was refusing. An inductive coding procedure was used to analyze open-ended data. Themes included explicit and implicit verbal and nonverbal cues. The refusal condition elicited more explicit and implicit nonverbal cues than the not willing/non-consent condition. Frequency results suggested men reported interpreting more explicit and implicit verbal cues. Women reported interpreting more implicit nonverbal cues from their partner. Our findings reflect prior research and appear in line with traditional gender and sexual scripts. We recommend researchers consider using the word refusal when assessing the cues students interpret from their sexual partners as this wording choice may reflect college students’ sexual experiences more accurately.

scholarly journals Thirty-Day Laboratory-Based Surveillance for Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 423-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin C. Pereira ◽  
Kristin M. Shaw ◽  
Paula M. Snippes Vagnone ◽  
Jane E. Harper ◽  
Alexander J. Kallen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Metropolitan Area ◽  
The United States ◽  
Carbapenem Resistant ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacteriaceae

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are a growing problem in the United States. We explored the feasibility of active laboratory-based surveillance of CRE in a metropolitan area not previously considered to be an area of CRE endemicity. We provide a framework to address CRE surveillance and to monitor changes in the incidence of CRE infection over time.

scholarly journals Pesticide Usage Is Compromising People’s Health in the United States: Ideas for Reducing Damages

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 486
Author(s):  
Terence J. Centner
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Evaluation System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Proactive Approach ◽  
Registration Process ◽  
Synthetic Pesticides ◽  
Pesticide Usage ◽  
Pesticide Registration

The development of synthetic pesticides has provided new tools for addressing troublesome pests. A review of parts of the registration process for pesticides in the United States identifies an outdated evaluation system that undervalues health damages. Registration fails to adequately consider co‑formulants and effects of exposure to multiple chemicals. Frustration with failures to protect people and property from damages accompanying pesticide usage has led injured plaintiffs to resort to tort lawsuits to secure relief. However, litigation involves compensating injured persons after they are injured rather than preventing injury. A more proactive approach would be to prevent situations that injure people. This paper offers four ideas to reduce health damages accompanying pesticide usage. Slight adjustments to pesticide registration requirements can offer greater protection for people’s health.

scholarly journals Household COVID-19 risk and in-person schooling

Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. eabh2939
Author(s):  
Justin Lessler ◽  
M. Kate Grabowski ◽  
Kyra H. Grantz ◽  
Elena Badillo-Goicoechea ◽  
C. Jessica E. Metcalf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Office Work ◽  
School Based ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Extra Curricular Activities ◽  
Low Levels

In-person schooling has proved contentious and difficult to study throughout the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Data from a massive online survey in the United States indicates an increased risk of COVID-19-related outcomes among respondents living with a child attending school in-person. School-based mitigation measures are associated with significant reductions in risk, particularly daily symptoms screens, teacher masking, and closure of extra-curricular activities. A positive association between in-person schooling and COVID-19 outcomes persists at low levels of mitigation, but when seven or more mitigation measures are reported, a significant relationship is no longer observed. Among teachers, working outside the home was associated with an increase in COVID-19-related outcomes, but this association is similar to other occupations (e.g., healthcare, office work). While in-person schooling is associated with household COVID-19 risk, this risk can likely be controlled with properly implemented school-based mitigation measures.

Individual- and School-level Predictors of Latent Profiles of Bullying Victimization: Comparing South Korea and the United States

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052199795
Author(s):  
Yoonsun Han ◽  
Shinhye Lee ◽  
Eunah Cho ◽  
Juyoung Song ◽  
Jun Sung Hong
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Social Disorganization ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Level ◽  
Social Disorganization Theory ◽  
Bullying Victimization ◽  
Latent Profiles

This cross-national research investigated nationally representative adolescents from South Korea and the United States, explored similarities and differences in latent profiles of bullying victimization between countries, and examined individual- and school-level variables that predict such latent profiles supported by the Social Disorganization Theory. The fourth-grade sample of the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study from South Korea ( N = 4,669) and the United States ( N = 10,029) was used to conduct a latent profile analysis based on eight items of the bullying victimization questionnaire. Multilevel logistic regression was conducted using latent profiles as dependent variables. Independent variables include individual-level (material goods, school absence, academic interest, school belonging) and school-level (concentration of affluent families, school resources, the severity of delinquency, academic commitment) factors. More similarities existed than differences in the latent groups of bullying victimization between South Korea ( rare, low-moderate, verbal-relational-physical, and multi-risk) and the United States ( rare, low-moderate, verbal-relational, and multi-risk). Evidence for school-level variables as predictors of bullying victimization profiles was stronger for adolescents in the United States, with a concentration of affluent families and severity of delinquency being significant in four of the six models. For the South Korean sample, the severity of delinquency predicted bullying victimization in only one model. Examination of both individual- and school-level factors that predict unique bullying victimization experiences grounded in Social Disorganization Theory may be informative for addressing key areas of intervention—especially at the school-level context in which victimization primarily takes place and where anti-bullying intervention programs are often provided.

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