Evidence That In-Service Professional Learning for Educational Leaders Matters

2021 ◽  
pp. 194277512110420
Author(s):  
Coby V. Meyers ◽  
Meredith L. Wronowski ◽  
Laura LaMonica
Keyword(s):  
Student Achievement ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
English Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Interrupted Time Series ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
District Leaders ◽  
Achievement Data ◽  
Service Programs ◽  
The Impact

Educator leadership requires continuous development, including extended professional learning opportunities for principals in the field. This is also true for district leaders who likely have even fewer robust opportunities to grow professionally. We conducted a comparative interrupted time series of publicly available student achievement data from New Mexico to analyze the impact of a university-based organization that partners with district leaders to provide intensive professional learning opportunities for district leaders and school principals. We found positive impacts on student achievement in math and for English learners in English language arts. Implications for educator preparation and in-service programs are considered.

The Analyses of Learning Strategies in English as a Second Language: Theoretical Classification and Measurement Test

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-129
Author(s):  
Asti Gumartifa ◽  
◽  
Indah Windra Dwie Agustiani
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
English Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Effective Learning ◽  
The Impact

Gaining English language learning effectively has been discussed all years long. Similarly, Learners have various troubles outcomes in the learning process. Creating a joyful and comfortable situation must be considered by learners. Thus, the implementation of effective learning strategies is certainly necessary for English learners. This descriptive study has two purposes: first, to introduce the classification and characterization of learning strategies such as; memory, cognitive, metacognitive, compensation, social, and affective strategies that are used by learners in the classroom and second, it provides some questionnaires item based on Strategy of Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) version 5.0 that can be used to examine the frequency of students’ learning strategies in the learning process. The summary of this study explains and discusses the researchers’ point of view on the impact of learning outcomes by learning strategies used. Finally, utilizing appropriate learning strategies are certainly beneficial for both teachers and learners to achieve the learning target effectively.

On Leadership: Planning for equity

2019 ◽  
Vol 101 (3) ◽  
pp. 60-61
Author(s):  
Joshua P. Starr
Keyword(s):  
Student Achievement ◽  
Curriculum Development ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
School System ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Hiring Practices ◽  
School Based ◽  
Improvement Planning ◽  
System Leaders

Every year, school-based teams all over the country engage in the ritual known as improvement planning. In theory, the process is designed to identify low-performing students and specify plans for raising their achievement. In practice, though, improvement planning tends to be an empty exercise in compliance, in which school teams aim to do little more than fill out the required paperwork. If school system leaders are truly committed to providing all students with equitable learning opportunities, argues Joshua Starr, they need to focus the improvement planning process on things that actually matter to student achievement, such as budgeting decisions, hiring practices, curriculum development, professional learning, discipline reform, and community engagement.

scholarly journals The Impact of Administrative Decisions on Implementation Fidelity of Direct Instruction and Student Achievement

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Stockard
Keyword(s):  
Student Achievement ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Teacher Training ◽  
Direct Instruction ◽  
Implementation Fidelity ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Achievement Data ◽  
Training Teacher ◽  
Teacher Fidelity ◽  
The Impact

This article examined the extent to which administrative decisions that affected the implementation fidelity of Direct Instruction programs were related to student achievement. Data from three studies showed that administrative decisions that disregarded recommended protocols regarding teacher training, teacher preparation, and student schedules were related to lower levels of teacher fidelity, student progress at mastery, and student achievement. Most results were statistically significant and had large associated effect sizes. Implications for practice and policy are discussed.

Mathematics Learning in Language Inclusive Classrooms: Supporting the Achievement of English Learners and Their English Proficient Peers

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (7) ◽  
pp. 452-465
Author(s):  
Geoffrey B. Saxe ◽  
Joshua Sussman
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
English Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Mathematics Learning ◽  
Number Line ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Inclusive Classrooms ◽  
Mathematics Intervention ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Secondary Grades

National and state assessments show that English language learners (ELs) in elementary and secondary grades score lower in mathematics compared with their matched English proficient peers (EPs). To provide information on strategies for enhancing learning opportunities for ELs in language inclusive classrooms, we analyze the efficacy of Learning Mathematics Through Representations (LMR), a curriculum unit on integers and fractions designed to support learning opportunities for ELs as well as EPs. LMR features the number line as a principal representational context and the use of embodied representations to support students as they explore mathematical ideas, construct arguments, and elaborate explanations. The study used a quasi-experimental design: Twenty-one elementary classrooms employing a highly regarded curriculum were included. Forty-four ELs were enrolled across 11 LMR classrooms, and 51 ELs were enrolled across 10 matched comparison classrooms. Multilevel analysis of longitudinal data on a specialized integers and fractions assessment, as well as a California state mathematics assessment, revealed that the ELs in LMR classrooms showed greater gains than comparison ELs and gained at similar rates to their EP peers in LMR classrooms. Further, contrasts between ELs in the LMR classrooms and EPs in the comparison classrooms revealed that LMR narrowed or eliminated the pretest achievement gap in mathematics. Both theory and empirical results support the value of LMR as a mathematics intervention benefitting both EL and EP students.

Impact of Using Blackboard on Vocabulary Acquisition: KKU Students’ Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 598
Author(s):  
Hadeel Ali Hussain Alamer
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Item Questionnaire ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

This research aims to investigate the impact of employing the learning management system (Blackboard) on attitudes of King Khalid University (KKU) students. The research examines the students' knowledge and skills in employing the Blackboard in their learning process, and investigates the elements, which influence the students' attitude and performance in using Blackboard in classroom instruction from their perspectives. To this end, the author has selected a sample of 34 of KKU students, where they have been requested to complete a 14-item questionnaire. Findings of the current study revealed that KKU students faced several difficulties in learning English language vocabulary. Consequently, the students have developed negative attitudes towards English vocabulary. The study found that Blackboard had a little influence on the attitude and performance of the KKU students in vocabulary learning. The study also showed that there were some limitations in the use of Blended Learning. It needs an action plan in order to make supportive learning opportunities for  the university students.

scholarly journals Effect of Tell Me More on EFL undergraduate students’ English Language achievement

Open Praxis ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 449
Author(s):  
George Gyamfi ◽  
Panida Sukseemuang
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Learning Technologies ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Language Achievement ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Achievement Data ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

This descriptive study aimed at finding the impact of Tell Me More (TMM), an online language-learning program, on English as a foreign language (EFL) undergraduate learners’ achievement in a University in Thailand. The study also looked at whether the time of use of TMM had an effect on learners’ achievement. Data was collected from the scores of students at four proficiency levels who did the placement, progress and achievement tests in the TMM program for the 2015 academic year. The analysis of the data indicated an improvement in English language achievement for the beginner and advanced proficiency levels after the use of the TMM program. However, TMM did not have any effect on students of intermediate+ and intermediate proficiency levels. The ANOVA and pairwise comparison analysis revealed a significant difference between the proficiency levels. The analysis of the time on task was striking. It raises concerns about the use of time as the sole indicator for assessment. The findings suggest that learning goals and assessment have the capacity to influence the use of computer-assisted language learning technologies. The study therefore will guide instructors on how to design curriculums for autonomous online learning and improve ways of assessment.

scholarly journals Classroom Observation: Linking Teacher Evaluation and Professional Development in TESOL

2018 ◽  
Vol III (II) ◽  
pp. 168-195
Author(s):  
Sayyed Rashid Shah ◽  
Roohul Amin ◽  
Hussain Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Evaluation ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Classroom Observation ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Impact

This study examines the impact of increasingly challenging nature of classroom observation as part of teacher evaluation in English Language Teaching (ELT). This paper highlights the complex nature of evaluative classroom observation systems in various educational contexts. It also considers various issues that embody the challenging nature of classroom observation and teacher evaluation in connection to the professional development of teachers. In a small-scale study of Teaching of English to the Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) professionals in Saudi English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context, it adopts an interpretive approach and utilizes semi-structured interviews to collect data. The results, presented in four major themes provide a detailed account of teachers’ perceptions of the role of classroom observation in their professional learning and development. However, this development has not occurred due to the observation as a tool to elevate teaching and learning standards, alternatively, the managerial demands and the fear of being fired or transferred to remote campuses have stimulated teachers to develop professionally and offset this challenge. Despite their personal drive to professionalize themselves in a collaborative and professional culture, the challenge of observation still prevails owing to the teachers’ lack of autonomy and some insufficiently trained observers’ subjective approach.

Providing Support for English Language Learners With Behavioral Needs

2012 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 152-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Dobbins ◽  
Cathi Draper Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Student Behavior ◽  
English Language ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Behavior Plans ◽  
Learning Factors ◽  
The Impact

The group of students whose primary language is not English, commonly referred to as English language learners, is one of the fastest-growing groups of students. Teachers need to have a clear understanding that English learners may exhibit internalizing or externalizing behaviors related to their language development. When English learners exhibit behaviors that impede their learning or the learning of others, educators need to develop appropriate behavior plans that consider these language-learning factors. This article describes the impact that learning English may have on student behavior, as well as the necessary design modifications for appropriate functional assessments and behavior plans for this population.

scholarly journals Is Arizona's Approach to Educating Its ELs Superior to Other Forms of Instruction?

2012 ◽  
Vol 114 (9) ◽  
pp. 1-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Martinez-Wenzl ◽  
Karla C. Pérez ◽  
Patricia Gandara
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Strategies ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Relative Effectiveness ◽  
Instructional Program ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Structured English Immersion ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Achievement Data ◽  
English Immersion ◽  
The Impact

Background In the Horne v Flores Supreme Court decision of June 25, 2009, the Court wrote that one basis for finding Arizona in compliance with federal law regarding the education of its English learners was that the state had adopted a “significantly more effective” than bilingual education instructional model for EL students—Structured English Immersion (SEI). Purpose This paper reviews the extant research on SEI, its definitions, origins, and its effectiveness, particularly in contrast to other instructional strategies. This paper asks, Does the research bear out the Court's conclusion? What is the evidence that Arizona's program of SEI is really superior to other approaches, including bilingual or dual language education? How are Arizona's EL students faring under this “significantly more effective” instructional program? Research Design Data on the relative effectiveness of SEI are drawn from a comprehensive review of the literature. Analysis of public documents, particularly records from the Arizona English Language Learners Task Force, which was charged with selecting a research-based instructional program for English learners. Drawing from a recent ethnographic study and student achievement data, we examine the impact of structured English immersion programs on English learners in Arizona thus far, beginning with achievement outcomes. Conclusions/Recommendations There is no research basis for the Court's statement the SEI is “significantly more effective”; at best SEI is no better or no worse than other instructional strategies, particularly bilingual instruction, when they are both well implemented. However, SEI as implemented in Arizona carries serious negative consequences for EL students stemming from the excessive amount of time dedicated to a sole focus on English instruction, the de-emphasis on grade level academic curriculum, the discrete skills approach it employs, and the segregation of EL students from mainstream peers. Moreover, the paper argues that there are, in fact, strategies that can ameliorate these problems as well as provide an additive, rather than a subtractive, educational experience for English learner and mainstream students alike.

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